Click here for David Griggs’ preview of the First Four
Click below for Jon Teitel’s postseason preview interviews:
South Dakota State – PG Deondre Parks
Dayton – SG Charles Cooke
Saint Joseph’s – SG/SF Aaron Brown
Stephen F. Austin – SG/SF Thomas Walkup
Saint Joseph’s – SF Isaiah Miles
Middle Tennessee State – Assistant Coach Win Case
Texas A&M – Assistant Coach Rick Stansbury
Fresno State – Assistant Coach Jerry Wainwright
UNC-Wilmington – G Craig Ponder
Holy Cross – SG/SF Eric Green
UNC-Asheville – Head Coach Nick McDevitt
Florida Gulf Coast – SF Marc-Eddy Norelia
Northern Iowa – Head Coach Ben Jacobson
Judging by some of the emails that we received yesterday, Florida really couldn’t wait to start renovations at the O’Connell Athletic Center (more affectionately known as the O-Dome). Their first-round game was actually played at North Florida, although that did little to change the result of last night’s game, a decisive 97-68 win for the Gators. Their next opponent will be Ohio State up in Columbus; the Buckeyes survived an overtime thriller at home against in-state foe Akron by a 72-63 final.
The toughest loss of the night and the best chance for an upset fell by the wayside when New Mexico State’s Tanveer Bhullar had actually tied the game for the Aggies with just under 2 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, New Mexico State fouled the Gaels shortly after the ball was inbounded, and Joe Rahon hit a pair of free throws to give St. Mary’s a 58-56 win.
South Carolina had suspended 5 of their players just minutes before the start of their game against High Point – the game was close at halftime, but the Gamecocks shifted gears in the 2nd half and pulled away with a decisive 88-66 victory. In all, there were no upsets in the NIT last night.
The game of the night took place in the CIT; despite falling behind 20-3 early in the game and on the road, Ball State was able to overcome 31 turnovers and defeated Tennessee State 78-73 in double overtime. This was the first time since 2002 that the Cards were able to win a postseason game and reach the 20-win mark. (CHAD’S NOTE: That was nice, John — bit this buzzer beater was nicer: http://www.collegeinsider.com/pvideo/221/Furman-Buzzer-Beater-2016-CIT)
NIT
(8) WAGNER AT (1) ST. BONAVENTURE (7:00 PM, ESPN3) – Technically, these are both in-state foes, although they are separated by over 300 miles. The Bonnies were one of the main snubs of the NCAA Tournament and will be playing for their own pride as well as the pride of the Atlantic 10. Wagner’s goal will simply be for a better outing than their conference partners at Fairleigh Dickinson last night.
(6) BELMONT AT (3) GEORGIA (7:00 PM, ESPN2) – This may well be the game of the night from a competitive standpoint in the NIT. The Bruins had a stunning loss in the OVC semifinals to Austin Peay, but nonetheless had another decent (albeit not dominant) season in the Ohio Valley. Georgia was able to land a plum seed in the NIT thanks to a 3-game sweep over South Carolina, but they’re going to need their first 4 NIT games if they want to beat South Carolina for a 4th time this season.
(8) BUCKNELL AT (1) MONMOUTH (7:30 PM, ESPN3) – This would be a plum Under The Radar Game of the Day in the regular season, but still has a lot of intrigue for a team many consider to be the biggest exclusion from the NCAA Tournament field this season. Bucknell had an equally stunning loss at home against Holy Cross to end their NCAA Tournament hopes, but they get entry into the NIT thanks to their Patriot League regular season title.
(6) PRINCETON AT (3) VIRGINIA TECH (8:00 PM, ESPNU) – Cassell Coliseum has quietly become one of the formidable home courts in the country this season – the few notable teams that did win there were at West Virginia and North Carolina. Even Virginia and Miami could not escape the Cassell, but Princeton has always posed a unique challenge for teams in any level of postseason.
(5) HOFSTRA AT (4) GEORGE WASHINGTON (8:00 PM, ESPN3) – While Hofstra did earn an automatic bid into the NIT with a share of the Colonial and the #1 seed, their merits would have also netted them an at-large NIT bid if needed. While not invincible at home, GW has nonetheless been a difficult place to play at home. However, will a 2nd straight NIT bid be met with apathy by the Colonial Army?
(5) HOUSTON AT (4) GEORGIA TECH (9:00 PM, ESPN2) – This has been a year of nice progress for Houston under Kelvin Sampson; highlights include wins at Temple and UConn and big home wins over Cincinnati, Tulsa and SMU. Georgia Tech is also taking a little longer to right the ship under Brian Gregory, but they’ve pulled off a few nice wins at home against Notre Dame and Virginia and even managed a decent road win at Florida State. This should be the most evenly matched game tonight.
(7) UAB AT (2) BYU (10:00 PM, ESPNU) – UAB was a shocking no-show during their Conference USA tournament in their hometown of Birmingham, but nonetheless are assured of an NIT bid because of their regular season title in C-USA. BYU had some nice wins against St. Mary’s and at Gonzaga earlier in the year, but wound up in the NIT because of a lot of head-scratching losses in the West Coast Conference. They cannot take the Blazers lightly at home.
CIT (click on the CIT link for live streams)
TEXAS-ARLINGTON AT SAVANNAH STATE (7:00 PM) – UT-Arlington was a team that we watched for most of the season because of their early wins over Memphis and Ohio State, but they were unable to sustain that momentum in the Sun Belt conference. They did advance to the Sun Belt semifinals before losing to Louisiana-Monroe. While Savannah State did have a losing record against Division I competition, they did manage a winning record in the MEAC this season.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT FORDHAM (7:00 PM) – Normally, our staff at HoopsHD would have lobbied hard for this game to be played at The Roof on Boston U’s campus. But we will gladly make an exception here since this is Fordham’s first postseason appearance in 24 years at the oldest gym in Division I, Rose Hill Gym. It’s been a great turnaround for the Rams since Jeff Neubauer took over as head coach this season.
NORFOLK STATE AT COLUMBIA (7:00 PM) – This year actually breaks a 4-year streak where Norfolk State had played in 4 different postseason tournaments for 4 straight years, but they had wisely chosen the CIT instead of the cluster that’s known as the Vegas 16/Vegas 8. Columbia is actually making their 2nd CIT appearance in 3 years after finishing a very respectable 3rd place in the Ivy League behind Yale and Princeton. Columbia should also be a beneficiary of the Ivy League tournament making its debut next season, but that will have to wait for one more year.
NEW HAMPSHIRE AT FAIRFIELD (7:00 PM) – As hard as it is to believe given their history, New Hampshire is actually making their second consecutive postseason appearance (both of which are in the CIT). While Fairfield hasn’t had a taste of the Big Dance since 1997 and their very close game against North Carolina, the Stags are making their 4th appearance in the CIT.
TENNESSEE-MARTIN AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (7:00 PM) – As impressive as the turnaround at UT-Martin has been the last 2 seasons, there is some disappointment from their inability to stop the Cinderella run of Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley Conference championship. They should be well rested against a Central Michigan team that was upset by Bowling Green in the MAC quarterfinals.
ARMY-WEST POINT AT NJIT (7:30 PM) – The original Team of the People looks to duplicate their Cinderella run in the CIT last year by beginning with a win against an Army team that is making its first postseason appearance since 1978; back then, they were led by a very young coach and former Army Captain (on the court and in the ranks of the United States Army) by the name of Mike Krzyzewski.
UC-IRVINE AT NORTH DAKOTA (8:00 PM) – Despite a CIT-record 5th appearance in the tournament, North Dakota still has not managed to win a game in this tournament since its inception. That is not likely to change against a battle-tested UC-Irvine team that finished runner-up to Hawai’i in the Big West.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI AT UL-LAFAYETTE (8:00 PM) – The Islanders of Corpus Christi have to be relieved in one sense that they won’t have to face SFA this year after they were beaten 3 times, including the Southland Conference championship. While Lafayette was originally projected by HoopsHD to win the Sun Belt at the beginning of the season, their path to the NCAA Tournament was derailed by eventual Sun Belt champion Arkansas-Little Rock.
CBI (click on the CBI link for live streams)
OMAHA AT DUQUESNE (7:00 PM) – While Duquesne is no stranger to the CBI (this is their 3rd appearance in this tournament), the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are making their first appearance in the CBI tonight. While Duquesne made most of their headlines for being stranded in a blizzard on the Pennsylvania Turnpike back in January, they’ve quietly put together a nice season in the A-10. Micah Mason and Derrick Colter will lead the Dukes to their first home game in the postseason since their appearance in the 1994 NIT.
ALBANY AT OHIO (7:00 PM) – Albany had put together a solid season in the America East conference (finishing only behind Stony Brook), but they were stunned in the quarterfinal round of their conference tournament at home against Hartford. Ohio University also put together a runner-up finish in the MAC this season, but they lost to Buffalo in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. While this is the 5th straight year of postseason play for the Great Danes, this is the first postseason appearance for OU since Saul Phillips took over as head coach 2 years ago.
HOUSTON BAPTIST AT UNC-GREENSBORO (7:00 PM) – One need not look any further at the CBI being a pay-for-play tournament than to justify Greensboro getting into the tournament this season (much less hosting a game). Even with a record of 11-18, the Spartans are making their first postseason appearance since 2002 when they played in the NIT. Houston Baptist also comes into the game with a losing record at 13-16, but they at least advanced to the semifinals of the Southland conference tournament before losing to eventual champion SFA.
WESTERN CAROLINA AT VERMONT (7:00 PM) – Vermont is a much more worthy team than the aforementioned two teams; the Catamounts are here after blowing a double-digit lead on the road at Stony Brook on Saturday in the America East championship game. Western Carolina also enters the game with a losing record at 13-17, but they did upset conference champion Chattanooga in the regular season.
PEPPERDINE AT EASTERN WASHINGTON (9:00 PM) – Pepperdine was the best team in the West Coast Conference outside of the Big 3 of Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and BYU. They swept the Gaels in the regular season, but they were unable to beat them a third time in the conference tournament. Eastern Washington was able to finish .500 in a rebuilding year after winning the Big Sky championship a year ago.
MONTANA AT NEVADA (10:00 PM) – Montana had another runner-up finish in the Big Sky tournament – this year, it was Weber State who denied the Grizzlies a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Nevada finished in a tie for fourth place in the Mountain West, which would normally merit an NIT bid or even an NCAA Tournament bid. Given that the Mountain West was way down this year, their prize is a trip to the CBI this season.
IDAHO AT SEATTLE (10:00 PM) – If there were a Team of the People just for the CBI, it would be Idaho as long as our colleague Chad Sherwood suits up for the Vandals. Idaho has a worthy 19-12 record for inclusion into the tournament, unlike a 12-16 Seattle team that only finished .500 in the WAC.
Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Wednesday, March 16
Click here for David Griggs’ preview of the First Four
Click below for Jon Teitel’s postseason preview interviews:
South Dakota State – PG Deondre Parks
Dayton – SG Charles Cooke
Saint Joseph’s – SG/SF Aaron Brown
Stephen F. Austin – SG/SF Thomas Walkup
Saint Joseph’s – SF Isaiah Miles
Middle Tennessee State – Assistant Coach Win Case
Texas A&M – Assistant Coach Rick Stansbury
Fresno State – Assistant Coach Jerry Wainwright
UNC-Wilmington – G Craig Ponder
Holy Cross – SG/SF Eric Green
UNC-Asheville – Head Coach Nick McDevitt
Florida Gulf Coast – SF Marc-Eddy Norelia
Northern Iowa – Head Coach Ben Jacobson
Judging by some of the emails that we received yesterday, Florida really couldn’t wait to start renovations at the O’Connell Athletic Center (more affectionately known as the O-Dome). Their first-round game was actually played at North Florida, although that did little to change the result of last night’s game, a decisive 97-68 win for the Gators. Their next opponent will be Ohio State up in Columbus; the Buckeyes survived an overtime thriller at home against in-state foe Akron by a 72-63 final.
The toughest loss of the night and the best chance for an upset fell by the wayside when New Mexico State’s Tanveer Bhullar had actually tied the game for the Aggies with just under 2 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, New Mexico State fouled the Gaels shortly after the ball was inbounded, and Joe Rahon hit a pair of free throws to give St. Mary’s a 58-56 win.
South Carolina had suspended 5 of their players just minutes before the start of their game against High Point – the game was close at halftime, but the Gamecocks shifted gears in the 2nd half and pulled away with a decisive 88-66 victory. In all, there were no upsets in the NIT last night.
The game of the night took place in the CIT; despite falling behind 20-3 early in the game and on the road, Ball State was able to overcome 31 turnovers and defeated Tennessee State 78-73 in double overtime. This was the first time since 2002 that the Cards were able to win a postseason game and reach the 20-win mark. (CHAD’S NOTE: That was nice, John — bit this buzzer beater was nicer: http://www.collegeinsider.com/pvideo/221/Furman-Buzzer-Beater-2016-CIT)
NIT
(8) WAGNER AT (1) ST. BONAVENTURE (7:00 PM, ESPN3) – Technically, these are both in-state foes, although they are separated by over 300 miles. The Bonnies were one of the main snubs of the NCAA Tournament and will be playing for their own pride as well as the pride of the Atlantic 10. Wagner’s goal will simply be for a better outing than their conference partners at Fairleigh Dickinson last night.
(6) BELMONT AT (3) GEORGIA (7:00 PM, ESPN2) – This may well be the game of the night from a competitive standpoint in the NIT. The Bruins had a stunning loss in the OVC semifinals to Austin Peay, but nonetheless had another decent (albeit not dominant) season in the Ohio Valley. Georgia was able to land a plum seed in the NIT thanks to a 3-game sweep over South Carolina, but they’re going to need their first 4 NIT games if they want to beat South Carolina for a 4th time this season.
(8) BUCKNELL AT (1) MONMOUTH (7:30 PM, ESPN3) – This would be a plum Under The Radar Game of the Day in the regular season, but still has a lot of intrigue for a team many consider to be the biggest exclusion from the NCAA Tournament field this season. Bucknell had an equally stunning loss at home against Holy Cross to end their NCAA Tournament hopes, but they get entry into the NIT thanks to their Patriot League regular season title.
(6) PRINCETON AT (3) VIRGINIA TECH (8:00 PM, ESPNU) – Cassell Coliseum has quietly become one of the formidable home courts in the country this season – the few notable teams that did win there were at West Virginia and North Carolina. Even Virginia and Miami could not escape the Cassell, but Princeton has always posed a unique challenge for teams in any level of postseason.
(5) HOFSTRA AT (4) GEORGE WASHINGTON (8:00 PM, ESPN3) – While Hofstra did earn an automatic bid into the NIT with a share of the Colonial and the #1 seed, their merits would have also netted them an at-large NIT bid if needed. While not invincible at home, GW has nonetheless been a difficult place to play at home. However, will a 2nd straight NIT bid be met with apathy by the Colonial Army?
(5) HOUSTON AT (4) GEORGIA TECH (9:00 PM, ESPN2) – This has been a year of nice progress for Houston under Kelvin Sampson; highlights include wins at Temple and UConn and big home wins over Cincinnati, Tulsa and SMU. Georgia Tech is also taking a little longer to right the ship under Brian Gregory, but they’ve pulled off a few nice wins at home against Notre Dame and Virginia and even managed a decent road win at Florida State. This should be the most evenly matched game tonight.
(7) UAB AT (2) BYU (10:00 PM, ESPNU) – UAB was a shocking no-show during their Conference USA tournament in their hometown of Birmingham, but nonetheless are assured of an NIT bid because of their regular season title in C-USA. BYU had some nice wins against St. Mary’s and at Gonzaga earlier in the year, but wound up in the NIT because of a lot of head-scratching losses in the West Coast Conference. They cannot take the Blazers lightly at home.
CIT (click on the CIT link for live streams)
TEXAS-ARLINGTON AT SAVANNAH STATE (7:00 PM) – UT-Arlington was a team that we watched for most of the season because of their early wins over Memphis and Ohio State, but they were unable to sustain that momentum in the Sun Belt conference. They did advance to the Sun Belt semifinals before losing to Louisiana-Monroe. While Savannah State did have a losing record against Division I competition, they did manage a winning record in the MEAC this season.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT FORDHAM (7:00 PM) – Normally, our staff at HoopsHD would have lobbied hard for this game to be played at The Roof on Boston U’s campus. But we will gladly make an exception here since this is Fordham’s first postseason appearance in 24 years at the oldest gym in Division I, Rose Hill Gym. It’s been a great turnaround for the Rams since Jeff Neubauer took over as head coach this season.
NORFOLK STATE AT COLUMBIA (7:00 PM) – This year actually breaks a 4-year streak where Norfolk State had played in 4 different postseason tournaments for 4 straight years, but they had wisely chosen the CIT instead of the cluster that’s known as the Vegas 16/Vegas 8. Columbia is actually making their 2nd CIT appearance in 3 years after finishing a very respectable 3rd place in the Ivy League behind Yale and Princeton. Columbia should also be a beneficiary of the Ivy League tournament making its debut next season, but that will have to wait for one more year.
NEW HAMPSHIRE AT FAIRFIELD (7:00 PM) – As hard as it is to believe given their history, New Hampshire is actually making their second consecutive postseason appearance (both of which are in the CIT). While Fairfield hasn’t had a taste of the Big Dance since 1997 and their very close game against North Carolina, the Stags are making their 4th appearance in the CIT.
TENNESSEE-MARTIN AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN (7:00 PM) – As impressive as the turnaround at UT-Martin has been the last 2 seasons, there is some disappointment from their inability to stop the Cinderella run of Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley Conference championship. They should be well rested against a Central Michigan team that was upset by Bowling Green in the MAC quarterfinals.
ARMY-WEST POINT AT NJIT (7:30 PM) – The original Team of the People looks to duplicate their Cinderella run in the CIT last year by beginning with a win against an Army team that is making its first postseason appearance since 1978; back then, they were led by a very young coach and former Army Captain (on the court and in the ranks of the United States Army) by the name of Mike Krzyzewski.
UC-IRVINE AT NORTH DAKOTA (8:00 PM) – Despite a CIT-record 5th appearance in the tournament, North Dakota still has not managed to win a game in this tournament since its inception. That is not likely to change against a battle-tested UC-Irvine team that finished runner-up to Hawai’i in the Big West.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI AT UL-LAFAYETTE (8:00 PM) – The Islanders of Corpus Christi have to be relieved in one sense that they won’t have to face SFA this year after they were beaten 3 times, including the Southland Conference championship. While Lafayette was originally projected by HoopsHD to win the Sun Belt at the beginning of the season, their path to the NCAA Tournament was derailed by eventual Sun Belt champion Arkansas-Little Rock.
CBI (click on the CBI link for live streams)
OMAHA AT DUQUESNE (7:00 PM) – While Duquesne is no stranger to the CBI (this is their 3rd appearance in this tournament), the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are making their first appearance in the CBI tonight. While Duquesne made most of their headlines for being stranded in a blizzard on the Pennsylvania Turnpike back in January, they’ve quietly put together a nice season in the A-10. Micah Mason and Derrick Colter will lead the Dukes to their first home game in the postseason since their appearance in the 1994 NIT.
ALBANY AT OHIO (7:00 PM) – Albany had put together a solid season in the America East conference (finishing only behind Stony Brook), but they were stunned in the quarterfinal round of their conference tournament at home against Hartford. Ohio University also put together a runner-up finish in the MAC this season, but they lost to Buffalo in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. While this is the 5th straight year of postseason play for the Great Danes, this is the first postseason appearance for OU since Saul Phillips took over as head coach 2 years ago.
HOUSTON BAPTIST AT UNC-GREENSBORO (7:00 PM) – One need not look any further at the CBI being a pay-for-play tournament than to justify Greensboro getting into the tournament this season (much less hosting a game). Even with a record of 11-18, the Spartans are making their first postseason appearance since 2002 when they played in the NIT. Houston Baptist also comes into the game with a losing record at 13-16, but they at least advanced to the semifinals of the Southland conference tournament before losing to eventual champion SFA.
WESTERN CAROLINA AT VERMONT (7:00 PM) – Vermont is a much more worthy team than the aforementioned two teams; the Catamounts are here after blowing a double-digit lead on the road at Stony Brook on Saturday in the America East championship game. Western Carolina also enters the game with a losing record at 13-17, but they did upset conference champion Chattanooga in the regular season.
PEPPERDINE AT EASTERN WASHINGTON (9:00 PM) – Pepperdine was the best team in the West Coast Conference outside of the Big 3 of Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and BYU. They swept the Gaels in the regular season, but they were unable to beat them a third time in the conference tournament. Eastern Washington was able to finish .500 in a rebuilding year after winning the Big Sky championship a year ago.
MONTANA AT NEVADA (10:00 PM) – Montana had another runner-up finish in the Big Sky tournament – this year, it was Weber State who denied the Grizzlies a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Nevada finished in a tie for fourth place in the Mountain West, which would normally merit an NIT bid or even an NCAA Tournament bid. Given that the Mountain West was way down this year, their prize is a trip to the CBI this season.
IDAHO AT SEATTLE (10:00 PM) – If there were a Team of the People just for the CBI, it would be Idaho as long as our colleague Chad Sherwood suits up for the Vandals. Idaho has a worthy 19-12 record for inclusion into the tournament, unlike a 12-16 Seattle team that only finished .500 in the WAC.