Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament tips off this weekend in Washington, DC, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of articles in the week ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with an interview of Campbell band member Reagan Poindexter.
You grew up in Summerfield, NC: what made you choose Campbell? Campbell has a small tight-knit community, which drew me to the campus. I attended a basketball game and just fell in love with the school.
You are majoring in exercise science: how did you choose that subject? I knew that I wanted to work with kids in some sort of connection to health. I want to end up in pediatrics and help kids with whatever they need.
You are only a sophomore: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? I am hoping to attend grad school for occupational therapy at UNC.
You were named a drum major for the marching band next season: how excited were you to get the big news? I am very humbled and excited for the opportunity. I am grateful to the band since they are awesome!
Do you have a favorite song that the band plays? As silly as it sounds, it is when we play the alma mater at the end of each game while the cheer/dance teams collaborate with us to celebrate the team whether they win or lose.
1 of your hobbies is playing board games/card games: do you have a favorite game? Scattergories and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. The latter is very fun and I highly recommend playing it with a big group of people.
The Camels have had a losing record for 4 straight seasons: is it harder to support the team when they are not doing that well on the court? I just want to support the team: I know the hard work they put in and I am proud of them for being so talented.
What has been the highlight of your season so far: starting conference play 3-1, Senior Night, other? A couple of weeks ago we had a tight game against William & Mary. The band/student section/sprit groups were all going crazy, and we ended up winning by 1 PT.
How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what will it mean to you to see your band doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? CAA rules allow 29 band members and 1 band director. Our school bases it on punctuality/attitude throughout the season. These are such cool memories that I will always treasure: we do not have many of our home games televised, and not every school gets to travel to out-of-state to its conference tourney.
Any predictions for the Camels this week? I am no basketball scholar, but I would be happy to see the Camels go far. However, I am proud of them either way.
-In regular season action, Miami OH finished the season undefeated after pulling off yet another thriller. Ohio U had a chance to win at the end of regulation and the game came down to the wire of the overtime, but Miami finished off a perfect regular season.
-St. John’s clinched the top seed in the Big East conference tournament with a win at Seton Hall. They will likely finished tied with UConn, but the Johnnies own the tiebreaker by virtue of a season sweep over Creighton.
-VCU did what they needed to do with a win at Dayton to potentially put themselves on the right side of the cut line.
-UCF is flirting with potential disaster as they continue to melt down with a loss at West Virginia. We still think the Knights are making the field, but they are getting perilously close to Checkpoint Dayton.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC). This is a rivalry game and it’s one that VA Tech needs to win in order to help get them inside the bubble. They won the first meeting in triple OT, but winning on the road is a whole other level. I think Virginia can wrap up a protected seed if they can hold on in this one
-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Arkansas is in the top half of the bracket, but their resume will look a lot more polished if they can add another quality road win to it. Mizzou is likely in the field win or lose, but a win makes it almost a guarantee. This is usually a fun game.
-LOUISVILLE AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Miami has had a really good season and can finish it off with another notable win today. Louisville is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but they could really help their seed out by picking up a road win today. It would arguably be their best win of the year on paper since they’ve not beaten anyone inside the bubble in a true road game.
-VANDERBILT AT TENNESSEE (SEC). It’s a rivalry game and it’s one that both could use. Tennessee is still fighting for a protected seed and Vandy is playing for seeding as well. Both should easily land in the top half of the bracket and this would be another quality win for whoever pulls it off.
-CINCINNATI AT TCU (Big 12). This game suddenly has extreme bubble implications. TCU just picked up a huge win at Texas Tech to put themselves back in the picture, and Cincinnati has won six of their last seven, picked up several big wins in that stretch, and according to our JNG they are squarely on the bubble and can still play their way into the field. Bubble teams around the country will be cheering hard for TCU in this one.
-FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Florida is still within reach of a #1 seed. They’re good enough to win today and win the SEC Tournament next week and if they do all that they could get it. Kentucky should land in the top half of the bracket and can help their seed out if they can pull off the win at home.
-WISCONSIN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue has all but locked up a #1 seed and Wisconsin is safely in the field. They better not overlook the Badgers, who have not always played at a high level, but who does have wins at Illinois and at Michigan, which are two of the best wins that any team has managed this whole season. (Silly Puppet, there’s a team called Michigan that’s more of a 1 seed than Purdue is. Is there another tournament for the Boilers?)
-SAINT LOUIS AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic 10) – SLU has been less than great these last couple of weeks, but they’re still a lock for the NCAA Tournament and can virtually lock themselves into the top half of the bracket with a win today.
-NEW MEXICO AT UTAH STATE (Moutnain West). Utah State is in the field, but their seeding could really improve if they win this game and then win the MWC Tournament next week. New Mexico is right on the bubble and a win in a game like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in. Unfortunately, the Lobos are probably on the wrong side of said bubble after a midweek loss against Colorado State.
-INDIANA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a major bubblicious game. Both teams are straddling the bubble, both need to win, and neither can really afford to lose. Even after winning this game the teams may still have some work to do. This almost has the feel of a play-in game.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT DUKE (ACC). Off the court it is the premier rivalry in all of college basketball and the teams are just eight miles apart. On the court Duke is trying to avenge their loss at UNC from earlier this season and is in the hunt for the #1 overall seed. UNC is looking for a sweep and for a major boost to their profile.
-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC). This has the feel of a near must-win for Auburn. The problem is that it’s not going to be an easy game at all to win. It’s a rivalry game, and while Auburn is battle tested it’s still a long shot. Alabama is still fighting for a protected seed and would love to hand Auburn yet another loss.
-TEXAS TECH AT BYU (Big 12). Texas Tech is looking to bounce back from a somewhat surprising loss to TCU earlier in the week, and BYU has just gone over the edge since having to deal with injuries. They will still make the field, but they are not going to be well positioned and probably won’t go very far.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Houston @ Oklahoma State (Big 12) – Houston can close out the regular season with yet another road win
-Xavier @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is a virtual lock for the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve in this one
-Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson is a lock, but this would really be a nasty dent on their resume if they didn’t hold serve in this one. Win or lose, this will be the Jackets’ finale since they failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament.
-Connecticut @ Marquette (Big East) – UConn can almost assuredly lock up a #1 seed if they avoid a loss today and avoid a loss in the Big East Quarterfinals
-Arizona State @ Iowa State (Big 12) – Iowa State still has a small chance to earn a #1 seed. Either way they should be well positioned in both the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament
-Kansas State @ Kansas (Big 12) – it’s a rivalry game, but it is also a massive mismatch. Kansas should roll
-SMU @ Florida State (ACC) – SMU is on the outside looking in. They need this win on the road and some big wins next week in the ACC Tournament. (Note from Stalica – I don’t think the Ponies are on the wrong side of the bubble yet, but they are way too close now. Their sinking ship can’t take on any more water.)
-Stanford @ NC State (ACC) – it’s important that NC State hold serve because while they will likely make the NCAA Tournament they have a Swiss Cheese Profile that’s full of holes
-Georgia @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Georgia has been playing well these last couple of weeks and they should be able to end the regular season with another road win
-California @ Wake Forest (ACC) – I’m not even sure we are still looking at Cal, but I’ll go ahead and include this in case we are
-Texas A&M @ LSU (SEC) – TAMU is coming off a big win against Kentucky and should be able to close their season out by picking up another conference road win
-Oklahoma @ Texas (SEC) – Texas has really been playing well and should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-UCLA @ USC (Big Ten) – I think UCLA is close to being a lock, but they are still not completely safe. They’ve also really struggled on the road and a win like this will make their profile look a little better. Not to mention this is a rivalry game. Of course, this could be a very one-sided rivalry this year with USC having mentally checked out.
-Arizona @ Colorado (Big 12) – I still think Arizona has a very strong case for the #1 overall seed. I also think they’re good enough to win out through the Big 12 Tournament
UTR WATCH:
-Princeton @ Yale (Ivy League) – Yale can clinch 1st place outright in the Ivy League
-Sam Houston @ Liberty (Conference USA) – despite hitting a recent skid Liberty is still the strongest team in CUSA and will be dangerous in the Round of 64 if they win the auto bid
-UC Davis @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine is still in the hunt for a first place finish. It’s the Davine Rivalry! (Good lord where does Stalica come up with this stupid rivalries?)
-Long Beach @ Hawaii (Big West) – Hawaii and UC Irvine are tied for 1st going into today; this logjam at the top may not be sorted out very cleanly after this game.
We are back with another Championship Week Video Notebook, recapping wild days across all the conference tournaments — highlighted by some wild upsets at Arch Madness and overtimes for everyone! We also update our Survival Board, check in on the Puppet Bunker, and so much more!
Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament tips off this weekend in Washington, DC, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of articles in the week ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage with an interview of Northeastern basketball parent Mark Alarie.
We both attended Brophy College Prep in Phoenix and Penn in Philly, but only 1 of us was good enough to play ACC basketball: what made you choose Duke? It was a combination of 2 factors. Attending Brophy made me academically aware, so I had a desire to go to the best college I could get into. It came down to Stanford and Duke, so I compared coaching staffs/opportunities. I thought Stanford was a better school, but due to a young/inspiring coach named Mike Krzyzewski I felt that I had some undeveloped potential and could become a good ACC player.
Coach K won 5 NCAA titles and 3 Olympic gold medals: what made him such a legend, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? There are 2 aspects of Coach K that drove his success. 1 is that he was an incredibly hard worker: it is a prerequisite for success, but not every coach has it. Gary Williams and I have become friends: he is a Hall of Fame coach who won a national title, but he could not keep up with the time/energy required to win recruiting battles because it was not in his DNA. Coach K burned the candle at both ends: he would coach/develop us while building a pipeline of new players who would continue to improve the program. If you ask any of his former assistant coaches what their hardest job was, they would all say being his assistant due to the amount of time it required. The 2nd part of the formula was his attention to detail, which is where I learned the most about life. At every practice I remember he had each drill mapped out to the minute, as well as the rationale for the purpose of each drill. We would start with 1-on-0, then 1-on-1, then 2-on-2, etc. We would finish with a 5-on-5 scrimmage that was a build-up of all the fundamentals that he wanted to teach. It was such a predictable way to learn that it was perfect for me and a lot of my teammates. It is like learning math by making sure you do not forget your multiplication tables. The fundamentals were never assumed to be mastered but rather drilled into us for 4 years. He was a great communicator, which is the 3rd leg to the stool: he explained why the techniques would work and we trusted him.
2 other members of your recruiting class were Johnny Dawkins (head coach at UCF) and Jay Bilas (ESPN college basketball analyst): when did you 1st get the sense that you were part of a special group? I certainly did not know it when I was there. To this day Jay is 1 of my best friends and we are godparents to each other’s children. I definitely thought that he would become a TV broadcaster: when we were watching a game in our apartment and got bored we would turn off the sound and ask Jay to call the game, and he would have us all in stitches! He was just born to do what he is doing now (rather than practicing law), and good for him that he realized it. Johnny has become an outstanding coach, as have Tommy Amaker/Quin Snyder, and Danny Ferry/Billy King became NBA executives. That is a LOT of basketball talent on 1 team, which is a testament to Coach K: if he had to choose between recruiting talent and character then he would choose the latter. I remember seeing Vince Carter dunking with his head over the rim as a freshman at UNC, but Coach K would rather have a guy like Shane Battier because they are 2 different types of players. Vince was a great athlete and a Hall of Famer, but was not the same as Shane.
As a senior you made it all the way to the title game and scored 12 PTS in a 3-PT loss to Louisville: what is the secret to winning games in March? We did not have a 3-PT line back then, which has changed the game and made upsets more achievable. Shooting really matters, especially FTs during a close game. You must also defend the 3-PT line for the same reasons: the perimeter matters on both ends of the court.
Your 2136 career PTS remains #5 in school history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? For me it was about doing what I did best. I was a good post player with an effective jump hook over my left shoulder, so if I was given that shot from 8 feet and in, I probably had a make rate of 75-80%. Part of that is me, but also my coaches realizing it and my teammates giving me the ball. I was a good shooter if I was left open and was comfortable out to 20 feet. It was about getting the ball where I needed to get it.
You were inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Arizona High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2008: where do those rank among the highlights of your career? Those are prestigious honors that gave me a sense of accomplishment. I would never have believed that I was in company like that after finishing my career at Brophy. I never thought about it until it was all over, and it is still hard to believe, but I am proud of both accomplishments.
In the summer of 1986 you were drafted 18th overall by Denver (6 spots ahead of Arvydas Sabonis) and spent 5 years in the NBA: what is your favorite memory from your time as a pro? My best basketball memories are from college, which is a function of not playing on a great team in the NBA. In Denver we were swept out of the playoffs by the Lakers, and in Washington we were competitive but never got out of the 1st round, so we did not have any bragging rights. Those were great experiences for me, but they pale in comparison to playing on significant teams in college.
Since retiring as a player, you have worked in several different fields including investment banking/private equity/compliance software: what are you up to these days, and how long do you plan on sticking around for? I am officially retired but still work on several boards of companies that I have invested in, which is interesting for me. I am keenly interested in what the next big thing will be: right now it is AI, so as an investor I am trying to figure out how to leverage my capital to be a part of that growth industry.
Your son Xander is a freshman at Northeastern, and your daughter Bella was a 3-time Ivy POY at Princeton: who is the best athlete in the family? I think that Bella has bragging rights: she was drafted 5th overall, and she always reminds me that she was drafted way before I was! Xander is confident that he will become the best of all of us: he is a hard worker and has similar characteristics to me/Bella because he has been a late bloomer physically. He was 5’10” to start high school and was never on elite teams, but now he is a young man competing against grown men, as college rosters have plenty of 24 and 25-year olds. He has the necessary toughness: he just needs to mature both physically/mentally to achieve his potential.
Any predictions for Northeastern this weekend at the CAA Tourney and/or Duke this postseason? I feel so bad for Coach Bill Coen and his staff: I have never seen so many injuries on a college team. I wondered if they could put all the parts together to be competitive, but they just got chopped down to their bare bones 1-by-1…yet are still winning games in March! They finished last in the CAA but did not pack their bags so I applaud them for winning the play-in game earlier today. If they win another game tomorrow, then I would consider it a successful season for surviving an avalanche of injuries. As far as Duke, beating Michigan on a neutral court in DC last month put them as the likely #1 seed if they take care of business in the ACC. I do not think they have to win out, but they have as good a chance as anyone to win the whole thing. Last year’s team was the best Duke team I have seen since 1999 when we lost to UConn in Florida with an unbelievably loaded team that just could not finish the job. Last year I thought they were also the best team but could not finish the job. I do not see the same level of dominance this year as I did last year, but they still have a chance to win it all. There are a few players remaining from last year’s team who know how hard it hurts to lose when everyone expects you to win. Having those voices in the locker room and leadership that understands what happened last year will help.
-The beat rolls on for Michigan as they picked up another road win at Iowa last night. The Hawkeyes did tie the game with under two minutes remaining, but the Wolverines hit a shot with 43 seconds left to take the lead for good.
-Michigan State had a tougher than expected battle against Rutgers on Senior Day, but the Spartans did end up with a win themselves and now face a matchup at Michigan for the regular season finale this weekend.
-Liberty’s recent slide continuted with a home loss to Louisiana Tech. This is not a team that is looking sharp at all headed into the Conference USA Tournament.
-UC Irvine and Hawai’i both won to remain in a first place tie in the Big West.
-The 2026 Coaching Carousel will have another addition as Kim English will be dismissed at the end of the Providence season. He will remain the Friars’ head coach for their regular season finale and the Big East Tournament.
We are down under 300 (295 exactly) teams left with a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. In addition to today’s conference tournament games, either Buffalo or Central Michigan will get eliminated. Central Michigan is out with a loss (at Ball State) OR a Buffalo win (at Toldeo). Buffalo is out with a loss AND a Central Michigan win.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-VCU AT DAYTON (Atlantic 10). VCU is right on the bubble. Simply put they need this win and they probably need to advance to at least the semis of the A10 Tournament to have any real chance of being selected.
-UCF AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). UCF has been incredibly inconsistent these last couple weeks. They can all but lock up a bid with a road win today. It would also help their resume because while West Virginia is not a tournament caliber team they’re still a tough team to beat on the road.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT SETON HALL (Big East). The Johnnies have lost just one game since January 3rd, and while they didn’t mess around losing it (UConn blew them out) they’ve still had an incredible season and are looking at a very solid seed in the NCAA Tournament. They may even still have an outside shot at a protected seed depending on what happens next week.
-MIAMI OH AT OHIO U (MAC). It’s the Battle of the Bricks!! It’s also a chance to see if Miami can finish off the regular season unbeaten. They’ll have to win on the road against their rivals to do it, but they’ve been getting it done all year (albeit barely in some games). I think the Redhawks are in no matter what happens, but it’s still a chance to finish off a perfect regular season and beat their rivals on the road.
It was Quarterfinal Day in the Patriot League which features some of the best games we have seen so far this season, including a half-court buzzer beater. Chad, David and Mike review all the action, take a look at the upcoming games for Friday, and a whole lot more!
