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 a recap of the quarterfinal quadruple-header on Sunday.
GAME #1: Campbell-UNCW
Solid pregame lunch: cheeseburger/bratwurst/potato salad/lemonade.
Let’s tip off the quarterfinal quadrupleheader:
I missed most of the 1st 20 minutes while finishing another article, but did look up in time to see UNCW big man Patrick Wessler cap off his 14-PT 1st half performance with a jumper to beat the buzzer and give his team a 33-31 halftime lead. The 2nd half stayed tight for the 1st 6 minutes and then Campbell dug deep as they went on a stunning 16-0 run over the following 4 minutes to take a huge 56-41 lead with under 10 minutes left. The Camels maintained a double-digit lead down the stretch and won it 85-70.
In the postgame press conference, I asked Campbell G DJ Smith about winning games in March considering that he is 6-1 in 7 career conference tourney games (2 in the CAA, 3 in the Horizon, and 1 in the Sun Belt). He said the key was just staying the course. They know how hard they worked and they stay true to the game plan. They play for each other and do not care who gets the shine:
I wondered if Campbell coach John Andrzejek’s team packed enough clothes for the entire week or whether his staff would be spending all evening at the local laundromat! He confirmed that they definitely packed enough clothes for the week…but still have to take it 1 game at a time and stay in the moment. They have to prepare for the next game and not worry about anything else.
I wanted to see if UNCW coach Takayo Siddle believed the adage about the difficulty of beating a team 3 times in 1 season (much less in a 7-week span!). He shot that down because each game stands on its own. It was just Campbell’s night and they deserved that win. He is proud of his team/program because they have done some special things and only lost 6 times all season. It stings right now but he is not hanging his head: it is hard to get back to the NCAA tourney but their journey is still ongoing (to the NIT):
GAME #2: Monmouth-Drexel
Let’s tip off the 2nd game of today’s quadrupleheader:
I was worried that losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings would result in a poor offensive showing, but both teams came out scorching from behind the arc, combining for 10-13 3PM during the 1st 12 minutes. Drexel took a 29-18 lead late in the half, but Monmouth would not go away and clawed back to make it a 33-32 game at halftime. The most notable addition in the 2nd half was off the court, as the Monmouth band/cheer squad/dance team finally showed up after missing the 1st half! They must have brought a whole bucket of karma with them, as Drexel went ice-cold in the 2nd stanza (7-25 FG) and the Hawks soared to a 65-57 win.
In the postgame press conference I asked Monmouth coach King Rice about leading his school through 3 different conferences during the past 15 years, then getting Kavion McClain eligible last month, and seeing the #1 seed upset today. He gave me a LOOOOOOOONG answer but here are the highlights. He felt he must be doing something right since he has been here for 15 years through 3 leagues, but even if they win the title that does not make him a better coach and it is not about him. They have a tough game tomorrow: this year is the 10-year reunion of the 2016 Monmouth team that won 27 regular season games but lost the MAAC title game to Iona by 3 PTS and did not make the NCAA tourney. 15 years ago he was turned down to be a coach at 8 different schools, but Monmouth gave him a shot. His kids live on a college campus so it makes them brighter. He would be happy to win it all but it is more about the players. He has been praying on this a long time and it would be cool for him to get his turn, but there are lot of other coaches praying for the same thing:
GAME #3: Charleston-Towson
Solid pregame dinner: BBQ chicken/brisket/string beans/mashed potatoes/lemonade.
Let’s tip off the 3rd game of today’s quadrupleheader:
I missed the entire 1st half while typing up some interviews, but Towson relied on its all-conference duo of Dylan Williamson/Tyler Tejada to build a 43-32 lead at intermission. However, the halftime highlight was seeing HoopsHD’s favorite fake handshaker Jimmy Patsos!:
Tejada and his teammate Ryan Conway teamed up for 8 quick PTS in the 1st 100 seconds of the 2nd half, forcing Charleston coach Chris Mack to burn a quick timeout with his team down by 19 PTS, but it did not stop the bleeding as the Tigers increased their lead to 61-34 by the under-16 timeout and the rout was on. Tejada led the way with his 2nd straight game of 30+ PTS as Towson took charge with an 81-56 victory.
In the postgame press conference I reminded Pat Skerry that he was a PG at Tufts the last time that Towson made the NCAA tourney (in 1991) and suggested that maybe everything is falling into place this week. He answered “No” because they have to lock in and play a tough team. They will put a game plan together and hopefully play 1 of their best games tomorrow night:
GAME #4: William & Mary-Hofstra
I am sure that it was a fun game…but quadruple-headers are a young man’s game. That is a wrap for today, check back tomorrow for the semifinal doubleheader while most of the top seeds are watching from home after being upset this weekend!
