All-Access at the ACC Tournament: Quarterfinal Thursday

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The ACC Tournament is taking place this week 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 days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with a recap of the ACC quarterfinal quadruple-header on Thursday.

The food vouchers keep making my day: today I went all-in on chicken sandwiches (both lunch and dinner). Let’s tip if off:

GAME #1: Florida State-North Carolina
I missed the entire game due to some scheduled interviews, but the Tar Heels won 92-67.
In the postgame press conference I asked UNC coach Hubert Davis if he thought that winning this tourney (which the Tar Heels have only done once since 2008) would guarantee him a #1 seed next week, and whether he cares about being a #1 seed next week. He said he does not think about it and is just focused on what is real: preparing to play his next opponent. If the team just focuses on the process that the results will take care of themselves:

GAME #2: Wake Forest-Pitt
Ditto, but the Panthers won 81-69 and will face the Tar Heels on Friday night.
In the postgame press conference I wondered if Pitt coach Jeff Capel had ever seen a better bench performance than Ishmael Leggett’s (30 PTS/8 REB/5 STL/0 TO) during his quarter-century as a college coach. He was unsure but agreed that Ish was outstanding and that they needed it. He was everywhere, just kept making plays with force, and it was awesome for him to step up in a huge way on this stage:

GAME #3: NC State-Duke
FINALLY… a game I had a chance to sit down and watch! The 1st half was a 2-man battle between NC State G DJ Horne (who made a couple of threes and a couple of layups) and Duke C Kyle Filipowski (who made about 6 different shots in the paint including an alleyoop, a spin/bank shot, and a STL/layup). The crowd favored the Blue Devils but the halftime scored (35-32) favored the Wolfpack. Filipowski continued to dominate inside after the break with a lefty hook in the lane, a lefty tip-in, and several more shots to finish with 28 PTS/14 REB before fouling out. Unfortunately, everyone not in his starting lineup let him down as Duke somehow finished with ZERO BENCH PTS! With Horne doing damage as a super-sub, 2 of his starters helped out including Mohamed Diarra from France (14 PTS/16 REB/4 BLK/3 STL) and Casey Morsell from the Maryland suburbs (scoring almost all of his 11 PTS in the 2nd half), as NC State held on for dear life and pulled off the stunner by a score of 74-69.
In the postgame press conference I noted for NC State coach Kevin Keatts that in his 4 games vs. BC/UVA this year he did not lose a single 1 of them in regulation (3-0 in regulation and a 6-PT OT loss in Charlottesville on January 24th). He confirmed that he would take a little from those previous games but it will be a long night for his staff as they try to figure out how their upcoming opponent is playing in March:

GAME #4: Boston College-Virginia
I am sure that it was a great game but it was another long day so that is a wrap for tonight, check back tomorrow for the semifinal doubleheader as we are down to our Final 4.

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All-Access at the ACC Tournament: HoopsHD interviews Virginia basketball parents Randy and Tara Groves about their son Jake

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The ACC Tournament tips off this week 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 Virginia basketball parents Randy and Tara Groves about their son Jake.

Your son Jake is from Spokane: what made him choose Eastern Washington to start his college career? His brother Tanner was already there, which helped. When Jake graduated from high school he was only 6’6″ but grew 3″ in college. He had a relationship with EWU coach Shantay Legans through Tanner: Shantay told Jake that he would be a really good player, and Jake wanted to play with his brother, so it just made sense.

In 2020 the Eagles entered the Big Sky tourney with a regular season title and a 23-8 record: what was your reaction when you learned that the postseason was being canceled due to COVID? About half of our crew drove to Boise for that tourney, we were in the lobby of the arena waiting in line ready to go in and watch them warm up…and someone came out and said that it was canceled, it was a little rough and super-unfortunate but we made the best of it.

The following year in his only NCAA tourney appearance (so far!) Jake scored 23 PTS before fouling out and his brother Tanner scored 35 PTS in a 9-PT loss to Kansas in the COVID “bubble”: where does that game rank among the career highlights of the Groves family (despite the loss)? Let’s back up: 1 of the all-time highs was our win over Montana State in the Big Sky tourney title game. Tanner was named tourney MVP and Jake made the all-tourney team so that was a very proud moment for us. The Kansas game was great: it is hard not to be excited when your kids play so well…but it was also a loss so it was a bittersweet thing. We wish that we could have gotten another game out of it, but it was still great to see them shine vs. the Jayhawks and show that they could play at a pretty high level.

After that loss both of your sons transferred to Oklahoma as a package deal: how close are the 2 of them? They are very close but it was not a “package deal”: they were willing to split up but that is just the way it worked out. We were pretty convinced that Tanner was going to end up at Virginia because Coach Tony Bennett had recruited him, but since he had not graduated yet he would have lost a lot of college credits so it was not worth it. We started looking at other options and Oklahoma wanted both of our boys: 1 of their high school friends was a manager for Coach Porter Moser at Loyola Chicago (before he was hired at Oklahoma) so there was a little connection there that drove that.

During his 2 years at Eastern Washington he made the Big Sky All-Academic Team multiple times, and during his 2 years at Oklahoma he made the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team: as a high school teacher (Tara) and a dean of students (Randy), how much of an influence were you 2 on his ability to balance his work on the court with his work in the classroom? That has always been important, not just to us but to our sons as well. We both have a lot of educators in our families so all of those pieces have always been important.

After earning a degree in sports business he decided to transfer to Virginia for his final year, where he will get a master’s in educational psychology: what is his post-graduation plan? He would like to continue playing basketball at the highest level, even if it is overseas.

He only made 2-15 3PM as a freshman but is shooting 48.3 3P% this year: how has he been able to improve so much from then until now? In high school he was a great 3-PT shooter (Randy has been his coach since he was a child), so the 1 thing that Coach Legans knew about Jake was that he could shoot the 3. When he got to EWU he changed his shot from a pocket shooter to an over-his-head shooter, but Oklahoma changed him back to a pocket shooter. The coaches at Oklahoma/UVA have all done an incredible job of working with him.

UVA has played a tough schedule this year including Florida/Wisconsin/Texas A&M/Memphis as well as several ACC schools who will make the NCAA tourney: which opponent impressed you the most? Tara went to Cameron Indoor Stadium this year, which was on her bucket list, and we have been all over. Anybody in the ACC can beat anybody else on any given night so if you do not show up then things will not go your way, which I have been impressed with. UNC/Duke are really good teams with great athletes, but I was also impressed with Florida State because they are so young/long: I think they could surprise a lot of people. We are so impressed with the UVA program/staff/culture: it is not lost on us how lucky we are to have Jake playing for that community. What they told us on his recruiting trip has been 100% on point with exactly how it has gone. Some of it is on them following throuhg with an incredible amount of integrity, and he has also earned what he has been given: it is a great group of human beings to be around on a daily basis.

Tara was an NAIA All-American basketball player who is in her school’s Hall of Fame, Randy played college basketball, your son Tanner is playing pro basketball overseas, and your youngest son Dylynn received a scholarship offer from Portland when he was 12 years old: who is the best athlete in the family? There is only 1 kid playing pro ball in Germany at the moment so I guess we have to go with him…but we might have 1 or 2 right on his heels! They all have such different games and it is so fun to watch them. Tanner was primarily a 5 in college but is a 4 in the pros. Jake is more of a shooter…and Dylynn is a combination of both of them.

Any predictions for tonight’s game vs. BC, and how wild would it be if the Hoos end up facing Oklahoma in the NCAA tourney?! I predict that Virginia will beat BC: it is a pretty good matchup for us. I think it will be a ton of fun but we are obviously on the side of UVA. It would be fun to face the Sooners: we know some players who are still there so we want to support them…but hopefully not against Virginia!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Longwood Blue Heat dancer Caroline Gyory

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Last Sunday Longwood beat UNC-Asheville 85-59 in the Big South tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Lancers now have 3 straight 20+ win seasons and made the NCAA tourney for the 2nd time in the past 3 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Longwood Blue Heat dancer Caroline Gyory about her team’s storybook season.

You are from Richmond, VA: what made you choose Longwood? I chose Longwood because I fell in love with Farmville and its small-town/school vibe. I am a future teacher and Longwood has one of the best education programs too: I love it here and could not imagine going anywhere else!

You are majoring in elementary education: why did you choose that subject? I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little kid. I am so lucky to go to a school with such a great education program!

You are a senior: what is the post-graduation plan? After graduation I plan on teaching back home near Richmond!

How long have you been dancing for, and what is the best part of being on the dance team? I have been dancing for 18 years (since I was 3 years old)! I was a competitive dancer for a while and have done tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, modern, contemporary, lyrical, and musical theatre. When I decided to come to Longwood, one of the first things I did was look up their dance team. I love being on the team because I can continue my passion for dance while also cheering on the Lancers!

You made the Dean’s List in the past: how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work on the dance team? Being the captain of a college dance team, on the executive board of a sorority, student teaching, and taking classes all at the same time is hard work, but it all comes down to time management. I have learned to get all of my homework assignments done before dance practice (which is from 8-10PM on Mondays/Tuesdays/Thursdays and before games on Wednesdays/Saturdays. I try to get all of my schoolwork done on the weekdays before practice and I usually use the weekends to work on dance choreography. Since we do not have a coach, I am constantly in correspondence with my teammates/others.

Your basketball team started this season 12-1 and then lost 10 of its next 12: what the heck happened, and how did they turn things around over the past 4 weeks? These past 4 weeks have been so exciting as we have watched the basketball team have a major comeback! Since we are on the sideline at every home game, it has been amazing seeing the team’s bond throughout the season grow stronger as they headed toward the end of the season. I believe they were able to turn their season around by becoming closer with one another and growing their friendships: you can see how much they support/care about each other both on and off the court.

In the 2023 Big South tourney title game you had a win over UNC-Asheville: how excited was everyone after the final buzzer, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I was SO excited!!! My teammates and I immediately ran around and hugged each other. After watching every home game and seeing how the team has changed over the season, I was incredibly excited for them because we had been there for them at every home game with them.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? We are not sure how the school with handle who goes to the tournament. In 2022 the dance team was not allowed to go to March Madness but the cheer team was. This year we are hoping they allow Blue Heat to go and support the Lancer men…since that is what we are there for at every other home game! We would love more than anything to go to March Madness to support the men’s basketball team, and there are no NCAA rules against dance teams being in attendance, so it will all come down to our athletic department.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? If we are able to go to the NCAA tournament then we will definitely learn some super-fun new dances/cheers to support our Lancers!

Any predictions for next week? Nope: just hoping for the best!

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The Hoops HD Selection Committee – Initial Selection Board

Posted on March 14, 2024 by John Stalica

We are now less than 72 hours from Selection Sunday when we will learn who will be selected for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Above is our initial Selection Board of teams that our own panel believes should qualify for the tournament. The 14 teams listed in blue have already won their automatic bids and are guaranteed entry into the tournament. There will be 18 other teams that eventually win their respective automatic bids in the other conference tournaments being played through the weekend.

You may have also noticed that we only have 20 teams listed in green – this is because the Selection Committee made a change to the selection process this year. Instead of a maximum of 36 first-ballot at-large teams (which would match the 36 at-large spots available) being selected, the maximum number of at-large teams selected on the first ballot was reduced to 24 teams. Each member of the Hoops HD Committee submitted two lists to our chairman Chad Sherwood – the first list contained up to 24 teams that were “locks” to make the tournament. The second list was teams listed Under Consideration; these were teams that would not be selected on the initial ballot but would be considered after the initial round of balloting.

Since our Committee has over 10 voting members; teams needed all but 3 votes (i.e. 9 out of 12, 10 out of 13, etc.) to be placed on the at-large board. There were 20 teams that received the prerequisite number of votes to make the field. There were 42 teams that received at least 4 votes for Under Consideration; this was a larger number compared to years past because of the smaller initial at-large field. There were 13 other teams that were automatically added to Under Consideration by virtue of winning the regular season titles in their respective conferences, but it is likely that they will be voted off the Selection Board when our committee begins our meetings tonight.

Our agenda for our first night of meetings will have two parts: the first will be to name our annual Centenary Award and Stallings Award winners as the worst team in Division 1 and worst major conference team, respectively. Both teams will remain on the Selection Board for the duration of the committee meetings. The second part will be to add up to 16 at-large spots to the Selection Board; for each round of voting, there will be a discussion of the teams Under Consideration and each committee member will rank their top eight teams in no particular order. After the votes are tallied, the top eight vote-getters will be ranked 1 through 8 by each individual panelist. The top four vote getters will be added to the At-Large board.

For each subsequent round of voting, there will be more discussion about the remaining Under Consideration teams and each panelist will once again name their top 8 teams to be added to the at-large pool. The top four teams plus the four carryover teams from the previous round of voting will then be ranked 1 through 8 by each individual panelist. The top four teams will also be added to the at-large board. (Should a team be forced to carry over twice, they will be added back to the Under Consideration board). Our goal will be to add 16 teams to the at-large board, but it is possible we may stop at 12 teams depending on how long the process takes.

Stay tuned later tonight/tomorrow morning to see which teams we add to our tournament field!

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All-Access at the ACC Tournament: HoopsHD interviews Pitt dancer Kat Perkins

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The ACC Tournament is taking place this week 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 continunes our coverage with an interview of Pitt dancer Kat Perkins.

You are from Alexandria, VA: what made you choose Pitt? It has a great social work program, which is what I want to do.

You are majoring in Social Work: why did you choose that subject? I want a career where I can help people…and science is not my strong suit, so this it the next best thing.

You are a senior: what is the post-graduation plan? I will be attending the University of Chicago to get my masters’ degree in social work while doing field education in a trauma and burn unit at a hospital.

How did you 1st get into dance, and what is the best part of being on the dance team? I started dacning when I was 3 years oldL it was a birthday gift from my parents. The experience I get to share with 6 of my closest friends by showing them around my hometown: I would not trade it for the world.

How excited are you to return to the DMV area? Always exciting! My family/extended family are on the way, as this is 1 of the few times they can see me in person.

What has been your favorite memory from this season: the win at Duke in January, the Senior Night win over NC State last weekend, other? Definitely Senior Night: it was such a good game!

How does your school decide who gets to go to the ACC tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Our coach bases it on performance ability/crowd interaction. To do it on TV is so crazy to think about but so exciting to reach Pitt fans from across the country.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for DC this week? We have a really fun dance today and (hopefully) tomorrow: the dance tomorrow is 1 that I choreographed so i am keeping my fingers crossed.

Any predictions for today’s game vs. Wake Forest? I think it is going to be a close game because our teams are very evenly matched. I think it will be a long 1…so I hope Pitt ends up on top!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Morehead State SR PG Drew Thelwell

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Last Saturday Morehead State beat Little Rock 69-55 in the OVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Eagles missed out on the NCAA tourney for 9 straight year from 2012-2020 but have now made it twice in the past 4 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Morehead State SR PG Drew Thelwell about being the winningest player in school history.

You play for Coach Preston Spradlin: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? The connection he builds with his players. We have a true gentlemanly bond and it makes being here a joy. He teaches us aspects of life such as patience: when you come here as a freshman you might need to wait your turn.

In the 2023 NIT you scored 11 PTS in a win at Clemson and then 13 PTS in a loss at UAB: what did you learn from that postseason run that you think will help you next week? If you can get focused and get all your guys on 1 page then anything can happen. If you believe in your team then you can pull it all together.

Last October you learned that 2023 conference POY Mark Freeman would miss the entire season with a wrist injury: what was your reaction when you learned the news, and did you really think that you could end up in the NCAA tourney without your best player? I was hurt to hear the news: he is my brother. However, I always knew that somebody would step up and help us find a way to win.

Last December you set a school record with 19 AST in a win over Alice Lloyd College, and your 6.3 APG is #15 in the nation: what is the secret to being a good PG? Trusting your teammates/coaches. You have to be unselfish and the staff always put me in positions to make the right play.

You had a brutal non-conference schedule including road games at Alabama/Purdue/Penn State/Indiana: which of those teams impressed you the most? Purdue: Zach Edey is a big guy unlike anyone I have seen before. We can compete with those teams no matter which school’s name is on our opponents’ chest.

Your team has been great on defense as you are top-30 in the nation in both 2-PT% allowed/3-PT% allowed: what is the key to playing great defense? Knowing that somebody has your back: you are not out there by yourself so communication is very important.

You are 1 of 5 senior starters: how crucial has all that veteran leadership been to your success? It has been great: leadership is not a 1-man thing. You need to work together and it is handy to get the views of all the older guys.

1 of those senior starters (Riley Minix) led the conference with 706 PTS en route to being named conference POY: what makes him such a great player? He is so versatile. There are some things he does that still surprise me even today! It has been a blessing to play with him.

Your 91 career wins (and counting) are the most in school history: what does it mean to you to have your name in the record book for that amazing accomplishment? It means a lot…but I know that my teammates/coaches have helped us win all those games.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? It does not really matter to me: I just want to go out there with my guys, have fun, and give it my all.

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