Hoops HD

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament is taking place 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 days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with a recap of the semifinal doubleheader on Monday.

The pregame dinner remained as delicious as ever: chicken/rice/pita/hummus. You can also tell that we have reached the semifinals because the crowds are noticeably larger/louder. Let’s tip it off!

GAME #1: Charleston-Towson
Towson SR F Charles Thompson was 5-5 during his 1st 2 games last weekend and he continued his offensive efficiency with 5 FG all around the rim in the 1st half. His teammate Dylan Williamson mixed it up a little more with a pair of threes and a pair of jumpers. Charleston F Frankie Policelli had a lot of success in this tourney in the past when he was at Stony Brook, and even after transferring to Charleston he has kept it going. He made an up-and-under move for a bank shot, had a STL/layup, and even knocked down a 3 in the 1st half. His new teammate Reyne Smith did not make a single shot from behind the arc on Sunday but bounced back in a big way with a trio of trifectas before halftime, but his most clutch shot was a turnaround jump shot in the lane with 1 second left to give his team a 31-30 lead at the break (fun fact: this is Towson’s 3rd straight game where it trailed by 1 PT at halftime!). I kept waiting for the Tigers to fall apart in the 2nd stanza, but FR Tyler Tejada was not hearing it. He only scored 6 PTS in each of his 2 prior games vs. Charleston, and only had 3 PTS in the 1st 20 minutes, but was unstoppable in the 2nd half with 13 PTS on jumper after jumper. When his teammate Christian May banked in a 3 with 4:12 to play to give his team a 55-48 lead (it largest of game) everyone thought that the Cougars were in trouble, but Pat Kelsey’s backcourt tandem of Kobe Rodgers/Bryce Butler started attacking the hoop and made several layups/scoops to help their team go on a 13-1 run to win it by the score of 61-56.

In the postgame press conference I asked Smith (who has lost exactly 1 conference tourney during his 3 years in Charleston) about the biggest difference between the regular season and the postseason. His response focused on competitiveness/physicality: he knew that they had to take this game and that no tourney game is easy:

I wondered if Coach Kelsey coached differently when he needed to pull off a comeback. He smiled and said that his team had only pressed on about 4 defensive possessions all year, but that it got them a big steal at a big moment so sometimes it is “better to be lucky than good”:

GAME #2: Stony Brook-Hofstra
I am sure that it was a great game (which it was, as it went down to the wire)…but the panel wanted me to join them for a podcast so that is a wrap for tonight, check back tomorrow for the title game featuring Charleston and Stony Brook.

The end of the regular season means that it is time to recognize the best players/coaches in college basketball this season. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from each conference based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible with several exceptions, plus special awards for each conference’s Player of the Year (POY), Rookie of the Year (ROY), Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), 6th Man of the Year (6TH), and Coach of the Year (COY). If you think he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments and if you missed last week’s picks for the rest of the conferences in Part 1 you can find them at: https://hoopshd.com/2024/03/03/handing-out-the-hardware-all-conference-awards-of-the-year-part-1-of-2-9

AAC
G: Johnell Davis (FAU)
G: PJ Haggerty (Tulsa)
F: Kevin Cross (Tulane)
F: David Jones (Memphis)
C: Vladislav Goldin (FAU)
POY: David Jones (Memphis)
ROY: PJ Haggerty (Tulsa)
DPOY: Tyreek Smith (SMU)
6TH: Selton Miguel (South Florida)
COY: Amir Abdur-Rahim (South Florida)

A-10
G: Keyshawn Hall (George Mason)
G: James Bishop IV (George Washington)
G: Jimmy Clark III (Duquesne)
F: Matt Cross (UMass)
F: DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
POY: DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
ROY: Darren Buchanan Jr. (George Washington)
DPOY: Babatunde Akingbola (George Washington)
6TH: Xzayvier Brown (St. Joseph’s)
COY: Chris Mooney (Richmond)

ACC
G: RJ Davis (North Carolina)
G: Judah Mintz (Syracuse)
F: Norchad Omier (Miami)
F: Quinten Post (Boston College)
C: PJ Hall (Clemson)
POY: RJ Davis (North Carolina)
ROY: Markus Burton (Notre Dame)
DPOY: Ryan Dunn (Virginia)
6TH: Quadir Copeland (Syracuse)
COY: Hubert Davis (North Carolina)

Big 12
G: Max Abmas (Texas)
G: Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas)
F: Emanuel Miller (TCU)
F: Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State)
C: Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
POY: Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
ROY: Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor)
DPOY: Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State)
6TH: Jaxson Robinson (BYU)
COY: Grant McCasland (Texas Tech)

Big East
G: Devin Carter (Providence)
G: Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)
F: Josh Oduro (Providence)
F: Eric Dixon (Villanova)
C: Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
POY: Devin Carter (Providence)
ROY: Stephon Castle (UConn)
DPOY: Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
6TH: Andre Screen (Butler)
COY: Rick Pitino (St. John’s)

Big 10
G: Boo Buie (Northwestern)
G: Jahmir Young (Maryland)
F: Dawson Garcia (Minnesota)
F: Payton Sandfort (Iowa)
C: Zach Edey (Purdue)
POY: Zach Edey (Purdue)
ROY: Cam Christie (Minnesota)
DPOY: Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers)
6TH: John Blackwell (Wisconsin)
COY: Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)

Big West
G: Ty Johnson (UC-Davis)
G: Ajay Mitchell (UCSB)
G: Kobe Sanders (Cal Poly)
F: De’Sean Allen-Eikens (CSUN)
F: Yohan Traore (UCSB)
POY: Ajay Mitchell (UCSB)
ROY: Barrington Hargress (UC-Riverside)
DPOY: Aboubacar Traore (Long Beach State)
6TH: Derin Saran (UC-Irvine)
COY: Eric Olen (UCSD)

C-USA
G: Arturo Dean (FIU)
G: Zid Powell (UTEP)
G: Femi Odukale (New Mexico State)
F: Isaiah Crawford (Louisiana Tech)
F: Daniel Batcho (Louisiana Tech)
POY: Isaiah Crawford (Louisiana Tech)
ROY: Elijah Jones (UTEP)
DPOY: Isaiah Crawford (Louisiana Tech)
6TH: Rodney Howard (Western Kentucky)
COY: Talvin Hester (Louisiana Tech)

Ivy
G: Malik Mack (Harvard)
G: Xaivian Lee (Princeton)
G: Kino Lilly Jr. (Brown)
F: Caden Pierce (Princeton)
F: Danny Wolf (Yale)
POY: Kino Lilly Jr. (Brown)
ROY: Malik Mack (Harvard)
DPOY: Chris Manon (Cornell)
6TH: Guy Ragland Jr. (Cornell)
COY: Brian Earl (Cornell)

MAAC
G: Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s)
G: Seydou Traore (Manhattan)
G: Tre Dinkins (Canisius)
F: Mervin James (Rider)
F: Corey Washington (St. Peter’s)
POY: Mervin James (Rider)
ROY: Seydou Traore (Manhattan)
DPOY: Amarri Tice (Quinnipiac)
6TH: Brycen Goodine (Fairfield)
COY: Bashir Mason (St. Peter’s)

MAC
G: Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)
G: David Coit (Northern Illinois)
F: Sy Chatman (Buffalo)
F: Enrique Freeman (Akron)
F: Basheer Jihad (Ball State)
POY: Enrique Freeman (Akron)
ROY: Evan Ipsaro (Miami OH)
DPOY: Sy Chatman (Buffalo)
6TH: Javonte Brown (Western Michigan)
COY: Tony Barbee (Central Michigan)

MEAC
G: Bryce Harris (Howard)
G: Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State)
G: Martaz Robinson (Delaware State)
F: Troy Hupstead (Maryland-Eastern Shore)
F: Seth Towns (Howard)
POY: Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State)
ROY: Mitchell Taylor (South Carolina State)
DPOY: Martaz Robinson (Delaware State)
6TH: Allen Betrand (Norfolk State)
COY: Erik Martin (South Carolina State)

MWC
G: Sam Griffin (Wyoming)
G: Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State)
G: Myron Amey Jr. (San Jose State)
F: Great Osobor (Utah State)
F: Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State)
POY: Jaedon LeDee (San Diego State)
ROY: Dedan Thomas Jr. (UNLV)
DPOY: JT Toppin (New Mexico)
6TH: Tru Washington (New Mexico)
COY: Niko Medved (Colorado State)

Pac-12
G: KJ Simpson (Colorado)
G: Jaylon Tyson (Cal)
F: Maxime Raynaud (Stanford)
F: Keion Brooks Jr. (Washington)
C: Branden Carlson (Utah)
POY: KJ Simpson (Colorado)
ROY: Myles Rice (USC)
DPOY: Kobe Johnson (USC)
6TH: Kario Oquendo (Oregon)
COY: Kyle Smith (Washington State)

SEC
G: Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M)
G: Mark Sears (Alabama)
G: Sean East II (Missouri)
F: Johni Broome (Auburn)
F: Tyrese Samuel (Florida)
POY: Mark Sears (Alabama)
ROY: Rob Dillingham (Kentucky)
DPOY: Johni Broome (Auburn)
6TH: Rob Dillingham (Kentucky)
COY: Lamont Paris (South Carolina)

SWAC
G: Rayquan Brown (Mississippi Valley State)
G: Kylen Milton (AR-Pine Bluff)
G: Ken Evans Jr. (Jackson State)
F: Jeremiah Kendall (Alcorn State)
F: Brian Myles (Prairie View)
POY: Ken Evans Jr. (Jackson State)
ROY: K’Jei Parker (Florida A&M)
DPOY: Damani McEntire (Bethune-Cookman)
6TH: Derrick Carter-Hollinger (Bethune-Cookman)
COY: Johnny Jones (Texas Southern)

WAC
G: Tyon Grant-Foster (Grand Canyon)
G: Alex Schumacher (Seattle)
G: Ray Harrison (Grand Canyon)
F: Airion Simmons (Abilene Christian)
F: Gabe McGlothan (Grand Canyon)
POY: Tyon Grant-Foster (Grand Canyon)
ROY: Tanner Toolson (Utah Valley)
DPOY: Tyon Grant-Foster (Grand Canyon)
6TH: Frank Staine (Stephen F. Austin)
COY: KT Turner (UT-Arlington)

We are only 6 days away from Selection Sunday as we continue to make our NCAA tourney predictions. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel correctly picked 67 of the 68 teams that made the 2023 tourney with 65 of his 67 within 1 spot of their actual seed, including 53 right on the money. He will spend the upcoming week predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 17th. See below for his list of who would make the cut if they picked the field today and if you agree or disagree then feel free to tweet us. To see how he stacks up with other websites (ranked 11th out of 174 entries over the past 5 years), check out: www.bracketmatrix.com

SEED: TEAM (CONFERENCE)
1: Purdue (Big 10)
1: Connecticut (Big East)
1: Houston (Big 12)
1: Tennessee (SEC)

2: North Carolina (ACC)
2: Arizona (Pac-12)
2: Iowa State (Big 12)
2: Marquette (Big East)

3: Baylor (Big 12)
3: Creighton (Big East)
3: Duke (ACC)
3: Kansas (Big 12)

4: Kentucky (SEC)
4: Alabama (SEC)
4: Illinois (Big 10)
4: Auburn (SEC)

5: BYU (Big 12)
5: San Diego State (MWC)
5: Clemson (ACC)
5: South Carolina (SEC)

6: Wisconsin (Big 10)
6: Utah State (MWC)
6: Washington State (Pac-12)
6: Dayton (A-10)

7: Florida (SEC)
7: Nevada (MWC)
7: Texas Tech (Big 12)
7: Gonzaga (WCC)

8: St. Mary’s (WCC)
8: Boise State (MWC)
8: Texas (Big 12)
8: Colorado State (MWC)

9: Northwestern (Big 10)
9: Oklahoma (Big 12)
9: TCU (Big 12)
9: Michigan State (Big 10)

10: Nebraska (Big 10)
10: FAU (AAC)
10: Mississippi State (SEC)
10: Seton Hall (Big East)

11: Virginia (ACC)
11: St. John’s (Big East)
11: Colorado (Pac-12)
11: Villanova (Big East)
11: Drake (MVC): AUTO-BID
11: Richmond (A-10)

12: South Florida (AAC)
12: Princeton (Ivy)
12: Grand Canyon (WAC)
12: James Madison (Sun Belt)

13: McNeese (Southland)
13: Samford (SoCon)
13: UC-Irvine (Big West)
13: Vermont (America East)

14: Charleston (CAA)
14: Toledo (MAC)
14: Oakland (Horizon)
14: Morehead State (OVC): AUTO-BID

15: Colgate (Patriot)
15: Sam Houston (C-USA)
15: Montana (Big Sky)
15: South Dakota State (Summit)

16: Quinnipiac (MAAC)
16: Longwood (Big South): AUTO-BID
16: Stetson (Atlantic Sun): AUTO-BID
16: Norfolk State (MEAC)
16: Grambling (SWAC)
16: Merrimack (NEC)

1ST 4 OUT
Indiana State (MVC)
Iowa (Big 10)
New Mexico (MWC)
Providence (Big East)