Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Drake SO G/F Tucker DeVries

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Jon Teitel

On Sunday Drake beat top-seeded Bradley 77-51 in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs won 25 games last year and made the CBI quarterfinals but have already won 27 games this year to claim the school’s 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 3 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Drake SO G/F Tucker DeVries about being named conference tourney MVP last weekend.

Your coach is also named “DeVries”: what is the best part of having your father Darian as your coach? Just the everyday process of getting to experience everything with him: the ups, downs, and everything in between. This has been the best time of my life and we have shared it together.

Last year you were named conference ROY: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? It had a lot to do with the guys around me. We had a veteran group and they embraced me from the day that I stepped onto campus. They have confidence in me, which made it really easy for me to play well.

Last March you scored 14 PTS in the 2022 CBI quarterfinal 1-PT loss to UNCW: what did you learn from that loss that you think can help you in the postseason this year? Having this week off between the conference tourney and NCAA tourney is what I took away the most. When it comes to postseason basketball, if you lose then you are done, so having played in those types of games always helps. We have been to the MVC tourney title game for 3 years in a row and gained some valuable experience…and it showed.

Last month you had to check into the hospital due to a “scary infection” and spent 5 days there hooked up to IV’s: how is your health doing at the moment? For the most part I am 100% healthy from that. I was very thankful to have great people around me to ensure that it did not get any scarier. It is not ideal to try to get back into shape during the middle of the season but now I am back to normal.

Last week you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It comes down to 2 things: team success leads to individual accolades, and it shows all of the hard work put in by me and the entire team. I am grateful to have been recognized and was very happy to win the award.

Last Sunday in the MVC tourney title game you scored a team-high 22 PTS en route to being named conference tourney MVP in a huge win over Bradley: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? Our whole team was very hungry to get that done. It makes it a lot easier to perform individually when the whole group is playing well all week.

Your 4 fellow starters are all seniors (Roman Penn/Darnell Brodie/Garrett Sturtz/DJ Wilkins): how crucial has all of that experience been to your team’s success? Having a veteran group that has played a LOT of college basketball is great. Having 4th/5th/6th year seniors who remain hungry does not always happen. I am so proud of this group that has laid the foundation for our program.

1 of your high school teammates was Payton Sandfort, who will play for Iowa on Thursday in the Big 10 tourney: how excited are you that Payton will probably make the NCAA tourney even if his team does not win its conference tourney? Payton and I are really close and still talk almost every day and watch each other’s games. I am more stressed about his games than my own because there is nothing you can do when you are watching on TV! He was just named Big 10 6th Man of the Year a few hours ago and I wish him the best of luck in the NCAA tourney.

Your father played basketball at Northern Iowa, your uncle Dusty played football at Iowa, your aunt Jodi played volleyball at Northern Iowa, and your uncle Jared played in the NFL: who is the best athlete in the family? Oh boy…they are all so different in their own way. I heard the stories about all of my uncles while I was growing up: it was fun to learn about everyone’s journey in athletics and it has been special to have them all in my corner. It makes for some competitive tackle football during Christmas and random games at the lake during summertime!

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? There is a lot of basketball left for a lot of teams in their own conference tourneys but the last 1-2 months we have been playing great by winning 13 of our past 14 games and we are excited to carry that momentum into the NCAA tourney. I am really happy with where we are and I see the same bracketology that you do. I have seen the experts list us as a 12-seed but whatever seed we end up getting I know that we will have a lot of fun!

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Bracketology 2023: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.2)

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Jon Teitel

-For the latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK – DAY 8 where we break down all of yesterday’s conference tournament action and preview all of todays, and with links to brackets, schedules, the Survival Board, and more – CLICK HERE

-For PART 2 of Jon Teitel’s Conference Tourney Previews – CLICK HERE

We are only 5 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 2022 tourney and each of his 67 of were within 1 spot of their actual seed, including 49 right on the money. He will spend the upcoming week predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 12th. 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 12th out of 148 entries over the past 5 years), check out: www.bracketmatrix.com

SEED: TEAM (CONFERENCE)
1: Alabama (SEC)
1: Kansas (Big 12)
1: Houston (AAC)
1: Purdue (Big 10)

2: UCLA (Pac-12)
2: Texas (Big 12)
2: Baylor (Big 12)
2: Arizona (Pac-12)

3: Marquette (Big East)
3: Kansas State (Big 12)
3: Gonzaga (WCC)
3: Tennessee (SEC)

4: Connecticut (Big East)
4: Xavier (Big East)
4: Indiana (Big 10)
4: Virginia (ACC)

5: St. Mary’s (WCC)
5: Miami (ACC)
5: San Diego State (MWC)
5: Iowa State (Big 12)

6: TCU (Big 12)
6: Kentucky (SEC)
6: Creighton (Big East)
6: Texas A&M (SEC)

7: Duke (ACC)
7: Michigan State (Big 10)
7: Northwestern (Big 10)
7: Missouri (SEC)

8: Iowa (Big 10)
8: Maryland (Big 10)
8: Illinois (Big 10)
8: Arkansas (SEC)

9: Florida Atlantic (C-USA)
9: West Virginia (Big 12)
9: Auburn (SEC)
9: Memphis (AAC)

10: Boise State (MWC)
10: Providence (Big East)
10: USC (Pac-12)
10: NC State (ACC)

11: Pittsburgh (ACC)
11: Rutgers (Big 10)
11: Utah State (MWC)
11: Nevada (MWC)
11: Mississippi State (SEC)
11: Penn State (Big 10)

12: Charleston (CAA)
12: Oral Roberts (Summit)
12: Drake (MVC): AUTO-BID
12: VCU (A-10)

13: Toledo (MAC)
13: Utah Valley (WAC)
13: Iona (MAAC)
13: Princeton (Ivy)

14: Louisiana (Sun Belt): AUTO-BID
14: Furman (SoCon): AUTO-BID
14: UC-Irvine (Big West)
14: Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun): AUTO-BID

15: Colgate (Patriot)
15: Vermont (America East)
15: Weber State (Big Sky)
15: UNC-Asheville (Big South): AUTO-BID

16: Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC): AUTO-BID
16: Southeast Missouri State (OVC): AUTO-BID
16: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland)
16: Howard (MEAC)
16: Alcorn State (SWAC)
16: Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

1ST 4 OUT
Arizona State (Pac-12)
Oklahoma (Big 12)
Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Wisconsin (Big 10)

 

Q and A With the Puppet and Jon Teitel:

In an email thread that all the Hoops HD Staffers are a part of, David Griggs asked the following questions and received the following answer, which I thought was fantastic!!

DAVID GRIGGS:
-Teitel, I had two questions about your bracket.  This isn’t me trying to argue because I know your track record speaks for itself, but rather trying to understand what’s in your head. 
-Fairleigh Dickinson not being in one of the First Four games?
-Charleston.  You said the other night that you thought they’d get selected even without the automatic bid, but it looks to me like you have them seeded outside of your bubble.  Do you think they get in anyway if they don’t win tonight?  

JON TEITEL:
-what’s in my head is:

  1. i have been posting a LOT of content this month (including your requested “who clinched” thing, which is finally over, thank god) and  am dealing with midwestern SIDs who cannot figure out which time zone to use when i request an interview of their players/coaches, so i do not have time to examine the kenpom ranking of every single 16 seed every single morning…but as soon as good teams below them get auto-bids in the days ahead i assume FDU will drop into the 1st 4 (if not the worst team in the field)
  2. charleston is getting in, as has every 30-win team in recent memory, so even if they forget to show up to the gym tonight then UNCW get the CAA auto-bid, charleston gets an at-large (maybe 11ish?), and someone’s bubble gets burst (maybe rutgers?)
anything else you need, BUDDY? 

 

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Championship Week Video Notebook – Day 8

Posted on March 7, 2023 by David Griggs

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!!  We have stayed up late so we can help you make the proper selections and seedings!

CLICK HERE for the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

CLICK HERE for our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFO PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 32 conference tourney

CLICK HERE for our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS

Furman is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980!  They beat Chattanooga to win the SoCon Championship.  We saw two exciting games in the Colonial as UNC Wilmington knocked off top seeded Hofstra, and Charleston was in a battle with Towson that went back and forth.  Louisiana will be going back to The Dance after winning The Sun Belt Tournament, and sadly Penguin Fever has come to an end after Youngstown State fell to Northern Kentucky in the semis of the Horizon League.  We discuss all of this, along with the rest of today’s action, and preview a very busy day tomorrow as several conference tournaments have their championship games, and a few others get underway.

Audio only version:

WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:

COLONIAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP:

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:

SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP:

AMERICA EAST SEMIFINALS:

BIG SKY SEMIFINALS:

SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS:

BIG WEST OPENING ROUND:

WAC OPENING ROUND:

METRO ATLANTIC OPENING ROUND:

ACC 1ST ROUND:

ATLANTIC TEN 1ST ROUND:

Posted in Championship Week Video Notebook, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Hoops HD Bracket Rundown – Monday, March 6th

Posted on March 6, 2023 by David Griggs

NOTE:  This broadcast was recorded at 9pm, est on Thursday, March 6th, and the seedlist was created prior to 8pm, est.  No games that were played that day, particularly the West Coast Conference Tournament games, were factored in

The Hoops HD Staff have each created their own personal seedlists.  Those were cross country ranked to create a master seedlist, which was then put into a bracket by Chad.  On this show, we reveal that bracket team by team, and then line by line in a Selection Sunday type format.  The panel is seeing the bracket for the first time as it is revealed, and they debate, discuss, and assess each team as they are revealed.

Below is a final copy of the bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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All-Access at the CAA Tournament: Semifinal Monday

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC, this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel keeps things going with a recap of the semifinal doubleheader on Monday.

The pregame meal was great: lemon rice/Mediterranean chicken/tomatoes/hummus/cheesecake/lemonade!
Let’s tip off a not-as-long day of games:

GAME #1: UNC-Wilmington vs. Hofstra

Hofstra won their only previous meeting this season by 24 PTS on January 19th so I was worried about witnessing yet another blowout. Hofstra SR Tyler Thomas dominated the 1st game with 28 PTS/3-6 3PM and had a solid 1st half tonight with 8 PTS/2-4 3PM. The star of the show, as you might have guessed, was his teammate Aaron Estrada (who was named conference POY a few days ago), who had 3 AST and scored 13 PTS in the 1st 20 minutes on a pair of layups and a trio of 3-PT shots. However, UNC-Wilmington did not back down from a double-digit deficit and even took a 42-41 lead right before halftime. It was a great team effort with 4 different Seahawks each scoring 7-10 PTS. Hofstra went into the break with a 43-42 lead and I had no idea what the final outcome would be.

The 2nd half was back-and-forth with the lead constantly changing hands and each team knocking down shot after shot. UNC-Wilmington SO Trazarien White only scored 3 PTS in the 1st matchup but was able to get to the FT line a ton tonight as he scored 21 PTS with 10 REB and 8-12 FTs.

Estrada did not get to the FT line during regulation but that did not prevent him from scoring 25 PTS of his own. It went down to the wire as Hofstra trailed 71-68 with 20 seconds left and Thomas was fouled while missing a corner 3: he made 3 clutch FTs to tie it at 71-all. The Seahawks missed 2 shots in the final seconds and we are headed to OT!

The overtime period was pretty sloppy with plenty of airballs/bad passes/exhausted players. White fouled out with 1:44 left while guarding Estrada (who played all 45 minutes), forcing Seahawks coach Takayo Siddle to look elsewhere for offense. JR Nick Farrar was 0-3 from the field in the 2nd half but came up big in OT with a spin into the lane before flipping in a lefty hook to give his team a 76-73 lead with 30 seconds left. The Towson/Charleston players got tired of sitting in their locker rooms so they came out to watch the end of the game with everyone else. The Pride missed a couple of long-range shots as the Seahawks pulled off the 79-73 upset and are now 1 win away from their 1st tourney title since 2017.

In the postgame press conference I asked Coach Siddle about his team’s ability to not waver. UNCW entered this tourney 1-6 this year when trailing at halftime, but they have now won back-to-back games despite trailing by 4 PTS to Drexel and 1 PT to Hofstra. He said it is all about learning something whether you win or lose. He told his guys, and they probably get tired of hearing it, but they have to get better from their mistakes and keep doing what they did well and with more force. Those losses prepared his team for this moment.



GAME #2: Towson vs. Charleston

I am sure that it was an enjoyable game…for people who do not need to join a podcast! Don’t believe me?

That is a wrap for today, check back tomorrow for the title game featuring UNC-Wilmington and Charleston.

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Conference Tourney Previews, Part 2 of 2

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD keeps celebrating the greatest time of the year with the 2nd part of our preview of every single conference tourney in the nation. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with his predictions for the 17 conference tourneys getting underway this week/weekend. Tweet us if you have any comments, and if you missed his picks last week concerning the 15 other conference tourneys you can find them at:
https://hoopshd.com/2023/02/27/conference-tourney-previews-part-1-of-2-8

AAC tourney predicted champ: Houston (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Fort Worth, TX
2022 tourney champ: Houston (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Houston has been in title game each year since 2018
Seeding: 7 of past 8 champs were top-2 seed
Houston does not need a conference tourney title to advance…but will probably win 1 anyway as they attempt to get a #1 overall seed on Selection Sunday. Coach Kelvin Sampson has put together as good of a stretch as anyone in the nation during the past 6 years with 5 seasons of 27+ wins, but this might just be his best team ever despite nobody on the roster taller than 6’8”. The Cougars have lost exactly 2 games all season by a combined 7 PTS and are top-6 in the nation in both offensive AND defensive efficiency. They have a strong chance to win the national title in their home city on April 3rd.

A-10 tourney predicted champ: George Washington (#7 seed)
Dates: March 7-12
Location: Brooklyn, NY
2022 tourney champ: Richmond (#6 seed)
Fun fact: 7 different champs since 2015
Seeding: only 1 of past 8 champs was top-2 seed
This tourney has not been kind to top-2 seeds in the past so you should think twice before just handing the trophy to VCU or Dayton. The Colonials were 6-7 in league play in mid-February but got hot at the right time with 4 straight wins before losing the season finale at home by 6 PTS to VCU. Coach Chris Caputo might be a 1st year head coach but is no stranger to success in March: he spent more than 15 years as an assistant to Jim Larranaga, including a Final 4 appearance with GMU in 2006 and an Elite 8 appearance with Miami last spring. I saw them beat Dayton in person in January and they have won 4 games since then that went to OT so if you are going to beat GW then you better do so during the 1st 40 minutes.

ACC tourney predicted champ: Duke (#4 seed)
Dates: March 7-11
Location: Greensboro, NC
2022 tourney champ: Virginia Tech (#7 seed)
Fun fact: 6 different champs in past 7 tourneys
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were not top-2 seed
Duke is a bit of a homecourt hero…and has a 1st-year head coach…and is freaking Duke, but if you like teams paying well down the stretch then you cannot escape the fact that they won each of their final 6 regular season games. The good part about having so many teams crowded together at the top is that even if you pick a 4 seed it should not be considered that much of an upset. The Blue Devils have recently been known for having big-time scorers like Zion Williamson/Jayson Tatum, but this year’s squad is actually getting it done on defense, as they are top-40 in the nation in FG% allowed from both 2-PT/3-PT range. As for 1-PT range, they will just have to hope their opponents stop making an incredible 76% of their FTs. The key during their winning streak has been FR Kyle Filipowski: since going scoreless in 30 minutes during an OT loss at Virginia on February 11th he has averaged 16 PPG/9 RPG while making 28-33 FTs.

Big 12 tourney predicted champ: Kansas State (#3 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Kansas City, MO
2022 tourney champ: Kansas (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 champs since 2013 are Iowa State/Kansas/Texas
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were not top-2 seed
Kansas proved in 2022 that winning this tourney can help you win an NCAA title…but Baylor proved in 2021 that even if you get upset in the semifinals you can STILL win an NCAA title! I am normally not a fan of 1st-year coaches, especially when they lose 3 of 4 games to start February, but Jerome Tang got his guys back on track by winning 4 in a row before losing the regular season finale on the road by 8 PTS to West Virginia. However, this conference features so many terrific teams that literally all of them are capable of making the title game. The Wildcats are great at defending the 3-PT line (29.5 3P% allowed is top-15 in the nation) and have 1 of the best inside/outside combinations in the country, as Keyontae Johnson/Markquis Nowell have combined to average 35 PPG/11 RPG/10 APG.

Big East tourney predicted champ: Xavier (#2 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: New York, NY
2022 tourney champ: Villanova (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Villanova has won 4 of past 5 tourneys
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not #1 seed
If Georgetown wins this 1 then I might just have to throw out the old keyboard because it means I know absolutely NOTHING about this sport. Coach Sean Miller won the A-10 tourney during his 1st go-round at Xavier in 2006 and then a trio of Pac-12 tourneys as coach at Arizona so he certainly knows what it takes to hoist the trophy. Even though the Musketeers lost 5 games in 5 weeks from mid-January to mid-February, 4 of those losses were by 1-2 PTS, which means that if they can just make some more FTs or get a couple more defensive stops then I feel they can go on a long winning streak. If that does not work: just keep shooting threes, as their 39.8 3P% is #4 in the nation. Even though big man Zach Freemantle (aka Big Frosty) is done for the year due to foot surgery, they have grown accustomed to his absence by now.

Big 10 tourney predicted champ: Penn State (#10 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Chicago, IL
2022 tourney champ: Iowa (#5 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were not top-4 seed
There are like 10 different teams who could win this tourney…and if it was held in Piscataway then there would be an 11th! Purdue is certainly good enough to make a run, but since 1-seeds have not fared well in this tourney I will go WAY down the standings to pick a Penn State team that won 5 of their final 6 games with only a horrible home loss to Rutgers after blowing a 19-PT lead with 17 minutes to go. Their 39.9 3P% is #7 in the nation and they have 1 of the best all-around players in the nation: SR Jalen Pickett is averaging 18 PPG/7 RPG/7 APG while shooting almost 39% from the 3-PT line. There may also not be a team in the country who needs a couple more wins than the Nittany Lions, as they are sitting squarely on the bubble.

Big West tourney predicted champ: UCSB (#2 seed)
Dates: March 7-11
Location: Henderson, NV
2022 tourney champ: Fullerton (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2016
Seeding: 5 of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
This tourney seems to have a new champ every year and the Gauchos have only won it once in the past decade so why not them? Coach Joe Pasternack’s team looked very shaky in mid-February with 3 straight double-digit losses but found the knack in the nick of time by winning 4 straight to finish the regular season. UCSB has a super-efficient offense (49.5 FG% is #7 in the nation) that is led by the 2-headed monster of Ajay Mitchell/Miles Norris, who have combined for 30 PPG/9 RPG. The 2 concerns are whether they can win a close game (their opponents’ 75.2 FT% is among the highest in the country) and whether they can beat the #1 seed in UC-Riverside (who swept the Gauchos this year).

C-USA tourney predicted champ: Florida Atlantic (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Frisco, TX
2022 tourney champ: UAB (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2017
Seeding: 4 of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
The Owls lost 15 games last year but have been near-perfect this year with only 3 losses all season. North Texas/UAB have both been able to hang with Florida Atlantic but will probably have to battle each other to the death in the tourney semifinals. Coach Dusty May has a well-balanced offense with 5 guys scoring 9-14 PPG, and they also hit the boards as their 27.7 defensive RPG is top-20 in the nation. His team is so good that they probably do not even need to win their opening game to make the NCAA tourney. The most terrifying thing is that Michael Forrest is the only SR on the entire roster so they might just end up as a protected seed in 2024!

Ivy tourney predicted champ: Yale (#1 seed)
Dates: March 11-12
Location: Princeton, NJ
2022 tourney champ: Yale (#2 seed)
Fun fact: only team to win tourney since 2019 is Yale
Seeding: each of 4 all-time champs were top-2 seed
As much as I would like to pick my Quakers to rally from a 9-11 start this season and end up making the NCAA tourney…my Penn education has taught me that is a poor wager. Since it might literally kill me to pick Princeton despite their home-court advantage, I will be going with Yale. Coach Joe Jones stumbled out of the block by losing 3 of 4 to start conference play (including an almost inexcusable road loss at Columbia) but has righted the ship by winning 9 of his final 10 with only a 2-PT loss at the Palestra. The Bulldogs will not be intimidated by Jadwin Gymnasium since they swept the Tigers this season but health could be the X-factor, as leading scorer Matt Knowling missed the past 3 games with a sprained ankle.

MAAC tourney predicted champ: Iona (#1 seed)
Dates: March 7-11
Location: Atlantic City, NJ
2022 tourney champ: St. Peter’s (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Iona has won 6 of past 9 tourneys
Seeding: 10 of past 11 champs were not #1 seed
Iona has owned this tourney for most of the past decade…and even though this tourney has not been kind to 1 seeds, if the Gaels were able to win it 2 years ago as a 9-seed then how on earth could anyone pick against them as the best team in the league this year!? It is also never a good idea to bet against Rick Pitino in March. He has only lost 3 games since Christmas due to his team being top-10 in the nation at defending the 3-PT line (29.5 3P% allowed). The Gaels only got 7 games out of SR Quinn Slazinski before season-ending ankle surgery and Cruz Davis missed the final 7 games due to an Achilles injury, so it remains to be seen if Iona will have enough left in the tank to win 3 games in 4 days.

MAC tourney predicted champ: Toledo (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-11
Location: Cleveland, OH
2022 tourney champ: Akron (#4 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs in past 5 tourneys
Seeding: 4 of past 6 champs were not top-2 seed
This tourney is often won by an underdog but when the big dog (Toledo) has the longest winning streak in the nation at 15 games and counting you go with the momentum. The Rockets have not made the NCAA tourney since 1980 so it is far from a slam dunk, and even if they were the defending champ you should not pencil them in just yet because the #2 seed (Kent State) beat them by double-digits on January 10th. Coach Tod Kowalczyk has a below-average defensive team but when your top-3 scorers (RayJ Dennis/JT Shumate/Setric Millner) are combining to average 52 PPG/15 RPG you are not going to have a lot of low-scoring affairs so prepare for take-off!

MEAC tourney predicted champ: Howard (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Norfolk, VA
2022 tourney champ: Norfolk State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 2 champs since 2011 who are still in this conference are NC Central/Norfolk State
Seeding: 4 of past 6 champs were top-2 seed
There has not been a lot of DC-area basketball worth cheering about this year but the program that has looked the most impressive is Howard. Despite not having won this tourney since 1992, they have a legitimate shot this year due to an amazing turnaround led by Coach Kenny Blakeney. He won 5 games combined during his 1st 2 years but followed up last year’s 16-13 season with a regular season championship this year. The Bison have been living by the 3, as their 37.6 3P% is top-25 in the nation. They also have a very young team, with only 1 SR in the starting lineup, but instead of throwing in the towel after a 4-8 start they have come of age while winning 11 of their last 13 games.

MWC tourney predicted champ: San Diego State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2022 tourney champ: Boise State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: San Diego State has made title game each of past 5 years
Seeding: 6 of past 7 champs were top-2 seed
1 of the few things you can bank on in Vegas is that the Aztecs will make this title game, since they have done so for 5 years in a row. They are not invincible, and only 1-3 in neutral-site games this season, but Coach Brian Dutcher’s team remains stout on defense as always. San Diego State is not outstanding in any 1 particular category but 1 thing they do have going for them is experience, as each of their top-9 scorers are juniors/seniors. That being said, their epic collapse at Boise State on February 28th was as close to a red flag as we have seen all year.

Pac-12 predicted champ: UCLA (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2022 tourney champ: Arizona (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 champs since 2015 are Arizona/Oregon/Oregon State
Seeding: 6 of past 8 champs were top-2 seed
Are you loving the tourney logo with the anonymous player’s number representing the # of teams in this league?! The Bruins have not won this tourney since 2014, but they proved they were the class of this league all season long by winning 24 of their past 26 games with only a pair of road losses to Arizona/USC. Coach Mick Cronin has been starting a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans this season in Amari Bailey/Adem Bona, and they have been great complimentary pieces to the scoring of Jaime Jaquez Jr., the passing of Tyger Campbell, and the thievery of Jaylen Clark. UCLA made the Final 4 in 2021 as an 11-seed before losing on 1 of the all-time daggers from Jalen Suggs, so you can bet that they want to get as high a seed as possible to avoid such a fate this time around.

SEC predicted champ: Texas A&M (#2 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Nashville, TN
2022 tourney champ: Tennessee (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 6 of past 8 champs were top-2 seed
I thought our good friend Uncle Buzz had nowhere to go but down after last year’s 27-win season that came up 1 possession shy of winning the NIT over Xavier, especially after a home loss to Wofford on December 20th. However, he has exceeded all expectations since then by winning 17 of his final 20 games including a pair of home victories over Tennessee/Alabama. The Aggies are a bit of a homecourt hero, as 7 of their 8 losses occurred away from College Station, but anyone who can go 15-3 in the SEC is no joke. They have a relatively young team with only 2 seniors among their top-9 scorers, but there is literally nobody better at knocking down FTs, as their 19.4 FTM/game is #1 in the nation.

SWAC predicted champ: Grambling (#2 seed)
Dates: March 8-11
Location: Birmingham, AL
2022 tourney champ: Texas Southern (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Texas Southern has won 6 of past 8 tourneys and finished 2nd once
Seeding: 8 of past 10 champs were top-2 seed
Texas Southern used to own this tourney but they have been rather underwhelming this year so the door is ajar for someone else to win it. In contrast, Grambling has never made the NCAA tourney but I think this could be their year. Since mid-January they won 12 of 13 games with only a 3-PT loss to Alcorn State, who they will probably have to face in the title game. Coach Donte Jackson’s team does its damage on defense, as they are top-30 in the nation in shooting percentage allowed from each of 1-PT/2-PT/3-PT range. The big red flag is their FT shooting: 63.5% is bottom-10 in the nation.

WAC predicted champ: Utah Valley (#2 seed)
Dates: March 6-11
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2022 tourney champ: New Mexico State (#3 seed)
Fun fact: New Mexico State has made title game each year since 2012
Seeding: 19 of past 20 champs were top-3 seed
This appears to be a 2-team race between Utah Valley and Sam Houston, and since the Wolverines skinned the Bearkats by 16 PTS in their only meeting on December 29th they get the nod. 25 years ago Mark Madsen helped his Stanford squad make the Final 4 before a 1-PT OT loss to eventual champ Kentucky: now he has a chance to help Utah Valley make the 1st NCAA tourney in school history. They are not going to beat you from behind the arc as their 32.3 3P% is well-below-average, but thanks to their Twin Towers of 7’ Aziz Bandaogo/6’9” Tim Fuller they lead the nation with 6.7 BPG.

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