Championship Week Video Notebook – Day 13

The Hoops HD Mock Committee as completed Day 3 of their deliberations.  We have completed our field of 68, seeded all the teams, and scrubbed lines 1 through 10.  John Stalica has a writeup of what we’ve done so far.  CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

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

Saturday of Championship Week is in the books, and it is now officially Selection Sunday.  We recap all the action from all the conference tournaments, discuss all the teams that punched tickets, and take a look at what happened in the major conferences and how today’s action could have impacted their seedlist.  We close by showing you the board of what the Hoops HD Mock Committee has done.

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

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP:

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP:

AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP:

ATLANTIC TEN CHAMPIONSHIP:

IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP:

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The Hoops HD Selection Committee – Saturday Night Update

Tonight was Day 3 of the Hoops HD Selection Committee meetings via Zoom conference call; our first major task of the night was adding the final 8 at-large bids to the field. With a lack of bid thieves this year, we were assured of bids opening up thanks to the American, Conference USA and SEC results from today.

Recall from Thursday’s meetings that our four carryover teams for the purposes of at-large selection were Mississippi State, NC State, Providence and Rutgers. After extensive debate of each under consideration team, each committee member sent a list of their top 8 teams to our committee chairman Chad Sherwood. The top 4 vote-getters (Oklahoma State, Penn State, Utah State and Arizona State) joined the 4 carryover teams and then each committee member ranked these teams 1 through 8. In this round of voting, we added Penn State, Providence, Mississippi State and Rutgers to our at-large board. (This also opened up another at-large bid with a bid thief no longer possible in the B1G). We repeated the process once more with only 3 carryovers; NC State was returned to the Under Consideration board after failing to make the ballot in 2 consecutive rounds. This time around, the top 5 vote-getters to join the 3 carryover teams were NC State, Vanderbilt, Clemson, Nevada and Boise State. After ranking these teams 1 through 8, our final four at-large teams added were Boise State, Utah State, Arizona State and NC State. Our first four teams out were Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Nevada and Clemson.

Our next task was seeding the remaining lines from 8 through 16. After the field was seeded, we began scrubbing the seed list to account for Saturday results. Below is what our board looks like through tonight’s games:

Sunday afternoon will be the final day of the Hoops HD Selection Committee – there will be additional scrubbing of the seedlist to account for Sunday’s games. We will also build our bracket; no contingencies will be necessary.

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Bracketology 2023: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.6)

-For the latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK – DAY 12 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

We are only 1 day 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 weekend 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: Arizona (Pac-12)
2: Baylor (Big 12)

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

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

5: Iowa State (Big 12)
5: Miami (ACC)
5: San Diego State (MWC)
5: TCU (Big 12)

6: Texas A&M (SEC)
6: Duke (ACC)
6: St. Mary’s (WCC)
6: Kentucky (SEC)

7: Missouri (SEC)
7: Creighton (Big East)
7: Northwestern (Big 10)
7: Michigan State (Big 10)

8: Maryland (Big 10)
8: Arkansas (SEC)
8: Florida Atlantic (C-USA)
8: Iowa (Big 10)

9: Illinois (Big 10)
9: West Virginia (Big 12)
9: Memphis (AAC)
9: Boise State (MWC)

10: Auburn (SEC)
10: USC (Pac-12)
10: Providence (Big East)
10: Penn State (Big 10)

11: Utah State (MWC)
11: NC State (ACC)
11: Mississippi State (SEC)
11: Rutgers (Big 10)
11: Pittsburgh (ACC)
11: Arizona State (Pac-12)

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

13: Toledo (MAC)
13: Iona (MAAC)
13: Princeton (Ivy)
13: Louisiana (Sun Belt): AUTO-BID

14: Furman (SoCon): AUTO-BID
14: Fullerton (Big West)
14: Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun): AUTO-BID
14: Colgate (Patriot): AUTO-BID

15: Montana State (Big Sky): AUTO-BID
15: Vermont (America East)
15: UNC-Asheville (Big South): AUTO-BID
15: Northern Kentucky (Horizon): AUTO-BID

16: Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC): AUTO-BID
16: Southeast Missouri State (OVC): AUTO-BID
16: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland): AUTO-BID
16: Grambling (SWAC)
16: Howard (MEAC)
16: Grand Canyon (WAC)

1ST 4 OUT
Clemson (ACC)
Nevada (MWC)
Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Vanderbilt (SEC)

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Tennessee Tech coach Kim Rosamond

Last Saturday Tennessee Tech beat Little Rock 54-46 in the OVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Golden Eagles wrapped up their 5th straight winning season by clinching the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2000. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Tennessee Tech coach Kim Rosamond about playing for a Hall of Fame coach during her own college days.

You played basketball at Mississippi: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was a role player who played my role well. Ole Miss was coming off an SEC title and Coach Van Chancellor had that thing rolling. I redshirted as a freshman and bided my time behind some all-conference players. As a 5th-year senior I tore my ACL and had to make a decision: I decided to play and it was extremely rewarding. It was a special time/place in my life. I majored in journalism/advertising and actually ran away from coaching! God kind of shifted my route and opened a door for me. The 3rd assistant coaching spot was a restricted-earnings position but I stepped in at my alma mater at age 23.

What made Hall of Famer Van Chancellor such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He always played his players to their strengths: he was very smart in that sense. I did not realize it as a teenage player but he always put the person before the player: from the meals his wife cooked to the flag football games he hosted in his backyard.

You were the 1st player to be named All-Academic SEC for 4 years in a row: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I grew up on a farm showing horses competitively, which is where I gained my work ethic. My mom was a single mother and after observing her I learned how to out-work people.

You won plenty of NCAA tourney games as an assistant to Stephany Smith at Middle Tennessee and Melanie Balcomb at Vanderbilt: what is the key to winning games in March? Our current team is a great example of this: guard play is so important. Every team that I have been a part of that has made deep runs had great guard play/shooting. In addition to the basketball piece, you need a group of players who love each other so much that they are not ready for their season to be over.

In 2019 as head coach at Tennessee Tech you snapped Belmont’s 47-game OVC winning streak and were named OVC COY: where does that win/honor rank among the highlights of your career? It was a really special time because we did not have a lot of on-court success during my 1st 2 years even though we were winning in the classroom/community/recruiting. We wanted to build not just a team but rather a program so it took a little time. To see things come together in year #3 was extra-special. You want to celebrate every win because it is hard at this level so you never take it for granted: it catapulted us to where we are right now.

Most of your roster is from Kentucky/Tennessee with a few players from some other states: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? When we got here there were only 2 players from Tennessee and that is something we knew that we had to change. Tennessee high school basketball is as good as it gets. We started at home and built a lot of strong relationships so we knew that if we kept the top kids at home then we would have a chance. This is a great location because we can stay within a 6-8 hour radius and still find kids to help us win championships.

Your team is top-10 in the nation with 25.3 3P% allowed: how crucial is perimeter defense to your team’s success? When you defend good 3-PT shooters every day in practice, and we have great 3-PT shooters, then you are forced to work to defend the 3 every day. If you had told me that we would win a title while going 0-6 from behind the arc I would not have believed you! Defending and shooting the 3 has been very vital to our success.

Last Saturday in the OVC tourney title game Jada Guinn scored 12 PTS/6-6 FT in an 8-PT win over Little Rock: how on earth were you able to beat a team that only lost 1 conference game all year, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It is a great example of how we approach losses: we view them as lessons. They manhandled us in the 1st game and we lost our composure at their place. At our place their physicality really bothered us in the 1st half but we scored 26 PTS against them in the 3rd quarter, which I believe is the most they have allowed in a quarter all year. We lost the game but gained confidence and figured out the formula to beat them, which we did last weekend. The locker room was exhilarating/emotional. We did not skip a single step during the past 7 years: it took a winding road to get here but that just made it taste even sweeter. I know how special/rare it is to be a part of March Madness and I want our young women to experience it.

You had a birthday last month: what did you do for the big day? We had a game the very next day against UT-Martin in our regular season finale so we prepared for Senior Day. That is how I have spent my birthday for most of my career!

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? That is up to the committee. We are happy to be here…but we are not JUST happy to be here. We do not care where we go and I can promise you that this team will not back down from anybody. We will continue to fight for 40 minutes together because we are not ready for this ride to be over.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Washington State SR G Johanna Teder

Last Sunday Washington State beat UCLA 65-61 in the Pac-12 tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Cougars lost their regular season finale in double-OT but were able to win 4 postseason games in 5 days to make the school’s 2nd straight NCAA tourney. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Washington State SR G Johanna Teder about making the NCAA tourney for the 2nd straight year.

You were born/raised in Estonia: how did you 1st get into basketball? My sister played basketball and I got interested after attending some practices when I was in kindergarten.

You began your college career at South Plains Community College: how close did you come to going undefeated in 2020, and what was your reaction when you learned that the national tourney was canceled due to COVID? I was supposed to go to a D-1 school but I ended up at a JUCO with a lot of other international players. We only lost 1 game and we were getting ready to go to nationals to try to win a title. It was a crazy time: we kept practicing and nobody went home because we thought that we would eventually play…but it never happened.

How did you end up at Washington State? I knew that year that I was ready to play D-1 by that point so when COVID hit I put my name in the transfer portal and a lot of teams contacted me. I got recruited by WSU and chose them.

You are majoring in Digital Technology and Communication Advertising and minoring in Fine Arts: what is the post-graduation plan? I actually finished all of my classes for my major/minor last December. My plan is to graduate next spring with 2 bachelor’s degrees. I am not sure of the long-term plan but I would love to play pro basketball. I think my major allows me to take my work wherever I am.

You play for Coach Kamie Ethridge, who was just named national COY on Thursday: what makes her such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? She is genuine and always treats us as human before athletes. She expects a lot out of us but is really fair.

Last year you led the team with 56 3PM: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? I have not always been a shooter: I was a PG in high school and barely attempted any threes. I started working on my shot after getting to college and now that is what my team expects me to do. I am a good shooter…but could always be better.

Your school also made the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in 30 years: how big a deal was it? Huge! They also made it during COVID so this year will be the 3rd time in 4 years. It has been amazing to build this program and see what our accomplishments mean to everyone. I am lucky to be a part of it and am excited for this year’s NCAA tourney.

You had a birthday last month: what did you do for the big day? We had a game that day against Cal and we won, so that was the best gift that the team could give me. However, I was a little bummed because I am already 23!

Last Sunday in the Pac-12 tourney title game you scored 7 PTS in a 4-PT win over UCLA: what did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? The whole tourney was unbelievable: I still cannot believe that we did it! We pulled off a couple of upsets and after we beat Utah I thought that anything was possible. After the win over UCLA I just sat in the locker room and felt like it was 1 of the best days of my life: it was so awesome that I wish I just could re-live that day over and over.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? That conversation comes up almost every day. I am expecting a better seed than last year: maybe a 5/6? I feel that we have proved what we are capable of and we won a championship so I think that we should be up there somewhere.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Texas A&M Corpus-Christi cheerleader Gabby Solis

Last Wednesday Texas A&M Corpus-Christi had a 75-71 win over Northwestern State in the Southland tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Islanders started 4-3 in conference play but won 12 of their final 13 games to earn the school’s 2nd straight NCAA tourney bid. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Texas A&M Corpus-Christi cheerleader Gabby Solis about going into nursing.

You are from Edinburg, TX: what made you choose Texas A&M Corpus-Christi? I grew up around South Padre Island so something about the beach kept me close to here. It is a very good college town.

You are a nursing major: how did you choose that subject? I have always known since I was little that I wanted to work in health care. It seems like nurses have the most interaction with patients, which is the most near and dear to my heart.

What is the post-graduation plan? I graduate in May and am really excited. I am planning to become a neonatal ICU nurse and will move home to begin my future career.

You have been a cheerleader for most of your life: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? I have been doing it for pretty much 18 years. It blows my mind that my 22-year old body can still do it but it is a great sisterhood and helps keep me busy/active. I love being a part of the spirit program and supporting our teams at all of their games.

1 of your hobbies is trying new restaurants: what is your favorite kind of food? I am a pretty plain-Jane girl so I am a die-hard chicken tenders fan!

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: your 8-game winning streak in January/February, winning the regular season finale in OT, Senior Night, other? The conference tourney was an amazing weekend with a whirlwind of events. 1 of the best games was our homecoming game when we won the regular season title: to get to share it with the community was a really great experience.

Last Wednesday in the Southland tourney title game your team had a 4-PT win over Northwestern State: what has the reaction been like since you returned to campus? It has been really exciting to have the support from the entire university/community. There will be a lot of watch parties on the island, which is such a great feeling. The vibe for Selection Sunday is great: everyone cannot wait to see where/who we will be playing!

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 participate in tryouts because they only allow 12 spirit members at the tourney. Our coaches rate us on our skills and I was gratefully given the opportunity. It is exciting to get that exposure on TV. I received so many notifications this week from friends/family who saw me on TV: what a way to go out with a bang as a senior!

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? Not really: we will just be prepared for the NCAA tourney by having some extra practices, and will attend Selection Sunday in support of our team.

Any predictions for the Islanders next week? We have the biggest support for our team and hope we can win that 1st game. We are getting better and better each year so even though we fell short last year (a 9-PT loss to Texas Southern) hopefully we can keep it going this year.

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