NCAA Tournament First Round Rundown: Thursday, March 17

Posted on March 17, 2022 by David Griggs

FIRST FOUR RECAP:

-I attended the First Four the first year of its existence, and I came away from it very disappointed.  It didn’t feel like the NCAA Tournament.  The atmosphere was sub-par, but more than that it just didn’t FEEL like it.  As for now, while the First Four may not feel like it does in the later rounds, it definitely qualifies as a full blown NCAA Tournament experience.  This year both sessions were sold out and all four games were great.

Texas Southern outlasted a TAMUCC program that has completely turned itself around and appears to be on the rise.  They’ll go on to face Kansas.  today.

Indiana and Wyoming was a battle with Indiana holding on to win and moving on to face a very strong Saint Mary’s team.

Wright State picked up their first ever NCAA Tournament win as they outlasted Bryant.  They’ll face Arizona on Friday.

Notre Dame and Rutgers played a back and forth seesaw battle that went into double overtime before Notre Dame finally held on to win.  This was the kind of game that you wished could have gone on forever.  Notre Dame will face Alabama on Friday

 

THURSDAY’S FIRST ROUND GAMES

-#11 MICHIGAN VS #6 COLORADO STATE.  Michigan got the big wins that they needed down the stretch to sneak into the field, and they face a Colorado State team that some may feel is a little oversewed, but that is also really good.

-#13 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE VS #4 PROVIDENCE.  Providence better be on upset alert. They had a fantastic year where they were the first place team in the Big East, and won a lot of close and exciting games to get there.  South Dakota State, the #13 seed, is one of those teams that I think would be just about everyone on the 9, 10, 11, and 12 lines, but that just didn’t have the resume (largely due to their conference) to get them a better seed.

-#9 MEMPHIS VS #8 BOISE STATE.  I thought Boise State should have been seeded a little higher.  They were the first place team in a very good Mountain West Conference this year, and had some really nice win.  They face a Memphis team that is super talented, but who struggled for part of the season before really pulling it together down the stretch.

#16 NORFOLK STATE VS #1 BAYLOR.  We’ve learned that Baylor will be without one of their key players, but they still shouldn’t have too much trouble with a Norfolk State team that’s had a nice run through the MEAC, but is overmatched today.

#14 LONGWOOD VS #3 TENNESSEE.  Longwood is one of the better stories in college basketball this year.  They’ve had a lot of years of finishing at or near the bottom of the Big South, so it was exciting to see them have such a good season, finish first, win the conference tournament, and make the NCAA’s.  They face a red-hot Tennessee team that just won the SEC, and who some are picking to go to the Final Four.

-#12 RICHMOND VS #5 IOWA.  Iowa seemed kind of so-so for a lot of the season, but they had a fantastic showing in the Big Ten Tournament and were really starting to play well before that.  Richmond is a team we were big on coming into the season, but who we thought was kind of a disappointment for a lot of the year.  They pulled it together to win the Atlantic Ten and ultimately make it into The Dance, though.

-#16 GEORGIA STATE VS #1 GONZAGA.  Gonzaga might win it all.  They were the national runners up last year.  Georgia State…probably not going to win it all.  They got the auto-bid out of what was a very crazy Sun Belt Conference this year.

-#9 MARQUETTE VS #8 NORTH CAROLINA.  Marquette was a team I was big on for most of the season, and North Carolina was a team I was highly critical.  UNC did look good in the latter part of the year as they won at Duke and then had a very impressive showing in the ACC Tournament.  Still, for a longer time, Marquette just looked better.

#12 NEW MEXICO STATE VS #5 UCONN.  I like this New Mexico State team a lot, and I think they could really give UConn all they can handle.  The thing is, UConn has looked really impressive all season long too, and where there are teams that I think New Mexico State is capable of upsetting, UConn doesn’t strike me as one of them.

-#15 SAINT PETER’S VS #2 KENTUCKY.  Saint Peter’s ended up winning the MAAC after it looked like Iona was going to run away with it.  Kentucky is good enough to win this whole tournament.  They did lose to Tennessee their last time out, but they shot the ball poorly, had a bad game, were playing a really good team, and were still in the game for most of the game.  Imagine what they can do when they play a good game.

-#12 INDIANA VS #5 SAINT MARY’S.  Indiana already has a Tournament win under their belt as they knocked off Wyoming in the First Four.  Saint Mary’s started the season off looking pretty good, and ended the season looking even better.  It wouldn’t shock me to see them go a couple of rounds into this tournament.

#9 CREIGHTON VS #8 SAN DIEGO STATE.  I like both these teams, and actually feel like Creighton was a little under-respected with their seed.  They had some really big wins and looked solid in the Big East Tournament.  San Diego State had some really nice wins down the stretch as well.  For a 8vs9 game, this kind of feels like it should be a 6vs6 game, or something like that.

-#13 VERMONT VS #4 ARKANSAS.  Vermont blew through the America East.  Totally dominated it.  The issue is that they haven’t played a high caliber team in a really long time, and haven’t had to play at a high caliber to beat a lot of those teams.  Arkansas is certainly a high caliber team.  They better not overlook Vermont.  An upset is not an impossibility.

-#10 SAN FRANCISCO VS #7 MURRAY STATE.  Both teams had great years.  It feels like every time San Francisco played a Tournament caliber team they struggled, but they did take care of business in all of the rest of their games.  Murray State totally blew through the Ohio Valley, but was also undermatched in a lot of those games and will have to play at a higher caliber today.  Having said that, they are certainly good enough to do that.

-#13 AKRON VS #4 UCLA.  I really like this Akron team and was impressed with what they did in the MAC Tournament.  Having said that, I think they’re overmatched by UCLA today.  It wouldn’t shock me at all if they made the Bruins sweat, though.

-#16 TEXAS SOUTHERN VS #1 KANSAS.  Texas Southern won their First Four game.  They are playing this one in Fort Worth.  I hope they enjoy the experience.  They are a good team, but they are way overmatched against a Final Four caliber Kansas team.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Colgate Dance Team captain Andrea Skinner

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Wednesday Colgate beat Navy 74-58 in the Patriot tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Raiders were 8-11 after a loss at Boston University in late-January but have won 15 games in a row to make the NCAA tourney for the 2nd straight year, where they will face #3 seed Wisconsin on Friday in Milwaukee. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Colgate Dance Team captain Andrea Skinner about being a leader and being back in the NCAA tourney.

You are from New Lenox, IL: what made you choose Colgate? I always knew that I wanted to attend a college in a different region. I was drawn to Colgate because I wanted a school that had the school spirit that comes with D-1 athletics, but also a small liberal arts education.

You have been dancing for a long time: how did you 1st get into dancing, and what is the best part? I started dancing when I was in Kindergarten. Over the years I have done many different styles including ballet, jazz, tap, and clogging.

You have been President of the dance team for the past 2 years: what is the key to being a good leader? I believe that the key to being a good leader is listening to others. Many leaders think that they are the be-all/end-all, but my co-captain and I welcome ideas from everyone in our group.

How frustrating has it been to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? Colgate was very strict with our COVID guidelines so last year we were doing practices on Zoom,  which was extremely challenging. As the year went on, we were able to practice socially distanced in small groups. This year was a lot better because we were able to practice with everyone in the studio. Overall, the biggest struggle was having the unknown of whether we would be able to practice/perform the following week because of COVID guidelines.

You are a Math major and a German minor: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I chose to be a math major because I enjoy problem-solving and knew that by choosing a challenging major I would take full advantage of the Colgate experience. I studied German in high school and decided to continue in college so that I could study abroad at the University of Freiburg in the spring of 2021. Sadly this was canceled due to COVID, but I am still hoping to travel to Germany in the near future. After graduation, I am planning on pursuing my master’s in Marketing/Analytics.

You are the Sexual Assault Prevention and Support Chair for your sorority and also assist in costume design/sewing for the theater program: how do you find time to do so many things at once? I have always been a person who loves to be busy. In college, I have had to learn to say no to things and really focus on what I am passionate about. I have really had to focus on time management as I have taken on more roles.

Last Wednesday the Raiders had a win over Navy in the Patriot tourney title game: how excited was everybody to win the conference tourney for the 3rd time in the past 4 years? Everyone is absolutely ecstatic! Last year’s loss was disappointing so we are so excited that we made it to the tournament this year.

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? Our dance team is not technically in the athletic department so we are completely student-run. We are the only completely student-run dance team in the entire Patriot League. Unlike the cheer team, we do not have a coach or funding from athletics. This year we were not invited to attend the tournament with the other teams, but we are still preparing for our school’s dance showcase this spring. Colgate is on spring break during the first few rounds of March Madness so we will all be rooting on the team with our friends and family back home!

Any predictions for this week? I am hoping that Colgate will be able to beat Wisconsin. Our team is a lot more balanced than it has been in the past and we have a lot of experience. We have been on a roll recently so fingers crossed that Wisconsin is off their game!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Georgia State SR Eliel Nsoseme

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On March 7 Georgia State beat Louisiana 80-71 in the Sun Belt tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Panthers were 2-5 in conference play in early February but won each of their last 10 games to make the NCAA tourney, where they will face #1 seed Gonzaga on Thursday in Portland. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Georgia State SR Eliel Nsoseme about being a great rebounder and winning the conference tourney.

You were born in the Congo and raised in Canada: how did you end up in the US? I was born/raised in Congo but moved to Canada when I was 18 years old. I had the opportunity to play AAU basketball and my team played a lot of games in the United States during the summer. That was when I was offered a scholarship to play for the University of Cincinnati.

How did you 1st get into basketball, and how big is the sport in Canada? I was first introducing to basketball in the Congo. When I got to Canada it was big…but now it has just exploded. All the kids want to play basketball and that is awesome to see.

You began your college career at Cincinnati: why did you decide to transfer, and was it weird to choose Georgia State after beating them in the 2018 NCAA tourney?! It was time for me to explore a different path. I did meet a lot of people that I am still really close to. I remember that game. When it came to Georgia State, Coach Rob Lanier and his staff were honest in my recruitment process and I really appreciated that.

What makes Coach Lanier such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? The way he approaches the game with his patience/understanding/passion. He has a different way to look at it, which is close to mine. I have learned a lot from him and keep learning even today. He always makes sure we understand that it is a blessing to be in this position: to do what we love and never take it for granted because a lot of individuals do not have the same opportunity.

Last year your 10.1 RPG was top-20 in the nation: what is the key to being a great rebounder? The willingness to do it. A lot of people think that it is not important or just do not want to do it. I will do anything to help my team win and rebounding is one of the things that I take great pride in.

You missed the 1st 11 games this year due to a knee injury: how is your health at the moment? It was tough to be unable to help my team on the court but I did my best to support them from the bench. It is getting better day by day. I do what I need to do to ensure I can give my team 100%…even if I am not 100% right now. Shout-out to Vinnie (our strength and conditioning coach)/Bob (our sports medicine guy) for helping me get better and get ready for the next game.

You made the Dean’s List several times during your career: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? For me, school and basketball are always part of my plan: I go as hard as I can on the court and do the same in the classroom. I love learning and majoring in film, which asks for a lot of creativity, and I keep learning every day.

You have already graduated with a degree in Film & Media: what is the post-college plan? I am getting my Master’s right now. I know that when I am done playing basketball it will be an option for me to do something I love just as much…but I definitely want to go pro and help my family as best I can.

In the Sun Belt tourney title game you had 12 PTS/13 REB in a 9-PT win over Louisiana: what did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It means a lot to me. We went through a lot with this group of guys and I wanted it so bad for everyone. We never gave up or gave excuses: just stayed in the gym and got better. It was great to see guys become champions for the first time. It was a collective effort that everyone on the team was happy about it.

How do you feel about getting a #16 seed, and what do you know about Gonzaga? We are excited to be back in the tournament and are ready to play. It is an opportunity to play and we are thankful for it. Gonzaga is a great team with great players and a winning program…but we also have great players and a winning program so it should be a fun game.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Arizona pomline captain Victoria Frank

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Saturday Arizona beat UCLA 84-76 in the Pac-12 tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Wildcats lost 3 road games this year but were unbeaten in all of their home/neutral site games to make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2018. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Arizona pomline captain Victoria Frank about winning the conference tourney and heading to San Diego.

You grew up in Murrieta, CA: what made you choose Arizona? Tucson felt like a home away from home because it is a smaller town. I felt it would give me a little piece of home when I went away to college.

You have been dancing for most of your life: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? My mom put me in dance when I was young. I did trial and error with a couple of sports but I loved dance the most. The best part is performing and exhibiting joy to everyone around us.

You have been on the Arizona Pomline for 4 years and are a Senior Captain this year: what is the key to being a good leader? Leading by example and being someone that people feel comfortable talking to about anything.

What do you think the role of a college pomline is today, and how has it changed over time? To bring the extra energy/entertainment factor to sporting events/pep rallies/alumni events. It has remained relatively similar over the years, but we have become more of a spokesperson for the school and its teams.

How frustrating has it been to be on the pomline for a great basketball team during a pandemic? It definitely has its challenges but luckily it has not affected us too much. However, it would be nice to get back to normal so everyone can support our team.

You are majoring in Special Education Rehabilitation: why did you pick that subject, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I grew up with twin brothers who have special needs so it has always been part of my life. I love to work with that community and would like to become a behavioral technician/analyst.

Last Saturday the Wildcats had an 8-PT win over UCLA in the Pac-12 tourney title game: how excited was everybody to win the conference tourney for the 1st time since 2018? It was very exciting and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our seniors. The fans enjoyed it as well.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tournament, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? We allow our seniors to go on tournament travel. It will be very exciting to see both the pom/basketball teams showcased on national TV and we will represent everyone very well.

Your game(s) this weekend are at San Diego State, which is about 1 hour south of your hometown: will you have any family/friends in the stands to support you? Yes. My friends/family from my home dance studio will be there to support me so that will be exciting.

Arizona is ranked #2 in the nation: how far do you think they will go? I think we will go very far and have a really good chance of winning the national championship!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Loyola Chicago dancer Grace McClain

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On March 6 Loyola Chicago beat Drake 64-58 in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Ramblers were swept by the Bulldogs during the regular season but showed that the 3rd time is the charm as they made the NCAA tourney for the 3rd time since 2018. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Loyola Chicago dancer Grace McClain about dealing with COVID protocols and winning the conference tourney.

You grew up in Phoenix and later moved to San Diego: what made you choose Loyola Chicago? I had an aunt who went to Loyola and she told me all about the culture. My mom is from Chicago and I love the city. This is a great school and it invests so much in its students.

How did you 1st get into dancing, and what is the best part? I have been dancing since I was 10 years old and was on the dance team in both high school/college. My favorite part is the team aspect: bonding with everyone and feeling proud of myself and my teammates about what we accomplish every day.

What do you think the role of a college dancer is today, and how has it changed over time? It has definitely changed. In the past it was more stereotypical of just cheering on your team at games (which is something we focus on), but the dance world has changed so much and become more advanced. We are invested in winning a national title every year and are working toward that while growing Loyola spirit. We try to get more recognition for the hard work we put in.

You are majoring in Psychology: why did you pick that subject, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I have always been interested in it, especially social psychology: how people react to/think about certain situations. I have a job set up at a supply chain company so I will be working in customer service, where psychology will definitely help. I will also take some dance classes and keep training.

What does the dance team do at basketball games during the season? We are cheering on the guys the entire time and staying sharp/clean while engaging the crowd because they are just as important as us. We do routines during timeouts/halftime and work with the band/cheer team.

How frustrating has it been to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? It was definitely frustrating. We would like to engage as much as we can but COVID protocols do not always allow us to do that. We are trying to stay positive and things are looking up and hopefully we can engage this weekend.

Last Sunday the Ramblers had a 6-PT win over Drake in the MVC tourney title game: how excited was everybody to win the conference tourney for the 2nd straight year? It was the most exciting win that I have ever experienced: I definitely cried! People were not really expecting it but I knew that we would pull it off. The energy was electric and we all believed in the team.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tournament? Our itinerary is not finalized but we will do a send-off for the team, which will be super-fun.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the tournament, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? It is based on a point system as well as seniority: did you do extra workouts, extra volunteering, etc. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we will take in every second of it. I am excited: whether we win or lose it will be a great weekend.

How do you feel about going to Pittsburgh to face Ohio State, and any predictions? I think that we can beat the Buckeyes. Everyone is really excited/hopeful. We feel really prepared on the band/cheer/dance team and the basketball team treats every game like the Super Bowl.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Longwood cheerleader Makayla Whittaker

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On March 6 Longwood beat Winthrop 79-58 in the Big South tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Lancers finished December 7-5 before winning 19 of their last 20 games to make the NCAA tourney, where they will face #3 seed Tennessee in Indianapolis on Thursday. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Longwood cheerleader Makayla Whittaker about being a captain and winning the conference tourney.

You grew up in Virginia: what made you choose Longwood? It was my backup school because I wanted to go out of state, but once I got here it felt like home. The community is so close and the class sizes are smaller.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I did gymnastics/dance when I was younger but in high school I tried out for the cheer team. I wanted to get more involved after coming to college and I ended up making the team as a freshman. I have loved every second of it and the best part is that I have grown so much in terms of my skills.

You have been on the cheer team for 3 years and are now a captain: what is the key to being a good leader? You need to be a role model and act how you would want others to act toward you. There are 4 people in a stunt group and everyone has a job to do so you need to work together and understand each other to make sure that nothing goes wrong. Communication is key so that we are all on the same page and you need to want the best for everyone. I set a high standard for myself and want to elevate the entire team and make sure we are hitting our goals. We have big dreams and want to accomplish them. It does take a lot of time but is totally worth it.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? Our school is very small so we have been able to show our faces at a lot of events like a send-off or a ribbon-cutting. It is a big duty to represent the school at games so we plan our routines/practice/lift. We are there to support the team as well as get the fans loud so we did more crowd-involvement this season. We got a new coach this year and her key word is “elevate”: we are trying to grow bigger and become more competitive with the bigger schools. Our stunting this year has been more complex.

How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader for a great basketball team during a pandemic? Last year we could not attend games so it was just a building year to grow stronger as a team. It was a downer to not support our team in person and was very frustrating, but we still did everything we could to show our spirit around campus.

You are majoring in Kinesiology/Exercise Science: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I was originally a special education major because I love being around children, but deep down I wanted to be in the medical field. There are so many opportunities I will have with this major but I would like to do sports medicine for children. My mom is in the medical field so I guess I got my passion from her: I am very excited about the future. I would love to move out of Virginia: maybe somewhere like Georgia that has a hospital that does sports medicine. I have some big dreams and am very determined to reach them.

Last Sunday the Lancers had a 21-PT win over Winthrop in the Big South tourney title game: how excited was everybody to win the conference tourney for the very 1st time? It was so exciting! I am so grateful that we got to be there to see it in person. It shows you how important our small community is: a lot of fans were there and we helped get them rowdy. There was also a nice welcome-back as the buses rolled back into campus.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tournament, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Since our men AND women both made it we had to divide our own team in half. We would love to all be at both but we want to support both teams: half of us leave today for the men’s tourney in Indianapolis and the other half (including me) leave tomorrow for Raleigh. We will have 2 full stunt groups at each tourney with a couple of floaters. We have been practicing our routines/chants/signs to get the crowd involved.

Your women’s team also won its own conference tourney: is this the greatest week in the history of your school?! We definitely made some history with both teams winning their respective Big South tourneys. It is something you dream of happening and set as a goal, but never thought you would be the one to accomplish this amazing achievement and actually be part of the NCAA tournament. I cannot wait to see how they both do this week!

Any predictions? I think that both teams will win! I would love to see them keep going and see how far they can get: anything is possible so Go Lancers!!

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