Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On Tuesday Delaware beat UNCW 59-55 in the CAA tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The FIGHTIN’ Blue Hens went 7-8 in 2021 but bounced back this year to claim the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2014. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Coach Martin Ingelsby about making the NCAA tourney as a player back in the day and heading back there again as a head coach.

You were a team captain as a senior at Notre Dame: what is the key to being a good leader? Being a great teammate. I was always a lead-by-example guy and took great pride in connecting with my teammates. You also need to be able to rally your team to get them to work hard.

In the 2001 NCAA tourney you had 9 AST in a win over Xavier and 9 PTS in a loss to Mississippi: what is your favorite memory from that tourney run? It was honestly Selection Sunday: just sitting in the basement of Coach Brey’s house and watching it on TV. We had not made it in 9 years and helped put the program back on the map. I just tried to do whatever I could to help our team win.

After playing 4 years for Coach Mike Brey you later spent 13 years on his staff at your alma mater: what makes him such a great coach, and do you think that we will hear the Irish’s name called on Selection Sunday? Mike is my mentor and I look up to him so much and learned a lot from him. He has an unbelievable ability to connect with people and make it fun: guys would run through a brick wall for him. I think they are a lock for the NCAA tourney: I am so proud of him and his team to play great down the stretch and finish in a tied for 2nd place in the ACC.

In 2015 you won the ACC tourney as an assistant and made it all the way to the Elite 8 before a 2-PT loss to Kentucky: where does that 38-win Wildcat team rank among the greatest that you have ever seen, and what would it feel like to face Coach John Calipari again next week? They were undefeated at the time and the best team in the country that year. It was a joy to be a part of that group: they believed in each other. To go down to Tobacco Road and beat Duke/UNC back-to-back to win the ACC tourney title was a special run. It is scary to think about the talent Kentucky had on that team: I tell my kids that Devin Booker was their 6th Man!

Last night in the CAA tourney title game you had a 4-PT win over a UNCW team that had been 5-0 against your school all-time in the CAA tourney to become the 1st #5 seed to ever win the CAA tourney: how were you able to get the job done when it mattered the most despite all of that history working against you? It was defense/toughness. Our group really dug in for 3 games in 3 days. We did not finish the regular season well (3 straight losses) so we regrouped and relied on our senior leadership…otherwise it would have been over quickly. I am so happy for them that we could get it done. We went through a gauntlet, beating the 1/2/4 seeds, which shows how talented we are.

FR PF Jyare Davis was named conference ROY/conference tourney MVP: how has he been able to make such a huge impact despite being a freshman who only started 3 games all year? He is such a hard worker who went to Providence for a year before transferring. He put in a ton of the work in the gym and took advantage of an opportunity when Dylan Painter went down with an injury. He can step outside or score in the post: he bought into his role and showed where he can make an impact at this level.

You faced a couple of possible NCAA tourney teams earlier this year in non-conference play (Davidson/Iona): which of them impressed you the most? Both of them are really good teams. Davidson was our season-opener: we wanted to challenge ourselves out of the gate. They have 5 guys who can shoot the ball so well that it is hard to defend them for 40 minutes. As far as Iona, when you have Coach Rick Pitino on the sideline you always have a chance and I have so much respect for what he has done. I think both of them can win a game or 2 next week.

Your father Tom scored 7 PTS for Villanova in the 1971 NCAA title game and 2 of your uncles also played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? Probably my dad: he had a storied career at Villanova and played in the NBA for a couple of years. He was my high school coach and is the reason I do what I do: I cannot tell you how many times growing up when people would stop me on the street and tell me that they saw my dad play. I have a lot of siblings and sports were a big part of my childhood.

Your brother Brad had a good 2021, as he wrote/produced “Mare of Easttown”, which won 4 Emmy Awards: is 2022 the year that you win the award for “Best Performance by an Ingelsby in a Leading Role”? Let’s hope so: it was a good start last night! I am proud of my brother: he found his niche and watching his show gave me something to do every Sunday night during COVID. He is very talented at his craft and works really hard at it.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed you think you will get? I think that our metrics are pretty good, with a challenging non-conference schedule and a lot of wins away from home. I would love to be a 14/15 seed but we are just fortunate to be in the tourney and I just want our guys to be able to enjoy it. I was fortunate enough to play/coach in the NCAA tourney and I want them to get to experience it as well. There was such joy in being able to accomplish that goal.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby

All-Access at the A-10 Tournament: HoopsHD interviews La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The A-10 Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC this week 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’s 1st interview subject is La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson, who talked about majoring in Communications and life in Philly.

You grew up in Schuylkill Haven, PA: what made you choose La Salle? Since I grew up in a small town I wanted to go somwehere new: nobody from my high school has been there in about 4 years. I like the small college atmosphere/college size/personalized help I get from teachers.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I started in 4th grade because my little brother was playing football. I went to his games and figured that instead of just sitting in the stands I would cheer for the team. I always loved it: it is a big part of my life and taught me a lot about teamwork.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? Maximizing your school spirit in all areas: classroom/practice/games/etc. The stigma has changed a bit about whether we are a real sport: more people are open to it because of the more advanced stunts we do and our day-to-day routine, as well as a greater presence on social media.

How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader during a pandemic? Really frustrating. A big part of what we do is showing our facial expressions/being loud…and masks hide all of that. It is also hard to hold a practice if a teammate tests positive.

You are majoring in Communications/PR: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you plan to do after graduating? I have always been into social media and like doing branding for organizations like my sorority/hometown employer. That is where our generation is heading and I enjoy doing it. I can spend hours editing videos/posts to make them perfect: someone once told me to find a job that you would do for free and this is it.

You have an internship in Center City: where at, and what are your responsibilities there? It is a restaurant called “Tequilas” (www.tequilasphilly.com), which is a family-run business. I do their social media pages, monitor their give-away contests, etc.

What is the atmosphere like on campus this week now that the conference tournament is here? Everyone is really excited to see how far we can go: we have high hopes!

How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what does it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? It is awesome, we started during COVID and got a new coach this year so it feels like a fresh start.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the A-10 Tournament this weekend? 1 of our teammates recently got a concussion so our plans have changed but we are just trying to make the best of the situation and will play it safe.

Any predictions for today’s game vs. St. Joe’s? I think that we are going to win!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on All-Access at the A-10 Tournament: HoopsHD interviews La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson

Championship Week Video Notebook Day 9

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Chad

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!!  We are a just a week away from Selection Sunday, and we are here to make sure you have all the information you need!!!

CLICK HERE to check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD to see who is a lock, who is under consideration, who needs the automatic bid, and who has been elimianted

CLICK HERE for our latest BRACKET PROJECTIONS

CLICK HERE for the CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFO TAB, which has all the brackets, match-ups, and tip times

CLICK HERE for our discussion with Selection Committee Chairman Tom Burnett.  It is VERY important that the committee, and especially the chairman, listen to this interview so they know what to do!!

Chad, John, David and David are back to recap an exciting Day 9 of Championship Week, which saw 6 automatic bids handed out, including thrilling finishes in the Summit League and Colonial, a blowout and a brawl in the Northeast Conference, and a team that lost in its tournament semifinals winning a bid in the ASun.  They recap all the other action and look ahead at Wednesday’s action which will include the Patriot League championship, America East semifinals and 11 other conferences beginning action!  All that and a whole lot more!

For those of you that prefer audio only, check this out:

Wednesday’s Tournament Action:

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

AMERICA EAST SEMIFINALS

METRO ATLANTIC QUARTERFINALS

MEAC QUARTERFINALS

SWAC QUARTERFINALS

ACC SECOND ROUND

CONFERENCE USA SECOND ROUND

WAC SECOND ROUND

ATLANTIC TEN FIRST ROUND

BIG EAST FIRST ROUND

BIG SKY FIRST ROUND

BIG TEN FIRST ROUND

BIG 12 FIRST ROUND

MOUNTAIN WEST FIRST ROUND

PAC-12 FIRST ROUND

SEC FIRST ROUND

SOUTHLAND FIRST ROUND

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off on Championship Week Video Notebook Day 9

All-Access at the CAA Tournament: Title game Tuesday!

Posted on March 8, 2022 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. Jon Teitel wraps it up with a recap of the title game on Tuesday.

Another game, another great pregame meal: pasta/meatballs/chicken/tomato/mozzarella/cake! The good news about the title game is that we had 2 decent crowds (finally!) because 1 of the schools was 40 minutes away from punching their ticket. Even though UNCW was the higher seed there were a LOT more fans from Delaware:

Let’s tip it off:

It was a back-and-forth game in the 1st half with neither team leading by more than 6 PTS. Blue Hen 6’9″ SO PF Andrew Carr dominated inside during the 1st 20 minutes with 11 PTS/4-5 FG/6 REB, but UNCW used a balanced scoring effort to take a 34-30 lead at halftime. It remained close in the 2nd half with neither side pulling away but Carr kept doing work on both ends of the court and finished with quite the nice stat line (17 PTS/12 REB/3 BLK/3 STL). I wish I could find the guy who I gave my pregame prediction to (Delaware by 4) because now you just have to take my word for it, as the FIGHTIN’ Blue Hens won it 59-55 and will be making their 1st NCAA tourney appearance since 2014. I was able to head down to the court to try to get some celebration shots, so see below:

Coach Martin Inglesby celebrating with his son:

…and making sure that his championship hat fits:

…and hoisting the trophy:

You can advance them in the bracket:

You rarely see a freshman who is named tourney MVP, but CAA ROY Jyare Davis has been receiving a lot of hardware during the past couple of weeks:

When you punch a ticket you need some proof:

I LOVE the idea of bringing the trophy into the stands to share it with the fans:

Grad student Dylan Painter got a taste of cutting down the nets when he played for Villanova, so maybe he is the lucky charm:

Jameer Nelson knows better than anyone that they do not just hand you the trophy if you are a #1 seed, as his 2004 St. Joseph’s Hawks were undefeated before losing in the A-10 tourney to Xavier, but tonight he was just a proud papa watching Jameer Jr. follow in his footsteps and make it to the NCAA tourney:


That is a wrap on the CAA tourney, congrats to Delaware, and check back later this week as the A-10 tourney comes to DC in a glorious never-ending parade of postseason basketball!

Posted in CBB | Tagged | Comments Off on All-Access at the CAA Tournament: Title game Tuesday!

Conference Tourney Previews (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on March 8, 2022 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 19 conference tourneys getting underway this week/weekend. Tweet us if you have any comments, and if you missed his picks last week concerning the 13 other conference tourneys you can find them at:
https://hoopshd.com/2022/02/28/conference-tourney-previews-part-1-of-2-7

AAC tourney predicted champ: Memphis (#3 seed)
Dates: March 10-13
Location: Fort Worth, TX
2021 tourney champ: Houston (#2 seed)
Fun fact: only 2 teams in title game since 2018 are Cincinnati/Houston
Seeding: 6 of past 7 champs were top-2 seed
Houston does not need a conference tourney title to advance but Memphis just might. Coach Penny Hardaway has had a tumultuous season including 3 straight conference losses in mid-January but he has righted the ship by winning 10 of his final 11 games. The Tigers have very balanced scoring with 6 different players averaging 9-12 PPG so even if you can shut down 1 of them there are plenty of other guys to pick up the slack. Memphis made the NCAA tourney 10 times in 12 years from 2003-2014 and after almost a decade of down years it is time for them to become Tiger Kings!

A-10 tourney predicted champ: St. Bonaventure (#4 seed)
Dates: March 9-13
Location: Washington, D
2021 tourney champ: St. Bonaventure (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 6 different champs since 2015
Seeding: only 1 of past 7 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 giving the trophy to Davidson or Dayton. The Bonnies began February with a pair of losses to Davidson/Richmond but have been rolling since then by winning 8 of their final 9 games. Coach Mark Schmidt was the conference favorite entering the season thanks to 5 senior starters, and teams that have continuity/experience often use that to win games in March. The rotation is not that deep but with 4 starters all standing between 6’3” and 6’5” they can switch every single defensive assignment, and if someone manages to get to the rim they will be greeted by 6’10” Osun Osunniyi, who has led the league in BPG for 3 of the past 4 years.

ACC tourney predicted champ: Virginia Tech (#7 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Brooklyn, NY
2021 tourney champ: Georgia Tech (#4 seed)
Fun fact: 8 different champs in past 9 years
Seeding: 4 of past 6 champs were not top-2 seed
It is quite tempting to pick Duke so that Coach K can win 1 final title before he rides off into the sunset…but top-2 seeds have not done well here recently. So as long as we are going outside the top-2 we might as well head all the way down the bracket to the hot Hokies, who lost 5 of their 1st 7 games in January but have now won 9 of their past 11. Coach Mike Young is no stranger to winning conference tournaments: he won 5 SoCon tourneys during a 10-year span from 2010-2019. If Virginia Tech can keep knocking down 3-PT shots (their 38.8 3P% is #4 in the nation) then they will be able to hang around even if they fall behind early.

Big 12 tourney predicted champ: Texas Tech (#3 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Kansas City, MO
2021 tourney champ: Texas (#3 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not top-2 seed
Kansas owned this tourney for most of the past 15 years, and Baylor is the defending national champ, but top-2 seeds have not been lucky in Kansas City recently. I am normally not a fan of 1st-year coaches but Mark Adams opened everyone’s eyes when he beat those 2 teams during back-to-back games in January (and beat Baylor again at home last month). However this conference features so many terrific teams that nobody will be able to cake-walk into the title game. The Red Raiders win games with defense, and with 4 senior starters standing 6’5” to 6’8” they can switch every single screen on the perimeter. The X-factor is the health of Kevin McCullar, the lone junior starter: last month he got to the FT line 15 times in a double-digit win over the Longhorns, but in 9 games since then he has missed 4 games and not even attempted a single FT in 4 of the other 5 games.

Big East tourney predicted champ: Connecticut (#3 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: New York, NY
2021 tourney champ: Georgetown (#8 seed)
Fun fact: Villanova has made title game 5 times since 2015
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were not #1 seed
If Coach Dan Hurley can restrain himself from getting ejected in the 1st half, he will enjoy a pro-Huskies crowd at Madison Square Garden. Since losing at Xavier on February 11 his team has won 6 of its last 7 games (including a win over Villanova) with only a 2-PT loss at Creighton, and has been patiently waiting for a revenge game with Providence since a 4-PT home loss to the Friars in their conference opener in December. James Bouknight is gone from last year’s squad and instead of replacing him with just 1 guy they have a nice mix of sophomores/seniors to call on. 1 thing is for certain: if Georgetown wins this for the 2nd year in a row then Patrick Ewing deserves to remain in DC!

Big Sky tourney predicted champ: Montana State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Boise, ID
2021 tourney champ: Eastern Washington (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Eastern Washington has made each of past 3 title games
Seeding: each of past 10 champs were top-2 seed
This tourney likes top-2 seeds and Southern Utah got swept by Montana State so I guess we have to go with the Bobcats. Coach Danny Sprinkle’s team started 1-2 in conference play but have won 15 of 17 since New Year’s Day with only a pair of single-digit road losses in February. The Bobcats have good size up front with 6’8” Tyler Patterson and 6’9” Jubrile Belo but the player who most often comes up “big” for them is 5’8” PG Xavier Bishop. The UMKC transfer had back-to-back games where he only scored 3 PTS last month but appears to be back on track during his past 7 games with 19 PPG/29-33 FT.

Big 10 tourney predicted champ: Iowa (#4 seed)
Dates: March 9-13
Location: Indianapolis, IN
2021 tourney champ: Illinois (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 6 of past 8 champs were not #1 seed
There are like 7 different teams who could win this tourney…and if it was held in Piscataway then there would be an 8th! Illinois is certainly good enough to make a run, but since 1-seeds have not fared well in this tourney I will choose a similarly-hot Hawkeye team (who the Illini just beat by 2 PTS at home last Sunday). Coach Fran McCaffery lost national POY Luka Garza from last year’s 22-win team, but sophomore Keegan Murray must have picked up a lot of good habits because he is a strong national POY contender this year. Garza was an offensive machine, whereas Murray can do a lot of everything (23.3 PPG/8.6 RPG/1.3 SPG/2.1 BPG). If you like seasoned veterans, there is literally no player ever who has more experience than senior PG Jordan Bohannon, whose 174 career games are the most of anyone in D-1 history.

Big West tourney predicted champ: Long Beach State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Henderson, NV
2021 tourney champ: UCSB (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2016
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were #1 seed
This tourney seems to have a new champ every year and Long Beach State has not won it in a decade so let’s go to the Beach! Coach Dan Monson has had a take of 2 seasonz: 4-9 after 13 games, then won 14 of his final 16 games with only a pair of road losses. Then again, after only winning 6 games last year they could walk off the court today and already consider it a successful season. Losing senior big man Joe Hampton to a season-ending hand injury was almost a season-killer, but freshmen Jadon Jones/Aboubacar Traore have certainly helped pick up the slack, combining for 19 PPG/12 RPG.

C-USA tourney predicted champ: Middle Tennessee (#1 seed in East Division)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Frisco, TX
2021 tourney champ: North Texas (#3 seed)
Fun fact: 7 different champs since 2013
Seeding: 5 of past 7 champs were not #1 seed
The bad news for defending tourney champ North Texas is that the #1 seed does not often win this tourney…but the good news for the Mean Green is that they are playing so well that they might end up with 1 of the last at-large bids to the NCAA tourney even if they do not win the conference tourney! Middle Tennessee was looking great when winning 13 of 14 from early-January through late-February, although back-to-back 4-PT road losses to finish the season is a bit of a red flag. The Blue Raiders are a bit undersized with no starter standing taller than 6’7”, but as long as they can keep it close they should be able to win it at the FT line, as both Josh Jefferson/Donovan Sims are shooting better than 87 FT%.

Ivy tourney predicted champ: Princeton (#1 seed)
Dates: March 12-13
Location: Cambridge, MA
2021 tourney champ: None
Fun fact: No team has won multiple titles
Seeding: each of 3 all-time champs were top-2 seed
As much as I would like to pick my Quakers to rally from a 3-10 start this season and end up making the NCAA tourney, my Penn education has taught me that is a poor wager. As much as it kills me to pick the Tigers, they have only lost 5 games all year with 4 of the 5 losses coming by 7 PTS or less. 3 years ago Princeton was terrible at 3-PT shooting (30.3 3P%) and great at FT shooting (74.5 FT%): this year they have not just flipped the script but rewritten the entire book, as they are great at 3-PT shooting (38.5 3P%) and terrible at FT shooting (64.9 FT%)! Normally I would also be encouraged by the experience factor of starting 3 seniors/2 juniors…but since there was no Ivy League basketball season at all last year due to COVID it remains to be seen whether having a bunch of veterans will give a team any sort of advantage.

MAAC tourney predicted champ: Iona (#1 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Atlantic City, NJ
2021 tourney champ: Iona (#9 seed)
Fun fact: Iona has won tourney each year since 2016
Seeding: 9 of past 10 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 last year 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 5 games all year due to his team being among the best in the nation at defending the 3-PT line (29.9 3P% allowed). The NBA Academy Africa has already produced some solid college players such as Efe Abogidi (Washington State)/Timothy Igohoefe (Georgetown) but the best of the bunch just might be Nelly Junior Joseph, as the sophomore is stuffing the stat sheet in New Rochelle (12.9 PPG/8.2 RPG/1.1 SPG/1.9 BPG)

MAC tourney predicted champ: Kent State (#2 seed)
Dates: March 10-12
Location: Cleveland, OH
2021 tourney champ: Ohio (#5 seed)
Fun fact: Buffalo has made title game 5 times since 2015
Seeding: 4 of past 6 champs were not #1 seed
I know that Toledo is having a great season but this tourney does not like #1 seeds so I will pick Kent State to win it all. The Golden Flashes swept the Rockets this year and despite starting conference play 4-4 they won 12 in a row to finish the regular season. I thought that Coach Rob Senderoff might be 1 year away since he did not have a single senior who started more than 19 games, but the junior backcourt duo of Sincere Carry/Malique Jacobs did just fine by themselves. Additionally, unlike most mid-major teams who do not have a big man who can defend the rim, Kent State senior Justyn Hamilton has been a sensational shot-blocker, including 5 straight games with multiple blocks to begin February.

MEAC tourney predicted champ: Norfolk State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Campus sites and Norfolk, VA
2021 tourney champ: Norfolk State (#2 seed)
Fun fact: NC Central has won this tourney 4 times since 2014
Seeding: 7 of past 10 champs were not #1 seed
I know that #1 seeds have not done well here, and the Spartans do have a few bad losses on their resume, but they are the defending champs and have only lost twice since Christmas so I think they are good enough to buck the trend. Coach Rob Jones wins games with defense, as his team is top-50 in the nation in shooting percentage allowed from each of 1-PT/2-PT/3-PT land. He should also see a lot of fan support, as the title game at the Norfolk Scope Arena is less than 2 miles from his home gym of Echols Hall.

MWC tourney predicted champ: Colorado State (#2 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2021 tourney champ: San Diego State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: San Diego State has made title game 11 times in past 13 years
Seeding: 9 of past 11 champs were top-2 seed
The Rams do have their kryptonite in a UNLV team that swept them this season by 14+ PTS in each game, but this tourney likes top-2 seeds and they swept Boise State twice in the past 6 games so they get the nod. Coach Niko Medved has won 20+ games for the 3rd year in a row and wins games with offense, as his team is top-50 in the nation in shooting percentage from each of 1-PT/2-PT/3-PT land. 4 of his top players are juniors so I thought they would be 1 year away from contending but they appear to be ahead of schedule. 2022 appears to be the year of the Rams in the sports world, so if they can avoid the Rebels then I think they can keep it rolling.

Pac-12 predicted champ: Arizona (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2021 tourney champ: Oregon State (#5 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not #1 seed
I fear it is a jinx waiting to happen but I feel that I simply must pick my Wildcats to win it this year. They did not lose a single home game all season, and while it is technically a “neutral” site, prepare to see a lot of red and blue in the stands. The 2 main concerns are how badly they want to hoist this trophy (as they will probably have a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney wrapped up before they even arrive in Vegas) and how will they handle a close game if it comes down to the final possession (as they have had exactly ONE game decided by fewer than 9 PTS since Christmas). However, they have all the tools necessary to get it done including size (average height of 6’7” is #2 in the nation), passing (20.1 APG is #1 in the nation), and interior defense (41.6 2P% allowed is #6 in the nation).

SEC predicted champ: Kentucky (#3 seed)
Dates: March 9-13
Location: Tampa, FL
2021 tourney champ: Alabama (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs since 2018
Seeding: 5 of past 7 champs were top-2 seed
Kentucky owned this tourney for almost a decade (6 titles and 2 runner-up finishes from 2010-2018) but have won exactly ONE game in this tourney since 2019. Auburn is a legitimate threat, but the Wildcats beat them on the road in January so there will not be any fear if there is a rematch. In the past it seemed like Coach John Calipari would just bring in a ton of freshman phenoms and then try to make it all work from scratch, but last year he brought in specific veterans from other schools to do specific things. West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe scores/dunks, Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler passes, and Davidson transfer Kellan Grady makes threes. Tennessee is red-hot as well, having won 9 of its past 10 including a double-digit win over the Wildcats, but I do not trust Rick Barnes in the postseason.

Southland predicted champ: Southeastern Louisiana (#2 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Katy, TX
2021 tourney champ: Abilene Christian (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 3 different champs since 2017
Seeding: each of past 9 champs were top-3 seed
This appears to be a 3-team race, and if you pick New Orleans or Nicholls State then that certainly makes sense, but I have a hunch that the Lions will be roaring this week. Coach David Kiefer only won 8 games in each of his 1st 2 seasons, but has turned things around in year #3 despite getting destroyed in the paint (56 2P% allowed is bottom-10 in the nation). The good news Southeastern Louisiana is that after a brutal 4-9 start they won 14 of their final 18, including a sweep of the Colonels and a split with the Privateers despite blowing a 14-PT 1st half lead during the 1st meeting in January. Their height could be an issue, especially if 6’9” Kansas State transfer Antonio Gordon continues to miss some games, but if it is a close game then they have 3 different starters who shoot better than 80 FT% (Gus Okafor/Keon Clergeot/Ryan Burkhardt).

SWAC predicted champ: Alcorn State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Birmingham, AL
2021 tourney champ: Texas Southern (#3 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 champs since 2013 are Prairie View/Southern/Texas Southern
Seeding: 7 of past 9 champs were top-2 seed
Texas Southern has won this tourney 5 times in the past 8 years, and had you asked me last week I would have penciled them in to make it 6-of-9…but now that they have been swept by Alcorn State I think I have to go with the team from Lorman. Plus, as Atlanta showed in the World Series a few months ago, it is a good time to have a team called the Braves! Coach Landon Bussie only won 6 games last year and was just 1-11 as of New Year’s Day…but if you look at all of those losses you can see how the quality of competition toughened his team up (Gonzaga/Houston/Baylor/etc.). They were also far from perfect in conference play but swept the Tigers and won 8 of their final 9 with the only loss coming in OT. The only X-factor is injuries, as Darrious Agnew missed his 2nd game of the year last Thursday while Paul King has missed 4 in a row.

WAC predicted champ: Stephen F. Austin (#3 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2021 tourney champ: Grand Canyon (#1 seed)
Fun fact: New Mexico State has made title game each year since 2012
Seeding: each of past 7 champs were top-2 seed
This is probably the hardest 1 to predict because there are a LOT of teams with double-digit conference wins (7) as well as a whole bunch of teams who were not even in this league last year. 1 team that fits into both of those categories is Stephen F. Austin, who went 16-5 last season as a member of the Southland Conference and finished its 1st season in the WAC by winning each of its final 10 regular season games. Coach Kyle Keller’s squad has problems making shots from both 1-PT land (66.8 FT%) and 3-PT land (32.5 3P%) but hopefully his luck will change in Vegas. On the plus side, the Lumberjacks can cut their opponents down to size on defense, as they have a whopping 6 players averaging at least 1 SPG.

Posted in Conference Preview | Comments Off on Conference Tourney Previews (Part 2 of 2)

Bracketology 2022: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.2)

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Jon Teitel

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 2021 tourney, 62 of which were within 1 spot of their actual seed, including 47 right on the money. He will spend the upcoming week predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 13th. 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 we stack up with other websites (ranked 19th out of 135 entries over the past 5 years), check out: www.bracketmatrix.com

SEED: TEAM (CONFERENCE)
1: Gonzaga (WCC)
1: Baylor (Big 12)
1: Arizona (Pac-12)
1: Auburn (SEC)

2: Kansas (Big 12)
2: Kentucky (SEC)
2: Duke (ACC)
2: Villanova (Big East)

3: Purdue (Big 10)
3: Wisconsin (Big 10)
3: Tennessee (SEC)
3: Texas Tech (Big 12)

4: Illinois (Big 10)
4: UCLA (Pac-12)
4: Providence (Big East)
4: Arkansas (SEC)

5: Houston (AAC)
5: Connecticut (Big East)
5: Texas (Big 12)
5: St. Mary’s (WCC)

6: LSU (SEC)
6: Alabama (SEC)
6: Iowa (Big 10)
6: Ohio State (Big 10)

7: USC (Pac-12)
7: Colorado State (MWC)
7: Seton Hall (Big East)
7: Murray State (OVC): AUTO BID

8: Boise State (MWC)
8: Michigan State (Big 10)
8: Marquette (Big East)
8: Iowa State (Big 12)

9: San Diego State (MWC)
9: North Carolina (ACC)
9: TCU (Big 12)
9: San Francisco (WCC)

10: Creighton (Big East)
10: Davidson (A-10)
10: Memphis (AAC)
10: Wake Forest (ACC)

11: Michigan (Big 10)
11: Miami (ACC)
11: Loyola-Chicago (MVC): AUTO BID
11: Notre Dame (ACC)

12: Wyoming (MWC)
12: Xavier (Big East)
12: Rutgers (Big 10)
12: VCU (A-10)
12: North Texas (C-USA)
12: South Dakota State (Summit)

13: Chattanooga (SoCon): AUTO BID
13: Iona (MAAC)
13: Toledo (MAC)
13: Vermont (America East)

14: New Mexico State (WAC)
14: Princeton (Ivy)
14: Montana State (Big Sky)
14: UNC-Wilmington (CAA)

15: Colgate (Patriot)
15: Long Beach State (Big West)
15: Longwood (Big South): AUTO BID
15: Georgia State (Sun Belt): AUTO BID

16: Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun)
16: Norfolk State (MEAC)
16: New Orleans (Southland)
16: Bryant (NEC)
16: Texas Southern (SWAC)
16: Northern Kentucky (Horizon)

1ST 4 OUT
BYU (WCC)
Indiana (Big 10)
SMU (AAC)
UAB (C-USA)

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off on Bracketology 2022: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.2)