All-Access at the A-10 Tournament: 2nd round

Posted on March 10, 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 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 it going with a recap of the 2nd round quadruple-header on Thursday.

I began the afternoon with a tasty/filling pregame lunch of pizza/brownies. I am often surprised by who I see in the media room at such events but today’s sighting almost knocked me off my feet: my primary-care doctor, who is helping out the on-site medical staff today. On a related note: please do not tell him that I am eating pizza/brownies! Let’s tip-off a LONG day of basketball:



GAME #1: George Mason vs. Fordham
There was a decent amount of green and gold in the crowd, plus 1 of the best bands you will ever see:

The 1st half featured plenty of cold-shooting from both teams, as they combined to make 16-60 FG. On the plus side, GMU G Xavier Johnson made a 3 right before the halftime buzzer to give his team a 22-19 lead. #15 for Fordham is JR C Rostyslav Novitskyi, who gave his team some nice minutes off the bench with 4 REB in 9 minutes. What makes it all the more amazing is the fact that he is from Ukraine, where his former gym was hit by a Russian rocket last week:

Each of these team have a big-time big man, as Josh Oduro/Chuba Ohams both finished with double-doubles, but the Rams were able to make 8 more FTs and grab more 14 more REB to edge out the Patriots by a final score of 54-49.

In the postgame press conference I asked Fordham coach Kyle Neptune about Novitskyi. He said that he would be lying if he said that his guy was okay because he has been struggling, but he takes his hat off to him for today’s performance and is very proud of him.


GAME #2: St. Louis vs. La Salle
We are presented with the age-old question: what the heck is a Billiken?

SLU big man Francis Okoro had a double-double in the 1st half(!) with 11 PTS/5-7 FG/10 REB/2 BLK as his team opened up a huge 34-16 halftime lead. Things did not go much better for the Explorers in the 2nd half as they lost by a final score of 71-51.

In the postgame press conference I asked Okoro about what it takes to succeed in March (since he is now 7-1 all-time in his postseason career). He said that the key is to be locked-in and extremely focused on defense, and that his entire team did that tonight.


GAME #3: GW vs. UMass
My co-worker George is a UMass alum so I got to catch up with him in the arena for the 1st time in almost 2 years. Minuteman JR PG Noah Fernandes put up 1 of the best all-around stat lines I have seen this month (29 PTS/7 AST/7 STL) as his team cruised to a 99-88 win despite his teammate TJ Weeks fouling out in only 17 minutes of action. I tried to ask Coach Matt McCall a question in the postgame press conference, but since he is getting fired at the end of this season there were plenty of other people who wanted to talk to him about that.

GAME #4: Richmond vs. Rhode Island
It is getting late, the Spiders attempted 33 FTs and won 64-59, which means they will play their archrival VCU in the late game on Friday in front of what should be a raucous crowd.

That is a wrap for the 2nd round, check back tomorrow for a quarterfinal quadruple-header featuring 7 of the top-8 seeds!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Loyola Chicago cheerleader Annette Butler

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Sunday Loyola Chicago beat Drake 64-58 in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next 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 cheerleader Annette Butler about working with kids and winning the conference tourney.

photo credit: Steve Woltmann

You grew up in San Diego: what made you choose Loyola Chicago? I chose Loyola because they offer a 5-year BSW/MSW program. I knew that I wanted to go into the social work field and get a master’s degree and Loyola’s program was the best opportunity for me. I also wanted to experience living in a diverse city.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I started cheerleading in 7th grade on a Pop Warner team. I started gymnastics when I was 18 months old and took dance classes for a couple years in elementary school. Cheerleading was a way to bring both of those things together. The best part of cheerleading for me is performing and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I also love how cheer pushes you physically to achieve new skills and goals.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? The role of a college cheerleader to be an ambassador of the university. I think as social media and university popularity grows, cheerleaders are always looked at and should reflect the spirit of the university.

You are majoring in Social Work: why did you pick that subject, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I chose social work to make a difference in the lives of young children and adolescents. I have strong beliefs in social justice and aiding those who are marginalized in our society.

What does the cheer team do at basketball games during the season? Our job as cheerleaders is to get the crowd engaged to cheer on the players. During games we utilize stunts and cheers, as well as signs/megaphones to get the crowd on their feet.

How do you like basketball, and is that your favorite sport? In my career I have enjoyed cheering for many different sports, but I love the fast-paced excitement of basketball, which makes it one of my favorite sports to watch.

How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader for a great basketball team during a pandemic? As sad as it was to not be on the court cheering during the pandemic, I was able to take on the role of a crowd leader in other settings, such as being a student spectator for the first time.

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? The energy in the arena was incredible. Loyola’s basketball program has many proud loyal fans ranging from staff to alumni to students.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA Tournament? I think that our role as crowd leaders stays the same for every game, but we are looking forward to reconnecting after spring break to celebrate the win and put in the time to work on our routines during timeouts and stunts to bring to tournament games.

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? We have six seniors on our team, all of whom were selected to go to the tournament. We can all remember dreaming of cheering at the NCAA tournament one day after watching the team make it to the 2018 Final 4 when we were seniors in high school. After four years our dreams are finally coming true! I could not think of a better way to not only end the season, but also close out the chapter on being a collegiate cheerleader.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews IUPUI SR Macee Williams

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Tuesday IUPUI beat Cleveland State 61-54 in the Horizon women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Jaguars overcame a pair of forfeits in November by winning each of their final 5 games to make its 1st-ever trip to the NCAA tourney. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with IUPUI SR Macee Williams about being a 4-time(!) conference POY and getting her master’s degree.

You grew up in Indiana: what made you choose IUPUI? The family atmosphere and the fact that my dad liked the school, which made me fall more love in it. It makes it easy for my hometown community to come and support me in person.

In 2018 you were named conference ROY: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had a good setup when I came here: the prior post player had graduated so I just tried to contribute in any way that I could. My coach gave me a lot of confidence and believed in me.

You are a 2-time team captain: what is the key to being a good leader? Our team is so close so I just make sure that everyone is doing good. It happens both on and off the court: you have to be there for each other no matter what.

In 2020 you won the Horizon tourney title but missed out on the 1st-ever NCAA tournament berth in school history when the season was cancelled due to COVID, and in November you had to forfeit a pair of games due to positive cases within your program: how frustrating has it been to be a basketball player during a pandemic? It has been very frustrating: I know that it is challenging for everyone but it has been especially so for our team. Taking those forfeits was very frustrating because we just wanted to play: it did not seem fair to us to be the only team in the conference to have to forfeit so while other teams got to make up their games.

In December you scored 19 PTS in a 1-PT win at Iowa: how on earth were you able to hold Caitlin Clark (the nation’s leading scorer this year) to 19 PTS/6-16 FG? I have to give it up to my teammate Rachel McLimore: her defense was pretty stellar and it just set the tone.

This year you were named conference POY for the 4th straight year: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It is nice to get my name out there because I want to play pro basketball after this year. Coming from a mid-major school we are always overlooked by the WNBA so it is kind of nice. I also give it up to my teammates because they all make me look good.

You are the all-time leading scorer in school history: what is the secret to being a great scorer, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? It would be kind of cool to see a teammate like Rachel break the record. She sets me up really well but it all starts with working hard in practice, which transfers over to the games.

You have already earned your undergraduate degree in sport management and are now pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? Coach P (Austin Parkinson) really emphasizes that “student” comes before “athlete”. No matter what our schedules are like we always go to class, and the professors are so supportive of what we do.

Last Tuesday in the Horizon tourney title game you had 19 PTS/18 REB in a 7-PT win over Cleveland State en route to being named conference tourney MVP and clinching a spot in the NCAA tourney: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? We all play well together as a team, and when everyone else gets going I feel good. The game was a little sweeter than normal because we missed out on the NCAA tourney a couple of years ago due to COVID. The locker room celebration was very fun.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? I am unsure, but it does not matter for us because we were able to compete with teams like Iowa/Michigan and have showed what we are capable of. If we can come in ready to go then anything can happen.

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The Hoops HD Selection Committee – Initial Board

Posted on March 10, 2022 by John Stalica

Tonight, our Hoops HD staff members will begin debating the selection of our NCAA Tournament field via Zoom conference call. Before we begin these proceedings – our staff sent two lists to our committee chairman Chad Sherwood – one list (List A) consisted of up to 36 teams that we would consider to be NCAA Tournament locks (meaning they would be in our field no matter what happens the reast of the way). Teams that were listed on all but two ballots on List A were immediately placed in the at-large portion of the Selection Board.

The second list (List B) was teams listed Under Consideration – teams that got at least 4 votes among both boards were placed in the Under Consideration portion of the Selection Board. Teams that won their regular season title (and considered the top seed in their conference tournaments in the event of ties) were automatically added to the Under Consideration board as well.

And here is what our committee came up with:

You may have also noticed a number of teams in the Under Consideration column listed in red – they have all been eliminated from their conference tournaments as of the time this column was published (notable bubble teams include BYU, Michigan, Wake Forest and Xavier).

Tonight, our plan is to name our 2022 Centenary and Stallings Award winners (click HERE for a history of the awards) and do an initial scrub of the teams Under Consideration. Once that is done, we will add at least 4 more teams to the at-large board; more spots could also be filled depending on what happens in conferences like the Big East and Big 12 where a bid thief is no longer possible.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Kentucky F Dre’una Edwards

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Sunday Kentucky beat top-ranked South Carolina 64-62 in the SEC women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Wildcats started the season 9-11 but have won 10 games in a row to make the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Kentucky F Dre’una Edwards about returning to the NCAA tourney and making the shot of her life last weekend.

You began your college career at Utah where you were named 2019 Pac-12 ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot: I overcame so much coming out of high school and that award put my name out there.

Why did you decide to transfer to Kentucky? I wanted more competition and knew that the SEC was the top conference in women’s basketball.

You got a new coach last year in Kyra Elzy: what makes her such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? She is resilient and is a great example that even when your back is against the wall you need to have confidence in yourself. When we were losing there were a lot of people on social media who were going at her but I never saw her break down even once. She taught me to go out there and fight.

In November of 2020 you set a career-high with 27 PTS, tied a career-high with 15 REB, and had 3 STL in a win over Belmont: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? I was just out there having fun but it is definitely 1 of the top-3 games of my college career.

In the 2021 NCAA tourney you beat Idaho State before losing to Iowa: what did you learn from that run that you think will help you this March, and where does Caitlin Clark (who scored 35 PTS/6-12 3PM) rank among the greatest players that you have ever faced? Caitlin is definitely 1 of the best I have ever faced: she is awesome and can make shots from half-court. I learned that we have to keep fighting from the jump: you cannot go out there sluggish because it can bite you in the butt so we are super-focused this time around.

Your teammate Rhyne Howard is scoring more than 20 PPG this year: how crucial has she been to your team’s success? She is 1 of the best players in the nation and has been a key factor in our wins.

Last Sunday in the SEC tourney title game you scored 27 PTS and made the game-winning 3-PT shot with 4 seconds left to upset top-ranked South Carolina and clinch a spot in the NCAA tourney (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgvN5Hk9oDI): how has that shot changed your life (if at all), and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It was amazing in the locker room: we were all super-excited. That shot changed a lot for me and put my name out there in a lot of people’s ears.

Are you now the greatest “Dre” to come out of Compton or do you think that Dr. Dre is still #1? I will give it to Dr. Dre…but I am definitely top-2!

You have 9 siblings: how are you going to come up with NCAA tourney tickets for everyone next week? Hopefully my teammates have some extra tickets for me! My family will do whatever it takes to come see me play so even if they have to pay for their own tickets they will do so.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? I think that we are around a #7 seed but I think we should be closer to a #4 seed. We deserve much more but I realize that we were down earlier this year (the Wildcats lost 8 of 9 games from January 9-February 10). Regardless of what seed we get we are coming to fight!

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Bracketology 2022: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.4)

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for the latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK where we review all of yesterday’s action, preview all of today’s action, and have all the tournament brackets and links that you need

We are only 3 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): AUTO BID
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: Tennessee (SEC)
3: Wisconsin (Big 10)
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: Colorado State (MWC)
7: USC (Pac-12)
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: Memphis (AAC)
10: Michigan (Big 10)
10: Davidson (A-10)

11: Loyola-Chicago (MVC): AUTO BID
11: Miami (ACC)
11: Notre Dame (ACC)
11: Wyoming (MWC)

12: Rutgers (Big 10)
12: Wake Forest (ACC)
12: Xavier (Big East)
12: VCU (A-10)
12: North Texas (C-USA)
12: South Dakota State (Summit): AUTO BID

13: Chattanooga (SoCon): AUTO BID
13: Toledo (MAC)
13: Vermont (America East)
13: New Mexico State (WAC)

14: Princeton (Ivy)
14: Montana State (Big Sky)
14: Longwood (Big South): AUTO BID
14: Colgate (Patriot): AUTO BID

15: Delaware (CAA): AUTO BID
15: Long Beach State (Big West)
15: Jacksonville State (Atlantic Sun): AUTO BID
15: Monmouth (MAAC)

16: Georgia State (Sun Belt): AUTO BID
16: Norfolk State (MEAC)
16: Wright State (Horizon): AUTO BID
16: Bryant (NEC): AUTO BID
16: New Orleans (Southland)
16: Texas Southern (SWAC)

1ST 4 OUT
BYU (WCC)
Indiana (Big 10)
Iona (MAAC)
SMU (AAC)

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