The Hoops HD Selection Committee – Thursday Edition

Posted on March 11, 2021 by John Stalica

Thursday night was the first night that all staff members of Hoops HD met via Zoom conference call to discuss the formation of the 2021 NCAA Tournament Field. Prior to our meetings, every member of the Committee submitted two different lists to our chairman Chad Sherwood – the first list was a list of up to 37 teams that were, in the eyes of each Committee member, a sure-fire tournament team no matter what. (Keep in mind that there are 37 at-large teams this season only since the Ivy League was shut down.) The second list was an Under Consideration list of other teams to be considered for the field.

There were 30 teams that were on all but two of the Committee members’ NCAA first ballot list and were immediately added to the NCAA Tournament field. There were 30 other teams that were added to the Under Consideration board in addition to the regular season champions – teams needed to receive at least three votes from the panel to be added Under Consideration.

And, the initial results:

Our first formal business was to name the 2021 Centenary and Stallings Award winners – Denver won their first Centenary Award as the worst team in Division 1 this season; Iowa State won their first Stallings Award as the worst Power 5 (plus Big East) team this season. After these pleasantries were taken care of, the Committee began scrubbing teams off the Under Consideration board – the only regular season conference award winners that remained were Toledo, Belmont and UC-Santa Barbara. With Duke shutting down the rest of the season because of COVID-19 issues, they were also moved off of the Under Consideration board.

The next major part of tonight’s meeting was to begin the process of selecting teams to fill the remaining seven at-large spots in addition to an additional pair of at-large spots that were guaranteed to open out of the Big 12 and the ACC conferences. Each Committee member selected eight teams from the Under Consideration board and submitted their teams to Chad – in turn, Chad revealed that the top eight vote-getters were Rutgers, Maryland, UConn, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wichita State, VCU and St. Bonaventure. The next step was to rank these teams 1 through 8; the top four vote-getters were added in the first wave of voting Rutgers, UConn, North Carolina and Georgia Tech were subsequently added to the field.

The next step was for each Committee member to submit eight more teams from the Under Consideration board; the top four vote-getters (UCLA, Michigan State, Drake and Colorado State) were added to the four carryovers from the previous round. After these teams were ranked 1 through 8, the top four vote-getters that were added to the at-large field were Maryland, St. Bonaventure, Michigan State and Wichita State. Since VCU was a carryover for two straight rounds, they were added back to the Under Consideration board; UCLA, Drake and Colorado State remained as carryovers (listed in bold on the Under Consideration board) for any other at-large spots that are guaranteed to open up for the remainder of Championship Week. After our meeting concluded, a third at-large spot opened up since the Big Ten conference only had teams remaining that were already in the field thanks to Wisconsin’s win over Penn State.

 

Tomorrow night, our Committee will begin the task of seeding the top eight lines of the NCAA Tournament field and may also fill any remaining at-large spots that are guaranteed to open up. Teams highlighted in orange on the Under Consideration board still have games remaining to play and can improve their profiles; teams not highlighted have all completed their regular seasons/conference tournaments.

COMMISH EDIT: Due to a minor copying error, Oklahoma State was not listed on the first Board.  They have been added back in (they were voted in on the first ballot), meaning there will be one less at-large spot to fill on Friday. The board was also tweaked to reflect 31 automatic bids and 37 at-large bids for this year only.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Mercer women’s assistant coach Sydni Means

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK: DAY 13 where we recap and preview all of the conference tournament action

Last Sunday the Mercer women’s team beat Wofford by 22 PTS in the SoCon tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Bears finished January with a home loss to Chattanooga but won 8 of their final 9 games to claim the school’s 3rd NCAA tourney bid in the past 4 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with assistant coach Sydni Means about playing in the NCAA tourney a few years ago and what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney again as a coach.

As a senior at Mercer you led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.80), and you graduated with the 2nd-most AST (686) and STL (246) in school history: what is the key to being a great PG? Having good teammates! I would not have been successful without them, especially with the assists. I had some really good teammates and was a decent passer as well.

In the 2018 NCAA tourney you scored 11 PTS in a 5-PT loss at Georgia: how close did you come to pulling off the in-state upset? Really really close. It was 1 of those games that we knew would be a battle: we played them every year and knew we could potentially win. Our goal was not just to make the NCAA tourney but to try to make some noise.

You graduated with a major in Communications and a minor in Media Studies: how do those subjects help you in your current job (if at all)? Communications help in any profession because you have to be able to talk to people. I had intended to perhaps go into sports broadcasting but when I got an offer to coach it was too good to deny.

You have spent the past 3 years as an assistant to your former coach Susie Gardner, who is the all-time winningest coach in school history: how did you like playing for her, and how do you like working for her? I love both. We were able to build a really good bond during my playing days: as you know, the PG is like the coach on the floor so she looked to me for leadership. It was a smooth transition for me from player to coach because she believed in me.

In 2019 your team extended its the streak of regular season conference wins to 34 in a row: did it reach a point where your team just expected to win every single time that it stepped onto the court for a conference game? There was maybe a hint of that. We built a program that demanded greatness so we never went into a game expecting to lose. It was bad when the streak got broken but we just kept preparing as we had in our 34 prior wins.

What is it like to be a college basketball coach during a pandemic? It is difficult to describe: you have to pay more attention to detail in every single facet of the game. It has been a tough year for everybody so you have to be in touch with your players to see how they are feeling. The biggest thing is to be a good leader and set an example for them with your poise. I give credit to our team for being locked in all season.

Last Sunday you set a SoCon tourney title game record by holding Wofford to just 38 PTS in a 22-PT win: what makes 2-time defending conference DPOY Shannon Titus such a great defender? Her length/effort. She has made it a point to shut down the other team’s best player and looks forward to it. She watches film and has taken on this role because she wants to show that she is the best defender in our conference every single night.

Your team is now 15-0 this season when leading after 3 quarters: what is the key to holding onto a lead in the 4th quarter? We ask our team if they are playing to win or to not lose. It is a very subtle thing but when you are confident in yourself and your teammates then the goal is to just win the next 10-minute quarter. Last weekend our goal was to win each quarter, and if you do that then you will win the game. It is a way to visually simplify the game because 40 minutes can sound like a long period of time, but they did a great job of staying focused all season long.

Mercer has now won 3 SoCon tourney titles in the past 4 years: are the Bears just on a great run or is it fair to start using the “dynasty” label? The praise goes out to Susie for building the program where she wanted it to be and then holding everyone to that high standard. The players we brought in have bought in to that great leadership, which has led to great results, as has their unselfishness. I am not sure if I would call us a “dynasty” but people are starting to learn more and more about Mercer basketball.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? Personally I do not want to think about it because there are a lot of upsets that could still happen, and I truly do not know…but we have been in the 13-15 range before. We will trust whatever the NCAA decides and will be prepared to play whoever we face.

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Bracketology 2021: March Madness Predictions (Version 10.4)

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK: DAY 13 where we recap and preview all of the conference tournament action

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 2019 tourney, 63 of which were within 1 spot of their actual seed, including 45 right on the money. He will spend the upcoming days predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 14th. 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 7th out of 133 entries over the past 5 years), check out: www.bracketmatrix.com

SEED: TEAM (CONFERENCE)
1: Gonzaga (WCC): AUTO-BID
1: Baylor (Big 12)
1: Michigan (Big 10)
1: Illinois (Big 10)

2: Alabama (SEC)
2: Iowa (Big 10)
2: Ohio State (Big 10)
2: Houston (AAC)

3: Arkansas (SEC)
3: West Virginia (Big 12)
3: Kansas (Big 12)
3: Villanova (Big East)

4: Oklahoma State (Big 12)
4: Texas (Big 12)
4: Purdue (Big 10)
4: Virginia (ACC)

5: Florida State (ACC)
5: USC (Pac-12)
5: Creighton (Big East)
5: Texas Tech (Big 12)

6: Tennessee (SEC)
6: Colorado (Pac-12)
6: Clemson (ACC)
6: BYU (WCC)

7: Oklahoma (Big 12)
7: Oregon (Pac-12)
7: Missouri (SEC)
7: Wisconsin (Big 10)

8: San Diego State (MWC)
8: Florida (SEC)
8: Loyola-Chicago (MVC): AUTO-BID
8: LSU (SEC)

9: Connecticut (Big East)
9: Virginia Tech (ACC)
9: St. Bonaventure (A-10)
9: Rutgers (Big 10)

10: North Carolina (ACC)
10: UCLA (Pac-12)
10: VCU (A-10)
10: Georgia Tech (ACC)

11: Maryland (Big 10)
11: Louisville (ACC)
11: Michigan State (Big 10)
11: Wichita State (AAC)

12: Drake (MVC)
12: Colorado State (MWC)
12: Boise State (MWC)
12: Syracuse (ACC)
12: Western Kentucky (C-USA)
12: Winthrop (Big South): AUTO-BID

13: Toledo (MAC)
13: UC Santa Barbara (Big West)
13: Colgate (Patriot)
13: Liberty (Atlantic Sun): AUTO-BID

14: UNC-Greensboro (SoCon): AUTO-BID
14: Abilene Christian (Southland)
14: Morehead State (OVC): AUTO-BID
14: Eastern Washington (Big Sky)

15: Cleveland State (Horizon): AUTO-BID
15: Grand Canyon (WAC)
15: Drexel (CAA): AUTO-BID
15: Oral Roberts (Summit): AUTO-BID

16: Iona (MAAC)
16: Hartford (America East)
16: Appalachian State (Sun Belt): AUTO-BID
16: Prairie View (SWAC)
16: Mount St. Mary’s (NEC): AUTO-BID
16: North Carolina A&T (MEAC)

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Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 13

Posted on March 11, 2021 by David Griggs

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!!  We are glad you all made it to the hotel safely!  Be sure you check in to Hoops HD frequently throughout the weekend so you’ll know what to do!!

CLICK HERE for the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD to see who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the automatic bid in order to get in

CLICK HERE for our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFO TAB, which has all the brackets, game times, and viewing information

CLICK HERE for our latest BRACKET PROJECTIONS

Chad and David look back on a busy Wednesday where we had exciting action in CUSA, a huge logo in the SWAC, the lack of Floor Sweepers at the Big Sky, opening round action in the Big East, Big Ten, SEC, and Pac 12, some big ACC games, and more…

And for an audio only version click below:

BIG 12 QUARTERFINALS

ACC QUARTERFINALS

BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS

PAC 12 QUARTERFINALS

MOUNTAIN WEST QUARTERFINALS

MAC QUARTERFINALS

CONFERENCE USA QUARTERFINALS

BIG WEST QUARTERFINALS

BIG SKY QUARTERFINALS

SWAC QUARTERFINALS

METRO ATLANTIC QUARTERFINALS

SOUTHLAND QUARTERFINALS

MEAC QUARTERFINALS

WAC QUARTERFINALS

BIG TEN 2ND ROUND

SEC 2ND ROUND

AMERICAN 1ST ROUND

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews UNC Greensboro dancer Grace Marley

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Jon Teitel

On Monday UNC Greensboro beat Mercer by 8 PTS in the SoCon tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Spartans lost 3 games in February but won 3 games in 3 days last weekend to claim the school’s 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 4 years. 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 Grace Marley about being a “Spartan G” and not being able to join the basketball team in Indianapolis next week.

You were born/raised in North Carolina: what made you choose UNC-Greensboro? UNCG was not on my top list of schools but my dad made me take a tour because they have a great dance program. It is a hidden gem and I loved it so much that I even became a tour guide!

What exactly is a “Spartan G”, and what does your team do at basketball games during a normal year? The Spartan G’s are the school dance team: we consider ourselves to be a cheer team who dances at several of our school’s sporting events. We do halftime performances and shorter routines during timeouts to bring some spirit to the fans.

What do you think the role of a college dance team is today, and how has it changed over time? We have received a lot of compliments over the past few years about how we have become a bigger part of spirit at the school. A lot of my friends and even random students will come up to me on campus and say that they like attending games because of what we do. It is a way to pump up the crowd. We have not been as involved this year due to COVID and I can tell that it has been a different game-day experience.

How do you like being a captain, and what is the key to being a good leader? This is my 1st year as captain. I try to be a good leader for the rest of the team by being a good student/role model to the younger girls and keeping that team spirit alive throughout the year.

You are a double major in marketing and dance: what made you choose those subjects, and what do you hope to do after college? I originally chose dance because I had every intention of moving to LA and auditioning for dance companies, but later decided to get more involved in marketing (especially in sports). I am planning to get my MBA and work as a marketing director, while also auditioning for the Carolina Panthers in the spring!

Your roommate Madison is also on the dance team: how close are you 2 after spending so much time together both on and off the dance floor? We are best friends! We competed against each other for a very long time and after getting to know each other while competing at Miss Dance North Carolina we decided to live together. You cannot beat living with your best friend/co-captain!

How do you like basketball, and is that your favorite sport? My favorite sport is baseball but since I dance at a basketball school that is also up there. It is fun to watch our guys dance on the sideline during the games!

On Monday the Spartans had an 8-PT win over Mercer in the SoCon tourney title game: how excited is the student body about winning a championship, and how big a deal is the team now that they have won 20+ games for the 5th year in a row? The game took place in Asheville so we were not able to be there in person but there were a lot of watch parties on campus. As soon as we won it just blew up on social media. Winning a title is a big deal not just for the team but for our whole school: all the students come together as 1 and we have become more of a community. I could not be more happy/excited for the team.

Due to COVID your team has been unable to participate this season and you will not be traveling with the team to Indianapolis next week: how frustrating is it to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? It is frustrating, as is not being able to doing many other things, but we are super-supportive of them whether we are there or not. We will be celebrating virtually as much as we can because not being there will not change our level of support.

Any predictions for next week? Obviously I would love UNCG to go all the way but I do not want to jinx them. I will support them as far as they go.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Liberty F Kyle Rode

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Jon Teitel

For Today’s Bracket Projections – CLICK HERE

For our most recent Championship Week Video Notebook – CLICK HERE

On Sunday Liberty beat North Alabama by 4 PTS in the Atlantic Sun tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Flames were 11-5 in mid-January but have won 12 games in a row to claim the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Kyle Rode about growing up in Lexington and what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney yet again.

You were born/raised in Kentucky: how big is basketball in the Bluegrass State, and what made you choose Liberty? When you grow up 10 minutes away from Rupp Arena and are able to experience that atmosphere with your family, it is special. My love for the game started when I was young, and ended up attending a private Christian school that seemed very similar to Liberty.

You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in Lexington Christian history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? I had really good teammates/coaches around me who put me in positions to be successful both on/off the court. Sometimes they needed me to score a lot of points for us to win.

You play for Coach Ritchie McKay: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He has been an amazing role model for me. You find out really quickly after you get here that he cares about you as a person, which always comes 1st. His reputation speaks for itself: he knows how to develop basketball players/young men.

What is it like to be a college basketball player during a pandemic? You are told a lot where you are supposed to be and what you need to stay away from! They keep us in a bubble and they put a little more on our plate but it has been great.

Last week Darius McGhee was named conference POY: how is he able to play so well despite standing only 5’9”? I think he is 1 of the most special players I have ever been around. He has a “wow” moment every game and I love him as a player/person. He puts in the work/preparation ever day.

In the Atlantic Sun tourney title game last Sunday you scored 15 PTS/3-4 3PM in a 4-PT win over North Alabama: what did it mean to you to win a championship, and how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? Our whole team played a really good game. We are unselfish and trust each other, which are the 2 biggest factors to winning a big game. The points just came for me because my teammates got me some good looks. It is always fun to win a championship while representing your university.

You actually clinched the title the previous day because the Lions are ineligible for the NCAA tourney this year: I know you wanted to cut down the nets, but did it take a lot of pressure off because it was a no-lose situation? We had the right mindset going into the game. We wanted to win a title and when you step onto the court against a good opponent you have to compete. They are a good program so it was good to get a win against them.

Your team has now won 3 straight conference tourneys: is it fair to use the label “dynasty”, and how were you able to keep it going this year after losing an amazing senior class from last year? Coach has instilled a culture that I am blessed to be a part of. Those 4 seniors last year were super-special and taught me how to be a college basketball player. We do not look at it as a dynasty: we take each game individually and are grateful that we won a title again this year.

You played a couple of NCAA tourney-caliber teams this year in Missouri/Purdue: which of them impressed you the most? They are equally impressive. Purdue does things offensively that a lot of other teams try to duplicate, and Missouri’s coach (Cuonzo Martin) does a really good job of preparing his experienced group. Those games helped prepare us for March Madness.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? We will take whatever the Committee gives us. I have heard that we will be in the 12-14 range but we will be prepared for whoever we play.

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