Sowing the seeds we love: HoopsHD interviews Selection Committee chairman and Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We are just over 2 weeks from Selection Sunday, which means that the 10-member NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee is working hard to place 68 of the best teams in the nation into a tidy little bracket. The Committee revealed its top-16 teams in a bracket preview earlier this month: while it was just a snapshot, the #1 seeds at the time (Gonzaga/Baylor/Michigan/Ohio State) could very well become the #1 seeds next month. It served as a peek behind the curtain to see what the Committee was thinking and what criteria they value during their analysis of each team’s body of work. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Selection Committee chairman Mitch Barnhart about doing his job during a pandemic and having the entire tourney in Indianapolis.

What is the biggest challenge that COVID has posed for the Selection Committee either on or off the court, and what steps are you taking to solve them? Our priority in dealing with Covid-19 is to do everything in our power to keep student-athletes, coaches, and staffs healthy so that we can play the tournament. There are many operational components to bringing 68 teams into one site but at the end of the day the goal is to select the best 68 and have a chance to hand someone the trophy on Championship Monday.

How many hours/day will you be working on selection stuff this month, and do you have any advice to keep your fellow committee members from losing their sanity on Selection Sunday? There is significant commitment on the part of the committee members. Not only do they have their committee work but their full-time jobs as well. It is an incredible honor to prepare, select, seed, and bracket for one of the great sporting events in the world. No different than how a team practices for game day, the preparation by this group throughout the week allows you to make quality decisions on Sunday.

How do you feel about the entire tourney being held in Indianapolis this spring, and has that made your life easier or harder? Dan Gavitt and the NCAA staff have done a Herculean job in reinventing this tournament for this year. The amount of detail and logistics are at a level that is hard to comprehend. Once we get all the teams in Indianapolis it will be exciting and provide the chance to crown a champion. Having all 68 teams in Indianapolis does take away the logistics of traveling within the tournament but certainly has added a lot of details and protocols because of the Covid environment.

Which primary conferences are you assigned to this year, and how much weight do you give to input from the representatives of those conferences? As the chair, I am not responsible for specific conferences this year as I have been in the past.

What are the major categories that you feel have the biggest impact on a team’s seed (big road win, bad home loss, other), and why do you value them more than other categories? The foundation of all resumes begins with — who did you play, where did you play them, and the result. Assessing the number of quality wins as it relates to the number of quality opportunities is also an important part of the resume. Obviously, having metrics as a part of a toolbox is important Every committee member looks at teams through different lenses and that is what brings balance and great conversation to the discussions about each team.

Committee members are able to see many different kinds of rankings on the official team sheets (such as BPI/KPI/KenPom) in addition to the traditional ones: how have you made use of these advanced metrics, and do you have a favorite 1? I go back to the foundation of who did you play, where did you play them, and what was the result. I do not have a favorite metric but do like to look at the entire body of work.

If a team wants to make the NCAA tourney, are they better off scheduling decent teams who they think they can beat, or great teams who they can only hope to upset, or a nice mix of both, or other? Scheduling is a local decision and each program must assess as it relates to their roster, their conference, their tradition and expectations. Generally, you will find teams with a balance in their scheduling.

To be even more specific, if a team did not schedule a lot of “guarantee games” this year with mid-major teams and has a lot of Tier 1 wins but only a .500 overall record because they play in a tough conference, should they be penalized for not having a bunch of Tier 4 wins that would have otherwise pumped up their win column? Scheduling was very difficult this year for many schools. There will be teams with more games available and others with fewer and we will have to evaluate each resume as it lies. Everyone made a significant attempt to put together a quality schedule and to that end we will try to find the best 37 at-large teams to complete the bracket.

Many of your former coaches/administrators have become athletic directors at other universities including Greg Byrne (Alabama)/Mark Coyle (Minnesota)/Rob Mullens (Oregon)/Scott Stricklin (Florida)/John Cohen (Mississippi State)/Kevin Saal (Murray State)/DeWayne Peevy (DePaul): how proud are you of your “administrative tree”? I am certainly proud of each of these incredible administrators. As my career developed, I was fortunate to have been given increasing responsibility to make it possible for me to become an AD. My goal has been to equip people to launch them toward the goals they have set for themselves.

Your Wildcats had an uncharacteristic 5-13 start this season due to a variety of factors (including the combination of having 1 of the youngest rosters AND 1 of the hardest schedules in the nation) but have won 3 in a row: is Big Blue Nation close to pushing the panic button or is everyone just taking a breath because they know that John Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach? As you stated, there have been a variety of factors. The piece that was so good for us in years past has been the ability to gather our team, get to know each other during the summer training – such as our trips to play games in the Bahamas or Canada, or something else – and play all of the early-season games that lead into our conference schedule: that did not exist this year. It really impacted, and delayed, our team’s ability to come together and play together, but now you have seen our team improve significantly during the past couple of weeks.

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Memories of Moscow: HoopsHD interviews 1982 national COY Don Monson

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jon Teitel

This has not been the best year in Idaho basketball history: the Vandals are 0-19 with 4 chances left to avoid having a winless regular season. 4 decades ago it was quite a different story: Coach Dan Monson showed up in 1978 to take over a 4-22 team, and 3 years later he had a 25-win team that made the 1981 NCAA tourney. The following year he won 27 games, had a 2-PT OT upset of Iowa in the NCAA tourney, and was named national COY. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Monson about recruiting Magic Johnson and golfing with Tara VanDerveer. Today marks the 40th anniversary of Monson clinching Idaho’s 1st conference title in 58 years on February 26, 1981.

You won an Idaho state title at Coeur d’Alene High School and then played college basketball at Idaho: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you 1st get into coaching? I guess I was a reasonably good player. We won the state tourney my sophomore year but I was not a big part of it. I lettered 3 years at Idaho and then went into the service for a couple of years before being hired as a coach.

You spent 2 years in the Navy: what impact did you service have on you either on or off the court? I was drafted so I did not have much choice in the matter. I wanted to get through it so I could become a coach.

As an assistant to Jud Heathcote at Michigan State you helped recruit Magic Johnson to the Spartans: how hard was it to get him to sign, and could you tell at the time that he would become a legend? It was very hard to sign him. I could recognize even back then how great Magic was. I had seen good high school players before but Jud told me that if we could recruit Magic then he would make us into a program. I told him that 1 guy would not make a program…but after seeing him play a few times I had to admit to Jud that he was right! We went to all of his high school games: he would play PG 1 night and center the next night and his team always won.

In the 1981 NCAA tourney as head coach of your alma mater, Dwayne Wallace scored 20 PTS including a 15-footer with 3 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win by Pitt: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was very devastating, although I had some tough losses in high school as well, including 1 year where we were undefeated and then lost in the state title game in OT. Pitt had a big football player who dominated us (Sam Clancy, who had 22 PTS/13 REB and later spent almost a decade as a DE in the NFL) but we played better the next year.

Take me through the magical 1982 season:
You entered the NCAA tourney with only a pair of 2-PT road losses (1 on a tip-in at the buzzer at Montana and 1 at Notre Dame in OT): how close did you come to going undefeated, and how was your team so successful despite not having a starter taller than 6’6”? The tip-in at Missoula ruined our perfect season: the reality is that it is almost impossible to go undefeated. The Notre Dame game still sticks in my craw: we were up by 2 with about 10 seconds left and we had a FT go halfway down before popping out and then John Paxson tied it up at the end of regulation. It was a game that we could have won but it did not work out. A sportswriter asked us if we had ever been in such a hostile environment and 1 of our players (Brian Kellerman) said, “Have you ever been to Missoula?!”

You finished the year by being named national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was great but for a little school in Idaho it was just outstanding to be recognized nationally.

In the 2nd round Kellerman scored 14 PTS including a 15-foot jumper that bounced off the rim 3 times before falling through the net in a 2-PT OT win over Iowa: how much of a home court advantage did you have while playing just a few miles away in Pullman, WA, and how was your blood pressure doing during that final shot? Unless you live in that area it is hard to understand the rivalry between Idaho and Washington State. The thing that amazed me was going out during warmups and seeing how much gold and black was in the stands. I thought that the Iowa fans traveled very well…until I realized that it was out fans because our school had the same colors! Phil Hopson had his arms over the rim but thankfully he drew his arms back.

You won 43 straight home games over a 3-year span: did it just reach a point where the fans expected you to win every time that you stepped onto the court? Certainly! When you win a lot they expect you to keep winning. Those kids just put it together: 43 is a lot no matter where you are playing. It is something that I am very proud of.

1 of your golf partners was the women’s head coach at Idaho who accidentally rear-ended your car 1 day at a stop sign: what was Tara VanDerveer like back in the day, and what makes her such a great coach 4 decades later? It was her 1st job as a head coach and I had already been there a few years. She was very good at making sure she did not ruffle any feathers: she came to some of our practices and then would drop by the next day to discuss them. We were never combative about anything and she was very professional for a young kid. I could tell that she was going to be good and I was proud that she came to a couple of clinics that I spoke at. When she was coach of the US Olympic team she invited me to Colorado Springs to have me put in a match-up zone, but I do not know if she ever used it. To this day whenever she plays Gonzaga she calls me up and invites me to come watch the game: she is a great 1.

In 1993 you were awarded almost $300,000 by a jury in your breach-of-contract lawsuit against the university and state of Oregon after being removed as coach: what kind of verdict did you expect, and what did you do with the money? The state appealed the verdict and all I ended up with was a $30,000 lawyer bill. It is really a sore spot to this day.

Your son Dan is currently the coach at Long Beach State: how proud are you of all his success? I am very proud. He has done a great job at Gonzaga/Minnesota/Long Beach. He took Gonzaga to the Elite 8 in 1999 and left Minnesota a lot better than they were when he 1st got there. He started from rock bottom at Long Beach (6-25 in 2008) but has built them up by doing it the right way.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I have not even thought about it. I want to be thought of as a good coach who built some programs up and had teams who were almost always competitive. I was proud to coach in both high school/college.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Friday, February 26 (and other News, Notes, and Games)

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Chad

CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK: DAY 1

UC-Santa Barbara at UC-Riverside, 11:00 PM Eastern, ESPN2

The Under the Radar Game of the Day focuses its attention on the Big West conference tonight as the first place UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos are on the road to take on the up-and-coming UC-Riverside Highlanders.  UCSB enters tonight’s game at 16-3 overall and 12-2 in Big West play.  The Gauchos dropped their first two conference games of the season, both at UC-Irvine, and have won 12 straight games since then, making them one of the hottest teams in the country.  UCSB is led by JaQuori McLaughlin’s 15.9 points per game and Amadou Sow’s 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.  The Gauchos have the #1 offense and #2 defense in the Big West, according to KenPom, making them the current favorites to capture both the regular season and conference tournament titles this year.

UC-Riverside has been an amazing turnaround story this season.  During the past offseason, the school actually considered shutting down the basketball program entirely due to funding issues.  Their head coach from last season, David Patrick, packed his bags and headed for an assistant job at Arkansas, putting Mike Magpayo in control of the program.  Coach Magpayo then proceeded to miss his very first game as head coach when his wife went into labor with the birth of their first child, and make history a few days later when the Highlanders upset Washington and he became the first ever head coach of Asian-American descent to win a D1 game.  UCR is currently 10-6 overall and 7-4 in Big West play, tied in the loss column with UC-Irvine for second place.  The Highlanders are led by Arinze Chidom’s 13.6 points per game, and 11+ points per game from Zyon Pullin and Jock Perry.  A win today or tomorrow when the two teams meet again, will continue to shape this year as arguably the best D1 season ever for the Highlanders’ program.

 

NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES

-Iowa played great against Michigan for a half!  Unfortunately, it was only the first.  Michigan totally blew their doors off in the second half.  Michigan has won on the road at Ohio State, and blown out top ten Iowa this past week.  That’s a good week!

-Ohio State followed up their exciting loss to Michigan with an exciting loss to Michigan State last night.  Ohio State, despite two straight losses, could still end up on the #1 line if they get back to their old form.  This was much more of a big win for Michigan State, who now looks to be solidly inside the bubble, than it was a damaging loss for the Buckeyes.

-Colorado blew out USC 80-62.  Colorado is starting to trend up and USC appears to now be in a bit of a tailspin.  We still think they are a lock, but they are beginning to slide down the seedlist some.

-San Diego State got a huge win against Boise State last night.  it was an overtime thriller and perhaps one of the most important win of the year for the Aztecs.  I have been beating them up for their flimsy profile, but after last night I’m in on them being a likely tournament team.  It took me a while, but I’m there now!

-PURDUE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Despite a lousy overall record, Penn State is capable of playing like a tournament caliber team.  Purdue is continuing to climb the seedlist and has gotten better as the season has progressed, but Penn State is capable of beating them at home if Purdue overlooks them.

-DRAKE AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley).  Drake will get a bit of a challenge on the road today, especially with them being a little short handed, but it’s still a winnable game and I think they are very close to landing in a situation to where they are safely inside the bubble.

-RICHMOND AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond is in the discussion, and can play their way inside the bubble, but they’ll need a strong finish.  Every game should have a sense of urgency to it, and that certainly includes this one tonight.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Loyola is definitely inside the bubble right now and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve.

-NEVADA AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Utah State still has work to do, but they still have a path to landing inside the bubble if they can finish really strong and pick up some nice wins in the conference tournament.

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Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 1

Posted on February 26, 2021 by David Griggs

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!  We are here to tell you what to do!!  We know you’ve got a big job, but if you listen to us you’ll be fine!!

CLICK HERE for the latest HOOPS HD BRACKET RUNDOWN Video Podcast

CLICK HERE to look at our SURVIVAL BOARD to see who’s locked, who’s under consideration, and who needs the auto-bid to get in

Tonight we look back at the opening round of the Horizon League, which gave us a double overtime thriller between Green Bay and Fort Wayne.  We also look ahead to the opening rounds of the America East and Big South tournaments coming up Saturday.

AMERICA EAST OPENING ROUND

BIG SOUTH OPENING ROUND

 

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

Posted in Bracketology, Championship Week Video Notebook, News and Notes, Podcasts, Videocasts | Comments Off on Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 1

Hoops HD Bracket Rundown: February 25th

Posted on February 26, 2021 by David Griggs

NOTE: This was recorded on Thursday, February 25th at 10:30pm, est and concluded at 11:30pm, est.  Any game that went final after that was not considered.

Chad and the panel are back for this week’s Bracket Rundown.  They build a seedlist line by line and debate, discuss, and assess each team as they put them in the field.  They debate who the #1 seeds should be, who all the protected seeds would be, whether or not teams like Duke, Michigan State, and North Carolina who are surging right now belong in the field, and who all the bubble teams are.

Below is a bracket of the seedlist, but do not look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

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

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Conference Tourney Previews (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD kicks off the greatest time of the year with a 2-part preview of every single conference tourney in the nation. Jon Teitel commences our coverage with his predictions for the 14 conference tourneys getting underway before March 6th, and you can check back next weekend for his picks concerning the 17 other conference tourneys.

*Due to some conference tourneys starting in February while other conferences’ regular seasons are not yet complete you will notice many things in flux: we will try to update the seeding/stats that change in the days ahead but the picks will remain the same. 

America East tourney predicted champ: Vermont (#2 seed)
Dates: February 26-March 13
Location: Campus sites
2019 tourney champ: Vermont (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Vermont has made each of past 4 title games
Seeding: each of past 5 champs were top-2 seed
It is usually hard to get excited about a 10-win team that lost 2 in a row at home to NJIT/Albany earlier this year, but the Catamounts have gone 8-1 since those losses and have owned this tourney for the past several years so you have to like their chances. Fans might have been concerned after star player Anthony Lamb graduated last year but last year’s award winners have become this year’s stars in 2020 conference DPOY Ben Shungu/2021 conference POY Ryan Davis. Since the higher seed will host each tourney game in which they play, Vermont cannot wait to welcome teams to Patrick Gymnasium where they have lost exactly 2 home games this season by a combined 2 PTS. Coach John Becker knows how to win games in March: he made a postseason tourney during each of his 1st 8 years as the head man in Burlington and probably would have made it last year were it not for COVID.

Atlantic Sun tourney predicted champ: Bellarmine (#2 seed)
Dates: March 3-7
Location: Jacksonville, FL
2020 tourney champ: Liberty (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2014
Seeding: 9 of past 10 champs were top-2 seed
Bellarmine and Liberty separated themselves from the rest of field all season long and wrapped up the season this weekend with a 16-PT road win by Liberty in Freedom Hall. Bellarmine is ineligible for the NCAA tourney so the conference tourney is their Super Bowl. Coach Scott Davenport might be new to D-1 head coaching but he has more experience than most of his opponents: he was a grad assistant to Denny Crum, assistant to Rick Pitino, and won a D-2 national title 10 years ago while being named D-2 national COY. And considering their PG is named “Penn”, who did you think I was going to pick?! Give me Liberty or give me death…on 2nd thought just give me the Knights!

A-10 tourney predicted champ: Richmond (#8 seed)
Dates: March 3-14
Location: Richmond, VA & Dayton, OH
2019 tourney champ: St. Louis (#6 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2015
Seeding: only 1 of past 9 champs were 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 VCU or St. Bonaventure. The Spiders have proven they can win away from home against all kinds of teams such as Kentucky on the road in November and Loyola Chicago in Indianapolis in December. Coach Chris Mooney has used the exact same starting lineup in every single game (featuring 4 seniors/1 sophomore) and that continuity/experience is why teams win games in March. It also helps that the majority of this tourney will be in their backyard and that SR PG Jacob Gilyard is leading the nation with 3.6 SPG.

Big South tourney predicted champ: Winthrop (#1 seed)
Dates: February 27-March 7
Location: Campus sites
2020 tourney champ: Winthrop (#2 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs since 2015
Seeding: only 1 of past 6 champs was #1 seed
History shows that this tourney usually features some upsets but we have rarely seen a 1-loss team like the Eagles. They are 20-1 and only a 2-PT home loss to UNC-Asheville away from perfection after blowing an 8-PT lead in the final 5 minutes. Coach Pat Kelsey has 1 of the best PGs in the nation in 2021 conference POY Chandler Vaudrin (6.7 APG) and 1 of the best 6th men in the nation in Adonis Arms (10.7 PPG off the bench). He also has a PF in DJ Burns who was the 3rd-best high school prospect coming out of South Carolina back in 2018 behind a couple of guys named Zion Williamson/Ja Morant! Winthrop is 1 of a handful of teams who actually won a conference tourney in 2020 and they should be a heavy favorite to make it 2 in a row.

CAA tourney predicted champ: James Madison (#1 seed)
Dates: March 6-9
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
2020 tourney champ: Hofstra (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs since 2017
Seeding: each of past 20 champs were top-3 seed
The sentimental pick (as always) is the Tribe because they are 1 of only 4 original D-1 schools (along with Army/Citadel/St. Francis NY) who have never made the NCAA tourney. James Madison started this season 3-4 including home losses to Norfolk State/Morgan State and seemed to be preparing to throw in the towel. However, new coach Mark Byington flipped the switch in early-January and they have won 10 of 11 since then with only a 9-PT road loss at Northeastern in January. SR G Matt Lewis is no stranger to heroics in this tourney (he made a game-winning 3 with 2.7 seconds left in a 2019 CAA tourney win over Towson), but a season-ending knee injury means this tourney is now wide-open. I always get nervous about picking teams who have multiple freshman in their starting lineup, but as long as Justin Amadi/Terell Strickland continue to shoot a combined 40.7 3P% I will continue to believe in the Dukes of Harrisonburg…which is where this tourney will be played.

Horizon tourney predicted champ: Wright State (#2 seed)
Dates: February 25-March 9
Location: Campus sites and Indianapolis, IN
2020 tourney champ: Northern Kentucky (#2 seed)
Fun fact: Northern Kentucky has won this tourney 3 times in past 4 years
Seeding: none of past 5 champs were #1 seed
I love Loudon Love, you love Loudon Love, and unfortunately for Cleveland State this tourney does not love #1 seeds so no love for the Vikings. The Raiders lost 3 of 4 in early-January but then got it going and won 10 of their final 11 with only a 6-PT loss at Northern Kentucky last week. Coach Scott Nagy has more than 500 career wins and needs just 1 more to extend his streak of 19-wins seasons to 11 in a row. Each of his top-4 players are averaging at least 10 PPG/6 RPG so unless you can play some defense or hit the boards they will just keep scoring and rebounding until they win it all.

MVC tourney predicted champ: Loyola Chicago (#1 seed)
Dates: March 4-7
Location: St. Louis, MO
2020 tourney champ: Bradley (#4 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs since 2016
Seeding: 3 of past 5 champs were #4 or #5 seed
The Ramblers lost back-to-back games vs. Wisconsin/Richmond in mid-December but since then they have won 18 of 20 with the 2 losses by a combined 6 PTS. If Drake had a healthy Roman Penn/Tank Hemphill then I would give them some serious consideration, but they do not so this is the Ramblers’ title to lose. The stat that stands out is a best-in-the-nation 55.7 PPG allowed because (as everyone knows) defense wins championships. Coach Porter Moser made the Final 4 in 2018 with now-SR Cameron Krutwig so they both know what it takes to win games in March.

NEC predicted champ: Wagner (#1 seed)
Dates: March 6-9
Location: Campus sites
2020 tourney champ: Robert Morris (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 4 champs in past 13 years are Fairleigh Dickinson/Long Island/Mount St. Mary’s/Robert Morris
Seeding: each of past 21 champs were top-4 seed
History tells us to pick a top-4 seed who has been 1 of the only 4 champs during the past 13 years…which is a problem because none of the prior champs are in the top-4 and this year we only have a 4-team conference tourney. I do not love Bryant because they got swept at Fairleigh Dickinson to finish January, but I do not love Wagner because they got swept at Bryant to open conference play. When all else fails just pick the hottest team so let’s go with the Seahawks, who started the season 1-5 (including a double-OT home loss to Sacred Heart) but then won 9 in a row. If Coach Bashir Mason can lead Wagner to its 2nd NCAA tourney appearance ever then they might have to rename Staten Island after him. I just wish FR G DeLonnie Hunt would stop shooting from inside the arc (38.4%) because he is just as good from outside the arc (36.8%).

OVC predicted champ: Belmont (#1 seed)
Dates: March 3-6
Location: Evansville, IN
2020 tourney champ: Belmont (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 4 different champs in past 5 years
Seeding: 5 of past 7 champs were not #1 seed
The Bruins had 1 of the most inexplicable losses in D-1 this season when they lost to Samford at home by 13 PTS in early-December. On the other hand, I am pretty sure that is the exception rather than the rule as they got off to a 24-1 start! When you consider that Coach Casey Alexander also won each of his final 12 games last year (including the conference title game over Murray State) you start to get a sense of just what an incredible run his team is on. Belmont is automatic inside the arc (62 2P% is #2 in the nation) but the really scary part is that they do not have a single senior on the roster. Their frontcourt stands 6’6”/6’8”/6’11” so they are quite capable of beating up on smaller teams thanks to JR C Nick Muszynski (the defending conference tourney MVP), although if he remains injured then this whole tourney is up for grabs.

Patriot predicted champ: Colgate (#2 seed)
Dates: March 6-14
Location: Campus sites
2020 tourney champ: Boston University (#3 seed)
Fun fact: Colgate has been in title game in each of past 3 years
Seeding: each of past 4 champs were top-3 seed
Navy is the sentimental favorite: it would be quite a sight to see the Midshipmen win this tourney for the 1st time since 1998. However, my own sentiment lies with my fellow Penn alum Matt Langel, whose only loss all year was by 2 PTS to Army in their 2nd game of the year. The play “Hamilton” was a smash hit on Broadway and the home-cooking that the Raiders will get while playing each of their postseason games in the city of Hamilton as the higher seed should pay similar dividends. They live by the 3 on both offense (38.4% is top-20 in the nation) and defense (26.3% allowed is #1 in the nation). Few things keep a coach calmer in March than a SR PG and Colgate has 1 of the best in the business in 2019 conference tourney MVP Jordan Burns (17.1 PPG/5.5 APG/40.8 3P%/89.8 FT%).

SoCon predicted champ: UNC-Greensboro (#1 seed)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: Asheville, NC
2020 tourney champ: East Tennessee State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 3 teams in title game during past 4 years are East Tennessee State/UNC-Greensboro/Wofford
Seeding: each of past 31 champs were top-3 seed
History says that the winner will be 1 of the 3 champs from the past 4 years who are a top-3 seed, leaving us with either UNC-Greensboro or Wofford. Since the 2 teams split their season series in January it appears to be a coin flip, which means we need to find an X-factor. Terrier coach Jay McAuley has been on the sideline for 2 years while Spartan coach Wes Miller is wrapping up his 10th year in Greensboro so the advantage goes to the latter, especially when you consider his championship resume (2005 NCAA title as a player at UNC). He also has a backcourt full of award-winners in SR G Isaiah Miller (2020 conference POY/DPOY) and SO G Keyshaun Langley (2020 conference ROY).

Summit predicted champ: South Dakota State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 6-9
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
2020 tourney champ: North Dakota State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: only 2 champs from past 9 years are North Dakota State/South Dakota State
Seeding: 13 of past 15 champs were top-2 seed
The Bison and Jackrabbits have owned this tourney for the past decade and we can only pray for a rematch next month after their amazing series earlier this season with all 3 games decided by a combined 5 PTS. South Dakota was looking unstoppable in early-February with a 9-0 record (including a win over the Jackrabbits) before falling on its face with 3 straight road losses in February. Even if they do not have a lot of fans in attendance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota State can still kick butt behind the 3-PT line: their 40.7 3P% is #3 in the nation. The X-factor is FT shooting: it has not cost them yet…but if their opponents continue to shoot 79.6 FT% then they had better pray that they do not end up in a game that comes down to the wire. Defending conference POY Douglas Wilson missed an entire month from early-December to early-January but has been great since returning to the court by leading his team to an 8-3 record.

Sun Belt predicted champ: Texas State (#1 seed)
Dates: March 5-8
Location: Pensacola, FL
2019 tourney champ: Georgia State (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Georgia State has won 3 titles since 2015
Seeding: 4 of past 5 champs were top-2 seed
Georgia State has owned this league for the past several year but with only 6 conference wins this year it might be time to crown a new champ. This tourney likes the top-2 seeds, and we could have a rather rare title game scenario next month as South Alabama and Texas State have not faced each other since their regular season finale…in 2020. Coach Danny Kaspar resigned last September but Terrence Johnson stepped right in and has not missed a beat, although the nice folks at Our Lady of the Lake might direct your attention to their 3-PT win in San Marcos December! If they can get the job done then we will see them in the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1997.

WCC predicted champ: Gonzaga (#1 seed)
Dates: March 4-9
Location: Las Vegas, NV
2020 tourney champ: Gonzaga (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Gonzaga has won 17 titles in past 22 years and finished 2nd each of the other 5 times
Seeding: 16 of past 17 champs were top-2 seed
Coach Mark Few’s dominance of this conference since taking over in Spokane in 1999 remains almost incomprehensible: 20 straight NCAA tourney appearances, 20 regular season titles, 16 conference tourney titles, and a 13-time conference COY. The Bulldogs have lost exactly 4 regular season/postseason conference games during the past 5 YEARS so the smart money in Vegas is not on the rest of the field. They have a senior who can shoot from outside (Corey Kispert: 45.7 3P%), a sophomore who can score from anywhere (Drew Timme: 64.9 FG%), and a freshman who can do everything (Jalen Suggs: 14.1 PPG/4.3 APG/2 SPG).

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