Hoops HD

Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 5

Posted on March 8, 2020 by David Griggs

Welcome Selection Committee members!! Today was a very busy and exciting day, and we are here to guide you on how to sort it all out!! That’s what we do!!

CLICK HERE to view the Hoops HD SURVIVAL BOARD

CLICK HERE to view the CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE

We start by looking at some of the regular season games today, including Rutgers’ huge win at Purdue, Butler’s thrilling win at Xavier, USC holding off UCLA, and more. From there we turn our attention to all of the conference tournament action where we saw our first two automatic bids! Utah State pulled an upset to knock off San Diego State in the Mountain West, and Belmont won a thriller against Murray State in the Ohio Valley. We saw some big upsets in the SoCon as UNC Greensboro and Furman were both eliminated, and we had two exciting quarterfinal games in the Summit League. The America East, Sun Belt, West Coast, Missouri Valley, Colonial and NEC were also in action. All that, and more!

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

And below is all of today’s conference tournament action

MISSOURI VALLEY CHAMPIONSHIP

ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP

BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

SOCON SEMIFINALS

PATRIOT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS

COLONIAL QUARTERFINALS

SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

Posted in Bracketology, Championship Week Video Notebook, Hoops HD Report, News and Notes, Podcasts, Videocasts | Comments Off

Tripleheader: HoopsHD does 3 games in 2 gyms in 1 day!

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Jon Teitel

Due to some fortuitous timing and geography, the Villanova-Georgetown regular season finale on Saturday afternoon was located just 6 subway stops away from the 1st round of the CAA Tournament. With the help of a phone, laptop, metro card, a pair of credentials, and several trips through the media food line, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will recap a day to remember in DC, from Senior Day at Capital 1 Arena to a game-winning shot from Elon at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.

I started the day off right with a solid pregame meal of a bacon/egg/cheese bagel and potatoes. Gus Johnson was sitting at center court for Fox: he cannot walk more than a few steps through the arena without someone quoting 1 of his lines back at him:

I also saw friend-of-the-Teitel-extended-family Andy Katz on press row, who confirmed that he will be at the Elite 8 at MSG later this month:

I have not attended many Senior Days in the past but this 1 seemed very emotional, as battle-tested veterans like Jagan Mosely/George Muresan were reduced to tears:

Speaking of Muresan, his 7’7″ father “Big Gheorge” was in attendance, and when he stands near 7’2″ Georgeton alum Dikembe Mutombo the result is 1 of the tallest photos that I have ever taken:

Let’s tip things off:

Villanova came out and punched the injury-depleted Hoyas in the mouth while Mac McClung/Omer Yurtseven looked dapper on the bench in their nice suits:

Hoya coach Patrick Ewing called a timeout 100 seconds into the game after falling behind 7-0, and by the time Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree made a layup a couple of minutes later to make it 14-0 I assumed that the rout was on, but not so fast my friends. Georgetown made a run late in the 1st half to cut it to a 9-PT deficit at halftime. Jamorko Pickett was the main reason why: a trio of 3-PT shots combined with 2 layups and a put-back dunk gave him a team-high 15 PTS in the 1st half:

Ewing must have delivered a hell of a halftime speech because the entire team kicked it up a notch in the 2nd half. Mosely kept driving for layups and making threes while Qudus Wahab made some hook shots/dunks in the lane. Terrell Allen was clutch for most of the final 20 minutes: a 3 to tie it at 39 (which got Mutombo out of his seat), a layup to take a 55-54 lead, and an old-fashioned 3-PT play to tie it at 61:

Pickett finished with a game-high 20 PTS but fouled out with 5.6 seconds left on a layup attempt by Jermaine Samuels. As the ball was heading toward the hoop Wahab was whistled for goaltending, and after a video review confirmed the call Samuels made the FT to give his team a 70-69 lead. Allen had a decent look at the buzzer but it did not go in, causing Georgetown to finish its regular season with 6 straight losses.

In the postgame press conference I asked Villanova coach Jay Wright how he has been able to win 14 of his past 15 Big East tourney games. He replied that he did not want to sound like a smart ass but he had veteran players including Eric Paschall/Phil Booth/Jalen Brunson/Mikal Bridges: it helps to have guys who have been there before. He added that that the NCAA tourney is different than any regular season game but that the Big East tourney at Madison Square Garden is the same as the NCAA tourney. The youth of his current team is 1 of his challenges but they are ready to take it on:

I mentioned the Senior Day emotion that I saw from his players to Coach Ewing and wondered what it meant to him. He said that he was thinking about the game they were about to play, but admitted that his own Senior Night meant a lot to him. His senior class has given blood/sweat/tears to get here, especially all of the injuries that Mosely has had to endure:

After the press conference I headed out to the subway and then over to arena #2 for the CAA tourney:

Compared to the enormous Capital One Arena, the 4200-seat Entertainment and Sports Arena is downright cozy:

For those who need a numerical reminder of what is going on, you came to the right place:

Bad news is that there was no pregame meal because dinner does not start until 30 minutes AFTER tip-off(?), but good news is that the chicken/rice/noodles/veggies/egg roll/pastries were all delicious!

Game 1 featured UNC Wilmington vs. Drexel. Ty Gadsden missed 15 games this season for the Seahawks but showed no rust at all by making lots of 1st half shots including a corner 3. Drexel’s Camren Wynter was the CAA ROY in 2019 and is showing no signs of discontent as he got to the basket for layups time after time after time. Dragons’ big man James Butler kept banging the boards in the 2nd half, finishing with an amazing 14 REB, Wynter made a couple of threes, and Drexel held on for a 66-55 win. Who would have thought the guy who went to college at Penn would see a pair of Philly teams win games on the same day in DC?!

In the postgame press conference I asked Wynter and his coach Zach Spiker how they would prepare for their game on Sunday vs. Hofstra. Wynter said that the Pride played a unique way due to having 4 guards on the floor, while his coach understood that most people picked Hofstra to win this tourney because they led the conference wire-to-wire:

Game 2 featured Elon vs. James Madison. Taking a page out of the Villanova playbook, the Dukes jumped out to a 14-0 lead and I considered calling it a night, but the Phoenix rose from the ashes with 9 PTS in a row while demonstrating that they were not ready to quit by cutting the halftime deficit to 6. It was a bit of a slow game after that but the mascot dance-off helped lighten the mood:

Matt Lewis made a game-winning 3 vs. Towson in the CAA 1st round last year, and apparently it was not a fluke because he made a ton of 2nd half layups en route to a game-high 17 PTS. 1st year Elon coach Mike Schrage apparently has a simple recruiting philosophy but it is working out well. He recruits high school kids named Hunter: FR F Hunter Woods had 15 PTS/4 STL in 40 minutes while FR G Hunter McIntosh had 12 PTS/0 TO before fouling out. JMU was clinging to a 3-PT lead with 5 minutes left when Darius Banks was whistled for a technical foul after going for a loose ball and pushing Kris Wooten into the Dukes’ bench: here is what the aftermath looked like:

Wooten recovered nicely with back-to-back threes to cut the lead to 61-59, then his teammate Marcus Sheffield (a grad transfer from Stanford) made a wide-open dunk to tie it at 61 with 45 seconds left. After a JMU miss Elon had a chance to win the game, and thanks to a 15-footer by Sheffield with 3 seconds left that is exactly what they did. Don’t believe me? I have the proof!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTryRiGrFws&feature=youtu.be

I wonder who would be invited to the postgame press conference?

I asked Sheffield if he had ever made a game-winning shot and how he felt about tonight’s performance. He thought that he probably made 1 when he was much younger but admitted that he would definitely remember this 1 for a long time:

That’s all for now, check back in the days ahead for more CAA tourney coverage!

Posted in CBB | Comments Off

All-Access at the CAA Tournament: HoopsHD interviews Towson cheerleader Ahylexus Kidd

Posted on March 7, 2020 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 in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our series with Towson cheerleader Ahylexus Kidd as she talked about being an Ambassador and her prediction for her team’s Sunday night game vs. Northeastern.

You grew up in Maryland: what made you choose Towson? This is actually my first year at Towson; I am a transfer student. I have lived my entire life in Maryland so I knew that for college I wanted to go far away from here…but that did not turn out so well. I ended up transferring to Towson and it was the greatest decision I have ever made. I picked Towson especially because I had heard great things about their Biology department.

You are majoring in Biology: what do you hope to do after graduation? After graduation I am taking a gap year to take the MCAT and apply to medical school. My dream is to attend Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? My stepfather is a football coach and both of my brothers played football. I was always out on the field with them so I picked up the cheers/dances the cheerleaders did on the sideline pretty fast, then 1 day I told my mom that I wanted to be a cheerleader! I started off doing recreation cheer, then all-star cheer, then high school cheer, and now college cheer. I think my favorite part about cheering is that it allows me to step outside of my comfort zone. Outside of cheer I am very shy and quiet, but as soon as it is time to cheer I light up and become a totally different person.

What is the atmosphere like on campus this week now that the conference tournament is right around the corner (especially since your team has won 19 games this year after only winning 10 games last year)? Campus has been pretty much been the same but there is some talk about who people think will win the CAA championship.

You are an “Ambassador” for the team: what are some of the responsibilities involved in that? We are basically the face of Towson cheer and are responsible for being at all the games and events. To be an ambassador you need to have a strong game day presence and a friendly/positive attitude!

Will we see your group doing anything extra-special for the CAA Tournament this weekend? Yes! We’ve been working extremely hard on new material, such as new partner stunts and pyramids.

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? The cheer team, Pom squad, and band attend the tournament games. We are always at every game getting the team/students/crowd hyped up and pumped for another victory. I am super excited to see us on national TV and am glad that people are going to be able to tune in and see us cheering on our team!

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? College cheer has definitely changed over time, but in a good way. Our role on campus is a lot bigger now. We represent the school at games, events on campus, community events in Baltimore, etc.

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: your 7-game winning streak in the middle of the season, Senior Night, other? Most definitely our 7-game winning streak and watching the boys dominate the court every time that they play.

Any predictions for Sunday night vs. Northeastern (whom your school beat by 3 PTS on the road last Sunday)? I feel like it will be a very close/intense game but I have faith in my team that they will pull it together and win!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged Ahylexus Kidd, towson | Comments Off

Under The Radar Games of the Day: Saturday, March 7th

Posted on March 7, 2020 by John Stalica

For today’s News, Notes and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

Columbia (6-23, 1-12) at Pennsylvania (15-11, 7-6) – 6:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Brown (14-12, 7-6) at Dartmouth (12-16, 5-8) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day is a doubleheader out of the Ivy League – both the Penn Quakers and the Brown Bears will be vying for the final spot in the Ivy League Tournament along with the Yale Bulldogs, the Princeton Tigers and the Harvard Crimson. Penn and Brown are currently tied for fourth in the standings, but the Quakers hold the tiebreaker right now for the final playoff spot. After going through a stretch of 4 losses in five games that endangered their postseason hopes (including a home loss to Brown), Penn finally got back on track with a road win at Brown last Saturday and a 78-64 victory at home against Cornell last night. AJ Brodeur leads the way with 17.2 points a game and 8.8 rebounds a game for Penn.

But Penn cannot relax even with their fate in their own hands – Brown is nipping at their heels and finish their season with a game at Dartmouth ~~in the fabled Brown-Mouth Cup~~. Brown was sitting comfortably at 6-3 in the Ivy League a couple of weeks ago, but in addition to losing the Penn-Princeton double at home, a 63-45 loss at Cornell was much more damaging to their chances and now requires some very unlikely help from Columbia to help Brown advance to the Ivy League Tournament. Brandon Anderson leads the Bears with 17.5 points a game.

Posted in CBB on TV, Daily Rundown, Under the Radar | Tagged Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, ivy league, Penn, under the radar | Comments Off

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Mar 7th

Posted on March 7, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK: DAY 4

-Outside of conference tournament play, there will be three more teams eliminated from the Survival Board today:

-IVY LEAGUE: Brown is out if they lose (at Dartmouth) or if Penn wins (home vs Columbia). If Brown wins and Penn loses, Penn is out.
-SOUTHLAND: One of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, McNeese State, Northwestern State or Central Arkansas will be eliminated. The tiebreakers are so complicated, they are not worth trying to figure out; however, essentially anyone that wins today has a great shot at remaining alive and anyone that loses has a good chance to be the team eliminated.
-BIG WEST: Cal Poly is eliminated with a loss or with a win by Cal State-Fullerton. If Cal Poly wins and Fullerton loses, either team may be eliminated based on tiebreakers that will depend on the results of all four games in the league today. It appears that Cal Poly’s only path to a berth in the Big West tournament may to be win today, have Fullerton lose, and have both Hawai’i and UC-Riverside win as well.

-13 conferences will end their regular seasons today: ACC, A10, Big East, Big Sky, Big 12, Big West, Conference USA, Ivy League, Pac 12, SEC, Souuthland, SWAC and WAC. Keep an eye on the Conference Tournaments tab for bracket announcements.

-VILLANOVA AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Villanova is one of several teams that is fighting for a spot on the #2 line. This could be a tough road game as Georgetown has pulled off several surprises this year, but if they pick it up and avoid an early exit in the Big East Tournament then they have a strong case for the #2 line.

-AUBURN AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Auburn has been slipping some, but they are still safely in the top half of the bracket. Tennessee is coming off a huge win against Kentucky, and they still have an outside shot at making the field if they can win this game and then pick up some big wins in the SEC Tournament.

-WISCONSIN AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Wisconsin has been on fire for the last several weeks with six straight wins, and can pick up another big one before they head into the Big Ten Tournament. It’s not outrageous to think the Badgers could end up as a protected seed if they keep winning like they have been.

-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Marquette still appears to be very safely in the field, but they have been slipping. This is a winnable road game that will help them shore things up if they’re able to pull it off.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT VANDERBILT (SEC). It will require some big wins in the SEC Tournament, but South Carolina still has a chance of landing inside the bubble.

-BAYLOR AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). West Virginia has been slipping, but they are coming off a win at Iowa State that snapped a stretch where they had lost six out of seven. A win today would have them completely back on track. Baylor still looks like they will land on the #1 line, and I think a win today would basically lock it up no matter what happens in the Big 12 Tournament next week.

-KENTUCKY AT FLORIDA (SEC). Kentucky is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Tennessee, but it won’t set them back too much, especially if they can pull off a road win like this at Florida. The Gators look to be pretty safe and still have a strong path to the top half of the bracket if they can finish strong, but they still haven’t played up to the level we were expecting this year.

-KANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Kansas is already a virtual lock for a #1 seed, and a win today would probably make them an actual lock. If they win today and miss the bus to the Big 12 Tournament, they’re probably still on the #1 line. Texas Tech has been slipping, but is still relatively safe. A win today would really help their seeding, though.

-GEORGIA AT LSU (SEC). LSU has been slipping, but is still safely inside the bubble and will be fine so long as they hold serve today. They still have a chance to really improve their seed if they can play well in the SEC Tournament.

-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten). This may be the single most important game of the day in regards to how much it means to the two teams. I think both teams need the win to have a strong case to make it to the NCAA Tournament without the auto-bid. Rutgers has just one win away from home. No team has ever been selected with fewer than two true road wins and fewer than three wins away from home, and in looking at the bubble last year the committee strongly favored teams that had won away from home. Purdue has a good resume, but the number of losses may give the committee pause. However, a win today puts them in really good shape heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both teams are likely protected seeds and both have a shot at ending up on the #2 line. Seton Hall can win the Big East outright with a win today. Creighton can at least tie for it if they win.

-COLORADO AT UTAH (Pac 12). Colorado has digressed a little bit in the last week or so, but they are still a very strong team and are capable of playing at a very high level. If they win this game and play well in the Pac 12 Tournament they should easily land in the top half of the bracket.

-UCLA AT USC (Pac 12). UCLA still isn’t a unanimous pick among those who do bracketology, but It looks to me like they belong in for sure if they’re able to win today. They have been one of the hottest teams in the country. USC appears to be in the field, but in the bottom half of the bracket. A win today would really help out their seeding as well. This is also a rivalry game, so there’s that too.

-LOUISVILLE AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Virginia keeps winning ugly, but they keep winning. If they knock off Louisville at home today I think it actually puts them not just inside the bubble, but perhaps makes them a lock. Louisville will likely end up as a protected seed barring a bunch of unforeseen craziness whether they win this one or not, but it is the kind of road win that would look really nice on their resume and would help move them up the seedlist.

-PENN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). This is a winnable road game for Penn State who has been struggling a little bit, but is still in very good shape and could still end up as a protected seed if they can give a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas looks like they are on the verge of playing their way into the field. If they avoid stubbing their toes today and can pick up a win in the Big 12 Tournament, I think they’re in.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). Florida State is on fire and could end up as high as the #2 line. They just need to hold serve until the NCAA Tournament.

-ARKANSAS AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Arkansas has a steep uphill climb, but they can still land inside the bubble. I think they need to win today, and then win at least two in the SEC Tournament.

-SAM HOUSTON STATE AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland). If SFA wins this game and doesn’t win in the Southland Tournament they will have at least an outside shot of making the field.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT DUKE (ACC). This edition of the rivalry doesn’t have the splash that it usually does. North Carolina is just trying to salvage part of their season, and Duke is playing for seeding the rest of the way. In this case, at least on paper, it’s a game where Duke just needs to hold serve. But, like they say, this rivalry has a tendency to always deliver!

-OKLAHOMA AT TCU (Big 12). This is a hugely important game for an Oklahoma team that looks to be squarely on the bubble. A road win helps assure that they land on the right side of it.

-DEPAUL AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Some experts are still not putting Providence in because of what a rough start they had to the season, but they have been thundering down the stretch and if they hold serve today I almost think they should be in regardless of what happens in the conference tournament. I guess we will see what happens and if the committee agrees.

-OLE MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Mississippi State appears to be outside the bubble. They need to avoid a loss in this game and then pick up at least one (and probably more) big wins in the SEC Tournament.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12). Arizona has lost three straight and needs to stop the bleeding. If they hold serve today and pick up at least one win in the Pac 12 Tournament then they should be safe for a bid.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is a lock for a protected seed, will likely end up on the #2 line, and could end up on the #1 line if everything breaks right.

-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). I think SLU is outisde the bubble, but I think if they can win out and play their way into the A10 Championship game that they will get a serious look and that the committee will end up taking them.

-TEMPLE AT CINCINNATI (American). Cincinnati is squarely on the bubble and basically can’t afford any slipups to non-tournament teams and also needs some big wins in the conference tournament.

-BUTLER AT XAVIER (Big East). Butler is safely in the field, but they are still playing for seeding and have slipped a little bit. Xavier is inside the bubble and I think is just one win away from becoming a virtual lock. A win today and a win in the Big East Tournament may even get them into the top half of the bracket.

-WASHINGTON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). Arizona is a virtual lock for The Dance, but their seed and profile could use some improvement If they hold serve today and play well in the conference tournament next week it will help improve their resume.

-STANFORD AT OREGON (Pac 12). Stanford is right outside the bubble and I think they need to win this game to have a serious chance of getting in. Oregon is trying to lock up a protected seed and should be able to do that with a win today.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 4

Posted on March 7, 2020 by David Griggs

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!! It is our pleasure to give you guidance on what you need to be doing!!

CLICK HERE to check out the Hoops HD Survival Board

CLICK HERE to view the Conference Tournament Page

It was a crazy day in the Missouri Valley with three of the top four seeds losing, most notably Northern Iowa, who may have seen their NCAA Tournament hopes completely crash. Wyoming’s run through the Mountain West came to an end tonight as Utah State squeaked by, and they’ll face San Diego State tomorrow. We look at that and run through all of the other conference tournament action..