Bracketology 2020: March Madness Predictions (Version 9.0)

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for today’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games

Welcome to the greatest month of the year! We are only 2 weeks away from Selection Sunday as we continue to make our NCAA tourney predictions. Last March HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel correctly picked 67 of the 68 teams that made the tourney, 63 of which were within 1 spot of their actual seed, including 45 right on the money. He will spend the upcoming weeks predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 15th. 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: Kansas (Big 12)
1: Baylor (Big 12)
1: Gonzaga (WCC)
1: San Diego State (MWC)

2: Dayton (A-10)
2: Creighton (Big East)
2: Florida State (ACC)
2: Maryland (Big 10)

3: Seton Hall (Big East)
3: Duke (ACC)
3: Louisville (ACC)
3: Villanova (Big East)

4: Kentucky (SEC)
4: Oregon (Pac-12)
4: Michigan State (Big 10)
4: Penn State (Big 10)

5: Auburn (SEC)
5: Ohio State (Big 10)
5: Colorado (Pac-12)
5: West Virginia (Big 12)

6: Butler (Big East)
6: Iowa (Big 10)
6: Michigan (Big 10)
6: BYU (WCC)

7: Wisconsin (Big 10)
7: Arizona (Pac-12)
7: Marquette (Big East)
7: Houston (AAC)

8: Illinois (Big 10)
8: LSU (SEC)
8: Texas Tech (Big 12)
8: Florida (SEC)

9: Virginia (ACC)
9: St. Mary’s (WCC)
9: Arizona State (Pac-12)
9: Indiana (Big 10)

10: Xavier (Big East)
10: USC (Pac-12)
10: Rutgers (Big 10)
10: Rhode Island (A-10)

11: Oklahoma (Big 12)
11: Providence (Big East)
11: Wichita State (AAC)
11: Cincinnati (AAC)
11: Stanford (Pac-12)
11: Utah State (MWC)

12: East Tennessee State (SoCon)
12: Northern Iowa (MVC)
12: Yale (Ivy)
12: Liberty (Atlantic Sun)

13: Stephen F. Austin (Southland)
13: Vermont (America East)
13: North Texas (C-USA)
13: New Mexico State (WAC)

14: Bowling Green (MAC)
14: Belmont (OVC)
14: Hofstra (CAA)
14: Northern Colorado (Big Sky)

15: Colgate (Patriot)
15: UC Irvine (Big West)
15: Wright State (Horizon)
15: South Dakota State (Summit)

16: Little Rock (Sun Belt)
16: Radford (Big South)
16: St. Francis PA (NEC)
16: Prairie View (SWAC)
16: Siena (MAAC)
16: North Carolina A&T (MEAC)

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Mar 1st

Posted on March 1, 2020 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE!!

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT RICE (Conference USA).  Middle Tennessee will be eliminated if they lose.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Baylor was upset on the road by TCU yesterday, which probably means they’ll need to win out and win the conference tournament in order to get the overall #1 seed.  I still don’t think it knocks them off the #1 line, and probably doesn’t even knock them out of the top 2 of the seedlist.

-Kansas struggled at K State, but ended up pulling out the 62-58 win and should hold on to the overall #1 spot.

-San Diego State and Gonzaga both had to sweat, but both also pulled out wins and both will likely hold on to their spots on the #1 line.

-Florida State had a lead for most of the game against Clemson, but the Tigers fought back at the end of the game to get the lead, and after several lead changes in the final minute drove the length of the court and hit the winning shot as time was expiring.  For Florida State, it hurts their chances for an outright first place finish, but they are still a solid protected seed.  Clemson has beaten three top ten teams this year, but is still likely to miss the NCAA Tournament.

-Duke continues to struggle on the road as they fell at Virginia 52-50.  Virginia has struggled at times throughout the season, but they’ve done what they’ve needed to down the stretch in order to land inside the bubble.

-Michigan State jumped out early on the road at Maryland, and the Terps were never able to catch up.  On paper, this is probably the biggest win of the year for Sparty.  On the court, it was probably also the best they’ve looked all year.  They picked a really good night to have a really good night.

-Providence picked up another massive win as they beat Villanova on the road 58-54.  They jumped out to an early lead and held it for pretty much the entire game, although it was close down the stretch.  I think Providence has done enough to put themselves in the field so long as they avoid a collapse between now and the end.

-Iowa got another nice win at home against Penn State, which will help shore up their resume.

-West Virginia is really struggling.  Yesterday they lost at home to Oklahoma, which makes them 1-6 in their last seven games.  Oklahoma, on the other hand, was squarely on the bubble and picked up a big win that they desperately needed.

-Texas Tech is also in a bit of a tailspin after falling at home to Texas yesterday.  They’ve now lost two in a row and while it is unlikely that they’ll fall all the way outside the bubble, they’re not exactly heading in to March with a big head of steam.  Texas, on the other hand, has now won four straight and if they can close out with wins against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State they will be within reach of making the field.

-Every time I think Florida has turned it around and is finally in step, they lose a game that they should win.  They fell at Tennessee yesterday 63-58.

-East Tennessee State got a huge scare at home against Western Carolina as they were behind for the entire game, but made big plays in the final minute to hold on for the 68-67 win.  This should keep them inside the bubble.

-Arizona State lost their second straight game as they fell at USC last night.  It was a big win for USC who needed it to help keep them on the right side of the bubble, and while it wasn’t a damaging loss for Arizona State, it was their second in a row after they had really been playing well prior to this week.

-UCLA was behind for a good portion of the game against Arizona, but they came back and got the 69-644 win.  Sean Miller wasn’t there to see the end of it as he was ejected with two technicals.  The Bruins are likely inside the bubble, and not only that, but they are potentially a dangerous team.

-The Colonial ends its regular season today.  Keep an eye on our Conference Tournaments page for all your brackets!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-CREIGHTON AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Creighton is playing as well as anyone in the Big East right now.  Perhaps as well as anyone in the country.  They are just a game back of first place, appear to be a solid protected seed, and could end up as high as the #2 line.  A win today would add another road win to an already very impressive resume.

-CINCINNATI AT HOUSTON (American).  Cincinnati is squarely on the bubble and a win in a game like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in.  Houston appears to be relatively safe, but they still need to hold serve and avoid a collapse.

-XAVIER AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Xavier looks to be inside the bubble and will stay there so long as they can keep winning.  Picking up another road win against a Georgetown team that still has a chance of making the field if they can string together some wins down the stretch would be another boost to their resume.

-INDIANA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Indiana is inside the bubble and the one thing they could use to really improve their resume is more road wins.  Picking this one up against a very solid Illinois team would be a big one.

-SAINT LOUIS AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  Rhody looks like they’re squarely on the bubble, so pretty much every game is going to be big the rest of the way.

-MICHIGAN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Both teams are in the top 25, both look like locks for the NCAA Tournament, and both have a chance to end up as protected seeds if they’re able to finish strong.

-WICHITA STATE AT SMU (American).  Wichita State is still barely inside our bubble, but their resume is really flimsy.  A road win today against a decent SMU team would help them out some.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Louisville will end up as a protected seed so long as they’re able to hold serve the rest of the way.

-COLORADO AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Colorado lost earlier this week to Cal in a game that was kind of a surprise.  A win today would be a nice bounce back for them.  They’re really just playing for seeding right now, but they’ll have the opportunities between now and the end to really put together a strong resume.

-MINNESOTA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Minnesota is outside the bubble, but with the Big Ten being as strong as it is they can still make the field if they’re able to string together some wins at the end of the season and in the conference tournament.  Wisconsin is a lock that’s won five in a row and could easily stretch that out to six and then seven as they head into the Big Ten Tournament.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Mar 1st

Under The Radar Game of the Day: Saturday, February 29th

Posted on February 29, 2020 by John Stalica

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

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former Ole Miss/SEC Network commentator Andy Kennedy – CLICK HERE

Austin Peay (20-10, 14-3) at Murray State (21-8, 14-3) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day could take place in either the NEC (Robert Morris/Saint Francis U) or the Ivy League (Princeton/Yale), but we choose the Ohio Valley tonight where the Governors of Austin Peay travel northwest to take on the Racers of Murray State in the Battle of the Border. Depending on tonight’s game between Belmont and Tennessee State, we could see either co-regular season champions with a Belmont win or a winner-take-all game with a Belmont loss tonight. The Govs started league play with 11 straight wins, but have gone 3-3 in their last six games thanks to a loss at Belmont and somewhat surprising losses at Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois. It is worth noting that Austin Peay won their first matchup against Murray 71-68 thanks to a 20-point performance from Jordyn Adams and 16 points from OVC Player of the Year candidate Terry Taylor.

Murray State, oddly enough, also had a 3-point loss at Eastern Illinois last week. Their game was much more eye-opening considering they blew a 27-point loss in the 2nd half on the road and will more likely than not deny them at a minimum the outright league title (and potential NIT invite should they not win the conference tournament). Tevin Brown leads Murray State with 17.7 points a game, and he is also shooting at a 41% clip (77-for-187) from 3-point range.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games (and Survival Board Updates): Saturday, Feb 29th

Posted on February 29, 2020 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE!!

-BINGHAMTON (America East) – out with a loss and a Maine win

-MAINE (America East) – out with a loss and a Binghamton win

-TENNESSEE TECH (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss to Jacksonville State

-MOREHEAD STATE (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss to Eastern Kentucky if Tennessee Tech wins at Jacksonville State

-JACKSONVILLE STATE (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss to Tennessee Tech if Morehead State wins

-INCARNATE WORD (Southland) – out with a loss to TAMUCC and a McNeese State win

-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (SWAC) – out with a loss to Jackson State and an Alabama A&M win

-ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF (SWAC) – out with a loss to Grambling if Mississippi Valley State loses and Alabama A&M wins

-WESTERN ILLINOIS AT DENVER (Summit league).  It is the last game of the year.  The winner advances to the conference tournament, and the loser is eliminated

-TROY (Sun Belt) – out with a loss to South Alabama or wins by both Coastal Carolina and Louisiana

-CORNELL (Ivy League) – out with a loss to Harvard or a Brown win

-DARTMOUTH (Ivy League) – out with a loss to Columbia and a Brown win

-PENN (Ivy League) – out with a loss to Brown

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

– 11 conferences will be finishing up their regular seasons today: Atlantic Sun, Big South, Horizon League, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southern, Summit League and West Coast.  Keep an eye on our Conference Tournaments page for brackets which will get updated as they get released!

-PROVIDENCE AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Providence keeps picking up big wins and is getting closer and closer to making the NCAA Tournament.  Villanova should end up as a protected seed so long as they are able to finish strong.  So, both teams have something to play for today.

-PENN STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Both teams are playing for seeding in this one.  Penn State is looking like they could end up with a protected seed if they’re able to pick up a few more big wins, and Iowa is looking like they’ll land in the top half of the bracket.

-TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas still has a path to the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll really need to finish strong.  They’ll need this win today as well as several others.  Texas Tech should be safe barring a complete and total collapse.

-TEXAS A&M AT LSU (SEC).  LSU hasn’t been playing all that well since getting off to such a strong start in conference play.  They really want to make sure they don’t drop this one.  TAMU is nowhere near the NCAA Tournament, but they have done fairly well in SEC play and shouldn’t be overlooked.

-PITTSBURGH AT NC STATE (ACC).  NC State is inside the bubble, but they are hardly to a point to where they can just put it on cruise control.  They need to hold serve and avoid a home loss to a team that’s outside the bubble.

-KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  The last time these two played it was a boring game that didn’t end well.  I’m expecting it to be a boring game again, but hopefully it ends better.  Kansas is the #1 overall seed and will hold on to that (at least for now) with a win today.

-BAYLOR AT TCU (Big 12).  Baylor is a solid #1 seed and still has a shot at the overall #1 seed.  As always, they’ll be tested on the road again today.

-FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  This is a winnable road game for a Florida State team who is all alone in first place with just three games to go.  They’re also cruising toward a protected seed and could end up as high as the #2 line.

-FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Florida has now won four out of five and appears to be cruising toward the NCAA Tournament.  They should be able to pick up this road win today, and any road win makes the profile look just a little bit better.

-SETON HALL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Seton Hall is one of three Big East teams that are likely to end up as protected seeds, and Marquette appears to be heading toward the top half of the bracket.  This would be another really nice road win for Seton Hall, or a win that could help Marquette’s seeding come Selection Sunday.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MISSOURI (SEC).  Mississippi State is squarely on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it.  A win gives them another road win, and a loss means that they dropped another one to a team that’s outside the bubble.

-AUBURN AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Many think Auburn is a protected seed.  If they win today, I will totally agree with them.  As of now the Tigers really haven’t beaten anyone above the bubble away from home, so this would improve their resume by a ton.

-OKLAHOMA AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  West Virginia is slipping.  They’re still safely inside the bubble, but right now they’re not looking anything like a protected seed.  Oklahoma is squarely on the bubble and could use a win like this to help them land on the right side of it.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  If ETSU can win out until the semifinals of their tournament then I think they’ll make the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the automatic bid.  Anything less than that and they’ll be sweating, though.

-AIR FORCE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West) Front Range).  Colorado State still has a chance to get a bye into the MWC Quarterfinals, but the real reason we highlight this is because we at Hoops HD love the Front Range!!!

-LAMAR AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland).  If SFA wins out, but loses in the conference tournament, then they should at least get a look from the selection committee.

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Duke has really been struggling on the road lately and they could be in for a battle today against a Virginia team that’s been playing better, but that still doesn’t have a big time win that could really help earn them a good seed.

-BYU AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast).  BYU is already a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament.  They will be in on the first ballot and in the top half of the bracket so long as they hold serve.

-ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA (SEC).  Arkansas still has a path to the NCAA Tournament, but they pretty much need to win out in order to make it happen.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley).  Northern Iowa is squarely on the bubble and needs to avoid losing until at least the semifinals of the conference tournament in order to have a good shot at making the field.

-DEPAUL AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler has had a bit of a rough ride through the Big East, but they are still in really good shape and should easily land in the top half of the bracket.  They just need to hold serve tonight.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  This will likely be a tough road game for San Diego State, and a loss could end up knocking them off the #1 line, but even if that happens they are still set up to go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Michigan State was ranked #1 coming into the season, and while you still get the sense that they have a very high ceiling, right now it’s not looking like they will even end up as a protected seed.  That can change if they can get a big time road win like this, though.

-ARIZONA STATE AT USC (Pac 12).  Arizona State is coming off a close loss to a red hot UCLA team and USC is coming off a big win against Arizona.  Despite the loss, Arizona State is playing really well and I expect them to come into this game with quite a bit of purpose.  It would be a road win against a USC team that appears to be inside the bubble, which would help their resume.

-MEMPHIS AT TULANE (American).  Memphis may be totally out of strikes.  They basically need to win out until the conference championship game to have any real chance.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT ALABAMA (SEC).  South Carolina is still hovering around outside the bubble, but they will get the chances that they need between now and the end to play their way in.  They need to pick up this one on the road tonight.

-SAINT MARY’S AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  Gonzaga still appears to be cruising toward the #1 line.  They blew out SMC in the first meeting, and the results may not be all that different tonight.  SMC is coming off a nice win at Santa Clara, but winning at Gonzaga is an entirely different sized beast.

-ARIZONA AT UCLA (Pac 12).  UCLA just keeps winning and I think they’ve already played their way inside the bubble.  A win tonight should move them even further inside of it.  Arizona is safely in the field, but could really use another nice road win, so they’ve got quite a bit to play for as well.

-UTAH STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Utah State is squarely on the bubble and really can’t afford any slip ups prior to the conference championship game.

UNDER THE RADAR CONFERENCES

-AMERICA EAST – Vermont has clinched first place and home court advantage throughout the conference tournament

-ATLANTIC SUN – Liberty clinches first place outright with a win at Lipscomb, which gives them home court advantage in the conference tournament

-BIG SKY – Northern Colorado, Eastern Washington and Montana are in a 3 way tie for first place in the Big Sky with 3 games to go

-BIG SOUTH – Radford clinches first place outright with a home win against Gardner Webb, which means they will host the conference tournament

BIG WEST – UC Irvine has clinched first place

-COLONIAL – Hofstra clinches first place outright with a home win against James Madison

-CONFERENCE USA – North Texas clinches a share of first place with a home win against Western Kentucky

-HORIZON LEAGUE – Wright State has clinched first place outright

-IVY LEAGUE – Yale clinches at least a share of first place with a win vs Princeton and a Harvard loss

-METRO ATLANTIC – Siena clinches a share of first place with a win against Niagara on Wednesday

-MEAC – NC Central and NC A&T are tied for first place and will face each other on Thursday

-MAC – Bowling Green clinches a share of best overall record with a win today against Miami OH and an Akron loss

-MISSOURI VALLEY – Northern Iowa clinches first place outright with a win at Drake

-NORTHEAST CONFERENCE – Merrimack has clinched at least a share of first place, but are not eligible for the conference tourney.  Saint Francis U can clinch the #1 seed and home court advantage in the conference tournament with a win at Robert Morris

-OHIO VALLEY – Belmont, Murray State, and Austin Peay are all tied for first place on the last day.  The top two teams bye into the semifinals of the conference tournament

-PATRIOT LEAGUE – Colgate has clinched first place and has home court advantage in the conference tournament

-SOCON – East Tennessee State clinches first place outright with a win vs Western Carolina

-SOUTHLAND – Stephen F Austin clinches first place outright with a win vs Lamar

-SUN BELT – Little Rock clinches first place outright with a win vs Louisiana

-SWAC – Prairie View A&M can clinch a share of first place with a win vs Alabama State and a Texas Southern loss

-SUMMIT – South Dakota State has clinched a share of first place.  North Dakota State can tie them with a win vs Omaha

-WAC – New Mexico State has clinched first place outright

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Survival Board | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games (and Survival Board Updates): Saturday, Feb 29th

Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews former Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Jon Teitel

With the 2020 NCAA tourney tipping off next month, we will spend this month taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players/coaches who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From some game-winning FTs in the 1955 tourney (65th anniversary) through a 17-PT comeback win in the 2015 1st 4 (5th anniversary), these legends have all carved out a little piece of history in past Marches. We conclude our series with Andy Kennedy, who had a nice little playing career before becoming a coach: Parade All-American, 1987 ACC tourney champ at NC State, then transferred to UAB and became the #2 scorer in school history. After taking over for Bob Huggins as head coach at Cincinnati he was hired at Ole Miss where he was named 2007 SEC COY and won the 2013 SEC tourney. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Andy about the 5th anniversary of 1 of the greatest comebacks in history during the 2015 NCAA tourney and making the switch from coach to broadcaster.

In 1986 you were named to the Parade All-American team: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Shawn Kemp/Alonzo Mourning/Dennis Scott/other)? You are testing my memory! The 1 name that jumps out to me was Derrick Coleman: he was not as highly-touted as his peers but had as good of an NBA career as any of them. I remember him playing in the Dapper Dan game in Pittsburgh.

In the 1987 ACC tourney as a player for Coach Jim Valvano at NC State you had an OT win over Duke, a 2-OT win over Wake Forest, and a 1-PT win over UNC: how were you able to pull out 3 clutch wins in 3 consecutive days? It was my very 1st conference tourney experience. We had an up-and-down year but it was the 1st year of the Sagarin Poll. Our strength of schedule might have been #1 in the country that season: we played David Robinson at Navy, Danny Manning at Kansas, other great programs like Louisville/Texas, an Iowa team with 7 or 8 future pros, etc. We stumbled along and did not know if we needed to win the ACC tourney to make the NCAA tourney but knew that we needed to do well. Vinny Del Negro had a great run.

You transferred to UAB to play for Gene Bartow and graduated as the 2nd-leading scorer in school history: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose the Blazers? This is the 1st time in 23 years that I have not been on the sideline in some coaching capacity. I was a hotshot who wanted to rush everything: I wanted to play and have a bigger role just like everyone else. I was impatient and wanted to make a change. Valvano and Bartow are both Hall of Fame coaches but they were polar opposites. I was fortunate that it worked out as well as it did: it made Birmingham my home away from home.

After graduating you played in the NBA/overseas before knee problems forced you to retire: what is your favorite memory from being in the NBA, and how frustrating was it to not be able to go out on your own terms? I had my 1st injury the summer prior to becoming eligible to play for UAB. I tore my left ACL and the rehab process was long/arduous. I had a bunch of subsequent issues. I was not in the NBA long before starting my journey overseas. I had an eclectic experience in different countries/cultures before blowing out my right ACL while playing in a summer league game in Puerto Rico.

After replacing your boss Bob Huggins as head coach at Cincinnati, you led the team to the 2006 Big East tourney before Gerry McNamara made a running 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 1-PT win by Syracuse: do you think that he traveled, and do you think that loss kept you out of the NCAA tourney? I do think the loss kept us out of the tourney. I saw Joey Brackets years later: you can ask him. That was the start of the “McNamara Weekend”: he made game-winning shots that entire weekend. We did not switch on a ball-screen and he made an incredible shot. We beat West Virginia on Senior Night and Coach Huggins was at the game so it was very emotional. We thought that would put us safely into the NCAA tourney and were 13-2 until Armein Kirkland tore his ACL against UConn. Obviously we were not the same team after that so it was disappointing but we still had an amazing year.

In 2007 you were named SEC COY in your very 1st year at Ole Miss: how were you able to come in and be so successful right from the start? I just did not know any better! We were inheriting a program coming off 4 consecutive losing seasons. I remember meeting the team the 1st time and realizing that none of them had ever experienced a winning season in college. I challenged our 3 senior guards to do something if they were tired of losing, and they all had great seasons. We were co-champs of the SEC West, got to participate in postseason play, and that was the springboard.

In the 2013 NCAA tourney you beat Wisconsin before losing to La Salle after Tyrone Garland scooped a layup off the glass with 2 seconds left in a 2-PT win by the Explorers: where does the 1st game rank among the greatest wins of your career, and where does the 2nd game rank among the most devastating losses of your career? Wisconsin was probably the 2nd-biggest win of my career. #1 was the game prior to that when we beat Billy Donovan’s Florida team to win an SEC Championship. It was special to get the trophy/cut down the nets. We spent part of our time in Kansas city at the Hall of Fame..but when we entered the very 1st photo we saw was of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, which was very daunting! We were able to knock them off but due to all of the media obligations I did not get a chance to sit down and watch the Kansas State-La Salle game until the 2nd half. La Salle played 4 guards so it was a hard match-up. It was gut-wrenching because we thought that we could make a further run.

In the 2015 NCAA 1st 4 you trailed BYU by 17 PTS in the 2nd half: how on earth were you able to come all the way back and win by 4 PTS? That was another pretty incredible year. I think that we were in the very last bracket unveiled on Selection Sunday…and then learned that we would be playing BYU in Dayton on Tuesday! We had very little prep time and knew that it would be a challenge. Tyler Haws had broken many of Jimmer Fredette’s school records at BYU and I had actually played against his father Marty back in the day. We went on an incredible 2nd half run led by Stefan Moody: it was the highest-scoring game in the NCAA tourney that year. After the win that night we packed up our stuff, got on a plane around 3AM to fly to Jacksonville, and then played Xavier 2 days later.

You remain the all-time winningest coach in school history with more than 200 wins and had a winning record during each of your 11 full seasons in Oxford: how were you able to be so successful for such a long period of time? When I announced my resignation there were only 2 consistent ingredients that set the standard: God’s grace and hard work, in that order. We did a good job of identifying/developing players and then putting them in a position to be successful.

In 2018 you were hired as an analyst for the SEC Network: how is it going so far, and what do you hope to do in the future? It is going great: I am doing studio/game stuff and was doing SEC-centric things early but it changed once we get into league play. I am learning the TV aspect so to get paid to talk about it for the Worldwide Leader is a pretty good gig!

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Friday, February 28th (plus other News and Notes)

Posted on February 28, 2020 by John Stalica

For last night’s Hoops HD Bracket Rundown podcast – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE!!

-DARTMOUTH AT CORNELL (Ivy League).  The loser is eliminated if Brown beats Princeton

Wright State (24-6, 14-3) at Northern Kentucky (21-8, 13-4) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPNU)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Highland Heights, Kentucky to determine who will be the #1 overall seed in the Horizon League Tournament that gets underway next week. Wright State hits the road to travel down I-75 to take on Northern Kentucky for the second time this season – they looked unstoppable in a 95-63 victory in the teams’ first matchup of the season. Not only did Loudon Love get 16 points and 11 rebounds in that game, Tanner Holden had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way for the Raiders. Unfortunately for Wright State, an 88-70 loss to Youngstown State could be the tiebreaker that costs the Raiders the #1 seed should they lose tonight’s game.

Northern Kentucky has rebounded positively after losing their first matchup against the Raiders; the Norse have won seven of their last eight games and are coming off of a road sweep against both Cleveland State and Youngstown State. The one loss was a complete no-show at home against Illinois-Chicago; it was a reversal of their first game at UIC when the Norse blew open the game in the 2nd half with a 30-0 run to win 68-52 against the Flames. Both Dantez Walton and Jaylen Tate have missed 11 and 10 games apiece for Northern Kentucky due to injuries – when fully healthy, the Norse have over four players (including career 1,000-point scorer Tyler Sharpe) averaging over double figures in points scored.

 

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES

-Merrimack’s win over Central Connecticut last night clinches at least a share of first place in the Northeast Conference.  I believe Merrimack is the first ever team to finish in first place in their first year of being a transitional team.

-The game of the night was UCLA v Arizona as the Bruins picked up another big win, which puts them within reach of the first place of the Pac 12 and is making them look more and more like an NCAA Tournament team.  The game seesawed back and forth and came down to the final seconds with UCLA hitting a shot at the buzzer for the 75-72 win.

-Wisconsin got another nice road win as they knocked off Michigan.  Wisky just keeps getting better and better as the season goes along and they will be a tough team to beat in the NCAA Tournament.

-Colorado went on the road and lost to Cal in a game where Cal was pretty much in control the whole time.  Before last night I thought the Buffs looked like the best team in the Pac 12, but it’s kind of hard to make that case now.

-USC got a much needed home win against Arizona last night, which has them breathing a little easier as they head into the final few games of the season.

-DAVIDSON AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is cruising to a #2 seed and may even have a path up to a #1 seed if they can win out.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble tonight against a Davidson team that we were expecting quite a bit out of this year, but that up until now hasn’t performed.

-PENN AT YALE (Ivy League).  If Yale wins, then they clinch a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.

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