News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Feb 22nd

Posted on February 22, 2020 by David Griggs

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Dick Bennett – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE!!! (Thanks to Chad Sherwood For Researching)

-COLUMBIA (Ivy) – out with a loss OR wins by Harvard, Brown and Princeton.

-CORNELL (Ivy) – out with a loss AND wins by Harvard and Princeton

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Conference USA) – out with a loss AND a Rice win

-SEMO (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss OR wins by EIU, Morehead and J’ville State

-UT MARTIN (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss AND wins by  EIU and Morehead

-SIUE (Ohio Valley) – out with a loss AND wins by EIU, Morehead and J’ville State

-NEW ORLEANS (Southland) – out with a loss

-SELA (Southland) – out with a loss and a McNeese win

-HOUSTON BAPTIST (Southland) – out with a loss and a McNeese win

UL MONROE (Sun Belt) – out with a loss

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-KANSAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Both teams are being projected onto the #1 line, and I don’t think the outcome of this game will change that.  As big as this game is as a showcase, I don’t think it will really change the value of the losing team’s profile.

-TENNESSEE AT AUBURN (SEC).  Auburn has dropped a couple of games, both to teams that are seemingly outside the bubble, and needs to get things turned back around with a win at home today.

-MARQUETTE AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Providence is not in our field, but they are making a run at the bubble and a strong finish should be enough to get them in.  Marquette looks to be rather safe for now and adding another road win just helps them out even more.

-VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Virginia is inside our bubble, but barely.  They need to hold serve in road games like this.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT VMI (SoCon).  If UNCG wins out, their chances of landing inside the bubble and getting a bid without winning the conference tournament aren’t great, but it’s not impossible either.

-MISSOURI AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Arkansas has fallen outside the bubble and really needs to win this game.

-DUQUESNE AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton continues to roll, and if they win out the real committee will likely give them a #2 seed.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT TCU (Big 12).  West Virginia has had their struggles, but they’ve still got a solid team and a solid resume with a good chance of ending up as a protected seed.  Holding serve and picking up this road win will get them one step closer.

-HOUSTON AT MEMPHIS (American).  Houston appears to be running away from the American, but can’t exactly put it on cruise control yet, especially if they want to end up with a favorable seed.  This is a winnable road game that a team that lands in the top half of the bracket should be able to pick up.

-MICHIGAN AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Michigan has been looking better, and has even started playing better on the road lately.  If they finish strong, which they are capable of doing, then they could still end up as a protected seed.  Purdue continues to be schizophrenic and just needs some wins to help assure that they land on the right side of the bubble.

-VILLANOVA AT XAVIER (Big East).  Villanova has been locked into our field and remains on pace to end up with a protected seed.  Xavier has played their way inside the bubble and is trying to continue to play their way toward a tournament lock.  So, both teams have something to gain from a win today.

-SMU AT TULSA (American).  SMU is outside the bubble and is almost out of strikes.  They basically need to win out and have a strong showing in the American Tournament in order to land inside the bubble.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT SAMFORD (SoCon).  It’s not a guarantee, but I think East Tennessee State will be inside the bubble, and in the field, if they win out the regular season but fail to make the conference tournament.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  Mississippi State is outside of our bubble and cannot afford to lose this one, even if it is a road game.

-FLORIDA STATE AT NC STATE (ACC).  NC State just obliterated Duke in their last game, which certainly helps their case.  If they can knock off another likely protected seed today, it will strengthen their case even more.  Florida State, on the other hand, is in a three way tie for first and can probably play their way up to a #2 seed if they finish strong.

-LOUISVILLE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  After a bad week last week, Louisville is still in a tie for first place and a strong finish will earn them a protected seed, and perhaps even a #2 seed.  They need to avoid bad losses in games like this (which is a really strange thing to say).

-UCLA AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  I like Colorado’s chances of winning the Pac 12.  Having said that, UCLA has been playing much better in the last few weeks, and while they don’t have a resume that can get them to the tournament, they can make quite a bit of noise down the stretch.

-OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  Bedlam!!!!  Oklahoma is looking to remain inside the bubble, which means holding serve in games like this.  That may be easier said than done since it’s a rivalry game on the road.

-WYOMING AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West) (Front Range).  This game has major opening round implications in the Mountain West Tournament, brought to you by ConExpo-Con/AGG!!  And, we at Hoops HD love the Front Range!!

-RHODE ISLAND AT DAVDSON (Atlantic Ten).  Rhode Island continues to hover around inside the bubble.  They’ve done a good job of holding serve and need to keep that up today.

-FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky needs this win to help them end up with a protected seed, and Florida needs this win to help them end up safely inside the bubble.

-TEXAS TECH AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  This is the kind of game Texas Tech should be expected to win.  If they’re able to hold serve, then they should end up in the top half of the bracket.

-LSU AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  LSU is very much safely in the field and will likely end up in the top half of the bracket despite hitting a slump recently.  South Carolina is still outside the bubble and needs this win (and a bunch of others) in order to make the field.

-RICHMOND AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond is squarely on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it.  This is a game they need to win, and should win, but it may be tough.  The Bonnies have been playing well recently (albeit not in their last game, but just prior to that they had been).

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  San Diego State is a lock in the field and will end up as a #1 seed if they win out.  It’s never easy to go on the road, but SDSU has been able to do things that weren’t easy all year long, which is why they are where they are.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke was crushed in their last game, and normally when that happens they do a good job of regrouping.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble washing that taste out of their mouths tonight and maintaining a very strong resume.

-SAN DIEGO AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s appears to be inside the bubble (although I personally am not sure why) and should make the field if they can hold serve the rest of the way.

-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Arizona State continues to play better and better, and they have another winnable game tonight.  They are on pace to land in the top half of the bracket and be wearing white (or whatever their home uniform color is) in the Round of 64.

-OREGON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Oregon is coming off a loss to Arizona State.  As good as their resume is, they probably need a few more good road wins to catch up with the rest of the protected seeds.  This would qualify, but this is also easier said than done.  Arizona has won six of their last seven and is very tough to beat at home.

-GEORGETOWN AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Georgetown is straddling the bubble.  Every game will have a pivotal feel to it the rest of the way, including this one on the road tonight.  It would be a great story if they were able to make the tournament given how beat up they’ve been.

-GONZAGA AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU has cracked the rankings and some are starting to place them in the top half of the bracket.  This is a rare chance for Gonzaga to pick up a road win against a team that’s in the top half of the bracket this late in the year.  If they lose, then they probably stay on the #1 line if they win out, but they also probably fall below San Diego State.  So, it’s a big game for the Zags.

UNDER THE RADAR NOTES (Potential First Place Finishers)

-VERMONT – has already clinched a share of first place in the America East.  They will win it out right with just one more win (face UMBC on Saturday), which means they will get home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.

-LIBERTY – Picked up a big win against North Florida this week, and now have a one game lead in the ASun with three games to go.  If they finish first, they face Stetson today and can get one step closer

-WINTHROP and RADFORD are tied in the Big South with three games to go.  They split with each other during the season.  The first place finisher gets home court advantage.  Winthrop hosts Hampton today, and Radford hosts SC Upstate

-UC IRVINE can clinch at least a share of first place in the Big West if they beat Cal State Northridge today.  One more win and they win it outright.

-HOFSTRA has a two game lead in the Colonial with three games to go.  A win at Delaware today clinches at least a share of first place, and one more will give it to them outright.

-WRIGHT STATE has a one game lead with two games to go.  If they win at Cleveland State they clinch at least a share of first place

-COLGATE has a two game lead in the Patriot League with three games to go.  If they beat Holy Cross today (which is VERY likely) they will clinch at least a share of first place.  One more win and they win it outright and earn home court advantage throughout the Patriot League Tournament.

-NEW MEXICO STATE will clinch an outright first place finish in the WAC if they beat UTRGV today

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews former coach Dick Bennett

Posted on February 22, 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 continue our series with Dick Bennett, who devised the “pack-line” defense that his son Tony worked to perfection while leading Virginia to an NCAA title last spring. He was 1984 NAIA national COY at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, made 5 postseason appearances in his final 6 years at Green Bay, then took the Badgers to the 2000 Final 4 before losing to eventual champ Michigan State. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Dick about the 20th anniversary of his great run in the 2000 NCAA tourney and having so many coaches in the family.

In 1976 you led Eau Claire Memorial High School to the Class A state title game (a 2-PT loss to South Milwaukee): how dominant was Rockets’ star 6’10” Kurt Nimphius back in the day (32.3 PPG in 3 state tourney games)? They were the only undefeated team in the state and he was the difference in that game. I had a very young team that surprised everyone by getting to the title game, but we did not really have an answer for him.

In 1984 you were named NAIA national COY after going 28-4 and leading Wisconsin-Stevens Point to the NAIA title game (NAIA national POY Terry Porter scored 22 PTS and was named tourney MVP despite a 2-PT OT loss to Fort Hays State): how did it feel to keep making it to a championship game before falling just short of winning it all? I felt like a big loser! I played 3rd base for my high school baseball team, and in the last game of my career I had to fill in on the mound and was the losing pitcher in the state title game, so I know what it is like to lose the big ones. We were a non-scholarship school in the NAIA: most of our opponents had scholarships. Terry was a great player but missed a shot to win it at the end of regulation.

In the 1990 NIT as coach at Green Bay, Anthony Bonner had 18 PTS/17 REB in a 4-PT win by eventual runner-up St. Louis: how close did you come to winning the game? It was a tight game. They had a nice club and it was tough to play them at their place: we could just not get over the hump. The most painful games were the NCAA tourney games that we always seemed to lose at the end.

In the 1991 NCAA tourney Steve Smith scored 19 PTS including an 18-footer at the buzzer in a 2-PT win by Michigan State: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I remember outsmarting myself. We mostly played man-to-man defense but I decided to switch to a 1-3-1 “victory” defense toward the end of the game…and when we switched to that they hit a pair of 3-PT shots to tie it. My son Tony missed a shot toward the end and then Smith made a great change-of-pace move and made the game-winning shot over our best defender.

In the 1992 NIT Tony scored 36 PTS/9-10 3PM but turned the ball over to Carey Edwards for a dunk with 2 seconds left in a 2-PT loss to Manhattan: how much pain was Tony in while playing with a muscle pull in his back? We went 25-3 and won our conference but did not make it into the NCAA tourney because they thought that we had too many injuries. Tony was not even supposed to play in that game but he demanded to play after we fell behind early. He probably did not come within 20 feet of the basket all night but still shot the lights out.

Take me through the 1994 NCAA tourney:
Jason Kidd went 4-17 from the field with 6 turnovers in a 4-PT loss by Cal: how was your defense able to keep the future Hall of Famer in check? We built a wall in front of him and decided that the only way he would beat us was over the top of our defense or by giving it up to someone else. We tried to pinch the gap and it worked well. I think they just took us lightly.

Lawrence Moten scored 17 PTS in a 5-PT win by Syracuse: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It was very positive, but Green Bay was largely a commuter school so there was not as much reaction as you would think. We had a 3-PT play in the final minute but got called for a charge which wiped out the basket.

What are your memories of the 1995 NCAA tourney (Eric Jackson missed a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer in a 1-PT loss to Purdue)? That was 1 of the most remarkable groups I ever had. We were leading Big 10 champion Purdue in the final 15 seconds but got called for a block and then Cuonzo Martin made 2 FT to win it. That was my final year in Green Bay and the next year they had the best year in school history under my former assistant Mike Heideman.

Take me through the magical 2000 NCAA tourney as coach at Wisconsin:
Andy Kowske had 10 PTS/12 REB in a 7-PT win over #1-seed Arizona: where does that rank among the greatest upsets of your career? That was 1 of them, for sure. Coach Lute Olson did not take us lightly but I think that some of his players might have and we jumped on them early. That was as good a defensive team as I have ever coached and was 1 of the best I have ever seen.

Jon Bryant scored 18 PTS (5-9 3PM) in a 4-PT win over Purdue: did you do anything differently as a coach when playing a team for the 4th time in a 2½ month span? I did not do anything differently as a coach but the players had a better understanding on the defensive end (when to close out on a guy, which direction a guy prefers to go, etc.). They are little things but when you play a team so many times you start to learn a lot about them.

Your team only scored 41 PTS in a loss to eventual champion Michigan State: did the Spartans play great defense, or did your offense just have a cold shooting night, or a little of both? That was 1 of the best Spartan teams I have ever seen. With Mateen Cleaves running the break and Charlie Bell/Morris Peterson out on the floor our only chance was to make it a half-court slug-fest, but they were also comfortable playing that style.

In 2009 Wisconsin-Stevens Point renamed its basketball court Bennett Court to honor both you and your brother Jack (who won back-to-back D-3 national titles in 2004/2005): what did it mean to your family to receive that recognition? To this day I look at it as something that was earned for us by the quality teams we had. Any coaching honor is really a team honor and the best part was to have many of my players come back for it. I have only been back to campus a few times since retiring but I am happy for Jack because that is where he closed out his career. I am not as big on honors as some might think but it is a nice reflection on the teams I had.

Your son Tony is head coach at Virginia and your daughter Kathi was head coach of the women’s team at Northern Illinois: how much influence did you have on their own decisions to go into coaching, and who is the best coach in the family? Very little: I would have been satisfied had they not gone into coaching because I know about all the heartbreaks that go along with being a coach. Kathi was a great PG until she got hurt, and she and Tony lived in the gym as kids so it was easy to see them pursuing a career in basketball. Kathi is the best coach in the family: her teams never come out of their stance on defense because she really motivates them and has an incredible command of the game. Tony is the best at making use of his resources/assistant coaches.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Friday, February 21st

Posted on February 21, 2020 by John Stalica

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE!!!

-Kennesaw State became the first team that is eligible for the NCAA Tournament to be removed from the Survival Board last night (linked above).  Tonight in the Northeast Conference, if Central Connecticut loses at Wagner, AND Bryant wins at Saint Francis Brooklyn, Central Connecticut will be Eliminated

LINKS

For yesterday’s Hoops HD Bracket Rundown where the panel builds a seed list on air – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former Wake Forest/South Carolina head coach Dave Odom – CLICK HERE

Sacred Heart (16-11, 9-5) at Merrimack (18-10, 12-3) – 5:00 PM EST (CBS Sports Network)

Today’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to North Andover, Massachusetts for a matchup between one of the major surprises of this college season – the Merrimack Warriors host the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a matchup of teams in the top half of the Northeast Conference. Merrimack had a 9-game winning streak in conference play at one point from early January onward through early February, although the Warriors have gone 2-2 in their last four games. Merrimack beat SHU 65-57 when Juvaris Hayes went off for 17 points, 8 steals, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Matchups have been pivotal to Sacred Heart’s success in the NEC this season – or lack thereof in the case of their record against the top of the conference. In addition to their loss to Merrimack, the Pioneers are a combined 0-4 against Saint Francis (PA) and Robert Morris but are 9-0 against other teams in the conference. EJ Anosike is averaging 15.8 points a game and 11.3 rebounds a game for the Pioneers thus far this season.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES

-Northern Iowa was in good shape to land inside the bubble.  All they needed to do was win out, which required them beating sub-NIT caliber teams the rest of the way.  Last night, they failed to do that as they fell to Indiana State.  They still have a shot at makign the field if they don’t win the conference tournament, but not nearly as good as the shot that they had before losing that game.

-Arizona State picked up another big win at home last night against Oregon and continues to look better and better as the season winds down.  If they keep this up, then not only will they be inside the bubble, but in the top half of the bracket.

-Iowa remains hot after knocking off Ohio State and picking up another big win last night.

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Hoops HD BRACKET RUNDOWN: February 20th

Posted on February 20, 2020 by David Griggs

The show was recorded on Thursday, February 20th at 10pm, est.  None of the games that tipped at 11pm were considered

Chad and the panel build a seedlist line by line, and debate, discuss, and assess each team as they go.  Check out who they think the #1 seeds are, who the other protected seeds are, who’s in the field, and who’s on the bubble.  As you will see, not all of the opinions are unanimous.  This is not an attempt to guess what the selection committee will do on Selection Sunday, nor does it suppose what the committee would do if they were making the bracket today.  It is how our committee would select and seed the teams if they were the committee.

Below is the bracketed seedlist, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!! (As discussed during the show, Colorado and Oregon were flipped after the show when the games went final.  In addition, BYU was moved to the 6 line for bracketing reasons.)

 

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

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews former coach Dave Odom

Posted on February 20, 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 continue our series with Dave Odom, the 1995 national COY as head coach at Wake Forest and father of the only coach to lead a #16-seed to an upset of a #1 seed in NCAA tourney history. He made 11 straight postseason appearances in Winston-Salem, then took his talents to South Carolina where he won back-to-back NIT titles in 2005/2006. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Dave about the 25th anniversary of coaching Tim Duncan in the 1995 NCAA tourney and being an assistant coach on the wrong side of 1 of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

At Goldsboro High School you were captain of the football/basketball/baseball teams, and at Guilford College you played QB for 3 years and basketball for 4 years: which sport did you enjoy the most, and which 1 were you best at? I enjoyed whatever sport was in season since I liked them all equally well. I always felt like I was best at baseball: I was a pretty good left-handed hitter.

In 1976 you became an assistant at Wake Forest and your team made it to the Elite 8 before losing to eventual national champion Marquette: what was it like to coach against Al McGuire, and could you tell that Marquette was going to win it all? Anytime you do something for the 1st time it is exciting and that year we won the “Big 4” tourney in Greensboro (which also included Duke/UNC/NC State). I got there after coaching various high school sports for 14 years…and realized that I was not any more excited for the NCAA tourney than I was for my high school championship games. It was a strange feeling. The thing I remember the most about playing Marquette is that we had never seen a triangle-and-2 defense before and we had no answer for that. I came out of that game with a great deal of respect for McGuire and his staff. I actually thought that we were the better team and that we could have gone all the way if we had beat them, but we were just not prepared.

In 1982 you became an assistant at Virginia under coach Terry Holland, but your #1-ranked team had a 5-PT loss to Chaminade in 1 of the biggest upsets in NCAA history: how on earth did you lose that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? It was just the end of a difficult week. We started out by playing the 1st-ever game involving the college 3-PT line at Duke: the arc was only about 17 feet from the basket. A few days later we played Georgetown in DC, which was the 1st game ever played on TNT. Soon after that we flew to Tokyo to play Houston: Ralph Sampson did not play because he was dehydrated but we beat them anyway. Then we played Utah, beat them (again without Sampson), and flew back through Hawaii to break the trip up. We had a great practice the morning of the Chaminade game and thought that we would have an easy game. I think we were fatigued but give Chaminade credit for playing well and making their FTs. There were several media in the locker room and the only player who talked to them was Rick Carlisle: some of his teammates got mad at him for doing so. The next day we were at the airport and the media asked Terry to comment on the game. He told me to go over and tell them that he had no comment: I told him we would have to say something but he said that nobody would believe anything we said because the result of the game was so preposterous!

In the 1984 NCAA tourney Othell Wilson scored 17 PTS and made a jumper with 6 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Iona, then Carlisle scored 12 PTS including a baseline jumper with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT OT win over Arkansas: how was your blood pressure doing by that point, and what is the secret to drawing up a game-winning play? I have never had problems with the stress of the game because I have been through so many of them. I think the secret to drawing up the right play is to know your personnel and their abilities. In most cases you are not going to trick anyone. On offense, you just have to know what your best player can do and then give him the confidence to do whatever he needs to do. On the other end of the court, just call your best defense.

In 1989 you became head coach at Wake Forest, and after inheriting a team that had 4 straight losing seasons you were named ACC COY 3 times in a 5-year span from 1991-1995: were you concerned that it would take a while to right the ship, and how were you able to rebuild so quickly? I knew that it would be difficult to move the program in the right direction. The ACC is always good but the decade of the 1990s featured some of the best teams ever. We tried to concentrate on recruiting guys from North Carolina and the 1st year we got Rodney Rogers, which showed that we could recruit with the best in the ACC and were serious about winning. After Rodney was Randolph Childress, who said he was coming because we had signed Rodney. We beat Duke during the Bobby Hurley/Christian Laettner years, and UNC/Maryland were also excellent teams. You could feel the momentum growing and I felt very good about where we were after only 2-3 years.

Take me through the 1993 NCAA tourney:
Rogers scored 26 PTS in a win over Chattanooga and 33 PTS in a 6-PT win over IA: was he just “in the zone” that entire weekend? He was coming of age quickly because he was so powerful/skilled. He was also the most popular guy on our team so it was easy to coach him and give him room to improve.

Travis Ford scored 26 PTS/10-11 FG in a win by Kentucky: was your team’s defense lacking that night or was Ford just unstoppable? I think that both Ford/Jamal Mashburn (23 PTS/8-13 FG) came out and just made every single shot. Looking back on it, we were probably too young to be in that kind of game that soon and it showed. That night was their night and we were beaten early (the Wildcats led 60-26 at halftime).

In 1995 you were named national COY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? I was totally surprised by that. To say I was honored is the understatement of the year.

What are your memories of the 1995 ACC tourney title game (Randolph Childress scored 37 PTS including the tourney-winning jump shot with 4 seconds left despite a dislocated finger in a 2-PT OT win over UNC)? We had split with them during the regular season by winning on each other’s home court: each of us had a great sophomore class. We should have beaten them in Winston-Salem but Jerry Stackhouse made an improbable shot to beat us. It was doomsday in our locker room afterwards but we felt calm about it. When we beat them in Chapel Hill it was definitely Tim Duncan’s coming-out party with 25 PTS/12 REB. In the ACC tourney Randolph was not just having the performance of his life: he was having the performance of the ACC tourney’s life and broke Lenny Rosenbluth’s tourney scoring record. I will never forget his game-winning shot. I have seen a photo of that shot 100 times: you cannot find anyone in the crowd whose eyes are not riveted on that jumper. All 4 of his teammates were open, but everyone knew that he was going to take the shot:

Take me through the 1995 NCAA tourney:
Duncan scored 21 PTS in a win over NC A&T and 25 PTS in a 5-PT win over St. Louis: where does he rank among the best players you ever coached, and what made him such a dominant player? As Tim grew as a player our team grew more powerful/confident. I coached 2 of the very best 7-footers to ever play college basketball in Duncan/Sampson. Tim was fabulous to work with, to coach, and to know. In terms of skill I think the 2 big men were equal. Duncan would be totally disappointed if we did not win a game.

Randy Rutherford scored 23 PTS in a 5-PT win by Oklahoma State: how close did you come to winning that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? Right after the ACC tourney Childress separated his shoulder so he had a difficult time playing through it. That game came down to the last possession and the ball got knocked out of his hands. If we could have gotten through that game I think that we could have made a run at the title.

What are your memories of the 1996 ACC tourney (Duncan had 27 PTS/22 REB/4 BLK in a 1-PT win over Georgia Tech)? That was 1 of the best games we played all season: I honestly thought that we had the best team in the country. We were up 18 PTS at halftime but Tony Rutland tore his ACL right before we went to the locker room: it was so devastating that we did not even tell the rest of the team. We won the game after Duncan blocked Stephon Marbury with 3 seconds left. In the postgame press conference a writer asked Coach Bobby Cremins if he thought that Rutland’s injury made any difference…and Cremins said he did not even notice that Rutland sat out the 2nd half.

Take me through the 1996 NCAA tourney:
Ricky Peral (who averaged 7.9 PPG during his college career) scored 14 PTS in a win over Louisiana-Monroe and 16 PTS in a 3-PT win over Texas: how was he able to play so well in the spotlight after being a role player for his entire career? Ricky was more in the flow than you might think. He was a great rebounder and a better defender. That was when they started to double-team Duncan and Ricky just took advantage.

Duncan had 27 PTS/13 REB and DeJuan Wheat missed a 10-foot shot with 5 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Louisville: did you think that Wheat’s shot was going in, and was your team excited for a chance at revenge in the next game against the Wildcats after losing to them in 1993? We had Rusty LaRue playing PG, who was anything but a PG. We were playing in Minnesota at the Metrodome, and the entire stadium was packed with fans from the state of Kentucky.

Tony Delk scored 25 PTS in a win by eventual champion Kentucky: what was it like to coach against Rick Pitino, and where does that Wildcat team rank among the best you have ever faced? The thing that beat us was that they doubled Duncan in the post with their other post guy, which we had never seen before. We did not figure that out until the 2nd half.

In 1999 you won a silver medal as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Men’s Junior World Championships in Portugal after a 7-PT loss to Spain in the gold medal game: how devastating was that loss, and which of your players impressed you the most (Nick Collison/Casey Jacobsen/other)? Spain had Pau Gasol/Juan Carlos Navarro so they were an amazing team even though we did not realize it at the time. We had a great team as well but they had a lot of fans in the crowd in Portugal. I definitely started to play closer attention to foreign players after that tourney.

You won 3 NIT titles and finished runner-up once in a 7-year span from 2000-2006: how were you able to motivate your team to play hard after missing out on the NCAA tourney, and what did it mean to you to win a title? It is all about how you approach it. Nobody goes into the season hoping to win the NIT: that is unheard of. When the goals that you set at the start of the year are not reached, it is up to the coach to establish new goals and then challenge his team to reach them. I felt that the NIT did not start until you won your 1st game so we put a lot of emphasis on winning the 1st game: after that your players start to get excited. I never tried to fool my team into thinking the NIT was as good as THE national title, even though it was A national title.

You retired from coaching in 2008 and currently serve as tourney chair of the Maui Invitational: how do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? You could not have a better job as a retired former coach! It is challenging but keeps me close to the game. I am also doing some radio/TV and have gotten to work with Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the US national team.

Your sons Lane/Ryan each went into coaching: how proud are you of their success, and what did you teach them about how to be a great coach? Their mother and I tried to talk them out of it but we failed. Lane has been working with high school kids, running some AAU tourneys, and doing individual instruction. Ryan is in college ball and doing very well as a recruiter/coach. We are extremely proud of both of them and they are fine young men.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 20th

Posted on February 20, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE

-KENNESAW STATE AT NORTH ALABAMA (Atlantic Sun).  If Kennesaw State loses it will be mathematically impossible for them to qualify for the Atlantic Sun Tournament, which would make them this year’s first team to be removed from the Survival Board.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Vermont and Stony Brook, which has major first place implications in the America East – CLICK HERE

-Duke DID NOT look like a top ten team last night.  They fell behind huge to NC State, but were actually coming back and got as close as 9 (I think), but then NC State blew it open again and ended up winning 88-66.  It was a win that NC State desperately needed since they had been straddling the bubble for the last several weeks.

-Auburn lost their second straight game to a team that’s nowhere close to the tournament as they fell to Georgia 65-55.  Auburn is in absolutely no danger, and if anything still has a very good chance at ending up as a protected seed, but you do have to question if their bloated record is indicative of how good this team actually is.  They have a very high ceiling.  It’s just that they don’t always play up to it.

-Butler led for most of the game at Seton Hall, and it appeared that they were going to get one of their biggest wins of the year, but with less than a second to go Seton Hall ran an inbounds play that resulted in a game winning tip-in.  Seton Hall had been dominating, but after losing a couple of games they probably needed a win like this to help reclaim the driver’s seat in the Big East.

-Michigan got a huge road win at Rutgers.  This improves their own tournament resume by a ton, and it puts Rutgers in a situation from desperately needing a road win to VERY DESPERATELY needing a road win!!

-Cincinnati hit a mid court shot at the end of overtime while behind by 2!!!  The only problem was that it was after the horn went off.  They ended up falling to UCF 89-87 at home, which is a rather damaging loss for a bubble team.  BTW, this was Cincinnati’s fourth straight overtime game, which I think ties some sort of record.  BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME AS A QUADRUPLER!!!!

-East Tennessee State picked up a big home win against Furman, and their chances of landing inside the bubble continue to increase.

-Indiana got a monster road win at Minnesota.  The Hoosiers were lacking big time when it came to wins away from home, so this helps them out a ton.

-South Carolina had been on a roll, and seemed to be in a position to play their way inside the bubble had they been able to win at Mississippi State last night.  They ended up falling 79-76, but they still have a path to the NCAA Tournament if they can finish strong.  Mississippi State is also straddling the bubble, so this was a very big win for them.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-OHIO STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Ohio State has won five of six and has really been playing well lately.  A road win at Iowa would be another really big win on their resume and would help out their seeding.  Iowa is coming off a nice road win at Minnesota and other than a blowout loss at Purdue, is going through a stretch where they have been playing really well as well.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley).  If Northern Iowa wins out through the regular season, which it looks like they are good enough to do, then they should be inside the bubble even if they don’t win their conference tournament.

-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona has really been on a roll lately and should land pretty far inside the top half of the bracket.  But, they still need to keep holding serve in games like this.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  This should be a winnable road game for a Michigan State team that’s been somewhat disappointing this year, but is still safely in the field, appears to be safely in the top half of the bracket, and is still a very talented and potentially dangerous team.

-OREGON AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Oregon is still having a big year, but if they want to end up as a protected seed then they need some road wins like this one in order to cement it.  And, it won’t be easy.  Arizona State appears to have played their way inside the bubble and continues to look better and better as the season goes along.  This would be another big win for them tonight.

-USC AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  USC is inside our bubble, but is in that 9-11 seed range.  A win tonight would really boost the value of their resume.  Colorado looks to be safely in the top half of the bracket and is continuing to play to improve their seed.

-SANTA CLARA AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU looks to be a solid tournament caliber team, and they are looking to push their winning streak to seven games before they host Gonzaga this weekend.

-STANFORD AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  We’ve about given up on Stanford.  They have fallen outside the bubble, but could still reach it if they can finish strong.  That would mean sweeping the Washington schools and adding two more road wins to their resume.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  These two had a battle earlier in the year, but with tonight’s game being at Gonzaga it may not be as close.  The Zags continue to dominate the league and have a very wide path to a #1 seed in the NCAAs.

-LMU AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s appears to be inside the bubble and will likely stay there so long as they continue to hold serve.

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