NCAA Tournament Review and Preview – Friday, March 29

Posted on March 29, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s All-Access coverage of LSU at the East Regional – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Duke Cheerleading Social Media Coordinator Taylor Lipsich – CLICK HERE

For today’s UTR News, Notes and CIT Preview – CLICK HERE

Despite getting into early foul trouble and into an 11-point deficit at halftime, Florida State looked like they just might pull off an upset over Gonzaga for the second straight season in the tournament. They got as close as 4 points with 4 minutes remaining following a free throw by Trent Forrest, but a 12-2 run by Gonzaga shut the door on the Noles and Gonzaga ended up with a 72-58 win to advance to the Elite 8 for the 3rd time in 5 seasons (and 4th time overall in program history). They’ll face Texas Tech on Saturday – the Red Raiders held Michigan to a season-low 44 points in their victory last night. The other stat of the night was the Wolverines’ inability to hit from the perimeter; they were 1-of-19 from behind the 3-point arc.

Tennessee actually took the reverse approach from their first two games in the NCAA Tournament; this time they found themselves in a big hole against Purdue and trailed by 17 with 16 minutes to play in the game. A 19-2 run by the Vols put Tennessee up midway through the second half, but an odd mix of hot 3-point shooting by both teams and poor free throw shooting eventually sent the game into overtime before Purdue finally pulled away with a 99-94 victory. This is the first time since 2000 that the Boilers advanced to the Elite 8; now they will seek their first Final Four since 1980.

Their opponent will be the Virginia Cavaliers – UVa had multiple scoring droughts throughout the game, and found themselves tied with Oregon late in the game before Ty Jerome hit a 3 that put the Cavaliers ahead for good. Oregon only managed four free throws in the final 5 minutes of the game as Virginia ended up winning 53-49. They move on to their first Elite 8 appearance since 2016 and will be seeking their first Final Four appearance since 1984.

EAST REGIONAL

(3) LOUISIANA STATE VS (2) MICHIGAN STATE (7:09 PM, CBS) – While Michigan State did have a brief scare in their opener against Bradley last week, they breezed past Minnesota last Saturday and must now face the regular season champion out of the SEC. LSU led Maryland for most of their game last Saturday, but it took a game-winning drive by Tremont Waters to finally finish off the Terps and advance to the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2006.

(4) VIRGINIA TECH VS (1) DUKE (approx. 9:39 PM, CBS) – This could actually be a de facto road game for Duke tonight given the large amount of alumni that Virginia Tech has in the DC area, but it is worth noting that Virginia Tech did beat Duke at home earlier this year when Zion Williamson was out with an injury for the Blue Devils. Nonetheless, Duke did survive a major scare against Central Florida last Sunday when a couple of potential game-winning shots rimmed out for the Knights.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

(5) AUBURN VS (1) NORTH CAROLINA (7:29 PM, TBS) – It took a while for Auburn to jell this year, but they are the hottest team out of a loaded SEC right now and are playing every bit like the national contender that they were expected to be. They did survive a scare against New Mexico State, but smashed Kansas in their last game. North Carolina also has played three straight halves of quality basketball after actually trailing Iona at halftime in their tournament opener.

(3) HOUSTON VS (2) KENTUCKY (approx. 9:59 PM, TBS) – Off the court, there is rising speculation that Kelvin Sampson might already have one foot out the door on his way to Arkansas after Houston’s season is over. On the court, the Cougars have rode stifling defense to easy victories against Georgia State and Ohio State. Kentucky also rode some stifling defense of their own against Wofford/Fletcher Magee to survive a potential upset bid against themselves. All indications are that PJ Washington will be a game time decision for Kentucky tonight as to whether or not he plays, so it may be fortuitous that the Wildcats play in the last game tonight.

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Game – Friday, March 29

Posted on March 29, 2019 by John Stalica

Yesterday’s focus returned for the most part to the NCAA Tournament, but there was some more news on the head coaching front yesterday. Philadelphia 76ers assistant Billy Lange was named the new head coach at Saint Joseph’s yesterday. He does have some Big 5 ties as a former assistant coach at Villanova under Jay Wright. Niagara also made an interesting hire yesterday; Patrick Beilein (son of Michigan head coach John Beilein) was announced as head coach for the Purple Eagles yesterday.

Despite scoring a season-low 22 points in the first half, South Florida was able to manage a tie at halftime and eventually powered their way to a 56-47 win at home against Loyola Marymount in the CBI semifinals yesterday. Both Alexis Yetna and David Collins led the Bulls in scoring with 11 points apiece. They will host Game 1 of the CBI Best-of-3 Championship Series on Monday against DePaul; Games 2 and 3 (if needed) will be played at DePaul.

In the CIT, Hampton jumped out to a 31-12 lead against NJIT in the first 14 minutes of the game and ended up coasting to an 82-70 victory on the road. Jermaine Marrow led the Pirates with 22 points. Texas Southern managed to outlast Louisiana-Monroe 108-102 in a triple-overtime thriller on the road. Tyrik Armstrong played a full 55 minutes and led the Tigers with 32 points in their victory.

CIT

CAL STATE-BAKERSFIELD AT GREEN BAY (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – The lone UTR game today features Green Bay (who will be playing their third consecutive home game) hosting a Bakersfield team that has won their two previous games in the CIT on the road. Sandy Cohen II is emerging as a potential MVP candidate for the tournament should Green Bay end up victorious.

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All-Access at the East Regional: HoopsHD interviews Duke cheerleading social media coordinator Taylor Lipsich

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The East Regional is taking place in Washington, DC this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is all over it and covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Duke cheerleading social media coordinator Taylor Lipsich about the Duke-UNC rivalry and her prediction for Friday night.

What is the atmosphere like at Duke this week now that you are in the Sweet 16?  The atmosphere surrounding Duke basketball is always incredible. Our students have the most amazing energy and commitment to our team, especially during March Madness. Currently everyone is really excited about the Sweet 16 and groups on campus are planning watch parties for the game on Friday night. I was even told that there was a lot of screaming in the library last Sunday night for the UCF game!

How did you get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I have been cheering competitively since I was in kindergarten and continued to cheer until my senior year of high school. One of my favorite parts of being a cheerleader is meeting all of our incredible fans and taking pictures with young boys and girls who want to be a college cheerleader someday. It reminds me of what I was like in elementary school and my excitement when I met a college cheerleader.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? I think that the role of a college cheerleader is to represent the school and be a role model for young athletes. I think that with today’s emphasis on social media it is important to be a role model at all times whether you are in uniform or not.

Will we see your group doing anything extra-special for the NCAA tourney this weekend? Our team is really excited about going to DC for the Sweet 16. There has been talk about visiting some museums, memorials, and government buildings. I know we have a lot of cheerleaders excited about Georgetown Cupcakes.

How does the 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? We have two cheerleading teams: a blue squad and a white squad: The blue squad is made up of 12 girls who travel for both football and men’s basketball. We work really hard and are always excited to be a part of the Duke athletics experience.

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: sweeping Virginia, beating UNC in the ACC tourney, Senior Night, other? My favorite moment this season was beating UNC at the ACC tournament. I know that the fans at home were excited about that moment too. The rivalry is so intense that we could not let them win another game and I am so glad I was there for that win. It was an exciting victory to bring home!

How do you explain the Duke-UNC rivalry to someone who has never seen it in person, and will the schools just shut down for the day if they end up meeting in the title game on 4/8? The Duke-UNC rivalry is the biggest rivalry in all of sports. We compete with UNC at everything, especially basketball. Our biggest tradition is that after we beat UNC, students gather around West Campus and burn one of the dorm’s benches. If we meet up in the Final on 4/8 I cannot imagine what the state of North Carolina or both college campuses would look like.

Any predictions for Friday night? I think that I can speak for the rest of my team when I say that we will always be in support of Duke and we are expecting a win! Either way we will always be supporting our team!

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All-Access at the East Regional: HoopsHD does some LSU locker room interviews

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The East Regional is taking place in Washington, DC this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is all over it and covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with as many LSU players as possible after they finished practice.

Let’s do this:

If you like large smelly sneakers then this is the place for you:

SO PG Tremont Waters was unavailable because he was on the podium with JR SG Skylar Mays/FR PF Naz Reid but at least he can easily find his locker afterward:

SR PF Kavell Bigby-Williams has an awesome accent because he was born in London. He said that the key lesson he learned from playing in the 2017 Final 4 with Oregon is to stay in the moment and play each game like it is your last. 1 of his cousins is 3-time world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis but sadly they are distant cousins and do not talk very much. He said there has been no problems with all of the off-court obstacles because all of the adversity that they faced has made them even tougher. He admitted that Michigan State is a physical team with great guard play and will be a tough match-up.

I tried to get JR SG Marlon Taylor to confirm that his rumored 50” vertical leap is indeed true but he smiled and just stated that his athleticism helps him defend/rebound.

I was unsure whether to ask JR SG Marshall Graves about receiving deceased teammate Wayde Sims’ scholarship right before Christmas. He said it was okay to ask because it is definitely an honor, although at 1st he was unsure if he was worthy. Sims was also his high school teammate for 2 years and now everyone at LSU plays hard for him. He said that Sims was the same at LSU as he was in high school: always laughing, a jokester who brought positive energy to the team. Marshall is well-aware that Tom Izzo is a Hall of Fame coach and the Spartans like to get out and run thanks to the good guard play of Cassius Winston. However, he feels that all of the Tigers’ guards are good and it will definitely be a team effort to try to stop Winston. He said that Coach Will Wade remains the foundation of the team who changed the whole culture into something that will last. They have avoided all the distractions because they are a close-knit group whose great chemistry will help them get through anything.

If you like 2-sport athletes then may I introduced you to SO SG Will Reese…who was a pitcher on the LSU baseball team before walking-on to basketball team. He said that making the 2017 College World Series Finals before losing to Florida was very similar to the Sweet 16 in terms of the attention/excitement surrounding each sport’s postseason. He believes that another big similarity between his 2 tourney runs is that both teams played their best toward the end of the season with everyone coming together both on the diamond/court as well as in the locker room. When he 1st thought about switching sports he met with both the basketball/baseball coaches and felt comfortable because he knew another player who had previously walked-on to the basketball team. He admits that any Tom Izzo team will be really talented and play extremely hard…as will his team.

This time last year SO SF Courtese Cooper was busy winning the NJCAA D-2 national title at Triton College.  He says that his prior squad and his current team are similar in terms of their togetherness.  His birthday is next week and he hopes to spend it at the Final 4!  He knows that Michigan State has a lot of big guys and a score-1st PG so they will need to corral Winston with some really good defense.  He assumes that Skylar Mays will be the primary player guarding Winston.

The player who is having the most fun today is FR SF Emmitt Williams…but beware of pissing him off.  He was not invited to the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game and took out his frustration on the competition at the Jordan Brand Classic by scoring 44 PTS to break the scoring record set by some old guy who never even played in the NCAA tourney: LeBron James!  He did not watch the McDonald’s Game last night because he was tired but referred to MVP Cole Anthony as his “little bro”.  He is not overly-concerned about stopping Winston because in his opinion his team has the best PG in Skylar Mays.  Everyone on campus has been showing the team love this week but it is nothing new because it has been that way all season.  1 reason he is looking forward to facing the Spartans is because his favorite player is Draymond Green.  To avoid distractions the team is taking things 1 game at a time while acknowledging the great opportunity that lies ahead of them.  They will focus on what is important and just try to win their next game.  I noticed that he wears a wristband in honor of Wayde Sims:

1 player who is no stranger to the DC/MD/VA area is FR SF Aundre Hyatt, who played the previous 2 years for the Miller School in Charlottesville and was named the 2018 Virginia state POY after winning a state title.  He said that coming back to DC feels like home and he is happy to be back.  He admitted that he faced good competition in Charlottesville but instead of UVA he visited Virginia Tech when looking at colleges.  He hopes that the Hokies beat Duke in the other regional semifinal because they play at a fast pace just like his team does:

FR SG Ja’vonte Smart was in the news earlier this month due to a suspension but seems to have gotten back on track  He says despite all of the off-court drama the team will keep fighting because they believe in each other.  At the 2015 U16 FIBA Americas Championship he won a gold medal for team USA with roommate Tre Jones (who now plays for Duke): they are really good friends and if they end up facing each other in the Elite 8 on Sunday then he said he will have to do some talking!  He understands that Michigan State has really good big men in addition to Winston.  The mood on campus is good so he has been able to focus on going to class this week and getting his grades up.  Even with Coach Tony Benford subbing in to run things on the sideline the game plan stays the same and he will have the same routine.

The 3 podium players returned at the end of our allotted 30 minutes but there was a sea of humanity around each of them:

Mays: 

Waters:

Reid:

That’s all for now, check back later for continuing coverage.

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NCAA Tournament Preview – Thursday, March 28

Posted on March 28, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s coverage of practices at the NCAA East Regional – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with LSU Spirit Director/Coach Pauline Zernott – CLICK HERE

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

After a three-day hiatus, we return to the NCAA Tournament with the regional semifinal games tipping off tonight. In addition to tonight’s games, also follow us at @HoopsHD and @jonteitel for Jon’s coverage of the NCAA East Regional in Washington, DC this week!

WEST REGION

(4) FLORIDA STATE VS (1) GONZAGA (7:09 PM, CBS) – Gonzaga was the lone #1 seed during the first weekend that was not seriously challenged at any point for their first two games; they breezed past Fairleigh Dickinson last Thursday and also beat Baylor on Saturday night without any serious difficulty. Florida State had a close game with Vermont for the first 30 minutes of their opener, but they eventually won that game and blew out Murray State in the second round. Florida State beat Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 last year, but this time Gonzaga will have a healthy lineup in the rematch.

(3) TEXAS TECH VS (2) MICHIGAN (approx. 9:39 PM, CBS) – This could potentially be the best game of the night across the board. Michigan breezed past Montana and gradually pulled away against Florida in their 2nd-round game to advance to the Sweet 16. Texas Tech breezed past Northern Kentucky and Buffalo to reach back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time in program history, but reaching back-to-back Elite 8s will be more difficult with a postseason-toughened program like Michigan standing in the way.

SOUTH REGION

(12) OREGON VS (1) VIRGINIA (7:29 PM, TBS) – While Oregon was consigned to a 12-seed based on their overall resume when the NCAA Tournament started, they have played like a team on a mission for the past month with a pair of wins against Washington and Arizona State in the Pac-12 before taking out Wisconsin and UC-Irvine in the NCAA Tournament. They still figure to play a lot looser against a Virginia team that is a victim of their success in some ways – will this finally be the year they break through to the Final Four for the first time since 1984?

(3) PURDUE VS (2) TENNESSEE (approx. 9:59 PM, TBS) – Carsen Edwards personally saw to it that Villanova would not make a repeat run to the title game this year; the Boilers hammered the Wildcats in spectacular fashion thanks to a 40-point performance from Edwards. Tennessee also had to walk the tightrope in both of their games in Columbus last week, including a blown 20-point lead against Iowa before eventually winning that game in overtime. Tennessee’s last run to the Elite 8 was in 2010; Purdue last made it to that point back in 2000. Matt Painter is 0-4 in the Sweet 16 at Purdue; will the 5th time be a charm?

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Thursday, March 28

Posted on March 28, 2019 by John Stalica

One notable vacancy was filled yesterday in the 2019 Coaching Carousel – it was announced that Nate Oats would become the new head coach at Alabama. Oats had taken Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons there, including back-to-back trips to the 2nd round with victories against Arizona in 2018 and Arizona State this season. Other schools that have now filled their vacancies include UNLV’s hiring of TJ Otzelberger from South Dakota State and Washington State hiring Kyle Smith away from San Francisco.

On the court, there were two more NIT quarterfinal games played last night. One was an exciting finish between NC State and Lipscomb – while Garrison Matthews went off for 44 points against the Wolfpack, it was actually Kenny Cooper who narrowly avoided turning the ball over on Lipscomb’s final possession and ended up hitting a game-winning runner with 1.7 seconds left to play. They will play Wichita State in the NIT semifinal round in New York next week.

Texas finally had a breather after a pair of close calls at home. What was a close game in the first ten minutes was blown open with a 23-2 run by the Longhorns; they ended up winning 68-55 to advance to the NIT semifinals to face TCU next Tuesday. Dylan Osetkowski led Texas with 15 points.

Coastal Carolina and DePaul played a close game for the first 30 minutes in their CBI semifinal before the Blue Demons finally stretched their lead to 11 points with 6:38 remaining in the game. The Chanticleers got no closer than 4 points the rest of the way; DePaul was a clutch 22-for-23 behind the free throw line to ice a 92-87 victory and advance to the CBI championship series next Monday.

CBI

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT AT SOUTH FLORIDA (7:00 PM) – While the Bulls had to come back from a 22-point deficit in their opening round victory, their win against Utah Valley on Monday was not as stressful this time around. They will be hosting a Loyola Marymount team that is fresh off of a victory against Brown on Monday; the winner advances to play DePaul in the CBI Best-of-3 Championship Series starting on Monday.

CIT

HAMPTON AT NJIT (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – The Atlantic Sun conference is 5-1 in postseason play this year when you track Liberty, Lipscomb and NJIT. The Highlanders will play for the first time in ten days after beating Quinnipiac in their opener. Contrast that to Hampton; the Pirates will be playing their third game in eight days after back-to-back victories against Saint Francis-Brooklyn and Charleston Southern.

TEXAS SOUTHERN AT LOUISIANA-MONROE (8:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – The UL-Monroe Warhawks were the third team that got a bye into the quarterfinals based on their opening round performance; they beat Kent State 87-77 in the Lou Henson Classic in the opening round. Texas Southern will hit the road for the third straight time after beating New Orleans and UTRGV in their first two games.

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