NCAA Tournament Review and Preview – Wednesday, March 20

Posted on March 20, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Northern Kentucky F Dantez Walton – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Georgia State G Devin Mitchell – CLICK HERE

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

Last night, we were treated to two good games in Dayton. In the opening game, Prairie View jumped out to a 9-point lead at halftime before Fairleigh Dickinson mounted a comeback in the 2nd half. The Knights outscored Prairie View 10-0 in a critical run with 2 minutes remaining in the game – Darnell Edge led FDU with 33 points en route to an 82-76 victory. They will travel to Salt Lake City to play Gonzaga in the first round on Thursday.

In the nightcap, Temple and Belmont traded runs with each other throughout the night, but Belmont was led by Kevin McClain (29 points) and Nick Muszynski (16 points) en route to an 81-70 victory. It was Belmont’s first ever NCAA Tournament victory, and Fran Dunphy will officially retire and hand over the head coaching reins for Temple to Aaron McKie.

(16) NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL VS. (16) NORTH DAKOTA STATE (6:40 PM, TruTV). For the third year in a row, NC Central earned an auto bid via the MEAC Championship and will be looking to improve upon last season where they lost to Texas Southern in the First Four. North Dakota State finds themselves in Dayton after defeating Omaha to win the Summit League championship.

(11) ARIZONA STATE VS. (11) ST. JOHN’S (9:10 PM, TruTV). Despite a late-season slide in the Big East, St. John’s found itself as the very last team in the field. One of the reasons they got here was going 3-2 against Marquette and Villanova, but they were smashed by Marquette in the Big East quarterfinal round at Madison Square Garden. Arizona State had a mix of quality wins and terrible losses, but it wasn’t a complete shock when they lost in the conference tournament semifinals to eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon, either.

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Wednesday, March 20

Posted on March 20, 2019 by John Stalica

Last night, ten of the sixteen first-round NIT games were played on the ESPN family of networks. The night started out like it might be chaotic with St. Francis-PA leading Indiana by 4 at halftime as well as Hofstra and Wright State being withing striking distance of road upsets. At the end of the night, the only road teams that won were Lipscomb against Davidson and Arkansas against Providence. Only the Arkansas win was surprising to the extent that they controlled that game from tip to buzzer. The storied careers of Chris Clemons and Mike Daum came to an end last night as well when Campbell and South Dakota State lost their games.

In the CBI, one game was played – Utah Valley held off Cal State-Northridge 92-84 thanks to 21 points from Jake Toolson. In the CIT, Robert Morris made a late comeback and beat Cornell 98-89 in overtime. Marshall also beat IUPUI 78-73 in the Jim Phelan Classic (CIT); Jon Elmore was the MVP of the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

NIT

(8) NORFOLK STATE AT (1) ALABAMA (7:00 PM, ESPNU). If not for the bid thievery in the conference tournaments, Alabama would have been the last team selected in the NCAA Tournament. As it is, they will host a Norfolk State team that got an NIT auto-bid by winning the MEAC regular season crown.

(6) HARVARD AT (3) GEORGETOWN (7:00 PM, ESPN2). Georgetown is making their first postseason appearance since the 2015 NCAA Tournament when they were a #4 seed; they will be hosting a Harvard team that lost at archrival Yale in the Ivy League championship.

(6) TOLEDO AT (3) XAVIER (7:00 PM, ESPN3). Toledo was the last at-large team selected in the NIT; they will make a 3-hour trip to take on a Xavier team that got hot late in the year. As long as the Musketeers don’t mail it in for the NIT, they could be a potential favorite to win the NIT.

(6) WICHITA STATE AT (3) FURMAN (7:00 PM, ESPN3). Furman was another sentimental pick by bracketologists most of the year to get a 2nd bid out of the SoCon, but a loss to UNC-Greensboro ended those hopes and put them behind UNC-G in the pecking order. The Shockers also improved as the year went on, but they will be facing a fired-up crowd in Greenville that doesn’t normally see power teams visit their home arena.

(8) SAM HOUSTON STATE AT (1) TCU (9:00 PM, ESPNU). TCU’s exclusion from the NCAA Tournament field was probably the biggest surprise from Selection Sunday, although not necessarily an unfair one. They’ll host a Sam Houston State team that won the Southland Conference regular season title but failed to win any game in their conference tournament.

(5) BUTLER AT (4) NEBRASKA (9:00 PM, ESPN2). Nebraska finally showed some life at the end of the year with a win against Iowa and wins against Rutgers and Maryland in the Big 10 Conference Tournament, but all signs say that it will be too late to save Tim Miles’ job as Nebraska head coach. They will be hosting a Butler team that, interestingly enough, will be the only Big East team to play on the road in the 1st round of the NIT.

CBI

GRAND CANYON AT WEST VIRGINIA (7:00 PM). They may have been inspired to do so by virtue of two wins in the Big 12 Tournament that included a win against Texas Tech, but West Virginia will be in the postseason despite a 14-20 record. Interesting question here is whether or not there will be more GCU or WVU fans in attendance for this game.

HOWARD AT COASTAL CAROLINA (7:00 PM, ESPN+). Howard actually has a 9-7 record away from home, so Coastal Carolina should not treat this game like your normal buy game in November/December.

STONY BROOK AT SOUTH FLORIDA (7:00 PM). For the first time since 2012, the South Florida Bulls will be appearing in the postseason after a much-improved second season under head coach Brian Gregory. Geno Ford will serve as interim head coach for Stony Brook since Jeff Boals moved on to Ohio University to replace Saul Phillips.

SOUTHERN MISS AT LONGWOOD (7:00 PM, ESPN+). Longwood started out the year much improved before falling back towards the bottom half of the Big South. They will be taking on a Southern Miss team that finished third in Conference USA.

UAB AT BROWN (7:00 PM, ESPN+). Brown was another team that, despite finishing in the bottom half of the Ivy League, was in the hunt for finishing in the top half of the league until the final week of the season. They will be hosting a UAB team that lost in the C-USA semifinals to eventual champion Old Dominion.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT DEPAUL (8:00 PM). With DePaul’s appearance in the postseason for the first time since the 2007 NIT, every single team in the Big East will be making a postseason appearance. They will be hosting a Central Michigan team that has at least one familiar face for the Blue Demons – that would be their leading scorer Larry Austin Jr. (who transferred from Xavier and Vanderbilt).

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT AT CAL BAPTIST (10:30 PM). Cal Baptist had a great first season in Division I with a 16-14 record that included New Mexico State’s only loss in the WAC this season. The Lancers will host an LMU team that showed signs of promise in November and December (including a win against Georgetown in the Bahamas) before falling to the middle of the pack in the WCC this season.

CIT

GREEN BAY AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). This will be the Hugh Durham Classic – the Bucs were one of four power teams in the SoCon this season. They are a potential favorite to win the tournament, but must also find an answer for a Green Bay team that also beat Belmont and Wright State during the season.

TEXAS SOUTHERN AT NEW ORLEANS (8:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). We’ve gotten so used to seeing Texas Southern in the NCAA Tournament that it seems strange to see them down here in the CIT, but their 2nd-place finish in the SWAC regular season also meant that they could not get the NIT auto bid, either. They go on the road to a New Orleans team that lost the Southland championship game to Abilene Christian.

GRAMBLING AT TEXAS-RIO GRANDE VALLEY (8:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). The Vaqueros are assured of their first winning season in eleven years and are making their 2nd straight postseason appearance after breaking a 37-year postseason drought last season with their appearance in the CBI last season. They will host a Grambling team that lost in the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament against eventual champion Prairie View.

PRESBYTERIAN AT SEATTLE (10:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). Seattle had a decent nonconference portion of their schedule that included wins against Washington State and Omaha, but they struggled mightily with injuries in conference play and ended up finishing 6th in the WAC. They will host Presbyterian – the Blue Hose tied for 5th in the Big South this season.

 

 

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Northern Kentucky JR F Dantez Walton

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The Norse are staying the course, of course, of course! On Tuesday Northern Kentucky beat Wright State 77-66 in the Horizon tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Norse had a bad home loss to Cleveland State in late-February but then turned things around to win each of their past 5 games and claim the school’s 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 3 years. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with JR F Dantez Walton about facing Kentucky back in the 2017 NCAA tourney and being named to this year’s Horizon All-Academic team.

You grew up in Ohio: what made you choose Northern Kentucky? NKU is not far from home, which makes it easier for my family to come watch me play. I also love the environment here as well as the coaching staff.

You play for Coach John Brannen: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? The amount of time he invests in this team and how he treats us like family is what makes him such a great coach. I have learned that consistency is everything.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney as a freshman you played 9 minutes in a loss to Kentucky: what is your favorite memory from your prior participation in March Madness? Coming out onto the floor and seeing the atmosphere that was present and also checking into the game as a freshman.

You played several NCAA tourney-caliber teams this year in non-conference play (including Cincinnati/UCF): which of them impressed you the most, and why? UCF, due to their length and athleticism.

In the Horizon League tourney title game on Tuesday you posted your 1st career double-double with 15 PTS/14 REB in a win over Wright State: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? I just stayed the course and my teammates put their trust in me to go out and perform my best.

Senior big man Drew McDonald was named 2019 conference POY/conference tourney MVP: what makes him such a great player? His IQ level and his ability to read the floor.

What did it mean to you to win a title, and what has the reaction been like since returning to campus? It means a lot because of all the hard work that we have put in both on the court and in the film room: it is just exciting to see it starting to pay off. Also, the atmosphere was and still is unbelievable when seeing how excited the fans and the community are.

You were named to the league’s All-Academic team this year with a 3.57 GPA in Organizational Leadership: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I am just on top of the books. I really care about my academics and am aiming for A’s at all times.

In the 2018 NIT you had 9 REB in an 8-PT loss at Louisville: what did you learn from that game that will help you this March? Just live in every possession: do not look forward.

What do you think about getting a #14 seed, and what do you know about Texas Tech? I did not have any expectations with the seeding: I am just ready to get out on the court and play this Friday. We know that Texas Tech is a great team with a defensive mindset so we just have to come with our all and leave it on the court.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Georgia State SR SG Devin Mitchell

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Jon Teitel

If Georgia State SR SG Devin Mitchell is in search of athletic inspiration he need only look to 2 of his cousins: Jordan Goldwire might very well win a title next month as a sophomore at Duke and Desmond Howard won the 1991 Heisman Trophy at Michigan and was named Super Bowl MVP in 1997 with Green Bay. Last Sunday was Devin’s turn to step into the spotlight as Georgia State beat Texas-Arlington 73-64 in the Sun Belt tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Panthers lost 4 of 6 in January/February but have turned things around since then by winning 8 of their last 9 to claim the school’s 3rd NCAA tourney bid in the past 5 years. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Devin about his athletic family and what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney for the 2nd year in a row.

You began your college career at Alabama: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Georgia State? It was just time for me. I went there to play for Coach Anthony Grant and he had a great plan for me and the guys I came in with. I was very set on accomplishing what he had in store for me so once he left I was ready to go too. GSU was home: they had just beaten Baylor (in the 2015 NCAA tourney) and I saw how much it meant to the state and the university. I wanted to be a part of that.

You play for Coach Ron Hunter: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He challenges you day in and day out to play the best you can at all times. After a while you just start to get it if you buy in, and if you are doing that then you will win. He has not recruited anybody who is not a winner so it is fun to accept the challenges from him and win games. He is also one of the most prepared people I have ever been around: our scouting and game-plans for opponents are made easy for us through him. It helps make the game simple and allow us to lock in on what we need to do.

In the 2018 NCAA tourney you scored 3 PTS in a loss to Cincinnati: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this March? That I needed to work harder this past off-season so I could help my team the next time that we were in that position. I had a career year but my body was not strong enough for March: I timed out. This year I have come back stronger and it is showing.

You missed the 1st 7 games of this season due to injury: how difficult was it to make it back onto the court, and how is your health at the moment? It was very difficult: like I said, this summer I worked as hard as I ever have so to miss the first 7 games was pretty devastating. However, with the help of our athletic trainer Dinika Johnson I was back and better than ever and able to help us out. I could not have done it without her: she has helped sustain my health up to this point by keeping me at 100%.

You played some fellow NCAA tourney teams this year in non-conference play (including Kansas State/Liberty): which of them impressed you the most, and why? They are both handfuls. Kansas State’s defensive presence is one of the best in the country and they are even better when playing in Manhattan. Liberty reminds me a lot of our own team: they shoot the three at a high clip and spread you out on offense. Then there is Scottie James: he is just the man out there!

In the Sun Belt tourney title game on Sunday you scored 8 PTS in a 9-PT win over Texas-Arlington: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like after you got back to campus? It was great. The best part about it is that we did it by committee: everybody had a hand in the win. D’Marcus Simonds and I struggled but guys like Malik Benlevi/Damon Wilson/Kane Williams stepped up big so there was not a drop-off: it was a true team win for us.

Your 75 3PM is #1 on the team and you have led the team in 3P% during each of the past 2 years: what is your secret for making shots from behind the arc? Just hard work really: the other part is mental. I think that I am the best shooter in the country so I keep that mindset every game. Coach Sean Mock works with me on my mechanics every day and we try to stay true to that when the game starts: it just makes it easier.

You are majoring in journalism: what is the post-college plan? I plan to play basketball professionally. When I am done playing I would love to work in the communications department at a university or coach at the high school/college level.

Your brother Jalen plays basketball at Clark Atlanta, your cousin Jordan Goldwire plays basketball at Duke, and your cousin Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy at Michigan: who is the best athlete in the family, and if the Blue Devils make the Final 4 will you get to head to Minnesota to watch Jordan in person? Desmond is still the top athlete in the family: he is a Heisman Trophy winner! After that I would say myself. I will definitely try to be there for the Final 4 if he has a ticket for me. I have been unable to see him play in person at Cameron Indoor Stadium so seeing him in the Final 4 would be pretty dope. I could be lined up against him though: who knows?!

What do you think about getting a #14 seed, and what do you know about Houston? #14 is respectable but seeding does not really matter to us: we were going to be ready for whoever we matched up with. Our goal is to make a run this year and whoever in the way will get our best basketball. I do not know much about Houston yet other than the fact that they have won 31 games. Any program that can do that you must have respect for because no college team’s schedule is easy these days.

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NCAA Tournament Preview – Tuesday, March 18

Posted on March 19, 2019 by John Stalica

For last night’s Hoops HD Report previewing the NCAA Tournament – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Abilene Christian head coach Joe Golding – CLICK HERE

For today’s News, Notes and Highlighted Games outside the NCAA Tournament – CLICK HERE

Tonight, the NCAA Tournament kicks off in earnest with a pair of games being played in Dayton – the winner of the first opening round game between Prairie View and Fairleigh Dickinson will get a cross-country plane ticket to Salt Lake City to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday. The feature game will involve Belmont and Temple – the winner advances to Jacksonville in the East Region to play Maryland.

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (6:40 PM, TruTV). Prairie View accomplished the SWAC double with a regular season championship and the SWAC Tournament championship with a win against Texas Southern in the final game. Their reward is a game against the Knights of FDU – they earned their ticket to Dayton with a win against St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

BELMONT VS. TEMPLE (9:10 PM, TruTV). One of the pleasant surprises of Selection Sunday was the announcement of Belmont’s inclusion into the field. The only reason they ended up in Dayton was because three different teams (Saint Mary’s, Oregon and Saint Louis) all stole bids in their conference championship games. They will face a Temple team that had an early exit in the American tournament against SMU. The biggest question mark for this game will be the status of star Belmont freshman Nick Muszynski; he missed the OVC Championship game against Murray State due to injury.

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Tuesday, March 18

Posted on March 19, 2019 by John Stalica

While NJIT held off Quinnipiac to become the first program to win a postseason game, the bulk of games will start up today with the NIT kicking off with 10 first-round games today (and six tomorrow). There is also one game being played in the CBI, and two games will be played in the CIT.

As we post this article at 10:30 AM EDT, there is one notable coaching change in the Atlantic 10 – Phil Martelli has been dismissed after 24 years at Saint Joseph’s. He had two notably successful seasons on Hawk Hill that included a Sweet 16 run in 1997 and an Elite 8 run in 2004 that included a team that ran the table during the regular season. The timing will certainly be awkward – today, ironically enough, is the feast day of Saint Joseph!

NIT

(7) HOFSTRA AT (2) NC STATE (7:00 PM, ESPN2). NC State seemed to be the power conference most upset at its exclusion from the NCAA Tournament, but there is no rest for the weary – they will face a Hofstra team that won the regular season title in the Colonial and fell short against Northeastern in the CAA Championship game last week.

(5) LIPSCOMB AT (4) DAVIDSON (7:00 PM, ESPN3). Early on in the season, Lipscomb was on track for a potential at-large NCAA run, but that changed with a pair of losses to Liberty and a regular-season loss at Florida Gulf Coast. They travel to a Davidson team that lost in the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament against eventual champ Saint Louis.

(8) CAMPBELL AT (1) UNC-GREENSBORO (7:00 PM, ESPN3). UNC-Greensboro was the victim of one too many bid thieves during Championship Week – the Spartans were the first team to be left out of the NCAA field this year. They have a good defensive ballclub, but they will be tested by the Chris Clemons Show tonight.

(8) ST. FRANCIS-PA AT (1) INDIANA (7:00 PM, ESPN). The Hoosiers made a late-season rush after a horrendous stretch in their season from mid-January to mid-February. They shouldn’t have too much trouble at home against the Red Flash tonight.

(7) WRIGHT STATE AT (2) CLEMSON (7:00 PM, ESPNU). There will be some intrigue in this game featuring Brad Brownell and his current Clemson team and his former team in Wright State.

(6) SAN DIEGO AT (3) MEMPHIS (8:00 PM, ESPN3). Memphis looked like they might make a home-court run in the American tournament, but they were short-circuited by Houston in the semifinal round. San Diego managed three wins in the West Coast Conference tournament and gave Saint Mary’s a huge scare in the semis before losing in the closing seconds of that game in Las Vegas last week.

(7) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT (2) TEXAS (9:00 PM, ESPN). This might be the feature game tonight in the NIT with Mike Daum and the Jackrabbits going on the road to face a Texas team that had some decent quality wins this year, but not enough in quantity.

(7) LOYOLA-CHICAGO AT (2) CREIGHTON (9:00 PM, ESPNU). Our Hoops HD Selection Committee thought highly enough of Creighton that they were our last team in the NCAA Tournament field, but at the end of the day didn’t have quite enough quality wins despite a tough schedule this season. Loyola can be a pest, but haven’t been able to stay healthy all season long, either.

(5) ARKANSAS AT (4) PROVIDENCE (9:00 PM, ESPN2). The Friars are one of five Big East teams in the NIT field this year despite flirting with last place in the conference near the end of the season. Arkansas had one moment of glory with a win at LSU this year, but precious little else on their profile.

(5) DAYTON AT (4) COLORADO (11:00 PM, ESPN2). Very quietly, Colorado put together a somewhat decent season and only had two losses at home all year – one was against Washington and the other against Oregon State. They’ll be facing a Dayton team that does have some young talent, but might be unfamiliar with the Mile High air tonight.

CBI

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE AT UTAH VALLEY (9:00 PM). We’ll let you guess at home which team bought their way into this tournament despite a 20-loss season.

CIT

CORNELL AT ROBERT MORRIS (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). Despite missing the 4-team Ivy League tournament, the Big Red of Cornell will get at least one postseason game on the road with a trip to Moon Township to take on the Robert Morris Colonials.

IUPUI AT MARSHALL (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com). This is the first of 5 “Classic” opening round games – the Jim Phelan Classic features an IUPUI team that won at Boston College during nonconference play. Marshall had a middling season in C-USA one year after beating Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament.

 

 

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