Under The Radar Game of the Day: Sam Houston State at New Orleans

Posted on February 27, 2019 by John Stalica

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

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former North Dakota State star Ben Woodside – CLICK HERE

Sam Houston State (19-9, 14-1 Southland) at New Orleans (16-10, 11-4 Southland) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN3)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us back to New Orleans (and Mardi Gras Week!) where the hometown Privateers will host the Sam Houston State Bearkats in a matchup of the top two teams in the Southland Conference. New Orleans has won seven out of their last eight games, including a win against Southeastern Louisiana that has put UNO in 2nd place last week. Ezekiel Charles leads the Privateers with 12.9 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Sam Houston State is coming off of a wild 119-113 victory against Houston Baptist that went double overtime – the Bearkats led by 25 points with under six minutes remaining in regulation and ended up trailing by as many as six points in the first overtime before rallying to extend the game to double OT and eventually clinch a share of first place in the conference. They can clinch the title outright tonight with a win. Cameron Delaney averages 13.3 points a game and 5.6 rebounds per game.

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Ben Woodside

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Jon Teitel

With the 2019 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 a comeback win to clinch the 1954 tourney title (65th anniversary) through a last-second loss in the 2014 Final 4 (5th anniversary), these legends have all carved out a little piece of history in past Marches. We continue our series with Ben Woodside, who joined a very exclusive club during his NCAA tourney career. Even casual college basketball fans know the importance of Kansas to the sport: 2nd-most victories in D-1 history, 1st coach was a guy named James Naismith, about to extend their own record by making their 30th straight NCAA tourney appearance in a few weeks, etc. What you might not know is that there are only 3 opponents who have ever scored 37+ PTS against the Jayhawks in an NCAA tourney game: Glenn Robinson (44 PTS for Purdue’s national POY in the 1994 Sweet 16), Oscar Robertson (43 PTS for Cincinnati’s 3-time national POY in the 1960 Elite 8), and Ben Woodside (37 PTS for North Dakota State’s Summit League POY in the 2009 1st round). Incredibly, that was not even Ben’s most impressive game of the season: in December of 2008 he scored a school record 60 PTS in a 1-PT 3-OT loss to Stephen F. Austin (to go along with 8 REB/8 AST and an NCAA record 30-35 FT!). HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ben about the 10th anniversary of his 2009 NCAA tourney performance vs. Kansas as well as what it feels like to score 60 PTS in 1 game.

In addition to playing basketball you are a black belt in karate: how did you get into karate, and how have your karate skills helped you on the basketball court (if at all)? I got into karate a LONG time ago (as in 5th grade) so I really do not remember too much about karate. However, I do think that that it helped me mentally in terms of being focused and having goals.

You went to Albert Lea High School where you set school career records for PTS/AST/STL: how were you able to balance your scoring/passing/defense, and why did you decide to go to North Dakota State? In high school I was focused on scoring as well as getting my teammates involved. Basketball is a team game so as a PG you have to make the right plays for your teammates as well as for yourself. I would create a lot off of the dribble, which would make our opponents have to help, and then I would kick it out to my teammates for open shots. I decided to go to North Dakota State because I really enjoyed the coaching staff as well as the players. I knew some of the players that were being recruited by the Bison (Brett Winkelman, Tom Lunde, etc.), and once I found out that those guys were planning on going it made my decision even easier.

You and several of your teammates sat out the 2004–05 season as redshirts in order to be eligible for 1 shot at the NCAA tourney in 2009 after your school joined the Summit League: why did you decide to do that, and do you have any regrets? We decided to do that simply to have 1 shot at the NCAA tourney so I have no regrets at all!

In 2008 you scored a conference-record 60 PTS by making an NCAA-record tying 30 FT in a 1-PT 3-OT loss to Stephen F. Austin: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? I scored a lot of my points at the FT line so it was not like everything I was throwing up at the rim was going in. I was just attacking the basket all the time and kept getting to the FT line. Now, if you score 60 PTS in a game then the ball is definitely going in the hole, but I was relentless going to the basket and that is where I scored a lot of easy points. I had mixed emotions after the game because in the end I always want to WIN. We lost the game so I was pretty upset about that, but I do know that I accomplished something that not many other basketball players can say they did.

In 2009 you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor? To be completely honest I was happier for our team that year. We had a great year: regular season champs, conference tourney champs, and of course going to the NCAA tourney. Being named POY was special but it was sweeter to have a great season as a team and accomplish many of our goals.

What are your memories of the 2009 NCAA tourney (you scored 37 PTS in a 10-PT loss to #3-seed Kansas)? I will never forget running out onto the floor and hearing the roar of 15,000 Bison fans! I will also never forget walking off the court to a standing ovation knowing that it was my last college basketball game.

You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? I think that someone will definitely break my scoring record. I have always believed that records are meant to be broken so someday that record will be broken.

After graduation you ended up playing professionally in several countries and won multiple championships: what have you learned from this experience, and how does it compare to college basketball? I have learned that there are a lot of talented players everywhere in the world. It has been a great opportunity to play professional basketball and I thank God for allowing me to fulfill my dreams. Professional basketball does not compare to college ball as much as I thought it would. Over here it is a lot more physical and a lot faster style of game.

You also played in the NBA Summer League: how close did you come to making a team, and do you think that you will end up in the NBA someday? I am not sure what the future holds for me in terms of making the NBA. That is every basketball player’s dream so we will have to wait and see what happens in the future. Obviously it would be another dream come true…but we will just have to wait and see.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? That I am the ultimate competitor who loves to win but also a good role model for young people.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 27th

Posted on February 27, 2019 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOARD (click here to view)

-If New Hampshire loses to Albany, and Maine wins at home against UMass Lowell, then New Hampshire will be eliminated.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Duke came up short at Virginia Tech.  Both teams were without key players, and that will be factored in some, but only some.  It’s still a big win for Virginia Tech, and even if you want to penalize Duke for the loss, their resume is still tons better than everyone else’s and I don’t think it moves them off the #1 line, and perhaps not even out of the top spot.  Duke has 3 wins this year against teams IN THE TOP 4!!!!  Two of those are away from home, and they have additional wins over highly ranked teams like Texas Tech, Florida State, and Louisville away from home.  Duke is okay.  They really are.

-Kentucky took the first half off against Arkansas, but showed up for the second half to come back and win.  They’ve still get a path to the #1 line if they can finish strong.

-Wisconsin had an awful shooting night and ended up losing to Indiana in double overtime.  I’ll say this for the Hoosiers.  They haven’t won much since the start of the New Year, but when they have won it has been spectacular.  I personally think they still have a ton of work to do to get back in the discussion, but a strong finish will get them a serious look based on what they did earlier in the year.

-Iowa was blown out by Ohio State.  It was a really nice win for the Buckeyes who were in relatively good shape, but only relatively.  This win will go a long way toward stabilizing them.

-TCU continues to lose whenever they leave home.  They fell at West Virginia in triple overtime last night.  It was an exciting game with a rather disastrous result for a TCU team that really didn’t need a disastrous result right now.

-Temple fell at Memphis, which is rather damaging.  They were right on the bubble, and needed that road win to help keep them on the right side of the fence.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-MARYLAND AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  I would say that this is some low hanging fruit for Maryland due to it being an easy opportunity at a road win, but Penn State has surprised some people at home this year, so the Terps can’t just sleepwalk and beat them.

-GEORGIA TECH AND VIRGINIA (ACC).  Chances are, Virginia can sleepwalk, and beat them.

-TENNESSEE AT OLE MISS (SEC).  This is a big game for both teams for two different reasons.  Tennessee is trying to end a two game skid and finish the season strongly enough to earn a #1 seed, and Ole Miss is looking for a signature win in a showcase game that could help improve their seeding.

-HOUSTON AT EAST CAROLINA (American).  Houston shouldn’t have too much trouble winning this one.  If they can win out then they could get as high as the #2 line.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech has provem that they are an extremely dangerous team, especially at home.  A strong finish to the season should earn them a protected seed.

-CLEMSON AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Clemson is squarely on the bubble, so every game from here on out will have a pivotal feel to it. It will either feel like they cannot afford to lose it because their opponent is weak, or they need to win it to help improve their resume.  This game falls into the former category.

-DEPAUL AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  If Georgetown has a path to an at-large, then it involves winning out.

-UCF AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  UCF is squarely on the bubble, and with limited chances at big wins they have almost no margin for error whatsoever.  It’s not easy winning games like this on the road, but making the tournament isn’t easy either.

-ILLINOIS AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Illinois may be one of the most improved teams in the country from the beginning of January until now.  The problem is that they’re still a thousand miles from making the NCAA Tournament, and I don’t think they’re so much improved that they can take down a likely protected seed like Purdue on the road.

-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  A few weeks ago, after the first meeting between these two, I was SOOO excited for this game tonight!!  The problem is that Nova has won just one game since then and hasn’t exactly been playing top 25 caliber teams.  So the narrative has gone from a showcase game between two probable protected seeds to Marquette needing a big road win to help cement them as a protected seed and Nova needing a win just to get their momentum back.

-CINCINNATI AT SMU (American).  I think Cincinnati can cruise to the top half of the bracket as long as they keep winning.  I’m very curious to see how this team does when they face Houston for a second, and perhaps even a third, time.

-TEXAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Both teams are likely NCAA Tournament teams, but both could also use some improvement when it came to their resume and seeding.  Plus, it’s a rivalry game, so it’s still a big game for both teams.

-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC).  The best thing I can say about Auburn this year is that other than South Carolina they’ve not lost any games to teams outside the bubble.  That should be enough to get them into the field.  But, they need to keep it up.

-FLORIDA AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Florida appears to be inside the bubble for now, but not far enough inside to where they can just skate on in.  A loss tonight would be pretty damaging.

-LOUISVILLE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC).  When you look at Louisville some would say that they’ve been in a tailspin.  Well, they’ve been in a tailspin against top ten teams.  BC is NOT a top ten team.  If they fail to win this one, then they can panic.

-UNLV AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  This is a huge mismatch.  It is a rivalry, but one team is way short of making the NIT, and the other will easily land in the top half of the bracket.

UNDER THE RADAR

-RADFORD AT HIGH POINT (Big South). VERY exciting finish in the Big South.  Radford has just a one game lead on Campbell with two games remaining.  And the season finale is against Campbell!  The first place finisher gets to host the conference tournament.

-CAMPBELL AT USC UPSTATE (Big South).  See the note above.

-UMBC AT STONY BROOK (America East).  Stony Brook is just a game back of Vermont, and UMBC is just a game back of Stony Brook. This is EXTREMELY pivotal!  Stony Brook still has a chance to win the league and get home court advantage throughout the entire conference tournament.  They could also lose today and only get to play at home in the quarterfinals.

-BUCKNELL AT NAVY (Patriot League).  If Bucknell wins, then they clinch at least a share of first place in the PL, and since they swept Lehigh during the regular season I believe they lock up home court advantage in the PL Tourney with a win tonight.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago is in a three way tie for first with Drake and Missouri State!!  Which means….well…not a whole lot.  The conference tournament is at a predetermined site, so all that’s really at stake is the color uniforms those teams will be wearing.

 

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 26th

Posted on February 26, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE to watch the latest Hoops HD Report

For the UTR Game of the Day out of the MAC – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE (click here to view)

-Kennesaw State will be eliminated if they lose at Liberty, which is VERY likely, and Stetson wins at North Florida (which isn’t so likely).

 

NEWS, NOTES, AND HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-Kansas hasn’t done much away from home since losing Azubuike, but at home they look as good as ever.  They won rather easily against K State last night to even the score against their rival.  Despite all they’ve been through, they are now just one game back of first place in the Big 12, so the streak may continue!

-Also int he Big 12, Iowa State won handily at home against Oklahoma.  The Sooners have struggled in conference play, but if they can win two of their last three I’d say their chances of making The Dance are way over 50/50.

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  Duke will likely still be without Williamson.  If they can win without him I think it solidifies them as a #1 seed caliber team.  If they cannot win without him and he’s back for the NCAA Tournament, then I think it still solidifies them as a #1 seed caliber team.  This would be a nice win for the Hokies, who are already cruising toward the top half of the NCAA Tournament bracket.

-AKRON AT BUFFALO (MAC).  It’s kind of the same story for Buffalo.  If they win out they should be safely in the field, and should even land in the top half of the bracket and be wearing white in the first round.

-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  This is a big game for an Ohio State team that’s 7-9 in Big Ten play and while they’re inside the bubble, they’re not so far inside that they can just cruise on in.  Iowa seems to win a close game every time they take the floor, and their resume continues to look better and better and better.

-ALABAMA AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Alabama is squarely on the bubble and could use a road win.  This game has a pivotal feel to it for the Tide.

-MISSOURI AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Mississippi State is cruising to the NCAA Tournament and just needs to hold serve against sub-tournament caliber teams.  Like Mizzou.

-PROVIDENCE AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler has a lot of work to do, but they still have a path to the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to piece together a strong finish.

-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  For the most part TCU has been horrendous on the road.  This is some low hanging fruit that could help out their road record, and they need to grab it.

-SAINT LOUIS AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU will land in the NCAA Tournament if they win out through the regular season, which they should be able to do.

-ARKANSAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  This is a winnable road game for a Kentucky team that suddenly looks to have a path to a #1 seed.

-SYRACUSE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  Both are probable tournament teams, but will land in very different spots within the bracket.  North Carolina is almost assuredly going to get a protected seed, and Syracuse will most likely land somewhere in the 7-10 seed range.

-TEXAS A&M AT LSU (SEC).  LSU should hold serve and win this one rather easily.  Chances are they end up on the top four lines.

-WISCONSIN AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Indiana has won just one game since January 3rd, but STILL has a path to the NCAA Tournament if they can somehow turn it around and finish strong.  That’s easier said than done, though.  Wisconsin is likely safely in the field and is just playing for seeding the rest of the way.

-TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS (American).  Temple is squarely on the bubble with an almost non-existent margin for error.  They need to pick this one up at Memphis tonight.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  If any MWC team other than Nevada is going to land inside the bubble, it’s Utah State, but they also have a non-existent margin for error.  If they fail to win out, which would mean beating Nevada, then it may not be enough.

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The 60-40 Club: HoopsHD interviews Carl Fuller about his remarkable performance

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Jon Teitel

We have seen a lot of great individual efforts this season: Tacko Fall’s 23 PT/20 REB game for UCF last Sunday, Cameron Young’s 55 PT game for Quinnpiac in triple-OT the Sunday before that, Markus Howard’s 45-PTS-in-30-minutes-against-an-undefeated-Buffalo-team for Marquette in late-December, etc. However, they all pale in comparison to Carl Fuller’s sensational stat line that occurred exactly 54 years ago today. In the semifinals of the 1965 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Collegiate tournament in Tuskegee, AL, the Bethune-Cookman star had 1 of the greatest performances in college basketball history with 60 PTS/40 REB in a 107-80 win over Fisk. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Mr. Fuller earlier this month about the game of his life and how it remains a part of his life more than a half-century later.

You grew up in Florida: what made you choose Bethune-Cookman? I grew up about 50 miles from St. Augustine and I had some relatives who lived only 1 block from the school. My grandfather met the coach 1 day…then he told me that I was going to attend Bethune-Cookman!

You played for legendary coach Cy McClairen: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was more of a father to me than a coach. Everything he did as a coach I try to do myself. We still send each other Christmas cards every year.

Take me through the 1965 SIAC tourney:
In the semifinals you set a pair of school records with 60 PTS/40 REB in win over Fisk University: how on earth were you able to dominate that game? It was like I was in a daze so I do not remember very much of what I did. Coach told me to jam the ball and I did: I simply could not miss that night.

In the title game you scored 15 PTS in a 1-PT loss to Clark College: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? Clark had a good defensive coach so I was tired from working really hard to get the ball.

You averaged 16.3 RPG as a freshman and remain the all-time leading rebounder in school history with 1685 REB: what was your secret for being a great rebounder? What really helped was when I started playing with Johnnie Allen (the Wildcats’ all-time leading scorer): he really wanted to shoot while I did not care if I scored. I just wanted to win games so I let him shoot while I rebounded/defended.

You led the Wildcats to the 1968 SIAC tourney title: how big a deal was it to win a title? We were tied with only a few seconds left. Johnnie was whistled for a foul against Florida A&M but I raised my hand to take the foul so that he would not foul out.

You were selected by St. Louis in the 7th round of the 1967 NBA draft and by Detroit in the 5th round of the 1968 NBA draft: why did you end up joining the ABA instead? Detroit had followed me for an entire week but the 1 day they did not follow me I signed with the ABA. They said they would give me $10,000 if I put my name on the paperwork, which is more money than I ever had in my life at that time. Looking back now, I should have joined the NBA because the ABA was mostly about scoring.

You played 2 seasons with The Floridians from 1970-1972: what is your favorite memory from your time in the ABA? Being from Florida it meant a great deal to me to play down there.

What have you been up to since retiring? I was a school teacher for 35 years in New Orleans. I enjoyed it and was able to teach young Black boys in the ghetto: I was more of a role model because I was 1 of the few adult males many of them saw on a daily basis.

In 2012 you were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It meant a great deal to me but I wondered why it took so long. Bethune was a football school so we did not have a lot of fans back then: I was the 1st player to get a basketball scholarship.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? As the 60-40 guy: even my grandkids call me “60-40”! I do not think that anyone will ever do it again. Nobody came into our gym and beat us when I was playing.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Miami University at Bowling Green

Posted on February 26, 2019 by John Stalica

For the weekly Hoops HD Report podcast – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Nevada associate AD Rhonda Bennett (about former Nevada star Nick Fazekas) – CLICK HERE

Miami (14-13, 6-8 MAC) at Bowling Green (19-8, 11-3 MAC) – 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Bowling Green, Ohio where the hometown Falcons will play host to the Miami RedHawks in a matchup of teams in the MAC West Division. Miami won the first matchup between both teams at Millett Hall in January; it snapped a 10-game winning streak for Bowling Green at that time. It was also the beginning of an odd 8-game win-loss streak for Miami since that time. If the season ended today, Miami would be seeded 8th in the MAC Tournament and would be the last team to host a first-round tournament game on campus. Nike Sibande averages 15.3 points a game for the RedHawks.

Bowling Green is coming off of a surprising loss at Ohio on Friday; the Falcons ended up losing 92-87 in overtime. Their only other loss in conference play was at home against Toledo; they had won three straight games prior to the OU loss. They are currently a game behind Buffalo in the league standings (and are two games up on third-place Toledo) and will finish the season with a homestand against Miami and Kent State and a 2-game road trip against Akron and Buffalo. Justin Turner leads the Falcons with 18.9 points a game; he scored his 1,000th career point with a game-winning shot at home against Akron last week.

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