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.

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 26th

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.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on The 60-40 Club: HoopsHD interviews Carl Fuller about his remarkable performance

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.

Posted in Under the Radar | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Under The Radar Game of the Day: Miami University at Bowling Green

The Hoops HD Report: February 25th

Posted on February 25, 2019 by David Griggs

-Chad and the panel begin in the West Coast Conference and the new #1 ranked team Gonzaga.  We discuss whether or not they actually are the overall best team and compare them to the other #1 seeds.  We look at all of the multi-bid conferences and talk about how well North Carolina is looking right now, how Duke and Virginia may be the two best teams in the country, and how despite some of the recent slip-ups how Louisville is still exceeding all their preseason expectations.  In the SEC we look at Kentucky and discuss what they need to do to end up on the #1 line, as well as discuss the Tennessee vs LSU game from this past weekend, how great the game was, how impressive it was that LSU won without Tremont Waters, and how utterly ridiculous all of video replays were.  In the Big East we look at how Villanova has struggled, and how Xavier has suddenly come to life with four straight wins.  The Big Twelve could send as many as 8 teams to the NCAA Tournament and we look at all of those teams.  All that, and much more…

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

Posted in Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Videocasts | Comments Off on The Hoops HD Report: February 25th

Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Rhonda Bennett about Nick Fazekas

Posted on February 25, 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 Nick Fazekas, who is a reminder that Nevada was good at basketball long before their run to the Sweet 16 last March. Nick played in Reno from 2003-2007, where he won 3 straight WAC POY awards and helped lead his team to 4 straight NCAA tourney appearances (going 4-4 in his postseason career). 2004 was especially sweet, as Nevada beat a couple of decent coaches in Tom Izzo/Mark Few before losing to Georgia Tech. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nevada senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator Rhonda Bennett about the 15th anniversary of the Wolfpack’s 2004 run to the Sweet 16 as well as Nick’s impact on the program.

Nick’s grandfather Albert was a freedom fighter in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution who escaped from prison after pouring gasoline on himself, and his father Joe (who is 6’10”) played professional basketball in Argentina after college ball at Wyoming/Idaho State: what did his grandfather teach him about courage, and what did his father teach him about basketball? You hit the nail on the head! I think that he learned perseverance/courage and got his work ethic from his family. Basketball was very important to him and it prepared him for opportunities after college.

In the 2004 NCAA tourney at Nevada he scored 12 PTS in a 6-PT win over Michigan State and 16 PTS/10 REB in a win over Gonzaga: did you start to get the sense that the team was going to make a deep run in the tourney? I was watching from afar but I knew Coach Mark Fox. We saw that Nick was a special player who had the presence to hit big shots against some of the top teams in the nation.

Take me through the 2005 NCAA tourney:
Despite having a broken nose he had 10 PTS and a tourney-school record 13 REB in a 4-PT win over Texas: how was he able to hit the boards so hard without re-injuring his nose? Just determination and timing and having the all-out effort needed at that time of the year.

He scored 11 PTS (5-20 FG) in a loss to eventual national runner-up Illinois: was he getting tired of running into the 2nd best team in the nation each year (in 2004 they lost to eventual national runner-up Georgia Tech)? The attitude of the team was that they would play anyone/anytime/anywhere.

He declared early for the 2006 NBA draft but did not hire an agent and eventually returned for his senior year: how close did he come to going pro, and why did he decide to go back to school? I know that he got all of the information, talked to his family/coaches, and decided to return. Pro basketball was always his goal but I think that he made the educated decision to return.

Take me through the 2007 NCAA tourney:
He had 17 PTS/11 REB/4 BLK before fouling out in a 6-PT OT win over Creighton: did you think that Nate Funk’s shot was going in at the end of regulation? I remember that game being so intense from opening tip to final buzzer and that anything could happen.

He had 20 PTS/3 BLK in a loss to Memphis: what was the reaction like in your locker room afterwards? Everyone was understandably devastated: it was such a close game for a long time and we played our hearts out. When your expectation is to make the Sweet 16 it is difficult when it finally ends. We had such a fantastic season: top-10 ranking, school record for wins, etc.

He remains the school’s all-time leading scorer: did you realize at the time how prolific a player he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? I think that we both realized that: as SID I recall him doing things that were record-breaking. We have some great players now so I would not be surprised if someone broke his record…but I do not think that having 4 great seasons happens very often these days.

He won 3 straight WAC POY awards from 2005-2007 (a feat only matched by Keith Van Horn), was a 2-time All-American, and became only the 6th college player ever with 2000 PTS/1000 REB/50 FG%/80 FT% (Rick Barry/Larry Bird/Bill Bradley/Christian Laettner/Keith Van Horn): what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors and be in such prestigious company? Nick was in a very elite class based on his consistency. It made Nick very proud to have his name on a list with those legends of basketball. He had a sense of history so it was a special thing for him. He is a student of the game and knew a lot about past players.

He shot 43.1 3P% as a 6’11” senior: how did he develop such a good long-range shot despite being so tall? You do not see too many 6”11” players who are that versatile/skilled. He works really hard and has a nice shooting touch/great hands. He prided himself on being able to spot up and make threes. When people crowded him in the paint he could still step outside and produce.

In the summer of 2007 he was drafted in the 2nd round by Dallas (1 spot ahead of Glen “Big Baby” Davis) and has spent the past decade playing pro basketball in the US and overseas: how proud are you of all that he has accomplished? I enjoyed working with Nick a great deal and am very proud of everything that he has been able to accomplish. Pro careers are often short-lived but he has won championships overseas as well as personal accolades. It did not surprise me 1 bit as he is fulfilling his lifelong dream to play pro basketball.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As 1 of the best and most decorated players in school history, because he was. He helped build the foundation of our program: WAC titles, 4 straight NCAA tourneys, etc. He helped put our program on the map and helped us build our legacy.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Rhonda Bennett about Nick Fazekas

Bracket Projection – Hoops HD Staff Bracket

Posted on February 25, 2019 by John Stalica

For today’s UTR Game of the Day out of the Big Sky – CLICK HERE

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

This week, it is our colleague John Stalica’s turn to produce what he feels would be his own bracket as of games played through Sunday, February 24. This is not to be confused with what Jon Teitel does each week when he tries to guess the Selection Committee’s actual bracket. (CLICK HERE to view Teitel’s latest bracket projection.) Without further ado, here is the bracket:

First Four Out: Minnesota, Seton Hall, Utah State, Clemson

Next Four Out*: Alabama, Butler, Furman, Georgetown

Others Considered: Georgetown, South Carolina, Fresno State, Saint Mary’s, Dayton, San Francisco

(Footnote: #StupidStalica would actually have UNC-Greensboro in the First Four Out if this were a conventional bracket.)

JOHN’S NOTES:

-Before I begin, let me offer a brief disclaimer – two weeks ago, the Puppet took the unusual action of adding a non-D1 team to the bracket because he didn’t like the teams on the bubble that week. Last week, Chad actually bracketed a field of 64 in protest of the teams on the bubble.

-I will be bracketing a 68-team field, but my twist is that I am going to assume a little chaos happens during Championship Week. I am going to assume that there are four bid thieves (this is NOT what I ultimately think will happen) – this means that these are teams that would end up winning an auto bid but are not worthy of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. The reason I do this is to demonstrate just how fragile the bubble is right now and to demonstrate what could happen if and when bids are stolen during Championship Week. They are:

  • Murray State wins the OVC (note that Belmont is listed as an at-large)
  • UNC-Greensboro wins the SoCon (Wofford gets in as an at-large)
  • Davidson wins the A-10 (VCU gets in as an at-large)
  • Oregon State wins the Pac-12 (Washington and Arizona State get in as an at-large)

-Out of the protected seeds, I still expect Tennessee to be my most controversial pick at #8 overall. While they have beaten teams that they should have beaten for the most part, they don’t quite have the volume of solid wins that teams like Michigan State, North Carolina and Michigan have right now. They missed a golden opportunity to win at LSU on Saturday with Tremont Waters out of the Tigers’ lineup.

-Villanova is slipping like a stone right now – they went 0-3 on their last road swing. A road loss at St. John’s could have been excused, but they will be penalized for losing at Georgetown and Xavier since they are both NIT-caliber teams at the moment. Their loss at Penn is also looking more and more like an anchor by the day.

-In a vacuum, teams like Wofford and Belmont would be lower on the bracket if they were to lose in their conference tournaments. But as it is right now, I like both teams enough that I would have them above teams on the 9-line, 10-line and below. If Wofford wins out and ends up winning the SoCon Tournament, I think they have a ceiling of a 7 seed.

-If you look at the teams I have listed as First Four out, they would be in the bracket if chalk held in the four conference tournaments that I listed above.

-Protected seeds would be protected against potentially playing Yale in Hartford. Drake cannot play in Des Moines since they are the host institution for the first and second rounds. Likewise, Ohio State cannot play first and second-round games in Columbus, and it is worth noting that Georgetown would not be allowed to play in the East region should they end up stealing a bid out of the Big East. (South Carolina couldn’t play in Columbia either, but if they stole a bid, they would not be in the 8/9 slots that would likely take place in the Columbia sub-regionals.)

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID

-I do not agree at all with Kansas as a protected seed.  I know the real committee might give them a protected seed.  I know their resume is spectacular.  But, they have not been spectacular since losing Azebuike, and they still only have two true road wins on the season.  I believe that would be a historic low for a protected seed.  When you look at a team like Florida State, I think they’ve certainly done more than Kansas has without Azebuike, and that they’d beat Kansas if they were to play them on a neutral floor.

-Seton Hall is not in John’s field.  Although there are certainly reasons to leave them out, I also think there are more reasons to put them in with wins away from home against teams like Kentucky and Maryland.  I certainly like them more than Auburn, who for some reason is on Stalica’s #10 line.  Which raises the question…WHAT THE HELL WAS STALICA DRINKING THIS MORNING!!??

-Other than that, I don’t have a whole lot of complaints.  Kentucky makes sense as the 4th #1 seed when you look at their overall resume.  They don’t have a true road win against a protected seed, but they have beaten North Carolina on a neutral floor, and also have a win at Louisville, which is pretty damn good.

COMMENTS FROM CHAD

– I think we should let John do the Bracket two out of every three weeks and stop getting them from David.  Honestly, I have almost no serious complaints whatsoever about this field.  I do like Kansas still on the 4 line and would note that David’s complaints are just flat out wrong.

– I do think Belmont is over-rated on the 9 line and Oregon State underrated on the 13 line, although that is in part because when I look at the way John placed those teams in the field, I cannot help but assume that Belmont suffers at least one more loss (in the OVC Tournament) and that Oregon State has 1-2 more good wins (in the Pac-12 Tournament over Washington and/or Arizona State).

– I agree with David that Seton Hall is in right now, but I would have them just barely avoiding the First Four, and given that John assumed four bid thieves, I could see the Pirate just missing out.

– If I was to assume that John’s top four teams out were all in (i.e. that there were no bid thieves) I would NOT agree with UNC-Greensboro being in and would have any of the next four teams in above them.  My choice from that list, for the moment, would actually be Butler, but it is very close.  Actually, I kind of wonder how Greensboro can both be in John;s First Four out and in as an auto-bid winner at the same time.  He must really like them to have considered the Spartans for two spots in the field.

Posted in Bracketology | Comments Off on Bracket Projection – Hoops HD Staff Bracket