News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 14th

Posted on February 14, 2019 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For our most recent Under the Radar Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For tonight’s UTR Game of the Day between South Dakota State and Omaha – CLICK HERE

-For Jon Teitel’s interview with Tre Mann – CLICK HERE

-Tennessee, Villanova, Texas Tech, Florida State, and Virginia Tech all won against sub-tournament caliber teams yesterday.

-Clemson, who was on the bubble, went on the road to Miami really needing to add another road win to their resume, and came up short.  This loss will be another that haunts them if they land in the NIT instead of the NCAAs.

-UCF sprinted out to an early lead against South Florida and never looked back.  It was one bubble team knocking off another, who happened to be their rivals.

-Perhaps the biggest result of the night was Liberty’s win at Lipscomb.  Liberty basically led tip to buzzer, and although Lipscomb did try to mount a comeback, they didn’t shoot nearly as well as they normally do, and they forced up a lot of contested shots, which is something else we normally don’t see from them.  The two are now tied atop the ASun standings, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they both won out and things stayed tied.  Lipscomb isn’t dead by any means, but they aren’t nearly as alive as they were prior to the loss.  The harsh reality is that for teams that play in leagues like this, virtually any conference loss is is a loss to a non-tournament team, which means it’s more damaging.

-NC State picked up a nice home win against Syracuse that they kind of needed.  Syracuse is still in relatively good shape, but nowhere near being able to just put it on cruise control yet.

-Ole Miss picked up a really nice road win at Auburn, which helps them out.  When you look at Auburn both on paper and on the court, nothing about them indicates that they are good enough to go past the Round of 64.  I’m still expecting that the actual committee would take them, but I’m not at all convinced that they should.  I mean, what has this team done?

-Seton Hall had a convincing win against Georgetown last night.  After being on the ropes, the Hall has now won three of their last four and appears to be back on track.  Although having said that, none of those wins came against anyone that is solidly in the field.

-Minnesota fell at Nebraska, which is a little rough because it was a winnable road game and it knocks them to just 6-8 in Big Ten play.  I still think they’ll make it in, but they may be cutting it a little closer than they’d like to.

-One never knows what Arizona State is going to do.  Last night, they lost at Colorado, adding yet another loss to a team that’s nowhere near the NCAA Tournament to their resume.  I know they’ve got good wins, but if I’m arguing yay or nay on their inclusion, I’d personally rather argue nay.  They can beat good teams, but they cannot beat bad teams consistently enough to suit me.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-HOUSTON AT UCONN (American).  Houston has played their way into the top ten and has a clear path to a protected seed if they continue to blow through the conference.  This is another winnable road game for them.

-ILLINOIS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Ohio State is a probable tournament team, but they still need to hold serve in games like this where they are at home against someone with a losing record.

-GONZAGA AT LMU (West Coast).  Gonzaga has blown through this league and that isn’t likely to change tonight.

UNDER THE RADAR

-NORTH TEXAS AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Conference USA) The top of CUSA is logjammed, and North Texas is right in that logjam.

-VMI AT WOFFORD (SoCon).  Wofford is unbeaten in SoCon play, and we believe they are inside the bubble.  They should stay there so long as they continue to hold serve.

-HOFSTRA AT CHARLESTON (Colonial).  This game is interesting because Hofstra looks to be the best team in the Colonial, and Charleston is a good team that has underachieved in the Colonial, but gets the conference tournament in their own backyard.  Well, the next door neighbor’s backyard, at least.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT FURMAN (SoCon).  This game may be bigger than most realize.  UNCG is right on a lot of bubbles, and this would arguably be their biggest win of the year on paper if they’re able to pull it off.  Furman has just one home loss and as a young team are playing with more and more consistency down the stretch.

-BELMONT AT TENNESSEE STATE (Ohio Valley).  It’s always the same story with Belmont.  If they can win out I think the committee may take them even if they don’t win the OVC Tourney.

-MURRAY STATE AT AUSTIN PEAY (Ohio Valley).  There is a three way tie for first place, and these are two of the three teams.

-MONTANA AT WEBER STATE (Big Sky).  Montana is in first place by a game, but this is one of their tougher remaining games.  If they win then Weber State won’t catch them, if they lose then chances are just one game will separate the top three teams going into the weekend.

-UC SANTA BARBARA AT UC RIVERSIDE (Big West).  UCSB is just a game behind UC Irvine in the standings.  It’s an uphill run, but it is still doable.

-NORTHERN COLORADO AT IDAHO (Big Sky).  Northern Colorado is just a game behind Montana and is trying to keep pace.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: South Dakota State at Omaha

Posted on February 14, 2019 by John Stalica

For last night’s weekly Under The Radar podcast – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with McDonald’s All-American Tre Mann (Florida commit) – CLICK HERE

South Dakota State (20-6, 10-1 Summit) at Omaha (14-9, 8-2 Summit) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Omaha where the Mavericks will play host to the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State. SDSU has won nine games in a row, including the first matchup against Omaha with an 83-73 win in Brookings back in January. The Jackrabbits will be tested not only tonight, but games at North Dakota State and at home against Purdue-Fort Wayne will also be pivotal for whether or not they get the top seed in the Summit League Tournament next month. Mike Daum had a 20-20 game (29 points, 20 rebounds) in the Jackrabbits’ last game – a win against North Dakota.

The Mavericks have won 11 out of their last 13 games to get within a game of SDSU in the loss column in the league standings. The one surprise was a loss at home against Oral Roberts back in January – but unlike the Jackrabbits, they do have a win against Purdue-Fort Wayne so far (and that was on the road) – this would give an edge to Omaha at the moment should a tiebreaker be needed if both teams split their season series. Zach Johnson leads the Mavs with 18.3 points per game.

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He is the Mann: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Tre Mann

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 1 championship team since 1979 has not had such a player (Maryland in 2002). The 42nd annual McDonald’s All-American Game will take place on March 27th in Atlanta, GA, and the rosters were announced on January 24th after selecting the 24 best players in the nation from a whopping 2500 nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact in the fall, just ask Coach K how he likes having 2018 honorees RJ Barrett/Zion Williamson at Duke! Florida will be getting a pair of 2019 honorees in the fall when Scottie Lewis/Tre Mann head to Gainesville. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Tre about being a McDonald’s All-American and his favorite Gator memory.

Last August you signed with Florida (over ASU/Florida State/Georgia Tech/Indiana/Iowa State/Kansas/Louisville/NC State/Tennessee): what made you choose the Gators? I just felt like they had the best situation for me and I think that I can succeed there.

Do you have a favorite Florida basketball memory from growing up in Gainesville? My mom worked at a local restaurant and the basketball team came in 1 day to sign some autographs. My brother and I were eating some French fries and before we knew it Joakim Noah had walked over and taken 1 of our fries!

The Gators are currently 13-11 but have played 1 of the most difficult schedules in the nation (including Florida State/Oklahoma/Michigan State once each and Butler twice in non-conference play): do you think that they will make the NCAA tourney next month? Hopefully! It is a game of runs so if they can play well down the stretch then they will have a chance to get there.

You are 6’4”: what position do you play in high school, and what position do you expect to play in college? I play more of the 2 now but I played PG last summer and feel that I can play both positions. I want to be a combo guard in college.

Your dad is 6’3” and your mom is 6’4”: do you think that you are done growing, and who is the best athlete in the family? I do not know but my doctor said that my growth plates are still open. My dad is the best athlete in the family…aside from me!

Last year you scored 20+ PPG before suffering a torn right meniscus during your Class 5A-District 5 championship game: what is the secret to being a great scorer, and how is your health at the moment? There is no secret: I practice/work out a lot and try to make whatever shots the defense gives me during games.   If they step out on my then I drive to the hoop, and if they back off then I will shoot from outside.  My knees feel fine: I am just a little sore from the season.

In January you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant everything to me. It was a dream come true that I have been working for my whole life, so I will try to go out there and compete to make the most of the opportunity I have been given.

You are 1 of several homegrown honorees from the state of Florida (Vernon Carey Jr. attends NSU University School and Josh Green attends IMG Academy): have you ever played with/against either of them? I played with Vernon in Las Vegas and against him in the Peach Jam. I have played against a couple of other McDonald’s All-Americans as well: Armando Bacot of IMG at the Peach Jam and Precious Achiuwa of Montverde Academy in Las Vegas.

Another 1 of your honorees (Scottie Lewis) will be joining you at Florida this fall: how often do you 2 talk, and what makes him such a great player? We were just on the phone earlier today! We have hung out a couple of times: we went bowling with our mothers the last time he came to visit the campus. I have seen his videos on social media: he is a great person who wants to win so I think that we will get along great together.

Will you get a nice summer vacation or is it going to be a quick transition from high school to college? I am not really sure: my focus right now is on the current season.

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Under the Radar: February 13th

Posted on February 13, 2019 by David Griggs

Tonight, we feature the Big South after a big night for Campbell’s Chris Clemons as he moved up to 9th in all time NCAA scoring.  Radford is still in first place and has the clearest path to home court advantage in the conference tournament.  As we do every week we run through all 22 UTR conferences and discuss a tight race in the America East, Liberty’s big win over Lipscomb in the Atlantic Sun and what that means for Lipscomb’s at-large bids, the tight race for Conference USA as we head into the pod schedules after this weekend, how the Colonial has three teams that have a legit shot at winning the conference tournament, how the four teams at the top of the Ohio Valley are still in a tight race, how strong the SoCon is and how as many as three teams could make the NCAA Tournament, and more.  And as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten

 

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

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Liberty at Lipscomb

Posted on February 13, 2019 by John Stalica

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

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former All-American Earl Tatum about Al McGuire – CLICK HERE

Liberty (21-5, 10-1 A-Sun) at Lipscomb (20-4, 11-0 A-Sun) – 7:30 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day offers up the second leg of the Liberty-Lipscomb matchup that will determine who the regular season champion will be along with home court advantage throughout the Atlantic Sun Tournament that will kick off about three weeks from now (barring any meltdown or injury for either team). Lipscomb won the first matchup at Liberty very decisively; A-Sun POY candidate Garrison Matthews had 22 points for the Bisons en route to a 79-59 win in Lynchburg back in January. If Lipscomb is able to win this game and win out for the remainder of the season, there is a very good chance this team finishes above the First Four at-large spots come March.

Liberty is also making a strong postseason push themselves – while they seem destined more for the CIT or CBI depending on their preference, they are still playing for all the marbles themselves at this point. They’ve won all three of the games that they’ve played so far against NJIT and Florida Gulf Coast; they are three and four games behind the Flames in the loss column in the league standings. It is worth pointing out that four of their final five games of the year will be on the road; they also have a trip at NJIT remaining along with three other very winnable games. Scottie James had 12 points and 14 rebounds in Liberty’s win against FGCU during the weekend.

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Earl Tatum about Hall of Famer Al McGuire

Posted on February 13, 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 Earl Tatum, who was an All-American under Coach Al McGuire at Marquette. McGuire is primarily known as a coach but was also a fine player who led St. John’s to a 3rd place finish at the 1951 NIT as team captain before spending several years in the NBA. John Wooden owned the 1st half of the 1970s at UCLA with 5 titles in a 6-year span from 1970-75, but McGuire was pretty successful at Marquette: 1970 NIT title, 1974 NCAA title game loss to NC State, and 1977 NCAA title game win over North Carolina. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Earl about the 45th anniversary of the 1974 NCAA tourney run all the way to the title game and his memories of McGuire’s post-coaching career as a broadcaster.

Take me through the 1967 NIT when McGuire was coach at Marquette:
Jimmy Walker scored 36 PTS but missed a jumper at the end of the game in a 1-PT OT loss by Providence: was everyone stunned that Walker (who led the nation in scoring that year) missed the shot? Jimmy was a big name on the East Coast back then, so we got to see him on TV a lot.

NIT MVP Walt Frazier had 21 PTS/11 REB to lead Southern Illinois to a win over Marquette in the title game: could everyone tell back then that Frazier was going to become a legend? I did not know much about Frazier back then, but Coach Raymonds told us that he was great. He was unknown before that game.

In the 1969 NCAA tourney Rick Mount scored 26 PTS including a deep shot from the baseline with 2 seconds left in the final seconds of a 2-PT OT win by eventual national runner-up Purdue: where does “the most famous shot in Boilermaker history” rank among the most clutch shots that you have ever seen? I was in high school at the time and promised myself to go home from the playground in time to watch that game. I actually stayed too late to watch the game but I saw it on video later on. It was a heck of a shot: Purdue had a great club that year.

What are your memories of the 1970 NIT (after McGuire turned down an NCAA tourney bid in Texas to stay in New York City and play in the NIT, tourney MVP Dean Meminger scored 16 PTS to help beat McGuire’s alma mater St. John’s and win the title)? Marquette had some wild uniforms back then and Dean was a New York guy. I was receiving a lot of recruiting mail from Indiana at the time but Al had a way of having his own guys convince players to come to Marquette. I knew that I was going there 1 day when Al started eating off of my dinner plate!

Take me through the 1974 NCAA tourney:
Bo Ellis had 15 PTS/10 REB in a 2-PT win over Michigan: did the team start to feel it had enough momentum to win it all? I was just having a conversation about this the other day. I remember seeing Michigan coach Johnny Orr visiting our campus the previous spring: when we played them I noticed that they ran a lot of the same plays we did!

Tourney MOP David Thompson scored 21 PTS in a win by NC State in Greensboro, NC: how did McGuire feel about being named national COY while also becoming the 1st coach to ever be ejected from a title game? I would never blame that on Coach. In my opinion the refs will sometimes throw a coach out because he has a power trip.

Take me through the magical 1977 NCAA tourney:
A few months earlier McGuire had announced that he would retire at the end of the season to become vice chairman of Medalist Industries: how did he reach this decision? I graduated in 1976 and at the time we knew that we had a championship club in the making. I followed the program while I was a rookie with the Lakers: they were really up and down before making the tourney.

Butch Lee scored 26 PTS in a 1-PT win over Kansas State: how angry did McGuire get during his 7-minute postgame tirade (he was called for a technical foul in the 2nd half after an official thought that a choking signal McGuire gave to his team was directed at the official)? The refs back then were so edgy: you cannot watch the game and the coach at the same time! Al knew the game very well.

Lee made a full-court inbounds pass toward Ellis with 3 seconds left, but after the ball deflected to Jerome Whitehead his partially-blocked dunk hit the backboard/bounced off the rim/fell through the net as time expired in 2-PT win over NC-Charlotte: where does that rank among the most exciting finishes in school history? I have seen some amazing finishes by guys like Christian Laettner but that was 1 of the finest college games I have ever seen. I do not think they could ever duplicate that shot.

Tourney MOP Lee scored 19 PTS in an 8-PT win over North Carolina in the title game: what did it mean to him to win an NCAA title? He did not do cartwheels on TV: he just let it sink in. He had spent so much time to get to that point and was just happy to finally wear the crown. When I would see him later on he would talk about life, not basketball.

After retiring from coaching he became a popular commentator for NBC/CBS, where his on-air arguments with Billy Packer helped increase the popularity of college basketball across the nation: why did he get into broadcasting, and what made him such a viewer favorite? He is the kind of guy who just wanted to see what TV was like.  People liked that he was just off-the-cuff with his old-time flavor of the game. If he could not remember someone’s name he would just give him a nickname!

McGuire and his brother Dick (who led the NBA in AST in 1949) are the only pair of brothers inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame: what was it like to grow up in such a successful family, and who is considered the best? Coach told me that he was a bruiser but that his brother was a player. I remember that from day 1 he said that we were a family and would take care of our own. I thought he was just saying that to get me to go there but he was a wonderful/caring human being. He liked hunting and collecting souvenirs: he was much more than just a coach.

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