NCAA Tournament: Second Round Recap and Preview – Sunday, March 18th

Posted on March 18, 2018 by John Stalica

Yesterday’s 2nd-round games started slowly with Villanova and Duke beating Alabama and Rhode Island (respectively) in blowout fashion, but the evening games did not disappoint. In Boise, Gonzaga jumped out to a fast start against Ohio State with a 15-point lead. The Buckeyes didn’t panic – they gradually whittled the lead away and led by as many as 5 points with 5 minutes to play. Unfortunately for Ohio State, they ran out of gas and Gonzaga made one final run to win 90-84. Kentucky also took Buffalo’s best punch and were able to keep the Bulls at arm’s length throughout the game and won 95-75 to advance to the South Regional in what is sure to become Cat-lanta next weekend.

One team that will be joining UK in Atlanta will be the Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago; they had another game-winning shot in the closing seconds (courtesy of Clayton Custer) and won 63-62 after Tennessee missed a buzzer-beater of their own. Texas Tech and Florida also had a close game in the nightcap in Dallas, but the Red Raiders held off Florida and beat the Gators 69-66 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.

A heroic 24-point, 23-rebound performance from Angel Delgado wasn’t quite enough for Seton Hall to overcome Kansas in a de facto road environment in Wichita. The Pirates were able to cut the deficit to 3 points in the final seconds, but the Jayhawks were able to put their game away late with clutch free throws and advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 83-79 victory. Free throws were not as kind to Houston in the nightcap – Devin Davis missed two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining for the Cougars. Michigan rebounded the final miss and Jordan Poole hit a buzzer-beating 3 to send the Wolverines on to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season. They will advance to the West Regional and play either North Carolina or Texas A&M.

DETROIT

(10) BUTLER VS. (2) PURDUE (12:10 PM, CBS). The big story for this one will be the health status of Isaac Haas – he did practice with the Boilermakers after suffering a fractured elbow in their win against Cal State-Fullerton on Friday. His elbow is in a cast, but it is unlikely he will be cleared to play in this game. Butler will be looking for revenge from their Crossroads Classic matchup in December where they were blown out by Purdue.

(11) SYRACUSE VS. (3) MICHIGAN STATE (approx. 2:40 PM, CBS). Syracuse’s win against TCU on Friday night ensured the 8th straight year that a team from the First Four in Dayton would advance to the Round of 32. The Spartans (outside of a pair of losses against Michigan) have been almost unbeatable for the past 2 months and figure to have a huge home-court advantage about an hour away from campus.

CHARLOTTE

(7) TEXAS A&M VS. (2) NORTH CAROLINA (5:10 PM, CBS). It’s rare that you see a team on the 2-line with 10 total losses, but North Carolina has had a number of quality wins (home and away) throughout the regular season. Texas A&M started off the year strong with their victory against West Virginia in Germany, but were inconsistent throughout the regular season while dealing with injuries and suspensions. History tells us that Carolina has had tough 2nd round games in recent years, but they will be tough to beat in what will likely be an even bigger home crowd after Virginia’s early exit.

(16) MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY VS. (8) KANSAS STATE (approx. 7:40 PM, TruTV). Jairus Lyles and UMBC have had quite the week – it started with a buzzer-beating shot to win the America East Championship at Vermont the previous week, and culminated with a shockingly easy win against top overall seed Virginia in their opener on Friday. They will look to continue their Cinderella ways against a Kansas State team that also had a surprisingly easy victory against Creighton in their opener on Friday night.

NASHVILLE

(7) NEVADA VS. (2) CINCINNNATI (6:10 PM, TNT). The Bearcats started slow against Georgia State on Friday afternoon, but were able to wear down the Panthers in the 2nd half and won fairly comfortably. In contrast, Nevada trailed for virtually all of regulation before forcing overtime and outlasting Texas in their opener. The winner here will play Loyola-Chicago in the South Region next Thursday.

(9) FLORIDA STATE AT (1) XAVIER (approx. 8:40 PM, TNT). While the Seminoles hammered Missouri into submission in their opener, they did lose Terence Mann to injury and he will be questionable as to whether or not he will play tonight. Xavier has their own injury issue with Naji Marshall and a strained back, and will need the benefit of a deep bench to contend with a Florida State team that will be looking for revenge for last season’s blowout loss in the 2nd round of last season’s tournament.

SAN DIEGO

(5) CLEMSON VS. (4) AUBURN (7:10 PM, TBS). While this is normally a nice rivalry in college football season, both teams will be playing for a rare trip to the Sweet 16 in the first game in San Diego today. Clemson will be playing for their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1997; Auburn has not made it to the Sweet 16 since 2003 (and that was a team that many people felt should not have made the field to begin with).

(13) MARSHALL VS. (5) WEST VIRGINIA (approx. 9:40 PM, TBS). This wasn’t the rivalry that fans and Hoops HD staff members were originally clamoring for prior to the bracket being unveiled last week, but this will be the first time the Thundering Herd and Mountaineers will renew their in-state rivalry in postseason play. John Elmore has become a folk hero for Marshall fans; the Mountaineers will have a huge advantage in terms of postseason experience, however.

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Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Sunday, March 18th

Posted on March 18, 2018 by John Stalica

While Creighton and Nebraska both lost their opening games in the NCAA Tournament and NIT respectively, at least one in-state team did end their season on a high note. Nebraska Wesleyan won the Division III Championship with a 78-72 victory against Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Cooper Cook led the Prairie Wolves with 16 points and was named Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.

Penn State also ended up victorious on St. Patrick’s Day with a 73-63 win at Notre Dame yesterday afternoon. Tony Carr led the Nittany Lions with 24 points; Josh Reaves also had 18 points and 9 rebounds. They will advance to the NIT quarterfinals and will go on the road against the winner of the Marquette-Oregon game.

San Diego also came back from a 9-point deficit at halftime to beat Portland State 67-64 in the 2nd round of the CIT. The Toreros were led by 16 points from both Tyler Williams and Olin Carter III.

NIT

(4) MISSISSIPPI STATE AT (1) BAYLOR (12:00 PM, ESPN). While Mississippi State is coming off of a close home win against Nebraska in the first round, Baylor breezed past Wagner 80-59 in the first round.

(3) OREGON AT (2) MARQUETTE (4:30 PM, ESPN2). Oregon needed a comeback to defeat Rider in their first round game last week; Marquette also had to survive a pesky Harvard squad in their opener as well. This game will also be played at Marquette’s cozy Al McGuire Arena.

(3) MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT (2) LOUISVILLE (6:30 PM, ESPN2). Despite one foot out the door en route to his next coaching stop at Ole Miss, Kermit Davis still has all of his focus for now on Middle Tennessee and their current NIT run. The Blue Raiders had little trouble against Vermont; Louisville was slower out of the gate against Northern Kentucky before ultimately pulling away after halftime.

CIT

-DRAKE AT NORTHERN COLORADO (5:00 PM, CBS Digital Network). The Bears of Northern Colorado were the last team to get a bye into the 2nd round of the CIT – they will play a Drake team that won against Abilene Christian 80-73 in their opening game on Monday (dubbed the Lou Henson Classic).

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NCAA Tournament: First Round Recap/Second Round Preview – Saturday, March 17th

Posted on March 17, 2018 by John Stalica

For the following interviews from Jon Teitel:
-Grand Canyon Academic All-American Josh Braun – CLICK HERE
-Central Arkansas Academic All-American Jordan Howard – CLICK HERE

It happened. It finally did happen. We had teased on our preview podcast that a 16 would finally knock off a 1 seed, but we were looking in the wrong place. UMBC made history with their decisive 74-54 victory against top overall seed Virginia. What was even more remarkable about this game was the Retrievers’ 53-point HALF against the Hoos; there were a number of teams that couldn’t score 53 points in a GAME against Virginia all year. Jairus Lyles continues to become a folk hero after his 28-point performance last night. They will end up playing Kansas State in the 2nd round on Sunday night – the Wildcats were able to keep Creighton at bay and completely neutralized Marcus Foster en route to a 69-59 victory.

Earlier in the day, Texas A&M and Providence had a game that went back and forth for most of the way before TAMU ended up icing the game at the free-throw line. They will play a de facto road game against North Carolina – they did actually have a competitive game against Lipscomb in their opener before gradually pulling away with an 84-66 victory.

Xavier was thought to be the most vulnerable of the #1 seeds going into the tournament, and their opener saw them exchange 16-0 scoring spurts with Texas Southern. They did end up with a 19-point victory in a game that seemed to go on for about 3 hours. The Musketeers will play Florida State in Round 2 – the Seminoles raced out to a 22-point lead at halftime against Missouri. The Tigers did get the game as close as 8 points midway through the 2nd half, but FSU pulled away with a 67-54 win and will be looking for revenge against Xavier after getting blown out in Orlando in the 2nd round last March.

Cincinnati also was mired in a rock fight against Georgia State for the first 30 minutes of their game yesterday, but their size and athleticism was too much for the Panthers as UC finally pulled away with a 68-53 victory. They will play a Nevada team that trailed Texas for almost all of regulation, but did hit a free throw in the closing seconds of regulation and edged the Longhorns by 4 in a game that saw 34 combined points from both teams in the overtime period.

While Purdue did beat Cal State-Fullerton by a comfortable margin yesterday, the Boilers were devastated when they heard that C Isaac Haas fractured his elbow in yesterday’s game and will be out for the remainder of the season. They will take on Butler on Sunday in a rematch of the Crossroads Classic – the Bulldogs were able to knock out Arkansas yesterday with an easy 79-62 victory.

The nightcap saw Bucknell hang around with Michigan State for about a half before the Spartans gradually pulled out to as big as a 17-point lead in the 2nd half. A late flurry of 3s from the Bison made the score look a lot more respectable (82-78 MSU), however. Syracuse beat TCU in the nightcap – this meant that this would be the 8th straight year that at least one team that played in the First Four would also advance to at least the Round of 32.

We didn’t get to see Marshall and West Virginia play in the regular season this year, but this in-state rivalry will be renewed on Sunday after the Thundering Herd got their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with an 81-75 upset win against Wichita State. Jon Elmore led the Herd with 27 points. West Virginia also had a fairly comfortable win against Murray State later in the afternoon to set the table for Sunday night’s matchup.

Auburn also survived an upset bid by Charleston later in the night – they will take on a Clemson team that beat New Mexico State in their tournament opener. This also meant that this would be a rare year where all 5 seeds advanced to the 2nd round (although 2 13 seeds did knock out a pair of 4s).

PITTSBURGH

(9) ALABAMA VS. (1) VILLANOVA (12:10 PM, CBS). While Villanova ended up being the only #1 seed to not be seriously challenged at any point in Round 1, Alabama rode the coattails of Collin Sexton to a comeback win against Virginia Tech on Thursday night. Today, Villanova comes face-to-face against what has become their annual demons in the Round of 32. The winner goes to the East Regional in Boston.

(7) RHODE ISLAND VS. (2) DUKE (approx. 2:40 PM, CBS). This game is actually a rematch from last season’s exempt tournament matchup where Duke beat URI at the Mohegan Sun during Thanksgiving weekend. There is much more at stake this time around – Duke had an easy opener against Iona and Rhode Island needed overtime to beat Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon. The winner of this game heads to Middle America (aka Omaha) for the Midwest Regional.

BOISE

(13) BUFFALO VS. (4) KENTUCKY (5:15 PM, CBS). The best games of the day may actually take place in Boise later this afternoon. Buffalo got a very decisive win against Arizona late on Thursday night that effectively knocked the Pac-12 completely out of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky was able to survive an upset bid against Davidson and also went through the entire game without hitting a 3, amazingly enough. A Kentucky win will mean they could advance to “Cat-lanta” – or a Buffalo win could potentially mean a Sweet 16 game against either K-State or UMBC.

(5) OHIO STATE VS. (4) GONZAGA (approx. 7:45 PM, CBS). This is a rematch from the PK80 Tournament back in November when Gonzaga completely ran over Ohio State in the opener of that tournament in Portland. Ohio State had a mild scare against South Dakota State to get to this point; Gonzaga actually trailed UNC-Greensboro by 2 in the final minute before closing the game on a 6-0 run. Tonight’s winner will face either Xavier or Florida State in the West Regional.

DALLAS

(11) LOYOLA-CHICAGO VS. (3) TENNESSEE (6:10 PM, TNT). The Ramblers scored the first upset of the tournament after beating Miami with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds on Thursday afternoon. It was their first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1985 (which also happened to be their last trip to the Sweet 16). Tennessee started cold against Wright State, but ended up winning fairly comfortably in their own right. The winner will face either Cincinnati or Nevada in the South Region.

(6) FLORIDA VS. (3) TEXAS TECH (approx. 8:40 PM, TNT). While the Gators were taking on a jet-lagged St. Bonaventure team on Thursday night and winning by a comfortable margin, the Red Raiders had a tougher test against in-state foe Stephen F. Austin before ultimately coming back and pulling away in the final 4 minutes of their opener. The winner in this game goes to the East Region in Boston.

WICHITA

(8) SETON HALL VS. (1) KANSAS (7:10 PM, TBS). While Kansas did find themselves in a 10-point hole against Penn in their opener on Thursday afternoon, the Jayhawks woke up and eventually took a 7-point lead at halftime before beating the Quakers. Seton Hall also led throughout their game against NC State, and have shown their ability against other #1 seeds (Villanova and Xavier) to at least contend for 40 minutes. Winning in a de facto road environment will be a completely different animal – whoever advances will end up in the Midwest Region in Omaha.

(6) HOUSTON VS. (3) MICHIGAN (approx. 9:40 PM, TBS). Rob Gray almost single-handedly willed the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament win since the Phi Slamma Jamma era – their next challenge will be against a Michigan team that has looked red-hot since the Big 10 Tournament began. They were rarely challenged against Montana, and the winner of today’s final game will go to the West Region against either North Carolina or Texas A&M.

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Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Saturday, March 17th

Posted on March 17, 2018 by John Stalica

Only one game was played last night below the radar – Central Michigan ended up beating Wofford 98-94 in the second round of the CIT. David DeLeo led the Chippewas with 22 points, and Kevin McKay had 21 for Central Michigan as well. Fletcher Magee also had a heroic effort for the Terriers with 37 points, but it was not meant to be for Wofford last night. CMU’s next opponent will be determined upon completion of other games in the 2nd round.

NCAA – DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP

-NEBRASKA WESLEYAN VS. WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH (6:00 PM, CBS Sports Network). As requested by our season-long UTR guru Chad Sherwood, tonight will be the first NCAA Championship that will be decided in Salem, Virginia. Even more remarkable is that neither team played a game at home in the NCAA Tournament (where there are host sites selected by the top 16 teams in the first 2 rounds and the highest remaining seeds in the regionals).

NIT

(4) PENN STATE AT (1) NOTRE DAME (12:00 PM, ESPN). We get a rarity in that both the men’s and women’s teams for Notre Dame will play at home on St. Patrick’s Day, but that is what will happen while the women’s team is hosting a subregional in the NCAA Tournament and Notre Dame attempts to follow up their home win against Hampton with a noontime matinee against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a home win against in-state foe Temple back on Wednesday.

CIT

-PORTLAND STATE AT SAN DIEGO (10:00 PM, CBS Digital Network). While Portland State was one of 4 teams that were added late to the tournament, San Diego is coming off of a home win on Monday night against Hartford in the 1st round in the Riley Wallace Classic.

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Basketball and brains: HoopsHD interviews Grand Canyon Academic All-American Joshua Braun

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Jon Teitel

Grand Canyon had won 5 games in a row entering the WAC tourney title game last Saturday before losing 72-58 to New Mexico State.  The Lopes’ 22-win season was rewarded with a trip to the CBI but they came up just short in a 5-PT home loss to Mercer on Wednesday night. However, there are still accomplishments to cheer for as SR SG Joshua Braun was named an Academic All-American earlier this week for the 3rd year in a row. On the court Joshua completed his college career by averaging 14 PPG/81.3 FT%: off the court he averaged a 3.60 GPA while getting his MBA. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Joshua about choosing business school and where he thinks the program will be in the decades to come.

You play for Coach Dan Majerle: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? His competitiveness and understanding of the game is what makes him a good coach. One of the most important things I have learned from Coach Majerle is that you can never stop working and let up.

You led the team in PTS as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I think God provided an awesome opportunity for me from the start and I was able to gain some confidence early on in my career.

In the 2015 CIT you scored 11 PTS in a 5-PT loss to NAU: how did it feel to have a big-time postseason game in Arizona not involving the Sun Devils/Wildcats?! To be honest it was not the best feeling because we were unable to pull out the win.

This season Casey Benson transferred in after playing for Oregon in the Final 4 last year: how have you enjoyed having your childhood friend as a teammate? It was great being reunited with Casey! It was awesome being able to start my basketball career with him at a young age and now we have ended up finishing our college careers together!

In January of 2016 you scored a career-high 34 PTS/7-9 3PM in a win over Utah Valley: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Definitely! You love those games when the rim looks 5 times wider than normal and you have the confidence to shoot from anywhere.

You played a pair of NCAA tourney teams this year in NC Central/New Mexico State: which of these teams impressed you the most? NMSU impressed me the most: they are a good team. They put pressure on you on the defensive end to make mistakes and they really push the ball up the floor on offense.

Earlier this week you were named an Academic All-American for the 3rd straight year: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? The biggest thing has always been time management when balancing basketball and academics. It is easy to fall behind or be unprepared for classes when I do not balance my time like I should.

You have a 3.60 GPA while getting your MBA: why did you choose business school, and what do you hope to do with all of your degrees? I chose business school because I believe it gives me a lot of options/opportunities for career paths. Honestly, I am unsure what I would like to do with my degree yet! I am sure there might be some trial and error when it comes to trying new job opportunities/careers but I am confident that I will eventually find the right career for me.

Your father David played college soccer and your mother Kathy played college volleyball: who is the best athlete in the family? Tough question: I am sure I could answer more confidently if I had the chance to watch them play back in college!! My brother Justin is quite the athlete as well.

You were Coach Majerle’s very 1st recruit and are the only player who has been part of the GCU program for all 5 of its years at the D-1 level: what is going through your mind as your college career comes to a close, and what do you envision the Lopes program looking like 10-20 years down the road? I am so thankful for the opportunity to play for GCU. I know Grand Canyon will only continue to grow and become a major power in college basketball. 10-20 years from now I hope to see GCU looking like a Gonzaga and being a consistent top-25 program from year to year.

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Basketball and brains: HoopsHD interviews Central Arkansas Academic All-American Jordan Howard

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Jon Teitel

Last week Central Arkansas lost 86-64 to Stephen F. Austin in the Southland tourney but their season has not yet come to a close. After being named an Academic All-American earlier this week, SR G Jordan Howard kept it rolling on Wednesday with 30 PTS in a 2-PT OT win at Seattle in the CBI, and the reward is that the Bears will host Jackson State in the CBI quarterfinals on Monday night. On the court Jordan is averaging 25.4 PPG: off the court he averaged a 3.71 GPA while getting his degree in digital filmmaking last December. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Jordan about being named Southland POY and how his parents follow him and his brother Markus when they have postseason games on the same evening.

You play for Coach Russ Pennell: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? Coach Russ has such a great basketball mind. He loves the game and loves his players even more. He is a players’ coach so he understands how to deal with each position and puts guys in positions to be successful. The most important thing I have learned from Coach is how to constantly adapt to each way that a team defends me.  Over the years he has really etched into my game the decision to be patient and let the game come to me.

You are 5’11”: do you consider your size to be an advantage or disadvantage on the court? The disadvantages are pretty obvious: I do not have the luxury of being tall, being able to see over the defense, or being able to play above the rim.  However, what I have learned is that since nothing was given to me I have to make the most of every opportunity and having that chip on my shoulder always motivates me.

In 2015 you were named conference ROY: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? Coming out of high school all I needed was the opportunity. I was not highly recruited so when Coach Russ gave me the opportunity to come and play for him immediately, I worked extremely hard and was blessed enough to come in and perform well enough to win Freshman of the Year.

Last week you were named 2018 conference POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? This is a special award that I was truly thankful for due to everything we went through as a team since my freshman year.  We were not winning very much in the past but now we are 1 of the better teams in our conference: it is just a huge testament to our great coaches/players. For me to be a catalyst in reviving this program, and now being recognized as the player of the year, is just such an honor and really special.

In 2017 you were named 3rd-team Academic All-American and earlier today you were named 2nd-team Academic All-American: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? To be named an Academic All-American is one of my most important achievements because my parents have always preached that being more than a basketball player is very important. It is tough to balance everything at once but I always make sure that I am focused/organized and (most importantly) emphasizing time management. Sorting out periods throughout the week to organize time for your work is really important if you want to stay on top of your studies: managing that time was a huge part of my academic success.

You graduated in December with a 3.71 GPA and a degree in digital filmmaking: how did you pick your major, and what do you hope to do with your degree? I have always loved filmmaking since I was a young kid. It has always peaked my interest and I have always been a pretty creative individual so when I realized that it was one of my passions and I could go to school for it I jumped on it immediately. Eventually I would love to get into the cinematic side of sports and telling stories/documentaries like “30 for 30”. I would also love to work with sports companies like Nike and do projects with them in the future.

The past 2 seasons you led the conference in 3P%/FT% and this year you finished 3rd in the nation with 25.3 PPG: what is the key to being a great shooter/scorer? Consistency…and more consistency! It has become like a ritual for me to continue to work on my craft. I am constantly working at it and never becoming satisfied with anything that I have done in the past. I just love this game and am very passionate about being successful in it, so I work as hard as I can to become the best that I can be. I have great people around me as well that care enough to help me along the way so I am blessed to be in a great situation.

You played a pair of NCAA tourney teams earlier this year in UCLA/Stephen F. Austin: which of them impressed you the most? They are both great teams but since I always see SFA every year I would say them: they are always consistent and have been really impressive. They are just a really solid team that has the potential to beat anyone on any given night.

Your father Chuck played football at Indiana, your brother Desmond played basketball at Phoenix College, and your brother Markus led the nation with 54.7 3P% last year at Marquette: who is the best athlete in the family? I have to go with the man in charge: our dad! He is the man as well as the best father an athlete could ask for. We are so blessed to have a man like him in our life to guide us in athletics, but more importantly in life. He and my mother Noemi have given us every resource possible to be successful and are the best support system we could ask for.

On Wednesday night you scored 30 PTS in a 2-PT OT win at Seattle in the CBI while Markus scored 22 PTS in a 7-PT win over Harvard in the NIT: how will your parents keep dealing with such logistical nightmares if you 2 keep winning?! I guess they will have to bring another TV into the living room!

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