Throwback Thursday: 1974 NCAA Tournament

Posted on November 12, 2015 by John Stalica

Today, we begin to look at the evolution of the NCAA Tournament as we know it today.

Click here for the 11-11-15 HoopsHD Report

 In 1974, only conference champions (or tournament champions in the case of conferences who held a tournament to determine their champion). One of those teams was North Carolina State, champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were 24-1 going into ACC Tournament play with their only loss coming against 7-time defending champion UCLA.

The most notable team that did not make the NCAA field were the #4 Maryland Terrapins. Led by John Lucas, Tom McMillen and Len Elmore, the Terps faced the Wolfpack in the ACC Championship in Greensboro that season. Neither NC State nor Maryland committed a turnover in regulation of the ACC Championship, and the Wolfpack would ultimately win 103-100 in overtime. This was probably Lefty Driesell’s finest team at Maryland, but they would not play in any postseason, not even the NIT.

Back in 1974, only 25 teams were selected for the NCAA Tournament. For the most part, teams were placed in their natural regions (East, Mideast, Midwest and West). This was also the 2nd to last year that featured “3rd-place games” in each region; it was conceivable that a team could go 0-2 in tournament play if it received a bye into the round of 16. There was no seeding of the teams like there are today; seeds were not implemented until 1979.

In the East regional, NC State (led by David Thompson, Tom Burleson and Monte Towe) would defeat Providence and Pittsburgh to earn a return trip to Greensboro. In the Mideast regional, Marquette would defeat the Ohio Bobcats, Vanderbilt and Michigan en route to Al McGuire’s first trip to the Final Four. In the Midwest regional, Kansas would defeat Creighton and the hometown Oral Roberts Eagles to advance to Greensboro. In the West regional, UCLA had the easiest route in defeating Dayton and San Francisco to advance to the Final Four.

When the Final Four commenced in Greensboro, NC State would end UCLA’s reign of terror in an 80-77 double-overtime win. Marquette would defeat Kansas in the other half of the Final Four. On Monday night, UCLA defeated Kansas for 3rd place in the opening game. In the championship game, NC State defeated Marquette 76-64 before a national television audience on NBC for their first national title. David Thompson would be named Most Outstanding Player for the tournament.

At the Division II level, there were 44 teams selected for the tournament. As is the case today, the teams were split into 8 regions and the champions would advance to the “Elite Eight” played in Evansville, Indiana. Much like their big brother in Division I, the regionals in Division II also featured 3rd-place games in each region. The regional champions were Norfolk State, Assumption, Morgan State, Bloomsburg (PA), St. Joseph’s (IN), Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), New Orleans and UC-Riverside. Assumption College defeated New Orleans for 3rd place overall and Morgan State won the national title with a 67-52 win over Southwest Missouri State.

Click for a video recap of the 1974 NCAA Final Four

 

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The Hoops HD Report: Thurs, Nov 12th (Preseason Bracket Edition)

Posted on November 11, 2015 by David Griggs

Chad, who has written previews for all 32 conferences (which you can see by CLICKING HERE) unveils what he thinks the NCAA Tournament Bracket will look like on Selection Sunday.  Jon, John, Joby, and David are there to offer heavy criticism in some cases, and to say that he’s completely nuts in others.  Each member of the panel also reveals who they think will make the Final Four, and ultimately end up winning it all.

They look at the highlighted upcoming games taking place this weekend, and last but not least, reveal the team that they will be adopting and unconditionally supporting for the 2015-2016 season….

 

Below is what the final bracket looked like….

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And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show…

Posted in Bracketology, CBB, Commentary, Daily Rundown, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Season preview: Washington State coach Ernie Kent

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Jon Teitel

Ernie Kent has spent almost 2 decades a head coach in the Pacific Northwest and hopes to bring some luck to Washington State on Friday the 13th as the Cougars host NAU in their season opener.  He is best known for his time at Oregon: after playing 4 years for the Ducks in the 1970s, he later won 235 games in 13 years as head coach of his alma mater and made 5 NCAA tourneys.  Even after spending the last several years doing TV work, his 109 conference wins still ranks among the top-20 in Pac-12 history.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Kent about coaching in Saudi Arabia and working for the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

ernie

As a player at Oregon in the mid-1970s you were known as “Million Moves” and were part of the “Kamikaze Kids”: how did each of those nicknames come about? “Million Moves” was a nickname I got in high school from the playgrounds of Rockford, IL. “Kamikaze Kids” started during Coach Dick Harter’s 1st year: the kids were diving on the court and going over the front row as they tried to get the ball.

You spent most of the 1980s as a coach in Saudi Arabia: how did you get the job, and how did it compare to college basketball? I was coaching for Oregon when the NCAA reduced the number of assistant coaches, and I ran into a guy who knew the guy who founded the Shiite culture and owned the 2nd-largest dairy plant in the world. They had an athletic club featuring soccer, basketball, and other sports, and were looking for a coach. It was an excellent opportunity for me to start building my resume. I only planned to stay 2 years, but then I met a guy who was a VP at Aramco who was amazed that an American could adopt to their culture so well, so I worked for Aramco’s recreational department while also coaching.

In the 1991 NIT title game as an assistant to Coach Mike Montgomery at Stanford, NIT MVP Adam Keefe scored 12 PTS in a 6-PT win over Oklahoma: what did it mean to you to win a title, and how on earth was your team able to stay focused while taking their final exams right in the middle of the tourney?! When I initially came back to the US in 1987 I got a job with Boyd Grant at Colorado State. Mike had worked for Boyd a long time ago and called him to say that he was looking for an assistant, so I ended up getting a job with Mike, who was an outstanding coach. We had great kids who knew how to grind through school and balance it with basketball.

In 1997 you won the WCC title as coach of St. Mary’s: how did it feel to win the school’s only conference tourney title of the 20th century, and what was it like to face Tim Duncan in the NCAA tourney (22 PTS/22 REB in a 22-PT win by Wake Forest)? That was an incredible year: we won a tournament in Hawaii, a tourney at BYU, the regular season title, and the conference tourney title as well. Brad Millard was 7’2”, 320 pounds and battled Duncan for most of the game, but just could not hold up at the end.

In 1997 you were hired as head coach at your alma mater: how big a deal was it to become the 1st African-American head coach of any Oregon sports team in history? It was my dream job to come back there to coach, even though it took 20 years to happen: I was heartbroken when they did not call me 5 years earlier. It was a special moment for me and for other coaches around the country who reached out to me, but people did not make a big deal of it in the Northwest. We did not have much of a recruiting base at the time so it was amazing to get some great African-American kids to come play for me and my staff.

In the 2000 NCAA tourney Shaheen Holloway scored 27 PTS including a coast-to-coast drive/layup off the glass with 1.9 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win by Seton Hall: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It is #1. When we made the field I had hoped that my dad was going to be able to join us in Buffalo. However, he died of cancer so I went to bury him in Rockford, but had to leave before they actually put him in the ground.

In the 2002 NCAA tourney Fred Jones scored 4 PTS including a layup with 2.8 seconds left in a 2-PT win over Texas: how were you able to pull out the win despite getting outrebounded 41-19? We had an outstanding group of players on that team, including a trio who ended up becoming 1st round picks. We had a lot of size on our team, as well as 2 guys off the bench who shot 50% from behind the arc. Freddy did not have a good game but helped us take over: I felt that it was destiny for him to make plays at the end.

In the 2007 NCAA tourney Aaron Brooks scored 27 PTS in an 8-PT loss to defending/eventual champion Florida: where does that Gators team rank among the best you have ever seen? I think they are the best I have seen during my coaching era, as they won back-to-back titles but Coach John Wooden’s UCLA teams were the best I saw during my playing days. We had them on the ropes and were playing very physical but had a few guys foul out at the end. We had 5 guys who were 1000-PT scorers, including 3 guys who had already graduated, so we had a very experienced team.

Since leaving the Ducks you have worked as a TV analyst and as an executive of the National Association of Basketball Coaches: how did you like the 2 gigs? I started out with FOX because it helped me stay connected with the game, and then I switched over to the Pac-12 Network. I have enjoyed getting to watch teams to see how they practice, how they care about academics, etc. I served on the NABC board for over a decade and was preparing to serve as president until Oregon let me go. It was special that they still wanted me to be president even though I was no longer a coach, so I just tried to work with coaches like Tom Izzo/Jim Boeheim and help stamp my legacy on the game. I also received the chance to do a coaching clinic with Craig Robinson in China, which was wonderful.

Your son Jordan played football/basketball/track at Oregon, becoming the Pac-10’s 1st-ever 3-sport letterman: what sport was his favorite, and who is the best athlete in the family? Jordan is by far the best athlete in the family…but I wish I would have had a chance to compete against him if we were both the same age! I loved coaching both him and my other son and they taught me a lot as well.

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Conference Preview: SEC

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason coverage, CLICK HERE.

SEC

40-0.  The Kentucky Wildcats came ever so close last year to having the elusive “perfect season”.  However, this is college basketball, where March Madness reigns supreme, and one game can send the best team home.  For Kentucky, it came in the national semifinal when Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers pulled out a 71-64 victory, though the signs that UK would not just cruise to the title had been there in the Midwest Regional Final when they barely got by Notre Dame, 68-66.  Of course, the offseason has now come and gone in Lexington the way it seems to every year.  Seven players from last year’s Final Four team left for the NBA Draft and Coach Calipari just went out and replaced them with another stellar crop of recruits, landing the Wildcats right back in both the SEC and national championship discussions.

In addition to top-seeded Kentucky, the SEC placed four other teams in the NCAA tournament last year.  Arkansas, a 5 seed, advanced to the Round of 32 while 9-seed LSU, 10-seed Georgia and 11-seed Ole Miss fell in the Round of 64 (though Ole Miss did pick up a victory in the First Four before being eliminated).  Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Alabama also made postseason appearances, playing in the NIT.  Five tournament bids last season shows that the rest of the SEC (beyond perennial contenders Kentucky and Florida) is starting to catch up, and even bigger things could be in store this year.  LSU, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Georgia, Mississippi State and Auburn are all teams that could be seriously in the hunt for tournament bids, though Ole Miss and Arkansas look like they may take a step back this year.  Florida, which advanced to at least the Elite Eight in 2012, 2013 and 2014, might make it two straight years without a bid as the Gators begin the post-Billy Donovan era.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Kentucky – Who else?  Losing seven players to the NBA Draft is business as usual, and the ‘cats should be among the national championship contenders with Tyler Ullis and Alex Poythress back plus super-freshmen such as Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe and Skal Labissiere — just to name a few.

2.  LSU – Head coach Johnny Jones’ team has a chance to be among the nation’s elite with the addition of Ben Simmons, ranked by many as the top prospect in the entire country.  Simmons is not the only stellar newcomer here, as Jones also added freshmen Brandon Sampson and Antonio Blakeney, plus Arizona transfer Craig Victor.  And by the way, there is a solid corps of returning players, including the veteran backcourt duo of Tim Quarterman and Keith Hornsby.

3.  Vanderbilt – The Commodores are a deep team that now has experience as well with most of the key pieces from last season’s 21-win squad back.  Damian Jones is the key for the team down low, but watch out for Luke Kornet — over 7 feet tall and shoots 40% from beyond the arc!

4.  Texas A&M – The Aggies have three veteran standouts in Danuel House, Alex Caruso and Jalen Jones.  On top of that, head coach Billy Kennedy has added a top recruiting class highlighted by big men Tyler Davis and Elijah Thomas, plus wing D.J. Hogg.

5.  Auburn – Picking the Tigers this high in the standings may be a surprise, especially with the majority of the team gone from last season, other than Cinmeon Bowers.  However, Burce Pearl has brought in another talented group of newcomers including junior college Player of the Year T.J. Dunans and Marshall transfer Kareem Canty.  Pearl also adds in a strong freshman recruiting class.  The Tigers may struggle early in the season as they gel and try to overcome some preseason injury setbacks, but will be a dangerous foe come February and March.

6.  Mississippi State – Another sign of how the SEC is trying to establish itself as more than a football league, the Bulldogs brought in one of the top available coaches in the country by signing Ben Howland.  There is no reason why this team will not see significant improvement in Howland’s first season as senior Craig Sword and top recruit Malik Newman will lead a strong group of guards while Gavin Ware has a chance to be dominant down low.

7.  Georgia – Mark Fox’s team should be solid in the backcourt with Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, J.J. Frazier and freshman William “Turtle” Jackson II.  However, there are some question marks down low with Marcus Thornton gone.  Freshman Derek Ogbeide may need to mature quickly for the Bulldogs to earn a return trip to the NCAAs.

8.  Florida – Michael White takes over for Billy Donovan, and it may take him some time to install his style of play.  However, Dorian Finney-Smith does return for his senior season and White was able to convince top recruit KeVaughn Allen to remain with the program, so a postseason bid is not out of the picture by any means.

9.  South Carolina – The Gamecocks did land a top recruit in PJ Dozier, who will be joined in the backcourt by Sindarious Thornwell and Duane Notice.  However, there are question marks with the team’s depth and in its frontcourt, and an NIT bid may be the team’s limit.

10.  Ole Miss – The Rebels were one of the last four at-large teams to earn a bid to the Big Dance last season.  This year, with six players gone from that squad, another dance invitation seems unlikely.  Ole Miss does have Stefan Moody back at least, and he should score even more than his 16.6 points per game average from last year.

11.  Tennessee – Three head coaches in three years is not the way to build a consistently strong program.  The good news is that the Vols have (hopefully) finally gotten the right man for the job in Rick Barnes.  Tennessee will need Kevin Punter and Robert Hubbs III to shine in the backcourt and Armani Moore to get help from newcomers down low if they want to succeed this year.  However, the loss of Josh Richardson may prove to be too much.

12.  Alabama – The Crimson Tide have some potential under new head coach Avery Johnson.  Retin Obasohan will be solid at the point while three veterans down low (Michael Kessens, Jimmie Taylor and Shannon Hale) will all contribute.  If the newcomers can add some help, the Tide may surprise this season despite having lost three double-digit scorers off of last year’s squad.

13.  Missouri – This looks like another long season for the Tigers as they continue to attempt to rebuild.  With only two juniors and one senior on the roster, there should hopefully be brighter days ahead.

14.  Arkansas – The Razorbacks won 27 games last year.  Their losses could easily be over 20 this season as almost everyone from that team is gone.  Head Coach Mike Anderson needs to rebuild this team and needs to start right now.

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Season preview: Austin Peay coach Dave Loos

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For the rest of our extensive Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

There are not a lot of coaches who have been at their current school for the past 25 years, but Dave Loos is still going strong at Austin Peay after taking over in 1990.  He is a 5-time OVC COY, and if all goes well this year he will record his 400th win as coach of the Governors.  Even if he runs into a couple of obstacles along the way, all he has to do to maintain his confidence is look down at the name of the floor on which he is standing: Dave Loos Court.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Loos about playing basketball at Memphis State and having his kids go into the family business.

loos

At Memphis State you played PG for the basketball team and SS for the baseball team, and were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2002: which sport were you better at, and which 1 did you enjoy the most? I was better at baseball. I enjoy coaching basketball more…and my wife also enjoys the fact that I coach basketball!

In the 1995 OVC tourney final you had an 8-PT loss to Murray State after star forward Bubba Wells suffered a right leg stress fracture: do you think that you would have won with a healthy Wells? Anything that might have happened after Bubba got hurt is speculation: I do not know if we would have won or not. I tip my hat to him because he came back out and tried to play.

What are your memories of the 1996 NCAA tourney (Drew Barry had 11 AST in a win by Georgia Tech)? They had a great PG who we could just not deal with. We kept it to single digits in the 1st half and played very well against a good team.

What are your memories of the 2003 NCAA tourney (Luke Whitehead scored 20 PTS in a win by Louisville)? We played them in Birmingham and got off to a great start against a very good Louisville team, but their press ended up hurting us down the stretch.

You used to work as the athletics director in addition to being head coach: was it hard to do both jobs simultaneously, and which gig did you enjoy the most? It is difficult because both jobs were time-consuming, but I am a coach 1st and foremost. Being a coach serves me well as an AD because I knew what the other coaches were going through.

In 2007 the school named the basketball court after you: what was your reaction after finding out about it, and where does that rank among your career highlights? I certainly was appreciative and flattered by it but I do not take a lot of time to think about that while I am still active. Right now we are just about the next game/practice/recruit. I kidded people that I just did it myself 1 night with a script pen!

What are your memories of the 2008 NCAA tourney (AJ Abrams had 26 PTS in a win by Texas)? We got off to a terrible start, which allowed the Longhorns to jump out to an early lead.

Your son David is a color commentator for Austin Peay sporting events, and your son Brad is an assistant basketball coach at Missouri: were you an influence on their decisions to go into sports-related fields, and how proud are you of all their success? I am very proud of all my children and what they have done. They grew up in the gym so I am not surprised that they got involved in sports. My daughter Nicole used to coach our dance team and is now the director of alumni relations, so she is involved as well. David considered coaching but decided to go into broadcasting instead, while I cannot see Brad doing anything else because he just has coaching in his blood.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I hope that people say we followed our objective, which is to have people leave here with a diploma in 1 hand and a championship ring in the other. We tried our best to be very consistent with what we did and we did it the right way.

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Under (and On) the Radar: Season Preview, Nov 10th

Posted on November 10, 2015 by David Griggs

For the rest of our extensive Preseason Coverage, including interviews with players and coaches, conference previews, and video podcasts – CLICK HERE

 

UNDER (AND ON) THE RADAR: Season Preview, Nov 10th

Chad is joined by David, Jon, and Joby as they run through all of the non-major conferences.  They begin by talking about Gonzaga and Wichita State, who they feel are legitimate top ten caliber teams.  They also look at BYU, Loyola Chicago, and Evansville as teams from the WCC and MVC that have a good chance of landing inside the bubble and making the NCAA Tournament.  Old Dominion is another team that they really like out of Conference USA.  They run through all the rest of the Under the Radar leagues, pick who they think will win the leagues, and reveal the first UTR Top Ten of the season.

 

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