NCAA and NAIA Odds and Ends

[Durbansandshark]

Right when we're getting ourselves re-settled onto these new-look boards, this happens out of NCAA basketball in Louisville, Auburn, Arizona, USC, Oklahoma St., and Alabama that also involves Adidas, Louisville recruit Brian Bowen (aka "Player 10") and street agents. Read all about it:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...aud-corruption
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...complete-shock
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...rds-corruption
http://www.slamonline.com/college-hs...ZtC9OjkwXIq.97
https://www.si.com/college-basketbal...layer-advisors
https://www.si.com/college-basketbal...dal-corruption

Prompts Louisville Cardinals coaching legend Rick Pitino and its AD Tom Jurich to be placed on "unpaid administrative leave" (read: fired) the next day. Pitino certainly can't talk his way out of this one:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...rich-put-leave
https://www.si.com/college-basketbal...-investigation

Definitely not typical fraud and corruption NCAA violation scandal that's for damn sure. Damn serious with the FBI breathing down their necks. Massive punishments on the programs are forthcoming. Very sad to see transpire. But we're surely not done yet. I'll have a lot more to say next week.

Midnight Madness basketball time again this year across the nation!
https://www.si.com/college-basketbal...-date-schedule

St. Mary's (CA) now adds an Estonian center in Mattias Tass to its strong Aussie contingent there:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...ay-saint-marys

Due to Hurricanes Mary and Irma devastating Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, the regular season-starting NCAA tournaments in November located there are located this year with the Puerto Rico Tip-Off now being played at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina and this year's hosting of the USVI-based Paradise Jam is being bid by the 8 participants:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...urricane-maria
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...virgin-islands

Missouri, San Diego St., Texas, Texas Christian, and Auburn all did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season for various reasons. But all are expected to return to it and will be ready for that this season come March, assuming if the NCAA scandal doesn't touch them hard like it apparently is with Auburn:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...caa-tournament

[Durbansandshark]

Yes, it's that lovely time of the year again for the focus to be laid towards NCAA basketball!

I'll revise this as we go along--and there's oh so much going on both on and off the court--with the conference tournaments all this championship week with many of the bigger conferences like the SEC starting theirs in a day or two. In my hometown of St. Louis, we not only just got done with the Missouri Valley tournament on Sunday afternoon but we now got coming for the first time ever hosting the SEC tournament! Saw a few members of the Ole Miss squad this afternoon at my job after they touched down last night and talked with them.

First team in this year's NCAA was Murray St. clinching the Ohio Valley Tournament over Belmont on Saturday night.

Sunday saw Michigan win the Big Ten at New York's Madison Square Garden. Radford Highlanders makes it return since 2009 with an exciting buzzer-beater to knock off Liberty in the Big South. Loyola-Chicago returns to the Big Dance as expected out of the Missouri Valley for the first time in 33 years since the days of Alfredrick Hughes in 1985 in only its third year as a conference member. We also got a debutant in Nashville's Lipscomb Bisons defeating FGCU's Dunk City for the Atlantic Sun title.

Last night saw the UNC-Greensboro Spartans claiming the Southern against East Tennessee St. and Iona returns on winning the Metro Atlantic tournament for third consecutive time in knocking off the Fairfield Stags. And just moments ago, Wright St. goes dancing from the Horizon League over Cleveland St. for the first time in over a decade. LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds wins the Northeast against the Wagner Seahawks. College of Charleston wins in OT versus Northeastern for the Colonial tournament title.

Those who won the regular season conference titles but failed to win the automatic tourney entry into the NCAA get automatic bids into the NIT (so far): Florida Gulf Coast, Rider, Northern Kentucky, and UNC-Asheville

[Durbansandshark]

Right now, only the Patriot League tonight is the where another ticket get automatically punched towards the NCAAs between Adonal Foyle's alma mater Colgate Red Raiders, preparing to make its first appearance in the NCAA in 22 years, and usual Patriot powerhouse Bucknell Bison at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion as the #1 seed (In the Patriot League like with the America East, NEC, and Big South, games are played at the higher seed school's basketball arena).

Gonzaga always these days is a formality in making it to the West Coast Conference every year for 22 years like last night in Las Vegas as it became a national force, making a misnomer of the mid-major moniker starting with its 1999 NCAA Tournament run. The Zags, just like their now-usual appearances in the WCC Championships, just won another West Coast title to make the NCAAs over BYU. Meanwhile, had the BYU Cougars won, it would be deeply troubling for the equally-respected #20 St. Mary's Gaels' NCAA Tournament prospects following its shocking WCC semifinal loss to BYU. The NCAA Aussies would be sweating to see if they would make the brackets at 28-5. I think they're safe now. Had they not make it, the Gaels would suffer the same fate as the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at 28-7 and 28-6 in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively, as the team with the best regular season record not in the NCAAs.

The South Dakota St. Jackrabbits outsmarted their hated in-state rivals the South Dakota Coyotes last night in Sioux Falls for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance out of the Summit League tournament title. May score an upset this time, so watch for SDSU.

College of Charleston Cougars wins a Colonial thriller over Northeastern in North Charleston to return to the NCAA since 1999 when it was once deemed at the time as a mid-major national power under John Kreese. Bill Murray, who was at the CAA game at the North Charleston Coliseum, certainly approved. Glad to see the Cougars back.

The UC-San Diego Tritons will move up from D2 to D1's Big West Conference for the 2020-21 season with the Cal St.-Bakersfield Roadrunners joining them from the WAC. There's four other members of the UC network already present there, all in Southern California: UC-Irvine, Cal-Davis, UC-Riverside, and UC-Santa Barbara, which makes sense for the UCSD Tritons in joining. What's more there exists three other Cal St. network schools in too: the Northridge, Fullerton, and Long Beach campuses:
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/division1

The men's women's D2 and D3 NCAA tournaments are already underway--and I'll get to that. One thing I can tell you right now locally is that Washington-St. Louis Bears, ranked #4 into the NCAA D3 tournament as a #1 seed, got ousted by 16-seed Aurora Spartans in a 82-80 first round stunner this past weekend:
http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2...20180303sfzwrx
http://www.studlife.com/sports/2018/...a-first-round/

[Durbansandshark]

Everything seems to be set for the selection field in the NCAA. But now that Davidson, who wouldn't be in anyway, has just won the Atlantic 10 tournament, someone's bubble just burst...

[2sc945]

Everything seems to be set for the selection field in the NCAA. But now that Davidson, who wouldn't be in anyway, has just won the Atlantic 10 tournament, someone's bubble just burst.

OMG you are back.

[Durbansandshark]

So now the Final Four field in San Antonio's Alamodome is all set for the Easter weekend starting Saturday night. An almost all-Midwest affair with 3 of them. One half are the blue bloods from the major conferences making one half in Kansas (winning the Midwest Region) and Villanova (East). Kansas won last this, as it was a decade ago, the last time when it was back in San Antonio. Maybe an omen here. The other half is Michigan (West) and those Cinderella darlings capturing the hearts of NCAA college basketball fans everywhere and back in the NCAAs in 33 years that actually won a title in 1963 in the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (winners of the South). And they got a 98-year old nun in Sister Jean becoming the face of the NCAA Tournament at a time when it needs it the most! All colliding.

ESPN's college basketball Myron Metcalf analyzes why each of the Final Four teams will win it in San Antonio...and why each of them will not:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...018-final-four

The 2018 edition of the NIT got its NYC Madison Square Garden 4-team field set starting tomorrow night: Utah faces Western Kentucky in the first game at 5pm US/Canada/Mexico CT with Penn St. and Mississippi St. playing in the second at 8pm for the NIT semifinals.

Starting tonight out in San Francisco there will be some championship-type ball on the line. But it's not Dubs ball involved. That's the San Francisco Dons going against the North Texas Mean Green at USF's War Memorial Gym for the final Dons home game at 9pm regardless for the 2018 CBI title with the next game at North Texas on Wednesday and possibly Friday night in the best of three. Wednesday night sees in the CIT semis the Battle of the Flames, the Illinois-Chicago Flames versus the Liberty Flames in Lynchburg, Virginia and the Northern Colorado Golden Bears take on the Sam Houston St. Bearcats at home for Easter Saturday night's championship.

Over in D2 ball on Saturday afternoon, the #1 Ferris St. Bulldogs from Big Rapids, Michigan completed a historic undefeated in tying a record 38-win season for its Big Record for its first ever basketball title and it's the first D2 basketball title for a Michigan school. Bulldogs' 6-10 big man Zach Hankins survives a 71-69 evenly-matched D2 national championship thriller in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon over the North Dakota-based #3 Northern State Wolves finishing with a school-record 36 wins in their first national championship appearance:
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball...-wins-programs

Don't worry, I hope to complete things with everything like with the NCAAs, NIT, CBI, and the CIT after Easter with the tournaments. Could work on D2-D3 first when I'll get into it on Wednesday. By the way, for the first time in over 30 years, both the DII Men's and Women's Elite Eight were held in the same location, where there was an intense six days of action from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

[Durbansandshark]

Superstation WTBS once again will handle the Final Four and National Championship this year in San Antonio at the Alamodome, where it will be determined which fans will celebrate along San Antonio's famed Riverwalk. Greg Gumble, Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Seth Davis, Clark Kellogg, and Brandan Haywood will be on hand as studio analysts at the Alamodome. Jim Nantz, Bill Rafferty, Grant Hill, and sideline reporter Tracey Wolfson will on hand for the action of all three games. Plus, those Turner Sports Team Streams are back after a year's absence on TNT with Michigan (Matt Park/Jay Feely/Dr. Sanjay Gupta) and Kansas (Dave Armstrong/Scot Pollard/Rob Riggle) and TruTV with Loyola-Chicago (Jeff Hagedorn/Jerry Harkness/Shams Charania) and Villanova (Scott Graham/Randy Foye/Kacie McDonnell). In Canada with TSN's multiple channels showing them, it will use the CBS/Turner Sports feed as TSN’s Nabil Karim and Kate Beirness host NCAA MARCH MADNESS, as it's known up in Canada, from the TSN Studio in Toronto alongside basketball analysts Leo Rautins, Sam Mitchell, and 2018 Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Sports Analyst, Jack Armstrong, delivering comprehensive pre-game, halftime, and post-game analysis of the day’s action. Resident “bracketologists” Armstrong, Rautins, and Mitchell also analyze the potential bracket-busting matchups and predict their winners.

Westwood One Sports Radio holds the exclusive radio broadcasting rights to NCAA Tournament with the Final Four called by Kevin Kugler, John Thompson, Clark Kellogg, and Jim Gray. Westwood One Sports also again will furnish the Spanish-language radio coverage with Greivis Vasquez and Rafael Hernandez Brito. Galavision provides the Spanish TV coverage.

[Durbansandshark]

We're only a coupled of hours away from the hotly-anticipated (as usual) national championship game in San Antonio tonight with Michigan and Villanova. To whet your appetite as we count it down, here comes the upon the 30th anniversary of, the Kansas and Oklahoma 1988 national championship game at Kansas City's Kemper Arena starring Danny Manning, Rick's son Scooter Barry, Stacey King, Mookie Blaylock, Phil Pritchard, coaches Larry Brown and Billy Tubbs, and for you Aussie NBL fans like those Perth Wildcats fans Ricky "Amazing" Grace. It was Danny & The Miracles all the way upsetting favo(u)red Oklahoma inside the heartland in an all-then-Big 8 battle for the crown during the NCAA Basketball's 50th men's tournament with a pro-Kansas crowd. Kemper Arena was among the last times a standard arena would host a Final Four as the tournament ushers in a new era:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEEuWiSNm-c

[Durbansandshark]

ESPN just released a brand new installment in its very popular and signature 30 For 30 series called Last Days of Knight. This new documentary goes back in time to 18 years ago back to 2000, would you believe, when and how Indiana Hoosiers basketball coach Bobby Knight got ousted from his seemingly untouchable post that September. His firing saga is one of investigative journalism that much of it wasn't told until now as the star with stories of verbal and physical abuse that wasn't limited to his Indiana players and told through a reporter/director Richard Abbott's recollections. All what he accomplished in his polarizing 29 years with the Indiana crimson and cream, including those 3 NCAA titles in 1976 (last undefeated team to win), 1981, and 1987, over 600 wins, and high player graduation rates, got greatly undercut the moment Bobby Knight angrily grabbed freshman student Ken Harvey by the arm for apparent (but unintended) disrespect, thus violating the zero-tolerance policy with now get classified as borderline assault. Defiant, arrogant, vulgar, and stubborn as he ever was. Knight has never stepped foot back in Bloomington, Indiana since, even with the steadfast loyalty many of his former players and fans still have towards him. It also serves as a cautionary tale on seemingly untouchable coaching legends and our worship of them, of how much influence and power college coaches can accumulate, if allowed and unchecked, the consequences they can face if it's abused, and foreshadowing what was to emerge years later like with Joe Paterno, also in Big 10 Country, at Penn St. with his own sad and unceremonial exit. Looking at it now, Knight fared better than JoePa in so many ways since. Incidentally, just within days of each other HBO here premiered the Joe Paterno film starring Al Pacino centering on his handling or institutional cover up of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. A man like Knight who demands excellence and discipline cannot reel in his own; ofttimes, they don't know when to hang it up holding a narcisstic personality. You can also recall beforehand with former Ohio St. football coach Woody Hayes when he punched an opposing player.

This is also about the political manueverings and inside manipulations designed to get rid him (there indeed were some well-connected Knight haters in them). Human emotions know no bounds in classic situations like this. What exactly did they win? But ultimately, Knight is just as responsible and likely more with his complex personality, bullying included. After 1992, Knight wasn't a very good coach because his recruiting turned downhill tremendously and refused to use the 3 point shot even when he had the best three point shooting team in the early 1990s. Unlike early in his career when his teams improved as the year went on (see 1981 championship), his later teams since 1985 began to flame out at the end of each year save for 1987. He underutilized many great players and ruined others like Ricky Calloway and Marty Simmons. He didn't adapt to significant changes in the game. When he started playing his son Pat, who was the worst player on his high school starting five, the end was nigh on the coaching side. It was perhaps time to go at that point. Not a flattering piece on Knight of course, which is why he refuse to participate in this film. What's also interesting is that this ESPN documentary is not going to be televised but exclusively available on its brand new subscription streaming service called ESPN+ and one of the last appearances of the late, great journalist Frank DeFord:
http://www.insidethehall.com/2018/04...robert-abbott/
https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/revi...atch-for-free/
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/11/medi...ght/index.html
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/arti...t-days-knight/
http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/30-f...of-knight.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmBhqJe-jkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK9ZT_Y3U_o (bonus podcast)

In a related story, Knight very bitterly tells Dan Patrick in a recent phone interview on The Dan Patrick Show last year that he "has no respect for and hopes [the Indiana University administrators who fired him] are all dead" when asked and has no interest in going back to the campus despite invites to do so for a championship reunion like for the 1976 undefeated team. Indiana University President Myles Brand, later the NCAA President, and some others already are actually now dead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODQtqI6vYJw

We know this ongoing investigative saga certainly isn't going away. Still getting warmed up. Now that the sneaker companies get criminally implicated even further in the FBI's wrath:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...sketball-probe

[Durbansandshark]

The Ohio St. Buckeyes turn to their fans in selecting what their new home court design would look like at the Value City Arena next season with four finalists--wish the Ohio was red in both like the bottom right. My choices are the top two with the bottom left running third. Red must be prominent as it usually is. But having some grey along the courtlines is a nice touch:
http://news.sportslogos.net/2018/04/...t-design-2018/

Georgia Tech goes to Adidas from Atlanta-based Russell Athletic after the Spring season, and the Georgia Tech GT logo gets some minor tweaks and a new wordmark coinciding that. Same old gold but with navy trimming replacing black. Don't expect the basketball uniforms to go all wild and crazy like Miami (FL) Hurricanes have:
http://news.sportslogos.net/2018/04/...tch-to-adidas/

[Durbansandshark]

The NCAA reveals yesterday that Houston (NRG Stadium), Phoenix (University of Phoenix Stadium in suburban Glendale), San Antonio (Alamodome), and Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium) all will host upcoming Final Fours during the 2023-2026 span. Los Angeles' shiny new dome stadium presently being built in Inglewood got surprisingly left out along with Detroit and Dallas/Arlington:
https://arenadigest.com/2018/07/17/n...tes-2023-2026/

[Durbansandshark]

With the California Baptist Lancers, the North Alabama Lions, and the UC-San Diego Tritons reclassifying up to Division I in the next two seasonS including the upcoming one in college basketball, we will soon be saying farewell to the Savannah St. Tigers after the 2018-19 season and 21 years altogether as a D1 member. The Tigers are leaving the historically Black college and university MEAC to rejoin D2 rejoining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (pending NCAA approval) with full membership in the 2023-24 season, citing the "fiscal responsibility and feasibility for the betterment of students and the institution and placing the best position academically and athletically for the school as priority" involving its Division 1 membership. Was a Mid-Eastern member for a decade since 2010. Savannah St. follows the likes of the Birmingham Southern Panthers and the Centenary Gents, both Southern-based schools, in recent years in going down to either Division 2 or D3 in basketball and athletic departments overall.

Its time in Division 1 hasn't been good. Most notably with that infamous 0-28 season finish during the 2003-04 season, something only another HBCU school manage to endure in Prairie View A&M in 1991-92. Were the MEAC regular season champs in 2011-12 that won them a trip to the 2012 NIT, its first D1 postseason men's tournament appearance, and a couple of CIT appearances. All three times went winless. Also endured a couple of Academic Progress Report-related postseason bans though the NCAA granted the men's program a waiver this year. The Lady Tigers fared not much better, although the program did taste NCAA tournament play as MEAC conference tournament winners in 2015 beating Coppin St., North Carolina A&T, and Maryland-Eastern Shore along the way to it before falling to Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks 81-48 in the first round:
https://hbcusports.com/2017/04/18/sa...ii-leave-meac/

[Durbansandshark]

Promise I'll catch with some aspects in college basketball very soon. But a new development occurred when College of the Ozarks, an NAIA D2 school, joins the Swoosh backlash in ditching Nike in response to QB Colin Kapernick kneeling instead of standing for the national anthem and Nike supporting him as part of the long-successful Just Do It controversial anniversary campaign. Its Division 2 basketball tournament hosting ended last year:
http://www.ozarkssportszone.com/2018...etic-uniforms/

[Durbansandshark]

Should be noted that College of the Ozarks, like a lot of NAIA schools in the USA, is religiously-affiliated. In this case, a private Christian school in Point Lookout, Missouri. Near Branson and not as big as the student bodies of many high schools. Appears to be very conservative. I strongly disagree with the school's stance and seems childish and petulant to me. While Nike is far from a saint as a company (and yet I do wear lots of Nike and do like other brands too), what the school is doing contributes to a small scale that is "divisive and disrespectful". The USA is already divisive for many, many years being resorted to tribal factions with diminishing public common spaces over the decades in races, classes, religions, cultures, generations, political affiliations, and gender. Didn't just happen overnight and forgot about them. Colin Kapernick's protest--and his appearance in these Nike ads during this campaign that sparked ire--is over racial and social inequality, police brutality and misconduct on not just blacks but other people of color. This happens The kneeling before the national anthem came on the advice of a military guy who spoke to him on how to proceed. He's not ashamed of it. More deeply concerned about America's treatment and how it's seen worldwide. Seems to me, College of the Ozarks follows a sort of Anglo-Americanism, WASPy culture that's at the heart of the general American conservatism with its religiousity--and a low-level "America: love or leave it/my country right or wrong" attitude. Conservatives The ones against this tend to be older and white, many of whom still operate many spheres of power. Colin Kapernick's stance and College of the Ozarks' dropping Nike is obviously one of the numerous signs and backlash of the incredible transition or growing pains in the United States rapidly becoming a multiethnic and multicultural nation with each passing day in a time of great fear and rapid social change, which scares the hell out of so many they will have to ultimately cede towards. By the way, many of the servicemen and servicewoman are of color too who may at least secretly support Kapernick.

Latest NAIA basketball development hit Monday when former New Jersey Nets All-Star and Georgia Tech star guard Kenny Anderson (his off-court problems like his finances and divorce are well-chronicled) was named to coach Nashville's Fisk University and earn some pub for the Bulldogs. Fisk is a HBCU and started getting renown back in the late 18th Century for its group of black singers that traveled to Britain to raves earning from the Brits Nashville's enduring nickname as "Music City USA". Anderson joins the string started by Darrell Walker, Juan Dixon, and George Lynch as former NBA players in recent years to coach at HBCUs:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/spo...ch/1255270002/
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...niversity-naia
https://www.theshadowleague.com/stor...sketball-coach
https://hbcugameday.com/2018/09/07/k...-coaching-gig/
https://www.tennessean.com/story/spo...ts/1220017002/

[Durbansandshark]

That NCAA basketball scandal that broke through last year and rocking sports in a semi-shocked manner with the FBI involved? Now it since gone to trial. What we now know so far. Brian Bowen Sr. said in federal testimony yesterday that former Louisville assistant Kenny Johnson and Bowen Sr. planned to meet up last August in a series of text messages and phone calls and Johnson later producing a $1300 check payment inside Johnson's car awarded to his son, the expelled McDonald's All-American recruit from Louisville. It was the latest of amounts of money given/offered from numerous coaches and sneaker companies to the Bowens since his son was in high school. Current Boston Celtics coach and former Penn Quakers head coach Jerome Allen accepts a government plea deal over him taking a $18,000 bribe from a father wishing his son got enrolled into the Penn program that Allen must repay with a $200,000 fine while facing suspension at Boston. Even the basketball corruption trial drags in the names of former college (now NBA) stars Markelle Fultz and Kyle Kuzma in an ex-financial advisor with an agent's help giving money to their families:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...nson-gave-1300
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...ltz-kyle-kuzma

The federal trials certainly aren't going away as we approach the start of the 2018-19 NCAA college basketball season. So far only four coaches in 4 different power schools--Miami (FL), Kansas, Louisville, and North Carolina St.--were mentioned in the indictments with more schools likely to be added on with Arizona, Creighton, Michigan St. LSU, DePaul, and Maryland targeted for its unethical recruiting involving top prospects. This legal mess will only likely to grow with more schools from major and mid-conferences likely to be implemented and sneaker companies such as Adidas get entangled as more trials are set for next year even as the NCAA is presently unclear how it enact its punishments. This is only the beginning. So get used to it:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...d-trial-starts

To that end, an 88-minute HBO documentary called "Student Athlete" following the flaws and the unfairness and hypocrisy deeply infested in the big-time college sports recruiting realm and the NCAA as a whole of how the system takes advantage of them through 5 college-connected personalities that's co-directed by 2x documentary Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton. But the real attraction to many in the general public is the personality involved is one who never played a minute of college ball. LeBron James and Maverick Carter producing. Overhaul is definitely needed:
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...bo-documentary

Villanova's William B. Finneran Pavilion's $68 million major renovation project now is over with the center ready to re-open after a season closed for it. Opened back in 1986 soon after winning its first NCAA title the previous year with high hopes of upgrades enhancing the fan experience--and generating revenue at the 6500-seat arena:
http://www2.philly.com/philly/sports...-20181005.html
https://arenadigest.com/2018/10/08/v...eran-pavilion/

[Durbansandshark]

NCAA college basketball is getting started today. Are you excited? The Road to Minneapolis starts now with the State Farm Champions Classic with a great lineup of blue blood legendary teams like Duke, Kentucky, Michigan St., and Kansas in Indianapolis. A ready-made ESPN event that just renewed for 3 more years. Still have lots to cover and make up in this. Including the NCAA scandals:
https://espnevents.com/champions-classic/

Micah Porter transfers out of Ohio St. just before the season starts. Where to? Unknown at this point:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...g-opener-nears

[Durbansandshark]

No more undefeated teams with Duke knocking off Virginia from the undefeated world this past weekend. Yet Duke has not regained the #1 seed since. Tennessee now has it at a time when the women's team, who would be known in the past to have that distinction, is coming off a slew of losses this season so far.

[Durbansandshark]

Definitely we're into the college conferences season in this all-important stretch of the season in January and February before hitting the homestretch of conference tournaments and the national postseason tournament ones. This part's important when dealing with RPIs and strength of schedule beyond the top 35 if getting the coveted NCAA bids and evaluating how strong the conferences are in getting multiple bids. The power conferences of course will get theirs like the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC. Real story is could the likes of Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley get more than the conference tournament winner in?

Tennessee Vols remain #1 in the nation under head coach Rick Barnes with a 17-game winning streak. Ahead of Duke, Virginia, Kentucky, and Gonzaga. Eric Musselman's Nevada-Reno Wolfpack is right behind them and lurking as the best team out West. Even more so than many Pac-12 schools. This is a look at beyond the locks, who's very much in, and who needs work to do to get into the NCAAs. Surely, now that we're just getting into Bracketology, seedings and who gets in from the mid-major will get touched on. Michigan St. Spartans are in an apparent free fall after being the hottest college basketball team, having just lost to a 7-15 Illinois team, with a stagnant offense turning so late in games when needing a basket, the loss of Joshua Langford, and Cassius Winston's support class failing thus forcing him to do much. Plus no marquee Big 10 wins so far:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-start-madness
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...michigan-state

[Durbansandshark]

Arizona basketball as a whole is not enjoying a great time right now. The Phoenix Suns again aren't enjoying a great season. Even the worst in franchise history potentially, although they came off a franchise-record 17-game losing streak. Should be better but got an incomplete roster. Former Arizona Wildcats star Mike Bibby was just removed from his Shadow Mountain High school head coaching job stemming from his 2016 sexual misconduct on a teacher just after winning another state title--likely the school knew about this. Now here comes a federal subpoena reportedly coming Arizona Wildcats coach Sean Miller's way for an upcoming trail following a FBI probe on the investigation when assistant coach Emanuel Richardson was among 10 people arrested in 2017. Richardson recently pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal. Miller curtly told Mike Pelton from ABC 15 Phoenix in a Arizona post-game press conference last night ending a 7-game losing streak, the longest in 35 years when Lute Olsen took over: "No comment. You can drive back to Phoenix". I think he's doomed. The Arizona men's basketball program has a lot on the line with this. This story is brewing for a while with allegations Miller ever paid prospective players to join the Arizona Wildcats:
https://twitter.com/MikePeltonABC15/...90657859198976
https://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...il/2981294002/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...ll/2992329002/

Louisiana St. coach Will Wade also was reportedly subpoened.

There will be more NCAA basketball programs reclassifying to D1 in future years along with UC-San Diego. The Merrimack College Warriors in North Andover, Massachusetts accepts an invitation from the NEC presidents and will become a Northeast Conference member next season joining from D2's Northeast-10 Conference. Full eligibility will come in the 2023-24 season. First expansion there since Bryant in 2012. Merrimack's hockey teams are already in Division 1
playing in Hockey East. Despite the name and what it's geographically associated. The Dixie St. Trailblazers are actually located in Utah, not the South. They will move from Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and into the WAC come 2020-21 with full eligibility in 2024-25. The LIU-C.W. Post Pioneers is moving up to D1 this fall but is actually merging with the LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds to become a single LIU athletic program. Teams in sports that Post sponsors but Brooklyn doesn't will be reclassified to Division I, so there's no probationary period:
http://www.northeastconference.org/n...ns_NEC_18.aspx
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/...onference.html
https://liupostpioneers.com/news/201...i-program.aspx

For calling Angolan basketball player Bruno Fernando "King Kong" during a 66-65 home loss to Maryland, Iowa play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin is currently serving a suspension for the remainder of the season. But will be reinstated when the season ends for football spring practices. He owned up to it. Also was suspended for two games earlier this season after making disparaging comments about Iowa player Maishe Dailey on a live microphone during the broadcast of the Hawkeyes' game with Pittsburgh:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...kong-reference
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-return-season

[Durbansandshark]

Selection Sunday, one of the most anticipated sports days in the sports calendar anywhere, is coming exactly a week away. More than a week after the CIS up in Canada completes theirs and right when the CCAA crowns their champs up there too. We get to see who gets in and who's out. Safe bet those who are in the top 35 will get in automatically. Always a fun time when this happens when head into Championship Week with the conference tournaments already starting things! D2 and D3 are in their NCAA national tournaments as I write this.

We got our first automatic team punched in last night as a conference champion when the Murray St. Racers, a perennial participant in this, clinched the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship beating Nashville-based Belmont Bruins 77-65 in Evansville, Indiana. Check out OVC Player of the Year Ja Morant from Murray St. He's a treat. Can throw it down with authority. Played the entire 40 minutes. Belmont may still have a chance to get in but will have to sweat things out until Selection Sunday. Hope their resume is viewed favorably by the selection committee to be an at-large team. The Bruins, who played the final without 6-foot-11 center Nick Muszynski sidelined with an ankle injury in Friday's semifinal win over Austin Peay, will play in the NIT as the OVC regular-season co-champion if their bubble gets burst:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121714

We already got a debutant going dancing as the first of the three conference tournament champions (Big South, Missouri Valley, and Atlantic Sun) decided is in. #4 Gardner-Webb Bulldogs will head into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. DJ Laster scores a career-high 32 points to help Gardner-Webb win the Big South with a 76-62 win over the #2 Radford Highlanders, the defending Big South champs at their home court, the Demond Center. The Big South championship game was held at the home arena of the higher surviving seed among the two finalists. By the way the North Alabama Lions will join the Big South next season.

Bradley Braves just clinched the Missouri Valley tournament in St. Louis to get the NCAA invite 57-52 over the Northern Iowa Panthers. More details coming.

Already some predictions in who gets the mid-major conference tournament titles and the automatic NCAA bids have gone bust. Southern and Metro Atlantic will both name their crowned champs tomorrow night. See how ESPN predictors see all 32 conference picks. Some teams are of course more sure things than others. Also do get a chance to see how analyzing the conference tournaments might sort themselves out in their volitalities:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...ce-tournaments
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...according-plan

Tennessee Vols' hopes for a #1 seed may have taken a serious hit with SEC rivals Auburn and coach Bruce Pearl upending them 84-80 last night,thus denying Tennessee its second-most wins in a season but will still have a double bye in Nashville's SEC Tournament later this week. First time Auburn defeated a top 5 team since beating Arkansas back in 1995:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401082996

[Durbansandshark]

You may have noticed the conference tournament winning teams getting a large March Madness dummy ticket showing a portion of a bracket and the conference logo with the team only placing their schools' sticker on it upon victory indicating they're automatically going dancing in the NCAAs. Stared this year.

More schools were added to the automatic ranks as we approach Selection Sunday making it 11 as of this writing as we get closer to the big-time major conference ones--and they've started. Gets added tonight in the Patriot League championship game the Bucknell Bisons faces the Colgate Red Raiders for the 12th one. This will be a home game for Colgate in upstate New York as they are the higher seed for this in the Patriot League. Bucknell is a consistent participant in the NCAA Tournament out of this conference and has been known to wreck havoc in recent times. Just ask Kansas. The Patriot League has the only championship game going on today.

The Iona Gaels will play in their 6th NCAA Tournament appearance in 8 years besting the Monmouth Hawks for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title 81-60 in Albany. This is Iona's 4th consecutive MAAC conference title. Riding high on a 10-game winning streak after the Gaels' fortunes changed from a 2-9 start by winning against Monmouth with a 7-game losing streak prior to that. Had Monmouth won in Albany, the Hawks would be the first sub-.500 team overall in this year at 14-21 but displayed some late-season spunk to build upon for next year. Also this will be the last MAAC tournament in Albany for a while as next year's is held in Atlantic City:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121799

Looking for a possible Cinderella this year? How about the #20 Wofford Terriers? They clinched the Southern Conference Tournament Monday night beating the UNC-Greensboro Spartans 70-58 in Asheville, North Carolina. Coach Mike Young, now a winner of 5 SoCon titles at Wofford, says the Terriers are "a big, talented team" that can't wait to lay in the NCAA Tournament. UNC-Greensboro lost to Wofford by 30 and 29 points in their two regular season games together, led most of the game and was hoping to pull the upset and steal a tournament berth from a bubble team. But the Spartans failed to hold onto the lead when it mattered like when their 3-point shooting deserted them and having a short bench. Wofford was just as bad in that too. Strong backcourt play and solid inside-out game too with Tournament MVP Fletcher Magee just 2 3-pointers away from tying Oakland's Travis Bader's NCAA D1 3-point record with 502. Likely to break it:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121618

The Northeastern Huskies from Boston had five players in double figures win the Colonial Tournament in remembering their collapse from last season at this time when their large lead faded away against Hofstra. So eerily similar to 2018 with College of Charleston. The Huskies win 82-74 in North Charleston at the CAA title game. Second tourney in 5 years. Hofstra, as CAA regular season champs and tops in scoring and shooting, was seeking its first NCAA appearance since 2001 when a coach named Jay Wright, now at Villanova, roamed their sidelines. But now heads to the NIT as Colonial regular season champs. Like with Albany, the tournament leaves North Charleston and goes to more centrally-located Washington, DC for a three-year stint at the Entertainment and Sports Arena:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121791

2012 was an important year in West Coast tournament basketball. That was the last year Saint Mary's last won that. The same #1 Gonzaga failed to win it. Until now. Saint Mary's stuns Final Four the Bulldogs in the final, Gonzaga's 20th consecutive under Mark Few and 22nd overall in the WCC, in Las Vegas and kept Gonzaga star Rui Hachimura in check. Never got into the flow. First time ever SMC defeated a #1 team. Record-wise, the Gaels last season were the best team not in the NCAA Tournament at 30-6 as among the "last four out"; I strongly felt they should've made it. The NCAA selection committee advised them to boost its schedule strength and actually were on the bubble again. Still that concern nagged them. That's actually taken care of by claiming the conference tournament with a team featuring 7 players from down under (both Australia and New Zealand) with a very international lineup. But this means someone else's bubble sadly just got burst. Just a matter of seeding for both but I think Gonzaga is safe on Sunday for a #1 seed:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121840

Northern Kentucky wins their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years last night claiming the Horizon League Tournament at Detroit's Little Caesar's Arena with four starters and a reserve in double figures. Beats the Wright St. Raiders 77-66 who couldn't shoot thus dooming their first-ever consecutive NCAA appearances in history. Balanced scoring and good passing helped NKU. The 26-8 Norse this time wants to win a game in college basketball's biggest showcase even after a solid mid-major debut losing 79-70 to Kentucky utilizing their depth here:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121809

Over in Sioux Falls, North Dakota St.'s Vinnie Shahid head his teammates' call for him to get aggressive and scores 20 points in the second half out of the 22 overall. Paves the way for the North Dakota St. Bison to win their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015 for its 4th trip there from their 5th Summit League final appearance in 7 years and prevents the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks its debut NCAA appearance from its second Summit League final and forced them to play uphill. Nebraska-Omaha, in its D1-best 21 wins this season, only got six bench points, all from Ayo Akinwole, in comparison to NDSU's Cameron Hunter scoring 12 points, all from his 3-point attempts and his 2 free throws:
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...meId=401121699

More to come tomorrow.

[Durbansandshark]

Let the March Madness begin this year! We're truly on the Road to Minneapolis now for NCAA men's D1 college basketball for the most part as far as national attention is concerned. The week after the Canadian college basketball scene ended their season with CIS and CCAA action with Final 8s up there. NCAA D2 and D3 tournaments are already underway. Actually the D3 ones in both men and women are just now completed. We'll get into the NIT, CBI, and the CIT too as usual.

March Madness D1 postseason actually begins tonight with all due respect to the First Four in Dayton, Ohio and NIT both tomorrow with the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament kicking it all off with the Metro Atlantic's Quinnipiac Bobcats visiting the Atlantic Sun's NJIT Highlanders in Newark in first round action! Cameron Young, one of the top scorers in the nation, and Quinnipiac takes on Zach Cooks, Abdul Lewis, and the rest of the Highlanders. All eyes will be on those schools if the attention is right tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I'll bring out the brackets of all men's tournaments this month

[Durbansandshark]

I'll revisit the NCAA conference championships and its winners very soon among others. But there's this matter of those pesky NCAA men's tournaments to confront right now...

First Four
March 19 and 20
University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)

First and Second Rounds
March 21 and 23
XL Center, Hartford (Host: University of Connecticut)
Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines (Host: Drake University)
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville (Host: Jacksonville University)
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City (Host: University of Utah)

March 22 and 24
Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina (Host: University of South Carolina)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus (Host: Ohio State University)
BOK Center, Tulsa (Host: University of Tulsa)
SAP Center, San Jose (Host: West Coast Conference)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight):
March 28 and 30
West Regional--Honda Center, Anaheim (Host: Big West Conference)
South Regional--KFC Yum! Center, Louisville (Host: University of Louisville)

March 29 and 31
East Regional--Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. (Host: Georgetown University)
Midwest Regional--Sprint Center, Kansas City (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

Final Four National Semifinals and Championship--April 6 and 8
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis (Host: University of Minnesota)

First Four – truTV
First and Second rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS
National Semifinals (Final Four) and Championship – CBS

FIRST FOUR at the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON ARENA, DAYTON, OHIO
March 19
16 Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. 16 Fairleigh-Dickinson Knights truTV 5:40pm (West) US/Canada/Mexico CT
11 Belmont Bruins vs. 11 Temple Owls 8:10pm (East) truTV

March 20
16 North Carolina Central Eagles vs. 16 North Dakota St. Bison 5:40pm truTV (East)
11 St. John's Red Storm vs. 11 Arizona St. Sun Devils 8:10pm truTV (East)

FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
March 21
EAST Regional
7 Louisville Cardinals vs. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers CBS 11:15pm
3 LSU Tigers vs. 14 Yale Bulldogs truTV 11:40pm
2 Michigan St. Spartans vs. 15 Bradley Braves CBS 1:45pm
6 Maryland Terrapins vs. 11 Temple/Belmont winner truTV 2:10pm
1 Duke Blue Devils vs. 16 NC Central/North Dakota St. winner CBS 6:10pm
5 Mississippi St. Bulldogs vs. 12 Liberty Flames truTV 6:27pm
8 Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs. 9 University of Central Florida Golden Knights CBS 8:40pm
4 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. 13 St. Louis Billikens truTV 8:57pm

WEST Regional
3 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. 14 Northern Kentucky Norse TNT 12:30pm
4 Florida St. Seminoles vs. 13 Vermont Catamounts TBS 1pm
6 Buffalo Bulls vs. 11 Arizona St./St. John's winner TNT 3pm
5 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. 12 Murray St. Racers TBS 3:30pm
7 Nevada-Reno Wolfpack vs. 10 Florida Gators TNT 5:50pm
1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson/Prairie View A&M winner truTV 6:27pm
2 Michigan Wolverines vs. 15 Montana Grizzlies TNT 8:20pm
8 Syracuse Orangemen vs. 9 Baylor Bears truTV 8:57pm

March 22
MIDWEST Regional
5 Auburn Tigers vs. 12 New Mexico St. Aggies TNT 12:30pm
4 Kansas Jayhawks vs. 13 Northeastern Huskies TNT 3pm
8 Utah St. Aggies vs. 9 Washington Huskies TNT 5:50pm
2 Kentucky Wildcats vs. 15 Abilene Christian Wildcats CBS 6:10pm
3 Houston Cougars vs. 14 Georgia St. Panthers TBS 6:20pm
1 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. 16 Iona Gaels TNT 8:20pm
7 Wofford Terriers vs. 10 Seton Hall Pirates CBS 8:40pm
6 Iowa St. Cyclones vs. 11 Ohio St. Buckeyes TBS 8:50pm

SOUTH Regional
7 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes CBS 11:15am
8 Ole Miss Rebels vs. 9 Oklahoma Sooners truTV 11:40pm
4 Kansas St. Wildcats vs. 13 UC-Irvine Anteaters TBS 1pm
2 Tennessee Volunteers vs. 15 Colgate Red Raiders CBS 1:45pm
1 Virginia Cavaliers vs. 16 Gardner–Webb Bulldogs truTV 2:10pm
5 Wisconsin Badgers vs. 12 Oregon Ducks TBS 3:30pm
6 Villanova Wildcats vs. 11 Saint Mary's Gaels TBS 6:20pm
3 Purdue Boilermakers vs. 14 Old Dominion Monarchs TBS 8:50pm

SECOND ROUND/ROUND OF 32--March 23 (East and West) & March 24 (Midwest and South)

REGIONALS:March 28 & 30--WEST (Anahiem) & SOUTH (Louisville), March 29 & 31--MIDWEST (Kansas City) & EAST (Washington, DC)

[Durbansandshark]

2019 NATIONAL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
FIRST ROUND
March 19
2 NC St. (22-11) vs. 7 Hofstra Pride (27-7)
5 Lipscomb Bison (25-7) vs. 4 Davidson Wildcats (24-9)
1 UNC-Greensboro Spartans (28-6) vs. 8 Campbell Camels (20-12)
1 Indiana Hoosiers (17-15) vs. 8 St. Francis (PA) Red Flash (18-14)
2 Clemson Tigers (19-13) vs. 7 Wright State Raiders (21-13)
3 Memphis Tigers (21-13) vs. 6 San Diego Toreros (21-14)
2 Texas Longhorns (16-16) vs. 7 South Dakota St. Jackrabbits (24-
2 Creighton Bluejays (18-14) vs. 7 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (20-13)
4 Providence Friars (18-15) vs. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks (17-15)
4 Colorado Buffaloes (21-12) vs. 5 Dayton Flyers (21-11)

March 20
3 Xavier (OH) Muskateers (18-15) vs. 6 Toledo Rockets (25-7)
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (18-15) vs. 8 Norfolk St. Spartans (21-13)
3 Georgetown Hoyas (19-13) vs. 6 Harvard Crimson (18-11)
3 Furman Paladins (25-7) vs. 6 Wichita St. Shockers (19-14)
1 Texas Christian Horned Frogs (20-13) vs. 8 Sam Houston St. Bearcats (21-11)
4 Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-16) vs. 5 Butler Bulldogs (16-16)

SECOND ROUND--March 21-25
QUARTERFINALS--March 26-27
NIT NATIONAL SEMIFINALS AND NIT CHAMPIONSHIP (in New York City's Madison Square Garden)--April 2 & 4

2019 COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL
FIRST ROUND
March 19
Cal St.-Northridge Mastadons (13-20) at Utah Valley Wolverines (24-9) 8pm

March 20
Grand Canyon Antelopes (20-13) at West Virginia Mountaineers (14-20) 6pm
Howard Bison (17-16) at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (15-16) 6pm ESPN+
Stony Brook Seawolves (24 -8 at South Florida Bulls (19-13) 6pm
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (20-12) at Longwood Lancers (15-17) 6pm
UAB Blazers (20-14) at Brown Bears (19-11) 6pm ESPN+
Central Michigan Chippewas (23-11) at DePaul Blue Demons (15-15) 7pm
Loyola Marymount Lions (20-11) at California Baptist Lancers (16-14) 9pm

QUARTERFINALS--March 25
CBI SEMIFINALS--March 27-28
CBI CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (best of three)--April 1, 3, 5 (if necessary)

The 2019 CollegeInsider.com POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT
First Round
MONDAY, MARCH 18
Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-14) vs. NJIT Highlanders (21-12) 6pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 19
Cornell Big Red (15-15) vs. Robert Morris Colonials (17-16) 6pm
Jim Phelan Classic--IUPUI Jaguars (16-16) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (19-14) 6:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20
Texas Southern Tigers (21-13) vs. New Orleans Privateers (19-13) 7:00 pm
Grambling Tigers (17-16) vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley Vazqueros (19-16) 7:00 pm
Presbyterian Blue Hose (18-15) vs. Seattle Redhawks (18-14) 9pm
Hugh Durham Classic--Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (17-16) vs. ETSU Buccaneers (24-9) 6pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 21
Florida Atlantic Owls (17-15) vs. Charleston Southern Cougars (17-15) 6pm
Coach John McLendon Classic--Saint Francis-Brooklyn Terriers (17-15) vs. Hampton Pirates (16-17) 6pm
Riley Wallace Classic--CSU-Bakersfield Roadrunners (16-15) vs. Cal St.-Fullerton Titans (16-17) 9pm
Lou Henson Classic--Kent St. Golden Flashes (22-10) vs. NE Louisiana Warhawks (18-15) 7pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Drake Bulldogs (24-9) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (16-16) 7:30pm
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
Florida International Golden Panthers (19-13) vs. SW Texas St. Bobcats (24-9) 6pm

Second Round--TBD
NOTE: Top 3 seeds will get a bye after first round

Quarterfinals--March 27-31
Semifinals--April 2
Championship--April 4 on CBS Sports Network, all CIT games are on CBS Sports Live and watchcit.com

[Durbansandshark]

Will return to the NCAA tournaments next week when I got lots more time. But I would like to present a bad game that took place early just last month that SB Nation covers. A very, very historically bad college basketball game that took place in Raleigh's PNC Arena between North Carolina St., the home team, and Virginia Tech shown on Raycom Sports here. These two teams were high among ACC teams in shooting percentage and both were ranked at the time fielding great shooters. But that said shooting deserted both teams like as if some extraterrestrial forces invisibly sucked the basketball lifeforce out of both teams. Even more disturbingly so in NC St.'s case. The Virginia Tech Hokies completely blew them out scoring with just 47 points. But the Wolfpack rebounded three days later in the next game by scoring and winning with 96 points (no OT). I've seen football games at the pro and college levels and even some high JV basketball games, boys and girls, that were higher-scoring than this! North Carolina St. was in position to make the NCAA Tournament this season at this time but eventually fell off as the First Four Out and into the NIT. This game didn't help but losses to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech did them in. Or a poor non-conference schedule, which I think both were worse. But the Wolfpack did have their chances. That Raleigh game sure was fun...

Interesting tidbit: Meanwhile on the very same day, in D3, Greenville defeated Fontbonne (a small university in St. Louis) 200-146. Greenville led all levels of the NCAA averaging 135.1 points per game this season using a slight variant of Grinnell's The System. Spirit of Troy-DeVry 1992 lives on in displaying a lack of defense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSL38xNnzvQ