NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.18.15 Edition
Posted by Griffin Wong on March 18th, 2015
March Madness is finally upon us, and we here at RTC are here to make everything a little bit easier for you. From the First Four until One Shining Moment, we’ll be dropping daily tidbits of knowledge regarding the teams in each region.
Midwest Region
Karl-Anthony Towns Was Named an All-American. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
- Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns was named a freshman All-American by the USBWA. Despite playing just over 20 minutes per game for the undefeated Wildcats, Towns averaged 9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Crazy numbers on a per-40 basis.
- Cincinnati has been a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament but is it a basketball school or a football school? You decide.
- This may be Buffalo‘s first time in the NCAA Tourney, but don’t tell their fans that. The Bulls’ faithful have responded to their team’s success – Buffalo will “definitely sell out” its allotment, according to associate athletic director Todd Garzarelli.
- In Valparaiso, the Drews are “more than just basketball royalty, they are the first family.” Having already won three regular season Horizon League championships, coach Bryce Drew loves being a part of the program that has family – including himself – has given so much to over the years.
- With Seinfeld creator Larry David and Google co-founder Sergey Brin on its roster, Maryland took home a title in a March Madness bracket determined by each school’s alumni.
- Butler loves to recruit players who can shoot, so how has junior Roosevelt Jones only attempted three jump shots over the past three years? Jones may not be able to shoot, but he’s found a way to make his “floater” game work.
- Now that Texas is in the Big Dance, it sees its adversity this season as a positive. “That’s one of the advantages we have,” [sophomore Kendal] Yancy said. “We’ve seen everything that can possibly come to us.”
- According to stat guru Ken Pomeroy, Notre Dame has the second-best offense in the country. That’s great, but will its defense leave the Irish susceptible to an early round exit this March?
- New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies is confident about his team, but he’s being realistic about facing a blue-blood program in Kansas. “They’re a big-time team, obviously a big-time program,” Menzies said of Kansas. “Great coaching, great coaching staff; it’s an honor to be able to play in this environment.”
- The Jayhawks may not have landed a #1 seed this year, but they did come in as the second most valuable college basketball program, according to Forbes. Kansas basketball is worth $35.4 Million, ranking behind only Louisville.
West Region
- After being out for the past two months with a broken foot, Wisconsin point guard Traevon Jackson is finally practicing. It’s unclear whether Jackson will regain his starting spot from sophomore Bronson Koenig – who has played very well in Jackson’s absence – but regardless, adding quality depth never hurts.
- Oklahoma State may have gotten a little complacent this season, according to its star Le’Bryan Nash, and the key to success in the coming weeks will be regaining that chip on their shoulder. “I mean, sometimes when people are always picked low, they get excited for their success and don’t know how to handle success. Sometimes, we didn’t know how to handle it,” Nash said.
- Wofford has never won a game in NCAA Tournament, but having been there four out of the last six years, the Terriers just might be due. According to coach Mike Young, “We’ve got a team that’s done it. That’s been there. That’s not going to be in awe of the moment. They will know what they’ve got to do to put themselves in position to win. We’ll be in a much better frame of mind this time around, I feel certain.”
- Though North Carolina will go as Marcus Paige goes, the emergence of freshmen Joel Berry and Justin Jackson will be critical to the Tar Heels’ success.
- For Harvard’s freshman guard Zach Yoshor, balancing basketball and his devout Jewish faith has been tough. Though he observes the Jewish Sabbath, he bends the rules when he has to travel for basketball. “It was a really rough decision. I just decided it was something I wanted to do,” Yoshor explained by telephone on Monday. “I knew if I wanted to play, I’d have to travel on Shabbat.”
- Down 17 at the half, Ole Miss pulled off a stunning comeback in the First Four on Tuesday night. Behind transfers Stefan Moody and MJ Rhett, the Rebels will, somehow, live to fight another day.
- As Xavier looks to make a run in the Tourney, its seniors are especially driven. “Like Dee [Davis] was telling me the other day, we only have one more loss in us. It’s one loss and you’re done,” [Matt] Stainbrook said. “So we’re trying to win as many games as we can.”
- While John Heard and Austin Mills found their way to the Baylor basketball program in different ways, the two walk-ons were fortunate to be rewarded with scholarships for this semester.
- Ohio State coach Thad Matta may be the all time winningest coach in Buckeyes history, but this season has been a rough one. However, Matta and his team will have a chance to turn it around when they face VCU on Thursday.
- Arizona hasn’t lost since February 7, and much of the Wildcats’ success has been because of junior forward Brandon Ashley. During the Pac-12 Tournament, Ashley averaged nearly 20 points and six rebounds per game. And as we head into the home stretch of the season, Ashley’s contributions will be necessary for the Wildcats’ success.
East Region
The Magic Happened Thirty Years Ago For Villanova
- In what was one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, the 1985 Villanova Wildcats took down top-seeded Georgetown in a thriller. Check out this oral history of the game that Sam Gardner of FOX Sports put together.
- With Alabama in the NIT and NC State in the Tournament, Trevor Lacey is confident that he made the right decision to leave Tuscaloosa.
- Though they’re in the midst of March Madness, LSU assistant Eric Musselman could be getting a look to coach at San Diego, his alma mater.
- One needed to steal a bid and the other was well-respected all season, but Wyoming and Northern Iowa aren’t actually so different. Both squads are experienced, play tough defense, and work inside-out.
- Louisville coach Rick Pitino has obviously had his share of success in March, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to add to it.
- Boise State may have to play a road game tonight against Dayton, but the Broncos aren’t phased. To coach Leon Rice, there’s no reason to complain about the First Four’s location. “There is a reason it is here, it should be here,” he said. “They do such a good job with the NCAA Tournament atmosphere here.”
- Boise State may not be scared to face Dayton on the road, but the Flyers have been dynamite this year at home, compiling a 16-0 record this season to go along with a 21-game home winning streak.
- Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield always pulled for upsets growing up. However, as a #3 seed this year, Hield is now hoping to avoid them at all costs. “I liked to watch a bunch of upsets,” Hield said. “I was always for the underdog team. That makes the game more fun and exciting. I hope we don’t get upset, though. That’s not for us.”
- Georgia will have a tough test against Michigan State on Friday, but things would be a heck of a lot easier if the Bulldogs can get healthy. Second leading scorer Kenny Gaines hopes to return from a sprained foot, while reserve Juwan Parker hopes to battle through an Achilles injury.
- Does Virginia have a shot at cutting down the nets this year in Indianapolis this year? According to Chris Chase, it’s not likely.
South Region
- Despite going down in its first game to a #15 seed (Lehigh) and a #14 seed (Mercer) in two of the past three years, this year’s Duke team “expects” to go deep in the Tourney. “We want to win a national championship,” freshman standout Jahlil Okafor said Tuesday. “That is on everybody’s mind, one game at a time.”
- San Diego State has been a model of mid-major consistency over the past decade, but have the Aztecs kept up the same standard in the classroom? SDSU posts one of the lowest Academic Progress Rates in the field of 68.
- St. John’s coach Steve Lavin has had a solid tenure thus far, but it is unclear what the future holds for him. Lavin has done well, but is he the guy who will save St. John’s basketball?
- Taking over one of the worst teams in the Pac-12 three years ago, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak has the Utes in the Tournament for the first time in five years.
- Casual Hoya seems to like Georgetown‘s chances against Eastern Washington, but it does give a couple reasons why the Eagles could pull off the upset. Here‘s what the Hoya blog has to say about Friday’s game.
- Having rebuilt the SMU program from the ground up, Thursday will be coach Larry Brown‘s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since he won the 1988 National Championship at Kansas.
- Iowa State may not want to cut things as close as it did during the Big 12 Tournament, but if they have to, the Cyclones won’t mind doing it again. “We don’t want to come back every time, but it just seems to keep happening to us,” junior Georges Niang said. “I’m not going to say that’s who we are. But if that’s our emergency button and that’s what we have to do, then we’re going to have to do it.”
- Developing a pipeline to the state of Ohio has done wonders for Davidson. What began as a having a daughter-in-law from the state has now turned into the entirety of coach Bob McKillop‘s starting lineup being Ohioans.
- While he’s never faced them at Iowa, coach Fran McCaffery is quite familiar with Davidson. Back when McCaffery was at UNC-Greensboro, he faced the Wildcats 13 times, compiling a 6-7 record.
- Gonzaga has reached the Tournament 17 years in a row, but it has never been to a Final Four and hasn’t been to an Elite Eight since the year the streak began (1999). The ‘Zags have looked great all season, but is this team different than the Gonzaga teams of old that couldn’t get over the hump? According to Nick Birdsong, that answer is a resounding no.
