Four days until Selection Sunday.
Five more bids were claimed Tuesday night, bringing the number of teams in the field to 11: No. 2 Gonzaga, Robert Morris, North Dakota State, Northern Kentucky and Hofstra. The Pride’s 70-61 win over Northeastern in the CAA Championship Game was their first in four Finals appearances, and punched the school’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since they competed in the America East Conference as the “Flying Dutchmen.” Their win wrapped up four days at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast D.C.; the first of three years the CAA will be coming to Washington.
Meanwhile, a pair of locals played last night with their seasons on the line as neither Virginia Tech nor Howard had a legitimate shot at reaching the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team.
The Hokies (16-16) lost 78-56 to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament’s first round after shooting 29% while getting out-rebounded by 15. Who knows if the future is bright but it is most certainly on campus in Blacksburg: freshmen Hunter Cattoor (14 points), Jalen Cone (11 points) and Landers Nolley II (10 points) scored 62% of the Hokies’ points. Unfortunately, the rest of the team shot 6-for-29 (21%).
How will coach Mike Young build off that nucleus with his first complete recruiting cycle? In an ACC that was in flux much of the winter, we’re a few years away from learning which direction this program is going after watching its consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances streak end at three. Never an easy night, winter or year in the ACC.
Howard (4-28), however, showed how mad March can be sometimes. The Bison somehow shocked South Carolina State in the first round of the MEAC Tournament, 70-63. Let’s put this in perspective: HU went 0-9 in November, 2-3 in December, 0-8 in January and 0-7 in February. But they’re 2-1 in March, and more importantly, they live to play another day thanks to Charles Williams (24 points), Kyle Foster (18 points) and team defense that held the Bulldogs to 2-19 shooting from three-point range. Next up? No. 2 seed North Carolina A&T, who went 12-4 in league play and beat the Bison by four in February. So HU can still dream.
Ballot Battles
I caught heat this week from a San Diego State fan for dropping the Aztecs all the way from No. 6 to 15th after their loss to Utah State. For the record, they were probably overvalued while still staying unbeaten, and there is a bit of a market correction for mid-major schools losing games this late.
Power five schools may get a pass because in some leagues (Big Ten, Big East), most of the conference schedule is against potential NCAA Tournament teams — not so in the Mountain West or West Coast Conference (sorry, BYU). The biggest differences between my ballot and the composite poll? Oregon (I’ve got the 13th-ranked Ducks at No. 7), Virginia (I’ve got the 17th-ranked Cavaliers at No. 11), and Creighton (I have the 7th-ranked Bluejays 15th).
Small school shout-outs go to Stephen F. Austin (28-3, first place in the Southland and that win over Duke), East Tennessee State (30-4 and making me look smart with their roll through the Southern) and New Mexico State (the Aggies have won 19 in a row).
Bids up for Grabs
Just one on Wednesday, with Colgate hosting Boston University for the Patriot League Championship. Since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season, the Terriers are 5-6 while the Raiders are 7-5 with last year’s title in their trophy case. They also won both regular season games between the two schools and are led by facilitator Jordan Burns (15 points and five assists per game). I’ll be watching, wondering how AU can get back there.
Tipping off Wednesday
The Atlantic 10, Big Ten and Big East begin their tournaments in Brooklyn, Indianapolis and New York City, respectively. Meanwhile, the MEAC continues in Norfolk, Virginia, as does the ACC in Greensboro, North Carolina (without Virginia Tech).
1 p.m. — George Mason (16-15 overall, 6-12 A-10) vs. St. Joseph’s (6-25, 2-16)
What a difference a few months and a key injury makes. The Patriots began the season 11-1 even with Justin Kier’s early injury issues but when the senior reinjured his foot, the team went into a tailspin (that will happen when you lose the previous season’s leading scorer). Coach Dave Paulsen’s team has lost five of seven, with the two wins coming against tied-for-last Fordham and St. Joe’s. Mason’s 62-55 win over the Hawks saw Javon Greene score 20 points.
The St. Joseph’s player to watch is junior guard Ryan Daly, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He’s slacking in the blocked shots department (fourth).
3:30 p.m. — George Washington (12-19, 6-12 A-10) vs. Fordham (8-22, 2-16)
Newsflash: teams that play in the “dreaded first round” are not hot entering March. The Colonials have lost five straight, with one of those defeats coming to the Rams. Actually, GW is the only A-10 team Fordham has been able to beat this winter so the last-place Rams have the bracket right where they want it.
It’s also a matchup of the two lowest-scoring teams in the conference (GW’s 65.6 points per game ranks 313th and the Rams’ 58.1 is 349th). Somehow, Fordham also found a way to post November wins against UConn (now 19-12) and Bradley (MVC Tournament winner).
7 p.m. — Georgetown (15-16, 5-13 Big East) vs. St. John’s (16-15, 5-13)
If this feels familiar, it’s because this is the third meeting in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game between the Hoyas and Red Storm in the last four years. Since the revamping of the “New Big East,” the old powers have had it rather rough: This is the fifth straight March the Johnnies have played in the first round, while G’town is making its sixth appearance in seven years on the first night at MSG.
The Hoyas swept the regular season series, rallying from 17 points down at the Garden on Super Bowl Sunday. They’ve won just twice since, while St. John’s won two of three to end their regular season.
8:30 p.m. — Howard (4-28, 1-15) vs. North Carolina A&T (16-15, 12-4 MEAC)
Can the Bison keep the dream — and its season — alive? As impressive as Tuesday night’s upset of South Carolina may be, HU has not won consecutive games all season. NC A&T won four of five to conclude the regular season, with the only loss coming to regular season champ North Carolina Central. The Aggies are led by senior forward Ronald Jackson, who tallied 18 points with 10 rebounds against the Bison last month and averages a double-double. Howard senior Charles Williams may be averaging 25 points over his last three games, but the guard shot 4-11 and 0-2 from three-point range against the Aggies last month.
