Even though the world stops when the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament tips off in earnest next Thursday with the round of 64, these next few days are what the madness in March is all about.
Twelve tournament championships are held Saturday plus five more Sunday, with quarterfinal quadruple-headers taking center stage Thursday in the Big Ten and SEC, as well as closer to home in the Atlantic 10. Bubble schools battle with chances to stay on the right side of the cutline while scoreboard watching, hoping there aren’t any bid-stealers (teams that wouldn’t make the field as an at-large upsetting their way into the NCAA’s like Duquesne in the A-10 last year). It’s exciting to watch on TV and even more intriguing to cover in person.
The men’s college basketball world paused Thursday with the passing of longtime Washington Post contributor John Feinstein, who was a staple on sideline press rows at arenas in press boxes in stadiums over the years. He was slated to be at the Atlantic 10 Tournament this week and I was looking forward to reading his NCAA Tournament regional previews next Monday. His death leaves a void. John was a grinder, producing timely columns when he wasn’t writing 44 books over the years. “A Season on the Brink” remains the landmark sports book almost 40 years after the bestseller’s publication. The sport was better because he was writing about it and the world is a little bit lesser because he’s no longer here.
Thursday’s action:
George Washington (21-11) responded to a 19-4 second half run by Fordham that gave the Rams their first lead of the game by looking for “treys” … from Trey. As in 3-pointers from Trey Autry, who scored 23 points while hitting three 3s in the final two minutes of regulation to spark the Revolutionaries to an 88-81 victory.
“Down the stretch they drew up some great plays, I just happened to be open,” Autry said. “I have all the confidence in the world because all of my teammates have all the confidence in the world in me. I missed some pretty open ones but after every shot they’re encouraging me to keep shooting.”
It didn’t hurt that they were playing three metro stops away from campus (four if you switch lines at Metro Center). They’ll need whatever fans they can muster for a Friday afternoon showdown against George Mason.
“They’re very physical,” coach Chris Caputo said. “It’s hard to go up a very physical team like that. But I also think we had two great games, so I think our guys will have confidence there, as will they, they’ve had a great year. Great day for basketball in the D.C. area.”
Howard (12-20) saw its quest to capture three straight MEAC Tournament titles end with a 91-90 quarterfinal loss to Morgan State. The Bison rallied from 15 points down to take a late lead but Kameron Hobbs’ layup with 10 seconds left proved to be the difference. Turnovers also told the tale as 12 miscues led to 22 points for the Bears. Conference Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year Blake Harper wraps up his freshman season in fine fashion, scoring 28 points. Will he return for a sophomore year or, like other Bison who have shined (James Daniel, Elijah Hawkins), find his way to a Power Conference program through the transfer portal?
Friday’s Games:
Atlantic 10 quarterfinal, VCU (25-6) vs. St. Bonaventure (22-10), 11:30 a.m. USA
The Bonnies are coming off a thriller of their own, using a 13-1 finishing kick over the final 4:16 of regulation to defeat Duquesne 64-59. The two teams split their regular season series, with each team winning on its home floor. But that last meeting was Jan. 24, which in college hoops is a lifetime ago.
VCU enters the tournament as the prohibitive favorite after leading the A-10 in scoring defense, rebounding margin and turnover margin. The Bonnies can defend as well, ranking second in turnover margin and third in scoring defense. Ram to watch: Philip Russell averaged 21 points on 56% shooting (including 10-19 from three-point range) against St. Bonaventure this winter.
Atlantic 10 quarterfinal, George Mason (24-7) vs. George Washington (21-11), 5 p.m., USA
The two schools played a pair of 3-point games during the regular season, with the showdown in Fairfax going to double overtime. And for the first time since 2017, both teams have posted 20 wins.
“I think it’s a good rivalry. We need this type of stuff, we don’t have what Philly has, maybe this will be a little taste of it. And that’s a good thing,” Revolutionaries coach Caputo said. “I expect us to be amongst the best teams in this league for a long time.”
The Patriots wrapped up their best season since joining the Atlantic 10 last weekend by tying for the A-10 regular season championship, but they also know that a new season is underway.
“I would say it’s a just a sense of urgency and just understanding what’s at stake,” coach Tony Skinn said. “We’ve competed for the last three to four months at a high level. We’ve got to compete at a higher level for the next three days.”
Big Ten quarterfinal, No. 11 Maryland (24-7) vs. Illinois (21-11), 6:30 p.m., BTN
The Terps won the regular season meeting Jan. 23 by 21 in Champaign, and it was a much bigger victory than that because heading into that matchup coach Kevin Willard’s team was 0-4 on the road in league play (they’d finish 5-5 away from Xfinity Center in the league).
The Illini outscored Iowa 104-96 Thursday and currently lead the conference in scoring (84.4 points per game) while ranking second in rebounding (Terps are second and third in those two categories). Illinois’ top weapon, Kasparas Jakucionis, was held to 10 points on 1-6 shooting but the freshman from Lithuania tallied 21 points with seven rebounds and seven assists against the Terrapins in January.
In 10 conference tournaments since joining the Big Ten, Maryland has reached the semifinals twice (2015 & 2016) while going one-and-done four times. They’ve won one game in each of Willard’s two seasons at the school and are poised for a breakthrough this March.
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