Dave Preston is an AP voter. Read his ballots here.
March celebrates the players, teams, coaches and schools. But this week we also celebrate the teachers who roll the TV into the room so the next generation of fans can put “Lord of the Flies” and quadratic equations on the back burner for a few days while the conference tournaments provide a healthy disruption to one’s education.
It used to be just Friday, but with the bloated 16- and 18-team conferences that now extends to Tuesday in some cases. Although the case could be made that watching those games is more a punishment than a perk.
Maryland (12-20) sees its season live at least one more day after the Terps took a 24-point lead against Oregon and coasted to a 70-60 triumph over the Ducks in the Big Ten’s (Infamous) First Round. Diggy Coit led the way with 17 points, and the Terrapins held Oregon to 4-21 from three while winning the battle of the boards by ten.
Virginia Tech (19-13) saw their slim NCAA hopes go down in flames as they fell in overtime to Wake Forest 95-89 of the (Dreaded) First Round of the ACC Tournament. The Hokies had a chance to win the game in regulation but once again things just slipped through the cracks. Coach Mike Young’s maddening season saw his team outrebound their foes by 17 but still come up short.
The Big East and Atlantic Ten begin their tournaments today, and while many are hoping for an Act III in the UConn-St. John’s saga at Madison Square Garden, the difference between fourth and last place in the conference this winter is four games.
“This is the most open the Big East Tournament has been in my opinion in the 24 years I’ve been in the league as an assistant coach and as a head coach. Again, when you start looking at all the games,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said Monday.
“A lot of those games were played right down to the final wire.”
The Hoyas should know, as eight of their 14 league losses were by six points or fewer. But they head to MSG by wrapping up the regular season with an 80-79 win over Providence on Senior Night.
Bids awarded last night
CAA: Hofstra (24-10) held off Monmouth 75-69 as Tournament Most Outstanding Player Preston Edmead led the way with 26 points. The last time the Pride played in the NCAA Tournament, they were the No. 13 in seed in 2001 and they were called the “Flying Dutchmen.” Their top player then? Current head coach Speedy Claxton.
Metro Atlantic: Siena (23-11) defeats Merrimack 64-54 after holding the Warriors to 29% shooting while outrebounding them 50-26. Two years after finishing 4-28 the Saints find themselves in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. They were a No. 13 seed that March and fell in the First Round.
Horizon: Wright State (23-11) rallied from 12 points down to defeat Detroit Mercy 66-63. The Titans had a chance to tie things up with time running out but Kellen Pickett’s block of an Orlando Lovejoy layup with one second left seals the victory for the Raiders, who are dancing for the first time since 2022 when they beat Bryant in the First Four before falling as a No. 16 seed to Arizona.
West Coast: No. 12 Gonzaga (30-3) trailed at the half before dominating Santa Clara after intermission in a 79-68 victory. The Bulldogs exit the league by winning their 23rd conference tournament title and make their 27th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. This year they’ve been rated a No. 3 or 4 seed in most models.
Tonight’s bids
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (28-4) vs. McNeese (27-5), 5 p.m., ESPN2. The regular season champion Lumberjacks and second place Cowboys split the regular season series.
Patriot: Boston University (17-16) at Lehigh (17-16), 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network. The Terriers have a March hero and his name is Chance Gladden. He’s actually more of a “Certainty” in clutch moments as Gladden’s jumper with two seconds left was the difference in the quarterfinal win over American and his buzzer-beating three shocked Navy in the semifinals. The Mountain Hawks took both regular season meetings thanks to their “Terrier-tamer”: Nasir Whitlock scored 30 points in both regular season meetings on 58% shooting and 7-11 from three-point range.
Big Sky: Montana (18-15) vs. Idaho (20-14), 11:30 p.m., ESPN2. The Boise tournament has been dubbed “Starch Madness.” The Grizzlies upset regular season champ Portland State in the semifinals while the Vandals have gotten hot after finishing in seventh place.
Wednesday’s games involving locals
Big Ten Second Round: Maryland (12-20) vs. Iowa (20-11), noon The Terps took the lone regular season meeting between the two teams thanks to 24 points from Andre Mills. The Terps also won the battle of the boards by nine that night. The Hawkeyes aren’t exactly hot at this time, having dropped three straight and six of eight in a stretch that includes a defeat to last place Penn State.
Atlantic Ten First Round: Richmond (15-16) vs. Loyola Chicago (8-23), 2 p.m. The Ramblers might rank last in the A-10 in scoring, shooting, three-point percentage and turnover margin but they beat the Spiders 69-66 on February 28. That afternoon they held UR to 30% shooting and dominated the glass against the conference’s worst rebounding team (+13).
Big East First Round: Georgetown (14-17) vs. DePaul (16-15), 9 p.m. The first thing you should know is the “9 p.m. game” rarely starts exactly at nine, and sometimes not even close to that time. And yes, we’ve dropped the “Lowly” moniker, although if you search on Google it will appear as if “Lowly DePaul” is almost mandated by the AP Stylebook (like “Woeful Rutgers” or “Basement-Dwelling Boston College”). But this year, Chris Holtmann’s team has eight league wins, the most for the program since 2007. They’ve also beaten the Hoyas in four of their last five meetings, including last March in the Big East First Round.
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