March may “enter like a lion,” but for me, it hits like a sledgehammer.
Just when I had gotten the NFL playoffs out of my system (along with the corresponding nachos and wings), it’s time to fire up a month of thrills, chills, spills and much more.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll finalize the select 68 schools before bringing on the best two afternoons of sport the calendar year has to offer, only to rinse and repeat for two more days that weekend, followed by four more rounds to crown a national champ. Along the way, there will be heroes and heartbreaks, stunning silences and fantastic finishes.
March is here. Let’s go find some madness.
Eagles continue to fly: American (16-14) led by as many as 11 points in the first half but had to hold off multiple second half charges by Bucknell in their 64-59 triumph in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. Junior Johnny O’Neil began with a bang: scoring 13 points in the first half before finishing with 19 and eight rebounds. He also finished with a flourish by blocking a Bison shot with 14 seconds left, collecting the rebound and sinking two game-sealing free throws. Sophomore Elijah Stephens grew up quite a bit, netting 14 of his 18 points after halftime while adding four assists and two steals.
“I thought his decision making was great, there’s just a bunch of little things he did tonight,” American head Mike Brennan said. “It comes with time and experience. I’m just so happy for him — he had a terrific game and was just on it on both ends of the court.”
So instead of seeing their season end before the end of February, AU gets a date with red-hot Navy Thursday in Annapolis. The Midshipmen (18-12, 11-7 Patriot League) won seven of eight and 10 of 12 to end the regular season, thanks to the senior leadership of Daniel Deaver, Sean Yoder and Tyler Nelson. The two schools split their regular season series with the road team winning each time.
History on the Horizon?: Thursday will also feature Howard hosting Norfolk State with the MEAC regular season title up for grabs. The Bison (18-12, 10-3) haven’t won the MEAC outright since the 1986-87 season. They beat the Spartans 86-84 on the road Jan. 14, thanks to 24 points from Marcus Dockery while Elijah Hawkins’ free throws put them ahead for good in the final minute of regulation. Joe Bryant led the Spartans with 23 points that night and his 17.6 points per game ranks third in the conference. Regardless of what happens at Burr Gymnasium, coach Kenneth Blakeney’s team has a very good chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992.
Now for important business
March means more than merely the closing month of college basketball, it’s when Girl Scout Cookies arrive. Once again this winter, I have meticulously gone through this year’s flavors to come up with my annual rankings. And I’m sure these rankings will receive “constructive criticism,” just like my weekly Top 25 ballot has from fan bases across the country the last few months. As always, descriptions are taken from the Girl Scouts website and these rankings are “completely subjective and 100% accurate.”
13. Toast-Yay!: “Yummy toast-shaped cookies full of French toast flavor and dipped in delicious icing.”
More like “Toast-Meh.” And beware of unnecessary punctuation whenever cookies are concerned. Every league needs that sad-sack school which can’t get out of its own way — this year, it’s Minnesota in the Big Ten, Louisville in the ACC and-gulp-Georgetown in the Big East.
12. Lemon-Ups: “Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages.”
Inspiring as in, “you’re better than Toast-Yays?” Just like NC State always suffers in the shadow of UNC, Lemon-Ups feel that way with Lemonades.
11. Raspberry Rally: “Thin, crispy cookies infused with raspberry flavor, dipped in chocolaty coating.”
This year’s debut combines the fun of chocolate with the “we’re eating healthy” of raspberry flavor. Sadly, this is an online-order only from my “connection.” Kind of like being on NCAA Probation, I guess.
10. Girl Scout S’mores: “Crunchy graham sandwich cookies with chocolate and marshmallow filling.”
Yes, they’re delicious and belong in the top ten. But like a team that owns a ridiculous home court advantage (see: Maryland in the Big Ten), S’mores taste 134% better when they’re in danger of falling into the campfire and have just a tiny bit of an ash aftertaste. But on the neutral floor/box? I’m not so sure they translate as well. Can we microwave them?
9. Toffee-tastic: “Gluten free! Rich, buttery cookies with sweet, crunchy toffee bits.”
No, the committee did not intentionally pair the two gluten-free flavors in the first round. Completely random! But like Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference, how tested is this flavor?
8. Caramel Chocolate Chip: “Gluten free! Chewy cookies with rich caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt.”
Same as above, only with chocolate chips it’s more like San Diego State (Aztecs play in the Mountain West that features FBS football — and yes I’m comparing football to chocolate chips).
7. Trefoils: “Iconic shortbread cookies inspired by the original Girl Scout cookie recipe.”
Tradition! Smack in the middle of our rankings is the original. Sometimes traditional powers keep it going like perennial powers Kansas (who won its 40th straight Senior Night Tuesday to clinch yet another Big 12 title), while some lose their way like Indiana (11 Big Ten championships from 1973-93, only three in the 30 years since).
6. Lemonades: “Savory, refreshing shortbread cookies topped with a tangy lemon-flavored icing.”
Depending on your feeling for lemon cookies, like Virginia this flavor isn’t for everyone and can fall upset to the wrong matchup in the first round, or power its way past a higher-seeded cookie. And icing-like defense-travels in March.
5. Do-si-dos: “Crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling.”
Think power in the post with Big Ten behemoths like Purdue’s Zach Edey roaming the lane while gobbling up offensive rebounds. Yes, the Boilermakers have lost four of five and their program hasn’t advanced to the Final Four since the Carter Administration (we’d also accept the month JR was shot) but this cookie is going to break through sooner or later, right?
4. Adventurefuls: “Indulgent brownie-inspired cookies topped with caramel flavored crème with a hint of sea salt.”
Last year’s rookie took the tournament by storm like Miami and like the Hurricanes finished one step shy of my Final Four. This year they use the hint of sea salt (more of a strong suggestion if you ask me) to advance.
3. Samoas: “Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut, and chocolaty stripes.”
We’ve reached coin-flip territory with the final three easily able to win it all. This flavor’s complex flavor sets bog them down against foes that are just that much better in transition.
2. Thin Mints: “Crisp, chocolate cookies dipped in a delicious mint chocolaty coating.”
Run and gun. Press after every make. Jack up threes. Blink and they’ll score 50+ points in a half like top-ranked Houston. I can (and have) consume(d) sleeves during a media timeout with ease. But can they execute on both ends in the half-court if that’s what is needed?
1. Tagalongs: “Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating.”
You have to be able to play multiple styles to get it done in March (and beyond). This cookie can play slowdown or up-tempo with the best of them. Room temperature or chilled. One biting moment …
This week’s starting five
Up top: Houston stays No. 1, Kansas remains No. 2 and Alabama holds at No. 3 on my ballot this week while a couple of buzzer-beating shots knock a few schools down some pegs. Arizona State’s last-second three ruins Senior Day at then-No. seven Arizona while No. 13 Miami blows a 25-point lead against Florida State. Meanwhile, Purdue — No. 1 just a few weeks ago, has lost three of four to stumble down the stretch. This week’s biggest variation was Indiana (I had the No. 15 Hoosiers 21st). Small school shout-outs: Florida Atlantic, College of Charleston and Oral Roberts. Difficult omissions: Northwestern, Texas A&M, Duke and VCU.
Going inside: Maryland (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) has moved into this week’s Top 25 (I’ve got the No. 21 Terps 19th on my ballot) thanks to consecutive home wins over Minnesota and then-No. 21 Northwestern. But winning on Senior Day also means they’re done playing inside Xfinity Center for the season, and the Terps remain wobbly on the road (1-7 with the lone win over the last place Golden Gophers). As documented last week, here the road has been rather rough for everybody (41-84 after Sunday), and the Terps have had enough good moments to give their coach confidence.
“Man, we’ve been close. I thought we’ve played pretty good on the road, we just haven’t closed on the road,” head coach Kevin Willard said after the team wrapped up a 10-0 conference home record. “Had a chance to win at Purdue, had a chance to win at Wisconsin, had a chance to win at Nebraska. It’s hard to win on the road in this conference.”
Wednesday they visit Ohio State (Buckeyes are 3-6 at home in Big Ten play) before battling Penn State in Sunday’s season finale. Bryce Jordan Arena has been the site of nightmares for the Terps, who are 1-5 there with five straight losses since joining the Big Ten.
On the perimeter: Virginia (22-6, 14-5 ACC) controlled their path to the top seed at the ACC Tournament before driving into a ditch on the road last week, losing at Boston College where they couldn’t shoot (32% FG and 4 of 19 from 3-point range) before falling at North Carolina where the Tar Heels couldn’t miss (9-16 from outside the arc in the first half). Tuesday’s 64-57 win over Clemson means they can still finish in a tie for first with Miami and/or Pitt depending on how things play out, but UVA loses tiebreakers to both the Hurricanes and the Panthers. And even with the victory, the Cavaliers still shot poorly (41% and 5-19 from three). Defense travels in March but in the game of basketball the number of baskets made goes a long way toward tournament runs in the ACC or the NCAA.
Who’s open: The Colonial Athletic Association returns to the Entertainment and Sports Arena this weekend for its postseason tournament, and while last year saw semi-local Delaware (given the winter of teams in and around the beltway we had to include the Blue Hens) emerge after topping regular season champ Towson in the semifinals. This year, the Tigers (20-11, 12-6 CAA) own the No. 3 seed and led the conference in three-point shooting while ranking second in rebounding margin. The Blue Hens (16-15, 8-10) as the No. 6 seed are a win over 11th seeded Northeastern away from a rematch, albeit in the quarterfinals instead of the semis. But everybody’s chasing a College of Charleston (28-3) team that’s spent time in the Top 25 as well as actual No. 1 seed Hofstra (Pride own the tiebreakers with the Cougars as well as an 11-game winning streak). Brace yourselves for Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders (after of course the necessary Hampton-Monmouth 12-v-13 game Friday afternoon) where upsets are often the rule and not the exception.
Last shot: While the CAA takes centers stage, the rest of the weekend around D.C. is rather quiet with just one men’s program at home. Saturday in Foggy Bottom George Washington (15-14, 9-7 Atlantic 10) wraps up the regular season by hosting VCU (22-7, 13-3). While the Rams are zeroing in on a No. 1 seed in the upcoming A-10 Tournament, the Colonials have exceeded expectations after securing their first non-losing conference mark since 2016-17. In a month where the guards become gods, there’s no backcourt in the league with a higher upside than the duo of James Bishop and Brendan Adams. But VCU didn’t simply ease its way into first place: the Rams lead the A-10 in turnover margin and allow the second fewest points per game. They’ve also been giving away tri-corner hats this winter (perhaps in anticipation of the Colonials’ nickname being retired). Let’s just say the buff & blue hats (even the foam one from last year) bring out my eyes.
