Mid-Major Madness - All Posts"So what are they going to call it? NonPower5Madness.com?"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50397/midmajor-fav.png2024-03-18T11:39:11-07:00http://www.midmajormadness.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T11:39:11-07:002024-03-18T11:39:11-07:00The Other Top 25: Conference champions see big spikes in ranking
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<p>Saint Mary’s remains No. 1, and New Mexico climbs to No. 4</p> <p id="AsBwvE">It’s no surprise that teams who won their conference tournament championships are playing some of their best basketball right now, and this week’s Other Top 25 reflects that.</p>
<p id="wuOcBh">Saint Mary’s remained in the top spot in this week’s ranking following its WCC Tournament win. The Gaels knocked off Gonzaga 69-60 on Tuesday night for their first tournament title in five years.</p>
<p id="PvkCUj">Mountain West champion New Mexico jumped eight spots to No. 4 this week. The Lobos won four games in four days in Las Vegas for the title. They are the first team in MW history to pull off that feat. UNM knocked off a trio of fellow NCAA Tournament teams in the final three games.</p>
<aside id="0fWYFm"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"New Mexico’s Mountain West title cements #SixBidMW","url":"https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/17/24103991/new-mexico-mountain-west-title-cements-six-bid-mountain-west"}]}'></div></aside><p id="qi4dHm">Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake and WAC champ Grand Canyon each saw small jumps and are also in the top 10. The Bulldogs defeated Indiana State in the MVC title game and moved up from tied for eighth to No. 7. The Lopes came in at No. 10 and knocked off UT Arlington and Seattle for their third tournament title in the last four years.</p>
<p id="2hHjJB">James Madison and McNeese State followed at 11 and 12. The Dukes clinched the Sun Belt title over Arkansas State. The Cowboys have won a program-record 30 games this season in Year One under Will Wade. <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/13/24100185/mcneese-slides-through-southland-on-their-way-to-first-tournament-bid-since-2002-march-madness">They claimed the Southland crown</a> over Nicholls on Wednesday.</p>
<p id="oXSH46">Yale, who had been receiving votes, checked in at No. 16 after its Ivy League championship. The Bulldogs topped Brown 62-61 on Matt Knowling’s buzzer beater. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE WINNING BASKET<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisIsYale?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisIsYale</a> <a href="https://t.co/o9eLNHo7qR">pic.twitter.com/o9eLNHo7qR</a></p>— Yale Men's Basketball (@YaleMBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/YaleMBasketball/status/1769426453987291397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="gssSur">Samford came in immediately after Yale after <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/12/24098781/bucky-takes-his-ball-to-the-biggest-ball-of-them-all-samford-wins-southern-conference-title">its SoCon Tournament title</a>. The Bulldogs, who were No. 25 last week, edged ETSU in the title game.</p>
<p id="TZWXdt">Duquesne jumped into the ranking at No. 18 following <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/18/24104549/duquesne-takes-atlantic-10-ends-47-year-ncaa-tournament-drought">its Atlantic 10 championship</a>. The Dukes are dancing for the first time since 1977.</p>
<p id="IpX2JY">Charleston moved up from No. 24 to No. 19 after winning its <a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/13/24099338/charleston-fends-off-feisty-stony-brook-in-ot-to-repeat-as-caa-champions">second straight CAA title</a>. The Cougars are going to the Big Dance for the second time in three seasons under Pat Kelsey.</p>
<p id="vylXpr">UAB, coming off its AAC title, ranked 23<sup>rd</sup>. The Blazers stopped Temple’s miracle run in the title game on Sunday.</p>
<p id="yg5yyo">America East champion Vermont came in tied at 24. The Catamounts edged UMass Lowell for their third consecutive title.</p>
<p id="0Sx2zL">Here are the full rankings:</p>
<div id="gFgJ3O"><div data-anthem-component="table:12282760"></div></div>
<p id="rJaCFD"><strong>Others Receiving Votes:</strong></p>
<p id="ndlOEE">South Florida 10; VCU 9; Memphis 7; UNLV 7; UC Irvine 7; Akron 7; Morehead St. 4; Long Beach St. 2; Louisiana Tech 1</p>
<p id="eRbJa2"><strong>Dropped from Ranking:</strong></p>
<p id="Kx0rae">Memphis – 16; South Florida – T-21; UNLV – T-21; UC Irvine – 23</p>
<p id="kZUtwv"><strong>Previous Top 25 Rankings:</strong></p>
<p id="7y7HpI"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/11/24097313/the-other-top-25-saint-marys-moves-back-to-no-1-nevada-is-up-to-second-amid-win-streak"><strong>March 11</strong></a></p>
<p id="vNQnHq"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/4/24090290/the-other-top-25-san-diego-state-moves-back-to-no-1-spot"><strong>March 4</strong></a></p>
<p id="C0GOJ0"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/26/24083358/the-other-top-25-saint-marys-becomes-sixth-no-1-of-season"><strong>Feb. 26</strong></a></p>
<p id="ELkWjR"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/19/24077141/the-other-top-25-san-diego-state-takes-over-top-spot-in-ranking"><strong>Feb. 19</strong></a></p>
<p id="qQiw7t"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/12/24070680/the-other-top-25-saint-marys-gaels-continue-ascent-back-to-top-five"><strong>Feb. 12</strong></a></p>
<p id="qDH9Cf"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/2/5/24061929/the-other-top-25-dayton-flyers-leads-tight-race-at-top-of-ranking"><strong>Feb. 5</strong></a></p>
<p id="Y7orSq"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/1/29/24054426/the-other-top-25-utah-state-moves-up-to-no-1-memphis-spirals-out-of-top-10"><strong>Jan. 29</strong></a></p>
<p id="iZqJtH"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/1/22/24047030/the-other-top-25-dayton-takes-top-spot-for-first-time-this-season"><strong>Jan. 22</strong></a></p>
<p id="j9cU0i"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/1/15/24039098/the-other-top-25-mountain-west-movers-headline-jan-15-ranking"><strong>Jan. 15</strong></a></p>
<p id="igEQn0"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/1/8/24029638/the-other-top-25-memphis-assumes-top-spot-for-second-time-this-season"><strong>Jan. 8</strong></a></p>
<p id="LZBuja"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/1/1/24021654/the-other-top-25-san-francisco-makes-entrance-at-number-15"><strong>Jan. 1</strong></a></p>
<p id="UEr4Ee"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/12/18/24006466/the-other-top-25-little-movement-in-rankings"><strong>Dec. 18</strong></a></p>
<p id="KlJEBG"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/12/11/23997022/the-other-top-25-grand-canyon-saint-josephs-make-big-jumps-after-marquee-wins"><strong>Dec. 11</strong></a></p>
<p id="c8L8qD"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/12/4/23987330/the-other-top-25-indiana-state-elevates-to-no-9-to-start-december"><strong>Dec. 4</strong></a></p>
<p id="I13X9b"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/11/27/23978122/the-other-top-25-colorado-state-rises-to-no-3-after-blowout-win-vs-creighton"><strong>Nov. 27</strong></a></p>
<p id="mXfgAD"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/11/20/23968897/the-other-top-25-liberty-princeton-grand-canyon-make-big-jumps-in-week-2"><strong>Nov. 20</strong></a></p>
<p id="XTaKpF"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/11/13/23959210/the-other-top-25-james-madison-skyrockets-to-no-5-after-opening-week"><strong>Nov. 13</strong></a></p>
<p id="IZmUse"><a href="https://www.midmajormadness.com/2023/11/1/23942652/preseason-other-top-25-final-four-participants-lead-the-pack-to-start-season-for-23-24"><strong>Preseason</strong></a></p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/18/24105065/the-other-top-25-conference-champions-see-big-spikesIan Sacks2024-03-18T06:33:00-07:002024-03-18T06:33:00-07:00Duquesne takes the Atlantic 10, ends 47-year NCAA Tournament drought
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<figcaption>Duquesne defeated VCU 57-51 for an A-10 Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. | Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A look back at how the Dukes punched their ticket to the Big Dance</p> <p id="PreKqn">This year’s A-10 Tournament at the Barclays Center embodied the indelible spirit of March and the madness that comes with this time of year. </p>
<p id="gYiCzg">And this tournament, especially, was filled with its fair share of madness. </p>
<p id="Vc5ZIV">Between the upsets, the close finishes and even the premature confetti with 18 minutes left to go in the championship game, it was another thrilling tournament weekend for the A-10. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The confetti has fallen a little early <a href="https://t.co/kUVRNnq3Lm">pic.twitter.com/kUVRNnq3Lm</a></p>— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/1769427049519673660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="8ot9FX">Each of the top-4 seeds were eliminated in their opening games in the quarterfinals.</p>
<p id="0OUcsM">Richmond and Loyola Chicago, the regular season co-champions and No. 1 and No. 2 overall seeds lost to No. 9 St. Joe’s and No. 7 St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals, respectively.</p>
<h2 id="cnpkoe"><strong>Quarterfinal Round, March 14</strong></h2>
<p id="RrfG1f">Against Richmond, St. Joseph’s junior Erik Reynolds II dropped 30 points to squelch the Spiders’ chances of going home with another A-10 Championship. Despite Neal Quinn’s 21 points and Jordan King’s 17 points, Reynolds proved giant down the stretch to knock off the top seed, 66-61. </p>
<p id="CkCxZN">It was a similar situation for the Bonnies, with a player stepping up against a top seed. In the quarterfinals, it was senior Daryl Banks III leading St. Bonaventure over Loyola Chicago. He chipped in 22 points off the bench. It only took two overtimes, but the Bonnies squeaked out a 75-74 win over the streaking Ramblers. </p>
<p id="0ouAZH">Duquesne took care of Dayton, who came into the tournament ranked 24th in the country. Even with A-10 Co-Player of the Year DaRon Holmes II’s 24 points, the Dukes took down the Flyers 65-57. Dayton ultimately ended up receiving an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament and as a 7-seed, will play 10-seed Nevada on March 21, with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m. on TBS. </p>
<p id="CIzvoa">And the other top-four seed to drop was UMass. VCU had its tandem of Joe Bamisile and Zeb Jackson propel the Rams past the Minutemen 73-59. Bamisile scored 18, and Jackson scored 17 en route to the semifinals round. </p>
<h2 id="8WWKBl"><strong>Semifinal Round, March 16</strong></h2>
<p id="l7ZrmM">Then came the semifinals, where in game one, VCU cooled off St. Joseph’s and Reynolds II. The Rams held him to 18 points, compared to his 30 against Richmond. First Team All-Conference guard Max Shulga had a 25-point outing. It was a close contest, 66-60, as the Rams, who were seeking their second-straight conference championship, stopped St. Joseph’s run in its tracks. </p>
<p id="6WkIeQ">In game two, Duquesne’s Dae Dae Grant had 27 points against the Bonnies. Jimmy Clark III, who took on his <a href="https://www.a10talk.com/2024/03/jimmy-clark-iii-faces-former-team-in-a-10-tournament-final/">former school in VCU</a>, had 18 to add to the Dukes’ efforts. And just like that, sixth-seeded Duquesne was on its way to the final round. </p>
<h2 id="HWjfwF"><strong>Championship, March 17</strong></h2>
<p id="Bgj6jE">In the championship, it was all Duquesne in the early going. With just over seven and half minutes remaining in the first half, the Dukes had jumped out to a 24-9 lead over the Rams. At halftime, VCU trailed 36-22, making consecutive titles appear to require a big second-half hurdle to overcome. </p>
<p id="pITk6y">VCU was up for the challenge, though, and with 21 seconds left in the game, it cut the deficit to three, 51-48. </p>
<p id="e1zsiG">But, with two seconds to go, Clark III sealed things for the Dukes at the charity stripe to capture the trophy and end a 47-years dancing drought.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The last time Duquesne made the NCAA Tournament was in 1977. <br><br>That’s the year France outlawed the use of the guillotine, last being used on Sept. 10, 1977. <br><br>It’s been a long time for the Dukes.</p>— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) <a href="https://twitter.com/A10Talk/status/1769118244642668846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<p id="Ol5Upt">Clark III and Grant were named to the All-Tournament Team, while Grant was named Most Outstanding Player. </p>
<p id="dZa5al">“I’m super proud of our guys’ resiliency and toughness,” Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1HM3ygQN6c">said</a>. “I think we were in so many games, and we had so many disappointments early in the year that we learned how to win, even when things didn’t go very well for us.”</p>
<p id="jIpIXx">“It means a lot,” Grant said. “From an emotional standpoint not only, but just a wholeheartedly standpoint. We came here, man. We just try to turn the program around as a whole. We didn’t try to really do anything individually. We believed in each other, I think from day one.”</p>
<p id="Gzo5xB">Duquesne will now represent the A-10 in the NCAA Tournament. The Dukes, having been selected as an 11-seed and will play 6-seed BYU in the Round of 64 on March 21, with tipoff set for 12:40 p.m. on truTV. </p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/18/24104549/duquesne-takes-atlantic-10-ends-47-year-ncaa-tournament-droughtJimmy James2024-03-17T17:57:28-07:002024-03-17T17:57:28-07:00March Madness bracket reveal: key storylines to watch
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<img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Seattle Regional-Ohio State vs Virginia Tech" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FqMN5aiu28OA3l65sOPlD7rQt6k=/0x0:4800x3200/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214189/usa_today_20331079.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The bracket is here! Here’s how mid-majors faired in this year’s selection</p> <p id="g1VdeE">Conference tournaments are over. The bracket is here. March Madness begins now.</p>
<p id="G0xg9S">Fans have gotten their dream of a six-bid <a href="https://www.mwcconnection.com">Mountain West</a>, but they may not be as happy as they once thought. Fans up in Terra Haute, Ind., are upset and the American Conference keeps its streak of more than one bid. Many stories to follow on this exciting day for college basketball fans.</p>
<h2 id="JPnfXW"><strong>The Bracket</strong></h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Men's bracket is officially SET<br>Fill yours out now ⬇️ </p>— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1769498792682758357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="EYF1bt"><strong>Stories to follow</strong></h2>
<h3 id="i36HUm">Six-bid Mountain West, kind of...</h3>
<p id="RCiozQ">For the first time in conference history, <em>six </em>teams from the Mountain West Conference will be playing in the NCAA Tournament as San Diego State, Utah State, Nevada, New Mexico, Boise State and Colorado State will all be dancing. But fans of the conference might still feel a bit upset. Boise State, New Mexico and Nevada all fall at least two seeds from their projections. Still, history has been made out West, and it’s not by the Pac-12.</p>
<h3 id="VvF2WE">Indiana State Gets Left Out</h3>
<p id="YJGYD0">Sitting at No. 29 in the NET going into Selection Sunday, head coach Josh Schertz’s team felt confident of their place in the tournament, but following a week of bid-stealers and March craziness, the Sycamores were left out of the tourney, relegating the school to the NIT.</p>
<h3 id="zI7Mie">Saint Peter’s is a 15-seed...</h3>
<p id="1TtfBd">Remember last time the Peacocks were a 15-seed? We do. The winner of the MAAC hopes to pull off what they did just two years again by taking down yet another two-seed from the SEC.</p>
<h3 id="NFD4zD">Battle of New and Old Mid-Majors in Salt Lake City</h3>
<p id="o452Gs">Gonzaga has a real chance of falling to new and upcoming mid-major, McNeese State. If you don’t believe us, just watch them. The Cowboys are one of the most fun teams in the country to watch and could have a run reminiscent of the Florida Gulf Coast team nicknamed “Dunk City” just a few years ago. Led by a former power conference coach in Will Wade, McNeese has power conference level assets, and the ability to have a long stay into March.</p>
<h3 id="GWatua">Yaxel Lendeborg vs. Jaedon Ledee in Spokane</h3>
<p id="FFBBNR">When it comes to star power, no front court matchup is more exciting for mid-majors than the reigning American Conference Tournament MVP in UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg and All-Mountain West First Team forward in San Diego State’s Jaedon Ledee. Ledee will be Lendeborg’s most difficult defensive assignment of the year, but as the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Year, the JUCO product will be up to the task.</p>
<h3 id="OiAzzc">I guess Florida Atlantic wasn’t in danger of missing the tourney...</h3>
<p id="gyw25h">The Owls, following a loss in the American Conference semifinals to Temple, find themselves as an eight seed despite their three Quad Three and Four losses. Head coach Dusty May’s team will look to make a similar run as they did in last year’s tournament, but with UConn in a potential second round matchup, they will have their work cut out for them.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/17/24104063/march-madness-bracket-review-key-storylines-to-watch-cinderellaIsaac Bourne2024-03-17T10:51:42-07:002024-03-17T10:51:42-07:00New Mexico’s Mountain West title cements #SixBidMW
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<img alt="NCAA Basketball: New Mexico at Boise State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zkgTVk3-yyYSJW5aorkryuNG80E=/0x0:4550x3033/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213413/usa_today_22678394.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jaelen House was named Mountain West Tournament MVP and scored a game-high 28 points in the title game. | Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Lobos won the conference title for the first time since 2014</p> <p id="voBh0M">One week ago, New Mexico was teetering on the bubble between last four in and first four out. How did they avoid leaving their NCAA Tournament fate in the hands of the selection committee?</p>
<p id="wGrBJY">Simply winning four games in four days at Thomas & Mack Arena to claim the Mountain West championship and subsequent autobid to the Big Dance. The Lobos became the first team in conference history to accomplish that feat.</p>
<p id="uZDTTR">They won all four contests by at least seven points. They knocked off San Diego State 68-61 in the title game, Colorado State 74-61 in the semifinals, Boise State 76-66 in the quarters and Air Force 82-56 in the opening round. UNM trailed for a total of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-san-diego-state-mwc-basketball-448fd456c1cf3accd863459ff2e53163">7:20 over the course of the four contests</a>.</p>
<p id="UMrDC4">The final three games of the tournament were all Quad 1 victories and moved UNM’s record in the first quadrant to 5-6. It is a perfect 8-0 in neutral site games.</p>
<p id="Eywrss">“I am really proud of the guys in our locker room,” New Mexico head coach <a href="https://golobos.com/news/2024/03/16/new-mexico-wins-mountain-west-championship-with-68-61-win-over-san-diego-state/">Richard Pitino said</a>. “They had so much belief the whole year. They came into this tournament playing confidently, and we won in a variety of ways… We knew we would have to raise our level of toughness, and we did that.”</p>
<p id="zWnZYN">With this run, Pitino’s squad now sits 22<sup>nd</sup> in the NET, one back of the Aztecs for the highest-rated MW team. It is 23<sup>rd</sup> in KenPom and 26<sup>th</sup> in Bart Torvik.</p>
<p id="Eokchi">New Mexico’s last six days rank fifth-best in Torvik, trailing Iowa State (who won the Big 12), Wisconsin (who is in the Big Ten title game and knocked off Purdue), Auburn (who is in today’s SEC championship game) and UConn (who won the Big East and may very well be the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament).</p>
<p id="Z8rhy7">So now that it’s Selection Sunday, what does the Lobos’ title mean for the bracket?</p>
<p id="E0UylA">Well, first it sends the program back to the Big Dance for the first time in a decade, which was also the last time it won the conference. </p>
<p id="r9EH7a">ESPN’s <a href="https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/bracketology/ncaa-bracketology-2024-march-madness-men-field-predictions">Joe Lunardi</a> has six Mountain West teams in the field, which is tied for third most for a conference with the Big Ten behind the Big 12 (nine) and the SEC (eight).</p>
<p id="Z8YKLr">Just for perspective, those power conferences each have 14 teams. The Mountain West has 11. So, 54.5% of Mountain West teams are in the field.</p>
<p id="sXwFa7">Lunardi has each of the Mountain West teams are between the six and 10 seed lines. That equates to the conference having six of the top 40 teams in the field (15%).</p>
<p id="a6vWAy">San Diego State is his highest seeded MW team as a 6. Nevada and conference regular-season champion Utah State are both 7s. Boise State is an 8. New Mexico sits as a 9 seed, and Colorado State rounds it out as a 10.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/17/24103991/new-mexico-mountain-west-title-cements-six-bid-mountain-westIan Sacks2024-03-17T07:22:00-07:002024-03-17T07:22:00-07:00Southern Indiana rolls to OVC title in second DI season
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<img alt="Syndication: Evansville Courier and Press" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7EKCsaMx15eJnNVpTVFqV3ugSj0=/0x0:4380x2920/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213113/usa_today_22726206.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Meredith Raley was second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game this season. | MaCabe Brown / Courier & Press / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>The Screaming Eagles won both the regular season and tournament titles and now heads to WNIT amid transitional period</p> <p id="fBLwRS">The celebrations started the moment the final buzzer sounded, though they were confirmed long before.</p>
<p id="Tzpz5i">Southern Indiana walked through the Ohio Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles finished the regular season 17-1 in league play, winning games by an average of nearly 15 points. There, at Ford Center in its hometown, Southern Indiana had clinched its first team OVC title since making the jump up from Division II.</p>
<p id="p4hLS8">Coach Rick Stein and his team had already cut down nets. The Eagles clinched the regular-season title with six games to play. He’s made a habit of that in his 25 years at the helm, but this is the first in Division I. Weeks later, he calmly walked through handshakes as USI celebrated and confetti fell for the tournament championship.</p>
<p id="DulqGY">More nets; more cutting. Captains Addy Blackwell and Tori Handley placed the Screaming Eagle sticker on the champions slot of the tournament board following the Eagles’ dominant 81-53 win over UT Martin in the championship.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <br><br>Last Saturday, <a href="https://twitter.com/usiwbb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usiwbb</a> capped off a historic season by winning it's first regular season title & tournament championship in the OVC <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OVCit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OVCit</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoUSIEagles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoUSIEagles</a> <a href="https://t.co/TTBJNeVaPS">pic.twitter.com/TTBJNeVaPS</a></p>— Ohio Valley Conference (@OVCSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/OVCSports/status/1769001926186705286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
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<p id="NjeKBt">That came one year after missing the OVC Tournament all together in Southern Indiana’s first D-I year.</p>
<p id="X4HbPc">“It’s so hard to win one of those championships, but to win two? Both of them?” Stein said. “The grind of it is real. … For us to win — and win going away — is just outstanding. [I’m] so proud of this group. These young women bought in.”</p>
<p id="astW4p">“I think the one thing that hasn’t changed is our drive and consistency to go out and accomplish goals,” Blackwell said. “We set high standards and high goals, so that’s been consistent no matter what level we’re playing in… I think our culture and our program has enabled us to have success.”</p>
<p id="l40Th9">But even with their dominance and tournament title, the Eagles won’t be featured in the NCAA Tournament. Southern Indiana is in the second year of the four-year transitional period, meaning it’s barred from entry to NCAA postseason events.</p>
<p id="oTffGK">“I’ve stated it as a dinosaur that’s not extinct,” Stein said. “But we need it go extinct. I just believe that if your team, if these young women have earned it, why shouldn’t they be playing in it?</p>
<p id="DV0bB6">“We don’t have hard feelings. We’re not mad right now. We don’t have time for that.”</p>
<p id="WBSwSo">Despite the impossibility of an NCAA Tournament bid, Southern Indiana kept its motivation for the OVC Tournament. The Eagles, rightly or wrongly, can’t go to the Big Dance. But they qualified for the WNIT, which is not operated by the NCAA, with the regular-season title. They may hoist with the tournament crown.</p>
<p id="Fn0AIA">“The NIT is a super cool experience that no one has gotten to play in before,” said Vanessa Shafford, the team’s leading scorer at 14.2 points per game. “I don’t think we take that for granted. Would it cool to make the NCAA Tournament? Sure. But I think going back to when we found out we were going D-I, the understanding that we could still play for championships and still play for titles, I think the WNIT is going to be a really cool experience.”</p>
<p id="PX5ytM">The Eagles narrowly missed last season’s OVC Tournament because of a tiebreaker with Morehead State. This season, they recruited well and used that experience to their advantage.</p>
<p id="593j8V">Madi Webb, who joined from SIUE, and freshman Chloe Gannon have been nearly untouchable inside. Valparaiso transfer Ali Saunders and freshman Triniti Ralston have created a stronger back court. Pair those with the returning cast of Shafford, Blackwell, Handley and Meredith Raley, and that brings one of the most dominant OVC teams in recent memory.</p>
<p id="OHd5u6">“I knew it after our first couple games,” Raley said. “I was like, ‘Man, this team. There’s just something about us.’ We had so many offensive weapons, and we were always solid on defense. I was like, ‘This is gonna be fun.’”</p>
<p id="62x9Kz">Now Southern Indiana, even without the allure of the NCAA Tournament, stands alone atop the OVC. Tennessee Tech won the first conference tournament in the post-Belmont-Murray State era, but now the Screaming Eagles have staked their claim as the team to beat.</p>
<p id="Fvjfbw">Filling that void isn’t front of mind at the moment, though. Southern Indiana has the WNIT to prepare for. The jerseys haven’t been turned in yet. The Eagles’ learn their opponent on Selection Sunday, perhaps a precursor of what’s to come when the transition period ends.</p>
<p id="K6SAcr">But for now, the focus is on the WNIT and whoever Southern Indiana sees in the first round.</p>
<p id="BCoBVa">“How do we move forward? We keep building the same way,” Stein said. “Our players, they’re bought into what we do and how we do it and those things matter to success, no question.”</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/17/24103656/southern-indiana-rolls-to-ovc-title-in-second-division-one-seasonAnthony Kristensen2024-03-17T05:46:00-07:002024-03-17T05:46:00-07:00Bashir Mason and Saint Peter’s prove that winning has a special sound
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<figcaption>John Jones-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Peacocks claimed the 2024 MAAC Tournament Championship in a loud way</p> <p id="zVZLvv">ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. —<strong> </strong>Go to any Saint Peter’s game, and you’ll notice one thing.</p>
<p id="YyzyIq">Arguably no team in the country is as connected as the Peacocks. Every single possession, everybody on the bench from the assistant coaches all the way down to players and managers is on their feet. They clap and chant “Defense.” They celebrate every basket, and they make more noise than anybody else.</p>
<p id="87E0sB">“The expectation with our program is if somebody is giving you energy, you reflect that same energy,” Saint Peter’s head coach Bashir Mason said. “If you’re an energy-taker, you can’t be part of our program.”</p>
<p id="J6EZIj">And that energy radiated all throughout as the Peacocks won three games in three days to become MAAC Tournament Champions, culminating with a 68-63 win over Fairfield in the title game on Saturday night.</p>
<p id="69apHt">Mason, who was the head coach at Wagner for a decade before taking over the SPU program last year, won the NEC regular season three times, but never made it to the Big Dance. While the culture of defense is the same, Mason has changed the culture in his image since taking over the reins from Shaheen Holloway.</p>
<p id="BmF0V0">“From the moment the guys walk in to stretch, we have to sound a certain way,” Mason said of the Peacocks’ practices. “Forget how we look, we need to sound a certain way. I think all winning teams, they have a sound.”</p>
<p id="hHxRW9">Saint Peter’s trailed Fairfield by double digits on Saturday night, but the Peacocks never lost their energy as they battled back.</p>
<p id="YFPBTN">Corey Washington took over the game in the second half when his team needed him the most. He scored 20 points to lift Saint Peter’s over the edge.</p>
<p id="lU2b8i">“Corey is willing to fly form Arkansas on his own dime and try out for a scholarship,” Mason said. “He had no scholarships out of high school, and he worked out with my team, played pick up with my guys, and I asked him what he thought after guys had gotten on the floor bouncing off the walls, no out of bounds, no fouls. The kid walked up to me and said, ‘I love it here,’”</p>
<p id="ygRxnR">The rest is history.</p>
<p id="3TgiHQ">Washington was such a late addition to the 22-23 Peacocks that he wasn’t even listed in my exhaustive MAAC Preview that year, and he ended up making the All-Rookie team. This season, he blossomed into a three-level scorer, and the engine of this Saint Peter’s team.</p>
<p id="x306we">Back in December, Mason challenged Washington after the Peacocks barely escaped a close call against Division III Kean.</p>
<p id="tZwtKw">“We need Corey to get on the same page with Latrell (Reid) in terms of leading our program,” he said.</p>
<p id="D4TG5Z">It’s safe to say that he got there.</p>
<p id="cd25yk">In MAAC games in which he was fully available, the Peacocks went 14-3, but went 1-5 when he was out or missed a portion of due to injury.</p>
<p id="Yj3Cq6">But this is not a one-man team. It’s far from it. Saint Peter’s identity of defense has been a hallmark of the program under John Dunne, Holloway and now Mason. The team rode that all the way to victory.</p>
<p id="CYDEno">“At halftime, it was 32-25,” Latrell Reid said. “They usually score 40 or 50 points. Thirty points, that’s our pace. Sixty points, we win the game.”</p>
<p id="EelQcY">Mason has only built on Holloway’s basketball principles but has done it in a completely different way.</p>
<p id="gJV4uZ">Reid is one of just a few players remaining from the team that made the Cinderella run to the Elite 8 two years ago, and he compared the two coaches.</p>
<p id="TVlFvF">“They’re actually really similar from a basketball perspective, but it’s the sound thing,” Reid said. “Sha used to run music during practice. You barely could hear him unless he really wants to, and then Bash is all about making noise, talking to us all the time.”</p>
<p id="w1LCqa">When asked about the sound of winning, all four Saint Peter’s players in the press conference smiled and agreed that we, the media, need to see them practice in order to understand.</p>
<p id="2ZOj4J">“You will never hear silence at our practice,” Roy Clarke said. “You come to practice silent, and we’ll be running like a track team.”</p>
<p id="vVhAhf">Michael Houge pointed out that you don’t even need to come inside the Yanitelli Center when the team is practicing, because their energy can be felt from outside the gym. Everybody in Atlantic City felt that energy all week, and everybody in whatever city they’re drawn to in the NCAA Tournament will feel it as well.</p>
<p id="uD9iHl">There’s a certain poetry about Mason breaking through the same year that Wagner broke through under Donald Copeland. He told his team the same thing that Copeland told his in the locker room after punching a ticket. That he didn’t need this win to be proud of his team, but the fact that it did happen makes it mean so much more.</p>
<p id="k5rS8e">“I’d been telling myself I needed to go home to make it happen,” Mason said. “Saint Peter’s is my hometown school, my neighborhood school.”</p>
<p id="vKPUj4">In the morning before the game, Mason had a vision, and everything fell into place.</p>
<p id="q7TSS2">“I thought about it a lot,” he said. “I truly believed that it was going to be Wagner making it, we were gonna make it, and Dan Hurley, my mentor, we’ll play him in the first round of the Tournament... And there was a calmness about it.”</p>
<p id="aItjhb">There’s nothing calm about the Saint Peter’s program, and nothing calm about the way that they won. SPU held Fairfield to 1-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc in the second half.</p>
<p id="0NoPbs">Three games in three nights all played at the pace that Saint Peter’s invited, and it ended with a Saint Peter’s championship.</p>
<p id="1COD01">Potential 1 and 2 seeds have played in some raucous environments, but they’ve never quite heard a sound like that of the Peacocks.</p>
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/17/24103615/bashir-mason-saint-peters-prove-that-winning-has-a-special-soundSam Federman2024-03-16T20:58:42-07:002024-03-16T20:58:42-07:00Fairfield runs into March Madness on a 29-game win streak
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<figcaption>Sam Federman</figcaption>
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<p>Stags rally to down Niagara in MAAC women’s championship game. </p> <p id="mB99th">In the famous cartoon series, Wile E. Coyote would meticulously design cunning traps to catch his presumed prey, the cunning road runner. Every single time, without fail, the road runner would find a hilarious loophole, leaving the coyote bewildered and oftentimes injured.</p>
<p id="ejF9S6">In this MAAC women’s basketball season, the Fairfield Stags played the role of road runner, escaping every different wrinkle that the other 10 Wile E. Coyotes threw their way en route to a perfect conference season, and a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Stags came from 13 points down in the second half to defeat Niagara, 70-62, in overtime in the MAAC Championship game on Saturday. It extends their winning streak to 29 games, and leaves no hard questions for the NCAA’s Selection Committee.</p>
<p id="gJWYfd">The road runner analogy isn’t just that, it’s the entire identity of this team. Assistant coach Blake DuDonis coined the term to refer to the team’s versatile post players. It’s even listed as the position for all of the players that would typically be considered forwards on the official roster.</p>
<p id="Uo24lX">The offensive style and fast pace that the Stags play at don’t call for typical post players. It requires players capable of running the floor, rebounding, and defending multiple positions.</p>
<p id="m8qhbN">“Blake is our position coach for the Road Runners and I challenged him over the summer,” Stags head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. “Because we knew we were gonna play a little bit differently, we recruited in a way that we have posts that are mobile, versatile, and can play on the perimeter, can play inside and out, and we wanted to have a more true identity for that than your traditional posts.”</p>
<p id="YryHc3">Today, it was all about toughness. Coming from behind against a team that presses and traps as aggressively as Niagara does, the Stags needed their Road Runners to vacate the paint and allow for Nellie Brown and Kaety L’Amoreaux to attack the basket. However, it took the Stags a long time to get comfortable.</p>
<p id="rmonb6">Brown, the MAAC’s Player of the Year, committed an offensive foul on the first possession of the game, and two minutes later, committed an intentional foul. The Purple Eagles jumped out to a 6-2 lead, and then it was 10-4. But Fairfield stayed in the game, even with Brown out, and despite poor shooting.</p>
<p id="WRJ01l">Even when Niagara pushed the lead up to double digits in the second quarter, Thibault-DuDonis didn’t call a timeout, despite having the opportunity.</p>
<p id="5MmjMY">“It’s tough to take a timeout against Niagara because their pressure is able to dig in a little bit more,” Thibault-DuDonis said. “But that’s something that this entire season, I’ve opted not to take a timeout when a team makes a run because of our pace, and the way we’re able to run it back at people.”</p>
<p id="D9nYix">In the first half, Niagara forced 17 turnovers with their insane full court press and trap. Their aggressive hedges were able to get steal after steal, and the Stags were in their own head.</p>
<p id="2UefAS">At the third quarter media timeout, co-captain Lauren Beach pulled the other captains, Brown and Izabela Nicoletti-Leite over to the side.</p>
<p id="xKKjAV">“She really gave us that fire,” Brown said of that conversation. “She gave us that energy to keep going, and as soon as she said that, that’s when we were just hitting our shots, we were getting defensive stops, and we were playing our game.”</p>
<p id="7uDXH8">In the second half, Brown took over the game. She scored 15 points on 4-8 shooting, attacking the rim at will and attempting eight free throws. She and L’Amoreaux were able to blow by Niagara’s exhausted guards and create space at the rim to score and dish.</p>
<p id="NS8bk7">“I think once we realized how we can drive and dish,” L’Amoreaux said. “Once we realized to jump stop, that’s how we can get the job done.”</p>
<p id="SNpp0r">The jump stops have been a point of emphasis for Thibault-DuDonis and staff since the first day of practice, and it allowed the Stag guards to survey the floor and draw fouls in the paint.</p>
<p id="ntlY0Q">Brown gave Fairfield its first lead of the game with a layup with 1:50 to play, and then tacked on a free throw with 1:08. After Angel Parker tied the game at the line with 29 seconds left, Fairfield had the opportunity to hold for one last shot.</p>
<p id="ozbY21">With the ball in her hands, the MAAC Player of the Year drove down the lane and was called for an offensive foul, her fifth, sending her out of the game.</p>
<p id="BsOpAu"><em><strong>*Fred Savage Princess Bride voice.*</strong></em><strong> </strong></p>
<p id="Brqpqw">Wait, that’s not how the story was supposed to go — she was supposed to win it at the buzzer, right? No, that’s not the story, because this Stags team showed grit and depth, and overtime was theirs.</p>
<p id="PMTlZV">Fairfield scored the first nine points of overtime and could sense victory with under a minute to play. When the buzzer sounded, it was a culmination of all of the work put in by this group, and 29 straight wins.</p>
<p id="fcFPZQ">There is no more doubt in the eyes of the selection committee, the Fairfield Stags are going to the NCAA Tournament, and they’re not done yet.</p>
<p id="GbS76T">“There’s not any other team in the country besides South Carolina that has gone on a 29 game win streak,” Thibault-DuDonis said. “We’re top 10 in a ton of defensive categories, top 25 in a ton of offensive categories, we’ve scheduled aspirationally, I think we’ve done everything we can to be in position for a 12 seed.”</p>
<p id="LNkJLx">But regardless of seeding or draw, Fairfield is dangerous, because winners win.</p>
<p id="1dPk3W">“This team is gonna be hungry and not satisfied,” Thibault-DuDonis said. “We’re ready to play whoever.”</p>
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https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/16/24103597/fairfield-runs-into-march-madness-on-a-29-game-win-streak-maac-womens-championshipSam Federman2024-03-16T18:51:45-07:002024-03-16T18:51:45-07:00Temple Owls continue miracle run in thriller over Florida Atlantic
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<figcaption>Temple celebrates its semifinal win over FAU. | Christian Proscia, New Era Prep</figcaption>
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<p>Temple now has a chance to play for their first NCAA Tournament since 2019</p> <p id="zBwnQb">March is delivering big time for college basketball fans.</p>
<p id="dTFcTq">In a seemingly almost bye game for Florida Atlantic, the Temple Owls 74-73 in dramatic fashion in the American conference semifinals to make the team out of Boca Raton, Fla., much more nervous heading into Selection Sunday.</p>
<p id="0yUvf6">In a surprising turn of events for Temple, they Owls went blow-for-blow with the offense-heavy FAU instead of playing their slower style of play. Junior guard Hysier Miller scored 21 points on 5-for-10 from three while Jordan Riley scored 16 with 10 rebounds to add to that. </p>
<p id="k7HCou">“These guys have just stayed together,” Temple head coach Adam Fisher said. “They believe in one another. Everybody has stepped up. It’s been certain guys nights. Some guys have played more minutes some less minutes, but everybody stayed together. I couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men that have bought into something and just believe in it.”</p>
<p id="83dZSJ">Temple is in position to compete for its first American Conference title in school history. It also is looking to be the first team since UConn in 2011 to win five games in five days. </p>
<p id="C1WGP5">Florida Atlantic, on the other hand, is now at the mercy of the bracket selection committee. In the latest bracketology, the Owls were an eight seed, but with this Quad-Three loss to Temple, nerves have gotten shakier in South Florida. </p>
<p id="C1WGP5">“[Let’s] not forget that a lot of work, blood, sweat and tears put us in position to still be playing,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “It’s an honor, and this group is special. We have another opportunity to compete for a championship. When I think every single team in the country starts their season, their goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. There’s around 360 teams, [and] 68 get in. We’re confident that we’re going to be one of those teams that have a chance to compete for the biggest championship and in our game in our sport in college basketball.”</p>
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<p id="OfLGGn">Temple will face off against the UAB Blazers in the American championship game, where first-year head coach Adam Fisher will face off against 17-year head coach Andy Kennedy in their second matchup this season.</p>
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https://www.midmajormadness.com/2024/3/16/24103349/temple-owls-continue-miracle-run-in-thriller-over-florida-atlantic-march-madness-cinderellaIsaac Bourne