Let’s start with a thought on the WCC, where I was last night. BYU had a ton of momentum coming in and was playing great basketball. I really thought they had a chance to beat the Bulldogs again. But Gonzaga had just a little too much for the Cougars, with SIX different players scoring in double figures. The Zags haven’t made it to the Sweet 16 since 2009, but with a balanced attack and several different players that can pick up the slack on any given night, I think this may be the year they break that streak.
You and I have to be excited for UNI
You have to be excited for Northern Iowa and Seth Tuttle. The Panthers rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit to win the MVC title. It would have been easy to fold, knowing an NCAA trip and a great seed was already set, but Tuttle and Nate Buss were not going to let the Panthers go down without a fight. UNI is now 30-3 and has won 19 of 20, and it is because of guys like Buss you have to believe something special is going on in Cedar Falls. Buss entered the tournament averaging 6.6 points, but had 23 against Bradley and 15 in the championship game win over Illinois State. UNI will make its seventh trip to the NCAAs and we all remember its last trip in 2010, when the Panthers defeated Kansas.
Big Sky, Montana
Montana is the hot spot this weekend for the Big Sky Tournament as top-seeded Montana (18-11) is the host. We have all heard about Wayne Tinkle and the job he did at Oregon State this year, but it’s time to give props to the man who replaced him at Montana. Former Montana point guard Travis DeCuire returned to the Grizzlies this past spring, after moving on as a California assistant. He wanted the Cal job, it went to Cuonzo Martin, but now Travis gets to work his way up at his alma mater. Montana made the tournament in 2010, ’12 and ’13 and won a game in 2006 against Nevada. The coach of Montana that year? Larry Krystowiak. This is a great job and Travis DeCuire can continue to make great things happen in Missoula.
Terriers could take a bite out of someone
Want a team that not many know of who can pull an upset in the Big Dance? Wofford could be this year’s Mercer. Mike Young’s team went 16-2 in the Southern Conference and has won four conference tournament titles in the past six years. The Terriers are 28-6 this year. Lee Skinner can score and Karl Cochran is a streak shooter that can fill it up if he gets going from long range. These guys will not be afraid of anyone and have the experience of an NCAA Tournament game to look back on. The Terriers won at NC State and played road games against West Virginia, Duke and Stanford. Playing some 5 or 4 seed on a neutral court will not be a big deal for them. Teams like Arkansas, North Carolina or SMU better be ready for this bunch.
The Tribe’s Ongoing Quest…
A reminder how tough March can be as William & Mary (20-12), one of only five of the original Division I teams that has never participated in the NCAA Tournament, earned the top seed as the CAA champs but could not cut down the nets in Baltimore and now will go to the NIT. They will get there someday, and when they do, it will be a wonderful scene.
…And Brooklyn’s Terriers too
Crazy enough, you can write almost the exact same paragraph for St. Francis Brooklyn, also one of the five original D-I teams that haven’t made the tournament. The Terriers (23-11) won the NEC regular season title and earned the right to host the championship game of the tournament Tuesday night with a bid in the NCAAs on the line. They also failed to cut down the nets, but they too will get there someday, and when they do, it will be a wonderful scene all their own.
– Bill Frieder
Former Michigan and Arizona State head coach Bill Frieder is an analyst for Westwood One’s coverage of NCAA Basketball. In his weekly blog Boxed Out, Bill scours the box scores to bring you interesting stories from the world of college basketball.
