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Saturday in college hoops is often a spectacle regardless of the schedule. But the Saturday before the Sunday of the selection? It is anarchy. Complete and utter anarchy.
The festivities that unfolded gave us everything you could ask for for such a momentous occasion. A first-time dancer in Hartford. Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels minting their ticket. Heck, even Georgetown slipped out into the field beating – no, crushing – Creighton to secure the Big East automatic sleeper.
There were many more. So to break it all down, we’ve got a full rundown of today’s winners and losers below.
Winner: Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels dance
Louisville could enter selection Sunday in a cold sweat in the hopes that his name will be called by the selection committee, but his former coach, Rick Pitino, will not. Pitino and his Iona Gaels hit their ticket to the Big Dance on Saturday by ousting Fairfield in the MAAC title game to secure the league’s auto bid. He becomes the third coach in history to take five different teams to the NCAA tournament during his career, joining Lon Kruger and Tubby Jones.
Winner: Illinois consolidates record as No.1 seed
Illinois entered on Saturday as the final No.1 seed (and fourth overall) in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. So his case as the top seed was undoubtedly a solid one. But beating Iowa 82-71 likely sealed him for the selection committee. The Illini lead the nation in victories in the 1-12 quadrant, so win or lose Sunday against Ohio State, they should feel confident in their stellar job.
Loser: Tennessee misses chance to rank Tide
In the second half of the SEC semifinals on Saturday, Tennessee outscored seeded Alabama 48-33. In the final 17 minutes of play, however, the Vols turned cold as Bama increased the defensive pressure. During that time, the Tide turned in a 40-20 (!) Run to win 73-68. Not a bad loss for Tennessee at first glance, but a brutal way down after going up to 15 in the second half. Not the taste you want in your mouth when entering the NCAA tournament.
Winner: Patrick Ewing ends a wild week
It’s been a pretty hectic week for Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, between calling MSG security guards, questioning James Dolan about his operation, and generally causing a stir to – and rightly so – wonder aloud why in the universe we are. asked him to show his credentials. inside MSG. But it ended on a fantastic note.
Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas secured the Big East’s automatic bid for the Big Dance with a 73-48 bombing of Creighton on Saturday night. The Hoyas did it as an 8 seed and beat Marquette, Villanova and Seton Hall along the way. The Hoyas were chosen to finish last – yes, last! – in the Big East in preseason. Now they are dancing in the tournament. Just a fantastic, enjoyable story all around, and a fitting way to end a crazy week for Ewing.
Winner: Dam of Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann
After Ohio State fell 73-68 to Illinois last Saturday to extend his losing streak to a four-season, Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann received advice from a highly unlikely source on how to fix team problems.
His mother.
Was the advice followed? Well, be the judge. Ohio state has now won three straight wins since Holtmann’s mother fired the text. Now, after taking care of rival Michigan on Saturday, he’s one win away from securing his first Big Ten tournament title since 2013.
Loser: AAC bubble teams
Wichita State suffered a brutal 60-59 loss to Cincinnati in the semifinals of the AAC tournament. According to Palm, the Shockers’ No.1 seed slipped out of the bubble early in the day, but was only a projected No.9 seed before the loss. This is Wichita State’s first Quad 3 loss of the season and will at least inspire some fear for the program on Sunday as the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will determine who deserves a blanket nomination.
Memphis was fortunate enough to take over for Wichita State in the AAC’s other semifinal game, but the Tigers suffered their second heartbreaking loss to Houston in six days. After losing 67-64 on a buzzer-beater to the Cougars last Sunday, the Tigers once again tore their hearts out in a heartbreaking 76-74 loss.
It sets up a massive Sunday for the AAC. If Cincinnati upsets Houston and the selection committee looks favorably on Wichita state, the league could have three teams in the Big Dance. But if Houston wins the tournament title and the Shockers are left off the field, it could turn into a one-bid league.
Winner: Johnny Jones at Texas Southern
Pitino is getting a lot of attention, and rightly so, but he wasn’t the only former power conference coach to reach Big Dance with a new squad on Saturday. Former LSU coach Johnny Jones is heading to the NCAA tournament with Texas Southern. Now in his third season at the helm of the program, Jones has a physical and veteran squad who have won 14 of their last 15 games to secure an automatic bid out of SWAC. This is the third school Jones has taken to the NCAA tournament (North Texas and LSU). This one is surely sweet for Jones, however, following an unceremonious end to his LSU tenure following the 2016-17 season.
Winner: Hartford dances for the first time
Hartford appeared to come down under coach John Gallagher when he finished 9-23 in 2016-17 for the program’s third consecutive losing season. But the Hawks’ faith in Gallagher paid off in historic ways on Saturday, when the program won its first NCAA tournament appearance by knocking out UMass Lowell in the America East Tournament title game. It’s now been four consecutive winning seasons for the program, and at just 43 years old, Gallagher suddenly looks like one of the profession’s rising stars in his 11th season.
“They fired me four years ago,” Gallagher said. “Well Named. I did not do it. And then we just got attached. Maybe I need my back against the wall.
Winner: Norfolk State dancing for the second time
Norfolk State secured their second NCAA tournament spot in Division I program history on Saturday after defeating Morgan State 71-63. It was the fifth time (!) The Spartans have faced the Bears this season, and their fourth win in the series gave them the MEAC title and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. The last time this team went out dancing was in 2012, when they knocked out the No.2 seed from Missouri in the first round as the No.15 seed.
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