News On The Horizon 3/14/2018

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 14, 2018--Hoopville

Side Dishes:
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Also in the NIT, Western Kentucky made Conference USA 2-0 for the night with a solid 79-62 win at home over Boston College. Louisville also held off Northern Kentucky 66-58 and Oregon fought off a challenge by Rider to win 99-86.
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Tonight’s Menu:
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The College Insider Tournament is back with three more games, including a pretty good one with Niagara at Eastern Michigan. Others include St. Francis (Pa.) at Illinois-Chicago and Texas-San Antonio facing Lamar.

Kendrick Nunn nominated for Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year--Oakland Post

Dixson Set to Pursue Professional Career--uicflames.com

IUPUI women's coach Austin Parkinson knows Purdue well--The Indy Star
Scouting Purdue women's basketball at IUPUI--Journal & Courier

Louisville rallies past Northern Kentucky 66-58 in NIT--CBS Sports
NIT First Round: Saint Mary’s, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky advance; UNC Asheville falls in 2OT--Mid-Major Madness

Louisville 66, Northern Kentucky 58

Northern Kentucky disappointed everyone when it lost to Cleveland State in the Horizon League Tournament. The Norse nearly made up for it, but Louisville overcame a five-point halftime deficit to knock out the men from Sweden Highland Heights, Kentucky.

Northern Kentucky shot 5-for-28 from three-point land. For those keeping track, these three mid-major losers shot a combined 12-for-78 from beyond the arc.

Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and NIT/CBI Games – Tuesday, March 13th--Hoops HD

NIT

(7) NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT (2) LOUISVILLE (7:00 PM, ESPN). While the Norse were upset early in the Horizon tournament, they appear to be the far more enthusiastic team in this matchup where they make the short drive down I-71 to face off against in-state foe Louisville in the first round.

NKU loses 66-58 to Louisville in first round of NIT--Cincinnati Enquirer
Louisville rallies in second half, posts 66-58 win over NKU in opening round of NIT Tuesday night--Northern Kentucky Tribune
Photos & Reaction: NKU Falls to Louisville in NIT--River City News
Gallery: Cardinals rally in second half to end NKU’s season--The Northerner
@NKUNorseMBB falls to Louisville in the NIT, 66-58--nkunorse.com

2018 NCAA Tournament Players to Watch – Part 1--Hoopville

Grant Benzinger, Sr. G, Wright State
The son of former Major League Baseball player Todd has been the go-to guy for the Raiders, and he came up big not only in the Horizon League final, but earlier this year when he scored 31 points on 8-13 shooting in a win at regular season champion Northern Kentucky.

RTC Bracket Prep: South Region--Rush The Court

Great Storyline: Ryan Custer and Wright State. The Raiders endured tragedy last spring when freshman forward Ryan Custer suffered an off-the-court injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Nearly one year later, he has served as inspiration for a Wright State team dancing for the first time in over a decade.

2018 NCAA Tournament: Stats, facts to know to fill out a March Madness bracket--CBS Sports

17: Kansas has 17 wins against teams in the field, the most of any team participating. Next best is Virginia (14), then Villanova and UNC (12). Teams with no wins against 2018 tournament teams: North Carolina Central, LIU Brooklyn, Texas Southern, UMBC, Radford, Lipscomb, Cal State Fullerton, Wright State, Iona, Penn, Stephen F. Austin, Bucknell, Buffalo, Montana and Charleston.

Surprising Tennessee opens tourney against Wright State--CBS Sports
Tennessee vs. Wright State odds: 2018 NCAA Tournament picks from proven computer model--CBS Sports
What to Watch For: The first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament--Team Speed Kills

WHICH TENNESSEE WILL WE SEE?

NCAA Basketball: Georgia at Tennessee Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The co-regular season champion Tennessee Volunteers have been a bit up-and-down over the last few weeks. They defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 76-54 back on February 27. They then had two close calls to the Georgia Bulldogs on March 3 and then against Mississippi State in the Quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. But, they followed that up with a demolition of the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Semis and played Kentucky close in the Final.

Tennessee, a 3 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, start off with the Wright State Raiders. On one hand, Wright State shouldn’t inflict too much fear in Vol fans if you look at the numbers. Tennessee ranks 40th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. Wright State... ranks 246th. The Vols rank 162nd in PPG, with 74.2. The Raiders... rank 224th, with 72.1. So they are a bit deficient on offense. The problem is, as we touched on: Tennessee’s offense has sputtered in recent weeks. And the Raiders play pretty good defense. They rank in the Top 30 in PPG allowed (65.7, good for 27th in the nation) and rank 54th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.

If the Vols that we saw for most of the year, the ones who made the push to the top of the SEC appear again, then they should be able to handle WSU. However, if the plodding Vols appear, the ones who can’t really score at will, then the Raiders could keep it close. And if it comes down to a game of inches, there’s no telling what that means for the 3-seeded Volunteers.

NCAA Tournament: Voice of Volunteers - Wright State’s first-round foe - is Kettering native--Dayton Daily News
Ryan Custer-inspired shirts fit Wright State Raiders to a T--Dayton Daily News
Wright State vs. Tennessee: Everything you need to know about Thursday’s game--Dayton Daily News
Hall happy to be home in Texas for biggest game of career--Dayton Daily News
Raiders Enjoying The Dance--wsuraiders.com
Busy Day in Dallas--wsuraiders.com

Penguin women excited for WBI--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
YSU Women’s Basketball Playing Well against Binghamton in WBI--The Jambar
Penguins Fall 70-59 in Opening Round of the WBI--ysusports.com