Final Bracketology of 2022 Wrap-Up--Happening Hoops
College Basketball Invitational (16 Teams Daytona Beach Florida March 19-23)
- Northern Colorado (20-15 Big Sky)
- UNC Asheville (16-14 Big South)
- UNC Wilmington (23-9 CAA)
- Middle Tennessee State (23-10 CUSA)
- Rice (16-16 CUSA)
- Florida Atlantic (19-14 CUSA)
- Fort Wayne (21-11 Horizon)
- Ohio (24-9 MAC)
- Drake (24-10 MVC)
- Boston (21-12 Patriot)
- VMI (16-15 SoCon)
- UNC Greensboro (17-14 SoCon)
- Troy (20-11 Sun Belt)
- California Baptist (18-14 WAC)
- Abilene Christian (22-9 WAC)
- Stephen F Austin (22-9 WAC)
Basketball Classic (32 Teams Campus Sites)
Confirmed Matchups
Detroit at FGCUMorgan State at Youngstown State
Post-Season-Palooza!--HoriZone Roundtable
March Madness: Area players set to be part of the NCAA men’s, women’s tournaments--Dayton Daily News
MEN
A.J. Braun, Wright State
Freshman center from Fenwick averaged 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Raiders. He started 20 of the 26 games he played and is shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
TJ Nagy, Wright State
Junior walk-on guard had two rebounds in nine games this season. He is the son of WSU head coach Scott Nagy.
Andy Neff, Wright State
Senior walk-on forward from Oakwood scored eight points in nine games this season.
Jonny Riddle, Wright State
Freshman walk-on from Beavercreek who graduated from Legacy Christian has not seen action this season.
WOMEN
Jacquel Bronaugh, IUPUI
Freshman from Wayne averaged 1.5 points in 16 games for the Horizon League champions.
Four #HLWBB teams selected for postseason play--HoriZone Roundtable
Xavier will host Cleveland State in Round One of NIT--48 Minutes Network
Cleveland State men’s basketball will face Xavier on Tuesday in NIT opening round--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State vs. Xavier men’s basketball NIT opening round preview--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Men’s Basketball heads to Cincinnati for NIT opener against Xavier on Tuesday--csuvikings.prestosports.com
Cleveland State Women’s Basketball Accepts Bid To 2022 WBI--csuvikings.prestosports.com
Detroit Mercy men's basketball plays on in 2022, will meet FGCU in secondary tournament--Detroit News
Men's Basketball Accepts Bid To The Basketball Classic, Travels To Florida Gulf Coast On Wednesday--detroittitans.com
Davis Tabbed To NABC District 12 First Team--detroittitans.com
Nate Jenkins: Green Bay’s diamond in the rough--HoriZone Roundtable
UWGB women's basketball to host Big Ten opponent in opening round of WNIT--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Set to Host Minnesota in WNIT First Round--greenbayphoenix.com
Bracket busters: Which teams are ready to crash the Big Dance?--The Athletic
No. 13 IUPUI Jaguars (24-4)
First round: No. 4 Oklahoma, Friday
IUPUI is making its first appearance in the Big Dance. The Sooners are ranked third nationally with 83.3 points per game, but IUPUI plays smart defense, holding opponents to 24.8 percent from 3, and the Horizon League champs don’t foul a lot. The Jaguars also shoot well on offense at 45.9 percent and are led by 6-foot-2 senior center Macee Williams’ 18.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. They have the ability to keep pace with the Sooners on the boards as well as on the scoreboard. It’s a good matchup overall. From there, IUPUI could face No. 5 Notre Dame in the second round, and top-seeded NC State in the Sweet 16. I like the Notre Dame matchup for the Jaguars as well, but getting by the Wolfpack to make it to the Elite Eight would be a tall task. IUPUI needs to beat Oklahoma first and foremost. And that’s doable.
2022 NCAA Tournament: Chantel Jennings picks her entire March Madness bracket--The Athletic
• I have No. 13 seed IUPUI making its way to the Elite Eight by upsetting Oklahoma and Notre Dame (before falling to NC State). The Jaguars — the Horizon League champions who beat Iowa earlier this season and took Michigan to overtime — are no slouch of a team. Four-time Horizon League Player of the Year Macee Williams is the kind of player who can single-handedly bust brackets. The senior averaged 18.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent. Oklahoma already had one opposing player (Ayoka Lee’s NCAA-record 61 points) put up a massive performance against it, and I can see the Williams’ show hitting the stage during the first round and continuing the performance against Notre Dame in the second round.
What to know about IUPUI women's basketball March Madness debut vs. Oklahoma--Indy Star
NO. 13 JAGUARS TO HEAD TO NO. 4 OKLAHOMA FOR NCAA TOURNEY 1ST ROUND--iupuijags.com
PFW earns spot in Florida tourney--Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Men’s Hoops to Play in College Basketball Invitational--gomastodons.com
Robert Morris big man Brandon Stone to transfer--Trib Live
Pitt, Duquesne, RMU among local basketball teams stuck in a rut--Trib Live
Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris posted their worst collective record this season. How'd it get to this point?--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Brandon Stone enters transfer portal--Colonial Sports Network
Dancing Norris Brothers--Valley Hoops Insider
Wright State lands First Four match against Bryant--HoriZone Roundtable
First Four back in Dayton with a 'home' team, Big Ten squads--Associated Press
First Four Game Previews: Wednesday--Three Man Weave
NCAA Basketball: Breakdown of all 32 autobids for 2022 NCAA Tournament--Busting Brackets
NCAA Tournament bracket revealed--Mid-Major Madness
Day two in Dayton has one of the most compelling 16 matchups of the First Four era. The nation’s leading scorer Peter Kiss and the NEC Champion Bryant Bulldogs come into Ohio to face off against Wright State in a game that’s virtually a home game for the Raiders.
This game will be the first Division I NCAA Tournament game for Bryant after it blew out Wagner to win the NEC. The game will be Wright State’s first appearance in Dayton, as it looks for its first NCAA Tournament win in its fourth try.
NCAA Tournament upsets: Why Michigan can topple Colorado State, a deeper look at UAB-Houston and more from the South Region--The Athletic
No. 1 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 16 Wright State Raiders (Upset Chance: 2.3%) or Bryant Bulldogs
Upset Chance: 1.4%
Our model doesn’t see much difference between these underdogs, or much to like about either of them. Wright State shoots better and forces more turnovers, while Bryant grabs more offensive rebounds. Bryant hoists threes on nearly 44% of its shots, but hits them at a clip of just 31%, ranking 311th in the NCAA, which is an entertaining combo.
But that’s just the numbers. When it comes to everything else, Bryant is quite the roadshow. Coach Jared Grasso, who looks and sounds like an aggrieved caller to New York’s WFAN sports talk radio, calls his team “chippy.” 24-year-old senior SF Peter Kiss leads the nation in scoring with 25.1 points per game, and he’s shown he’s capable of hitting contested threes, slamming dunks, gesturing at opponents and doing pushups after he gets knocked to the ground. The Bulldogs’ Northeast Conference final against Wagner was interrupted for half an hour by fans brawling in the stands. This is your 16-seed if you want drama.
But not if you want an upset.
2022 NCAA Tournament Bracket: South Region analysis of No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Villanova, No. 3 Tennessee and more--The Athletic
No. 16 Wright State Raiders
First Four: vs. Bryant on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio (6:40 p.m., truTV)
Record: 21-13 (15-7 Horizon League)
How they got here: Thanks to Trey Calvin’s pull-up jumper with 10.5 seconds left that stood as the decisive bucket in a 72-71 win against Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League title game. After dispatching regular-season champ Cleveland State in the semifinals, fourth-seeded Wright State rallied from 16 points down in the championship to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. The Raiders beat NC State during a seven-game winning streak back in December, and come into this tournament having won five in a row.
What you need to know: The last time Wright State made the tournament, it was a No. 13 seed that took a lopsided opening round loss to Tennessee. Back then, this team was built around solid defense. This one makes its breaks on the other end of the floor. The Raiders are No. 108 in the country in offensive efficiency, and had the top offense in the Horizon League. They rank No. 90 nationally in effective field goal percentage, No. 74 in offensive rebounding rate and No. 53 in 2-point field goal percentage. Wright State boasts a trio of double-digit scorers in 6-foot-6 guard Tanner Holden (19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game), 6-9 forward Grant Basile (18.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.1 apg) and Calvin, a 6-foot guard who averages 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Spotlight on: Holden, a junior from Wheelersburg, Ohio, came off the bench in his very first game as a true freshman back in November 2019 — and he’s started every game since. The two-time first-team all-league player has scored in double figures every season, upping his production each year. He’s a career 53 percent shooter, which would be well and good on its own, but Holden is also one of the best in the country at getting to the free-throw line, where he shoots 78 percent. He ranks top 30 in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (6.4), and leads the country with 257 free-throw attempts.
2022 NCAA Tournament picks: Seth Davis makes his predictions for the First Four--The Athletic
Wright State (-1.5) vs. Bryant, Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. This game is not lacking for moxie. Wright State knocked off top-seeded Cleveland State in the Horizon League semifinals, and then came back from 16 points down to beat Northern Kentucky, 72-71, in the final. The Raiders are a high-scoring team that went for 80 or more points 11 times this season. Bryant is led by the nation’s top scorer, 6-5 senior guard Peter Kiss, who averages 25.1 points per game and likes to flex, preen and do push-ups after he scores. Neither of these teams are invested at the defensive end, which should make for a fast-paced, entertaining game. The main difference could be at the 3-point line. Wright State averages 19.2 attempts per game and converts 32.9 percent. Bryant attempts 27.2 3s per game and converts 30.8 percent. That’s not efficient, but it is effective, so I’ll go with the team that lets the long shots fly. The pick: Bryant
5 major takeaways from the 2022 NCAA tournament bracket reveal--SB Nation
4. The First Four is ... kinda loaded
Here’s the second reason: There are some very fun teams and intriguing storylines heading to Dayton.
And what about the 16-seeds headed to Dayton? Oh, you’ve just got the nation’s leading scorer in Peter Kiss from Bryant taking on a Wright State team that seems to have a solid case to be a 15-seed or better. And then you’ve got Texas Southern vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, two programs that just straight up do not like one another. I’ve got absolute no idea if that’s true, but they’re both from Texas, so let’s roll with it.
NCAA TOURNAMENT 16 SEED PLAY-IN--Staring At The Floorboards
Quick Takes: First Four Picks--Bracketville
First Four betting odds, picks, best bets: Expert in-depth analysis on Indiana and Notre Dame-Rutgers Total--The Athletic
No. 16 Bryant vs. N0. 16 Wright State — Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. ET
Team Spread Total Moneyline From the jump here it’s important to note why Wright State is favored by 3.5. This game is essentially a home contest for Wright State. The school is in Dayton, and its arena is about 10 minutes away from UD Arena, where this game will be played. There is a chance here that this is a home atmosphere for Wright State. The line opened at -1.5 and has jumped two points.
But frankly, I think the wrong team is favored here. These two teams finished 182nd and 183rd in KenPom’s rankings, but in the Torvik numbers, Bryant was 172nd versus 196th for Wright State. The numbers are even larger in terms of difference if we limit the season since January (Bryant 136th, Wright State 176th). On top of that, there are some real, specific, matchup-based concerns here for Wright State that Bryant should be able to take advantage of.
The big one is that I’m not sure how Wright State will score consistently. Grant Basile is the team’s most impactful player, and he’s a great post player. Unsurprisingly, the team plays through him often on the block. Including kickouts, 17.5 percent of Wright State’s possessions came on the block this season, which was 26th nationally according to Synergy. About two-thirds of Basile’s half-court possessions came there this year. The problem is that Wright State doesn’t shoot it well around him. They only made 33 percent of their 3s this year and were 296th nationally in a 3-point attempt rate. That plays right into Bryant’s hands. First and foremost, Bryant plays a ton of zone. They played zone on about two-thirds of their possessions this year, and I’d venture that we’ll see a lot of that on Wednesday night. Second, they have a legit shot-swatter on the interior in Hall Elisias, who finished 16th nationally in block rate at 11.9. Unsurprisingly given those factors, Wright State was pretty bad against zone defenses this season, scoring only 0.83 points per possession, per Synergy. If Wright State can’t get its post offense going, the goal should probably be to try to get out and run. This year, the team played at an above-average pace and didn’t mind doing so.
The problem is that such an attack plays right into Bryant’s hands. Jared Grasso’s team, led by the nation’s leading scorer and renowned trash-talker Peter Kiss, was top-10 nationally in pace, per KenPom, and runs as well as any mid-major team in college hoops. If Bryant can force misses and get out in the open court, that’s a win for them. And I think they should be able to force misses. On some level, Bryant is a bit reliant on shooting, which can be a bit scary in these high-pressure, one-and-done games. Despite shooting just 30.7 percent from 3, the Bulldogs take 44 percent of their shots from distance, a well-above-average number. In general, a big part of Wright State’s defenses under Scott Nagy has been to take away the 3-point line. Contesting Bryant 3s isn’t going to stop Kiss and company from taking them, so on some level, we’ll be relying on whether or not the shots fall as opposed to Bryant generating quality shots regularly.
But at the end of the day, I think that the schematic advantages Bryant figures to have against Wright State’s offense give them the edge here, even with the game being in Dayton. Above all, though, I can’t wait for a large portion of the country to get introduced to Kiss, who is one of the wildest viewing experiences one can have in college basketball in maybe the last five years.
The Pick: Bryant +3.5.
2022 NCAA Tournament Preview--The Northerner
And while we’re on the topic of the First Four…
Root for Wright State. Yes, you read that correctly. You may ask, “Didn’t they just end NKU’s season?”. They did indeed. But a 16 versus 16 play-in game is the Raiders’ best chance at a tournament win, and that means money for the Horizon League. Eleven schools, one being NKU, stand to benefit from what most would call an upset over the Bryant Bulldogs.
Wright State to open NCAA Tournament in First Four--Dayton Daily News
‘Hopefully all these Dayton fans will cheer for us’: Wright State to face Bryant in First Four--Dayton Daily News
For Wright State veterans Holden and Basile, wait for NCAA tourney trip is over--Dayton Daily News
Wright State to Play First Tournament Game at UD Tomorrow--WSU Guardian
Raiders open NCAA Dance on Wednesday--wsuraiders.com
Women’s Basketball Ends the Season, Eight Players Enter Transfer Portal--WSU Guardian
Penguins Set to Take Morgan State in The Basketball Classic--ysu.prestosports.com
YSU men’s, women’s tourney doubleheader on Wednesday--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
YSU Set for Battle with Kent State on Wednesday in WNIT's Opening Round--ysu.prestosports.com
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