#HLMBB 2023 Senior Tracker--HoriZone Roundtable
Cleveland State Men's Basketball Opens CBI against Eastern Kentucky--
csuvikings.com
Women’s NCAA Tournament first-round picks--The Athletic
Saturday
Cleveland State might be the lower seed, but it could give Villanova a
tougher first-round matchup than the Wildcats anticipate. At 30-4, the
Vikings like to get the ball inside and score near the rim. They lead the
country in free-throw trips, attempts and makes, averaging almost as many
points from the foul line (22.9 percent) as they do from 3 (25.5 percent).
Villanova is a high-volume shooting team, getting most of its buckets from
jumpers behind the nation’s leading scorer,
Maddy Siegrist
(28.9 ppg). The Wildcats also take care of the rock, averaging just 10
turnovers per game, and rank seventh nationally with 5.5 blocks per game.
There’s no doubt the
Vikings
are going to battle, especially in the paint. But the nod goes to the team
with Siegrist. The pick: Villanova
NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament: First-round previews, schedules, TV info--Heat Check CBB
Greenville 2 Region
(4) Villanova vs. (13) Cleveland State
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU (Villanova, Pa.): Another
30-win team is in the bracket along with FGCU, and it’s not the higher
seed in the 4-13 game. The Vikings of Cleveland State went 30-4 in their
regular-season campaign, and they have lost just once since Jan. 22. As
for Villanova, the Wildcats are 10-2 since the beginning of February,
so both teams are coming in hot. ‘Nova will look to the country’s
leading scorer Maddie Siegrist (28.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 1.1 spg) to
key the Wildcats’ plodding, hyper-efficient offense (13th in D1). The
Cleveland State defense is fine enough, but it doesn’t project well
against Siegrist and Villanova. On the other side of the ball, leading
scorer Destiny Leo (17.7 ppg) will try to keep the Vikes in it for as
long as possible.
Cleveland State women’s basketball vs. Villanova NCAA tournament preview--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State Women's Basketball Set For NCAA First Round Game At Villanova--csuvikings.com
No. 0 heads to the rafters as UDM honors senior hoopers--
The Varsity News
Davis Selected All-American By AP, USBWA--
detroittitans.comTransfer student grateful for shot on women’s basketball team--The Varsity News
Sundance Wicks picked to lead Green Bay--
HoriZone Roundtable
Sundance Wicks Named Ninth Head Coach in Green Bay Men's Basketball History--
greenbayphoenix.comUWGB women cruise past Niagara to first WNIT win in program history--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix Claims First WNIT Win Over Niagara 84-52--greenbayphoenix.com
Panthers Continue Postseason Against Stetson At CBI In Florida--
mkepanthers.com
Watch out for these under-the-radar players in this year’s March Madness--
Mid-Major Madness
Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky runs one of the slowest tempos in the nation, but to win
games, you have to score, and Warrick has done just that. Averaging 19.1
points per game, he has consistently upped his averages every year.
March Madness 2023: Analyzing statistical trends for each first-round
matchup--Heat Check CBB
Midwest Region
(1) Houston vs. (16) Northern Kentucky
Houston enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 team in the country across
every major analytics website. The Cougars have lost just three times all
season, one of those to the only team seeded higher than them (No. 1 overall
seed Alabama). Statistically, Houston’s only weakness is sending opponents
to the free-throw line at a higher rate than they get to the stripe
themselves.
Northern Kentucky won the Horizon League with a tricky matchup zone defense
and have a star scorer in Marques Warrick and a budding secondary piece next
to him in two-way sophomore Sam Vinson. To contend for a major upset, NKU
needs to both hit 3s at an alarming rate and take care of the ball.
Thankfully, the Norse ranks in the upper half of the nation in TO%, 3P%, and
3PA rate.
NKU and Houston played one similar opponent this year. The Norse beat
Cincinnati by 13 at home, while Houston went 3-0 against Cincinnati (by 13
on the road, by six at home, by 21 on a neutral). Northern Kentucky’s
offense needs to be elite and its defense needs to cause problems. An upset
is unlikely, though.
NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 32 first-round games--Heat Check CBB
30) No. 1 Houston vs No. 16 Northern Kentucky
Thursday, 9:20 p.m. ET, TNT (Birmingham/Midwest Region):
Houston might be the most efficient 1-seed in the tournament, but they are
taking on the most efficient 16-seed remaining. The Norse force a lot of
turnovers on defense, and if Marcus Sasser is out, it could make portions of
the game interesting. Still, Houston is No. 1 in the country for a reason.
This game will be closer than the previous two by virtue of Houston’s style,
but it should never be in doubt.
March Madness notebook--Heat Check CBB
Facing a 16 ain’t always sweet
A pair of 16-seeds put up bigger fights than we’re used to seeing on the
tournament’s opening day.
Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky got a little bit closer in the second
1-16 game. The Norse frustrated Houston for most of the game with its
amorphous zone, forcing the Coogs into 17 turnovers – their highest mark since
Dec. 13th. In an uncharacteristically sloppy performance, Houston trailed for
over five minutes of game time, and Northern Kentucky tied the game three
times in the second half.
NKU falls to top-seeded Houston in NCAA Tournament--WCPO
Northern Kentucky senior Chris Brandon excited to play against hometown team--Cincinnati Enquirer
What you need to know before Northern Kentucky Norse face Houston in the NCAA Tournament--Cincinnati Enquirer
Northern Kentucky basketball ready for top-seeded Houston--Cincinnati Enquirer
NCAA Tournament: Five reasons why NKU's upset bid fell short against Houston--Cincinnati Enquirer
NKU can’t pull off upset against top-seed Houston but Norse proved they belong on NCAA’s big stage--Northern Kentucky Tribune
Preview: 16-seeded Norse look to shock the nation, upset Houston in Round of 64--The Northerner
Northern Kentucky MBB puts scare into No. 1 Houston in first round of NCAA Tournament--nkunorse.com
Purdue Fort Wayne basketball sees season end in Horizon Tournament--
Fort Wayne Journal GazettePFW's season comes to an end in Horizon League women's basketball semifinals--Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Robert Morris Forward Matt Mayers Enters Transfer Portal--
Colonial Sports Network
Michael Green III Enters Transfer Portal--
Colonial Sports Network
Robert Morris Guard Enoch Cheeks Enters Transfer Portal--
Colonial Sports Network
Amari Davis: The Trotwood Kid Who Finally Found a Home--
WSU Guardian
Daily Dirt – 3/16/23--
Hoop Dirt
Updating the
ETSU list from
yesterday with some additional names…It sounds like these three should be
added: Penny Collins (Head Coach – Tennessee State), Jerrod Calhoun (Head
Coach – Youngstown State), and Preston Spradlin (Head Coach – Morehead
State). Depends on who you talk to – some say Penny Collins is the leader,
some say it’s Wake assistant Brooks Savage. Sounds like this could be
wrapped up soon.
Youngstown State falls to Oklahoma State in NIT first round, 69-64--Warren Tribune Chronicle
Penguins fall in “The Capital City”--The Jambar
Penguins Put Forth Valiant Effort in 69-64 Loss to Oklahoma State--ysusports.com
Women’s basketball season ends--The Jambar
#HLWBB Notebook – March 15--
The Horizon League
