Friday, March 17, 2023

News On The Horizon 3/17/2023

#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

No. 13 Cleveland State vs. No. 4 Villanova (-11.5), 5 p.m. ET, ESPNU

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.com

Transfer 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.com

UWGB 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 Gazette

PFW'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
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