Welcome to March (And Transfer) Madness!--HoriZone Roundtable
Indiana is hosting the NCAA Tournament but only one in-state team will play in it--Indy Star
IUPUI
How it started
IUPUI started its season with a 69-66 win over Tennessee State. COVID-19 protocol delayed the Jaguars' next game for 20 days and they sputtered to a four-game losing streak once games resumed.
How it ended
The Jags finished the regular season winning four of their last six games. They finished the regular season 8-9 overall and 7-8 in conference.
IUPUI earned a No. 9 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. The Jags opened the tournament against No. 8 Milwaukee.
Fouls and turnovers doomed the Jags, as Milwaukee used a 13-point halftime advantage to earn a 84-72 win.
Purdue Fort Wayne
How it started:
The Mastodons played just two games between Nov. 25 and Dec. 19 after shutting down activities due to COVID-19 protocol.
After winning their opener 67-63 in overtime against Southeastern Louisiana, the extended layoff quelled any momentum Purdue Fort Wayne could've generated.
The 'Dons lost five of six games after their return to action. The high point of the season was a four-game winning streak with back-to back wins over Illinois-Chicago and Milwaukee, improving the 'Dons to 6-5 overall and 5-5 in the Horizon League.
The 'Dons set a single-game school record shooting 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from three against Milwaukee during the final game of the streak.
How it ended:
Purdue Fort Wayne ended its regular season losing nine of 10 games.
Jalon Pipkins banked in a 3 at the buzzer, forcing a second overtime against Green Bay in the Horizon League tournament opener. Pipkins added 4 of his team-high 21 points in the second overtime, lifting the 'Dons to a 89-84 win.
Pipkins' late-game heroics extended Purdue Fort Wayne's season, but Cleveland State used late-game heroics to end it.
First Al Eichelberger sent the game into a third overtime with a miracle 3-point bank shot.
Then former Hamilton Southeastern star Mabor Majak and his 7-2 frame smothered Purdue Fort Wayne's inbound attempt with six seconds remaining, forcing a turnover and icing the game.
March Madness betting tips: 68 stats, trends and fun facts to know before you bet (or fill out your bracket)--The Athletic
MIDWEST
2. Houston (-19.5) vs. 15. Cleveland State – 7:15 p.m. Friday on truTV
The Cougars have been heavily favored in almost every game this season. Only twice this year were they favored by fewer than seven points. They covered in both those games.
If you’re feeling lucky, the Vikings are No. 1 in the country in the “luck” stat on KenPom after finishing 5-1 in games decided by three points or less.
NCAA Tournament Best Bets: Picking Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Villanova and Houston--The Athletic
No. 15 Cleveland State vs. No. 2 Houston | Houston -20 | Total: 134.5
Cleveland State has a great up-and-coming coach in Dennis Gates. Torrey Patton is the kind of senior that is fun to get around and root fot, and the Vikings have a great group of players that work really hard and complement each other well. But this is just kind of a nightmare spot for the Vikings from a matchup perspective.
The Cougars are about as tough and physical a team as you’re going to find, and they don’t allow teams to score on the interior. That’s the only place the Vikings really find much success, because they only have one starter who makes over 30 percent from 3. Houston is just going to collapse the paint, and force a team that can’t shoot to beat it from the outside. And then if the Vikings get lucky enough to get sent to the line, they only shoot 66 percent there, so they’re not going to be able to take full advantage. Basically, I’m just not sure how Cleveland State is going to score in this game.
And that’s not even the biggest matchup problem. Cleveland State is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country, allowing opponents to corral 32 percent of their misses. Houston is the second-best offensive rebounding team in the country, garnering 39 percent of their misses. The Cougars crash the offensive glass hard, and it’s going to create a ton of extra possessions. And then on top of it, I would expect Houston to win the turnover battle, because Cleveland State can get a bit messy with the ball against aggressive on-ball defense. The Vikings finished 10th in the Horizon League in offensive turnover rate. Houston is just going to get so many more bites at the apple to score.
Since Houston lost to Wichita State on February 18, it’s been an absolute buzz saw. Even including the disaster losses to the Shockers and moribund East Carolina, the Cougars have been the third-best team in the country since February 1 according to Bart Torvik’s rankings because they’ve absolutely blitzed everyone since those losses. If you back it up to January 15, they’re second-best. Nobody is talking about Houston, but they absolutely should be. They’re loaded with older guards, they’re tough as all hell, and they’re really good on both ends. And since that East Carolina loss, Quentin Grimes has taken everything onto his shoulders and become maybe the most underrated go-to guy in college basketball. In the nine games since then, Grimes is averaging 21.2 points while hitting an obscene 49 percent of his NINE (!) 3-point attempts per game. He’s on the heater of all heaters right now, and I wouldn’t get against him, even if Cleveland State does have a good player to toss on him in Tre Gomillion, who made the Horizon All-Defense team. Hell, if Grimes keeps up this high-volume pull-up 3-point shooting, he’s an NBA Draft pick and could lead Houston to a Final Four.
Basically, in this game, I’d expect Houston to win the skill battle. I’d expect them to out-shoot Cleveland State. I’d expect them to win the turnover battle. I’d expect them to win the toughness battle (not that Cleveland State is deficient in that area, Houston is just special in it). And I’d expect them to win the rebounding battle. That’s the kind of overall dominance on the page that tends to lead to blowouts. Twenty points is a lot in an NCAA Tournament game. I don’t think it’s enough here, given how Houston has been more than willing to blow-out its opposition. The pick: Houston -20
DePaul basketball coaching candidates: Jon Scheyer, Dennis Gates, Porter Moser are names to watch--The Athletic
Call list
(In alphabetical order)
Dennis Gates, Cleveland State head coach. Gates has executed a pretty significant two-season turnaround at Cleveland State after arriving in July 2019 — which is about as late as new-coach arrivals can get. Going from 11 wins to the Horizon League championship and the NCAA Tournament in less than 24 months is a feat. Gates spending eight years on Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State staff gives you an idea of what you’re getting. On top of all that, the 41-year-old is a Chicago native. He played with former DePaul star Quentin Richardson in high school. Pretty much everyone considers him a star-in-wait. Gates doesn’t have years of head coaching experience to draw on … but you’re DePaul. Some chance-taking is warranted.
2021 NCAA Tournament bracket: Midwest Region analysis of top-seeded Illinois, Oklahoma State and more--The Athletic
15. Cleveland State Vikings
First-round opponent: No. 2 seed Houston (American champion)
When: 7:15 p.m. ET Friday, Assembly Hall (truTV)
Record: 19-7 (16-4 Horizon League)How they got here: After sharing the regular-season title with Wright State and needing triple overtime to escape Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon quarterfinals, the Vikings rolled through the semifinals and title game to earn the league’s auto-bid. It is the program’s third NCAA Tournament bid and first since 2009.
What you need to know: When assistant coach Dru Joyce III climbed a ladder to snip some net after the conference championship, he howled, “Cleveland! This is for you!” That was a nod to LeBron James, who first shouted those words after leading the Cavaliers to an NBA championship in 2016. Joyce was LeBron’s high school teammate at powerhouse St. Vincent-St. Mary and is now part of a terrific staff of rising stars at Cleveland State, led by 41-year-old Dennis Gates, the Horizon League Coach of the Year in both seasons there. Gates, a longtime Leonard Hamilton assistant at Florida State, has turned around a program that went 40-89 in the four years before he arrived. He’ll be a hot name for high-major openings and might even be the frontrunner at Penn State.
Spotlight on: While all-conference senior guard Torrey Patton (14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds) can fill it up, the Vikings are driven by defense. Gates borrowed a tradition from FSU, where Hamilton handed out a spear to his defensive player of the game, and introduced a shield at Cleveland State. Junior guard Tre Gomillion (10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds) essentially owns that battlefield replica after earning Horizon Defensive Player of the Year. But junior forward Deante Johnson (third in the league in blocks) and junior guard D’Moi Hodge (fourth in the league in steals) are no slouches either. In two years under Gates, CSU has jumped almost 200 spots in the national defensive efficiency rankings.
Indiana basketball coaching candidates: John Beilein, Chris Beard and Porter Moser are among the names to watch--The Athletic
Dennis Gates, head coach, Cleveland State. Gates has only been a head coach for two years, but he is one of the hottest names in the profession after taking the Vikings to their second NCAA Tournament. He is bright, charismatic, effective and young (41). Gates grew up in Chicago, played at Cal and spent eight years as an assistant to Leonard Hamilton at Florida State before taking the Cleveland State job. Gates is not well-known to most fans, but Hamilton sure is, and Gates will carry that sheen of success with him wherever he lands.
Cleveland State basketball seeded No. 15, will play No. 2 Houston in 2021 NCAA Tournament--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State basketball enjoying the March Madness ride: ‘It belongs to our fans,’ says coach Dennis Gates--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State men’s basketball to play Houston in opening round of 2021 NCAA Tournament: What you need to know--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Ohio State Cleveland State Ohio University set for March Madness--News-Herald
Coach's Connection - Season Review--uicflames.com
Archdeacon: The Hoops Whisperer of Wright State--Dayton Daily News
Women’s Basketball Wins Horizon League For Second Time in Three Years, Claims NCAA Ticket--Wright State Guardian
