Tag: First Four

First Four: Golden Eagles soar over the Monmouth Hawks

It had been over 40 years since Monmouth had been to a tournament game.

On Thursday, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles defeated the Monmouth Hawks, 79-69, and broke a few March Madness droughts.

It had been a few decades since the Golden Eagles had been to the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament and won a game. It had been over 40 years since Monmouth had been to a tournament game.

Four players for Tennessee tech had double digits and with 12 three-pointers made, the Hawks couldn’t overcome the deficit. The Golden Eagles advance to the Field of 64 and will take on No. 1 seeded Indiana on March 18th at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

This is only the eighth victory for the Ohio Valley Conference in the NCAA Tournament with Tennessee Tech accounting for four of those victories over the years.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=186]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvp06184agyas92qvv playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvp06184agyas92qvv/01gvp06184agyas92qvv-9fce9ef8152c7415f87179f624c59d15.jpg]

First Four: Mississippi State fetched a win over Illinois to keep March Madness dream alive

Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the University of Illinois Wednesday night, 70-56, in the First Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA D1 tournament.

Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the University of Illinois Wednesday night, 70-56, in the First Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA D1 tournament. This is Mississippi’s 21st win of the season and 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament win. This is head coach Sam Purcell’s first season with the Bulldogs.

“Here you go. You know you always get me. You get me. I’m not doing it. Again, it’s not about me. I appreciate all the love and the recognition, but I would not be sitting here today if I wasn’t coaching a great group of young women,” Purcell said.

Redshirt Senior Jessika Carter was dominant scoring 22 points with nine rebounds. Mississippi State’s bench outscored Illinois 20-6 with two other players, Anastasia Hayes and JerKaila Jordan, scoring in double digits.

Mississippi State will take on the No. 6 seeded Creighton Blue Jays in the Round of 64 which is scheduled for Friday, March 17th at 6:00 p.m. ET.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=186]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvp0617r95k97zx504 playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvp0617r95k97zx504/01gvp0617r95k97zx504-c3b0f1058f354353735cbacb873418eb.jpg]

Notre Dame has third seed in NCAA Tournament, opens vs. Southern Utah

Get ready to rock Purcell Pavilion in the tournament, Irish fans!

It turned out [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag]’ uncertainty for the NCAA Tournament was irrelevant as far as Notre Dame’s seeding. The Irish received the third seed in Greenville Regional 1 and will face 14th-seeded Southern Utah, a first-time opponent for the program. The seeding means the Irish will host the first two rounds at Purcell Pavilion. If they beat the Thunderbirds, they will face either Creighton or the winner of the First Four game between Illinois and Mississippi State.

Irish fans might feel a little iffy about the regional because their team won’t be able to escape it without going through top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina. However, that bridge will be crossed when the time comes. For now, the Irish can enjoy the fact that their body of work was strong enough that they will get to stay home to begin their quest for their third national championship. Oh, and let’s hope Miles is healthy when the tournament begins.

[pickup_prop id=”32282″]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

As Selection Sunday arrives, the focus for USC is more on the First Four

It is likely #USC will make the #NCAATournament. The remaining drama is if the Trojans have to go to Dayton on Tuesday/Wednesday.

The USC Trojans are almost certain to make the NCAA Tournament at this point. As Selection Sunday approaches, the main priority and hope for the Men of Troy is that they don’t have to play an extra game next week.

USC has received a lot of great bubble results, but on Saturday morning, there are still some teams which can complicate the Trojans’ plans.

Ohio State entered Saturday still alive in the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes have won three straight games to reach the semifinals. Two more wins put them in the NCAA Tournament, displacing a bubble team and moving USC one spot lower on the list of at-large teams.

Vanderbilt can still play its way into the field. The Commodores are making a deep run at the SEC Tournament. If they win the SEC Tournament, that’s another at-large bid one team won’t get.

UAB, if it beats Florida Atlantic in the Conference USA Tournament final, would take away an at-large bid from one school.

The AAC has Cincinnati and Tulane left as potential surprise winners of an automatic bid.

Let’s say, just for the sake of discussion, that all four teams — Ohio State, Vanderbilt, UAB, and either Cincinnati or Tulane — make the NCAA Tournament. Then USC would have reason to worry about making the actual NCAA Tournament. However, the likelihood of all four teams getting in is slim to none. Realistically, Vanderbilt and UAB have a decent chance of getting in. Ohio State and either Cincinnati or Tulane are longshots. If only two of these potential threats make the NCAA Tournament, that won’t be enough to push USC out of the field. However, two added teams getting in could shove USC downward on the seed list, to the extent that the Trojans could have to play a First Four game in Dayton next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Given that USC big man Vince Iwuchukwu needs more time to rest and recover — he has missed the Trojans’ last two games — the last thing the Men of Troy need is an extra game in Dayton, just to qualify for the Round of 64 next Thursday or Friday. USC needs the added rest and a chance to recharge if it wants a reasonable chance of advancing in the NCAA Tournament.

Would making the First Four be better than missing the field entirely? Of course it would. However, USC hopes to see its name in a Thursday or Friday slot when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Sunday afternoon.

[mm-video type=video id=01gv8grjh22dtmayh8p5 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gv8grjh22dtmayh8p5/01gv8grjh22dtmayh8p5-641973b20c8b86ad52bf90475eec32f5.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696090524]

Bracketologist puts USC as last four in, playing Wake Forest in NCAA First Four in Dayton

If you were told, right now, that USC would make the First Four in Dayton, would you take that scenario? One bracketologist currently thinks that will happen.

We’re one week from February, five weeks from March, and six and a half weeks until Selection Sunday. There are still a ton of games left to be played, but it’s not an endless river of games. Some teams have eliminated themselves from at-large consideration or, at the very least, have come very close.

Bracket talk is getting started. Resumes and scenarios are coming into focus. An understanding of what teams need to make the 2023 NCAA Tournament is becoming more detailed.

We have been telling you that USC — after beating Arizona State — is not far behind the Sun Devils on the bubble, and that the Trojans are right near the cut line for the NCAA Tournament, either in a last four in or first four out position.

Bracketologist Chris Dobberteam of Blogging the Bracket appeared on the College Basketball Coast 2 Coast podcast with T.J. Rives. On the broadcast — released Tuesday afternoon, before Tuesday night’s games — Dobbertean projected USC meeting Wake Forest in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.

The First Four means no automatic inclusion in the Round of 64. That’s the bad news. The good news: It means inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. USC would probably take that deal if given it right now, but the Trojans will ultimately have to play their way into the field. That’s the importance of this Thursday’s game against UCLA.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]

[listicle id=56296]

Mike Brey question answered in The Athletic mailbag

Like what the Irish might have in store?

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] proved once again this past season that he could lead Notre Dame to success when given the right collection of talent. By advancing out of the First Four of the NCAA Tournament and then making the round of 32, Brey made the Irish one of the feel-good stories in the early part of March Madness. But what about the Irish going forward?

Eamonn Brennan of The Athletic sought to answer that question posed by a reader as part of a mailbag. The full version only is available to subscribers, but here is what Brennan thinks about Brey:

“It would appear Brey is brewing up a refined version of what he is basically always trying to brew up: an experienced team with at least four (and ideally five) shooters on the floor, punctuated, if possible, by NBA potential. [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] is gone, sure, but bringing in combo guard [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] is a coup, particularly because Starling can just vibe while the rest of a very experienced team coming off an excellent postseason handles the rest. Notre Dame will probably be very good on the offensive end, just OK on the defensive end, fun to watch, and not very much fun to play.”

If that’s what we have to look forward to beginning in November, reserve your seats at Purcell Pavilion now. The good times indeed have returned to the Irish.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame takes on Texas Tech in NCAA Tournament for spot in Sweet 16

Can the Irish make the second weekend of March Madness?

Typically, nobody expects much of a team that gets out of the First Four in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA made the Final Four last year, but that was an outlier. Notre Dame hopes to take one step closer to becoming another example of that when it plays Texas Tech in San Diego in hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16. It will be a battle of programs with very little history together as the Irish won, 88-63, in their only previous meeting in 1975.

The discussion surrounding the Irish right now begins and ends with Cormac Ryan. He has started the past 11 games and averaged 13.8 points a game during that time. His 29 points against Alabama are the most for an Irish player in an NCAA Tournament game since Mike Brey became coach. Between that game and the First Four win over Rutgers, he has 45 points in the tournament, which is the most a Notre Dame player has scored in the first two games of an NCAA Tournament since David Rivers scored 51 in 1987.

[lawrence-related id=53979]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame ready to battle Alabama in NCAA Tournament

Hopefully, the basketball team fares better against the Tide than the football team.

All too often over the past decade, we’ve heard that Notre Dame never can beat Alabama in football. That’s because they’ve been correct, and those can’t stand the Irish will blurt that out for all the world to hear. However, they haven’t said anything about basketball, and the Irish can write a new narrative when these programs meet in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.

These programs last played each other at Walt Disney World in November 2015, and the Crimson Tide’s 74-73 win cut the Irish’s all-time lead in the series to 3-2. Now, they’ll be playing on the other side of the country in San Diego. The winner of this game will advance to play either Texas Tech or Montana State in the Round of 32.

Can the Irish count on another big game from Paul Atkinson Jr.? His 26 points, which included the game-winning putback in the First Four against Rutgers, set a record for the highest scoring total in a player’s debut NCAA Tournament game with the program. Or maybe the Irish should look to Cormac Ryan and his 12.3 scoring average since joining the starting lineup in February. It really doesn’t matter who steps up as long as the Irish are ahead when the clock hits zero.

[vertical-gallery id=53544]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: Notre Dame celebrates in locker room after NCAA Tournament win

Think these guys are happy?

One of the cooler additions to March Madness coverage in recent years is celebrations in winning locker rooms. It usually consists of players and coaches gathering together and jumping up and down while cheering and shouting victory phrases. After Notre Dame beat Rutgers in perhaps the most epic game in First Four history, it would have been unreasonable to expect a calm locker room for the victors. Fortunately, for the sake of our enjoyment, that locker room was as far from calm as you possibly could get:

The Irish now will travel to the opposite end of the country to play sixth-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64. However, before that game begins, there’s a lot of celebrating to do, and that is well underway. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if no one on the team slept on the way to San Diego. We know Prentiss Hubb and Trey Wertz won’t be feeling tired anytime soon:

Oh, and a jubilant Mike Brey has this message for everyone:

[lawrence-related id=53418]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame beats Rutgers in double-overtime classic, makes Round of 64

The Irish signaled that March Madness has begun!

Call it cliche that Notre Dame’s First Four game against Rutgers was decided right as it became midnight on St. Patrick’s Day. Whatever label you want to give it, the result was the same. After battling with the Scarlet Knights for 40 regulation minutes and two overtimes, the Irish appeared headed to a third extra session in Dayton, Ohio. Instead, a Paul Atkinson Jr. putback with 1.4 seconds left gave the Irish an 89-87 win and a date with Alabama in the Round of 64.

This NCAA Tournament game featured numerous ties and lead changes with neither team gaining a serious advantage for a lengthy amount of time. Every time it appeared over, someone would knot up the score, a game-winner would be missed, and the contest would be extended. By the second overtime, you couldn’t have called yourself a real fan and not be tuned into truTV at that moment. You would have missed something epic.

With 41 seconds left, Prentiss Hubb sank two free throws to give the Irish (23-10) an 87-84 lead. Although the Scarlet Knights (18-14) didn’t necessarily need a 3-pointer yet, Ron Harper Jr. fired one from way downtown and made it to tie the game at 87 with 22 seconds remaining. With the shot clock now off, the Irish had the chance to play for the final shot. Blake Wesley milked the clock before driving for a layup that missed everything, but that led to Atkinson’s game-winning heroics.

Atkinson scored all of his points in the paint, and his 26 led all scorers. Nate Laszewski came off the bench and scored 18 points. Cormac Ryan scored 16 and also picked up a game-high three steals in a terrific defensive effort. Dane Goodwin had 12 points as he returned to his usual spot in the starting lineup.

[lawrence-related id=53418]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89