Tag: NCAA Men’s Basketball

Announcers deliver a perfect play-by-play of NC State’s Terquavion Smith’s chair-punching tantrum

March Madness brings out the emotions in everyone — both good and bad.

With the season on the line and tensions at an all-time high, players can let their emotions get the best of them during March Madness.

That’s exactly what happened to N.C. State star Terquavion Smith during the Wolfpack’s first-round NCAA men’s basketball tournament loss to Creighton on Friday afternoon.

Smith shined in a 72-63 loss for No. 11-seeded N.C. State, scoring a game-high 32 points, but his team shot just 37.5% from the field and spent most of the contest playing from behind.

Late in the second half, Smith let his frustrations out on a chair, prompting an absolutely hilarious play-by-play breakdown of the outburst from announcers Steve Smith and Avery Johnson.

As they point out, Smith appears to consider flipping the team’s supply of Powerade before thinking better of it. That’s when the chair — a perfect target — came into sight.

Poor chair never stood a chance.

The tantrum didn’t last long as his teammates and a staffer quickly separated the two, but it was a good summary of a game the Wolfpack had a chance to win but ultimately weren’t able to execute well enough outside of their star player.

The NCAA tournament brings out both the best — and worst — in everyone, and we saw another example of that today.

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Charles Barkley used to ‘wash’ his uniform by wearing it in the shower

This man must have been a walking biohazard on game days.

The life of an athlete is certainly more glamorous now than it used to be, but if Charles Barkley is to be believed, things used to be worse than we thought.

During a studio segment for the men’s NCAA tournament, Barkley left his co-hosts in utter disbelief in describing how he used to wash his uniform in-between games when he was starting out in the NBA.

Since there was no dedicated support staff for doing players’ laundry and the team flew commercially, according to Barkley, he would instead take a shower while wearing his jersey after the game, dry it and bring it to the plane the next morning.

Absolutely appalling stuff.

Not only is this incredibly unhygienic — and not how doing laundry works — but it also seemed to be a unique experience for Barkley, at least among the former players on the show.

“No one in their right mind has ever done that,” a stunned Kenny Smith said.

Keep in mind that Smith’s NBA career largely overlapped with Barkley’s. Most curious.

Whether this was common practice at the time was unclear, but regardless, I know nobody on the court wanted to get posted up by Barkley.

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Illinois’ Matthew Mayer played with just one shoe for more than a minute of March Madness

It is shocking how long it took for him to reunite with his sneaker.

Illinois senior Matthew Mayer lost his shoe during the first half in the opening round of March Madness against Arkansas.

Rather than immediately attempting to put the shoe back on his foot, however, the 23-year-old forward made a much stranger decision. After getting the ball in the backcourt, he passed it to a teammate and then he tossed his shoe onto the Illinois sideline.

Instead of calling a timeout, Illinois then ran a half-court possession with Mayer spotting up on the perimeter. Arkansas then forced a turnover, then Illinois quickly forced a turnover, then Arkansas forced yet another turnover.

Arkansas finally scored — Mayer wasn’t much help on defense with just one shoe on his feet.

While you might expect that by this point, Mayer would have found a quick moment to put the sneaker back on his foot, you would be mistaken!

Why didn’t Brad Underwood call a timeout? Why didn’t the officials blow their whistles to stop the play?

Illinois shockingly ran one more half-court set, with Mayer once more spotting up on the perimeter. They missed their field-goal attempt, Mayer got back on defense, and Illinois got a stop.

It was finally time: After more than a minute of the game clock had passed, the forward was finally reunited with his missing sneaker.

This is assuredly one of the strangest sequences you will see during the tournament. But that’s why they call it March Madness, amirite?

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UMBC’s Twitter feed rubbed it in with Virginia after Furman’s shocking March Madness upset

The Retrievers are probably the LAST team Virginia wanted to hear from.

It was a tough day at the office for the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team.

After starting their 2023 NCAA tournament run as a No. 4 seed in the South Region, Tony Bennett’s bunch blew a 12-point second-half lead and lost 68-67 to the Furman Paladins. With the Cavalier men missing last year’s tournament, the loss to potential NBA lottery pick Jalen Slawson and Co. is undoubtedly an even bigger disappointment.

One team that Virginia probably wanted to hear from the least after its defeat was UMBC. Five years ago to the day, the Retrievers pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the men’s NCAA tournament when they beat the No. 1 Cavaliers as a No. 16 seed.

So, the sassy UMBC Athletics Twitter account simply couldn’t help itself but rub in Virginia’s latest upset loss once it went final:

A GIF has never screamed, “it happened again, huh?” more than UMBC’s usage here. March 16th continues to be a notorious day in the calendar for Virginia men’s basketball.

Kevin Harlan’s call of Furman’s game-winning shot against Virginia is an instant classic

Kevin Harlan’s call of the Furman game winner against Virginia is INCREDIBLE.

Leave it to Kevin Harlan to give the perfect call for the game-winning shot of a March Madness upset.

As No. 13 seed Furman stunned No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the South Region in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Harlan couldn’t help but toss out an instantly iconic call of Furman sophomore guard JP Pegues’ incredible 3-pointer.

On the crucial sequence, Furman got a last-second steal, and Pegues was in perfect position to knock down the trey that gave the Paladins a 68-67 win over the Cavaliers.

It’s the kind of bracket-busting upset game that instantly anoints a Cinderella, especially if the team can make it out of the round of 32 this weekend.

Harlan’s call will give you goosebumps.

You can hear the pivotal Furman shot called beautifully by Paladins radio, too.

Harlan also underscored the upset victory with the right amount of gravitas with Furman’s win coming on its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 43 years.

Furman’s upset victory helped bettors hit the +5.5 spread, the 130.5 over and the +200 moneyline.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Pegues didn’t at all seem afraid in what was sure to be the biggest basketball moment of his career so far.

As for the Cavaliers, the loss highlights Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s struggles in the tournament. Even though Bennett led the Cavs to an NCAA championship in 2019, his team hasn’t fared quite as well in other seasons.

His Virginia teams have especially struggled with underdogs as of late.

No matter what, Pegues’ game-winning bucket and Harlan’s incredible call will mark what will certainly be a “One Shining Moment” highlight this year.

The special moment also demolished most of the 2023 bracket predictions.

Jalen Slawson is already the breakout star of March Madness after upset win over Virginia

Jalen Slawson went on a personal 9-0 run against Virginia!

After an incredible performance by Jalen Slawson, No. 13 seed Furman began March Madness with a massive upset over No. 4 seed Virginia.

Slawson finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block during the game. Especially after his teammate and Furman leading scorer Mike Bothwell fouled out, Slawson looked like the best player on the court throughout the game.

The fifth-year senior, who couldn’t believe Virginia’s crucial turnover, showcased his remarkable athleticism with a monster dunk during the first half of the victory.

It was one of many highlights from the forward, who was recently named the 2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year.

But this wasn’t just a random, fluky performance. In fact, as we noted last offseason, the 6-foot-7 forward is one of the most versatile prospects in the nation.

He has reached impressive thresholds for efficient shot selection, added value beyond scoring, and defensive playmaking. His shot chart shows he is one of the best finishers in this draft class:

(via CBB Analytics)

Slawson was his conference leader in effective field goal percentage and was one of the leaders in free throw rate as well.

But he is also an impressive shooter he proved as much when he shockingly went on a personal 9-0 run against Virginia during the second half:

Slawson was one of just eight players in the nation to record at least 35 dunks and 3-pointers in 2022-23.

He is also one of just eight players since 2008 to record more than 100 dunks and 3-pointers while in college. But no other player was able to do so with a higher true shooting percentage than Slawson.

As he continues playing into the second round of March Madness, he can continue to improve his draft stock.

While he is one of the oldest prospects eligible to hear his name called in the 2023 NBA Draft, it is worth considering using a draft pick on Slawson for his unique two-way potential.

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Charles Barkley proudly shouted ‘Roll Tide!’ as he picked Alabama to win the national title

This was a surprising prediction from the Auburn alum.

Charles Barkley is arguably the most notable basketball alumni to ever attend Auburn University. But that didn’t matter when he made his bracket.

During the halftime show of a TNT broadcast on the first day of the NCAA men’s tournament, the former NBA MVP was asked to make a prediction about who he thought would win the Big Dance.

Even though Barkley attended Auburn and the university built a statue of his likeness outside Neville Arena, he surprisingly selected rival Alabama to cut down the nets when it was all said and done.

After he made the pick, he even shouted the “Roll Tide!” rallying cry:

In fairness, this isn’t a horrible pick from Barkley! Alabama is certainly one of the hottest teams in the country and they have a potential future NBA star, Brandon Miller, leading the way.

But why would an Auburn alum like Barkley predict success for the school’s longtime enemy?

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl shared his thoughts (via Auburn Wire):

“Charles Barkley loves the state of Alabama. He loves Auburn first, no question about that. He has been pretty loyal to our state. All I have to say about Charles Barkley is he’s going to tell you what he thinks, whether you like it or not. If he said he thinks Alabama is going to win the tournament, he’s not doing it for any other reason than Charles thinks they’re going to win it.”

Barkley also said that he believes Auburn fans should cheer for Alabama during the tournament — and that Alabama fans should cheer for Auburn.

Auburn guard Wendell Green Jr., however, confidently declared that he doesn’t think that will “ever” happen.

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Reminder: Jim Nantz will be calling his last NCAA tournament for CBS this year

Jim Nantz will be saying “Goodbye, friends!” to the NCAA tournament this year.

As this year’s March Madness tips off, longtime CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz will be calling his last NCAA tournament.

There will only be so many more “Hello, friends!” for March Madness watchers, as Nantz has confirmed to AP this week that he’s stepping away from the tournament after 32 years.

For Nantz, it’s a special way to close things out with his alma mater, No. 1 Houston, pushing for a title. This year’s Final Four will also take place at NRG Stadium in Houston.

It could all come full circle for the longtime broadcaster.

“I wanted it to be a CBS year, but especially I wanted Houston to be my last dance for me and to exit college basketball stage right,” Nantz told AP. “It was truly through the basketball program — being the student public address announcer and while still a student later being entrusted to host the Guy Lewis television show, that was my entryway into television. I was just a kid living in the dorms. With a chance to possibly call my last basketball game with Houston playing for a championship, that would be amazing.”

Nantz says he still plans to work for CBS doing the NFL and professional golf coverage, but this will be his very last ride for March’s biggest sports spectacle.

Ref Teddy Valentine and Morehead State coach Preston Spradlin exchange butt slaps in this bizarre sequence

What a cheeky moment between Valentine and Spradlin!

Aside from the on-court drama, an NIT first-round matchup between Morehead State and Clemson gave us a hilarious sideline moment.

As the Eagles tried to upend the Tigers early on in the first half, head coach Preston Spradlin had an energetic conversation with official Teddy Valentine. Once he made his peace known, Spradlin gave Valentine a light slap on his butt. While Spradlin started to walk away, Valentine quickly returned the favor.

After what seemed like a delayed reaction, Spradlin turned around, gripped his butt, and grimaced in joking pain as if to say Valentine really walloped him.

All in all, an amusing moment between a coach and ref:

I mean, honestly: who among us hasn’t been surprised by the sheer velocity of an unfortunate butt slap?

Spradlin would take his lumps en route to a 68-64 Morehead State win.

College Wire’s NCAA first round game picks

We try and predict every first round game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Let the Madness begin.

We have finally reached March Madness.

Over the next two days, there will be a plethora of huge moments, upsets, and buzzer beats. A total of 32 games will determine with 32 teams will face off in round two as we get closer to the Sweet 16.

Several of our College Wire staff chimed in with their predictions for each game in round one. Who will be upset on opening weekend and who will begin their Cinderella run in the tournament?

THE BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.

Check out who our staff believes will come out winners over the next two days.