Tag: NCAA Men’s tournament

Did Markquis Nowell fake an argument with Kansas State coach Jerome Tang before alley-oop pass?

WAIT A SECOND. Was this an orchestrated play for K-State?!

Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell just had arguably the best game of March Madness thus far, and it was highlighted by one crazy possession.

Nowell, who was rudely referred to as “little kid” after Kansas State defeated Kentucky in the Round of 32, recorded 20 points and a tournament-record 19 assists during the victory over Michigan State. He created, assisted, or scored 69 of the 98 points for K-State.

While he had several incredible moments during the match, the alley-oop pass that he threw to Keyontae Johnson for the reverse dunk was an instant highlight during the men’s tournament.

Watch as the teammates connected for an instant classic:

This was a tremendously impressive basket during the clutch final seconds of overtime, but upon a second viewing, something else stands out.

Don’t look at the dunk and instead watch what Nowell does as he is handling the ball. He looks to the sideline and has an apparent disagreement with head coach Jerome Tang.

On a second watch, it sure looks like Nowell and Tang may have faked their dispute to distract the opposing defense only to find Johnson on the backdoor cut.

During the walk-off interview, Tang was asked about the moment with Nowell. Tang said they were at a “place of fire” and that Nowell was ready for what happened next.

Tang told Richard Johnson that he was calling one play and Nowell was “calling something else” when the guard noticed that Johnson was cutting to the basket.

However, the coach also said during his postgame press conference that Nowell couldn’t tell reporters because then the “next team” would know to expect it.

Good point! You should never tip your hand with trick plays.

Nowell said it was just a “basketball play” between him and Johnson, and they were able to pull it off because they knew Michigan State’s defense likes to play high and tight.

Johnson said that the two have a strong feel for each other.

K-State was one of the most efficient teams in the nation when finishing offensive possessions after timeouts, per Synergy. Meanwhile, only one team in the tournament has scored more points per game on cuts to the basket thus far.

No team in college basketball ran cutters more often (10 percent) than the Wildcats, per ShotQuality. Meanwhile, the Spartans’ defense allowed 1.19 points per possession on cuts to the basket — which ranked far worse than the NCAA average (1.12) in 2022-23.

In fact, Johnson has scored more points when cutting to the basket (117) during this past campaign than the entire Spartans roster managed on this play type (104) all season.

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Intentional or not, especially after K-State’s Tang ran a football-inspired formation on an inbound pass, it’s safe to say that the Wildcats do not lack creativity. Regardless of whether it was scripted or if it was improvised, that possession just fully rocked.

Despite the post-game statement from Tang, several fans and analysts all believed that this could have actually been an orchestrated play designed to catch their defenders off guard. Here is why:

5 NBA prospects with rising draft stock after the opening rounds of March Madness

UCLA’s Amari Bailey looks like a top prospect yet again.

We had an exciting opening weekend in the opening rounds of March Madness, and several prospects significantly helped their draft stock.

NBA players are selected based on their full resume and body of work and not just their most recent games on the court. But it never hurts to play well under the bright lights of the men’s NCAA tournament.

Based on the first two rounds of the Big Dance, these were some of the most notable players who made the best cases for themselves thus far (and don’t forget to check out our mock draft from before the tourney).

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Drew Timme said TCU’s trash talk ‘didn’t sound so smart’ for such a ‘highly educated’ school

THAT SMIRK, THOUGH.

Gonzaga senior big man Drew Timme is originally from Texas and was one of the highest-rated recruits in the state back in 2019.

He had a big matchup against a team from his home state, the TCU Horned Frogs, during the Round of 32 on Sunday. During this game, Timme was matched up against several players that he played against in high school or who he trains with during the offseason.

Timme led Gonzaga past TCU and clinched a berth in the Sweet Sixteen at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But before he did, he heard some trash talk from some TCU fans.

Here is what Timme said when reflecting on what he heard:

“I saw some nice things on the internet before maybe taking some shots at us, me, and our program. Throw lighter fluid in the fire if you wish. I thought TCU was a highly-educated school and they didn’t sound so smart with their comments pregame.”

These were strong comments from Timme, who stayed poised during the post-game press conference. He had the perfect insult sandwich, using a compliment about TCU’s academic prestige before ripping those who were insulting him.

But that wasn’t the best part of the exchange! Once he was done with these comments, the big man revealed the cheekiest grin imaginable.

This is the kind of stuff that we love to see during March Madness.

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Stop ripping FAU’s Alijah Martin for his flashy, meaningless last-second dunk attempt

Was this a good idea? No! But let’s move on.

If the question is if he should have done it, the answer is no. Florida Atlantic sophomore Alijah Martin should have just let the clock expire.

After securing perhaps the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history, No. 16 seed FDU was not able to keep its Cinderella story alive and fell short against No. 9 seed FAU.

Once the game was no longer within reach, FDU coach Tobin Anderson opted not to foul and instead assumed his opponent would just dribble the ball until the final buzzer that would allow FAU a chance to compete in the Sweet Sixteen.

Martin, however, instead used the final seconds of the game to throw down a huge slam. To make matters worse, he missed the 360-degree dunk attempt.

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Following the embarrassing miss, the crowd booed Martin at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Moments after the game, FAU coach Dusty May appeared to apologize on Martin’s behalf to FDU’s Anderson.

Some fans described Martin as a “basketball enemy for life” while others said he was “classless” and the “villain” of March Madness.

Many remain upset at Martin and it is safe to assume that the anger could carry into FAU’s Sweet Sixteen game against Tennessee at Madison Square Garden. But let’s not get carried away.

This was an unfortunate moment that didn’t need to happen but it doesn’t define Martin or the FAU program. It was just a very brief lapse in judgment sparked by adrenaline and the thrill of advancing to the next round.

Martin presumably heard as much from his coach and from his opponents in the handshake line. But that doesn’t make him a bad kid.

Here is how coach May has described Martin (via Palm Beach Post):

“He’s even-keeled, he’s never too up, never too down. He really tries to process everything where a lot of guys take in information and it goes in one ear and out the other,” May said. “We feel like he’s always processing what the coaches ask him to do, what his teammates are saying, and so usually when he opens his mouth, there’s a lot of thought and it’s usually on the money but he’s mature and hard working, he’s a great teammate. He’s just a wonderful person, first and foremost.”

As a two-sport athlete in high school, he was also described as a “good kid” and a leader on the football team as well.

Maybe the dunk wasn’t advisable but relax. We can move on from this.

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March Madness: College Wire staff predict each game in the round of 32

Our staff weighs in with predictions for each Round of 32 game.

The first round of the NCAA Tournament was absolutely bananas. Some might call it some March Madness.

Over the first two days of the tournament, fans watched the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers, No. 2 Arizona Wildcats and No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers fall. Purdue joined Virginia in the record books for futility when it became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 team in the opening round.

Game pick standings through the round of 64:

Patrick, College Sports Wire 22-10
Cami, Longhorns Wire 26-6
Phil, Buckeyes Wire 26-6
Taylor, Auburn Wire 20-12
Kevin, Nittany Lions Wire 25-7
AJ, Roll Tide Wire 25-7
E. Wayne, Razorbacks Wire 25-7
Tyler, LSU Wire 23-9

With 16 more games set to tip off over the next two days, we weigh in with our predictions for the weekend games.

Fairleigh Dickinson busted all of the remaining 2023 NCAA men’s tournament brackets

Fairleigh Dickinson: the ultimate bracket buster.

No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson didn’t just take down No. 1 Purdue in historic fashion on Friday night.

It also busted all of the remaining brackets for the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament.

The gigantic upset victory for Fairleigh Dickinson erased any possibility that anyone who filled out a bracket this year would remain perfect, as not many would’ve expected Purdue to bow out of the tournament so quickly.

However, the Cinderella story of Cinderella stories had other plans, as the brackets fell to the wayside as the Knights pulled off the unbelievable win.

If you were depending on Purdue to win to keep your bracket alive, Fairleigh Dickinson says sorry not sorry.

Hey, a busted bracket isn’t the end of the world, and there’s always next year.

It’s incredibly rare to stay perfect for this long in the NCAA men’s tournament, and Fairleigh Dickinson’s amazing victory will surely heal any pain a busted bracket can cause.

The Purdue whiteboard sure looks like someone punched a giant hole through it

Purdue learned the true meaning of the word upset.

While everyone loves the thrill of victory, nothing quite stings like the agony of defeat. Purdue learned this lesson the hard way during March Madness.

As a No. 1 seed who lost to the No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the East Region, the Boilermakers learned the true meaning of the word upset on Friday evening.

After the game, as FDU celebrated their historic victory, it certainly seems as if someone was very angry in the Purdue locker room and may have it out on an innocent whiteboard.

WISH TV’s Angela Moryan has photos of the aftermath:

As a No. 1 seed like Purdue was, it would obviously be frustrating for anyone on the team or the staff to lose to a No. 16 seed like FDU.

But the damage done to the whiteboard looks like it took more than just a single move. This probably needed several moments of real impact before eventually looking like that.

Purdue has now lost to a No. 16 seed, a No. 15 seed and a No. 13 seed in the past three NCAA tournaments. That is… not great!

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Fairleigh Dickinson hero Sean Moore made NCAA tourney history in his hometown

Who is Sean Moore, the Fairleigh Dickinson hero who led his team to an upset over Purdue?

One of the breakout stars of the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament is bound to be Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Sean Moore.

Moore led the Knights with 19 points in their dramatic takedown of No. 1 seed Purdue during the opening round of this year’s tournament.

Fairleigh Dickinson became just the second No. 16 seed in NCAA men’s tournament history to topple a top-seeded team.

The game was played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, which just so happens to be Moore’s hometown.

Moore played his high school ball in Reynoldsburg, which is a suburb of Columbus. He also transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson from Division II program St. Thomas Aquinas along with Knights head coach Tobin Anderson and two teammates before the season.

As fate would have it, Moore got to play for his home crowd as he led his team to the absolutely historic upset.

He also hit the game’s pivotal 3-pointer that helped Fairleigh Dickinson cement the victory.

Moore had plenty of family and friends on hand to witness his colossal performance on college basketball’s biggest stage.

It looks like Moore’s cheering section paid off, as he and the Knights will now advance in the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament after an absolutely stunning upset.

Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson was brilliant for correctly predicting a Purdue upset

HE CALLED HIS SHOT.

No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in March Madness history, defeating No. 1 Purdue in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

This victory will go down in history books for college basketball, as the No. 16 seeds were 1-150 against No. 1 seeds in the men’s tournament heading into this game. While it was huge for everyone, this looked was an especially historic win for first-year FDU head coach Tobin Anderson.

Before the game, fans saw a video of Anderson telling his team the more he had a chance to watch Purdue, the more he became convinced his team could beat them.

While the opposing players on Purdue found his comments disrespectful, now the FDU coach looks brilliant for boldly declaring such confidence:

Anderson is a former Division II coach who won six East Coast Conference titles at St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York between 2016 and 2022.

While he searched for a head coaching gig, he was told that he needed to get hired as an assistant coach for a Division I team before he was offered a head coaching vacancy.

But he is clearly used to shocking the world: He got the gig at FDU. While they had just four wind last season, he led them to the tournament during his first year on the job.

After the game, Anderson elaborated on why he said it:

“I just trust our guys, I have faith in our guys … We just have faith in what we do. Our guys are so tough and so competitive. I’ll do a better job in this locker room speech than the last one … It was the right message, it made the wrong audience. But listen: I love our guys. They’re tough, they’re gritty, they play their tails off.”

FDU will play the winner of Memphis – Florida Atlantic. We’ll see if we can get another prediction from Anderson about how his team would stack up vs. either squad.

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What’s up with all these wedgies in the men’s NCAA tournament?

Rims, you good?

This weird thing keeps happening during the men’s NCAA tournament where a player will put up a pretty normal looking shot only for the ball to get stuck between the rim and the backboard.

The common term for this rare event is known as a “wedgie” – as in the ball is wedged between the iron and the glass and has nothing to do with the ball’s underpants lifted up over its head. Though the level of embarrassment has got to be about the same.

Basketballs are supposed to bounce and ricochet and generally go wherever its momentum takes it. But on the first day of the men’s tournament, the ball kept getting stuck. Most of these instances occurred at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

One wedgie is funny. Two is hilarious. Three and you start to ask yourself if this has ever happened before. But FIVE!? FIVE WEDGIES!?

What the heck is going on?

 

Weird, right?

The rims in Des Moines were responsible for four of the wedgies and it’s not like that stadium doesn’t see its fair share of basketball. The G-League’s Iowa Wolves play home games there.

The simplest answer here is that these are brand new rims and backboards, which means they’re almost too stiff and keep hugging the ball. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the correct answer.

The simplest solution, however, is just to put the ball through the basket and avoid the rim all together. More teams should try that.

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