Tag: NCAAM Tournament

Brendan Haywood provided hysterical commentary for Dayton’s Kobe Elvis crossing up Arizona’s Caleb Love off the television screen

Okay, this was pretty hysterical.

Former NBA player-turned-commentator Brendan Haywood provided what might be the best bit of commentary in March Madness so far during Arizona’s second-round game against Dayton on Saturday.

It came after Dayton guard Kobe Elvis crossed up Arizona guard Caleb Love so badly that the latter stumbled out of frame on the television.

Once seeing this, Haywood brought his A-game with this absolutely priceless line: “He crossed him onto another channel… Caleb Love might be on TruTV right now.”

Okay, if that doesn’t make you cackle, we’re not sure what will. That’s just gold from Haywood on what happened there between Elvis and Love.

We’re going to be giggling about this all day long, as Elvis’ smooth move on Love almost made up for Dayton not having the lead on Arizona when it happened.

While it’d be Love to get the last laugh as Arizona got past Dayton with a 78-68 victory, this will surely be one of the highlights of the tournament no matter who the winner was. Kudos to Haywood for nailing it.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=78332]

ESPN college basketball analysts defended John Calipari with his Kentucky job in jeopardy

Well, there are at least a few people who think John Calipari should keep his job.

With the heat on Kentucky’s John Calipari after his team’s stunning first-round men’s NCAA tournament loss to Oakland on Thursday, some of ESPN’s college basketball analysts are defending the longtime coach.

To varying degrees, Seth Greenberg, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams and Rece Davis all dismissed the idea of Calipari actually being fired, with Davis going so far as to suggest that only two people in the world are qualified at the school: Calipari and Rick Pitino.

However, Williams did note the eroding relationship between Calipari and Kentucky fans as why it might be something people want to happen.

Despite the passion behind some of their arguments, this probably won’t dissuade the angry Wildcats fans who want the coach gone after yet another surprising early tournament exit.

College hoops analyst Jay Wright laid out a compelling case this week about why Kentucky has been faltering as of late under Calipari, and the angst in Lexington might not fully subside until a new coach is in place.

With Calipari’s astronomical buyout in place, it’s no lock that Kentucky will choose to move on from one of the best coaches in the school’s history.

However, it sure doesn’t sound like Calipari will get back into the good graces of Wildcats fans until he’s able to prove his mettle after a series of March Madness disasters.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=78332]

Jack Gohlke’s Oakland teammates teased him with State Farm jingle after post suggested he’s destined to sell insurance

Like a good 3-point shooter, Jack Gohlke is there.

Oakland basketball has been one of the best stories of the 2024 men’s NCAA tournament so far, with guard Jack Golhe the breakout star for the Golden Grizzlies.

The 3-point maestro has already landed an NIL deal with TurboTax after his stellar performance against Kentucky on Thursday night, one that the graduate student standout emphasized is not a Cinderella story and much more a team being deserving of where they are in the postseason.

Oakland coach Greg Kampe said in a broadcast interview on Saturday that, during a team meal, Gohlke’s teammates poked fun at him for an alleged social media post that insinuated that, despite the team’s upset win, Kentucky’s players were headed to the NBA and Gohlke was headed to selling insurance.

How did they do it? According to Kampe, they sang him the “Like a good neighbor…” State Farm jingle from the commercials, which made Gohlke smirk and shake his head once his coach referenced it.

Gohlke’s outstanding March Madness debut no doubt caught the eyes of some NBA scouts, so we wouldn’t be shocked if he at least got an invite to participate in a rookie camp after shocking the world against real NBA draft prospects.

Even if this is the conclusion to his basketball career, he’ll live eternal in tournament history for helping Oakland achieve one of the tournament’s great upsets.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=78332]

Jack Gohlke’s NIL deal with TurboTax is even more perfect than you thought

Jack Gohlke has been prepping for this endorsement for years

Jack Gohlke is getting the full March Madness treatment after his star performance in No. 14 Oakland’s upset of No. 3 Kentucky featured 10 3-pointers.

In the NIL era, that means he’s already getting endorsement deals and filming commercials at the team hotel in between practice, media appearances and prep for Saturday’s second round game against No. 11 NC State.

Up first is a deal with TurboTax, which makes complete sense since we’re in the middle of tax filing season. Gohlke filmed an admittedly low-budget, but high-comedy ad in what looks like the team hotel ballroom.

But there’s one simple reason his TurboTax deal is even more perfect than it looks on first glance: Gohlke already has his degree in accounting.

Good for Gohlke getting his money — and even better that he can figure out all the tax implications himself without having to ask his new sponsor for help.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Where is Longwood located as the Lancers play in March Madness 2024

Longwood’s been around for nearly 200 years … but only been in Division I for 19.

The Longwood Lancers don’t get much attention. Such is the plight of a Big South program.

But while the Lancers have only been a Division I member since 2004, it doesn’t mean Longwood is new on the scene. In fact, Longwood University is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the country. Founded in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary, it underwent seven name changes before settling on its current title.

The school may be best known for bringing high-level low-major softball to Farmville, Virginia — a town in the middle of the state roughly an hour and 15 minutes west of Richmond.

2024 marks the men’s basketball program’s second invitation to the big dance, though it had made four other NCAA tournament appearances over its time in both the Division III and Division II ranks.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=78332]

Colorado’s wild buzzer-beater upset No. 7 Florida after bouncing off every part of the rim

KJ Simpson’s game-winner couldn’t have been more dramatic.

It seems like we see it all too often at this point.

A team sneaks into the tournament via the First Four and makes a magical run much further than anyone expected. We’ve already watched VCU (2011), Wichita State (2016), Syracuse (2018) and UCLA (2021) do it.

Now we can add No. 10 Colorado (2024) to the list — and calling this team “magical” might be underselling how it held off No. 7 Florida on Friday.

After the Gators clawed their way back from down 12 with 4:30 left in regulation to knot the game at 100, KJ Simpson put up a step-back jumper with five seconds on the clock that looked like it would bounce forever before deciding to go in.

This sequence is peak March.

Seriously, the ball looked like it would deflate before it went through the net. What an unreal shot and make from Simpson, who finished with a team-high 23 points — none bigger than the final two.

Up next for the Buffaloes is a date with No. 2 Marquette on Sunday. We’ll find out soon enough if Colorado has a little more magic left.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Who is John Poulakidas? Get to know the Yale star who dropped 28 in an upset of No. 4 Auburn

Meet your latest March hero

On Thursday night it was Jack Gohlke writing his name into March Madness lore during No. 14 Oakland’s upset of No. 3 Kentucky.

On Friday it was Yale’s John Poulakidas etching his name into history as the Bulldogs junior led the way with 28 points in a stunning 78-76 upset against No. 4 Auburn.

Poulakidas was 10-15 from the field (6-9 from three) with two rebounds and two assists and the game’s leading scorer. If you didn’t know his name before Friday, you certainly do now.

Here’s what else you should know about the guard:

  • He averaged 13.1 points during the regular season while shooting 44.3 percent from the field.
  • From Naperville, Illinois
  • Poulakidas is the Neuqua Valley High School’s all-time leading scorer with more than 1,300 points and once scored 49 in a double-overtime victory.
  • A 3-star recruit, Poulakidas chose Yale over TCU, Wake Forest, Rutgers, Princeton, Minnesota, Butler and Saint Louis.

Now he’s a March legend and certainly won’t be forgotten around Connecticut — or Alabama — anytime soon.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oakland coach Greg Kampe claims school sold $8K in t-shirts to Louisville fans after upsetting Kentucky

It’s not petty, it’s sports.

The University of Louisville’s basketball teams are having a rough go of it.

On the men’s side, the school just fired head coach Kenny Payne after two truly ugly seasons (12-52), while the sixth-seeded women’s team suffered a stunning upset to Middle Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.

So you can understand the desire of Cardinals fans to hold onto any good feelings at the moment and on Thursday that arrived in the form of Oakland and Jack Gohlke.

The No. 14 Golden Grizzlies handed No. 3 Kentucky a massive upset in the first round that has fans in Lexington calling for head coach John Calipari’s job.

In Louisville, they’re calling for expedited delivery of something else: T-shirts.

According to Oakland coach Greg Kampe, the school sold $8,000 worth of merch to fans with Louisville zip codes.

The Golden Grizzlies don’t seem to mind Cards fans joining the bandwagon at all. The Louisville Courier-Journal reached out to Oakland vice president Mike Westfall, who thanked UofL fans for their support.

“What a game last night against your arch nemesis! I serve as a vice president for Oakland University. I wanted to share my appreciation to your fantastic fans. We have been getting merchandise orders and donations from them since the game. The donations have all had a similar theme, thanking us for beating the University of Kentucky. March madness is the best, as are your basketball fans! We are preparing to send a thank you out to the U of L fans on our socials.”

That right there is college sports at it’s finest. Hold onto this feeling, Louisville fans. It may be a while before it becomes a regular occurrence again.

Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara slammed refs in a deleted tweet after ejection 3 minutes into opening round

Chad Baker-Mazara was not pleased with his ejection.

Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected for a flagrant 2-foul three minutes into Auburn’s first-round NCAA tournament game with Yale. Afterward, he tweeted and deleted a post that seemed to slam the officials who ejected him.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Chad Baker-Mazara is a massive part of Auburn’s success and one of the reasons the team recently snuck out an SEC Tournament win that had Bruce Pearl in tears. But, if Auburn is going to win its first-round matchup with Yale, it’ll have to do it without its third-leading scorer.

Replays during the game showed Baker-Mazara looking over at his opponent and sending an elbow into the chest of a neaby player. After some discussion, he was ejected. Minutes later, Baker-Mazara tweeted and deleted words ripping the officiating crew.

Per Ainslie Lee of Auburn Tigers of AL.com, Head coach Bruce Pearl made a mid-game statement clarifying why Baker-Mazara responded the way he did. Pearl revealed that his player was defending himself.

Here’s what Pearl said:

“Obviously, we just saw the replay and what he did was wrong. I thought it should’ve been a flagrant 1, not a 2, especially in a game after an entire season of work is something that’s obviously going to disrupt us. He is one of our very best players. It was a retaliation. He had just got hit in the throat the play before, and he shouldn’t have retaliated.”

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

Oakland star Jack Gohlke hit a ridiculous full-court shot during March Madness practice

Jack Gohlke isn’t done hitting absurd shots from long range.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies star guard Jack Gohlke became a household name overnight.

Gohlke’s 32 points on 10 of 20 shooting (all threes) led 14-seeded Oakland to the biggest upset of the tournament so far against coach John Calipari’s three-seeded Kentucky Wildcats and the sharpshooter isn’t done showing off his skills yet.

He’s no stranger to hitting long balls, as only eight of his field goals made this season came from within two-point range, and while practicing on Friday ahead of Saturday’s second-round game against N.C. State, Gohlke demonstrated his range to an impressive extent.

Standing near the far baseline, he netted what was essentially a full-court heave as his teammates watched in awe.

The graduate student from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, spent the first five years of his career at Division II Hillsdale College in Michigan before joining Oakland for his final season of eligibility.

The 24-year-old said after the upset that he knows he won’t be playing in the NBA, but with the stunning win over Kentucky — which marked the Golden Grizzlies’ first in the round of 64 in program history — Gohlke’s collegiate career extends for at least a few more days.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=78332]