College Basketball Weekly: Champ Week, Memphis is rollin'
Thus begins the best month of the entire sports calendar. We have two teams locked into the NCAA Tournament field and by Sunday we’ll have all 68 schools settled on the 2022 bracket. I’m giddy with excitement. Let’s talk Memphis, one-seeds, Longwood and Murray State, Loyola-Chicago and the Champ Week schedule.
Conference Champs
The first three conference tournament championships finished up this weekend. From the Ohio Valley Conference, Kentucky-based foes Morehead State and Murray State squared off on Saturday night just across the border in Evansville, Indiana.
Murray led for most of the game but Morehead stayed neck-and-neck down the stretch. With under a minute to play, fifth-year Morehead senior Tray Hollowell drained a three off the catch to cut the Racer lead to two. On the other end, Morehead swatted a Murray pass attempt but were whistled for a foul as the teams collided going for the loose ball. Tough to make that sort of call with the game on the line. Murray State made the free throws they were awarded to go up two possessions and squeezed the win out from there.
Euphoria for Murray State, who finished league play undefeated, 18-0 in the regular season, 2-0 in the conference tourney and 30-2 on the season. Folks, the Racers are looking at likely a top-six seed in the NCAAT.
Sunday afternoon, Winthrop looked to repeat as Big South Champions against Longwood; who, admittedly, I hadn’t heard of prior to this season. But the Longwood Lancers entered the Big South tourney as the No. 1 seed and performed up their billing in the title game. Winthrop never really competed as the Lancers built a 20-point lead in the first half and cruised to their first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
If you thought where the heck did LONGWOOD come from? You’re not alone. The Lancers haven’t finished above .500 in a season since 2009, and not once in Big South play. They went 26-6 (15-1) in 2022! Also, 2009 marks their only season above .500 as a Division I program. They’ve failed to reach 10 wins in seven of their 18 total D1 seasons and won just six and seven games in 2016-17 and 2017-18. What a rise for these guys.
Sister Jean and Rambler Magic are back in the Big Dance
Arch Madness wrapped up in St. Louis yesterday in what is annually one of the lowest-scoring conference title games. Probably because Loyola Chicago and their slow-styled, grinding defensive teams are usually playing in the championship. This year, the Ramblers were back up to their March shenanigans as they came back from a double-digit first-half deficit with Sister Jean in attendance to defeat Drake for the second year in a row in the Missouri Valley Championship.
Loyola Chicago was likely making the NCAA Tournament regardless, but they’re in for sure now. I can’t wait to pick ’em to win games once again in the tourney. Sure, they lost head coach Porter Moser and star center Cameron Krutwig, but LIC returned the bones of their second Sweet Sixteen run in the last three tournaments. Lucas Williamson is a fifth-year senior and leading scorer who played in the 2018 Final Four run and has six NCAAT wins under his belt. Additionally, Loyola’s seven-man rotation is rounded out by four other seniors and two juniors.
These guys are old, battle-tested together, play great defense and shoot the lights out from three. All aboard the Rambler train for a non-stop trip straight back to the second weekend.
Monday night title games
Here’s what’s on the docket as far as conference tourney championships this Monday:
SoCon: Furman vs. Chattanooga | 7 p.m. ESPN
Sun Belt: Louisiana vs. Georgia State | 7 p.m. ESPN2
One-Seed review
Last Monday I provided that handy little chart of the eight possible one-seeds and used it to decree Gonzaga, Auburn, Baylor and Purdue as the current top-four. Of course, more games were played and opinions changed. So, let’s re-address the top of the bracket.
Gonzaga was off ahead of the WCC Tournament and they could lose by a million to San Francisco tonight and still secure the No. 1 overall seed. The other three?
Well, Baylor took down Texas in Austin and beat Iowa State at home, adding two more quality wins to finish 26-5. With Kansas falling at TCU last Tuesday, I’m liking the Bears more and more to come out of the Big 12 as its one-seed representative while the Jayhawks likely grab a two.
Auburn and Kentucky both cleaned up the back end of their schedules and all signs point to a possible SEC Tournament rematch to decide that one-seed. Things get dicey if Auburn loses early and the ‘Cats win the whole thing. Could UK still nab that one-seed over Auburn with one more loss on the year and a head-to-head loss, BUT an SEC title? I’m skeptical.
Finally, Arizona pounded USC and finished the regular season with three losses. I think I overlooked them too much as a one-seed last week. If they win the Pac-12 tourney, Tommy Lloyd is certainly earning a one-seed in his first season. If they don’t? Still believe they’ll beat out Duke and Purdue for the last spot while the Big 12 and SEC powers battle it out for the other two spots next to Gonzaga.
Penny heads or tails?
Heads for Penny and Memphis! Whatever you thought of Penny Hardaway when Memphis bottomed out with losses to Tulane Ole Miss and Georgia…your opinion must surely be changed. I know I had my fair share of poking fun at Penny’s January demise. But let’s talk about his rise in the months of February and March.
Since January 23rd, the Tigers have won 10 out of 11 games, swept top-15 ranked Houston in convincing fashion each time and are ranked 6th in the country over that span by Bart Torvik — with the 15th-best offense and 14th-best defense. If you recall my post from last month, teams top-15 in both offensive and defensive efficiency are the types who win championships.
No fluke or jokes about it, Memphis is playing like one of the best teams in the entire country. But how?
Well, this is a roster of old, talented and super-athletic dudes that figured out how to share the ball. Normally athleticism comes with youth and talent, rarely experience. In this case, Jalen Duren is obviously a ridiculously athletic freshman but he’s fitting in next to a bunch of veterans. DeAndre Williams is 25 years old but as versatile a player as anyone in the country as a defensively elite 6-foot-9 wing that can handle the ball.
Additionally, guys such as Lester Quinones, Landers Nolley provide length, experience and athleticism as well as wings. Tyler Harris is the runt of the litter at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, but he caught fire from three as of late. As did most of the Memphis roster in conference play. Harris, Nolley, Williams and Quinones combined to make 39.5% of 14.1 three-point attempts per game in AAC play.
If those guys shoot like that with the athleticism and defensive chops this team already provides, Memphis is simply one of the toughest matchups in the country. I will be picking them to win games in the NCAA Tournament.
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