Bracket Breakdown IV- Bring on the games, as well as the Beast of the East.

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Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest ballot here:

https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/pollster/dave-preston/2023/week-20

The NCAA Tournament in earnest begins Thursday with Michigan State facing Mississippi State on CBS at 12:15 p.m. (I’m taking MSU). Sixteen games on back to back days with the final buzzer sounding after midnight both evenings. Brace yourself for a diet of blowouts and upsets, prepare to become familiar with some kids you’ve never heard of before, and get ready for “that guy” at the office who tells you how his picks are doing Thursday afternoon (and if you are that guy, dial it down until the end of the first weekend before letting us know).

The East not only sports the defending national champ and overall No. 1 seed UConn, but there are ten other conference tournament winners (most of any region) in this quadrant of the bracket. This group includes everybody from first-time participant Stetson (the Hatters draw the Huskies in the First Round) to feels-like-forever Duquesne (the Dukes last danced in 1977, when there were 32 teams and before seeding) while boasting SEC champ Auburn, Big Ten titlist Illinois, and Big 12 winner Iowa State. The Huskies’ road back to the Final Four is far from a cakewalk.

Bold: last year I went on record liking the Drake. Then I was loving the Drake when the Bulldogs took a 55-47 second half lead over Miami in the First Round (classic 12-5 upset in play here). I wound up hating the Drake after the Hurricanes finished the game on a 16-1 run over the final 5:40 of regulation on their way to the Final Four. One year later, I’m loving the Drake again after they rolled through the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. They also face a Washington State team that’s fading (three losses in six games) and boast a dynamic guard in Tucker DeVries who leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals while ranking second in rebounding and blocked shots. LOVING THE DRAKE! At least for one round.

Fold: San Diego State shocked the world on its way to the Final Four last March. This year as the hunted they found their way into the Top 25 only to fade after February’s end (2-3 in March). It’s tough to get to consecutive Final Fours-or even Sweet Sixteens-and just like the Aztecs got some fortunate bounces against Charleston, Creighton, and FAU last year I don’t see them getting those bounces this March.

Gold: UConn is on a mission to become the first repeat NCAA champ since Florida in 2007, and those Gators are the last defending champs to advance past the Regional Semifinals. But this year’s mix has been playing in a manner that would make the Huskies’ previous champs (1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, and 2023) proud. Tristen Newton has gone from contributing supporting player to the lead dog, pacing the team in scoring and assists while ranking second in rebounding. They’ve posted seven and 14-game winning streaks already this season and have won seven straight entering the NCAA Tournament. I see a 13-game winning streak after all is over and a repeat for this beast of the Big East.

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Bracket Breakdown II- Cavaliers aren’t the only team chasing ghosts of March in Midwest

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Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest ballot here:

https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/pollster/dave-preston/2023/week-20

Get ready for six days of noticing truTV! Yes, the channel that brought you “Hairjacked!” get its annual “where is that channel?” and “who watches these shows?” treatment while the men’s tournament begins in Dayton with a pair of doubleheaders.

Tuesday’s nightcap features Virginia (23-10, 13-7 ACC), a school that many had ticketed to the NIT after their last-minute collapse in regulation (they led 58-52 with 52 seconds left, missing a pair of what would have been game-sealing free throws) and defeat in overtime to an NC State team playing its fourth game in four nights. That left the room in Charlottesville a little on edge Sunday evening. “Going into the Selection Show, this year was a little different (Cavaliers were a No. 4 seed in 2023). We were on the bubble, we weren’t sure we were going to be here,” guard/forward Isaac McKneely said. “It was a little nerve-wracking, but just to see our name come up it was a blessing. I know we’re all excited to be here. I know we’re all excited to hopefully make a run.” UVa is 12 months removed from losing in heartbreaking fashion to Furman and hasn’t won a tournament game since they captured the 2019 National Championship. They draw Colorado State (24-10, 10-8 Mountain West), who got off to a 13-1 start (lone loss came to Saint Mary’s) and was ranked as high as No. 13 on January 1st. The Rams are led by Isaiah Stephens (17 points and a MWC-best seven assists per game), who’ll give Reese Beekman all he can handle in a duel of dynamic point guards. “He’s one of the best passers I’ve seen,” Coach Tony Bennett said. “His composure, the way they use him whether it’s ball screens or triple-handoffs or little actions and then they’re cutting the other guys. Their physicality, just their spacing and cutting. They score in different ways–it’s impressive.” Playing in Dayton is not a death sentence: in 11 of the 12 years since that city has hosted the First Four one of the at-large schools has gone on to win at least one game in the main bracket (VCU in 2011 and UCLA in 2021 both advancing to the Final Four). Will the Cavaliers enjoy a reprieve or another early March exit? Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. we’ll find that out. On truTV, no less.

The remainder of the Midwest Region also carries plenty of March baggage: No. 1 seed Purdue joined Virginia in infamy by losing to a No. 16 seed last year and hasn’t reached the Final Four since 1980, while No. 2 Tennessee has never been to a Final Four despite 25 appearances. By the way, the Volunteers draw 2022 darling St. Peter’s in the First Round. No. 3 Creighton came within a whisker of making their first Final Four last March. On the other end of the spectrum you have blueblood Kansas (four National Championships), nouveau riche Gonzaga (25 straight NCAA appearances), and original champ Oregon (Ducks won the 1939 tournament).

Midwest “Bold” (which team in the bracket wins a game or two beyond their seeding), “Fold” (which school will underperform its seeding), and “Gold” (who goes to Glendale, AZ and the Final Four) picks:

Bold: McNeese won 30 games under first-year coach Will Wade, who had previously led VCU and LSU to the Big Dance (I know, no initials involved in this job). The Cowboys rank third nationally in turnover margin and defensive field goal percentage allowed, and play a Gonzaga team that got a No. 5 seed despite being on the bubble as recently as early February. Giddy up.

Fold: Kansas was ranked No. 1 in the preseason but has fallen on hard times as of late, losing four of its last five (9-9 over its last 18 games). Their 20-point loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament saw the Jayhawks try to play without center Hunter Dickinson (dislocated shoulder) and Kevin McCullar (bone bruise in the knee). The duo account for 48% of the team’s scoring and 47% of the squad’s rebounding. Both are question marks for their First Round game with Samford. Both are needed to produce if this team is to return to the Sweet Sixteen.

Gold: Purdue’s loss to Farleigh Dickinson last March was just the tip of the iceberg regarding their Big Dance demons. The storied program (11th all-time with 1,075 wins after the 2022-23 season) is 0-3 in Regional Finals games since 1980 and 3-10 in Sweet Sixteen games in that span, and then there’s the recent stretch of three straight seasons losing to a double-digit seed. But Coach Matt Painter brought the band back this past winter and while Zach Edey (24 points and 12 rebounds per game) responded with another National Player of the Year performance, it’s the elevated play of guard Braden Smith (12 points, six rebounds, and seven rebounds per game) who’s a year wiser as a sophomore that has one confident the Boilermakers finally break through.

Bracket Breakdown I- Howard heads to Dayton, plus the rest of one wild West Region.

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Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Read his latest ballot here:

https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/pollster/dave-preston/2023/week-20

Monday can be tough to handle for many, and the one following Selection Sunday is doubly so as more than a few schools clean up their shattered dreams of making the NCAA Tournament, from one-bid league regular season champs Princeton and Norfolk State that fell in their conference tournaments to bubble schools like St. John’s and Indiana State that didn’t hear their names during the Selection Show on CBS. A few of those snubbed have decided to snub the NIT (TAKE THAT!) in turn for good measure. But for 68 schools the dream of cutting down the nets is still alive.

One of those schools is Howard (18-16, 9-5 MEAC), who is dancing for the second straight year (first repeat visit in program history). And even though they knew they had an automatic berth assured after winning the MEAC Tournament, it was still magical for Coach Kenneth Blakeney to see his team’s name on the TV screen. “It made me emotional; I got a little teary-eyed. Because there’s been a lot of work that’s been put into trying to get this program to where we’ve gotten it,” Blakeney said. “It’s certainly not done with one person. It takes a little bit of a village to push something that for so many years has been dormant and make it relevant in this space of college basketball.” The key to the program’s return despite losing starters Elijah Hawkins and Steve Settle to transfer? Doing the little things. “Running the court in six seconds, getting deflections, getting steals, rebounding, cutting, making sure we’re talking and pointing on defense,” guard Bryce Harris said. “When you’re at this level in Division I basketball the talent level starts to even out, almost. So you have to do the little things right.”

The Bison face a similar foe in Tuesday’s First Four: while HU won the MEAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, Wagner (16-15, 7-9 NEC) won the Northeast Conference as the No. 7 seed-beating the top three seeds along the way-only they had to win all three games on their opponent’s home floors. Wagner led the NEC in scoring defense while holding foes to 29.5% from three-point range (eighth best in Division I). Melvin Council Jr. led the Seahawks in scoring and rebounding (15 points and six boards per game), but it was Tahron Allen who averaged 18 points with seven rebounds in the NEC Tournament. “We’re just going to have to lock in to the scouting report,” senior guard Jordan Hairston said. “As soon as we leave this building right here, that’s when preparation starts. Whether it’s on the plane, whether it’s in the hotel, we’re just going to have to lock in on what we have to do to get the job done.” Howard and Wagner tip off the 2024 tournament Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. with the winner getting another tight turnaround (2:45 p.m. tipoff Thursday) and a taller task (No. 1 seed North Carolina).

The remainder of the West Region is the one I’m most familiar with: in addition to Howard and North Carolina I’ve seen four other schools in person (Michigan State, College of Charleston, Clemson, and Dayton). You’ve got a pair of “MSU’s” in the eight vs. nine game (Michigan State & Mississippi State) plus a guy who isn’t coaching for his job because Long Beach State elected to move on from Dan Monson before he led the “Beach” (yes, they haven’t been called the 49ers since 2019 and it seriously looks like a typo) to three wins in three days at the Big West Tournament.

So without further ado, we begin our “Bold” (which team in the bracket wins a game or two beyond their seeding), “Fold” (which school will underperform its seeding), and “Gold” (who goes to Glendale, AZ and the Final Four) picks.

Bold: Dayton won 24 games during the regular season and was ranked in the Top 25 regularly before stumbling in the Atlantic 10 Tournament Quarterfinals (a day where the top four seeds went down in defeat). The Flyers (24-7) boast a dynamic big man in A10 Co-Player of the Year DaRon Holmes II (20 points with eight rebounds per game) who grew up in Arizona and would relish taking on the Wildcats in the Second Round.

Fold: Alabama may rank second in the nation in scoring but the Crimson Tide enter the Big Dance having lost four of six while allowing an average of 97 points per game. Not exactly sustainable. They meet a College of Charleston team in the First Round that makes the eighth most three-pointers per game in Division I, followed by a potential matchup with Saint Mary’s in Spokane. Where the Gaels have been known to win lately (at Gonzaga’s expense).

Gold: it’s easy to dismiss Saint Mary’s as a team that flies under the radar, as the Gaels have been the Pespi to Gonzaga’s Coke this century (and I guess that makes San Francisco the RC and Santa Clara the Fanta). But this year they won the West Coast Conference’s regular season and tournament behind a defense that allows the second fewest points per game in Division I while leading the country in rebounding margin. There’s often one region where a non-top four seed advances (last year there were three), and this year’s upstart comes out of the West.

Beltway Basketball Bonanza- Cookies and Seasons Crumbling.

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Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter. Check out his ballots here:

https://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/pollster/dave-preston/2023/week-18

March is not for the faint of heart. Seasons end for the vast majority of schools over the next week and a half (a few have already been put to pasture with conference tournaments underway). But for every school playing tag with the NCAA Tournament bubble (Wake Forest and St. John’s come to mind) there are schools who have known that their season has been crumbling from the moment it left the oven when conference play began in earnest this January. Georgetown (9-21, 2-17 Big East) has known for some time that its only path to the NCAA Tournament would involve winning four games in four days at the Big East Tournament, and while some will say the Hoyas won four games in four days back in 2021 to crash the party they’ll also be reminded that G’town has won exactly four conference games in 58 games since that miracle run. Tuesday’s 71-58 loss to Providence was their final appearance at Capital One Arena this winter. “This was a very winnable game, like as winnable of a Big East game as we’ve had all year,” Coach Ed Cooley said. “If there ever was a time for us to get a win today was it. And we had probably eight open looks on four or five possessions.” The Hoyas aren’t the only team that’s fallen apart over the last two months as George Washington (15-15, 4-13 Atlantic 10) went from its best start in eight years to its longest losing streak since the 1988-89 season. George Mason (19-11, 8-9) has been streaky in a different way, from winning three straight to dropping three in a row three separate times. And while team defense (Georgetown and George Washington each rank second to last in their respective conferences in points allowed) has been an Achilles heel for both schools, Maryland (15-15, 7-12 Big Ten) has had issues shooting (351st out of 361 Division I schools from three-point range as of Wednesday) from the first weekend of the season. More on the Terps’ crumbling hopes below.

The talk of crumbling NCAA dreams allows one to smoothly transition to what’s really on our mind this week: the official 2024 Girl Scout Cookie Rankings. There’s some exciting news this March as the field has been thinned: but while the loss of Toast-Yays! and Raspberry Rallies provide addition by subtraction, one feels the committee made the wrong call by eliminating Lemonades (frosting like defense always travels well in March) and Caramel Chocolate Chip (major mis-step). But with nine flavors remaining at least we get the “Les Robinson Game” back (ACC fans of a certain age, this is a gift to you). As always, these rankings are completely subjective and 100% accurate:

9- Lemon Ups: “Crispy lemon flavored cookies with inspiring messages to lift your spirits”. Somehow the lesser of the lemon cookies survived the purge. And they don’t even come in a box! That inspires me to eliminate these quickly from consideration.

8- Toffee-tastic: “Rich, buttery cookies with sweet, crunchy, toffee bits”. And they’re gluten-free! But they crumble rather quickly, making it rather difficult to have a conversation while eating.

7- Girl Scout S’mores: “Graham sandwich cookies with chocolaty and marshmallowy flavored filling”. Not “chocolate” or “marshmallow”, but their “Y” versions. These also come in a bag instead of a box. What gives?

6- Trefoils: “Iconic shortbread cookies inspired by the original Girl Scout recipe”. Fundamentally sound, a cookie collection without tradition is but as shaky as a shortbread on the roof. But the sun sets early on this flavor.

5- Adventurefuls: “Indulgent brownie-inspired cookies with caramel flavored creme and a hint of sea salt.” Last year’s surprise Final Four participant takes a step back as opponents have more tape on it, although its combination of caramel & brownie is very tough to defend.

4- Samoas: “Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut and dark chocolaty stripes”. This is the complex cookie not for first year players. It takes years to get in sync with nuances of this flavor. And this is one of those March’s it doesn’t match up well with the more physical or athletic foes.

3- Do-si-dos: “Oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling”. Bring a glass of milk for this one. This physical cookie is definitely Final Four-worthy, but if the refs have a quick whistle I see foul trouble.

2- Thin mints: “Crisp, chocolaty cookies made with natural oil of peppermint.” Brace yourself for a pressing, fast-breaking, three-taking flavor that can run you out of the gym (and box after box). Sleeves have been consumed in one sitting. But can they play half-court?

1- Tagalongs: “Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating”. The Cookie Bracket Breakdown is all about matchups and this one can play up-tempo with Thin Mints, match the physicality of the Do-Si-Do, and play the half-court game of the Samoa.

This week’s Starting Five:

Up Top- Houston stays number one on my ballot this week, followed by Purdue and UConn. After the top three there’s a little separation with a huge middle class (of the Top 25 anyways). My biggest variances: I had No. 11 Baylor 18th on my ballot and No. 17 South Carolina 11th. Difficult omissions: BYU, St. Mary’s, Dayton, Appalachian State, and James Madison. Small school shout-outs: Indiana State, McNeese State, and Richmond.

Going Inside- Maryland saw its Senior Day turn from sweet to sour in Sunday’s 83-78 loss to Indiana. The team that had hung its hat on dominant defense (top five in KenPom and fewest points allowed in the Big Ten) all season allowed the Hoosiers to make 12 straight shots and 73% of their attempts in the second half. “Really it was just transition, they went on a quick little 5-0 run,” Coach Kevin Willard said. “Give them credit. They really pushed the pace on us and it was kind of tough, because they weren’t doing anything in the half-court, but they were really attacking us in transition.” The result saw another close loss in a season filled with them (Maryland is 2-8 in conference games decided by two possessions-six points-this season). Just as disturbing has been the loss of what was a huge home court advantage: last winter the Terps went 10-0 in Big Ten play at Xfinity Center while this season they’re 4-6 on the home floor. “That’s probably the most frustrating thing,” Willard said. “For some reason we’ve just struggled. We haven’t struggled nearly as much on the road, they seem much more relaxed on the road than they do at home. I can’t really put my finger on it.” The loss to IU also assures the Terps of their first-ever trip to the Big Ten Tournament’s Dreaded First Round and they wrap up the regular season Sunday with a trip to Penn State, and even when they’ve been good Maryland has struggled in Happy Valley (1-6 since joining the conference).

Perimeter Play- James Madison (28-3, 15-3 Sun Belt), despite starting the season by going unbeaten during its entire non-conference slate that included a trip to Preseason No. 4 Michigan State while finishing its schedule with ten straight wins, finds itself squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble this upcoming weekend in their conference tournament in Pensacola, FL.  Anything short of losing in the championship game to Appalachian State would place the Dukes in the dumpster, and even a close loss to the Mountaineers would have a 30-win team sweating it out. And that’s a shame because JMU has had one of those special seasons a mid-major school talks about for years. They’ve dominated their conference, leading the Sun Belt in scoring, shooting, three-point percentage, turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio.  They’re second to App. State in points allowed, defensive field goal percentage, and rebounding margin while ranking second to Louisiana in defending the three (no idea how the Ragin’ Cajuns snuck in there). Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals the Dukes meet Marshall. They beat the Thundering Herd by 15 and 26 during the regular season, canning 13-23 three-pointers in their most recent meeting. Marshall ranked last in the Sun Belt in shooting and second to last in making and defending the three.

Who’s Open- The first automatic bid will be handed out this evening with the Ohio Valley Conference doing the honors. Tonight’s 8 p.m. tipoff features Morehead State (25-8) and Little Rock (21-11). The two schools finished the regular season as part of a three-way tie for first with Tennessee-Martin at 14-4, but the Little Rock Trojans have won ten straight entering this evening. They also took the lone regular season matchup by one on February 15. Players to watch? Khalen Robinson scored 21 points for Little Rock the night they beat Morehead State, while Eagles big man Riley Minix ranks second in the OVC in scoring and rebounding (21 points and 10 boards per game). Minix has been Morehead State’s leading scorer in 15 of their last 17 games while leading the team in rebounds in 13 of their last 16 outings. Morehead State last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2011 while Little Rock last played in the Big Dance in 2016 (while a member of the Sun Belt-and they upset Purdue in the First Round).

Last Shot- Saturday the regular season wraps up in Fairfax as George Mason (19-11, 8-9 Atlantic 10) meets Richmond (23-7, 15-2). The Patriots ended their most recent slide at three by winning at Rhode Island Wednesday while the Spiders have already wrapped up their first regular season title since joining the league in 2001 and will be the No. 1 seed next week at the A-10 Tournament. UR took the January meeting at the Robins Center by seven on a day where Jordan King scored 31 points while hitting 6-8 three’s.  I saw this team hit 77% of their shots in the first half at George Washington and when Coach Chris Mooney’s team is on point offensively, Neal Quinn (21 points in a Wednesday win over Saint Joe’s) and company appear all the mightier. GMU’s victory over Rhode Island (one of three Rams in the Atlantic 10) assures them of not having to play in the Dreaded First round at next week’s conference tournament, and they can finish as high as seventh with a victory Saturday. Will Mason’s leading scorer and rebounder Keyshawn Hall (17 points and eight boards per game) be back in the lineup after missing the last two games with injury?

Top DC Sports Stories 2023-

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With 2023 safely in our rear-view mirror, a look back at the year that was in DC sports. WTOP’s Senior Content and Fun Director Rob Woodfork asked our staff to highlight the best of 2023:

Top Sports Story- Commanders sale. Enough said.

Top Sports Moment- “We can be eliminated?”. It was “Maroon & Black” for a different generation.

Comeback Player/Athlete- Virginia running back Mike Hollins who recovered from a gunshot wound sustained in November 2022 to return to the field for the Cavaliers in 2023.

Breakout Athlete- Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas set career highs in everything from at bats to homers and RBI, providing a potential veteran link to the next era of contention in Washington.

Athlete/Team/Sportsperson of the Year- Howard Men’s Basketball won the MEAC and advanced to its first NCAA Tournament since 1992.

I handled three categories for our photo gallery:

College Football- Season of Not Quite in College Park.

Maryland entered the 2023 season with hopes of competing for a Big Ten East Division championship, even going so far as saying so during the Conference’s Media Day. And despite rough starts against Charlotte and Virginia, the Terps took a 5-0 record into Columbus and led No. 2 Ohio State 10-0 in the second quarter. But then a pick-six tossed by Taulia Tagovailoa sparked a Buckeyes rally and over the next month the Terps would repeatedly make mistakes, seemingly 95% of which came back to haunt them. Coach Mike Locksley’s crew settled down with two victories in their final three games to clinch a third straight winning season, but once again are still seeking their first winning Big Ten record since joining the conference in 2014.

Honorable Mentions: Virginia Tech bounces back from a slow start to reach a bowl in the second year of the Brent Pry Era, while James Madison’s 11-1 season means a first ever bowl and their coach getting plucked by a Power Five school.

Men’s College Basketball- Turnover at Georgetown.

The Hoyas followed up their dream run through the 2021 Big East Tournament with a pair of nightmare seasons, and even though they snapped a 29-game regular season league losing streak they also snatched defeat from the jaws of victory multiple times, up to and including a come-from-ahead loss to eventual National Champion UConn. Exit Hall of Fame player Patrick Ewing, enter…former Providence Coach Ed Cooley? The former Friar became the first coach to move from one league school to another and has brought an energy to the program that was lacking in the final days of Ewing’s regime. There will be growing pains, and there’s no guarantee the Hoyas will reach even the heights of former Coach John Thompson III, let along Hall of Fame Coach John Thompson Jr. But Cooley has brought a sizzle we haven’t seen in some time. The quality of steak is yet to be determined.

Honorable Mentions- Coaching changes at American (Duane Simpkins in/Mike Brennan out) and George Mason (Final Four player Tony Skinn comes back to Fairfax), while Howard ends a 31-year drought with its first trip to the NCAA Tournament this century.

Women’s College Basketball- Hokies hit the big-time.

Virginia Tech is a basketball school? You bet. And we’re not even discussing the Men’s 2022 ACC Tournament Champions. Because Women’s Coach Kenny Brooks has built a juggernaut in Blacksburg. It took five years for the former James Madison Coach to get the Hokies into the NCAA Tournament, but this past March behind forward Elizabeth Kitley (18 points and 11 rebounds per game) and guard Georgia Amoore (16 points with 5 assists) VT won the ACC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history. The weekend in Greensboro proved to not be a fluke as the Hokies advanced to the first Women’s Final Four in school history before falling to eventual National Champion LSU. Brooks mined the transfer portal in the offseason and brought in ex-Michigan State guard Matilda Ekh. Can the Preseason No. 8 team handle being the hunted for the first time?

Honorable Mention- Former Maryland forward Angel Reese won a National Championship at LSU last April as the Tigers got the better of Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Reese isn’t the first Terrapin to transfer, but she’s the first one I can recall who enjoyed more individual and team success at her new stop.

Happy 2024!

Bracket Breakdown 3- Midwest Bold, Fold, and Gold picks include a history lesson for Houston.

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The NCAA Committee doth protest way too much. They often say that they “don’t set up the bracket for matchups” but we know otherwise, right? The Midwest Region gives us more than a few nostalgic moments as Bruce Pearl-coached Auburn draws Iowa (where Pearl was an assistant from 1986-92) in the 8-vs-9 game, former longtime conference arch-rivals Texas and Texas A&M are potentially matched up in the Second Round (both are favored to win their first games), and Xavier (coached by Sean Miller) is in the same sub-regional as Pitt (Miller’s alma mater).

Houston (31-3) takes its first No. 1 seed since 1983 (they reached the Final Four that year only to lose 54-52 to NC State in the Championship Game) but is dealing with an injured Marcus Sasser who missed the AAC Tournament Championship loss to Memphis. The Cougars will be joining the Big 12 next season and one of their soon-to-be foes is at the other end of the bracket in Texas, but the Longhorns will be leaving for the SEC the following year where they’ll be conference foes with Texas A&M again. I’m sure the Aggies are thrilled.

The rest of the field includes a pair of upset-minded schools: Penn State (22-13) and Colgate (26-8). The Nittany Lions are fresh off of advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Championship as a No. 10 seed but will try to shake the fatigue of playing four games in four days- and Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s team has a tight turnaround with a Thursday First Round game. The Raiders might hail from the single-bid Patriot League, but they lead Division I in three-point shooting (40.8%)-something for a Texas team to think about.

Bold Pick-

How can you not love (the) Drake? The 27-7 Bulldogs won the MWC this year and are led by Coach Darian DeVries’ son Tucker (19 points per game and 39% from three-point range), reminiscent of fantastic father-son combos that include Ron & RJ Hunter as well as Homer & Bryce Drew that gave us memorable March moments. Miami’s biggest memory this year is blowing a 25-point second half lead at home to a sub-.500 Florida State.

Fold-

Iowa State (19-13) has lost seven of ten and 11 of 17 as the Cyclones are being downgraded to a late-winter storm. And they’ll be playing the winner of Mississippi State and Pitt who’ll have a some Dayton-generated momentum.

Gold-

Houston doesn’t just deny opponents, they handcuff their foes: ranking 3^rd best in Division I at defending the three, allowing the second-fewest points per game, and tops in the country in field goal defense.  The Cougars are also my pick because of two words: Jim Nantz. The longtime CBS announcer is calling his last Final Four next month in Houston, and the college basketball world has been the University of Houston alum’s oyster since 1991. It doesn’t hurt that Kelvin Sampson is a great coach, the draw is going to be advantageous, and travel to Birmingham and Kansas City won’t be too much of a bother. As long as Marcus Sasser’s healthy this is the team to beat…and I can only imagine Nantz’s call.

Bracket Breakdown 2- First Four Failings, plus Howard and VCU Go West!

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The tournament tips off tonight! Sort of. From 1985 to 2000 the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was a perfect bracket of 64 teams: four regions of 16 schools (or eight sub-regionals of eight teams apiece) playing two games on three consecutive weekends in pursuit of a national championship. There was balance between automatic qualifiers and at-large schools and the buildup from Sunday night through Thursday at noon delivered anticipation and storylines like nothing else while letting everybody (teams, fans, media) ample time to get to the eight sites across the country. Unfortunately the split in the Western Athletic Conference (a 16-team league that expanded beyond its abilities to govern) created the Mountain West Conference and another automatic bid that the large schools didn’t want to take away from the at-large pool. Solution: add another game! For a while there was an extra “Opening Round” game involving the lowest-rated automatic qualifiers and then a second one, like a cancerous appendix.

Ten years later the bright minds at the NCAA turned the scaffolding into something more permanent titled “The First Four” and turned Dayton into the appetizer for the Big Dance. While I’m happy to see more schools, more athletes, and more fans (along with more games) involved in March Madness and while Dayton puts on a great event, I still wish they’d have the extra schools head straight to the First and Second Round sites to be a part of the main bracket from the get-go. Especially the kids who might be making their only NCAA Tournament appearance. Let them share the same stage as the bluebloods even if for only a day or two. It’s also easier on travel for everybody.

Howard (22-12, 11-3 MEAC) is dancing like it’s 1992! The Bison’s 65-64 win over Norfolk State in the MEAC Championship Game Saturday punched its first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since the Bush 41 administration-or since current Coach Kenny Blakeney was a freshman playing for eventual National Champion Duke. And just like 1992, the Bison are a No. 16 seed and will battle Kansas in a Midwestern city beginning with D (subbing 1992’s Dayton for 2023’s Des Moines). I’m happy they’re in the main bracket (as opposed to the First Four) but recognize the incredible task ahead: No. 16 seeds have beaten a top seed just once (UMBC over Virginia in 2018) since the field was expanded to 64 schools in 1985. But just like David had a slingshot in his arsenal when he beat Goliath, the Bison have made 37.7% of their three-pointers (25th best in Division I) and will likely need to be firing from long-range to keep pace with the defending national champs.

VCU (27-7, 15-3 Atlantic 10) makes the tournament for the 13tth time this century, and they’ve done so under five different coaches. In fact in order to advance to this year’s field the Rams had to defeat Dayton and former VCU Coach Anthony Grant (2006-08). They’re best known for the 2011 run from the First Four (as an at-large team) to the Final Four under then-coach Shaka Smart. Coach Mike Rhoades employs a similar style to the havoc that tore through the bracket that year, ranking 24th nationally in scoring defense (62.9 points allowed per game). Their not-so-secret weapon this month? Senior sharp-shooter David Shriver, who’s hitting 53% from three-point range in March. VCU draws No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s, a team that has lost just three times since December 18: twice to West Coast Conference Champ and perennial power Gonzaga and once in overtime at Loyola Marymount.

Checking out the rest of the West Regional, there’s plenty of star-power from the previously mentioned top seed Kansas to UCLA and Gonzaga. I’ve also seen more teams in this region in person (VCU, Illinois, UConn, Northwestern) than any other of the brackets, which will give me a false sense of security when breaking the West down:

Bold-

Beware the schools that play in the First Four: in the 11 years of the Dayton Games one of the at large teams has advanced to the Round of 32 and five teams have gotten to the second weekend. Nevada (22-10) is the record-tying fifth school Coach Steve Alford has guided to the NCAA Tournament, but it’s Bobby Hurley whose Arizona State (22-12) Sun Devils have successfully punched above their class twice in the last couple of weeks with upset wins at top-ten Arizona and USC on a neutral floor. Hurley’s also rather familiar with the First Four as this is the third time in six years he’s taken the Sun Devils to Dayton (does he get points at the hotel by now?). Look for ASU to cause some problems.

Fold-

Northwestern (21-11) won a school-record 12 Big Ten games this winter and is back in the Big Dance for the second time in school history, while guard Boo Buie has game to match his name. But the Wildcats have lost four of five and have been somewhat offensively challenged (311th in scoring, 343rd in shooting, 294th from three-point range) this winter. And while defense has been their calling card, they’re not that much better on that side of the floor than Boise State, who also boast multiple players who can stick the three.

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One is tempted to take Kansas as the defending champs have been an elite team for the entire season, but more often than not the weight of the crown proves to be too much in March (Duke is the only defending champ since 2014 to reach the second weekend). I’ve got the Jayhawks losing to UConn, a team that was ranked as high as No. 2 in December. Coach Danny Hurley’s team led the Big East in scoring defense while boasting two of the top three scorers in forward Adama Sonogo and guard Jordan Hawkins. The Huskies have also lost four games by a combined total of nine points since January 15. One feels they’ll string together four wins over the next two weeks.

Bracket Breakdown 1- The field is announced as Maryland and Virginia go South…

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Break out the brackets and pens! And fire up the nachos and wings (preferably an 8-to-4 drumstick to flat ratio)! Selection Sunday has passed meaning we are on the clock to get our picks in for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Back in the field after a year’s absence is Maryland. The Terrapins get the No. 8 seed in the South Region and a First Round date with West Virginia. “This time of year is amazing for college basketball, it’s also heartbreaking for the teams that didn’t get in,” Coach Kevin Willard said. “I think you have to enjoy that aspect of hearing your name called. It was kind of nice being the third team called, it was kind of anti-climactic, actually.” Major props to Willard in putting together a roster over the spring and summer that would come together and win 11 Big Ten games while posting a record of 21-12. “These kids bought into our culture, they bought into our style,” Willard said. “I’ve said it all along: they’ve been one of the best teams to coach because they have a great attitude and they work hard.”

As mentioned the Terrapins face West Virginia (19-14, 7-11 Big 12) and they tip off Thursday’s action at 12:15 p.m. in Birmingham, AL. Should they beat the Mountaineers they’d likely face overall No. 1 seed Alabama, whose campus happens to be located in the same state as Birmingham. The road to the tournament isn’t easy, and neither is the road in the tournament.

Virginia (25-7, 15-5 ACC) is back after a year’s absence as well, earning the No. 4 seed in the South and a First Round game with Furman (27-7, 15-3 Southern) who’s dealing with a little bit longer of an NCAA drought: try 43 years! The Paladins last made the field in 1980 that was the tail-end of a ten-year stretch where they made the tournament six times. The Cavaliers are coming off of a 59-49 loss to Duke in the ACC Championship Game that underscored an offense (33% shooting and 4-17 from three) that’s had issues all season putting points on the board. UVa faces Furman at 12:40 p.m. Thursday in Orlando, with the winner playing San Diego State or the College of Charleston Saturday.

The South Regional provides plenty of possibilities with streaky Creighton (the 21-12 Bluejays had a six game losing streak and an eight game winning streak this season), fading Baylor (the 22-10 Bears enter the tournament having dropped four of six), plus Pac-12 Tournament champ Arizona (28-6). Play technically begins Tuesday night in Dayton with Southeast Missouri State (19-16) facing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10) with the winner being fed to-I mean playing-No. 1 seed Alabama.

Instead of picking every single game in this space (don’t worry complete picks will be tweeted @davpresto and @WTOP), we’ll present our Bold (which team wins a game or two beyond its seeding), Fold (who disappoints), and Gold (who goes to New Orleans and the Final Four) picks.

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It’s easy to get behind the College of Charleston. I’ve seen them play in person during the CAA Tournament and have even posed for pictures with Clyde the Cougar mascot (last year I got to wave the flag too). But the 31-win team is also a three-point shooting machine (10th in makes and 2nd in attempts in all of Division I). They shoot threes to get hot, and then they shoot threes to stay hot. They also play six hours down the road in Orlando while their First Round foe San Diego State has to fly across three time zones (the 12:10 p.m. PDT start isn’t deadly, but far from ideal for the Aztecs). If they get to the Second Round they’ll likely face an offensively challenged Virginia team.

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Arizona won the Pac-12 Tournament and has doesn’t have to travel far to Sacramento for the first weekend. But defense is what needs to travel in March and the Wildcats rank 224th nationally in scoring defense (71.5 points per game). While Princeton won’t necessarily push the Cats to the limit, the Second Round brings either Missouri (29th in scoring) or Utah State (40th).

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Alabama uses as its mascot an elephant and it’s fitting this March because the elephant in the room is the status of the Crimson Tide’s best player Brandon Miller and being linked if even in a minor way to a murder this winter. But the 6-foot-9 freshman is having a great season and he’s helped the Tide rank 10th in the nation in scoring and eighth in rebounding margin. They also begin the tournament in Birmingham (from which I understand is in the state of Alabama) and tips off their tournament run against a team that’s just flown in from Dayton. While it’s difficult to see questions surrounding Miller going away, it’s also tough to see the Crimson Tide not reaching Louisville for the Regional-or Houston for the Final Four.

TOP Men’s College Basketball Stories of 2022…

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The Men’s College Basketball year gave us a chance to play Geography major as we extended the DMV net from Newark DE to Richmond VA while doubling down on Blacksburg. In a March where Maryland finished with its first losing season since the early 90’s and Georgetown lost more games than they ever had in school history, one had to look for victories where one could. And after a busy offseason that saw a couple of inside the beltway schools make hires while a ton of players everywhere transferred, we end 2021 with three teams that have at one point been ranked in the AP Top 25. So many stories…and here are the TOP ones:

1-Maryland makes its mark with a home run of a hire (so far). We’re not even halfway into Kevin Willard’s first season, but the former Seton Hall Coach appears to have the program back on track with early wins against the likes of Illinois and Miami. The pressing/up-tempo style also resonates with fans who remember the pesky days of Gary Williams’ teams. They’re even embracing (at least for now) the 9 p.m. tipoffs that aren’t great for sleep but are great for traffic in the DC area and were a staple in the Williams era (now if only the Big Ten can emulate the ACC and have the Terps travel to Nebraska for a Saturday noon game after a Thursday 9 p.m. date).

2-Georgetown goes 0-19 and makes changes. Yes, the beast of the Big East set a league record by going winless in 19 games last winter. Coach Patrick Ewing brought in a bunch of transfers (eight plus the two incoming freshmen) and revamped his coaching staff. And this year they’ve been picked to finish near the bottom of the conference while suffering a non-league loss to American University (first defeat in the series since 1982).

3-Hokies make history! Virginia Tech captured its first-ever ACC Tournament title by winning four games in four days (even though it was played in Brooklyn instead of Greensboro it still counts). When Buzz Williams coached in Blacksburg I always thought he had the Hokies a year ahead of schedule, and that’s the same case with Mike Young at Cassell Coliseum.

Honorable Mention: George Washington hires ex-George Mason (and Miami) Assistant Chris Caputo to lead the Colonials, American beats Georgetown for the first time in 40 years, Howard posts a winning season for the first time since 2002, Richmond wins the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Capital One Arena, Delaware takes the CAA Tournament at Entertainment & Sports Arena.

College Lacrosse Championship Weekend Preview- Terps looking for another double-play.

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Maryland Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse doesn’t have an automatic berth into Championship Weekend, it only seems that way. For the eighth time in eleven completed seasons since 2011 both teams have advanced to the Final Four: the Women battle Boston College Friday (with North Carolina and Northwestern in the other semifinal) while the Men play Princeton Saturday (Cornell and Rutgers rounding things out). “To be able to go out and compete Memorial Day weekend is something great for the University of Maryland and says something about Maryland lacrosse, and how special that is to play here,” Women’s Coach Cathy Reese said earlier this week. “Really pulling for the men-think it’s going to be a great weekend for them. It’s nice that our games aren’t on the same days so we get to kind of watch each other. And for all Maryland fans who can hopefully celebrate and support both teams.”

Reese has the Terps back in the Final Four after slipping in the National Quarterfinals by one goal in 2021, and seeing their season canceled by COVID-19 the previous spring. Eight of the 19-1 Terps’ eleven straight wins have come against ranked foes. “It’s awesome–these guys have earned it and they belong there. They earned the number two seed in the Tournament, they had two great tournament wins,” Reese said. “Our message to them is just enjoy this, you’re going to walk on the field and enjoy it. know you’re meant to be there enjoy your surroundings and celebrate yourself and what you’ve done so far, take a deep breath and let’s get down to business.”

Boston College (18-3) ranks third in the nation in scoring and is led by Charlotte North’s 82 goals and 105 points. But the Eagles are far from one-dimensional. “They’re good on the offensive end, good on the defensive end, good in the goal-cage, and we know it’s going to be a really tough game,” Reese said. “Our message to our team this week is to really focus on us. It’s technically not about them–it’s about us and what we need to do to step up and be successful.”

And Maryland has the goods to get it done: they rank second nationally in scoring defense and have given up just 11 goals in two NCAA Tournament wins. “Speaking defensively, we’ve just been playing together and communicating really well and being a cohesive unit,” Defender Abby Bosco said. “And when we play together, that’s when we’re really clicking and playing great.” Bosco is one of four First Team All-Americans on the roster: leading scorer Aurora Cordingley (66 goals and 50 assists), junior attacker Hannah Leubecker (57 goals), and junior goaltender Emily Sterling round out the quartet.

Offensive balance has been the key to the success of an attack that scored the eighth most goals in Division I. “That mentality of always going hard and selflessness,” Leubecker said. “It doesn’t matter who scores on our offense, everybody is so good-we’re all good at different things.” This team is great at not beating themselves, committing the fewest turnovers in the country.

After winning its first two tournament games on-campus, Maryland heads up I-95 to Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University for Championship Weekend. “We’ll enjoy our time up in Baltimore but for our staff this group is important to us–and i’ve enjoyed every moment of this season through the ups and downs,” Reese said. “And we wanna just make sure that when we step on the field at Homewood on Friday night: we can be proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, hungry for what’s ahead, but really enjoy the moment that we’re in.”

The Maryland Men (16-0) take the nation’s number one offense (18.5 goals per game) to East Hartford, CT for Saturday’s semifinal showdown. Coach John Tillman has a ton of experience on his roster, with his top five scorers either fifth-year (COVID exemption) or graduate students. It’s a group that knows how to play together and do the little things that loom large. “Selfless parts, guys sharing the ball knowing you can get it back,” Tillman said. “I’d be crazy if I didn’t mention our ability to clear the ball well, our ability on ground balls.” They’re led by First Team All-American attacker Logan Wisnauskas (55 goals and 40 assists). “He’s just so darn consistent. Every day it’s laser-focused,” Tillman said. “Just every single thing matters to him like every pass, making sure it’s a good pass, getting those ground balls, getting our team organized.”

It’s been said that possession is nine-tenths of the law, and that translates to college lacrosse. Terps faceoff specialist Luke Wierman also earned First Team All-American honors and his growth has helped turn the offense from dangerous to dominant. “Luke’s development-I’m not sure a lot of people could have anticipated-it would be hard for us to say he would go from 45 percent (faceoffs won) to 66 in one year,” Tillman said. “I haven’t seen anything like it in 30 years. A credit to him and all the wing guys.”

Defensively the Terps allowed the fourth fewest goals in Division I with short-stick defensive midfielder Roman Puglise and defenseman Brett Makar being voted First Team All-American. When did Makar know this team was special? “Day one,” the senior said. “Really once we got back (from holiday break) in January. You really saw a different type of focus from this group, putting the blinders on all year.

They’ll have their hands full with a Princeton offense that ranks fifth best in the nation and one they had trouble of disposing in their February regular season meeting (a 15-10 Terrapin win). “I didn’t feel like the last time we played them we played our best defensive game,” Tillman said. “They got good looks-looks that we have to do just a better job with that-we gotta be more on point. And then for us at the other end, they’re a really good defense–they don’t like to slide–so we’re gonna have to win some matchups and finish. Their goalie had 19 saves last time and we gotta do a better job putting the ball in the back of the net.”

There hasn’t been an unbeaten National Champion in Men’s Division I Lacrosse since Virginia went 17-0 in 2006. And even though there is that opportunity in the room for this team, the chance to earn more practices and another 60 minutes of game-time on the field to be together has this team primed to play. “They’re just connected and they enjoy being with each other,” Tillman said. “So as much as it’s winning and competition it’s, ‘hey we keep this thing going because if not we’re not gonna be together and it’s all over’, so there’s that much more motivation to be together longer.”

But when the seasons and careers do finally end-win or lose-for the Maryland Men and Women they’ll always be a part of a larger family of alumni and former players. “To get Maryland-our program and our team- to Championship Weekend that means our alums can go, our fans can go,” Tillman said. “Former players to be on hand and gather, celebrate relationships and friendships, the program. So it’s a great thing to be able to offer up.” Whether it’s Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Hartford or 3 p.m. Friday in Baltimore. “For us to walk out of the locker rooms at Homewood and to turn around and see hopefully a ton of Maryland alums in the stands supporting the 2022 Terps is really special,” Reese said. “There’s really something special about being a part of this program.”