Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in men’s college basketball, a place so bananas that Houston Baptist and McNeese State can combine for 293 points in four overtimes in a random Southland Conference game:
WHY IS A CIVIL HANDSHAKE SUDDENLY SO HARD?
First we had Juwan Howard (1) throwing hands in the handshake line after Michigan lost to Wisconsin two weeks ago. Now, we have Duke assistant coaches Chris Carrawell (2) and Nolan Smith (3) coldly bypassing North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis (4) Saturday in sweltering hot Cameron Indoor Stadium.
If you haven’t seen the video: After the Tar Heels stunned the Blue Devils and spoiled Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game, two of Coach K’s assistants showed Davis little to no respect. Carrawell simply refused to extend his hand to meet Davis’s, and Smith executed a no-look handshake, directing his gaze in the opposite direction from Davis.
That left the world wondering what the beef is with Davis, who has been a uniformly unobjectionable personality as a player, coach and broadcaster. Between the shocking upset and the postgame interaction, any concerns about the Duke–North Carolina rivalry fizzling out after Roy Williams and Coach K depart are groundless.
While it was an interesting postscript, it’s also disappointing. Why is something that’s a basic tenet of sports for kids so difficult for adults?
As The Minutes opined after the Michigan-Wisconsin flareup, doing away with the handshake line isn’t the answer; behaving like grownups who can accept the outcome of a game and still respect an opponent is. Don’t lower the bar to enable sore losers. And given the amount of time Coach K has spent as something of a self-appointed arbiter of class and decorum, he might need to spend a few minutes coaching up his assistants.
Jeff Lange/USA TODAY NETWORK; Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal/USA TODAY NETWORK; Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY NETWORK
THE LITTLE DANCE, PART II
The Minutes enters into the second stage of previewing and picking the conferences tourneys, which escalate in wattage and marquee value this week. With Selection Sunday less than a week away, it’s time to study up and get current. The list:
American
When: March 10–13.
Top seed: Houston (5). The Cougars had been bulletproof for much of the season, but showed some vulnerability in the last month. Depleted a bit by injuries, Houston was swept by Memphis and split with SMU, the only other legitimate contenders in the AAC. Still, this is a rugged team with a lot of March experience. Expect the Cougars to be ready for postseason play.
Dark horse: Memphis. This season has been all over the map for the Tigers, from highly ranked to highly dysfunctional to a highly impressive regrouping. Penny Hardaway’s team probably punched its NCAA ticket by completing the sweep of Houston on Sunday and has the talent for a big run—or it could revert. Who knows.
In the Big Dance: Houston.
Likely in: Memphis.
On the bubble: SMU.
Best player: SMU guard Kendric Davis. Averaging 19.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists to lead the Mustangs within grasping range of a bid. (The selection committee assuredly will be apprised that Davis missed SMU’s loss at Temple Feb. 1.)
Best tourney coach: Houston’s Kelvin Sampson gets a slight nod over SMU’s Tim Jankovich. Sampson’s 8–5 tourney record isn’t great, given his regular-season success, but he won it last season. Jankovich (5–3) won it in 2017.
Minutes pick: Memphis (6). Began the season as one of the most intriguing teams in the nation. Now ending it the same way, after traveling a hard road in between.
Atlantic Coast
When: March 8–12
Top seed: Duke. The flop Saturday doesn’t change the fact that the Blue Devils were clearly the best team in an extremely underwhelming ACC. In fact, the loss to the Tar Heels might be the reality check Duke needs to refocus for postseason play.
Dark horse: North Carolina (7). The team that showed up in Cameron is certainly capable of winning this tournament, and with a No. 3 seed it would only need to win three games. But Carolina also has been routed by Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Miami and Duke, so …
Best potential early-round game: Virginia–North Carolina (8) in a quarterfinal. The Cavaliers are still trying to scrap their way into bubble consideration.
In the Big Dance: Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Miami.
Likely in: Nobody.
On the bubble: Wake Forest, Virginia.
Best player: Paolo Banchero, Duke. Big, skilled, confident and heading to a high draft slot come summer. Might be better off shooting fewer threes in the postseason and taking the ball closer to the basket.
Best tourney coach: Krzyzewski has won this event 15 times. The rest of the league’s current coaches combined have won it five times.
Minutes pick: Duke (9).
BETTING: Duke a Heavy Favorite in ACC Tournament
Atlantic 10
When: March 9–13.
Top seed: Davidson (10). Another in a long series of excellent Bob McKillop offenses revolves around four double-digit scorers, all of whom have popped for 25 or more points at least once this season. The question is whether the Wildcats can hunker down and guard well enough for three straight games.
Dark horse: St. Bonaventure. The fourth-seeded Bonnies have been a disappointment this season, but they still have the pieces to win this and are the defending tourney champions. They come in having won eight of their last nine.
In the Big Dance: Nobody.
Likely in: Nobody.
On the bubble: VCU, Davidson, Dayton.
Best player: Pick a Davidson Wildcat. The Minutes will go with 6'7" Hyunjung Lee, second on the team in scoring (16.5) and rebounding (6.0).
Best tourney coach: McKillop. He won this tourney in 2018, and before that won a whole bunch of Southern Conference crowns.
Minutes pick: VCU (11). The Rams are seeded third and on the NCAA bubble. They also might have the most motivation of any team still playing after having their NCAA opportunity taken away last year in Indianapolis by COVID-19 protocols. They’ve won eight of their last nine.
Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
Big 12
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Kansas (12). The Jayhawks won every Big 12 home game and will turn Kansas City into Lawrence East, so that fan advantage will continue. But they also have lost to teams seeded 2–5, so this is hardly a walkover.
Dark horse: No. 3 seed Texas Tech can have some offensive struggles, but the Red Raiders guard relentlessly and have beaten top two seeds Kansas and Baylor. At the very least, they will make every opponent uncomfortable.
Best early-round game: The TCU–Texas matchup gives the Horned Frogs another chance at a quality win. They probably don’t need it to get in, but if they want to make extra sure, this would do it.
In the Big Dance: Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas.
Likely in: Iowa State, TCU.
On the bubble: Nobody.
Best player: Kansas’s Ochai Agbaji (13) stuck around for his senior year and has elevated his game to new heights, averaging career bests in scoring, rebounding and all shooting percentages.
Best tourney coach: Kansas’s Bill Self is the only coach in the league who has won this tournament—and he’s won it eight times.
Minutes pick: Cannot pick against the Jayhawks here. But look for Baylor to go farther in the next tournament.
Big East
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Providence (14). Despite being a charter member of the league, this is the first time the Friars have won the regular-season title. Providence has been the master of the close shave, playing 13 games decided by five points or less or in overtime and winning 11 of them.
Dark horse: No. 6 seed Seton Hall has won its last five games, capped by a road triumph over Creighton. Kevin Willard won this tournament in 2016, beating eventual national champion Villanova for the title.
Best potential early-round game: Seton Hall–Connecticut in the quarterfinals would match a couple of tough teams that split close games against each other in the regular season.
In the Big Dance: Providence, Villanova, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Marquette.
Likely in: Creighton.
On the bubble: Xavier.
Best player: Collin Gillespie is the hub of Villanova’s attack and a quintessential Jay Wright guard. He can dominate the ball, post up, drive and, of course, provide deadly shooting from the perimeter.
Best tourney coach: Wright has won three of the last four Big East tourneys and four of the last six. And you may be familiar with his work in the NCAA tourney as well.
Minutes pick: Villanova (15). Best team in the league, top seed is vulnerable—and even if Providence does get a third game against the Wildcats, ’Nova has won the other two. But watch out for UConn, too.
BETTING: Providence Longshot Provides Value in Big East
Big Sky
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Montana State. The Bobcats have set a school record for victories (24) and are gunning for their first NCAA berth since 1996. Their only two losses in 2022 have come by a total of eight points.
Dark horse: Defending champion and No. 6 seed Eastern Washington won six of its last eight games, taking a while to get its footing after major turnover from last year from the head coach on down.
Best player: Northern Colorado guard Daylen Kountz leads the league in scoring at 20.9 points per game, shooting 40% from three, 55% from two and 81% from the foul line. He’s scored 20 or more in 11 of UNC’s last 15 games.
Best tourney coach: Montana’s Travis DeCuire won this event in both 2018 and ’19 and advanced to the championship game last year.
Minutes pick: Southern Utah (16). Time for the second-seeded Thunderbirds to make their first tourney since 2001.
Big Ten
When: March 9–13.
Top seed: Illinois (17). The Illini got a gift on Sunday from Wisconsin, which gave away the No. 1 seed at home, but they had to work to secure it later that day in a thriller against Iowa. Illinois is the only Big Ten team in the Ken Pomeroy top 30 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but it would certainly benefit by having Jacob Grandison back from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s game.
Dark horse: Nebraska. Hey, don’t laugh. Actually, laugh hysterically, because this is an absurd premise, but this now looks like the most dangerous 20-loss team still playing. The No. 13 seed Cornhuskers are an extreme long shot to win this, but they could cause some more upheaval after upsetting Penn State, Ohio State and co-champion Wisconsin to close the regular season.
Best early-round game: Michigan-Indiana (18) in the second round matches a pair of teams that are still trying to clarify their NCAA standing. It also marks the return of Wolverines coach Juwan Howard from a five-game suspension. A lot on the line in a pre-noon tipoff on Thursday.
In the Big Dance: Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan State.
Likely in: Nobody.
On the bubble: Rutgers, Michigan, Indiana.
Best player: Kofi Cockburn. You could certainly make a case for Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis. Or Iowa’s Keegan Murray. Or Purdue’s Jade Ivey. Or Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell. (There are a lot of good players in the Big Ten.) But The Minutes is going with Cockburn, who can drop 20 and 10 and foul out the opponent’s best big man.
Best tourney coach: Tom Izzo has won this six times. The only other active coaches with Big Ten tourney titles are Matt Painter and Brad Underwood, with one each.
Minutes pick: Purdue (19). The Minutes believes that the Boilermakers have a higher gear than they’ve shown in the last month. If they find it in Indy, they’ll outscore everyone else.
Big West
When: March 8–12.
Top seed: Long Beach State. After five straight losing seasons, The Beach is back. Dan Monson’s team has lost just twice since Jan. 8.
Dark horse: UC Santa Barbara. The No. 5 seed Gauchos are the defending championship and have won their last five, eight of their last nine.
Best player: UCSB’s Amadou Sow is third in the league in scoring, second in rebounding and first in field-goal percentage. The 6'9" senior has averaged 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his last three games.
Best tourney coach: UC Irvine’s Russell Turner has won this tournament twice and has authored his 10th straight winning season.
Minutes pick: UC Irvine (20). When in doubt, go with the best defense. But there is considerable doubt here. This feels like a wide-open tournament, which is often the way it works in this league. The Big West has had five different tourney champions in the last five that were completed.
Conference USA
When: March 11–14.
Top seed: North Texas. The Mean Green have been good enough to merit bubble consideration even if they don’t win this tournament. (A two-point road loss against UTEP on Saturday might have scuttled that mission, though.) North Texas compiled 15 straight wins at one point.
Dark horse: UAB. This is a veteran team, stocked with players 21 and older, hungry for a shot at the Blazers’ first NCAA bid since 2015.
Best player: UAB’s Jordan “Jelly” Walker is third in the league in scoring and third in assists. He dropped 42 on Middle Tennessee in February and is making 3.4 threes per game.
Best tourney coach: Three current coaches have won this tournament: North Texas’s Grant McCasland; Marshall’s Dan D’Antoni and Old Dominion’s Jeff Jones. McCasland was the most recent, doing it last year and following that up with a stunning upset of Purdue in the NCAA tournament.
Minutes pick: North Texas (21). Defense-first team that knows how to win grinder games.
Ivy League
When: March 12–13.
Top seed: Princeton heads the four-team field, with Yale, Penn and Cornell rounding it out. The Tigers are on a seven-game winning streak, with victories in that time over both Yale and Penn on the road.
Dark horse: Cornell, pretty much by default. The Big Red split two games with Princeton, winning the more recent of the two, and will get first crack at the Tigers in the semifinals.
Best player: Tosan Evbuomwan, Princeton. The 6'8" product of England can do just about anything, ranking fourth in the Ivy in scoring (15.4 points), seventh in rebounding (6.4), first in assists (5.0) and first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2 to 1).
Best tourney coach: Princeton’s Mitch Henderson, Yale’s James Jones and Penn’s Steve Donahue all have won the tourney once. Jones has the most Ivy League tournament wins, at three. (The thing has only existed since 2017, and it was not contested in ’20 or ’21.)
Minutes pick: Princeton (22).
Eugene Rapay/The Journal News/USA TODAY NETWORK
Metro Atlantic
When: March 8–12.
Top seed: Iona. The Gaels dominated the league, winning it by three games. It will be a major surprise if they don’t defend their MAAC tourney title.
Dark horse: Saint Peter’s. A No. 2 seed doesn’t truly qualify as a dark horse, but in this league everyone is well behind Iona. The Peacocks enter on a four-game winning streak and have the league’s best defense.
Best player: Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona. The 6'9" interior player’s scoring has been sporadic of late, but he can always be counted on to defend and hit the glass. He always plays with the effort demanded by his coach.
Best tourney coach: Rick Pitino (23). This really isn’t a fair fight. He’s won 13 tournaments in six different leagues, plus two of the Big Dances. He’s 4–0 as a MAAC tourney coach.
Minutes pick: Iona (24).
Mid-American
When: March 10–12.
Top seed: Toledo. The Rockets tied the school record for single-season victories with 25, and bring the league’s best offense into the tournament. But they also have considerable postseason baggage. Toledo hasn’t been to the NCAA tourney since 1980, despite consistent success under current coach Tod Kowalczyk.
Dark horse: Akron. John Groce’s fourth-seeded Zips are on a five-game winning streak, shooting 50 more free throws than their opponents during that stretch.
Best player: Sincere Carry, Kent State. Can he Carry the Golden Flashes to the NCAAs? The Minutes would Sincerely like to know. The Duquesne transfer is averaging 26 points, 5.5 assists and two steals in the last four games.
Best tourney coach: Jeff Boals of Ohio has never lost a MAC tournament game. He won it last year and was 1–0 in 2020 before the event was canceled.
Minutes pick: Kent State (25). The red-hot No. 2 seed is on a 12-game winning streak, and the Golden Flashes have beaten Toledo twice this year.
MEAC
When: March 9–13.
Top seed: Norfolk State. The defending champs dominated the league, winning by three games over second-place Howard. At 21–6, Norfolk’s .778 winning percentage stands as the program’s best since the school moved to Division I in 1997–98.
Dark horse: North Carolina Central. This is not one of the best NC Central teams, but dismiss the third-seeded Eagles at your peril.
Best player: Joe Bryant Jr., Norfolk State. The hometown guard is averaging 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He’s also shooting 92.3% from the foul line and had a 16-for-16 game earlier this season.
Best tourney coach: LeVelle Moton has taken NC Central to four NCAA tournaments. He’s won 11 of his last 12 MEAC tournament games.
Minutes pick: Norfolk State (26). There is some temptation to pick No. 2 seed Howard after seeing the Bison play very well against Notre Dame in January, but Norfolk swept Howard and won the most recent meeting by 22 points.
Mountain West
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Boise State (27). Given Leon Rice’s success over the past decade-plus, it’s hard to believe that this is his first Mountain West title. The Broncos raised their game this season with the addition of 6'7" freshman Tyson Degenhart, who offers a nice complement to a quartet of senior leaders.
Dark horse: San Diego State is a dangerous No. 3 seed, with its only loss in the last 10 games coming by a point at Boise State. Cal transfer Matt Bradley has played at an extremely high level down the stretch, and this is the best defensive team in the league (as usual).
Best early-round game: Wyoming-UNLV quarterfinal. This entire tournament should be bonkers, given the depth of the conference and the number of close games the top teams have played against each other. The Cowboys’ NCAA bid has gotten a little slippery in the last few weeks, and they’re playing a talented opponent on its home court.
In the Big Dance: Boise State, Colorado State.
Likely in: San Diego State.
On the bubble: Wyoming.
Best player: Hunter Maldonado, Wyoming. A lot of good players to choose from, but The Minutes has a man crush on Maldonado. The versatile senior who is fifth in the league in scoring (18.7), 12th in rebounding (5.8), second in assists (6.4) and first in minutes played (37.2). He had a triple double against San Diego State on Feb. 28.
Best tourney coach: Brian Dutcher has won this tournament twice in four tries, reaching the championship game the other two times.
Minutes pick: San Diego State (28). But watch out for UNLV if Bryce Hamilton gets on a three-game heater.
Pac-12
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Arizona (29). The Wildcats have had an incredible season under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, finishing three games ahead of preseason-favorite UCLA. Lloyd inherited a lot of talent but juiced the offensive tempo to Gonzaga speed, with excellent results.
Dark horse: Arizona State. The Sun Devils were a mess most of the season, but they got it together late to win seven of their last eight. Nobody scored more than 66 points on Arizona State in that closing stretch, after routinely giving up much more than that earlier in the season.
Best potential early-round game: Arizona–Arizona State in a quarterfinal. A rivalry game matching the league’s best team against a dangerous underdog would work. And there is always the potential for Bobby Hurley to go berserk on the sideline.
In the Big Dance: Arizona, UCLA, USC.
Likely in: Nobody.
On the bubble: Nobody.
Best player: Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona. The NBA is intrigued by the athletic, 6'6" 19-year-old who can score in a variety of ways. He doesn’t need a lot of shots to get his 17.3 points per game.
Best tourney coach: Dana Altman. The Oregon coach has won this thing three times but will have his hands full making another run. The Ducks have lost six of their last eight to slide out of the bracket and off the bubble.
Minutes pick: UCLA (30). The Bruins have struggled more than expected this season, with injuries and spotty shooting playing factors. But they still have a core of clutch players who know what it’s like to win tournament games after making last year’s Final Four.
Southeastern
When: March 9–13.
Top seed: Auburn (31). The Tigers were No. 1-in-the-country good at one point this season, showcasing dazzling athleticism and daunting size. Then they started to wobble on the road, giving rise to questions about composure and chemistry. We’ll see what they look like on a neutral court, and whether enough Auburn fans will trek to Tampa to create some home mojo for them.
Dark horse: Arkansas. It took a while for the Razorbacks to look like the team that went to the Elite Eight last year, but they arrived two months ago and haven’t left. The three-point shooting isn’t pretty, but Arkansas will compete for a full 40 minutes—longer if necessary.
Best potential early-round game: LSU-Arkansas (32) in a quarterfinal. They played two thrillers in the regular season, with the Razorbacks pulling them both out late. Can the Hogs pull the hat trick and keep their late-season surge going?
In the Big Dance: Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama.
Likely in: Nobody.
On the bubble: Florida.
Best player: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky. The best rebounder we’ve seen in men’s college basketball in a long time, considering the two comparisons never went to college (Moses Malone) or played on an obscure level (Dennis Rodman). He’s made 68% of his shots in his last five games.
Best tourney coach: John Calipari has won this six times, although Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats have won the last two.
Minutes pick: Kentucky (33). The SEC is full of talented teams that occasionally take leave of their senses and flounder through key stretches in terms of decision making. The Wildcats are less prone to that (though not completely immune). Combine the best player with the best composure, and this is the team to beat.
Southland
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Nicholls State. At 32, coach Austin Claunch has been an inspired hire—he’s gone 74–44 in four seasons and 47–21 in the Southland. Now he and the Colonels just need some tourney luck, after having the 2020 edition canceled and being taken out in the title game by Cinderella-in-the-making Abilene Christian last year. An exodus of some top programs to the WAC has cleared a path.
Dark horse: Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The Islanders have won four of their last five and pushed Nicholls twice before submitting.
Best player: Ty Gordon, Nicholls State. The guard has the green light to launch, averaging more than 20 field-goal attempts over the last seven games—more than half of them from three-point range. He’s scored 21 or more in each of those games.
Best tourney coach: Mike McConathy of Northwestern State has won at least one game in the last five Southland tourneys his team has played in, including capturing the title in 2013.
Minutes pick: Nicholls State (34).
SWAC
When: March 9–12.
Top seed: Alcorn State. When starting the season with 15 straight road games, the Braves didn’t have much of a chance to find out how good they were until January. They went 14–4 in the SWAC and enter this tourney on a six-game winning streak.
Dark horse: Alabama A&M. The No. 3 seed Bulldogs have won six of seven, playing respectable defense. They also didn’t play Alcorn State during the regular season.
Best player: MJ Randolph of Florida A&M is a slim 6'4" player who paradoxically does almost all his scoring inside the arc. His last made three was Jan. 22. He’s a willing rebounder and distributor.
Best tourney coach: Prairie View’s Byron Smith is 7–3 in the SWAC tourney, including a title in 2019.
Minutes pick: Texas Southern (35). The defending champions and No, 2 seed have only lost twice since Jan. 17. They’re solid at both ends of the court, albeit turnover prone.
Jeffrey Swinger/USA TODAY Sports
WAC
When: March 8–12.
Top seed: New Mexico State. The Aggies have been the constant at the top of the WAC, winning at least a share of six of the last eight regular-season titles. This year’s team had company, though, from Seattle and Stephen F. Austin. NMSU won the tiebreaker for the top seed.
Dark horse: Stephen F. Austin. The No. 3 seed Lumberjacks, new arrivals from the Southland, are habitual winners who adapted quickly. They’ve won 10 in a row. Over the past three seasons, SFA is 66–16.
Best player: Fardaws Aimaq, Utah Valley. The 6'11" Canadian’s 26 double doubles lead the nation, although New Mexico State held him to a single single on Saturday (eight points, nine rebounds). Aimaq has diversified his game to include perimeter shooting, with 18 made threes and 42% accuracy.
Best tourney coach: Chris Jans, New Mexico State. Won it in 2018 and ’19 and lost in the final in ’21 to Bryce Drew and Grand Canyon.
Minutes pick: Stephen F. Austin (36). The Lumberjacks get on the offensive glass and force turnovers, giving themselves extra possessions and putting stress on opponents. Gavin Kensmil, a 260-pound veteran of 94 college games, can cause problems in the paint.
STAT OF THE WEEK
You know how some guards are layups-and-threes players? Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa (37) has become a threes-only guy. He has almost completely stopped taking shots from inside the arc.
Kriisa has made one two-point basket in the last 10 games and attempted just seven in that time. Meanwhile, he’s taken 61 threes, making 24. For the season, Kriisa has attempted just 47 two-point shots. The last time he made more than one inside the arc was Dec. 15.
COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK
Hubert Davis (38), North Carolina. Replacing Williams is hard. Beating Krzyzewski to spoil his Cameron Indoor Stadium sendoff—and locking up an NCAA bid in the process—made it much easier.
COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK
Greg Gard (39), Wisconsin. His Badgers were 5 1/2 minutes from locking up the outright Big Ten title against Nebraska in the Kohl Center. Then they were outscored 12–0 to give it all away. Wisconsin’s last 11 possessions: a turnover, nine missed shots, and a 2-for-3 trip to the foul line while down three with 19 seconds remaining. Brutal.
BUZZER BEATER
When thirsty in the basketball bedrock territory of Durham, N.C., The Minutes recommends a visit to Hi-Wire Brewing (40). It’s a great setup, with spacious seating inside and out, and quality adjacent food options. Order a Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA and thank The Minutes later.
