Saturday in university bands is often a spectacle, regardless of the calendar. But the Saturday before the selection Sunday? This is anarchy. Complete and total anarchy.
The festivities that unfolded gave us everything you could ask for such an important occasion. A first time dancer in Hartford. Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels hits their ticket. Heck, even Georgetown slipped into the field by hitting – no, crushing – Creighton to secure the Big East’s automatic sleeping place. But for all the joy that these victories brought, there was also a degree of sadness.
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While Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing scored a big victory for the small brotherhood of coaches who led the schools where they used to play as players, two of his colleagues in the world had much worse days. Penny Hardaway’s Memphis squad suffered its second crushing loss to Houston in the past six days, and Juwan Howard’s Michigan squad was knocked out by rival Ohio State from the Big Ten tournament. Unlike Memphis, which needs a Selection Sunday miracle to reach the field of 68, Michigan will be to the NCAA Tournament and may still be a No. 1 series.
But the loss of the state of Ohio was not the only thing that bothered the Wolverines on Saturday. More on this in a moment as we get a full overview of the winners and losers of the day.
Loser: Michigan has questions about the Big Dance
Michigan played only two games in the Big Ten tournament this week, but the Wolverines packed a lot in a short space of time, and Friday’s news was worse than good. The program announced that the versatile senior leader, Isaiah Livers, was gone indefinitely on Saturday morning with a stress injury in his right foot, after which the Wolverines dropped a 68-67 heartbreaker to the state of Ohio. That means the Wolverines are participating in the NCAA Tournament and have suffered three of their four losses in the past five games. Throw in the uncertain status of Livers, and Michigan seems a little vulnerable to entering the Big Dance. The senior averaged 13.1 points, six rebounds and two assists, while making 43.1% of his three-point efforts, and if he had not been for a long time, it would have been a be devastating blow to the pursuit of the national title.
Winner: Iona Gaels of Rick Pitino Dance
Louisville will likely enter Selection in a cold sweat in the hopes that the selection committee will name him, but his former coach, Rick Pitino, will not. Pitino and his Iona Gaels beat their ticket to the Big Dance on Saturday by putting Fairfield down in the MAAC game to ensure the league’s automatic bid. He becomes the third coach in history to take five different teams to the NCAA Tournament during his career, joining Lon Kruger and Tubby Jones.
Winner: Illinois solidifies case as number 1 seed
Illinois entered Jerry Palm’s Bracketology last Saturday as the last number 1 (and fourth overall team). The case as a leading group was therefore undoubtedly strong. But Iowa’s 82-71 spending probably sealed it for the selection committee. The Illini lead the country in Quadrant 1 wins at 12, so win or lose Sunday against the state of Ohio, they need to feel confident about their star work.
Loser: Tennessee misses chance to put Tide away
In the second half of the SEC semifinals Saturday, Tennessee led Alabama 48-33. Over the last 17 minutes of play, however, the Vols became cold as Bama defended the heat. During that stretch, the Tide turned in a 40-20 run (!) To win 73-68. Not a bad loss for Tennessee on his face, but a cruel way to go down after being up by as many as 15 in the second half. Not the taste you want in your mouth entering the NCAA Tournament.
Winner: Patrick Ewing completes the wild week
It was a rather hectic week for Hall of Famer, Patrick Ewing, between MSG security guards exclaiming, questioning James Dolan for his operation and generally causing a stir to – rightly – wonder aloud why he is being asked in the universe to show credentials within MSG. But it ended on a fantastic note.
Ewing’s Georgetown Hoyas secured the Big East’s automatic bid on the Big Dance with a 73-48 hijacking by Creighton on Saturday night. The Hoyas did it as an eight-seeded and beat Marquette, Villanova and Seton Hall en route. The Hoyas were chosen to finish last – yes, last! – in the Great East in the preseason. Now they are dancing into the tournament. Just a fantastic, feel-good story throughout, and a fitting way to end a wild week for Ewing.
Winner: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State Coach’s Mother
After Ohio State fell 73-68 to Illinois last Saturday to extend its losing streak to a season of four, Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann received a fee from an unlikely source for the team’s fix problems.
Sy ma.
Did the advice take off? Well, you’re the judge. The state of Ohio has now won three in a row since Holtmann’s mother shot down the text. After beating rival Michigan on Saturday, it’s one win besides winning his first Big Ten tournament title since 2013.
Loser: AAC’s bubble teams
Wichita State suffered a brutal 60-59 loss to Cincinnati in the semifinals of the AAC tournament. The number 1 seed shocks, according to Palm, crept off the bubble, but were only a projected number 9 seed before the defeat. This is Wichita State’s first Quad 3 loss of the season and will arouse at least some fear for the program on Sunday as the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee makes its final decision on who deserves a big bid.
Memphis had the chance to reach the stadium for Wichita State in the other semifinal of the AAC, but the Tigers suffered their second heartbreaking loss against Houston in a six-day time. After the Tigers lost 67-64 on Sunday to a buzzer for the Cougars, they once again dropped their hearts in a 76-74 defeat.
It provides a massive Sunday for the AAC. If Cincinnati upsets Houston and the selection committee looks favorably on Wichita State, the league could get three teams in the Big Dance. But if Houston wins the tournament title and the Shockers are left off the field, it can only be a single bid.
Pitino gets a lot of attention and rightly so, but he was not the only former power coach to reach the Big Dance with a new group on Saturday. Former LSU coach Johnny Jones is on his way to the NCAA Tournament with Texas Southern. In his third season leading the program, Jones has a physical, veteran team that has won 14 of his last 15 games to pull an automatic bid from the SWAC. This is the third school Jones takes to the NCAA Tournament (North Texas and LSU). This one is surely sweet for Jones, after a ceremonial end to his LSU tenure after the 2016-17 season.
Winner: Hartford dances for the first time
Hartford apparently pulled off under coach John Gallagher when it finished 9-23 in 2016-’17 for the third season on the program’s right losing list. But the Hawks’ faith in Gallagher bore fruit in a historic way on Saturday when the program clinched its first NCAA Tournament result by dropping UMass Lowell in the America East Tournament title. It now makes for four live seasons for the program and at just 43, Gallagher suddenly looks like one of the rising stars of the profession in his 11th season.
“They fired me four years ago,” Gallagher said. “Right. Wasn’t done. And then we just buckled up. Maybe I need my back against the wall. Maybe it’s just part of the Irish Catholic in me.”
Winner: Norfolk State dances for the second time ever
Norfolk State secured its second Division I NCAA Tournament in Division I history on Saturday after defeating Morgan State 71-63. It was the fifth time (!) That the Spartans faced the Bears this season, and their fourth win in the series earned them the MEAC title and an automated NCAA tournament spot. The last time this team went dancing was 2012, when they selected No. 2 seed Missouri as No. 15 in the first round.
The Aztecs have not yet come close to the prestige they did last season during a 26-0 start this season. But this group did something that last year’s team could not win on Saturday when they won the Mountain West tournament. This version of the state of San Diego will not achieve 26 straight wins, but the Aztecs are currently at 13 straight, and if they play, the Aztecs look ready to expand the series with at least a few games in the NCAA Tournament . .