The calm beFOUR the storm

It's the last day before the Final Four onslaught truly begins. Most teams are traveling to Houston, and most media are doing the same, meaning it's a "light" day for coverage. So it's a good day to dive into some other things but also hit on a broader talking point for college hoops.

Let's get to it.

1. Conference USA now 17-1 during the postseason

Conference USA placed five teams in three postseason tournaments: FAU, North Texas, UAB, Charlotte and Rice. FAU's in the Final Four. Charlotte won the CBI. And now North Texas and UAB will play in the NIT final.

It'll be the fourth NIT final between conference foes and the first in 20 years since St. John's beat Georgetown in 2003.

Say what you will about the NIT and CBI, but in a March where we've seen some wild results and even wilder stats, this one's cooking my brain as much as any of them: No conference has ever won all three of those tournaments in the same season. (As if there weren't enough reasons to pull for FAU.)

ANYWAY, back to the NIT — because for those who watched Tuesday night's games, both were wildly entertaining ... in their own way. UAB's 88-86 overtime win over Utah Valley had just about everything you'd want. Plenty of offense, key defensive plays and a game that was never one-sided.

Also, it had plenty of Ty Brewer.

The senior forward went off for a career-high 30 points and added 12 rebounds and five steals. That helped offset an off-night from UAB star Jelly Walker, who finished with 17 points on just 5-of-23 shooting. Walker did make plays when it mattered, though, hitting three free throws in the final minute that sealed the win for the Blazers (29-9).

They'll now face a familiar foe in Thursday's title game.

North Texas (30-7) outlasted Wisconsin in the other NIT semifinal, 56-54, in a game perfect for CBB Sickos (or anyone else intent on making jokes.) Outlasted really sets the tone, too.

The Mean Green trailed 41-29 at halftime but held the Badgers to just 13 points in the second half and closed the game on a 10-0 run. That meant Wisconsin went scoreless for the final 9:07 of the game.

...

Whatever works, I guess?

Kai Huntsberry led North Texas with 12 points. One more random note: Wisconsin finished the season 13-10 in close games (6 points or less). Tough way to go out.

Anyway, Thursday (8:40 pm ET, ESPN) will mark the fourth time this season North Texas and UAB will play. The Mean Green swept the regular-season series, while UAB won the C-USA tourney game. And if FAU beats San Diego State on Saturday, expect this question to be a talking point. I'm here for it.

2. Penn State and Mike Rhoades?

Multiple reports landed late Tuesday night that Mike Rhoades will be Penn State's next coach. He was offered the job on Tuesday after meeting with school officials earlier this week.

The Penn State board meets today, which should finalize the position.

Rhoades is 129-61 in six seasons at VCU, including three NCAA Tournament berths and a pair of regular-season A-10 titles. The Rams (27-8 this season) were among the nation's best defensive teams, a trademark of Rhoades while in Richmond. That approach will greatly contrast the Nittany Lions' two seasons under Micah Shrewsberry, whose teams favored a wide-open offensive approach.

If Rhoades does accept, Utah State coach Ryan Odom would be the front-runner to replace him at VCU.

Also in other coaching news:

• Manhattan will hire former Hartford coach John Gallagher.

• Holy Cross is turning to Fordham assistant Dave Paulsen.

• Merrimack's Joe Gallo is staying put after a contract extension.

• Texas formally introduced Rodney Terry as its new coach. He says he "felt confident the whole time" that he'd win the job.

Finally, now that Utah Valley's season is over, expect Cal to announce that it's making Mark Madsen its coach. That announcement could come as early as today.

3. The portal never sleeps

Tough day for Auburn in the transfer portal.

Freshmen Chance Westry and Yohan Traore both entered the portal on Tuesday, meaning the Tigers' top two recruits from their 3-man 2022 class are done.

Traore, a 6-10 center, sat behind Johni Broome most of the season and saw his minutes dwindle during SEC play. He had seven DNPs during conference play and played just 28 minutes total since Jan. 25 (15 games.) The former 5-star prospect will be a notable target for other schools for his potential, even if his production didn't amount to much in 2022-23.

Westry, a former 4-star prospect, saw even less playing time than Traore, but that was mainly due to injury and the Tigers' depth at guard. It's not like Auburn will be hurting for players — it has an incoming McDonald's All-American in point guard Aden Holloway — just tough to have them both leave on the same day.

Is it worse than St. John's losing three guys on the same day? Yeah, but only because those were expected moves after new coach Rick Pitino said most of the roster would be gone.

Other players who entered the portal on Tuesday

• Western Kentucky big man Jamarion Sharp, who led the nation in blocks

• Maryland guard Hakim Hart, who started all 35 games for the Terps

• Illinois freshman Jayden Epps, who started 11 games

• Sophomore Tamar Bates, who started two games for Indiana

• Missouri junior Mohammed Diarra

• Arizona State freshman Austin Nunez, a 38 percent shooter from deep

• Brice Williams, fresh off helping Charlotte to the CBI title

Meanwhile, former Wichita State guard Jaykwon Walton says he'll head to Alabama, though his waiver to play right away might be an issue.

But the most notable move of all from Tuesday is one that didn't happen. Or maybe it's just the most entertaining.

4. Bronny shines in McDonald's All-American game

Bronny James still hasn't settled on if he'll head to college. But after a solid performance in the McDonald's All-American game, it's clear he'll be an impact player if he does.

James hit five 3-pointers and looked like the best shooter on the floor Tuesday night, just a day after finishing second in the dunk contest. His West team lost, 106-105, if that matters to anyone.

There's a chance he ends up with one of the game's MVPs.

Guard Isaiah Collier, perhaps the top freshman in the class of 2023, was spectacular. He finished with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting and shared MVP honors with Kentucky signee DJ Wagner. The 6-3 guard and USC commit displayed great body control, vision and strength.

He also wants Bronny with him at USC. From Eric Bossi at 247 Sports:

USC's always been a likely destination for Bronny thanks to its mix of hometown appeal and NIL potential. Perhaps Collier's the difference when it comes to that final push.

5. On NCAA Tournament ratings

I don't know when it happened, but TV ratings became a thing. Well, they've always been a thing, but they became something the public — and more so the media — cared about to showcase popularity for a particular show or event.

But they don't mean much to the average viewer. They're crucial to media companies because that's how they base their ad rates and make money (in case you missed it in yesterday's Daily, ad revenue for the 2023 tourney is up 22 percent), and that's how the NCAA makes money off the tournament.

That's important for future TV deals, but shouldn't impact the overall storylines of the Final Four, writes Matt Brown in Extra Points.

Matt's got a point, and it's why stories like this from The Athletic can be frustrating.

The media sets the stage for storylines. And yes, this is part of Richard Deitsch's job to cover the media portion of the sport. But at a certain point, this matters because perception becomes reality.

When someone says this'll be the lowest-rated Final Four ever, that implies college hoops is dying.

And it's not. Far from it.

It's not the same as the 80s or 90s, but the sport is healthy and, in many cases, flourishing. Nearly 12 million people watched Fairleigh Dickinson beat Purdue. That reflected the interest in the most-watched first-round of the NCAA Tournament. Ever. More people watch the NCAA Tournament than watch the NBA playoffs — to say nothing about the incredible rise of women's college hoops. (As I use ratings to justify my point...)

There aren't any household names in the Final Four. There are no consensus All-Americans or former McDonald's All-Americans. UConn is the closest thing to a Blue Blood (if they're not already), but everyone else is an unknown.

That's not a bad thing. Exposing casual fans to programs they've never heard of before is what the NCAA Tournament is for. It's how Butler became a household name. It's how Baylor, Gonzaga and Texas Tech cemented themselves as hoops hotbeds. And it's a good thing for the sport.

Don't believe me? How about we ask college basketball's brand ambassador and heir to most-beloved personality, John Fanta.

Hansbrough on Love

Few players prompt more visceral reactions than Caleb Love. He's hit big shots in his career and missed more than his fair share. He's got pro potential and a great work ethic, but the decision-making seems like it's the most important thing of all. So how does he figure out how to piece it all together? Tyler Hansbrough has some thoughts.

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Links to click as you marvel, yet again, at the absurdity of UNT-Wisco:

• The NABC announced their POY, Coach of the Year, freshman, and DPOY awards.

• The NABC also set rosters for its college all-star game this Friday.

• NBA Draft entrants: Keyonte George | Terquavion Smith | Mike Sharavjamts

• Ed Cooley flipped a couple of Providence commits to Georgetown. (No surprise)

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