Make your March plans

We've got schedules, brackets, NCAA Tournament projections, prizes, you name it. Plus, UNC and West Virginia got wins, and a Virginia coaching legend dies.

Author

Mike Miller
February 28, 2023

The ASUN Conference tournament started last night, which means the next five weeks are some of the most glorious in college hoops: Two weeks of fighting for automatic bids and three more of March Madness.

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Now, let's get to Monday's news.

1. Shoot your way off the bubble

Armando Bacot was struggling against Florida State. So North Carolina kept it simple. It rained 3s.

The Tar Heels displayed some torrid first-half shooting beyond the arc, then some steely plays late in a 77-66 win Monday night over Florida State for their third-straight win. UNC (19-11, 11-8 in ACC) entered the game hitting just 30.3 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in school history. So it was probably overdue for a night like this.

The Heels drilled 11 trifectas in the first and finished the game 14-of-29 overall. It only connected on nine shots inside the arc, a rare game in which 60 percent of its points came from deep. That's how it goes when Bacot scores just 1 point in 21 minutes. Everyone got in on the act, too. Pete Nance, Leaky Black, RJ Davis and Caleb Love all made three 3s.

“All the guys did a good job of stepping up,” Bacot said afterward. “Obviously, it wasn’t one of my best games and for us to come in here and win an environment like that. I mean, they kind of chipped back a little bit at the end, but for everybody to step up was huge.”

Now, North Carolina closes its regular season with a home game against Duke, which could be just its second Quad 1 win of the season. They're currently on the wrong side of the bubble (more on that below), but some more shooting nights like this will quickly reverse that.

West Virginia's also on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. But, just like North Carolina, it got a much-needed win on Monday when it won at Iowa State, 72-69.

The Mountaineers (17-13, 6-11 in Big 12) trailed by eight at halftime and couldn't seem to solve Iowa State's no-middle defense. So it adjusted in the second half and had it all tied just five minutes in.

Johnson started hounding Iowa State's Gabe Kalscheur, who finished with a game-high 26 points but picked up his fourth foul with 7:56 remaining in the game. That prompted an Iowa State cold spell. The Cyclones (17-12, 8-9) scored just 11 points the rest of the game.

They've now dropped four in a row and six of their past seven but should have a strong enough profile that they make the Big Dance with one more win this season.

As for West Virginia, it wraps its regular season on Saturday at home against K-State. They're 26th in NET, 19th on KenPom and have played a tougher schedule than all but five teams this season. Can they get in?

You know what Rob Dauster says. Never count out Bob Huggins.

2. Baylor's guards bear down

Baylor didn't have freshmen phenom Keyonte George on Monday night, who was out with an ankle injury.

So it simply leaned on its upperclassmen.

LJ Cryer and Dale Bonner each supplied 15 points, and Adam Flagler added 14 as the Bears (22-8, 11-6 in Big 12) beat Oklahoma State 74-68 on Monday night.

“With Adam and LJ, it makes it easy to sleep at night. Dale was tremendous down the stretch,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “It starts with your backcourt, they’ve got experience, they made free throws, they take care of the basketball, so you really trust them.”

With Baylor nursing a five-point lead in the final minute, Bonner and Flagler hit free throws to maintain their advantage and keep the Cowboys (16-14, 7-10) winless in their past five games.

Oklahoma State ends its season Saturday at Texas Tech. If it doesn't get a win there or exits early in the Big 12 tourney, it'll hope its NET rating (46), advanced metrics (45 in KenPom) and strength of schedule (7) will sway the NCAA Tournament seeding committee.

Other results to know:

Wyoming 80, Nevada 71Jeremiah Oden scored 28 points and Hunter Maldonado had 25 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists as the Cowboys (9-20, 4-13 in MWC) gave Nevada a loss that might hurt, come Selection Sunday. The Wolf Pack (22-8, 12-5) should still be in the field (they were a 9 seed in our latest projection), but a first-round loss in the MWC tournament might be too much.

Bellarmine 76, North Florida 74Juston Betz's jumper gave us March vibes.

That sent the Knights (15-17) past the Ospreys (14-17) in the opener of the Atlantic Sun tournament, where they'll now face favorite Liberty. Gonna need some more magic to get a win there.

Queens 61, Florida Gulf Coast 55The Royals (18-14) had all five starters hit double figures as they won their ASUN tourney opener. They'll face top-seeded Kennesaw State tonight.

Howard 82, SC State 78Jelani Williams scored 23 points as the Bison (18-12, 10-3 in MEAC) clinched at least a share of the league title thanks to the win and Norfolk State's loss to NC Central. Howard can win the title outright when it plays Norfolk State on Thursday.

Grambling State 66, Bethune Cookman 54The Tigers (20-8, 13-3 in SWAC) outscored the Wildcats 24-13 over the final 10 minutes and stayed tied atop the SWAC. Carte'Are Gordon led the way with 22 points.

Alcorn State 89, Texas Southern 81PJ Henry scored 41 points, but it wasn't enough to beat the Braves (16-12, 13-3 in SWAC), who got 33 points from Jeremiah Kendall and stayed tied with Grambling for the league lead. Both teams have two conference games remaining.

Weber State 90, Northern Arizona 89, OTSteven Verplancken scored 26 points and the Wildcats (17-14, 12-6 in Big Sky) got the W, but it wasn't without some drama. Liam Lloyd did this to send it to OT. It wasn't a game-winner like Bellarmine, but any buzzer-beater this close to March always feels good.

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3. Who's in, and who's sweating?

Our latest Fielding the 68 bracketology show (next show is Friday at 5 pm ET, then Mon.-Wed.-Fri. next week) dropped some knowledge Monday, including what's keeping Michigan, North Carolina, Utah State and Wisconsin out of the NCAA Tournament field.

The show was done before Monday's games, so the UNC win isn't reflected in the bracket below, but it wasn't a win that helped UNC because of Florida State's NET ranking (216 entering Monday.) The only thing that would've significantly impacted the Heels was a loss. So a win was what they needed.

Now, if they beat Duke at home on Saturday, that's another Quad 1 win. And then UNC and its fans can start to feel a little better.

But enough about the Heels! Feels like we've written and discussed them more this season than we ever would've if they had just been a good team. Plenty more teams to discuss, including the case for No. 1 seeds, who made the cut, and much more.

Watch the full show here, or just stare at the bracket as I do for about 20 minutes. It's quite soothing at the end of a long Monday.

4. Plan out your TV time accordingly

It starts slow — just two ASUN games last night — but conference tournament momentum is going to build quickly. So do yourself a favor. Use the chart below to ensure you don't miss what matters the next two weeks. (Or click here and bookmark it on Twitter.)

If you need brackets for a specific conference, we've got you covered there as well.

If you need previews and odds for who's winning those tournaments, might I suggest Will Warren's site, StatsByWill? In it, you'll note some oddities (why isn't UNC Asheville the heavy favorite in the Big South? And will anyone test Oral Roberts?), so it's worth your time.

5. Virginia coaching icon Terry Holland dies

Terry Holland, the man who elevated Virginia basketball into a powerhouse in the 1980s and took the Cavs to Final Fours in 1981 and 1984, died Sunday at 80, the school announced.

Holland had been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last few years.

“As both a successful coach and respected administrator, Terry Holland leaves an indelible imprint on the University of Virginia, the ACC, college basketball and college athletics,” the ACC said in a statement. “He was a true gentleman that embraced his players and colleagues as family. Our hearts will remain with his wife Ann and the entire Holland family.”

Holland coached Virginia from 1974 to 1990 and held the record for all-time school wins (326) until Tony Bennett passed it this season. The school had just three winning seasons before Holland's arrival, which resulted in NCAA Tournament appearances (nine), an NIT title in 1980 and their first ACC Tournament title in 1976, no small feat given the school's hoops pedigree.

The willowy Holland played college hoops and Davidson, and later coached the Wildcats, then served as the school's Athletic Director when he retired as Virginia's coach at 46.

There's more to be said about Holland, but I'll encourage you to read David Teel's column from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He covered the Cavs for years. Few writers can pay a better tribute.

Go ahead. Stay up late.

San Diego State's poised to win its third Mountain West title in the last four seasons. The team that won last year? Boise State. And that's what's cool about Tuesday night's showdown in Boise (9 pm ET, CBS Sports Network). It's the league's two most consistent programs over the last few seasons and at football-proud schools, no less. Simply put, it's high-quality basketball. And it's coming from programs that you should pay attention to before the NCAA Tournament begins. Also, this is essential reading.

What else to watch (All times ET)

  • NC State (22-8, 12-7, in ACC) at Duke (21-8, 12-6), 7 pm (ESPN)

  • Saint Louis at VCU, 7 pm (CBS Sports Network)

  • Clemson (21-8, 13-5 in ACC) at Virginia (21-6, 13-5), 7 pm (ACC Network)

  • Iowa (18-11, 10-8 in Big Ten) at Indiana (20-9, 11-7), 7 pm (ESPN2)

  • Texas Tech (16-13, 5-11 in Big 12) at Kansas (24-5, 12-4), 9 pm (ESPN)

  • Arkansas (19-10, 8-8 in SEC) at Tennessee (21-8, 10-6), 9 pm (ESPN2)

Flying high

Not a fan of picking No. 1 seeds to win it all in your bracket? Looking for a team that's over-achieved all season and will be one of the feel-good stories in March? Here you go.

Links as you once again wonder why we only have 28 days in February.

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