Marching To Madness

Coach Steve Forbes is back on “Marching to Madness” as he was one of my first guests on the show back in 2016 when we started. Coach Forbes has a 180-83 (.694) record in five years at East Tennessee State and three at Wake Forest. Currently, he has a top-rated transfer class headed to Wake Forest with key returnees in Cameron Hildreth, Damari Monsanto, and Andrew Carr. Topics of discussion include: The Demon Deacons transfer class and the new freshmen that come into the team Coaching changes on the squad Characteristics that facilitate building a winner How Cameron Hildreth, Damari Monsanto, and Andrew Carr can take their games to another level … And much more!

Coach Ritchie McKay took his Liberty Flames to the NIT where they took a win over Villanova before a 65-61 loss to Wisconsin. Liberty shared the ASUN regular season title with Kennesaw State before a 67-66 loss to the Owls in the ASUN championship. The Flames lose a stellar point guard in Darius McGhee, who was a three-time ASUN Player of the Year. Liberty moves into the CUSA next season as once again conferences will be stocked with new teams throughout the game. Topics of discussion include: The Flames’ overall 2022-23 campaign Darius McGhee once again wins ASUN POY Working a new rotation throughout the summer Liberty’s movement into Conference USA … And much more!

Coach Dustin Kerns has just finished his fourth season as the head coach of the Mountaineers as ASU once again possessed one of the country’s top defenses, Coach Kerns returns his starting five which includes Appalachian State’s top two scorers in Donovan Gregory and Terence Harcum. Coach Kerns discussed his thoughts on the four new teams in the Sun Belt which gave the conference 14 members. Topics of discussion include: The consistent defensive stature of the Mountaineers The Sun Belt Conference adding the four new teams How for the offensive attack to improve Coach Kerns’ thoughts on the NCAA Tournament and NBA Playoffs … And much more!

SMC’s Randy Bennett picked up his 500th win this season and the Gaels and Gonzaga tied for the top spot in the WCC. Coach Bennett’s team is consistently one of the top defenses in the nation and SMC finished 27-8 as it allowed only 60.1 points per game and allowed opponents only 51.6 field goal attempts, 10th in college basketball. Topics of discussion include: The Gaels’ defensive mantra The dictation of Coach Bennett’s philosophy and his talent The return of Alex Ducas The impact of Aidan Mahaney as a freshman in ’22-’23 … And much more!

The Thundering Herd’s 24-8 record was one win off of Coach D’Antoni’s record of 25 ‘Ws’ in 2018. Marshall finished one game back of Southern Miss in the Sun Belt regular season standings. Tavion Kinsey moves to the next level as he will likely be picked in the NBA Draft as Andrew Taylor and Micah Handlogten decided to work the transfer portal. Topics of discussion include: Analysis of the 24-win season Losses of Kinsey, Taylor, and Handlogten Ability for rising role players to make an impact for Marshall Thoughts on Louisville’s legendary Denny Crum, who passed on Monday … And much more!

North Florida Ospreys head coach Matt Driscoll always implores one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation as Gonzaga, Washington, Houston, Pitt, Duquesne, and Kentucky. The Ospreys finished in the middle of the ASUN Conference as they lost at the buzzer to Bellarmine in the first round of the ASUN tournament. Coach Driscoll also chats about analytics as he uses certain analytics that coincide with his philosophy of the game. Topics of discussion include: The Ospreys’ usual tough non-conference schedule The course of coming through the UNF Basketball program Building a solid program Key analytics that coincide with Coach Driscoll’s roundball philosophy … And much more!

ODU Monarchs head coach Jeff Jones is back on “Marching to Madness” as he led the squad to a 19-12 overall record and 11-7 inside the Sun Belt Conference. The Monarchs finished 8-2 over the last 10 games and they finished tied for fifth in the conference. From the point, Chaunce Jenkins was the Monarchs’ leading scorer with 13.5 ppg as he shot 36.6 percent from three. Topics of discussion include: Abilities that allowed the Monarchs to go 8-2 late in the season Effects of the transfer portal The play of point guard Chaunce Jenkins Categorizing ODU’s first season in the Sun Belt … And much more!

Coach Bob Cantu is back on “Marching to Madness” as we wind up the college basketball season after UConn took its fifth national championship in the last 24 years on Monday night. The Huskies pulled away from San Diego State, 76-59, after the Aztecs had cut their deficit to 60-55 with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Coach Cantu had his own close relationships with members of the Final Four as he and FAU head coach Dusty May were at USC in 2001 and 2002. Coach Cantu has also known San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher since the mid-1990s while Cameron Whiteman is the manager at Miami as his father Kirk played for Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga at Bowling Green. Topics of discussion include: UConn’s fifth national title Adama Sanogo, Tristen Newton, and Jordan Hawkins as a prime triplicate for the Huskies San Diego State’s five-win run to the title game FAU and Miami as teams who could return a huge majority of players … And much more!

Coach Dusty May has had the Owls reaching its highest ground as a basketball program this season as they take on San Diego State in the Final Four in Houston on Saturday. They have registered 35 wins, most in school history, and they have knocked off Kansas State (Elite 8), Tennessee (Sweet 16), and Memphis (opening round). In the Round of 32, the Owls knocked off a tough Farleigh Dickinson team that defeated 1-seed Purdue in the opening round. This is a deep team that plays well together on both ends of the floor. Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin join Nick Boyd, Bryan Greenlee, and Michael Forrest to formulate one of the top three-point attacks in college basketball. Topics of discussion include: The Owls’ East Regional championship over Kansas State The play of guard Johnell Davis The versatility of the FAU attack Three-point field goals as a vital part of the attack … And much more!

Charlotte head coach Ron Sanchez led his 49ers to the CBI title with the win over Eastern Kentucky last week. Sanchez used a balanced attack as the 49ers were able to win four games against quality opponents in five nights to capture the CBI in Daytona Beach, Fla., at Ocean Center. Leading scorer Brice Williams posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Western Carolina while he had 25 as Charlotte knocked off the University of Milwaukee. Jackson Threadgill and Lu’cye Patterson helped to spur a 12-0 second-half run that helped to give Charlotte a 63-56 win over Radford. In the tournament’s championship game, Williams and Patterson led with 14 and 13 points respectively. Topics of discussion include: Winning the CBI Championship How the 49ers posted the CBI wins over four solid opponents in five nights The overall tournament success of CUSA this season Charlotte’s movement to the American Athletic Conference beginning in 2023-24

The Utah Valley Wolverines won the WAC regular season title and have a 28-8 mark as they match up with UAB in T-Mobile Arena in the NIT semifinals on Tuesday evening. Coach Mark Madsen has a multi-faceted team that plays well on both ends of the floor which includes a mobile fastbreak that averages 14.7 of the Wolverines’ 77.2 points per game. Madsen has raised the Wolverines into one of the top teams in a deep WAC as they are 48-20 over these past two seasons. Kenpom.com had the WAC rated as the 23rd Conference out of the 32 only two seasons ago and this year, the league was rated 11th. Topics of discussion include: The solidity in both the offensive and defensive approach Justin Harmon as a leader from the backcourt with Trey Woodbury and Le’Tre Darthard Aziz Bandaogo’s overall skills as he was the WAC Defensive Player of the Year Tim Fuller’s as an underrated player as he shoots 67 percent with .49 boards per night … And much more!

Coach Bob Cantu once again joins “Marching to Madness” as he has worked as an interim coach at USC with assistant coaching jobs at UTEP, Portland, Sacramento State, and Cal Poly. Coach Cantu has coached or recruited 14 NBA players as well as working under four NBA coaches. In this episode, he discusses Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament wins by Kansas State, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga and UConn before looking at the four matchups on Friday evening. Topics of discussion include: Marquise Nowell’s effect on Kansas State’s run Classics in Kansas State-Michigan State and UCLA-Gonzaga Florida Atlantic’s upset of Tennessee Friday night’s Sweet 16 matchups … And much more!

Coach Brad Korn has led his Southeast Missouri Redhawks to a four-game trek to when they turned up as winners in capturing the Ohio Valley Conference Championship. The Redhawks took an 89-82 win over Tennessee Tech in the championship game as Phillip Russell scored seven points in the overtime to finish off the championship victory. Topics of discussion include: The presence of Philip Russell and how he affects a game Chris Harris’s presence in the backcourt The Redhawks’ presence on offense How the campus and Cape Girardeau support Southeast Missouri hoops … And much more!

The Tigers finished the season on Saturday with a 79-70 victory over No. 17  Tennessee. Auburn shot 49 percent and was 8-of-22 from three as Wendell Green, Jr. led four Tigers in double figures with 24 points. Auburn is the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed Arkansas on Thursday evening. Topics of discussion include: Positive ballhandling numbers Defense has only allowed opponents to shoot 28.8 percent from three The work of big man Johni Broome on both ends of the floor The overall contributions of Allen Flanigan … And much more!

Coach DeVries is back on “Marching to Madness” as his Bulldogs are a deep and experienced team that are led by Roman Penn and DJ Wilkins in the backcourt and leading scorer Tucker DeVries in the middle. Drake has won 13 of its last 15 games and will look for potentially another showdown with Bradley as the Bulldogs split with the Braves in the regular season. Topics of discussion include: Being able to win three of four OT games Having Roman Penn and DJ Wilkins together on the floor Tucker DeVries’ scoring and rebounding skills Having experience and depth in tournament play … And much more!

UNCG Spartans head coach Mike Jones has his club as the third seed in the Southern Conference Tournament with the 8:30 game on Saturday evening. The Spartans finished 14-4 in league play which was one game behind Furman and Samford who tied for the top spot. Topics of discussion include: A competitive 14-4 record in the Missouri Valley Conference Using the matchups and efficiency in averaging eight three-point field goals per game Keshaun Langley and Keondre Kennedy as a solid backcourt Mikeal Brown-Jones, who shoots 59 percent from the floor … And much more!

Bradley Braves head coach Brian Wardle checks in as he has his Braves posted in a challenge with Drake as Sunday’s winner wins the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and the 1-seed at “Arch Madness” this upcoming week. The Braves are a solid inside-outside team on offense and they have an adjusted defensive efficiency rating in the top 9-percent in the nation. Topics of discussion include: Offensive and defensive keys in the current 9-game winning streak Rienk Mast’s post presence on both ends of the floor The versatility of guard Ja’Shon Henry Malevy Leons joining Mast in the post … And much more!!!

Coach Donnie Tyndall has led the Chipola JC Indians to the JC Final Four in each of his first two seasons and currently, at 27-2, Chipola can win another Panhandle Conference with a win over Tallahassee CC on Saturday.. The Panhandle Conference is one of the top JC conferences in college basketball and Tyndall has an 80-13 overall record in leading the Indians in the third season. Tyndall is one of the top basketball minds inside the game on offense, defense, and all the depth of knowledge inside the game’s intangibles. Topics of discussion include: Having the No. 1 team in the nation and a 21-0 start Outscoring opponents by 17 points per game Top two scorers in Derrick Butler and Deyton Albury The defensive status of the Indians … And much more!

Coach Casey Alexander has his Belmont Bruins in line for a bye in their first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. In order to nail that down, a win at Northern Iowa on Sunday will bring forth that opportunity for Belmont. Wednesday, the Bruins came from 19 down to defeat Indiana State, 89-88. Topics of discussion include: Ben Sheppard as an MVC first teamer 13 consecutive seasons that the Bruins have won at least 20 games The Bruins’ renowned three-point game Assist makers Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Keyshawn Davidson … And much more!!!

Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel checks in to discuss the Panthers as they are currently tied for first in the ACC. Capel is the brother of head coach Jason Capel as the duo have been a key in the resurgence of Pitt basketball as the Panthers won 10 of 11 after a 1-3 start and they have won six in a row. Blake Hinson leads the Panthers in scoring at 15.9 ppg as the Panthers have four players who average double figures. Topics of discussion include: The shooting and playmaking skills of Jamarius Burton Blake Hinson’s strengths as a scorer and a rebounder The inside play of Federiko Federiko Pitt’s defensive persona