Marching To Madness

Coach Simon joined MTM on Friday as we discussed the transition from Southern Utah to Bowling Green, the play of Marcus Hill, and the play of power forward Rashaun Agee. The Falcons picked up an 81-72 win over Ball State last Wednesday before a tough 77-76 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday. Topics of discussion include: Major parts of Marcus Hill’s overall game Improvement of Rashaun Agee over last season The Falcons’ physical presence of the Bowling Green squad Consistent challenges in the MAC Much more!

Coach Becker discusses his 16-5 Catamounts who are also 6-0 and lead the American East Conference. We talk about Saturday’s 67-57 win over Bryant as that left Vermont alone atop the AEC. Coach Becker and I also discuss his defense and how it is a major point in the Catamounts’ attack again this season. Topics of discussion include: The win over Bryant and the defensive effort in that win How Vermont’s patented defense has once again been a key in AEC play so far in ’23-’24 Shamir Bogues’ overall presence T.J. Long’s versatile offensive abilities Much more!

Utah State Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle is in his first season as the Aggies’ head coach after four seasons at Montana State where he led the Bobcats into the NCAA Tournament last season. Coach Sprinkle has led USU to a 17-2 overall record and 5-1 in the Mountain West where the Aggies are tied for first with Boise State. Coach Sprinkle joins us on a milestone 900th episode of  “Marching to Madness”. Topics of discussion include: Rebounding from the first MW loss to New Mexico with a win over Fresno State Coach Sprinkle’s philosophies on offense and defense Great Osobor’s consistency on both ends of the floor The play of Ian Martinez and Darius Brown in the backcourt Much more!

Coach Newman makes his debut on MTM as his Cal State Northridge Matadors check in at 4-2 in the Big West and 13-5, overall. They are on a collision course with their first winning season since 2008-09 and if they continue to win, CSB can position itself for a high seed in the Big West Tournament. This team plays an exciting style of offense which allows them to shoot 47.2 percent per game. Topics of discussion include: Offensive sustainability De’Sean Allen-Eakins and Dionte Bostic as a talented inside-outside combination Gianni Hunt’s step forward Coach Newman’s 10 seasons as an assistant and interim head coach at CS Fullerton Much more!

Coach Casey Alexander is back on MTM as his Bruins have once again been a tough out in the MVC with the transition and three-point games that are clear indicators of the program. The Bruins were tied for first with four other teams going into the weekend after defeating Drake and Illinois State last week. Malik Dia is a huge key for Belmont and could be a possible MVC Player of the Year if he continues to be a consistent producer. Topics of discussion include: Malik Dia’s overall game Cade Tyson and Ja’Kobi Gillespie joining Dia in the backcourt Keishawn Davidson’s re-emergence after injuries last season Methods of attack from game to game in the tough Missouri Valley Much more!

Coach Dawkins once again joins “Marching to Madness” as we chatted about the Knights’ 65-60 win over Kansas on Wednesday evening. Coach Dawkins also gave some information on BYU, who visits the Knights on Saturday. Ibrahima Diallo was major in the middle as he scored 13 points and held Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson to 12. The Knights’ had an advantage in athleticism and versatility as those both attributed to the upset of the Jayhawks. Topics of discussion include: The Initial Big 12 win over No. 3 Kansas The play of Ibrahima Diallo The transition into Big 12 play Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson in the backcourt Much more!

Coach Pitino discusses the season so far as the Lobos are currently 13-3 overall and 1-2 in what is always a tough Mountain West Conference. We discussed the backcourt of Donovan Dent, Jamal Mashburn, Jr., and Jalen House. we talked about some analytics and we talked about the potential of freshman JT Toppin. Topics of discussion include: New Mexico’s 77-60 win over Wyoming followed by an 83-73 loss at UNLV Donovan Dent’s as a scorer, playmaker, and assist-man An average possession length of 15.4 seconds, 22nd in college basketball The scoring ability of Jamal Mashburn, Jr. Much more!

Coach Pearl has entered his tenth season as the Auburn head basketball coach and his Tigers are off to a 7-2 start as they created a strong week with a 104-76 win over Indiana and an 87-62 victory over UNC Asheville. Pearl discusses Auburn’s depth, two monumental wins this week over Indiana and UNC Asheville, as well as his players and Sunday’s matchup with USC at Neville Arena. Topics of discussion include: Having 10 or 11 Tigers who can fit his rotation Wins over Indiana and UNC Asheville The illusion of Johni Broome’s numbers vs. Indiana/UNCA Sunday’s matchup with Southern Cal

Coach Smith is back on MTM as he led his Utah Utes to a 73-69 win over rival BYU on Saturday evening which was his first win against the Cougars as Utah’s head coach. The Utes have a deep team that is one of the Top 25 in the nation in offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com. Seven-foot center Branden Carlson has become a tough matchup as he takes 29.5 percent of the Utes’ shots and leads them in scoring at 17 ppg. Topics of discussion include: Key points on Utah’s win over BYU Utah’s consistency in sharing the basketball Branden Carlson’s dynamics as a 7-foot center The depth of the Pac-12

Coach Ingelsby discusses Delaware’s 87-80 win over Xavier as well as the effectiveness of Jalun Trent in the win as well as a key overall player. We also discuss the shooting ability of Jyare Davis and Cavan Reilly, as Reilly has shot 45.1 percent from three. Coach Ingelsby has a solid team in finding the open man inside of the offensive structure. Topics of discussion include: Key points in how the Blue Hens won at Xavier Jalun Trent’s ability in the clutch Gerald Drumgoole’s versatility The average of 15.2 assists per game

Coach D’Antoni is working to remake the Thundering Herd after they lost two key leaders and all-around players, Taevion Kinsey and Andy Taylor. Marshall is working on getting its guards into a rhythm on offense which will help to give it quality output on both ends of the floor. Marshall is currently one of the top teams in the nation in average possession which is at 14.7 seconds. Topics of discussion include: Key issues in the tough start The effects of losing Taevion Kinsey and Andy Taylor Biggest problems in opponents shooting and scoring at a high level Leadership and it’s resolve to win … And much more!

James Madison head coach Mark Byington sees his Dukes continue their second season in the Sun Belt Conference. JMU already has thrust itself into the Top 25 after a 79-76 opening-night victory over Michigan State. Coach Byington discusses his approach to the running game and its pace in solidifying the Dukes as one of the top transition teams in the nation. Topics of discussion include: The Dukes’ opening day win at Michigan State Team culture in it’s current No. 22 rating The play of Terrence Edwards and TJ Bickerstaff and other players The depth and ability of Sun Belt basketball … And much more!

Coach Seth Greenberg joined ESPN in 2012 and has been one of the top college basketball minds as a coach or in-studio. On today’s show, he talks about the ACC-SEC challenge as the two conferences split the 14 games with seven wins each. Greenberg looks inside the matchups at some key ideas from each game and he also discusses Florida Atlantic as a solid program once again this season. Coach Greenberg recorded 383 wins in his 22 seasons as a head coach in rebuilding Long Beach State, South Florida, and Virginia Tech. Topics of discussion include: Bringing college basketball coaching fundamentals to the set Thoughts on games in the SEC-ACC Challenge Thoughts on Florida Atlantic’s overall progression The loss of the Pac-12

Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay has his Flames off to a 6-0 start as they ready themselves for Florida Atlantic and Charleston this weekend. The Flames are led by Kyle Rode who is the leading scorer so far as he paces five teammates in double figures. After a solid non-conference slate, Liberty looks forward to its first season in the revamped Conference USA. Topics of discussion include: Winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational Kyle Rode leading five Flames in double figures Defensively philosophy as derived from six years at Virginia Entering Conference USA … And much more!

Coach Murphy is in his fourth season as associate head coach at Arizona as he is known as one of the top recruiters inside the game. Murphy discusses Arizona’s win over Duke as well as players in the Wildcats’ rotation. Arizona lost four key scorers from last season, but Coach Murphy, Coach Lloyd, and the staff did an outstanding job bringing in a new group of Wildcats who will work towards another Pac-12 title and look for a deep run into March. Watch San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson, known as a solid defender, who currently leads six Wildcats who average in double figures. Topics of discussion include: Arizona’s win at Duke Six Wildcats currently averaging double figures Keshad Johnson’s dynamic abilities The development of Oumar Ballo Much more!

Coach Driscoll is back on “Marching to Madness”  as he and the Ospreys have worked to restructure after losing their top five scorers as four entered the transfer portal while Carter Hendrickson will start his professional career in Poland. Oscar Berry and Chaz Lanier return as Berry shot 40% from three last season while Lanier encompassed a multidimensional game. Topics of discussion include: Analytical thoughts about the players on the overall roster Evaluation of how the transfer portal has affected UNF hoops Competition in the ASUN The usual tough non-conference schedule Much more!

Pepperdine’s Lorenzo Romar is back on “Marching to Madness” as he discusses the overall production of leading returning scorer Taylor Mallette. Coach Romar also details the additions for the Waves through the transfer portal where former USC Trojan Ethan Anderson returns to southern California after one year at Wyoming. Pepperdine has plenty of depth which should help the Waves establish a solid rotation. Topics of discussion include: Maxwell Lewis who has now transitioned to the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers Taylor Mallette as the Waves’ leading returning scorer Incoming talent which features Ethan Anderson, who has played in two NCAA Tournaments The inside of Jevon Porter’s game as he was a member of the WCC all-freshmen team a year ago Much more!

Appalachian State head coach Dustin Kerns joins “Marching to Madness” as his Mountaineers are picked in the Top 3 of most every Sun Belt Conference preseason preview or poll. He discusses returning five starters as his team equates to 70 percent of it’s returning scoring and 70 percent of its minutes played. In 2021, Kerns led the Mountaineers to their first conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000. Topics of discussion include: Keys to keeping a roster intact with the adamant transfer portal The versatility of Donovan Gregory Xavion Brown and Terence Harcum as key members of the roster once again Getting ready in a 14-team conference, game by game Much more!

Coach Kelsey discusses philosophies which he works on with his players daily to make Charleston a top-level basketball program. The Cougars’ 20 consecutive wins a year ago were a school record as they won the CAA regular season as well as the tournament. Charleston returns its second and third leading scorers in Ante Brzovic (11.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Will Reyne (10.8 ppg) as well as a solid role player in Ben Burnham, who averaged nearly 17 minutes per game while finding an average of 6.3 shots in his minutes. Topics of discussion include: Philosophies that are solid parts of being a Cougar The connectivity inside of Coach Kelsey’s program Returning Brzovic, Reyne and Burnham The additions of transfers and freshmen into Charleston basketball Much more!

Coach Eric Konkol is back on “Marching to Madness” as the Golden Hurricane looks to push forward in this season’s remade American Athletic Conference. Tulsa will look to use its defense as a key to being competitive after it gave up around 77 points per game last season. Cobe Williams and Keaston Willis are a pair of solid players who came over with Konkol from Louisiana Tech Topics of discussion include: Williams’ leadership skills for the Golden Hurricane Willis’ improvement and shooting ability Returning Jesaiah Wright and Ari Seals The reconfiguration of the AAC Much more!