Marching to Madness

Coach Eran Ganot checks in after his Warriors finished the season with 10 wins in their last 14 games. The competitiveness gave them an opening night win in the Big West Tournament and put them in a position to face Cal-Davis in the semi-finals where they lost a tough 68-65 decision. Coach Ganot has led the Warriors to winning percentages in each of the last seven seasons as they posted their first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2014-2015. Topics of Discussion include: The Warriors’ six seniors who provided them with a 20-win season Coach Ganot’s administration of a plan of attack on both ends of the floor The evaluation of how to use the transfer portal Tom Beattie and Ryan Rapp as two strong players on the 2024-25 roster … And much more!!!

We catch back up with Oregon State head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle as his Beavers were a freshman/sophomore-oriented team that lost nine games by eight points or less during the season. Coach Tinkle finished his 18th season as a head coach as he finished his 10th season at Oregon State after eight years at Montana. Next season, Oregon State and Washington State will play in the WCC as the Beavers and Cougars who are the two returning Pac-12 teams. Topics of Discussion include: Oregon State’s 23-24 campaign with such a young roster The movement of Beavers’ hoops into the Pac-12 for next season Thoughts on the transfer portal and NIL Looking at this weekend’s Final Four

Coach Cantu checks back in on “Marching to Madness” as he and I discuss the tournament from lots of angles, including our thoughts on the misses the NCAA made in seeding and placing teams. We also went around the country and discussed the Big 12 and SEC as well as teams we thought could pull upsets. Coach Cantu also named his Final Four and national champion. Topics of Discussion Include: Big 12 and SEC Invitees to the Tournament Basketball discussions dealing with the reputations of different teams Teams that could crash the Tournament’s party Thoughts on players on teams that could make a difference … And much more!

Coach Jones is no stranger to basketball in Florida as he was an assistant at Florida for 11 years and built teams at Marshall and UCF as head coaches at both schools. He came into DeLand, Fla. five years ago and led the Stetson Hatters to 22 wins this season.  They finished second in the Atlantic Sun and won the tournament on Sunday with a 94-91 victory over a tough Austin Peay Governors squad. In addition, the NCAA Tournament bid will be the first in Stetson basketball history. Jalen Blackmon was phenomenal in the title game as the Hatters leading scorer netted 43 points for the win. Topics of Discussion include: The Hatters’ ASUN championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament The play and style of Jalen Bridges Building Stetson into a solid basketball program College Basketball in the Sunshine State Much more!

Coach Penders returns to MTM as we talk Big 12 and how Houston made the trek into the conference from the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars didn’t miss a beat behind Coach Kelvin Sampson as they won by two games over Iowa State. Coach Penders also chats about his life as a coach at 7 different schools where he was at seven stops and won a total of 649 games. He took Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington, and Houston and built those programs as he took the Cougars on the rebuild. Coach Penders turned all of these into NCAA Tournament teams and he not only made the tournament, but he took them deep into the brackets on several occasions. Coach Penders played basketball and baseball at UConn and was the 116th pick in the eighth round of the 1968 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians. Topics of discussion include: The Houston Cougars winning the Big 12 in their first season in the league Basketball philosophies that Coach Penders has developed through his career Texas guard Max Abmas The approach to playing and being successful in the NCAA Tournament

Coach Kerns led the Mountaineers to the best conference record in school history at 16-2 in the rigorous Sun Belt Conference. The 26 wins were the most in a regular season in App history as well. The Mountaineers won a pair of tight four and six-point victories over James Madison as they finished one fame ahead of the Dukes for the regular season title. Topics of discussion include: The defensive characterization inside the on-court attack Only averaging 13 fouls per game The balance in scoring between the top seven players in the rotation The dynamics of Donovan Gregory, Terence Harcum, and  Tre’Von Spillers Much more!

Coach Hodge steps onto the hardwood at “Marching to Madness” as he is in his first season as the North Texas Mean Green head coach. He discusses his team’s defensive philosophy as he spent six seasons as coach Grant McCasland’s assistant in Denton, Texas. Coach Hodge coached at the junior college level as he rolled up a 146-24 record at Paris JC and Midland College. Topics of discussion include: Coach Hodge’s coaching career The defensive mindset of the Mean Green Jason Edwards’ averaging 18.6 points and 14.2 shots per game “The Mastermind of the North Texas Defense” Much more!

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson comes back onto the “Marching to Madness” college basketball podcast as his Cougars are sitting at No. 1 this week while they lead Iowa State in the Big 12 race by one game. We chat about the toughness and backcourt skills of Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, and Emanuel Sharp and posts, J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis. The Cougars defeated Cincinnati, 67-59, on Monday as they scored 15 points off of 19 Bearcats turnovers. Topics of discussion include: The Cougars as a sustainable basketball team The backcourt presence of Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, and Emanuel Sharp Post-play with J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis The skills of freshman JoJo Tugler, who averages 16 minutes per game

The Washington State Cougars have had a strong season in the Pac-12 as they sit one game behind Arizona for the league lead. Coach Smith and I talk about the Cougs’ trips into Arizona State last week as well as look at the two home matchups with USC and USC at the end of this week. WSU features a big lineup with Isaac Jones in the middle and Myles Rice, Jaylen Wells, and Andrej Jakimovski as consistent three-point producers. Topics of discussion include: Last week’s trip to Arizona as well as checking out UCLA and USC in the Palouse this weekend The inside play of leading scorer Isaac Jones On the perimeter with Myles Rice and Jaylen Wells Coach Smith’s hopes of capturing third base in Houston as a senior in high school and an Astros fan

Coach Turner once again has his Anteaters battling for the top spot in Big West basketball. Currently, they hold a one-game lead over UC Irvine and they match up with a solid rival in UCSB on Thursday night before playing at UC San Diego on Saturday evening. This team is known for it’s stingy defense as well as connectivity on offense as those are two keys in building a tough team that has potential in March. Topics of discussion include: The Anteaters’ control of defensive analytics, via kenpom.com, in the Big West Building a three-point attack as part of the overall offensive scheme Justin Hohn, Andre Henry, and Pierre Cockrell on the perimeter Coach Turner closes on his ninth 20-win season with the Anteaters Much more!

Coach Drew returns to MTM as his Baylor Bears have won four of their last five following a three-game losing streak where all of the losses were one possession. Baylor is one of the top offenses in the nation as the Bears average 82.6 points per game and are ranked fourth on kenpom.com in raw offensive efficiency. Ja’Kobe Walter leads six Bears in double figures as the Baylor offense is one of the toughest matchups inside the game. Topics of discussion include: Following the three-game losing streak by winning four out of five How opponents generally matchup with the Bears’ offense The offensive abilities of different players Freshman big man Yves Missi’s quickness on both ends of the floor Much more!

The Charlotte 49ers are off to their best start in a league since 2005 in Atlantic 10 play. Coach Aaron Feaene and his staff have developed a physical team that is one game back of first place behind South Florida and tied with Florida Atlantic as they and the Owls have two losses in the AAC. Charlotte is a physical team with several options on offense as they play Pack-Line Defense as their ultimate defensive scheme. Topics of discussion include: Charlotte’s successful first season in the AAC Coach Fearne’s background as a coach and player in Australia’s Pro League Leadership ability of Lu’Cyr Patterson Dishon Jackson and Igor Milic in the post Much more!

Yale Bulldogs head coach James Jones is back on MTM with his Bulldogs in the Ivy League lead at 16-6, overall, and a perfect 7-0 in Ivy League play. Yale has won nine consecutive games as they defeated Cornell, 80-78, to take the outright Ivy lead. Watch 7-0 Danny Wolf, who posted 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Big Red as his versatility gives Jones the ability to run a 5-out offense with Wolf as a threat on the perimeter as well as in the paint. Topics of discussion include: Coming from 15-down to edge Cornell on a three-pointer by Matt Knowling Danny Wolf’s overall ability The versatility of Bez Mbang How the schedule breaks for the Bulldogs down the stretch Much more!

Coach Senderoff and the Golden Flashes are in the middle of the Mac right now where seven teams are within two games each. The MAC only brings eight teams to its conference tournament, so Kent State is among the teams that hope to keep winning down the stretch and create one of those top eight seeds for Golden Flashes hoops. Kent State is a solid three-point shooting team which is a key to their squad’s offensive approach. Topics of discussion include: Kent State moving into the middle of the MAC at half of the league season Jalen Sullinger and Gio Santiago on the perimeter VonCameron Davis’ approach to the game and his leadership The Golden Flashes’ rematch with Northern Illinois on Saturday Much more!

Coach May has seen his Florida Atlantic Owls portray a solid follow-up to last season’s Final Four as they have recorded an 18-4 record and 8-1 in the AAC at this point. The Owls are tied for first place with South Florida as both currently have once loss each and FAU has currently won seven in a row. Coach May discusses his roster as well as the high level of offensive intensity which has the Owls in the Top 15 in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Topics of discussion include: Coach May’s returnees from last season’s Final Four squad The prolific offense that averaged 36.9 percent from three How guard Johnell Davis has gotten even better The inside presence of 7-1 Vladislav Goldin Much more!

Coach Alan Huss makes his initial entrance to the “Marching to Madness” college basketball podcast in his first season as head coach of the High Point Panthers. Coach Huss has led HPU to a 20-4 record and the Panthers are currently alone at the top of the league with a 9-0 BSC record. High Point is one of the fastest and most viable offenses in the country, averaging 84.9 points per game. Topics of discussion include: Coach Huss’s background at Creighton as he also coached high school, prep school and AAU basketball The 85 points per game as a scoring average Duke Miles and Kezza Griffa as a pair of consistent scorers The play of Kimani Hamilton at power forward

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!