TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama men’s basketball will be taking a trip to Europe this summer, the team announced in a release on Friday morning.
The Crimson Tide will travel to Spain and France over a 10-day stretch from Aug. 5-14, playing three games between Barcelona and Paris.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to have our program go on a foreign trip as a team to Barcelona and Paris,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said in a statement. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guys. It will give us all an opportunity to come together as a team before the season begins through the extra practices we’ll have, the educational and cultural experiences that we’ll encounter and the high-level competition that we plan on facing. It will be an experience that will remain with us all.”
Alabama will hold 10 practices prior to the tour, per NCAA rules. Two games will be played in Barcelona on Aug. 8-9, with one final game taking place in Paris on Aug. 12.
Opponents, tips times and locations of the games will be announced by the team at a later date.
Here’s the full release issued by Alabama athletics:
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Alabama Men’s Basketball Announces Foreign Trip to Spain, France in August
The Crimson Tide will play three games over a 10-day stretch from Aug. 5-14.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama men’s basketball team will venture on a 10-day foreign tour to Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France, in August, head coach Nate Oats has announced. The Crimson Tide will play two games and spend four days in Barcelona before traveling to Paris for another four days and one contest.
Per NCAA rules regarding a foreign tour, Alabama will hold 10 days of practices prior to departing Tuscaloosa. The Tide’s trip will begin on Aug. 5 when it departs Tuscaloosa for Atlanta. The Tide will arrive in Barcelona at 8:55 a.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 6.
The two games in Barcelona will be played Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, with the team departing for Paris on Aug. 10. The lone contest in France will take place Aug. 12. The team will return to Tuscaloosa on Aug. 14.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to have our program go on a foreign trip as a team to Barcelona and Paris,” head coach Nate Oats said. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guys. It will give us all an opportunity to come together as a team before the season begins through the extra practices we’ll have, the educational and cultural experiences that we’ll encounter and the high-level competition that we plan on facing. It will be an experience that will remain with us all.”
Further details surrounding the trip including opponents, tip times, locations and more will be announced at a later time.
UNCASVILLE, CT — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams for the 2022 Tip-Off Tournament, which includes Maryland. The annual NCAA men’s exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will take place Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Maryland will play Saint Louis on Nov. 19 and Miami will play Providence on the same day. The winners and losers will play the following day on Nov. 20.
Miami advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight this past season while Providence won the Big East Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Saint Louis advanced to the National Invitation Tournament last season.
“We are very excited to play in the 2022 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament,” said Maryland men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard. “This event features some of the best teams in the nation and we are excited to have an early-season challenge for our program. Playing at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is a great location for our fans to travel as we have a large following throughout the entire Northeast corridor, and they will be able to come and support the Terps.”
Maryland Men’s Basketball season tickets for the 2022-23 season are on sale now. Special sales packages are available to all fans who purchase by June 1. For more information, please visit umterps.com/willard.
Maryland and Saint Louis have played once previously with the Terrapins winning a 1994 NCAA Tournament First Round game in Kansas City, 74-66 on March 17, 1994 with Joe Smith leading the way with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The Terps and Miami have played 19 times with the Hurricanes leading the series, 12-7, with most of those games coming as ACC rivals. The teams last played on Jan. 29, 2014, a 74-71 Maryland victory.
Maryland and Providence have played three times with the Terps winning twice, including the last matchup on Nov. 25, 2013, a 56-52 victory in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Terps’ other win against the Friars came on Dec. 4, 1991, which was played at the Hartford Civic Center, that was Maryland’s last game played in the state of Connecticut.
Maryland has played in the Hall of Fame Classic, when the event was held in Springfield, Mass., in 1993, 1995 and 2004.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will continue to serve as the host conference for the annual event. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is also proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events.
“We look forward to another exciting weekend at the Mohegan Sun for the 2022 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This year’s field of teams will bring a high level of competition to one of the country’s best early-season events.”
Ticket information, game times and television broadcast details and will be released at a later date. As the health and safety of the athletes, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely in the coming months and provide updates as needed. For more information, please visit www.halloffametipoff.com.
2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Schedule:
Saturday, November 19
Maryland vs. Saint Louis
Providence vs. Miami
Sunday, November 20
Consolation Game
Championship Game
About Mohegan Sun Arena:
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Today. It has won “Casino of The Year” at the Country Music Awards in 2008 & 2010 and in 2013, was voted “Arena of The Year” at the G2E Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas. Mohegan Sun Arena was also ranked among the top 10 arena venues in the nation for 2014, regardless of size. In 2015, Mohegan Sun took home the IEBA award for “Casino of the Year.” Mohegan Sun also won “Casino of the Year” in 2 categories at the 2013 & 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1-888.226-7711, ext. 27163.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
The MAAC, headquartered in Edison, N.J., consists of 11 member institutions: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University and Siena College. For more on the conference, please visit www.maacsports.com.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall#HOFTipOff or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men’s basketball team will venture on a 10-day foreign tour to Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France, in August, head coach Nate Oats has announced. The Crimson Tide will play two games and spend four days in Barcelona before traveling to Paris for another four days and one contest.
Per NCAA rules regarding a foreign tour, Alabama will hold 10 days of practices prior to departing Tuscaloosa. The Tide’s trip will begin on Aug. 5 when it departs Tuscaloosa for Atlanta. The Tide will arrive in Barcelona at 8:55 a.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 6.
The two games in Barcelona will be played Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, with the team departing for Paris on Aug. 10. The lone contest in France will take place Aug. 12. The team will return to Tuscaloosa on Aug. 14.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to have our program go on a foreign trip as a team to Barcelona and Paris,” head coach Nate Oats said. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guys. It will give us all an opportunity to come together as a team before the season begins through the extra practices we’ll have, the educational and cultural experiences that we’ll encounter and the high-level competition that we plan on facing. It will be an experience that will remain with us all.”
Further details surrounding the trip including opponents, tip times, locations and more will be announced at a later time.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men’s basketball team will venture on a 10-day foreign tour to Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France, in August, head coach Nate Oats has announced. The Crimson Tide will play two games and spend four days in Barcelona before traveling to Paris for another four days and one contest.
Per NCAA rules regarding a foreign tour, Alabama will hold 10 days of practices prior to departing Tuscaloosa. The Tide’s trip will begin on Aug. 5 when it departs Tuscaloosa for Atlanta. The Tide will arrive in Barcelona at 8:55 a.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 6.
The two games in Barcelona will be played Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, with the team departing for Paris on Aug. 10. The lone contest in France will take place Aug. 12. The team will return to Tuscaloosa on Aug. 14.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to have our program go on a foreign trip as a team to Barcelona and Paris,” head coach Nate Oats said. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our guys. It will give us all an opportunity to come together as a team before the season begins through the extra practices we’ll have, the educational and cultural experiences that we’ll encounter and the high-level competition that we plan on facing. It will be an experience that will remain with us all.”
Further details surrounding the trip including opponents, tip times, locations and more will be announced at a later time.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
UNCASVILLE, CT — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams for the 2022 Tip-Off Tournament, which includes Maryland. The annual NCAA men’s exempt tournament sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will take place Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Maryland will play Saint Louis on Nov. 19 and Miami will play Providence on the same day. The winners and losers will play the following day on Nov. 20.
Miami advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight this past season while Providence won the Big East Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Saint Louis advanced to the National Invitation Tournament last season.
“We are very excited to play in the 2022 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament,” said Maryland men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard. “This event features some of the best teams in the nation and we are excited to have an early-season challenge for our program. Playing at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is a great location for our fans to travel as we have a large following throughout the entire Northeast corridor, and they will be able to come and support the Terps.”
Maryland and Saint Louis have played once previously with the Terrapins winning a 1994 NCAA Tournament First Round game in Kansas City, 74-66 on March 17, 1994 with Joe Smith leading the way with 29 points and 15 rebounds.
The Terps and Miami have played 19 times with the Hurricanes leading the series, 12-7, with most of those games coming as ACC rivals. The teams last played on Jan. 29, 2014, a 74-71 Maryland victory.
Maryland and Providence have played three times with the Terps winning twice, including the last matchup on Nov. 25, 2013, a 56-52 victory in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Terps’ other win against the Friars came on Dec. 4, 1991, which was played at the Hartford Civic Center, that was Maryland’s last game played in the state of Connecticut.
Maryland has played in the Hall of Fame Classic, when the event was held in Springfield, Mass., in 1993, 1995 and 2004.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will continue to serve as the host conference for the annual event. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is also proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events.
“We look forward to another exciting weekend at the Mohegan Sun for the 2022 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This year’s field of teams will bring a high level of competition to one of the country’s best early-season events.”
Ticket information, game times and television broadcast details and will be released at a later date. As the health and safety of the athletes, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely in the coming months and provide updates as needed. For more information, please visit www.halloffametipoff.com.
2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Schedule:
Saturday, November 19
Maryland vs. Saint Louis
Providence vs. Miami
Sunday, November 20
Consolation Game
Championship Game
About Mohegan Sun Arena:
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Today. It has won “Casino of The Year” at the Country Music Awards in 2008 & 2010 and in 2013, was voted “Arena of The Year” at the G2E Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas. Mohegan Sun Arena was also ranked among the top 10 arena venues in the nation for 2014, regardless of size. In 2015, Mohegan Sun took home the IEBA award for “Casino of the Year.” Mohegan Sun also won “Casino of the Year” in 2 categories at the 2013 & 2016 Academy of Country Music Awards. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1-888.226-7711, ext. 27163.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
The MAAC, headquartered in Edison, N.J., consists of 11 member institutions: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University and Siena College. For more on the conference, please visit www.maacsports.com.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall#HOFTipOff or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
• For the seventh time in program history, the FGCU men’s basketball team has reached the postseason as the Eagles accepted a bid to The Basketball Classic. The Eagles opened tournament play last Wednesday with a 95-79 win over Detroit Mercy in the first round. FGCU will now head to Coastal Carolina for a second-round match up on Monday night. The opening tip is set for 7 PM and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• Each round of The Basketball Classic will be reset similar to the old NIT model. The winner of the FGCU/CCU game will play later this week depending on travel schedules of each institution.
The Match-up
• Through 33 games this year, FGCU is averaging 78.0 points while giving up 73.4 per game. The Eagles have solid shooting numbers at 45.4 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from deep. FGCU ranks second in the league in scoring, fourth in scoring margin (+4.6), and third in three pointers made (10.2/game), while leading the league in assists (525, 15.9/game), rebounds (1288, 39.0/game) and blocked shots (162, 4.9/game).
• The Green and Blue is led by Tavian Dunn-Martin and Kevin Samuel who are averaging 21.5 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Samuel is averaging nearly a double-double with a team-best 9.8 rebounds, while adding 95 blocks. He has set the single-season record for blocked shots surpassing Kyle Marks (2008-09) who previously held it with 51.
• Cyrus Largie is the third leading scorer on the team at 10.6 points while adding 4.7 rebounds.
• Along with his scoring, Dunn-Martin also leads the Eagles and the ASUN in assists with 6.1 per game which ranks 6th nationally. Dunn-Martin, Caleb Catto, and Austin Richie are the top three-point shooters at .368, .366, and .357, respectively. Samuel is the overall field goal percentage leader at 64.2 percent from the floor which ranks 5th nationally. His 2.97 blocks per game also ranks 7th nationally while his 15 double-doubles this season are also 16th in the NCAA. He is also one of just three active players nationally to have 1,000 career points and rebounds. With 301 career blocks, he is the only player this season to add over 300 career swats as well.
• Coastal Carolina picked up a 66-42 win over Maryland Eastern Shore last Wednesday improving to 17-13 overall. CCU was 8-8 in Sun Belt play during the regular season and fell 70-64 to Georgia Southern in the first round of the league tournament.
• The Chanticleers have averaged 72.6 points per game on the year while allowing 64.5 per contest. CCU is coached by long-time veteran Cliff Ellis who is in his 15th season in Conway and 48th overall.
• Vince Cole leads Coastal in scoring with 15.4 points per game followed by Rudi Williams at 14.1 points per night. Essam Mostafa is posting nearly a double-double per game at 12.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Eagles Vs. Chanticleers
• This will be the first time the two teams have ever met.
Dunn-Martin, Samuel, Catto All Earn Postseason ASUN honors
• A trio of Eagles earned All-ASUN accolades this year Highlighted by Tavian Dunn-Martin being named the ASUN Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Yea and Kevin Samuel being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. The duo were also named to the All-ASUN First Team and Second Team, respectively.
• Dunn-Martin becomes the first FGCU player to be named Newcomer of the Year since Brandon Goodwin in 2016-17. Samuel also became the first Eagle to be named the Defensive Player of the Year since Demetris Morant did so in 2016-17 as well.
• Having the pair each named to All-ASUN teams is the first time since 2017-18 where FGCU had multiple players earn postseason honors when Goodwin and Zach Johnson were both named to the All-ASUN First Team.
• For the second consecutive season, FGCU men’s basketball senior Caleb Catto was named to the ASUN All-Academic Team.
Catto Earns Academic All-District
• Senior Caleb Catto was recently announced as a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District team highlighting his tremendous work on and off the court. As a member of the team, he is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as well.
• Catto becomes the first-ever member of the program to earn the accolade. He was also the first player to be named to the ASUN All-Academic Team following the 2020-21 campaign.
• The guard currently carries a 3.75 cumulative grade-point-average as an integrated studies major. He has posted 4.0 GPA’s in each of the last three semesters and was a member of the 2021 NABC Honors Court. Throughout his career, he has been honored on the FGCU President’s List and Dean’s List as well as on the ASUN Honor Roll. Catto serves on the Eagles Council (SAAC) as the group’s Secretary and has been a member of the E.A.G.L.E.S. Leadership Institute. He has also contributed 65 hours of service to the greater Southwest Florida community in projects such as Eagle Reading, Toys for Tots, and Seminole Basketball Camps.
Historic Season Numbers
• The Eagles have set or are on the verge of setting several single-season program records:
No. 1
Made 3pt FG
336
No. 1
Attempted 3 pt FG
957
No. 1
Blocks Per Game
4.9
No. 1
Total Blocks
162
No. 5
Assists Per Game
15.9
No. 5
Points Per Game
78.0
No. 6
Assists
525
No. 7
Rebounds Per Game
39.0
Samuel, Dunn-Martin Having Record Breaking Years
• Tavian Dunn-Martin is one of just 80 NCAA players since 1992-93 to have over 600 points and 180 assists in a single-season. He holds the FGCU single-game scoring record with 43 points and his 688 points are the most for a single-season in FGCU history as he has surpassed Brandon Goodwin who had two 600-pt seasons including the previous record (632, 2017-18).
• Kevin Samuel is the only active NCAA player to have 1,000 career points & rebounds along with 300 blocks (300). His 95 blocks are a single-season FGCU record as are his 3.0 blocks per game. His 9.8 rebounds per game are also a single-season program record, while his 313 total rebounds are currently the second-most for a single-season. The 95 blocked shots also rank as the 3rd most for a career in FGCU history.
For complete coverage of FGCU men’s basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MBB and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men’s basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal – a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign – Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
COACH FLY
Michael Fly was introduced as the fourth FGCU men’s basketball head coach on April 5, 2018. He had spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach on the Eagles’ staff. In his time with the Eagles, he has helped FGCU to a 210-142 record (.585 winning percentage), including six ASUN Tournament Final appearances, three NCAA Tournament victories, three ASUN Tournament titles and three ASUN Regular Season Championships, two berths in the NIT, a CIT appearance and a run to the Sweet 16. He has coached 13 all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant and one ASUN Newcomer of the Year in Schadrac Casimir. Of the top-10 players in career points at FGCU, Fly has helped develop eight of them, including all-time leading scorer Thompson (1,835). Additionally, the Kentucky alumnus has coached both the ASUN all-time assists leader Brett Comer (845; 24th in NCAA history) and FGCU all-time leading rebounder Chase Fieler (714).
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women’s basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men’s soccer (2018, 2019) and women’s soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors’ Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
BALTIMORE, Md. (March 14, 2022) — The Morgan State men’s basketball team will see its season continue as the Bears have been chosen and accepted a spot in The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism.
The first round will be Wednesday, March 16 when the Bears travel to take on the Youngstown State Penguins of the Horizon League. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio.
The Bears and Penguins will play in The Marques Haynes Game, which is one of five Legends Games in the first round of The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism, with the winner receiving a trophy and advancing to the second round of the tournament.
The Basketball Classic is a 32-team tournament which will debut this March, creating another opportunity for student-athletes and fans to stay involved in a postseason basketball tournament and compete for a championship. The Basketball Classic field will be announced Sunday, March 13, and will begin on Monday, March 14, with the semifinals scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 and the championship game on Thursday, March 31.
This will mark Morgan’s first-ever appearance in The Basketball Classic and just its fourth overall Division I postseason appearance. The Bears previously advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2009 and 2010, and also made an appearance in the 2008 NIT Tournament.
This is the second meeting between Morgan and Youngstown State and the first since the 1985-86 season. The Penguins defeated the Bears, 88-64, on Dec. 30, 1985.
The Bears were 13-14 on the season and 7-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for fourth place. Morgan reeled off a 5-game winning streak before falling to Norfolk State (72-63) in the conference tournament semifinals on March 11. Malik Miller leads the Bears averaging 12.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and is shooting 55 percent from the field. Lagio Grantsaanis averaging 10.7 points, to go along with 5.8 rebounds, and De’Torrion Ware, an All-MEAC Second Team selection, is averaging 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds.
Youngstown State (18-14, 12-9 Horizon League) finished the season winning six of their last nine games in the Horizon Conference, before falling to Robert Morris (77-73) in the first round of the conference tournament on March 1. Dwayne Cohill leads the Penguins in scoring with 14.2 points, followed by Michael Akuchie (13.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Tevin Olison (12.8 ppg). The Penguins set a school record for most conference victories with 12 Horizon League wins, and their 18 overall wins rank tied for fourth in YSU’s Division I history.
Each game of the Basketball Classic will be held on the campus of one of the participating schools. In lieu of a traditional bracket, the field and matchups will be set after each round.
All games will be broadcast on the ESPN+ platform.
Administering the Basketball Classic is a seasoned panel with deep roots in the sport that previously conducted the College Insider, Inc. Postseason Tournament (CIT) from 2009-19.
America is a socially diverse nation that continues to make progress against racism through education and creating awareness through enhanced dialogue. ERACISM is committed to bringing forth change through education, awareness, and action because we can no longer just sit on the sidelines.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
A March Madness bid hangs in the balance as the Bulldogs, who split their regular-season series with the Quakers, travel to Boston for the season’s most pivotal weekend.
With 28 games of regular-season play complete, the Yale men’s basketball team reaches the apex of its season this weekend at Ivy Madness.
Yale travels to Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion, the host venue for this year’s postseason conference tournament, as the No. 2 Bulldogs (17–11, 11–3 Ivy) prepare to face No. 3 Penn (12–15, 9–5) Saturday afternoon in what they hope will ignite a postseason run that continues into next week’s NCAA Tournament. Advancing past the Quakers and defeating the winner of the conference’s other semifinal matchup — No. 1 Princeton (22–5, 12–2) vs. No. 4 Cornell (15–10, 7–7) — in Sunday’s championship would secure Yale the Ivy League’s automatic bid to March Madness.
“We’re trying to put together our best basketball right now,” Yale guard Azar Swain ’22 said. “So in order for that to happen, we need to take care of all the things that are controllable, like bringing energy, effort, toughness, enthusiasm — and those things will be visible come this weekend.”
The wait for this weekend’s conference tournament has been long. The Ivy League, which became the last Division I conference to institute a postseason basketball tournament with the first iteration of Ivy Madness in 2017, has not hosted the event since March 2019. The abrupt onset of the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament a few days before it was scheduled to begin — in a dash of déjà vu, Yale was also set to meet Penn in the first round in Boston that spring — before the league took a yearlong hiatus from athletic competition in 2020–21.
Nearly 1,100 days will have passed between the moment Princeton and Cornell tip off the first men’s semifinal Saturday at 11 a.m. and the triumphant championship victory over Harvard that won Yale the tournament in March 2019. Yale’s John J. Lee Amphitheater hosted the event that spring. Swain, who has been selected to the All-Ivy First Team in the two seasons since and leads Yale in scoring with 18.9 points per game, was the only current Bulldog who saw significant playing time during that weekend in 2019.
Yale guard Bez Mbeng ’25 and Penn sophomore guard Clark Slajchert (0), who won the Ivy League Rookie of the Week award three times this season, fight for the ball during Yale’s game vs. Penn in mid-February. (Tim Tai, Staff Photographer)
“It was an incredible time, almost dream-like, being able to play in those games,” Swain said during an interview for the News’ weekly podcast, The Yalie. “And in those games, honestly it felt pretty homey for us. We didn’t feel uncomfortable in any way. So this year … we’re trying to just stay level-headed, not expect anything to go our way, but lean on each other in the way we were able to lean on the home crowd a little bit in 2019.”
Swain’s experience at Ivy Madness is rare around the league. Yale captain Jalen Gabbidon ’22, sitting next to Swain during this week’s podcast interview, pointed out that given the three-year gap, very few players in the men’s field have competed in the tournament. Gabbidon, who was named to the All-Ivy Second Team on Tuesday, was injured for the event in 2019. Swain enters the weekend with 118 career appearances; playing in both the semifinal and championship would tie him with Justin Sears ’16 for Yale’s most all-time.
READ MORE:Azar Swain, Yale’s all-time three-point leader, reflects on setting new school record
Along with Swain, Princeton guards Jaelin Llewellyn, Ethan Wright and Max Johns are the only other Ancient Eight players that spent significant time on the floor. Penn guard Bryce Washington appeared for two minutes, Princeton guard Drew Friberg for one minute and Yale guard Matthue Cotton ’23 for less than one.
Yale enters Ivy Madness having split its regular-season series against all three other teams in the field. After a win over Brown to conclude the regular season on Saturday, head coach James Jones emphasized that Yale’s coaches and players are very familiar with their potential opponents’ personnel and tactics.
Yale guard and captain Jalen Gabbidon ’22 (0) is defended by Penn guard Lucas Monroe (22) during Yale’s game vs. Penn in February. (Tim Tai, Staff Photographer)
“We’re going to play two teams we’ve already played twice,” Jones said, sitting in between Swain and Gabbidon, whom he then motioned towards. “These guys can tell you the starting lineups on both teams. They can tell you which actions they both try to run. They can tell you how they’re gonna defend us. What we’ll do is take a look at what hurt us in the games prior, what we were good at and try to accentuate the positives and get better at the negatives.”
After an up-and-down 6–8 start to the year in nonconference play, a COVID-19 pause within the program delayed the date of Yale’s Ivy League opener. When the Bulldogs returned to the court in mid-January, they strung together their first pair of consecutive wins over Division I opponents this season and claimed nine of their first 10 Ivy League contests.
IN PHOTOS:Yale men’s basketball takes down Cornell, Brown to open Ivy play
The lone loss during that stretch came to Penn during a late January game at the Palestra, where the Bulldogs fell 76–68. Quakers guard Jordan Dingle — the league’s leading scorer and like Swain, a unanimous selection to this season’s All-Ivy First Team — dropped 31 points during that contest in Philadelphia. Yale’s defensive tandem of Gabbidon and first-year guard Bez Mbeng ’25 limited Dingle to four-of-19 shooting as the Elis took the teams’ second meeting last month.
“In that second game,” Gabbidon said, “while we were really able to contain him well, that gave a lot of opportunities for other guys on their team to step up, and they made a lot of big plays and kept the game really close. The key for us this game is going to be mostly the defensive side of the ball.”
Yale won its game against Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion in February. Above, forward Matt Knowling ’24. (Courtesy of Drew Dummer)
Gabbidon scored a career-high 32 points during Yale’s win over Penn in New Haven. Jones mentioned the Quakers, coached by Steve Donahue, often try to limit assists. Yale, which is averaging 12.1 per game this season, had 15 in its victory over Penn and only five during its loss.
Picked first in the Ivy League’s preseason media poll, Yale ultimately finished one game behind the Tigers. Harvard finished tied for sixth, becoming the first men’s team hosting Ivy Madness to miss out on the actual tournament.
As of Wednesday evening, college basketball ratings site KenPom predicts a 71 percent chance that Princeton defeats Cornell in the first semifinal; however, the Big Red were just a missed Princeton buzzer-beater away from sweeping the Tigers, who are led by the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year, Tosan Evbuomwan. KenPom gives Yale a 62 percent chance to move past the Quakers and into Sunday’s championship.
Yale’s semifinal with Penn is set to air on ESPNU at 2 p.m., while ESPN2 will broadcast the men’s tournament championship game Sunday at noon.
WILLIAM MCCORMACK
William McCormack covers Yale men’s basketball. He previously served as a Sports and Digital Editor for the Yale Daily News and also reported on the athletic administration as a staff reporter. Originally from Boston, he is a senior in Timothy Dwight College.
Wednesday, March 9 (first round); Thursday, March 10 (quarterfinals); Friday, March 11 (semifinals); Saturday, March 12 (championship)
Format
Stepladder bracket
Site
The Merrell Center in Katy, Texas has been the site of the Southland Tournament since 2008. That’s an eternity for a mid-major conference.
TV/Streaming Info
ESPN2 has the final on Selection Saturday night with the remaining six games streaming onESPN+.
Participants
The Southland has been ripped apart by realignment leaving just eight teams. All of them will travel to Katy for the second time this year, as they also met in a preseason tournament in January to help fill the number of non-conference dates that opened up after five teams left for the ASUN and WAC.
Game 1: (8) Incarnate Word (7-24, 3-11) vs. (5) Houston Baptist (10-17, 6-8), 6 p.m. The Huskies won the regular season series 2-0 (but lost the pair’s Southland Tip-Off matchup). Game 2: (7) McNeese State (10-21, 4-10) vs. (6) Northwestern State (9-22, 5-9), approx. 8:30 p.m. The Cowboys won the regular season series 2-0.
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. (1) Nicholls State (21-10, 11-3), 6 p.m. Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. (2) Southeastern Louisiana (18-13, 10-4), approx. 8:30 p.m.
In the past 10 Southland tournaments, one of the top two seeds has won the automatic bid seven times. However, despite the No. 1 seed having a 4-3 advantage over the No. 2, the regular-season champ last emerged victorious in 2017.
Since 2011, just two Southland Tournament titles have gone to teams that are currently in the league. The last, New Orleans, ended up in 2017’s First Four despite being a double champion. Northwestern State earned a 14 in 2013.
The teams responsible for the Southland’s last three non-First Four NCAA wins (SFA in 2014 and 2016 and Abilene Christian last season) and two 12 seeds (SFA) are now in the WAC.
This year’s Southland champ will be fortunate to avoid a trip to Dayton.
Incarnate Word has yet to make its first NCAA appearance. This will be the Cardinals’ last shot as a Southland member, as they’ll join former rivals ACU, Lamar, Sam Houston State, and SFA in the WAC next year.
• Saint Joseph’s caps the road portion of its schedule on Wednesday as the Hawks travel to rival La Salle.
• Wednesday marks the second time the Hawks and Explorers are meeting this season, as La Salle tripped up St. Joe’s in the previous contest, 75-64, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Hagan Arena.
• The Hawks wrap up Big 5 play on Wednesday as they enter the day tied with Temple for second place in the city series standings at 2-1.
• Saint Joseph’s enters Wednesday’s matchup against La Salle with a 130-116 all-time record in Big 5 play.
• The Hawks have captured 20 Big 5 titles, their most recent coming in 2011-12 as they shared the title with Temple.
• Saint Joseph’s is coming off a closely-fought 54-52 loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday.
• Taylor Funk finished with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday for his second consecutive double-double.
• Funk, who is coming off a 5-of-10 performance from three-point range, currently leads the Atlantic 10 in three-pointers per game (2.74) and total three-pointers (74).
• Jordan Hall added 16 points, two rebounds and two steals versus the Bonnies.
• Erik Reynolds II was the third Hawk in double figures this on Saturday, as he scored 10 points to go with a season-high four steals and four rebounds.
• Ejike Obinna handed out a career-best four assists, grabbed nine rebounds and scored three points against St. Bonaventure.
THE MATCHUP
Series vs. La Salle: Saint Joseph’s leads 72-62
First Meeting: 2/11/1909, Saint Joseph’s, 35-29
Last Meeting: 1/17/22, La Salle, 75-64
Coach Lange All-Time vs. La Salle: 2-4
SAINT JOSEPH’S VERSUS LA SALLE
• Wednesday marks the 135th meeting between Saint Joseph’s and La Salle with the Hawks holding a 72-62 edge.
• Saint Joseph’s 72 wins are its most versus any opponent.
• The Hawks and La Salle have a discrepancy in all-time record as SJU recognizes the first meeting between the two teams as a 35-29 victory on February 11, 1909, while the Explorers view their 39-20 win on February 10, 1934 as the start of the series based upon their start at the Division I level in 1931-32.
NEXT UP
The Hawks cap their regular season at home on Saturday versus Rhode Island at 2:30 p.m. The contest will be televised nationally on the USA Network.
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