Latest news with #Atlantic-10
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
NCAA Coaching Carousel: Virginia Officially Hires VCU Coach Ryan Odom
DAYTON, OHIO - FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Ryan Odom of the VCU Rams looks on in the second half against ... More the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena on February 07, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by) In 2018, Ryan Odom led UMBC to the first ever No. 16 upset of a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament. That No. 1 was Virginia. Now Odom is the head coach of the Cavaliers after the school officially named its new men's basketball coach on Saturday. He had also been linked to the Villanova opening. Odom, 50, spent the last two seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a 52-21 record and an appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where they lost to BYU in the first round. VCU won the 2025 Atlantic-10 Tournament and shared the A-10 regular-season championship. Virginia is Odom's fifth stint as a collegiate head coach. Over the past 10 seasons he has compiled a career record of 222-127 including stops at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC (2017-2021), Lenoir-Rhyne (2016) and Charlotte (2015, interim head coach). Like VCU, Odom led his Utah State and UMBC teams to the NCAA Tournament during the second season at those schools. Odom's appointment is a homecoming of sorts. He grew up in Charlottesville (third through 10th grades) while his father, Dave Odom, served as an assistant basketball coach on Terry Holland's staff from 1982 to 1989. Odom frequently rode his bicycle to practices at University Hall and served as a ball boy for Cavalier home games. Odom's start in coaching features another UVA connection. His first position was as an administrative assistant at South Florida for head coach Seth Greenberg. Greenberg was a one-time Virginia assistant who also coached under Holland. When Greenberg first arrived in Charlottesville, he temporarily lived in the Odom's home. Odom later coached on Greenberg's staff at Virginia Tech (2004-2010). Odom's first season at VCU produced a 24-14 record and saw the Rams reach the Atlantic-10 championship game. The team advanced to the NIT quarterfinals, picking up road wins at Villanova and South Florida during the postseason. This season's 28-7 VCU squad featured the A-10 player of the year and the conference tournament's MVP. Odom assumed the reigns of the VCU program following two seasons at Utah State that produced a 44-25 record. In 2022-23, he led the Aggies to a 26-9 mark and the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That season the Aggies ranked 16th nationally in offense, In his first season at Utah State, Odom led the Aggies to an 18-16 overall record and an at-large berth to the NIT. Just like VCU and Utah State, Odom had an immediate impact at UMBC during his inaugural season in 2016-17. The team produced a 14-win improvement over its previous campaign. Prior to his arrival, UMBC had endured eight consecutive losing seasons and had failed to reach double digit wins in seven straight years. Odom steered the Retrievers to three straight 20-win campaigns, including a school-record 25 victories in 2017-18. His 2016-17 squad advanced to the (CIT) semifinals, becoming the first America East team to ever win three games in a single postseason. At the end of the season, Odom received the 2017 Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I. In five seasons at UMBC, Odom's teams were 97-60 and won the 2018 America East Tournament Championship, as well as a 2021 regular season crown. For his efforts, Odom was named the 2021 America East Conference and the NABC District 1 Coach of the Year. In 2015-16 at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, Odom led the Bears to a 21-10 mark – a 13-win improvement — and the school's first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Bears led the nation in three-point field goals made per game (12.4) and finished ninth in the country in scoring at 90.1 points per game that season. Odom was an assistant coach at Charlotte for five seasons (2011-15) and served as the 49ers interim head coach for the final 19 games of the 2014-15 campaign. In 2013, he helped Charlotte earn a bid to the postseason NIT. Prior to his tenure in Charlotte, Odom spent seven years (2004-10) on the coaching staff at Virginia Tech and was part of a Hokies' team that earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and beat Illinois in the first round. Odom was also an assistant coach at American for three years (2001-03), at UNC Asheville for one season (2000) and at Furman for two years (1998-99). He also served as an administrative assistant at South Florida for one season (1997). Odom graduated from Hampden-Sydney in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in economics and was a four-year starting point guard on the men's basketball team. He served as team captain his senior season and led Hampden-Sydney to an 80-30 record during his playing career, including two berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. In addition, Odom finished his career as the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers made and placed fourth in assists. Ryan is the son of Dave Odom, who retired in 2008 as the head coach at South Carolina. The elder Odom earned SEC Coach of the Year honors while at South Carolina in 2004 and ACC Coach of the Year honors in 1991,1994 and 1995, while at Wake Forest.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness: Spokane 1 region bracket Cinderella, players to watch, schedule, odds and more
[More region breakdowns: Birmingham 2 | Birmingham 3 | Spokane 4] The 2025 NCAA women's tournament is just days away. Here's everything you need to know about the Spokane 1 region. No. 1: UCLA (+500 to win the national title at BetMGM) No. 2: NC State (+4,000) No. 3: LSU (+4,000) Though they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Bruins aren't the betting favorite entering the tournament. Both South Carolina (+260) and UConn (+290) have shorter odds. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Only one team has been able to beat UCLA this season, and it isn't in this region. The Bruins have been incredibly dominant all year long while claiming the top seed in the tournament. Outside of games against USC, very few teams have even come close to beating them. Iowa came closest last month with a two-point battle in Iowa City. Lauren Betts is perhaps the best center in the country, averaging 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Paired with guard KiKi Rice, who is shooting a clean 50% from the field, the Bruins may be untouchable until Tampa. Keep an eye on Harvard here, which earned one of the historic three bids from the Ivy League this spring. The Crimson went 24-4 on the season and won both of the Quad 1 games that it played, which is huge considering the quality of the league that they play in. Everything runs through star guard Harmoni Turner, who finished in the top 10 nationally in scoring. Harvard plays much slower than Michigan State likes to as well, which could be a big advantage for the Crimson. Don't be surprised if the Spartans fall early. If that happens, and Turner stays hot, the Crimson could find themselves on their deepest tournament run ever. This is their first tournament appearance since 2007, and they've only made it out of the first round once. Don't be surprised if George Mason stuns Florida State early. The Patriots are in the tournament for the first time in school history after rolling through the Atlantic-10 tournament. Zahirah Walton has averaged more than 15 points per game, and she got them to a 27-5 finish while winning 15 of their last 17 games. UCLA C Lauren Betts The 6-foot-7 center has been huge for UCLA all season. She's averaged 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while averaging a Big Ten-best 2.9 blocks per contest. Though the Bruins have more than just Betts at their disposal, everything runs through her. Harvard G Harmoni Turner Turner erupted this season at Harvard, and she's a huge reason why the team is in the tournament in the first place. The senior put up 22.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game this season, all of which led the team. If she takes off, the Crimson can make a big run. Baylor G Darianna Littlepage-Buggs Littlepage-Buggs averaged a double-double for the Bears this season with 14.3 points and a Big 12-best 10.5 rebounds per game. She hasn't played since Feb. 15 while dealing with a knee injury, but she's expected to return for the tournament this week — which should be a huge boost for the Bears. No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 UC San Diego/No. 16 Southern (Los Angeles, Friday, 10 p.m. PT, ESPN)No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech (Los Angeles, Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS)No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State (Waco, Friday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU)No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon (Waco, Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason (Baton Rouge, Saturday, 7:45 p.m,ET, ESPN2)No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State (Baton Rouge, Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard (Raleigh, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS)No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont (Raleigh, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN) This one is simple. UCLA should absolutely win the region and punch its first-ever ticket to a Final Four. The Bruins have been running the show in the Big Ten all year long, and they knocked off South Carolina months ago. Why would that stop now?
Reuters
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Conference finals roundup: VCU, Yale win titles
March 16 - Max Shulga scored 12 of his game-high 18 points after halftime and No. 1 seed VCU never trailed in a narrow 68-63 victory over No. 2 seed George Mason to win the Atlantic-10 championship game on Sunday in Washington, D.C. The Rams (28-6) punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years by outshooting the Patriots 40.4 percent to 33.9 percent from the field, which made up for 16 VCU turnovers. Shulga made a layup to beat the first-half buzzer, and the resulting 36-28 lead was the largest of the game to that point. VCU led by 10 points just once in the second half before George Mason (26-8) closed to within 59-58 on Darius Maddox's 3-pointer. Shulga answered with a 3-pointer on VCU's next possession. Jack Clark and Joe Bamisile each scored 17 points for VCU. Jalen Haynes paced George Mason with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Maddox finished with 12 points and Brayden O'Connor and Zach Anderson scored 10 apiece. Yale 90, Cornell 84 John Poulakidas poured in 25 points with five 3-pointers and the top-seeded Bulldogs held off the second-seeded Big Red to win the Ivy League title in Providence, R.I. Nick Townsend scored 19, Casey Simmons had 13 and Bez Mbeng racked up 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Yale (22-7), which won the Ivy for the second year in a row. The regular-season champs hung on after a 16-point second-half lead was trimmed to two. AK Okereke had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists to guide Cornell (18-11), which outshot Yale 55.8 percent to 50 percent from the field, though Yale hit 13 3-pointers to Cornell's 11. Nazir Williams had 20 points, Guy Ragland Jr. had 16 and Jake Fiegen added 11 for the Big Red.
Associated Press
24-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
NCAA Tournament women's bubble watch: Virginia Tech, Ivy League and Fairfield
With a week left in the regular season for the four major conferences, those schools have their final few chances to get quality wins and avoid bubble-bursting losses. Virginia Tech had lost three out of four games before beating California on Sunday. The Hokies have contests left at Boston College and Clemson and probably can't afford to slip up in either of them to make the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection committee will have its second reveal of the top 16 teams on Thursday. Bubble watch George Mason at Saint Joseph's, Sunday. Once again, two of the top teams in the Atlantic-10 meet with second place on the line. The Patriots have won 11 straight games and are 13-2 in the conference. The Hawks lost to first-place Richmond last Thursday and are 11-3 in the league. Princeton at Harvard, Friday. The Tigers home loss to Columbia last week probably cost them a shot at an outright Ivy League championship. A win at the Crimson, who they lost to earlier in the season, would help strengthen chances at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The league is still in the hunt for three NCAA Tournament bids. Harvard has the highest NET rating at 35. Columbia is at 42 and Princeton 49. Key ratings Fairfield: The Stags sit at 48th in the NET ratings and are 0-3 against top teams (Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2) this season. Fairfield most likely has the pressure of needing to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to make the NCAA Tournament. UNLV: The Lady Rebels are right above Fairfield in the NET rating and also are winless in three games against top opponents. A conference loss to San Diego State and a non-conference defeat to Northwestern don't help UNLV's case for getting into the NCAAs as an at-large team.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NCAA Tournament women's bubble watch: USF, Ivy League and Atlantic-10 with key matchups this weekend
There's one month until the NCAA Tournament selection show and there are still many teams battling to get off the bubble and into the field. South Florida (18-8) has won seven straight games, including a triple-overtime victory over Rice last week, to get into the at-large conversation if the Bulls don't win the conference tournament. They face Charlotte and Memphis this week. Jose Fernandez's team needed overtime to beat Charlotte the first time they met. Bubble watch George Mason at Saint Joseph's, Sunday. Once again, two of the top teams in the Atlantic-10 meet with second place on the line. The Patriots have won 11 straight games and are 13-2 in the conference. The Hawks lost to first-place Richmond last Thursday and are 11-3 in the league. Columbia at Princeton, Saturday. First place in the Ivy League will be at stake when the Lions visit the Tigers. The two teams are tied with one loss apiece after Columbia fell to Harvard on Sunday. The three teams are all in the hunt for NCAA Tournament bids. Harvard has the highest NET rating at 34. Columbia is at 42 and Princeton 49. Key ratings Belmont: The Bruins are 0-6 against top teams (Quadrant 1) this season, but two of those losses were close with a four-point defeat to Ohio State and a six-point one to Kentucky. They currently are tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference after losing to Drake over the weekend and have a NET rating of 59. Top 16 Reveal: The NCAA selection committee unveiled its top 16 teams Sunday to that point in the season and it didn't take long for the reveal to get upended. UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame were the top four seeds in the committee's mind. The Gamecocks were routed by UConn a few hours after the unveiling. The NCAA will have one more reveal on Feb. 27. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: and Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press
