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Washington Post
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
North Carolina in, West Virginia out and more selection committee questions
The biggest subplot following Sunday's reveal of the NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket appears to be North Carolina's inclusion, right down to the fact committee chairman (and Tar Heels Athletic Director) Bubba Cunningham was joined for the customary interview with CBS by vice chair Keith Gill of the Sun Belt Conference. North Carolina was a borderline call the whole time. The Tar Heels turned out to be At-Large Team No. 37 when they just as easily could have been seen as At-Large Team No. 38 on the wrong side of the cut line. That's simultaneously a big difference in practice, but not a huge one in terms of evaluation. The real subplot was lurking in plain sight for the past three months, and it was alluded to at the very end of Sunday's final Washington Post bracket projection: Repeating from Saturday: If there's a seemingly safe team that might be in more danger than most think, it's West Virginia. The Mountaineers did much of their best work before Tucker DeVries got hurt in early December. Lo and behold, the Mountaineers were At-Large Team No. 38. West Virginia had six Quad 1 victories, two of them before DeVries was injured after eight games. The Mountaineers also lost to last-place Colorado in the second round of the Big 12 tournament last week, a misstep that seemed like it might relegate them to Dayton. Instead, West Virginia got sent to the NIT. And the one-Quad-1-win twins, North Carolina and Xavier, get to play on in the middle of this week. Among the biggest snubs and surprises from Sunday. … The Tar Heels were the team that, in retrospect, should have been rooting harder for Memphis in the American Athletic tournament championship game. Had the Tigers lost to UAB, Hubert Davis' Heels would have been squeezed out of the field. Instead, North Carolina gets a matchup with San Diego State, a game that features a pair of recent tournament runners-up. North Carolina didn't do much wrong; its worst loss was a one-point setback at home against Stanford. But it also didn't do much right, going 1-12 in Quadrant 1 games, the lone victory over UCLA. It beat two teams in the tournament field (Patriot League champ American was the other). Absolutely no one in Chapel Hill had any right to moan if the Tar Heels got excluded. But they're in after winning eight consecutive games against teams other than Duke over the final month of the season. North Carolina (22-13) needed every last one of those victories to secure a reprieve. The Tar Heels were the team that, in retrospect, should have been rooting harder for Memphis in the American Athletic tournament championship game. Had the Tigers lost to UAB, Hubert Davis' Heels would have been squeezed out of the field. Instead, North Carolina gets a matchup with San Diego State, a game that features a pair of recent tournament runners-up. North Carolina didn't do much wrong; its worst loss was a one-point setback at home against Stanford. But it also didn't do much right, going 1-12 in Quadrant 1 games, the lone victory over UCLA. It beat two teams in the tournament field (Patriot League champ American was the other). Absolutely no one in Chapel Hill had any right to moan if the Tar Heels got excluded. But they're in after winning eight consecutive games against teams other than Duke over the final month of the season. North Carolina (22-13) needed every last one of those victories to secure a reprieve. If someone does have the right to complain, it's the Mountaineers (19-13). Yes, the DeVries injury lowered their ceiling considerably, and they were 8-11 after Jan. 4. They also won at Kansas without the 6-foot-7 wing, and also picked off Iowa State in Morgantown after DeVries was lost for the season. That said, West Virginia was not a metrics darling (between 42nd and 53rd in six of the seven team sheet rankings), and the Big 12 tournament stinker against Colorado was a terrible last impression (especially when compared to North Carolina winning twice in the ACC tournament). Sunday's exclusion makes DeVries's injury an even bigger what-if than it already was. If someone does have the right to complain, it's the Mountaineers (19-13). Yes, the DeVries injury lowered their ceiling considerably, and they were 8-11 after Jan. 4. They also won at Kansas without the 6-foot-7 wing, and also picked off Iowa State in Morgantown after DeVries was lost for the season. That said, West Virginia was not a metrics darling (between 42nd and 53rd in six of the seven team sheet rankings), and the Big 12 tournament stinker against Colorado was a terrible last impression (especially when compared to North Carolina winning twice in the ACC tournament). Sunday's exclusion makes DeVries's injury an even bigger what-if than it already was. How the committee found three teams worth of difference between the Musketeers and North Carolina on its seed list is the most perplexing part of the evening. Regardless, Sean Miller's team made it in after a late-season high-wire act that included seven consecutive victories, largely against the bottom third of the Big East. This could have been much easier for Xavier (21-11) had it defeated Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals after holding a double-digit lead in the second half. Instead, the Musketeers will make the roughly hour-long drive north to Dayton for a play-in game for the first time since 2014. They should have plenty of support in the stands while facing Texas. How the committee found three teams worth of difference between the Musketeers and North Carolina on its seed list is the most perplexing part of the evening. Regardless, Sean Miller's team made it in after a late-season high-wire act that included seven consecutive victories, largely against the bottom third of the Big East. This could have been much easier for Xavier (21-11) had it defeated Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals after holding a double-digit lead in the second half. Instead, the Musketeers will make the roughly hour-long drive north to Dayton for a play-in game for the first time since 2014. They should have plenty of support in the stands while facing Texas. The Cardinals (27-7) ranked 28th or better in all seven team sheet metrics, and while their Quadrant 1 record wasn't fantastic (4-6), they were 11-1 in Quad 2 games and didn't lose to anyone outside that group. It's hard to believe Pat Kelsey's bunch is on the No. 8 line. Louisville is the most blatantly underseeded team in the field. The good news? They'll open the tournament in nearby Lexington and have a chance to pack archrival Kentucky's arena. The bad news? They likely will face Auburn in the second round. That's a much tougher ask than facing a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, even if that would have required some extra travel. The Cardinals (27-7) ranked 28th or better in all seven team sheet metrics, and while their Quadrant 1 record wasn't fantastic (4-6), they were 11-1 in Quad 2 games and didn't lose to anyone outside that group. It's hard to believe Pat Kelsey's bunch is on the No. 8 line. Louisville is the most blatantly underseeded team in the field. The good news? They'll open the tournament in nearby Lexington and have a chance to pack archrival Kentucky's arena. The bad news? They likely will face Auburn in the second round. That's a much tougher ask than facing a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, even if that would have required some extra travel.
USA Today
16-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
North Carolina basketball makes NCAA Tournament field as last team in: Social media reacts
North Carolina basketball makes NCAA Tournament field as last team in: Social media reacts Show Caption Hide Caption College basketball coaches: Who is overpaid and underpaid? USA Today's Paul Myerberg breaks down NCAA basketball coaches who deserve more money, and others that may not be up to their salary standards. Sports Pulse After days and weeks of wondering whether it would end up on the right side of the men's NCAA Tournament bubble, one of the most historically decorated teams in men's college basketball heard its name called on Selection Sunday. The fact it did, though, has generated some controversy. North Carolina was among the most debated teams heading into the NCAA Tournament selection show, with 22 wins and the pedigree of being one of the sport's blue bloods. REQUIRED READING: Men's March Madness live updates: Selection Sunday bracket predictions, schedule Coach Hubert Davis' team ultimately didn't have to wait long to learn its fate, with the Tar Heels' name showing up on the 68-team bracket in the first region that was revealed on CBS' selection show. North Carolina will head to Dayton, Ohio to take on fellow No. 11 seed San Diego State in the First Four, with the winner advancing to face No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the tournament's first round. It's a silver lining for a North Carolina program that has suffered through a disappointing 2024-25 season. After coming into the season No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after earning a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels limped to a 14-11 start, but caught fire to end the season, winning eight of their final 10 games, with the only two losses coming to No. 1 Duke. Like many bubble teams, though, there were plenty of holes to find on their resume. REQUIRED READING: CBS pays tribute to Greg Gumbel on March Madness Selection Sunday bracket reveal show North Carolina went just 1-12 in Quadrant One games. While it stacked up some wins late in the final month of the season, none of its eight victories since Feb. 15 have come against a team ranked in the top 65 of the NCAA's NET rankings. Adding to whatever anger, frustration and shock there was over North Carolina's making the field is that the chair of the NCAA Tournament selection committee was Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham. While it could understandably be viewed as a conflict of interest, Cunningham was unable to be in the room while North Carolina was being discussed. This year marks the 19th time the Tar Heels have made the NCAA Tournament the past 21 times the event was held. UNC basketball makes NCAA Tournament: Social media reactions North Carolina went 1-12 in Q1 games this year. They were considered to be on the bubble. Their Athletic Director is the head of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. They made the tournament. 🤔 — DraftKings (@DraftKings) March 16, 2025 NORTH CAROLINA GOT IN? — ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) March 16, 2025
New York Times
13-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch 2025: North Carolina has a needle to thread, Texas comes up big
(Editor's note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men's & women's NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.) Ohio State's out, Xavier's in, Texas is alive, Vanderbilt should be fine and North Carolina is going to need serious help if it can't help itself with one of the upsets of the season. Advertisement Those are the Wednesday men's basketball happenings that helped shape Thursday's bracket, which had to say farewell to Ohio State after a damaging loss to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament. The 17-15 Buckeyes have some great wins, but it's hard to see them making it now. Xavier takes that spot — which means a different team from the state of Ohio playing in a First Four game in Dayton — and can go a long way toward keeping it by beating Marquette in Thursday's Big East quarterfinals. Texas kept itself in play — and the SEC in play for an absurd max out of 14 NCAA Tournament bids — with a 79-72 win over Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament that was more convincing than the final score. The Commodores have a sturdy profile and should have a stress-free Sunday unless utter chaos grips several of these conference tournaments. The Longhorns are the first team out at this point, with North Carolina and Xavier on the other side of the cut line. But if Texas follows this up with a second win over rival Texas A&M, this one on a neutral court? That's a giant add to the profile, compared with North Carolina trying to improve to 8-0 in Quad 2 (to go with a 1-11 record in Quad 1 games) if it can beat Wake Forest on Thursday. That would almost certainly earn a semifinals date with Duke. Being on the other side of the bracket of Clemson and Louisville is a tough break for Hubert Davis' team, which is playing well enough to have a real chance at a Quad 1 win against either. Beat Wake, lose to Duke, don't get all the help required and North Carolina will be down to hoping some of the selection committee members end up voting with brand-name bias on the brain. Thursday also sees some key Big 12 matchups that could affect seeding higher in the bracket. Iowa State-BYU is the headliner, Texas Tech-Baylor is a big one — and of course, the three SEC teams not named Auburn that have designs on a No. 1 seed will be rooting hard for Colorado to shock Houston after pulling an upset of West Virginia. The Bracket Central series is sponsored by E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of RJ Davis: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Social media reactions to UNC basketball's win over Virginia
The North Carolina Tar Heels have now won three-straight games after beating Virginia 81-66 on Saturday afternoon. The wins are coming at the right time for the Tar Heels as they are still on the NCAA Tournament bubble with a few weeks left in the regular season. Saturday's win was a big one for the Tar Heels, taking care of business at home and doing so in a dominant fashion early on. The Tar Heels jumped out to a big lead early and really never looked back as Virginia only got to within eight a few times and that's it. It was another good performance from Hubert Davis' team as they look to continue stacking wins going into March. Before we turn the page to Monday's game against Florida State, let's take a look at how social media reacted to this win for the Tar Heels. North Carolina has been playing incredibly loose and connected the last two finally looks like they're having fun. — Tar Heels of NYC (@TarHeelsofNYC) February 22, 2025 TAR HEELS!!! 🩵 — 🩵 Helen & Biscuit 🩵 (@TarheelBlueGal) February 22, 2025 Keep it up Tar Heels — Sauce God 🍝🔥 (@robltate) February 22, 2025 Go Heels! — Tar Heel (@UNCisFamily) February 22, 2025 #GoHeels😀👏🏾🏀🩵 — Joseph Hill (@JosephHill3794) February 23, 2025 tar heels about to go on a generational run and turn my life around i believe i believe i believe — j✩ (@__jx3__) February 23, 2025 Tar Heels are coming — Bill's Burner (@CoachBeligoat) February 23, 2025 We turn the boys on no matter where we are! Heels by 40! LFG!!!!! — Brice Johnson (@bjohnson_23) February 22, 2025 Jae'Lyn Withers randomly on a 3 game stretch 4 months into the season — Armandoavenue (@Armandoavenu3) February 22, 2025 Bro we need this Jaelyn Withers every game. My goodness. — ELLIOT CADEAU SZN (@travyyy06) February 22, 2025 Jae'Lyn Withers has been an absolute sniper — UNC Zone (@ZoneUnc) February 22, 2025 This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Social media's reactions to UNC basketball beating Virginia
New York Times
31-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Court Vision: What does muted UNC-Duke meeting mean? SEC tiers of trust
A sad sign of the times: Per KenPom's predictive 'thrill score' index, of the 146 Division I games to be played Saturday, the first iteration this season of college hoops' best rivalry — Duke vs. North Carolina — ranks … 31st. One spot below Arkansas State at Texas State. Because this one feels different, even compared with some of the less-anticipated meetings in recent rivalry history. Advertisement Some historical context: From the time Mike Krzyzewski was hired up until the 2020-21 season, Duke and North Carolina played exactly 95 times. At least one of the two teams was ranked every single time. And both were ranked in 65 of those contests. But in the nine games these blue bloods have played since the 2020-21 season — when Duke missed the NCAA Tournament, and the Tar Heels got blown out in the first round in Roy Williams' last game as head coach — only three have occurred with both teams ranked. Neither team was ranked in four games. There have still been some all-timers in that stretch — most notably, Krzyzewski's final home game, plus the rivals' only NCAA Tournament meeting in the 2022 Final Four — but those feel more like the exception than the norm nowadays. What does the rivalry's recent turn tell us about college basketball at large? For starters, Saturday's matchup at Duke features two teams on different trajectories. Duke is No. 2 nationally, the winner of 14 straight, with the expected top pick in this summer's NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, and is the only team this season to beat the consensus No. 1 team in America, Auburn. The Blue Devils aren't just legitimate national title contenders; you could argue — and I would — that they're national title front-runners. North Carolina — after losing at Pitt on Tuesday — is 13-9 overall, with zero Top 25 wins and losses in three of its past four games. If the NCAA Tournament started today, the Tar Heels would be lucky to be in the First Four. That isn't to say Hubert Davis' team is lacking talent — RJ Davis was a consensus All-American last season, and Ian Jackson is a future pro — but one of these things is clearly not like the other. Betting lines haven't been announced as of this writing, but if I had to guess, the spread for Saturday will probably be larger than the 11.5 points Duke was favored by last weekend at Wake Forest. Advertisement And I wouldn't blame anyone for betting Duke to cover. The flip side of that is that this rivalry (almost) always delivers, even when it seems like it won't. Two examples immediately come to mind. First, Feb. 2020, when Duke was ranked seventh and UNC was 10-12 overall, in the midst of its second-worst season of the modern era. Everyone assumed that game would be a slaughter, but it ended up a classic, with Duke needing two buzzer beaters and overtime to win. The reverse is true of Coach K's final home game, when Duke was ranked fourth and (thought it was) hosting a celebration for the ages. UNC, in Hubert Davis' debut season, was fighting for its postseason life — and the Tar Heels spoiled the Blue Devils' party. Wilder stuff has happened than UNC winning this weekend. 'Doesn't matter the previous games, whether you've won or lost. It doesn't matter what your record is, what your ranking is. Been on both sides of it, right?' Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Thursday. But it is impossible to avoid that, beyond one team surging and one slumping, this is a terrible matchup for North Carolina. Duke is the tallest and longest team in the country, per KenPom, and does not have a rotation player under 6 feet 5. UNC, meanwhile, is the shortest high-major team in America, per KenPom, starting three (and recently, four) sub-6-foot-4 guards. Barring the Tar Heels making a ton of 3s — they're 251st nationally in 3-point percentage, at 32.1 percent — it's a tough reality to see coming. That discrepancy has made for a relatively juiceless lead-in. But it's also a sign of the times. Rivalries are predicated on laundry and history — two things that have never been as unimportant as they are in modern college athletics. It's unfortunate, but it's also reality. Relevance today is predicated on performance: Current performance, not past. Advertisement I'm not sure I totally agree with ESPN's Jay Bilas — who said this week that winning the SEC tournament will be harder than winning March Madness — but I understand his thought. You're guaranteed to have to go through at least two, if not more, ranked foes in sequential days to come out on top of America's toughest conference. Fair enough. And while we definitely don't have true separation in the SEC yet, this week yielded a number of informative results, which have started to make clear who the real contenders are and who just needs to win enough games to go dancing. My personal league rankings don't match up with the conference standings (yet), but there are some I feel better — and worse — about after this week: 1a. Auburn: Shocker. The Tigers' ability to win without Johni Broome only validated my belief they're one of the two teams (Duke being the other) with the best chance to cut down the nets in April. Oh, and Broome's barely missed a beat since returning, even on one ankle. 1b. Alabama: Mississippi State gave the Crimson Tide all they could handle, and, frankly, had every opportunity to win Wednesday night. But if Chris Youngblood — who missed Bama's first nine games with an ankle injury — is going to shoot it like this, then I'm not sure what defenses are supposed to do against Nate Oats' team. Youngblood had a season-high 23 vs. the Bulldogs, canning seven of his 10 3-point attempts. Alabama as a team is still shooting only 33.2 percent from deep, a sub-175 mark nationally, but a guy who has topped 40 percent from 3 the past three seasons may be the missing ingredient. Auburn's biggest title challenger, easily. The season finale in Auburn likely decides the league winner. 2. Florida: I've written about Florida's guard triumvirate a few times, but the real reason I'm in on the Gators — especially as it relates to making an NCAA Tournament run — is their offensive rebounding. UF is the third-best offensive rebounding team in America, per KenPom, a statistic which historically has translated to postseason success. Five of the past seven national champions ranked top 50 in offensive rebounding percentage, per KenPom. Florida's current rate — gobbling 41.2 percent of its own misses — is higher than all but one of those champions, 2017 North Carolina (41.3 percent). 3. Kentucky: I know, I know. Since conference play began, per Bart Torvik, UK's adjusted defensive efficiency ranking is a dire 133rd nationally. But at Tennessee — hardly an offensive juggernaut, but still a top-35 offense nationally — the Cats looked like they were figuring some things out, and that was without star point guard Lamont Butler. (Sshhh, ignore Tennessee taking 45 3-pointers.) The San Diego State transfer will obviously provide a lift on that end when he returns, but in the meantime, I've got confidence in Mark Pope and this team's offense to handle a lighter immediate slate. Moreover, this team is tested; the victory over Tennessee was Kentucky's sixth this season vs. AP top-15 opponents, which ties a program record. Side note: Point Amari Williams is fun. This pass isn't perfect, but how many 6-foot-10, 260-pound dudes are even attempting this play? 4. Missouri: Since conference play began, per Bart Torvik, the Tigers are the 12th-best team in America, and one of only seven teams with a top-20 adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ranking. (The other six? Houston, Purdue, Auburn, Michigan State, Louisville and Wisconsin.) That's largely because Dennis Gates' team lives at the free-throw line — Mizzou is second nationally and tops among high-major teams in free-throw attempt rate, per KenPom — and has attempted at least 25 free throws in all but one conference game. (Hang the banner, Arkansas, for holding the Tigers to 'only' 19 attempts from the stripe.) I'm unsure if Caleb Grill's career-best 3-point shooting will hold up another six weeks, but it's working for now. Advertisement 5. Tennessee: Color me skeptical of the Vols offense, especially since conference play began; what looks like a top-35 offense for the season has slumped to 75th nationally since SEC play started, and it's not hard to see why. Chaz Lanier has been a nice catch-and-shoot guy, but his efficiency is starting to fall off a cliff, which has in turn meant way too much offensive responsibility on Zakai Zeigler, whose legs are starting to look rubbery. The defense will still choke you out, but losses in three of four games have been revealing. Beyond those six, I also like Ole Miss, Mississippi State — shout out Josh Hubbard for almost single-handedly dragging the Bulldogs past Alabama this week — and Vandy. But I'm good on Texas A&M. Bailey, one half of Rutgers' stud freshman duo, had easily his best college game Wednesday vs. Northwestern: 37 points, six rebounds and three blocks. That effort made him the first freshman since Trae Young in 2017-18 to have multiple 35-point games on the road in a season. Now, Rutgers isn't going to make the NCAA Tournament — the Scarlet Knights are 11-10 overall, with losses to Kennesaw State and Princeton — which means Bailey maybe hasn't registered in the national consciousness like he should, but performances like this week's deserve some attention anyway. The most unreal part of Bailey's performance? It's not that the 6-foot-10 wing had 24 of those points at the half. It's that, of Bailey's 13 made baskets, only one required more than two dribbles — when he used four to back a defender down into the post. Otherwise? Nine of his makes came without ever dribbling the ball! It was as reminiscent of Klay Thompson's 60-point, 11-dribble game as you'll ever see at the college level. Oh, and one more thing: Of those nine non-dribble makes, five were 3-pointers. Early on, Bailey used his jab step to create enough space: Then he mixed in a shimmy along with the jab step: And right before halftime, he made a catch-and-shoot trey that only future pros would even attempt: But maybe my favorite basket of his all night? His final one, in which he fought for defensive positioning near the right corner, took two dribbles, drop-stepped toward the baseline, and then hit a righty hook over two defenders: Bailey's scoring ability is basically the only real way he impacts games. (He has 16 assists in 643 minutes played, which, LOL.) But you can understand why NBA evaluators are drooling over a freak athlete who can score like that despite a ridiculously difficult shot diet. Typically the folks whose teams have overperformed most relative to expectations. (Hello, Jerome Tang from two seasons ago!) But I don't think that's totally fair, especially when roster construction and recruiting (and retention) are as difficult as ever. If you can actually assemble a team with stupid talent, you deserve to be recognized for getting everyone on board. Which is why the five coaches I currently have leading the race are those who embody both archetypes: 1. Bruce Pearl: I, and most national observers, thought Auburn would be good. But consensus No. 1 team with a program-best 19-1 start good? Uh, no. Pearl has mined the Division II and mid-major levels for many of his star players — including Broome, who came from Morehead State — and then developed them into SEC stalwarts. Advertisement 2. Jon Scheyer: 'You can't rely on freshmen anymore!' Someone forgot to tell Scheyer that, apparently, because the 37-year-old has built arguably the most talent rich roster in America while sticking to his guns. Landing Flagg was one thing; letting five former five- and four-star recruits leave via the transfer portal to bring in role players around Flagg? That's a plan on a different level. Duke has a chance to become the first ACC team since 1999 Duke to go undefeated in league play — and if it does, who else deserves this more than the guy who built the roster? 3. Pat Kelsey: Kelsey inherited a Louisville program fresh off its worst two seasons in modern history, had to sign an entirely new roster in a matter of weeks, incurred season-ending injuries to his most versatile forward (Kasean Pryor) and backup point guard (Koren Johnson) and yet, the Cards have won 10 straight to re-enter the Top 25. At this rate, UL doesn't just look NCAA Tournament-bound; it looks like a team you don't want to face when it gets there. 4. Dennis Gates: Missouri finished 0-18 in the SEC last season, inspiring doubt about Gates' long-term future in Columbia. All he's done is rebuild on the fly and immediately turn the Tigers back into conference contenders. Mizzou is 16-4 overall — already twice as many wins as it had last season — with victories over Kansas and at Florida. Buy stock now. 5. Darian DeVries: DeVries has been exactly what West Virginia needed in the aftermath of Bob Huggins' messy exit. DeVries' son, Tucker, was supposed to be the star of his debut team in Morgantown, until a shoulder injury derailed that plan after eight games — but the Mountaineers haven't fallen off, looking every bit an NCAA Tournament team despite losing three straight. Also credit DeVries for bringing in arguably the best transfer in the country, point guard Javon Small. With a manageable Big 12 schedule remaining, it's not inconceivable that WVU cracks the 20-win threshold for the first time in five seasons. Also considered: TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State; Brad Underwood, Illinois; Tom Izzo, Michigan State; and Mark Pope, Kentucky.
