Friday’s here. Selection Sunday is on the horizon. Is everybody still in one piece?
George Mason (24-8) certainly isn’t. The Patriots thought they were entering the Atlantic 10 Tournament on a roll after routing No. 25 Saint Louis by 29, only to roll out of the second round by shooting 1-8 with two turnovers over the final 6:25 of regulation in a 63-57 loss to St. Bonaventure.
Do not underestimate the “retiring coach bounce” in the A10 tourney. And the soon-to-retire Mark Schmidt can coach pretty good as well. While the Patriots pick up the pieces and head home, George Washington almost let a 24-point lead completely dissolve against Fordham, but Rafael Castro’s 15 points and nine rebounds helped the Revolutionaries avenge a February loss to the Rams that came on a day that GW was without Castro due to injury. Their reward? Tipping off with top seed St. Louis at 11:30 a.m., a game GW would lose 88-81.
I’m still getting used to games tipping off before noon. It’s been my theory that the only morning basketball worth watching is the old TNBC Saturday morning show “Hang Time,” if only for the unintentional comedy dynamo that was the late Dick Butkus. The MAC had their No. 1 seed Miami play at 11 a.m. yesterday, and one can add the formerly unbeaten RedHawks to the list of top seeds tumbling before their conference final (87-83 to UMass).
The ACC’s noon Quarterfinal saw No. 10 Virginia (28-4) hold off NC State’s hot perimeter shooting (11-22 from 3) and enough whistles to give Cavaliers’ fans flashbacks of previous nightmares in Raleigh/Greensboro/Charlotte where the calls didn’t always make sense. But they survive and advance, while Thursday night ended with Georgetown shocking and advancing: the Hoyas went on a 17-4 run to end the first half against Villanova, going on to win 78-64.
Defense was the difference, as they held the Wildcats to 7-29 from 3-point range and won the battle of the boards 42-19. Georgetown will get the late game again this evening (8 p.m. tipoff) for the chance to reach their first Big East final since 2021.
Friday’s remaining games involving locals:
Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals: VCU (24-7) vs. Duquesne (18-14), 5 p.m., USA. The Rams have won 13 of 14 to play their way onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, while the Dukes had dropped four of five before topping Rhode Island in the A10 Tournament on Thursday.
MEAC Semifinals: Howard (21-10) vs. South Carolina State (10-21), 6 p.m, ESPN+. The Bison and Bulldogs split the regular season series, but Coach Kenneth Blakeney’s team has been on fire the last month and a half with 12 wins in 14 games.
ACC Semifinals: No. 10 Virginia (28-4) vs. Miami (25-7), 7 p.m., ESPN. It’s a showdown of two first-year coaches having outstanding seasons. Ryan Odom’s Cavaliers won the regular season meeting 86-83 in Charlottesville last month while Jai Lucas’ Hurricanes lead the conference in shooting while ranking second in rebounding.
Big East Semifinals: Georgetown (16-17) vs. No. UConn (28-4), 8 p.m., FS1. The Hoyas played the Huskies tight twice, losing by two in D.C. and by four in the Nutmeg state. Coach Dan Hurley’s team leads the conference in shooting and rebounding, while they’re also tops in defending the 3.
