Drake is again within the NCAA Match for the third time within the final 4 seasons after holding off Missouri Valley common season champ Indiana State 84-80 on Sunday to win the MVC convention match, and that’s a deal with as a result of we get to observe Tucker DeVries on the most important stage.
Longwood beat UNC Asheville 85-59 within the Huge South championship. Stetson additionally took down Austin Peay in an in depth 94-91 battle for the ASUN Convention.
A yr in the past, DeVries was simply 1-of-13 in a loss to eventual Closing 4 crew Miami in a sport that Drake led by eight with 5 minutes left within the opening spherical of the NCAA Match. Drake introduced in 10 new gamers this season to construct round DeVries and sixth-year senior Darnell Brodie. DeVries scored 27 factors within the championship sport, utilizing his measurement to get to the mid-range and shoot over Indiana State’s smaller guards.
He’s top-of-the-line scorers in school basketball and an NBA expertise enjoying for his dad at Drake. Brodie is the one Bulldog who has been on all three of the final three NCAA tourney groups, and he added 17 factors and in addition held Indiana State star Robbie Avila to fifteen factors on 6-of-16 taking pictures.
Now let’s tackle the Sycamores, who like Drake are 28-6. Indiana State will now have to attend every week to seek out out its NCAA Match destiny. And this a crew that anybody has watched this season would agree we’d fairly see within the discipline than a mediocre power-conference crew.
The Sycamores are the most effective taking pictures crew within the nation — No. 1 in efficient field-goal proportion — and their explosive offense struggled for a lot of the sport Sunday. The Sycamores seemed lifeless when a deep DeVries 3 put the Bulldogs forward by 18 with 10:08 left. Then little guard Isaiah Swope, who’s enjoying on an injured knee that may require surgical procedure on the finish of the yr, acquired sizzling and led the Sycamores on a 25-6 run, taking a one-point lead when he completed off a four-point play with 4:08 left.
Drake responded, with the 2 groups buying and selling leads till DeVries made one other mid-ranger turnaround to tie the sport at 76. Subsequent time down Drake went again to him and Indiana State ran a double crew at him and he discovered Conor Enright for a large open 3 that put Drake up for good.
The Bulldogs, who made their first seven 3s, completed 11-of-18 from 3.
Now we wait to see what the choice committee does. Let or not it’s famous that Indiana State has solely two losses that may be thought-about dangerous losses — at dwelling to Illinois State on Feb. 13 and at Southern Illinois 4 days later — however glue man Jayson Kent left the ISU sport with 18:31 left with a concussion and missed the Southern Illinois sport. Avila additionally missed an early-season loss at Alabama.
These are each groups able to successful video games within the NCAA Match. Hopefully the committee will give us two Valley groups.
The place might Longwood land in match seeding?
Longwood is likely one of the extra unlikely convention match winners — no less than early on within the insanity. The Lancers have been 14-11 and simply 2-8 within the Huge South on Feb. 7. However they beat the highest two groups within the league, Excessive Level and UNC Asheville, within the last two weeks of the common season and repeated that feat within the Huge South semifinals and championship sport because the No. 5 seed.
They upset Excessive Level on the ultimate day of the common season with a game-winning shot after which topped the Panthers in time beyond regulation on Saturday earlier than blowing out UNC Asheville.
This would be the second match look ever for the college out of Farmville, Va. The primary got here in 2022. At simply 172nd within the NET and 168th in KenPom getting into Sunday, Longwood figures to be a No. 15 seed or presumably even a 16 on Choice Sunday, relying on what occurs elsewhere.
This crew doesn’t shoot a variety of 3s — rating 347th in makes an attempt, per KenPom — and is simply 255th in efficient field-goal proportion. So it’s onerous to see precisely how the Lancers would pull a first-round upset towards a excessive seed. Then once more, nobody noticed them getting there within the first place. — Brian Bennett, school basketball senior author
Hats off to the Hatters
Tip of the cap to the Hatters, a brand new member of the first-timers’ membership. It solely took them 53 seasons to make the NCAA Match. Stetson got here into the sport ranked 214th in KenPom, and I’m projecting it to be a No. 16 seed, fairly presumably beginning within the First 4 in Dayton.
The crew acquired a style of what it’s like enjoying a No. 1 seed in November, when it misplaced at Houston by 31 factors.
Donnie Jones’ squad made it by way of the Atlantic Solar match regardless of having one of many worst defenses within the nation: 333rd in adjusted deficiency, per KenPom, although the Hatters have been fourth within the Atlantic Solar in defensive effectivity throughout league play.
Star guard Jalen Blackmon, who had 43 factors within the win over Austin Peay, is the son of former Kentucky standout James Blackmon Sr. and brother of former Indiana participant James Blackmon Jr. — Bennett
Required studying
(Phtoto: Isaiah Vazquez / NCAA Images by way of Getty Pictures)