Dream seasons are labeled as dream seasons because of what happens in the NCAA Tournament.
That’s why Dayton needs to at least make the Sweet 16 to consider its season a true success.
The Flyers enter Wednesday’s game at Rhode Island with an overall record of 27-2, but the lack of quality wins on their resume still raises questions as to just how good this team really is.
Have Dayton’s only losses both come in overtime against Kansas and Colorado respectively?
Yes.
Is a neutral court win over Saint Mary’s still the only win that Dayton possesses on its resume over a team that’s a lock for the NCAA Tournament?
Yes.
Teams from non-power conferences that have once a lifetime seasons need deep runs in March to forever cement their place in the sport.
Just ask Gregg Marshall.
On the heels of a Final Four run in 2013, Wichita State won 35 straight games to begin the next season before losing to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A 35-1 record left the Shockers heartbroken and unfulfilled.
The same thing will happen for Dayton if it loses before the Sweet 16.
Texas is doing more with less
Notre Dame’s Mike Brey has said for years that “depth is overrated in games, but underrated in practice”.
That philosophy is exactly what’s allowed Texas (19-11) to win five straight games and put itself back into the NCAA Tournament picture.
The Longhorns have four rotation players — Jericho Sims, Jase Febres, Gerald Liddell, and Donovan Williams — currently out with injuries, but that’s led to a tighter and more succinct rotation for Shaka Smart.
Divine intervention occurred on Tuesday night when Matt Coleman’s last-second three-point bank shot gave Texas a one-point win on the road over Oklahoma, but Texas likely wouldn’t have been in that situation if it didn’t have the rhythm and chemistry that it’s played with over the last couple of weeks.
Coleman, Ramey, and Andrew Jones are now solidified on the perimeter for this team and 6-6 freshman Brock Cunningham has emerged as a player that can’t be taken off the floor because of the intangibles he brings each time that he steps in between the lines. Cunningham had eight points and 11 rebounds against the Sooners.
Texas closes out the regular season this weekend in Austin against Oklahoma State.
It’s time to officially be concerned about Maryland
This isn’t the way that a team wants to play entering the postseason.
Maryland entered its game at Ohio State on Feb. 23rd on a nine-game winning streak and appeared to be in prime position to potentially play its way to one of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
All of that momentum has now dissipated.
The Terps have now lost three of their last four games following Wednesday night’s double-digit defeat at Rutgers. Their one win during that span was a one-point triumph at Minnesota thanks to a late three-point shot by Darryl Morsell.
Maryland has not led in either of its past two games and has now missed multiple opportunities to clinch a Big Ten regular season title.
Mark Turgeon’s squad is 23-7 overall and will conclude the regular season on Sunday at home against Michigan.
This and That:
– San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher is excited about potentially being one of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament, but he’s not exactly thrilled with the idea of playing in the Sweet 16 and then the Elite Eight at Madison Square Garden if the Aztecs wind up as the top seed in the East Region. “It’s never easy,” Dutcher said Monday about playing games on the other side of the country. “That’s why we don’t schedule games out on the East Coast, but we have no choice in this. It’s taken out of our hands.” As long as San Diego State wins the Mountain West Conference Tournament this week and Gonzaga does the same in the WCC Tournament next week, the Aztecs will be the top seed in the East Region on Selection Sunday.
– Ohio State has quietly won five of its past six games. CJ Walker’s ball security is a big reason why. During that stretch, the crafty lefty has handed out a total of 29 assists to just six turnovers. The Buckeyes are 20-9 overall heading into Thursday’s game with Illinois in Columbus.
– Seton Hall is 11-2 this season in games where Jared Rhoden scores in double-figures. Can you say X-Factor? The ceiling for the Pirates only extends to a higher level when this 6-6 sophomore is a factor offensively. Seton Hall can clinch an outright Big East regular season title with a win over Villanova on Wednesday night in Newark.
– BYU’s Yoeli Childs is averaging 29.3 points and 11.7 rebounds over his last three games. Imagine the attention this kid would get if he played in a power conference? Also: BYU is 16-2 with Childs in the lineup. One of the losses came in overtime. The other came by a single point in a road tilt at San Francisco.
– The two most talented players in Harvard’s program — Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken — have only played a combined seven games this season due to injuries. Neither is likely to return. The Crimson however, remain only a game back of Yale for first place in the Ivy League standings. Another thing to note: Harvard will host the 2020 Ivy League Tournament in Cambridge.
– Arizona State’s Rob Edwards has quietly performed like an all-conference player over the past two weeks. The 6-5 guard is averaging 16.8 points over his last four games while shooting an impressive 16-33 from three-point range during that span. “He’s really opened things up for both Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge,” Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley said of Edwards. “It’s made us a harder team for opponents to guard.” Edwards and Martin give the Sun Devils a potentially lethal back court tandem moving forward into the postseason. The Sun Devils next host Washington on Thursday night in Tempe.
– UConn freshman James Bouknight averaged 18.9 points during the month of February and will be a major building block for the Huskies when they transition to the Big East after this season. Dan Hurley’s squad already has 17 wins and will next host Houston on Thursday night in Storrs. UConn only won a total of 16 games last season.
– Russell Turner continues to do a tremendous job at UC Irvine. The Anteaters’ head coach lost his best player — Max Hazzard — as a graduate transfer to Arizona following last season when UC Irvine won a game in the NCAA Tournament and still hasn’t lost any momentum. UC Irvine is currently 21-10 overall and 13-2 in Big West play. No other team in the conference has won more than eight league games.
Games to Watch:
Wednesday: Xavier at Providence, LSU at Arkansas, Villanova at Seton Hall, Dayton at Rhode Island, Florida State at Notre Dame
Thursday: Illinois at Ohio State, Houston at UConn, Wichita State at Memphis
