Marching to Madness

Coach Simon joined MTM on Friday as we discussed the transition from Southern Utah to Bowling Green, the play of Marcus Hill, and the play of power forward Rashaun Agee. The Falcons picked up an 81-72 win over Ball State last Wednesday before a tough 77-76 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday.

Topics of discussion include:

• Major parts of Marcus Hill's overall game
• Improvement of Rashaun Agee over last season
• The Falcons' physical presence of the Bowling Green squad
• Consistent challenges in the MAC
• Much more!

Coach Becker discusses his 16-5 Catamounts who are also 6-0 and lead the American East Conference. We talk about Saturday's 67-57 win over Bryant as that left Vermont alone atop the AEC. Coach Becker and I also discuss his defense and how it is a major point in the Catamounts' attack again this season.

Topics of discussion include:

• The win over Bryant and the defensive effort in that win
• How Vermont's patented defense has once again been a key in AEC play so far in '23-'24
• Shamir Bogues' overall presence
• T.J. Long's versatile offensive abilities
• Much more!

Utah State Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle is in his first season as the Aggies' head coach after four seasons at Montana State where he led the Bobcats into the NCAA Tournament last season. Coach Sprinkle has led USU to a 17-2 overall record and 5-1 in the Mountain West where the Aggies are tied for first with Boise State. Coach Sprinkle joins us on a milestone 900th episode of "Marching to Madness".

Topics of discussion include:

• Rebounding from the first MW loss to New Mexico with a win over Fresno State
• Coach Sprinkle's philosophies on offense and defense
• Great Osobor's consistency on both ends of the floor
• The play of Ian Martinez and Darius Brown in the backcourt
• Much more!

Coach Newman makes his debut on MTM as his Cal State Northridge Matadors check in at 4-2 in the Big West and 13-5, overall. They are on a collision course with their first winning season since 2008-09 and if they continue to win, CSB can position itself for a high seed in the Big West Tournament. This team plays an exciting style of offense which allows them to shoot 47.2 percent per game.

Topics of discussion include:

• Offensive sustainability
• De'Sean Allen-Eakins and Dionte Bostic as a talented inside-outside combination
• Gianni Hunt's step forward
• Coach Newman's 10 seasons as an assistant and interim head coach at CS Fullerton
• Much more!

Coach Casey Alexander is back on MTM as his Bruins have once again been a tough out in the MVC with the transition and three-point games that are clear indicators of the program. The Bruins were tied for first with four other teams going into the weekend after defeating Drake and Illinois State last week. Malik Dia is a huge key for Belmont and could be a possible MVC Player of the Year if he continues to be a consistent producer.

Topics of discussion include:

• Malik Dia's overall game
• Cade Tyson and Ja'Kobi Gillespie joining Dia in the backcourt
• Keishawn Davidson's re-emergence after injuries last season
• Methods of attack from game to game in the tough Missouri Valley
• Much more!

Coach Dawkins once again joins "Marching to Madness" as we chatted about the Knights' 65-60 win over Kansas on Wednesday evening. Coach Dawkins also gave some information on BYU, who visits the Knights on Saturday. Ibrahima Diallo was major in the middle as he scored 13 points and held Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson to 12. The Knights' had an advantage in athleticism and versatility as those both attributed to the upset of the Jayhawks.

Topics of discussion include:

• The Initial Big 12 win over No. 3 Kansas
• The play of Ibrahima Diallo
• The transition into Big 12 play
• Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson in the backcourt
• Much more!

Coach Pitino discusses the season so far as the Lobos are currently 13-3 overall and 1-2 in what is always a tough Mountain West Conference. We discussed the backcourt of Donovan Dent, Jamal Mashburn, Jr., and Jalen House. we talked about some analytics and we talked about the potential of freshman JT Toppin.

Topics of discussion include:

• New Mexico's 77-60 win over Wyoming followed by an 83-73 loss at UNLV
• Donovan Dent's as a scorer, playmaker, and assist-man
• An average possession length of 15.4 seconds, 22nd in college basketball
• The scoring ability of Jamal Mashburn, Jr.
• Much more!

Coach Pearl has entered his tenth season as the Auburn head basketball coach and his Tigers are off to a 7-2 start as they created a strong week with a 104-76 win over Indiana and an 87-62 victory over UNC Asheville. Pearl discusses Auburn's depth, two monumental wins this week over Indiana and UNC Asheville, as well as his players and Sunday's matchup with USC at Neville Arena.

Topics of discussion include:

• Having 10 or 11 Tigers who can fit his rotation
• Wins over Indiana and UNC Asheville
• The illusion of Johni Broome's numbers vs. Indiana/UNCA
• Sunday's matchup with Southern Cal

Coach Smith is back on MTM as he led his Utah Utes to a 73-69 win over rival BYU on Saturday evening which was his first win against the Cougars as Utah's head coach. The Utes have a deep team that is one of the Top 25 in the nation in offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com. Seven-foot center Branden Carlson has become a tough matchup as he takes 29.5 percent of the Utes' shots and leads them in scoring at 17 ppg.

Topics of discussion include:

• Key points on Utah's win over BYU
• Utah's consistency in sharing the basketball
• Branden Carlson's dynamics as a 7-foot center
• The depth of the Pac-12

Coach Ingelsby discusses Delaware's 87-80 win over Xavier as well as the effectiveness of Jalun Trent in the win as well as a key overall player. We also discuss the shooting ability of Jyare Davis and Cavan Reilly, as Reilly has shot 45.1 percent from three. Coach Ingelsby has a solid team in finding the open man inside of the offensive structure.

Topics of discussion include:

• Key points in how the Blue Hens won at Xavier
• Jalun Trent's ability in the clutch
• Gerald Drumgoole's versatility
• The average of 15.2 assists per game