Marching to Madness

Coach Alford currently has the Wolf Pack within one game of San Diego State in the deep and challenging Mountain West Conference. The Wolf Pack are led by. Jerod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear on the perimeter with Will Baker as a stellar presence on the inside. Nevada shoots 34.9 percent from three and are a solid team from the free throw line in making 79.7 percent from the stripe.

Topics of discussion include:

• Defensively philosophy that is key to the Wolf Pack's team essentials
• The play of Jerod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear
• The development of Will Baker's game
• Nevada's clutch scoring

Coach Todd Simon is back on "Marching to Madness" as his Southern Utah Thunderbirds moved from the Big Sky to the WAC. SUU in tied in the loss column in second place as they are looking to challenge WAC leader Utah Valley. The Thunderbirds' offensive attack finds nearly 84 ppg (4th/CBB) and they split the season series with Utah Valley as each club won at home.

Topics of discussion include:

• SUU's stellar fastbreak approach
• Tevian Jones as the Thunderbird's leading scorer
• Harrison Butler and Drake Allen as a multi-dimensional backcourt
• The likenesses and differences between playing in the WAC and Big Sky Conference

Yale head coach James Jones checks in as his Bulldogs are currently tied for first place with Princeton in the Ivy League. During the last 7-8 seasons, the Bulldogs are at 75-26 in the Ivy League with four championships, two tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament berths and seven postseason appearances. Yale once again is a defensive force as the Bulldogs hold opponents to 39.3 percent from the floor, which is 12th in college basketball.

Topics of discussion include:

• Yale's current six-game winning streak
• Matt Knowling's shooting ability
• The effectiveness of point guard Ben Mbang
• The Bulldogs' success over the last 8 seasons

The Toledo Rockets are one of college basketball's best offensive teams as they average 85.2 ppg, third in the game, and they also shoot 49 percent from the floor, 11th in CBB. Ray J Dennis leads four Rockets in double figures with 19.5 ppg while they shoot 38.5 percent from the floor (16th/CBB). Toledo has currently won eight in a row and is tied for first place in the MAC.

Topics of discussion include:

• How the Rockets enjoy one of the game's most popular offenses
• Ray J Dennis as the team's leading scorer
• Setric Millner and JT Shumate with solidity on offense
• How some MAC ADs should prioritize basketball as a key sport

Miami head basketball coach Jim Larrañaga has the Hurricanes currently in a position to finish at the top of the ACC in the regular season. Miami took an 81-59 win over Duke on Monday evening as Norchad Omier posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller lead a deep Miami guard position around 6-7, 245-pound, Omier, who plays in the middle.

Topics of discussion include:

• The offensive and defensive chemistry of the Hurricanes
• Norchad Omier's presence in the post
• Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller as Miami's two leading scorers
• Wooga Poplar's improvement as a shooter and defender

Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller checks in as XU sits at 19-5 overall and 11-2 in the Big East which ties them for first in the league with Marquette. Coach Miller was 120-47 over his first five seasons as head coach at Xavier (2004-2009) with three A-10 regular season titles and an A-10 tournament championship. He then won 73.3 percent of his games in his 12 seasons at Arizona where his Wildcats won 302 games with five regular season championships and three Pac-12 tournaments. Coach Miller has placed his teams in 11 NCAA Tournaments as this is his 18th season as a head coach.

Topics of discussion include:

• Xavier's consistency in it's offensive attack
• Guard Souley Boom's productivity as a shooter and scorer
• Jack Nunge's toughness in the post
• Coach Miller's thoughts on both playing and coaching in the Big East

The Winthrop Eagles are once again a solid player in the Big South basketball conference as Coach Mark Prosser is in his second season as the head coach at Winthrop. The Eagles have moved to a 6-5 record in the Big South after they posted a 76-74 win over Longwood on Wednesday evening. Winthrop is a solid three-point team around the excellent post play of Kelton Talford, who currently shoots 67.7 percent from the field.

Topics of discussion include:

• Kasen Harrison's game-winner vs. Longwood
• Kelton Talford's prowess in the paint
• Discuss of Cory Hightower's attack
• The competitive challenge of the Big South Conference

Legendary head coach Tom Penders discusses the seasons of the Houston Cougars and the Texas Longhorns, thus far. Coach Penders led both programs during his career as he also was the head coach at Fordham, George Washington, Rhode Island, Columbia, and Tufts. He won 649 games in his coaching career and he also earned the nickname, "Turnaround Tom" as he took programs that had struggled and turned them into winners. The Cougars have been No. 1 in the nation twice while the Longhorns have been in the Top 10 for almost all season. Coach Penders also discusses many of his ideas and philosophies inside of the game of basketball.

Topics of discussion include:

• The play of Houston in coach Kelvin Sampson's system
• Marcus Carr and Sir'Jabari Rice as keys for Texas
• Plenty of philosophy and game instruction
• Thoughts on the late Al McGuire and the late John Wooden

… And much more!

In MTM, Episode 813, Middle Tennessee head coach Nick McDevitt discusses his Blue Raiders as they rose to 26 wins last season and went to the championship game in the CBI. The Blue Raiders are a solid defensive team and Eli Lawrence and DeAndre Dishman are their two leading scorers as Lawrence provides an outside attack while Dishman scores from the paint and boxes.

Topics of discussion include:

• The Blue Raiders' strong season of a year ago
• Middle Tennessee guard Eli Lawrence and post DeAndre Dishman
• Coach McDevitt's defensive attack
• Camryn Weston and Teafale Leonard with Lawrence in the backcourt

… And much more!

ESPN College Basketball Analyst Mark Adams is back on "Marching to Madness" as he and I break down the American Athletic Conference where Houston has been No. 1 twice already and the Memphis Tigers look like they have staying power, come March. We also chat about the Temple Owls, who have been a surprise in this league, although Coach Adams acknowledged before the season started that Temple had an opportunity to rise in the AAC this season.

Topics of discussion include:

• An analysis of the Houston Cougars
• How Memphis looks like a resilient factor under Coach Penny Hardaway
• Khalif Battle and Damian Dunn as keys in Temple's resurgence
• UCF freshman Taylor Hendricks as the Knights' leading scorer and rebounder

… And much more!