Marching to Madness

In Episode 771 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes San Francisco head coach Chris Gerlufsen, who enters his first season as the head coach of the Dons. San Francisco has one of the nation's most electric players in guard Khalil Shabazz.

Topics of discussion include:

• The dynamics of Khalil Shabazz, who enters his fifth season
• Washington State transfer Tyrell Roberts and his three-ball
• The addition of guard Marcus Williams
• Solid depth as a characteristic of the team

In Episode 770 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes San Jose State head coach Tim Miles, whose Spartans took a 63-48 win in their season opener against Georgia Southern.

Topics of discussion include:

• The presence of 6-6 point guard Omari Moore
• Alvaro Cardenas joining Moore in the backcourt
• The addition of six freshmen and their abilities
• Discussing which analytics are important for Coach Miles and his staff

In Episode 769 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes back Stanford head coach Jerod Haase, who begins his seventh season in Palo Alto. Haase discusses Stanford's 88-78 win over Pacific on Monday evening and players who should be keys in the upcoming season.

Topics of discussion include:

• Davidson transfer Michael Jones' 31 points in the victory against Pacific
• The consistent play of Maxime Reynaud in the same victory
• The potential of Harrison Ingram in his sophomore season
• A veteran presence on the Cardinal's front line

In Episode 768 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes Pepperdine head coach Lorenzo Romar, who enters the fifth season of his second term as head coach of the Waves. Coach Romar opened his coaching career as a head coach at Pepperdine from 1996-99. This season's team will be building off of last season as his team has a viable sophomore class.

Topics of discussion include:

• The opening win over Rice on Monday
• Talented scorers in Maxwell Lewis and Houston Mallette
• Mike MItchell, Jr., as a consistent point guard
• The implementation of depth in making the rotation

In Episode 767 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay, who will pick up his 200th win at Liberty with his next 'W'. McKay discusses Darius McGhee, who returns for his fifth season.

Topics of discussion include:

• How McGhee is a stellar part of the Liberty program
• Four returning starters without Keegan Murray
• The Flames' three-point prowess of a year ago
• Thoughts on NCAA Tournament expansion

… And much more!

In Episode 766 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes UNC Greensboro head coach Mike Jones as the Spartans will be one of the favorites in the Southern Conference this season behind a solid defense and the return of five starters. Coach Jones added solid transfers including former VCU Ram Mikel Brown-Jones, who played in 29 games and shot 55.3 percent from the field.

Topics of discussion include:

• How defense is a vital part of the Spartans' game plans
• Bas Leyte as the leading returning scorer
• The leadership and basketball skills of twins Kobe and Keyshawn Langley
• Coach Jones' point of view on the potential expansion of the NCAA Tournament
• Much more!

In Episode 765 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes Colorado State head coach Niko Medved as he led the Rams to a 14-4 record inside of the Mountain West as they won 11 in a row to start the season which earned them a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-seed was the highest for CSU in the school's history.

Topics of discussion include:

• David Roddy as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies
• The loss of Isaiah Stevens due to injury
• The improvement of John Tonje's game
• The role of Taviontae Jackson
• Much more!

In Episode 764 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes back Wofford head coach Jay McAuley who leads the Terriers after a season where they allowed only 27.7 defensive rebounds per game which led the nation. Wofford returns leading scorer B.J. Mack, who netted 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Topics of discussion include:

• Mack's versatility inside the Terriers' game plans on both ends of the floor
• The return of Messiah Jones from an Achilles injury
• Additions of transfers in Kyle Filewitch and Carson McCorkle
• Wofford's attacks on the offensive and defensive ends with this team

… And much more!

In Episode 761 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May, who has led the Owls to four consecutive winning seasons in his four years at FAU. May also led FAU to a tie for second in the CUSA East last season. the Owls are one of the best offensive teams in college basketball as they averaged 74.1 points and made 8.8 threes and shot 35.2 percent from behind the three-point arc in 2021-22.

Topics of discussion include:

• How to build on returning eight of the nine top leading scorers
• Alija Martin and Michael Forrest and their influences on offense
• Competition at the point guard position
• Coach May's philosophy of the three-point offense

… And much more.

In Episode 762 of "Marching to Madness," Ken Cross welcomes back Belmont head coach Casey Alexander, who has posted a 77-19 mark in three seasons as the Bruins' head coach.

Topics of discussion include:

• The challenge of the Missouri Valley Conference
• The return of leading scorer Ben Sheppard
• The addition of freshman Ja'Kobi Gillespie
• Potential NCAA Tournament Expansion

… And much more.