Marching to Madness

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg ripped nets and lit up scoreboards when he played at Iowa State He then perfected a 10-year career in the NBA, where he shot a career 39.6 percent from three. Hoiberg's Cornhuskers ended with 21 wins, taking victories over UCF, Boise State, Georgetown, and Arizona State in the College Basketball Crown. Coach Hoiberg discusses the development of Nebraska's three-point game, the Cornhuskers' vaunted play of Brice Williams and Juwan Gary, along with an incredible list of basketball celebrities who were his coaches in his career.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• How his level of play and NBA experience helped develop his philosophies than he uses as a coach in today's game
• The Crown Championship
• Brice Williams and Juwan Gary as the catalyst of his team
• Getting votes in the Mayorial election in Ames, Iowa, and much more

Coach Quannas White came to Louisiana from Houston, where he was a major key to the Cougars' success and their appearance in the national championship game this season. Coach White is a native of New Orleans and played for Coach Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, where he helped lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002 and the Elite Eight in 2003. White was an excellent playmaker at OU and had a lethal three-point shot.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Differences in playing and coaching for Kelvin. Sampson
• The return of Kyran Ratliff
• Offensive philosophy and methods of attack with each possession
• Building a program's culture

Coach Kevin Hovde recently cut the nets in San Antonio as he was coach Todd Golden's offensive coordinator at Florida, as the Gators took a 65-63 victory over the Houston Cougars for the NCAA Tournament Championship. Coach Hovde returns to Columbia, where he was on Coach Kyle Smith's staff from 2011-2016. He was an excellent hire by Lions brass with his definition of culture, the ability to build basketball players, and a deep knowledge of the game, of all facets of the game. The Lions limped to a 1-13 record in the Ivy League last season, but the rebuilding of the defense, combined with the team's upcoming offensive acumen, will allow Columbia to rise in the Ivy League.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• How Kyle Smith and Todd Golden have been keys in Coach Hovde's career
• Building the Columbia culture
• Kenny Noland's return to the program
• Setting up three-point shooters in the transition offense

Wofford went on the three-game gauntlet in the Southern Conference Tournament as the Terriers cut down the nets in Asheville, NC, after a 92-85 SoCon Finals win over Furman. We discuss some strategy, basketball philosophy, and more on the 1,019th episode of MTM. We discuss Corey Tripp, Kyler Filewich, and Southern Conference basketball.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Wofford winning three in a row for the SoCon crown
• Matching up with Tennessee, who had been a Top 5 team nearly all season.
• Corey Tripp as a playmaker and a three-point shooter
• The talent level in college basketball

First-season head coach Luke Loucks returns to Florida State where he appeared in 136 games in his four seasons and recorded 391 assists, tenth best in Seminoles history. Coach Loucks developed an in-depth career as an NBA assistant with the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns as he will use an impressive transition game with the Seminoles. Coach discusses his work in the NBA, the return to Florida State with some strategy and philosophy in an excellent conversation.

Topics of conversation include:

• Coach Loucks' stops with the Kings, Warriors, and Suns
• Philosophy on building a roster with the transfer portal and the NIL
• Primary duties with the Warriors in the back-to-back NBA Championships of 2017 and 2018
• Coach Leonard Hamilton's influence

Tony Delk makes his first appearance on the courts here on "Marching to Madness". The former Kentucky and NBA three-point shooter is now a scout for the Dallas Mavericks and hosts the Tony Delk Basketball Academy (tonydelk.com) in the Atlanta area. This is an analytical discussion on Tony's philosophies with the three-point shots, and he also looks at Kentucky Basketball, the Final Four, playing for coach Rick Pitino, and more.

Topics Include:

• How the to maintain the three-point shot
• Kentucky's often injured season in Mark Pope's first year
• Florida's National Championship
• Maintaining as an analyst at ESPN

Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson will take his Cougars into the Final Four for the second time since 2021 as they face the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. The Cougars have won 30 of their last 31 games which includes an outright Big 12 regular season championship, the Cougars' second Big 12 Tournament crown in as many years inside of the league, and the Coogs defeated Purdue and Tennessee last weekend to win the Midwest Region and a berth in the 2025 Final Four.

Topics Include:

• The Cougars' wins over Purdue and Tennessee to assume their Final Four berth
• Versatility from the guard spots with LJ Cryer, Milos Uzan, and Emanuel Sharp
• J'Wan Roberts' inside game on both ends of the floor
• Saturday evening's FInal four Matchup with Duke

… And much more!

Coach Lennie Acuff leads his Lipscomb Bison to the ASUN regular season and tournament crowns. In the championship, the Bison turned back North Alabama, 76-65, and await their NCAA Tournament seed on Sunday. Lipscomb's Joe Anderson was the tournament MVP.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Turning the page to the championship after a tough semifinals win over Queens
• The efficiency of play on both ends of the floor
• The leadership and talent of Ron Anderson
• Anderson and Gyasi Powell on the three-point line

… And much more!

Sonny Smith was the head coach at Auburn from 1979-1988 when he took the Tigers to six NCAA Tournaments and the Elite Eight in 1986 where the lost to eventual nation champion Louisville. Sonny has an offensive mind and he is a transition coach, and he developed Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, and Chris Morris as they were needed players in rotations in the NBA. Sonny chats about the 24-25 Auburn Tigers and their place in history.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The presence of SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome
• Chad Baker-Mazara's shooting, defense, and his overall enthusiasm
• The deep guard rotation
• Bruce Pearl's winning personna

… And much more!

Coach Harrick was front row and center in March as he led the UCLA Bruins to the 1995 national championship and led four different programs in 16 of his 23 head coaching seasons. Jim was a players' coach who helped his players achieve at high levels on and off the floor. He posted 470 wins in those 23 years as the buy-in from his players reflected his ability to communicate with them and teach the game.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The depth of talent, skill, and coaching in the SEC
• Kelvin Sampson has the Houston Cougars poised for a long run in March
• The rise of St. John's under Rick Pitino
• Thoughts and memories of leading Pepperdine to four NCAA Tournaments and sendingthe Rhode Island Rams to the Elite 8

… And much more!!!