Marching to Madness

Coach Mark Gottfried played guard at Alabama from 1984-87 and shot a high percentage as a playmaker. He followed basketball in his career when he was an assistant at UCLA for Coach Jim Harrick on the 1995 UCLA Bruins national championship team which preceded his skills as a coach. He won 498 games at Murray State, Alabama, NC State, and Cal State Northridge. He took the Crimson Tide to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years, which included the Elite Eight in 2004. He guided NCSU for six years, two in the Sweet 16.

Log onto https://www.coachmarkgottfried.com/ and learn about Gottfried's GIV Program and how it is instrumental in every walk in today's society.

The UNC Asheville Bulldogs are once again poised near the top of the challenging Big South Conference. Coach Mike Morrell has produced one of the nation's better offensive teams since the Bulldogs average 82.5 points per game, shoot 47 percent from the floor, and find 62.7 field goal attempts per contest. UNCA and Big South regular-season champion High Point had two interesting games as the Bulldogs won, 103-99, at home in January. The Panthers won a similar contest, 104-100 in overtime, in February.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• UNCA's stellar offensive efficiency
• The abilities of shooter Jordan Marsh as a team catalyst
• The Big South rating second among CBB's 31 conferences in efficiency
• Toyaz Solomon's effectiveness in the paint

Coach Padgett joins "Marching to Madness" actually on the Friday before the Oklahoma game and talks about the Bulldogs who have won three of its last five. Coach Padgett played on Kentucky's national championship team in 1997. He was first-team all-America in '97 and a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in 1998, soending the next eight seasons in the NBA.

Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans brought Coach Padgett with him as his assistant three season ago when he took over the program. According to kenpom.com, the Bulldogs are rated No. 29 and are in the top one-tenth in CBB in offensive and defensive efficiency. Josh Hubbard and Cameron Matthews provide a nice one-two punch for the Bulldogs.

Topic of Discussion Include:

• Playing for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and the venerable Tubby Smith
• Josh Hubbard's efficiency on the point
• KeShawn Murphy and Cameron Matthews express versatility
• How Coach Padgett focuses on game preparations with the coaching staff

… And Much More!!!

Coach Huss and the Panthers currently sit tied for first with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs in the Big South. High Point uses a strong offensive game paced by leading scorers Kezza Griffa (14.6 ppg), D'maurian Williams (14.5 ppg) and Kimani Hamilton (13.4 ppg). HPU works in a fast-paced offensive attack as the Panthers put up 81.9 points per contest (25th/CBB) while shooting 48.9 percent (14th/CBB) from the floor.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• How Coach Huss's offensive philosophy creates the Panthers' style of play
• Depth at guard with Kezza Griffa and D'maurian Williams as shooters, playmakers, and consistent rebounders
• Kimani Hamilton and Juslin Bodo Bodo in the paint
• Chase Johnston and Bobby Pettiford adding depth on the perimeter

Coach Skerry comes onto "Marching to Madness" before his Tigers defeated Monmouth, 73-67, on Saturday. It was Towson's 12th win in its last 13 games as the Tigers hold a one-game lead over UNC Wilmington with three weeks remaining in the regular season. Tyler Tejada (16.5 ppg) and Dylan Williamson (13.8 ppg) are the Tigers' top two scorers.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Creating a dominating record in CAA play
• Tejada and Williamson as the top two scorers
• Mekhi Lowery as a shooter and rebounder
• Coach Skerry's philosophy on a couple of strategies

Going into Saturday's game with Western Carolina, the UNCG Spartans sat tied with Chattanooga for second and one game behind Southern Conference leader Samford. Coach Mike Jones's teams always display a defense that can travel, and the defensive consistency puts the Spartans in the mix every season. Kenyon Giles is a top offensive contributor for UNCG.

Topics of Conversation Include:

• Defensive elements that are present in Coach Jones's system
• Philosophy on baseline out-of-bounds plays
• The presence of Kenyon Giles and Ronald Polite, III
• Donovan Atwell's three-point presence

… And much more!

Coach Russ Turner once again joins "Marching to Madness" as his Anteaters stand at 20-3 and lead the Big West by one game over UC San Diego. UCI features a defensive attack that allows opponents to shoot only 38.6 percent from the floor and produce 13.2 turnovers per game. The Anteaters battle the Tritons on ESPNU on Saturday evening and they feature back-to-back ESPNU dates when UC Santa Barbara visits on Thursday.

Topics of Discussion include:

• Themes of UCI's tough defense
• Bent Leuchten and his 15.7 ppg leads four Anteaters in double figures
• Justin Hohn and Myles Che join Tillis as effective shooter atop the three-point game
• How to deepen the players' basketball instincts

… And much more!

South Florida Bulls head coach Ben Fletcher visits "Marching to Madness," as he has done an excellent job moving the program forward after the devasting passing of Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim last fall. The Bulls have plenty of dynamic players, which allows them to create different lineups and enables different matchups. South Florida won 69-64 over Rice on Tuesday, as they were without Jamille Reynolds in the middle, and De'Ante Green went down with an injury early in the game.

Topics of Discussion:

• How the relentless defensive approach helped to defeat Rice on Tuesday
• The rise of guard Jayden Reid
• Philosophies and ideas of the creation of gameplans
• The productivity of versatile Brandon Stroud

… And Much More!

Middle Tennessee carved a 5-1 mark over six games and the Blue Raiders are in a three-way tie for the top of Conference USA. This is an up-tempo team and currently MT holds opponents to 6-for-22 each game from the three-point line on average. Jestin Porter and Essam Mostafa set up a nice inside-outside attack in Conference USA.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Jestin Porter as a primary component in facitiating the Blue Raiders' system
• Essam Mostafa leads CUSA in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and finds 9.4 shots per game
• Cam Weston and Jlynn Counter as a tough matchup in the backcourt
• The basis of Middle Tennessee's game plans' analytical points

… And Much More!