SMC’s Randy Bennett picked up his 500th win this season and the Gaels and Gonzaga tied for the top spot in the WCC. Coach Bennett’s team is consistently one of the top defenses in the nation and SMC finished 27-8 as it allowed only 60.1 points per game and allowed opponents only 51.6 field goal attempts, 10th in college basketball. Topics of discussion include:  The Gaels’ defensive mantra The dictation of Coach Bennett’s philosophy and his talent The return of Alex Ducas The impact of Aidan Mahaney as a freshman in ’22-’23  … And much more!

Episode 838: Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett

Marching to Madness covers the entire scope of college basketball. Hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross keep you up to date on all things college hoops. The podcast has featured interviews with numerous coaches and analysts around the country, including Bob Huggins, Roy Williams, Frank Martin, Bruce Pearl, Jim Larranaga, Josh Pastner, Kermit Davis, Pete Gillen, Gary Williams, and many more. It's a must-listen podcast for college basketball fans!

Sports

Basketball

Fresno State head coach Vance Walberg made his first trip into the “Marching to Madness” CBB podcast as he looks to push the Bulldogs back into a position where they are a solid challenger in the tough Mountain West Conference. Coach Walberg has coached the game for 40 years at all levels, including 697 wins and 16 league titles as a prep coach. He has worked in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets as well as two seasons as the head coach at Pepperdine and three as an assistant at UMass. He is a basketball scientist with his development of the dribble drive motion offense which is part of his own basketball culture. Arkansas head coach John Calipari is on board with Coach Walberg’s acumen as the two met for the first time when Coach Cal was at Memphis. The discussion includes:  Coach Walberg’s development of the dribble drive offense Qualities to move the Bulldogs forward New signings for the Red Wave Growing the program inside of the tough Mountain West Conference  … And much more!

Episode 928: Fresno State head coach Vance Walberg

Coach Jim Les just finished his 11th season at UC Davis where he led the Aggies to within one game of the NCAA Tournament while they finished the season second in the Big West basketball regular season. Coach Les discusses the campus as well as giving plenty of ideas in coaching and his thoughts and ideas inside the game. We discuss Big West Player of the Year Elijah Pepper who has moved on to the Australian Professional Basketball League as a member of the Perth Wildcats. Coach Les also talks about the ascension of the league and how it has become a solid stop along the course of the 32 NCAA basketball conferences. Coach Les played seven seasons in the NBA for the Kings, Clippers, Jazz, and Hawks. He shot 39.6 percent from three-point range throughout his career. Topics include:  According to kenpom.com, UC Davis posted a 20.9 percent forced turnover average per game The quality of Big West Player of the Year, Eli Pepper The return of Ty Johnson and his 17.8 points per game Coach Les’s defensive and three-point shooting philosophies 

Episode 927: UC Davis head coach Jim Les

Coach Taylor just finished his 11th season at CSF as he worked on a rebuild in ’23-24. He posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in ’21-22 and ’22-23 and placed the Titans in two of their four NCAA appearances dating back to when the program was born in NCAA Division-1 hoops in 1975. He loses his top three scorers in DJ Brewton, Tory San Antonio, and Max Jones, but has five new players that will be able to figure in the rotation next season. Topics of Discussion include:  How the Titans present their summer workouts and the subsequent drills Losing the those top three scorers Five new Titans as three came in the transfer portal and two committed to CSF out of high school Maintaining sustainability in a one-bid league 

Episode 926: Cal State Fullerton head coach Dedrique Taylor

Coach Mike Jones drops by “Marching to Madness” once again as his talented Spartans finished tied for second with Chattanooga in the Southern Conference in 2023-24. Jones loses three of his top players as Mikeal Brown-Jones was the SoCon’s second-leading scorer with 18.9 ppg. Twins Keyshaun and Kobe Langley finished their fifth years at UNCG as they were two of the top defensive players in the league. Coach Jones also gives us a coaches clinic on his defensive philosophy as his teams are always atop their leagues on the defensive end of the floor. Topics include:  Concepts and drills in coaching defense Mikeal Brown-Jones’ transfer to Ole Miss and Keyshaun and Kobe Brown finishing their fifth seasons in the program Donovan Atwell as the Spartans’ leading returning scorer Kenyon Giles and Michael Polite, III, coming to UNCG as transfers from Radford and George Mason, respectively 

Episode 925: UNC Greensboro head coach Mike Jones

Coach Frank Haith returns to “Marching to Madness” as he looks forward to his second season as an assistant coach on Coach Rodney Terry’s staff. Haith is following an assistant coaching position at Memphis in 2022-23 and he spent 2004-2022 as the head coach at Miami, Missouri, and Tulsa, winning 343 games in those 17 seasons. Haith was second on the all-time wins list with 138 ‘Ws’ at Tulsa just after he went 76-28 with the Tigers in 2011-2014. In his seven years at Miami, he led the Hurricanes to 129 wins and three 20-win seasons. Topics of Conversation Include:  Texas’s defense allowed 17.9 seconds per possession for it’s opponents Kaden Shedrick returns to the middle as the Longhorns’ leading returning scorer How losing nine players to transfer portal or graduation can affect the dynamics of a team in the following year Transfers join Texas basketball for the 2024-25 campaign Much more! 

Episode 838: Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett

Download our free app to listen on your phone