Coach Becker discusses his 16-5 Catamounts who are also 6-0 and lead the American East Conference. We talk about Saturday’s 67-57 win over Bryant as that left Vermont alone atop the AEC. Coach Becker and I also discuss his defense and how it is a major point in the Catamounts’ attack again this season. Topics of discussion include:  The win over Bryant and the defensive effort in that win How Vermont’s patented defense has once again been a key in AEC play so far in ’23-’24 Shamir Bogues’ overall presence T.J. Long’s versatile offensive abilities Much more! 

Episode 901: Vermont head coach John Becker

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!

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Basketball

UMass head basketball coach Frank Martin led the Minutemen to a 20-11 record, finishing 11-7 in the Atlantic-10 and receiving a double-bye in the A-10 Tournament. The 2023-24 season was UMass’s first 20-win campaign since 2013-14 when they were 24-9 and this was also the last season the Minutemen made it to the NCAA Tournament. Coach Martin took South Carolina to it’s only Final Four and Elite Eight in 2017. He had a five-year run at Kansas State where the Wildcats were in the NCAA Tournament in five of those seasons. K-State went to the Elite Eight in 2010. Topics of Discussion include:  A 20-win season in Coach Martin’s second year in Amherst Transfer Portal Problems Returning point guard Rahsool Diggins Jayden Ndjigue rising to his sophomore season as a small forward  … And much more!!!

Episode 922: UMass head coach Frank Martin

Legendary Coach Jim Harrick is back on “Marching to Madness” as he posted ‘W’s’ in 470 games in his career. We remember 1995 when he became the only UCLA coach since John Wooden to lead the Bruins to a national championship. Harrick took UCLA to the national championship in 1995 as he was the National Coach of the Year and the Pac-12 Coach of the Year during that season. He is still the second-winningest coach at UCLA behind Wooden with his 192 wins. He led the Bruins to three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights. Harrick started his head coaching career at Pepperdine, leading the Waves to five WCC titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Harrick also notched four WCC Coach of the Year awards as the Waves were 87-35 in the ACC in Harrick’s career. After coaching the Bruins for seven years, Harrick went to Rhode Island as the head coach in 1997 as he turned the Rams into a national competitor with his two NCAA Tournament appearance and a berth in the Elite Eight in 1999. Harrick moved into the SEC at Georgia where he took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament twice. Topics of Discussion include:  Discussion about leading the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 1995 Coach Harrick thoughts on UConn and the Back-to-Back national championships A look at the descending of the Pac-12 His thoughts on issues in college basketball  … And Much More!!

Episode 921: Coach Jim Harrick

Coach Gillen does a stellar job as the college basketball analyst for CBSSN on predominantly Mountain West Conference. We discuss NC State as an upstart in winning 9 in a row to get to the Final Four where we also discussed UConn winning the first back-to-back title in 17 years. We had a good SEC/ACC discussion as well as some excellent thoughts about coaches from several different stops. Topics of Discussion include:  Discussion about this season’s Final Four Coach Gillen’s Elite Eight matchup as the Providence coach vs. Arizona in 1997 A look at Mountain West and SEC/ACC Basketball Excellent job by Coach Kevin Keatts in getting NC State to the Final Four  … And Much More!!!

Episode 920: CBS Sports Network analyst Pete Gillen

Coach Magpayo steered a young Highlanders team into a tough out from the middle to later part of the season. UCR ended up winning eight out of their last 11 games as they defeated a top UC Irvine Anteaters squad, 88-78, and made it to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament with a win over Cal State Bakersfield before losing to eventual champion Long Beach State. Barrington Hargress, Isaiah Moses, and Nate Pickens form a talented and complementary backcourt that should complement each other well. Topics of Discussion include:  The Highlanders’ solid finish in winning those 8 out of 11 games Barrington Hargress as the Big West Freshman of the Year Manufacturing many three-point attempts as nine Highlanders posted from 45 to 148 three-point attempts Idea to create shorter possessions with many of the abilities coming in transition off of turnovers  … And much more!!!

Episode 919: UC Riverside head coach Mike Magpayo

Coach Eran Ganot checks in after his Warriors finished the season with 10 wins in their last 14 games. The competitiveness gave them an opening night win in the Big West Tournament and put them in a position to face Cal-Davis in the semi-finals where they lost a tough 68-65 decision. Coach Ganot has led the Warriors to winning percentages in each of the last seven seasons as they posted their first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2014-2015. Topics of Discussion include:  The Warriors’ six seniors who provided them with a 20-win season Coach Ganot’s administration of a plan of attack on both ends of the floor The evaluation of how to use the transfer portal Tom Beattie and Ryan Rapp as two strong players on the 2024-25 roster  … And much more!!!

Episode 901: Vermont head coach John Becker

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