With each program was battling for their first ever Final Four Appearance in their respective histories. The game was physical all 40 minutes and both teams had Houston on their mind as they were ready for blastoff.

At the end of the game, there was a foul that was called on Creighton that send San Diego State to the Free Throw line. By definition the calling of the foul was the proper call based how the rule is written in the rule book. The contact between the hand of the defender and the hip of the shooter as he was attempting to shoot the ball which is what the camera angles show.

For the previous 39:55, players from both teams have been contacted harder than that without a foul being called. The adrenaline of an Elite 8 match up knowing a Final Four awaits the winner as a Final Four will be a step towards changing a program for future generations.

The feeling is similar from getting your 8th Gym Badge, using all of your Pokémon with all of your Pokémon fainting except your starter who had 1 HP left just enough to deliver the final blow. Winning that match up gives you the right to battle to become a Pokémon League Champion.

In the basketball universe, the Pokémon league Champion would be your National Champion.

Starting with recruiting as well as potential NIL opportunities for future student athletes when these decisions are made based off the Final Four goal that has been achieved.

Also, as the Final Four is reached you could see more stability for those underclassman who want to continue the tradition of making deep NCAA Tournament runs in the future. With the Transfer portal being more important than ever in addition to native recruiting, other players from other National programs may want to bring their talents to said school as they feel like the can contribute to something greater than themselves.

The called foul impacted more than this trip to the Final Four for San Diego State. Potential recruits are now looking at San Diego State as a school where a National Championship is potentially within reach vs a school with NCAA Tournament appearances with occasional opportunity to go past the first or second round.

The called foul impacted both programs. Coach Greg McDermott can use this game to his advantage as well with the national exposure the called foul is getting. Outside the people who have a connection with Omaha Nebraska, not very many people knew about Creighton Blue Jays.

As both teams prepare for their program’s future, one thing is for certain, the game wasn’t won or lost by that foul call alone. The game that we watched yesterday showed how much the fans, coaches, and players cared so much for their programs to put in the effort like that.

It takes the preparation of the coaches, the cheering by the fans, and the execution by the players to see that kind of a game.

The post Creighton vs. San Diego State: The Foul Heard Round the World! appeared first on INSCMagazine.

I have high expectations for the Houston Cougars, they have all the intangibles that it takes to win a national title. Great coaching, two NBA-ready guards, and a very talented roster. Talented enough to win six games straight and become National champions. Houston enters the tourney with the best overall record in NCAA Men’s basketball, with a (31-2, 17-1 American Athletic Conference) record .

So I’ll get straight to the point and say, Houston is my pick to make it all the way to the Final Four and will be cut down that net on April 3^rd right in their own backyard at NRG Stadium.

This Kelvin Sampson-led club will be tough to match up against, as they are the most well-rounded team in the NCAA. They wear their opponents down with a systematic pace, constantly boxing out in the paint and dominating on the offensive boards, thriving on second chance points. Houston is well balanced and was the only team with a top-11 offense and defense in adjusted efficiency rating.

Marcus Sasser G.

Senior Marcus Sasser is Houston’s star guard and the team’s leading scorer with 17.1 ppg. Currently nursing a groin injury, that is causing some doubts for many that had Houston as the clear favorite. The cougars will need their star player at full health if they expect to make a run, and avoid a upset with a early exit out of the tourney. Assuming Sasser is healthy enough to stay on the court, he should make a major impact in the tourney cementing himself as a future first round NBA draft pick, along with teammate All-American forward Jarace Walker.

Here is a look at my bracket and predictions as I have Houston and Arizona in the “BIG DANCE”.

Top 4 Seeds

1. Houston (31-2, 17-1, American)
2. Alabama (28-5, 16-2, SEC)
3. Purdue (28-5, 15-5, Big 10)
4. Kansas (27-7, 13-5,  Big 12)

• Out of the four, I have Purdue making a second-round exit with a loss to Memphis, despite having the best player in college basketball in Zach Edey.
• I have Alabama losing to the University of Arizona in the final four with Arizona advancing to the national championship.
• The Jayhawks will lose to Gonzaga in the final four.
• Last, I have the Houston Cougars going threw the bracket and beating Arizona in the National Championship and cutting down the net.

C.C.

The post March Madness: My Official Predictions And Bracket! appeared first on INSCMagazine.

In 21 seasons with Villanova he compiled a record of 520-197. Wright won two NCAA championships with the Wildcats with one in 2016 and the other 2018. He recruited five consensus All-Americans in Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Scottie Reynolds, Randy Foye, and Allan Ray.

Wright’s career as a head coach began at Hofstra. It was not until the 1997-1998 season that he began to make a name for himself as he led he program to a 19 win season. The following year he won 22 games yet did not win the regular season conference championship or make the NCAA tournament.

It was his final two seasons with Hofstra that guided the program to the regular season conference championships and made the tournament. In his seven seasons, he compiled a record of 122-85.

For Wright his 642 career wins rank 34th all-time, 924 games coached ranks 45th, and his overall winning-percentage ranks 81st.

According to Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim the retirement is “a tremendous loss for college basketball.” He also went on to say that he is “absolutely one of the best coaches in the modern era.”

As for Wright he prepared a statement that said “over the past 21 seasons, I have had the opportunity to live out a professional dream as the head coach at Villanova. Patty and I have been blessed to work with incredible, gifted young men who allowed us to coach them and brought us unmatched joy. We cannot overstate our gratitude to the players, coaches, and administrators who have been with us on this path. It has been an honor and a privilege to work at Villanova, especially under Father Peter and [vice president and director of athletics] Mark Jackson.”

While he is no longer the head coach, Wright has taken on a new role with the Wildcats as special assistant to the president.

Here is a look at how social media has taken the news of the retirement.

Thank you for everything!!!good luck in your next chapter!!!

— Jay Coughlin (@JCough1055) April 21, 2022

“Jay Wright Court” better be painted on the hardwood next year. #legend

— james mayhall (@jmays99) April 21, 2022

Thank you for your leadership, values and example!!!

— Nick Hamilton (@NickHamilton49) April 21, 2022

The post Report: Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright Will Retire And Assume New Role appeared first on INSCMagazine.

You have the small and plucky Peacocks from Saint Peter’s channeling their inner George Mason, Coach Mike Krzyzewski dancing his “Last Dance” and Gonzaga hoping to finally close the deal. This year’s NCAA Men’s tournament has a little something for everyone.

In the West Region, will the overall top seed (1) Bulldogs continue the amazing run of Mark Few and his talented squad headlined by No. top prospect Chet Holmgren and Kevin Love clone, Drew Timme? Or will the dark horse (4) Arkansas Razorbacks spoil another brilliant season by Zags?

Could this be the end of the line for Coach K and his illustrious and storied coaching career? For all of his many accomplishments in winning five national titles and producing a who’s who of NBA—and Hall of fame—talent, (2) Duke is 0-3 all-time in the state of California, as well as being an underdog versus a underrated (3) Texas Tech Red Raiders squad. If Duke hopes to advance to their 13^th Final Four under Coach K, then Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore will need to step their game up out in The Bay.

In the South Regional, (1) Arizona faces off against (5) deep in the Lone Star State. Thanks to the brilliant coaching job of Kelvin Samspon, the Cougars are not your typical five seed, hoping to return back to the program’s 11^th Final Four. That and playing three hours from UH, will give them a distinct home-court advantage. The Cougars will need every bit of “The Cage” down in The Alamodome vs. a very talented Pac-12 champion Wildcats squad that looks like they may be one of the top teams in the tournament not named Gonzaga.

A rematch of the 2018 national title game, (2) Villanova and (11) Michigan cross paths once again. While Mr. GQ himself in Wildcats head coach is still walking the sidelines for Villanova, former Fab Fave star and alum Juwan Howard roams the sideline for Michigan instead of John Beilein. The Wildcats come into San Antonio fresh off a grinding 71-61 win over Ohio State, and now face their second straight Big 10 team of the tournament, hoping for similar results.

One of the most gifted big men in the country, sophomore center Hunter Dickerson, may be the focal point of the Wolverine’s balanced offense and controlling the boards, as they did in their 76-68 upset of (3) Tennessee, to neutralize Villanova’s inside-out game of timely scoring and outside shooting led by senior guard Collin Gillespie.

In The Midwest region, you have (1) Kansas facing (4) Providence in Chicago, in what promises to be a de facto home court feel for the Jayhawks in the Windy City. One of the most balanced squads in the country, can Jayahwks guard Ochai Agbaji help Bill Self finally get over the Sweet 16 hump, after escaping Creighton, 79-72.

While advancing to the Sweet 16 for the 24^th time in the program’s storied history and 11^th under Self, can Kansas finally close the deal?

In the second matchup, (10) Miami faces (11) Iowa State in a rare clash of double-digit seeds. Both the Hurricanes and Shockers have traveling long roads to reach Chicago, and while many feel this is a pick-em game, Miami appears to be the quicker and more athletic team thanks to guard Kameron McGusty, who is averaging 17.5 points per game.

In The East region, you have America’s newest sweetheart and a clash of hoops royalty in The City Of Brotherly Love.

In a clash of two of college basketball’s bluest bluebloods, you have North Carolina meeting UCLA in what could be an instant classic.

With 17 national titles and a who’s who of hoops legends, the Tar Heels and Bruins coming into Philly with a Elite Eight–and potential Final Four spot on the line.

Boasting two of college basketball’s most prolific offenses, UCLA is led by their explosive backcourt of Tyger Campbell and Johnny Juzang against The Tarheels and their tough and physical play of junior power forward Armando Pacot and his team-high 16.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

In arguably the most anticipated game, you have the Purdue Boilermakers facing Saint Peters in front of what will be a pro-Peacock crowd in Philly. Thanks to upset wins over (2) Kentucky and (7) Murray State, the Peacocks will have a de facto home game vs. the third-seeded Boilermakers.

Led by Daryl Banks III and Doug Edert, the Peacocks have the backcourt and shooting able to contend with and keep up with Purdue’s high-powered shooting led by Jaden Ivey (17.6 points) and the rebounding of Zach Edey (7.9) in what will be an exciting back-and-forth thriller.

The post March Madness! Unpredictable Opening Round Setting Up Sweetest Sweet 16! appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Baylor, who opened the game on a 9-1 run, came out of the gates flying in hitting their first four out of five shots to jump out to an early 11-1 lead, four minutes into the game. From there, things quickly went downhill for the heavily-favored Bulldogs whom were burdened with the challenge of completing a perfect season and recovering from an emotional 93-90 win over UCLA.

Sadly, Zags never recovered. And it showed.

From getting out-rebounded 38-22–including 16-6 on the offensive boards–committing a season-high 14 turnovers to missing normally routine free throws, the Bulldogs were just manhandled, and beaten up by a clearly superior team playing with an edge and a underdog’s hunger. In what may be a future blueprint for all college teams to follow, Baylor’s three-guard lineup of Jared Butler (22 points), Davion Mitchell (15 points) and Macio Teague (19 points) combined for 56 of the Bears 86 total points.

In addition to their quickness and scoring abilities, Zags had no answer for Bears’ Congoian forward Flo Thamba, who grabbed six rebounds in 16 minutes and guard Mark Vital who added another 11 in 27 minutes.

Gonzaga was just simply overwhelmed by Baylor’s defensive trapping pressure, second-chance opportunities and their prolific guards–including Adam Flager (13 points)–shooting 45 percent from long-range. A team that many felt had a chance to win it all last year before COVID-19, Baylor brought back every player for this season. And it was worth it.

A private Baptist research school with an enrollment of 14,000 tucked away in Waco, and like many other schools in the Lone Star State not named Texas, Baylor has often been looked down upon as a second-tier school in a football-mad state overshadowed by the burnt orange-colored 800-pound gorilla from Austin. In winning the school’s first national title, Baylor became the second Texas school to win a title, and the first since the famed racially-integrated Texas Western coached by Hall of Famer Don Haskins—now UTEP–did so in 1966, who upset the late Adolf Rupp-coached Pat Riley-led Kentucky Wildcats.

While no longer perfect, Zags arguably was one of college basketball’s most exciting teams in a long time. Just that on this night in Indianapolis, like so many others before, their hopes of perfection were dashed by a hungrier underdog from Texas.

The post 2021 Final Four: Sic’ Em! Baylor Bears Ruin Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Perfect Season, Claim First National Title! appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Often considered by many the best college basketball played in the modern era, Christian Laettner hit a game-winning turnaround shot, courtesy of a full-court inbounds pass from Grant Hill, in the old Spectrum to lift the Duke Blue Devils over the Kentucky Wildcats, in what was then considered “The Game of The Century”. The Blue Devils would go on to claim the national title that year.

Fast forward almost 30 years later, and Suggs, following a UCLA layup tying the game at 90-90, would pull up from near mid court to hit a game-winning bank shot with 3.3 seconds left, lifting the Bulldogs into the national title game to face Baylor, in arguably an instant classic, that will be replayed for years to come.

In what was a thrilling back-and-forth game that had more subplots than a reality show, as Zags still had bitter memories of losing to UCLA, after blowing a double-digit lead in what would be future NBA bust Adam Morrisson’s last game, were not in the mode for a “Heartbreak City” sequel.

In what proved to be their toughest test all tournament, Zags aced the test thrown at them by the scrappy 11th-seeded Bruins, who came into the Final Four with consecutive wins over No.1 Michigan and No.2 Alabama. For a while, it looked as if the Bruins were going to deny Gonzaga once again in the tournament and have a chance to play the program’s 12th NCAA title.

Suggs and the undefeated Bulldogs has other plans.

In a tournament that has exceeded expectations in a series of upsets, quality play and new unsung heroes emerging daily, Gonzaga–thanks to Suggs–are 40 minutes away from their one shining moment, as well as a shot of perfect immortality.

The post Jalen Suggs: How The Gonzaga Bulldogs G Gave March Madness A Whole New Meaning appeared first on INSCMagazine.

Fresh from their 51-49 win over No.1 seed Michigan, the Bruins now face top overall seed in the undefeated 34-0 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who are chasing history. Despite their blue blood lineage, 11 title banners and some of the greatest to ever play in the game from Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Bill Walton and current NBA superstars such as NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and 2016 NBA champion, Kevin Love, the Bruins have been underestimated at every turn.

From having to survive a First Four matchup against the always-tough Michigan State, 86-80 followed by wins over No.6 BYU 73-62, No.14 Abilene Christian 67-47, No.2 Alabama 88-78 and their close two-point win over the aforementioned Wolverines, the Wizards of Westwood have a chance to channel their inner Harry Potter and perform their greatest magic trick yet vs. the juggernaut Zags.

Too small. Not worthy. Too gritty and boring for the usually flashy SoCal lifestyle.

Don’t matter, the Bruins are winning and advancing under first year coach, Mick Cronin, whom many didn’t initially warm up to due to his non-Cali roots.

It’s amazing how a Final Four run changes things, huh.

If Cronin and his band of Bruins are somehow able to slay Gonzaga and bring home the program’s 12^th overall title on the home soil of John Wooden, then that will be a L.A. story worth telling for years to come.

The post UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball: Can The Wizards Of Westwood Continue Their Magical Run? appeared first on INSCMagazine.

No.1 – Gonzaga misses the National Championship Game. Sure, they are the overall number one seed in the tournament, However, they have been haunted by their past. Unless John Stockton puts on a uniform again the hype will be short-lived again

No.2 – Big 10 with a pair of 1’s and 2’s. This year has been an overall strong year for the Big 10 Conference. Michigan and Illinois headline the strong Big 10 with Ohio State and Iowa not too far behind. This is going to be the year that the Big 10 overthrows the ACC as the best basketball conference in the country.

No.3 – Everyone will know who Patrick Ewing is. Recently, Patrick Ewing went to social media about being stopped by security to show his credentials badge at Madison Square Garden. He wasn’t too thrilled as he referenced his career with the New York Knicks to the guard. His school is back in a familiar place with going to the dance. However, Ewing now is in a new set of shoes. A pissed off Ewing is a dangerous one! Expect the Hoyas to make some noise.

No.4 – Four of a Kind. The Final 4 will have all the same seed number going to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan. With Indianapolis being right in the middle of Big 10 country, expect a Big 10 team to win the National Championship. We will get to that later. If you know your seeds you can have a good guess.

No.5 – The dreaded 5/12 matchup. The upsets and the fun begin here. The signature upsets of the first round happen here at 5/12. This year, we will see two of those upsets. UCSB knocks out Creighton, and Georgetown knocks out Colorado in the dreaded 5/12’s this year.

No.6 – COVID hasn’t gone completely away. This last year has heavily been impacted by COVID. This tournament will have six games impacted by COVID. How does that impact the NCAA tournament overall is yet to be seen. We have seen some big blows with Duke, Kansas and Virginia thanks to COVID during conference tournament time. With the NCAA Tournament being a bigger stage, expect to see some forfeits and my guess is six.

No.7 – The Lucky Upset. The upset is what you consider the best part of the tournament is. It creates the madness that we expect in March. It is the reason why we watch the NCAA Tournament, with every collective breath. I expect the lucky upset to happen seven times in the first round. Will you call the proper upsets we’ll see! We will find out those upsets by the end of the day on Saturday.

No.8 – Crazy 8’s at the Buzzer. Oh yes, the buzzer beater. Buzzer beaters are common in the NCAA tournament. This year will be no different. I am going to go with eight buzzer beaters as we continue to see a NCAA tournament.

No.9 – The National Championship Game. As we discussed earlier with the National Championship game being in Big 10 Country, the National Championship will be a Big 10 Battle. Illinois and Michigan will go at it again. The Big 10 having the highest quality play all year this should not shock any of us that we’d see a Big 10 Champ. The Illinois Fighting Illini will be your 2021 National Champion.

Bonus No.10 The Double-Digit Seed. We normally see at least one double digit seed go to the Sweet 16. This year with COVID, you will see at least two maybe even three. Enjoy the NCAA Tournament, I know I will!

The post The Stein Nine: Nine Unique Predictions for March Madness! appeared first on INSCMagazine.

He does not get the same shine or national publicity as his more talked-about teammates in Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, but Cam Reddish is the forgotten–yet talented–third wheel of the Duke Blue Devils.

With the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery done and the real Draft right around the corner, it is widely assumed that his former teammates will he selected in the top three.

But what about him? Where will he land?

As I noted over in our sister site, The Spectator Magazine, Reddish is perhaps the ultimate draft wildcard as he can land anywhere from 4-10.

And if he drops, it would be a mitigated disaster of epic proportions.

Thanks to averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 36 games down in Durham, Reddish translates more into a 3-D/wing defender and athletic wing who can guard the three.

In today’s Age Of The Three, Reddish may not have the highlight reel dunks of Zion or the smooth scoring ability of Barrett, but Reddish–if he’s in the right system–could be an immediate contributor for the right team.

It’s sad that in Duke’s version of “The Big Three” that he was the Chris Bosh to Zion’s LeBron and Barrett’s Dwyane Wade.

Which in the end, might not be so bad after all.

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For the record, I hate Duke. Like every other college hoops fan outside of Durham, I hate and despite the mere mention the Blue Devils, and yet I picked them in our recent Inscriber Magazine tournament bracket challenge to win it all. Here’s why.

Thanks to their easy opening round win over North Dakota State, 85-62 after only being up by four over the No.16 Bison at halftime, their much-hyped frosh trio of Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish helped them pull away late.

And make no mistake, the Blue Devils—who are the prohibitive favorites to claim their sixth national title, which would also tie them with long-time archrival, North Carolina—is as easy a bet as anyone could make in Vegas.

While they have three bona-fide lottery picks for the upcoming NBA Draft, Zion at times looks lazy and unpolished, Barrett is the best pure scorer and Reddish looks like a modern-day 3-and-D type of player who many are stupidly sleeping on.

There are many things in life that are staples you can count on. Death, taxes and Duke being in the Final Four.

The Blue Devils are like that rich, spoiled and arrogant cousin that shows up every holiday and brags about their new house in the Hamptons, backpacking in Europe or their dividends cashing out.

And every year, you have to hear about it to the point where you want to give them involuntary reconstructive surgery to their perfectly Botox W.A.S.P. face right in front of their Barbie doll-looking Instagram trophy WAG in an effort to shut him up.

Duke is like that. Bet money.

If there is a living and breathing example of white privilege. It is Duke.

Classic example: the men’s lacrosse team.

Just the name alone evokes royalty and faux Ivy League-wannabe status, even though the school was founded as Brown School by Methodists and Quakers in 1838, it wasn’t until 1924 that tobacco and electric power industrialist, James Buchanan Duke had the school name changed to honor his dead father, Washington Duke, to the all-powerful and omnipotent name that we have all come to love and hate.

Eye roll please.

Whether its’ because it costs over $53,000k-plus to attend—mostly by rich kids from the Northeast, and predominantly New York City, California and Florida—or it’s 11 percent acceptance rate, there is just something about the school and its hoops team that makes you want to beat them.

Badly.

Perhaps its their annoying fanbase, the Cameron Crazies, or seeing a bunch of losers camp out in “Krzyzewskiville”, or just having to hear about how great they are from their biggest cheerleader in the ever-eternal brown-nosing Dick “Dukie” Vitale non-stop 24/7 on ESPN.

We get it, none of us are rich, smart or talented enough to go there. Whatever.

And to top it all off, Duke always—and I do mean always—gets slotted into either the South or East region of the tournament, giving them an almost Easy Street path to the Final Four. I mean, look at how many Final Fours they’ve been to and count how many of those were out of wither the East or South region, I’ll wait.

When they’re not going back-and-forth with the hated Tar Heels, they have played some of the greatest hoops games ever such as arguably the greatest basketball game in modern-day history vs. Kentucky, beating Michigan’s frosh-led “Fab Five” or upsetting the seemingly invincible UNLV Running Rebels.

But to go back to above in talking about what we all HATE, and I meant HATE the Blue Devils. I have one name that will make all college hoops fans blood boil. Christian Laettner.

If there is a perfect villain for college basketball. It was him.

Not because of who he was, but because of where he played and how good he was.

Four Final Fours, two national titles, the only college player on the 1992 Dream Team and strikingly handsome. Yeah, let those hater tears flow, because he was the perfect embodiment of Mr. Perfect—note my nod to the former WWE star there.

If Laettner were to be the ultimate 007 bad guy, then their Hall-of-Fame head coach in Mike Krzyzewski would be the perfect mad scientist behind the scenes. Dapper suit, sharply coiffed hair, a nice crooked beak of a nose, right down to a scowl that’ll make James Bond quiver and a surname worth of some crazy Eastern European physicist or smooth-looking money smuggler, both Coach K and Laettner helped allow Duke to make college hoops their proverbial oyster.

At around the turn of the millennium, the seemingly natural hate for Duke only grew to even bigger proportions thanks to Nike practically anointing them champions before their 77-74 upset loss to the underdog UConn Huskies in the title game down in St. Petersburg, and while Duke would go on to win three more titles in 2001, 2010 and 2015, they would continue to be a major pain in the ass for all of college basketball.

Flas forward to the present and in the era of The Age of One-And-Done and players such as Brandon Ingram, NBA champion Kyrie Irving and Jahil Okafor have come and gone down on Tobacco Road, one thing remains the same; Duke will always be Duke and the Blue Devils will always be the team we all love to hate.

And while I’ve been reduced to hate-watching them myself and have already accepted that they will make quick work of my newly adopted second fave school in UCF—after Ohio State of course!—I’ll always have a special place in my heart for loathing that team from Durham.

Maybe its because when I was growing up that I loved North Carolina and their tough-nosed style of play. They were the blue-collar lunch-ail kind of team compared to Duke’s fancy and bourgeois-loving caviar finesse or because I like a lighter shade of blue, but for now, I have to put aside my feelings of disdain for Coach K, Zion, R.J. and Cam in hopes of winning my own magazine’s bracket challenge.

It’s just business, nothing personal. As they say down in Tobacco Road, here comes Duke!

P.S. And yes, after all these years, like all college fans outside of Durham, I still hate Laettner.

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