Winning On and Off the Court
When hoops success is more than just a game
The big winners from Thursday night’s First Four games were the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) conferences and their teams, Norfolk State and Texas Southern. 2021 is already setting records; The two wins represent the first time the HBCU conferences, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference, both had winning teams in the same NCAA Tournament. This is not just about bragging rights. The wins translated to a larger payday from the NCAA.
Each year, the NCAA pays out a portion of the proceeds from the tournament to its conference participants. The further each team progresses, the more they earn for their conference. The conferences, in turn, share the windfall with its members. The MEAC and SWAC are traditionally lower-performing conferences in the field of college basketball. They rarely get to receive the extra payments from the NCAA, let alone at the same time. On top of all that, the two winners might get an academic boost.
The past year has been rough for colleges and universities. Fewer students are applying to and attending higher education than prior to the pandemic. There is a proven name recognition effect from the NCAA Tournament where colleges can experience an increase in applications and enrollment following success in March Madness. With their wins on the court last night, the two HBCUs may also see success in the admissions office.
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Tournament Tracker: It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA Tournament action and what lies ahead.
#7 Florida vs. # 10 Virginia Tech (12:15 p.m. EDT on CBS)
#3 Arkansas vs. #14 Colgate (12:45 p.m. EDT on truTV)
#1 Illinois vs. #16 Drexel (1:15 p.m. EDT on TBS)
#6 Texas Tech vs. #11 Utah State (1:45 p.m. EDT on TNT)
#2 Ohio State vs. #15 Oral Roberts (3:00 p.m. EDT on CBS)
#1 Baylor vs. #16 Hartford (3:30 p.m. EDT on truTV)
#8 Loyola-Chicago vs. #9 Georgia Tech (4:00 p.m. p.m. EDT on TBS)
#5 Tennessee vs. #12 Oregon State (4:30 p.m. p.m. EDT on TNT)
#4 Oklahoma vs. #13 Liberty (6:25 p.m. EDT on TBS)
#8 North Carolina vs. #9 Wisconsin (7:10 p.m. EDT on CBS)
#2 Houston vs. #15 Cleveland State (7:15 p.m. EDT on truTV)
#4 Purdue vs. #13 North Texas (7:35 p.m. EDT on TNT)
#7 Clemson vs. #10 Rutgers (9:20 p.m. EDT on TBS)
#6 San Diego State vs. #11 Syracuse (9:40 p.m. EDT on CBS)
#3 West Virginia vs. #14 Morehead State (9:50 p.m. EDT on truTV)
#5 Villanova vs. #12 Winthrop (9:57 p.m. EDT on TNT)
The Mixtape: The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
There are some big-time games today, so let’s get right into the content you need to see. Pat Bradley speaks with former Arkansas assistant and current radio commentator Matt Zimmerman on the 30 Minutes of Hell podcast to preview the Razorbacks in the NCAA Tournament. Can talented freshman Moses Moody rise to the moment? Will the transfers like Justin Smith provide that steady presence the best teams always have in March? And can Colgate beat the Hogs or just bad breath?
Right after Arkansas tips off, 1-seed Illinois will take on the Drexel Dragons. Deon Thomas and the Champaign on Ice podcast take a look at the Illini as they make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. Is the Masked Man, Ayo Dosunmu, ready to leave his mark on March? Will center Kofi Cockburn dominate in the paint? Can talented freshman point guard Andre’ Curbelo be the difference maker?
Admit it, you want to impress your friends with random nuggets, such as “Jason Preston is a dangerous scorer and playmaker with the ball in his hands and is effective even without elite speed.” This is the place to get those kinds of insights. Re-watch the entire Courting Cinderella series, where the Field of 68 crew gets scouting reports from the coaches that played against the teams that have a chance to become legends this month.
For more bracket insights, check out the South Region breakdown from the ultimate insiders, Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman. The two go deep on the top teams and potential upsets in this bracket. The 8-9 matchup between North Carolina and Wisconsin could be a classic ACC-B1G game. Meanwhile, the 5-12 matchup between Villanova and Winthrop is going to be the ultimate test of Nova’s abilities without point guard Colin Gillespie, who was lost for the year with an MCL tear late in the regular season.