A Great Opportunity

March 18, 2026

The first night of the NCAA Tournament was outstanding. We were treated to a pair of highly competitive games that came down to the final seconds. Congratulations to Kenny Blakeney and Howard for picking up the first NCAA Tournament win in school history.

For those of you haven’t already read it, I would recommend you take a few minutes to check out Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones column on the “First Four,” and how important it is for mid-major programs. It’s an excellent read. Everything he laid out was on full display last night, from Texas winning on a last-second shot to Howard having a special moment for its program. 

Tonight the First Four continues with Lehigh vs Prairie View and SMU vs Miami. The RedHawks story has been well chronicled this season. Head coach Travis Steel and his staff have done an outstanding job. Much has been made about their strength of schedule, but there are many programs that have trouble scheduling games against Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents, and none of them finished the regular season 31-0. 

Finishing 18-0 in any conference is impressive, but the Mid-American Conference is one of the best mid-major conferences in college basketball. After entering league play at 13-0, they took everybody’s best shot and completed a perfect regular season. 

As Robert Jones stated in his feature, tonight Miami will have the opportunity to “showcase” its program for the nation. There are a lot of fans that probably have not seen the RedHawks play this season. And with a win, the University will receive an extra unit.

Miami is a dynamic scoring team that spaces the floor as well as anyone in the country. They always have five shooting threats on the court. The RedHawks are No. 1 in college basketball in field goal percentage. They 52.44% as a team. They are second in the nation in scoring, averaging 90.7 points per game, and they are Top 10 nationally, shooting the three. Miami shoots 39.2% from beyond the arc.

SMU is a very good basketball team, which seems to be getting healthy at just the right time. The Mustangs’ athleticism and quickness, led by Boopie Miller, could create an advantage. The 6-foot senior is second in the ACC with 6.4 assists per game. He can also score, averaging 19.2 points per contest. 

SMU was second in the ACC in points per contest, with 84.2 per game. They were No. 1 in the conference, shooting 49% as a team.  This should be an explosive high scoring matchup.

MORE MACTION

Miami is not the only MAC team in the Big Dance. Akron (29-5) will take on Texas Tech (22-10) on Friday afternoon.  The Zips have been on a special run, having won 43 of their last 45 MAC games. They have depth and experience. First-Team All-MAC performer, Tavari Johnson is a terrific player for head coach John Groce. The 6-foot senior led the MAC in scoring, with 20.1 points, and was Top 5 in assists with five per contest. 

Texas Tech had to adjust after losing JT Toppin, who was just named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press. After Toppin went down, the Red Raiders were 3-3, including three straight losses heading into the NCAA Tournament, but Grant McCasland’s team has the defensive versatility that matches up well with Akron’s spread attack. Point guard Christian Anderson is an excellent point guard. He is third in the nation in assists, with 7.6 per contest. If he is healthy, Tech will be a tough out.  I anticipate this being one of the best matchups of the day.

THEY CAN COACH

Nebraska has been playing college basketball for 130 years and this is the first time the program has posted three consecutive 20-win seasons. The first time ever. That’s pretty remarkable. Head Coach Fred Hoiberg has done a tremendous job. It took him a few seasons to establish his culture and now he’s really got it going in Lincoln. It’s the best era of basketball at Nebraska, since Danny Nee took the program to four straight NCAA Tournaments in the early 1990s. 

I am looking forward to watching the Cornhuskers (26-6) vs Troy (22-11) on Thursday afternoon. Coach Hoiberg’s team had a tremendous season behind a defense that forces teams to score off the bounce and an offense that shares the ball as well as any team in the country. They are Top 15 in the NCAA with 18 assists per game and were second in the Big Ten in scoring defense at 66.2 per contest.  

Troy is exceptionally well coached and very disciplined. First-Team All-Sun Belt, Thomas Dowd is a leader on and off the court. The 6-foot-8 junior averaged 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, which was tops in the SBC. 

Head Coach Scott Cross has done an excellent job wherever he has coached. Dave Calloway recently outlined his successes on collegeinsider.com. This was his fifth consecutive season with 20-plus wins. Before he arrived, Troy had four 20-win seasons in program history. In his final three seasons at UT Arlington, Coach Cross won 24, 27 and 21 games. During his time at UTA he posted five 20-win campaigns. Before he arrived, UTA had two 20-win seasons in school history. 

Coach Calloway is a great read, and he has an impressive resume at Monmouth to back it up. He guided his alma mater to three NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Nebraska vs Troy will be an interesting game to watch. Nebraska’s size could pose a problem for Troy. One team will put their sticker on the board and claim their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

HE CAN COACH

TCU’s Jamie Dixon is one of the underappreciated coaches in the tournament. He’s made 4 of the last 5 NCAA Tournaments and has consistently had TCU in the fight. Dixon won 24 games in the first season at his alma mater, and he has done a lot of winning since. In 13 seasons at Pittsburgh, Dixon led the Panthers to 11 NCAA Tournament berths. He averaged over 25 wins per season, and he holds the school record with 31 regular season wins. He did that twice (2003-04, 2008-09). 

JUMP SHOTS

• Iowa State is prime for a deep run. They have the marquee standouts at multiple positions. They get it done on both ends of the floor. They really defend. Joshua Jefferson is outstanding.
   
• Iowa and Clemson are two of the more methodical teams in the country. Iowa will keep the ball in Bennett Stirtz hands and go as he goes. The first to 70 may win this one.
   
• When Illinois is making shots from the perimeter they are on a different level. They have such great positional size that they have matchup nightmares for opponents. Keaton Wagler is an elite freshman.
   
• Along with Akron’s Tavari Johnson, High Point’s Terry Anderson is an under the radar guy. He is a big versatile wing that does a bit of everything for the Panthers. He’s an elite finisher and gets to the line at a high rate.
   
• How great would it be to see St. John’s vs Kansas on Sunday. It would be an epic matchup of two of the best coaches ever. The talent, adjustments and intensity of both programs would make it “Must-See TV.”

GETTING TO INDY

Michigan: The Wolverine’s size and creativity are second to none. They pose so many matchup problems and Head Coach Dusty May, is as good as there is.

Houston: The Cougars play with incredible tenacity and Kingston Flemings is a special lead guard.

Duke: The Blue Devils have as much talent as anyone and nobody can match the season Cameron Boozer has had.

Arizona:  The Wildcats have been consistently been near the top of the rankings and analytics on both ends of the floor. Tommy Lloyd’s team is my choice to win it all this season.