Billikens, Lincoln and Coaches Who Need More Love

March 19, 2026

BILLIKEN BALL

After starting the season 24-1, Saint Louis cooled off a little. The Billikens were 4-4 in their final eight games, but this is still a very dangerous team, heading into the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Josh Schertz should be on the short list for National Coach of the Year honors.

The Billikens have a tough draw, facing Georgia in the 8-9 matchup, with the winner likely getting Michigan on Saturday.  SLU and UGA will tip-off at 9:40 pm EST on Thursday. The first team to 100 wins! 

Both teams play up tempo and can really score. I think the Saint Louis defense is a little underrated and could be the difference in the game.  They have a deep talented roster, and the "rotation" guys can really impact the game creating points off turnovers and scoring in transition.  

The 6-foot junior, Kellen Thames is a spark plug that makes plays in many ways.  Trey Green -- in my opinion -- is one of the most underrated players in the tournament.  The 6-foot sophomore is a BIG TIME shot maker. If he gets going from three -- look out. 

Quentin Jones (6-5, Jr.), Brady Dunlap (6-7, So.), Dion Brown (6-3, Sr.), and Ishan Sharma (6-5, So.) can all impact that game. And there and there is Robbie Avila. The 6-foot-10 senior is a matchup nightmare for most teams.  His ability to run their offense in the half court -- while still finding his spots to score off drives, post and 3's -- is as good as anyone in the county.  Avila was recently named a finalist for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year award. 

This Saint Louis team is tough to prepare for in a scouting situation. This should be a really exciting first round game. 

LINCOLN CONNECTION

Nebraska is interesting to me.  Fred Hoiberg’s team is really good offensively. When they get going from beyond the arc -- they are hard to beat. From a bracket standpoint, I think they have a favorable draw. I think they could get hot and make a run “if” they can get a first-round win over Troy. Nebraska has been to the NCAA Tournament eight times and is 0-8. 

In his press conference, Coach Hoiberg was asked about making history by getting that first NCAA tourney win. He mentioned that three players were on the team that made the Tournament two years ago, but none of his players were part of the other seven teams to lose in the Big Dance. He went on to speak about ‘putting up walls and blocking out the noise’ being a key to having success in March.

Much like Saint Louis, the Cornhuskers got off to a great start. They set a new school record by beginning the season with 20 consecutive wins.  Dating back to last season, they had won 24 straight. That was the longest win streak by a Big Ten team since Ohio State won 24 straight games to open the 2010-11 season. Their 9-0 start in the Big Ten was their best since beginning 10-0 way back in 1965-66. 

After the hot start they lost 4 of the next 6 but were still playing good basketball. Their first loss came by three points at No. 3 Michigan. They had a tough 80-77 overtime loss at Purdue and a 5-point loss at Iowa. 

Great wins and tough losses. Coach Hoiberg’s team handled the peaks and valleys of the season with a lot of poise. Win or lose, they put it behind them and moved on. 

Nebraska finished the season, winning 4 of the final 6 games and will enter the tournament with 26-6 record. It’s the first time in program history that the Huskers have won 20-or-more games in three consecutive seasons. It is also the 16th 20-win season in school history.

Hoiberg was and All-American player at Iowa State. His No. 32 jersey hangs in the rafters. He is a legend in Ames, Iowa, but he has a strong connection with the Nebraska basketball program. His grandfather, Jerry Bush was the head coach at Nebraska for nine seasons. His other grandfather was a Sociology professor at the University of Nebraska for 30 years. Both of his parents received degrees from the University, and he was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Getting a win over Troy would mean much more than just getting the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win. It won’t be easy. Scott Cross has an excellent team and I’m sure they believe they can win this game. This should be a terrific basketball game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tennessee State’s duo of Aaron Nkrumah and Travis Harper are both really good players. Both guys take and make tough shots. If they get it going in offense, they will be fun to watch. They will have their hands full against a very strong Iowa State team, but the Tigers will not back down. Nolan Smith has done a terrific job this season and his point guard Donte’ Harris was named a finalist for the Riley Wallace award, which is presented annually to the most impactful transfer in college basketball.

If you didn’t see the Ivy League Championship then you missed a classic. Penn’s TJ Power put on a show. The rare Ivy transfer scored 41 --including a pair of threes in the final 12 seconds -- to send the game to overtime. The 88-84 win will go down as one of the best -- and maybe “the best” -- in Ivy League history. His individual performance was certainly one for the ages. The junior started his career at Duke and spent one season at Virginia before transferring to Penn. The 6-foot-9 shooter can play! It will be interesting to see how Illinois defends him.

THEY NEED MORE LOVE

There are so many mid-major coaches that have built consistent winning programs but are under appreciated. Guys that are consistently at the top of their league -- that may not make the tournament every year because they are in "one bid" leagues -- but have built excellent programs. Here are four coaches in the tournament that need more love from the national media.

Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's): It’s hard to believe that he has been the head coach of the Gaels for 25 years. He finished 9-20 in his first season and has never had another losing season. Incredibly, he has won 20 or more games in 18 of the last 19 season. The only season he didn’t reach 20 was the 2020-21 COVID season. He’s taken 12 teams to the NCAA Tournament and Gaels have won seven games. Coach Bennett enters the tournament, just 11 wins shy of 600 in his career. 

John Groce (Akron): He began his head coaching career at the University of Ohio where he led the Bobcats to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. In his first trip to the Dance (2010) he upset Georgetown. Two years he won 29 games and took the Bobcats to the Sweet 16. After five seasons at the University of Illinois, he has spent the last nine seasons at Akron. Groce has led the Zips to five straight 20-win seasons, with four trips to the Dance. 

Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa): He’s been at UNI for 20 seasons and guided the Panthers to five NCAA Tournaments, three NIT appearances and two trips to the CIT. His 2010 team defeated No. 1 Kansas on its way to the Sweet 16. UNI won 30 games that season. Five years later he finished 31-4, which included a win over Wyoming in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He went back to the dance the following season and knocked off Texas in the first round. He is currently three wins shy of 400 in his career.  

David Richman (North Dakota State): He has spent 12 seasons at NDSU, and this is his fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament. Richman has made eight trips to the Summit League championship game and has a record of 21-8 in the conference tourney. In 2019 he knocked off North Carolina Central in the First Four, giving the program its’ second-ever NCAA tourney win. He’s averaged 19.8 wins per season and made North Dakota State, consistently one of the best mid-majors in the country.