Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops With Ted Sarandis. Championship Week is underway, but off-court matters have unfortunately taken center stage.
We begin by looking at the latest developments in the FBI investigation into corruption, which center on LSU head coach Will Wade and former NC State head coach Mark Gottfried, who is now the head coach at Cal State Northridge. On Friday, LSU suspended Wade indefinitely after media reports surfaced regarding him being caught on a wiretap talking about a recruit, and later in the evening, ESPN reported that Gottfried has now been linked to impermissible benefits to players. While we look at the substance that might be there, there is something concerning: the leaks of this information during an ongoing investigation.
Returning to action on the court, we talk about the end of a great streak: earlier in the week, Kansas was mathematically eliminated from contention for the Big 12 regular season title after winning or sharing 14 in a row. It was a remarkable streak by one of college basketball’s great programs, but it will be Kansas State, Texas Tech or both winning it this year.
From there, we move on to something that might have seemed shocking a couple of weeks ago: Villanova could win an outright Big East regular season title. When the Wildcats lost three straight games, most figured Marquette was on their way, but the Wildcats lead by a game entering Saturday’s final regular season games. The Wildcats appear to be in the best place they have been all season, and the team they visit on Saturday, Seton Hall, looks to have positioned themselves for an NCAA Tournament bid as well. We also talk a little about the conference’s overall balance and the possibility that Providence finishes last after five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
We then talk about a stunner in the Big South Tournament, as Gardner-Webb edged Campbell, which will put Chris Clemons & Co. into the NIT. Campbell was the top seed in the tournament, so they will get an automatic bid to the NIT, which means Clemons will get a chance to pass Lionel Simmons into third place on the Division I career scoring list. Clemons needs 25 points to pass the La Salle legend, and if the Fighting Camels can win their first game, he could have a shot at getting second, as Portland State legend Freeman Williams is 32 points ahead of Simmons.
Next up is a wild night in the Ivy League as they enter their final Friday/Saturday night slate. With Brown stunning Princeton, Penn beating Yale and Cornell beating Harvard, a few things remain to be decided on Saturday ahead of the league tournament next weekend.
Finally, Ted closes out with a few notes from around the country, including a little tribute to Al Skinner, who announced he would resign as head coach at Kennesaw State at the end of the season and then was not on the bench during their Atlantic Sun Tournament loss at Lipscomb.
We hope you enjoy the podcast and share it with your fellow college basketball fans. Be sure to join us over the next week or so as we chronicle conference tournament action ahead of Selection Sunday.
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