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Sunday, December 22, 2024
Wofford is going to be a much-discussed team between now and March, but a look at the entire resume-not just Quadrant 1-should say surefire NCAA tourney team. The Terriers also won a dandy in overtime Thursday night at East Tennessee State. Plus: buzzer beaters galore.
One of the sport’s best rivalries in recent years didn’t deliver what many expected, but Belmont’s win over Murray State was impressive nonetheless. Also, Hofstra keeps nation’s longest streak going, Wofford/Samford dandy, Michigan State shows it’s a top-level Final Four contender and Texas State among teams having quietly outstanding years.
In our latest podcast, we start with the new team atop the polls, then some notes from around the country and a look at a number of conferences, including one with a unique scheduling arrangement about to come into play.
Cassius Winston showed why he’s a midseason All-American, leading Michigan State as it stopped Nebraska’s 20-game home winning streak. Hofstra also keeps its streak going, plenty of excitement in the OVC, WCC and Conference USA, another coach ejected and more.
Two of the nation’s longest winning streaks stayed alive Thursday night. One is held by Michigan, but few may know another belongs to Hofstra. Plus, Wofford dominates SoCon showdown, and many teams went overtime on the night too.
So much for any talk about one team possibly going undefeated, and given that their conference is better than some think despite its downward trend, there are teams capable of beating them anyway. Plus no surprises in one big conference, while it was a good day to be a road team in another, and a mild surprise in an academic league opener.
Marshall was one of the early darlings of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, but the Thundering Herd have work to do to get back to the standard of last year’s team at the end of the year. Also, a recap of Monday’s light action.
Gonzaga’s exciting 89-87 victory against Duke in the Maui Invitational final, entertaining as it was, still came down to defense. Plus, recaps of a host of tournament action including Creighton, Bradley and Toledo winning titles.
The young talent at one SEC school showed up in a big way and has made a nice impression early on. Plus injuries hurt their opponent’s depth, and two high-scoring guards lead the way in a nice mid-major battle.
What wasn’t a bad year for the CAA had a tough ending as only one team saw any form of postseason play.
