Virginia looks to ‘break down door’ to Final 4 minus Hunter
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Every now and again Virginia coach Tony Bennett will receive a text message from a former player that simply reads: Keep knocking coach.
Bennett keeps a doorknocker in the Cavaliers locker room back in Charlottesville, Virginia, an ongoing symbolic reminder of his team’s goal to “break down the door” to the Final Four.
“That’s the way to touch something special — you just keep knocking,” Bennett said. “Sometimes the door gets slammed in your face . .... You just try to keep knocking and bust through that door. That’s the mentality.”
It’s something they haven’t been able to do under Bennett.
Despite being a No. 1 seed twice and a No. 2 seed once in the previous four seasons, Virginia hasn’t been able to reach the Final Four. In fact, it has been 34 years since the Cavaliers last went to the national semifinals.
Now they’re the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and hoping they have what it takes to bust down that door.
The Cavaliers (312) when they face 16thseeded UMBC (24-10) in the first round Friday.
However far they go, they’ll have to do it without De’Andre Hunter, the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year. He will miss the NCAA Tournament with a broken left wrist.
Bennett, who met his wife in Charlotte and played for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, said he believes Hunter was injured when he fell during a semifinal win against Clemson in the ACC Tournament last week. Hunter went on play in the championship win against North Carolina, but had an MRI after the tournament revealed a break.
Hunter said it hurt during the UNC game but felt he “had to play.”
Bennett said Mamadi Diakite, Nigel Johnson and Marco Anthony will see additional playing time.
Other things to watch in the South region on Friday: FOCUS ON FOSTER » All eyes will be on Creighton senior guard Marcus Foster when eighth-seeded Bluejays (2111) face No. 9 Kansas State (22-11) in the other game in the South region game Friday in Charlotte.
Foster spent two years at Kansas State but was forced to leave the school for what he said were some immature decisions. Foster landed at Creighton, where he’s become a team leader and the school’s leading scorer averaging more than 20 points per game.
“I had to grow up and mature,” said Foster, now the father of a 5-month old daughter. “Now I’m in a spot where I am the man I wanted to become. It was just a little learning curve I had to go through.” THEY’VE MET BEFORE » In Nashville, No. 2 Cincinnati (30-4) faces 15thseeded Georgia State (2410). While the teams have never met, the coaches have competed against each other off the court.
Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin recruited R.J. Hunter, who ended up starring for his dad at Georgia State from 2012-15 and leading the Panthers to a 2015 NCAA Tournament upset of Baylor.
“My son wanted to go to Cincinnati, so I had to hate Mick in my household until R.J. actually committed to me,” Georgia State coach Ron Hunter joked. “He actually liked Mick for some reason. He came home one day and said he was going to play at Cincinnati, and that changed my entire life.” THE STOOL IS BACK » Ron Hunter is healthy for this NCAA Tournament and won’t have to sit for an entire game as he memorably did three years ago when he fell off a stool in the closing seconds of the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament upset of Baylor at Jacksonville, Florida.
But the team brought the stool to Nashville anyway as Georgia State prepares to face Cincinnati.
“It’s more of a good luck thing that we wanted to bring,” Hunter said. “I didn’t want to bring it, but everybody else wanted to bring it. It was good luck for everyone but me.”
Hunter needed the stool for the 2014 NCAA Tournament because he had torn his left Achilles while celebrating Georgia State’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament title that season.
“We actually kept it in a private place at school,” Hunter said. “We decided, ‘Let’s just bring it to Nashville like we did Jacksonville and, hopefully, we’ll get the same success.”’ BAMBA RETURNS » In the other South region game on Friday in Nashville, 10th-seeded Texas (19-9) will face No. 7 Nevada (277).
Longhorns forward Mohamed Bamba says he’s feeling better after missing three games with a toe injury and said he should be ready to play. The Big 12 rebounding leader returned for the Big 12 Tournament loss to Texas Tech and said he’s benefited from the layoff since that March 8 game.
When Bamba was asked if he was ready to play 35 minutes against Nevada, the potential NBA lottery pick replied, “I’m ready to play 40.”
Nevada is trying to bounce back from a surprisingly lopsided 90-73 Mountain West Tournament loss to San Diego State during an unpredictable game hat took place last week. Nevada’s previous six losses had been decided by a total of 26 points, including two games games that went into overtime. TENNESSEE STATE 47 » Admiral Schofield had 15 points and 12 rebounds as third-seeded Tennessee advanced to the second round by overwhelming Wright State.
Lamonte Turner had 19 points and a career-high nine assists for the Volunteers (26-8), SEC co-champions in the regular season after being picked in the preseason to finish 13th in the 14-team league. They’ll next play Loyola-Chicago on Saturday.
Wright State (25-10) was the Horizon League tournament champ.
MIDWEST REGION
KANSAS 76, PENN 60 » Devonte Graham ignited sluggish Kansas midway through the first half, pouring in 29 points and lifting his top-seeded team.
Lagerald Vick added 14 points for the Jayhawks (28-7), who trailed the Ivy League champs 21-11 with about 7 minutes left in the first half. Kansas advanced to play Seton Hall.
A.J. Brodeur had 14 points to lead the Quakers (24-9). DUKE 89, IONA 67 » Marvin Bagley III dominated in his NCAA Tournament debut, pouring in 22 points to go with seven rebounds as Duke rolled.
The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year made 10 of 14 shots in 32 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds.
Grayson Allen scored 16 points as the second-seeded Blue Devils (27-7) powered past 15th-seeded Iona (267).
Duke will Rhode Island. RHODE ISLAND 83, OKLAHOMA 78, OT » E.C. Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime and Rhode Island topped dynamic scorer Trae Young and the Sooners.
The seventh-seeded Rams (26-7) won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and will play Duke on Saturday.
Young scored 28 points on 9-for-18 shooting with next play six turnovers. The freshman scored 13 straight points for Oklahoma (18-14) late in regulation and made two free throws to open OT. SETON HALL 94, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 83 » Khadeen Carrington scored 26 points, Desi Rodriguez added 20 and eighth-seeded Seton Hall won a foul-filled first-round matchup.
Myles Powell added 19 points and Angel Delgado scored 13 for the Pirates (2211), who led the entire way a year after a late meltdown cost them against Arkansas.
Allerik Freeman hit six 3-pointers and had 36 points to lead No. 9 seed North Carolina State (21-12).
The only thing that slowed down the high-scoring, up-and-down matchup was the whistles. The teams combined for 53 fouls.
WEST REGION
GONZAGA 68, UNC GREENSBORO 64 » Zach Norvell Jr. hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 20.8 seconds left to help Gonzaga escape a major scare.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs (31-4) trailed 64-62 with 1:48 left after squandering a 12-point lead they took early in the second half.
Gonzaga, in its 20th straight NCAA tournament, won its first game of March Madness for the 10th year in a row. UNC Greensboro (27-8) was the Southern Conference champ. OHIO STATE 81, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 73 » Kam Williams made a tiebreaking four-point play with 1:36 left, then added a trio of free throws after being fouled on another 3-point attempt to lift Ohio State.
The fifth-seeded Buckeyes (25-8) built a 13-point lead by reeling off 16 straight points midway through the second half.
Ohio State advanced to play Gonzaga. The teams met in November and the Zags romped 86-59.
Mike Daum scored 27 points for 12th-seeded South Dakota State (287).