The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Bulldogs draw LSU, Waters in NCAA tourney
NEW HAVEN — There will be New Haven flavor at the NCAA tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. this week.
Yale, the Ivy League champion, has earned the No. 13 seed in the East Region and will face fourth-seeded LSU in a first-round game on Thursday (12:40 p.m., TruTV) in Jacksonville, Fla.
LSU, of course, is led by New Haven’s Tremont Waters, the talented sophomore point guard who once was recruited by Yale.
“We recruited him pretty hard,” said Yale coach James Jones. “He’s been at my elite camp since he was in eighth grade. Love the kid. I’ve watched LSU play a lot the last few weekends. They’re really good. Naz (Reid) is good around the basket.”
Added junior guard and leading scorer Miye Oni: “It should be a good game. We thought that was one of the teams we had a chance to play. We’ll watch film and be prepared.”
LSU is in the crosshairs of the NCAA and the FBI due to alleged recruiting violations by head coach Will Wade, who has been suspended by the school since March 8. Wade allegedly has been caught on an
FBI wiretap talking about making payments to recruit Javonte Smart, currently a freshman for the Tigers. Smart was also suspended, but has since been re-instated.
“Their players are gonna play,” said Jones. “I’d like to think in my absence, my guys would go out and work real hard and try to win and do the best they can. So, I expect LSU players will do the same.”
LSU is 25-6 and won its first SEC regularseason title since 2009 with a 16-2 record. The Tigers lost to Florida in their first SEC tournament game on Friday.
The winner of Thursday’s game will play either No. 6 seeded Maryland or No. 11 seed Temple or Belmont on Saturday. Temple will face Belmont in a “First Four” game on Tuesday for the right to face Maryland.
Yale (22-7) earned the automatic bid by beating Harvard 97-85 in the Ivy League tournament title game on Sunday at Lee Amphitheater.
Meanwhile, the NCAA tournament comes to Hartford on Thursday. Marquette, the No. 5 seed in the West, will face 12th-seeded Murray State (4:30 p.m., TBS), led by likely lottery pick Ja Morant. Fourth-seeded Florida State will face No. 13 Vermont (2 p.m., TBS).
Also, defending national champ Villanova, the sixth seed in the South, will face No. 11 Saint Mary’s (7:20, TBS), and No. 3 Purdue will square off against No. 14 Old Dominion (9:50, TBS).
“We recruited him pretty hard. He’s been at my elite camp since he was in eighth grade. Love the kid.”
Yale coach James Jones on LSU’s Tremont Waters.