The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 23rd
NIT’s Elite Eight Taking Shape: Georgetown made major strides in coach John Thompson III’s first season on the Hoyas’ sideline because the Hoyas play solid defense and controlled offense. The formula worked against Cal State – Fullerton as Georgetown won 74-57 to advance to the NIT’s quarterfinals. Georgetown held the Titans to less than 29 percent shooting from the field and got a game-high 21 points from junior forward Brandon Bowman. Georgetown’s Princeton-style offense allowed the Hoyas to spring several players for open looks from long range as Georgetown went 10-of-23 on three-pointers.
The Hoyas will go to South Carolina in the quarterfinals as the Gamecocks beat UNLV 77-66. Like Georgetown, South Carolina used good defense to hold down its opponents. The Gamecocks forced 18 turnovers and collected 11 more rebounds than the Rebels. Senior forward Carlos Powell led the Gamecocks with 15 points and eight rebounds. South Carolina’s bench was productive, scoring 28 points to help the team advance to the quarterfinals. In addition to Georgetown and South Carolina, the NIT’s Elite Eight will feature a battle for Tennessee when Vanderbilt visits Memphis and a clash in Texas when St. Joseph’s visits Texas A&M. TCU will travel to the winner of tonight’s Maryland vs. Davidson match up.
Vining Decides It’s Time for a Change: After 24 years as coach of his alma mater, Louisiana – Monroe coach Mike Vining stepped down yesterday. Vining finishes with a 401-303 record at Louisiana – Monroe, taking the team to seven NCAA Tournaments. He had the most wins of any coach in the Southland Conference. But Louisiana – Monroe finished 8-19 this past season, the worst of Vining’s tenure. Louisiana – Monroe joins a growing list of schools going through official Coaching Changes .
Villanueva Announcement Coming Soon: Connecticut sophomore forward Charlie Villanueva once again is considering a jump to the NBA, and Connecticut officials believe they’ll know for sure by early April after the Final Four in St. Louis. After the Huskies lost to North Carolina State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Villanueva planned to go home to discuss the matter with his family. He will then speak with coach Jim Calhoun after the Final Four. Villanueva declared for the draft coming out of high school two years ago, but he did not hire an agent and opted to play for Connecticut. Villanueva is a powerful post player blessed with good ball handling skills and shooting range because he was a guard for most of high school. He averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Stokes Filling Out the Pirates’ Coaching Ship: New East Carolina coach Ricky Stokes hired Chris Ferguson to join his staff at East Carolina as an assistant coach. Ferguson will be responsible for the Pirates’ recruiting efforts. He is an accomplished assistant at schools including Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Ferguson worked with the Volunteers under both Jerry Green and Buzz Peterson. Tennessee cleaned house after this past season, and Stokes quickly picked up Ferguson before another school could snatch him. Ferguson joins Mark McCarthy, whom Stokes named as associate coach.
Tonight’s Menu
• The last second-round game of the NIT pits Davidson against Maryland in College Park.
• Two teams will advance to the NIT’s Final Four at Madison Square Garden after Vanderbilt plays at Memphis and St. Joseph’s plays at Texas A&M.
