College Basketball: 2023-2024 Season (Men and Women)

[JohnBM01]

Tonight is the National Championship rematch in NCAA Division 1 women's college hoops, but this is an Elite Eight match. It's Caitlin Clark's Iowa [Lady] Hawkeyes against Angel Reese's LSU [Lady] Tigers. Winning team goes to the Women's Final Four; losing team is done for the season.

I want to acknowledge some more National Champions. Here are the latest National Champs:

• NCAA D2 Men: Minnesota State-Mankato (def. Nova Southeastern 88-85)
• NCAA D2 Women: Minnesota State-Mankato (def. Texas Woman's University 89-73)

Yes- the Mavericks of Minnesota State-Mankato won the National Championship in NCAA Division 2 basketball on the men's side and the women's side. I usually think of hockey with this university. Turns out, they can 'ball also. The Nova Southeastern Sharks lost to the Maverick men, and the Texas Woman's University Pioneers lost to the Lady Mavericks. So good job by the men and women of Minnesota State-Mankato respectfully.


Enjoy tonight's game between Iowa and LSU if you'll be watching and/or following!

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are your Final Fours in NCAA Division 1 basketball:

NCAA D1 MEN:

• #11 North Carolina State vs. #1 Purdue
• #1 Connecticut vs. #4 Alabama

NCAA D1 WOMEN:

• #1 South Carolina vs. #3 North Carolina State
• #1 Iowa vs. #3 Connecticut

Making it this far is an accomplishment in its own right, so congratulations to every team who made it to the Final Four! Either North Carolina State or Connecticut have a chance to sweep the Championships on the men's and women's sides. Maybe they can copy what Minnesota State-Mankato did in NCAA Division 2 this postseason. UConn swept men's and women's titles before the same season. Who's to say the Huskies can do it again?


In other news, FOX Sports and AEG are planning on coming up with a new college basketball tournament. It will be called the College Basketball Crown. Teams that don't get into the NCAA Tournament are eligible. Eligible teams are mostly those from the Big Ten, BIG XII, and Big East get two automatic entries. Most others will be selected by a committee. For more information, read this article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...g-launch-new-postseason-basketball-tournament .


Prepare for a fine weekend of college hoops, GTPlanet!

 

[JohnBM01]

Final Four action begins TONIGHT!

The Women's Final Four tips off tonight in Cleveland with #1 South Carolina and #3 North Carolina State battle, followed by #1 Iowa vs. #3 Connecticut.

Elsewhere...
* Seton Hall are your NIT National Champions. They defeated Indiana State 79-77 last night. Some say Indiana State should have been in this season's NCAA Tournament. Sadly, the Sycamores had to watch the Seton Hall Pirates hoist the NIT Championship Trophy after a stellar season. The Women's NIT will be settled tomorrow as Saint Louis takes on Minnesota.

* The champions of the CBI tournament is Seattle University. The Redhawks won the CBI back on March 27, defeating the High Point Panthers 77-67.

* The CIT Championship goes to Norfolk State, as the Spartans downed the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) Mastodons 75-67 on March 27.

* I don't know what the WBIT is, but this tournament was won by Illinois over Villanova. The Lady Fighting Illini downed the Villanova Lady Wildcats 71-57 this past Wednesday.

* Bronny James declared himself to the 2024 NBA Draft. He is also reportedly going into the dreaded Transfer Protocol. Maybe there's a chance Bronny plays against LeBron?


Between now and Monday, we crown our NCAA Division 1 Champions of basketball. Enjoy the ride!


[OMISSION] More notes:

* Zach Edey won AP Player of the Year for the second straight season. He's been the big man propelling Purdue to the Final Four.

* Kelvin Sampson won AP Coach of the Year. In their inaugural season in the Big XII, the University of Houston coach led his team a regular season Big XII title and advanced as far as the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Duke.

 

[Dolph Drago]

* Seton Hall are your NIT National Champions. They defeated Indiana State 79-77 last night. Some say Indiana State should have been in this season's NCAA Tournament. Sadly, the Sycamores had to watch the Seton Hall Pirates hoist the NIT Championship Trophy after a stellar season.

* The CIT Championship goes to Norfolk State, as the Spartans downed the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) Mastodons 75-67 on March 27.

Two Indiana basketball teams losing the finals? This worries me for Purdue should they make the championship game. Also, I saw a good chunk of the NIT Championship. Indiana State lost that game themselves trying to chuck up 3's at the end with a 7 point lead instead of simply going to the goal. Even if the didn't make the buckets, there's a chance they could have picked up some fouls. The game ended on a 9-0 Seton Hall run in the final two minutes.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Final Four for the men is TONIGHT!

Will North Carolina State shock Dolph Drago's Purdue Boilermakers? Alabama makes its first Final Four tonight, but across the court from them is overall No. 1 Connecticut. Glendale, Arizona, USA will be hot with college hoops in the desert.


Enjoy the [Men's] Final Four!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Boiler Up! Looking forward to Monday night.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are your winners... and STILL NCAA Division 1 women's basketball Champions- South Carolina! It was 87-75 as the Lady Gamecocks tamed Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Lady Hawkeyes. Congratulations to South Carolina on another National Championship in women's hoops.

 

[MOPARbarrett5]

John Calipari to Arkansas and there seems to be a good chance that some Kentucky players from this season will go with him to Arkansas. I don't really know who I want to coach for Kentucky but no matter what it very much seems like the vast majority of Kentucky fans wanted a change so I am happy.

 

[JohnBM01]

Our next National Champion on the NCAA Division 1 men's side all comes down to Purdue and Connecticut. Two No. 1's, but one can be THE No. 1. Will our only remaining GTPlanet hope (Purdue) be the National Champs, or will UConn win it all? Find out tonight in Glendale, Arizona, USA!


Enjoy the Men's National Championship game!

 

[Joey D]

Swish!

Ok so there were only a handful of us, but still I'll take the W.

 

[JohnBM01]

"Here are your winners... and STILL NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Champions, UConn!" Yes. Sorry to my good buddy Dolph Drago and the Purdue Boilermakers.

Another season of college basketball has concluded. This is now my traditional "Salute to Champions" post where I honor the champions of this season of college basketball across a number of different tournaments. So if you see a team you like, feel free to show some love to these schools. Here is the 2023-2024 list:

NCAA D1 Men: Connecticut
NCAA D1 Women: South Carolina (undefeated!)
NCAA D2 Men: Minnesota State-Mankato
NCAA D2 Women: Minnesota State-Mankato
NCAA D3 Men: Trine
NCAA D3 Women: New York
NIT Men: Seton Hall
NIT Women: Saint Louis
CBI: Seattle
CIT: Norfolk State
WBIT: Illinois <<< WBIT: Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament
NAIA Men: Freed-Hartman (TN)
NAIA Women: Dordt (IA)
NJCAA D1 Men: Barton (KS)
NJCAA D1 Women: Hutchinson (KS, undefeated!)
NJCAA D2 Men: National Park College
NJCAA D2 Women: Kirkwood
NJCAA D3 Men: Dallas-North Lake
NJCAA D3 Women: Minnesota West
UAAP Men: La Salle
UAAP Women: U. of Santo Tomas (UST)
NCAA Philippines: San Beda

I tried to mix things up talking about some Philippines basketball. Anyhow, congratulations to all champions across the world of college basketball for 2023-2024! (And congratulations on the bracket championship Joey D!)

 

[Dolph Drago]

As expected, it was not good luck to be a team from Indiana playing in championship games. Purdue, Indiana St, IPFW...

It was an awesome season and fun to watch. Though it's tough to see your time finally make it to the big game, only to fall (see also, Bengals in 2022). That second half was rough. Everything UConn threw up seemed to go in. And what didn't go, they got the rebound and converted their second chances. Purdue outrebounded everyone else all season but not when it counted most. The Huskies' strategy of NOT double teaming Edey and letting him do his thing meant there wasn't room to shoot from beyond the arc for Smith and company. The team with the 2nd highest 3 point FG make percentage attempted all of 2 (TWO!) in the first half, and only a handful more in the second.

I don't know what to expect next year with Edey, Mason Gillis and Lance Jones gone. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer stepped up big time this year. Will we see the same from guys like Kaufman-Renn, Colvin and Heide next season? I certainly hope so.

 

[JohnBM01]

University of Kentucky, get to know your new head men's basketball coach- Mark Pope. I'm sure it's going to be incredible pressure for Mark Pope to keep Kentucky competitive. I'm sure he'll deliver. You don't take a job like Kentucky men's basketball thinking, "oh, we'll compete. Maybe win some SEC championships." If you go to Kentucky, you're more like, "I'm going to coach this team to another National Championship. Maybe more."

Recently, Jamal Shead of the University of Houston declared for the NBA Draft. Shead was a big part of the Houston Cougars offense in men's hoops. He sadly went down in the Sweet Sixteen match as Houston fell to Duke. Best wishes to Shead in the NBA. And best wishes to all players declaring for (respectively) the NBA and WNBA drafts.

 

[JohnBM01]

Zach Edey of Purdue has declared for the NBA Draft. So the big man for Purdue will try to take his talents to the NBA and give some team a boost who can use a guy like Zach Edey.