Higher Post: The Devils are Coming!
...and KG looks over the last days of the UMass Minutewomen in the Atlantic 10.
Congregation, please stand up….
…because the days are full of hoops on the last stretch to the Dance!!
Hello fellow hoopsters, it’s the Rev. back state-side and just in time for the Madness to begin. And Madness has begun. Yes, we are still 8 days to Selection Sunday. Yes, we are 10 days away from the First Four. But, we are smack in the middle of the conference tournaments for the women’s game and last week of the season for the men’s game.
What I love is that two of my favorite teams are BOTH playing Duke. Nothing like routing all that rooting against one uniform.
WBB: #11 Duke (3 seed) vs. #6 Notre Dame (#2 seed) - 2:30p. ESPN2
This is the rematch of the February 17 regular season match up. At the time, many of believe this could be the one that breaks the Irish’s undefeated ACC season. Not so much. Duke came out strong by controlling tempo as they do, breaking the transition rhythm of Poison Ivey’s potent squad. But, the Irish found the pot o’ gold at halftime as they started the second half on a 17-1 run.
This game to will be much of the same. This tourney will be the Revenge Tour for all teams Notre Dame rolled over in the regular season. You don’t get this far without learning from the lessons during the season. It is not easy from here out.
MBB: #2 Duke at North Carolina - 6:30 ESPN
This is not UNC’s best season. And, the first matchup at the Cameron Waterproof Gym, was … (be nice Rev…) ugly. Really ugly.
Will this one be different? Well, UNC seems to have righted the ship, winners of their last 6 and 7 of their last 8 since the Duke game. This is also at Chapel Hill. It’s RJ Davis’ last home game. And, they are fighting for Dancing hopes.
Yeah, they may not be able to Capture the Flagg but trust me, it will be different. Just remember 2022 when no one (including me) expected the Tar Heels to turn Coach K’s career toast into a roast. But they did.
Meanwhile… at the women’s conference tourneys…
There has been a lot of chalk in the WBB’s tourneys so far, but that does not mean the games have not been exciting, close and fun. Spoiler: they have. Here are some highlights (numbers are seedings):
SEC:
#8 Vanderbilt 63 — #1 South Carolina 84: The final score is not indicative of the challenge. The Staley Squad got off to a fast lead, but Vandy freshman phenom Mikayla Blakes pulled the breaks on SoCa to bring the Commodores back. Blakes is real and we’re looking forward to so much more from her at the Dance and future seasons.
#5 Oklahoma 69 — #4 Kentucky 65: Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks has done a fantastic job turning around this program and while this game is a fair matchup, it was scrappy and fun all the way to the buzzer. Like a good Saturday Services, Beers owned the afternoon (Reagan Beers, that is).
Next up: #5 Oklahoma vs. #1 South Carolina: 4:30p, ESPN2
ACC:
#1 NC State 73 — #9 Georgia Tech 72: This was close to a big upset at it gets, but only because GT has fallen a bit during conference play which dropped the Jackets to the 9. This game literally went down to the wire as NC State’s Aziaha James drew a foul with 7.1secs to go in. James made her free throws. Then, the GT freshman guard Dani Carnegie had the ball, missing to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded. Tough way to go.
#4 Florida State 56 — #5 North Carolina 60: In the only other upset in the tourney (#14 Clemson over #11 Stanford was the other), UNC center Alyssa Utsby reminded her team about losing to the Noles on a buzzer beater on their floor during the regular season. She reminded them by pulling down 18 boards along side her 12 points. Florida State’s early departure deprives us of a possible Ta’Niya Latson / Hannah Hidalgo rematch.
Next Up: #5 North Carolina vs. #1 NC State: 11a, ESPN2
B1G:
#1 USC 84 — #9 Indiana 79: It was expected that Juju Watkins would handle the Hoosiers. She did with 31pts along with 10 boards. But, Indiana is a tough opponent as they kept it close through the second half keeping it within 5 in the final minute, but USC is just on another level.
#11 Iowa - #6 Michigan State: Iowa has been on a different speed these past couple of weeks as they roll into the B1G Tourney. Their tempo is up. Their shooting is strong. And, they were able to enact revenge on a Spartan team that gave the Hawkeyes their first conference loss of the season. There was times where it was close, but the hot shooting of Lucy Olsen, they kept control throughout.
Next Up:
#1 USC vs #5 Michigan: 3p, BTN
#2 UCLA vs #3 Ohio State: 5:30p, BTN
Conference Realignment front and center
We have all seen the conferences shift over the past couple of decades, which is mostly focused on football opportunities. However, we don’t get a front row seat too often to feel the changes in the fanbase.
In a multi-part segment, the CoB is lucky to have guest contributor, Kaily “KG” Godek, currently of A10Talk.com, provide us that rare view as the University of Massachusetts wraps up their 49yr tenure as a founding member of the Atlantic 10 and venture to the MAC next season.
UMass’ Farewell to the A-10 (part 2) - by Kaily “KG” Godek:
The Massachusetts Minutewomen saw their tenure in the Atlantic 10 possibly come to an end after 49 years with the conference. UMass has had a women’s team since 1968, but the A-10 did not begin sponsoring women’s basketball until 1982.
The Minutewomen began their success in the A-10 under former head coach Joannie O’Brien (1991-2002), achieving two at-large NCAA Tournament appearances (1996, 1998) and a Women’s NIT appearance in 1995.
After O’Brien’s departure from UMass, the women’s basketball team did not secure any postseason appearances until 2020. The coaches before Tory Verdi did not restore the program to O’Brien's success, resulting in some of the toughest seasons in its history.
In 2016, Tory Verdi took over. He came to UMass from Eastern Michigan (a future conference opponent) and was ready to help rebuild the program. In Verdi’s first season, the team had only seven available players (including a women’s soccer player) and finished with a 9-21 overall record and 3-13 in conference play. Over the next three seasons, Verdi’s team, led by Hailey Leidel, began to improve, significantly impacting the record books.
Leidel was named Rookie of the Year in her first season, aiding Verdi and the team in gaining momentum. By Leidel’s senior year, UMass achieved its first 20-win season since 1995-96 and tied for fourth place. Although their season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had it continued, there could have been a first WNIT appearance since 1995.
Leidel's aspirations of becoming the all-time leading scorer in the program’s postseason history came to an end. Unbeknownst to many, Leidel’s teammate, Penn State transfer Sam Breen, would break that record in 2023.
Breen and Destiney Philoxy stepped into leadership roles after Leidel, guiding the Minutewomen to their first A-10 tournament championship appearance since 1998. Together with five other players, they formed the “Savage 7” (Breen, Philoxy, Angelique Ngalakulondi, Ber’Nyah Mayo, Stefanie Kulesza, Sydney Taylor, & Makennah White), bringing the first of three consecutive postseason appearances back to Amherst.
In the following season, UMass finished third in the conference and reached their second consecutive championship game. Unlike their first appearance, the Minutewomen claimed their first A-10 Tournament title. The team celebrated by cutting down the nets in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2022, earning their first NCAA bid since 1998.
The Minutewomen were poised for success in the conference and secured a share of the regular season title in the 2022-23 season with Rhode Island. Verdi brought the Minutewomen to unprecedented heights for the program. UMass reached the championship game for the third consecutive season but ultimately fell to Saint Louis in overtime.
On Selection Sunday that year, despite a strong case for the NCAA Tournament, the Minutewomen fell short and found themselves outside of the tournament. UMass qualified for the WNIT for the second time in three years. The Minutewomen faced two strong opponents, UAlbany and Harvard, but saw the historic careers of Breen and Philoxy come to an end.
Breen’s time with the Minutewomen included breaking the all-time scoring record for UMass, winning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, and earning the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year and ECAC Player of the Year awards, among many other accolades throughout her career with the team.
After a historic 2022-23 season, Verdi was hired as the next head coach at Pitt. Just a few days after he left for Pitt, UMass appointed his associate head coach, Mike Leflar, as his successor. Leflar saw key players, including Taylor, White, Mayo, and Ngalakulondi, depart for Power 5 schools. He was left with three players from the previous season: Kulesza, Lilly Ferguson, and Kristin Williams.
In his first season as head coach, the team finished with a record of 5-27 overall and 2-16 in the conference. By the end of the 2023-24 season, an announcement was made about moving to the Mid-American Conference (MAC), marking the final season in the A-10 as 2024-25.
Leflar and his coaching staff aimed for significant growth in their last season in the A-10. Adding players like Megan Olbrys (transfer from Villanova), Aleah Sorrentino (transfer from Lipscomb), and Momo LaClair (transfer from Drexel) from the portal greatly benefited the team compared to the prior season.
Olbrys and freshman guard Yahmani McKayle immediately impacted the court for the Minutewomen alongside Kulesza and Chinenye Odenigbo. Despite a slow start to the season, UMass gained confidence by early December, which built great momentum for conference play. Allie Palmieri proved to be a valuable asset throughout the season, helping the team find ways to score when necessary.
McKayle began to hit her stride in December, showcasing a style of play reminiscent of what Philoxy had brought to UMass. She achieved career-high numbers while wearing Philoxy’s number during the Play4Kay games, once with Philoxy in attendance. McKayle was able to earn Rookie of the Year for the first time since Leidel did it in 2017 after she won Rookie of the Week four times this season.
The Minutewomen had a chance to secure a double-bye this season, which exceeded expectations for UMass fans. They finished in a three-way tie for fifth place with Dayton and Rhode Island but lacked the tiebreakers needed to secure the fifth or sixth seed. UMass entered Henrico as the seventh seed, waiting to find out if they would face the tenth seed in Saint Louis or the fifteenth seed in St. Bonaventure. Unfortunately, Saint Louis defeated the Minutewomen in the second round of the tournament, ending a forty-nine-year tenure for women’s basketball.
Even though the conference games are complete and the season feels over, there remains a small possibility for a solid case to enter the WNIT in Leflar’s second season as head coach at UMass.
If they do not receive a postseason bid, MACtion awaits the Minutewomen. UMass has significant preparation ahead as a women’s basketball team in the MAC. The big question will be whether the key players will stay with the Minutewomen or if they will enter the transfer portal, which is increasingly common today. If key players do not stay, then there could be a small rebuild ahead in what has already been a great turnaround from Leflar’s first year at UMass.
(…watch this court…)
Keeping up with the Hannahs
Two of my favorite players are not only incredibly fun to watch…but are both named Hannah! I dedicate this section to them. We try and keep up with them during a pivotal season!
Hannah Stuelke (Junior / Forward / Iowa):
Set the scene - we’re sitting at a local sports bar in New York. I was previously at a Notre Dame bar for the 5p ND/Cal game at 5p, but once that concluded, I made my way to the restroom for the wardrobe change. Yup, I’m like that. If I don’t bring a bag of gear, I’m clearly not doing it right.
As the ‘official’ NYC Iowa bar was around town, we decided to go next door to a friend’s bar for the Iowa/Ohio State rematch. This game was fast, uptempo and just a scrappy fight between two teams who have something to prove following their in-season game that went to OT just a couple of weeks back.
The clock had .07 left in the game. Iowa down 1 but with possession coming out of time out. Ball is inbounded right to Hannah who makes a shot that front rims. That’s it. The regular season is over. Now Hannah and The Stuelke Squad need to wait for Selection Sunday to see where their next game will be.
As tough as it is to see the season come to an end like that, it was really fun to see this team come alive down the stretch. In the first 2 games of the tourney, Hannah was used in limited minutes due to foul trouble, but was able to stay in the game against Ohio State running between the 4 and 5, and looking solid at both. While her game needs to expand more overall to give her the range for the pros, she looks so comfortable in the post, like a toggle is switched on, pulling down boards, making easy layups and getting to the line. That Hannah is so much fun to watch. Even though the storybook ending of a Hannah-2 at the buzzer didn’t happen, this game was throughly a joy, tip to buzzer.
Up Next: NCAA Tourney!
Hannah Hidalgo (Sophomore / Guard / Notre Dame):
The week started with the announcement that Hannah Hidalgo was awarded both ACC Player of the Year - and - ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Way to go Hannah!
Then on to the games - well THE game. Notre Dame was able to procure the double-bye so their first game of the ACC tourney was last night against California.
The first meeting between the Irish and the Golden Bears was an Irish blowout in Power Fuchsia! But this time, we were not getting Power Fuchsia or Cernugel Time.
Cal ran the floor with hot hot shooting from the start, but Hannah showed she was back to her ole’ self as she took control of the game for her teammates as they adjusted to being back on the floor.
In the end, Hannah did Hannah things racking up 25pts, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, with ZERO turnovers, becoming the only player to score 20 with 0 TOs twice in the ACC tourney. Otherwise, she was just being the overall defensive pest that she is.
This tourney is just getting started for the Irish with a likely rematch against NC State in the final.
Up Next: #2 Notre Dame vs #4 Duke; 2:30p, ESPN2
Final Seconds
Ok, folks! Enjoy the end of the MBB season, the WBB tourneys and some good ole’ fashioned Duke stomping!
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Always live One Shining Moment at a time. Never be boring.