America East Basketball

Among the many wonderful things about the greatest upset in college basketball history is that even ardent fans will have to think twice before naming the miraculous team that finally became the first No. 16 seed to win in the NCAA men's tournament.      

As university acronyms go, UMBC isn't exactly up there with UCLA, LSU or MIT.       

But the world is rapidly learning about the team with the comma in its name, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The Retrievers—yes, Retrievers—might sound like PETA's weekend softball team. But on Friday, they fetched a victory that will forever define them as best of show, in the underdog division.

How impossible a task was this?

Going into the game, No. 16 seeds possessed an all-time record of 0-135 in the tournament. And just to make an upset doubly improbable, UMBC was matched with the Virginia Cavaliers, the tournament's overall top seed whom oddsmakers installed as a 20.5-point favorite, per OddsShark.

Those same oddsmakers no doubt would have also predicted that the only way UMBC could win was in a nail-biter. It couldn't possibly miss free throws or commit turnovers and expect to pull off this heist.

Instead, the upstarts from the America East Conference made it all look ridiculously easy. They won going away in what was a laugher for everyone except Cavaliers fans, 74-54. It was like David taking down Goliath and then having a giggle fest about it.

Virginia was 20-1 in games against ACC opponents this season. The Cavs defense crushed the spirit of North Carolina, 61-49, in January. Against then-No. 18 Clemson a couple of weeks later, they won 61-36. Their only losses before Friday night were on the road at West Virginia and in overtime to Virginia Tech.

And how about UMBC's resume? Well, the Retrievers got lost during an 83-39 loss to almighty Albany in January and about two weeks later got hammered by Vermont by the count of 81-53. At home, no less.

Yet UMBC's smaller roster, best personified by 5'8" point guard K.J. Maura, out-rebounded Virginia 33-22

Jairus Lyles was the most lethal giant-killer, scoring 28 points and getting to the rim with shocking ease against what many thought was the nation's best defensive team. And, just to rub it in for UVA loyalists, both his parents are Virginia alums. Ouch!

Just spoke with Jairus Lyles’ whole family who is here from Maryland. Get this: Both his parents are UVA grads.

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 17, 2018

No one on Virginia's bewildered team had more than 15 points or five rebounds, and the Cavaliers distributed the ball for a mere five assists.

Equally stunning was that UMBC head coach Ryan Odom could not have been more blase about the victory during his postgame interview on CBS. He was collected while talking in a monotone about how his Retrievers had improved in recent weeks, but maybe he'll get a little more amped up when his $10,000 bonus lands. 

"We got our butts whipped," Virginia head coach Tony Bennett readily admitted to CBS afterward, via ESPN.com. "That was not even close. And that's first a credit to the job Ryan did. Coach Odom, their offense was very hard to guard. They shot it well. We kept getting broken down and did a poor job."

How could it suddenly be so easy for a 16th seed?

If fans had given up on ever seeing the planets align for a No. 16 victory, they couldn't be blamed. We had taken the bait on this tease so many times, only to be heartlessly denied.

The worst of the heartbreak came in 1989, when not one but two No. 1 seeds came within a whisker and an eyelash of falling. Princeton executed the backdoor cuts of coach Pete Carril's perplexing offense with razor-sharp effectiveness but still fell to Georgetown by a single point, 50-49. Also losing by just a point to Oklahoma, 72-71, was East Tennessee State, which had been up by 17 in the first half.

A year later, forward Popeye Jones inspired plenty of spinach-eating analogies as his No. 16 Murray State team took No. 1 Michigan into overtime before losing 75-71.

And in 1996, Western Carolina missed its last two desperation shots while getting nudged out of the history books by Purdue, 73-71.

One irony is that the NCAA thrives on the March Madness reputation of its tournament, but a warning on its official website told fans this year not to make the mistake of picking a No. 16 to win.

NCAA.com's Daniel Wilco wrote: "Don't pick a 16-seed to upset a 1-seed. Just...don't." And for good reasons beyond the seed's 0-for-forever record.    

As Wilco noted, going into this year's tourney: Only 15 No. 1-No. 16 games had been decided by fewer than 10 points and none since 2014.

Last time a 1 vs. 16 seed game came down to one possession was the Purdue-Western Carolina thriller in 1996.

In the last 11 years, 13 1 vs. 16 games had been decided by more than 30 points. And all-time, the average winning margin for No. 1s over No. 16s was 24.9 points.

Until now, of course.   

            

Tom Weir covered 15 Final Fours as a columnist for USA Today.

On Wednesday, Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News reported five University of Maine men's basketball players were recently suspended following a Feb. 14 altercation in the locker room that saw guard Wes Myers break forward Marko Pirovic's jaw with a punch.

Mahoney cited a police report.

Pirovic, who is a senior, will have his jaw wired shut for six to eight weeks following his surgery, per Mahoney.

Mahoney noted the fight started when Pirovic didn't turn off music when Myers asked him to. Following the injury, Jaquan McKennon, Ilija Stojiljkovic and Dusan Majstorovic all told trainer Ryan Taylor that Pirovic slipped in the shower, which led to their suspensions.

All are now back with the team, but Myers is still indefinitely out even though he eventually told head coach Bob Walsh the truth about the incident, revealing the shower story was a coverup.

Aaron Jackson of 92.9 The Ticket in Bangor, Maine, also reported the story and provided a statement from the University of Maine regarding the suspensions:

Updated UMaine statement regarding Men's bball suspensions. 3 of 5 players involved have been reinstated. #mesports #aebball pic.twitter.com/rvJFz6eHe1

— Aaron Jackson (@AaronRJackson) February 23, 2017

"At this point, I want this all to be over with and I'm not looking to pursue this case in any way," Pirovic said in a statement to police.

Myers leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game, and Maine is 0-2 without him following the punch, losing by a combined 31 points.

Stony Brook Seawolves guard Blair Mendy was charged with third-degree rape, sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child Wednesday, per Ellen Yan and Steven Marcus of Newsday.

Yan and Marcus cited university police Chief Robert J. Lenahan when reporting on the 22-year-old's charge of the rape of a minor.

Lenahan didn't comment on the victim's age in the alleged crime.

Mendy's father did comment in a phone interview, per Yan and Marcus: "I think my kid was raised very well. I find it very incredible to believe. I taught him to be a gentleman, treat ladies well. I always taught him to make the right choice."

This is not the first recent issue with the law for the Seawolves basketball team. According to Yan and Marcus, three other players were arrested during the 10 months before Mendy's charges.

In April, Rayshaun McGrew and DeShaun Thrower were both charged with third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal mischief. Then the team suspended Ahmad Walker after he was charged with second-degree harassment and resisting arrest in September.

Yan and Marcus noted Mendy—who is a sophomore and has appeared in two games this season—"is expected to be arraigned Thursday."   

Prior to Saturday's game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke, Maine's basketball team took the court wearing rainbow-colored warm-up shirts in protest of North Carolina's controversial HB2 law. 

Basketball writer Shawn Krest captured an image of most of the Black Bears players wearing the shirt:

Here are those rainbow anti-hb2 warmups Maine is wearing today pic.twitter.com/9jHytzpUPM

— Shawn Krest (@ShawnKrest) December 3, 2016

Maine head coach Bob Walsh explained after the game why his team took this approach. 

"It was about promoting inclusion and promoting equality and our guys understanding that they can make an impact," Walsh said, per Lauren Brownlow of 99.9 The Fan. 

Per Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, the use of the America East logo on the shirt was likely a deliberate choice from Maine:

You'll notice the America East logo there. That's because Maine's conference has a partnership with You Can Play, which specializes in social activism and aims to eliminate homophobia, transphobia and seeks inclusion for all people in all sports. The partnership has existed for years, but Saturday's game was the latest chance and perhaps most high-profile gesture, in the history collaboration between You Can Play and the America East.

Maine forward Marko Pirovic told Norlander about the decision:

Just seeing how much inequality there is in some LGBT communities such as in North Carolina with the new law that was passed was very shocking, and I'm glad we can do something to stand up against it. Being part of You Can Play to me means standing up and being an ally to help change the culture of how the LGBT community is treated and showing them the support they have from athletes everywhere.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory put House Bill 2 into effect in March. It limits LGBTQ protections and prevents transgender individuals from using restrooms specific to the gender with which they identify. 

There has been significant blowback from the sports world as a result of McCrory's decision. The NBA moved its All-Star Game scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, and later announced New Orleans as the new host for February's event.

The NCAA followed suit by announcing it was moving seven championship events in different sports from the state of North Carolina. 

The Duke men's basketball team's Nov. 12 Hall of Fame Tipoff tournament game against Albany has been canceled due to New York state's opposition to a North Carolina law focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

According to ESPN.com, Albany backed out of the game because New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has banned publicly funded, nonessential travel to North Carolina in protest of the law.

The law in question is known as House Bill 2 (HB2), and it requires transgender people to use restrooms in relation to the gender on their birth certificates rather than their gender identity. It also limits anti-discrimination protection of the LGBT community.

While the Blue Devils do not yet have a replacement opponent, it is reportedly expected that Marist will take Albany's place since it is a privately funded school.

Duke athletic director Kevin White expressed concern regarding the law to ESPN.com on Thursday: "It's most unfortunate. As an institution, if not personally, we have gone on the record indicating that our state position on this (HB2) is very troubling, if not embarrassing."

In addition to Albany's withdrawal, the law has placed the 2016-17 NBA All-Star Game in jeopardy.

Per the Associated Press (via NBA.com), commissioner Adam Silver continues to mull the possibility of removing the game from Charlotte due to the league's stance against the law.

According to ESPN.com, it is expected that a formal Nov. 12 replacement opponent for Duke will be determined within a week.

   

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Stony Brook basketball players Rayshaun McGrew and DeShaun Thrower were charged with third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal mischief Monday.

Tina Moore of the New York Post reported the news, citing the university's police department. McGrew and Thrower allegedly broke into another student's car last Wednesday to steal a $5,000 tax refund, and both charges the players face are felonies, per Moore.

According to the report, McGrew and Thrower used a stone to break the window of 23-year-old Queens, New York, resident Jevreel Miller's vehicle.

Unfortunately, Miller had just cashed his tax-refund check at the time of the theft and has yet to recoup this considerable sum.

"I feel like I'm being left out to dry because I'm out of $5,000 in cash, and the people who robbed me are back on campus," said Miller, per Moore. "I'm the victim here, and no one's defending me. They're making it like I brought this on myself."

Miller was able to chase the players on foot before calling campus police, riding around in a patrol car and subsequently identifying McGrew, who told police Thrower was involved once he was caught.

The 2015-16 Seawolves basketball team participated in the NCAA tournament on the strength of America East regular-season and conference tournament titles. Stony Brook's 26-7 season ended on a sour note in the round of 64, though, as the squad lost, 85-57, to Kentucky.

McGrew, a senior forward, was the Seawolves' third-leading scorer, averaging 10.6 points per contest this past season. Thrower is a sophomore guard who played sparingly and averaged only 1.9 points per game.

Stony Brook just introduced new head coach Jeff Boals on Monday in a press conference. The news involving McGrew and Thrower makes for a disconcerting official start to his tenure.

Real recognize real, and Jameel Warney is now certainly real.

The Stony Brook star dedicated each Seawolves game to Mark Morrison, perhaps better known as the one-hit wonder who made his name on the 1996 single "Return of the Mack."

SB Nation's Mike Rutherford put together a well-documented account of all the times the senior forward tweeted at the R&B singer, writing some variation of "this one is for you" before each game:

Gameday this one is for you @_markmorrison pic.twitter.com/jeuQdVzvyo

— Jameel Warney (@Fullcoursemeelz) February 27, 2016

The tweets went largely unnoticed by Morrison until Warney's 43-point performance in the 80-74 win over Vermont on Saturday, which secured the Seawolves the America East title and the team's first trip to the NCAA tournament. Most importantly, it got him some recognition from his source of inspiration:

Gameday, this one is for you @_markmorrison

— Jameel Warney (@Fullcoursemeelz) March 12, 2016

[Jameel Warney, h/t SB Nation]

The No. 3 seed has been a bit of a poisoned chalice in the 2015 NCAA tournament with the Iowa State Cyclones and Baylor Bears falling in the second round Thursday.

The Oklahoma Sooners ensured that the same fate didn't befall them Friday. They earned a hard-fought 69-60 victory over the Albany Great Danes.

Heading into the game, OU head coach Lon Kruger spoke about how Albany's overall balance would present a difficult hurdle to scale for his team.

"They’re real solid defensively," he said, per Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman. "They really execute things offensively. They’ll run the clock if they need to. They have three guys in double-digit shooting."

The Great Danes were a tricky foe for the Sooners, who struggled to build a lead any bigger than 10 or 12 points.

Although the final score didn't illustrate a vast gulf between the two teams, Oklahoma was never in any grave danger of getting beaten. 

Albany never led, and the final sequence of the first half served as a microcosm for the game as a whole.

Ray Sanders nailed a three-pointer with four seconds to go until halftime to put the Great Danes down seven points, 35-28. That bucket could've given Albany some much-needed energy as it entered the locker room.

On the ensuing inbound, though, Jordan Woodard ran the length of the court for Oklahoma and hit a right-handed layup at the buzzer. The Sooners went ahead by nine, 37-28, and wrested the momentum away from Albany.

Pete Iorizzo of the Albany Times Union wondered how the Great Danes allowed Woodard to weave his way all the way up the floor:

It was a big shot, but it only underscored Albany's inability to handle Oklahoma in the paint. Jeff Wallner noted how the Sooners used their advantage on the inside through the first 20 minutes:

Tough finish to the half for UA. How'd Woodard get coast to coast that fast? #NCAADanes

— Pete Iorizzo (@PeteIorizzo) March 21, 2015

TaShawn Thomas was particularly impressive, scoring nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first half. The Albany Times Union's Tim Wilkin felt Thomas presented major matchup problems for the Great Danes all night:

At half: Oklahoma leads Albany 37-28. Sooners exploiting their size with 24 points in the paint and 15 second-chance points. #MarchMadness

— Jeff Wallner (@JeffWallner) March 21, 2015

Peter Hooley did his best to keep Albany in the game. He paced the Great Danes with 12 points and four rebounds.

Hooley's strong performance was a welcome development for his sister and father, who watched the game from home in Adelaide, Australia, per the America East Conference:

TaShawn Thomas is BIG problem for @UAlbany_MBB. 6-8, 242 pounds. Athletic. He gets ball inside, Danes won't be able to stop him. #NCAADANES

— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) March 21, 2015

The second half unfolded much as the first did. Oklahoma often enjoyed a comfortable buffer but couldn't deliver the knockout blow.

John Shinn of The Norman Transcript questioned why the Sooners didn't get the ball to Thomas on nearly every possession:

.@PeterHooley12's sister and father, Emma and Jeff Hooley, shown LIVE on @TruTV watching the game from Australia! pic.twitter.com/a6IccUDAMH

— America East (@AmericaEast) March 21, 2015

But while Albany remained within striking distance, the Great Danes couldn't find the kind of sustained run that would get them into the lead.

They cut the deficit to as little as six points, 60-54, with four minutes remaining, but Oklahoma responded on the next possession with a three-pointer from Isaiah Cousins as the shot clock wound down:

Albany can’t guard TaShawn Thomas. #Sooners not putting much effort into getting the ball to Thomas. Why?

— John Shinn (@john_shinn) March 21, 2015

It was the kind of shot that epitomized the futility of Albany's comeback attempts. Every time the Great Danes took one or two steps forward, the Sooners did just enough to knock them back to square one.

You wouldn't call it the perfect performance by Oklahoma, but the No. 3 seed never allowed Albany to build the kind of confidence that could've led to an upset.

Thomas led the way with 18 points. Buddy Hield provided the perimeter scoring with 15 points. His three three-pointers accounted for nearly half of the team's overall output.

The Sooners did a good job of locking down on Hooley and Sam Rowley, who combined to shoot 10-of-29 from the floor for 27 points.

While the win wasn't the most convincing, it might be good preparation as Kruger gets his players ready mentally for the next round.

Oklahoma will get Providence or Dayton, depending on the result of Friday night's game.

Either way, the Sooners will need to find a killer instinct between now and Sunday. If they let the Friars or Flyers stick around like they allowed Albany to, then they might be looking at a premature exit from the Big Dance.

What a heartbreaker for Stony Brook.

In the final seconds of Saturday's America East tournament final, the Seawolves failed to corral a rebound to secure the win.

Instead, the ball was tipped back to Albany's Peter Hooley, who stunned Stony Brook with a three-pointer from the top of the key. His clutch trey with 1.6 seconds remaining gave the Great Danes a 51-50 victory and their third straight America East title.

Amazingly, Hooley's game-clinching triple was Albany's only made three-pointer on the day.

The play was very reminiscent of a Los Angles Lakers-Sacramento Kings playoff game from 2002.

The ending couldn't have been more fitting for Hooley, who took an extended leave of absence earlier in the year to be with his ill mother, Sue, in Australia.

He wanted to be with her on her final days after a four-year battle with colon cancer. 

Peter Hooley overcome with emotion after beating Stony Brook pic.twitter.com/87hBAVAHBS

— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) March 14, 2015

Even though Sue has passed on, Peter's sister, Emma, believes their mom was there in spirit.

Angels, man! Angels!! #KeepFlying let's dance again!!

— Peter Hooley (@PeterHooley12) March 14, 2015

If you didn't believe in angels, I think what just happen should prove to you how magical they really are

— Emma Hooley (@emhooley) March 14, 2015

So so so proud of you @PeterHooley12 I'm speechless! I know one angel who is smiling down on you big time right now

— Emma Hooley (@emhooley) March 14, 2015

[Vine, Twitter]

One down. Sixty-six to go. 

The first game of the Big Dance served as a fantastic omen for those hoping for a scintillating 2014 NCAA tournament, as Albany and Mount St. Mary's took part in a mesmerizing battle of contrasting styles. 

In the end, the Great Danes' slow tempo and interior offense was just enough to overcome the Mountaineers' barrage of three-point shooting, as Will Brown's team booked a spot against Florida with a 71-64 victory. 

The NCAA's March Madness Twitter feed celebrated the victory:

DJ Evans led Albany with 22 points, while Peter Hooley added 20. The Great Danes, who got all 71 of their points from their starters, shot a scorching 57.4 percent from the field. 

That turned out to be just enough to hold off the Mountaineers, who poured in 12 of their 37 three-point attempts. Freshman sharpshooter Will Miller hit seven treys for 21 points, while Rashad Whack chipped in 16 but just missed a potentially game-tying three in the final seconds. 

Here's a look at the shot that decided the scintillating contest:

When the Great Danes jumped out to a 13-0 and then 21-2 lead, the discussion almost predictably turned to their purple-and-gold jerseys, which were questionable at best. 

Of course, as ESPN's Eamonn Brennan suggested, perhaps the ugly threads were intentional:

But talk eventually shifted back to the actual play. According to kenpom.com (subscription required), Mount St. Mary's entered the game with the nation's 32nd-fastest tempo and was 17th in America in percentage of shots coming from beyond the three-point line. 

As such, many onlookers, including CBS Sports' Seth Davis, weren't ready to rule out a comeback:

Right on cue, the uptempo Mountaineers caught fire. Miller knocked down a trio off threes off the bench to fuel a 21-2 run to tie the game at 23. 

It was about as wild of a start to the Big Dance as could possibly be expected, and USA Today's Eric Prisbell put some perspective on the opening roller-coaster of play:

By the time we reached the end of a thrilling first half, Albany led, 35-31. 

Despite knocking down most of their shots and holding Mount St. Mary's to just 36.7 percent from the field, though, the Great Danes couldn't pull away. The reason? Fourteen turnovers (to just four for Mount St. Mary's), and an inability to limit the Mountaineers' production from deep. 

After Sam Prescott drilled a three—Mount St. Mary's 10th make on 31 tries—to make it 60-56 in favor of Albany with just under seven minutes remaining, Davis wondered if the Mountaineers could keep it up down the stretch:

They could.

Will Miller drained a pair of threes to cut the deficit to one, but after the Mountaineers increased the lead back to three, a Rashad Whack three-pointer with 39 seconds remaining rolled in and out. 

CBS Sports' college basketball Twitter feed summed up just how close Whack's shot was to falling through the net:

Evans and Rowley knocked down their free throws to seal the win in a high-level game that even had viewers trying to catch their breath. 

And those were the No. 16 seeds. 

If this game was any indication of what to expect for the next 66 games, buckle up. We're in line for an enthralling tournament. 

Next up is the No. 1 seeded Florida Gators. Coach Will Brown is ready for the challenge via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv:

The Gators haven't lost a game since Dec. 2 and ranked third in the nation in points allowed at 57.9 during the regular season. Behind studs like Casey Prather, Scottie Wilbekin and Patric Young, Albany is going to need a miracle to pull off the first ever No. 16 over No. 1 upset.