DG159

It's tourney time!
In DG159, the last of the three dread galleries covering the 2014-15 College Basketball season, here is a look at how some of the 72 Division 1 players with dreads did in their conference and postseason tournaments.

1. Senior F Reco McCarter and the Campbell Camels didn't do very well in the Big South tournament. McCarter drives against the defense of Gardner-Webb G Adonis Burbage on Mar. 4 during a 1st round game in the tournament. McCarter finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocked shots in his final game in a Campbell uniform as the Camels fell behind by 14 at halftime and never seriously threatened in the 2nd half, losing to G-W 72-64.




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2. Senior F Reese Holliday of UMKC wrestles with UT-Pan Am F Dan Kimasa for possession during 1st half of a quarterfinal game in the WAC tournament at Las Vegas on Mar. 12. Holliday had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists to help the #2 seeded Kangaroos defeat UTPA 70-61. But Reese's career ended the next night, as he scored 15 points in UMKC's 69-63 loss to #3 seed Seattle in the semifinals. 

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3. Illinois State junior G DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell defends against Wichita State G Tekele Cotton during a MVC tournament semifinal game at St. Louis on Mar. 7. Akoon-Purcell had 10 points and 5 rebounds as the #4 seeded Redbirds won their 6th in a row, ousting the #1 seeded Shockers 65-62 ..... 

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4. ..... But the next day the Redbirds fell short in their bid to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore G Tony Wills battles for a loose ball against F Nate Buss during ISU's 69-60 loss to Northern Iowa in the championship game, a game in which ISU led 36-22 at halftime. After playing regularly for most of the season, Wills was on the floor for a total of just 25 minutes in the Redbirds' final 9 games, including 4 scoreless minutes in the loss to UNI and no minutes at all in a season-ending 50-49 heartbreaker at ODU in the 2nd round of the NIT as ISU finished at 22-13. 
Changes are coming next season. Sadly, Akoon-Purcell isn't going to give his dreads a chance to get longer; he has cut them off. But with Quintin Brewer transferring in from Bethune-Cookman to join Wills, there should be at least two and very possibly three players with dreads on the ISU roster in 2016.
TONY WILLS (2014-15): 32 games, 19 MPG, 4.3 PPG, 46.4 FG%, 2.2 RPG

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5. After winning the Atlantic Sun tournament with three home wins to earn their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, the North Florida Ospreys were deemed as one of the worst of the 68 teams in the Big Dance; so they were one of the 8 teams that had to play in the 1st round. Senior G Devin Wilson crashes into the media table (left photo) trying to keep the ball from going out of bounds and (left photo) watches helplessly as G Marcquise Reed goes past him to the basket on Mar. 18 at Dayton. Wilson played 4 minutes and hit his only shot, finishing with 2 points; but it was the final game of his career as UNF lost to Robert Morris 81-77, ending their 8-game winning streak to finish the season at 23-12.
DEVIN WILSON (2014-15): 32 games, 8 MPG, 1.6 PPG, 46.4 FG%, 1.1 APG

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6. Junior F Justin Moss of Buffalo blocks a shot by Central Michigan F John Simons, keeping Buffalo's lead at 57-53 with 12 minutes remaining in the MAC tournament championship game on Mar. 14 at Cleveland, a lead they would keep for the rest of the game. Moss, the MAC player of the year, had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the game as the Bulls won 89-84 to earn their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

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7. Buffalo's first ever game in the NCAA Tournament gets off to an ominous beginning, as Justin Moss charges into West Virginia F Devin Williams and is called for an offensive foul on the Bulls' opening possession of the game at Columbus, OH, on Mar. 20. Buffalo wiped out an 11-point 2nd half deficit to tie the game but couldn't finish the job. WVU ended the game with a 6-0 run in the final 2:30 to defeat the Bulls 68-62 and end their season at 23-10.
There are a couple of items on Moss. That he's even playing basketball is thanks to advances in medicine. He has a defibrillator implanted in his chest to deal with the heart disease he has been diagnosed with. There are likely a lot of articles on the web about his condition. Here is the one done by CBS Sports.com back in February: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25027729/justin-moss-flourishing-at-buffalo-despite-seroius-heart-condition

Moss' success this season should be a feel-good story; and it was up until near the end of spring, when he unfortunately joined the long list of athletes that torpedoed their career thanks to a really, really, very stupid and dumb decision: http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2015-08-10/buffalo-justin-moss-burglary-stealing-expulsion-raheem-johnson-mory-diane
Man, you'd think that with one strike already on him and a potential pro basketball career in front of him that Moss would be smarter than that. But no. And as a result, he was kicked out of school. And since he's already used his redshirt year, he has only one year of eligibility left, meaning that if he's going to play college basketball next season, it will have to be at a lower division school (because he'd have to sit out if he transferred to another D-1 school). Let's hope he learns his lesson this time. Mercy, Justin, wouldn't you rather play basketball for a living than go to jail?
JUSTIN MOSS (2014-15): 33 games, 30 MPG, 17.5 PPG, 52.1 FG%, 9.2 RPG  

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8. Sophomore G Anthony Barber tries to drive past G Josh Newkirk of Pittsburgh during a 1st round game in the ACC tournament on Mar. 11. Barber scored a career high 34 points and added 3 rebounds and 5 assists as North Carolina State advanced with an 81-70 victory. The next day Barber was shut out in a blowout loss to Duke in the quarterfinals.

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9. After coming back from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat LSU by 1 in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, #8 seeded NC State busted a lot of people's brackets when they knocked of #1 seed Villanova in round 3. Anthony Barber (left photo) dribbles past G Darrun Hilliard and (right photo) celebrates with fans while walking off with Coach Gottfried after the Wolfpack pulled off the upset 71-68. Anthony finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 33 minutes.

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10. Louisville junior F Montrezl Harrell encounters heavy turbulence as he tries to get a shot up against 7-foot-6 C Mamadou Ndiaye of UC-Irvine during 1st half of a 2nd round NCAA Tournament game at Seattle on Mar. 20. Harrell had only 8 points and 4 rebounds, but the Cardinals survived, edging UC-Irvine 57-55.

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After Louisville defeated Northern Iowa in round 3, they advanced to face ACC foe NC State in the regional semifinals.

11. Anthony Barber drives to the basket (left photo) only to have his shot rejected by F Mangok Mathiang during 1st half. Except for back-to-back 3-pointers early in the 2nd half that gave the Wolfpack an 8-point lead, Barber couldn't hit a shot - a dilemma that (right photo) had Coach Gottfried and him searching for a solution on the sideline. Really, Anthony - two bands for dreads this short. Come on, man.

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12. Montrezl Harrell (left photo) goes to the basket between G Ralston Turner and F Abdul-Malik Abu during 1st half and (uh-oh) gets posterized on an emphatic but meaningless dunk (right photo) by F Caleb Martin with Louisville way ahead in the final minute of the game. The Cardinals avenged their regular season loss to NC State, winning 75-65 to end the Wolfpack's season at 22-14. Barber had just 8 points on 3 for 14 shooting. Harrell was outstanding with 24 points (9-12 FG), 7 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Cardinals moved to within one game of the Final 4.

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13. Michigan State F Branden Dawson stands and watches one of the two slam dunks that Montrezl Harrell had early in 1st half of the East regional final at Syracuse on Mar. 29. Harrell scored 12 points in the 1st half, helping lead Louisville to a 40-25 lead. But he went cold in the 2nd half along with the rest of his teammates, and Michigan State came back to win 76-70 in overtime.

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14. Montrezl Harrell can't hide his disappointment as he is consoled by Mangok Mathiang (right photo) near the end of the game and as he sits at his locker (left photo) after the game. He had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in his final game for the Cardinals, who finished the season at 27-9. Bigger and better things hopefully are in Montrezl's future after he was selected by the Houston Rockets early in the 2nd round of the NBA draft. It looks like he's not going to wait around for his dreads to get longer on their own. He added some extensions to his dreads just before suiting up for the Rockets' Summer League team.
MONTREZL HARRELL (2014-15): 35 games, 35 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 56.6 FG%, 9.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.2 BPG

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15. Even after losing 8 games in a row, Nebraska (5-13, 12th place) still finished ahead of Penn State (4-14, 13th place) in the Big 10 and were in the white jerseys for their matchup in the 1st round of the conference tournament at Chicago on Mar. 11. Junior F Terran Petteway (left photo) puts up a short shot against F Ross Travis and (right photo) tries to rip the ball away from G Shep Garner. As usual, Petteway carried his share of the load, finishing with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals; but as usual this season, it wasn't enough.

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16. Help! With 7-1 C Jordan Dickerson in his way, senior F David Rivers looks for a teammate to pass the ball to (left photo) and teams up with F Leslee Smith (right photo) to try to keep Dickerson from getting to the basket. Rivers had 2 points and 7 rebounds in 25 minutes in his final game for Nebraska as the Cornhuskers finished at 13-18 with their 68-65 loss to Penn State.

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17. Whether you're a star player headed for the NBA like Terran Petteway or a 4-year role player like David Rivers, if you can get to this point (Nebraska's commencement ceremony was on May 10), your time in college was a success. That they both got to this point in 4 years is even more admirable. Good luck, Terran, trying to make it with the Atlanta Hawks. And good luck, David, with the Rostock Seawolves - better brush up on your German!
The link below is to a kind article about Rivers from before the start of this season. It's really a shame his (and Petteway's) final season ended so disasatrously.
http://www.omaha.com/huskers/barfknecht-rivers-worth-more-than-stats-to-miles-nebraska/article_b9a954eb-e410-56fd-8284-a93aa1aaf81a.html

DAVID RIVERS (2014-15): 30 games, 24 MPG, 4.3 PPG, 47.7 FG%, 4.2 RPG
TERRAN PETTEWAY (2014-15): 31 games, 35 MPG, 18.2 PPG, 39.6 FG%, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG

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18. Now here's something you don't see everyday - a couple of players whose fathers both played in the NBA facing off against each other. Junior G Landon Drew (whose dad Larry had a long playing career and an even longer coaching career in the NBA) defends against G Tyler Les (the son of Jim Les, who played for several teams but most notably the Sacramento Kings in the early 1990's before moving into the college coaching ranks) during Cal State-Northridge's loss to #1 seed UC-Davis 71-67 in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference tournament on Mar. 12. Drew had 6 points and 6 assists in the defeat as the Matadors finished the season at 9-24. I don't think you're going to see either of those two in the NBA, although Landon still has one more college season to go to improve.
LANDON DREW (2014-15): 31 games, 26 MPG, 5.7 PPG, 36.2 FG%, 2.2 RPG, 4.5 APG

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19.Kent State sophomore F Marquiez Lawrence - he of the cool loose dreads in DG158 - finally decided to band his dreads together for the MAC tournament. He and F Gary Akbar double team Akron C Pat Forsythe during a quarterfinal round game on Mar. 12. Lawrence was probably called for a foul here, as that was his only stat in 1 minute played. #3 seed Kent State was upset by Akron 53-51. The Golden Flashes then won two games in the CIT before losing a thriller to Northern Arizona 74-73 in the quarterfinals to finish the season at 23-12. Lawrence was no factor in any of those three games, playing only 4 total minutes. After playing just 51 minutes as a freshman, Marquiez was on the floor much more this season but still never scored more than 6 points in any game. In fact, the biggest number on his stats line is fouls. He finished the season with 33 points, 67 rebounds, and 74 fouls. About a month ago it was announced that he was transferring, but I haven't found out to where yet.
MARQUIEZ LAWRENCE (2014-15): 31 games, 9 MPG, 1.1 PPG, 48.1 FG%, 2.2 RPG

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20. Stephen F. Austin's record after winning the SLC tournament was 29-4; but since it's the SLC, that was only good for a #13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks took on Utah in their 2nd round game. 6-5 junior F Clide Geffrard (left photo) reaches over G Dakarai Tucker trying for a rebound before it goes out of bounds and sits dejectedly (right photo) near the end of the game. SFA trailed by 12 with 9:05 to play before closing within 52-50 in the final minute; but Utah held on to win 57-50. Geffrard, a key reserve all season in his first season on the team after transferring from junior college, was on a roll late in the season but suffered an injury during the SLC semifinals. He missed the title game the next night but was able to play against Utah 5 days later, although only for 10 minutes, finishing with only 2 points and 1 steal.
CLIDE GEFFRARD (2014-15): 33 games, 16 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 51.0 FG%, 2.9 RPG

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21. With their 1st round loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament, Mississippi barely made it into the NCAA Tournament, having to play in the 1st round. Junior G Stefan Moody hits a running one-hander in the lane (left photo) to pull the Rebels to within 66-61 of BYU with 9 minutes to play. Ole Miss trailed by 17 at halftime but caught fire in the 2nd half, scoring 62 points, to win 94-90. Moody had one of his best shooting games of the season - 10 for 18 - and finished with 26 points and 5 rebounds. Two nights later in the 2nd round Moody (right photo) tries to drive between F Jalen Reynolds (#1) and G Remy Abell (#10) of Xavier.

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22. Stefan Moody tries to deflect a pass by G Dee Davis during 1st half. Stefan followed his 10 for 18 vs. BYU with a 5 for 18 afternoon vs. Xavier, finishing with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 33 minutes. The Rebels trailed by double figures the entire 2nd half in their 76-57 loss, finishing their season at 21-13.
STEFAN MOODY (2014-15): 34 games, 29 MPG, 16.6 PPG, 38.8 FG%, 3.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.7 SPG

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23. Junior G Michael Qualls of Arkansas finds Tennessee F Willie Carmichael's leg a formidable obstacle while handling the ball (left photo) during the SEC tournament quarterfinals on Mar. 13 and dunks in front of Georgia F Cameron Forte (right) photo in the semifinals. Qualls scored 20 points in the Razorbacks' 80-72 win over Tennessee and 15 in the 60-49 win over Georgia.

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24. In the SEC championship game on Mar.15 Michael Qualls hits a shot against Kentucky F Trey Lyles during 2nd half. Qualls hit 8 for 12 from the field - no small feat against Kentucky - and finished with 18 points in 24 minutes. The Razorbacks stayed close for about 11 minutes before the #1 ranked Wildcats pulled away and cruised to a 78-63 win.

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25. 4 nights later the Razorbacks were in Jacksonville, FL for their 2nd round game in the NCAA Tournament. Michael Qualls tries hang onto the ball while driving past Wofford G Eric Garcia during 2nd half. Qualls hit 8 for 9 from the field, finishing with 20 points; but the #5 seeded Razorbacks hand their hands full with the #12 seeded Terriers. The game stayed close the entire way before Arkansas pulled out the victory 56-53.

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26. Michael Qualls encounters resistance from North Carolina F Brice Johnson as he goes to the basket during 1st half in the 3rd round on Mar.21. Arkansas led by 1 with 11 minutes remaining in the game until the Tar Heels took control with a 13-2 run and cruised to the victory 87-78. Qualls gave it his all in what turned out to be his final game in an Arkansas uniform, finishing with 27 points (8-19 FG), 10 rebounds, and 3 assists in 35 minutes. The Razorbacks finished at 27-9. I was hoping Michael would hang around for his senior year; but he had other plans, declaring for the NBA draft. And he was on course to be drafted - probably in the 2nd round - until unfortunately the injury bug bit: http://www.nba.com/2015/news/features/chris_dortch/06/24/despite-major-setback-athletic-michael-qualls-sets-sights-on-nba/
The torn ACL caused Qualls not to be drafted, but he signed as a free agent with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Hopefully his recovery will go well, and we'll be able to see those dreads on the court a litle bit by the end of next season.
MICHAEL QUALLS (2014-15): 36 games, 30 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 43.6 FG%, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 APG

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27. Senior G Levi Randolph of Alabama drives to the basket against F Chris Walker of Florida on Mar. 12 at Nashville. Despite 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals by Randolph, the Crimson Tide were one and done in the SEC tournament, losing their 2nd round game to the Gators 69-61.

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28. Levi Randolph hits the deck trying to control a loose ball in front of F Ivan Cruz Uceda during 1st half of a 2nd round game in the NIT on Mar. 21 at Miami. After slaughtering Illinois in the 1st round, the Tide led the Hurricanes by 7 early in the 2nd half, but Miami came back to win easily 73-66. Randolph had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in his final game for Alabama. You may remember that last year I mentioned that Levi had graduated in 3 years. Well, this year he followed that up by being named the SEC scholar athlete of the year: http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031015aab.html
Levi's NBA dream is still alive after a good enough showing in the Summer League. There sure will be a lot of dreads in the Boston Celtics' training camp. After signing with the Celtics as a free agent, Randolph will join Marcus Thornton and Jae Crowder.
LEVI RANDOLPH (2014-15): 34 games, 35 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 48.1 FG%, 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG   

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29. Senior G Rod Hall tries to dribble through the Florida State defense (left photo) and defends against G Xavier Rathan-Mayes (right photo) - something he didn't do very well - during his final game in a Clemson uniform in an ACC tournament 2nd round game on Mar. 11. Hall scored a career high 25 points, but Rathan-Mayes did him 5 better, finishing with 30. Clemson trailed 57-37 with 9:09 remaining before rallying and puling within 2 in the final minute, but FSU hung on for the win 76-73 as the Tigers finished their season at 16-15.
Throughout his career Hall has been listed at between 205 and 210 pounds, a lot heavier than a typical point guard. And maybe you had the same thought that I did that he looked like a football player playing basketball. Actually Rod was a standout football player in high school; and even though he hasn't played any football since then, he's got a better chance of playing in the NFL than the NBA. So he has transferred to Northern Iowa to play football (he'll be eligible for one season) to see if he's still got it: http://theclemsoninsider.com/2015/07/15/hall-is-headed-to-northern-iowa/
Hall had just 1 catch for 2 yards in UNI's season opener last Saturday, but he'll get better. Good luck, Rod; hope to see you playing on Sundays next year.


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30. Like Rod Hall, Shaq Goodwin's postseason lasted just one game. The Memphis junior F drives to the basket during the Tigers' 80-75 loss to Temple during a quarterfinal game in the AAC tournament on Mar.13. Goodwin had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists as the Tigers finished at 18-14, declining an invitation to play in the CBI. Shaq walked away with a nice honor this season, earning the AAC's sportsmanship award, for his "sportsmanship, positive demeanor, commitment to player safety, and public support of both his teammates and opponents."
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31. Actually this photo could be from any of San Diego State's games this season; but I'll take the caption's word for it that this dunk by junior F Angelo Chol was from the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament on Mar. 12, and it cut UNLV's lead to 24-21 late in 1st half. Chol had one of his better games, finishing with 7 points and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes as the Aztecs won on UNLV's home floor 67-64.

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32. After losing in the final of the MWC tournament to Wyoming in a game that - well, if you like watching poor shooting, you would've loved this one - the Aztecs got dropped to a #8 seed. And that's fine in the 2nd round (they defeated St.John's), but it means in the 3rd round you have to face the #1 seed. Not good. Angelo Chol is listed at 6-9, 220 pounds; but he looked very small against 6-11 star C Jahlil Okafor during his 7 minutes on the court. A strong defensive team, SDSU had no answer for Okafor, who hit 12 for 16 from the field to lead Duke to the victory 68-49. Chol had 4 points and 2 rebounds as the Aztecs finished at 27-9. Angelo played more this season than he did during his 2 seasons at Arizona (which was why he transferred) but still had to split time with the Aztecs' other center, Skylar Spencer, and ended up not starting in any games. He had season highs of 24 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.
ANGELO CHOL (2014-15): 35 games, 14 MPG, 4.4 PPG, 55.2 FG%, 3.1 RPG

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33. After a loss in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament dropped Colorado's record to 15-17, their season figured to be over. But when the CBI came calling, the Buffaloes were happy to keep playing. Junior F Xavier Johnson goes to the basket against Gardner-Webb G Dylan Poston during 2nd half on Mar. 18. Johnson had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists as CU defeated G-W at home 87-78. But the Buffs had to go on the road for round 2 and lost to Seattle, ending their season.
Xavier dealt with a high ankle sprain during the second half of this season, and now an even more serious injury will likely force him to redshirt next season: http://www.dailycamera.com/sports/buffzone/ci_28382939/cu-mens-basketball-injury-derails-xavier-johnsons-comeback
Get well and come back asap, Xavier.

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34. Senior F Dominique McKoy is in bad defensive position (left photo) as St. Louis G Davell Roby drives to the basket during a 1st round game in the Atlantic 10 tournament on Mar. 11 but is in perfect position to score (right photo) against George Washington the next night in the 2nd round. McKoy had 2 points and 12 rebounds in Duquesne's 61-55 win over bottom seeded SLU and 9 points and 10 rebounds in the 73-55 loss to GW that ended the Dukes' season at 12-19. I have not seen any stories yet that indicate that McKoy has signed with any pro team.

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35. A few hours before Duquesne's season ended, VCU began their postseason with a 2nd round game in the A-10 tournament. Sophomore F Mo Alie-Cox gets his 2nd blocked shot of the game, and it's a big one, rejecting a layup by Fordham G Jon Severe to keep VCU's lead at 55-52 with 2:44 to play. The Rams held on to win 63-57, as Alie-Cox also had 4 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals.

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36. In the A-10 quarterfinals on Mar. 13 sophomore G Doug Brooks takes and makes this 3-pointer from the corner to give VCU the lead 62-60 over Richmond with 1:37 remaining, after they had trailed 58-52 with 3:57 to go. Brooks finished with 9 points (on three 3-pointers) as the Rams avenged their two regular season losses to the Spiders, winning 70-67.



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37. It seems simple enough, but Doug Brooks misses this layup during the A-10 semifinals against Davidson on Mar. 14. Brooks' only 6 points in the game came on two 3-point FG.

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38. Mo Alie-Cox makes sure VCU doesn't miss this layup, throwing down one of the 3 dunks he had in the game. After falling behind 16-4, VCU finished the 1st half on a 40-12 run to take a 16-point lead. Davidson closed to within 57-52 midway through the 2nd half before the Rams pulled away again. When they met 9 days earlier Davidson embarrassed VCU 82-55; but the Rams turned the tables here, blowing out the #1 seeded Wildcats 93-73. Alie-Cox finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes.

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39. The stats sheet says that Doug Brooks did not have a good game in the A-10 championship game against Dayton on Mar. 15 - 0 points, 3 turnovers, and 4 fouls in 15 minutes. But he also made the most important play of the game, stealing a pass (his only steal of the game) intended for G Kyle Davis (both photos) with :58 to play then dribbling downcourt and assisting (his only assist) on a layup by G JeQuan Lewis 5 seconds later to up VCU's lead to 63-59. The Rams made just enough FT from there and hung on to win 71-65.

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40. Mo Alie-Cox is presented his all-tournament team award after the game. He scored 13 points (6-6 FG) and added 4 rebounds and 2 assists in the championship game. VCU would have gotten an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament even if they hadn't won their conference tournament. But the A-10 title was a sweet victory, especially after their regular season title hopes when down the drain after star G Briante Weber went down with a torn ACL at the end of January. The Rams were 17-3 and ranked in the top 15 when Weber was injured; without him, they finished the regular season going 5-6 and dropped all the way to 5th place in the A-10.

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41. Doug Brooks takes a swipe at the ball, trying to knock it away from star G D'Angelo Russell of Ohio State during a 2nd round game in the NCAA Tournament on Mar. 19 at Portland, OR. Brooks and Russell had a closer and more violent encounter than this late in the 2nd half when Brooks, while he shooting a layup with his right hand, reached up with his left arm to keep Russell from blocking the shot and accidentally elbowed him above the eye and drew blood. Brooks was assessed a flagrant foul on the play. Doug finished the afternoon tying his season high with 14 points and fouled out in 25 minutes.

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42. Mo Alie-Cox reaches for a rebound along with G Kam Williams (left photo) during 1st half and dunks (right photo) in front of  G Shannon Scott during 2nd half. Alie-Cox also fouled out of this one after playing only 20 minutes, finishing with 7 points (on 3 dunks and 1 FT) and 7 rebounds. After VCU blew a 12-point 1st half lead, the game was a nail-biter the entire 2nd half, and #10 seeded Ohio State pulled out the victory, defeating #7 seed VCU 75-72 in OT to end their season at 26-10.
Change has arrived at VCU. Coach Smart up and left, finally accepting one of the offers (Texas) he has gotten after every season since VCU's Final 4 appearance in 2011. It'll be interesting to see if the new coach keeps the team's "Havoc" style of play that has been so successful with Smart at the helm. Both Brooks and Alie-Cox are hanging around and figure to continue to be key players for the team.
DOUG BROOKS (2014-15): 33 games, 15 MPG, 5.2 PPG, 42.1 FG%, 2.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG 

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43. Senior F Aron Phillips-Nwankwo scrambles for a loose ball on the floor with George Washington F John Kopriva (left photo) during 1st half of a 1st round NIT game at Pittsburgh on Mar. 17. On the right, Phillips-Nwankwo and his teammates realize the end is near late in 2nd half - the end of the Panthers' season and for Aron the end of his basketball career. Phillips-Nwankwo had 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 10 minutes in his final game as Pittsburgh lost to GW 60-54 to finish their season at 19-15.
Phillips-Nwankwo, who went by just Aron Nwankwo in previous seasons before his mother died, just played basketball for fun. As this article from back in January from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells, he'll be doing much more important things than basketball in the years ahead.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/gene-collier/2015/01/25/Pitt-basketball-walk-on-Aron-Phillips-Nwankwo-has-a-story-worth-telling/stories/201501250130
ARON PHILLIPS-NWANKWO (2014-15): 14 games, 6 MPG, 1.2 PPG, 53.8 FG%, 1.1 RPG

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44. Freshman G Omega Harris of UTEP and F Perrin Buford of MTSU pursue a loose ball during 1st half of a CUSA tournament semifinal game at Birmingham on Mar.13. One day after hitting 5 for 5 from the field and scoring 15 points in the quarterfinals, Harris finished with 2 points, 0 assists, and 3 turnovers against MTSU as the #2 seeded Miners lost 53-50. 4 days later UTEP's season ended at 22-11 with a loss at Murray State in the NIT. Harris had a pretty decent rookie season and should get even better in the seasons ahead.
OMEGA HARRIS (2014-15): 33 games, 27 MPG, 6.7 PPG, 37.9 FG%, 2.0 RPG, 1.9 APG

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45. Junior F Darnell Harris (no relation to Omega that I'm aware of) celebrates with G D.J. Jones (left photo) during MTSU's upset of #3 seeded ODU 59-52 in the CUSA quarterfinals and beats C Hooper Vint to the ball (right photo) during the win over UTEP. Harris had 7 points in the game against ODU and 8 points and 8 rebounds vs. UTEP. But the Blue Raiders' longshot attempt to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament ended with a 73-60 loss to UAB in the championship game on Mar. 14. 4 days after that their season ended at 19-17 with a 68-56 home loss to Kent State in the 1st round of the CIT. You get the feeling that Darnell could be a really productive player with more playing time; so hopefully we'll see those great dreads of his on the court much more often next season.
DARNELL HARRIS (2014-15): 36 games, 18 MPG, 6.7 PPG , 43.9 FG%, 3.3 RPG

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46. Despite winning the CUSA regular season crown (by 2 games) with a 15-3 record, Louisiana Tech knew their only path to the NCAA Tournament was to win the conference tournament - a dicey situation because the tournament was in Birmingham (although not on UAB's home court), and they had been whipped by UAB there 80-60 in early February. Senior G Speedy Smith tries to drive past Rice G Dan Peera during 1st half of a quarterfinal game on Mar. 12. Smith had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals as the Bulldogs, after leading by 12 with 4 minutes to go, barely held on for the win 70-64.

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47. UAB G Hakeem Baxter contests a jump shot by Speedy Smith (left photo) in 1st half of the semifinals, and Smith takes it to the basket (right photo) against G Nick Norton during 2nd half. Throughout his career Smith has taken it upon himself to shoot more often when the Bulldogs were in trouble; and they certainly were in trouble against UAB, down 16 with 15:25 remaining in the 2nd half. He took a season high 17 FG attempts, making 6, and scored 11 points during the Bulldogs' comeback, including a 3-pointer that tied the game at 58 with 1:07 to go. But the Bulldogs didn't do anything right in overtime, shooting 1 for 11 from the field, as UAB pulled away for the 72-62 victory.

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48. UAB fans celebrate in the background as Speedy Smith realizes near the end of the game that he's going to finish his career with no games played in the NCAA Tournament. It was the 3rd straight year Louisiana Tech has been the top seed in their conference tournament only to come up short. Smith had 13 points, 5 rebounds, only 2 assists, and 4 steals in the defeat.
Just as they had the last two years, Louisiana Tech played did well in the NIT but not well enough to get to the Final 4 in NYC. The quarterfinal loss to Temple (77-59, ending their season at 27-9) was particularly devastating because Smith severely sprained his ankle midway through the 2nd half and was unable to finish the game. I know Tech was already down 14 when he got hurt, but I'd like to have seen what would have happened if he had played. Seniors have a way of rising to the occasion when their careers are about to end: http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/on-the-sidelines/2015/03/25/techs-season-comes-to-an-end-in-blowout-loss-at-temple/70469298/
Even more disappointing was that the injury pretty much ruined any chance he had of being drafted. Even two months later he still wasn't back to 100%. He was unable to show the scouts what he could really do during the pre-draft workouts. And so, his pro career will start in Latvia; then maybe next year he'll get a better shot at making the NBA: http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/louisiana-tech/2015/08/07/speedy-smith-inks-pro-deal-latvia/31273513/
Good luck, Speedy! It's been a real pleasure watching these last three seasons.
KENNETH "SPEEDY" SMITH (2014-15): 36 games, 33 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 37.9 FG%, 4.0 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.9 SPG

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49. Denzel Collins didn't contribute anything on the court to UAB's CUSA tournament championship, but he certainly contributed to the celebration after the 73-60 win over MTSU on Mar.14. The photo I had of Collins, a 6-2 senior guard, in my First Look post was inadequate; but you can see his dreads just fine here.
DENZEL COLLINS (2014-15) (season totals): 27 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

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After ruining things for Speedy Smith and Darnell Harris, Collins' teammates took aim at Jameel McKay and Iowa State. But before that game .....

50. ...... Iowa State had their own conference tournament. After edging Texas in the Big 12 quarterfinals, the Cyclones took on Oklahoma in the semifinals on Mar. 13 at Kansas City. Jameel McKay makes sure everyone knows whose rebound it is (right photo) as he takes down an Oklahoma miss during 2nd half. After a miss by teammate Georges Niang (left photo), Niang and OU F TaShawn Thomas watch McKay slam home the rebound to increase Iowa State's lead to 64-61 with 2:33 to play.

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51. After Oklahoma F Ryan Spangler misses an easy layup that would have tied the game with 3 seconds remaining, Jameel McKay makes sure he doesn't get a second chance, knocking the ball away from the basket while they try to grab the rebound. Time expired before anyone could gain possession, and the Cyclones' had their 2nd 2-point win in a row, 67-65. McKay had 12 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes.

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52. In the championship game against Kansas the next day - the rubber match between the two teams - Jameel McKay (left photo) slams home an alley-oop pass from Georges Niang to cut Kansas' lead to 40-33 with 17:03 remaining in 2nd half. McKay had 6 points during a 10-3 run to start the 2nd half after KU led by 14 at halftime. On the right, with the game tied late, McKay, after grabbing a key offensive rebound 20 seconds earlier that allowed the Cyclones to keep the ball, grabs another one here with 48 seconds remaining between 3 KU players. This one didn't count though because the whistle had already blown and a foul called on the shot attempt. Abdel Nader made the ensuing 2 FT, starting a 5-0 run, and the Cyclones hung on for the 70-66 victory.

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53. Jameel McKay savors the Cyclones' championship after the game. He finished with 11 points (5-7 FG), 8 rebounds, and 2 steals in 29 minutes in the game.

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54. And so, it was on to the NCAA Tournament against UAB five days later - and time for a change, as McKay and teammate Monte Morris (for some reason) decided it was time to dye part of their hair a different color. UAB F Tosin Mehinti contests a shot by Jameel in the 1st half. This likely was one of the two times during the game that McKay had his shot blocked by Mehinti. UAB got off to a cold start, allowing Iowa State to lead 12-2 after the first 5 minutes. But after the Blazers caught up with a 14-4 run of their own, the game stayed very close for the rest of the game. 

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55. Jameel McKay takes down a rebound and nearly takes off the hand of teammate Abdel Nader in the process during 1st half. Even though McKay finished with 12 rebounds, UAB killed Iowa State on the boards, outrebounding them 52-37.

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56. It's photos like this that are why I included Jameel McKay on my dread all-America team, as he throws a pass past G Hakeem Baxter during 2nd half. In most of his games this season McKay barely restrained his dreads at all, and that made for a lot of fantastic looks at them. At some point though he's going to have to start bunching them together, but hopefully that won't come until after next season .....

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57. ..... Speaking of next season, next season arrived much too soon for Jameel McKay and his teammates. The Cyclones expected to reach the Sweet 16 and hoped to get to the Final 4; so after losing 60-59 to UAB in their first game, McKay found it impossible to hide his disappointment as he walks off after the game (left photo) and while meeting with the media (right photo) shortly after that. Jameel finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots; but after Iowa State took a 55-51 lead with 3:13 remaining, UAB made the plays they had to, and Iowa State didn't - just that simple.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/no-3-seed-cyclones-upset-by-no-14-seed-uab-in-game-one-of-ncaa-tournament-20150319
Oh well, the only good thing about this is that the Cyclones will have a chance to make amends. Most of their players will be back next season, and it wouldn't be very surprising if they were ranked #1 at some point next season. Hopefully this defeat will hurt so much that they'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
JAMEEL McKAY (2014-15): 25 games, 27 MPG, 11 PPG, 58.3 FG%, 7.6 RPG, 2.4 BPG

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58. Junior F Taurean Prince puts up a shot over West Virginia F Brandon Watkins during 2nd half of a quarterfinal game in the Big 12 tournament on Mar. 12. Prince was on fire, hitting 7 of 9 from the field and finishing with 18 points as Baylor advanced with an 80-70 victory. That made it 10 games in a row with at least 14 points for Taurean - and then the next day he scored 2, shooting 1 for 11, as the Bears lost to Kansas in the semifinals.

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59. Just like Iowa State, Baylor was a #3 seed in their region in the NCAA Tournament; and if you thought Iowa State losing to UAB was bad, you ain't seen the Baylor-Georgia State game yet. Junior F Rico Gathers dunks (left photo) for the first 2 points of the game. And on the right, G R.J. Hunter goes to the basket between Gathers and Taurean Prince during 2nd half. Whereas Jameel McKay went with the dyed dreads, Prince thought it would be a good idea (and I don't know why) to go with his dreads reduced. Gathers finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Prince had 18 points and 15 rebounds (and also 0 assists and 5 turnovers). Baylor seemed to be cruising to victory, leading 56-44 with 2:45 to play. And then then roof caved in, the wheels fell off, whatever your favorite cliche. On their next 7 possessions they shot 0 for 3 from the field, had 4 turnovers, and missed from the front end of a one-and-bonus FT. Georgia State scored the last 13 points of the game, hitting a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to win it 57-56. Just like Iowa State, Baylor will enter next season with high hopes, and with a horrific season-ending defeat to make up for.
RICO GATHERS (2014-15): 34 games, 30 MPG, 11.6 PPG, 45.9 FG%, 11.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
TAUREAN PRINCE (2014-15): 33 games, 26 MPG, 13.9 PPG, 47.2 FG%, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 SPG

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60. And that brings us to Marcus Thornton - and his last chance to lead William & Mary to its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. After the Tribe won their quarterfinal game in the CAA tournament over Elon a day earlier, Thornton, the 6-4 senior guard, launches a 3-pointer against Hofstra in the semifinals on Mar. 8. I watched most of this game, and it was not for the faint of heart. Both teams had chances to win and blew them. Finally, with W&M down 2 in the closing seconds of the 2nd OT and everybody expecting Thornton to shoot, instead of forcing a heavily-contested shot, he passed the ball to a wide-open Daniel Dixon, who nailed the 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining to win it 92-91. Thornton finished with 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. But he also played 49 minutes, and three other starters played at least 40. So the obvious question was would W&M have anything left in the tank for the championship game the next night.

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61. Marcus Thornton dunks for 2 of his 20 points, but it only cuts Northeastern's lead to 42-31 early in 2nd half of the championship game on Mar. 9. Last year you may recall the Tribe had that heartbreaking collapse at the end of the championship game and lost to Delaware. But this time they just got whipped - although they did start to make things interesting, going on a 16-0 run after they had trailed by 22 with 3:27 remaining, before Northeastern held on for the win 72-61. Thornton finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists; but just the same as with Speedy Smith, he too would play no games in the NCAA Tournament.

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62. With William & Mary being the #1 seed in the CAA tournament, their loss earned them an automatic bid to the NIT. And on Mar. 17 Marcus Thornton takes it to the hoop between two Tulsa defenders. Marcus missed 16 shots in the game, the last of which was a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 14 seconds remaining. He finished with 23 points in his final game in a William & Mary uniform, as the Tribe finished at 20-13 with the 70-67 loss at Tulsa.
Thornton was a 2nd round draft choice by the Boston Celtics, who apparently want him to spend his rookie season overseas. Hopefully Marcus will show them he's ready for the NBA right now.
MARCUS THORNTON (2014-15): 33 games, 37 MPG, 20.0 PPG, 45.6 FG%, 2.8 RPG,. 2.9 APG

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Although no players with dreads made it to the Final 4 in the NCAA tournament, two played on championship teams in the minor tournaments. And a third almost won a title .....

63. Northern Arizona entered the CIT with a 19-13 record and won their first two games on the road - 75-70 over Grand Canyon and 78-73 over Sacramento State, despite senior G Aaseem Dixon getting his shot blocked (left photo) by C Eric Stuteville during 1st half on Mar. 21. NAU came home and won a thriller over Kent State 74-73 in overtime in the quarterfinals. Dixon drives to the basket (right photo) early in the semifinals against NJIT in the semifinals on Mar. 31. The Lumberjacks won that one 68-61 but then had to hit the road again for the championship game against Evansville; and they fell short as Evansville ended the game on a 13-6 run in the final 3:45 to win 71-65. Dixon played at least 38 minutes in all 5 games, scoring 21, 4, 16, and 19 points in the victories but only 9 points (4-14 FG) in the loss to Evansville.
You'd think that with the way Aaseem can hit 3-pointers that there's a team somewhere in the world that could use him. But I haven't seen anything indicating that he has signed with a pro team yet.

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64. Junior F Montel James of Loyola (Chicago) looks like a running back breaking through the line (left photo) as he drives between F Nate Buss and F Marvin Singleton of Northern Iowa during 1st half of a semifinal game in the MVC tournament on Mar. 7. On the right, it looks like James is going to block Singleton's shot. But Montel was called for fouling Singleton with 29 seconds to go in 1st half, so that's probably what this is. James led the Ramblers with 14 points, but their dream of making it to the NCAA Tournament ended with a 63-49 loss to UNI. Their 19-13 record was good enough however for a bid to the CBI. 

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65. The CBI schedule maker was very kind to the Ramblers, keeping them at home for their first three games - victories over Rider (1st round), ORU (quarterfinals), and Seattle (semifinals). And they were at home again in Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series against Louisiana-Monroe on Mar. 30. Montel James drives to the basket (left photo) and throws down a nasty, highlight-reel dunk (and one) against F Jamaal Samuel (right photo) to break a 33-33 tie early in 2nd half. Here's a look at it: https://twitter.com/loyolachicago/status/582758606547861505 ..... James had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals as Loyola won Game 1 65-58.

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66. According to Google, it's a little more than 4-hour drive from New Orleans to Monroe; so hopefully Montel James, a Kenner, LA (suburb of New Orleans) native had some family and friends on hand for Game 2 on Apr. 1. The game play-by-play gives Montel credit for blocking a shot by F DeMondre Harvey with 11:42 remaining in the 1st half, so this is probably a photo of it. Neither team led by more than 3 points during the final 6 minutes of the game. There was no need for Game 3, as Loyola took Game 2 in a thriller 63-62 to win the championship. James hit 5 of 6 from the field and finished with 10 points and 2 rebounds. Congratulations, Montel. Now let's see if you can get to the Big Dance next year.

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67. Senior G Chasson Randle of Stanford tries to put up a shot against G Delon Wright (#55) and C Dallin Bachynski of Utah during 1st half of a quarterfinal game in the Pac-12 tournament on Mar. 12. Very possibly this was when Bachynski blocked Randle's layup at 13:37 of the 1st half. After defeating Washington in the 1st round 71-69 on Randle's 3-pointer in the closing seconds, Stanford got blown out by Utah 80-56.

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68. Stanford's exit from the Pac-12 tournament left them with a 19-13 record and on the outside looking in when the at large bids for the NCAA Tournament were announced; but it did leave them with a favorable, #2 seed in their region of the NIT. Chasson Randle drives between G Biggie Minnis (#10) and G Matthew Butler of Rhode Island during the 2nd round on Mar. 22. After scoring 18 points in a 1st round win over UC-Davis, Chasson went off for a career high 35 points as the Cardinal defeated URI 74-65. Stanford, playing at home for the third straight game, then beat Vanderbilt two nights later to advance to the NIT final 4.

69. Chasson Randle takes but misses a jumper, failing to increase Stanford's 61-59 lead over ODU with 1:55 remaining of an NIT semifinal game at NYC on Mar. 31. The Cardinal jumped out to a 25-4 lead midway through the 1st half; but the lead was down to 6 by halftime and gone altogether less than 4 minutes into the 2nd half. The game remained tight from then on. After Randle missed this shot, he hit a shot and made 2 FT on the Cardinal's next two possessions to make it 65-59 with 45 seconds remaining, and Stanford went on to win 67-60. Randle scored 24 points in the game and in the process became Stanford's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Todd Lichti's record of 2,336 points that had been on the books for 26 years.

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70. Chasson Randle puts up a shot past F Omar Sherman of Miami (Florida) during 2nd half of the NIT championship game on Apr. 2. Chasson played all 45 minutes and scored 25 points, including 2 FT with 3.4 seconds remaining to give Stanford a 65-64 lead, and they hung on to win it 66-64.

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71. It's the 2nd NIT title for Randle, as Stanford also won when he was a freshman in 2012. This time he was named tournament MVP.
Randle has his degree from Stanford but would rather join Richard Sherman in the ranks of Stanford grads with dreads in pro sports, so he's going to keep on playing basketball. The same as with Speedy Smith, Randle, a native of the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, was not drafted and will begin his pro career in Europe: http://www.qconline.com/sports/randle-ready-to-prove-himself-in-the-czech-republic/article_73be653b-2ed6-5f93-b5f8-f16b3f25b2dd.html
Good luck, Chasson, and hope to see you in the NBA one day soon.
CHASSON RANDLE (2014-15): 37 games, 36 MPG, 19.6 PPG, 40.3 FG%, 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.4 SPG