Slam Dunks: UNCA comeback to win Big South headlines Champ Week mid-major recap
BIG SOUTH
Cinderella saw the clock strike midnight in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon during a seven-minute stretch that saw UNC Asheville come from behind from 14 down to defeat №3 seed Campbell 77–73 to send the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Elizabethton, TN native Mike Morrell’s tenure with UNCA.
Before we talk about UNC Asheville and this remarkable story, I think we have to give props to Campbell for the amazing tournament that the Camels had.
This was Campbell’s fourth game in four days having already defeated Presbyterian in the play-in game and then coming through two upsets over №2 seed Longwood and №3 seed Radford.
Campbell runs a Princeton style offense that when on and running is hard to stop. They also take their time in between possessions and when UNCA fell behind 14 points, the ESPN broadcaster doing the game said it was like a 24-point lead. It looked like for all the world Campbell had it in the bag.
However, the team on the other bench felt differently.
I have to admit something. I did not see the part of the game where UNCA made the run and got back into it because I was asked to do a chore. I guess it turned out to be a good omen for UNCA and Morrell.
The Bulldogs used the hot hands of Drew Pember and Taijon Jones to get back into the contest and then in the final couple of minutes finished off the deal.
UNCA had to battle and claw but they did it and won a championship for the town of Asheville, a town that Morrell has helped transform from a Tar Heel town to a town that loves the Bulldogs and loves what Morrell has done with the transformation of this program.
It is also a win for Elizabethton and Carter County, where it all started for Morrell as a standout under head coach Tony Hardin at Elizabethton High School.
Elizabethton was a small school in a big pond. While Morrell was playing for the team they called the Cyclones, Elizabethton played in the highest classification in the state going up neighboring schools like Science Hill (Johnson City) and Dobyns-Bennett (Kingsport) that had more than 1,000 students more than Elizabethton.
It was playing that high level competition that developed toughness for Morrell. He didn’t back down for any challenge so the job opportunity came open in Asheville after being an assistant at King University, Clemson, Charleston Southern, VCU and Texas, Morrell did not back down one bit and embraced the opportunity.
“I’m very proud of Michael, and what he has accomplished in the short time that he has been there he has really turned the program around,” Hardin said.
In Morrell’s first year at UNCA the Bulldogs won four games. Morrell had a vision for the future and one of things he did was recruit the Knoxville area and then was able to get Drew Pember, who started his career at the University of Tennessee and the rest is history.
Pember became one of the best players to ever play for UNCA and was named the Big South Player of the year this year.
The combo of Pember and Taijon Jones became a lethal force and the Bulldogs began to roll.
“He’s not only done a good job coaching, but a great job recruiting he targeted some kids out of Knoxville that knew each other which I think really helped his chemistry,” Hardin said.
The rough beginning for Morrell in Asheville didn’t get him down and as you saw on Sunday he did not get rattled down 14 points.
Morrell made the correct adjustments in the final minutes and never gave up. His team did not give up either. They followed the lead of their coach and took the game into their own hands.
“ I also think he has stayed humble and remembers where he’s from and everyone who has had a part in getting him to this point in his career,” Hardin said.
Speaking of remembering where he came from. On Sunday night things were crazy coming back to Asheville being greeted by well-wishers.
This sportswriter sent a brief text to Morrell just congratulating him on the victory. I was pretty sure that Morrell’s phone probably blew up on the way back from the Boplex in Charlotte (The arena the Charlotte Hornets played in during the 90s now called the Bojangles Coliseum) with all the texts that probably came in from the 423 area code and that I wasn’t really expecting a text back on Sunday night.
However, Morrell does not forget about the people from the Tri-Cities who he has known since childhood and late Sunday night that text back came. It showed me what a friend Morrell is to me and other people that have touched his path over the last 30 some years.
“I think he will always return a message to someone that he has known in his younger days,” Hardin said.
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SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
In what was one of the more exciting tournaments of Champ Week the Southern Conference had many storylines including the Cinderella’s, but in the end it was the team that had been the best all year reigning supreme in Asheville.
In the championship №1 seed Furman outlasted No 7 seed Chattanooga 88–79 to win the title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Even though Furman won the tournament, the story might have been Chattanooga and Jake Stephens playing giant killer.
After a convincing win on Friday night over VMI where Stephens returned to the lineup after a hand injury that had sidelined him most year, Chattanooga then went to upset Samford 85–82 with Stephens being the difference.
Stephens with his height can totally alter a game. Even though he wasn’t player of the year in the SoCon, there is no doubt this week who the best player on the floor was.
There were some other surprises in this tournament as Wofford upset UNCG 67–66 on a last second shot to force a 6–7 matchup in the semifinals between Wofford and Chattanooga.
Chattanooga defeated Wofford 74–62 to set up a rematch of last year’s conference final with Furman. Furman’s road to the final was not an easy one as it had to get through a classic semifinal with upstart Western Carolina.
After Western easily defeated our local university East Tennessee State in the quarterfinals, the Paladins looked like they were going to cruise to the title game up double digits with 10 minutes to go, but Western went on a furious rally, even having a chance to win the game in regulation. The contest ended up going to overtime and the game was marred in the final moments by a controversial fantom foul call that put Western Carolina on the line for three free throws and Furman ended up winning 83–80 in overtime.
I will say that I feel Western Carolina head coach Justin Gray in my opinion should have been Coach of the Year in the Southern Conference. The job he did was remarkable.
This led to Monday and from the beginning it was total domination. I think Chattanooga ran out of gas in the final game and Stephens honestly looked gassed. It was a great run for Chattanooga, but this night belonged to Paladins.
Led by Jacob Slawson and Nick Bothwell, Furman had the more experienced team and they had fresher legs. They also had 2022 on their mind when Chattanooga defeated Furman on a miraculous last second shot that was probably one of the greatest shots in NCAA history to win 64–63. There would be no repeat of that on this night.
Furman was simply the better team and did a very good job rebounding from the tough game with Western Carolina.
Furman has the potential to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. It was another great SoCon Tournament in Asheville this week.
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OHIO VALLEY
Tennessee Tech and Southeast Missouri State played an absolute classic Saturday night at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana but in the end SEMO was too much for the Eagles in the overtime.
SEMO won 89–82 in a classic Ohio Valley Conference final that was a thriller. It was definitely one of the best games of champ week.
SEMO really had a huge accomplishment, winning four games in four days to take the tournament crown as the №5 seed. Tennessee Tech only had to play two.
SEMO led most of the game but the lead never got out of hand. It looked like the final minutes of regulation were going to be a coronation for SEMO, but the Eagles rallied and actually took the lead for a moment at 76–75 when Dante Wood hit a three at the buzzer that looked to be the game winner, but his foot was on the line and the game went into overtime.
It would be interesting to see if Tennessee Tech would either take the momentum or be deflated that it had the game won only to lose it in overtime. It ended up being the latter.
Tennessee Tech just never recovered from the thought of having the game won and SEMO totally dominated the overtime.
SEMO went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. The 60-year streak for Tennessee Tech of not making the NCAA Tournament would have to last another year.
I know that I am supposed to be impartial, but I was actually cheering for Tennessee Tech. I felt bad for them having not been in the NCAA Tournament during my lifetime, It had to be a horrible feeling for them.
For SEMO, it was phenomenal winning four games in four days in a tournament bracket that is honestly strange but done to protect top seeds. In this case that strategy backfired.
SEMO improved to 19–16 overall and most likely will play in Dayton for the First Four, I don’t think that is going to bother them. I think they will be OK with it.
You have to hope the Eagles are back in this position next year and get another shot. John Pelphrey is doing a great job in Cookeville.
This was definitely a classic Champ Week final for sure.
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ATLANTIC SUN
From a pure basketball sense, the Atlantic Sun championship between Kennesaw State and Liberty might have been one of the best college basketball games of the season Sunday.
Liberty fouled on the last possession and Kennesaw hit a free throw to give the Owls a 67–66 victory and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
This game was nip and tuck and a battle throughout as neither team had a lead more than six points at any time during the game.
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The crowd in Kennesaw was absolutely electric and having the tournament at home sites does give a more electric atmosphere even though it is one-sided.
Liberty is kind of the giant in the A-Sun really a school that does not belong in that league and next year both teams are headed to Conference USA. Liberty is the one everyone wants to beat.
Kennesaw is a team that has never had a winning season in basketball until this year and fourth-year coach Amir Abdur Rahim, honestly deserves some national coach of the year consideration for the job he has done.
Despite it being so close, Kennesaw pretty much led throughout, a testament to how tight this game was. It really was a classic basketball game.
I think Kennesaw could do some damage in the NCAA Tournament. They are not a team any top seed is going to want to play.
Right now Kennesaw will celebrate its conference championship and then worry about the NCAA Tournament.
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MISSOURI VALLEY
This tournament kind of disappointed me I thought this was going to be one of the best tournaments of champ week. There were some good games, but it just lacked the drama that I was expecting.
The championship game was a total dud as №2 seed Drake avenged a defeat from last Sunday in an easy 77–51 win over Bradley in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.
I have always been enamored with the championship game of the Missouri Valley because it happens to be on CBS, where the big boys play. I have always loved the fact that the little guy gets to shine on national TV.
I am sure the T-Shirt fans do not like to see that, but I think it is great for the game to see a true mid-major conference (unlike the Atlantic 10 or Mountain West) gets highlighted on the eye.
However, the final turned out not to really be worth watching.
Drake completed dominated from the start. You have to give them credit it came out to play.
I will give everyone a heads up especially those who are fans of teams on the bubble. The athletic director at Bradley is the chairman of the NCAA Tournament committee. I don’t think he would do it, but it is a possibility.
I have to address a certain prediction I made on this conference. I picked Belmont as the №4 seed to win the conference tournament. I realize now I might have wanted it because JaKobi Gillespie was from my region and may have been a little bit blinded and bias.
Indiana State took down the Bruins. I think if Belmont keeps their players out of the portal they could be the team to beat in the MVC next year. They just weren’t ready to win it this year.
Kudos to Indiana State as well reaching the semis. Sycamore head coach Josh Schertz came from Lincoln Memorial in Northeast Tennessee and has proven to athletic directors who said he couldn’t coach at D-1 level totally wrong.
There were some good games, but for the most [art the Missouri Valley Tournament went to form except for that championship game. It was a dominating performance by Drake..
HORIZON
To be honest I am not really concerned with who wins this tournament, but there is a much bigger story to report coming out of it.
In Youngstown State’s 71–66 win over Detroit Mercy last week in the Horizon quarterfinals, Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis scored 23 points leaving him shy of Pete Maravich’s scoring record by 3 points.
So season is over and the record will not be broken correct? Think again.
The CBI Tournament has reached out to Detroit to play in the event which would assuredly give Davis the scoring record. Here are my thoughts on this.
№1 Detroit is 13–19 on the year I really don’t think this squad has earned the right to play in the postseason, granted they would have to pay $27,000 to play in the tournament.
I think the biggest issue I have with this is Detroit Mercy is trying to taint a record. Davis did this in five years including a Covid year. Maravich did it in three without a three-point shot and a shot clock. To me this is almost like the Major League home run record that got tainted because of steroid use.
It is obvious to me that Antoine’s father and Detroit head coach Mike Davis is playing daddy ball with him. I really respected him when he was at Indiana and thought he got a raw deal, but I feel he is intentionally trying to get his son a record.
The 13–19 record shows me this a me before team deal. I feel like the motives in this case are totally wrong and is abusing power as head coach.
It will be interesting to see if David makes the NBA and is playing with players better than him. In the meantime, I really hope Detroit says no to the CBI and does not taint a record.
The record belongs to Maravich and it will never fairly be touched.
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SUN BELT
If you like complete chaos in conference tournaments than the Sun Belt was right up your wheelhouse this week.
№8 seed South Alabama upset top seeded Southern Miss in the quarterfinals While Texas State also advanced to the semifinals as an 11 seed defeating Old Dominion and Marshall
Three of the four semifinalists were traditional Sun Belt schools after the new additions dominated the regular season, with four of them in the top six of the Sun Belt standings.
South Alabama advanced to the finals in a 75–66 win over James Madison while Louisiana squeezed by Louisiana 64–58 to set up the title game.
Cinderella ran out in the championship as the №2 seed Louisiana won 71–66.
If you remember our preview last week I went with Louisiana despite them being the two seed. I admit I was a little nervous about it but I really thought they had the best team in the Sun Belt. I definitely believed they were going to win this tournament.
Credit South Alabama and Texas State for really making this tournament interesting. Unfortunately our local Sun Belt school Appalachian State fell to South Alabama in the quarters. This league has gotten extremely good real quick.
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COLONIAL (CAA)
The Colonial was a fun league to follow this year but the headliner was the №2 seed in the CAA Tournament that coming into Tuesday night’s showdown with №4 seed UNC Wilmington had a 30–3 record and you would think would be a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament no matter what happened in this game?
Think again.
According to all the bracketologists, Charleston need to beat UNCW to earn a spot into the title game.
Yes, Charleston defeated Virginia Tech and South Carolina, but those wins don’t carry a lot of weight this year. I personally feel they were good enough to be in the tournament but the metrics don’t like.
Charleston took care of business on the court and defeated UNCW 63–58 and secured that spot in the big dance. It certainly wasn’t easy. Charleston had to withstand a couple of runs by UNCW but Charleston stepped up in the end with a 19–3 second half spurt that gave Charleston the lead for good and the Cougars went on to win the title.
Playing in a game where you are trying to make your historic season valid can be difficult for a team to handle, but the Cougars never gave up and believed that they could do it.
I would watch the bracket carefully on Selection Sunday. This is a team I would greatly consider putting down to win a first round game.
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WCCs]
I saved this one for last mainly because I really do not consider the WCC a mid-major league. These schools in my opinion are on the level of the Atlantic 10 or Mountain West.
The main reason for that is Gonzaga. I know a lot of the T-shirt schools (Duke, UNC…etc) do not consider Gonzaga a legit program, They have made seven straight sweet 16s and have the highest win percentage in the NCAA Tournament over the last 10 years. This program is not a fluke.
In recent years, there has been another team emerge in the WCC to rival Gonzaga and that is St. Mary’s who defeated Gonzaga earlier in the year and actually held the top seed in the WCC Tournament this year.
On Tuesday night, the top two seeds went at it and this time, it was alll Bulldogs.
Gonzaga easily won 77–51 in a game they led by over 30 points. Before people throw up garbage conference, this was the top seed in the WCC Tournament.. This was a great win.
I think both of these teams could make noise in the NCAA Tournament, but now I believe that Gonzaga is back in the picture of contending for a Final Four berth and even a national championship.
We will recap the rest of champ week Monday and then my preview of the NCAA Tournament comes on next Tuesday.
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Matt Hill Covers college Basketball (Slam Dunks) and tennis (Love 40) for medium.com
