Top 18 moments from 2018 NCAA tournament

By Apr 3, 2018, 9:00 AM EDT
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Big Dance withdrawal already? Fret not, as you can relive all the madness here, with the top 18 moments of the 2018 NCAA tournament.

18. Zhaire Smith does a Zhaire Smith thing

The Texas Tech freshman very well could be the best dunker in the country. Stephen F. Austin would be available as character witnesses about his credentials. Not too many guys in the country are going to be dropping 360-degree alley oops in a tourney game.

17. McQuaid’s crazy bank

Michigan State made just 8 of 37 3-pointers against Syracuse as it saw its season end. One of those makes was really cool though. Matt McQuaid’s blocked-then-banked triple at the first-half buzzer was the rare highlight for the Spartans against the Orange.

16. Two posters for the price of one

Wright State may have only gotten a few hours in the NCAA tournament, but Tennessee gave them a pair of posters to take home with them courtesy of Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield unleashing two viscous dunks in their opening-round matchup.

 

15. Rob Gray slays

The Houston star brought Houston back from the brink against San Diego State and became an insta-star of the tournament when he scored 39 points against the Aztecs. His entire performance will be etched in Cougar lore, but it’ll be his game-winner that gets remembered by the country.

14. Loyola’s run begins

It ended in the Final Four, but it began with a last-second 3-pointer to knock off sixth-seeded Miami in the first round. If not for that, Sister Jean would have never entered our lives, and we all would have been lesser for it.

13. Arizona’s bizarre season comes to a close

It was an exceedingly weird season for Arizona. Injury, allegations, PEDs, losing streaks and Deandre Ayton being awesome, plus plenty more, made for a you-can’t-turn-away year, but it also made for a lot of dysfunction. The fact that the Wildcats didn’t look too sad to see it all end as Buffalo absolutely whupped them wasn’t exactly surprising, but it was striking.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

12. Dan Mullen takes his shot at Wichita State

Sure, most of the the best shots and most explosive fireworks came on the floor during the tournament, but Illinois State coach Dan Mullen landed his own bit of pyrotechnics with a simple tweet chiding Missouri Valley Conference defectors Wichita State after the Shockers’ first-round upset loss.

11. Miles Bridges throws down

Sure, Michigan State’s tournament ended with a dud – well, actually it was just a bunch of bricks – but at least the Big Dance was treated to a Miles Bridges special when the Spartan sophomore unloaded a nasty tip dunk against Bucknell.

10. Cincy Stunner

When you’ve got a 22-point second-half lead, generally you win. When you’ve got that kind of advantage in the NCAA tournament, you hold on to it for dear life.

Unless you’re Cincinnati.

The Bearcats suffered an unconscionable combustion down the stretch against Nevada to cough up their huge lead and an amazing potential path to the Final Four when the Wolf Pack stormed back to end Cincy’s season in the tournament’s first weekend.

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

9. “Overdose of swag”

Michigan found its way to the national title game, but needed Jordan Poole to bail them out of the second round with his buzzer-beater against Houston.

The shot prompted John Beilein to say Poole has an “overdose of swag,” which is honestly just about the most amazing compliment anyone has ever paid anyone ever.

8. Custer-beater

First it was Donte Ingram, then it was Clayton Custer. Loyola got a game-winner from the junior guard in the final seconds to earn its spot in the Sweet 16 and keep its magical Cinderella run alive for what would prove to be a Final Four season.

7. Leonard Hamilton is awkward

Maybe it’s just the age and culture we live in, but I feel pretty confident that the most memorable thing about Florida State’s Elite 8 tournament won’t be the fact that the Seminoles knocked off Xavier and Gonzaga to get there but rather the weird way in which Leonard Hamilton answered a pretty straight-forward and legit question about his team’s decision not to foul and extend the game in the waning seconds of its loss to Michigan.

6. Loyola’s second weekend

Clutch shots, unselfish play, Cinderella status and general likability made Loyola the darling of this year’s NCAA tournament. Whether it was a late 3 that lifted them past Nevada or the no-question-about-it handling of Kansas State to get to the Final Four, Loyola was just a ton of fun and looked the part of a national semifinalist.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

5. Grant Hill becomes a meme

Luckily for Bill Raftery, breaking your glasses is a temporary problem. Unfortunately for Grant Hill, becoming a hilarious meme is forever.

4. Sister Jean mania

This tournament will be remembered for plenty of things. Just keep reading this list and you’ll find plenty of memorable moments. If, though, in 25 years we look back and think of a single person from this year’s tournament, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it was Sister Jean.

The 98-year-old nun and team champlain stole the show who her hoops knowledge, charm and wit.

3. Grayson Allen’s game-winner spins out

Grayson Allen nearly had his Laettner moment. The Duke senior’s shot that would have secured the Blue Devils’ spot in the Final Four with an iconic moment in a classic game simply just didn’t drop.

It was an amazingly apt end to a career that was incredible for plenty of reasons.

2. UMBC realizes the impossible

Everyone knew it had never been done. After 135 tries, the question became could it be done?

UMBC said yes.

The Retrievers became the first-ever 16 seed to upend a No. 1, with their shellacking of overall top seed Virginia in the first round. They won fans over with their play and fun Twitter account. What they really did, though, was make history.

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

1. Nova cuts down the net

Donte DiVincenzo was unstoppable offensively and a stopper defensively while Villanova won its second title in three years. It was a dominant run through the tournament for the Wildcats, who established themselves as an elite squad when the narrative for much of this season was that no such thing existed.

When the curtain came down on 2017-18, Villanova was the star of ‘One Shining Moment.’

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Report: Notre Dame closing deal with Penn State’s Micah Shrewsberry

Associated PressMar 23, 2023, 12:15 AM EDT
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
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Notre Dame is finalizing a deal to make Penn State’s Micah Shrewsberry its new men’s basketball coach, two people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because contract details were still being completed and needed school approval.

Shrewsberry, in his second season at Penn State (23-14), led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and a tournament victory for the first time since 2001.

The Nittany Lions beat Texas A&M and were eliminated by Texas in the second round.

Notre Dame has been searching for a replacement for Mike Brey, who spent the last 23 season as coach of the Fighting Irish. He announced in January that this would be his last season with Notre Dame

The Irish finished 11-21.

Shrewsberry grew up in Indianapolis and went to school at Division III Hanover College in Indiana.

He was the head coach at Indiana University South Bend, an NAIA school located in the same city as Notre Dame, from 2005-07.

He later worked as an assistant coach at Butler and Purdue, with a stint as an assistant with the Boston Celtics in between.

ESPN first reported Notre Dame was close to a deal with Shrewsberry.

Armando Bacot says he’s returning for fifth season at North Carolina

Associated PressMar 23, 2023, 12:12 AM EDT
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina forward Armando Bacot is returning to play a fifth season for the Tar Heels.

Bacot announced his decision Wednesday, giving North Carolina fans a bit of good news after the Tar Heels failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-11 Bacot is North Carolina’s career leader in rebounds, double-doubles and double-figure rebounding games.

Bacot led North Carolina to a runner-up finish in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and his decision to return was a major reason the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25.

The Tar Heels didn’t come close to meeting those expectations. They went 20-13 and opted against playing in the NIT. Bacot earned Associated Press All-America third-team honors and averaged 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds.

He averaged 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds in 2021-22. He capped that season by becoming the first player ever to have six double-doubles in one NCAA Tournament.

Bacot participated in North Carolina’s Senior Night festivities this year. He has a fifth year of eligibility because of the waiver the NCAA granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ed Cooley takes over at Georgetown with lofty aspirations

Associated PressMar 22, 2023, 6:03 PM EDT
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
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WASHINGTON – Ed Cooley’s task at Georgetown is to bring a once-storied program back to prominence in a competitive conference that has three teams still part of March Madness in the Sweet 16.

Cooley’s lofty aspirations go beyond lifting the Hoyas up from the bottom of the Big East Conference. After leaving Providence, which he took to the NCAA Tournament seven times in 12 years, he already is talking about trying to coach Georgetown to its first championship since 1984.

At his introductory news conference Wednesday that felt like a pep rally, Cooley said he wanted current and former players to envision cutting down nets and watching “One Shining Moment” with the nets hanging around their necks. He promised wins – many of them – and plotted a path forward that he knows will involve some tough times.

“It’s a process, and the process now, because you have a changing landscape in athletics, you’ll have an opportunity to probably move it quicker than you would have 10, 20 years ago,” Cooley said. “We’re going to lose some games. It’s OK. Losing’s part of growth. But over the course of time, it will pay off.”

Georgetown has lost a lot the past couple of years under Patrick Ewing, who was fired earlier this month after six seasons. The team went 7-25 this season after going 6-25 last season and lost 37 of 39 games in Big East play.

While Cooley at Providence was responsible for four of those defeats, the 53-year-old distanced himself from Georgetown’s recent run of losing.

“I don’t have anything to do what happened yesterday,” he said. “My job is to move us forward from today.”

Cooley’s mere presence is an acknowledgement that Georgetown needed a major change to become relevant again. After late Hall of Fame coach John Thompson’s 27-year-old run led to longtime assistant Craig Esherick succeeding him and then son John Thompson III and Ewing getting the head job, Cooley is the school’s first outsider in the position in a half-century.

His only connection to the Hilltop – beyond coaching in the Big East – is his daughter, Olivia, attending Georgetown. Cooley, a Providence native, said her desire to live in the Washington area played into his decision to leave for a conference rival.

It was certainly no accident that athletic director Lee Reed and school president John J. DeGioia used phrases like “new era” and “new chapter” when discussing Cooley. DeGioia said he believes Cooley will “uplift and restore this team” to compete at the highest levels of the sport.

“He has a proven record of success,” Reed said. “We knew we needed a leader, someone who understood our identity and could reimagine Georgetown basketball to fit today’s unique basketball landscape.”

That landscape, including players being able to profit off the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) and more easily transfer schools, are the biggest changes Cooley has seen since landing his first head job at Fairfield in 2006. He expects to be aggressive, and given the high volume of Georgetown players coming and going via the transfer portal, could rebuild the roster in his image sooner rather than later.

“You have to find student-athletes that fit the way you want to play, your style of play, that fit you as a coach,” Cooley said. “We need to find players that can play for me that can attend Georgetown, not the other way around.”

Cooley acknowledged that some luck is needed but also stressed recruiting local talent to keep the best players in the region around. That’s just one building block to putting Georgetown back on the map, which Cooley wants the time and latitude to do.

“The word patience is always hard because everybody wants it and they want it right now,” he said. “Everybody wants it right now. Have a little bit of patience.”

Texas’ Arterio Morris plays amid misdemeanor domestic violence case

Associated PressMar 22, 2023, 12:56 PM EDT
Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
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AUSTIN, Texas — In a season when Texas fired coach Chris Beard after a felony domestic violence arrest, it has allowed a reserve guard to keep playing while he awaits trial on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Second-seed Texas has advanced under interim coach Rodney Terry to the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2008, and the Longhorns play No. 3 Xavier in Kansas City, Missouri.

Arterio Morris, a freshman who was one of the top recruits in the country last year, was initially scheduled to stand trial March 29, three days before Final Four weekend. Denton County prosecutors were granted a delay to an unspecified date.

Beard was fired Jan. 5, about three weeks after he was arrested on suspicion of a felony charge of choking his fiancée in a fight during which she also told police he bit, and hit her. She later recanted the choking allegation and the Travis County district attorney dismissed the case, saying prosecutors were following her wishes not to got to trial and that the charge could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Morris is charged with Class A misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury to a family member, which in Texas includes dating relationships. It stems from a June 2022 confrontation in the Dallas suburb of Frisco. The charge carries penalties ranging from probation and fines to up to a year in jail if convicted.

Morris’ attorney, Justin Moore, said the charges against Beard and the player are different.

“(Beard) was charged with a felony family assault,” Moore said. “That was far more serious as to what Arterio was alleged to have to committed. We maintain Arterio’s innocence.”

According to police, the ex-girlfriend said Morris grabbed her arm and pulled her off a bed, and later pulled the front of her sports bra, causing an injury to her neck and shoulder area. Police reported seeing a sizable bruise or scratch.

Texas officials declined comment. Beard said before the season that school officials he would not identify determined the freshman could play this season.

Moore defended Texas officials’ decision to not suspend Morris.

“I do believe Texas has taken this seriously. They’ve also allowed Arterio to enjoy his due process rights,” Moore said.

Morris has played in all 36 games this season, although his minutes and have been limited on a senior-dominated team. He averages nearly 12 minutes and 4.7 points per game. His biggest moment was a soaring alley-oop dunk against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.

Attempts to reach Morris’ ex-girlfriend through family members were not successful. According to online records, prosecutors sought the trial delay to “procure witness availability.” Prosecutor Jamie Beck did not immediately return messages.

Wichita State hires ORU’s Paul Mills to lead program

Associated PressMar 22, 2023, 12:52 PM EDT
Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports
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Wichita State hired Paul Mills away from Oral Roberts to turn around its languishing men’s basketball program, landing what has been one of the hottest names among mid-major coaches.

The 50-year-old Mills led the the Golden Eagles to two of the past three NCAA Tournaments, engineering upsets of Ohio State and Florida as a No. 15 seed in 2021 before going 30-5 this past season and losing to Duke as a No. 5 seed.

He replaces Isaac Brown, who was fired after three seasons as the Shockers slowly slipped toward mediocrity.

“My family and I are extremely excited about being a part of Wichita State,” said Mills, who will be introduced during a news conference Thursday at Charles Koch Arena. “The rich history, winning tradition and unbelievable community support will keep us working on behalf of the greatest fans in all of college basketball.”

Mills got his break in coaching when he joined Scott Drew’s first staff at Baylor in 2003, working alongside future Kansas State coach Jerome Tang in helping to turn around a program that had been mired in controversy. Mills stayed for 14 years, helping to reach seven NCAA Tournaments, before replacing Scott Sutton at Oral Roberts before the 2017 season.

“I absolutely love Paul Mills. He’s like a brother to me. So happy for him and his family, for Wendy and the girls,” said Tang, who has Kansas State playing Michigan State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night. “He’s going to be incredible because he is passionate about young people and about developing young men.

“There’s no throttle, like, hold-back governor on him in terms of love and what he pours into his guys.”

Mills went just 11-21 each of his first two seasons in Tulsa, but the seeds of a turnaround had been planted, and the Golden Eagles have not had a losing season since. The biggest step came two years ago, when Mills led Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 of an NCAA Tournament played entirely within an Indianapolis “bubble environment” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Golden Eagles slipped to 19-12 the following year before winning 30 games and the Summit League title this past season, when they were led by high-scoring guard Max Abmas, an honorable mention All-American selection.

“He’s the one that told me, he said, ‘Tang, 10s hangs with 10s and one hangs with ones,’” Tang said, “and he’s a 10 and he’s going to have some 10s around him.”

The hiring of Mills comes as the Shockers try to position themselves at the forefront of a new-look American Athletic Conference. Perennial powerhouse Houston is joining Central Florida and Cincinnati in leaving for the Big 12 after this season, and six new schools are due to arrive from Conference USA for the start of next season.

Wichita State, a power under Ralph Miller and Gene Smithson in the 1960s, returned to prominence when Mark Turgeon took over in 2000. But it was under Gregg Marshall, who resigned in November 2020 amid allegations of verbal and physical abuse of players, that it began to soar. The Shockers advanced to the Final Four in 2013, finished the regular season unbeaten the following year and at one point went to seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

Brown, who was Marshall’s top recruiter, led them back to the NCAA Tournament in his first year. But the Shockers were just 15-13 last year and 17-15 this past season, leading Saal to decide that a coaching change was necessary.

Turns out the answer Saal was looking for was just a few hours south at Oral Roberts.

“Paul Mills’ heart for people, passion for life and approach to the development of young people and programs is energizing,” Wichita State athletic director Kevin Saal said in a statement. “He aligns with Shocker Athletics’ core values, facilitates a first-class student-athlete experience and fuels broad-based competitive excellence.”