Bows, Hogs and Coaches Working their Craft

March 19, 2026

BOWS & HOGS

One of the most talked about players coming into the tournament is Darius Acuff. Arkansas’ star freshman had an impressive showing in the SEC Tournament, and John Calipari’s team is a trendy pick to make a run to Indianapolis. First up for the Razorbacks are the Big West Champions, the University of Hawaii. 

The Rainbow Warriors have great size and the ability to shoot the ball or score at the rim with their height. Head Coach Eran Ganot’s team is a very experienced and mature group that has dealt with the adversity of losing two key players. 

It’s a credit to Coach Ganot and his staff that they have found a way to ban together and get the most out of their group. Because of their lack of depth, they are not playing that up-and-down style. Instead, they have gone to a more half court approach, but their aggressiveness on the defensive end allows them to get out in transition for easy buckets. 

In conference play, they were really good on the offensive glass, averaging over 11 offensive rebounds per game. Again, their height and aggression have been advantageous for them. That won’t be the case against Coach Cal’s team.  Arkansas can match Hawaii’s size and length, and they are also super athletic, which I believe will cause issues for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Arkansas’ guard play will allow them to pressure UH and make it difficult to run their half-court offense. Arkansas has mobile, athletic big men that will be challenging for UH and the way it wants to play. 

Hawaii has one of the top ranked defenses in college basketball. I will be anxious to see how that plays out against a very talented Arkansas team, which has a level of athleticism that is completely different from what UH has seen in the Big West.

WORKING THEIR CRAFT

I am looking forward to watching some of the mid to low-major coaches work their craft. Coaches who don’t get seen as often as high-major coaches, but they are just as good in their preparation and ability to adjust their systems game by game. 

I’m anxious to see how some of these coaches get their group ready for this “moment.” As we all know, the moment is sensational but can also be overwhelming.

On Tuesday night, we saw that the moment was not too big for Kenny Blakeney and Howard. The Bison knocked off a very good UMBC team to advance to play Michigan on Thursday. Jim Ferry’s UMBC team battled back multiple times, but Howard always had an answer. Their offensive efficiency was impressive, and their defense was tough and physical, which created problems for UMBC, a very good offensive team. 

In an era of one-season and transfer, Coach Blakeney has created a culture of toughness that starts with Bryce Howard, a four-year guy. The MEAC Player of the Year is the heart and soul of that team. 

On Wednesday night, Byron Smith and Prairie View made some halftime adjustments and played extremely well in the second half to knock off Lehigh. Brett Reed is also an excellent coach, but the Prairie View’s defense did a great job of taking Lehigh out of its offensive flow. 

During the broadcast, it was mentioned that PVAMU finished eighth in the SWAC, but they had to play a lot of games without Tai'Reon Joseph, a 20-point per game scorer. What a tandem Joseph and Dontae Horne would have been in the SWAC.  

Byron Smith has been doing a great job for many years, but he hasn’t gotten the attention he deserves because there aren’t many nationally televised SWAC games. 

Coaches like Byron Smith and Kenny Blakeney are underappreciated, as they do not have the same level of resources as some of the other schools at their level, let alone what the big boys have. But they still find a way to scratch and claw, get the most out of their team, and produce when it matters most—in the conference tournament. 

On Thursday, Idaho will play its first NCAA Tournament game in 36 years. Head Coach Alex Pribble has done a phenomenal job. He took over a program that won a total of 27 games in the previous four years. He won 11 games in year one, 14 in year two, and 21 games this season. It’s just the program’s third 20-win season in the last 33 years.

Antoine Pettway and Kennesaw State will also be in action on Thursday. What a job Coach Pettway has done. As coaches, we all deal with adversity -- but not the kind of adversity he dealt with this season. He lost his best player, and one of the top players in mid-major college basketball, Simeon Cottle, who was caught up in the gambling scandal. 

Something like that can be devastating to a team, and it didn’t end there. The team also dealt with a rash of injuries but somehow found a way to continue battling. I hope his story gets talked about during their game against Gonzaga.

On Friday, Speedy Claxton and Hofstra will be in action against Alabama. In less than a week in December, Coach Claxton’s team knocked Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Those wins were part of an eight-game winning streak, which was followed by a five-game losing streak. On January 30, they were 13-9 overall and 4-5 in the CAA. They would lose just one more game in league play. 

Hofstra played its best basketball of the season from February through the conference tournament, winning 11 of 12 games.  I am looking forward to watching the backcourt of Cruz Davis and freshman Preston Edmead play against Alabama. Davis and Edmead can really play.

INDIANAPOLIS BOUND

Arizona, Duke, Michigan, and Purdue are my picks to get to the Final Four. I like all four teams for the same reasons -- they have skill, tremendous size, athleticism, high IQ, and experience. They also get everyone’s best effort every night. 

It’s not easy being “the hunted,” but these four teams have found ways to handle it successfully. I’m sure they learned from it and will be better for it -- which is scary, because they already had a lot going for them. 

My West Coast bias is with Arizona, but I could easily see Michigan or Purdue winning the championship as well.