There is always great speculation surrounding which teams will be competing for the crown of college basketball. The DMV hasn’t necessarily been known for its basketball prowess (with some exceptions, including the 2019 Virginia team); however, there are a few teams this year that have made it into the infamous NCAA March Madness tournament.
James Madison
James Madison won the Sun Belt this year with a record of 31-3. They dominated the Sun Belt tournament, winning games by an average margin of 14 points. Leading the charge are two amazing guards, Terrence Edwards and Noah Freidel. James Madison started off playing Wisconsin who made a nice run in the Big Ten Tournament. James Madison boasts the highest scoring average in the Sun Belt, averaging 84.4 points per game.
Howard
Howard basketball competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and is led by head coach Kenny Blakeney. Despite suffering a 71-68 loss to Wagner University in the tournament’s ‘First Four’ opening round, it was still a tremendous milestone for the program. This was only the fourth time in school history that Howard had even qualified for the tournament. Despite the early exit, the team can still take pride in making the NCAA Tournament, as it is an accomplishment in itself for a smaller school like Howard. The Bison finished the season with an even 18 wins and 18 losses.
Virginia
The underwhelming Virginia Cavaliers suffered a first-round exit to the Colorado State Rams. Virginia came in with a decent 23-11 record, butting heads against the Colorado State team with a 252-10 record. However, they lost by a shocking score of 67-42, making it a 25-point loss, and they only scored 14 points in the entire first half. “Yet another Virginia Cavaliers basketball season ends in disappointment,” says Streaking the lawn- a Virginia Cavaliers community. The Cavaliers won a national championship only five years ago but have since fallen off the road of glory.
National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies secured a solid win over the Richmond Spiders in the NIT, thus making the Hokies 20-14. The Hokies and Spiders were seemingly evenly matched going into the game with the Spiders having a record of 23-10 and the Hokies coming in at 19-14.
VCU
“The VCU Rams opened the NIT with a strong win against Villanova, securing a score of 70-61. The now 23-14 Rams were one game away from making the NCAA tournament but lost in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Despite falling short, it has been a successful year for first-year coach Ryan Odom after Mike Rhoades left to coach at Penn State. The team aims to make a lasting impression and continue their progress through the NIT.
