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PROVIDENCE — The Omaha men's basketball team (22-8) will be going up against history when it takes on St. John's (30-4) on Thursday.
The 2-seed vs. 15-seed matchup in the West Region heavily favors Rick Pitino’s group. In the history of the NCAA Tournament, 15 seeds have beaten their second-ranked opponents only 11 times.
But that didn’t stop Pitino from throwing praise upon the Mavericks.
“Just focus on what you can control and that's Omaha,” Pitino said during Wednesday’s news conference. “Our respect for Omaha is off the charts. They can really play.
“I'm just concerned about Omaha because ... [JJ White] would be a top-four point guard in the Big East. They have the [Summit League] Player of the Year in the power forward spot.”
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Omaha won its first Summit League tournament title with an 85-75 victory over St. Thomas, earning an automatic bid to March Madness for the Mavericks.
“We have our work cut out for us,” Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield said. “They're a very physical team and athletic. They defend you and they probably are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.”
Game time is set for 9:45 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
Pitino got his first true head coaching job with Boston University from 1978–1983. The 72-year-old has seen both sides of the college basketball coin as a powerhouse and the underdog.
“I was in Omaha's shoes right now, but they're really good,” Pitino said. “There's very little difference; back then there was a lot of difference between the upper level and those teams. Today there's not a whole lot of difference.”
White has averaged 13.7 points per game in his third season with Omaha. Marquel Sutton, the league’s player of the year, scored 19.1 points per game.
“When you watch film, [White] could be one of the premier point guards in the Big East,” Pitino said. “[Sutton] is a hell of a basketball player. … They can flat out play.
“In order to get where we would like to go, we have to improve. There's a lot of great teams out there and in order for us to beat Omaha and keep on moving on, we're going to have to improve.”
An Omaha win would be among the tournament’s biggest upsets. St. John’s is an 18-point favorite, per Kenpom.com. Crutchfield spoke about limiting turnovers and St. John’s extra possessions.
“I think one is take care of the basketball,” Crutchfield said of the keys to the game. “Two is going to be able to handle their physicality, and I think the third thing is definitely we have to be able to rebound the basketball. They're a great offensive rebounding team, so those three things, are the major keys.
“We have to make shots. That's been our team identity all year — to spread the floor and make shots. That's part of it, to make shots and not turn it over and then keep them from getting second-chance points.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Coaches Rick Pitino and Chris Crutchfield speak before their NCAA game
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The 2-seed vs. 15-seed matchup in the West Region heavily favors Rick Pitino’s group. In the history of the NCAA Tournament, 15 seeds have beaten their second-ranked opponents only 11 times.
But that didn’t stop Pitino from throwing praise upon the Mavericks.
“Just focus on what you can control and that's Omaha,” Pitino said during Wednesday’s news conference. “Our respect for Omaha is off the charts. They can really play.
“I'm just concerned about Omaha because ... [JJ White] would be a top-four point guard in the Big East. They have the [Summit League] Player of the Year in the power forward spot.”
More: Play the FREE ProJo March Madness survivor pool, win a fabulous prize!
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Omaha won its first Summit League tournament title with an 85-75 victory over St. Thomas, earning an automatic bid to March Madness for the Mavericks.
“We have our work cut out for us,” Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield said. “They're a very physical team and athletic. They defend you and they probably are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.”
Game time is set for 9:45 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
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What Rick Pitino said about Omaha
Pitino got his first true head coaching job with Boston University from 1978–1983. The 72-year-old has seen both sides of the college basketball coin as a powerhouse and the underdog.
“I was in Omaha's shoes right now, but they're really good,” Pitino said. “There's very little difference; back then there was a lot of difference between the upper level and those teams. Today there's not a whole lot of difference.”
White has averaged 13.7 points per game in his third season with Omaha. Marquel Sutton, the league’s player of the year, scored 19.1 points per game.
“When you watch film, [White] could be one of the premier point guards in the Big East,” Pitino said. “[Sutton] is a hell of a basketball player. … They can flat out play.
“In order to get where we would like to go, we have to improve. There's a lot of great teams out there and in order for us to beat Omaha and keep on moving on, we're going to have to improve.”
You must be registered for see images
What Chris Crutchfield said about St. John’s
An Omaha win would be among the tournament’s biggest upsets. St. John’s is an 18-point favorite, per Kenpom.com. Crutchfield spoke about limiting turnovers and St. John’s extra possessions.
“I think one is take care of the basketball,” Crutchfield said of the keys to the game. “Two is going to be able to handle their physicality, and I think the third thing is definitely we have to be able to rebound the basketball. They're a great offensive rebounding team, so those three things, are the major keys.
“We have to make shots. That's been our team identity all year — to spread the floor and make shots. That's part of it, to make shots and not turn it over and then keep them from getting second-chance points.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Coaches Rick Pitino and Chris Crutchfield speak before their NCAA game
Continue reading...
