By Bert Leeson
LONGWOOD GAME NOTES
https://longwoodlancers.com/documents/2024/3/21/32224MBBNotes_LWUvsUH.pdf
HOUSTON GAME NOTES
https://uhcougars.com/documents/2024/3/20/mbkb_2324Notes_Longwood_03222024.pdf
*Longwood will match up against the University of Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 22.
*The Lancers hit their stride late in the year, winning four-out-of-six conference games—against three of the top four teams in the Big South—to enter the conference tournament as a No. 5 seed. Over three days, they beat three of the top four seeds in the conference, including a 26-point win over UNC-Asheville in the Big South Championship to punch their ticket to March Madness.
*When the Lancers cut down the nets at the Big South Championship game, they became one of only 20 mid-major teams in the last five years to make at least two NCAA Tournaments.
*The year was a special one for a quartet of seniors who led the team: guards Walyn Napper and DA Houston, and forwards Michael Christmas and Jesper Granlund. It was belief in this group of players that led the team in pivotal moments as the season wound down, including a buzzer-beating win against High Point to cap the regular season.
*Four straight victories later, they were Big South Champions and headed to March Madness full of momentum.
*Now they will face a University of Houston team that is 30-4 overall and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
*Tip-off for the No. 16 seed Lancers against No. 1 seed Houston is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. EDT. The game will air nationally on TNT and on national radio on Westwood One. Longwood’s radio call will be on WVHL FM 92.9 Kickin’ Country or on the Varsity Network App.
*In its sixth season under Aldrich, Longwood (21-13) has enjoyed back-to-back-to-back 20-win seasons, a program first. In addition to 67 wins over the last three seasons, Aldrich has guided this year’s team back to March Madness despite nine new scholarship players against only four returners. DA Houston and Jesper Granlund are the only two rotation players who remain from the team that won the Big South title two seasons ago.
*In Longwood’s final nine games, including the Big South Tournament, it went 6-1 against the top four teams in the Big South. Longwood beat High Point, the top seed, UNC Asheville, the second seed, and Winthrop, the fourth seed, twice each.
*Napper earned Second Team All-Big South honors after the regular season before shepherding Longwood to the Big South Championship. The senior was named the Big South Tournament MVP and set the conference record for assists in a championship game with 11. He surpassed 1,000 points earlier in the regular season finale against High Point on senior day – and won the game 74-72 on a driving lay-up with 0.6 seconds remaining.
* Three Longwood players averaged double figures in scoring with one more right on the cusp. In addition to Napper, Michael Christmas posts 11.5 points per game while Johnathan Massie chips in 11.4. Szymon Zapala adds 9.9 points per game.
*The Lancers are voracious on the boards as a team. Longwood is outrebounding opponents by more than nine rebounds per game, the fourth-highest margin in the nation. Christmas leads the team at 6.2 rebounds per game and is one of three players averaging at least five boards per contest (Zapala-5.7, Massie-5.3). They’ll face a huge test against a supremely physical and aggressive Houston squad.
#GoWood #HorsePower
COURTESY LONGWOOD ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
HOUSTON GAME NOTES
https://uhcougars.com/documents/2024/3/20/mbkb_2324Notes_Longwood_03222024.pdf
Posting a 30-4 overall record and capturing the Big 12 regular-season championship by two games in their first year in the league, the second-ranked Cougars will compete as the No. 1 seed in the South Region. This marked the second straight season under Head Coach Kelvin Sampson in which the Cougars earned a No. 1 seed, a first in program history.
Under Sampson’s leadership, the Cougars recorded their ninth straight 20-win season and their third straight 30-win season, both school records with the latter being the nation’s longest active streak.
Senior guard LJ Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.3 points per game and has posted a team-best 12 20-point games this season, including a season-high 26 points in a home win over –/rv Texas inside Fertitta Center on Feb. 17.
The Houston native and Morton Ranch High School product was named All-America Honorable Mention by the United States Basketball Writers Association and was an All-Big 12 honoree in his first season with the Cougars.
Senior forward J’Wan Roberts leads the Cougars and ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 6.8 rebounds per game. The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands native has snared 6+ rebounds in 24 games this season with seven double-digit rebounding performances, including a season-high 13 boards at #8/9 Kansas (Feb. 3) and at TCU (Jan. 13).
Roberts is one of only three players to rank among the Big 12’s Top-11 leaders in both offensive and defensive rebounding.
Senior point guard Jamal Shead leads Houston and ranks among the league leaders with 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game in 2023-24. The Manor, Texas, native is a Consensus Unanimous First-Team All-American and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to sweep those awards in the same season.
Shead also is one of four finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to the nation’s top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday’s game on TNT with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Jon Rothstein (reporter) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Friday’s game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling the action. The pregame show begins at 8:05 p.m., Friday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
ABOUT LONGWOOD
• Longwood brings a 21-13 overall record and 6-10 Big South mark into the NCAA Tournament South Region First Round.
• Longwood tied for fifth in the final regular-season standings and will play as a #16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Lancers are 2-0 in neutral-site games in 2023-24.
• Longwood has won its last four games, including an 85-59 win over UNC Asheville in the Big 12 Championship Title Game inside Qubein Arena in High Point, N.C., on March 10.
• Against UNC Asheville, graduate forward Michael Christmas led all players with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed four rebounds with a pair of assists. Junior center Szymon Zapala posted 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and tied with senior guard Walyn Napper for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Senior forward Jesper Granlund totaled 11 points with two assists while Napper finished with a double-double thanks to 11 assists. Junior guard Johnathan Massie added 11 points with three rebounds in the win.
• This season, Napper leads the Lancers with 14.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Christmas is second with 11.5 points per game but leads the team with 6.2 rebounds per contest. Massie stands third with 11.4 points per game.
• Head Coach Griff Aldrich is in his sixth season at Longwood and as a collegiate head coach.
• Aldrich has posted a 109-85 record with Longwood and during his career.
• Friday’s game will be the first time Aldrich has faced Houston during his career.
• Friday’s game will be the first time Aldrich has faced Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 1996 graduate of Hampden-Sydney
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• The Cougars are competing in the 25th NCAA Tournament in school history in 2024.
• This marks the first time in school history that Houston will compete in six consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
The 1981-84 teams and the 1965-68 squads were the only teams to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments.
• Houston is 38-29 all-time at the NCAA Tournament with Final Four appearances in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 2021.
• The Cougars advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game in 1983 before bowing out to NC State (in one of the most memorable games in NCAA Tournament history) and in 1984 against Georgetown, respectively.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY by SEEDING
as. No. 1 – This marks the second straight season and the third time in school history in which Houston will compete as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• The 2022-23 squad play as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest West with wins over Northern Kentucky and Auburn before falling in the NCAA Sweet 16.
• The 1982-83 Houston team competed as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, posting a 4-1 record on the way to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game against NC State.
SERIES HISTORY vs. LONGWOOD
Friday’s game will be the first time Houston has faced Longwood in Men’s Basketball.
UP NEXT
• With a win against (16) Longwood on Friday, the Cougars will advance to the Round of 32 to face the winner of (8) Nebraska-(9) Texas A&M on Sunday
• Game time and broadcasting network for a Round of 32 contest would be announced later this week.
• All Houston Men’s Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men’s Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH’s NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men’s Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.
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