Marching to Madness

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in South Carolina head coach Frank Martin. Topics of discussion include: how special it is to see Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier get opportunities on NBA teams, the momentum that the Final Four run has brought to the program, how Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar are expanding their game this offseason, what the NCAA Tou...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot. Topics of discussion include: why Duquesne was an opportunity that Dambrot couldn't pass up, his staff's approach to rebuilding the program, returning players that'll play significant roles this season, how several newcomers could factor into the rotation, working with LeBron Jame...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in VCU head coach Mike Rhoades. Topics of discussion include: how much it meant to Rhoades to have the opportunity to return to VCU, what he'll take away from the Rice experience, how he and Shaka Smart are similar in terms of style of play, the potential monster season ahead for Justin Tillman, how the talented group...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in South Florida head coach Brian Gregory. Topics of discussion include: what attracted Gregory most to the USF job, the main lessons he's learned from working for Tom Izzo throughout the years, how he'll try to change the culture of the program, what excites him most about the team's returning players, how the new as...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Samford head coach Scott Padgett. Topics of discussion include: how Padgett built the foundation of the program when he took over in 2015, what he learned playing for Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith at Kentucky, how his Utah Jazz experienced helped add additional elements to his coaching philosophy, the development of...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by UNC Wilmington head coach C.B. McGrath. Topics of discussion include: why the UNCW opportunity was one that McGrath couldn't pass up, the importance of building trust in the early stages of taking over a new program, what makes Devontae Cacok such a special player, how the roles of JaQuel Richmond and Jordan Tal...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Northern Kentucky head coach John Brannen. Topics of discussion include: Anthony Grant's influence on Brannen's coaching philosophy, how special it was for this program to reach the NCAA Tournament in its first season of eligibility, what sparked the turnaround after a third straight loss in mid-January, Northern K...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. Topics of discussion include: what made this Zags team so special, the development of Zach Collins, Gonzaga's approach to summer workouts, restructuring the roster heading into next season, the success of recruiting internationally, how the WCC has evolved, and so much more....

In this inaugural episode of Marching to Madness Fast Break, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross share a short interview from a recent NBA draft workout with former Oregon standout Tyler Dorsey. They discuss his stellar 20-plus point streak to end last season, how his shooting skills will help him at the next level, and much more. The Marching to Madness Fast Break episodes will be short episodes foc...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome back Illinois State head coach Dan Muller. Topics of discussion include: Muller's opportunity to serve as a court coach for the USA U19 World Cup Team, reflections on a memorable '16-17 season for the Redbirds, the progression of Phil Fayne, other players that could break through this upcoming season, the creation of...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome back Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. Topics of discussion include: how the team's offseason workouts have been going thus far, Austin Wiley and Chuma Okeke being invited to try out for the U19 World Cup team, the potential leap forward for Wiley this upcoming season, why Danjel Purifoy and Mustapha Heron are set for br...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome back Missouri assistant coach Chris Hollender. Topics of discussion include: how things have been going in offseason workouts, the importance of building trust as a new coaching staff, how the returning nucleus will be a big piece of the puzzle this season, what makes Michael Porter Jr. such a special talent, the rest...

In this special episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in North Florida head coach Matt Driscoll. Topics of discussion include: how Scott Drew and Larry Schyatt have helped shape Driscoll's coaching philosophy, what Thad Matta told him when he first started coaching at North Florida, the impact of Dallas Moore and Chris Davenport on the program, what others could...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in UT Arlington head coach Scott Cross. Topics of discussion include: how coaches like Buzz Williams and Kyle Keller have helped shape Cross's coaching philosophy, the "Take the Stairs" mentality that Cross has implemented at UTA, the key to this program's major success the past few seasons, how Kevin Hervey and Erick...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. Topics of discussion include: how Huggins got into coaching and the guys who have influenced him the most along the way, what it was like watching Frank Martin lead South Carolina to the Final Four, the battle with cancer that Huggins' mother faced, his involvement in Remember...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome back ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg. Topics of discussion include: the roster shakeups at North Carolina and Louisville, why the SEC could be the deepest league in the country next season, the Iron Bowl of basketball with both Alabama and Auburn on the upswing, Arizona's national title potential, how Wichita State will i...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by Portland head coach Terry Porter. Topics of discussion include: what Porter took away from year one with the Pilots, how important it was to develop a highly-experienced staff, the growth of the Portland basketball community, Portland's talented incoming recruiting class, the strength of the WCC, and so much mor...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome back MTSU head coach Kermit Davis. Topics of discussion include: how rewarding it's been for Davis to see JaCorey Williams and Reggie Upshaw go through the draft process, similarities and differences between the two memorable NCAA Tournament appearances, the improvement of Giddy Potts, how the new crop of talent will...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Florida Gulf Coast head coach Joe Dooley. Topics of discussion include: how Dooley has continued building the program's momentum, what he took away from working under Bill Self at Kansas, the "Dunk City" moniker, the development of current players on the roster, and so much more. It's another jam-packed episode of...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by new UC Santa Barbara head coach Joe Pasternack. Topics of discussion include: what attracted Pasternack to the UCSB job, similarities between this job and his first head coaching job at New Orleans, the team's returning nucleus heading into next season, how Rice transfer Marcus Jackson could help the program rig...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Blue Ribbon Yearbook editor Chris Dortch. Topics of discussion include: how the Blue Ribbon Yearbook got started under current Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace, Dortch's vision for the book once he became involved, the SEC's postseason success this past year, the impressive level of coaching in the S...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by Cleveland State head coach Dennis Felton. Topics of discussion include: what attracted Felton to the Cleveland State job, how he's built his stellar roster of assistant coaches, what excites him the team's returning players, the importance of recruiting the Cleveland area, coaches that he's learned from most thr...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in new Austin Peay head coach Matt Figger. Topics of discussion include: Figger's memorable Final Four run with South Carolina this past season, what he'll take away from working under coaches like Frank Martin and Bob Huggins, key areas that he'll try to develop in year one with the Governors, his ideal style of play...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross are joined by Wright State head coach Scott Nagy. Topics of discussion include: Nagy's takeaways from his first year with the Raiders, the transfer situation in college basketball, how Grant Benzinger and Mark Hughes will factor into the foundation of the team this upcoming season, the overall state of the Horizon League, and...

In this episode of Marching to Madness, hosts Blake Lovell and Ken Cross welcome in Rock M Nation writer Sam Snelling to talk all things Missouri basketball. Topics of discussion include: how quickly things changed for the Tigers once Cuonzo Martin was hired, the response thus far from Mizzou fans, how the Top 10 recruiting class will factor into this year's rotation, the trio of returning players...