L15 NTT64

Season 64 National Title Tournament

Season 64 showed how much the current state of college basketball has so much parody. No teams ended the season undefeated as eventual champion, Durham, knocked off the only remaining unbeaten team, Phoenix in the NTT title game. The tournament itself had two teams that some might consider Cinderella's, in #15 Bangor and #10, Ann Arbor, but experts knew both squads were strong and it wasn't surprising to see them both make a deep run.

Three #1 seeds advanced to the Elite Eight as well as two #2's.

Prior to the tournament, the top ranked team was Jersey City, followed by Phoenix, Alexandria and Corpus Christi.

Brackets

Northwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Jersey City	97
	16	Paducah	89
						8	Dayton	55
						1	Jersey City	54
	8	Dayton	86
	9	Abilene	83
											8	Dayton	80
										4	Birmingham	69
	12	Mobile	97
	5	San Jose	81
						4	Birmingham	68
						12	Mobile	55
	4	Birmingham	71
	13	St. Martinville	41
																8	Dayton	74
															2	Casper	71
	3	Tucson	87
	14	Erie	68
						3	Tucson	86
						6	Fresno	84
	6	Fresno	71
	11	Cambridge	70
											2	Casper	87
										3	Tucson	76
	7	Harrisburg	85
	10	Glendale	58
						2	Casper	86
						7	Harrisburg	77
	2	Casper	82
	15	Louisville	76

Southwest Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Phoenix	89
	16	Carlsbad	82
						1	Phoenix	77
						9	Honolulu	64
	9	Honolulu	69
	8	Amarillo	55
											1	Phoenix	83
										4	Denver	58
	5	Huntington Beach	99
	12	Santa Ana	68
						4	Denver	101
						5	Huntington Beach	97
	4	Denver	90
	13	Hot Springs	84
																1	Phoenix	79
															15	Bangor	67
	3	Del Mar	90
	14	Ithaca	76
						11	Fargo	86
						3	Del Mar	71
	11	Fargo	84
	6	Orlando	75
											15	Bangor	92
										11	Fargo	87
	7	Cincinnati	68
	10	Montgomery	50
						15	Bangor	72
						7	Cincinnati	66
	15	Bangor	82
	2	Pensacola	79

Northeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Alexandria	77
	16	Syracuse	74
						1	Alexandria	87
						8	Lake Tahoe	85
	8	Lake Tahoe	102
	9	Boca Raton	91
											1	Alexandria	74
										4	Pierre	64
	12	Scranton	79
	5	Reading	69
						4	Pierre	67
						12	Scranton	61
	4	Pierre	61
	13	Allentown	57
																2	Durham	86
															1	Alexandria	84
	14	Peoria	67
	3	Nashville	64
						6	Green Bay	75
						14	Peoria	60
	6	Green Bay	85
	11	Fort Worth	73
											2	Durham	101
										6	Green Bay	90
	10	Montpelier	79
	7	Chicago	61
						2	Durham	76
						10	Montpelier	72
	2	Durham	97
	15	Knoxville	94

Southeast Region

	First round					Second round					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Corpus Christi	99
	16	Austin	70
						1	Corpus Christi	82
						9	Midland	70
	9	Midland	77
	8	Beaumont	74
											1	Corpus Christi	75
										12	Norfolk	65
	12	Norfolk	72
	5	Detroit	71
						12	Norfolk	81
						13	Terre-Haute	69
	13	Terre-Haute	88
	4	St. Paul	83
																1	Corpus Christi	91
															10	Ann Arbor	81
	3	Jacksonville	80
	14	Blacksburg	79
						3	Jacksonville	65
						11	Columbus	59
	11	Columbus	73
	6	Aberdeen	66
											10	Ann Arbor	79
										3	Jacksonville	68
	10	Ann Arbor	93
	7	Panama City	59
						10	Ann Arbor	90
						15	Sacramento	79
	15	Sacramento	90
	2	Clemson	88

Final Four

	Semi-finals				Final
	Phoenix	64
	Dayton	53
					Durham	86
					Phoenix	84
	Durham	90
	Corpus Christi	79

Game Summaries

Northwest Region

First round

(1) Jersey City 97 - (16) Paducah 89

It didn't take long for excitement as the very first game of the night went into overtime. The Ironmen's center, Clyde Giles actually had a shot with 1 second to go to pull off the upset, but in the overtime Jersey City rained three's and put the game out of reach. Chester Sitton came up big for Jersey City, scoring 28 points and grabbing 14 points while Douglas Atherton added 18 points and 9 boards.

(8) Dayton 86 - (9) Abilene 83

Abilene carried a 18 point lead into the half but saw it quickly vanish as Dayton stormed back. Kenny Reed hit a midrange jumper with 20 seconds left to give the Kingslayers a 3 point lead and when Abilene's, Jeffrey Gray, missed a 3 point attempt with 6 seconds left, the comeback was complete and Dayton moved on to the 2nd round. Luke Davidson led the Kingslayers with 26 points as five Dayton players scored in double-digits.

(12) Mobile 97 - (5) San Jose 81

The Control KAOS did what it has done all season long, dominate the glass as they outrebounded San Jose, 40-19, and easily ran away with the game. Gil Ham scored 19 points with 0 turnovers for Mobile while 'Sweet' Floyd Rogers added 17 points and 4 boards. The rebound advantage was huge as Mobile took 14 more shots than the Hammerheads.

(4) Birmingham 71 - (13) St. Martinville 41

Birmingham played suffocating defense, holding the Whipstix to just 31% shooting from the field as they routed the 13 seed. St. Martinville turned the ball over 16 times due to the immense pressure and shot 1-9 from behind the arc as the Jail players contested nearly every shot. Ryan Cruz was big off the bench for Birmingham, scoring 20 points in 19 minutes.

(3) Tucson 87 - (14) Erie 68

Erie simply didn't have the firepower to stay with the more athletic Tribe as Tucson pulled away little by little until the game was out of reach. Tucson crashed the boards hard, outrebounding Erie by 10, while Jared Parenteau shut down Erie's, Ernest Mann, holding him to just 3-10 from the field and 8 points. Montez Edick and Raymond Salazar each scored 17 for the Tribe, while Parenteau and Vinson combined for 14 rebounds inside.

(6) Fresno 71 - (11) Cambridge 70

Fresno led most of the game until a Foo Dogs spurt finally gave them the lead with a little less than five minutes to go. When Ignacio Esterle's short jumper gave Cambridge the lead with 28 seconds left, Jacob Standley followed it with a tough drive to the rim, got fouled and hit both free throws with 16 seconds left which proved to be the difference. Five players scored in double-digits for Fresno, led by Charles Conrad's 14 points off the bench. Standley ended the game with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

(7) Harrisburg 85 - (10) Glendale 58

Harrisburg quickly jumped out to a 22-8 lead and never looked back as they routed Glendale. Edward Westmoreland shot 8-13 from the field, scoring 22 points and grabbed 6 boards while Gervaise Minton scored 13 and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Krushers outrebounded Glendale by 18 while five players scored in double digits in the win.

(2) Casper 82 - (15) Louisville 76

The Steamboats gave the defending champions everything they could handle as Casper escaped with a tough first round victory. Louisville's, Johnnie Gregory, lit up the scoreboard for 42 points, but the Hania used an all-around performance as nearly everyone chipped in for the win. Bruce Estill and Joseph Yang each scored 14 for Casper while Yang added 10 rebounds.

Second Round

(8) Dayton 55 - (1) Jersey City 54

It was a slugfest out in the Northwest bracket between the Kingslayers and Jesters and the 8 seed came out standing. There were plenty of times where minutes would go buy and nobody could score as both teams played fantastic defense and the athleticism on the court was a sight to see. Heath Ralston had a short shot to win the game for Jersey City, but his attempt bounced off the rim, giving the upset to Dayton. Luke Davidson (14 pts.) and Kenny Reed (12 pts.) were the only Dayton players to score in double digits.

(4) Birmingham 68 - (12) Mobile 55

Birmingham had a small lead the entire game and everytime the Control KAOS would make an attempt to comeback, someone for the Jail would step up and increase the margin. Birmingham's defense was simply amazing, holding Mobile to just 22-48 shooting from the field and even outrebounding the nation's top rebounding team. Stephen Mcquay led the Jail with 16 points and 5 rebounds while Brent Ferguson added 10. It was a team effort overall though as the suffocating Jail defense was to much for Mobile.

(3) Tucson 86 - (6) Fresno 84

Marc White was the clear hero as his huge three-pointer tied the game with 46 seconds left then his long field goal with 5 seconds left ended the game as the 3 seeded Tribe advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. The Tribe shot 18-22 as a team from the free throw line and shot over 50% from the field as White topped all scorers with 23 points. Raymond Salazar added 18 for Tucson while Derek Hammond came off the bench, hitting 6-7 shots for 15 points.

(2) Casper 86 - (7) Harrisburg 77

The Hania used a late 18-7 run to close out a game in which they were down for most of the second half. Harrisburg won the battle of the boards, but their 26 fouls were to much as Casper shot 27-35 from the line compared to just 11-13 for the Krushers. Brandon Vaccaro led Casper with 20 points while Joseph Yang added 18. Sean Connery nearly had a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds while Alex Gittens dished out 7 assists to 0 turnovers.

Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

(8) Dayton 80 - (4) Birmingham 69

Dayton dominated the boards and went 7-12 from behind the arc as they won going away against the four seeded Jail. Kenny Reed led the Kingslayers with 17 points, going 7-12 from the field and hitting all three 3-point attempts. Dayton got two big performances off the bench as well as Steve Soja Jr. and Lyle Dunn combined for 21 points in limited minutes. Ryan Cruz led Birmingham with 16, scoring 11 in the first half as the Jail attempted to stay close with the hot Dayton shooting team.

(2) Casper 87 - (3) Tucson 76

Tucson jumped out to an early lead, but the patience and experience of Casper got them back into it, going into the half with a 37-35 lead. In the second half Casper took control, building up double digit leads as Brandon Vaccaro found his stroke, as the freshmen led the way for the Hania to get back to the Elite Eight. Vaccaro ended the night with 24 points, leading all scorers while 4 other Casper players added 12 points. Gittens was one of those with 12, who also added 6 assists and two steals. Casper got to the line 26 times to Tucson's 9 times, converting 16.

Regional Final (Elite Eight)

(8) Dayton 74 - (2) Casper 71

It started out back and forth as Casper's, Brandon Vaccaro and Dayton's, Kenny Reed seemed to exchange baskets over and over for most of the first half until Bruce Estill went on a quick 5 point surge, giving Casper a 10 point lead at the half. Two big 3's by Dayton's, Phil Newcomb and Luke Davidson, followed up by a deep two pointer by Newcomb brought the Kingslayers back within two early in the second half.

With a little over 10 to go and Casper up by two behind clutch shooting of Vaccaro and the inside game of Sean Connery, Reed and Davidson hit back to back 3-pointers again, giving Dayton a 4 point lead. With 3:01 left, and the Hania down by 5, Estill got a huge dunk which seemed to turn momentum towards Casper, but that would be it for the scoring as both offenses sputtered and Dayton escaped with a 3 point victory.

Reed finished with 18 for Dayton while Newcomb added 14 and 4 assists. Davidson added 13 and 4 rebounds for the Kingslayers while Keven Walker scored 7 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Casper got 16 points each out of Vaccaro and Estill while Sean Connery scored 10, grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 4 balls in the loss.

FINAL FOUR

(1) Phoenix 64 - (8) Dayton 53

Darren Hinman scored 15 points in his return from an ankle injury, also grabbing 4 rebounds and 3 assists in just 24 minutes of play. While the Eunuchs scoring leader, Doyle Mcgonagle onlyl took 8 shots, it was the bench play of Clifford Lusk and Theodore Henley who came up big, each scoring 13 points in limited time.

Phoenix were simply amazing on the defensive end, holding the Kingslayers to just 38% shooting from the field and 2-7 from behind the arc. Dayton turned the ball over 18 times and committed 20 fouls, as they looked very frustrated at the immense pressure coach Kmoney's squad brought on the court.

Kenny Reed did score 18 for Dayton, but he was the only Kingslayer to scored in double digits. Luke Davidson was shut down by the two forward combo of Julian Kelly and George Pulliam, as neither gave him much room to breathe inside or out.

(2) Durham 90 - (1) Corpus Christi 79

Durham, known for it's big time offense, played intense defense for 40 minutes holding the favorite, Soup Rocks, to just 36% shooting from the field. It was a foul ridden first half as both teams couldn't seem to avoid the ref's whistle. Although they seemed to struggle offensively, the score was 53-41 at the half as Durham went into the break with a 12 point lead.

Corpus Christi attempted a few comebacks, but the play inside of the Devils, Andrew Ludwig was key, as the 6'10 sophomore scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Durham sustained their lead, hit their free throws at the end and marched into their first NTT title game in school history.

Billy Lee and Roy Matos combined for 40 points for the Devils, while Elmer Boan came off the bench, scoring 11 points in 8 minutes. Adam McKay led the Soup Rocks with 18 points, while Don Qualls added 16.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

(2) Durham 86 - (1) Phoenix 84 Wow, after 2 amazing weeks of games, it's incredible that we saw such a fantastic finish in the Durham-Phoenix National Title Tournament final.

In the end, freshmen forward, Leonel Smith won it for Durham on a gutsy game-winning shot. His length and 6'11 frame made all the difference in the closing seconds as he was able to get off a good shot over 6'8 Jackson Isaac of the Eunuchs.

It was an amazing comeback by the Devils as they went down 50-39 at the break. The Devils went on a 16-2 run to overcome Phoenix's lead in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Durham's talented backcourt of Billy Lee and Roy Matos scored all of their teams points during their run, hitting shots from all over the court.

Phoenix continued to build leads in the second half, but it seemed the Devils always had an answer, grinding back with big rebounds or clutch free throws. When Daunte Lowery hit a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left, Lee again came up big, nailing a deep 2-pointer with 27 seconds left. Doyle Mocgonagle's lay in with 9 seconds left tied the game once again, but left enough time for Smith to deliver his game winning shot.

Durham got a No. 2 seed in the Northeast Region, but they sure looked like a No. 1 seed in the NTT, baby! Matos ended the night with 24 points while Lee added 20. Senior center, Keith Moran grabbed 9 big rebounds and Smith dished out 7 assists from the wing. Phoenix hit 8-19 shots from behind the arc and got a huge effort out of Darren Hinman, who scored 30 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Mcgonagle added 17 and Theodore Henley came off the bench, hitting 9-11 shots for 24 in just 14 minutes.

The win gave the Devils an identity -- they now have their name permanently etched with all the other great programs who have won a National Title.