Capsules on four visiting teams for NCAA first- and second-round matchups at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
IOWA CITY, Iowa – A look at each of the four visiting teams that will compete in the NCAA Tournament this week at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Holy Cross
Location: Worcester, Mass.
Enrollment: 3,197
Conference: Patriot League
Record: 19-12
Mascot: Crusaders
How qualified: Won Patriot League tournament; was also regular-season champ
Notable wins: Beat Army and Navy back to back
Coach: Maureen Magarity (4th season, Marist)
Player to watch: Bronagh Power-Cassidy, 5-10, Sr., G, 16.6 ppg, 41% threes. Power-Cassidy is from Dublin, Ireland. Two-time Patriot League tournament MVP. Scored nearly 1,400 points in her career.
Notable Alumni: Hoopers Bob Cousy & Tom Heinsohn; Pulitzer Prize NYT journalist Dave Anderson; peace activist Philip Berrigan; Justice Clarence Thomas; Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci; Poverty historian Michael Harrington.
Fun Facts: Holy Cross was founded in the 19th century by Jesuits as a male-only institution. It was desegregated in 1968 and went coed in 1972. The school sponsors 27 different sports.
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Tennessee-Martin
Location: Martin, Tenn.
Enrollment: 7,296
Conference: Ohio Valley
Record: 16-16
Mascot: Captain Skyhawk (successor to the Pacers, as in horses, in 1995)
How qualified: Was runner-up in OVC tournament to ineligible Southern Indiana (moving up to D-I from D-II)
Notable wins: Western Illinois
Coach: Kevin McMillan (15th season, Rhodes)
Players to watch: Kenley McCarn, 5-11, RS Fr, 16.7 ppg, .378 threes; Anaya Brown, 6-1, So., 15.1 ppg, 9 reb; Lexi Rubel, 6-1, So. 8.8 ppg, 7.2 reb.
Notable Alumni: Pat Summitt, Leonard Hamilton, Lin Dunn; CNN political analyst Van Jones
Fun Facts: Hall-Moody Institute merged with Union University and was taken over by the state as a junior college in 1927. In 1951 it expanded to a four-year institution. In 1961 it was the first school in the University of Tennessee system to desegregate. This is the fifth NCAA appearance under McMillan and the first since 2014. Skyhawks have lost seven players to season-ending injuries. The five starters all played 40 minutes in the regular-season finale. Freshmen and sophomores scored 97.5 percent of the team’s points.
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Princeton
Location: Princeton, N.J.
Enrollment: 8,973
Conference: Ivy
Record: 25-4
Mascot: Tigers
How qualified: Won the Ivy League tournament. Tied for regular-season title
Notable wins: Oklahoma, Middle Tennessee State
Coach: Carla Berube (5th season, UConn)
Players to watch: Kaitlyn Chen, 5-9, Sr, PG, 15.8 ppg, 3.5 rebs, Ivy POY; Madison St. Rose, 5-10, So., G, 14.5 ppg, .346 threes; Ellie Mitchell, 6-1, Sr., F, 10 rpg, 5.5 ppg. Holds foes to 56 points per game.
Notable Alumni: Hunter Rawlings, Taylor Branch, George Will, Thornton Wilder, Allen Dulles, Anthony Lake, Robert Taft, Alan Turing.
Fun Facts: Berube has an interesting coaching history, having been at Tufts for 16 seasons where she was named D-III coach of the year in 2015. She moved on to another rigorous academic institution and has continued her success (100-16 at Princeton). Princeton defeated N.C. State in a first-round NCAA game a season ago and has two NCAA victories to its credit. Lost at powerful UCLA by only three points in Nov.
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West Virginia
Location: Morgantown, W.V.
Enrollment: 24,200
Conference: Big 12
Record: 24-7
Mascot: Mountaineers
How qualified: at-large bid. 21 NET ranking.
Notable wins: Oklahoma, Penn State, Kansas, Iowa State, BYU
Coach: Mark Kellogg (1st season, Austin College)
Players to watch: J.J. Quinerly, 5-8, Jr., G, 19.6 ppg, .338 threes; Jordan Harrison, 5-6, So., G, 13.8 ppg, 161 assists. This team runs on guards and defense.
Notable Alumni: Don Knotts, scientist Katherine Johnson, Jerry West, Hot Rod Hundley, pitchman Billy Mays, singer Kathy Mattea
Fun Facts: Team started 13-0 but has lost four of its last six. Led Big 12 in steals and second in scoring defense (57.8). Kellogg succeeded Dawn Plitzuweit, who was there one season before leaving for Minnesota. Kellogg was coach at Stephen F. Austin for eight years and had two teams reach the NCAA tournament.
Information compiled by Susan Harman