Locals in NCAA tournament action dwindle, but some are still dancing

If you haven’t been watching the NCAA Tournament because of the lack of Philly schools, though the Villanova women are the final glimmer of hope, you’ve been missing out. There’s a 15 seed in the Sweet 16, and No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson somehow defeated No. 1 Purdue despite being the shortest team in the country and going up against soon-to-be National Player of the Year in 7-foot-4 Zach Edey.

With the field slowly dwindling, things are getting a bit calmer, but still, there’s a lot of action going on. Even though the first weekend is coming to an end, there’s no lack of Philly connections still ballin’ or coaching.

Here are some local ties from Sunday’s slate of games on both the men’s and women’s sides:

Coatesville native A.J. Hoggard scored 13 points and added four assists as No. 7 Michigan State upset No. 2 Marquette to advance to the Sweet 16.

With under five minutes remaining and Michigan State leading by two, Hoggard found Joey Hauser in the corner for an open three, which he drained to put the Spartans up by two possessions. A couple minutes of game time later, Hoggard drove to the basket, where he finished a tough layup to give his team a five-point lead, and the Golden Eagles would never get any closer.

Hoggard spent two seasons in the Catholic League at Archbishop Caroll before finishing his high school career at Huntington Prep (West Virginia). The 6-foot-4 guard can do it all, and against Villanova earlier in the season nearly had a triple-double, posting 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

The undisputed top team in the country has looked like just that through two tournament games. The undefeated Gamecocks beat No. 8 USF, 76-45, on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16, and at this rate, it’s hard to see this team losing.

» READ MORE: Dawn Staley reps another Philly hoops legend while coaching South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament

South Carolina is led by a slew of Philly coaches. Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley is a Dobbins Tech graduate who was the head coach at Temple from 2000-2008. Earlier in the season, she went viral for wearing a Jalen Hurts jersey while coaching ahead of the NFC Championship game.

The local connections don’t stop there, though. Associate head coach Lisa Boyer used to be an assistant at Temple and was the head coach of the Philadelphia Rage in the late 1990s. Assistant coach Fred Chmiel also coached at Temple and spent time at Penn State as well.

If you’re looking for a Philly connection outside of Villanova to root for, look no further than the Gamecocks.

Former Bonner and Prendergast star Isaiah Wong scored a game-high 27 points as No. 5 Miami topped No. 4 Indiana to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Wooga Poplar (Math, Civics & Sciences Charter) added six points, four rebounds and two assists.

Wong was named the ACC Player of the Year, averaging 15.8 points per game going into Sunday’s contest. The 6-foot-4 played two seasons in the Catholic League, taking home MVP honors each season.

The Hurricanes also have some locals on the coaching staff. Assistant coach DJ Irving (Archbishop Carroll) is a Chester native and spent recent years coaching at Roman Catholic. Associate Director of Basketball Operations Joe Gimbel was a graduate assistant at Temple from 2018-2020.

No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 12 FGCU (7:00 p.m./ESPNU)

No. 3 Duke vs. No. 6 Colorado (9:00 p.m./ESPNU)

Duke: Imani Lewis (Willingboro, N.J., Life Center Academy)

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 7 Baylor (9:00 p.m./ESPN)

UConn: Head coach Geno Auriemma (Norristown)