NCAA Tournament Approaching Fast
February 28, 2009
On the eve of March 1st, the excitement of the NCAA Tournament builds. Bubble teams, conference titles and at-large bids consume our basketball brains as we await selection Sunday. Who is in? Who is out? A lot will happen in these last two weeks that will determine who will be dancing on March 15th.
This tournament is gearing up to be one of the most exciting tournaments yet due to the fact that may teams have been up and down this year as we try to figure out which teams are hitting their stride as they enter the first round on March 19th.
At this point Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Connecticut and Oklahoma are the favorites to receive the number one seeds in each bracket, however, a lot can change between now and March 15th. The NCAA tournament is approaching fast and the National Title is up for grabs.
Watch out for Arizona State and Syracuse as both teams have extensive tournament experience and if either team heats up at the right time they might just find themselves in the Final Four at Ford’s Field in Detroit, Michigan in early April.
One thing is for sure, this years tournament is sure to be as entertaining as ever. Be sure to pay close attention to the bubble teams as the NCAA tournament is approaching fast and we will be engulfed in March Madness before you know it!
Michigan at Wisconsin: Battle of Big Ten Bubble Teams
February 27, 2009
Ahh, the infamous “bubble”. For those of you not so familiar with the bubble, it is not a childhood toy, part of a daily bathing ritual or a protective shield used to shelter the sick from the world. No, the NCAA mens basketball bubble is a place that many teams fall on top of at this time of year. A place where some teams in minor conferences are grateful to be part of while others in major conferences cannot believe they are on the outside looking in at this time of year. The bubble symbolizes the teams that may or may not have a chance at a berth into the sixty-five team field that we know as the NCAA March Madness tournament.
On Saturday two Big Ten teams find themselves in this exact situation and a Big Ten win would help either squads chances of obtaining a NCAA tournament bid. The 17-10 Wisconsin Badgers host the 18-11 Michigan Wolverines at 2:00 PM Eastern time.
Wisconsin had rattled off five straight wins over Big Ten opponents before blowing a 12 point lead late in the second half at Michigan State and coming up on the short end of a 61-50 final. The Badgers have three conference opponents left on their schedule and will likely need to finish at 10-8 within their conference to feel confident about having a good shot at an at-large bid. A win on Saturday could go a long way and get them back headed in the right direction.
Michigan has a golden opportunity on Saturday to prove that they can win away from their home court in Ann Arbor. They have piled up some big wins at home including victories against Duke, Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota. However, they have struggled tremendously on the road and this could be their chance to score a much needed road victory.
This should be a good match-up from start to finish. Whichever team comes out on top should have a lot of momentum heading into the final games of the regular season while the loser might just be punching a ticket to the NIT. Michigan at Wisconsin, the battle of the big ten bubble teams should answer a lot of question marks as to which team will head to the big show. Both teams could conceivably still make it, however, the loser of this contest will need a lot of help.
Michigan beats Purdue
February 26, 2009
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - This was the last regular season home game, meaning it hopefully will be the last time C.J. Lee, David Merritt, and Jevohn Shepherd get to play at Crisler Arena meaning this win might get them into the big dance as Michigan beats Purdue 87-78.
DeShawn Sims had a game high and career night going 13-16 from the field scoring 29 points with 5 rebounds. Manny Harris added 27 points and 8 rebounds over the No.16 Purdue Boilermakers.
Robbie Hummel tried his best for the Boilermakers with 24 points and six boards, while E’Twaun Moore scored 18 points for Purdue.
Purdue scored seven straight points to pull within 3, but the Sims-Harris Purdue combo struck again. First it was Harris hitting a 3 and then Sims sank two buckets. Harris hit a free throw to push the margin to 66-55 with 8:30 remaining.
Michigan is 3-4 now against ranked teams with wins over UCLA and Duke. This win might get Michigan in the tournament for the first time in over 10 years.
This was a huge victory tonight as Michigan beats Purdue and I think they will earn a spot in the March Madness Tournament.
Why N.C. Wins It All
February 25, 2009
This should probably not come as a surprise, since combined they have won almost 1,500 college basketball games and 4 National Championships.
See, when you’re raised in Carolina Basketball, you know one thing to be an absolute truth: defense wins championships. Take every flashy, offense-driven team you can think of–Loyola Marymount in 1988, Kentucky in 1995–and Carolina’s defense shuts them both down.
Then Williams arrives and starts preaching defense. OK, sure, it’s important. But his teams are lighting up the scoreboard like a pinball machine and it sure is fun to watch them rack up the points. At some point in February, the numbers started to dazzle me and that led me to this conclusion:
This Carolina team is so good on offense that perhaps being simply average on defense might be good enough. At the time, it seemed to make sense. Don’t laugh and don’t tell Coach Williams.
The Tar Heels have the National Player of the Year in the post. They have an ACC Player of the Year candidate at point guard who has suddenly started scoring in the paint and on the perimeter. They have Danny Green and Wayne Ellington on the wings, and Deon Thompson as a fifth option alongside Tyler Hansbrough in the post. That’s a very effective offensive quintet and as the Tar Heels motor along with an impressive one point per possession figure for the season, despite the three losses, it seems possible that maybe they can simply outscore any defensive deficiencies.
That’s just a few of the reasons why, in the end, it will be the Tar Heels cuttin’ down the net !!
Jim Calhoun Wins His 800th Game
February 25, 2009
As I sit here and watch the UConn Marquette game I’m amazed about how powerful the big east conference is. Right now UConn is dominating Marquette with a 16-0 run as UConn has one of the biggest front courts in the nation but tonight its guard A.J. Price who is lighting it up from 3point land. Price is 4-5 from downtown and has 16 points in the 1st half to lead all scorers. Marquette has cut the lead to 6 at the half as UConn is winning 43-37. Dominic James has suffered a fractured bone in the foot and will be out indefinitely. Marquette isn’t sure if he’ll be back for March Madness Tourney. What a huge loss for Marquette. What a great game with 8:28 left in the second half as the game is tied 70-70. Marquette is playing great even with out star player Dominic James. The inside game of the Huskies is dominating the second half as UConn is winning 84-77 with 3:50 left. A.J. Price had a monster game with 36 points 6 rebounds and 6 assists as UConn wins 93-82. UConn is the real deal and watch as they will go deep in the March Madness Detroit tournament. Congratulation Jim Calhoun with your 800th win.
Florida State at Boston College
February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 24th, 9:00 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606) — Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: FSU 11-3, BC 13-4. Away Record: FSU 7-3, BC 5-4. Neutral Record: FSU 3-0, BC 1-1. Conference Record: FSU 8-4, BC 7-6. Series Record: Boston College leads, 3-1.
GAME NOTES: The 23rd-ranked Florida State Seminoles appear to be in great position to claim an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and they will attempt to strengthen their already impressive resume’ tonight against the Boston College Eagles.
Quietly, Florida State has won its last two games and five of its last six to improve to a stellar 21-6 overall, including 8-4 in league play. The Seminoles showed a great deal of toughness on Saturday to defeat Virginia Tech on the road by a 67-65 final.
As for Boston College, it has lost three of its last four games to fall to 19-9 overall and 7-6 in ACC action. The Eagles appeared to be a sure thing as far as the “Big Dance” is concerned, but the team needs to finish strong to avoid being left out of the picture. They are coming off a 69-58 loss at Miami-Florida on Saturday, but they do bring a 13-4 home record into this evening’s clash.
Boston College has won three of its four all-time meetings with Florida State, but the Seminoles claimed victory in the most recent matchup in February of last year.
There is only one double-digit scorer on the Florida State roster, surprising considering the tremendous success that the team has achieved thus far. Toney Douglas is clearly the go-to guy at the offensive end, as he is generating 20.5 ppg to go along with team-highs of 77 assists and 52 steals. Uche Echefu provides 9.0 ppg and 5.2 rpg for FSU, which has relied heavily on strong defense this season. The Seminoles are limiting opponents to 63.9 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting from the field. On Saturday, Douglas hit the game-winning shot with six seconds remaining against Virginia Tech, and he finished that game with 22 points. Derwin Kitchen contributed 19 points, and Echefu added 12 for FSU, which only committed 10 turnovers and hit 9-of-10 free throws.
Four players are averaging double figures in scoring for Boston College this season, and Tyrese Rice leads the pack with 17.8 ppg to go along with 142 assists. Joe Trapani checks in with 13.9 ppg, and Rakim Sanders provides 13.9 ppg. As for Corey Raji, he brings 10.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg to the floor. The Eagles are racking up 75.9 ppg while limiting opponents to 71.0 ppg. In the loss to Miami on Saturday, Boston College connected on only 36.2 percent of its field goal attempts and committed 15 costly turnovers. Trapani led the way in defeat with 17 points, and Raji pulled down 15 rebounds. Rice added 11 points, and Reggie Jackson pitched in 10 points and seven assists off the bench.
The Eagles get the nod tonight, as they are desperate for a victory and will get plenty of support from the Chestnut Hill crowd. Douglas will face plenty of attention from BC defenders when he has the ball in his hands.
Our Predicted Outcome: Boston College 71, Florida State 63
Louisville Georgetown Recap
February 23, 2009
WASHINGTON — Louisville is in a crazy-good race for the regular-season championship of the Big East, where four of the nation’s top eight teams sit atop the standings.
Georgetown, the two-time defending regular-season champion, is not a member of that quartet. The Hoyas are all but conceding that their only road to the NCAA tournament runs through the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Louisville’s upperclassmen topped Georgetown’s youth 76-58 Monday night, led by Earl Clark’s 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals. The No. 6 Cardinals (22-5, 13-2) overcame 16 turnovers with solid defense and good first-half shooting to win their fourth straight and move into a first-place tie with Connecticut.
So much for Louisville coach Rick Pitino’s early season thought that the regular-season champ would have five or six losses.
Fast Facts
• Louisville shot a season-best 67 percent (8-for-12) from 3-point range, including 6-for-6 in the first half to earn its first win at Georgetown (1-2).
• The Cardinals have won 14 of their last 16 games overall and 11 of their first 13 conference road games.
• After having a seven-game win streak, Georgetown has lost nine of 11 and 11 of its last 15 games.
The Cardinals started 9-for-9 from the field — their first miss coming nearly 11 minutes in — and were 7-for-7 from 3-point range well into the second half. The marksmanship was more of a necessity than a luxury because they were so careless with the ball, but the initial shooting burst was enough to build a lead that kept Georgetown at bay throughout the second half.
“I thought we were doing a good job, but we were just turning it over too much,” Pitino said. “That was killing us.”
Samardo Samuels, Terrence Williams and Preston Knowles added 10 points apiece for the Cardinals, who had a 17-point first-half lead cut to eight in the second half. Louisville shot only 15-for-35 after the 9-for-9 start, but the defense forced 14 Georgetown turnovers and held the Hoyas to 31 percent shooting after halftime.
Big Least
Georgetown now has as many Big East home losses this season as it did over John Thompson III’s first four seasons combined. The difference has been on the defensive end, where the Hoyas are allowing 13 more points per game in front of the Verizon Center crowd.
| 2004-08 | 2008-09 | |
| W-L | 28-5 | 3-5 |
| PPG | 64.8 | 66.4 |
| Opp. PPG | 56.6 | 69.9 |
| Opp. FG pct | 38.5 | 46.7 |
| Opp. 3pt. pct. | 28.7 | 38.6 |
Chris Wright scored 12 points, and Greg Monroe had 10 for the Hoyas (14-12, 5-10), who have lost nine of 11 as they continue their challenging spin through the nation’s basketball elite. Georgetown has played six teams currently ranked in the top 10. The Hoyas are 2-4 in those games.
The loss also dropped the Hoyas to 12th place in the Big East, just six weeks after they were ranked No. 9 in the country.
Asked about his team’s NCAA tournament chances, coach John Thompson III said: “If there’s one good thing about being in this conference it’s that you get to go to New York and you get a chance to fight and you get a chance to win it. We have to continue to improve and we have to be better when we get to New York, it’s as simple as that.”
Samuels got the better of Monroe in the battle of freshmen centers — at least while the game was still in the balance. Samuels got behind the Georgetown center to score two of the Cardinals’ first three baskets and finished 4-for-5 from the field. Monroe, by contrast, didn’t take a shot until a wayward 16-foot jumper more than 5 minutes into the game and went 4-for-7.
The Cardinals didn’t miss a field goal until Clark’s short jumper barely hit the rim with 9:01 remaining in the half, but by then Louisville already had 26-13 lead. Clark’s 3-pointer gave Louisville a 41-24 lead with 3 minutes to play in the half, but Georgetown’s Jessie Sapp scored the final seven points of the period, including a bank-shot 3-pointer at the horn that cut the lead to 41-31.
The Cardinals started the second half with turnovers on their first three possessions, but Georgetown could only cut the deficit to eight. The Hoyas had trouble solving the full-court press and couldn’t find an offensive rhythm, with Wright finishing 3-for-12 from the field, DaJuan Summers 1-for-8 and Sapp 3-for-10.
“Once you lose and go through a stretch like we’re going through, you don’t feel as good about yourself,” Thompson said. “It’s as simple as that.”
March Madness Schedule
February 22, 2009
March Madness History
February 22, 2009
Like many of our modern sporting traditions, the history of March Madness begins at about the turn of the 20th century. As a result of the Industrial Revolution, more people had more time to pursue sports and leisure activities, both participating and watching. The history of March Madness begins in Illinois with a relatively small basketball invitational. The history of March Madness will continue from there into the industry in and of itself that it has become today.
College basketball itself is an important part of the history of March Madness. The first college basketball game took place in Madison Square Gardens where Pittsburgh University and Fordham University played. This first game was televised and the result was that college basketball became almost instantly popular. Both men’s and women’s teams were popular during this time period. Further, throughout the history of March Madness, there have been many storied teams, for example, the men’s UCLA team won ten national titles between 1963-1975. More recently, teams like Duke have become synonymous with March Madness.
Bubble Teams
February 21, 2009
With a month left, who’s on the bubble?
Andy Glockner
ESPN.com
Welcome to Bubble Watch, the ever-changing, ever-fascinating exercise that focuses solely on which teams will grab the precious 34 at-large slots in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
First a word to the wise: Bubble Watch is a compilation of the likely bubble candidates as if today were Selection Sunday. With a month left, it’s not practical to list every team that has the slightest bubble chance. As the season progresses and teams improve their profiles, you’ll see them on this list. If your school isn’t here, it is not considered a truly viable at-large team at this point.
So how does the initial snap shot look? There is pretty good news for the mid-majors out there that feel the power conferences gobble up too many of the bids.
Being fairly strict, here is the current power conference distribution (including locks and teams that are considered likely to be in):
• ACC: 4 bids
• Big 12: 3
• Big East: 5
• Big Ten: 7
• Pac-10: 1
• SEC: 3
Figuring in the relative status of the current teams “on the bubble” (and being fairly generous in a couple of cases), the best current estimate looks more like this:
• ACC: 5 bids
• Big 12: 4
• Big East: 7
• Big Ten: 7
• Pac-10: 4
• SEC: 5
Making the fairly safe assumption that the automatic bid winners in each conference will come from the pools of teams below (and therefore not potentially “steal” an extra bid for the conference), the six power conferences are taking 26 of the 34 at-large spots (32 total projected bids minus six auto bids).
That still leaves eight spots open, with few viable ways for the power conferences to get more than this allocation. Those eight spots also are dependent upon teams like Bucknell and Gonzaga winning their conference tournaments, so the Patriot and WCC don’t get an extra team. Memphis would also be in that mix, unless UAB (the only viable C-USA bubble team at the moment) wins the auto bid.
Who looks best set to fill that void? The MVC, which has four very strong at-large candidates that have shown minimal separation from each other. The A-10 probably will grab one or two, as well. The MAC? It looks like another one-bid season.
Without further ado, the bubble …
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