The College Sports Geek

2010-11 College Basketball Season Review

2011-04-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

O.k., so after an amazingly busy March I took all week last week off to recharge the batteries and I'm ready to take a look back at what was the 2010-11 College Basketball Season. In the following weeks you'll see myself and some guests break down the season conference by conference, so if you want to know when you're favorite league will be featured I'm announcing the order for this season tonight!!

1. ACC                                        11. Northeast                         21. Ivy League
2. MAC                                       12. Sun Belt                           22. Big East
3. Southland                                 13. OVC                               23. West Coast Conference
4. Patriot Leage                            14. Great West                      24. Big Ten
5. Big West                                  15. Missouri Valley                25. Southern Conference
6. MEAC                                     16. Mountain West                26. MAAC
7. Independents                            17. Big Sky                           27. CAA
8. SEC                                         18. SWAC                            28. Pac - 10
9. Atlantic 10                                19. America East                   29. Conference USA
10. WAC                                     20. Horizon League               30. Big South
                                                                                                  31. Summit League
                                                                                                  32. Atlantic Sun
                                                                                                  33. Big 12

I look forward to breaking down what happened in conference and for each team in that league. It was an interesting season for sure and there were a lot of surprise teams all over the place. Additionally starting tomorrow I'm hoping to get each conference done once a day from Monday - Friday and see this breakdown done in a few weeks time.

Badgers Women's Basketball Coaching Update

2011-04-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

Hey there, so it's been a week since I last spoke to all of my fellow College Sports Geeks and I apologize for not writing more, however I have been involved with a new opportunity and that's why I'm here today. I'm hear to announce that I have taken a position as Editor and Featured Columnist for http://www.wiscobadgers.com/. This is a great opportunity for me to focus on the home state Badgers, but don't fret my fellow Geeks, I'm not leaving this site behind by any means!! You'll just have to go over to the site to find all my musings on the Badgers from now on. To that end there was some major news on a new Women's Basketball coach and you'll find some initial thoughts there and posts later tonight in that regards. It's been fun posting my thoughts about my beloved Badgers here, but I hope you join me at the NEW home for your #1 Badgers news and thoughts and as always.... ON WISCONSIN!!

NCAA Tournament Challenge Revisited

2011-04-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

I dare say that I was bested by nearly all of my wonderful readers in this years NCAA Tournament Pool. Thanks to my buddy Rich for holding up the bottom spot so I can at least say I wasn't the WORST!! Congrats goes out to Adam Krueger who took the overall pool with a point total of 205 and 36 overall correct picks. Adam started out amazing, have 23 teams left after the 2nd round and 9 of the Sweet 16. In the end he even had one of the Final Four teams correct, of course it was UConn but still an amazing feat in this crazy NCAA Tournament year. In fact he was the only one in the whole field to have any of the Final Four participants correct. I hate to say I was bested, but alas this was probably the worst bracket I have had in about 15 years of filling out brackets with any sort of "knowledge" behind all the teams in the field. Additionally a special shout out has to go to Noah Jones who ended up with the most correct picks at 37 and placed 2nd overall with a point total of 198! I hope you all enjoyed kicking my butt, 'cause I know it won't happen again!! :)

Look for the Tournament Challenge to be much improved next season and there may even be actually prizes for the winners, other than their own personal glory and a guest spot as a writer here! I hope it's been a fun tournament watching season for all of you and I can't wait to see what next year has in store for us!!

2011 NCAA Championship Game Preview

2011-04-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

Saturday proved to be a good night in Houston for Butler and UConn as they advanced to the National Championship game tonight. Who would've thought that the game featuring two college coaching legends in John Calipari and Jim Calhoun would end up being the uninteresting and horribly played game of the night, huh? Both Butler and UConn are riding hot streaks to get to the most unexpected National Championship game I have ever experienced in my 29 years on this earth. For a small sample of what I think might happen you can check out my previous thoughts on the Final Four here: Final Four Preview, where you will see that I was correct in my predictions for the National Championship game participants tonight. Do I see my original prediction for tonight holding true and will One Shining Moment be as awesome as it usual is? Find out here!!

#8 Butler vs. #3 UConn(9:23pmET on CBS)
- Talk about a role reversal huh? Saturday night's games were supposed to feature the drab and boring style of play from Butler making for a low scoring and horrible on the eyes type game, excpet no one told the two teams playing that night. VCU and Bulter played a back and forth well paced game that produced drama right down to the final moments as Butler hit their FT's to ice the 70-62 win, getting them to a 2nd straight title game. The much hyped UConn vs. Kentucky matchup turned out to be one of the single worst played Final Four games in my lifetime, despite a close 56-55 UConn victory. A game that featured a Kentucky team that was held to only 33.9% shooting despite Knight going off for 17 points, only topped by Kemba Walker and his game high 18 and was notable for poor shots and bad turnovers on both ends ended mercifully around 10:30 central.

Everyone wants to talk about the run that UConn is on, having won 10 straight to get from the Big East 1st round to the National Championship game, but no one mentions the fact that Butler is an owner of a longer streak, 14, which includes a Horizon League Championship and dates back to Feb. 5th. On the court I see the key match up being between Matt Howard and Alex Oriakhi. These two can really bang inside with Howard going for 16.4ppg and 7.2 rpg in the tourney and Oriakhi going for only 6.6ppg but 9.6rpg. For some reason guys like Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas seem to think the advantage inside goes to UConn, but numbers don't lie in this case and outside of Oriakhi the Huskies don't have anyone that scores or rebounds all that well. Butler's co-X-factor's for me are the inside precense of center Andrew Smith(6.6ppg, 5.8rpg in tourney) and the defense of guard Shawn Vanzant(8.6ppg in tourney). Vanzant is more because he will be tasked with staying with UConn freshman guard and my X-Factor Jeremy Lamb(17ppg in tourney). The combination of Lamb and Walker has served the Huskies well in this tournament and all season. Oriakhi has been a revelation more in the NCAA tournament for his amazing rebounding numbers.

In the end I see Butler being more than capable of staying with the Huskies from the perimeter and having a very big advantage on the inside as long as Howard stays away from foul trouble. Not only that, but who would've thought they would have more experience than a UConn team in National Championship games? UConn hasn't been to the title game since they won it in 2004, before most of the current roster was even in high school. That has to count for something in my opinion, even if it's just handeling the early jitters a bit better the 2nd time around for Butler. In the end I just dont' see any reason as to why I should change my pick from Saturday night.

National Champion: Butler Bulldogs

2011 Final Four Preview

2011-04-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight the culmination of one of the most interesting and upside down seasons in NCAA basketball history gets underway from Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. We will begin the night off with the most unexpected match up in Final Four history as VCU takes on Butler and then end the night with two programs that aren't strangers to this spotlight as Kentucky does battle with UConn. Unfortunately I didn't see any of these teams coming close to the Final Four, but as a result I can sit back and enjoy these two games tonight and the National Championship game on Monday with no vested interest at all. These games provide some great style match up's and personality match up's and I can't wait to watch it all unfold in just under two hours. How do I see this one shaking out and who will win it all?

#11 VCU vs. #8 Bulter(6pmET on CBS)
- The opening game in the 2011 Final Four serves a testament as to why the NCAA Tournament is the single greatest event in all of American sports. Hardly anyone had Butler(the defending national runner-up) moving out of their 1st round match up with Old Dominion and here they are in Houston facing fellow CAA conference member VCU. Meanwhile nearly every single on air "pundit" had a major issue with VCU making it to the field of 68 and yet here they are in Houston as well. Totally opposite but equally amazing runs got these two teams here. VCU has pulled off something no other school has ever done in the history of the NCAA tournament, win games against 5 of the top 6 conferences in the country en route to their trip to the Final Four. They beat USC(Pac-10), Georgetown(Big East), Purdue(Big Ten), Florida State(ACC), and Kansas(Big 12) to get to Houston. They arrive here having beat everyone but FSU by double digits. They've done it with a combination of great pressure defense and unreal shooting. For the tournament the Rams have only given up 61.6ppg while scoring at a 74ppg clip, giving them a +12.9ppg scoring margin. Any questions now as to how they were able to get to the Final Four? If so, how about shooting an amazing 43.1% from behind the arc and 43.5% overall for the tournament? Still not convinced, well there is the defensive effort that also held their opponents to 38.9% shooting overall. Butler got here in completely different way having won their games by a whole 2.3ppg and having a 7 point difference as their high. The Bulldogs have gotten to their 2nd straight Final Four, something no other school in their category can say, in just about every fashion possible. They started off with a tip in at the buzzer for a 2pt victory of ODU, then they got help from Pitt missing FT's and fouling to ice a tie game with 0.8 seconds left. Their Sweet 16 win over Wisconsin took a great defensive effort to hold off a furious 2nd half comeback by the Badgers who were down by over 20 at one point in the 2nd half. In the win over Florida to get to the Final Four it took OT and another great defensive effort to hold off the Gators. It's no doubt these teams belong and it's the highlight of the weekend for me. I think the experience edge is huge for Butler in this one as just about every player on this team was a member of last years National Runner-Up. Look for Butler to find another interesting way to win as they could hit a buzzer beater to win this one 74-71.

#4 Kentucky vs. #3UConn(8:30pmET)
- This game should be the talk of the tournament, but instead the head coaches find themselves awash in controversy for paying players(Kentucky) and manipulating test scores(UConn)... allegedly of course (wink, wink). Calipari is making his 1st trip to the Final Four, well at least if you ask the NCAA that is. He was here in 1996 with UMass and again in 2008 with Memphis before taking the Kentucky job that spring. UConn has rode the Walker train all the way from the Big East 1st round to the Final Four, a run of 9 straight games. Walker is averaging 26.7ppg in the tourney and has gotten help inside from Alex Oriakhi(8.6prg on the year). They are looking at making history as the only team to ever win the Big East title and the National Champions having to play in every game in the Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament. Kentucky has been led by star freshman Brandon Knight(15.9ppg) and senior forward John Harrellson(9rpg). Harrellson has also been a scoring force in the tournament and is the X-Factor in this game. I think UConn isn't quite as talented, but has seen just about everything thrown at it this year and is on a mission. Look for a UConn win by double digits in the night cap, 78-64.

National Title Game: #8 Butler vs. #3UConn(Monday night)
- Butler continues to make history with a 2nd straight national title game appearance and will take on UConn who haven't been to the title game in quite some time. Of course the national pundits will say UConn is a big favorite, but if you have been paying attention you will see that Butler can match up with anyone on the UConn team including Walker. Look out for the Bulldogs and I'm calling it, Butler will win it all this time!!

National Champion: Butler Bulldogs!!!!!!

Mid-Major No More

2011-04-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

The 2011 NCAA tournament has provided some of the best action in postseason play in my 29 years on earth. Somehow there is a bracket out there on ESPN that features all of the Final Four participants and that's just crazy. We got the #4 seed from the East in Kentucky, the #11 seed from the Southwest in VCU, the #8 seed from the Southeast in Butler, and finally the #3 seed from the West in UConn for this amazing Final Four weekend. Interestingly this is an even split amongst the so called "Power" conference schools(Kentucky and UConn) and the "mid-major" schools(Butler and VCU) that guarantees us a "mid-major" vs. "Power" match up on Monday night.

While the story of how VCU and Butler got to the Final Four is a great one, that's not what I'm here to discuss with you today. The question that has been floating around in my head since Butler's overtime win on Saturday has been, is the era of the "mid-major" over?

I know most of you are sitting there with a rather puzzled look on your face and are probably asking "is this man off his rocker?" No, I do question if the label of mid-major really even fits at this point in college basketball. Take a look at what the NCAA tournament has produced over the past ten years and you will see a growing trend of games being won by "mid-major" schools, with George Mason making the 2006 Final Four and ending this year with both VCU and Butler in the Final Four. After doing some research I have found some very interesting things that show that so called "mid-majors" are winning more and more seemingly each year and it make me really question if it's a matter of playing well when it counts or an indication of something more?

I went back to the start of the field of 64 in the 1985 NCAA tournament and have broken down the tournament in different sections since then. It is really hard to label anyone as a true "mid-major" program before the 1997 tournament because of the flux of conferences that finally led to the break up of the Southwestern Conference and formed Conference USA and the Big 12. After that the flux of conferences was much more fluid and didn't dramatically change the college basketball landscape. People may also question the use of Memphis in the "mid-major" category but for me I only used the Tigers after the split of the original Conference USA when Marquette, Cincy, DePaul, South Florida, and Louisville left for the Big East. Breaking down the tournaments by number of games won my "mid-majors" has really shown that my original thoughts may just be right on, the term "mid-major" should be put to bed. It's more about the teams than the conference in 2011.

Looking at the tournament as a whole we see that from 1985 to 97 that on average "mid-majors" won 8.9 games a tournament and increased to 11.1 from 1998-2010. Those 13 year break downs show a nearly 3 game a year increase in "mid-major" winning. If you break it down even more during the 1997-2003 era they averaged 9.5 wins a tournament and in the 2004-2010 era it increases to 12.1 games a tournament. O.k., so great we see an increase in winning, but what does it mean and why?

For me there are two big reasons we are seeing an increase in winning for the non-power conference schools. 1st off is the level of coaching in the "mid-major" world. Mark Few, Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart, and many others have gotten a young start on their careers at smaller but hungry schools, something that the power conferences are unlikely to do, waiting for "established" coaches to come along. This has allowed many small school programs to recruit better and with more intensity because these coaches are hungry to prove themselves and have a great spirit to them. The 2nd and perhaps most important reason is the change in the NBA entry rule, having to be one year removed from high school, over the past 5 years has changed how the college game is recruited and played. Some of the biggest programs in the country like Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, and Kansas have basically becoming a collection of talented NBA players in waiting. That's all fine and dandy for one season, but it doesn't build a program. In the past few years you have really seen this born out as some of these "power" schools have struggled with chemistry and when they run into teams from "mid-major" land they are running into teams that have been together for a few seasons and are used to playing all types of situations together and it's shown in the runs that Butler, VCU, George Mason, Gonzaga, etc. have made, hanging on in close games when in years past the "power" conference team would've pulled it out with the collection of talent and experience together, but that has been flipped on it's head over and over again in the past decade.

In the end I think the increase in winning comes down to the fact that so many players that would be recruited to those power schools are being bypassed for the one-and-done talent and the scholarship that free's up every year and that has allowed the college basketball world to prosper as a whole, spreading out the talent and that talent getting great coaching. For me the term "mid-major" should be a dead one as the only thing that makes some of these schools and conferences different is the amount of money available to the programs. Put any program from the likes of the Missouri Valley, Horizon League, CAA, Sun Belt, etc. on the budget that the power schools have and you would see every one of them become instantly successful in my book. I've made my case, what say you?

Wisconsin Women's Basketball Coaching Rumors

2011-04-01T16:35:00.001-05:00

04.05.11 - UPDATE: Here is a great article from the Green Bay Press-Gazette in regards to the vacant Wisconsin Womens job, of which only one of the below named candidates is even still in the hunt: Matt Bollant. Take a read and see what you think: Press-Gazette Wisconsin Coaching Search Update.

Over the past week there has been a steady stream of rumors, stories, confirmed interviews and denials surrounding the coaching vacancy in the Women's basketball program at the University of Wisconsin. The names that have surfaced are a very interesting bunch and a few outside factors could make this search a hard one for the Badgers.

First off the names that have been brought to the forefront are Bill Fennelly of Iowa State, Matt Bollant of Green Bay, and Kevin McGuff from Xavier. According to multiple Twitter reports McGuff has interviewed and removed his name from consideration. I firmly believe that he would've been the best choice for the job on a pure X's and O's level, but as I'll explain later I think Barry Alvarez(UW's Athletic Director) may have issues with all three candidates that are being mentioned. Matt Bollant has also confirmed an interview for the job, but nothing has come out in regards to the seriousness of that interview since it happened yesterday. Fennelly's name is very interesting, but also probably the least likely of any name out there to take the position. Eventually I see this coming down to Bollant and maybe another candidate that hasnt' been named as of this writing. Why?

Bill Fennelly would be a huge coup for the Badgers program. He's taken my beloved Iowa State Cyclones and made them a powerhouse in his 16 years in Ames. Doing so in the biggest, baddest conference in the Women's basketball world, the Big 12, is no small feat. However, the man currently sits on a 12 year "lifetime" contract that guarantees him 7 million and could be worth up to 10 million over that span. All reports indicate that the Badgers aren't anywhere near that money level. The only way I see him taking this job over staying at Iowa State is two fold, the recruiting base for the Badgers is much wider than Iowa State, especially considering the talent level in Wisconsin and he may be able to set this up where his son can take over the program at ISU and both be coaching at the same time and not have to deal as much with the "following a legend" if he is still coaching somewhere else. Eventually I don't see this happening at all, it just doesn't make that much sense for a man that is beloved by the Cyclone fan base and may be the 2nd most popular coach outside of Paul Rhoads to leave for a program in need of some serious rehab.

I would have more of an opinion on McGuff but he has taken his name out of consideration and I believe it's because it's not a step up from the Xavier job he currently holds. They weren't going to be able to offer him much more in terms of money and the facilities that the Muskateers have are top notch.

This leaves us with Matt Bollant. He's been fantastic as the coach at Green Bay, leading the Phoenix to the 2011 Sweet 16(the programs 1st) and a 34-2 overall record. I think he may be tempted to leave the program for a "power conference" school and this could be that job. However, as I've stated before Alvarez has some major issues to contend with. The 1st issue at hand is the amount of money being offered. Rumor has it they are looking to hire at the 300k-350k level and that is pretty cheap for this type of job and a bad indication of the support the overall athletic department has for the women's game at the moment. Additionally he would be leaving a program that has shown great support financially, building the 4,500 seat Kress Events Center and giving Bollant a substantial pay raise for a "mid-major" program and has the backing of the campus and overall community in Green Bay for one that shows less support on a bigger scale. Finally Alvarez must try and sell to Bollant that he can win at Wisconsin. The Badgers haven't been a good program in awhile despite throwing money at the program to hire top coaches from the mid-major ranks(Lisa Stone) and consistently have been beat by his current team in Green Bay. Combine that with a lack of support and lack of a winning tradition and I tend to believe that Bollant may end up turning down this job. He has stated in the past that he wouldn't take a "Power" conference job just to take one, it would be the perfect job. I tend to believe him and the Badgers may have to pull candidates this weekend at the Women's Final Four in Indy to get their coach. It wouldn't be a total shock to see Bollant leave, as the last two coaches have left for "major" jobs in Carol Hamerle(NIU when they were a power) and Kevin Borseth(Michigan - an NCAA tournament team this year). But in my honest opinion this isn't that perfect job he has talked about and walking away from a sure thing to a job that hasn't been successful for other "mid-major" coaches may be very hard to do. The Green Bay program is a tight knit family and that aspect has to weight heavily on him as well and may push him to return even more.

This may be the most important hire for the Badgers in quite some time and if they don't get it right this team runs the risk of playing 3rd fiddle in the state behind Marquette and Green Bay. Green Bay would be fine should he leave as they have shown a great knack at finding the right coaches, but nothing would be better than seeing Bollant stay. Good luck to all involved and I hope things clear up fast for all involved.

NCAA Midwest Hockey Regional Revisited

2011-03-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a long week so far, but I have finally had a bit of time to get some of the pics and videos from this past weekend's Midwest Hockey Regional from right here in Green Bay. I hope you enjoy taking a look at some of the action that I was able to capture from the 3 games this weekend.

For me there is nothing better about College Hockey then the bands and student sections for teams and RPI brought their band all they way from Troy, NY to their game. They were fun despite a game that finished 6-0 in favor of North Dakota.

Overall Day 1 was fun and here are the pics I was able to get for all of you from both games. The RPI puck made an up close and personal appearance and was hilarious. I came away really impressed with the travel of both smaller programs, as RPI and Western Michigan both had a pretty good contingent of fans travel with them. Denver had a long travel but their fans were nearly no existent and I only spotted at most 7 fans all weekend, totally pathetic IMO. I hope you enjoy the following pics from Saturday's action.

RPI coming out for warm ups before 2nd period.

start of 2nd period with UND goalie down by us...

The RPI puck decided to grace us with his presence, we were basically in the RPI section...

the puck was great with the kids...

DU getting ready to come out before game 2, our seats were right next to the RPI and DU locker room area, made for some interesting conversations...

Would've had more but alas my phone couldn't take it anymore... On to Sunday's action which was a 6-1 blow out by North Dakota over a Denver team that just looked out of it after a double OT win in the night cap on Saturday.

Stopped over at Anduzzi's for a bite to eat before the game and the place was all Sioux fans. Amazing group of people and very easy to talk with!!

DU lined up for the Starting Lineup announcements.

UND on the other end, it was a cool sight to see these two rivals just glaring at each other from the blue lines.

UND was in control of this one early and the action was fast and furious on my end in the 1st period.

Face-off's were an issue all day and the refs were just picky as could be with every little thing. It got ridiculous by the 3rd period.

Nearly got trampled by the kids wanting to get to see the DU players getting off and on the ice in the 1st intermission.

The 1st aide crew would be needed later as the door dislodged and nearly knocked out the DU guy standing against the door.

close up of the drop of the puck to start the 2nd period.

It was pretty much all down hill from here as UND went on to win this game 6-1 and move on to the Frozen Four in St. Paul on April 7th-9th.

I also was able to get a great shot of the crowd reaction to a 2nd period goal, so here's that video from Sunday:

YAAARRRR at Iowa State!

2011-03-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to David Ubben over at ESPN.com for this little nugget of information: Mike Leach to Speak at ISU. If you have ever had the chance to speak to anyone lucky enough to cover Big 12 sports for a living you will know that their main man is Mike Leach. Not only is he an offensive genius, but the guy is a walking quote machine and one of the oddest and most interesting individuals in the sporting world. He's speaking at a coaching clinic in Ames this Friday and if you have the chance to make it out to the clinic or around the program that weekend it would be amazing to hear from you since I won't be able to make it there myself!

Additionally as an Iowa State fan I love the extra bit of information on the addition of DT Henry Simon(6'2", 305lbs.) to the Cyclone football program for this fall. I don't have any direct knowledge of just how good this guy could be, but at this point having an extra body and one that may be able to produce is an added bonus to a thin and less than stellar defensive line. Spring practice is underway as well in Ames and I'm hoping to get down there to cover the Spring game, if not I would direct you to the amazing work that Chris Williams and the team over at Cyclone Fanatic do.

This week promises some great college sports moments thanks to the Final Four and many coaching changes taking place in the college basketball world. As always make sure if you haven't already done so please check out THE College Sports Geek on facebook by searching for The College Sports Geek and by following me on twitter @THEcsgeek.

Championship Time!!

2011-03-27T15:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday saw two completely different games here in Green Bay as UND went out and routed RPI 6-0 and Denver came from 2 goals down to win 3-2 in OT to make it an all WCHA final today!! I've been snapping pictures and taking fan opinions all weekend and look for a recap on Monday!! This should be one heck of a game!!

Special Treat!!!

2011-03-25T22:17:00.001-05:00

Being THE College Sports Geek that I am and all, tomorrow will be a special treat for you and myself as I bring you live coverage from the NCAA Ice Hockey West Regional live from my hometown of Green Bay, WI!!! I can't wait to welcome North Dakota, Western Michigan, RPI, and Denver to town...

It's been fun so far meeting a few fans from each school already tonight and I look forward to adding videos and live posts via twitter @THEcsgeek tomorrow and Sunday... I hope you are all ready for something new and exciting as Hockey is huge here in Green Bay and it will be a packed house for all three games!! My seats r nice and close so I'll have a great view of all the action and can't wait to share it all with you!!

~The College Sports Geek

Location:Fox River Trail (Green Bay to Greenleaf),Green Bay,United States

Sweet 16 Southwest Regional Breakdown

2011-03-25T16:44:00.000-05:00

The Southwest Region will end the night of NCAA tournament action as the most unexpected Sweet 16 in my lifetime takes center stage. We'll begin the night with 11th seeded VCU taking on 10th seeded Florida State and end the night with 12th seeded Richmond taking on the Goliath that is 1st seeded Kansas. All I have to say is this one is going to be interesting Regional to watch all the way to it's conclusion on Sunday. Does Kansas cruise through this region or what? Find out below and of course don't forget to check The Smoking Pen for updates and reaction from down South!!

#12 Richmond vs. #1 Kansas(7:27pmET on TBS)
- Seriously, who saw this game coming? If you did you are one lucky individual. Sure I knew Richmond could be a dangerous team, but getting out of the 2nd round was about all I could see, as they were supposed to meet a streaking Louisville squad in the 3rd round. Well, Morehead State had other ideas and Richmond seized on their opportunity in the 12/13 match up and blew out the Eagles 64-48 to earn a spot in the Sweet 16. Their run has been on the backs of guard Kevin Anderson(19.5ppg in NCAA action) and forward Justin Harper(16ppg in NCAA action). Combined these two have accounted for near 53% of the Spiders total offense. Both teams that Richmond have faced have tried to stop this combo, but clearly have failed. Kansas should be better equipped to handle this tandem, but if Anderson gets hot from outside that could change everything. The Jayhawks were the presumptive favorite by virtue of their #1 seed, but as the region progressed and top rated teams kept getting knocked off the road to Houston and the Final Four kept getting more clear for them. In an amazing twist Kansas may have had their toughest game against 16th seeded Boston in the 2nd round. They were locked in a tight game until pulling away late for a 72-53 victory. That set up a meeting with Illinois and they blew the doors off them as well for a 73-59 win. Kansas has been led by the Morris twins all season and it's been no different in the tourney. Markieff(19.5ppg) and Marcus(16.5ppg) have accounted for nearly 50% of all the Jayhawk offense while also getting it done on the defensive end accounting for 20.5 of the teams 36.5 rebounds this tournament. It will be interesting to see if Richmond will be able to stop this dynamic duo. Whoever is able to stop the other teams clear strength will win this game. I see Kansas being more capable of doing just that and will see them through to the Elite 8 with a nice 76-62 victory.

#11 VCU vs. #10 Florida State(9:57pmET on TBS)
- The final Sweet 16 game will be between two teams that no one saw getting to this point at all. I'd venture to say odds in Vegas of this match up at the start of the tournament were rather high. VCU comes into this game winning their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round match ups in convincing fashion over so called "power" schools Clemson, Georgetown, and Purdue to get here. No doubt about it this team belongs and has made many a pundit look silly, but not this one... I had enough faith to put them into the field of 64 at least! They are led by forward Jamie Skeen(13.7ppg in tourney, 15.3ppg in season) and guard Bradford Burgess914.7ppg in tourney and 14ppg in season). This team can win with a ton of scoring or grinding it out as evidenced by the 559-46 win over USC and the 94-76 win over Purdue to bookend the tournament so far. Florida State loves to slow the pace down as well and has a bit more firepower to them thanks to the likes of guard Derwin Kitchen(12.5ppg in tourney) and forward Okaro White(8.5ppg). This game could be like the Wisconsin vs. Butler match up last night in that both teams play good defense and can grind it out. I have to go with the hot hand though and VCU goes through in a narrow 65-62 win.

Sweet 16 East Regional Breakdown

2011-03-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Last night was certainly interesting as the first set of games provided great entertainment and drama with Florida and UConn pulling out close victories and the night caps in the West and Southeast saw complete domination by Arizona and Butler, only giving me a 1-3 record for the night. Well let's look to change that tonight with THE Ohio State.... errr, East Regional taking center stage on Friday night. Ohio State will be taking on Kentucky in a #1 vs. #4 match up as the night cap, but first up we will see 11th seeded Marquette take on 2nd seeded North Carolina. Amazingly Marquette is one of only two Big East teams to survive to the Sweet 16, the other being UConn(now in the Elite 8). Look for this Regional to produce some high quality of play as these 4 teams are all very dangerous in their own rights. With that said how do these teams match up? It's a big night for my buddy Mike over at The Smoking Pen as his Tar Heels take the court, so don't miss his coverage either!!

#11 Marquette vs. #2 UNC(7:15pmET on CBS)
- Count Marquette amongst the myriad of surprises in the 2011 NCAA tournament. I didn't even have them getting out of the 2nd round let alone make a run to the Sweet 16. The Golden Eagles got here by virtue of an 11 point victory over 6 seeded Xavier in the 2nd round and a 4 point 66-62 win over 3rd seeded Syracuse in the 3rd round. The lesson I took from these games is to never count a talented team out. Marquette has the guns to play with anyone, but it's biggest issue of the year was outside shooting and they found that stroke in this tournament averaging 43.6% shooting from behind the arc(35.6% reg. season). If they want to win tonight they must continue to be hot from outside where they have been led in the tournament by Darius Johnson-Odom(16ppg and 53% beyond the arc) and get some great defense from leading rebounder Jae Crowder(6.8rpg). On the other hand UNC took out my big upset pick Washington in the 3rd round in a game they could've easily lost, but alas the Huskies couldn't capitalize down the stretch. Keying their two victories were two of the three freshman that have grown together to form a very dangerous team here in the Sweet 16. Those freshman are forward Harrison Barnes(23ppg in tourney) and point guard Kendall Marshall(8ppg and 12apg in tourney). They have blended very well down the stretch with junior forward Tyler Zeller(27.5ppg in tourney) and sophomore forward John Henson(19ppg, 10.5rpg in tourney). The team went off for 102 in the 2nd round win over LIU and backed it up with 86 in the 3 point win over Washington so the key for Marquette may be to try and slow the pace a bit, even if it's not something that's in their nature. If the game is in the 80's, look for Marquette to be in trouble due to a lack of quality depth up front. UNC is just too much at this point and will pull away late for a 78-67 win.

#4 Kentucky vs. #1 Ohio State(9:45pmET on CBS)
- The Last game in Newark is a pretty intriguing one as a young Kentucky team takes on a pretty veteran Ohio State team who's best player is actually a Freshman himself in Jarred Sullinger. Interestingly the Wildcats are at a huge historical disadvantage in the NCAA tournament against OSU, holding an 0-5 record against the Buckeyes. However, the last meeting was in 1987 and not a single Wildcat was even born yet so it could be very possible that record won't mean a thing. Kentucky has relied on it's youthful but talented PG Brandon Knight all season(17.4ppg, 4.2apg) who went scoreless in the 2nd round match up with Princeton until he decided to hit the last second shot to win the game. He hasn't stopped scoring since, going off for 30 in their 3rd round victory over West Virginia. The biggest assets this team has is how athletic everyone is. Spreading the floor with Knight and Doron Lamb(12.6ppg) outside and fellow freshman Terrence Jones(16.1ppg and 8.7rpg) along with Josh Harrelson on the inside gives this teams so many options on what to do. They also sub rather liberally keeping everyone fresh, as 6 players all average 28min or better. Ohio State will counter with an equally athletic but much more experienced lineup, featuring the senior duo of guard/forward David Lighty(12.1ppg, 4.1prg) and guard Jon Diebler(12.6ppg). Joining in the fun is freshman big man Jared Sullinger(14.5ppg and 8.5rpg in tourney, 17.1ppg and 10rpg in total) and Junior PG William Bufford(14.6ppg and 3apg in reg. season, 18ppg and 3.5apg in tourney). In the end I'm going to take the collection of gifted players with the most experience in this one. Ohio State has a freshman that could be national player of the year and a supporting cast that are all able to take over games with their poise and savy. Look for this one to be high scoring, around 81-76 or so.

Sweet 16 West Regional Preview

2011-03-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to how things are supposed to shake out in the NCAA tournament. The West Regional Sweet 16 match ups feature the 1,2,3, and 5 seeds and is the only one of the regionals that saw all the top three seeds survive to the 2nd weekend of action. Duke had to survive a nail biter against Michigan to advance on Saturday night and Arizona took a 1 point victory over Texas to advance to the round of 16. In the lower half of the bracket things weren't quite as dramatic as San Diego State outpaced Temple to earn a 2 hour trip north and UConn got themselves a ticket out west with an 11 point win over Cincy. Both of Thursday's regionals have provided some of the best and closest games, so this should be an interesting night. Let's see how these teams stack up shall we?

#5 Arizona vs. #1 Duke(9:45pmET on CBS)
- The Wildcats were the regular season Pac-10 Champions and had to fend off 2 really pesky foes in Memphis(77-75) and Texas(70-69) on the way to Anaheim. Actually Wildcats fans can thank Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams as he saved both games from being losses thanks to a block with 2 seconds left in the 2nd Round win and hitting a pair of FT's with 9.6 seconds left to beat Texas. The question is who else is going to step up besides Williams for Arizona. Interestingly this is a relatively deep team that features only Williams that plays more than 25 minutes a game and as a result it hinders anyone else from scoring in double digits. In order to beat Duke the Wildcats will need some help from the outside, and the most likely candidates are guards Kyle Fogg(8.1ppg on the year) and Lamont Jones(9.5ppg on the year). Unfortunately these two haven't shown a major ability to score, with Jones scoring 18 points in the 2nd round only to be shut out by Texas and Fogg scoring 4 and 5 points each game. Duke on the other hand can get scoring from anywhere and will welcome back Kyrie Irving to major minutes in this game. All that will do is to allow Nolan Smith to create his own shots through movement rather than ball handling. combine that with Kyle Singler and the Plumlee brothers and you have a 5 man team that is truly great. The Blue Devils also have the defensive effort up front from Singler and Co. to handle Williams. I look for Duke to blow out Arizona on the way to the Elite 8 thanks to simply having superior talent and a proven scorer or three in the back court.

#3 UConn vs. #2 San Diego State(7:15pmET on CBS)
- The first game of the night will feature two teams that have made their own ways to the Sweet 16 much easier than Duke or Arizona have. The closest game for either team was SDSU's 5 point 3rd round victory over Temple. UConn's road here was much smoother, averaging a whopping 13 point margin of victory so far in the tournament. Of course UConn's Kemba Walker has been his usual self going for 18 and 33 in those 2 games. Kawhi Leonard hasn't disappointed for the Aztecs either averaging 18.5ppg and 9.5 rebounds during the 2011 NCAA tournament. While most of the country will be focused on these two players make no mistake about it, these are teams and not just 1 great individual with a supporting cast around them. UConn must also look to Alex Oriakhi up front and Jeremy Lamb on the perimeter if they are to get out of this game with a victory as the Aztecs are one of the better defenses left(58.9ppg), while the Aztecs will look for more help from Malcom Thomas(11.4ppg, 8.1rpg) to exploit their advantage inside. I will also be keeping a close eye on the guard battle between Walker and SDSU's D.J. Gay(11ppg and 3.2apg) as Gay will be trusted to try and shut down Walker and keep the pace to the Aztecs liking. I think most believe that Walker is too much for the Aztecs and the Huskies are favored to prevail, but I'm bucking that trend as they are all overlooking the massive advantage that Leonard and Thomas have over the bigs for UConn. Look for this game to be close late and SDSU pulls it out 77-71.

Sweet 16 Southeast Region Breakdown

2011-03-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

New Orleans will play host to a Southeast Regional that most of the America really didn't see coming and the most wide open of all the Regionals this weekend. Sure most people would've had Florida and/or BYU into the Sweet 16, however the 2nd game on Thursday provides us with two teams most people wouldn't have had as 4th seeded Wisconsin takes on 8th seeded Bulter. This Regional is all about style of play as both games feature teams that like to play very similar styles and will provide a very interesting Elite 8 match up no matter who wins out. To keep up to date on scores and things down North Carolina way check out my buddy Mike at The Smoking Pen.

#3 BYU vs. #2 Florida(7:27pmET on TBS)
- BYU avoided a potentially dangerous match up with St. John's in the 3rd round as Gonzaga pounded the Red Storm in the 2nd round. The Cougars got here by defeating Wofford in a game that was much closer than they would've liked, 74-66, in the 2nd round and destroyed Gonzaga 89-67 in the 3rd round. Interestingly BYU has been nearly on their season average for scoring(81.6ppg) and scoring defense(67.5ppg), going for 81.5ppg and only giving up 66.5ppg so far this tournament. Florida got here after surviving a huge scare from 7th seeded UCLA in a 73-65 3rd round victory that was as close as 3 points in the final few moments of the game and a blow out of UCSB in the 2nd round as should be expected of most any 2nd seed not named Iowa State, lol. If you haven't been paying attention to any college basketball this year then you've missed out on one of the greatest individual seasons in NCAA basketball history as BYU's Jimmer Ferdette has put the Cougars on his back all year and that's no different in the tournament where he has gone for 32 and 34 points in respective games, while averaging 28.5ppg on the season. Everyone has tried to contain the man but not many have succeeded at all(13 points is his lowest total) and that's the task at hand for the Gators. If the Gators are to win this one it is my belief that Florida must exploit the huge advantage they have up front and try to slow the pace down to keep Jimmer in check. Hoping to lead the way up front for Florida will be the duo of Vernon Macklin(10ppg in NCAA tourney) and Alex Tyus(8ppg in NCCA tourney). So far they haven't been relied on to bare the brunt of scoring but will need to be the focal point of a nice inside out game that will hopefully slow down the Cougars and keep the ball away from Jimmer. The Gators also feature some good guards led by Erving Walker and his clutch 18 and 21 point performances in the NCAA tournament to complement the inside game should it not be as fruitful as needed. I just think this is The Jimmer Show and we are all just witnesses(to borrow from Lebron). I see a close game until about the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half when the Cougars pull away for a 75-61 victory.

#8 Butler vs. #4 Wisconsin(9:57pmET on TBS)
- Living in Green Bay has afforded me the opportunity to see a ton of the Horizon League(Green Bay) and of course the Big Ten(Wisconsin). It's really a win-win situation in this match up for me personally as I didn't have either of these teams getting out of the 3rd round and being a fan of both leagues the extra money for winning this game will be of help to either league. Butler pulled off one of the most memorable upsets in recent tournament history thanks to the bone headed play of #1 seed Pitt in the final seconds of a game that looked to be headed to overtime, alas Bulter escaped with a 71-70 victory to reach the Sweet 16 for the 2nd straight season. Following up a National Title game appearance with a Sweet 16 the next year vaults this team from the top of the mid-major heap to a legit team on a national scale, pretty much like Gonzaga at the start of the last decade. Wisconsin got to the Sweet 16 via a 70-65 victory over Kansas State in the 3rd round and a blow out of These two teams play very similar styles of ball with each scoring around 70ppg on offense and playing amazing defense(64ppg for Butler and 58ppg for Wisconsin). For me the biggest match up will be between Matt Howard and Jon Leuer. Howard, who is averaging 15.5ppg in the tourney, was the key in both tournament wins with a tip in at the buzzer giving Butler a victory over ODU in the 2nd round and grabbing the rebound to secure a foul and victory in round 3 over Pitt. Leuer on the other hand is averaging 20ppg this tourney and appears to be a big catalyst for the offense with Jordan Taylor struggling a bit so far. If Taylor gets things going this could be a very tough day for the Bulldogs, in the end I'm going to have to bet against my hometown Badgers as any team that seems to find ways to win close games is totally dangerous and Butler pulls out another really close victory, 69-65.

No One Expected the Wisconsin Invasion... of the Sweet 16

2011-03-22T20:07:00.000-05:00

Living here in Wisconsin it was a great weekend for the state as both Marquette and Wisconsin are continuing action in the Sweet 16. For all the talk of how disappointing the Big East has been and I totally agree, one can not point to Marquette amongst that crowd. The 11th seeded Golden Eagles put on a pair of great performances over A-10 Champion Xavier(my sleeper pick in the East) and fellow Big East member Syracuse to gain a match up with 2nd seeded UNC in the Sweet 16. In their two games MU has finally found a resembelance of an outside shooting game which was lacking all season, shooting above 40% in both games while averaging only 35.6% on the year. Additionally they've been getting a lot better help from the FT line, where they hit 82.6% against Syracuse vs. 69.5% on the year. The first of the two teams to make the Sweet 16 was Wisconsin, which has been getting it done thanks to forward Jon Leuer(20.5ppg in NCAA tournament) and guard Jordan Taylor(19 points in 2nd round, 12 points and 6 assists in 3rd round) on their way to a Sweet 16 match up with Butler. The defensive effort was there in both games against teams that like to play at a much higher pace and they proved they can get timely scoring when Leuer and Taylor aren't getting it done. Just look at Mike Bruesewitz's key 3's late in the 2nd half of their victory over Kansas State in the 3rd round on Saturday for all the evidence you need. I mean seriously, the guy was is playing with a bum knee and was out there giving it his all and coming up big for his team when they needed him the most.

Looking at the two match ups featuring teams from my home state, us Wisconsinites have to like the chances of getting at least one team to the Elite 8. Butler has shown that they are a team to contend with again, but the Badgers and Bulldods play very similar games that this could be a mismatch of sorts. Marquette fans have to admit they face a much tougher road to Indy thanks to a young but constantly improving Tar Heels squad that seems to pick it up when needed and not a moment too late in the tournament. Look for full breakdowns for these two games as the week goes on.

What In the Name of the Sweet 16?

2011-03-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

No one can accuse the 2011 NCAA tournament of being boring that's for sure. With a number of close games, unbelievable upsets, and yes questionable officiating we now peak ahead to one of the most unexpected and wide open Sweet 16's in memory. As a result my original bracket has just been decimated, losing 2 of my Final Four in the 3rd round thanks to Butler and VCU pulling off amazing but completely different victories against #1 seed Pittsburgh and #3 Purdue respectively. While you may love my perspective on things I encourage you to take a look at things from an ACC perspective by checking out my friend Mike at The Smoking Pen as he reports from North Carolina. With that said, let's take a small look back and see where things could be going from here, shall we?

Overall this tournament has shown us "pundits" a thing or two about why they call it March Madness with 4 of the Sweet 16 seeded 8th or lower. Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale were screaming bloody murder on Selection Sunday about the choice of VCU to be in the First Four let alone the field of 64 and now the Rams are sitting only 2 victories away from a Final Four birth. VCU took out both Georgetown(a dark horse Final Four candidate) and #3 seed Purdue(my Final Four representative out of the Southwest) in impressive 20+ point victories. I have yet to see either Bilas or Vitale eating any crow whatsoever, only stating their beef was with the selection committee and not VCU but their words on Selection Sunday sounded more like an attack on the Rams to me clearing stating "they don't deserve to be in the tournament"..... which brings me to my own bracket, where I only have two of the final four left and must eat some crow of my own for not taking the likes of Marquette and Bulter as seriously as I should've and for not listening to my gut with my picks against Richmond and Morehead State in the 2nd round and I was totally wrong about Washington despite UNC's willingness to give the game right back to the Huskies in the 3rd round and nearly making me look like the genius I can be at times, lol. Sometimes that's just how picks go though, so I hope no hard feelings Tar Heel, Spider, and Eagles fans?

Despite watching my bracket fall apart after a promising day one this has easily been the most watchable and entertaining NCAA tournament in quite some time thanks to how amazing the coverage has been from CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV. While I could really do without Charles Barkley and his uterly incoherent ramblings, even that has given us a few moments to talk about. I seriously love the fact that I don't have to purchase a massive package from DirecTV just to get uninterrupted coverage of any game that I chose to want to watch, but I digress. After the first weekend I currently sit with only 2 Final Four teams and 4 Elite 8 teams left in the tournament, so it's been rough on me and perhaps the worst in the last 10 years actually. Thankfully my National Champion Duke Blue Devils are still alive and looking great, so I'm going to be riding that horse the rest of the way. With Duke still being alive we see the West Region as the only one where all 3 of the top seeds are still alive. In the Southwest we will see one double digit seed make the Elite 8 for sure thanks to some amazing events in Chicago in the 1st weekend.

This year's 1st weekend will be remembered for UNC doing nearly everything in it's power to hand their 3rd round victory to Washington, VCU blowing out 2 highly regarded teams, Richmond shooting it's way to the Sweet 16 and some dodgy officiating. That officiating allowed Morehead State to get away with a clear foul on a last second attempt for a 3 pointer against Louisville to emerge victorious in the 2nd round and then watching as the refs actually had the gaul to call the game by the letter of the law in the closing moments of the Pitt vs. Bulter 3rd round game where Pitt stood on the FT line with under 2 seconds left only to miss the FT that could've tied up the game and immediately foul Matt Howard with 0.8 seconds left to seal the Butler victory.

Looking forward to this weekend my two games to watch are going to be Wisconsin vs. Bulter and San Diego State vs. UConn. These are games that could provide us with shocking Final Four representatives and as a friend of mine pointed out Thursday the last time the Badgers were in the Rose Bowl before this season was also the last time the Badgers were in the Final Four, so look for that to be a possibility again as I wouldn't doubt these Badgers against either BYU or Florida. Then again they could easily grow cold from the field like Jordan Taylor did on Saturday night and get blown out by a very strong Butler squad. I'm thinking that whoever does win this game will represent the Southeast Region in the Final Four. I'm keeping an eye on the San Diego State vs. UConn match up because of how really, really good these teams are and they could sneak up on a lot of people and make a Final Four run totally under the radar. Talking amongst fellow basketball junkies and even on ESPN we haven't really heard anyone talking about the Aztecs and that's a shame for a team that has only lost 2 games all season. A possible match up with Duke in the Elite 8 is a real mouth watering prospect for the Aztecs to garner some real national attention.

It's been an amazing tournament so far and I can't wait to see what is in store. I hope you're like me and get to enjoy another great weekend of college basketball with good friends, great games and good times!!

The Journey Continues for Green Bay

2011-03-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a great day of basketball in both the men's and women's tournaments as we saw many interesting match ups and some amazing upsets, including 2nd seeded Notre Dame and 3rd seeded Purdue going down in the Southwest Regional of the Men's tournament. On the Women's side we didn't see any upsets in Sunday's 1st round action, but some very close games did occur. The action was highlighted by the two close games played in Wichitia that saw 5th seeded Green Bay get by UALR by four points and 4th seeded Michigan State sneak out a 3 point win over Northern Iowa. Overall the Women's tournament didn't really see all that much unexpected action in the 1st round with only 10th seeded Temple and 11th seeded Gonzaga pulling mild upsets on the weekend.

Green Bay won a nail-biting 59-55 game against a very strong UALR team that featured Chastity Reed's 24 point performance. Luckily the Phoenix countered with Kayla Tetschlag's 24 points and 11 rebounds as they began to clamp down after a mid 1st half run by the Trojans. Switching to the "Buzz" defense was a huge catalyst for the Phoenix as they slowly chipped away at a 17-10 lead and began to pull ahead as the 2nd half wore on. Clearly the player of the game for the Phoenix was Tetschlag who put the team on her back when they needed key baskets or key defensive stops.

One clear observation about this team is that they seem to get a ton of energy from the defensive side of the game, which isn't usually the case. Usually a team gets hot on the offensive end and steps it up defensively, but this group of women take their offensive effort up a notch when they are playing well defensively. Whether that energy comes from forcing turnovers or bad shots it seems to propel this team to further heights. Look for another post later on just what I think about the NCAA tournament selection committee after watching the Women's tournament quite a bit over the weekend thanks to my local interest.

Moving on to Tuesday the Phoenix will play the Big Ten Champion Michigan State Spartans who narrowly escaped an upset bid from Northern Iowa in a 69-66 1st round victory. Anyone that wins their conference championship is a very dangerous team and the Spartans, who finished the Big Ten at 13-3 and made it to the conference tournament final, is just that. The one thing that jumps out to me is that there are quite a few teams in common for these two teams, each having played and beaten Penn State, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Michigan State has 3 wins over top 25 teams, but has also lost to Ohio State 3 times, twice while they were ranked and once in the conference tournament final. Another conference loss to a ranked Iowa squad combined with being on the receiving end of one of numerous beat downs that Baylor handed out this year gave them a 27-5 overall record. This is clearly a team to be respected and is led by Kalisha Keane(16ppg and 5rpg). The 6'1" forward will be a load to deal with down low and must be a focus point of stopping a Spartans offense that goes for 67.6ppg. Of course the Spartans have not seen a defense like the Phoenix at all this year and having tape on the defense is a lot different than playing against it in person. I look for the Phoenix to give Keane a ton of trouble as the "Buzz" defense is designed to help against taller and stronger opponents by being faster and pesky and pull out a very nice 70-61 victory.

Green Bay Women's NCAA Tournament Preview

2011-03-20T11:27:00.000-05:00

I know I've been focusing on the men's side of NCAA sports over the past few years, but living here in Green Bay, WI for nearly all my life we have been blessed with one of the greatest treasures in all of college basketball, the Green Bay Phoenix Women's Basketball team. For years they've been our little secret. Showing amazing spirit, playing tough, and never backing down from any challenge they have faced. The 2011 NCAA Tournament has now provided them with a whole new challenge, the challenge of expectations. They also aren't Green Bay's little secret anymore and we are more than happy to share this team with the rest of the world. So I hope you don't mind me sharing exactly why we are so proud of our 11th ranked Phoenix as they head into their 1st round NCAA tournament match up with UALR!!

The Phoenix finally got a measure of respect from the NCAA tournament committee this year with a totally neutral site for the 1st and 2nd rounds for a change. Last year saw the Phoenix travel to Ames, IA and win their 1st round game only to go up against the home town Cyclones in front of probably the best home crowd in women's basketball, nearly pulling off the upset and setting up a dream match up against UCONN. Fast forward a year and we see a Phoenix team ranked 11th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and having a 5th seed. With those lofty heights come the expectations that they will get beyond the 2nd round this time and that's just not the program or bloggers like me talking. Doris Burke highlighted the Phoenix as the team that's most dangerous to Baylor's run to the Final Four and I couldn't agree more. Why?

Coming into the tournament the Phoenix are owners of a 32-1 overall record and a perfect 18-0 Horizon League record. Interestingly the Phoenix are tied with the vaunted Lady Huskies of UCONN for the best record in all of DI basketball. Green Bay fans and even the coach have to be frustrated by only earning a 5 seed with that kind of record, but if there is one team in this tournament totally used to being put in bad positions by the tournament committee it is the Phoenix. On the court this team is exactly that, a TEAM. Sure they are led by Seniors Kayla Tetschlag and Celeste Hoewisch as well as Junior Julie Wojta on the offensive end. All three average 13.6ppg or better with Wojta the tops at 13.7ppg. Can't get much more of a team than your top three scorers being separated by less than .1ppg now can you? No doubt about it, this team can score, but the real key to the offense is actually comes from the amazing ball movement and fast passing this team does. Additional help for the offense actually comes from the defense the Phoenix plays. No one in the country plays the defensive side of the ball the way Matt Bollant's crew does thanks to his innovative "Buzz" Defense that's designed to create pressure on the ball at all times and allows for steals to lead to great transition and ball movement on the offensive side of things. As a team the Phoenix are averaging 74.4ppg and only give up 52ppg, good for a +22.8 scoring margin. Sure things could be inflated because of Horizon League play, but that isn't the case with the 2011 Phoenix as they still average 72.2ppg on offense while giving up only 51.2ppg in the non-conference season.

As for UALR, the Trojans won a game in last year's NCAA tournament and can't be taken lightly. For a great look at the Trojans, why not take it from a coach's mouth, huh? Here is Matt Bolant Breaks Down UALR. In the end I think the team orientated game this Phoenix team plays will put them ahead and I look forward to hopefully meeting the Big Ten Champion Michigan State Spartans in the 2nd Round. Go Phoenix!!

Down goes Pitt & Sunday's possible upset!!

2011-03-20T10:32:00.001-05:00

Well, things haven't been going that well for my brackets and yesterday was the worst day so far. I managed to get 4 games correct thanks to Wisconsin, UConn, BYU, and San Diego State. We had some amazing games to watch and it just goes to show that miracles and upsets are just limited to the Opening rounds of the tournament. Butler showed that they are quite capable of playing with anyone yet again in taking down #1 seed Pitt in the Southeast Region. Nothing like seeing a #1 seed foul with 0.8 seconds left to avoid overtime and loose a game. As a fan of Green Bay basketball it's great to see Butler winning and helping to fill the coffers of the Horizon League with each win, but damn them for screwing up my bracket, lol!! We also had a great game between Kentucky and West Virginia in the East Region, with Kentucky on the verge of going home until the final minute of the game.

Today we see action in 8 more games, a few of which are really intriguing match ups. The one I'm keeping my eye on the most is Washington vs. North Carolina game in the East. Read my 2011 NCAA Tournament East Region Preview for a breakdown of why I'm watching this game as a big time upset special. Additionally we see an all Big East match up when Marquette takes on Syracuse and as we've seen all season in the toughest conference in the country, anything could happen, so look out for another possible upset there.

If you are looking for a great game to watch that should be close but not an upset look no further than the VCU vs. Purdue game. You always have to be careful for teams that are simply hot in the NCAA tournament, and that's exactly what the Rams are. Jamie Skeen vs. the bigs of Purdue is going to be fun to watch and if they can't shut him down it may be a long day. In the end I see the Boilermakers pulling away late thanks to JuJuan Johnson and Etwan Moore.

Enjoy the day ahead and I hope you have as much fun watching the madness that is March as I have had!!

NCAA tournament update!!!

2011-03-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but so far this has been one of the best opening days to the NCAA tournament in a long time!! So far I've only managed to miss out on 1 game(Morehead State beating Louisville), pushing my record to 8-2 so far in the tournament(1st round games included)!! If you managed to see my previews though I was very weary of that game for the Cardinals, so it's not all bad... I hope you are all enjoying the start to the tournament and are having the kind of success that I am... oh wait, not you Mike, cause I can't loose to you!! ;) Any upsets you guys see happening tonight, and you best not say Belmont, lol!!

2011 NCAA West Region Preview

2011-03-16T19:54:00.000-05:00

Certainly not least, but definitely last I bring you my 6th and final NCAA tournament preview! I know it's been fun informing you of exactly how I see things going down and hearing from you all about what you think could happen. Don't forget to follow a good friend of mine at The Smoking Pen during the tournament as he does a great job updating scores and has some pretty good opinions from down South! Well, in the West region it's another usual suspect as a #1 seed as the defending champion Duke Blue Devils try and repeat. Do I see that in their future? I say let the bracket do the talking!!

Favorite: Duke Blue Devils
- As you can see from above I think we see our first repeat champions since Florida did it in 2006 and 2007. The news coming out yesterday that Kyrie Irving as the chance to play in the 1st round game and throughout the rest of the tournament only makes this team that much better. Duke also features a National Player of the Year candidate in Nolan Smith, who was an off guard forced to play PG and made a seamless transition, going for 21.3ppg, 4.6rpg, and 5.2apg. Add Irving's ability to run the point and free up Smith to score even more and that's a deadly combo. Stop Smith, O.K. now you have to deal with the Plumlee brothers and Kyle Singler(17.1ppg, 6.9rpg), suddenly things become a bit overwhelming. Any way you slice it this team is good individually but is better as a unit together. That type of chemistry can get you very far in March and that's why they are my National Champion.

Sleeper: Missouri Tigers
- Mizzou gives us one of the biggest style match up differences no matter who they play thanks to their trademark "40 minutes of Hell" in your face style. While they did end at just 8-8 in Big 12 play there is a chance for this team to win anytime it steps on the court, holding non-conference wins over both Vandy and Illinois. The one game that may trip them up the most would be the potential match up with UConn in the 3rd round as the Huskies are more than capable of playing fast paced transition basketball. If they can get past the Huskies this team could be poised to make a deep run in this region.

Toughest Matchup: Duke vs. Tennessee
- A potential Duke vs. Tennessee match up could be very troublesome for Duke and may be the best chance for someone to knock the Dukies off on the road to the National Title in my mind. The Vols are just like Missouri in the fact that they can play with anyone anywhere and anyway you want. The combo of Scotty Hopson(17.4ppg) and big man Tobias Harris(15.2ppg, 7.3rpg). Don't get me wrong they aren't quite on the level of Duke, but as UNI showed us the winner of the 8/9 game can be dangerous and this could very well be a though out for the Blue Devils. Also, the Vols do own non-conference wins over NCAA tournament teams like VCU, Belmont, Villanova, and #1 seeded Pitt.

2nd Round Upset Special:
- Texas has to be the most overrated team in the region. Sure they were within a hair of winning the Big 12 and took down a Kansas team that was rolling on their home court, but there are flaws in this team that were pointed out early in losses. I also see this as a match up that Texas can't like because of the nature of ball that Oakland plays. Some compare it to Missouri, but even Missouri couldn't average 85.6ppg and maintain a scoring margin of nearly +9 on the year. March has this special way of showing us how great college basketball is and I have a feeling this could be one of those games. Oakland also has a ton of experience this year, having played 7 NCAA tournament teams in their non-conference slate. That includes a very nice 889-82 win over Tennessee on the road in mid-December. Sure they lost 6 of the 7 games they played, but they also nearly knocked off Michigan State and aren't intimidated by anyone. I called this upset in my bracket and I'm sticking with it.

3rd Round Upset Special:
- If there is going to be an upset in this round for the West Region I see it being possible in the Missouri vs. UConn potential match up. If this game happens like I think it will then it's very well possible that my sleeper pick could also pull off a semi-major upset of the 3rd seeded Huskies. Kemba Walker has been great and no one will forget his Big East tournament performance, but the magic has to wear off at some point right? Look for this one to be a tight game and a fun one to watch in the 3rd Round.

Overall this bracket sets up very nicely for Duke to make a solid run at their 2nd repeat National Championship in school history. Let's all enjoy a hopefully memorable run to Indianapolis that all kicks off big time tomorrow morning!! Good luck to all teams involved and I am going to enjoy this ride big time and I hope you all will to!

2011 NCAA Southeast Region Preview

2011-03-16T15:40:00.002-05:00

Welcome to part 5 of my 6 part breakdown of the NCAA tournament as we take a look at what will, may, and won't happen along the way to winning the Southeast Region. Pitt heads this region as the #1 overall seed and has a very interesting draw with a ton of teams that could be pitfalls along the way to trying to reach the Final Four. Could there be a few upsets along the way and what about Florida as a #2 seed? Let's see how I think this will shake out, shall we!!

Favorite: Pittsburgh Panthers
- No doubt about it this is the one bracket that provides the smoothest way to the finals and Pitt will look to take advantage of this relatively weak Region. Coming into the tournament with a Big East regular season crown and an 27-5 overall record is one heck of a resume, especially in a year where 11 big East teams made it to the field of 68. What makes this Panthers team so great is that it doesn't let up, scoring an average of 74.1ppg and only gives up 61ppg, good for a +13 scoring margin on the year. Jamie Dixon has always gotten the most out of his teams and is easily in my top 5 coaches in America. On the court Pitt is lead by the Senior trio of guards Ashton Gibbs(16.7ppg, 2.8apg, and 1st team all-Big East), Brad Wanamaker(12.0ppg, 5.3rpg, 5.3apg, and 2nd team all-Big East), and Gilbert Brown(10.9ppg and 4.3rpg). This team is also very good on the defensive end forcing 154 steals on the year, which is nearly 5 steals a game. They may not be the most flashy team in America but don't sleep on the Panthers.

Sleeper: St. John's
- St. John's finally has that "We're Back" feel to it in Steve Lavin's 1st season at the Jamaica, Queens school. It's been great to see the Garden packed more and more as the season went on and it was an amazing atmosphere by the time the Red Storm took to the MSG court in the Big East tournament. Many people have them losing to Gonzaga in the 1st round thanks the losing D.J. Kennedy to an ACL tear in the Big East tournament.. Sure he'll get you 10 points and 5 boards a game, but people are acting as if the cupboard is bare on this team and that's simply not the case. I look for Justin Burrell to pick up the defensive slack and possibly score a bit more as well in Kennedy's absence. Ultimately, I see them easing past the overrated Gonzaga Bulldogs and setting up a very good match up with BYU in the 3rd round. If they can slip past the Cougars this team could be headed for a face off with the Panthers in the Elite 8.

Toughest Matchup: BYU vs. St. John's
- The trendy pick for everyone is to pick 13th seeded Belmont over 4th seeded Wisconsin and it's a tough match up, but not the toughest. That distinction goes to my 3rd round match up of St. John's vs. BYU. These teams are both capable of running the table to the Elite 8 or beyond, but they get it done in dramatically different ways. St. John's has 2 very capable bigs, even with Kennedy going down, and please don't sleep on Dwight Hardy. All the kid has done is average 18ppg and 34 minutes a game this season and was named to the all-Big East 1st team. If you've been living under a rock the past 6 months chances are even you have hear of this Jimmer guy. BYU's all-time leading scorer and a national P.O.Y. candidate has been amazing all season. BYU has a record of 30-4 on the year and owns 2 huge wins over San Diego State in the regular season. Much like St. John's the story over the past week or so has been about the loss of a player, in this case forward Brandon Davies(11.1ppg, 6.2rpg). He was suspended due to a Honor Code violation and should be back next year, but without him the Cougars weren't able to get over the Aztecs for a 3rd time. Personally I didn't think it would've mattered with or without him as these two teams are too good to have anyone sweep the season series. Anyway, Jimmer has picked up the slack all season while averaging 28.5 points and 4.2 assists a game. In the end I think Jimmer wins out over Hardy and BYU makes a deep run.

2nd Round Upset Special:
My upset to look for isn't Belmont over Wisconsin, as I see Jordan Taylor ripping up the smaller less athletic Bruins backcourt, but rather the dreaded 5/12 match up. This match up pits Kansas State vs. Utah State. The Aggies deserved better than the 12th seed they go in my opinion, going 30-3 overall and 15-1 in WAC play should get you more respect than this, but not in this crazy year. K-State has been up and down all season and totally seem to go as star guard Jacob Pullen goes. If there is one team that can stop him defensively it would be Utah State. The Aggies only give up 58.2ppg on the year and score at a nice 72.2ppg clip themselves. This could end up being a blow out IMO.

3rd Round Upset Special:
- As you can see for the most part my bracket in this region has the highest rated seed going through in all but one case. Look for that to stop in the 3rd round as UCLA takes care of my most overrated #2 seed, the Florida Gators. The SEC was pretty average at best this year and couldn't even manage to get it's West division champion into the tournament. The Gators on a whole do play some very good basketball, going 13-3 in SEC play and 26-7 overall but they just don't pass the eye test for me, especially outside of the O-Dome. Additionally they only have 5 players that contribute at any big level and sure those 5 are very good, but come tournament time you need other players to step up because everyone is GOOD! UCLA isn't any slouch on either end of the court as well and I simply don't like the match up inside for Florida. The Bruins forward trio of Reeves Nelson(13.9ppg, 9rpg), Tyler Honeycutt(12.6ppg, 7.4rpg), and Joshua Smith(10.6ppg, 6.5rpg) should be the key to slowing down the pace that the Gators like to play with. If Florida does win it will be on the perimeter where they do have an advantage.

I look for this bracket to provide some of the most competitive games in the tournament but may also provide the least upsets as I see 3 of the top 4 seeds making it to the Elite 8.

2011 NCAA Southwest Region Preview

2011-03-16T09:55:00.003-05:00

Welcome to part 4 of my full NCAA tournament break down. Last night was a great kick off to the tournament as we got a OT winner in the 16 seed match up as UNC-Asheville took down UALR thanks to guard Matt Dickey and his amazing shot with about 10 seconds left in regulation and UALR's self destruction in those final 10 seconds. The night cap saw Clemson's d suffocate UAB's best player Aaron Johnson on the way to a 70-52 victory, putting my NCAA tournament record at 1-1. Here's hoping VCU and and UTSA don't disappoint me tonight!! With that said I will be taking a look forward to the Thursday/Friday match ups in the Southwest Region where some of the most intriguing match ups will occur. How do I see this one shaking out? Find out here:

Favorite: Kansas Jayhawks
- The Jayhawks are a match up nightmare thanks to the Morris brothers and could poise a huge size disadvantage for just about any team they may play on the way to the Final Four. Not only can this team score behind the likes of the Morris brothers who average just a shade over 30ppg, but get great guard play from Tyshawn Taylor(9.1ppg, 4.5apg). The only flaw in this team is that they aren't very deep, only having 6 players average 20 or more minutes. Despite that this team is the Big 12 regular season and tournament champions and are very dangerous.

Sleeper: Georgetown
- The Hoyas come into this tournament getting their not so secret weapon back in Chris Wright, who has missed the last three weeks with a hand injury. Just how important to this team is Wright? Georgetown has yet to win a game since he went down, that's how important this man is. He average 13.1ppg and 5.4apg while forming one of the top backcourts in the country with SG Austin Freeman who goes for 17.9ppg and also leads the team in minutes at 33.8 a game. The question mark for this team is just how healthy and productive can Wright be coming off a non-shooting hand injury. No one really stepped up and that shows as this team doesn't go very deep, 6 or 7 players at most. If Wright and Freeman pick up where they left off this is a team capable of beating anyone.

Toughest Match up:
- Vanderbilt vs. Louisville, should it happen is going to be a tough one to call. If this game happens talk about a style clash. Louisville averages 75.4ppg but only gives up 64.5ppg, while Vandy goes for 76.2ppg and gives up 67ppg. These numbers don't tell the whole story until you look inside them, as you see that these teams get their points in totally different ways. Vandy is led by John Jenkins' 19.5ppg, but the next two leading scorers are both forwards. Louisville lives on the outside with the top 3 scorers being guards who combined for 190 3 pointers made this season. This should be a great game to watch should they both advance to the 3rd round.

2nd Round Upset Special:
- This is a dual upset special for as both Louisville and Vanderbilt need to look out. While I don't have either of them losing their games both Morehead State as a 13 seed and Richmond as a 12 seed are match up nightmares for the higher seeded teams. Louisville plays it's game around the perimeter and has great 3 point shooting, but they haven't really seen anyone the likes of Kenneth Faried who averages well over a double double with 17.6ppg and 14.5rpg. If Louisville struggles to shoot early on look out as Faried is capable of taking over inside where the Cardinals struggle a bit. As for Vandy, their match up is more a style clash then anything else. The Commodores like to run a much more set offense and play solidly on D, but struggle when having to run and gun in transition, which is what Richmond likes to do. They killed Dayton in the A-10 Tournament final by doing that and are deadly behind the arch, hitting 46.3% of it's overall field goals and 40% on 3's. Sure Vandy shoots the 3, but not in transition and they try to rely on their inside play quite a bit more.

3rd Round Upset Special:
- I don't know if you can call this much of an upset, but look out for the Georgetown vs. Purdue match up should each team get this far. Again it has a ton to do with the return of 1/2 of the best backcourt in America. With Wright the Hoyas are more than capable of a deep run and I consider this an upset since I have Purdue going all the way to the National Championship game. Do I see it happening no, but can I see this upset being possible? Sure. Whoever wins this game has a great shot to run the table to be honest with you.

2011 NCAA East Region Preview

2011-03-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

Well, I figured it would be only fitting for my look at the brackets to start out east where the overall #1 seed, the Ohio State Buckeyes, reside. In these previews you will get a look at who I see coming out of the Region, my sleeper teams, toughest matchup to call, and a look at some potential upsets in each round. Overall, I see the East regional as clearly the toughest of all. Not only does Ohio State reside here, but so do the ACC regular season champs in North Carolina, the A-10 regular season champion Xavier Muskateers, the CAA regular season champions George Mason, and the Pac-10 tournament champion Washington Huskies. As a result this bracket could very well get messy early on. I have included my full bracket to show all of you just how I see each game shaking out. Let's see how things break down shall we?

Now that you see how I see things shaking out round by round, let's break it down.

Favorite: Ohio State
- This team didn't get the #1 overall see for nothing and are the regular season and tournament champions out of the Big Ten. They feature a team capable of beating you from the perimeter and inside thanks to guys like John Diebler, Willie Bufford, and Jared Sullinger. They are a complete package and shouldn't run into trouble until the Elite 8 out of their half of the bracket.

Sleeper: Xavier
- Most of you are probably going to see this team for the 1st time all season in the 2nd round match up with Marquette and you are in for a treat. The Muskateers took the Atlantic 10 regular season crown at 15-1 and did so over the likes of Temple and Richmond who are also in the field of 68. I say you are in for a treat because Tu Holloway is perhaps the most underrated guard in America. All this guy has done is average 20.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists as Point Guard. Outside of Jordan Tayler at Wisconsin, this is the best PG in the country for my money. What I really like is the balance of this team as they can score inside as well thanks to Center Kenny Frease(11.7ppg, 7.1rpg) and forward Jamel McClean(10.8ppg, 8.4rpg). This isn't just an offensive juggernaut though as they can get it done defensively, giving up an average of only 64.5ppg, allowing for a +8.1 scoring margin. Any team like that can be very dangerous come March and look for them to be able to shoot their way out of the vaunted Syracuse 2-3 Zone and could be an Elite 8 type team despite me not picking them that far.

Thoughest match up:
- Of coures usually the 8/9 and 7/10 games are toss ups, but genuinly this regions 8/9 game is so hard to get a read on and it's mainly due to the talent and lack of production down the stretch from this Villanova team. Which team is going to show up? The one that lost 10 of it's final 15 including an embarrasing loss to lowly USF in the Big East tournament? Or will it be the team that won 17 of it's first 19 games including wins over UCLA and Syracuse? I think it will be the later as the loss to USF could serve as a major wake up call. George Mason on the other hand took the CAA regular season crown and was upset by VCU in the tournament Semifinals. They managed to run off 16 straight wins before bowing out to the Rams and are very good as a unit. The one thing that scares me is a lack of depth, with only 6 players seeing 20 or more minutes on this Patriots team.

2nd Roud Upset Special:
- Even though I really don't see it happening West Virginia must be on the lookout for the dreaded 12 seed upset. They are playing a 1st round winner and I think that will be UAB who is a very solid team and it's not the best match up for West Virginia. If the Mountaineers take this match up lightly look out for a close game and possible upset. I will also be keeping an eye on the UNC vs. Long Island game, as I've been impressed with LIU's run as of late, but it may just be too much of a talent gap for them to make a run past halftime against the Tar Heels.

3rd Round Upset Special:
- As you can see from my bracket above a have a ton of upsets in the 3rd round of this region. My biggest out on the limb one has to be Washington over UNC. Call this one a hunch pick as these teams are very similar in style of play, but the Huskies are extremely hot right now and did beat UCLA at the end of the regular season along with Arizona for the Pac-10 Tournament title. UNC on the other hand struggled to win their first 2 games in the ACC tournament and got blown out in the title game by Duke. Those two differing trends lend me to an upset pick. I am very intrigued to see the battle between the Huskies senior guard Isiah Thomas and UNC's freshman sensation Harrison Barnes, that's for sure.

Overall, look for the East Region to bring a ton of fun to this tournament and look for some very big upsets to happen. I'd love to hear what you have for upset picks and overall winners, so let's see your comments and have some fun along the way!!