Madness should replace BCS
Enter the Warzone, smoother than a teaspoon of cod liver oil.
*Don't you just love how the NCAA shoves a 96-team basketball tournament down our throats but won't give us an eight-team football playoff?
Oops, we forgot. It's all about the student-athlete.
*Can't wait for that opening-round game between the Nos. 10 and 23 seeds in the Southeast West bracket.
*When this year's Basketball Hall of Fame inductees are announced next week, Jerry Tarkanian's name won't be among them.
Tarkanian isn't even one of the 19 finalists, which makes sense only if the NCAA is doing the nominating.
*This year marks the 20th anniversary of Tark's 1990 UNLV team that dismantled Duke 103-73 in the NCAA title game.
Still the most awesome display of college basketball we've ever seen.
*Tark's tenure at Fresno State shouldn't even enter into it. The man went 625-122 in 24 seasons at UNLV and Long Beach State. 'Nuff said.
*The question isn't whether Paul George is ready for the NBA. It's whether he's ready to get paid as a projected late first-round pick.
*We sure hope Steve Cleveland isn't planning on trotting out a 2010-11 starting lineup of Steve Shepp, Brandon Sperling, Mike Ladd, Ned Golubovic and Greg Smith.
Because we know how that one ends. Like a Friday the 13th sequel.
*Our fearless (and pretty much worthless) MLB picks:
AL East: Yankees; AL Central: Twins; AL West: Rangers; AL Wild Card: Rays.
NL East: Phillies; NL Central: Cardinals; NL West: Rockies; NL Wild Card: Giants.
World Series: Phillies over Rays.
*Are we being optimistic about the Giants? Is black a slimming color?
*After months of hand-wringing, it looks like Buster Posey will be wearing a Fresno Grizzlies uniform on opening day.
Time to plug our Buster Posey oven mitt giveaway idea. ("He's a hot prospect!") Just plan it for April or early May.
*For no particular reason: Darren Matsubara.
*Why does Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers need a handgun?
The man is 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds. Bullets probably bounce off that exterior.
*A Denver Nuggets ballboy thought it would be funny to fill the white leather interior of Kenyon Martin's Range Rover with buttered popcorn.
Martin, needless to say, was livid.
The lesson here, kids, is simple: If you're going to play an April Fool's joke on somebody, don't pick the humorless sod with more tattoos than cell block D.
(c) Copyright The Fresno Bee
Kansas State beat Xavier
Regional semifinals have started in NCAA basketball tournament. Initial matches of semifinals witnessed several wonderful shots, 3-pointers, victories and defeats so far. Fifth-seeded Butler is just one win away to advance to Final Four.
Top-seeded and new favorite Kentucky has advanced to the Elite Eight defeating Cornell in a thrilling East Regional semifinal match. After the elimination of Kansas University in the second round, Kentucky is considered to be next favorite of NCAA. Kentucky will take on West Virginia in their Elite Eight match.
In another regional semifinal match, which was extended to two overtimes, Kansas State recorded an authoritative win over Xavier. The exciting match extended to two overtimes as it ended in tie. Denis Clemente scored 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the second-seeded Wildcats.
After two overtimes, the match finally found a 101-96 awarded win for Kansas against No. 6-seed Musketeers. Jacob Pullen scored 28 points, that included two 3-pointers in the second overtime awarding Kansas ticket to take on No.5-seed Butler on Saturday.
Two matches will be held tonight in the semifinals. Northern Iowa, which dominated Kansas in the second round will meet fifth-seeded Michigan State in St. Louis. And No.1-seed Duke will meet Robbie Hummel-less Purdue in another semifinal in Houston.
Copyright 2009 www.khabrein.info
NCAA Bracket Update 2010: St. Mary's
The St. Mary's Gaels shocked the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, beating them 75-68 and earning a trip to the Sweet 16. The Gaels' Omar Samhan led all scorers with 32 points and also chipped in with 7 rebounds. Big games are nothing new for the 6' 11" senior, who scored 30 or more points in 4 games during the regular season and 29 points in St. Mary's first round game against Richmond. The victory puts the Gaels in the Sweet 16 where they are set to play the #3 seed Baylor.
Before beating Richmond in the first round and defeating Villanova on Sunday, St. Mary's had just one NCAA tournament victory in its history. The Gaels will play Baylor next Thursday with a chance to make it to the Elite 8. Center Omar Samhan will again be the key to a Gael victory and he had been dominant so far in the tournament. St. Mary's presents match up problems for any team they play because they have good shooting guards plus their outstanding frontcourt.
Looking at the latest college basketball odds, there isn't yet a line posted for the Baylor/St. Mary's game, but you can bet that the Gaels are going to be the underdog again for that match up. This Baylor team will be the first team that St. Mary's has played so far in the tournament that can match their size in the paint, but there's little doubt the Gaels are up for the challenge.
Copyright (c) 2003 - 2010 BetFirms.com
Florida's tourney fate up for grabs
The University of Florida basketball players are not going to read this story. They're not going to watch or listen to any of the fussing, howling or debating on television about their chances to make the NCAA Tournament. Just not going to do it.
They believe they have done more than enough to return to the tournament for the first time since this program won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. They believe there is no reason to utter the term, "NIT," in their locker room.
Popped Florida State. Beat Michigan State. Got Tennessee once.
"We've got some big wins," forward Alex Tyus said.
Sure there were a few burps. But the Gators aren't talking about a high-octane tournament seed. Just a place on the big board early Sunday evening. All the teams that will be tucked into the final at-large positions will have some explaining to do.
But faced with an opportunity to finally stuff a size-17 sneaker into all the chatter about whether Florida is or is not an NCAA tournament team, the Gators provided the tournament selection committee with another reason to go around the table and take a magnifying glass to their credentials by losing to Mississippi State, 75-69, in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena on Friday night.
"Now we can't help ourselves any more," Tyus said. "I'll get stomach feelings thinking about it so I'll just hope and pray. We would have been a lot more comfortable by winning this one."
It wasn't simply that the Gators lost a game that would have saved them the stress that has percolated in their locker room on Selection Sunday the last two seasons. It was that they were behind, 10-0, to Mississippi State, another team scrambling for a bid, before coach Billy Donovan had time to tug on his tie.
It was that they watched Mississippi State shoot nearly 63 percent overall in the first half -- and then 50 percent (10 of 20) from the three-point line for the game. It was that they made several little runs, but never made the major statement run that was required to scrub away every bit of deficit that grew to 19 points with 12:31 to play in the second half.
It was that they got the lead down to four in the final minute and a half and squandered two possessions to make it even closer.
Blocked shot. Turnover. Here they go again.
It was that something about this game seemed too much like the games the Gators lost to Georgia, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in their final three games of the regular season. Even the Florida players did not argue with that perception. Heck, they brought it up.
"We didn't come out with the right intensity," Gators guard Erving Walker said. "Other teams, they came out and knew what they wanted. We didn't match that from the beginning. We dug ourselves a hole."
Most of the current bracket projections have Chandler Parsons, Tyus and Walker playing in the first NCAA tournament of their careers. They won 21 of 33 games, including nine of 16 in the Southeastern Conference. They played a solid nonleague schedule.
They came to Nashville and stopped that three-game losing streak by defeating Auburn. Several crazy things would have to occur to jerk the Gators off the board.
But it didn't have to be this way. This loss, to this team, did not help, especially if Mississippi State wins its SEC semifinal game against either Vanderbilt or Georgia today. If the Bulldogs do something really crazy and win this tournament, will the Southeastern Conference get five bids?
What's the next day and a half going to be like, fellas?
"Terrible," Florida forward Chandler Parsons said. "Awful.
"I'm concerned. Real concerned because it's not in my hands. I can't control anything. Coach Donovan can't. No one at our school can. I think everybody is just concerned and anxious and just hoping."
And the bracket projection shows? Off limits, right?
"We don't pay attention to any of that stuff," Parsons said. "No one knows anything until Sunday. We just don't watch it or pay attention to it."
"We just don't know," Tyus said. "We can't help ourselves so we're just hoping and praying. It's real tough. We just have to hope there are no more upsets. I wish tomorrow was Sunday."
A Sunday that just got more intriguing than the Gators thought it would be.
(c) 2010 FOX News Network, LLC
NCAA bracket buzz
North Carolina. UCLA. Indiana. Connecticut. Arizona.
Since 1985, when the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams, Arizona has never missed the dance. North Carolina has qualified 23 times, Indiana 21, UCLA 20, Connecticut 16.
If the tournament began today, none would be in the 65-team field. Zero.
Those five schools have combined to capture eight of the last 25 national championships. This season, barring some miracles in conference tournaments, they won't have a chance.
Arizona and Indiana are still adjusting to new coaching regimes. UCLA is enduring a talent lull after three Final Fours in four years. Connecticut has fought inconsistency in the difficult Big East.
And Carolina? Well, Carolina's fall is most startling. The Tar Heels lost four starters from last year's national title team, including three-time, first-team All-American Tyler Hansbrough.
But strong recruiting classes were supposed to continue Carolina's dominance. Didn't happen. Since a January loss to College of Charleston, the Tar Heels have dropped 12 of 17. They're stung by abysmal guard play.
Roy Williams hasn't missed the NCAA tournament since his first year at Kansas, 1989.
At least he'll have company in the NIT.
Top 3, and then ...
Who wants the fourth No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament? Hard to tell.
Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse clearly have distanced themselves from the pack, all but locking up top seeds. Who joins them? The list of contenders includes Villanova, Duke, Purdue, Ohio State, West Virginia and Kansas State.
ESPN guru Joe Lunardi on Saturday had Kansas State as the fourth No. 1. If you believe that, I've got some seaside property for you outside Manhattan, Kan.
I say Duke or Villanova has the inside track. If either wins its conference tournament, it should earn a No. 1.
The ACC is easier to navigate, so Duke has the best chance. 'Nova hammered Duke in last year's Sweet 16.
Big 12 men No. 1
According to the RPI, the Big 12 is the No. 1 conference in America. Come Selection Sunday, the league will almost certainly get seven teams for the first time in its history.
The perceived strength of the league is no doubt aided by a remarkable lack of parity. You know that coaching cliché: “Every win is a good win in this league.”
Well, not in this league.
Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech have done an outstanding job staying out of the way. If those pushovers managed a few more surprises, we'd be talking about five or six bids instead of seven.
But teams like Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas have avoided upsets against the bottom tier. That goes a long way toward building an NCAA tournament résumé.
UNI a cinch to get in
Should Northern Iowa be nervous? No. Even with a loss Sunday, the Panthers have done enough to get an at-large bid. They beat Siena, Old Dominion and stand 23rd in the RPI.
Which is exactly why the Valley should be cheering for Wichita State today in the conference final. It's the only way the league gets two teams in the NCAA tournament.
Women's buzz
The Nebraska women have locked up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, no matter what happens in the Big 12 tournament. The apparent path seems to be first and second rounds in Minneapolis, followed by a regional in Kansas City.
Who could challenge the Huskers? If I were Connie Yori, the No. 2 seed I wouldn't want in my region is Notre Dame.
Notre Dame started its season 23-1 (the only loss to Connecticut) before two straight road losses to Georgetown and St. John's in late February without starting guard Lindsay Schrader.
Last week, UConn pummeled the Irish for the second time. Still, Notre Dame is arguably a top-five team and getting a No. 2 in Kansas City would make sense.
Who else might get placed in that Kansas City regional?
Count on one more Big 12 foe (aside from Nebraska) earning a top-four seed in the Kansas City region. Yes, NU could run into a conference rival in the Sweet 16 or regional final.
Big 12 women No. 1
The Big 12 ranks No. 1 in the women's RPI, too. More impressive: seven Big 12 teams still have a chance to earn a top-four regional seed. Not all of them will, but the conference has a handful of final four contenders.
The league's strength is just another reason Nebraska's unblemished run is so remarkable.
Consider this nugget: Texas A&M and Oklahoma each might earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA bracket. A&M has six conference losses. Oklahoma has five. Nebraska, of course, hasn't lost a single game.
Dirk's field of 65
- No. 1 seeds: Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse
- No. 2: West Virginia, Villanova, Kansas State, Ohio State
- No. 3: New Mexico, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Temple
- No. 4: Maryland, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Tennessee
- No. 5: Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Baylor
- No. 6: Richmond, California, BYU, Butler
- No. 7: Texas, Texas A&M, Clemson, Georgetown
- No. 8: Utah State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa
- No. 9: Old Dominion, Missouri, UTEP, Florida State
- No. 10: Wake Forest, Siena, Notre Dame, UNLV
- No. 11: Florida, Rhode Island, Illinois, Virginia Tech
- No. 12: Marquette, Georgia Tech, UAB, San Diego State
- No. 13: St. Mary's, Cornell, Kent State, Murray State
- No. 14: Weber State, Wofford, Sam Houston, Oakland
- No. 15: Robert Morris, Stony Brook, Winthrop, Cal-Santa Barbara
- No. 16: Troy, E. Tennessee State, Lehigh, Jackson State/Morgan State
Copyright (c)2010 Omaha World-Herald
Panthers' NCAA hopes look solid
CEDAR FALLS - Last week, it looked like stormy seas lay ahead for the Northern Iowa Panthers, in the wake of their jaw-dropping loss at Evansville.
However, Adam Koch steered UNI toward safer territory Saturday night, with late-game heroics in a 61-55 Panther triumph over Illinois State.
Now, for the moment, the Panthers (25-4, 15-3 MVC) can breathe a sigh of relief. The NCAA Tournament appears within reach.
"To win the league title by three games, these guys have ... done it at home and they've done it on the road," UNI coach Ben Jacobson said, while his players cut down the nets late Saturday, celebrating their program's first outright Valley title.
The Panthers, ranked No. 20 in the RPI, now own 10 wins over opponents ranked in the top 100 of the RPI. And, even after seriously stubbing its toe at last-place Evansville last Tuesday, UNI still went 9-3 on the road in regular-season play. Plus, since 1993, every No. 1 seed in the Valley tournament has ended up getting a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Barring a meltdown in the MVC Tournament, the purple and gold are in decent shape to partake in the Big Dance.
Of course, the Arch Madness bracket didn't completely break UNI's way. The top-seeded Panthers will play either Drake (13-18, 7-11 MVC) or Southern Illinois (15-14, 6-12) in their first game in St. Louis, Friday at noon. Both the Bulldogs and Salukis played UNI tough once this season.
Should UNI win on Friday, it'll play either Creighton (16-14, 10-8) or Bradley (15-14, 9-9) in the semis. Creighton, of course, boasts one of the winningest
veteran coaches in the Midwest, Dana Altman. Bradley boasts a talented, athletic lineup, and a coach, Jim Les, that has given UNI fits this winter.
Finally, a league championship matchup could pit the Panthers versus Wichita State (23-8, 12-6) or Illinois State (21-9, 11-7). The Shockers were UNI's equal in head-to-head matchups this year, and Redbird veterans like Osiris Eldridge and Dinma Odiakosa are proven scoring threats.
Let the madness begin. Ben Jacobson thinks his club is ready.
"What I like," the coach noted, "is that these guys have done such a great job of responding to all situations."
3-POINT FRENZY: Some pundits have begun to wonder if UNI has become too reliant on 3-point shooting. In the past five games, the Panthers have hoisted 118 total 3s, or an average of 23.6 trey-attempts per game. They connected on 33.8 percent of those shots.
Most importantly, the Panthers lost two of the five aforementioned contests.
PANTHER PUBLICITY: UNI is featured in the March 1 edition of Sporting News, in an eight-page section titled "The Bracket Breakers," regarding possible cinderella teams in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Panthers appear on two pages. The most interesting quote came from UNI's all-time leading scorer, Jason Reese (1986-90), who said this year's UNI team is "the best ever."
CLOSING NUMBER: Here's the stat of the season: UNI is now 18-0 when scoring 60 points or more this year.
(Breakout):
Bracket breakdown: Sizing up UNI's competition at this week's MVC tournament ...
BEWARE OF: Illinois State. The Redbirds average a solid, 70.4 points per game and possess the league's most lethal individual scorer (Osiris Eldridge). Plus, newcomers Tony Lewis, Jackie Carmichael and Austin Hill are all improving rapidly.
UNDERDOGS WITH BITE: Missouri State boasts the league's top offense (71.9 ppg), and likely MVC newcomer of the year Adam Leonard can light it up in a hurry from 3-point territory, evidenced by his MVC-best 87 treys this winter.
And don't discount Bradley's talent and grit.
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Drake. Yes, gifted scorer Josh Young is about to exhaust his eligibility. But, considering coach Mark Phelps' recruiting acumen, plus the expected off-season growth of youngsters like center Seth Van Deest, the Bulldogs could be much improved next March.
MVC tourney
Pairings
At Scottrade Center (St. Louis)
GAMES THURSDAY
Game 1 -- #8 Drake (13-18, 7-11) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (15-14, 6-12), 6 p.m.
Game 2 -- #7 Missouri State (19-11, 8-10) vs. #10 Evansville (9-20, 3-15), 8:30 p.m.
GAMES FRIDAY
Game 3 -- #1 UNI (25-4, 15-3) vs. Winner Game 1, noon
Game 4 -- #4 Creighton (16-14, 10-8) vs. #5 Bradley (15-14, 9-9), 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 -- #2 Wichita State (23-8, 12-6) vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m. [MVC TV Network]
Game 6 -- #3 Illinois State (21-9, 11-7) vs. #6 Indiana State (17-13, 9-9), 8:30 p.m.
GAMES SATURDAY
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1:30 p.m. [MVC TV Network]
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 4 p.m.
GAMES SUNDAY
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 p.m.
(c)Copyright 2010, wcfcourier.com
Calhoun's heart still very much belongs to UConn
STORRS -- Jim Calhoun stoked our morbid curiosity, not that we necessarily have any right or reason to pry into his 23-day absence from the UConn sideline if he chooses not to enlighten us.
"It's called curiosity," said Calhoun Friday, mindful of the questions about his absence, but determined to leave us with a loose end.
No one likes loose ends.
"If I thought what happened to me would benefit other people, I would be more than happy to talk about it," Calhoun said. "The only advice I would give you, beyond curiosity ... which doesn't really help anybody ... is the fact that if you're not feeling particularly well, you should go see a doctor. I did. And probably after about two weeks it dissipated, and I was able to come back to my duties."
Before we turn the conversation to his return and not his absence, the mystery of Calhoun's medical leave was exacerbated by the fact he is a human dynamo when it comes to stumping for a cause, be it heart disease, prostate cancer, autism or any other number of causes for which his celebrity profile has been put to good use.
We'll leave the mystery at: If Jim Calhoun doesn't want us to know, there's probably good reason, and it's none of our business.
But he did seem in good spirits, looked noticeably slimmer, and nothing in the conversation with the media would advance the notion that he is any nearer to retirement today than he was a month ago. His medical leave, he said, was not a period of reflection; rather an anguish to get back with his team and help bring a positive end to a season that has not met the coach's own expectations.
"I have never given any indication that I don't want to be here at UConn or coaching basketball," Calhoun said. "I couldn't wait to get back with our kids and am looking forward to the next seven games. I know the difficulty of them. I know the urgency of them. It was painful to watch the games ... exhilarating when we beat Texas, disappointing the last nine minutes against Providence, nerve-wracking against Marquette and DePaul, heartbreaking against Syracuse."
Calhoun said if there was any overriding emotion during his absence, it was not reflection, but a sense of guilt for being away from the team. Not in the sense that he would have impacted the games any differently than associate head coach George Blaney, but that there was unfinished business.
"It was a lot of anguish of wanting to get back and trying to relax to get back," Calhoun said. "I was able to get back. I feel good, and my job now is to try to finish the season and go from there."
Calhoun, 67, was unable to say for certain if his medical condition was caused by the rigors of his job, but he has talked off and on for a few years about his coaching window. Whether or not the end of his Hall of Fame career comes at the conclusion of this season or in 2015, he has earned the right to call the shot when he's ready.
With his contract situation dragging on, I've heard speculation that the school is playing hardball ... and fervently hope that the school doesn't embarrass itself. The man is 10 months removed from taking the Huskies to the Final Four, a concept that in 1985 was as foreign to the Connecticut basketball fan as a Ket manuscript.
Warts and all, Calhoun is a sacred coach, expressed eloquently by long-time nemesis Jim Boeheim following the game in the Carrier Dome Wednesday night.
"I can't help speculation that's going to continue to exist," Calhoun said. "I know I love basketball, I know I wanted to come back and coach this team, and all I'm asking them to do is give 100 percent."
It's not too late for UConn to make a run at the NCAA tournament. Among their next four games they face No. 4 Villanova and No. 5 West Virginia. If you were to tell me that Connecticut beats both those teams, sure they're back in the conversation.
Now, I don't think it probable - either beating both those teams or qualifying for the NCAA tournament - but to those who say UConn's NCAA hopes are over, I say give it another week or so. By Feb. 22, we'll know if UConn is, at best, NIT bound, or on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Calhoun's return doesn't change the personnel or shortcomings, but if there was ever a game to build off, it was against Syracuse.
Sustaining that type of play, by certain individuals in particular, has defied and defined this team throughout the season.
But Jim Calhoun, who has made a career of pushing his teams beyond many peoples' imagination, is the right man to see this out ... wherever and whenever "out" might be.
(c)Copyright 2010 The Middletown Press
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