Can UConn Strike Twice?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by christoph131

Since UConn has been my favorite team since I can remember, I figured it would be a good idea to write an article since everyone is talking about their back-to-back wins, just as they did last year en route to a national championship. They ran over Depaul, which they should every day of the week, and then barely snuck by West Virginia yesterday in overtime. This was due largely in part to Shabazz Napier’s 26 points and Jeremy Lamb’s 22 points. Luckily for the Huskies, WVU only shot 34.7% from the field. They did, however, out-rebound UConn 40-24.

Next up is their toughest test. They will be taking on #1 in the Big East Syracuse. Syracuse has been chosen by many, including me, to win the Final Four. As much as I do not think UConn can beat the Orange, I will not count them out completely because I began to do that last year and we all know how that turned out. At the beginning of February, UConn got blown out of the water by them 85-67. However, by the end of the month, they only lost to them 71-69. I think it is possible for them to stir up an upset but is going to be tough. I mean this is the same team who has lost against Providence and Rutgers, both awful teams. Maybe we will be lucky enough to see another 5 overtime game like last season. Unfortunately, the Huskies are missing one key component from last year’s team—Kemba Walker.

Big East Conference Bubble Watch

Posted on March 7, 2012 by christoph131

South Florida:

With the Big East Tournament beginning yesterday, there are still a few big east teams that are on the NCAA Tournament bubble. South Florida finished the season with a Big East record of 12-6 and an overall record of 19-12. The Bulls have many things working in their favor as they enter the Big East Tournament. Their strength of schedule is 29^th in the NCAA and their current RPI is 44. Their home loss to West Virginia on Saturday may prove to be a big one being it was their 9^th loss to an RPI top 50 school. With their 1-9 record against the RPI top 50 this season the Bulls will most likely need a somewhat deep run in the Big East Tournament to prove to the selection committee that they are worthy of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. After VCU’s potential bid steal Monday night in the CAA Championship, Joe Lunardi has the Bulls ranked as one of the thirteen teams fighting for 24 bubble spots on his S-Curve of potential tournament teams. This ranking could change barring an early exit from the Big East Tournament or other stolen bids from mid major schools.

Seton Hall:

The Pirates of Seton Hall are another Big East team that will most likely have their fate decided by the selection committee on Selection Sunday. Seton Hall finished the season with an 8-10 record in the Big East and a 19-11 record overall. Coming off of their big overtime win against Georgetown, with a record of 19-9 and two sub five hundred opponents in Rutgers and DePaul left on the schedule, the Pirates looked to be a lock for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. However, after losing to Rutgers 77-72 in overtime and getting manhandled by DePaul 86-58, they find themselves back in the bubble talk. With an RPI of 56 and strength of schedule of 58 the Pirates will most likely need to wins a couple games in the Big East Tournament. However, big conference wins against Connecticut, West Virginia, and Georgetown will certainly help their chances of making the tournament. Currently, Joe Lunardi has Seton Hall as one of his last four teams into the field who will play March 13 and 14 in the opening rounds in Dayton, Ohio. The Pirates took a step in the right direction with their convincing 79-47 win over Providence in the first round of the Big East Tournament last night.

Connecticut:

The third major bubble team from the Big East Conference is the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies started the year ranked number 4 in the nation and with the talent that they possess on both sides of the ball they have truly underperformed. The Huskies finished with a record of 8-10 in the Big East and 18-12 overall. The Huskies have some work to do in the Big East Tournament to strengthen their resume for the selection committee. They are on the right track with a big win against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday and an easy victory over DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Other things that strengthen UConn’s tournament chances are their RPI rank of 33 and there Strength of Schedule rank of number 1 in the country. The Huskies will play West Virginia at noon today in the second round of the Big East Tournament, and a win in this game should pretty much lock up an at-large bid.

According to Joe Lunardi, there are currently six Big East teams that are locks to make the tournament. These teams include Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati. West Virginia is not a lock in Lunardi’s mind, but he also does not feel that they are a bubble team, being ranked 39^th on the S-Curve of potential tournament teams

-Guest Writer – Matt Frags

Weekend Recap

Posted on March 5, 2012 by christoph131

#6 UNC opened up with a 48-24 halftime lead en route to beating #3 Duke to claim the ACC title on Saturday night. Duke shot an awful 41.3% from the field while UNC shot nearly 55%. All of the Tar Heel’s starters finished with double digits in points. Tyler Zeller dropped 19 and grabbed 10 boards while John Henson contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kendall Marshall scored a game-high 20 points while adding 10 assists. The Tar Heels out-rebounded the Blue Devils 42-22.

Other Games
#2 Syracuse 58                  #18 Lousiville 49
#4 Kansas 73                      Texas 63
#7 Marquette 83              #12 Georgetown 69
#10 Baylor 72                     Iowa State 80

#1 Kentucky easily handled #13 Florida to finish 16-0 in the Southeastern Conference. They finished at 30-1 during the regular season. Anthony Davis had an incredible night shooting (9-13) for 22 points while grabbing 12 boards and 6 blocks. Terrence Jones also played well for the Wildcats with 19 points. Florida shot a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line but only shot 38.2% from the field.

#11 Ohio State handed #5 Michigan State their second loss in the last 5 days with a 72-70 victory. Guard William Buford scored 25 points while Jarrod Sullinger scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards. Michigan State star Draymond Green scored 19 points and grabbed 12 boards of his own.

Weekend Preview

Posted on March 2, 2012 by christoph131

In case you didn’t already hear, this weekend is going to be huge for college basketball. It is coming down to the wire, with only 9 days left until selection Sunday. Some teams need a nice boost while others look to hold on to their number 1 seeds while playing other ranked teams.

*Click on any blue links below to see a small preview about their team!

**Also vote on our poll for player of the year! It’s neck and neck: Thomas Robinson vs. Anthony Davis

Saturday

#18 Louisville vs. #2 Syracuse                  Pick: Syracuse
#6 North Carolina vs. #3 Duke                  Pick: UNC (I hope they both lose)
#12 Georgetown vs. #7 Marquette            Pick: Georgetown
#4 Kansas vs. Texas                                 Pick: Kansas
#10 Baylor vs. Iowa State                        Pick: Baylor (gonna be close)

Sunday

#1 Kentucky vs. #13 Florida Pick: Kentucky
#11 Ohio State vs. #5 Michigan State Pick: Michigan St

Now I usually don’t believe that the number 1 seed is always the best team, but in this case it’s hard to against Kentucky. Especially with the way they went off against Georgia during their senior night on Thursday. I really feel like they are the toughest team in the league and should run right over Florida.

UNC and Duke is going to be the game of the year. After their last game, which was like an NBA game, you can expect the very best from both teams.

Player of the Year as Close as It Gets!

Posted on March 1, 2012 by christoph131

Just as I did the past few months, I am going to ask the tough question. Who should be crowned College Basketball Player of the Year? A few of the big preseason names have fallen off in the past few months. Therefore, the race is basically down to two people: Anthony Davis (See team preview here) and Thomas Robinson (See team preview here). Head to head, this pick is going to be a tough one. In fact, some ballots will be conducted next week on this subject, but we still won’t find out for a while. Here are some stats for ya:

Anthony Davis                 Freshman            Kentucky Wildcats          Team Rank: 1/1
PPG: 14.3                             SPG: 1.5               FG%: .658
APG: 0.9                               BPG: 4.8               FT%: .717
RPG: 9.8                               TPG: 0.9               MPG: 31.4

Thomas Robinson            Junior                   Kansas Jayhawks              Team Rank: 3/4
PPG: 17.8                             SPG: 1.1               FG%: .531
APG: 1.8                               BPG: 1.1               FT%: .695
RPG: 11.8                             TPG: 2.7               MPG: 31.4

They average the same exact minutes per game and their stats are very close. Even in the ballots conducted every week, they are within 3 points of each other (Davis is ahead). I feel like Anthony Davis has a better team around him but at the same time, that should make it even tougher to put up numbers like he has since they have more than one or two stars on their team. What do you guys think?

Sorry for the Jinx Michigan State

Posted on February 29, 2012 by christoph131

So, since I decided to make a big deal about how I thought #5 Michigan State should be a #1 seed during March Madness in yesterday’s post, they decided to lose their game against #20 Indiana. They didn’t just lose, they got killed. Although Draymond Green scored 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field (3 for 6 three-pointers), he could not help the Spartans out of this one. He also grabbed 8 rebounds. However, he did commit 6 turnovers that turned out to be quite costly. Unfortunately, no one else on his team was able to score more than 8 points.

The Hoosiers were able to pull this one off led by stand-out freshman forward Cody Zeller (to the right). Zeller only committed 1 turnover and scored 18 points. Junior forward Christian Watford was able to record a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds during a team high 33 minutes of floor time.

College Weekend Recap

Posted on February 27, 2012 by christoph131

On Friday night, Marquette’s coach Buzz Williams decided to bench 3 of his starters due to “undisclosed team violations”. However, #10 Marquette was able to erase a 15 point, 4^th quarter, deficit and came back to beat Big East rival West Virginia, 61-60. One of the few starters that played for the Golden Eagles was Senior Jae Crowder. Crowder scored 26 points on 9 for 17 shooting in 40 minutes of play.

On Saturday, #1 Kentucky was able to capture the SEC Conference Title by beating Vanderbilt 83-74. Star forward Anthony Davis was able to connect on 10 of his 11 shots and 8 of his 9 free throws to score a game-high 28 points. He also had 11 rebounds to reach the double-double platform. He is a one-of-a-kind player who also put in 6 blocks for the Wildcats.

Somehow, #5 Kansas was able to come back from 19 points down against #3 Missouri in overtime. This was one of the better games this season in my opinion. Possible player of the year, Thomas Robinson, scored yet another double-double with 12 rebounds and 28 points. Tyshawn Taylor was able to pitch in 24 points of his own on 44 minutes of play. I think the Jayhawks should be considered as one of the best teams in the country, despite their 5 losses.

#2 Syracuse somehow only beat struggling UConn by 2 points. Kris Joseph nabbed three 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the Orange. With the victory, Syracuse captured the Big East title. Despite the loss, the entire Husky starting line-up was able to score in double digits, with the exception of Lowell native Alex Oriakhi. Unfortunately, not one player off the bench was able to score a single point, and that includes Shabazz Napier.

#4 Duke was able to hold off Virginia Tech in yet another Saturday overtime game. The final score was 70-65. Austin Rivers put in 23 points with the help of 17 free throw attempts. Seth Curry was able to add 19 points of his own for the Blue Devils.

#7 North Carolina was barely able to slip by unranked Virginia in an ACC battle, by only 3 points. Forward Tyler Zeller scored 20 points while fellow Tar Heel John Henson was able to contribute a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. I was really hoping they lost…

On Sunday, #15 Wisconsin handed #9 Ohio State their 6^th loss of the season. Star forward Jared Sullinger only connected on four of his shots, and missed all three free throws. He finished the game with a mere 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Notable Upsets:
Georgia 76                          #11 Florida 62
Purdue 75                           #13 Michigan 61
St. Johns 61                        #18 Notre Dame 58
TCU 83                                  #21 New Mexico 64
Saint Joseph’s 82             #22 Temple 83
Miami 78                             #16 Florida State 62

March Madness Preview Day 5

Posted on February 24, 2012 by christoph131

Kentucky | Syracuse | Missouri | Kansas | Duke

#5 Duke

Remaining Opponents: Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Prediction: UNC is a toss-up, anyone can win that game. Other than that, they should beat V-Tech (15-13) & will most likely run over Wake Forest (12-15). I would be surprised if they are not a number 1 seed.

Austin Rivers is a freshman who we have all heard of. Son of Doc Rivers. He averages 15 PPG, 3.2 RPG, & 2.1 APG. Most Blue Devils graduate, but if his dad is okay with it, he may be leaving after this season. But I don’t see that happening.

Seth Curry is a 6’2 Junior who averages 13.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, & 2.5 APG. He also shoots 88% from the line. As far as I know, he will most likely be back for his senior year.

Junior Ryan Kelly is a 6’11 forward who puts in 11.9 PPG and 5.4 rebounds per contest.

Mason Plumlee is a Junior who is 6’10. He contributes nearly a double-double with 11.2 PPG and 9.7 RPG on 56% shooting from the field.

Andre Dawkins is also a Junior, who is a 6’4 guard. He is able to score 9.4 PPG on only 24.1 minutes per night.

Duke is always a tough opponent to play in the tourney. They have enough veteran leadership with the perfect amount of young stars on their team. They also have strength off the bench and one of the best coaches to ever live.

March Madness Preview Day 4

Posted on February 23, 2012 by christoph131

Kentucky | Syracuse | Missouri | Kansas

#4 Kansas

Remaining Opponents: #3 Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas

Prediction: Their remaining schedule is no cake walk. Missouri has already beat them once, by 3 points, even though they lost the other night. Oklahoma State is the only team with a losing record that they play, but even they have beaten Missouri. I think it will be tough but they will most likely receive the #1 seed if they can continue to win. They have lost against teams that they should not have lost against.

Thomas Robinson is one of the best players in the league in my opinion, if not the best. He is a 6’10 Junior and will most likely be a top 3 draft pick. He plays 31.1 minutes per night and averages a double-double (17.7 PPG & 11.8 RPG) He shoots almost 55% from the field and puts in 1.8 APG, which is a decent amount for a big man.

Senior Tyshawn Taylor is a great #2 on the team behind Robinson. He scores 16.6 PPG, while averaging 5.1 Assists. He will be a first round draft pick, but most likely a lower one.

Junior Jeff Withey is the surprise this season. He is a 7-footer who puts in 9.5 PPG while grabbing 6.6 boards. He also has high FG% at 56%. If an NBA team really needs a center that they don’t mind working with, he would not be a bad choice. He dropped 25 points against Baylor.

Travis Releford is another Junior guard who is 6’6. He plays nearly 31 minutes per game, and puts in 9.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2 APG. He also shoots over 50% like two of his teammates.

Elijah Johnson is yet another Junior guard for the Jayhawks. He is only 6’4 but contributes his share of points (8.6) and assists (3.7). He also leads the team in steals with 1.6 per game.

March Madness Preview Day 3

Posted on February 22, 2012 by christoph131

With Selection Sunday less than 3 weeks away, I thought it would be a good idea to look into the top teams to try to figure out who will be rewarded the #1 seeds in each bracket. So each day this week, I will be putting up a short summary of each team’s top players, remaining schedule, and other projections.

Kentucky | Syracuse | Missouri

#3 Missouri

Remaining Opponents: #5 Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech

Prediction: Missouri has had a great season so far. They have only lost three games. Unfortunately, two of those losses were to Kansas State, and a fluke loss to sub-.500 team Oklahoma State by 7 points. Other than that they have been flawless, winning many games by double figures. They beat Kansas once before a few weeks ago, by 3 points, and will face them again on Saturday. This is going to be a close game but they are away. I do not think they will win this game. Since they already have three losses, I do not think they will be a #1 seed come March 11^th.

Marcus Denmon is a 6’3 Senior who, in my opinion, is one of the top players in the Big 12. He averages 17.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, in 33.9 Minutes a night. He has scored over 20 points in 9 games this season. Denmon shoots almost 90% from the free throw line.

Senior Kim English is their #2 scorer with 14.2 PPG, and 4.1 RPG. He also shoots over 50% from the field. He is barely behind Denmon with 32.9 Minutes per game.

Ricardo Ratliffe is the third senior in this line up. He is a 6’8 forward who averages 13.7 PPG on 73% shooting from the field. He also grabs 7 rebounds per contest.

Junior Michael Dixon is a 6’1 guard who puts in 12.6 points of his own, while assisting 3.1. He also shoots almost 90% from the foul line.

Flip Pressey is the young gun on the team. He is merely a sophomore and scores 10 PPG on 31.4 minutes per game. He also grabs 3.2 boards per game, and 2.1 steals per game.

Mizzou is a veteran team which will hurt them in the future. However, we are just looking at this season and if they can win the Big 12 (assuming they can beat Kansas) then I think they can get the #1 seed. I just think Kansas is a better team overall, even though their record does not show it. They are both 12-2 in the conference.

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