I was going to write a much more in-depth post about the Final Four, the teams, the coaches, the upsets, the Madness, etc. Instead the First Lady and I watched Frontline on PBS, and their story about how much money is made during March Madness, and how the athletes saw zero of that. This turned into an hour conversation in the Daily Onions office about whether or not student-athletes should get paid, how they would get paid, why coaches are overpaid, why does the NCAA have such a big yearly budget, jersey sales, video game sales and so on and so on. If you ever thought about banging your head against the wall for an hour, don't do it. Just have a conversation with your significant other about all the things wrong with the NCAA.
The craziest thing is, I don't totally agree with fact that student-athletes don't get compensated for all the money that is being brought in thanks to college athletics. It's tough to come up with an argument for why they aren't, except the fact that the NCAA is about student-athletes, and they don't play students, but instead they are giving students the opportunity to get a free education (which is what the NCAA President said over and over and over...) From the bottom of my heart, I really wish that was true, but it isn't. This is a topic that Daily Onions could talk about for 3 months straight, and I don't even know if we'd come up with a solution or a perfect argument at that point. The First Lady may have summed things up the best by saying this: "You don't have to have a vast knowledge of college sports, to know right from wrong." She is probably right. There is exploitation in college sports (mostly football and basketball), and we all know that. Will the NCAA ever change its rules, probably not....allowing many "fun" conversations between couples down the road.
Enough about that, let's get into some Final Four random thoughts:
-During the season, I thought I wanted to name my first born Jimmer, but now I am thinking it might be Butler. How can you not LOVE the Butler Bulldogs basketball program? We are currently reading the book Underdawgs, which is the story of last year's team's run to the National Championship game. Lots of good tidbits on coach Brad Stevens (Daily Onions crush), the recruitment of Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward and Ronald Nored, and more info that we'll probably include in a post in the near future entitled, "Everything I ever needed to know in life, I learned from the Butler Basketball Program." Stay tuned.
-If Shaka Smart was in a lineup next to five other current college point guards, would the untrained eye be able to point out which person was the college coach? Probably not. Throw in how he looked and how he worked the crowd at the pep rally on Sunday night when the teamed returned to campus, Smart could have easily been plugged into the role of emcee at a block party coming to a university near you. Looks aside, we obviously commend the job Shaka has done in the past two weeks. As far as where he'll be next year, we doubt it includes the letters VCU. Our guess is N.C. State. Will he be able to gain some ground on Duke and UNC? Probably not right away, but after how far he's brought VCU in the last two weeks, you never know.
-In case you didn't know, it's "Random Early '90s College Basketball Players Get Head Coaching Jobs" week. First, Cuonzo Martin goes to Tennessee (yes, we know he was a head coach at Mizzou State). We remember Cuonzo as the sidekick to the Big Dog at Purdue back in the early 90s. Then today, THE Monmouth University of New Jersey go and hire Vanderbilt assistant and former UNC Tarheel, King Rice. For those of you that don't remember Rice, we don't blame you. Fortunately, Daily Onions was blessed with a ridiculous and random (and sometimes stupid) memory, so we remember Rice playing along side of Rick Fox and Co. back in the day. No word on whether or not NC State is looking to hire Chris Corchiani for the head job (they aren't, because Chris now works in real estate). If things don't work out with Matt Painer for Missouri, they can always give Anthony Peeler a call (he's actually an assistant at D-2 Virginia Union). Ok, that's enough for now, but plenty of seats still open on the coaching carousel, so more jokes to come.
A few questions to ponder looking ahead to this weekend:
-If UConn wins two games this weekend, capping off an unbelievable month of basketball (11 wins in a row between the Big East and NCAA Tournament), does Jim Calhoun walk away? Close to turning 69 years old, Calhoun's got some suspension time looming next year due to some NCAA violations, as well as some scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions over the next three years. Kemba will be gone after this season, and Jeremy Lamb might not be too far behind, draining the Huskies of their top talents. Why not go out on top now?
-When Daily Onions celebrates its 5th birthday in December of 2015, will Kentucky still have its 2011 NCAA Final Four banner still hanging in Rupp Arena? I think its a legit question considering Coach Cal's track record (even though he didn't know anything). Also, is UK's Josh Harrellson the biggest goon in college basketball since......? I'm not even sure who the last goon in the college game was, but we bet Harrellson will give him a run for his money. As a Daily Onions loyal reader pointed out over the weekend after Harrellson chucked the ball at Jared Sullinger's chest, "O'Doyle Rules!"
-We knew we'd have some bad headlines this week with Butler returning to the Final Four. Creative reporters and editors brushed off "The Butler Did It" and figured out ways to incorporate that into the leads of stories throughout the weekend. Now we get to go to Houston for the Final 4. Spare us the, "Houston, we have a problem" headlines. We know there aren't any 1 or 2 seeds left in the tournament. That's not a problem, and even if it was a problem, that's not a creative headline. Give us something better. And can we stop the potential VCU-UConn matchup leading to Shaka-Conn headlines now? Ok good. Oh, and if Connecticut does win, please keep the "Yes, UConn" headlines to yourself. Thanks.
More Final Four thoughts coming later this week.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Show Us Your ONIONS: And then there were three....
The 1st Annual Show Us Your ONIONS contest, which had over 30 people enter, is now down to 3 potential winners. No one had Butler or VCU in their Elite 8, while only one person had Kentucky. When we break things down to the Final 4, 10 entries have UConn in the Final 4, but only two have UConn in the Championship game. If UConn loses to Kentucky on Saturday, then our winner will be crowned that night. If UConn heads to the National Championship game, we'll have two West Virginia University alums matched up against each other for the Onions title. Here are the three finalists:
Lindsay Hampton: 150 total points (If UConn loses on Saturday, Lindsay is our winner)
Lindsay Spieler: 125 total points (Has UConn losing in champ. game - max potential points: 225)
Brady Smith: 125 total points (Has UConn winning it all - max potential points: 375)
Lots of things in common amongst our three finalists: two of them went to WVU, two of them played D1 -college volleyball (hint: Brady didn't play college VB), two of them share a name, two of them got married last June (not to each other), all of them dominate and all of them are loyal readers to Daily Onions. To find out more about one of these folks, you'll just have to wait to see who wins and gets their very own Daily Onions blog entry.
Lindsay Hampton: 150 total points (If UConn loses on Saturday, Lindsay is our winner)
Lindsay Spieler: 125 total points (Has UConn losing in champ. game - max potential points: 225)
Brady Smith: 125 total points (Has UConn winning it all - max potential points: 375)
Lots of things in common amongst our three finalists: two of them went to WVU, two of them played D1 -college volleyball (hint: Brady didn't play college VB), two of them share a name, two of them got married last June (not to each other), all of them dominate and all of them are loyal readers to Daily Onions. To find out more about one of these folks, you'll just have to wait to see who wins and gets their very own Daily Onions blog entry.
Friday, March 25, 2011
16 Sweet Things To Look Forward To: Part 2
Before we get into the next eight things on our list....let's have a moment of silence for Jimmer's college career (moment). We thank you Jimmer, it was a blast. Now we are excited about the MoMo Jones era (errr, weekend of the season). Florida, UConn, Butler (and Brad Stevens) and Arizona are still standing. We still have 3 of our 4 Final 4 teams still alive (thanks, Duke), so we're still in the running for predicting the National Champion. Now let's look ahead to tonight's action, and reasons 9-16 we like the Sweet 16.
9. Shaka...Gone? Will tonight's game be the final game of the season for the Rams, and coach Shaka Smart? Shaka was already on the "hot, young, up and coming coach" list this season, and victories over Georgetown and Purdue may have hoisted him to the top. With openings at Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, NC State, and Monmouth (hi Ram!), there is a good chance Shaka will be gone from VCU once they are eliminated.
10. College Basketball Capital of the World: Apparently it is Richmond, Virginia. Two schools that are just six miles away from each other, both double-digit seeds, both pulled a few upsets and both are in the Sweet 16. Oh and both will probably be looking for a new head coach after the season, as Richmond's Chris Mooney is also on the aforementioned coaches list at which bigger schools will start taking a look.
11. Two down, Two to go: As you all know, we picked THE Ohio State University to go to the Final Four back in December. Well, they've won their first two tournament games, and need to win two more for our prediction to come true. They got a young Kentucky team tonight in....NEW JERRRSEEEY. A classic match up for Daily Onions, since it includes one of our favorites this season (OSU), as well as one of our favorites to dislike (UK).
12. Kentucky and Calipari: As you all know, we aren't the biggest fan of Coach Calipari. We never have trusted his young squad, as they have struggled on the road during the season, and went home early last season thanks to a more disciplined, more mature West Virginia team. We also don't trust Coach Cal. Even a six page article in Sports Illustrated basically defending Calipari couldn't really change our opinion. Bottom line, he's taken two different schools to the Final Four, and both of those schools have had those trips revoked. Now Cal claims he knew nothing about the violations (maybe true), but where there is smoke there is fire. If Kentucky ends up winning two more games, will it even matter? Half his team will be gone in a few months, and who knows what potential violations are down the road.
13: Big East Pride: Not only are the Marquette Golden Eagles one of two Big East teams left standings, but they also sport the pair of shorts we are most likely to purchase on Eastbay. Gold or light blue, take your pick, you can't lose. Shorts aside, is anyone else a tad scared of Marquette right now? They are playing inspired ball for Coach Buzz, aka Coach Streetwise....."maybe on the way out" (Chicago joke). They play hard, they are athletic, they are physical, and they will most likely give UNC everything they can handle.
14. Rock Chalk: Apparently Kansas didn't get the memo that the Southwest Region is Cinderella's castle. The team's left in that region are seeded 10, 11, and 12. Oh yeah, and the Jayhawks are 1. That means one of two things. Kansas either has a very good shot at making the Final 4, or they are in trouble and are the next top seed to take a tumble.
15. Gus vs. Raftery: This is a match up where no one wins. Its bad enough this is the final weekend of the season that we'll get to hear these two vocal geniuses, but we don't even get them on separate nights. At least on Saturday, the games are staggered so we'll be able to enjoy the final 40 minutes uninterrupted, of both Gus and Raftery. That makes us want to put our lingerie on the deck (what?).
16. ONIONS! After Friday's games we'll have the first set of standings for the Show Us Your Onions competition. We lost Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pitt last weekend, and waved goodbye to Duke and San Diego State last night. Yep, we projected Duke in the Final 4. We were wrong. Tomorrow we'll be able to see who's been right, and who's been wrong, and who has the nicest Onions thus far.
9. Shaka...Gone? Will tonight's game be the final game of the season for the Rams, and coach Shaka Smart? Shaka was already on the "hot, young, up and coming coach" list this season, and victories over Georgetown and Purdue may have hoisted him to the top. With openings at Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, NC State, and Monmouth (hi Ram!), there is a good chance Shaka will be gone from VCU once they are eliminated.
10. College Basketball Capital of the World: Apparently it is Richmond, Virginia. Two schools that are just six miles away from each other, both double-digit seeds, both pulled a few upsets and both are in the Sweet 16. Oh and both will probably be looking for a new head coach after the season, as Richmond's Chris Mooney is also on the aforementioned coaches list at which bigger schools will start taking a look.
11. Two down, Two to go: As you all know, we picked THE Ohio State University to go to the Final Four back in December. Well, they've won their first two tournament games, and need to win two more for our prediction to come true. They got a young Kentucky team tonight in....NEW JERRRSEEEY. A classic match up for Daily Onions, since it includes one of our favorites this season (OSU), as well as one of our favorites to dislike (UK).
12. Kentucky and Calipari: As you all know, we aren't the biggest fan of Coach Calipari. We never have trusted his young squad, as they have struggled on the road during the season, and went home early last season thanks to a more disciplined, more mature West Virginia team. We also don't trust Coach Cal. Even a six page article in Sports Illustrated basically defending Calipari couldn't really change our opinion. Bottom line, he's taken two different schools to the Final Four, and both of those schools have had those trips revoked. Now Cal claims he knew nothing about the violations (maybe true), but where there is smoke there is fire. If Kentucky ends up winning two more games, will it even matter? Half his team will be gone in a few months, and who knows what potential violations are down the road.
13: Big East Pride: Not only are the Marquette Golden Eagles one of two Big East teams left standings, but they also sport the pair of shorts we are most likely to purchase on Eastbay. Gold or light blue, take your pick, you can't lose. Shorts aside, is anyone else a tad scared of Marquette right now? They are playing inspired ball for Coach Buzz, aka Coach Streetwise....."maybe on the way out" (Chicago joke). They play hard, they are athletic, they are physical, and they will most likely give UNC everything they can handle.
14. Rock Chalk: Apparently Kansas didn't get the memo that the Southwest Region is Cinderella's castle. The team's left in that region are seeded 10, 11, and 12. Oh yeah, and the Jayhawks are 1. That means one of two things. Kansas either has a very good shot at making the Final 4, or they are in trouble and are the next top seed to take a tumble.
15. Gus vs. Raftery: This is a match up where no one wins. Its bad enough this is the final weekend of the season that we'll get to hear these two vocal geniuses, but we don't even get them on separate nights. At least on Saturday, the games are staggered so we'll be able to enjoy the final 40 minutes uninterrupted, of both Gus and Raftery. That makes us want to put our lingerie on the deck (what?).
16. ONIONS! After Friday's games we'll have the first set of standings for the Show Us Your Onions competition. We lost Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pitt last weekend, and waved goodbye to Duke and San Diego State last night. Yep, we projected Duke in the Final 4. We were wrong. Tomorrow we'll be able to see who's been right, and who's been wrong, and who has the nicest Onions thus far.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
16 Sweet Things To Look Forward To: Part 1
Just 16 teams left standing today, but a few days from now there will only be four. Here is what we are excited about seeing over the next two days, 16 things to be exact. To make sure you don't get Daily Onions-coma, we'll give you eight today and eight tomorrow. In no particular order, eight things to look forward to in tonight's four games.
1. Jimmer: We might have said in no particular order, but Jimmer is always at the top of our lists. In Round 1 he had 32, in Round 2 he had 34, do I hear a 36 for Thursday night against Florida? Bottom line, Jimmer has been a joy to watch this tournament, just as he has been all season long. Hopefully the SI cover jinx won't affect him this week, but either way, this is a pretty sick cover picture. Will Florida be able to contain him? That is the question. In case you don't remember, these two teams met last year in Round 1 of the Tournament...and no, the Gators could not contain Jimmer, as he dropped 37 in the Cougs victory. Expect a pro-Gators crowd down in New Orleans, thanks to its proximity to the Sunshine State. Plus, I'm not sure if BYU students are allowed in the city limits of NOLA.
2. Brad Stevens: If Jimmer is our favorite player, then Brad Stevens is by far our favorite coach. Is it a coincidence that Daily Onions was born the day after we spent a night watching Stevens in person against Loyola back in early December? Probably not. We complimented Stevens in our first post for his sideline demeanor and the way he interacted with his players. That rang true once again on Saturday night at the end of the Butler-Pitt game. With such a bizarre ending, Stevens was calm, cool and collected (we'll call him the anti-Mike Rice), which trickles down to his players. You can tell his guys love playing for him, and there are plenty of top high school recruits out there that will as well. The real question becomes, when does he leave Butler? We don't think he leaves for any of the openings now (Tennessee, Oklahoma, NC State, Mizzou), but instead waits for his dream job -whatever that might be - We are thinking textbook, traditional college basketball programs like a Duke or an Indiana, etc. With those two schools well off with their current coaches, Coach K and Tom Crean (another Daily Onions favorite), maybe Stevens will indeed stay at Butler for years to come, and bring the Bulldogs to a perennial top 10 team, all while staying cool, calm and collected.
3. Fab 5 Revisited: Two weeks ago we had the Fab 5 documentary air on ESPN, last week we had Duke squeak by Michigan, and if all goes well Thursday night, we could have Steve Fisher and Coach K meet in the Elite 8 with a trip to Final 4 on the line. Talk about things coming full-circle. The NCAA Selection Committee may have screwed up a lot of seeding in this year's tournament, but they have helped Jalen Rose and Co. in keeping the Duke-Michigan/Fab 5 era story lines going throughout the tournament.
4. Kyrie: There was no question that Duke was the best basketball team in the country this season when Kyrie Irving was healthy. A freak toe injury caused him to miss the majority of the season, and he saw his first action since mid-December in Duke's opening round games. His only made FG on Sunday proved to be the game winner against Michigan. Now he's had another few days of practice and should have his "sea-legs" back for Thursday's game. We don't think Kyrie will be back to 100% quite yet, but he should be better than he was last weekend, which makes Duke that much tougher.
5. In the Zona: If you haven't seen Derrick Williams play yet this season, (a) what have you been doing all year? and (b) tune into tonight. The 6-8, 241 lb sophomore is one heck of an athlete. His 3-point play won the game for the Wildcats on Sunday, while his blocked shot against Memphis saved the day in Round 1. What is he going to do for an encore....walk on water?
6. Zebras: How do you like your officials, one's with with a quick five count and a quick whistle, or ones that don't know the correct back court violation rules? Regardless, unfortunately refs were taking quite a lot of heat after the first weekend of the tournament. Throw-in the debacle at the Big East tournament and it hasn't quite been the officials' month. It should be interesting to see if there are any noticeable differences in this round's games - officials calling things a little tighter/looser, possibly a few more end of games conferences/reviews with the other officials on the court to make sure they got it "right". In any case, let's hope head of officials, John Adams isn't prominently featured in the studio shows like he was last weekend.
7: Bo Knows: We know that Bo Ryan knows where the best place to vacation/retire is, the beaches of....NEW JERRRRRSEY. He also knows a thing or two about Midwest basketball. Before coming to Madison, Ryan was the coach of Milwaukee, and before that he was the coach of UW-Platteville. We'll see just how much Bo knows about Midwest basketball when he has to deal with the Butler Bulldogs. This game probably won't be the track meet that UNC vs. Washington was, instead it will be closer to the Wisconsin-Penn State Big Ten tournament game that had a combined 70 points. Wisconsin may be favored by 5 points, but Butler has figured out a way to win games in March, both this year and last. The Duke-Arizona game might be the more exciting later game, but make sure your you have you eye on Butler-Wisconsin down the stretch.
8: Huskies Run: Saw this interesting stat that means absolutely nothing on the Twitter Machine about UConn. The Huskies are 0-7 since 1992 in NCAA games held in their opponent's state. For the geography majors (from UConn), San Diego is in California, as is Anaheim, where Thursday night's game will be held. That stat aside, can UConn's magical March run continue? The Fighting Kemba's won five games in five days to capture the Big East Tournament Championship, they dismantled Bucknell, and then sent Cincinnati home. Thursday night they'll be in unchartered waters, taking on San Diego State in their backyard. Let's see how the cross country flight and "road game" works out for the dogs this time around.
Happy watching and we'll see you tomorrow with eight more sweet things for Friday night's game.
1. Jimmer: We might have said in no particular order, but Jimmer is always at the top of our lists. In Round 1 he had 32, in Round 2 he had 34, do I hear a 36 for Thursday night against Florida? Bottom line, Jimmer has been a joy to watch this tournament, just as he has been all season long. Hopefully the SI cover jinx won't affect him this week, but either way, this is a pretty sick cover picture. Will Florida be able to contain him? That is the question. In case you don't remember, these two teams met last year in Round 1 of the Tournament...and no, the Gators could not contain Jimmer, as he dropped 37 in the Cougs victory. Expect a pro-Gators crowd down in New Orleans, thanks to its proximity to the Sunshine State. Plus, I'm not sure if BYU students are allowed in the city limits of NOLA.
2. Brad Stevens: If Jimmer is our favorite player, then Brad Stevens is by far our favorite coach. Is it a coincidence that Daily Onions was born the day after we spent a night watching Stevens in person against Loyola back in early December? Probably not. We complimented Stevens in our first post for his sideline demeanor and the way he interacted with his players. That rang true once again on Saturday night at the end of the Butler-Pitt game. With such a bizarre ending, Stevens was calm, cool and collected (we'll call him the anti-Mike Rice), which trickles down to his players. You can tell his guys love playing for him, and there are plenty of top high school recruits out there that will as well. The real question becomes, when does he leave Butler? We don't think he leaves for any of the openings now (Tennessee, Oklahoma, NC State, Mizzou), but instead waits for his dream job -whatever that might be - We are thinking textbook, traditional college basketball programs like a Duke or an Indiana, etc. With those two schools well off with their current coaches, Coach K and Tom Crean (another Daily Onions favorite), maybe Stevens will indeed stay at Butler for years to come, and bring the Bulldogs to a perennial top 10 team, all while staying cool, calm and collected.
3. Fab 5 Revisited: Two weeks ago we had the Fab 5 documentary air on ESPN, last week we had Duke squeak by Michigan, and if all goes well Thursday night, we could have Steve Fisher and Coach K meet in the Elite 8 with a trip to Final 4 on the line. Talk about things coming full-circle. The NCAA Selection Committee may have screwed up a lot of seeding in this year's tournament, but they have helped Jalen Rose and Co. in keeping the Duke-Michigan/Fab 5 era story lines going throughout the tournament.
4. Kyrie: There was no question that Duke was the best basketball team in the country this season when Kyrie Irving was healthy. A freak toe injury caused him to miss the majority of the season, and he saw his first action since mid-December in Duke's opening round games. His only made FG on Sunday proved to be the game winner against Michigan. Now he's had another few days of practice and should have his "sea-legs" back for Thursday's game. We don't think Kyrie will be back to 100% quite yet, but he should be better than he was last weekend, which makes Duke that much tougher.
5. In the Zona: If you haven't seen Derrick Williams play yet this season, (a) what have you been doing all year? and (b) tune into tonight. The 6-8, 241 lb sophomore is one heck of an athlete. His 3-point play won the game for the Wildcats on Sunday, while his blocked shot against Memphis saved the day in Round 1. What is he going to do for an encore....walk on water?
6. Zebras: How do you like your officials, one's with with a quick five count and a quick whistle, or ones that don't know the correct back court violation rules? Regardless, unfortunately refs were taking quite a lot of heat after the first weekend of the tournament. Throw-in the debacle at the Big East tournament and it hasn't quite been the officials' month. It should be interesting to see if there are any noticeable differences in this round's games - officials calling things a little tighter/looser, possibly a few more end of games conferences/reviews with the other officials on the court to make sure they got it "right". In any case, let's hope head of officials, John Adams isn't prominently featured in the studio shows like he was last weekend.
7: Bo Knows: We know that Bo Ryan knows where the best place to vacation/retire is, the beaches of....NEW JERRRRRSEY. He also knows a thing or two about Midwest basketball. Before coming to Madison, Ryan was the coach of Milwaukee, and before that he was the coach of UW-Platteville. We'll see just how much Bo knows about Midwest basketball when he has to deal with the Butler Bulldogs. This game probably won't be the track meet that UNC vs. Washington was, instead it will be closer to the Wisconsin-Penn State Big Ten tournament game that had a combined 70 points. Wisconsin may be favored by 5 points, but Butler has figured out a way to win games in March, both this year and last. The Duke-Arizona game might be the more exciting later game, but make sure your you have you eye on Butler-Wisconsin down the stretch.
8: Huskies Run: Saw this interesting stat that means absolutely nothing on the Twitter Machine about UConn. The Huskies are 0-7 since 1992 in NCAA games held in their opponent's state. For the geography majors (from UConn), San Diego is in California, as is Anaheim, where Thursday night's game will be held. That stat aside, can UConn's magical March run continue? The Fighting Kemba's won five games in five days to capture the Big East Tournament Championship, they dismantled Bucknell, and then sent Cincinnati home. Thursday night they'll be in unchartered waters, taking on San Diego State in their backyard. Let's see how the cross country flight and "road game" works out for the dogs this time around.
Happy watching and we'll see you tomorrow with eight more sweet things for Friday night's game.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Show Us Your ONIONS! Update
We had just over 30 entries in the 1st Annnual “Show Us Your Onions” competition. Below you will be able to see who picked what, and who everyone has winning it all (the first team listed) and who they have in the Final 4 (top four teams). Any teams currently in red have been eliminated. Sunday was a rough day for many of us, knocking out Syracuse, Purdue, Notre Dame and Texas. There is one entry that has 7 of 8 teams still alive (Kenny Warner), a couple with 6 of 8 still alive, and lots of entries with 5 of 8. Games start back up on Thursday, and our first scoreboard will be released after the Elite 8 is set late Friday night. Thanks for your participation and for your daily reads!
Show Us Your ONIONS! Who's got Who?
| Daily Onions | JaLil | Lauren S. | Megan | Riley | Carter |
| OSU | Kansas | OSU | Syracuse | Duke | Syracuse |
| Kansas | Syracuse | Notre Dame | Kansas | Kansas | Florida |
| Duke | Duke | Pitt | Florida | Pitt | Notre Dame |
| Florida | Pitt | SDSU | Duke | Ohio State | Duke |
| Syracuse | BYU | UCLA | OSU | Syracuse | OSU |
| SDSU | Purdue | Syracuse | Uconn | Temple | Uconn |
| Notre Dame | Uconn | Duke | Pitt | Georgetown | Kansas |
| Pitt | OSU | Kansas | Purdue | BYU | Pitt |
Monday, March 21, 2011
Day 4 of the Madness: Boom Goes the Dynamite
And on the fourth day, he ended the Syracuse basketball season. We'll save our thoughts on the Syracuse season for a post at a later date, but we'll include some brief musings in our recap of the final day of opening weekend.
Domination Station: After starting the game trailing 11-2, THE Ohio State University got there stuff together and showed why they are the overall #1 seed in the tournament. The rest of the first half, they outscored George Mason 50-15. Put the money in the bag. OSU ends up winning 98-56, and will be headed to Newark, (Governor Patterson SNL voice) NEW JERRRSEY to take on Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Another #1 seed in action, Kansas, also cruised to a victory against Illinois. The Fighting Illini hung around, but never really threatened the Jayhawks, who will now face Richmond in the next round. While we are on the topic of domination, we need to throw VCU aka Southern Prep (South Jersey HS bball reference - thanks J5!) in there. For the third straight game, they've gone up against a team from a power conference (USC, Gtown and Purdue) and completely taken it to them winning by an average of 13 points. Purdue was a sexy pick for the Final Four thanks to the the freakish talents of JaJuan Johnson, who went for 25 and 14 on Sunday. That was not enough, as the Boiler Makers couldn't stop the Rams, who put up 94 points. Yes, this is the same VCU team that most "experts" said had no right even being in the tournament.
You Down with ACC? Both Duke and North Carolina were part of nail-biters Sunday afternoon in Charlotte. In a track meet, UNC held off Washington 86-83. Super Frosh Harrison Barnes has really come into his own after struggling at the beginning of the season for the Tar Heels. He dropped 22, including a 3 with four minutes to play, to give UNC the lead for good. In the second game of the afternoon, Duke and Michigan renewed the Fab 5-Laettner/Hurley/Hill rivalry. Duke went up by as many as 16 in the second half, only to see Michigan storm back and cut the lead to 1 point with 1:30 left, and then again with ten seconds left. 1 of 2 free throws from Nolan Smith and a missed Darius Miller runner as time expired sealed Coach K's 900th victory, and another trip to the Sweet 16 for the Dukies.
Five Seconds: Cue the controversy for the Texas-Arizona game. A questionable five second violation on a late game in-bounds play led to the ball going back to Arizona, trailing by two with 12 seconds left. Zona's Derrick Williams was then able to convert a three-point play the old fashioned way, finishing a layup and making the free throw. The Longhorns had two chances to win it around the bucket but could not finish, including a play on which some wanted a foul to be called. The refs (correctly, this time) swallowed their whistles. Zona will now face Duke, and Texas will once again go home early from the tournament.
Two for Eleven: That's the stat that everyone will talk about this week. The Big East got 11 teams into the tournament, but only two (Marquette and UConn) are still alive in the Sweet 16. They'll leave out the part that there were two games that matched Big East members against each other, so that number should technically be out of nine. But regardless, Syracuse and Notre Dame did nothing to help the cause on Sunday. When the brackets were released, Daily Onions looked at the Syracuse draw and said the first weekend scares us more than the potential second weekend match ups. The reason was a second round date with either Xavier or Marquette. The Cuse got Marquette, a team the Orange lost to this season, a team that is athletic as heck, plays hard as all and can get up and down the court, and a team that isn't a great match up for Syracuse. Granted, 17 turnovers and some costly mental mistakes the entire game probably cost Syracuse the game as much as Marquette's play did. We won't talk about the backcourt violation (which isn't actually a backcourt violation - refs got that one wrong), but we'll get to Scoop, Dion, I'm Sorry Rick Jackson, Kris and the rest of the crew in a post later this week. Now, we'll pour another one out for the Big East because Notre Dame couldn't overcome Florida State. So what was supposed to be the battle for Indiana Basketball between ND and Purdue in the Sweet 16, has now turned into the battle for Cinderella between VCU and FSU.
Domination Station: After starting the game trailing 11-2, THE Ohio State University got there stuff together and showed why they are the overall #1 seed in the tournament. The rest of the first half, they outscored George Mason 50-15. Put the money in the bag. OSU ends up winning 98-56, and will be headed to Newark, (Governor Patterson SNL voice) NEW JERRRSEY to take on Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Another #1 seed in action, Kansas, also cruised to a victory against Illinois. The Fighting Illini hung around, but never really threatened the Jayhawks, who will now face Richmond in the next round. While we are on the topic of domination, we need to throw VCU aka Southern Prep (South Jersey HS bball reference - thanks J5!) in there. For the third straight game, they've gone up against a team from a power conference (USC, Gtown and Purdue) and completely taken it to them winning by an average of 13 points. Purdue was a sexy pick for the Final Four thanks to the the freakish talents of JaJuan Johnson, who went for 25 and 14 on Sunday. That was not enough, as the Boiler Makers couldn't stop the Rams, who put up 94 points. Yes, this is the same VCU team that most "experts" said had no right even being in the tournament.
You Down with ACC? Both Duke and North Carolina were part of nail-biters Sunday afternoon in Charlotte. In a track meet, UNC held off Washington 86-83. Super Frosh Harrison Barnes has really come into his own after struggling at the beginning of the season for the Tar Heels. He dropped 22, including a 3 with four minutes to play, to give UNC the lead for good. In the second game of the afternoon, Duke and Michigan renewed the Fab 5-Laettner/Hurley/Hill rivalry. Duke went up by as many as 16 in the second half, only to see Michigan storm back and cut the lead to 1 point with 1:30 left, and then again with ten seconds left. 1 of 2 free throws from Nolan Smith and a missed Darius Miller runner as time expired sealed Coach K's 900th victory, and another trip to the Sweet 16 for the Dukies.
Five Seconds: Cue the controversy for the Texas-Arizona game. A questionable five second violation on a late game in-bounds play led to the ball going back to Arizona, trailing by two with 12 seconds left. Zona's Derrick Williams was then able to convert a three-point play the old fashioned way, finishing a layup and making the free throw. The Longhorns had two chances to win it around the bucket but could not finish, including a play on which some wanted a foul to be called. The refs (correctly, this time) swallowed their whistles. Zona will now face Duke, and Texas will once again go home early from the tournament.
Two for Eleven: That's the stat that everyone will talk about this week. The Big East got 11 teams into the tournament, but only two (Marquette and UConn) are still alive in the Sweet 16. They'll leave out the part that there were two games that matched Big East members against each other, so that number should technically be out of nine. But regardless, Syracuse and Notre Dame did nothing to help the cause on Sunday. When the brackets were released, Daily Onions looked at the Syracuse draw and said the first weekend scares us more than the potential second weekend match ups. The reason was a second round date with either Xavier or Marquette. The Cuse got Marquette, a team the Orange lost to this season, a team that is athletic as heck, plays hard as all and can get up and down the court, and a team that isn't a great match up for Syracuse. Granted, 17 turnovers and some costly mental mistakes the entire game probably cost Syracuse the game as much as Marquette's play did. We won't talk about the backcourt violation (which isn't actually a backcourt violation - refs got that one wrong), but we'll get to Scoop, Dion, I'm Sorry Rick Jackson, Kris and the rest of the crew in a post later this week. Now, we'll pour another one out for the Big East because Notre Dame couldn't overcome Florida State. So what was supposed to be the battle for Indiana Basketball between ND and Purdue in the Sweet 16, has now turned into the battle for Cinderella between VCU and FSU.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Day 3 of the Madness: Party Foul
There were eight games on the schedule yesterday and the majority of them did not disappoint. We'll start with the games that weren't as close, and work our way to one of the most bizarre finishes in college basketball tournament history.
Teach Me How To Jimmer: We are betting that there are going to be a lot of babies named Jimmer popping up in about 9 months. The Cougs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 after having no problems with Gonzaga, winning 89-67. Jimmer dropped 34, which means he is averaging a healthy 33 ppg so far this tournament. Now the Cougs will face Florida (who took out UCLA 73-65), in New Orleans. Make sure you brush up on that Honor Code boys.
Kentucky Split: The young Wildcats were able to avenge the school's loss to West Virginia in last year's tournament, beating the Mountaineers 71-63. The problem that hurt the 'Eers all year long was true once again on Saturday - no go-to, crunch time scorer. We miss you Da'Sean Butler. The other Kentucky squad still playing wasn't as lucky, as Morehead St.'s season came to an end at the hands of Richmond. The Spiders, the #12 seed in the Southwest, now await the winner of Kansas-Illinois.
Aztecs, Huskies and Badgers, Oh my: The Fighting Dunphies gave #2 San Diego State all they could handle yesterday, as the Aztecs eeked out a 7 point win in double overtime over Temple. SDSU now faces Kemba and the Huskies in the Sweet 16. UConn disposed of fellow Big East member, Cincinnati. SDSU has a slight advantage, as the game will be played in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Bo Ryan isn't quite ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet. His Wisconsin Badgers ended Jacob Pullen's college career, despite the Beard putting up 38 points. Coach Frank Martin's scowl took over the final few seconds of the game, as he didn't look too pleased with a few of his player's non-execution of a final play - that seemed to be NOT drawn up for Pullen.
Doin' the But: On Thursday, Butler won their game with a put back basket by Matt Howard as time expired. On Saturday, as the Bulldogs took on #1 Pitt, it was the final seconds that once again dictated who won the game. In what was one of the most bizarre endings ever, Butler took the lead with 2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Gilbert Brown was fouled by Shelvin Mack (it was the right call). Brown at the free throw line, shooting 2, down 1, with .9 seconds left. He makes the first. Tie game. The second, clanks off the iron and Howard pulls down the board. For some reason, Pitt's Nasir Robinson fouls (it was the right call) Howard with .2 seconds left. Howard makes the first, misses the second on purpose, Butler is back in the Sweet 16 and Pitt is back to the Steel City early, once again.
Daily Onions, who normally is in the camp of "let them play" when it comes to officiating, completely agrees with both of the calls made at the end of the game. Officials you are off the hook. The way Pitt handled the late game situation is a teachable moment for basketball players and coaches of all ages. With .9 seconds left, and a tie game, why even risk the possibility for a foul on the rebound. I don't have a problem with Jamie Dixon keeping players on the lane, as this gives Brown a more "normal" look at the foul line (if normal exists at this situation in the game). But you need to be 100% clear with your players to not commit a foul on the potential miss (as Gilbert Brown said after the game - all I needed to do was make the 2nd shot and we wouldn't be having this conversation). Robinson also admitted that is was an awful mistake and that he's been playing basketball for way too long to know better than that. Robinson's foul didn't even look accidental, as he clearly grabbed and hung on to Howard's arm. A bizzare mental lapse by Robinson. It's unfortunate that the game had to end under these circumstances. Mack is lucky he is off the hook for his last second mistake. Unfortunately for Brown and Robinson, this one is going to sting for a while.
Teach Me How To Jimmer: We are betting that there are going to be a lot of babies named Jimmer popping up in about 9 months. The Cougs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 after having no problems with Gonzaga, winning 89-67. Jimmer dropped 34, which means he is averaging a healthy 33 ppg so far this tournament. Now the Cougs will face Florida (who took out UCLA 73-65), in New Orleans. Make sure you brush up on that Honor Code boys.
Kentucky Split: The young Wildcats were able to avenge the school's loss to West Virginia in last year's tournament, beating the Mountaineers 71-63. The problem that hurt the 'Eers all year long was true once again on Saturday - no go-to, crunch time scorer. We miss you Da'Sean Butler. The other Kentucky squad still playing wasn't as lucky, as Morehead St.'s season came to an end at the hands of Richmond. The Spiders, the #12 seed in the Southwest, now await the winner of Kansas-Illinois.
Aztecs, Huskies and Badgers, Oh my: The Fighting Dunphies gave #2 San Diego State all they could handle yesterday, as the Aztecs eeked out a 7 point win in double overtime over Temple. SDSU now faces Kemba and the Huskies in the Sweet 16. UConn disposed of fellow Big East member, Cincinnati. SDSU has a slight advantage, as the game will be played in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Bo Ryan isn't quite ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet. His Wisconsin Badgers ended Jacob Pullen's college career, despite the Beard putting up 38 points. Coach Frank Martin's scowl took over the final few seconds of the game, as he didn't look too pleased with a few of his player's non-execution of a final play - that seemed to be NOT drawn up for Pullen.
Doin' the But: On Thursday, Butler won their game with a put back basket by Matt Howard as time expired. On Saturday, as the Bulldogs took on #1 Pitt, it was the final seconds that once again dictated who won the game. In what was one of the most bizarre endings ever, Butler took the lead with 2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Gilbert Brown was fouled by Shelvin Mack (it was the right call). Brown at the free throw line, shooting 2, down 1, with .9 seconds left. He makes the first. Tie game. The second, clanks off the iron and Howard pulls down the board. For some reason, Pitt's Nasir Robinson fouls (it was the right call) Howard with .2 seconds left. Howard makes the first, misses the second on purpose, Butler is back in the Sweet 16 and Pitt is back to the Steel City early, once again.
Daily Onions, who normally is in the camp of "let them play" when it comes to officiating, completely agrees with both of the calls made at the end of the game. Officials you are off the hook. The way Pitt handled the late game situation is a teachable moment for basketball players and coaches of all ages. With .9 seconds left, and a tie game, why even risk the possibility for a foul on the rebound. I don't have a problem with Jamie Dixon keeping players on the lane, as this gives Brown a more "normal" look at the foul line (if normal exists at this situation in the game). But you need to be 100% clear with your players to not commit a foul on the potential miss (as Gilbert Brown said after the game - all I needed to do was make the 2nd shot and we wouldn't be having this conversation). Robinson also admitted that is was an awful mistake and that he's been playing basketball for way too long to know better than that. Robinson's foul didn't even look accidental, as he clearly grabbed and hung on to Howard's arm. A bizzare mental lapse by Robinson. It's unfortunate that the game had to end under these circumstances. Mack is lucky he is off the hook for his last second mistake. Unfortunately for Brown and Robinson, this one is going to sting for a while.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day 2 of the Madness: Digital Getdown
With the NCAA tournament playing games in our backyard at the United Center, it was a must that we went to check out the action live and in person. That meant we'd be depending on texts, tweets, and the March Madness On Demand App on iPhones, iPads, etc to stay up to date on the action. With this year's tournament being shown on four channels (thanks to Turner Sports and CBS), ratings are up 22% compared to last year and the highest in 20 years. That is what we call bi-winning. Now let's get to some bite sized thoughts on some action from yesterday.
-Bruce Pearl, it was nice knowing you at Tennessee. We were hoping you and your team would show up for a win or go home situation. Instead it was Coach Beilein and his "do it the right way" program at Michigan that spanked the Vols all the way back to Rocky Top.
-Great to see Texas living up to the inconsistency and squeaking by Oakland, 85-81. Huge matchup for the Longhorns tomorrow against #5 Arizona who needed a Derrick Williams block (again) to save a win against Memphis.
-Big Least: Thank you Villanova and Georgetown for carrying the flag for the Big East. Gross. Nova let up a 10 point lead to lose by four to George Mason. Meanwhile, we watched the Hoyas in person, and it was really never a game. G-town looked tentative and out of sync all game, while VCU was on fire from outside and controlled the tempo of the game with their full-court pressure. Yesterday, CAA > Big East.
-Syracuse took care of the Fighting Larry Birds as expected. Now they face Marquette, who made the Big East look good by dominating Xavier the entire game. Cuse and Marquette met in Milwaukee ("the good land") back in late January the Orange losing by 4. Revenge is a female dog.
-We also got to see Notre Dame and Purdue in action in Chicago. If those two teams end up meeting next weekend in the Sweet 16, it could be one of the best games of the tournament. Lots of Daily Onions love for the Notre Dame team, as well as JaJuan Johnson and the Boilermakers.
Big day of hoops about to get underway. Enjoy! We'll catch up with you on Monday to preview the Sweet 16, and show you everyone's ONIONS!
-Bruce Pearl, it was nice knowing you at Tennessee. We were hoping you and your team would show up for a win or go home situation. Instead it was Coach Beilein and his "do it the right way" program at Michigan that spanked the Vols all the way back to Rocky Top.
-Great to see Texas living up to the inconsistency and squeaking by Oakland, 85-81. Huge matchup for the Longhorns tomorrow against #5 Arizona who needed a Derrick Williams block (again) to save a win against Memphis.
-Big Least: Thank you Villanova and Georgetown for carrying the flag for the Big East. Gross. Nova let up a 10 point lead to lose by four to George Mason. Meanwhile, we watched the Hoyas in person, and it was really never a game. G-town looked tentative and out of sync all game, while VCU was on fire from outside and controlled the tempo of the game with their full-court pressure. Yesterday, CAA > Big East.
-Syracuse took care of the Fighting Larry Birds as expected. Now they face Marquette, who made the Big East look good by dominating Xavier the entire game. Cuse and Marquette met in Milwaukee ("the good land") back in late January the Orange losing by 4. Revenge is a female dog.
-We also got to see Notre Dame and Purdue in action in Chicago. If those two teams end up meeting next weekend in the Sweet 16, it could be one of the best games of the tournament. Lots of Daily Onions love for the Notre Dame team, as well as JaJuan Johnson and the Boilermakers.
Big day of hoops about to get underway. Enjoy! We'll catch up with you on Monday to preview the Sweet 16, and show you everyone's ONIONS!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Day 1 of The Madness: Best Afternoon Ever?
As long as you weren't stuck in a hole yesterday for the first four hours of the tournament, you know it was arguably one of, if not the, best start to the tournament ever. Of the first five games, four of them were decided in the final 5 seconds, and had a score differential of two points or less.
First, it was the Butler doing it, making sure they weren't going home after Round 1, with their right place, right time put back by Matt Howard as time expired. Bulldogs 60 - ODU 58. Then it was Morehead taking down Rick Pitino (low blow? whoops, nevermind), with a 3 pointer in the final seconds to win 62-61. Best part of this game....we had our first "ONIONS" call from Raftery, and boy was it a good one.This was also the first game where people started ripping up their brackets.
In the battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights, Temple nails a step through jumper with .4 seconds left, to make sure that Penn State remains only a football school. Then, we all hoped that the Princeton Fundamentals would take down Kentucky. With the game tied and 3 seconds left, freshman Brandon Knight made his first bucket of the game, giving the Wildcats a win. Definition survive and advance. One more close game in the afternoon session saw the Spiders of Richmond taking down Vanderbilt. 12 - 5 upset anyone?
To the night games we go, Florida, UConn and BYU take care of business as expected. Jimmer goes off for 32 points, as expected. Belmont hung around with Wisconsin for half of the game, but the Badgers eventually pulled away to win by 14.
In the 6-11 games with Big East teams, it was a split. Cincy sent Mizzou home with a convincing win, and as predicted in this space, the experience of Gonzaga was too much for the upstart Johnnies. We did whiff on the Utah State-K-State game, as well as the UCLA-Michigan State game, although the Bruins did everything possible to try and blow a 23-point lead.
A couple of games we are looking forward to on Saturday: Huggins vs. Calipari and the youth/athleticism of Kentucky against the grind it out physicality of WVU. We'll have a Big East match up of UConn and Cincy, and an upset special with #13 Morehead St. and #12 Richmond. Last but not least, we have Butler taking on Pitt. Bulldogs find ways to win games in March, but will they be able to continue that streak against the physical Panthers.
Show Us Your Onions Update: Thanks to the 30+ entries that we received for the first annual competition. At first glance, we have a few folks that lost some of their onions with the Michigan State and Louisville losses. A complete breakdown of all the Onions will come later in the weekend, so you can see who you are matched up against.
Daily Onions is headed to watch some hoops live and in person today in Chicago. This will mark the first time we've been to an NCAA Tournament game since 2003, when....you know, a certain team cut down the nets in New Orleans. Onions!
First, it was the Butler doing it, making sure they weren't going home after Round 1, with their right place, right time put back by Matt Howard as time expired. Bulldogs 60 - ODU 58. Then it was Morehead taking down Rick Pitino (low blow? whoops, nevermind), with a 3 pointer in the final seconds to win 62-61. Best part of this game....we had our first "ONIONS" call from Raftery, and boy was it a good one.This was also the first game where people started ripping up their brackets.
In the battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights, Temple nails a step through jumper with .4 seconds left, to make sure that Penn State remains only a football school. Then, we all hoped that the Princeton Fundamentals would take down Kentucky. With the game tied and 3 seconds left, freshman Brandon Knight made his first bucket of the game, giving the Wildcats a win. Definition survive and advance. One more close game in the afternoon session saw the Spiders of Richmond taking down Vanderbilt. 12 - 5 upset anyone?
To the night games we go, Florida, UConn and BYU take care of business as expected. Jimmer goes off for 32 points, as expected. Belmont hung around with Wisconsin for half of the game, but the Badgers eventually pulled away to win by 14.
In the 6-11 games with Big East teams, it was a split. Cincy sent Mizzou home with a convincing win, and as predicted in this space, the experience of Gonzaga was too much for the upstart Johnnies. We did whiff on the Utah State-K-State game, as well as the UCLA-Michigan State game, although the Bruins did everything possible to try and blow a 23-point lead.
A couple of games we are looking forward to on Saturday: Huggins vs. Calipari and the youth/athleticism of Kentucky against the grind it out physicality of WVU. We'll have a Big East match up of UConn and Cincy, and an upset special with #13 Morehead St. and #12 Richmond. Last but not least, we have Butler taking on Pitt. Bulldogs find ways to win games in March, but will they be able to continue that streak against the physical Panthers.
Show Us Your Onions Update: Thanks to the 30+ entries that we received for the first annual competition. At first glance, we have a few folks that lost some of their onions with the Michigan State and Louisville losses. A complete breakdown of all the Onions will come later in the weekend, so you can see who you are matched up against.
Daily Onions is headed to watch some hoops live and in person today in Chicago. This will mark the first time we've been to an NCAA Tournament game since 2003, when....you know, a certain team cut down the nets in New Orleans. Onions!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Big: East Region
We've saved the best for last. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, the East Region is the toughest out there. Let's dive right in because there is lots to discuss.
'Cuse is in the House: The Orange are taking their talents to Cleveland for Round 1 and will take on the Fighting Larry Birds from Indiana State. If they are able to avoid the upset bid from the #14 seed, they'll either play #6 Xavier (in Cleveland - Thank you selection committee!) or #11 Marquette, a Big East foe that Syracuse lost to in January. Not going to lie, but the second round scares us. Xavier is a sneaky team and they'll have somewhat of a home-court advantage, while Marquette is a team that knows Syracuse, plays them every year, and has a victory against them two months ago. If Cuse can get out of Round 2, we'll feel better about things. The East Region is located in Newark, NJ aka Syracuseville East. Potential Sweet 16 opponent is North Carolina, a match up we kind of like. Hold that thought.
Big East Tournament, Part 2: We know Cuse and Marquette are in this bracket, but there's also #9 Villanova and #5 West Virginia. Nova hasn't won a game in ages, so we are going to go with everyone's favorite flashback Cinderella, #8 George Mason. Meanwhile, Huggie Bear and the boys will actually tip in the first game on Thursday in Tampa, taking on Clemson (a team that just played late Tuesday night in Dayton - Thank you Selection Committee! Love, Clemson). What will definitely be a grind it out, physical game, we are going to take WVU. An added bonus would be Bob Huggins rubbing one of his player's faces, or at least getting nose to nose during a timeout. Potential second round game for WVU puts them against Kentucky, the team they upset last year to go to the Final Four. Huggins also owns Calipari, so while Kentucky looks to have more talent, don't count out the Eers.
You Never Forget Your First: Get your mind out of the gutter. Just about three months ago, Daily Onions made our first Final Four projection of the year. Since then, we've been riding the bandwagon of Sullinger, Diebler, Lighty, Buford, Lauderdale and Craft, aka THE Ohio State University. In case you forgot, this is what we wrote back on December 21 on why OSU would make the Final Four: Dominant Player (Sullinger) + Experience (Lighty played with Havlicek) + Tough, but not too tough of a schedule (Two road losses to the second and third best teams in the conference) = OSU in Final 4. We are sticking to our guns, and Ohio State will be in Houston. It pains me to say, but after taking down Kentucky, OSU will take out Syracuse in the Elite 8 (who would have beat UNC in the Sweet 16) to cut down the nets in Newark.
And then what? Our Final Four includes OSU, Duke, Kansas and Florida. When we first filled out our bracket on Monday, we had OSU beating Duke. Even with new information available and all signs pointing to Duke's Kyrie Irving ready to see some action this week, we are still going to go with OSU. (By the way, the "Chance Irving plays this week" news on Twitter on Tuesday was the equivalent of the public address announcer saying "Daniel LaRusso is going to fight" at the All Valley Karate Championship in 1984. I can only imagine what Twitter would have looked like if people heard what Myagi did in the locker room). OSU will face the Rock Chalk Jayhawk in the National Championship Game, and with a final score of 70-66, Jared Sullinger does his best Carmelo Anthony impression and leads his team to a National Championship as a freshman.
Now that we've gotten that all taken care of, we can watch some basketball! Odds that our picks are even relatively close to what actually happens....no chance. Odds that your picks are close...you tell us! Show us YOUR Onions. Lots of entries came in on Wednesday, so make sure you don't miss out on the fun. I mean who wouldn't want an entire Daily Onions post about them??
'Cuse is in the House: The Orange are taking their talents to Cleveland for Round 1 and will take on the Fighting Larry Birds from Indiana State. If they are able to avoid the upset bid from the #14 seed, they'll either play #6 Xavier (in Cleveland - Thank you selection committee!) or #11 Marquette, a Big East foe that Syracuse lost to in January. Not going to lie, but the second round scares us. Xavier is a sneaky team and they'll have somewhat of a home-court advantage, while Marquette is a team that knows Syracuse, plays them every year, and has a victory against them two months ago. If Cuse can get out of Round 2, we'll feel better about things. The East Region is located in Newark, NJ aka Syracuseville East. Potential Sweet 16 opponent is North Carolina, a match up we kind of like. Hold that thought.
Big East Tournament, Part 2: We know Cuse and Marquette are in this bracket, but there's also #9 Villanova and #5 West Virginia. Nova hasn't won a game in ages, so we are going to go with everyone's favorite flashback Cinderella, #8 George Mason. Meanwhile, Huggie Bear and the boys will actually tip in the first game on Thursday in Tampa, taking on Clemson (a team that just played late Tuesday night in Dayton - Thank you Selection Committee! Love, Clemson). What will definitely be a grind it out, physical game, we are going to take WVU. An added bonus would be Bob Huggins rubbing one of his player's faces, or at least getting nose to nose during a timeout. Potential second round game for WVU puts them against Kentucky, the team they upset last year to go to the Final Four. Huggins also owns Calipari, so while Kentucky looks to have more talent, don't count out the Eers.
You Never Forget Your First: Get your mind out of the gutter. Just about three months ago, Daily Onions made our first Final Four projection of the year. Since then, we've been riding the bandwagon of Sullinger, Diebler, Lighty, Buford, Lauderdale and Craft, aka THE Ohio State University. In case you forgot, this is what we wrote back on December 21 on why OSU would make the Final Four: Dominant Player (Sullinger) + Experience (Lighty played with Havlicek) + Tough, but not too tough of a schedule (Two road losses to the second and third best teams in the conference) = OSU in Final 4. We are sticking to our guns, and Ohio State will be in Houston. It pains me to say, but after taking down Kentucky, OSU will take out Syracuse in the Elite 8 (who would have beat UNC in the Sweet 16) to cut down the nets in Newark.
And then what? Our Final Four includes OSU, Duke, Kansas and Florida. When we first filled out our bracket on Monday, we had OSU beating Duke. Even with new information available and all signs pointing to Duke's Kyrie Irving ready to see some action this week, we are still going to go with OSU. (By the way, the "Chance Irving plays this week" news on Twitter on Tuesday was the equivalent of the public address announcer saying "Daniel LaRusso is going to fight" at the All Valley Karate Championship in 1984. I can only imagine what Twitter would have looked like if people heard what Myagi did in the locker room). OSU will face the Rock Chalk Jayhawk in the National Championship Game, and with a final score of 70-66, Jared Sullinger does his best Carmelo Anthony impression and leads his team to a National Championship as a freshman.
Now that we've gotten that all taken care of, we can watch some basketball! Odds that our picks are even relatively close to what actually happens....no chance. Odds that your picks are close...you tell us! Show us YOUR Onions. Lots of entries came in on Wednesday, so make sure you don't miss out on the fun. I mean who wouldn't want an entire Daily Onions post about them??
How It Will Be Won: West Region
We've digested the weaker side of the tournament with the Southwest and Southeast Regions, now we head to the big boy brackets and we'll start with the West.
Like A Box of Chocolates: Cause you never know what ya gonna get, when it comes to teams like Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, with a little side of UConn thrown in there as well. All these teams have shown signs of greatness (Tennessee beat Pitt early in the year; Texas won at Kansas and was in the Top 5 most of the year; Missouri was great at home and awful on the road; UConn won the Big East Tournament with 5 games in 5 days, but struggled in the month of February), but who is to know which ones show up with their season on the line. We like UConn to win a few games, but not sure how long their legs hold up. Texas and Tennessee each win a game, but bow out in Round 2 to Arizona and Duke respectively. We'll lean in favor of the Big East when Cincy takes on Mizzou.
Pennsylvania Pride: How do you like your PA basketball? Heart of Philadelphia Temple style, or Big Ten Penn State style? We'll see which one prevails in this 10-7 match up, but we are picking Temple to advance to face #2 San Diego State. The Owls could give the Aztecs trouble, but we think Temple will be headed back to the City of Brotherly love after Round 2.
Don't I Know You? Thanks to 11 Big East teams getting into the Tournament, there is a chance this bracket could see UConn going up against Cincinnati in Round 2. For those of you scoring at home, the Huskies defended their home court and beat the Bearcats by 8 in late February.
What will happen? Call it chalk, call it boring, call it what you will, but we have #1 Duke playing #5 Arizona, and #2 San Diego State playing #3 UConn in the Sweet 16. As we predicted back in mid-February, Duke will advance to the Final 4, after ending San Diego State's storybook season.
Our next post will breakdown the toughest region of them all, the East. Funny how the Big East is the best conference, and the East is the best region on paper.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Like A Box of Chocolates: Cause you never know what ya gonna get, when it comes to teams like Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, with a little side of UConn thrown in there as well. All these teams have shown signs of greatness (Tennessee beat Pitt early in the year; Texas won at Kansas and was in the Top 5 most of the year; Missouri was great at home and awful on the road; UConn won the Big East Tournament with 5 games in 5 days, but struggled in the month of February), but who is to know which ones show up with their season on the line. We like UConn to win a few games, but not sure how long their legs hold up. Texas and Tennessee each win a game, but bow out in Round 2 to Arizona and Duke respectively. We'll lean in favor of the Big East when Cincy takes on Mizzou.
Pennsylvania Pride: How do you like your PA basketball? Heart of Philadelphia Temple style, or Big Ten Penn State style? We'll see which one prevails in this 10-7 match up, but we are picking Temple to advance to face #2 San Diego State. The Owls could give the Aztecs trouble, but we think Temple will be headed back to the City of Brotherly love after Round 2.
Don't I Know You? Thanks to 11 Big East teams getting into the Tournament, there is a chance this bracket could see UConn going up against Cincinnati in Round 2. For those of you scoring at home, the Huskies defended their home court and beat the Bearcats by 8 in late February.
What will happen? Call it chalk, call it boring, call it what you will, but we have #1 Duke playing #5 Arizona, and #2 San Diego State playing #3 UConn in the Sweet 16. As we predicted back in mid-February, Duke will advance to the Final 4, after ending San Diego State's storybook season.
Our next post will breakdown the toughest region of them all, the East. Funny how the Big East is the best conference, and the East is the best region on paper.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
It's On: Southwest Region
Not as easy as the Southeast, but not as tough as the East or the West. That's where the Southwest Region lives right now. In many of the media picks we've seen thus far, Kansas seems to be the favorite coming out of this region, and we'll most likely agree. As there are in each region, some interesting match ups along the way. Let's take a look:
Upset Alert: #12 Richmond vs. #5 Vanderbilt. Not really sure what we are thinking here. Maybe we aren't that high on Vanderbilt because their home court has benches on the baseline instead of the sidelines. Maybe we like Richmond because they are Spiders, or because they won their conference tournament in Atlantic City ("Always Turned On"). Either way, we wouldn't be surprised to see Richmond knock off Vandy. Regardless of who wins this one, that will be their only win of the tournament and will exit stage left in Round 2 against Louisville.
Rock-Chalk: Another double-word score with Chalk. The top of this bracket should have Kansas cruise past their first and second round opponent. We say "cruise" in the sense that Kansas doesn't soil themselves like they did last year against Northern Iowa, or previous years against Bradley and Bucknell in the early rounds.We think they'll meet Louisville in the Sweet 16, before taking down a team from Indiana (suspense!) in the Elite 8.
Indiana's Finest: We don't see too many upsets at the bottom of the bracket, maybe #10 FSU over #7 Texas A & M. If all goes to plan, we'll have an Elite 8 match up between two of Daily Onions favorite teams throughout the year #3 Purdue and #2 Notre Dame. Two teams from the great basketball state of Indiana, two teams with senior leadership, two teams with solid coaches, two teams battling deep in the heart of Texas (San Antonio) for a chance to go to the Elite 8. It pains me to go against Daily Onions crush, JaJuan Johnson, but we'll take the Irish in this one. Early on, this is our favorite Sweet 16 match up to watch.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Upset Alert: #12 Richmond vs. #5 Vanderbilt. Not really sure what we are thinking here. Maybe we aren't that high on Vanderbilt because their home court has benches on the baseline instead of the sidelines. Maybe we like Richmond because they are Spiders, or because they won their conference tournament in Atlantic City ("Always Turned On"). Either way, we wouldn't be surprised to see Richmond knock off Vandy. Regardless of who wins this one, that will be their only win of the tournament and will exit stage left in Round 2 against Louisville.
Rock-Chalk: Another double-word score with Chalk. The top of this bracket should have Kansas cruise past their first and second round opponent. We say "cruise" in the sense that Kansas doesn't soil themselves like they did last year against Northern Iowa, or previous years against Bradley and Bucknell in the early rounds.We think they'll meet Louisville in the Sweet 16, before taking down a team from Indiana (suspense!) in the Elite 8.
Indiana's Finest: We don't see too many upsets at the bottom of the bracket, maybe #10 FSU over #7 Texas A & M. If all goes to plan, we'll have an Elite 8 match up between two of Daily Onions favorite teams throughout the year #3 Purdue and #2 Notre Dame. Two teams from the great basketball state of Indiana, two teams with senior leadership, two teams with solid coaches, two teams battling deep in the heart of Texas (San Antonio) for a chance to go to the Elite 8. It pains me to go against Daily Onions crush, JaJuan Johnson, but we'll take the Irish in this one. Early on, this is our favorite Sweet 16 match up to watch.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
The Big Easy: Southeast Region
Daily Onions gets a double word score for today's title, since the Southeast Regional final will be held in New Orleans, and it seems to be the simplest road to the Final Four for the top seeds. Here's our in-depth analysis of this region, with who we think will be headed to Houston in two and half weeks.
Toughest First Round Match up: #8 Butler vs. #9 Old Dominion. If these two teams were playing anyone else, I'd bet that most people would have them both advancing. A battle of two of the best mid-majors in the country, Butler struggled for most of the season but put things together down the stretch and ended up winning the Horizon League. Old Dominion has won 14 of their last 15 games, and has stacked up SIX wins against this year's tournament field. As much as we hate to say it, Daily Onions is leaning ODU here.
Most Historical Matchup: #7 UCLA vs. #10 Michigan State. We've discussed Michigan State's problems all year long. It is March though, do you pick against them? Regardless of who wins this game, we think they'll be sent home by #2 Florida in Round 2. If it ends up being Florida and Michigan State, it will be a rematch of the 2000 Finals, in which the Spartans won.
Upset Special x 3: #11 Gonzaga (vs. #6 St. John's), #12 Utah State (vs. #5 Kansas State) and #13 Belmont (vs. #4 Wisconsin) are all higher seeds that could be trendy upset picks in this bracket. St. John's will be short-handed after losing DJ Kennedy in the Big East tournament, while Gonzaga is tournament tough, making their 87th straight Big Dance (13th, actually). Utah State has been ranked in the top 25 this year, won 30 games and has an RPI of 15. When they were announced as a 12 seed, they did not look happy about that. Might be leaning that way, instead of going with a hot and cold K-State team. We think Wisconsin, who is coming off a loss to Penn State in which they scored 33 points, will bounce back and take care of Belmont. Bo Ryan isn't ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet.
What Happens? We are going to go with Pittsburgh meeting Florida (who will end Jimmer Mania in the Sweet 16) in the Regional Final. Yes, we know that's very chalk-y, but get used to it. Game being played in New Orleans, Florida has the advantage and Pitt goes home w/o a trip to the Final Four once again.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Toughest First Round Match up: #8 Butler vs. #9 Old Dominion. If these two teams were playing anyone else, I'd bet that most people would have them both advancing. A battle of two of the best mid-majors in the country, Butler struggled for most of the season but put things together down the stretch and ended up winning the Horizon League. Old Dominion has won 14 of their last 15 games, and has stacked up SIX wins against this year's tournament field. As much as we hate to say it, Daily Onions is leaning ODU here.
Most Historical Matchup: #7 UCLA vs. #10 Michigan State. We've discussed Michigan State's problems all year long. It is March though, do you pick against them? Regardless of who wins this game, we think they'll be sent home by #2 Florida in Round 2. If it ends up being Florida and Michigan State, it will be a rematch of the 2000 Finals, in which the Spartans won.
Upset Special x 3: #11 Gonzaga (vs. #6 St. John's), #12 Utah State (vs. #5 Kansas State) and #13 Belmont (vs. #4 Wisconsin) are all higher seeds that could be trendy upset picks in this bracket. St. John's will be short-handed after losing DJ Kennedy in the Big East tournament, while Gonzaga is tournament tough, making their 87th straight Big Dance (13th, actually). Utah State has been ranked in the top 25 this year, won 30 games and has an RPI of 15. When they were announced as a 12 seed, they did not look happy about that. Might be leaning that way, instead of going with a hot and cold K-State team. We think Wisconsin, who is coming off a loss to Penn State in which they scored 33 points, will bounce back and take care of Belmont. Bo Ryan isn't ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet.
What Happens? We are going to go with Pittsburgh meeting Florida (who will end Jimmer Mania in the Sweet 16) in the Regional Final. Yes, we know that's very chalk-y, but get used to it. Game being played in New Orleans, Florida has the advantage and Pitt goes home w/o a trip to the Final Four once again.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Show Us Your ONIONS - Reader Participation!
Three and a half months after Daily Onions was born, we are now to the moment we've all been waiting for. And since we've been waiting for so long, we want YOU to be involved in our Tournament fun!
Here's what we want you to do. Fill out your bracket, check it once or twice, and then let us know who you have in your ELITE 8, FINAL 4 and who you having playing (and winning) the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. We'll collect all the responses and post once the tournament gets underway (please submit your picks by Thursday afternoon). Tell your wife, tell your kids, and have them join the fun as well. You'll receive points for the correct number of teams you have left from the Elite 8 on. For example, 25 points for your Elite 8 teams, 50 for your Final 4 teams, 100 for the Championship and 150 for the winner. Whoever ends up with most points when its all over gets a post on Daily Onions dedicated to them (who doesn't love to see their name in lights), as well as some Daily Onions SWAG, and bragging rights for the next 365 days. I mean who else can say they are the champion of the Show Us Your ONIONS competition....that's right, no one.
You have three and a half days to do your homework and pick your teams, and make sure you email your picks to the official Daily Onions email address (jrsacks22@gmail.com), or you can post them in the comments section below this post.
We appreciate your readership throughout this season and hope you (and your friends - pass it on!) will participate in our 1st Annual Show Us Your ONIONS!
Coming later today: We'll start our in-depth analysis of this year's bracket, breaking things down region by region. Stay tuned!
You have three and a half days to do your homework and pick your teams, and make sure you email your picks to the official Daily Onions email address (jrsacks22@gmail.com), or you can post them in the comments section below this post.
We appreciate your readership throughout this season and hope you (and your friends - pass it on!) will participate in our 1st Annual Show Us Your ONIONS!
Coming later today: We'll start our in-depth analysis of this year's bracket, breaking things down region by region. Stay tuned!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
It Ain't Over Until.....
The fat lady sings? Til its over? Or in the case of Rutgers vs. St. John's in the Big East Tournament, it ain't over until there are 3 seconds left on the clock and the refs decide to turn off their brains. At least that's the way it seemed.
The final few seconds of Wednesday's second round game have been discussed and dissected all afternoon. If you haven't seen it yet, give a look here. Prior to the plays seen here, there were a few other questionable no calls that didn't go the way of the Scarlet Knights. Let the "St. John's back on a national stage playing at MSG" conspiracy begin.
Daily Onions isn't going to talk conspiracy theory. But here's what we will talk about. We are going to talk about how the refs completely shut it down a few seconds early. We are going to talk about Mike Rice doing what he does best, freaking out on the sideline. And we are going to talk about St. John's Justin Brownlee not knowing how to win, but we are sure this is a lesson that he never forgets.
First things first: To referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins, and Earl Walton - go to your room. Why don't you sit the next few games out, because we aren't going to need you at the Big East Tournament any more. Three veteran officials making a horrible mistake. Bottom line, they didn't close out the game (and you thought the Miami Heat were the only people that didn't know how to close out a basketball game). They reffed for 39 minutes and 57 seconds. Three seconds is all it takes to stir up a pretty big controversy and give Big East officials a black eye. Should these refs be penalized? Absolutely. This wasn't a judgment call that could have gone either way. This was the refs blatantly ignoring two or three violations in the final three seconds that directly effected the outcome of the game. If we were the Big East, we'd suspend them for the rest of the tournament, and then leave it up to the NCAA to decide whether they ref in the Big Dance.
Next on the list is Rutgers head coach, Mike Rice. Let's say this first. We love your passion for the game of basketball, and we think you will turn the Rutgers program around in the next 2-3 years. With that said, the sideline antics need to be toned a bit. We've been saying it all season long. In Wednesday's game, with three seconds left, you were so worried about a no foul call, that you didn't even see that there was a possible travel, an out of bounds violation and the ball being tossed into the crowd. Not that seeing those plays happen would have changed the outcome (since there was no whistle blown, the plays were not reviewable), but maybe if you weren't ready to take out Jim Burr, he would have gotten his butt in position to make a call. It seems like this year in college basketball has been one of the worst officiating years in recent memory, as well as a lot of coaches gone wild on the sidelines. Both parties need to lock it up. We'll give Rice credit though in his post game press conference. He was calm, said that the refs made a mistake, he admitted that he himself made some mistakes and lost self-control, and that was that.
And finally, we come to Justin Brownlee. Young man, you should be thanking Mr. Burr, Mr. Higgins and Mr. Walton for their horrendous mistakes, which makes your end of game antics moot. First of all, play the game until the final buzzer goes off. Second, when that buzzer does go off, act like you have won a game before. Sure, its fine to get excited and celebrate with your team. But chucking the ball into the 200 level of Madison Square Garden? Not sure if you were aware, but its Wednesday afternoon at the Big East Tournament and not Saturday night. The good thing for Brownlee is that it's not the end of the world. He'll get a chance to step back on the court tomorrow against Syracuse. Guarantee from here on out he plays the rest of the games until he sees three zeros on the clock.
Mistakes happen. It's what we, along with the refs, Rice and Brownlee, learn from these mistakes that is the most important thing. It's unfortunate that there had to be controversy to end what was otherwise a great game. As long as coaches, players and refs at all levels are able to learn from this, then we'll all be better off in the end.
The final few seconds of Wednesday's second round game have been discussed and dissected all afternoon. If you haven't seen it yet, give a look here. Prior to the plays seen here, there were a few other questionable no calls that didn't go the way of the Scarlet Knights. Let the "St. John's back on a national stage playing at MSG" conspiracy begin.
Daily Onions isn't going to talk conspiracy theory. But here's what we will talk about. We are going to talk about how the refs completely shut it down a few seconds early. We are going to talk about Mike Rice doing what he does best, freaking out on the sideline. And we are going to talk about St. John's Justin Brownlee not knowing how to win, but we are sure this is a lesson that he never forgets.
First things first: To referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins, and Earl Walton - go to your room. Why don't you sit the next few games out, because we aren't going to need you at the Big East Tournament any more. Three veteran officials making a horrible mistake. Bottom line, they didn't close out the game (and you thought the Miami Heat were the only people that didn't know how to close out a basketball game). They reffed for 39 minutes and 57 seconds. Three seconds is all it takes to stir up a pretty big controversy and give Big East officials a black eye. Should these refs be penalized? Absolutely. This wasn't a judgment call that could have gone either way. This was the refs blatantly ignoring two or three violations in the final three seconds that directly effected the outcome of the game. If we were the Big East, we'd suspend them for the rest of the tournament, and then leave it up to the NCAA to decide whether they ref in the Big Dance.
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| Guessing Rice didn't like this particular call (US Presswire) |
And finally, we come to Justin Brownlee. Young man, you should be thanking Mr. Burr, Mr. Higgins and Mr. Walton for their horrendous mistakes, which makes your end of game antics moot. First of all, play the game until the final buzzer goes off. Second, when that buzzer does go off, act like you have won a game before. Sure, its fine to get excited and celebrate with your team. But chucking the ball into the 200 level of Madison Square Garden? Not sure if you were aware, but its Wednesday afternoon at the Big East Tournament and not Saturday night. The good thing for Brownlee is that it's not the end of the world. He'll get a chance to step back on the court tomorrow against Syracuse. Guarantee from here on out he plays the rest of the games until he sees three zeros on the clock.
Mistakes happen. It's what we, along with the refs, Rice and Brownlee, learn from these mistakes that is the most important thing. It's unfortunate that there had to be controversy to end what was otherwise a great game. As long as coaches, players and refs at all levels are able to learn from this, then we'll all be better off in the end.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
FASTPASS to the NCAA Tournament
Lots of basketball being played this week with automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Daily Onions will keep you posted on who has gotten their FASTPASS to the Big Dance.
As of Sunday, March 13th, the following teams are IN:
Atlantic Coast: Duke (30-4)
America East: Boston (21-13)
Atlantic 10: Richmond (27-7)
Atlantic Sun: Belmont (30-4)
Big East: UConn (26-9)
Big Sky: Northern Colorado (21-10)
Big South: UNC-Asheville (19-13)
Big 12: Kansas (32-2)
Big 10: THE Ohio State University(32-2)
Big West: UCSB (18-13)
Colonial: Old Dominion (27-6)
Conference USA: Memphis (25-9)
Horizon: Butler (23-9)
Ivy: Princeton (25-6)
MAC: Ohio (23-12)
MAAC: St. Peter's (20-13)
Mid-Eastern: Hampton (24-8)
Missouri Valley: Indiana State (20-13)
Mountain West: San Diego State (32-2)
Northeast: Long Island (27-5)
Ohio Valley: Morehead State (24-9)
PAC-10: Washington (23-10)
Patriot: Bucknell (25-8)
SEC: Kentucky (26-8)
Southern: Wofford (21-12)
Southland: Texas-San Antonio (19-13)
Southwestern Athletic: Alabama State (17-17)
Summit: Oakland (25-9)
Sun Belt: Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16)
Western Athletic: Utah State (30-3)
West Coast: Gonzaga (24-9)
Check back daily to see who else is in!
As of Sunday, March 13th, the following teams are IN:Atlantic Coast: Duke (30-4)
America East: Boston (21-13)
Atlantic 10: Richmond (27-7)
Atlantic Sun: Belmont (30-4)
Big East: UConn (26-9)
Big Sky: Northern Colorado (21-10)
Big South: UNC-Asheville (19-13)
Big 12: Kansas (32-2)
Big 10: THE Ohio State University(32-2)
Big West: UCSB (18-13)
Colonial: Old Dominion (27-6)
Conference USA: Memphis (25-9)
Horizon: Butler (23-9)
Ivy: Princeton (25-6)
MAC: Ohio (23-12)
MAAC: St. Peter's (20-13)
Mid-Eastern: Hampton (24-8)
Missouri Valley: Indiana State (20-13)
Mountain West: San Diego State (32-2)
Northeast: Long Island (27-5)
Ohio Valley: Morehead State (24-9)
PAC-10: Washington (23-10)
Patriot: Bucknell (25-8)
SEC: Kentucky (26-8)
Southern: Wofford (21-12)
Southland: Texas-San Antonio (19-13)
Southwestern Athletic: Alabama State (17-17)
Summit: Oakland (25-9)
Sun Belt: Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16)
Western Athletic: Utah State (30-3)
West Coast: Gonzaga (24-9)
Check back daily to see who else is in!
Party Like It's 1946...(maybe)
While Daily Onions might show a little bias to Syracuse and the Big East, we are an equal opportunity blog. With Championship Week in full swing, we want to make sure that we don't forget about the smaller conferences, and notably the smart kids who genuinely put the student in student-athlete.
In case you didn't know, we have some late season drama in the Ivy League this year. Since this conference doesn't have a postseason tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid to go dancing. Tonight marks the final game of the regular season, and once again the match up between Penn and Princeton will dictate who wins the conference. This time though the two teams vying for the bid will be Princeton and...Harvard.
Here's the situation: If Penn holds serve on their home court, the historic Palestra (where Daily Onions has knocked down a few jumpers during an informal shoot around), Harvard wins the Ivy League outright and heads to the NCAA tournament. If Princeton wins, they force a tie atop the standings and a one-game playoff. That winner-take-all game between Harvard and Princeton will be on Saturday at Yale. The best part about all of this, is that Harvard beat Princeton this past Saturday in Boston to guarantee themselves at least a share of the title. After the victory, it was bedlam as the fans stormed the court, while Tigers Head Coach Sydney Johnson had his team stay on the bench and watch the celebration. I'm sure Princeton will have those memories in their mind as they take the floor tonight, hoping for the chance to seek some revenge on Saturday.
If Harvard is able to get into the tournament, whether it be with a Princeton loss tonight or in the playoff on Saturday, it will be their first appearance since 1946. In fact, Harvard is the only Ivy League school not to win a league championship since it was formed in 1956. Part of the reason for Harvard's recent success comes from the sidelines. Hired for the 2007-08 season, Tommy Amaker has watched his team go from a squad that went 3-11 in league play his first year, 6-8 in year two, and 10-4 last year (the first time they've had a winning record in conference since 96-97). The Crimson were third in the standings in 2010 behind Cinderella Sweet 16 Cornell and Princeton.
Amaker and the Crimson posted a program record for wins with 23 this season, while only dropping five (all on the road - George Mason, UConn, Michigan, Princeton and Yale). They also had an impressive road win over a ranked Boston College team (Harvard's first win over a ranked opponent ever) for city bragging rights. For those of you scoring at home, that's three losses to out of conference teams that all should be in the NCAA tournament, as well as a win over a team from the ACC, that will also most likely be in the tournament. Pretty solid resume if you ask us.
We'd love to see Harvard end the drought and head to the tournament next week, but we are also excited for the potential of what this week has in store. If Princeton can win tonight (they needed OT to beat Penn at home a few weeks ago), Saturday's playoff will truly be something special. For a conference that doesn't have a conference tournament, it will be 40 minutes, between the top 2 teams in the league, with the winner getting to dance. That right there, is why they play the games.
In case you didn't know, we have some late season drama in the Ivy League this year. Since this conference doesn't have a postseason tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid to go dancing. Tonight marks the final game of the regular season, and once again the match up between Penn and Princeton will dictate who wins the conference. This time though the two teams vying for the bid will be Princeton and...Harvard.
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| Current Princeton Head Coach, Johnson (5) learned from the best |
If Harvard is able to get into the tournament, whether it be with a Princeton loss tonight or in the playoff on Saturday, it will be their first appearance since 1946. In fact, Harvard is the only Ivy League school not to win a league championship since it was formed in 1956. Part of the reason for Harvard's recent success comes from the sidelines. Hired for the 2007-08 season, Tommy Amaker has watched his team go from a squad that went 3-11 in league play his first year, 6-8 in year two, and 10-4 last year (the first time they've had a winning record in conference since 96-97). The Crimson were third in the standings in 2010 behind Cinderella Sweet 16 Cornell and Princeton.
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| Will Amaker and Co. have more to celebrate? |
We'd love to see Harvard end the drought and head to the tournament next week, but we are also excited for the potential of what this week has in store. If Princeton can win tonight (they needed OT to beat Penn at home a few weeks ago), Saturday's playoff will truly be something special. For a conference that doesn't have a conference tournament, it will be 40 minutes, between the top 2 teams in the league, with the winner getting to dance. That right there, is why they play the games.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Weekend That Was
FINALLY!!! The regular season of college basketball is over. Postseason is here, or has been here for a few days thanks to a few conference tournaments that got underway last week. Lots to catch up on from the weekend, including the first four tickets being punched for the dance, rush season on college campuses and some crying in one NBA locker room (there's no crying in basketball!?)
First Four In: The past few weeks we've been hearing hypotheticals of the last four teams in the tournament and which four teams are the last four out. Well now we have four teams that are officially in. Congrats to Belmont (Atlantic Sun), UNC-Asheville (Big South), Morehead St. (Ohio Valley) and Indiana State (Larry Bird! - Missouri Valley) for guaranteeing their spot in the dance. Indiana State pulled the upset over Missouri State to get in, which means Mizzou St. will be one of those mid-majors now hanging out on the bubble. Take note of Morehead St. as well, as they feature Kenneth Faried, the nation's (not conference, the NATION) leading rebounder. The kid averages 14.5 per game and is slated to be a late first round pick in the NBA draft.
Five for Fighting: As in five days for fighting in Madison Square Garden because this year's Big East Tournament is sure to be a slug-fest. Top four seeds (Pitt, ND, L'ville and Cuse) get the double-bye (winning!) and are off until Thursday. Who would have thought that Villanova and UConn would be playing on Tuesday, as the 9th and 10th seed. Well, we kind of did and that's why we featured them in our teams not peaking at the right time post last week. Take the Villanova name off their tournament resume and it's nothing special. A loss on Tuesday would probably put them on the good side of the bubble, but I think a big reason for that comes from some name recognition. Throw in the fact that Corey Stokes is questionable for games this week with an injury, Jay Wright and his pinstripes have to be a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Syracuse is in the New Jersey/New York portion of the bracket, as they'll face the winner of St. John's and Rutgers/Seton Hall. Daily Onions doesn't see a team out of the top four seeds winning this tournament, but then again it is the Big East and anything is possible.
Take Your Shirt Off: North Carolina, come on and raise up. It's official. The Tar Heels are back. We missed you last year, but are glad to see you are here just in time for March! UNC pretty much led the whole way against Duke on Saturday night, and with the win clinched the regular season ACC title. Freshman Harrison Barnes is finally starting to live up to the expectations and the Tar Heels have settled in with their new point guard Kendall Marshall running the show (15 pts, 11 assists). Daily Onions is still standing by their claim of Duke as a Final Four team, although we'd like to see a little more toughness from Blue Devils from here on out.
Elsewhere: Daily Onions first Final Four pick, THE Ohio State University made a statement on Sunday, telling the rest of the nation that they are the team to beat heading into the NCAA tournament. A near perfect performance by the Buckeyes yesterday led to a butt-whooping of Wisconsin, avenging the earlier loss in Madison. OSU was 14-15 from 3 pt. land (Diebler was 7-8) and shot 68% from the field. Jared Sullinger and his backside went for 22 and 8. In the SEC, Florida is quietly playing some of the best basketball in the country and locked up the SEC title yesterday at Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Kentucky FINALLY got a win on the road, taking care of Tennessee 64-58. Are the Wildcats finally starting to grow up and learning how to win on the road? It will take more than a win at Jekyll and Hyde Tennessee to convince us.
Storm Troopers: It was a tough day to be a court side security guard in college basketball this weekend. Court storming was contagious as we saw it in Iowa's win over Purdue (acceptable); in Chapel Hill after UNC beat Duke (HIGHLY disappointed in Tar Heel fans - National Championship 2 years ago, beating your rival handily at home, act like you've been there); out west San Diego State fans stormed to celebrate a share of the Mountain West Conference title (ehhh, sure why not - it's been a Cinderellaly type of year for the Aztecs). We'll probably see a few more storms this week as some of the smaller conference tournaments come to an end. In these cases, Daily Onions says go ahead and storm the court, Bethune Cookman fans. Enjoy your 15 minutes, and then make sure you buckle up for your 15 or 16 seed in the Big Dance.
Cry-ami Heat: According to Coach Spo, a couple of the Heat players were crying in the locker room after yesterday's 1-point loss the Da Bulls. Maybe crying will help the team that has lost four in a row and five of their last six. Bottom line, the Heat can't close. They are 1-9 against the league's top five teams, and 0-6 against the Celtics and the Bulls. Most of those games have been close, and down the stretch they are 1-18 from the field in the final 10 seconds with the chance to tie or take the lead (on odd days of even months). We all knew it'd take time for the Heat to really become a dominating team, but the fact that LeBron, Wade and Bosh have been coming up short in the clutch is a bit surprising (well, minus Bosh). That'll have to change come May, as the Eastern Conference playoffs will have five pretty scary teams in play (Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Magic, Knicks). Big shots will need to be made, and there won't be much time for tears.
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| Indiana State scored an upset and an automatic bid this weekend |
Five for Fighting: As in five days for fighting in Madison Square Garden because this year's Big East Tournament is sure to be a slug-fest. Top four seeds (Pitt, ND, L'ville and Cuse) get the double-bye (winning!) and are off until Thursday. Who would have thought that Villanova and UConn would be playing on Tuesday, as the 9th and 10th seed. Well, we kind of did and that's why we featured them in our teams not peaking at the right time post last week. Take the Villanova name off their tournament resume and it's nothing special. A loss on Tuesday would probably put them on the good side of the bubble, but I think a big reason for that comes from some name recognition. Throw in the fact that Corey Stokes is questionable for games this week with an injury, Jay Wright and his pinstripes have to be a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Syracuse is in the New Jersey/New York portion of the bracket, as they'll face the winner of St. John's and Rutgers/Seton Hall. Daily Onions doesn't see a team out of the top four seeds winning this tournament, but then again it is the Big East and anything is possible.
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| Great win for UNC, but storm-worthy? Not so sure. |
Elsewhere: Daily Onions first Final Four pick, THE Ohio State University made a statement on Sunday, telling the rest of the nation that they are the team to beat heading into the NCAA tournament. A near perfect performance by the Buckeyes yesterday led to a butt-whooping of Wisconsin, avenging the earlier loss in Madison. OSU was 14-15 from 3 pt. land (Diebler was 7-8) and shot 68% from the field. Jared Sullinger and his backside went for 22 and 8. In the SEC, Florida is quietly playing some of the best basketball in the country and locked up the SEC title yesterday at Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Kentucky FINALLY got a win on the road, taking care of Tennessee 64-58. Are the Wildcats finally starting to grow up and learning how to win on the road? It will take more than a win at Jekyll and Hyde Tennessee to convince us.
Storm Troopers: It was a tough day to be a court side security guard in college basketball this weekend. Court storming was contagious as we saw it in Iowa's win over Purdue (acceptable); in Chapel Hill after UNC beat Duke (HIGHLY disappointed in Tar Heel fans - National Championship 2 years ago, beating your rival handily at home, act like you've been there); out west San Diego State fans stormed to celebrate a share of the Mountain West Conference title (ehhh, sure why not - it's been a Cinderellaly type of year for the Aztecs). We'll probably see a few more storms this week as some of the smaller conference tournaments come to an end. In these cases, Daily Onions says go ahead and storm the court, Bethune Cookman fans. Enjoy your 15 minutes, and then make sure you buckle up for your 15 or 16 seed in the Big Dance.
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| We'd hide too if we lose four in a row |
Friday, March 4, 2011
Unit, Corps, God, Country
Sir. For any normal, living, breathing human being, you know that today's title is the "code" for the U.S. Marines in the movie A Few Good Men. If for some reason you don't know that, stop reading this post, run, don't walk to the nearest TV and odds are the movie should be on TNT, TBS or another movie channel. And then give yourself minus 50 points for never seeing the movie.
So where were we...ahh, yes, the code. We all know that code. And in the last 48 hours, the college basketball world has learned about a new code, the BYU Honor Code. That's because the third ranked Cougs, led by everyone's favorite - Jimmer, lost one of their best players for the rest of the SEASON because he violated the school's Honor Code. Brandon Davies, the sophomore forward, was third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding and first in honor code violations. The news broke on Wednesday that Davies would not be able to participate with the basketball team for the rest of the season because he had premarital sex, which is against the code. Dismissed from the team (his name isn't even on the roster on the school's website anymore) during the day, the Cougs than went out and laid an egg against New Mexico at home, losing 82-64 (on a side note - BYU is now winless against NM in their last four regular season matchups). Even the previously indestructible Jimmer was 1-9 from 3 pt land on Wednesday night.
Do we feel bad for Davies and the Cougs? Definitely. They were having an unbelievable season, just completed the season sweep of San Diego State, and were putting themselves in line to be a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. At the same time though, Davies and all other students at BYU know what they are signing up for. The Honor Code at BYU contains things that all of us probably violated within the first 48 hours of stepping onto our college campus. Things that are included in the code: using clean language, abstaining from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, and substance abuse, observing the dress and grooming standard, etc. Raise your hand if you got through a week of college obeying those rules. Heck, raise your hand if you got through this morning without any violations. So yes, 99% didn't want an Honor Code to be a part of our college experience, and many of those things might seem outlandish and ridiculous.
I'll tell you who did want those rules as part of their college experience though, Brandon Davies and the other 33,999 (approximate) students that are currently enrolled at BYU. Are all of those students perfect? Probably not. Do some of those students violate the Honor Code and get away with it? I'd bet, yes. The bottom line is, Davies knew what he was signing up for. He knew what the Honor Code was. He knew that if he violated the code, there would be consequences. Just because people violate the code and get away with it, doesn't make it right. Once you make the decision to break the rules, you need to be willing to accept the punishment. Just because someone drives drunk and gets away with it, doesn't mean they didn't break the law. They did indeed break the law, and if they continue to test the system, eventually it's going to come back to haunt them. In the case of Brandon Davies, it's not only haunting him, but also his teammates, his family, and the entire University.
Whether or not BYU is trying to set an example by coming down hard on a high-profile athlete is besides the point. There is a code and you need to obey the code. If that's not for you, go to another school. There are plenty of more options out there.
With that said, it is a shame that BYU won't be full strength going into post season play. Davies was a very big part of their team, especially in rebounding/defensive aspects of the game. I don't think the blow-out loss to New Mexico is that alarming, as the Cougs had just heard news of Davies dismissal earlier that day and were pretty shell-shocked. As we mentioned, New Mexico has had BYU's number as well, winning their previous four matchups. It's not clear where BYU will be ranked heading into the tournament, probably a 2 seed.
One thing that is clear though, don't sleep on the Cougs. They'll still be a tough out and a feared team in two weeks. I don't think anyone in the country wants to line up against Jimmer in a do or die, win or go home tournament. Are we clear? Crystal.
So where were we...ahh, yes, the code. We all know that code. And in the last 48 hours, the college basketball world has learned about a new code, the BYU Honor Code. That's because the third ranked Cougs, led by everyone's favorite - Jimmer, lost one of their best players for the rest of the SEASON because he violated the school's Honor Code. Brandon Davies, the sophomore forward, was third on the team in scoring, first in rebounding and first in honor code violations. The news broke on Wednesday that Davies would not be able to participate with the basketball team for the rest of the season because he had premarital sex, which is against the code. Dismissed from the team (his name isn't even on the roster on the school's website anymore) during the day, the Cougs than went out and laid an egg against New Mexico at home, losing 82-64 (on a side note - BYU is now winless against NM in their last four regular season matchups). Even the previously indestructible Jimmer was 1-9 from 3 pt land on Wednesday night.
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| Things you won't see anymore: Davies dunking |
I'll tell you who did want those rules as part of their college experience though, Brandon Davies and the other 33,999 (approximate) students that are currently enrolled at BYU. Are all of those students perfect? Probably not. Do some of those students violate the Honor Code and get away with it? I'd bet, yes. The bottom line is, Davies knew what he was signing up for. He knew what the Honor Code was. He knew that if he violated the code, there would be consequences. Just because people violate the code and get away with it, doesn't make it right. Once you make the decision to break the rules, you need to be willing to accept the punishment. Just because someone drives drunk and gets away with it, doesn't mean they didn't break the law. They did indeed break the law, and if they continue to test the system, eventually it's going to come back to haunt them. In the case of Brandon Davies, it's not only haunting him, but also his teammates, his family, and the entire University.
Whether or not BYU is trying to set an example by coming down hard on a high-profile athlete is besides the point. There is a code and you need to obey the code. If that's not for you, go to another school. There are plenty of more options out there.
With that said, it is a shame that BYU won't be full strength going into post season play. Davies was a very big part of their team, especially in rebounding/defensive aspects of the game. I don't think the blow-out loss to New Mexico is that alarming, as the Cougs had just heard news of Davies dismissal earlier that day and were pretty shell-shocked. As we mentioned, New Mexico has had BYU's number as well, winning their previous four matchups. It's not clear where BYU will be ranked heading into the tournament, probably a 2 seed.
One thing that is clear though, don't sleep on the Cougs. They'll still be a tough out and a feared team in two weeks. I don't think anyone in the country wants to line up against Jimmer in a do or die, win or go home tournament. Are we clear? Crystal.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Winning, Duh
That is the answer. The question is not what is Charlie Sheen's favorite saying of the past few days, but instead, what is the most important thing college hoops teams should be doing at this time of year? Yesterday we chronicled a few teams that were slipping and today we'll look at a few teams that might just be peaking at the right time, ready to make a run in their conference tournaments and the Big Dance. As always, we start w/ the Big East.
-St. John's: Call me crazy, but shouldn't Steve Lavin be the unanimous pick for Big East Coach of the Year? Not all experts at ESPN agree, as Mike Brey, Jamie Dixon and Rick Pitino got votes in the websites mock awards selection yesterday. What do Brey, Dixon and Pitino all have in common? Their teams all made the tournament last year and they've been perennial contenders in the Big East. The Johnnies on the other hand haven't been relevant since Marcus Hatton (throw back to 2002 days!). Lavin comes in, takes players that Norm Roberts recruited, and has them ranked #15 in the country, 19-9 overall and in line for a double-bye in the Big East tournament. Give Lavin the trophy now, and we thank you for making college hoops important in NYC again.
-Notre Dame: As much as it pains me to say this, I feel like I might have the Irish making a little run in the tournament. I mean who really wants to root for Notre Dame?? Actually, this isn't football so it isn't THAT bad. Why do we like ND so much, two words: Senior Leadership. Top five scorers on the squad, all seniors. They play hard, they play together, they share the ball (13th in the country in assists) and they have at least two players that can knock down the big shot (Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromitis). Oh, and they've also won 10 of their last 11 in the best conference in the country. Mike Brey's mock turtlenecks aside, how can you not like this team just a little bit?
-Purdue: Winners of their last seven games, the Boilermakers should end up as the #2 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, behind THE Ohio State University, whom they beat just two weeks ago. If you don't enjoy watching JaJuan Johnson play, you should stop watching basketball. The kid is a freak. In their 20 point blow out win AT Michigan State on Sunday, Johnson went for 20 points, 17 rebounds and a cool 7 blocks. Throw in a little side of E'Twaun Moore, who had 38 of the team's 76 points in the W over OSU, and know what you have....winning!
-Kansas State: Daily Onions would like to officially welcome Frank Martin and the Wildcats back to this year's college basketball season. Since Valentine's Day, K-State has gone 5-0, including wins over #1 Kansas and at #8 Texas. Quite the turnaround for a team that started conference play at 2-5. Their inconsistency at the beginning of the year still scares us a bit, but you can't knock the hustle in the last few weeks.
-Butler: Look at that, it's all of Daily Onions beginning of the season favorites. Good to see you Coach Stevens, and the rest of the Bulldogs. Winners of their last seven games, last year's runner-up is putting themselves in position to make the tournament, which seemed unlikely in January. They still have some work to do, but if they can get to the finals of the Horizon League Tournament, win or lose they should get a bid to dance once again. Regardless of what type of season they've had, you never want to see Butler in your region come March.
In our next post, we'll take a look at the previous 24 hours at third-ranked BYU. First the loss of Brendan Davies due to violating the school's Honor Code, and then the blow out loss at home last night to New Mexico. Poor Jimmer.
-St. John's: Call me crazy, but shouldn't Steve Lavin be the unanimous pick for Big East Coach of the Year? Not all experts at ESPN agree, as Mike Brey, Jamie Dixon and Rick Pitino got votes in the websites mock awards selection yesterday. What do Brey, Dixon and Pitino all have in common? Their teams all made the tournament last year and they've been perennial contenders in the Big East. The Johnnies on the other hand haven't been relevant since Marcus Hatton (throw back to 2002 days!). Lavin comes in, takes players that Norm Roberts recruited, and has them ranked #15 in the country, 19-9 overall and in line for a double-bye in the Big East tournament. Give Lavin the trophy now, and we thank you for making college hoops important in NYC again.
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| Winning in March runs in the Hansbrough Family |
-Purdue: Winners of their last seven games, the Boilermakers should end up as the #2 seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, behind THE Ohio State University, whom they beat just two weeks ago. If you don't enjoy watching JaJuan Johnson play, you should stop watching basketball. The kid is a freak. In their 20 point blow out win AT Michigan State on Sunday, Johnson went for 20 points, 17 rebounds and a cool 7 blocks. Throw in a little side of E'Twaun Moore, who had 38 of the team's 76 points in the W over OSU, and know what you have....winning!
-Kansas State: Daily Onions would like to officially welcome Frank Martin and the Wildcats back to this year's college basketball season. Since Valentine's Day, K-State has gone 5-0, including wins over #1 Kansas and at #8 Texas. Quite the turnaround for a team that started conference play at 2-5. Their inconsistency at the beginning of the year still scares us a bit, but you can't knock the hustle in the last few weeks.
-Butler: Look at that, it's all of Daily Onions beginning of the season favorites. Good to see you Coach Stevens, and the rest of the Bulldogs. Winners of their last seven games, last year's runner-up is putting themselves in position to make the tournament, which seemed unlikely in January. They still have some work to do, but if they can get to the finals of the Horizon League Tournament, win or lose they should get a bid to dance once again. Regardless of what type of season they've had, you never want to see Butler in your region come March.
In our next post, we'll take a look at the previous 24 hours at third-ranked BYU. First the loss of Brendan Davies due to violating the school's Honor Code, and then the blow out loss at home last night to New Mexico. Poor Jimmer.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Villa-Nosedive and Other Falls from Grace
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| Things haven't been as easy for Kemba lately (Getty) |
Well apparently there are a few teams out there that don't want their March performances to be something to write home about. Daily Onions will take care of the writing and we'll call out some of those teams that aren't exactly peaking at the right time. Let's start close to home in the Big East.
-Villanova: Jay Wright is all dressed up for the dance but the way his team is playing lately, it looks like his ride will be picking him up for an early exit. The Wildcats have lost five of their last seven, including home games to Syracuse, St. John's and Pitt. They've also lost at Rutgers and got embarrassed Monday night at Notre Dame, when the Irish drained 20 (not a typo) three pointers. There is no doubt that Nova has talent. One of their best players, Corey Stokes missed some time with an injury, but he's been back for the past three games. They'll need some of his hot shooting if they want to end their regular season with a W, at Pitt on Saturday. Good luck with that one. It looks as though, Villanova will be the 11 seed (seriously) in next week's Big East Tournament. If the Cats don't get things back on track quickly, they'll be back in the City of Brotherly Love before the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is even over, just like last year.
-UConn: The Huskies haven't been as bad as Villanova, but the last month of basketball hasn't been that pretty in Storrs. While Kemba Walker has been coming back down to Earth (ahem, told you so), UConn has dropped down the Big East standings as well. Since January 29th, UConn is 4-5. Prior to that, they were 17-2. Things don't get much easier for the Huskies, as they are at West Virginia tonight, which begs the question, if WVU beats #16 UConn, do they storm the court? Kemba and the crew then host the Big East's hottest team, Notre Dame on Saturday. Depending on how they fare, UConn could be in the mix for a double-bye in the Big East tournament, or they could be a 10-11 seed. Those possibilities are on opposites sides of the spectrum, similar to the discrepancy between the beginning and end of the season for the Huskies.
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| Grant and 'Bama still have some work to do |
-Texas: A few March guarantees - St. Patrick's Day, baseball's spring training and grumbling in Texas about the Longhorns tailspin at the end of the season. As we've discussed in the is space before, we aren't confident in Rick Barnes and Texas down the stretch. This year's version of the epidemic includes losing 3 of their last 4 games against unranked teams (at Nebraska, at Colorado and home against a rejuvenated Kansas State) in the last week. We are going to "steer" (athankyou) clear of the Longhorns in the Big Dance not only because of their recent poor track record, but also because of the Daily Onions "Kentucky Corollary," where we stay way from teams that are too young and inexperienced. Four of the top six players for Texas are either freshman or sophomores. One final road test for this squad on Saturday at Baylor. A win would be huge for the youngsters confidence heading into tournament week.
-Alabama: The Crimson Tide will be staying in Sweet Home Alabama if they don't make a run in the SEC tournament. A few weeks ago we were praising 'Bama for being atop the SEC West standings. Well, they will still win the weak West division, but that's no lock to get them in. Back to back losses at Mississippi and Florida (a butt whooping), along with a poor out of conference schedule that included no real quality wins, Bama is now bubbling. Coach Anthony Grant and his perfectly tailored button down shirts need to win against Georgia on Saturday, and then win at least two games in the conference tournament to have a chance to get in to the Big Dance.
-Illinois: The Fighting Illini have a fighter's chance to get into the NCAA tournament. A tough schedule down the stretch hasn't done any favors for Bruce Weber's team. They are 4-7 over their last 11, including loses in 3 of their last 4 (Purdue, OSU, MSU). There is a possibility that Illinois could play Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, which would basically be an elimination game for the loser, with the winner still needing help. Whether Illinois is able to get into the tournament or not, this season has been a bit of a disappointment. With a team full of guys like McCamey, Davis, Tisdale, etc, there is no reason they shouldn't have been just behind OSU and Purdue battling for a Big Ten title.
Coming up in our next post, we'll go the other way around, and look at some of the teams that are starting to peak at the right time.
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