NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Why Honor Calipari's Tarnished Legacy?

David Steele — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Memphis, UMass, A-10, Coaches

"The University of Massachusetts Club reflects the diversity, professional character, and camaraderie among distinguished alumni, and their pride and passion for the University.''

So says the welcome page on the website of the Boston-based private members-only club, consisting of "alumni, faculty, staff and friends'' of UMass.

And as far as the club is concerned, there's no need to edit that statement or re-consider its definition of "professional character'' or "distinguished'' based on who it was scheduled to honor Friday evening: John Calipari.

If it's all cool with the UMass Club, with UMass, with Calipari and with the basketball program besmirched under his tenure, then nobody really has a right to complain.

Except maybe the NCAA, whose disciplinary sanctions against its rogue programs apparently strike something far less than fear in their hearts. More like mild indigestion, after too many happy-hour cocktails at the ol' alumni club. But we'll get to them in a minute.

Coach Cal is one of the two guests of honor for the "Celebrate UMass Basketball'' event Friday. What's being celebrated most, apparently, is the 1996 Final Four team coached by Calipari. What might not make it into the remarks, by anybody much less Calipari, is the fact that the results that season were vacated by the NCAA after a scandal revolving around Marcus Camby getting paid by an agent. The fact that Calipari's next Final Four team, at Memphis 12 years later, also saw its position vacated because of an SAT scandal, likely won't come up either. However, Calipari's new book, Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life (co-written by David Scott, coincidentally a UMass alumnus), will get lots of play.

So good for Coach Cal, who despite the two egregious violations of the rules on his watch has yet to have any dirt officially rub off on him, and who has parlayed the Memphis success (so to speak) into the most prestigious coaching gig in America, Kentucky. He'll sell a lot of books in his old stomping grounds, spread a lot of goodwill and, apparently, soak up a lot of love, regardless of the price paid for him and the school to attain it all. It's not as if he would have, or should have, turned the invitation down.

Which means, also, good for UMass, which is proving it has either a short memory, a massive capacity for forgiveness, or an utter disregard for the means to the end, as long as the end includes a nice banner hanging in the field house. Whatever the case, the school has made up its mind on what the word "vacated'' means, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks it means.

But what could the NCAA be thinking right now? They're gazing upon this scene from Indianapolis, at all the back-slapping, reminiscing and book-signing in honor of a program the NCAA had to drop a huge hammer onto years ago. And it's happening in the name of the university itself (although, to repeat, this is a private club without official ties to Amherst).

What next, a parade in Dallas to honor the SMU football team that got the death penalty? A formal ball in Lexington to celebrate the day the overnight envelope stuffed with cash split open? A party at the Dillard's in Tallahassee during Florida State's homecoming weekend? A hot-tub bash at UNLV?

One can only guess what Memphis might plan for Calipari if (or when) the book tour comes through that town. Maybe a big fund-raising raffle, with the winner taking the next blue-chip recruit's entrance exam for him.

Heck, as long as you're going to spit in the eye of the governing body for intercollegiate sports, you might as well do it right.

Why Honor Calipari's Tarnished Legacy? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atlantic 10 Leaves Philly for the Money

Chas Rich — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST

Filed under: George Washington, UMass, Xavier, A-10, Media Watch

It isn't easy being only a basketball conference trying to compete with the major programs. No football money from the 1-A level, even to be a patsy team like the Sun Belt, MAC or the ilk. The Atlantic 10 has managed to make it work, but apparently the money is no longer there.

Reports are out that the Atlantic 10 is moving its offices to Newport News, Virginia. There are no member schools in Newport News. The closest school is Richmond. Nearly 80 miles away. The move is apparently driven by economics, as the city's development office actively courted the A-10 to move into new digs no where near any of their members.

The A-10 offices have been located in Philadelphia. It has made sense since three (LaSalle, Temple, St. Joe's) of the fourteen full members are located in Philly. Add in Duquesne in Pittsburgh and associate member West Chester, and the A-10 has its basketball tournament in Atlantic City, NJ. To say nothing of a major airport located in the area that all members could get direct flights to and from. it would appear to have little reason to move the offices from Philadelphia.

Apparently the office space in Philly, though, is just too expensive for the A-10. Wonder how many direct flights there are to the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport (a third runway coming in 2012) from the various cities .

Atlantic 10 Leaves Philly for the Money originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xavier Stays In House for New Coach

Chas Rich — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:07:00 EST

Filed under: Xavier, A-10, Coaches, Rumors

According to reports, Xavier has decided to promote assistant coach Chris Mack. The announcement may not be made, though, until Wednesday at the team banquet.

Mack is 39 years old, and has no head coaching experience. He is, however, considered a rising assistant. It probably does not hurt that Mack is a Xavier alum and was a team captain on the basketball team during his time. He also served as an assistant to former Xavier coach Skip Prosser at Wake Forest before joining Sean Miller back at Xavier.Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski had denied reports that Mack was going to be hired on Monday. Today he has not been reached for any comment.

The decision to promote Mack, would make it the second straight time that Xavier has promoted from within to replace a coach leaving for another job. Recently departed Sean Miller took over after Thad Matta left for Ohio State.

The move is not surprising and makes sense. Mack is a promising young coach. He's popular with the current players and most of the incoming recruits. He was also the pick of most of the fans in unscientific polls. Plus without any head coaching experience he comes relatively cheap compared to other possibilities.

Add in that he is an alum, and that has to push him over the top. The hope being that Mack will not be enticed away for another job and see this as his destination. While the Xavier administration and fans have to be pleased with the continued growth and success of Xavier basketball on a national level, there has been natural frustration at being seen as a stepping-stone job rather than a destination.

Xavier Stays In House for New Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, George Mason, Gonzaga, WCC, Xavier, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, St. Mary's (CA)

One of the biggest gripes against former CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer was that he didn't respect the mid-majors. He famously complained that there were too many mid-majors in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. That was the year that George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn to get to the Final Four.

This will be the first Packer-less tournament in decades as he retired after last year's Final Four. It's a shame for him because he would have loved the makeup of the brackets this time around. Going against the recent trends, it looks as if the major conferences will get most of the at-large bids, leaving the mid-majors out in the cold.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, there aren't too many mid-majors that are locks to get in if they do not win their conference tournament. Siena, Utah State and Davidson have the strongest cases to be at-large teams but there are factions that believe they won't. Utah State has that win over Utah, but nothing else. Davidson has actually lost a couple of SoCon games this year and their biggest win is against West Virginia on a neutral court. Siena just lost to Niagara last night. All will be overwhelming favorites to win their conference tournaments but they could be in trouble if they don't.

Gonzaga will snatch a bid if they don't win the West Coast Conference tournament. Butler does the same if they fail to win the Horizon.

Lunardi is also projecting that 31 of the 34 at-large bids will be going to the so-called "BCS conferences". The ACC leads the way with eight teams, followed by the Big East and Big Ten with seven each. The SEC, which is suffering a perceived down period, is projected to get five teams in the tournament. The other three bids are penciled in for the Atlantic 10's Dayton and two from the Mountain West (Utah, BYU and UNLV should all get in; one should win the conference tournament). The only non-BCS school that is currently seeded as a No. 4 seed or better is Memphis.

Even Lunardi's last four out includes nothing but BCS schools. The "next four out" features two more Mountain West schools and two Big XII schools.

All this leads up to schools from power conferences fighting for those last spots available in the tournament. It will also lead to more name matchups in the first and second round. Right now, Lunardi has first round games of Kentucky-Texas, Florida-California, Oklahoma State-Arizona State, Boston College-Tennessee, Michigan-LSU, Penn State-UCLA and South Carolina-Wisconsin.

Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On-Court Obsession: Busted Busters

Chas Rich — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:08:00 EST

Filed under: A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, Media Watch

Saturday is a busy day for college basketball. On any Saturday during the season, there can be well over 40 games on TV. Unfortunately, many are completely unwatchable. Every Friday, FanHouse puts together a handy guide of the best options for how to spend your Saturday on the couch watching college hoops.

There's no avoiding it: the Bracket Busters format is in a down year. It's not down because the games will be boring, or because no team will provide some foreshadowing of what it might be capable of in the NCAA Tournament.

Bracket Busters is down because there are just not that many teams in the mid-majors that have been that good this season. The number of teams capable of earning at-large bids from mid-major conferences is on the very low side.

That means these games do not mean much one way or the other for the teams. For almost all the teams taking part in this event, it will still come down to winning the conference tournaments to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Still, there's plenty to watch, so let's get to the top choices:

11 AM ET
Northeastern-Wright State, ESPN2: Things start early. Northeastern is one of three teams from the Colonial that seems most likely to be headed to the NCAA Tournament; Wright State, less so, but it was there not too long ago and has a great fan base.

Liberty-Old Dominion, ESPNU: Seth Curry is almost as much fun to watch as his older brother.

12 PM ET
Butler-Davidson, ESPN: The highlight game of Bracket Busters is much less inspiring with both teams coming off of losses. Add in Steph Curry's uncertain status and this may turn out to be a big disappointment from an entertainment perspective. For Davidson, more than Butler, though, this is a must-win game if it wants to make a better case for an at-large bid.

Notre Dame-Providence, Full Court, MASN or SNY: This is essentially a bubble elimination game for both teams. Notre Dame has only one conference road win. If it doesn't get this one, its only other shot would be at UConn. Providence needs every win possible with their schedule.

Boston College-Miami, FoxSports Florida and South, CSN, or NESN: Miami has to win out if it hopes to keep a glimmer of hope to make the NCAA. BC has been streaky all season.

1PM ET
Buffalo-Vermont, ESPN2: Buffalo sits atop the MAC while Vermont rules America East. Neither team, though, is making the NCAA without winning its conference tournament.

Tennessee-Kentucky, CBS: Someone has to win the SEC East division. Right?

Baylor-Oklahoma State, Full Court and Big 12 affiliates: Baylor is off the bubble (in a bad way), but Oklahoma State still has a chance. Baylor could put a wrench in that.

2 PM ET
Marquette-Georgetown, ESPN: This is the only remaining game for Marquette against a Big East team that's in the lower-eight portion of the conference standings. Georgetown has to win at home to keep whatever slim hopes remain based on its strong computer numbers.

Louisville-Cincinnati, Full Court, Fox Sports Ohio and Cincinnati, MASN and MSG: Louisville is playing for seed, while Cincy really needs a win against a Big East team that will finish above .500 in the conference.

3PM ET
Northern Iowa-Siena, ESPN2: Siena is one of the few mid-major teams that has an argument to get an at-large bid. Northern Iowa is tied at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. This is one of the few games that can actually impact the chances for either team.

San Diego State-New Mexico, Versus: Neither team is going to win the Mountain West Conference, but get to know them as either could end up as the rep after the conference tournament takes place.

4 PM ET
Utah State-St. Mary's, ESPN2: The "what if" game. What if Patty Mills was healthy? What if Utah State had not lost last week to Boise State? This would have been the game of Bracket Busters. It is still a big game that both teams probably feel they absolutely need to make their case for an at-large bid. It just had the potential to be bigger.

Wisconsin-Green Bay-Long Beach State, ESPNU: Green Bay just knocked off Butler and is only one game back in the Horizon League. LBS is tied at the top of the Big West. Neither team is going the NCAA Tournament without winning its conference. Still, this should be a good game.

6 PM ET
Boise State-Portland State, ESPNU: Okay, this is a stretch, so maybe it is time to go have some dinner. Still, Boise beat Utah State last week and is third in the WAC. The same place where Portland State resides in the Big Sky. Plus, the Vikings did beat Gonzaga this year.

7 PM ET
Washington-USC, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, Northwest and Arizona: USC still has a chance to make an at-large claim. The Trojans need more big wins as they are only 1-4 against RPI top-25 teams. Washington is trying to rebound after losing to UCLA on Thursday.

8 PM ET
Florida State-Virginia Tech, Sun Sports, Fox Sports South and CSN alternative: Virginia Tech seems to live on the bubble. It has the opportunities with the four of the top five teams in the conference on the schedule. This is at home, so it is almost a must-win game.

9 PM ET
Oklahoma-Texas, ESPN: ESPN's primetime game is a rivalry game and a must-win for the home team. The lack of a true point guard has made life difficult for the Longhorns -- that and inconsistent effort all-around. Still, you know that Texas would love to be the team to end Oklahoma's perfect run through the Big 12.

9:30 PM ET
George Mason-Creighton, ESPNU: Two teams that have made their reputations by shocking people in the NCAA Tournament, and each is at or near the top of its conferences. Creighton really could use this game to give it a chance for an at-large bid.

11 PM ET
BYU-UNLV, CBS Sports Channel: A late-night treat from the Mountain West to end things. UNLV has disappointed, but it is dangerous. BYU is trying to catch Utah for the top of the conference.

On-Court Obsession: Busted Busters originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone Remember When Xavier Played Good Basketball?

Chas Rich — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:17:00 EST

Filed under: Xavier, A-10

When Xavier goes south, the Musketeers do not limit it to just one end of the court. They have been struggling for most of February. It will not cost them an NCAA Tournament bid, but it sure will drop their seeding. The Musketeers have now lost three of their last four with this latest loss to Charlotte, 65-60.

For Charlotte, this was their first win over a ranked team in four years. The team has struggled this year, and will likely finish with a sub-.500 record. It was their first win over Xavier since the 49ers joined the Atlantic 10 in six games. Still, rushing the floor seemed a bit forced. Especially after beating a team that was just hanging on in the Top 25, and Charlotte was tied or led for much of the game.
As for Xavier, it has shown that struggles at one end of the court affect it at the other end. In this game, the Musketeers were frustrated much of the game with their poor shooting. Much of the blame belongs to Xavier's struggling guards. They could not get shots to fall from the perimeter and struggled to penetrate to the basket.

Those guards then seemed to hang their heads and not give much of an effort defensively. All too often, they allowed themselves to be screened or just gave up on plays to allow Charlotte to shoot unchallenged 3-pointers.

Anyone Remember When Xavier Played Good Basketball? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cincinnati's Mick Cronin Takes Issue With ESPN's Bracketologist

Shiloh Carder — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, Xavier, A-10, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

University of Cincinnati's head basketball coach Mick Cronin doesn't like ESPN.com's newest NCAA Tournament projections. ESPN's resident bracketologist Joe Lunardi has just seven Big East teams in the dance -- none of which are Cincinnati.

Cronin didn't find it amusing. "I would tell Joe Lunardi he needs to buy the ESPN Full Court package. Are you telling me that Syracuse wouldn't win the A-10? Does somebody want to give me that answer? I'd like to have that argument with somebody.

"You're going to tell me that Syracuse, with their McDonalds's All-Americans and their talent, would not win the A-10? They're eighth in our conference. For us to not get at least eight is only a by-product of us beating up on each other and being penalized for having too good of a conference."

Those are the normal gripes from people who think the Big East deserves eight, nine or 10 spots in the tournament. It doesn't fly with me or, apparently, Lunardi.

Lunardi defended his position by telling him that he, not Cronin, knows the inner workings of how the selection committee crafts its bracket.

Now I don't know Cronin, and he appears to be doing a terrific job of keeping his Bearcats more than competitive in the hellacious Big East. But I would politely suggest that he keep his eye on the ball and leave broader judgments about the tournament selection process to the NCAA men's basketball committee, since apparently my views aren't to his liking.

Lunardi goes on to dismiss Cronin's complaints. The fact that anyone is eighth in the Big East is meaningless since the committee looks at individual teams and not conferences. He has had nine teams placed in his projections for most of the season, but Notre Dame and Georgetown have fallen off due to their amazing funks.

As for that comment about an eighth place Big East team would cruise through the Atlantic-10, Lunari points out that the lowest seeded Big East team has had a better seeding in the NCAA's than the A-10 champion just once in the past eight years. After all, likely Atlantic-10 champ Xavier did beat Cincinnati earlier this year. They also beat likely Conference USA champion Memphis and ACC bubble team Virginia Tech.

Lunardi also points out that Syracuse has continued to be in his projections, despite Cronin's complaint that they weren't.

As for Cronin's Bearcats, Lunardi points out that they are 0-6 against teams that are currently in his bracket. Those two wins over Georgetown don't look as good if the Hoyas are an N.I.T. team.

I side with Lunardi here. I don't think the Big East should get a ton of teams in the tournament just because that conference is so top heavy. Continuing to lose to good teams doesn't mean you are one, too. If they are one of the 34 best at-large teams, they will get in.

Cincinnati's Mick Cronin Takes Issue With ESPN's Bracketologist originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On-Court Obsession: Love the Game

Chas Rich — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:51:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, Media Watch

Saturday is a busy day for college basketball. On any Saturday during the season, there can be well over 40 games on your TV. Unfortunately, many are completely unwatchable. Every Friday, FanHouse puts together a handy guide of the best choices on how to spend your Saturday on the couch watching college basketball.

This is when you find out how much your significant other cares about you. Just how much time will you get to watch college basketball when Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday?

Those without a partner or even a date, can take solace in the money not spent on gifts and dinner. In addition, you can to spend over 12 hours watching hoops.

12 PM ET
Georgetown-Syracuse, ESPN: Classic Big East rivalry. Neither side likes the other. Both teams really need this game to move to the right side of the bubble.

Northeastern-George Mason, CSN, CSNE: There will be only one from the Colonial Athletic Association. These are two of the three most likely teams to represent the CAA.

1 PM ET
UCLA-Arizona, CBS: Just as UCLA looked like the best in the west, they lose to Arizona State. Arizona has shown more grit and toughness than anyone would have thought, with a win over USC on Thursday they are positioned to make the NCAA Tourney once more and keep their streak of NCAA Tournament appearances going.

1:30 PM ET
Nebraska-Missouri, Big 12 Network Affiliates, Full Court: Missouri lost the first time they played, one of their few blemishes in conference play. Nebraska has won three straight Big 12 games and still believes it can get to the bubble.

2 PM ET
VCU-Old Dominion, CSN, CSNE: VCU is the other likely representative from the CAA. They are tied with Northeastern at the top of the conference standings.

3:30 PM ET
Kansas-Kansas State, ABC, Full Court: Outside of Oklahoma, K-State is the hottest team in the Big 12. They have won six straight including wins over Mizzou and at Texas. Kansas is coming off a last second loss in the Border War really does not want to lose another rivalry game.

4 PM ET
Cincinnati-Pitt, ESPN: Cinci has surged into the bubble discussion with a strong defense and adequate offense. They upset Pitt once last year, and they could catch the Panthers past them to the Big Monday game at UConn.

Florida State-Wake Forest, Raycom Affiliates, Full Court: Florida State plays defense first and can struggle on offense. Wake has stopped playing defense and is only relying on the offense. FSU has won four of their last five games. Wake has dropped three straight. Wonder which approach is working better?

Davidson-Furman, MASN: Don't you need your weekly Steph Curry fix?

5 PM ET
Stanford-California, FoxSports: One of the underrated rivalries. Stanford took the first game at Gampel Pavilion. Cal, though, has the better conference record.

6 PM ET
Texas A&M-Baylor, Fox Sports Southwest, Full Court: Two disappointing teams trying desperately to stay near the bubble.

Ole Miss-LSU, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports South, Full Court: LSU has been the biggest positive surprise in the SEC this year. Their weak schedule, though, means they need to keep winning. Ole Miss has suffered injuries, their coach being arrested and the video of the arrest being released. Hopefully the LSU fans can come up with something creative to address Ole Miss Andy Kennedy's situation.

8 PM ET
UC-Riverside-Cal State Northridge, Fox Sports Prime Ticket: It's not all about the East Coast and the big conferences. The Big West is a fun place and Northridge has taken the top spot in the conference.

9 PM ET
Ohio State-Wisconsin, ESPN: The bad news, ESPN has skipped hyping this primetime Saturday night game in favor of Monday's Pitt-UConn game. The good news, the game is actually relevant. Wisconsin has resurrected itself in the last week. Ohio State has very quietly put itself in third place in the Big Ten.

10 PM ET
Portland-St. Mary's, Comcast Sportsnet California: St. Mary's may not be the same team without Patty Mills, but after nearly taking out the Zags on Thursday, they are still a very good team. Portland is up one game on the Gaels in the WCC, so this should be a very good battle.

12 AM ET
Nevada-Hawaii, Comcast Sportsnet California: No great reason to watch this WAC match, other than to lay claim to having watched in excess of 12 straight hours of college basketball.

On-Court Obsession: Love the Game originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dayton Rides 'Top Flight' Past Xavier

Hamilton Waldron — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Xavier, A-10

The Dayton Flyers finally rid themselves of a nagging six-game losing streak against Xavier, beating the 14th-ranked Musketeers on Wednesday night, 71-58. Chris Wright led the Flyers with 19 points and also scored the last nine points for Dayton down the stretch.

In what is generally perceived as the Atlantic 10's staple showdown, Xavier was beginning to totally dominate the rivalry in nearly every way possible.

That all changes now, and the A-10 just got a lot more interesting.

Both teams were coming off rather embarrassing road losses due to lackluster defensive efforts, but something about a famous rivalry tends to bring the intensity back on that side of the ball.

Unfortunately for the Flyers, promising guard Rob Lowery went down with a knee injury in the first half and did not return to action. Lowery might not be a household name yet, but he has been an integral part of Dayton's success this season. Lowery is highly regarded as the centerpiece to Dayton's pressure defense and, with conference tournament play approaching, the Flyers can't afford to have Lowery sidelined.

Xavier turned the ball over early and often in the game, which allowed the Flyers to establish an early lead and play a composed and balanced brand of basketball throughout the second half.

In theory, this win does wonders for Dayton's chance at an NCAA tournament bid, but Flyers fans know it will likely take a solid conference tournament run for their team to get in.

These two teams will take their rivalry to Xavier's home court in Cincinnati on March 5, where Xavier has beat Dayton the last 23 games since 1981.

Dayton Rides 'Top Flight' Past Xavier originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Economy Won't Effect Tourney Seeding

Will Brinson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, WAC, March Madness, Coaches, Fans, Rumors, South

Travel costs for universities are a big deal in this economic climate. Look no further than the bowl "selections" that occurred this year -- there were a substantially larger number of teams hanging close to home, presumably to allow for cheaper travel for both the schools and their fans.

But the NCAA says that will not be a huge deal this year, and supposedly, geographical distance will not affect a team's pairing.

Selection committee chairman Mike Slive said during a conference call Tuesday that while the committee is sensitive to the economic climate, it has a responsibility to the nation to provide balanced brackets for the NCAA's marquee event, which begins in mid-March.

Whether or not this actually happens (I think it will, personally), this is still a tremendously positive statement for college basketball fans. There would be nothing worse than to see March Madness' inherent beauty -- the cross-country scramble to converge on one location -- tainted for the greater good of "economic stability."

Geographical selection isn't necessarily a problem for college football, though. Outside of the BCS bowls, any reduction of costs is substantial enough of a win for a team to validate staying close to home, not to mention an increase in ticket sales. But for college basketball, where the postseason actually matters, any sort of regional favoritism would be highly detrimental to the basic setup of the postseason itself.

Economy Won't Effect Tourney Seeding originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: Stagnance

Will Brinson — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Pac-10, Fans, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics when the polls come out.

Headlining: Connecticut tops the charts ... again. This isn't surprising, because they didn't lose. The fact that they didn't lose -- something that's happened to a lot of No. 1 teams -- is what's mildly shocking, especially considering they had a Monday headliner with Louisville, which they won easily behind the oh-so-strong play of Hasheem Thabeet. Good times, though, when we're not sure that anyone can really hold onto the top spot, no?

Also holding strong at No. 2 were Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners, who actually used the week to gain a little ground on UConn, for whatever that's worth. After that, though, things get a little shaky: North Carolina, Pittsburgh, UCLA, Louisville, Duke, Wake Forest, Memphis, Michigan State and Marquette are all top-10 teams in one poll (and one order) or another. Parity, baby. Parity.

Freefallin': Texas (15-7). When you lose twice -- coughing up a game to Missouri is fine, but Nebraska, not so much -- in one week and you were already kind of hitting the skids at No. 15, well, you're probably not going to be hanging around the standings very long. Purdue (17-6). After moving as high as No. 12 in the AP poll last week, the Boilermakers coughed up an overtime loss at Ohio State and summarily got blown out by Illinois on the road. I realize both places are tough to play, and the Boilermakers were without star Robbie Hummel, but that's not the kind of week you want if you're trying to either win the Big Ten or manage to stay ranked.

You Gotta Rise Up: Florida State (18-5). The 'Noles crept into the standings on the heels of a huge ~~choke by~~ win over Clemson, which was preceded by a narrow loss to Carolina and a squeaker over Georgia Tech, not to mention senior Toney Douglas scoring 20-plus points in seven straight games.

Hyped: The Seminoles come to mind immediately. It's not that I don't think they're good, or that they'll end up in the NCAA tournament, but after what should be an easy win against Virginia this week, they play at Wake, against Miami, at Virginia Tech, at Boston College, against Clemson, at Duke, and close with a home game against Virginia Tech. Holy. Guh. Give Leonard Hamilton credit for getting them this far, but, man, if they can close out 4-3 in that stretch, I'll be impressed.

Bunked: Missouri's win over Kansas made me rethink this choice. Originally (and at about halftime last night) I had the Jayhawks pegged as underrated. I still think they might be, though, considering only one of their five losses, to UMass, is remotely embarrassing. But man, you gotta give credit to Mizzou for stepping up, and the Tigers look dangerous as hell. They're talented as all get out and play tenacious defense. But Mizzou shoots free throws very poorly, which scares me, as does blowout losses at Kansas State and a 51-point effort against Nebraska. The good news is we'll find out if the Tigers are for real by March 5 -- back-to-back games at Kansas and against Oklahoma kind of dictate that.

WTF? Eight. Yes, the number. Because it appears to be how many ACC teams are going to make the tournament this year. And while the Big East has performed such a feat (in 2006 and 2008), the ACC only has 12 teams. Dios mio. I see it difficult to leave out any of North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech or Boston College. Add in a few more teams like Georgetown and Notre Dame collapsing and a strong run by Maryland or Miami and it could happen. Eight of 12 would be ridiculous.

People Who Vote Are Smart (Brought to you by Pollspeak.com): Dave Jones, The Patriot-News. I'm going to be a little persnickity with Mr. Jones here re: his ACC action. See, he's got North Carolina (No. 3), Wake Forest (5), Clemson (10) and Duke (11). I respect rewarding the transitive property and all, but, um, Duke's not 11th overall. They're just not. Michigan State also seems, ahem, a touch skeptical at No. 17. Kudos to Jones though, for rolling Mizzou up there high -- clearly they deserved that.

Ranking the Rankings: Stagnance originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xavier Waits Too Long to Come Back

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Xavier, A-10

Here's a tip if you are playing Xavier: press on defense. The Musketeers just do not handle pressure defense real well. Not with only one true point guard on the roster. The Duquesne Dukes like to press on defense, and it completely frustrated Xavier for almost 30 minutes. By the time Xavier solved the problem and made their run, they did not have enough time. Xavier went down, 72-68.

Except for the first few minutes, Duquesne led the entire game. They held a 15-point halftime lead and just attacked Xavier on offense the entire first half. In the second half they seemed to slow the game down on offense, but that was also Xavier doing a better job of denying the penetration and drives to the basket. Even so, the Dukes had a great shooting night that the Musketeers could not match.
At the end of the game, a rather long suffering Dukes student section stormed the court. To which, we at FanHouse do not have a problem. Duquesne had not beaten a ranked opponent since January 1997 -- when they beat Xavier. They had not beaten a top-10 team since knocking off Florida State in 1992. It had been quite a while since the Dukes have had any reason to celebrate.

The crowd at the Palumbo Center definitely helped Duquesne. It was their first sellout in over two years, and their first sellout that did not involve playing crosstown foe Pitt since 1994. It had to be a little more painful for Xavier coach Sean Miller, a Pittsburgh native and former star at Pitt. It was his third loss to Duquesne as a player or a coach.

Xavier Waits Too Long to Come Back originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On-Court Obsession: Late Night Watching

Chas Rich — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, Pac-10, SEC, Media Watch

Saturday is a busy day for college basketball. On any Saturday during the season, there can be well over 40 games on your TV. Unfortunately, many are completely unwatchable. Every Friday, FanHouse puts together a handy guide of the best choices on how to spend your Saturday on the couch watching college basketball.

This is not a great Saturday lineup. That will happen. You can't have the great Saturdays without some duds. It isn't that there aren't some good games, but the non-competitive or uninteresting matchups dominate. It's a good Saturday to nap during the day games and plan to stay up late.

12 PM ET
Syracuse-Villanova, ESPN: Some good one-on-one battles. The guard play between Jonny Flynn versus Scottie Reynolds on the outside should be fun. Then there are the underrated big men facing off in Dante Cunningham and Arinze Onuaku. This is one of only two games that feature top-25 teams facing each other today.

1:30 PM ET
Miami-Duke, FullCourt, Raycom affiliates: Miami coming off their biggest win of the season while Duke is coming off their worst loss in years.

2 PM ET
Texas-Nebraska, ESPN: Nebraska was able to beat Missouri -- unlike the Longhorns. Texas is on a two-game slide and needs a win. While Nebraska is only 4-4 in the Big 12, they put a scare into Oklahoma, lost by only six to Kansas and lost to Oklahoma State in OT.

4 PM ET
Providence-West Virginia, FullCourt, MASN, SNY: Halfway through the conference slate, and both teams are on the bubble in the Big East. Both teams have lost two straight and need this game.

6 PM ET
Michigan-UConn, ESPN: This could get ugly real fast if Hasheem Thabeet gets some early swats of shots inside. Or UConn could revert to individual play and Michigan gets hot on their perimeter shooting -- always a risk with a John Beilein team.

College of Charleston-Davidson, ESPN2: Steph Curry's presence has made sure Davidson is on TV every weekend. He has made Davidson a lot of money.

7 PM ET
Florida State-Clemson, RSN, NESN, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (CSN) alternate, FoxSports South: Clemson is trying not to have a letdown after the big win over Duke. Florida State could really use a quality win to go with all of the quality losses they have accumulated.

8:30 PM ET
Arizona State-Oregon State, FoxSports Northwest, FoxSports Arizona: This should be a low scoring struggle. Oregon State has been surprisingly decent, while Arizona State has been mildly disappointing.

9 PM ET
Memphis-Gonzaga, ESPN: Two teams in mid-major conferences that are anything but mid-majors. A pair of top-20 teams in a well-planned late intersectional game.

10 PM ET
Pacific-Long Beach State, FoxSports Prime Ticket: Give a little love to the Big West. LBS is in first in the conference. Pacific has been shorthanded all season, but have proven to be a resilient group, and a tough out.

11 PM ET
St. Mary's-Santa Clara, Comcast SportsNet California: The Gaels have had time to feel sorry for themselves with the loss of Patty Mills. They need to win games like this while he's out with the broken hand to keep themselves in the West Coast Conference picture and for an at-large bid.

On-Court Obsession: Late Night Watching originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wake, Xavier to Play Prosser Memorial

Will Brinson — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Wake Forest, Xavier, A-10, ACC, Coaches, Fans

Skip Prosser will always be remembered on the campuses of Wake Forest and Xavier for the work as a coach he did in each location before passing suddenly from a heart attack.

Instead of just living on in the memories of players and coaches, there will now be a special day to recognize the work Prosser did with student-athletes. The two universities announced that they will compete annually for at least the next 10 years in the Skip Prosser Classic.

The 10-year series will begin during the 2009-10 season with the first game scheduled to be played at Wake Forest. Over the course of the series, five games will be played at Wake and five at Xavier. The exact dates have yet to be determined and will be announced at a later time.

[...] "This series will serve as a legacy to the tremendous impact that Skip had on each university," said Wake Forest Athletics Director Ron Wellman. "We thought that it was a natural fit that the two schools should play in both Winston-Salem and in Cincinnati in recognition of Skip's achievements to both communities."

This is, frankly, a fantastic idea. I suppose it is something that needed to happen eventually, in order to fully remember Prosser's life. He was, by all accounts, a heck of a coach and a great human being.

The added bonus, of course, is that both Xavier and Wake Forest are highly competitive programs these days (mostly thanks to Prosser, natch) and it should provide college basketball fans with an extremely appealing matchup added to the calendar each year.

Wake, Xavier to Play Prosser Memorial originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On-Court Obsessions: Celebrate Some Saturday Hoops

Chas Rich — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:02:00 EST

Filed under: A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC

It's another Saturday in January on the couch, but this one's a slow starting day of college hoops -- definitely the kind of day that you spend the early part of dozing on the couch rather than constantly clicking the remote.

As the day continues, though, the number of games you should watch climbs rapidly. This is actually one of the few Saturdays where you can actually take a half-hour and spend dinner with the family -- you know, pretend that they are important -- then get back for a very active evening session. Here's the rundown.

12 PM ET
Maryland-Duke, ESPN: Okay, I don't have high expectations either, but there just aren't a lot of choices to start the day. If the game were in College Park, Md., I might believe in the possibility of an upset. In this case Maryland might make Duke sweat for a while, but will not be able to finish. Only other reason to watch: to see if Greivis Vasquez flips off the Cameron Crazies.

Niagara-Siena, MSG or Full Court: It's MAAC madness. The two best teams in the Metro Atlantic go at it. Get acquainted with a potential Cinderella for the NCAA Tournament.

2 PM ET
American-Holy Cross, ESPNU: Hot Patriot League action. The top teams square off. If you don't watch, John Feinstein will eat another dozen Krispy Kreme's.

3:30 PM ET
Memphis-Tennessee, CBS: Always a spirited contest of in-state rivals. That's the best I can do at the moment. Both teams have struggled more than expected. Tennessee has fallen out of the rankings and Memphis is hovering in the 20s.

4 PM ET
Wisconsin-Illinois, ESPN: Not only has Wisconsin lost three straight, but the last two have been of the overtime flavor. But they have become a bubble team. Illinois has only lost once at home (to Clemson) this season.

George Mason-VCU, ESPN2: Anyone else remember when Eric Maynor was the mid-major guard that everyone wanted to watch? He's a senior now, and averaging over 22 points and six assists per game. Oh, and this is a battle between the top teams in the Colonial.

Utah-UNLV, Vs.: Utah played an ambitious non-con with mixed results. They have gotten off to a decent start in the MWC, but their three wins have come against the bottom of the conference. UNLV, in case you missed it, is fine.

Baylor-Oklahoma, ESPNU: Baylor has one big win this season. Otherwise, they have no other quality wins of note. That means every conference game matters. This is a big one. Oklahoma looked surprisingly uninspired at home against Nebraska.

UCLA-Washington, FoxSports: Despite the unimpressive record in the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Huskies are tied for the best record in the Pac-10 and they have only lost once at home.

7 PM ET
UConn-Notre Dame, ESPN: Notre Dame has the nation's longest home winning streak at 45. They are playing poorly on defense, and just about everyone is assuming the streak ends here.

Radford-Liberty, MASN: The name is Curry. Seth Curry.

8 PM ET
Xavier-Louisiana State, ESPN2: This is a rare double-double for 2009. A team from the Atlantic-10 showing up on national TV in January, and an interesting game involving an SEC team.

Northwestern-Michigan, Big Ten Network: A little more than a week ago, Michigan was a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Three straight losses later, and this is a must-win game. Northwestern has knocked off two straight ranked conference teams.

Texas A&M-Texas, ESPNU: Are you a reliable point guard living in the state of Texas, between the age of 18 and 21? Rick Barnes and Mark Turgeon are interested. Otherwise, the frontcourts and shooting guards are just fine, thank you very much.

San Diego State-BYU, The Mtn.: SDSU is near the top of the MWC and BYU has suddenly become vulnerable in Provo.

10 PM ET
UC-Riverside-Long Beach State, FoxSports Pacific: Go ahead and watch one of LBS coach Dan Monson's auditions for a higher profile job.

On-Court Obsessions: Celebrate Some Saturday Hoops originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Duke Slams Xavier In Their Home Away From Home, 82-64

Shiloh Carder — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:50:00 EST

Filed under: Duke, Xavier, A-10, ACC

The Xavier Musketeers traveled to ~~North Durham~~ New Jersey to show the world that they were a legit title contender. They came into the game with a No. 7 ranking and a big win over Memphis in their rear view mirror.

Duke came in ranked No. 6 and provided a nice challenge to show Xavier how good they are right now. Judging by what happened, the Muskies have some work to do.

Duke jumped all over Xavier early and cruised to an 82-64 victory. The Blue Devils rolled out to a 20-3 lead just five minutes into the game, expanded the lead to 31 points at halftime and never looked back. It was just a perfect storm of the Blue Devils playing very, very well at the exact same time the Musketeers were playing very, very badly.

This was Duke's 18th win in 19 tries at the Izod Center. Of Mike Krzyzewski's ten Final Four appearances, five of the trips went through East Rutherford. Their only loss was to Arizona back in 1989.

Very rarely has anyone every loved the place formerly known as Brendan Byrne Arena and Continental Airlines Arena, but Coach K thinks the Izod Center is the cat's pajamas.

"This place has been a magical place for us," Krzyzewski said. "When we walked out onto the court, I was really pumped up. The court looked great. It had the feel of an NCAA tournament game. It's like going to the best restaurant. We've won a lot of great games here. It's great for the game of basketball to have this type of atmosphere."

The crowd was mostly pro-Duke as the schools has a lot of alumni in the New York/New Jersey area.

Duke Slams Xavier In Their Home Away From Home, 82-64 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coaches Still Recruiting the Barely Pubescent

Chas Rich — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech, A-10, ACC, SEC, Coaches, Recruiting

Yeah, that National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) ~~edict~~ ~~demand~~ ~~recommendation~~ mild suggestion that coaches not recruit kids who aren't even sophomores in high school went real well. Kentucky's Billy Gillespie -- who came under the most fire -- said he would follow it. Then Florida's Billy Donovan went and offered a scholarship to another 15-year old.

Looks like little has changed. Meet 15-year old Tyler Lewis.

He's already in his third season starting for a high school varsity basketball team even though he's just a ninth-grader and 5-foot-10, 145 pounds.

But he has exceptional passing ability and a dead-on jump shot from 22 feet at Forsyth Country Day. And he already has coaches with the Charlotte 49ers, Auburn and Virginia Tech telling him they will pay his tuition, room and board if he will play basketball for them.

Shocking, I know. Absolutely nothing has changed. At least until the NABC gets the NCAA to pass legislation explicitly prohibiting it. That's the only way this will "officially" stop.

No coach will be willing to give up a possible edge, unless mandated. That's why the ever increasing size of recruiting rules exist. There's always some other coach trying to work the system at some new angle. Then all the coaches start going that way until a rule is passed to save them from themselves.

The more things change...

Coaches Still Recruiting the Barely Pubescent originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atlantic-10 Had a Very Good Day

Chas Rich — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:44:00 EST

Filed under: UMass, Xavier, A-10

Nothing like a lot of wins over teams from major conference teams in one day. Even better when they are ranked teams. Today the Atlantic-10 had the kind of day that helps the entire conference. It raises the profile of the teams and the competition. At least for a while.

Temple crunched the 8th ranked Tennessee Volunteers to start things off today. That was followed by UMass beating number 25 and defending national champ Kansas 61-60 in Kansas City. Both of those games were nationally televised on ESPN.

For the nightcap, Xavier took down Cinci 76-66 in the Crosstown shootout. An ugly, trash-talking, technical foul-filled game. Three A-10 programs taking down teams from three different power conferences. All being aired nationally. Of course, good luck at finding a conference game being aired on TV once conference play gets underway.

The rest of the conference went 6-2 today. Duquesne nearly pulled off an upset over West Virginia in Morgantown, but that fell short. There are some good teams and plenty of talented young coaches that have been overshadowed by Xavier's Sean Miller. Not to mention good coaches at other schools that have been almost forgotten nationally (Rick Majerus, St. Louis) or just are never looking to jump somewhere else (Phil Martelli, St. Joe's and Fran Dunphy, Temple).

The A-10 was here as recently as last year. They had a fantastic December as teams like Dayton, St. Joe's, UMass, Rhode Island, Charlotte and of course, Xavier all had big wins out of conference. All made noise and spurred dreams of going to the NCAA. Then came conference play and things fell apart. Except for Xavier, there seemed to be little separation among the fourteen programs. Teams rose and fell every week. By the end of the season, three teams made it to the NCAA Tournament only because Temple stunned everyone to win the A-10 Tournament and the automatic bid.

Atlantic-10 Had a Very Good Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Temple Fan Gets Dirty Picture On Camera

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:49:00 EST

Filed under: A-10, Fans

As Temple was making a huge run to beat No. 8 Tennessee, the fans in Philly were feeling it. One Temple fan decided to show off his art skills by displaying a picture of how the game was going for Tennessee. Thank God that it found its way on screen as ESPN was going to commercial.

The image is a bit dirty, which is why I have it blacked out above. If you'd like to see what it was, you can after the jump (NSFW). Also, I have no idea what's written with the figures, but you get the picture.

UPDATE: According to the commenters, the words are "me" and "your mom".

Temple Fan Gets Dirty Picture On Camera originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Temple Pounds No. 8 Tennessee, 88-72

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:23:00 EST

Filed under: Tennessee, A-10, SEC

It may be only December 13th, but Christmas has exploded in Philadelphia. Temple's Dionte Christmas took over in their upset of No. 8 Tennessee.

Christmas scored 35 points, including seven three-point shots, to cruise to an 88-72 win. As the Vols closed the game to within four points in the second half, Christmas nailed three three-pointers to give separation and, ultimately, the win.

It wasn't just Christmas. The Owls did a fantastic job breaking Tennessee's press, moving the ball around and taking the wide open shots they received. It was also remarkable that Temple did an outstanding job of withstanding some runs by the Vols and then widen their own lead.

The Owls shot 55 percent for the game and held the Vols to just 36 percent shooting.

Fellow FanHouser Chas Rich said it perfectly: "(Christmas) has been their best player for the last couple years, but this is the sort of big stage game that gets national notice."

I'm hoping this does get Christmas some run as a great basketball player and not just a guy with a cool name. He's been nearly a 20-point scorer over the past two-plus seasons and has led the Atlantic-10 in scoring the past two seasons.

Temple Pounds No. 8 Tennessee, 88-72 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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