NCAA Basketball FanHouse

A Triumph for the Least Daring Among Us

Josh Alper — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: March Madness, East, West, Midwest, South

I'm not sure what's replaced the watercooler as the gathering place in offices of the 21st century but, whatever it is, the buzz around it this morning is the Final Four. For the first time ever all four first seeds have advanced to the final weekend and the biggest beneficiaries are no doubt making themselves known to their co-workers. Maybe it's the receptionist who spends more time discussing her romantic life than studying Pomeroy Ratings or the guy from Accounting who doesn't watch sports but likes to be part of the office hullabaloo but those are the ones counting their winnings right now.

Whether you thought the tournament was boring or scintillating to this point, you'll doubtlessly agree that the top seeds advancing has taken some of the fun out of it. Hopefully it will mean some spectacular basketball on Saturday and Monday but it is antithesis to the surprise and drama that has made March Madness part of the national lexicon.

That surprise was what made us take a chance on Pittsburgh or West Virginia two weeks ago because we've watched for years and knew that it wouldn't come down to the chalk teams. And for that we've been repaid by the heckling of coworkers who wouldn't know Stephen Curry from Eddy Curry. And, worst of all, Clark Kellogg's annual safety dance has finally paid off which ensures another decade of bland picks.

A Triumph for the Least Daring Among Us originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Little Dap For Bill Self

Nathan Fowler — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:12:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

It's pretty incredible that a guy who owns a career winning percentage of .717 and has taken 3 separate schools to a total of 5 regional finals would need any dap, but lets just say that back to back first round losses to Bucknell and Bradley a couple of years ago really put a dent in Bill Self's national reputation as a gameday coach. College basketball fans have pretty much just treated as fact that Self is a coach who won games on the strength of the talent of his squads and in spite of his game planning and bench coaching.

You know what though? I thought Self did a terrific job as a bench coach today in the Jayhawks hard fought win over Davidson to clinch a berth in the Final Four. He had a myriad of defensive schemes that frustrated Stephen Curry as much as anyone has in months - going from a straight man to man to a box and one and back on alternating possessions at one point, never quite letting the quicksilver Davidson guard get comfortable (yes, Curry had 25 points ... but it took him 25 shots to get there). When it became apparent that Russell Robinson was just having a terrible night, he boldly sat the "heart" of the Jayhawks on the bench down the stretch and put the game in Sherron Collins hands - and Collins rewarded him with the 3 pointer that gave Kansas the lead for good as well as fantastic help defense on the final possession that made Curry give up the ball before attempting a game winning shot.

It wasn't pretty for the Jayhawks, in large part because Brandon Rush couldn't throw the ball in the ocean from a rowboat and because Davidson played yet another fantastic game, but Self put his guys in position to make plays and had a terrific defensive game plan. Since we'll probably get a week of Final Four previews all over the national media where the Jayhawks "weaknesses" sections will include potshots at Self's coaching skill, here's a bit of dap from the Fanhouse for Self. Good job today, and enjoy your trip to San Antonio.

A Little Dap For Bill Self originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson Will Send More Students on More Buses to Detroit for the Elite Eight

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:49:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Campus, Charlotte, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

You may have already heard about Davidson College paying for students to attend the Sweet 16 in Detroit already. The responses was so overwhelming that the school couldn't find enough buses to send the 1,000 students who wanted to go (only about 250 did get to attend).

Well, there's another chance to go.

With the Wildcats beating Wisconsin yesterday, the school is set to send more students on more buses to Detroit for their Elite Eight game against Kansas. Fellow FanHouse blogger Will Brinson received a copy of an e-mail (from Will Bryan at Will's World) sent to Davidson students:

The Trustees of Davidson College have agreed to support the cost of several morebuses and more tickets to allow additional students to attend the game against Kansas in Detroit. The game is on Sunday night, March 30, at 5:05 pm. We have five buses and can take approximately 230 students.

{ ... }

This is for a BUS SEAT AND A TICKET. You will not be staying overnight in a hotel.

The available buses will leave Davidson on Sunday morning at approximately 3:00 am. The buses will drive directly to the arena where the game will be played . Tip-off is at 5:05 pm. The buses will leave Detroit to return to Davidson immediately after the game and will probably arive back in Davidson between 7 am and 9 am on Monday morning.

Again, another classy move by the school.

(Hat tip to Will's World)

Davidson Will Send More Students on More Buses to Detroit for the Elite Eight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ho-Hum, Kansas Pounds Villanova

Charles Rich — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

Villanova getting to the Sweet 16 after being one of the last at-large teams to make the NCAA Tournament was a surprise. Getting beaten soundly by Kansas, 72-57, really wasn't.

The Jayhawks took control of the game on both ends early and cruised to the easy win. Villanova was just overmatched. There was never even a threat of a comeback by the Wildcats.

Kansas shot over 50% from the field while holding Villanova to just over 36%. Villanova's quick, but smaller guards, could not get clean looks on the perimeter and Kansas had the athleticism to keep them from penetrating.

Kansas now gets to play Davidson on Sunday.

Ho-Hum, Kansas Pounds Villanova originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson Upsets Wisconsin, 73-56

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:13:00 EST

Filed under: Wisconsin Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

The Davidson Wildcats are going to the Elite 8. Yes, I really wrote that.

The small school just outside of Charlotte will face the winner of the Kansas-Villanova game in the Midwest Regional Final on Sunday.

Davidson continued to shoot well ... knocking down 12 three pointers (in 24 attempts) and nearly 50% total from the field. Stephen Curry led the way with 33 points, including dominating an amazing stretch to begin the second half. The Wildcats went on a 33-12 run and blew the game wide open after the break.

Wisconsin also played a poor game. They neglected their biggest advantage -- their size -- and instead took contested jump shots. When they did decide to go inside, Davidson elected to foul the Badgers and force them to convert of the free throw line. They didn't ... going just 14-of-22 from the stripe. They were also turnover prone which led to several easy baskets for Davidson.

Davidson Upsets Wisconsin, 73-56 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Bill Self the Best Coach Who Has Never Made It to the Final Four?

Josh Alper — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Coaches, Midwest

Flipping through this week's Sports Illustrated, something caught my eye in the article wrapping up last weekend's NCAA Tournament action. Grant Wahl referred to Kansas head coach Bill Self as the Best Coach Never to Have Reached the Final Four. It makes a certain amount of sense. Four trips to the Elite Eight at three different schools and a .716 winning percentage over his career are laudable accomplishments. Why, then, did it seem like hyperbole in the extreme?

The first thing that came to my mind was the two first-round losses in 2005 and 2006. Kansas got bounced by Bucknell and Bradley, respectively, which is pretty shocking for a school that had last lost their first tourney game in 1978. They'd gone to six Final Fours and won a championship in the interim, which makes it all the more shocking to see such flameouts. Kansas is supposed to go deep in the tournament, that's their history, so those two losses stick out more, to me anyway, than the two Elite Eight trips.

If Kansas wins tonight, it will be Self's fifth time in the final eight, the same number as John Chaney.

Chaney never made it over the hump and into the Final Four but you'd be hard pressed to make an argument that he had as much to work with at Temple as Self has had at Illinois and Kansas. Shouldn't part of the criteria for Best Coach be what you're working with?

This reads like an assault on Self, which isn't the intent. It's more of an assault on the kind of hyperbole that started off the piece. Saying someone is The Best this or The Best that makes for good copy. Using that as the yardstick for some level of greatness of a coach seems silly, especially from media properties that constantly feature articles on this or that coaches impact that can't be measured in wins and losses. Is Self a better coach than Chaney or Bo Ryan, to name another guy coaching tonight who hasn't made the Final Four? You got me and short of giving them equal teams and playing a game, we'll never know for sure.

Is Bill Self the Best Coach Who Has Never Made It to the Final Four? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson's Stephen Curry Is the Unquestioned Star of the NCAA Tournament

Michael David Smith — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:48:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Video, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

Watch the highlights of Davidson's 74-70 victory over Georgetown yesterday, and one player stands out:

Yes, of course, it's Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who is the unquestioned star of the first two rounds of this year's NCAA Tournament, and who may be emerging as the biggest star of college basketball. Curry is the man everyone is talking about this morning.

The only question that still hasn't been answered satisfactorily is how on earth none of the ACC schools Curry wanted to attend picked up on him. It's the same question people were asking at this time last year. The answer, I guess, is just that recruiting is an inexact science, and on this one, the coaches in ACC country screwed up.

Davidson's Stephen Curry Is the Unquestioned Star of the NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova, Last Team In, Shows It Belongs

Michael David Smith — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:23:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

One week ago, the Villanova Wildcats were sitting around wondering whether they were going to make it into the NCAA Tournament. Depending on which bracketologist you trusted, they were either one of the last teams in or one of the last teams out.

As it turned out, they were the last team in, getting a 12 seed in the Midwest that made them the lowest-seeded of the at-large teams, earning the enmity of the teams they edged out, including Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Dayton and Illinois State.

But now the Wildcats have shown that they belong, beating 5 seed Clemson on Friday, beating 13 seed Siena today and advancing to the Sweet 16.

It might be an oversimplification to say that the mere fact that Villanova wins two games proves that Villanova was the right choice for the last spot: After all, we can't say for sure that Arizona State or Virginia Tech or Dayton or Illinois State wouldn't have won two games.

But for the Wildcats, the team that was cited in some quarters Monday morning as the example of the Selection Committee's biggest mistake, it feels like vindication.

Villanova, Last Team In, Shows It Belongs originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tampa Trap

Charles Rich — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Clemson Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, West, Midwest

Round 1 in Tampa was brutal for the higher seed teams. Epic, record-setting even. Two 4-13 games and two 5-12 games. In all four, the double digit seeds won. That has never happened before in the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, Tampa will have two 12-13 matchups. UConn, Drake, Vandy and Clemson all tumble to San Diego, Western Kentucky, Siena and Villanova. In fact, there hasn't been a 12-13 game in the second round since 2001 -- Indiana State-Gonzaga. Now there are two at one site.

It just screams statistical anomaly, but everyone is still waiting for that 1-16 upset.

The Tampa Trap originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Topples Clemson

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:29:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Clemson Basketball, Midwest

If you have never seen a Clemson Tigers game over the last ... say ... three years, then you captured everything about them in this one game against Villanova.

The Tigers pressed and punched their way to a 36-18 lead with five minutes left in the first half. Then, as it always seems to happen for Clemson, it all fell apart. Nova went on a 46-21 run that spanned both halves and built up a seven point lead with under four minutes remaining.

Clemson helped facilitate this by making bad shot decisions, turning the ball over, not feeding the big dogs down low and playing poor defense. There was the fantastic fouling of a three point shooter as the shot clock expired (by the way, the shot banked in). There was James Mays and Trevor Booker shooting a combined five shots on the day ... and both fouling out. Terrence Oglesby, Cliff Hammonds and KC Rivers went a combined 4-of-25 from three point land.

Villanova, who has won more games as the lower seeded team than anyone, finished off what was one hell of a day in Tampa. Four games; four upsets. On Easter Sunday, the fine folks in Tampa will be treated to #12 Villanova against #13 Siena and #12 Western Kentucky against #13 San Diego (no word if Nova or WKU packed their white unis or not).

Nova, who was one of the last teams to get into the dance, justified its place with the win over the 3rd place team in the ACC. The Big East moved to 7-1 in the tournament (only UConn lost). Don't be surprised to see this team in the Sweet 16 and giving Kansas a run for its money.

Villanova Topples Clemson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Curry Goes for 40 Points as Davidson Beats Gonzaga

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:38:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Charlotte, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

Thursday had very, very limited upsets. The first session of Friday games have already seen one, kinda. #10 Davidson beat #7 Gonzaga, 82-76.

Davidson's Stephen Curry was insane, hitting 8-of-11 from three and dumping 40 points on the Zags. After Gonzaga's defense spent the first half chasing Curry around (he scored just 9 points at the break), they seemed tired towards the end of the game. Curry went off for 31 in the second half, Andrew Lovedale was all over the boards and the Zags' own shots weren't falling.

Seeding-wise, it was an upset though many people had Davidson pegged for this one. Curry is an All-American and Davidson is about a two-hour drive from Raleigh, site of the game. Gonzaga had to fly across the country -- and this game was played at 9:30 a.m. their time.

Davidson takes their 23-game winning streak ... which is the longest in the nation ... into the 2nd round against the winner of Georgetown-UMBC. The Wildcats' last loss was on December 21st against NC State on the same floor they are playing on now.

Stephen Curry Goes for 40 Points as Davidson Beats Gonzaga originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ho-tels, Mo-tels, Holiday Inn! Not Just the Teams Get Seeded in the NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: UNC Basketball, Georgetown Basketball, Gonzaga Basketball, Indiana Basketball, Arkansas Basketball, March Madness, Carolina, Davidson Basketball, East, Midwest

When the seedings were announced for the NCAA tournament on Sunday, there was a scramble for the next level of seedings. No, not the N.I.T. or College Basketball Invitational ... but the hotels which will host each of the eight teams in the site.

Take Raleigh, for example, which hosts games of Friday and Sunday. The East's top seed North Carolina gets to stay at the Embassy Suites in nearby Cary, NC (by the way, it is just a 20-mile ride from UNC's campus to the game). Georgetown, the #2 seed in the Midwest will be at a Sheraton in Raleigh.

#16 seed Mount St. Mary's gets a Holiday Inn near the NC State campus. #15 seed Maryland-Baltimore County gets a Holiday Inn near a mall.

The director of sales and marketing for the Holiday Inn Brownstone has no problem with his hotel's low-seeded status.

"We know our place in the community," Kevin Johnson said. "We're not a four-star hotel, but there were probably 20 hotels who put in for this. So we look at it as a 'glass half-full' situation."

I guess.

While you may thing the seeding deal is one thing, at least the NCAA is trying to get these kids into decent accomodations. In year's past, that hasn't been the case.

But the NCAA was not always so rigorous in its hotel screening. Southern Illinois assistant coach Brad Korn told The Washington Post last year how his team reached the tournament's regional semifinals as a No. 11 seed in 2002, only to be assigned to a rundown Syracuse hotel with moldy showers, unkempt beds and filthy curtains. The Salukis head coach, Chris Lowery, an assistant at the time, suffered an allergic reaction and missed a practice when his face erupted in hives. The team blamed the food and the hotel's cleanliness.

The NCAA requires that the hotels have a full service resteraunt and conference rooms that can be used for team meetings. They've also starting viewing the rooms, showers and overall cleanliness before giving them the okay. Still, there may be some things that are more important,

UMBC sophomore forward Justin Fry did not begrudge Georgetown its more luxurious hotel, nor did he gripe about his Holiday Inn, which was close enough to the Angus Barn steakhouse for a Wednesday night team dinner.

"They deserve it," Fry said of Georgetown and its place in the hotel pecking order. "I mean, it's not really a slap in the face. We're just here to play ball."

Ho-tels, Mo-tels, Holiday Inn! Not Just the Teams Get Seeded in the NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CBS' Broadcast Teams for the NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: March Madness, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, East, West, Midwest, South

(Hat tip: Awful Announcing)

Here are CBS's broadcast teams for each of the eight pod sites for the first and second round of the NCAA tournament.

Anaheim: Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn, Jay Bilas
Denver: Gus Johnson, Len Elmore
Omaha: Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner
Washington: Craig Bolerjack, Bob Wenzel
Birmingham: Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery
Little Rock: Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel
Raleigh: Jim Nantz, Billy Packer
Tampa: Tim Brando, Mike Gminski

It seems as if the Nantz/Packer team will follow North Carolina the entire way. They are already in Raleigh and Charlotte (if UNC advances) would be the next destination. Packer, by the way, lives in Charlotte.

The Brando/Gminski team worked the ACC Sunday Night Hoops games this season and will have Clemson in their Tampa pod. Brando also is known for his SEC work ... and Vanderbilt will be there too.

I love how CBS always puts Dick Enberg on the West games since ... well ... most of the country won't see the second game of their day.

Of course, many people only care about where Gus Johnson goes. He gets the Michigan State-Temple, Notre Dame-George Mason and Washington State-Winthrop game ... which should all be pretty good (the Pitt-Oral Roberts game probably won't).

Me ... I love the Harlan/Bonner team. These two seem to have a fight on who can start screaming before the other. Harlan is great for that and Bonner ... well, he loves to get excited over mundane plays ("oh, what a pass!").

One of the things that still gets me is that ESPN still refuses to let Dick Vitale do games for CBS during the tournament. I know, many people don't like him ... but it's just odd that they won't let him do that during the sport's signature event. I mean, he is one heck of an ambassador for college hoops.

It can't because they need his studio work. I mean, they let Jay Bilas work for CBS and he's important to ESPN's studio shows. Len Elmore, Jim Spanarkel, Bob Wenzel and Bill Raftery also work games for both networks.

CBS' Broadcast Teams for the NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Villanova Wildcats

Charles Rich — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:06:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

Conference: Big East
Record: 20-12, 9-9 in conference
RPI: 51
How They Got In: At-large
Seed/Bracket: 12 / Midwest

Mascot: Wildcats. There is no connection to the Philly area, as the Villanova Wildcat is a feral feline with an appearance based on a bobcat found in the Southwest US. 'Nova's anthropomorphic mascot is called Will D. Cat. The name was chosen by a campus-wide contest in 1926.

Big Wins: Pitt, UConn and West Virginia.

Notable Loss: Rutgers (ouch).

Player You Should Know: The Villanova guards are the stars and the best athletes. The issue for Villanova is whether their forwards play well or just use up fouls. The main player inside is Dante Cunningham. The junior forward is their leading rebounder and has the highest field goal percentage -- if he can stay out of foul trouble,

Outlook: The Wildcats are best against other teams that like to play perimeter games. Against teams with strong frontcourts, they generally struggle. Villanova is likely one and done.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Villanova Wildcats originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Selection Committee Says They Don't Consider Matchups, Matchups Say Otherwise

Josh Alper — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga Basketball, March Madness, Butler Basketball, UNLV Basketball, Davidson Basketball, East, West, Midwest

The selection committee for the NCAA Tournament says that it doesn't consider specific matchups when they're seeding teams and placing them in the four brackets. It seems hard to believe that when each year brings games with geographical rivals or coaches who have worked together in the past squaring off. This year, you've got O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley in a freshman fiesta which stretches the credulity of their promise even more.

You've also got the cannibalization of smaller conference schools for the second straight year. Butler drew Old Dominion last year and this time around has to beat South Alabama to get out of the first round. Drake gets the second Sun Belt representative, Western Kentucky, in a 5-12 game and the Midwest region features a pair of matchups between teams outside the BCS conferences. UNLV plays Kent State and Gonzaga faces Davidson in what should be two of the best first round games.

There may seem to be a pejorative connotation to this observation, i.e. the NCAA wants bigger schools to move on and do well, but that's not the point. Four of these teams are guaranteed a second game, after all, and as more teams from outside the big six get to dance, they'll inevitably run into one another. Other than Butler, none of these teams got seeded too low or too high, so there's no problem except for the sneaking suspicion that the committee considers matchups more than they let on.

Read FanHouse previews for these teams (and the other 57 as well) in the NCAA Tournament.

The Selection Committee Says They Don't Consider Matchups, Matchups Say Otherwise originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Is the Prettiest Ugly Girl

Charles Rich — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:18:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

As the 12 seed in the Midwest Bracket, Villanova is the lowest seeded at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. That makes them the last team in the NCAA. It means they earn the enmity of teams like Arizona St., Virginia Tech, Dayton and Illinois State.

Villanova was only 1 spot higher than Virginia Tech in the RPI (51 vs. 52). Villanova finished 9-9 in the Big East. The difference is that Villanova proved that they could beat good teams. They beat teams like UConn and Pitt.

While Arizona State beat 4 teams that made the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats beat 5 teams. They beat three within their own conference and in their non-con, they beat 2 more NCAA Tournament teams -- Temple and George Mason.

The final factor that probably tipped in favor of Villanova is that they were the victim of two questionable calls at the end of games. A phantom call that sent NC State to the free throw line with under a second remaining, and a questionable blocking foul at the end of the game at Georgetown. In both cases, the free throws won the game for the other team. That seemed to offset an ugly loss in the quarterfinals to Georgetown.

Villanova Is the Prettiest Ugly Girl originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Kansas State Wildcats

Charles Rich — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:08:00 EST

Filed under: Big 12 Basketball, Kansas State Basketball, Midwest

Conference: Big 12
Record: 20-11, 10-6 in conference
RPI: 50
How They Got In: At-Large
Seed/Bracket: 11/Midwest

Mascot: Wildcats. Originally an agricultural school, they were the Aggies and the Farmers, before they decided to stick with the Wildcats. They call their mascot, "Willie."

Big Wins: Kansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma

Notable Loss: at Xavier (by 26) and George Mason (neutral site)

Player You Should Know: Michael Beasley has lived up to all of the hype. The freshman averages over 26 points and over 12 rebounds. There aren't enough superlatives for probably the best player in the country.

Outlook: Beasley can't do it alone. That's been a problem. After Bill Walker, the help has hardly been reliable. It's hard to see the Wildcats making it more than one game.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Kansas State Wildcats originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Baltimore, Midwest

Conference: America East
Record: 24-8, 13-3 in conference
RPI: 88
How They Got In: Beat Hartford to win the America East championship and automatic bid
Seed/Bracket: #15/Midwest

Mascot: Their mascot is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the state dog of Maryland (I didn't know they had "state dogs"). There is a statue of a retriever named True Grit that sits outside the arena.

Big Wins: Uh, they did beat American University

Notable Loss: at Ohio State and West Virginia. They actually hung tough against the Buckeyes, losing 92-83.

Player You Should Know: Guard Ray Barbosa is the Retrievers' leading scorer and he's been quite hot of late. He's hit for at least 20 points in 7 of UMBC's last 11 games.

Outlook: This is UMBC's first ever tournament appearance and it will probably be brief. Despite the talent of this team (and they do have it), size is an issue since, well, they have none. The America East has pulled off an upset before -- Vermont's legendary upset of Syracuse a few years back.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:28:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Charlotte, Davidson Basketball, Midwest

Conference: Southern
Record: 26-6, 20-0 in conference
RPI: 35
How They Got In: Running the table and winning the Southern Conference regular season and tournament title.
Seed/Bracket: #10/Midwest

Mascot: Wildcats.

Big Wins: Beating Winthrop in the Bracket Busters matchup involving Charlotte-area schools.

Notable Loss: This is what they are known for. They lost pre-conference games to UNC, Duke and UCLA. They were in all three of those games but couldn't pull out a win.

Player You Should Know: Sophomore guard Stephen Curry is a bit famous. The All American averages 25.1 ppg and one of the sweetest shooters in the country. The son of former Charlotte Hornets swingman Dell Curry, he has his dad's shot and could have his dad's NBA future as a long range gunner.

Outlook: Curry may be the main reason why Davidson is in the tournament, but he's not the only reason they are good. Point guard Jason Richards is excellent at finding Curry the best places for his shots while they have five or six other guys that contribute in other ways. The Wildcats aren't that Cinderella team anymore so winning a game (or even two) is almost expected.

NCAA Previews: Recognize Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Kansas Jayhawks

Charles Rich — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:26:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

Conference: Big 12
Record: 28-3, 13-3 in conference
RPI: 5
How They Got In: Conference Tournament Champions
Seed/Bracket: 1/Midwest

Mascot: The Jayhawk. Combining two birds (the Jay and the Hawk -- go figure). It dates back to the pre-Civil War "Bloody Missouri" or "Bleeding Kansas" period where abolitionist Kansas "Jayhawkers" fought bitterly with pro-slavery Missourians. Near the Free State Brewery in Lawrence is the John Brown Jayhawk statue, a reminder of the conflict that saw the entire city of Lawrence burned by Quantrill's raiders from Missouri.

Big Wins: Arizona, at Boston College (by 25), Oklahoma (by 30), Kansas State

Notable Loss: at Oklahoma State

Player You Should Know: Pick one. When a team is this balanced, you can make an argument for Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Darnell Jackson, Sherron Collins or even Russell Robinson and Sasha Kaun.

In this case, I favor watching Chalmers. He's a scorer and the leading assist guy for this team. In 4 games, he had more turnovers than assists. Kansas lost two of them and won the other 2 by a combined 9 points.

Outlook: The Jayhawks are the #1 team in terms of adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. They have balanced scoring -- 4 players average in double digits and Sherron Collins is 0.6 ppg short of being the fifth. It's astounding. There is nothing on paper that argues against them making the Final Four, if not win the whole thing.

That said, they have several perceptions to overcome. The Bill Self=Marty Schottenheimer comparisons will only get louder if they bow out by the Sweet 16. There's the conventional wisdom that a team like Kansas lacks that crunch time guy who will take the key shot. Closer to reality is the fact that teams that can control the tempo and slow things down are the most troublesome teams for Kansas.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Kansas Jayhawks originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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