NCAA Basketball FanHouse

College Basketball's Top 25 Coaches

Matt Snyder — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: WCC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, MVC, Pac-10, SEC, WAC, Coaches

In an effort to talk about something college basketball-related other than scandals in the summer, let's talk best current coaches. We'll attempt to order the top 25 current coaches in the nation. This is about the present and the future, not the distant past. What a guy did in the mid-90s doesn't matter near as much as the direction his program is currently headed. Past pedigree also matters, to an extent. For the perfect mix of past accomplishments with present achievement and a paved road for future success, look no further than the man atop the list.

The Untouchables

1. Roy Williams, North Carolina -- There are plenty of guys who could out X-and-O him during a game. Of course, he pretty much always has incredibly superior talent on the court, rendering that part of the coaching skill-set less meaningful. Recruiting is part of the job in college basketball, and he's done it well enough to amass two NCAA championships, three Final Fours and four 30-plus win seasons in the past five years. Until someone starts outdoing him on the recruiting trail and keeping those guys in school for more than a year, he'll stay here for a while.

2. Tom Izzo, Michigan State -- He reached his fifth Final Four last season, finishing as the runner-up to Roy's Tar Heels. In 2010, Izzo's Spartans will be cutting down the nets (yes, an incredibly early prediction). He's mixing youth with experience every single year, and that's why this program won't leave the national spotlight as long as he's around.

3. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke -- If this was any year from 1990 to 2001, he'd be the obvious choice for the best coach in the entire nation. In the past eight seasons, however, he's been slightly mortal -- advancing past the Sweet 16 just once. Of course, when we're talking about a guy going to the Sweet 16 six times and the Final Four once in an eight-year span -- and talking about how it hurts his overall resume -- that shows you what kind of bar he set for himself. He's still a legend, he's just being outperformed on Tobacco Road right now.

4. John Calipari, Kentucky -- There will be plenty of naysayers for the foreseeable future when it comes to "Coach Cal" and his "recruiting practices" -- especially in light of recent events. There's a sort of stigma following him around because he's arguably the best recruiter in the nation, but he's never been personally charged with anything concrete. The bottom line is that he's getting the job done and now his national platform is even bigger at one of the NCAA's marquee basketball programs. He's still looking for that elusive first national championship, but the smart money is on that drought ending rather quickly in Lexington (assuming he keeps his nose clean).

5. Bill Self, Kansas -- He's taken three different schools (including Tulsa) to the Elite Eight. He did so in his first year at Kansas. After a decent 2004-2005 season, Self built the team as his own, steadily improving over the next four seasons. Things culminated in 2008 when he did what Williams couldn't do at Kansas, which is win the National Championship. After significant losses to graduation and the NBA, the Jayhawks were in rebuilding mode last season, but it turned out to be reloading. A three-seed and Sweet 16 berth later, and Kansas is set up for another Final Four run. Expect that to be an annual statement about Self's Kansas squad for the foreseeable future.

6. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut -- He's got plenty of longevity, but he's likely not going anywhere, if his health and a possible NCAA inquiry allow, and neither are his Huskies. Though they're only losing Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price from a Final Four team, they have enough to pick up the pieces and make another deep run in March (if they make it, it will be Calhoun's ninth trip to the Elite Eight). Calhoun always does.

7. Rick Pitino, Louisville -- A Final Four and two Elite Eights in the past five years for Pitino, but he doesn't seem to have the national championship magic in Louisville. Plus, the addition of Calipari to UK will greatly cramp Pitino's recruiting within the basketball rich State of Kentucky. Don't get me wrong, though, Pitino is still ranked seventh on this list and in the prestigious "untouchables" category. He belongs.

Quasi-Elite

8. Billy Donovan, Florida -- He's lost tons of ground in the past two years. In fact, had we built this list after the two consecutive championships, he probably would have been ranked as the top overall coach in the nation. That doesn't just go away after two NCAA tournament-less seasons, but he's got something to prove now. Can he actually sustain success, or is everything dependent on landing one special recruiting class?

9. Ben Howland, UCLA -- Three straight Final Four appearances for the Bruins didn't yield a championship, though, and he took a step backward in 2009. If you look at his resume, though, there's no reason to doubt the direction of college basketball's most championship-laden program. Howland made Pitt into a powerhouse by his third season and built UCLA back into one -- making the Final Four in his third season. They'll be back.

10. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse -- The 14 Sweet 16 appearances, three national championship games and the one championship are all part of his incredibly lofty standing among historical collegiate coaching greats. Presently, he did take his 2009 group to the Sweet 16 after back-to-back trips to the NIT. He's enduring massive losses to graduation and the draft, though, so he'll have yet another reloading task in front of him. His name is keeping him here and he's likely to continue falling down the list as some of the younger talent trumps him. See the next guy on the list ...

Solid As a Rock

11. Jay Wright, Villanova -- After taking Hofstra to two consecutive NCAA tournament berths, Wright took his talents to Philly at age 40. He built the program for three years and it's been coming to fruition for the past five seasons. He's taken the Wildcats to four Sweet 16s in the past five years, and made a Final Four trip last season. It was the first for 'Nova since the magical 1985 run. They won't have to wait long for another one, because they'll be there again in 2010.

12. Tubby Smith, Minnesota -- He's gone to the Sweet 16 with three different schools and it's soon to be four [edit: originally said four and five, we regret the error] when he completes his rescue of the Gophers from the abyss. Six Sweet 16 appearances and a national championship in 10 years at Kentucky wasn't good enough for the die-hards in Lexington, but I'm pretty sure they'd deal with it in the Twin Cities. It would be awfully tough to win it all from up there, but the Gophers are on track to becoming a team who can occasionally visit the Sweet 16 and perhaps more.

13. Rick Barnes, Texas -- Texas will always be a football school, but Barnes does a heck of a job keeping the Longhorn faithful interested in hoops as well. The 2003 Final Four was nice, and they've been in the Elite Eight twice in the past four years. Heading into this year, they have some serious horses. Look for them to linger around the top 10.

14. Matt Painter, Purdue -- In my view, he's the most likely to jump up a level from this group in the next few years. I also expect this pick to receive the most scrutiny. So, here goes: Purdue has Final Four talent as they head into the 2009-2010 season. Should they make it, his resume will be as impressive as almost anyone at such a young age (he's only 38). In just four years he's transformed Purdue from a Big Ten doormat (3-13 in conference play his first season) to a legitimate national power. Maybe people outside Indiana (the State) don't realize what a joke Purdue basketball had become until he came in and played the role of savior. As beloved as Gene Keady was in Purdue, he never made it past the Elite Eight. Painter will get there before the age of 40. He's the most underrated coach in college basketball. His only other head coaching experience? A single season of domination in the Missouri Valley Conference (17-1 in 2004 conference play for Southern Illinois). [Then again, maybe I'm trying some reverse-jinxing action -- being an Indiana grad.]

15. Gary Williams, Maryland -- It's tough to argue with his past accolades, but I'm seeing three NIT appearances and two second-round exits from the Big Dance in the last five years. This is a list of coaching in the present, not the past. He'll continue to slide from what was once probably a top-5 rank if he doesn't show more potential with the future of the Maryland program.

16. Thad Matta, Ohio State -- He's a much better recruiter than on-court coach, but, again, recruiting is part of coaching in college basketball. He took Ohio State to the national title game in only his third season, yet they've been a tad bit disappointing since. Next year's Buckeyes do look to be very dangerous, especially with the return of David Lighty from injury. His worst season in three different stops still netted 20 wins overall wins.

17. Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh -- The big knock on Dixon has been his lack of tournament success. He did make the Elite Eight this year, but the Panthers never really got on track against inferior competition from their number one seed and eventually lost to a three seed. He's only 43, though, and has built a maintained a solid program after the departure of Howland. There's upward mobility here should he get over the hump in the next few years.

18. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin -- His regular season resume is impressive enough to land him higher on the list, but he hasn't had any serious tournament runs and it doesn't appear that's changing anytime soon. One thing I love hearing about him is how he gets so much out of limited talent. Well, first of all, he's had some talent. Secondly, recruiting talent is part of your job in collegiate sports. This isn't the NBA where he's saddled with an awful general manager. All that being said, he's a great coach and deserves a top-20 spot. He just seems a bit overrated to me at times in the eyes of the national media.

19. Bruce Weber, Illinois -- Built Southern Illinois' program into a regular Big Dance attendee before steering the Illini to a National Championship game appearance. After a drastic step-back (losing overall record in 2007-2008, which single-handedly knocked him down several ranking slots here), Weber coached an unheralded team to an impressive 24-10 campaign last season. The 2005 National Coach of the Year looks to continue building his reputation with a solid nucleus in place -- along with talented newcomers -- moving into the 2009-2010 season.

Rounding It Out

20. Bob Huggins, West Virginia -- We have to include him, because he wins games everywhere he goes -- and he wins immediately. He's not higher on the list, though, because there seems to be a glass ceiling in place at this point. His only trip to the Final Four was the last time Bob Knight made a trip and he doesn't appear to be in position to crack the top 5 in the Big East anytime soon. Still, he's going to win 20 and visit the NCAAs. That's clockwork.

21. Mark Few, Gonzaga -- He absolutely owns the WCC -- nine straight conference titles -- and has had decent-to-good success in the NCAA Tournament. At some point, though, the four Sweet 16s in 10 seasons need to turn into something more. Otherwise Few's just a very good coach dominating a sub-par conference. He actually may need to take his show elsewhere to shed that label, but the question is: Why would he? He's set up nicely there and won't get fired.

22. Bruce Pearl, Tennessee -- After making UW-Milwaukee relevant, Pearl took the Tennessee job and immediately thrust them into national prominence. The Vols took a step backward in 2009 after a 31-win season and two straight Sweet 16 appearances. Should Tyler Smith decide to come back -- he's filed paperwork for the NBA draft but not hired an agent and will also consider playing overseas -- they'll be headed back that way in 2010. If not, they still return everyone else and will still be in the NCAA Tourney mix as usual.

23. John Beilein, Michigan -- Talking about working your way through the ranks. He's been to Erie Community College, Nazareth College, Le Moyne College, Canisius, Richmond, West Virginia and now Michigan. After just one bad season in Ann Arbor, Beilein gave Wolverines hope they could once again cheer for a respectable basketball program. Considering DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris are coming back, the Wolverines have a nice shot at a Sweet 16 this year, which would be the third in the past six seasons for the late-blooming Beilein.

24. Lon Kruger, UNLV -- While Kruger's successors have had more success than he has (Donovan at Florida, Self and Weber at Illinois), he's still pretty adept at building winning programs. He took UNLV to the Sweet 16 in his third season and has been to the NCAA Tournament two of the past three years with the Runnin' Rebels. If he wants one, he'll probably get a crack at another major job soon.

25. Al Skinner, Boston College -- It's gotta be awfully tough to keep Boston College competitive in ACC basketball when measuring up against Duke, North Carolina, Maryland and others. BC is a football school, after all. Skinner's had his Eagles in the NCAA Tourney seven of the last nine seasons. Despite the loss of Tyrese Rice to graduation, they'll look to improve next season with the rest of the young nucleus returning.

Up-and-Comers

Here are some guys who might possibly be better coaches than several currently on the list. Some of them will need to prove it for a few more years, and others have circumstances they'll need to fight through in order to stick (Crean's Indiana mess, Bennett moving to the ACC from Pac-10, Capel needing to show he can win without Griffin, etc.).

[ordered alphabetically]

Mike Anderson, Missouri -- After winning 20-plus games all four seasons at UAB, Anderson undertook the massive task of cleaning up the Quin Snyder fiasco for Mizzou. Last season, just his third at the helm for the Tigers, saw Anderson lead his team to the Elite Eight. If things continue on this path, they'll have themselves quite the program.

Latest College Basketball Images

Pall bearers prepare to unload the casket of Wayman Tisdale during his funeral, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Tom Gilbert)

The hearse carrying the casket of Wayman Tisdale moves through Tulsa, Thursday, May 21, 2009, in Tulsa, Okla. The former University of Oklahoma basketball star and popular jazz musician died last week after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (AP Photo/Shane Bevel)

John Wall, flanked by his sister Tonya Pulley and Dr. Frank Summerfield, formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

John Wall formally announced during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, that he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

John Wall laughs with his sister Tonya Pulley during a press conference on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, where he announced he would attend the University of Kentucky next fall to play basketball. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, center, discusses his decision to commit to playing basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. At left is Word of God Christian Academy's Dr. Frank Summerfield and at right is Wall's sister Tonya Pulley. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall, right, and Dr. Frank Summerfield discuss Wall's decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Word of God Christian Academy's point guard John Wall discusses his decision to commit to playing college basketball at Kentucky during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Tony Bennett, Virginia -- Moving from the Pac-10 to the ACC is no simple task. Plus, he's now going to be also competing with the Big East for regional recruits.

Jeff Capel, Oklahoma -- As mentioned above, it's entirely possible he's not a great coach and just was fortunate enough to land the beast that was Blake Griffin. It's also possible he keeps landing beasts due to great recruiting, which would qualify him for the above rankings. Time will tell, but it appears Oklahoma has a quality coach.

Tom Crean, Indiana -- Had he stayed at Marquette he'd easily qualify for the rankings above Skinner and Beilein (at least), but what he's able to carve out at Indiana from this point forward will make or break his legacy. Thus, it's not really fair to put him near the same level as Big Ten counterparts like Ryan or Weber just yet. It's possible he gets all the way up to the top of this list, but it's also possible he's never able to overcome the significant hole dug by Kelvin Sampson -- in which case he'd fall off this list completely.

Keno Davis, Providence -- One stellar year at Drake was followed by a pretty solid season at Providence in the uber-competitive Big East. At age 37, he's a true rising star in the coaching business.

Travis Ford, Oklahoma State -- From Campbellsville to Eastern Kentucky to UMass to Oklahoma State, the former Kentucky point guard has risen through the coaching ranks from the bottom up. His first season as head coach of the Cowboys yielded a 23-12 record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tourney.

Anthony Grant, Alabama -- Two NCAA appearances in three years at Virginia Commonwealth got this rising star the exposure needed to land the head coaching job for the Crimson Tide.

Trent Johnson, LSU -- After making Nevada relevant, he built Stanford as his own team in four years -- making a Sweet 16 in Year 4 -- and won the SEC in his first year in Baton Rouge. If this is his destination job, the Tigers have a program on the rise.

Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois -- His first three seasons were a cakewalk. Three Big Dances, two times advancing past the first round and one Sweet 16. The Salukies regressed to the 18-15 next season and all the way down to 13-17 last season. Did Lowery simply enjoy success due to the foundation built by Bruce Weber and Matt Painter, or is he suffering through a simple down-cycle that will be reversed in the near-future?

Sean Miller, Arizona -- It's time for the 40-year-old coaching phenom to take the next step. In five seasons at Xavier, Miller put together a 120-47 record with two Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight trip. Now, he's moving to a "power" conference across the nation. Fans will expect he maintain a top-10 program, so we'll see if he can meet expectations.

Mike Montgomery, California -- Wait, what? He's like a thousand years old, so how is he here? Because he hadn't coached in the college ranks since 2004 until last season. He had a good re-entry into the coaching ranks, but we need to see it sustained. It's not like he had a John Wooden-like resume before getting back into the swing of things.

Brad Stevens, Butler -- The 32-year-old Stevens learned the Butler ropes under both Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter. Since grabbing the head job, he's gone 56-10 in two seasons -- qualifying for the NCAA tournament both times. The Bulldogs should be even better this season than they were in 2008-2009, too.

***

It's tough to really hammer out a list with specific criteria and stick with it. For example, you could argue Roy Williams isn't as good a coach as Self because he couldn't win in Kansas while Self could. Then you could follow that up with Weber going to the Final Four at the helm for Illinois when Self couldn't get past the Sweet 16 round for the Illini. Weber, though, went 16-19 in 2007-2008 and Huggins hasn't had a losing record since 1985. All in all, there will always be reasons to say one coach is better than another.

This was simply meant to be a summer topic for arguing about college hoops while we wait out the offseason. You should also be able to find my early early early Final Four picks for 2010, though that's a different topic for a different day.

College Basketball's Top 25 Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creighton Has a Week of Flop Sweat To Endure

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:37:00 EST

Filed under: Creighton, MVC

The flagbearer of the Missouri Valley Conference is going to have to wait a week to find out if that ending in the MVC Tournament costs them dearly. The Bluejays have played well this season and had a top-40 RPI. Yet because they only had two games against teams in the top-100 RPI (both wins), they are viewed as not being tested sufficiently.

Creighton has only given critics fuel in just a couple days. They blew a double-digit lead on Friday against Wichita State, needing a last second miracle shot tosend them into the semi-finals of the MVC Tournament. That should have been enough, but then the Jays were completely blown away by Illinois State. They never showed up for the game.

Now, the only certainty is that Creighton has helped to make the bubble that much more crowded.

Illinois State 73, Creighton 49: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

Creighton Has a Week of Flop Sweat To Endure originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On-Court Obsession: The Final Saturday

Chas Rich — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:35:00 EST

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

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.

This is a busy one. I mean, really busy. The end of the regular season for many teams. Conference tournaments for the mid-majors are underway. A couple are even playing their finals so they can get some ESPN exposure.

12 PM ET
UConn-Pitt, CBS: Think CBS was happy to make this their final Big East game? Over/under of times they show DeJuan Blair flipping Hasheem Thabeet is set at five.

Michigan-Minnesota, ESPN: The loser is going to have to go deep in the Big Ten Tournament if they don't want to be sweating next Sunday.

Georgia Tech-Boston College, Raycom affiliates and Full Court: If BC loses they are heading to the NIT.

2 PM ET
Kentucky-Florida, CBS: Neither team is looking good for the NCAA Tournament, but all hope is abandoned for the loser.

California-Arizona State, CBS: Cal looking for a sweep in the desert and clinching an NCAA berth. ASU is trying to get better than an eight seed after losing at home to Stanford on Thursday.

Syracuse-Marquette, Big East Network affiliates and Full Court: Marquette trying to show that they can at least beat other NCAA Tournament teams without Dominic James and keep their seed reasonably high.

Missouri-Texas A&M, Big 12 Network affiliates and Full Court: The Aggies have gotten back on the bubble in no small part because so many teams have played their way off. This would be a win that secures their spot.

South Carolina-Georgia, Raycom affiliates and Full Court: South Carolina got humiliated at home by Tennessee on Thursday, so they are still on the bubble. Georgia just beat Kentucky to knock them out. The Gamecocks cannot afford a loss.

Penn State-Iowa, Big Ten Network: A loss for Penn State would effectively negate the last second win over Illinois on Thursday and put PSU back on the bubble.

2:30 PM ET
Missouri Valley Conference Semifinal, Bradley-Northern Iowa, Fox Sports Midwest: The MVC Tournament is one of the most entertaining and competitive.

3:30 PM ET
Oklahoma State-Oklahoma, ABC: Oklahoma State still trying to hold on to a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. OSU has just about clinched a berth. This would make it a lock.

Maryland-Virginia, ABC: Will Greivis Vasquez flip off the 'Hoos? Will Gary Williams implode? Can Maryland blow another opportunity?

New Mexico-Wyoming, The Mtn.: If you are a fan of a major conference bubble team, then you are cheering for the Cowboys. The Lobos can finish tied for the Mountain West regular season title and be firmly on the bubble.

4 PM ET
Texas-Kansas, CBS: Kansas can win the Big 12 regular season title. Texas needs to improve their seeding.

Big South Final, VMI-Radford, ESPN2: This will be the first conference tournament champion and auto-bid for the NCAA Tournament.

5 PM ET
Missouri Valley Conference Semifinal, Illinois St.-Creighton, Fox Sports Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago: See comments from the 2:30 PM game.

6 PM ET
Atlantic Sun Conference Final, ETSU-Jacksonville, ESPN2: Watch the game and try to figure out just how low the A-Sun champ will be seeded.

7 PM ET
Horizon League Semifinal, Wright State-Butler, ESPNU: Will Butler be upset and squeeze the bubble tighter?

7:30 PM ET
Stanford-Arizona, Fox Sports Arizona: The Wildcats are officially desperate and clinging to the bubble.

8 PM ET
Ohio Valley Conference Final, Morehead State-Austin Peay, ESPN2: The OVC has history. Not much success, but history.

9 PM ET
Louisville-West Virginia, ESPN: Louisville can make their claim for a No. 1 seed with a win and at least tying for the Big East regular season title.

Horizon League Semifinal, Cleveland State-UW-Green Bay, ESPNU.

10 PM ET
UNLV-SDSU, CBS College Sports: More Mountain West excitement and two more teams with bubble claims.

Nevada-Boise State, Full Court: Neither is a bubble team, but they are good bets to challenge Utah State for the WAC Tournament title.

On-Court Obsession: The Final Saturday originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:35:00 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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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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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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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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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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On-Court Obsessions: Your Stacked Saturday of College Hoops

Chas Rich — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Purdue, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, Media Watch

If you have the right combination of sports packages, you could have your pick of some 52 games Saturday. Given how absolutely frosty it is in the East and Midwest at the moment, many should plan now to make the most of it.

As you would expect with that many games, they are not all gold. So handle your remote just right, time the bathroom breaks properly, and you can spend over 12 hours watching some quality hoops. It also helps to plan ahead on which games to watch. Here are the best offerings over the course of the day.

12 PM ET
Notre Dame-Syracuse, ESPN: Two top-15 teams coming off painful road losses. The Irish are winless on the road in the Big East and Syracuse may be down to just two guards.
Northern Iowa-Drake, ESPN2: MVC battle of teams at the top.
Maryland-Florida State, Full Court or regional sports channel: You just never know what kind of Maryland team will show up. FSU plays great defense, but struggles to score enough points.

1:30 PM ET
Georgetown-Duke, CBS: A late intersectional treat between two traditionally hate-able teams.
Oklahoma State-Baylor, Full Court or regional sports channel: The Cowboys have played a soft non-con, but have won the games they should. Baylor has a couple of better wins, but is surprisingly similar in accomplishments. Expect an entertaining and close one.

2 PM ET
Oklahoma-Texas A&M, ESPN: It's a chance to see Blake Griffin go after Chinemelu Elonu.
Washington State-Oregon, FOX Sports: Find out if Ernie Kent gets booed by his own fanbase, and if Jon Brockman can make free throws.
Arkansas-Florida, Full Court or regional sports channel: Can Arkansas win on the road? If Florida wins, do they get an SEC team back in the AP poll?

3 PM ET
Davidson-Georgia Southern, SportsSouth: Steph Curry, Steph Curry, Steph Curry, Steph Curry.

3:30 PM ET
Wake Forest-Clemson, ABC (or Full Court): Both undefeated and in the top 10.
Arizona State-UCLA, CBS: If Arizona State is really going to challenge UCLA's control of the Pac-10, they actually need to show up on the road.

4 PM ET
Illinois-Michigan State, Big Ten Network: Just as Michigan State starts looking like they will run away with the Big Ten, they nearly blow a game to Penn State. Illinois has quietly gone 15-2.
Texas-Texas Tech, Full Court or regional sports channel: Texas has lost two of their last three games -- both on the road. Texas Tech has only lost once at home this year.

6 PM ET
Pitt-Louisville, ESPN: No. 1 team in the country going to Freedom Hall, with the Cards putting everything together at both ends of the court. Both play tough defense, but in very different styles.

8 PM ET
Ohio State-Michigan, Big Ten Network: Ohio State really misses David Lighty and are winless on the road in the Big Ten. Michigan has made a big jump in their second year under John Beilein.
UAB-Memphis, CBS College Sports: If there is one team that might have a chance to stop the Memphis hegemony in Conference USA, it would be UAB and Robert Vaden.
Cleveland State-Wisconsin-Milwaukee, SportsTime Ohio: They play some ball in the Horizon League, beyond just Butler.
Arizona-USC, FOX Sports: Scout the individual talent for the 2009 NBA Draft.

9 PM ET
Miami-UNC, ESPN: The primetime ESPN game with Dick Vitale. Now the good news: Miami is pretty good. The additional bad news? They're not this good.
Marquette-Providence, ESPN2: Marquette has not lost in a month. They also have not played as well on the road. Providence struggled early, but has looked a lot better including putting a big scare into Georgetown.

10 PM ET
Wyoming-UNLV, The Mtn.: UNLV was the preseason favorite in the Mountain West, but have been disappointing. Wyoming was picked near the bottom of the MWC, but have been surprisingly better than expected.

11 PM ET
Pacific-Cal State-Fullerton, ESPN2: You've made it this far, why stop now?

On-Court Obsessions: Your Stacked Saturday of College Hoops originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bradley Braves Bust Out the MVC Shuffle

Chas Rich — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: MVC, Video

It does go on for a bit, but you have to love the audacity of the Bradley Braves players and the athletic department to call their shot. Yes, it's a complete re-take on the '85 Bears Superbowl Shuffle, but they put this out as conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference is in full swing. That takes more than a little confidence and arrogance to do this. You know that the rest of the MVC will have extra incentive to throw this video back in their face.

Bradley Braves Bust Out the MVC Shuffle originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences to Stage Hoops Challenge

Adam Papagiorgio — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:55:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC

The Mountain West Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference announced an agreement that will pit the two mid-major conferences against each other starting next year. The agreement is similar to the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge and the Pac-10/Big XII agreement. Both the Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences are among the higher RPI conferences.

The Mountain West has sought to increase its tournament resume in recent years, looking to gain more NCAA tournament bids. San Diego State and Air Force are two of the conference teams that had decent resumes for the tournament last year, but were denied. The Missouri Valley Conference, on the other hand, has been a media darling in recent years, and the mid-major conference typically receiving multiple bids.

Hopefully the NCAA selection committee will keep this effort in mind when they are handing out tournament bids. Mountain West Conference teams are at a disadvantage scheduling wise because it's hard to get games with the bigger conferences. So instead, mid-major programs are forced to knock each other off. Kind of like they do in the Bracket Buster challenge.

Mid-major programs and conferences that seek to raise its RPI should be rewarded. Maybe instead of taking seemingly every member of the Big East Conference to the tournament, an extra Mountain West or Valley member can get into the mix. They have earned that right.

And maybe some of the other mid-majors struggling for respect such as the WAC, WCC and Big West can take note of this and try to hammer out their own agreements.

Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences to Stage Hoops Challenge originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May Smaller Conferences Look at Expansion to Help Offset Fuel Costs?

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:44:00 EST

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

I was reading an article in my Sporting News magazine (yes, I still get the print one) about the plight of Hawaii's athletic program. Due to the rising fuel costs, it is difficult for them to (a) get to road games and (b) get anyone to fly out to play them.

The article threw it out there that conferences may have to adjust to the rising fuel costs by rescheduling and/or expansion.

Hawaii's conference, the WAC, is the nation's largest geographic conference ... and that's even if you took Hawaii out of the picture. WAC teams must travel all the way down to Louisiana, all the way up to Idaho and all the way west to Hawaii.

The Pac-10 ... a BCS conference ... uses an outstanding scheduling model where a team plays at both Oregon teams (or Arizona, or Washington, or Bay Area or Southern California teams) on a Thursday/Saturday schedule. That allows these schools to limit their travel costs. Could the WAC follow suit?

The WAC has two Idaho schools (Idaho, Boise State), two California schools (Fresno State, San Jose State) and not much else. They could link a trip to Utah State and Nevada together, but Hawaii, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech are kind of left in the cold.

Would it be ideal for the WAC to expand and add three more teams? That would give them 12 and allow them to hold a football conference championship game and maybe help on travel costs in basketball. Most likely, they'd have to pillage the Sun Belt for a few teams (Arkansas State? North Texas?) or add some non-football members like Northern Arizona?

And that is just the WAC. Will smaller conferences look to do the same? The Big West has made themselves a conference of nine members ... all based in California. Conference USA pared down to a predominately gulf based conference, though they do have members in West Virginia and North Carolina.

In the conference booms of the early 1990s and mid 2000s the goal was to spread your conference's reach to new markets. The ACC moved up to New England, the Big East over to Louisville and Cincinnati and many smaller conferences adding far away schools.

That is just a conference issue. There is another issue of non-conference scheduling, something that is tough for schools like Hawaii and events like the Great Alaskan Shootout. What we could see is a lot more intraconference games between regional schools and less cross-country showdowns. That could trouble the western schools who like to have a few games that get some pub from the east coast media.

Schools are thinking about shortening their seasons by a game or two. The NCAA is even thinking about toying with the scheduling of the NCAA tournament so schools can find the cheapest way to travel.

With the economy the way it is and fuel prices the way they are, this is just one of the areas of collateral damage.

May Smaller Conferences Look at Expansion to Help Offset Fuel Costs? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters'

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Creighton, Davidson, George Mason, Nevada, WCC, Wichita State, Mid-Majors, MVC, Fans, Media Watch

Update 2/2/09: The 2009 BracketBusters matchups have been announced.

The Bracket Busters is a series that began in 2003 and was designed to pit mid-majors in inter-conference battles late in the regular season. With ESPN tied in, it brings national TV audiences to places they may normally not go.

It helps these teams immensely by getting them exposure, pumping up their RPI numbers and answers some of those questions about the strength of these mid-major conferences.

102 teams were named to be in this year's event ... which will take place on February 20-21.

The marquee name will be Davidson College, home of Stephen Curry and a Wildcats team that were a shot away from getting to the Final Four.

Other big time mid-majors include Butler, Drake, San Diego, Nevada, St. Mary's, Bucknell and George Mason.

Matchups will be set on February 9th. After the jump are the teams that are participating.Home teams: Ball State, Boston, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Creighton, Davidson, Drake, Drexel, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Fairfield, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana State, James Madison, Kent State, Long Beach State, Loyola-IL, Marist, Murray State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Niagara, Old Dominion, Portland State, Rider, San Diego, San Jose State, Siena, Southeast Missouri, St. Mary's, Tennessee State, Towsom, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Barbara, UIC, UNC-Wilmington, UT-Martin, UW-Milwaukee, Valpo, Vermont, Western Michigan, Wichita State, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wright State and Youngstown State.

Away teams: Akron, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Boise State, Bradley, Buffalo, Butler, Canisius, Cleveland State, CS-Fullerton, CS-Northridge, Delaware, Detroit, Eastern Illinois, Elon, FDU, Fresno State, George Mason, Hartford, Hofstra, Illinois State, Iona, Jacksonville State, Loyola-MD, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Gardner-Webb, Manhattan, Miami-OH, Missouri State, Montana State, Morehead State, Morgan State, North Dakota State, Northeastern, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Pacific, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, St. Peter's, Tennessee Tech, Toledo, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, UMBC, Utah State, UW-Green Bay and VCU

Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arizona State Assistant Mark Phelps Is New Drake Head Coach

Josh Alper — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, MVC Basketball

With Keno Davis off to Providence after one wildly successful season as the Bulldogs head coach, Drake had to find someone to try and ensure it would be less than 37 years before their next NCAA Tournament appearance. They've settled on Mark Phelps, an assistant under Herb Sendek at Arizona State and North Carolina State for the last dozen seasons.

Phelps has never been a college head coach and has no ties to the Midwest but there are reasons to believe he'll succeed at Drake. He's been a top-flight recruiter domestically and abroad, the latter being a place Drake can exploit to get talented players who might not consider the school if they were from Chicago. In addition, two former Sendek assistants have done a fine job since leaving his bench. Thad Matta and Sean Miller have both won big so it's a decent bet on pedigree by the Bulldogs.

He's inheriting two solid players in Josh Young and Jonathan Cox and a program that's gained some name recognition thanks to their conference title. He should be able to recruit better players because of that and will need to since the Bulldogs are losing about half their scoring and assists from this season. The biggest loss is Adam Emmenecker, the MVC Player of the Year, who ran the point with aplomb last season. Replacing him will be quite tough and how well Phelps does it will help determine Drake's chances in the MVC and beyond in 2008-09.

Arizona State Assistant Mark Phelps Is New Drake Head Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Providence Snares the 2008 Coach of the Year

Charles Rich — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:53:00 EST

Filed under: Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, MVC Basketball

Keno Davis had a spectacularly successful first year at Drake, culminating in being named the 2008 Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Sporting News and the AP. The Bulldogs won the MVC Tournament for the first time ever, but had their season abruptly ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Western Kentucky.

Now Davis is the new coach of Providence.

This is a big get for the Friars, that will give them some much needed positive attention and give the alumni some relief. Providence publicly struck out with George Mason Coach (and Providence alum) Jim Larranaga and UMass's Travis Ford -- who stayed for less money. This time they have their man in something of a surprise. The focus had been on George Washington's Karl Hobbs and Iona's Kevin Willard (thanks to some pushing by Rick Pitino).

Davis didn't have his name bandied about too much in the coaching carousel, despite his success this season. The main reason seemed to be that it was only his first season as a head coach after several years as an assistant to his father, Dr. Tom Davis. Schools seemed hesitant to jump at him after him. Providence was reaching a point in their coaching search where they had to take the chance if Davis would be willing.

Providence Snares the 2008 Coach of the Year originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drake's Keno Davis Named Coach of the Year

Josh Alper — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, MVC Basketball

It'll be hard for Keno Davis to top his first year on the bench as a head coach. Drake improved from 17-15 to 28-5 and swept the regular season and tournament titles in the Missouri Valley Conference. That meant the Bulldogs made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1971 and won a school-record 21 straight games at one point in the season. And, to top it all off, he was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year today.

His father Tom won the award in 1987 with Iowa and the Davises are the first father-son duo to win the honor. He's just the second first-year coach to win the award. Bill Hodges, who took Larry Bird and Indiana State to the finals in 1979, was the first and, interestingly, he's also the only other MVC coach to take home the honor.

Given Drake's extended history of mediocrity, it's hard to argue with the choice. Bo Ryan of Wisconsin finished second with Bruce Pearl, John Calipari and Purdue's Matt Painter close behind. All definitely deserved consideration but I'm surprised that Sean Miller of Xavier isn't higher up the list. Xavier's been successful for years but they dominated the A-10 this season and Miller got production out of every player in his rotation.

Drake's Keno Davis Named Coach of the Year originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Missouri State Hires Cuonzo Martin as Their New Coach

Josh Alper — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, MVC Basketball, Purdue Basketball

When Missouri State fired Barry Hinson at the close of the season, it didn't come as much of a surprise. During the nine years he ran the Bears program, they were one of just three Missouri Valley Conference teams that failed to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He came close, three 20-win campaigns and four NIT trips, but close ain't the same as getting there.

The school hopes that new coach Cuonzo Martin can change that fortune. There's reason to suspect he can. Martin was a star at Purdue in the 90's and has been an assistant there since 2000, so you'd imagine he's made good inroads across the Midwest. The youth and talent of the current Boilermaker squad also speaks well of his recruiting ability. Throw in the fact that he's from St. Louis and it's easy to see why the school took a shine to his candidacy.

There's no reason that Missouri State can't be a contender in the MVC. It probably won't be right away. They lose their top two scorers and the three players who played the most so Martin will have to build the roster back up. Charlie Spoonhaur and Steve Alford won big at the school before Hinson so it can certainly be done and they did it without the increased stature and profile of today's MVC.

Missouri State Hires Cuonzo Martin as Their New Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Kentucky Buzzer Beater Shocks Drake in Overtime Thriller

Michael David Smith — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:47:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, MVC Basketball

No. 5 seed Drake and No. 12 seed Western Kentucky put on a show today in Tampa, with a Western Kentucky buzzer beater in overtime putting an exclamation mark on the best game of the NCAA Tournament so far.

Senior Ty Rogers hit the three-pointer as time expired to give Western Kentucky the 101-99 overtime victory.

It was amazing that Western Kentucky even needed overtime. After a hard-fought first 15 minutes, Western Kentucky went on a run just before halftime and led 47-38 at intermission. The Hilltoppers then shot lights out for much of the second half and appeared to have things just about wrapped up, leading 74-59 with 7:42 to go.

And then Drake went on a big run, with Jonathan Cox, Klayton Korver and Adam Emmenecker all hitting big shots down the stretch. A Cox three-pointer tied the game at 88-88 just before overtime, and Drake even had a chance to win in regulation when Emmenecker missed a jumper.

The story of the high-scoring overtime was Rogers' three-pointer, but the story of the game was Western Kentucky's Tyrone Brazelton, who had a phenomenal game, scoring 31 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-10 from behind the three-point line.

And so the 2008 NCAA Tournament now has its 12-5 upset, and after a rather ho-hum first afternoon of the Tournament, the second day is off to a wild start.

UPDATE: After the jump, video of the buzzer beater.
Video courtesy of Awful Announcing:

Western Kentucky Buzzer Beater Shocks Drake in Overtime Thriller originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIT Selection: Prove You Were Snubbed

Charles Rich — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Basketball, Ohio State Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, Umass Basketball, ACC Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Virginia Tech Basketball, MVC Basketball, Ole Miss Basketball, Arizona State Basketball

What? You didn't know the NIT announced their bids tonight as well? They were. If you were a fan of a bubble team that didn't make it, now is the chance to at least make a good showing that you were the most deserving team left out of the NCAA Tournament.

#1 seeds: Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Syracuse
#2 seeds: Florida, Illinois State, Ole Miss, UMass
#3 seeds: Creighton, Florida State, Dayton, Nebraska
#4 seeds: Minnesota, Cal, SIU, VCU
#5 seeds: Oklahoma State, Maryland, New Mexico, UAB
#6 seeds: Rhode Island, Akron, Cleveland State, Charlotte
#7 seeds: San Diego State, Stephen F. Austin, Utah State, UC-Santa Barbara
#8 seeds: Alabama State, Robert Morris, Morgan State, UNC-Asheville

Not much else to say. This is as big an indictment of how weak the bubble really was when you look at this list. Only a couple of these teams have any sort of argument that they were screwed by the NCAA Tournament.

NIT Selection: Prove You Were Snubbed 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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