Virginia

College Basketball Top 50: Virginia and Saint Louis Enter

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:28:35 -0800

Collegehoops.net's Top 50 Power Ranking is your weekly dive into the national college basketball scene. The CHN Top 50 is brought to you before all the other polls late Sunday night. Arrows represent notable moves. (Also: Check out the weekly Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking.)

Top 50 Ranking: February 10th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

*Back after the Super Bowl Sunday break. Loss totals and movement are from past 2 weeks combined.

	Team	Record	Last
1	Duke	21-2	3
2	Indiana	21-3*	5
3	Michigan	21-3**	1
4	Florida	19-3*	4
5	Gonzaga	23-2	8
6	Miami	19-3	19
7	Arizona	20-3*	7
8	Syracuse	20-3*	6
9	Michigan State	20-4	12
10	Louisville	19-5*	10
11	Kansas St	19-4	22
12	Kansas	19-4***	2
13	New Mexico	20-4*	13
14	Ohio State	17-6**	9
15	Butler	20-4*	11
16	San Diego St	18-5*	18
17	Notre Dame	19-5*	24
18	VCU	19-5	27
19	Marquette	17-5*	29
20	Oklahoma St	17-5	35
21	Minnesota	17-7**	15
22	Missouri	17-6**	17
23	Pittsburgh	20-5*	34
24	Creighton	20-5**	21
25	Georgetown	17-4	36
26	Wisconsin	17-7*	30
27	Colorado St	19-4	39
28	Wichita St	20-5***	14
29	Oregon	19-5***	16
30	Memphis	20-3	31
31	NC State	17-7***	20
32	UNLV	18-6**	23
33	Cincinnati	18-6**	26
34	Middle Tennessee	22-4	44
35	Belmont	20-5*	32
36	UCONN	16-6*	33
37	Kentucky	17-6	38
38	Ole Miss	18-5***	25
39	UCLA	18-6*	37
40	Illinois	17-8**	40
41	St. Mary's	21-4	41
42	Bucknell	20-4	42
43	North Carolina	16-7*	43
44	Baylor	15-8***	28
45	Temple	16-7*	46
46	Virginia	17-6	NA
47	Saint Louis	18-5	NA (51)
48	Boise St	16-7**	48
49	Maryland	17-7**	49
50	Iowa St	16-7**	50

* = losses this week

last = last week's ranking

Next Five: Indiana St (16-8), Colorado (16-7*), La Salle (16-6*), Stephen F Austin (20-2), Oklahoma (15-7**)

Top 50 Drop Outs (that haven't returned)

			Week
	BYU		13
	Wyoming		13
	Iowa		11
	Colorado		10
	Murray St		9
	Virginia Tech		7
	Xavier		6
	Alabama		6
	St. Joseph's		5
	Ohio		5
	California		4
	Santa Clara		3
	Tennessee		3
	Northwestern		3
	Florida State		3
	Texas		2
	Northern Iowa		2
	South Alabama		2

week = week dropped out of Top 50

During the season, don't forget to check out the CHN Top 50 Power Ranking every Sunday night!

For more depth, check out the weekly the Non-BCS Top 25 ranking.

You can also revisit the Top 50 archive and view this week's AP Top 25.

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 46 to 60

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:05:33 -0700

Continuing with the Early 2012-13 Ranking, here are teams 46 to 60.

Its worth repeating that I had to make many assumptions about the NBA Draft in compiling the following list, and I've noted which assumptions I've made. This ranking will be updated later in the summer once players have made their official draft decisions. Also uncertain is where some remaining unsigned recruits will end up, and how the coaching carousel will take form. I purposely made no assumptions about where unsigned prospects will end up. (All prospect rankings are according to the Rivals 150 ranking.)

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 45-60

46 Miami Another year under Jim Larranaga should find the Hurricanes on the inside of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Malcolm Grant departs but he did not have a terribly good season anyways.

47 Butler After a down year, Butler should once again be the class of the Horizon League. Transfer Rotnei Clarke gives them a scoring-punch that was severely lacking this year. Three solid guards enter as freshmen, who should help with depth.

48 Colorado Carlon Brown and Austin Dufault are not small loses, but the hope is that Andre Roberson blossoms into a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. The Buffs recruiting haul is easily their best of the last decade.

49 BYU The Cougars lose veterans Hartsock and Abouo but should still settle into their usual bubble-bound slot. Another year of improvement from Matt Carlino should help.

50 Pittsburgh Coming off of a disastrous season, Pittsburgh has no where to go but up. Although Gibbs and Robinson depart, the Panthers welcome 4th ranked recruit Steven Adams, one of their best-ever recruits. A healthy Tray Woodall would certainly help as well.

51 UCF After being a fringe-bubble team that last two years, UCF will once again be hoping to make the tourney. Although PG AJ Rompza graduates, the team returns solid All-CUSA caliber players in Keith Clanton, Marcus Jordan, and Isaiah Sykes.

52 Temple The Owls should take a step back with key senior losses, including leader Ramone Moore, but expect them to still be competitive in the A10. Khalif Wyatt could score 20 ppg now that the team is fully in his hands. The recruiting haul might be Temple's best since 2007.

53 Xavier Besides leader Tu Holloway, they also loses Kenny Frease and Andre Walker. Role players like Travis Taylor and Jeff Robinson will really need to step it up if Xavier wants to makes its 8th tourney in a row. 4-star recruit Semaj Christon is capable of contributing at PG from day one.

54 UCONN Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond will presumably go pro, and the roster looks pretty thin without them. Last year's shock tourney run covers up what has been 3 years in a row of .500 or worse basketball in Big East play. Add in the potential sanctions and Calhoun's health, and you have yourself a lot of questions.

55 Belmont Seniors Drew Hanlen, Mick Hedgepeth, and Scott Saunders depart, but Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark are still two of the A-Sun's top players. Incoming PG Craig Bradshaw is one of Belmont's better pickups and should fit right into the program.

56 South Florida Three seniors that played over 25 minutes per game depart, but South Florida shouldn't expect too much of a drop-off. USF's 4-person recruiting class is solid for their standards, but still mediocre as far as the Big East goes.

57 Mississippi St With Dee Bost a senior and Arnett Moultrie presumably going pro, Mississippi St loses its leading scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. Although an underrated 5-person recruiting class was set to come in, Rick Stanbury's retirement does open some questions.

58 West Virginia For a team that often struggled to score the ball, it will be interesting to see how they'll manage without Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant. Those two scored almost 50% of the Mountaineers points. Aaric Murray and Juwan Staten are solid transfers who will help.

59 Southern Miss USM was never as good as their gaudy RPI suggested.. Graduations will put a major dent into their major strength, which was depth, but their top two scorers do return.

60 Iowa St The key for Iowa St is whether Royce White decides to go pro. I'm assuming here that he does, which would mean the Cyclones lose their 3 leading scorers. A pair of solid transfers enter the mix, as well as their best recruiting class in a few years.

Also Under Consideration (alphabetical order)

Akron

California

Harvard

Illinois St

Minnesota

Nevada

Ole Miss

Oregon

Providence

Vanderbilt

Virginia

<< Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 45

Florida vs Virginia: Prediction

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 06:04:46 -0700

(7) Florida vs. (10) Virginia: West Region

Records

Florida 23-10, 10-6 SEC (At large)

Virginia 22-9, 9-7 ACC (At large)

Time: 2:10 p.m. Friday

TV: TNT

Location: Century Link Center in Omaha, Neb.

Winner will face: (2) Missouri or (15) Norfolk State, Sunday

Rankings

Florida No. 25 AP; No. 21 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

Virginia No. 34 AP; No. 33 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RPI Ratings

Florida 23

Virginia 54

Line: Florida -3½ (O/U 121)

Players to Watch

Florida: G Erving Walker, 5-8 Sr. (12.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 37.1% 3s); G Kenny Boynton, 6-2 Jr. (16.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 42.7% 3s); C Patric Young, 6-9 So. (10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 60.8% FG). Walker, Boynton and Young all had quiet games in the Gators’ SEC semifinal loss to Kentucky. They combined to go 9-for-28 for 20 point and seven rebounds in the 74-71 loss.

Virginia: F Mike Scott, 6-8 Sr. (18.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 56.2% FG); G Joe Harris, 6-6 So. (11.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 39.5% 3s); G Jontel Evans, 5-11 Jr. (7.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.6 spg). Scott, who is averaging nearly 29 points and 11 rebounds over his last three games, came up two votes shy of being named ACC Player of the Year. North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller got 186 to Scott’s 184.

Why Each Team Dangerous

Florida: Florida has an explosive offense with several scoring options. Five different Gators average double-figure scoring. Boynton, Walker and Bradley Beal are all affective from the perimeter. Walker and Beal are good slashers and Young and Erik Murphy provide punch in the paint. Florida is shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3 (21^st nationally). The Gators don’t turn the ball over much. They have a 15-to-10.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and a 13-to-10.9 turnover margin.

Virginia: The Cavaliers play some of the best defense in the country. They surrender just 53.7 points per game, which is second in the country (to Wisconsin). They held opponents to 39.6 percent shooting (27^th in the country) and 29.5 from the 3-point line. Scott is an excellent go-to scorer on the offensive end and he’s a beast on the boards.

Why Each Team is Vulnerable

Florida: Florida is guard-oriented. Young and Murphy are the only Gators with any significant size since Will Yeguete was lost for the season. They had exactly the same amount of rebounds as their opponents in SEC play. Young is a decent defender, but Florida has allowed a lot of points in the paint this season. The lack of an inside game also allowed them to score just 17.7 percent of their points at the foul line.

Virginia: The Cavs’ offense isn’t awful, but it is prone to long scoring lapses. Virginia scores just 63.1 points per game and is below average from the 3-point line at 33.7 percent.

The Bottom Line: It’s an interesting matchup in terms of style, but it’s clear that the Cavs aren’t the same team after their injuries throughout the season.

The Pick: Florida 71, Virginia 62

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 198-150-6 (Through Tuesday, March 14)

Bracketology Update: The Dreaded 8 and 9 Seeds

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:46:26 -0800

While getting an 8 or 9 seed as compared to a 10 or 11 seems like an accomplishment, its actually a kiss of death. #1 seeds are usually head and shoulders above the rest of the field, and 8-9 winners get stuck playing them in the 2nd round.

In my latest Bracketology projection, the following 8 teams are the unfortunate 8-9 seeds. For each team, I answer the following two questions: How can they earn 6 or 7 seeds? How can they drop to 10 or 11 seeds?

Alabama (20-10, 9-7, #32 RPI)

How can they rise? A win over South Carolina would not help Alabama's stature, so they can only rise if they then go on to beat Florida in the next round.

How can they fall? While the South Carolina game won't help Alabama's cause, it could certainly hurt it. Bama hasn't beaten a Top 50 team since November and their locker room is far from settled. A drop to a 10 seed is not out of the question with a loss.

Cincinnati (22-9, 12-6, #69 RPI)

How can they rise? Cincy just tipped off against Georgetown, which would certainly be a resume boosting win. But considering their low RPI and weak schedule, I don't think this one win would push them into a 7 seed. However, if they won and then beat Syracuse tomorrow, it would change everything.

How can they fall? As I just mentioned, Cincy's overall resume is far from sparkling. A loss could conceivably drop them into a 10 seed, but no lower than that.

Iowa St (22-9, 12-6, #31 RPI)

How can they rise? Now that Iowa St has garnered Top 25 respect and their RPI is creeping up towards the 20's, they have a good shot to move into a 6 or 7 seed with a win over Texas tonight. Even if they lost, there's a chance they could rise into the 7's depending on how other teams fare this week.

How can they fall? Even if Iowa St lost tonight, their solid conference success should ensure that they wouldn't drop below a 9 seed at worst.

Kansas St (21-10, 10-8, #43 RPI)

How can they rise? After losing to Baylor today, Kansas St's season is over, so there's nowhere to go but down.

How can they fall? Although a loss in the Big 12 quarterfinals is not terribly impressive, Kansas St is probably locked into this range. Losing to a Top 15 team in Baylor doesn't really hurt their resume, and the Wildcats RPI shouldn't drop by much.

New Mexico (23-6, 10-4, #34 RPI)

How can they rise? Beating Air Force tonight wouldn't help, so they'd need to go on and beat UNLV or Wyoming in the next round.

How can they fall? Considering New Mexico has been a fringe Top 25 team with a couple of marquee wins and a solid RPI, they won't fall below a 9 seed.

Purdue (20-11, 10-8, #44 RPI)

How can they rise? Purdue, the 6 seed in the Big Ten, faces #11 Nebraska tonight. To move up, Purdue would need to win this game and then also beat Ohio St tomorrow.

How can they fall? Although Purdue has a very solid resume, nothing really wows you. If they lost to Nebraska, a top 10 seed isn't out of the question though nothing much beyond that.

Saint Louis (23-6, 12-4, #30 RPI)

How can they rise? Saint Louis faces a very solid La Salle squad in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. With a win and help, SLU could easily earn a 7 seed.

How can they fall? Unless teams like Mississippi St, Cal, or Northwestern go on epic runs, its hard to see SLU falling below the 8-9 range even if they lost to La Salle.

Virginia (22-8, 9-7, #42 RPI)

How can they rise? Virginia awaits the winner of NC State/Boston College. Considering Virginia's best win in two months is over NC State, I'm not sure how much beating them again would help. Of course, if Virginia somehow made their way to the ACC finals, that would help.

How can they fall? Considering Vrginia hasn't won a Top 100 game since January, it wouldn't take much for them to fall. In fact, if they lost to NC State/BC tomorrow, an 11 seed would not be out of the question.

2012 All-America Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:44:56 -0800

Player of the Year Anthony Davis, only a freshman, highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All-America Team. Davis, the nation's leading shot-blocker, led Kentucky to a 30-1 regular season record. Davis is joined on the First Team by Thomas Robinson of Kansas, Draymond Green of Michigan State, Doug McDermott of Creighton, and Isaiah Canaan of Murray State.

Davis is one of only two freshmen on the list, as teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made the Third Team.

CollegeHoops.net All-America Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel.

Last year's winner was BYU's Jimmer Fredette.

Player of the Year: F Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Fr

First Team All-American

G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr
F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So
F Draymond Green, Michigan St, Sr
F Thomas Robinson, Kansas, Jr
F Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Fr

Second Team All-American

G Scott Machado, Iona, Sr
G Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas, Sr
G Damian Lillard, Weber St, Jr
F Jared Sullinger, Ohio St, So
F Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, Jr

Third Team All-American

G Marcus Denmon, Missouri, Sr
G John Jenkins, Vanderbilt, Jr
F John Henson, North Carolina, Jr
F Mike Scott, Virginia, Sr
F Kevin Jones, West Virginia, Sr

Fourth Team All-American

G Kendall Marshall, North Carolina, So
G Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, Sr
F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, Fr
F Will Barton, Memphis, So
F Jae Crowder, Marquette, Sr

Honorable Mention

G Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, So
G Kenny Boynton, Florida, Jr
G J'Covan Brown, Texas, Jr
F Perry Jones III, Baylor, So
F Kris Joseph, Syracuse, Sr
G Jeremy Lamb, UCONN, So
F Mike Moser, UNLV, So
F Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi St, Jr
F John Shurna, Northwestern, Sr
F Royce White, Iowa St, So

Iona, Middle Tennessee Now Play the Waiting Game: Sunday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:09:32 -0800

One of the dangers of conference tournaments at the mid-major level is that the top seed, regardless of the margin by which they won the regular season title, are just 40 minutes away from seeing their dream of going to the NCAA tournament vanish. While there's still a chance as the Field of 68 won't be announced for another six days Iona and Middle Tennessee no longer have control of their own fate, and that has to be a concern for both fan bases along with the players and coaches. Both teams fell in conference tournament action on Sunday, and with so much to be decided in regards to other teams on the bubble it's likely a long shot that one (or both) of these teams hears their name called on Selection Sunday.

The Blue Raiders can look no further than the foul line as the place to blame in their 64-61 loss to nine-seed Arkansas State in a Sun Belt quarterfinal in Hot Springs. Middle Tennessee shot just 11-for-22 from the charity stripe, and while poor shooting from the free throw line has been an issue all season long for Kermit Davis Jr's team (last in the Sun Belt in all games at 63%, 10th in conference games) they still shot 13 percentage points lower than their season average. If the Blue Raiders make three more free throws, not only do they match their season average but they likely push the game into overtime.

"For the first time all year I had to urge guys to practice at a higher level," said Davis after the game. "We got beat on some 50/50 balls, got out-rebounded, and the bottom line we weren't tough enough to step up and make free throws. [Arkansas State] did and that was the game."

Middle Tennessee, who won the Sun Belt by two games and led the conference in both scoring and points allowed per game, fell because of the "little things" that many tend to take for granted. Free throw shooting and rebounding (39-28 ASU) can come back to haunt a team if they aren't taken care of, regardless of skill level.

As for Iona, the level of play on the defensive end that's been a problem all season long reared its ugly head in their MAAC semifinal against Fairfield. The difference on Sunday compared to many other days for the Gaels: they weren't able to do enough offensively to make up for it.

Fairfield outscored Iona 45-33 in the second half of their 85-75 win, setting up a title game with two-seed Loyola (MD) on Monday night. Rakim Sanders scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the way for Sydney Johnson's Stags, who shot 59.6% for the game and their level of defense in the second half (Iona shot 40.9% compared to 58.6% in the first half) proved to be the difference.

Scott Machado led Iona with 24 points and seven assists, but 16 of the points and five of the assists came in the first half, and the Gaels would lead by just two at the break (42-40). In addition to three starters reaching double figures for the Stags, reserve forward Keith Matthews scored 14 points off the bench.

The question now for the Blue Raiders and Stags is whether or not they have enough on their respective resumes to warrant an at-large bid. According to cbssports.com, Middle Tennessee has an RPI of 59 and an SOS of 184, with both numbers dropping due to their loss to Arkansas State. The Blue Raiders' "best" wins: Belmont and Ole Miss, and that regular season finale loss to Western Kentucky didn't help matters either.

Iona has an RPI of 34 and an SOS of 144, and while those numbers are better than Middle Tennessee's the Gaels are fighting an uphill battle as well. Tim Cluess' team does have wins over Saint Joseph's and Nevada to their credit, but they also have two losses in games they led by 18 points (Manhattan and Siena). The door to the NCAA tournament may remain open for both Middle Tennessee and Iona at this point in time, but as the Power 6 leagues begin their tournaments both could end up in trouble.

Other Notable Happenings

1. #24 Creighton wins an overtime thriller to grab the Valley's automatic bid.
Many bubble teams throughout the country were rooting hard for the Creighton Bluejays, whose trip to the NCAA tournament was essentially guaranteed going into Sunday's MVC tournament final. The same couldn't be said for Illinois State, who was looking to grab their first NCAA berth since 1998 and that would have made the Valley a three-bid league. Despite 20 points and five assists from Nic Moore the Redbirds fell short, dropping an 83-79 overtime thriller as the Bluejays grabbed the automatic bid. Doug McDemott was unstoppable for Creighton, scoring 33 points in a variety of ways, and Grant Gibbs made winning play after winning play to score 20, grab seven boards and dish out five assists.

The question for Creighton is what the title does for them seeding-wise. Clearly they can't play in Omaha since those games are on their home floor, but maybe Greg McDermott's team can fight their way into a "protected" seed, thus limiting the distance they and their fans have to travel. Wichita State won the regular season crown but it was Creighton who ends up with the tournament title, and there won't be a long line of teams waiting to play either team in the Big Dance.

2. William Buford's shot gives Ohio State (and Michigan) a share of the Big Ten title.
A Brandon Wood three with 12:03 remaining in the first half gave Michigan State a 22-9 lead, and frankly there weren't too many people who didn't think that Ohio State was in trouble at that point. But the Buckeyes were able to stop the bleeding, eventually pulling to within nine (38-29) at the half. The Buckeyes limited Michigan State, who also lost wing Branden Dawson for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, to 38.5% shooting in the second half and William Buford completed the comeback with a tough, contested jumper with a second remaining to give the Buckeyes the 72-70 win.

Buford finished with 25 points and Jared Sullinger added 14 and ten boards, but there was an unsung hero as well. Evan Ravenel came off the bench to give Thad Matta seven points in eight minutes of action, and while he didn't play much the Boston College transfer did play an important role in the comeback with Sullinger on the bench. The win also gave Michigan a share of the Big Ten crown, something that hasn't happened in Ann Arbor since 1986. The Spartans remain the top seed in the Big Ten tournament due to tiebreakers, but it will be interesting to see how Draymond Green and company account for the loss of Dawson.

3. VCU jumps George Mason early, holding on to advance to the CAA title game.
By the time Jonathan Arledge scored George Mason's first field goal of the game at the 11:48 mark, the Patriots trailed rival VCU 27-4. it was that kind of start for Paul Hewitt's team, which could not overcome VCU's 22-0 run to start the game, falling 74-64 in the second CAA semifinal of the day. Bradford Burgess led the Rams with 20 points and Troy Daniels added 17 and six rebounds, and VCU's defense combined with foul trouble limited CAA Player of the Year Ryan Pearson to six points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of action.

Pearson wouldn't be the only George Mason player to struggle however, as guards Bryon Allen and Vertail Vaughns combined to shoot just 2-for-13 from the field. VCU also knocked down 11 of 25 shots from beyond the arc, making seven of them before the game hit the under-8 media timeout. The game was also critical in regards to possible at-large hopes should neither win the CAA's automatic bid, and to fall in this fashion doesn't bode well for George Mason. VCU at the very least picked up their 27th win and lives to fight another day, and that's the least a team can ask for in March.

Quick Hitters

1. The top two teams will meet in the America East title game as well, as a Dallis Joyner tip-in as time expired pushed Stony Brook past Albany 57-55. The Seawolves will host two-seed Vermont on Saturday morning, as the Catamounts beat host Hartford 77-73 in double overtime.

2. Monday's SoCon final will match the league's best team with its hottest team, as top-seed (South) Davidson and three seed (North) Western Carolina will meet in Asheville. The Catamounts won their seventh straight game on Sunday night as they beat North Division champ UNCG 82-77. Forwards Jake Cohen and De'Mon Brooks combined for 44 points and 11 rebounds to lead Davidson to an 83-67 win over Elon in the nightcap.

3. The NEC title game will be a rematch of last year's final (and in the same gym as well) as three-seed Robert Morris won 71-64 at two-seed Wagner. Velton Jones led all scorers with 25 points and the Colonials went 30-for-40 from the foul line to make up for their 32.1% shooting from the field. Top-seed LIU Brooklyn advanced with a tough 78-75 win over Quinnipiac as Julian Boyd scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and point guard Jason Brickman added 18 points and five assists.

4. Apparently Sunday was "Damaging Loss Day" in the Pac-12 as both Arizona and California dropped their regular season finales. The Golden Bears, who resume-wise are in better shape at this point, dropped a 75-70 decision at Stanford and that gives Washington the outright regular season crown. Arizona fell 87-80 at Arizona State, and that loss could mean that Sean Miller's team needs at least two wins in L.A. to merit an at-large bid. The good news for both is that the automatic bid is still on the table, and it would be in their best interest to leave no doubt and win that.

5. Middle Tennessee wasn't the only upset victim in Hot Springs as two-seed UALR fell to seven-seed Western Kentucky 68-63. Ray Harper's young Hilltoppers have played some solid basketball since his interim tag was removed, winning four straight and five of their last six going into Monday's semifinal against Denver. Freshman guard Derrick Gordon was outstanding for WKU, finishing with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

6. #1 Kentucky capped an undefeated run through the SEC with a 74-59 win at #13 Florida, dropping the Gators all the way down to the four-seed in this week's SEC tournament. Simply put John Calipari's got the best team in the country, and while it looks effortless there haven't been moments when the young Wildcats have decided to mail it in effort-wise. Good luck trying to beat them.

7. One would think that the victor would receive the spoils in the form of a conference player of the year award and while most likely that would be North Carolina's Tyler Zeller, Virginia's Mike Scott has a very good case. Scott scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to push Virginia past Maryland 75-72 to lock up a first-round bye in next week's ACC tournament.

8. A senior class that was a part of a 25-loss season as freshmen experienced their 24th win of the season as #20 Indiana beat rival Purdue 85-74 in Bloomington. Christian Watford led four Hoosiers in double figures with 19 points, clinching the five-seed in this week's Big Ten tournament. Robbie Hummel led the Boilermakers with 16 and eight rebounds, and Purdue will be the six-seed.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Mike Scott (Virginia)
35 points and 11 rebounds in the Cavaliers' 75-72 overtime win at Maryland.

2. G Grant Gibbs and F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
McDermott scored 33 points and grabbed six boards while Gibbs added 20, seven and five assists in the Bluejays' 83-79 overtime win over Illinois State.

3. G Derrick Gordon (Western Kentucky)
25 points and 15 rebounds in the Hilltoppers' 68-63 win over UALR.

Is Virginia Testing Their Luck?

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 02:00:31 -0800

At first glance it would be extreme to think that Virginia could find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble given their play for much of the season. But as the injuries have increased for Tony Bennett's team so have the struggles, with the Cavaliers having now dropped four of their last six games.

Thursday's loss may have been the toughest to stomach, as Florida State used the ejection of their best big man as a spark that resulted in a game-ending 16-2 run. Ian Miller's three-pointer with eight tenths of a second remaining gave the Seminoles a 63-60 victory, and it also means that unless they get another shot in the ACC tournament Virginia went winless in games against teams above them in the ACC standings.

"We just gave that one away. That was our last chance to play one of the top teams in the ACC," lamented Mike Scott after the game. "That was our last chance to beat one of the best teams and we had it, but we gave it away."

Scott led the Cavaliers with 28 points and ten rebounds and Jontel Evans added ten, but they would be the only double-figure scorers for the home team as Joe Harris and Sammy Zeglinski shot a combined 5-for-16 from the field. Not having Malcolm Brogdon due to injury essentially cut the Virginia rotation down to six players with Darion Atkins being the sixth man, and with two of their most important players struggling Virginia was unable to close the door.

The ejection of Bernard James, who kicked Joe Harris following a scramble for a loose ball, ended up sparking the visitors as opposed to the home team. Following four Scott free throws to make the score 58-47 Virginia with 4:33 remaining, Florida State executed better offensively while clamping down on the defensive end of the floor. Virginia would tally more turnovers (four) than shot attempts (two) over the final 4:33, with a pair of Evans free throws with 3:01 remaining being the final points of the night.

"Verbally they were saying that we've got to pick it up, we've still got enough time to win," said FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton. "Any time you hear those types of things coming out of your kids' mouths, their body language and communication changed totally realizing that we lost our big guy and so now everybody else had to step it up." (quotes courtesy of VirginiaSports.com)

One a solid option in the "third-best team in the ACC" conversation, Virginia now finds themselves in a four-way tie for fourth place with a trip to Maryland remaining before the conference tournament. But earning a first-round bye is probably of little concern for the Cavaliers, as their resume is devoid of any victories over Duke, Florida State or North Carolina.

Virginia has just two Top 50 wins (Michigan and Miami) on the season and two of their losses came against teams ranked below 100 (Virginia Tech and Clemson) in the RPI. Is Virginia one of the 37 best teams? They likely are, even with the recent personnel issues, but they need to make sure their resume can make that case. Thursday night's loss most likely magnified the importance of next week's ACC tournament for Virginia.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan)
25 points and 11 rebounds in Michigan's 72-61 win at Illinois.

2. G Johnny Dee (San Diego)
30 points and five rebounds in the Toreros' 76-54 win over Pepperdine in the second round of the WCC tournament.

3. F Mike Scott (Virginia)
28 points and ten rebounds in the Cavaliers' 63-60 loss to Florida State.

Oregon vs. Colorado: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:42:15 -0800

Thursday's Conference Tournament Primer

Thursday night features a very important matchup in the Pac-12 of teams that are hoping to make a good case that they should be in the NCAA tournament field. Oregon (20-8, 11-5), who is 13-3 at Matthew Knight Court this season, hosts Colorado (19-9, 11-5) in a matchup of two teams who staged a tight (and controversial) contest about a month ago. A foul call on E.J. Singler with less than a second remaining proved to be the difference in Colorado's 72-71 win in Boulder, and a sweep of the season series would definitely help the Buffaloes when it comes to a possible bubble pecking order.

The officiating was a point of contention throughout the game for Duck fans as Colorado attempted thirteen more free throws (30-17), but the bigger issue was a combined 29 turnovers. One of the biggest culprits for either team was Colorado senior guard Carlon Brown, and frankly he had a February to forget. Brown reached double figures three times but hasn't shot better than 41.6% from the field since a late January win over USC, and if he can't make better decisions the Buffaloes can end up in trouble. The good news for Tad Boyle: he's got other guys who can step up, most notably a freshman named Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie's fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 10.6 points per game, and after a pair of rough games against Utah and Stanford the California native rebounded with 15 points in the win over Cal on Sunday. Nate Tomlinson has steadily improved running the show and freshman Askia Booker (17 points in the first meeting) has been a capable reserve for much of the season. CU's got some talent on the perimeter but they'll have their hands full with the Oregon backcourt, which is led by Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph. Joseph, who some believe to be a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate, leads the team in scoring and ranks second in assists.

The addition of Joseph as a mid-year transfer has done a great deal for Dana Altman's team, as his ability to create has boosted the likes of Singler and Garrett Sim. Singler has been one of the Pac-12's most versatile players and he put up 13 and 13 in the first meeting, and while Sim struggled (six points) he is a 1,000-plus point scorer over his career. The play in the front court will also be worth watching, because while the Ducks have an edge in height Colorado's the better rebounding team thanks in large part to Andre Roberson. Roberson leads the Pac-12 in rebounding with an average of 11.4 rebounds per game, a number that places him in the Top 10 nationally.

Senior Austin Dufault has been the anchor in the middle but he's grabbing just 4.6 rebounds per game, as Colorado tends to rebound by committee outside of Roberson. Oregon has seven players averaging between 3.0 and 5.4 rebounds per game, with Singler leading the way and bigs Olu Ashaolu and Tony Woods being the starters inside. The high-flying Carlos Emory is a key reserve, as are Tyrone Nared and Jeremy Jacob. The problem for Oregon: they allow opponents to grab 31.6% of their misses, but they did a good job of keeping the Buffs off the glass in the first meeting (four offensive rebounds).

There wasn't much separating these two teams on February 4th and there likely won't be on Thursday night either. If Oregon can keep Roberson off the glass and knock down a few three-pointers they'll be in good position to pick up the win. Colorado on the other hand needs Brown to snap out of his funk, or at the very least be sure not to become a hindrance due to questionable shot selection. A win won't do a great amount for either team's resume in regards to the computer numbers, but it could serve the victor well if the two should be compared in the selection room.

Virginia is likely in good shape for an at-large bid but it never hurts to pick up another win against a ranked team, and the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to do so with #22 Florida State visiting Charlottesville. Mike Scott has been one of the best players in the ACC but he's going to need some help from the likes of Sammy Zeglinski and Jontel Evans against one of the nation's best defensive teams. FSU won a tight affair between the two in Tallahassee, and the return meeting should be along those lines as well.

Illinois still has plenty of work to do in regards to simply making the tournament, and a win over #16 Michigan would do wonders for a resume that was nearly ripped to shreds during their recent skid. If Brandon Paul can score and be efficient while doing so the Illini are more than capable of knocking off the Wolverines, and it's important that they remember Meyers Leonard inside as well. And in the WAC the matchup of New Mexico State and Nevada could be a preview of next weekend's WAC tournament final. Deonte Burton and the Wolf Pack have been the best team in the WAC all season long, and a win over the Aggies would mean an outright regular season title.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM Georgia at (1) Kentucky (ESPN)
7:00 PM (16) Michigan at Illinois (ESPN)
7:00 PM (22) Florida State at Virginia (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
2:30 PM North Florida vs East Tennessee State* (ESPN3)
6:00 PM VMI vs Winthrop* (ESPNU)
7:00 PM North Carolina Central at Hampton
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Monmouth at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Southeast Missouri State vs Tennessee Tech*
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Wagner
7:05 PM Southern Illinois vs Indiana State*
7:30 PM Morgan State at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Coppin State at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM South Carolina State at Delaware State
7:30 PM Savannah State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
8:00 PM Texas Southern at Alcorn State
8:00 PM Charleston Southern at UNC-Asheville (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Norfolk State at North Carolina A&T
8:15 PM Binghamton vs UMBC*
8:30 PM Jackson State at Alabama A&M
8:30 PM Grambling State at Alabama State
8:30 PM Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8:30 PM Prairie View A&M at Southern
8:30 PM Florida Gulf Coast vs USC Upstate* (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Villanova at Rutgers (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Virginia Tech at Clemson (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Jacksonville State vs Morehead State*
9:00 PM Portland vs San Francisco* (ESPN3)
9:35 PM Bradley vs Drake*
10:00 PM UC Davis at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Utah at Oregon State
10:00 PM Pacific at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Utah State at San Jose State
10:30 PM Washington State at UCLA
10:30 PM Washington at USC
10:30 PM Colorado at Oregon (FSN)
11:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
11:00 PM Pepperdine vs San Diego* (ESPN3)
11:00 PM New Mexico State at Nevada (ESPN2)
12:00 AM Idaho at Hawaii

Bracketology Poll: Which Top 25 Team Deserves the Worst Seed?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:37:16 -0800

#5 Kansas vs. #3 Missouri: Saturday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:00:17 -0800

Late offensive fouls and the foul line made the difference in the first meeting between #5 Kansas (23-5, 13-2) and #3 Missouri (25-3, 12-3), with the Tigers gaining the edge in both categories and ultimately winning 74-71. There's a lot more on the line in the rematch as the Jayhawks can clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a win, but a Missouri win would not only move the Tigers into a tie for first but also give them the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker. Two of the central figures in Saturday's contest will have an impact in different areas: one on the perimeter and one in the paint.

Missouri guard Marcus Denmon is the leading scorer for Frank Haith's team, and his performance in the first meeting was a clear signal that the senior had snapped out of the slump he was mired in at the start of league play. Denmon scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, knocking down ten of his sixteen field goal attempts. To say the least the Jayhawks will keep tabs on Denmon at all times, meaning that Michael Dixon Jr. could enjoy a little more freedom to roam the floor when he's in the game (Dixon Jr. attempted just five shots in Columbia).

Point guard Phil Pressey has been one of the best in the country, with his being to set up the Tigers' capable scorers holding more importance than scoring (he does average 9.9 ppg, however). The matchup between he and Kansas senior Tyshawn Taylor will be interesting to watch given the fact that the Jayhawks are more reliant on Taylor to score than the Tigers are Pressey.

Taylor scored 21 points and dished out three assists in the first meeting but he also turned the ball over six times, most notably a charge with just over ten seconds remaining and the Jayhawks down a point (72-71). If Taylor's making sound decisions the Jayhawks are a tough team to beat. But even if he is struggling Kansas still has a shot due to the presence of one of the frontrunners for national Player of the Year.

Junior forward Thomas Robinson scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the first meeting, and his skill set makes Robinson a guaranteed double-double on the block. The key for Robinson in the return match is to take better care of the basketball, as he accounted for five turnovers in Columbia. It should help matters that Jeff Withey is playing excellent basketball, meaning that Ricardo Ratliffe (who leads the nation in field goal percentage) and Steve Moore when he gets into the game can't focus solely on Robinson.

Two players (in addition to Denmon and Robinson) to keep an eye on are Missouri's Kim English and Kansas' Elijah Johnson. English is a tough matchup for most teams given the fact that Frank Haith uses him at the four, as his perimeter skills can expose the traditional four-man on the perimeter. The senior from Baltimore made just two of seven three-pointers in the first meeting but he still finished with 18 points.

As for Johnson, he's a very good athlete who has shown flashes of the skills needed to be a guy Kansas can rely on offensively to help out Robinson and Taylor. But he's still a work in progress, meaning that there would be no better time for Johnson to put together a performance on par with his 21-points outing against Texas A&M earlier this week. Missouri outscored Kansas by 12 from three (30-18) and by nine at the foul line (14-5) in the first meeting. Kansas can afford to lose one category but not both if they're to settle the score, so keep an eye on those areas as well.

Saturday's action has a number of critical matchups in regards to the NCAA tournament bubble, most notably UConn hosting #2 Syracuse at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies hung around for 35 minutes or so in the first meeting before the wheels fell off in an 18-point Syracuse win. UConn needs consistent play from Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi throughout; drifting in and out of the action won't cut it against one of the nation's best teams. And keep an eye on Colorado State as they look to back up their win over New Mexico with a victory at #24 San Diego State. Tim Miles' Rams beat SDSU by 17 in Fort Collins, and if Pierce Hornung can play as he did in the win over New Mexico on Tuesday night they can sweep the season series.

Vanderbilt and Virginia are going to be in the NCAA tournament, but games against #1 Kentucky and #7 North Carolina would give their resumes a serious boost when considering seeding possibilities. John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor have to shoot well if the Commodores are to win in Lexington, as the Wildcats are playing better than any team in America. Marquis Teague has taken better care of the basketball and Anthony Davis has a bigger impact defensively than any player in America. Virginia was able to slow down the tempo in their first meeting with UNC but that didn't matter as the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half. Sammy Zeglinski has to get going if the Cavaliers are to have a shot at knocking off Kendall Marshall and company.

Other bubble teams looking to improve their resumes include Purdue (at #13 Michigan), and there are also games matching bubble teams to keep track of. George Mason at VCU may not net an at-large bid at this point but if one of these two (or Drexel) were to grab the CAA's automatic bid the others may need to win out until the title game in order to impress the selection committee.

UMass and Dayton play each other with the loser being in serious trouble with just a week left in their regular seasons, and Saint Joseph's has a great opportunity to boost their profile with Big 5 rival #22 Temple making the short trek across town. There are many important games on the slate as Championship Week is right around the corner, be it with bubble implications or teams in one-bid leagues jockeying for seeding in their conference tournaments. Enjoy.

Top 25 Games
12:00 PM Vanderbilt at (1) Kentucky (CBS)
9:00 PM (2) Syracuse at Connecticut (ESPN)
4:00 PM (3) Missouri at (5) Kansas (CBS)
12:00 PM Virginia Tech at (4) Duke (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Nebraska at (6) Michigan State (BTN)
4:00 PM (7) North Carolina at Virginia (ESPN)
2:00 PM Villanova at (8) Georgetown (CBS)
4:00 PM (11) Florida at Georgia (ESPN3)
8:30 PM (12) Murray State at Tennessee Tech (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Purdue at (13) Michigan (BTN)
1:45 PM Oklahoma at (14) Baylor (ESPN3)
12:00 PM (18) Notre Dame at St. John's (ESPN)
1:30 PM Drake at (19) Wichita State
4:00 PM Air Force at (20) UNLV (NBC SN)
7:00 PM (21) New Mexico at TCU (The Mtn.)
7:00 PM (22) Temple at Saint Joseph's (ESPNU)
11:00 PM (23) Saint Mary's at San Francisco (CSN CA)
10:00 PM Colorado State at (25) San Diego State (The Mtn.)

NCAA Division I Games
11:00 AM Robert Morris at Quinnipiac (ESPNU)
12:00 PM Northeastern at Delaware (CSN NE)
12:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Sacred Heart (MSG+)
1:00 PM Boston College at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
1:00 PM UMBC at Vermont
1:00 PM La Salle at Fordham (YES)
1:00 PM Coastal Carolina at VMI
1:30 PM Iowa State at Kansas State (ESPN3)
1:45 PM LSU at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
2:00 PM UCLA at Arizona (CBS)
2:00 PM Duquesne at George Washington
2:00 PM Illinois State at Bradley
2:00 PM Green Bay at Illinois-Chicago (CSN CHI)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Fairleigh Dickinson
2:00 PM Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (ESPN2)
2:00 PM Saint Louis at Rhode Island (CBS SN Regional)
2:00 PM Providence at DePaul (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Wright State at Cleveland State
2:00 PM Winthrop at UNC-Asheville
2:00 PM Appalachian State at Western Carolina
2:00 PM Georgia State at William & Mary
2:00 PM Longwood at NJIT
2:00 PM Stetson at USC Upstate
2:05 PM Missouri State at Evansville
2:05 PM Detroit at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
2:30 PM Maryland at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
2:30 PM North Carolina State at Clemson (ESPN3)
3:00 PM Hartford at Boston University
3:00 PM Miami (OH) at Buffalo
3:00 PM Charleston at Citadel (SoCon TV)
3:05 PM Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois
3:05 PM Urbana at Chicago State
3:30 PM Wagner at Central Connecticut State
4:00 PM Arkansas at Auburn (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Lafayette at American
4:00 PM Towson at James Madison
4:00 PM Memphis at Marshall (FSN)
4:00 PM Creighton at Indiana State (ESPN2)
4:00 PM Drexel at Old Dominion (CSN)
4:00 PM Lehigh at Army
4:00 PM Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM Navy at Bucknell
4:00 PM Holy Cross at Colgate
4:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at East Tennessee State (ESPN3)
4:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Hofstra
4:00 PM Hawaii at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Milwaukee at Loyola (IL) (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Nicholls State at McNeese State
4:00 PM Morgan State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
4:00 PM North Carolina Central at Savannah State
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at South Carolina State
4:00 PM Texas at Texas Tech (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Boise State at Wyoming (The Mtn.)
4:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Bryant
4:30 PM Ball State at Eastern Michigan
4:30 PM Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb
4:30 PM Belmont at Mercer
4:30 PM Charleston Southern at Radford
5:00 PM UAB at East Carolina
5:00 PM Houston Baptist at North Dakota (FCS)
5:00 PM Lipscomb at Kennesaw State
5:00 PM Southern University at Alcorn State
5:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Central Arkansas
5:00 PM Rutgers at Seton Hall (ESPNU)
5:00 PM Texas State at UTSA
5:30 PM Alabama State at Texas Southern
6:00 PM Hampton at Florida A&M
6:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Kent State at Bowling Green (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Columbia at Brown
6:00 PM Portland at BYU (BYUtv)
6:00 PM Mississippi State at Alabama (ESPN)
6:00 PM Massachusetts at Dayton (CBS SN)
6:00 PM George Mason at VCU (ESPN2)
6:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Grambling State
6:30 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Jackson State
7:00 PM Cornell at Yale
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Harvard (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Princeton at Dartmouth
7:00 PM Davidson at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Gonzaga at San Diego (ROOT)
7:00 PM Howard at Delaware State
7:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Elon
7:00 PM Troy at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM Campbell at Liberty (MASN)
7:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at Monmouth
7:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Charlotte
7:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Stephen F. Austin
7:00 PM Western Michigan at Toledo
7:00 PM Furman at Wofford
7:05 PM UC Riverside at Long Beach State
7:30 PM Samford at Chattanooga
7:30 PM South Alabama at Florida International
7:30 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Morehead State
8:00 PM USC at Arizona State (FSN AZ)
8:00 PM SMU at Houston
8:00 PM Northwestern State at UT-Arlington
8:00 PM Washington at Washington State (ROOT)
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM UTEP at UCF (CBS SN)
8:00 PM Lamar at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM Rice at Southern Miss (CSS)
8:00 PM Tennessee at South Carolina (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Tulsa at Tulane
8:00 PM Richmond at Xavier (ESPN2)
8:05 PM IPFW at UMKC
8:15 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:30 PM Oakland at South Dakota
8:30 PM Stanford at Utah (CSN Bay)
8:30 PM Southeast Missouri State at Austin Peay
8:30 PM Western Illinois at North Dakota State
8:30 PM Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M
8:30 PM IUPUI at South Dakota State
8:45 PM Tennessee-Martin at Jacksonville State
9:00 PM Montana State at Montana
9:00 PM San Jose State at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Northwestern at Penn State (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Texas-Pan American at Utah Valley
9:30 PM Oral Roberts at Southern Utah
10:00 PM Nevada at Fresno State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
10:00 PM Nebraska Omaha at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Eastern Washington at Portland State
10:30 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Irvine
11:00 PM Santa Clara at Loyola Marymount (CSN Bay)
11:00 PM Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara (ESPNU)