Murray St

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 31 to 45

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:30:12 -0700

Continuing with the Early 2012-13 Ranking, here are teams 31 to 45.

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 31-45

31 UNLV UNLV loses two starters, though returnees Mike Moser and Anthony Marshall are two of the MWC's top talents. The hope is that incoming freshman Katin Reinhardt (7th best shooting guard by Rivals) helps offset the loss of sharp-shooter Chace Stanback.

32 Arizona While Solomon Hill and Nick Johnson are solid returning players, its really all about the newcomers. In Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Gabe York, and Grant Jerrett, Arizona welcomes 4 Top 50 recruits with pro potential. The team's lack of star point guard could hold them back however.

33 Davidson Already the Southern Conference's elite team, Davidson should be even better next year with everyone of note returning. De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen form a solid inside-outside tandem, and with a little bit of luck in non-conference play, Davidson could be a Top 25 team. This is the year Davidson reaps the rewards of the Steph Curry recruiting bounce.

34 Tennessee Once Jarnell Stokes joined the team, Tennessee played like an NCAA Tournament team down the stretch. With the likes of Golden and Maymom returning, the Vols could even surpass this projection.

35 Ohio Everyone returns from a team that was just a few possessions away from the Elite Eight. Despite that, Ohio will not be a lock for the MAC title with solid squads returning across the league. Perhaps the league can potentially return to multiple-bid territory?

36 Washington It all comes down to the Draft for Washington. Freshman Tony Wroten and sophomore Terrence Ross are potential 1st Round Draft picks. I'm assuming for this prediction, that one of the two returns. If both return, UW could certainly make a push for the Pac-12 title.

37 Georgetown While Georgetown had a Top 15 season, they lose their best guard in Jason Clark and best big in Henry Sims. Hollis Thompson should return along with emerging talent Otto Porter to form a solid frontcourt. 5-star recruit D'Vauntes Smith Rivera (ranked 22nd by Rivals) is the key however. He replaces Clark as the team's main cog in the backcourt.

38 Cincinnati Cincinnati heads into next season without seniors Yancy Gates and Dion Dixon. Besides losing their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers, Gates was also their leading rebounder and main interior presence. With little recruiting help on the way, it will be key that Sean Kilpatrick continues to emerge as a bona fine star.

39 Colorado St The Rams were probably never as good as their RPI suggested, but they still had a damn good season. Will Bell is a minor loss, but the key cogs return for another shot at an MWC title. A pair of 3-star recruits join the fray as well, a better recruiting haul than usual.

40 St. Joseph's With the entire roster returning, St. Joseph's should be a contender for the Atlantic 10 crown. Anything less than a tourney bid would be extremely disappointing.

41 Murray St Although Isaiah Canaan is a star, others will need to step up now that Donte Poole, Ivan Aska, and Jewaun Long depart. In those three seniors, Murray loses almost 45% of its scoring. The program does potentially welcome the OVC's best recruiting class however.

42 UMASS Although leading rebounder Sean Carter graduates, UMASS should be in the A10's upper echelon. Do-everything sophomore guard Chaz Williams has been lighting up the NIT, and will be a contender for next season's A10 Player of the Year.

43 South Dakota St With no seniors on the roster, South Dakota St will be hoping to improve on their 1st round NCAA Tournament loss. Although Nate Wolters improved his all-around game this year, he needs to recapture the long-range shot that propelled him to 40% from three his sophomore year.

44 Purdue In Robbie Hummel, Lewis Jackson, and Ryne Smith, Purdue loses almost 50% of its scoring production, as well as their leaders in rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Although there is young talent waiting to breakout and a top-25 recruiting class on the way, Purdue will need another year before they're a major contender.

45 Missouri Frank Haith will somehow try and rebound from this year's shock 1st round exit without Denmon, English, Ratliffe, or Pressey. Although Missouri is loading up on solid (though not amazing) freshmen, it will take another year or two before the new squad finds its identity.

>> Continue to Teams 46 to 60.

Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 30

Marquette vs Murray St: Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:59:51 -0700

(3) Marquette vs. (6) Murray State: West Region

Records

Marquette 26-7, 14-4 Big East (At large)

Murray State 31-1, 15-1 OVC (Regular-season and Conference Tournament Champions)

Time: 5:15 p.m. Saturday

TV: CBS

Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville

First Round Results

Marquette def. BYU, 88-68

Murray State def. Colorado State 58-41

Winner will face: (2) Missouri, (7) Florida, (10) Virginia or (15) Norfolk State, Thursday at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix

Rankings

Marquette No. 11 AP; No. 11 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

Murray State No. 12 AP; No. 9 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RPI Ratings

Marquette 8

Murray State 22

Line: Marquette -5 (O/U 142½)

Players to Watch

Marquette: F Jae Crowder, 6-6 Sr. (17.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.4 spg); G Darius Johnson-Odom, 6-2 Sr. (18.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg); C Davante Gardner, 6-8 So. (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 57.6% FG). The Eagles are clearly better since Gardner worked his way back into the lineup. In Thursday’s win over BYU, Gardner battled the Cougars’ outstanding bigs and had a 15-point, 6-rebound, 2-assist outing.

Murray State: G Isaiah Canaan, 6-0 Jr. (19.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 spg, 47.3% 3s); G Donta Poole, 6-3 Sr. (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2 spg); F Ivan Aska, 6-7 Sr. (10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 50% FG). Canaan has the ability to be one of those small-conference players who lifts his team to greatness. The junior wasn’t spectacular on Thursday with 15 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Expect Canaan to lift his game to the greater competition.

Why Each Team Dangerous

Marquette: After an 88-point performance on Thursday, Marquette is scoring 75.9 points per game, which is 31^st in the country. The Eagles share the ball well, averaging 16.8 assists and force 16.7 turnovers per contest. Crowder has been a beast of late. Including Thursday’s 25-point, 16-rebound performance, Crowder is averaging 26.7 points and 12.8 rebounds over his last six games. Behind Crowder, the Eagles out-rebounded the bigger Cougars 48-32. The Eagles also forced 17 turnovers, 19 assists, shot 45 percent from the 3-point line and held BYU to 26-of-61 from the field.

Murray State: The Racers clearly have a go-to scorer in Canaan and that could be a factor in what should be a close game. MSU ranks sixth nationally in 3-point percentage (40.3), 21^st in points per possession (1.11), 31^st in free throws made per game (16.9), they’re 19^th nationally in steals per game (8.4), they shoot 73 percent from the charity stripe and they rebound 35.2 percent of their own misses. Opponents shot just 42.1 percent from the floor, 29.5 from 3 and Murray made almost as many free throws (529) as its opponents shot (577). The Racers do a lot of different things very well.

Why Each Team is Vulnerable

Marquette: Before Thursday’s win, Marquette had been struggling. It had lost two of its last three and given up 72 and 84 points to Cincinnati and Louisville – not exactly explosive offensive – respectively, in those defeats. The Eagles aren’t very big, even with Gardner back. They were out-rebounded by their opponents this season (1,156-1,146). Against the Racers’ active bigs, that could be an issue. Murray’s pressure defense could also be an issue, since the Eagles turn the ball over 13.3 times per game.

Murray State: This is arguably the best team the Racers have played all season. They’re schedule wasn’t exactly challenging. A lot of it wasn’t Murray’s faul, since the OVC was significantly down this season. It will be interesting to see if the Racers raise their game, but it has to be questioned. The Racers crash the offensive boards hard, but they only have a plus-1.7 rebounding margin. The way Crowder is rebounding, that will be a concern. MSU also turns the ball over 14 times per game despite playing at a slower pace than the Eagles.

The Bottom Line: The bottom line is Murray State is really good. They may fall behind, but Racers are going to score a ton of points and advance to the Sweet 16. It’s a shame one of these teams have to be eliminated in the first weekend.

The Pick: Murray State 89, Marquette 86

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 206-158-6 (Through Thursday, March 16)

NCAA Tournament Preview: Backcourts to Watch

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:28:55 -0700

It's stated all the time this season. Guard play makes all the difference in the NCAA tournament, and to be honest it's hard to argue with that statement. So who are some of the top guard groups in this year's field? Here are 12 below along with a few superlatives. Not all of the usual suspects make the list, but try not to automatically dismiss the less heralded names either.

South Region

1. Duke
While this group does struggle at times on the defensive end of the floor there's no doubt that the Blue Devils' guards can fill it up. Austin Rivers is their best playmaker, and as long as the ACC Rookie of the Year can properly balance scoring with creating for his teammates he's very tough to stop. Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins are both dead-eye shooters, and Tyler Thornton is the best defender. But as noted above, if the defense isn't there Duke could find themselves in trouble.

2. Xavier
The Musketeers have to get past a tough Notre Dame team before a possible matchup with Duke (don't sleep on Lehigh's C.J. McCollum), but despite their struggles throughout the season Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons aren't to be ignored. Holloway runs the show and Lyons mans the two, and they can also call on Brad Redford for perimeter shooting.

3. UNLV
Most are likely going to wonder why the Runnin' Rebels are on this list and not, say, UConn but the fact of the matter is that Dave Rice's group has been more consistent throughout the season. Anthony Marshall is one of the best athletes in the country and Oscar Bellfield's impact tends to be overlooked by many. Add in a very good defender in Justin Hawkins and shooter Kendall Wallace and Dave Rice has a corps of guards capable of winning multiple games in the tournament.

Guards you'll love: C.J. McCollum (Lehigh) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
Both are among the nation's best scorers, and Wolters leads the Jackrabbits in points, rebounds and assists. Each one has a matchup in which they could become household names, with McCollum taking on Duke and Wolters matching up with Baylor.

Best defender: Victor Oladipo (Indiana)
Good luck getting past the athletic Oladipo, whose offensive game has gotten closer to his defensive skills as the season's progressed. At the least the sophomore could be a first team All-Big Ten player next year.

The difference-maker: Marquis Teague (Kentucky)
If Kentucky's to reach their full potential (win a national title) the play of Teague will be key. He had an inconsistent SEC tournament but played his best basketball as the regular season came to a close.

The enigmatic group: Connecticut
Talent-wise there may not be a better group in the region. But despite the talent of Ryan Boatright, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier there are questions, most importantly will they be "there" for the entire 40 minutes. Drifting in and out of a game will get you beat this time of the year.

East Region

1. Syracuse
The Orange at the least can go three deep with starters Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche with one of the nation's best reserves in Dion Waiters coming off the bench. The key to a national title will be Jardine, because while the Orange can easily plug someone into his role skill-wise if the fifth-year senior's struggling they can't replace the experience. And with Fab Melo out the guards become even more important.

2. Ohio State
This region has two elite defenders with the Buckeyes' Aaron Craft being one (more on the other later), and William Buford could become the program's all-time leading scorer with a deep run in the tournament. The Buckeyes aren't particularly deep on the perimeter (Jordan Sibert backs up Craft) but they are talented.

3. Florida State
If Luke Loucks takes care of the basketball this group has the ability to be even better than third best in the region. Michael Snaer has beenvery good all season long and the midseason addition of Ian Miller definitely helped on the offensive end. Deividas Dulkys can get hot from deep, as he did in their regular season win over North Carolina, and all can defend.

Guards you'll love: Will Cherry (Montana) and Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
Cherry's the other defensive star in this region, as he was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Sky and is among the best in the country in steals. Pangos is just a freshman, and his first introduction to college basketball came in the form of his impressive shooting performance in Gonzaga's tip-off marathon appearance.

Best defender: Craft

The difference-maker: Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
Wisconsin's been a team some have pegged as a possible upset victim, and if the Badgers are to not only avoid that but win multiple games their senior point guard will have to be at his best.

The enigmatic group: Cincinnati
The Bearcats were able to make a shift to a smaller lineup comfortably with the emergence (and return to health) of Jaquon Parker, and they've been a better team as a result. But given the number of threes that Dion Dixon, Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright get to take, the Bearcats need them to be on if they're to make a run.

Midwest Region

1. Temple
North Carolina has Kendall Marshall and Kansas can point to Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson. But the three-headed attack that Fran Dunphy has could be the best backcourt in the region. Juan Fernandez, Ramone Moore and Khalif Wyatt can all do a variety of things, making them interchangable in a sense. If they're on the Owls have the ability to not only reach the Sweet 16 but possibly go even further.

2. Kansas
Tyshawn Taylor shouldn't be questioned at this point, as the senior's matured and made better decisions with the basketball at this point in the season. The guy the Jayhawks need to be a factor over the next couple of weeks is Elijah Johnson, as he can relieve some of the pressure on the shoulders of Taylor and Thomas Robinson. Travis Releford has also been a key cog this season, and that will need to continue if Kansas is to reach New Orleans.

3. San Diego State
The Aztecs go four deep on the perimeter and all four can hurt you in different ways. Xavier Thames runs the show at the point and Chase Tapley is a solid scorer at the two, and all Jamaal Franklin did was win Mountain West Player of the Year. Last but not least is James Rahon, a key reserve in their Elite 8 run last season who can not only knock down perimeter shots but also do the little things.

Guys you'll love: D.J. Cooper (Ohio) and Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
Cooper was a key figure in the Bobcats' whipping of Georgetown in the 2010 tournament, and he's improved as a scorer while remaining a very good distributor. Johnson leads the way for Belmont, a team that's been a popular selection when it comes to teams that can pull off an upset (or two).

Best defender: Jorge Gutierrez (California)
Gutierrez won Pac-12 Player and Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts and with good reason. The senior is one guard few will be looking forward to seeing on the other side of the floor, beginning with USF on Wednesday night.

The difference-maker: Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
The best passer in the region will be the guy who determines the winner of the Midwest. Marshall has also been more willing to punish sagging defenders by way of the jump shot, an aspect of his game that's improved over the course of the season.

Emerging star: Lorenzo Brown (NC State)
For a short time some asked if Brown was in fact the best point guard in the ACC. He's that talented, and with his size the sophomore has the potential to be a matchup problem for teams this week. And he's only going to get better with more experience.

West Region

1. Missouri
The Tigers navigated Laurence Bowers' torn ACL quite well thanks to their guards, going 30-4 and winning the Big 12 tournament title. Phil Pressey runs the show while Marcus Denmon and Kim English are the leading scorers. There's also Phil's older brother Matt and off the bench Michael Dixon Jr. is one of the best sixth men in the country. English's ability to produce at the four is tough to match, and unless a team has Jamar Samuels-like presence (Kansas State beat the Tigers twice for this reason) Mizzou could be headed to New Orleans.

2. Florida
The Gators are also deep on the perimeter but the key for them will be the decision making of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. If those two are unselfish and get the ball to Bradley Beal and Patric Young then Florida has the look of a team that can get to a Final Four. When they don't things tend to go wrong. Virginia's pack line defense will force Florida to make perimeter jumpers, but that's one of the things they do best.

3. Murray State
We all know about Isaiah Canaan by this point and rightfully so as the OVC Player of the Year is also an All-American. But Donte Poole can play as well, averaging 14.2 points per game. Add in senior Jewuan Long and you've got a nice group of guard capable of leading the Racers to the second weekend of the tournament.

Guys you'll love: Jason Brickman (LIU Brooklyn) and Casper Ware (Long Beach State)
Tried to go a bit off the radar with one of these selections, and with the high tempo that the Blackbirds prefer the sophomore from Texas will be fun to watch against Michigan State. Ware's been outstanding for four years and finally gets his shot at the game's biggest stage after two straight losses in the Big West tournament final.

Best defender: Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
If Long Beach State's Larry Anderson were 100% he could qualify as would teammate James Ennis. But DJO, who is also one of the best scorers in the field, is also a good defender who can get out in passing lanes. With the Golden Eagles lacking a defensive presence in the paint the defensive effort of Johnson-Odom on the perimeter becomes even more important.

The difference-maker: Joe Jackson (Memphis)
One of the reasons why Josh Pastner's team has played so well down the stretch is that they've allowed Chris Crawford to take on more of the distribution duties. That in turn has relieved some of the pressure on Jackson, but he's still going to have to play well if the Tigers are to go out and prove that they were underseeded.

Another difference-maker: Peyton Siva (Louisville)
The question of which Siva will we see in Portland is similar to which Louisville team will we see: the one that was inconsistent during Big East play and struggled to score, or the one that won four games in New York City last week. If Siva's on and making good decisions the Cardinals are capable of beating anyone. If not then they're also capable of losing to anyone.

Murray St vs Colorado St: Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:46:37 -0700

(6) Murray St vs. (11) Colorado St: West Region

Records

Murray State 30-1, 15-1 OVC (Regular-season and conference tourney champions)

Colorado State 20-11, 8-6 MWC (At large)

Time: 12:15 p.m. Thursday

TV: CBS

Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

Winner will face: (3) Marquette or (14) BYU/Iona

Rankings

Murray State No. 12 AP; No. 9 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll; No. x AP); Colorado State (No. x ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RPI Ratings

Murray State 27

Colorado 24

Line: Murray State -3½ (O/U 135½)

Players to Watch

Murray State: G Isaiah Canaan, 6-0 Jr. (19.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 47.3% 3s); G Donta Poole, 6-3 Sr. (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 39.2% 3s); F Ivan Aska, 6-7 Sr. (10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 50% FG). Canaan, who scored in double-figures in 29 of 31 games, was named the OVC Player of the Year and the collegehoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Year following his junior season.

Colorado State: F Pierce Hornung, 6-5 Jr. (8.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 64.3% FG); G Wes Eikmeier, 6-3 Jr. (15.6 ppg, 2.1 apg, 37.5% 3s); G Dorian Green, 6-2 Jr. (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg). Eikmeier – an Iowa State transfer – was named 1^st-team all-MWC. However, he was just 3-for-8 with seven points in the Rams’ 79-69 Mountain West Tournament loss to San Diego State.

Why Each Team is Dangerous

Murray State: The Racers had the best winning percentage in the country, so they’re obviously a confidence bunch. They shoot the ball confidently, as well, knocking down 40.6 percent of their 3-point shots. Defensively, MSU is opportune. Its defense averages 8.4 steals per game and turns teams over 16.5 times per game – one of the best rates in the country. Playing close to home at Nashville will also give Murray a shot at a spot in the Sweet 16.

Colorado State: The Rams shot the ball well all season, leading the MWC (and were 25^th in the country) at 47.6 percent from the floor. They also led the league and were sixth nationally in free throw percentage (76.9 percent) and 3-point percentage (40.5). CSU was efficient, as well, scoring 1.09 points per possession. Eikmeier shot 64.3 percent from the floor and gets many of his points around the basket.

Why Each Team is Vulnerable

Murray State: The Racers are a decent defensive team, but they’ll have a tough time against a diverse offense like the Rams. Also, Murray can be vulnerable on the boards. Tennessee State out-rebounded the Racers 32-20 in the OVC championship game, including 10 offensive rebounds for the Tigers. A tough player like Hornung could have a big day on the glass for CSU.

Colorado State: The Rams are making their first NCAA appearance in nine years – and just their fourth since the 1960s – and are looking for their first NCAA win since beating Florida in 1989, so they have no tournament experience. CSU has very little depth – with Greg Smith out with an ankle injury, only seven players played in the MWC quarterfinals against San Diego State. With so few players in the rotation, foul trouble could be terminal for the Rams, who average 18.8 fouls per game and had 16 players foul out this season. The Rams’ defense is not exceptional, allowing teams to shoot 43.6 percent from the field and 35.7 from the 3-point line, and they only get 5.4 steals per game. That could be a bad sign against an explosive Racers’ squad.

The Bottom Line: Colorado State just doesn’t have enough firepower to have a real opportunity at an upset.

The Pick: Murray State 72, Colorado State 64

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 198-148-6 (Through Sunday, March 11)

Bracketology Poll: Which Team Was Most Underseeded?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:16:43 -0700

NCAA Tournament 2012: How To Pick the National Champion

Jon Teitel — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:19:48 -0800

CollegeHoops.net's Bracket Tactics will help you pick this year's national champion & finish at the top of your NCAA Bracket pool. These 8 tips are based on previous NCAA Tournament results. At the end, we will use the 8 tips to help narrow down your projected champion to a few odds-on favorites:

TIP #1: No team that lost its conference tournament opening game has never gone on to win the NCAA title the same year.

STRATEGY: The extra few days of rest have not proven helpful.

MEANING: Avoid Marquette, Kansas St, and Iowa St before penciling them is as your champ.

TIP #2: All but 4 champs since 1985 have averaged 77+ PPG.

STRATEGY: Stellar offense usually leads the way (last year being an exception.)

MEANING: Consider North Carolina, Missouri, Duke, and Creighton. Be wary of Michigan St, Louisville, Michigan, Georgetown, and Wisconsin.

TIP #3: All but 1 champ since 2006 won their conference tournament before winning the national title.

STRATEGY: There is something to be said for late season momentum.

MEANING: Avoid Syracuse, Kansas, Duke, UNLV, Indiana, Wisconsin to win it all.

TIP #4: Since 1979, the only national champion without a McDonald's All-American on the roster was Maryland in 2002.

STRATEGY: Talent rises to the top in national tournaments.

MEANING: Avoid Cincinnati, Murray St, San Diego St to win it all.

TIP #5: Since UNLV won the title in 1990, each of the past 21 champs has been from a power-conference: ACC (8), SEC (5), Big East (4), Pac-12 (2), Big 12 (1), Big 10 (1).

STRATEGY: You might want to think twice before picking a mid-major team to win it all

MEANING: Avoid Creighton, Memphis, Murray St, New Mexico, San Diego St, Temple, UNLV

TIP #6: The last champ with only 1 loss was Texas Western in 1966, and the last 2 teams entering the NCAA tournament with only 1 loss ended up losing in the title game (2005 IL & 2008 Memphis).

STRATEGY: The pressure of winning so many teams in a row can wear on teams.

MEANING: Kentucky might make the title game, but might not win it all.

TIP #7: Only 2 coaches with 0 to 4 prior tournament appearances have won the title since 1985. (Izzo & Fisher)

STRATEGY: Focus on teams with veteran coaches to win it all.

MEANING: Avoid Baylor (Scott Drew: 2 prior appearances), Marquette (Buzz Williams: 3rd appearance), Murray St (Steve Prohm: 1st appearance), and Virginia (Tony Bennett: 2 prior appearances)

TIP #8: Each champ since 2002 has had a Top 75 strength of schedule.

STRATEGY: Stay away from teams that played soft schedules. You have to play the best to know how to beat the best.

MEANING: Avoid Missouri (SOS 86), Creighton (SOS 102), Gonzaga (SOS 78), Saint Mary's (SOS 104) and Murray St (SOS 157)

IN SUMMARY

The team with the most strikes against it is Murray St. Other teams to seriously avoid winning it all include Creighton, Marquette, San Diego St, and Wisconsin. Despite high seeds, be wary of picking Syracuse, Kansas, Michigan St, and Baylor to go all the way. Duke and Missouri have pros and cons, while Kentucky has a better shot. North Carolina and Ohio St might be the best choices.

Consensus Ranking: Drexel, Murray, San Diego St Overrated

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:24:09 -0800

In the latest Consensus Ranking (CR), Colorado St, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and NC State are the hottest teams over the last 10 days. All four of those squads are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and rising at the right time. Cincinnati also rose 9 spots to 41st and has to be considered a Tournament lock at this point. The bubble team that fell the most was Seton Hall.

According to the CR, Drexel, San Diego St, and Murray St are extremely overrated vs the AP ranking. This is something to consider when you fill out your brackets next week. On the underrated side, Saint Louis and Memphis remain the most underrated. If these two teams get 6 or 7 seeds, they could be very dangerous to 2 or 3 seeds.

The computers like Ohio St as much as AP #2 Syracuse, and think Indiana is better than their AP ranking suggests. In general, the computers think the Big Ten is even better than people realize, with the lone exception being Michigan.

What Is It?
With the advent of computer rankings & metrics, we have many tools that attempt to overcome historical biases to rank teams fairly. Taking a consensus average of these rankings, we get a good sense of the lay of the land and can see where the human voters differ with the computers. More importantly, we can see whether there is a pattern to the human biases and whether certain teams are consistently mis-valued compared to their peers.

83 teams are ranked, consisting of A) any team with AP votes, B) any team in the RPI Top 60, C) any team in CHN Top 50, D) any team in the KenPom Top 50, and E) any team previously included. The teams are ranked by an average of their RPI, Sagarin, and KenPom ratings. At the right of the chart is the team's current AP ranking and their consensus ranking in the last two updates.

Rank	Team	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	Avg	Last	2 Weeks	AP
1	Kentucky	2	1	1	1.3	1	1	1
2	Ohio St	7	2	2	3.7	3	4	7
3t	Syracuse	1	6	5	4.0	4	2t	2
3t	UNC	3	5	4	4.0	6	6	4
5	Kansas	6	4	3	4.3	5	5	3
6	Michigan St	5	3	6	4.7	2	2t	8
7t	Duke	4	16	10	10.0	7	8	6
7t	Indiana	11	10	9	10.0	13t	13	15
9	Missouri	16	9	7	10.7	9	7	5
10	Wichita St	14	8	11	11.0	8	14	16
11	Baylor	9	14	12	11.7	11t	12	12
12t	Wisconsin	24	7	8	13.0	13t	9t	14
12t	Marquette	8	17	14	13.0	10	11	9
14	Georgetown	17	13	13	14.3	11t	9t	13
15	Memphis	18	11	15	14.7	15t	23	31
16	Michigan	12	19	20	17.0	18	18	10
17	Saint Louis	30	12	17	19.7	19	16	37t
18	Florida	29	18	16	21.0	15	15	22
19	UNLV	10	32	22	21.3	17	19t	20
20	Louisville	20	26	19	21.7	21	21	27
21	New Mexico	34	15	18	22.3	20	17	29
22t	Vanderbilt	28	20	29	25.7	22t	24	32t
22t	Florida St	23	28	26	25.7	26	19t	17
24	Temple	13	34	34	27.0	27	25	21
25	Creighton	22	36	27	28.3	30	28	19
26t	Kansas St	44	21	21	28.7	29	31t	36
26t	California	35	23	28	28.7	28	22
28t	Purdue	41	22	24	29.0	32	40
28t	Gonzaga	25	31	31	29.0	25	26	24
30	Virginia	42	25	23	30.0	24	27	30
31	Alabama	32	29	30	30.3	22t	29
32t	Texas	43	27	25	31.7	34	31t
32t	Iowa St	33	30	32	31.7	31	35t	25
34	St. Mary's	26	42	35	34.3	35	39	26
35	Murray St	19	44	41	34.7	40	46	11
36	UCONN	31	37	37	35.0	33	33
37	Notre Dame	37	38	39	38.0	36	38	23
38	Belmont	60	24	33	39.0	38	44
39t	Harvard	36	40	44	40.0	37	30	37t
39t	Long Beach St	39	39	42	40.0	39	41	35
41t	Cincinnati	59	33	36	42.7	50	52	34
41t	San Diego St	27	55	46	42.7	46	48	18
43	Miami	52	35	43	43.3	44	45
44t	West Virginia	51	43	38	44.0	45	34
44t	VCU	38	45	49	44.0	51t	57	32t
46	BYU	45	49	40	44.7	41	35t
47	Southern Miss	15	68	54	45.7	42t	37
48	Iona	40	53	52	48.3	47	49
49	NC State	55	48	45	49.3	59	53t
50	Seton Hall	64	47	47	52.7	42t	42
51t	South Dakota St	48	56	60	54.7	55	x
51t	Colorado St	21	72	71	54.7	66	69
53t	Drexel	70	41	56	55.7	58	64	28
53t	MTSU	58	59	50	55.7	48	43
55	Northwestern	57	57	55	56.3	49	47
56	Xavier	54	60	57	57.0	53	53t
57	Arizona	77	50	48	58.3	51t	50
58	South Florida	46	65	67	59.3	62	62
59	St. Joseph's	61	64	58	61.0	54	51
60t	Minnesota	87	54	51	64.0	64t	55
60t	Tennessee	78	52	62	64.0	75	x
60t	Oregon	63	63	66	64.0	63	61
63	Washington	68	66	61	65.0	56	58
64	Dayton	74	62	63	66.3	57	75
65t	Stanford	97	51	53	67.0	70	71
65t	Davidson	65	67	69	67.0	61	68
67	La Salle	80	58	65	67.7	69	56
68	Marshall	56	75	76	69.0	73	63
69	Akron	62	79	73	71.3	67t	60
70	Ole Miss	53	80	82	71.7	80	79
71	Ohio	69	74	74	72.3	72	78
72t	Illinois	91	70	59	73.3	60	59
72t	UCF	50	81	89	73.3	76	70
74	Mississippi St	71	83	68	74.0	67t	66
75	Oral Roberts	47	100	80	75.7	64t	65
76	UCLA	129	46	64	79.7	x	x
77	Northern Iowa	73	96	78	82.3	71	67
78	Cleveland St	84	84	81	83.0	74	73
79	Denver	92	76	84	84.0	77	74
80	Nevada	49	103	101	84.3	79	76
81	Virginia Tech	114	86	79	93.0	78	77
82	Wagner	88	115	102	101.7	81	72
83	Arkansas	110	132	110	117.3	82	80

Most Overrated: AP vs. the computer ranking:

Drexel +25

Murray St +24

San Diego St +23

Notre Dame +14

VCU +12

Saint Mary's +8

Cincinnati +7

Iowa St +7

Creighton +6

Michgan +6

Most Underrated: AP vs. the computer ranking:

Teams w/ votes

Saint Louis -20

Memphis -16

Kansas St -10

Vanderbilt -10

Indiana -8 / UNM -8

Teams w/ no votes

California

Purdue

Alabama

Texas

UCONN

Biggest Changes In Last Week:

Rising

Colorado St +15

Tennessee +10

NC State +10

Ole Miss +10

Cincinnati +9

Falling

Illinois -12

Oral Roberts -11

Alabama -9

Seton Hall -8

What do you think? Post comments below, send a tweet to @collegehoopsnet, or follow facebook.com/collegehoopsnet.

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

2012 All Mid-Major Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:34:23 -0800

Player of the Year Isaiah Canaan of Murray State highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All Mid-Major Team. Canaan, a junior guard, led Murray State to an impressive 30-1 season.

Canaan is joined on the First Team by fellow guards Scott Machado of Iona and Damian Lillard of Weber St. A pair of senior forwards round out the squad in Dominique Morrison of Oral Roberts and Ryan Pearson of George Mason.

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

Last year's winner was Morehead St's Kenneth Faried.

Mid-Major Player of the Year: G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr

First Team Mid-Major

G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr
G Scott Machado, Iona, Sr
G Damian Lillard, Weber St, Jr
F Dominique Morrison, Oral Roberts, Sr
F Ryan Pearson, George Mason, Sr

Second Team Mid-Major

G Casper Ware, Long Beach St, Sr
G Zack Rosen, Penn, Sr
G Nate Wolters, South Dakota St, Jr
F Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso, Jr
F Mike Glover, Iona, Sr

Third Team Mid-Major

G CJ McCollum, Lehigh, Jr
G Kerron Johnson, Belmont, Jr
G Reggie Hamilton, Oakland, Sr
F Orlando Johnson, UCSB, Sr
F Mike Muscala, Bucknell, Jr

Fourth Team Mid-Major

G Matt Dickey, UNC-Asheville, Sr
G Lamarcus Reed, Texas-Arlington, Sr
F TJ Robinson, Long Beach St, Sr
F Jake Cohen, Davidson, Jr
F Mitchell Watt, Buffalo, Sr

Honorable Mention

G Nick Barbour, High Point, Sr
F Julian Boyd, LIU Brooklyn, Jr
F De'Mon Brook Davidson, So
G Will Cherry, Montana, Jr
G DJ Cooper, Ohio, Jr
F LaRon Dendy, Midd Tennessee, Sr
G Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart, Jr
F Ken Horton, Central Connecticut St, Sr
F Greg Mangano, Yale, Sr
G Ray McCallum, Detroit, So
G Charles Odum, Portland St, Sr
F Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk St, Sr
G Jesse Sanders, Liberty, G
F Keith Wright, Harvard, Sr
G Alex Young, IUPUI, Sr

NCAA Tournament Interviews: Murray State's Steve Prohm

Jon Teitel — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:06:13 -0800

CHN writer Jon Teitel was able to catch up with Murray State head coach Steve Prohm as part of his NCAA Tournament interview series, following up on the Racers' OVC tournament title and automatic bid. Prohm's Racers are 30-1 in his first season at the helm, and this veteran group has the potential to go a long way in the Big Dance.

Jon Teitel: You spent five years as an assistant to Billy Kennedy at Murray State. What makes Kennedy such a good coach, and what is the most important thing you ever learned from him?

Steve Prohm: He taught me the importance of having a balance in your life and staying even-keel. His faith is also extremely strong.

2010 NCAA Tournament (as an assistant at Murray State)

JT: Danero Thomas scored 11 points and hit a 15-footer at the buzzer in a one-point upset win over 4-seed Vanderbilt. Where does that rank among the most clutch shots you have ever seen?

SP: It is high up there, as is Jewuan Long's shot from the other day. It was an unbelievable moment.

JT: Isaiah Canaan scored 14 points but Gordon Hayward deflected his pass in the final seconds of a two-point loss to eventual runner-up Butler. Where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career?

SP: It was the most devastating just because we were leading with two minutes to go and on the brink of making the Sweet 16. However, I credit Butler for being able to win.

JT: You lost to Missouri State in the 2011 NIT. What did your team learn from that loss that you think will help them this month?

SP: First off, it is nice to just accomplish our goal of getting to the NCAA tournament. Missouri State had a good senior-oriented team last year. The biggest keys to winning in the postseason are defense and rebounding.

JT: This is your first year as a head coach after Kennedy became head coach at Texas A&M. What sort of expectations did you have coming into the season?

SP: With Canaan and Ivan Aska back, we had the same expectation that we do every year: to win a conference title. I did not know how good we would be, but the older guys were good leaders and the new guys continued to grow and buy into the system. Great seasons do not just happen; they slowly develop.

JT: You set a conference record by winning your first 23 games this season before a four-point loss to Tennessee State in February. Could you have ever imagined that you are literally five points away from having an undefeated season?!

SP: We had the ball down by one with three seconds left before Isaiah lost the ball, but the loss helped re-focus us and get us back in line to finish strong.

JT: You beat a pair of ranked teams in Memphis and Saint Mary's. Does a win over a tournament-caliber team give you extra confidence when facing a team in the actual tournament?

SP: We also had some great wins on the road against UAB and Western Kentucky, so we are battle-tested and have five guys who have each been to the tournament before.

JT: You were recently named OVC Coach of the Year. What does it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

SP: It means that I am at a great school with great players and a great staff.

JT: SR Jewuan Long scored six points and made the game-winning floater with 4.4 seconds left as you held Tennessee State scoreless for most of the final four minutes in a two-point win in the conference tournament title game. Did you think the shot was going in, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward?

SP: We did not get back to the locker room for quite awhile because we were celebrating for so long! That floater has been Jewuan's shot his entire career. There was a lot of emotion in the locker room to see the kids so happy.

JT: Long was also named OVC Defensive Player of the Year. How important has defense been to your team's success?

SP: Our program has been built on playing great defense and scoring off of turnovers. He does not get all the accolades on offense, but he is the heartbeat of our team.

JT: What seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of team would you matchup against the best?

SP: I think we deserve a 3-5 seed based on what we have done. Matchups and proximity are big in the tournament. Everyone in the tournament is good, so I am not sure if there is such a thing as a good or poor matchup.