March Madness 2012 Schedule: Complete TV Schedule and Live Stream Info
It is finally here. The NBA trade deadline may not provide a ton of excitement on March 15th, but the first full day of the NCAA tournament never disappoints.
Sixty-four teams will take the court in 32 games in various cities across the nation on Thursday and Friday. There truly is no more exciting postseason tournament in all of sports.
As for where to watch all of today and tomorrow’s excitement, CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will be covering it all with live streaming also available.
NCAA March Madness Live will be streaming every broadcast live to computers and applicable mobile devices.
March 15
Murray State vs. Colorado State: noon, CBS
Kansas State vs. Southern Miss: 12:30 p.m., truTV
Louisville vs. Davidson: 1:30 p.m., TBS
Wisconsin vs. Montana: 2 p.m., TNT
Marquette vs. BYU: 2:30 p.m., CBS
Syracuse vs. UNC Asheville: 3 p.m., truTV
New Mexico vs. Long Beach St.: 4 p.m., TBS
Vanderbilt vs. Harvard: 4:30 p.m., TNT
Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky: 6:45 p.m., TBS
Wichita State vs. VCU: 7:15 p.m.,CBS
Gonzaga vs. West Virginia: 7:15pm, TNT
Baylor vs. South Dakota State: 7:27 p.m., truTV
Iowa State vs. Connecticut: 9:15 p.m., TBS
Indiana vs. New Mexico State: 9:30 p.m., CBS
Ohio State vs. Loyola Maryland: 9:45 p.m., TNT
UNLV vs. Colorado: 9:55 p.m., truTV
March 16
Cincinnati vs. Texas: noon, CBS
San Diego St. vs. NC State: 12:30 p.m., truTV
Creighton vs. Alabama: 1:30 p.m., TBS
Florida vs. Virginia: 2 p.m., TNT
Florida State vs. St. Bonaventure: 2:30 p.m., CBS
Georgetown vs. Belmont: 3 p.m., truTV
North Carolina vs. Vermont: 4 p.m., TBS
Missouri vs. Norfolk St.: 4:30 p.m., TNT
Memphis vs. Saint Louis: 6:45 p.m., TBS
Duke vs. Lehigh: 715 p.m., CBS
Michigan vs. Ohio: 7:20 p.m., TNT
St. Mary’s vs. Purdue: 7:27 p.m., truTV
Michigan State vs. LIU Brooklyn: 9:15 p.m., TBS
Notre Dame vs. Xavier: 9:30 p.m., CBS
Temple vs. South Florida: 9:45 p.m., TNT
Kansas vs. Detroit: 9:55 p.m., truTV
truTV Channels: Comcast: Ch. 58; Direct TV: Ch. 246; Time Warner Cable: Ch. 779 (HD), Ch. 79; AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 164; Verizon: Ch. 683 (HD), Ch. 183; DISH: 204. Check local listings for others.
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NBA Power Rankings: Complete 30-Team Breakdown
With more than half of the NBA regular season behind us, there are a handful of teams that are ready to make a push at a title, while others are simply hoping to push their luck in the lottery come this offseason.
Many fans know the squads at both extremes, but in a season that has left the middle of the field so wide open, the second-half stretch will force a number of teams to rise to the top of their games, or ultimately fall out of the playoff picture all together.
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
Chicago Bulls Complete Revenge Back to Back, Clobber Pacers 92-72
The Chicago Bulls had a back-to-back against two teams whom they had lost to earlier this season. Last night they beat the 76ers in Philadelphia. Tonight, they clobbered the Indiana Pacers at the United Center, 92-72.
The game was a hard-fought game the first half with the Pacers tough, physical style setting the “pace” of the game. They were cutting off the driving lanes for Derrick Rose and daring the rest of the team to beat them. For a half, it worked as Indiana entered halftime up 43-42.
In the third quarter, it was as though the Bulls collectively decided they’d about had enough of this…”stuff” and took over, and the game turned into a pummeling in the blink of an eye. They started hitting shots from the three. They started getting to the rim. They started sinking shots everywhere in between.
On the other end, they just shut down the Pacers again and again. The Bulls only gave up five points over the last 7:38 of the third quarter, and they outscored them 33-13 in the third quarter. By the time the first quarter ended, the only thing in doubt was the final score.
The only suspense was whether Jimmy Butler would come in and at what point we would be seeing the White Mamba. They did eventually make it in with 30.7 seconds left.
And when Scalabrine came in, we were greeted with something new—giant Scalabrine heads. He didn’t disappoint the fans, scoring a field goal and grabbing a board in his half minute on the court which gave him an unreal stat line of 144 points and 72 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Derrick Rose was absolutely kept in check by the Pacers defense in the first half as he had only two points and four assists at the break. In the third quarter, he had 11 points and five dimes and didn’t play in the fourth.
Luol Deng also had a nice game and was the leading scorer for the game. He had 18 points along with six boards and four dimes.
The real heroes of the game though were the Bench Mob. Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and seven boards. Taj Gibson had 10 points and nine boards. John Lucas III had 13 points including a pivotal three which was a part of his nine points that kept the Bulls close in the first half.
Kyle Korver had the “hot sauce” out hitting on both of his threes and adding a block that even Taj Gibson would have been proud of.
All in all, it was a good team win with everyone contributing. The Bulls extended their lead over the Miami Heat to 2.5 games.
The bad news is that Rip Hamilton had to leave early after banging his shoulder twice. It didn’t look like anything serious happened, but Rip looked to be in considerable pain. There was no update on the nature of the injury at the time of this writing.
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Chicago Bulls Complete Revenge Back to Back, Clobber Pacers 92-72
The Chicago Bulls had a back-to-back against two teams whom they had lost to earlier this season. Last night they beat the 76ers in Philadelphia. Tonight, they clobbered the Indiana Pacers at the United Center, 92-72.
The game was a hard-fought game the first half with the Pacers tough, physical style setting the “pace” of the game. They were cutting off the driving lanes for Derrick Rose and daring the rest of the team to beat them. For a half, it worked as Indiana entered halftime up 43-42.
In the third quarter, it was as though the Bulls collectively decided they’d about had enough of this…”stuff” and took over, and the game turned into a pummeling in the blink of an eye. They started hitting shots from the three. They started getting to the rim. They started sinking shots everywhere in between.
On the other end, they just shut down the Pacers again and again. The Bulls only gave up five points over the last 7:38 of the third quarter, and they outscored them 33-13 in the third quarter. By the time the first quarter ended, the only thing in doubt was the final score.
The only suspense was whether Jimmy Butler would come in and at what point we would be seeing the White Mamba. They did eventually make it in with 30.7 seconds left.
And when Scalabrine came in, we were greeted with something new—giant Scalabrine heads. He didn’t disappoint the fans, scoring a field goal and grabbing a board in his half minute on the court which gave him an unreal stat line of 144 points and 72 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Derrick Rose was absolutely kept in check by the Pacers defense in the first half as he had only two points and four assists at the break. In the third quarter, he had 11 points and five dimes and didn’t play in the fourth.
Luol Deng also had a nice game and was the leading scorer for the game. He had 18 points along with six boards and four dimes.
The real heroes of the game though were the Bench Mob. Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and seven boards. Taj Gibson had 10 points and nine boards. John Lucas III had 13 points including a pivotal three which was a part of his nine points that kept the Bulls close in the first half.
Kyle Korver had the “hot sauce” out hitting on both of his threes and adding a block that even Taj Gibson would have been proud of.
All in all, it was a good team win with everyone contributing. The Bulls extended their lead over the Miami Heat to 2.5 games.
The bad news is that Rip Hamilton had to leave early after banging his shoulder twice. It didn’t look like anything serious happened, but Rip looked to be in considerable pain. There was no update on the nature of the injury at the time of this writing.
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Heat complete 3-day, 3-game road sweep (AP)
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade found a way to motivate their teammates Tuesday night. They challenged them to play for history. James scored 23 points and nearly produced his first triple double in 11 months as Miami rolled to a 105-90 victory at Indiana to become the first NBA team in 33 years to win three road games in three nights.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
2011-12 Version of Miami Heat’s LeBron James Is Most Complete We’ve Ever Seen
So it’s 10 games into the shortened 2011-12 NBA season and the Miami Heat are sitting pretty with an 8-2 overall record, which is tied for the best record in the NBA.
The major reason for the Miami Heat‘s impressive start has been the play of LeBron James, who is currently averaging 29.7 points, 7.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. If that isn’t impressive enough, LeBron has produced at that level while shooting 59.5 percent, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
So what does James’ production and the fact that he has led the Heat to the best record in the NBA tell us about the two-time NBA MVP? It tells us that this is the most complete version of LeBron James that we have ever seen.
When you compare LeBron’s 2011-12 production through his first nine games (not including the Hawks game which he sat out) to every other year of his career, the statistics look like this (with highest production per category underlined):
2003-04: 16.2 ppg, 6.2 apg, 6.0 rpg, 41.0%
2004-05: 24.3 ppg, 5.6 apg, 8.2 rpg, 49.0%
2005-06: 26.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 5.1 rpg, 49.8%
2006-07: 29.5 ppg, 6.4 apg, 7.5 rpg, 53.4%
2007-08: 28.0 ppg, 7.8 apg, 7.5 rpg, 46.1%
2008-09: 28.8 ppg, 7.3 apg, 7.4 rpg, 48.2%
2009-10: 30.1 ppg, 7.4 apg, 7.3 rpg, 50.7%
2010-11: 22.2 ppg, 8.6 apg, 6.0 rpg, 44.4%
2011-12: 29.6 ppg, 7.6 apg, 8.0 rpg, 59.5%
As you can tell by looking at those statistics, LeBron James is no stranger to averaging 28-plus points, 7.3-plus assists and 7.3-plus rebounds per game.
The one thing that separates his production so far this season than any of his past eight seasons is his immensely improved shooting percentage of 59.5, as compared to the next highest through nine games, which is 53.4.
One of the most impressive aspects of James’ overall production so far is that while he has produced at a similar level at other times in his career, this time he has done so with other NBA stars on the roster.
I know you could argue that having All-Star talent on the court with James should increase his production, but I would argue that having that caliber of talent aside him should decrease his production because of the touches he theoretically should lose.
If you think LeBron’s production is a result of having Wade and Bosh on the court with him, just look at the level of production he’s achieved without Wade on the court. In two games without Wade, LeBron has accounted for an average of 32.5 points, 11.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game, with an overall field goal percentage of 60.9.
Impressive isn’t it?
LeBron is even more complete of a player when Wade isn’t on the court. Sure, that’s based on only two games, against the Nets and the Pacers, but it is still impressive nonetheless.
When you stop and look at LeBron’s statistical production over the past nine seasons, there is one other glaring difference between this year and the other eight, and that is the amount of three-point attempts through the first nine game.
Throughout his first nine games of the 2011-12 season, LeBron has shot a whopping three three-point shots, as compared to the following years; 2010-11 (29), 2009-10 (40), 2008-09 (30), 2007-08 (29), 2006-07 (37), 2005-06 (34), 2004-2005 (30), 2003-2004 (24).
LeBron traded his three-point shot for a new and improved post game, which is not only benefiting the Miami Heat, it is also benefiting him by making him a more complete version of himself.
While the lessons we’ve learned about LeBron James so far this season are based on only a few games, I think his production speaks for itself, proving that the 2011-12 version of LeBron James is the most complete version we have ever seen.
If LeBron’s 2011-12 production is a sign of things to come for the next few years, then the Miami Heat are going to be in for quite a wild and championship-filled ride.
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Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats Will Need Complete Focus to Escape Louisville
Kentucky has bounced back from a season-altering loss to Indiana. Their game against Lamar proved that one of the best teams in the nation can too easily lose focus.
I am not about to call the beatdown Kentucky served to Lamar a close shave, because it wasn’t. The Wildcats once again proved they are back to form following an mammoth upset loss to Indiana just a couple weeks ago.
Since that time, Kentucky has barreled through lesser opponents, intent on demolishing the opposition rather than seeing them shock the world once again.
If you think all was sunshine and smiles after the recent win, you would be sorely mistaken. Head coach John Calipari is not about to allow his stars to rest on their talented laurels. He told reporters the following: Via Courier-Journal
“There are things that went on in the game that just aggravated me. This team should be playing better than we’re playing. We either cure this or we’re going to start taking ‘L’s.”
That may seem a tad salty considering his team won the game by a score of 86-64, but Calipari knows better. He understands that New Year’s Eve brings a huge test in Louisville.
Rick Pitino‘s squad will not go as quietly as Lamar, especially if Kentucky is going to give up 17 turnovers and act aloof during parts of the game.
Louisville is coming off a disappointing loss against Georgetown and will no doubt be hungry for a win that will keep them in the upper echelon of the national rankings.
Kentucky needs to hit the boards more and play with a great deal more intensity. It is so easy to sit back and let the game come to you when you are as talented as this team is. But that won’t cut it for the whole season, and Calipari knows that.
Kentucky can continue to move in the right direction against Louisville, but they will need a concerted effort to accomplish that.
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Complete NBA Predictions and Projections for All Christmas Day Games
Finally after months of waiting, the NBA season is upon us.
At one point, the season looked like it wasn’t going to happen, and now, Christmas Day promises to be a fantastic Sunday for the basketball fan across the country.
With five marquee match ups on the slate, here’s a guide of complete predictions and projections for opening day in the NBA.
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Kentucky vs. Indiana: Complete Game Preview with Broadcast Details
Undefeated Indiana (8-0) will host No. 1 Kentucky (8-0) on Saturday. Not only is everything on the line for both undefeated teams, but Indiana and Kentucky have a historic rivalry that is amplified by the fact that one team will leave with their first loss of the season.
It’s going to be a red-out in Assembly Hall on Saturday and it’s going to be loud.
Here’s a complete preview of Saturday’s showdown in Bloomington.
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Xavier/Cincinnati brawl beyond a “complete embarrassment”
A great rivalry lost its way and its meaning. The ending was bad enough, you give serious wonder to whether the game should continue.
View full post on USATODAY.com Collegebasketball
