2012 NCAA Tournament: The 5 Best Teams That Will Not Make the Final Four
The 2012 NCAA Tournament, aka the best time of the year, is quickly approaching. March Madness has consistently been one of the most exciting sporting events due to its unpredictable nature, Cinderella stories, and its ability to vault a relatively unknown school into the national spotlight (see Davidson, Butler, George Mason etc).
With that being said, for every Cinderella story, there is a top team that under-performs.
Here are the five best teams that will NOT make it to the Final Four this year.
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The Top 11 Teams Who Will Miss the Final Four
The Big Dance is a sacred college basketball tradition that has defined the sport for decades, making a usually boring month into one of the most anticipated times of the entire year.
With the newly implemented system of a 68 team spread in lieu of just 64, every squad’s chances at ending up in the coveted Final Four dropped slightly. Programs now have an even tougher time finding that perfect team to secure a slot in the sports biggest stage.
However, last season we once again had a Cinderella squad prove to us that no matter where a team starts out or what seed they might be, a championship run can always be in the cards.
VCU, a lowly 11 seed who was placed in the First Four round, ended up losing in the Final Four to Butler. On their way to Houston, Virginia Commonwealth took down classic powerhouses Georgetown, Purdue, and even a star-studded Kansas squad in what turned out to be the conversation of the entire tourney.
If that doesn’t show the college basketball world anything is possible, I don’t know what will.
There will only be four squads allowed into New Orleans this postseason, and with teams like Butler and VCU always stealing away one or two of those slots, it is becoming more difficult for top programs to secure a position in the Final Four.
We will take a look at the best 11 squads who have all the potential to make it into the sport’s most acclaimed level of the Big Dance, but will fall short before reaching New Orleans.
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2012 NCAA Tournament: The 5 Best Teams Who Will Not Make the Final Four
The 2012 NCAA Tournament, aka the best time of the year, is quickly approaching. March Madness has consistently been one of the most exciting sporting events due to its unpredictable nature, Cinderella stories, and its ability to vault a relatively unknown school into the national spotlight (see Davidson, Butler, George Mason etc).
With that being said, for every Cinderella story, there is a top team that under-performs.
Here are the five best teams that will NOT make it to the Final Four this year.
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Duke Basketball: Why Mason Plumlee Is Key to Final Four Run for Blue Devils
In line with preseason predictions, the sixth-ranked Duke Blue Devils have been among the favorites for the Final Four all year. While star freshman Austin Rivers has gotten the most press, however, he won’t be the biggest factor if Duke makes good on its potential and enjoys a deep NCAA tournament run.
Junior F/C Mason Plumlee has been doing the dirty work for the Blue Devils under the boards, leading the team at 9.4 rebounds a night. It’s his 1.6 blocks per game, though, that will have even more to say about Duke’s postseason fortunes.
In their three losses this season, the Blue Devils have allowed their opponents to shoot 59.3, 56.4 and 54 percent from the field. Much of that damage has been done on the perimeter, but Plumlee must shoulder some of the blame as well.
Even more importantly, Plumlee—who can actually play defense—will need to act as a safety net for the porous guards so that they can dial up the pressure against opposing three-point shooters. Otherwise, the first hot-shooting team Duke faces in March could hand them a very early exit.
Plumlee will also need to provide some stability on offense for Duke. If the outside shooters go cold (as in a 3-of-15 performance against Ohio State in November), Plumlee and his .617 field-goal percentage will be an essential backup plan.
The oldest of the three Plumlee brothers is far from the most explosive talent on this roster, but he’ll deserve a major share of credit for any postseason success Coach K enjoys this year.
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10 Reasons the Murray State Racers Are a Legit Final Four Threat
If there were bets taken in November about who would be the last undefeated team in college basketball, absolutely no one would have answered the Murray State Racers.
Chances are, most people didn’t even know where Murray State was. But now, the tiny school in Paducah, Kentucky is famous.
The Racers are 20-0 and ranked ninth in the country. Ninth! Overall!
That’s ahead of traditional powerhouses like the Florida Gators, Indiana Hoosiers and Connecticut Huskies.
The question on almost everyone’s mind now is whether or not Murray State is for real.
Will the Racers finish the season without a loss? When the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament starts, will they lose by 20 in the first round? Or could the team make it to the championship game?
My answer? Watch out, NCAA, Murray State is coming to crash the postseason. Here is why the Racers are a legitimate Final Four threat.
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Dirk Nowitzki to Miss Four Games: The Right Decision for Dallas Mavericks
For me, earlier today (and most of yesterday) was spent dealing with a conundrum: Why has Dirk Nowitzki looked so bad this season, and more importantly, how can the Mavs fix it? They seemed to have come up with a good solution tonight: Sit Dirk for the next four games.
Dirk’s increasing lethargy and noninvolvement was at its most apparent Thursday night during the game against the Jazz. In the fourh quarter, when even Dirk at his coldest is usually the spark to ignite the Mavs’ late game offensive flame, he was a mere decoy.
I watched possession after possession of Dirk just sitting in a corner, drawing a defender, but not running around a screen or drifting behind the three-point line, but just standing there.
It was only the latest example of the season that Dirk is simply not himself.
According to ESPNDallas, Dirk will sit out for four games to “improve conditioning.” While Dirk himself has freely admitted he came into the season out of shape, he’s also dealing with the same bum left knee that caused him to miss some time last season.
Dirk will miss tonight’s game against New Orleans, as well as games against the Suns, Timberwolves and Jazz. Not exactly the easiest of stretches, but there aren’t many of those.
The weakest stretch seems to be March 8 to 15, with games against the Suns, Kings, Warriors, Wizards and Bobcats, but that’s a long, long way off.
While the thought of no Dirk sounds scary, especially in a 66-game season, where every W and L could be bring a team up or down three spots in the standings, it’s the right move.
The Mavs (and older teams like the Spurs, Lakers and Celtics) can’t afford to fight too hard for homecourt advantage this postseason. They just need to get in, or even head into the lottery for a year and hope to get a good pick in what seems to be a deep draft.
The last shortened season, the Knicks came in as an 8-seed, but with everyone healthy and playing their best basketball, they made it to the Finals. That should be the Mavs’ goal.
The Mavericks can also use this time to really solidify their pecking order when it comes to backup forwards. Ian Mahinmi and Brendan Haywood give the Mavericks as solid as a post-Tyson Chandler frontcourt as the Mavs could have hoped for.
Jason Terry, Vince Carter and Rodrigue Beaubois are waging their own war for minutes at the shooting guard spot. With Carter out, Beaubois can get some burn and we can find out if he’s ready to play heavy minutes.
When it comes to power forward, Brandan Wright, Lamar Odom, Yi Jianlian and Sean Williams are all trying to find their places, and each brings their own gifts to the table.
Wright is an athletic defender and decent shooter inside of 15 feet, Yi is trying to prove he’s worth his lottery pedigree and Williams is trying to keep his foothold in the league, and has proven willing to make some hustle plays and fight for every minute.
Odom brings the most complete skill set to the group, but he has been inconsistent so far. While he has gradually looked more comfortable over the last few games, maybe some increased minutes would help him find a home in the offense.
Despite their struggles, the Mavs are playing good defense, only allowing 88.8 points per game, good for 3rd best in the league.
But they’re ranked only 21st in the league in offense, which is the area Dirk makes the most contributions.
Dirk needs to be healthy soon, and as rough as the Mavs’ season has gone, there have been some flashes of greatness, and a Dirk who is firing on all cylinders can really put them back in the ranks of the elite.
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NCAA Tournament 2012: 8 Teams That Look Most Likely to Make Final Four Runs
It’s an exciting time of the year for college basketball fans. As teams delve deeper into conference play, the pretenders and contenders begin to reveal themselves.
Although the NCAA tournament doesn’t tip off for another month-and-a-half, it is becoming more apparent with every passing game which teams have the necessary ingredients to reach New Orleans for the 2012 Final Four.
The following is a look at the eight teams who, as of today, stand the best chance of reaching New Orleans and cutting down the nets.
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8 Teams That Can Take Down College Basketball’s Big Four
Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina have established themselves as elite college basketball teams this season. While some may think that this “big four” is miles ahead of anyone else, there are several teams that could knock them off.
The Indiana Hoosiers, for example, have already dismissed two of the big four this season.
There are a few other teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East that have the talent and the mindset to conquer the biggest beasts in the country.
Let’s take a look at the eight teams that have the chops to take down the big four.
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4 College Basketball Sleepers for the Final Four
These four teams, in my mind, have the capability to make a serious run into march.
These teams have all gotten off to hot starts and have snuck their way into the Top 25 polls.
As March is just around the corner, take into consideration these teams as possible sleepers when you fill out your brackets.
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With Michael Redd, Suns have best backcourt in the NBA — four years ago
FILE – In this Jan. 8, 2010, file photo, Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd (22) goes up for a shot in front of Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng (9) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Milwaukee. The Phoenix Suns announced Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, that they have signed All-Star Redd to a one-year contract. Two injuries to his left knee cost him large chunks of three straight seasons, but Redd averaged 20 points in 11 seasons with the Bucks, his only pro team. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Fans can’t help but be intrigued. It’s Michael Redd, after all. His game was so good, it reached that point where his name still resonates long after it should.
Problem is, it ain’t 2007.
I’m not faulting or criticizing the Suns for signing the former All-Star. Heck, if anyone can rejuvenate a broken-down has-been, it’s be Phoenix’s medical staff. Nash, Hill, Shaq, they’ve all lost 3-8 years of age and injury here. It will be interesting to see if Redd becomes another feather in the collective cap of the Suns’ medical staff.
Just remember that Redd isn’t charging in on a white horse ready to save the day. He is limping in. He needs to get in basketball shape. He still needs to earn minutes, because Phoenix’s 0-2 start likely hasn’t changed Alvin Gentry’s glowing opinion of Jared Dudley. There’s also Shannon Brown to consider.
This is a nothing-to-lose agreement for both sides. Phoenix signed Redd on a one-year flyer, knowing they stand only to gain if he still has something left in his tank. If not, no big deal, move on.
As for Redd, his attitude is similar to that of Grant Hill’s. He wants to prove he isn’t a broken-down has-been. He would love nothing more than to have a storybook comeback for Suns fans to enjoy and benefit from.
If Redd regains anything close to his 2007 form (26.7ppg), more power to him and the team doctors. Obviously, Phoenix could use him. A vintage Redd performance might be just what the Suns and their fans need after such a morbid beginning to the season.
Just don’t hold your breath.
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