Cinderella Watch: Dellavedova will catapult Saint Mary’s in NCAAs
The Gaels have made it this far because of Matthew Dellavedova, plain and and simple
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Memphis vs. Saint Mary’s: Game Time, TV Schedule, Spread Info and Predictions
The No. 11 Saint Mary’s Gaels needed a trip to Dayton to cement their place in the Round of 64, but they will head into their Midwest Region opener versus the No. 6 Memphis Tigers looking to make history.
Led by head coach Randy Bennett and star guard Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary’s became the second team to get a victory in the 2013 NCAA tournament, defeating Middle Tennessee on Tuesday. The Gaels have an opportunity to become just the second “first four” team in history to win a second game.
Based on the results of Memphis’ season thus far, it’s going to be awfully tough to make history on Thursday.
Memphis heads into the Big Dance having tasted defeat just once since December. Led by head coach Josh Pastner, the program is finally starting to etch its own reputation again in the post-John Calipari era. This is by far the best team Pastner has had since taking the Tigers coaching job four years ago, and he will be looking to cap that off with his first NCAA tournament victory.
Bennett and his Gaels already got their first victory, but satisfaction is for the weak in March. Memphis is in for a fight against Saint Mary’s and it should be one of a bevy of games worth watching on college basketball’s unofficial national holiday.
With that in mind, here is a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about Thursday’s Round of 64 clash.
Game Information
Where: The Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich.
When: Thursday, March 21, at 2:45 p.m. ET
Watch: CBS
Live Stream: March Madness On Demand
Betting Line: Will be added once it becomes available.
Memphis Injuries (via USA Today): None.
Saint Mary’s Injuries (via USA Today): G Jorden Paige, Knee, Day-to-Day. F Tim Williams, Leg, Out
What’s at Stake?
Other than everything these players and coaches have worked for since diapers, not all of that much is at stake on Thursday. Of course, I’m kidding—everything is at stake.
For Memphis, the stakes are pretty simple. The Tigers don’t want to get upset, and they especially don’t want to be the first low seed sent packing in this year’s tournament. Considering the relatively early start time and lack of upset-worthy games in the early afternoon, Memphis could possibly be the team with an unfortunate result.
Saint Mary’s, meanwhile, has a chance to make history with a win in Thursday’s matchup. Ever since the NCAA expanded the tournament field to 68 teams, only one team (Virginia Commonwealth in 2011) has ever won a “first four” matchup and then gone on to beat its second round opponent. That VCU team went on to a Final Four appearance and nearly made the national championship game.
Few would even remotely suggest the Gaels are on the VCU path to Cinderella stardom. But then again, even fewer would have suggested it for Shaka Smart’s squad two years ago.
Players to Watch
Memphis: G Joe Jackson
Despite scoring 22 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing four assists in a nationally televised conference championship game on Sunday, Joe Jackson remains a virtual unknown to mainstream audiences. When thinking of Memphis, most think of the team-wide buy-in—not the player who makes everything tick on both ends.
Jackson heads into the NCAA tournament averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. Those are fine all-around numbers, and Jackson leads the team in assists and points.
What makes Jackson such a strong player overall is his efficiency. Jackson is making 52.7 percent of his shots for the season, including 45.6 percent from deep and a true shot percentage (62.4) that ranks just outside the nation’s 50 best, per Ken Pomeroy. He’s a smart, veteran leader who could stand to reduce his turnover rate, but nonetheless remains Memphis’ best overall player.
That being said, Jackson is not immune to throwing a clunker on the scoreboard. When the junior guard’s game is off, it’s not just bad—it’s potentially crippling. Jackson has seven games this season when he scored 10 or fewer points. Those games help represent two of Memphis’ losses this season and came against the likes of VCU and Minnesota.
Jackson still has his calling-card 23-point game against Louisville to keep him from getting a reputation as a player who can only excel against bad teams, but his performance bears watching. He’s a great talent, and Memphis can ill afford a clunker at any point in March.
Saint Mary’s: G Matthew Dellavedova
Fresh off a clunker of a performance versus Gonzaga in the WCC championship game, Dellavedova was bound and determined to not repeat those struggles in his final NCAA tournament. The senior guard continually broke the formerly impenetrable Middle Tennessee press, getting easy shots for himself and teammates en route to a 22-point, six-rebound, four-assist effort.
Those types of ascendant nights have become par for the course over Dellavedova‘s career. He’s averaging a shade under 16 points and over six assists per game, taking advantage of his top-notch shooting ability and court vision to make things look easy offensively.
Among players who use 24 percent or greater of his team’s possessions, Dellavedova has been the 14th-best offensive force in all of college basketball, per Ken Pomeroy. He also has one of the better assist rates in the country and—perhaps most impressively—plays more than 90 percent of his team’s minutes this season.
With apologies to Stephen Holt, Beau Levesque and Brad Waldow, they are just secondary players in Dellavedova‘s show. Dellavedova is Dave Grohl, and those three players are whoever else is in the Foo Fighters—I have no idea.
That power, or level of importance rather, comes with expectations. Dellavedova performed admirably against what seemed like a tough opponent the first time around, but will be facing off against an even more athletic team on Thursday. But with his performance versus quality teams this season leaving much to be desired, Dellavedova should still be in “prove it” mode—even after his flat-out brilliant offensive execution versus Middle Tennessee.
Key Matchup: Memphis’ Defensive Intensity vs. Saint Mary’s Brilliant Offense
Breaking down more individual players in this section would be a disservice to the players surrounding stars Dellavedova and Jackson. Each of those players has an opportunity to step up as Holt did in the first round and are overall very good, talented guys.
The problem is that they’re part of a better whole that merits an extensive breakdown.
Heading into Thursday’s game, Saint Mary’s has one of the more underrated and efficient offenses in the nation—and that’s not all thanks to Dellavedova.
The result is an offense that runs like an unstoppable machine. Saint Mary’s ranks 11th in the nation in overall offensive efficiency, 16th in effective field goal percentage and 13th at making two-point shots, per Ken Pomeroy. The Gaels’ only contemporary among double-digit seeds in the entire tournament is Iowa State, and their defense is one giant sieve. On the other hand, Saint Mary’s is no peach, but ranks a very passable 68th in the nation in efficiency.
Almost the polar opposite is true for Memphis, which needs a rotation of eight player to get 17 or more minutes per game to run its defensive system. The Tigers are filled to the brim with athletes, human gazelles who can leap and bound all over the floor and frustrate opposing ball-handlers.
The result is a defense that ranks a sterling 20th in overall efficiency, per Pomeroy. Utilizing those athletes’ quick hands and leaping ability, Memphis ranks as a top-20 team in blocked shots and steals while forcing a better-than-average turnover rate as well.
And, to boot, the Tigers somehow manage to keep that defensive intensity despite running at an adjusted tempo of 69.7 possessions per game, 28th in the nation.
That’s opposed to Saint Mary’s, which runs a below-average tempo at 64.8 possessions per game. Whichever side is able to keep its pace and style at the forefront will have a great opportunity to win this game.
Prediction
Heading into the tournament, I had Middle Tennessee winning in the first round versus St. Mary’s. When scouting the matchup, I had the feeling that the Gaels could not handle relentless on-ball pressure and would fold into a turnover-heavy machine.
Early in Tuesday’s game, that feeling proved correct. The Gaels started with a few turnovers, went on elongated scoring droughts and struggled against Middle Tennessee’s on-ball defense.
Then they adjusted and took off, dominating almost the entire last 30 minutes of the contest.
Look for something similar to happen on Thursday. Memphis has a massive athleticism advantage and will look to utilize it by pressuring on the ball and forcing turnovers. The Tigers don’t run a similar press system to Middle Tennessee, so it will take an adjustment for Saint Mary’s—and once again the Gaels will pull it off.
Memphis will have a better time than Middle Tennessee scoring points, but the team won’t quite get enough. Saint Mary’s advances and becomes one of the teams to watch heading into the Round of 32.
Final Score Prediction: Saint Mary’s 73, Memphis 71
Link to Printable PDF
Link to Live Bracket
Follow all the exciting NCAA tournament action with March Madness Live
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Saint Mary’s Gaels step out of Gonzaga’s shadow in rout
The Gaels’ talent has been obscured by the Zags’ run in the West Coast Conference.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Saint Mary’s beats Middle Tenn 67-54 in First Four (Yahoo! Sports)
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova scored 22 points on Tuesday night, and Saint Mary’s got a good start on its second straight NCAA tournament appearance, beating Middle Tennessee 67-54 in the First Four.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NCAA Men’s Hoops News
Saint Mary’s vs Middle Tennessee: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction
Sometimes even 28 wins doesn’t get you much respect in the eyes of the NCAA committee.
Despite sporting a gaudy 28-5 record, Middle Tennessee finds itself in a First Four matchup against Saint Mary’s (27-6) at the University of Dayton Arena in a battle of 11 seeds.
Both of these teams are almost unbeatable at home with the Gaels sporting a 16-1 record and the Blue Raiders owning an unblemished 15-0 mark. But you can throw those records out the window and focus on their performance on a neutral court: The Gaels are 2-3 while the Blue Raiders are 2-2.
All eyes will be on senior guard Matthew Dellavedova (15.8 ppg, 6.4 apg) for Saint Mary’s and fellow senior guard Marcos Knight (12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) of Middle Tennessee. The winner of this one-on-one matchup will likely emerge victorious. Follow along to catch all of tonight’s action.
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Saint Mary’s vs. Middle Tennessee State: Live Score, Updates and Reaction
When: Approximately 9:10 p.m. ET
Where: UD Arena; Dayton, Ohio
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off in Dayton on Tuesday night as the No. 11 Saint Mary’s Gaels of the West Coast Conference face the No. 11 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders from the Sun Belt.
These two teams were two of the last four teams chosen by the selection committee to play in the field of 68 and as a result they have been sent to Dayton to play for the right to take on No. 6 Memphis on Thursday.
The Gaels are led by sharpshooting Aussie Matthew Dellavedova while the Blue Raiders possess a dangerous scoring threat in Marcos Knight.
Find out which team will earn a spot in the round of 64 when live coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET right here on Bleacher Report.
Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Bubble Watch: Saint Mary’s résumé drastically lacking substance
The wait for Selection Sunday is on for Saint Mary’s after losing to Gonzaga for the third time.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
No. 1 Gonzaga rolls over Saint Mary’s 65-51 at WCC
The Bulldogs shot 52 percent and dominated the paint to beat the Gaels for a third time.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
No. 1 Gonzaga rolls over Saint Mary’s 65-51 at WCC (Yahoo! Sports)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Not long after top-ranked Gonzaga received the West Coast Conference tournament trophy, an arena full of Zags fans started a chant of No. 1!
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NCAA Men’s Hoops News
Bubble Watch: Borderline Saint Mary’s in Gonzaga’s way to No. 1 seed
Every morning, USA TODAY Sports analyzes the NCAA tournament picture.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
