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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UCLA Basketball: 10 Changes the Bruins Must Make to Sneak into the NCAA Tourney
This isn’t your father’s UCLA basketball program…Your father’s Bruins were better.
Ben Howland is doing his best to salvage what has been a challenging season.
They lost four of their first five games, including puzzling defeats to open up against Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee.
He had to dismiss Reeves Nelson (last year’s leading scorer and rebounder) after six games.
They have played their “home” games in multiple locations.
And as they cross into February, the Bruins are 12-9 (5-4 Pac 12) and need to go on a serious run to make something out of this chaotic craziness.
Here are 10 changes that UCLA needs to make if they are going to sneak into the NCAA tournament:
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Who’s hot and not for NCAA tourney ballots
With seven weeks to go before the 68-team NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off, the selection wheels are turning.
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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
NCAA Men’s Basketball: Most Shocking Blowouts of the Season so Far
If we’ve learned anything from this year’s college basketball season it’s this: Don’t expect anything to go as planned.
We’ve seen plenty of jumping around in the Top 25 and some crazy upsets that you would have never expected.
Conference play is just about hitting its mid-point right now, and there’s plenty more to come with March Madness beginning next month.
Let’s take a look at college basketball’s most shocking blowouts of the season so far.
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
2012 NCAA Tournament Bracketology
It is that time again! March Madness is approaching very quickly and it is time to predict the field of 68. Here is a little taste of what I think the tournament would look like if it started today.
First, the number one overall seed would be the Kentucky Wildcats, who will be traveling a whopping 75 miles Northwest to Louisville for the second and third round.
Syracuse, Ohio State and North Carolina will be the other three No. 1seeds. UNC is tied with Duke and FSU in the ACC, so I am assuming UNC will be ranked higher than Duke based on Duke’s loss to FSU at home compared to UNC’s loss at FSU. Either way, the winner of the ACC will be either UNC or Duke and the winner will receive a #1 seed.
Schools in ALL CAPS indicate the 31 conference champions. Schools in normal font are at-large bid winners. The seeding process was done according to the quality of wins, the quality of losses, RPI and recent performance.
I will work to do a weekly “Bracketology” up until Selection Sunday (3/11/2012). I would love to hear your comments and arguments for and against where I have seeded teams.
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NCAA: Recapping an Exciting Saturday in SoCon Basketball
Davidson Drops First SoCon Game of the 2011-12 Season
For the first time this season, Southern Conference power Davidson dropped a game, as the Samford Bulldogs pulled off a 77-74 upset of the Wildcats at a jam-packed Pete Hanna Center on Saturday night.
The win snapped Davidson’s 13-game SoCon regular-season winning streak, while also marking the Bulldogs third-straight home triumph. Samford is now 4-1 on its home floor in its last five outings. Samford’s win over Davidson snapped a Wildcat regular-season winning streak against SoCon foes, which dated back to Feb. 12, 2011, which was an 88-79 setback at Furman.
The win was historic for Samford, who garnered its first win over the Wildcats in school history. Jeffrey Merritt led five Bulldogs in double figures in the contest, posting 20 points to tie for game-high honors. Merritt connected on 6-of-12 shots from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three, and 4-for-7 from the charity stripe to account for his 20-point night. Also in double figures for the Bulldogs were: Drew Windler (15 points), Raijon Kelly (12 points), Connor Miller (12 points) and Will Cook (10 points).
For the sixth consecutive game, center Jake Cohen scored 20 or more points in a game, as he connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field and was 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. Cohen was one of three Wildcats in double figures, with point guard Nik Cochran posting 18 points, while wing guard J.P. Kuhlman finished the 14.
The win improves Samford to 7-13 overall and 4-5 in league play, putting the Bulldogs right back in the thick of the North Division race. The loss drops Davidson to 15-5 overall on the campaign and 9-1 in league play.
Furman Wins Fifth-Straight Over The Citadel
GREENVILLE, S.C.—For the first time in school history, Furman recorded back-to-back victories over the College of Charleston and The Citadel since the Cougars joined the league as an official member in 1998-99. On Thursday night, Furman posted a 69-63 win at College of Charleston and the Paladins followed that up Saturday evening by claiming a 67-58 win at The Citadel.
Furman had a team-high 12 points off the bench from senior forward Colin Reddick, while his twin brother Charlie Reddick added 11. Brandon Sebirumbi scored in double figures for the sixth straight game, with 10 points, in leading the Paladins to their third straight road win and fourth win in the last five games.
The Citadel was led by SoCon leading scorer Mike Groselle, who posted a game-high 24 points and 11 boards to complete his league-leading 11th double-double performance of the 2011-12 season.
Appalachian State Starting To Make Its Move
With its 81-66 win over North Division leading Elon on Saturday afternoon, Appalachian State is starting to make its move to the top of the North Division after a somewhat slow start in league play.
The Mountaineers had 20 points apiece from Jamaal Trice and Omar Carter to post the big win over the visiting Phoenix in front of 2,355 fans at the Holmes Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon. Carter scored his 20 points coming off the Mountaineer bench on Saturday afternoon.
Five teams remain in contention for the top two spots in the SoCon North, which, in turn, will receive byes in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville.
The win improves the Mountaineers’ overall slate to 9-11 and league ledger to 5-5, while Elon drops to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in the SoCon. The two teams will meet again on the hardwood on Feb. 6 at Alumni Gym, as the Apps will go for their eighth-straight win over the Phoenix in the series.
Elon, who came into the contest as the top team in the SoCon’s North Division, was seemingly helpless in the second half against a Mountaineer team that shot a scorching 76 percent in the second half of play en route to their fifth SoCon win of the 2011-12 season. ASU now sits in just a half-game behind division leading UNC-Greensboro.
Elon was led in Saturday’s game by Jack Isenbarger. He led the Phoenix with 20 points, doing most of his damage on three-pointers, knocking down four from long range off the Elon bench. Lucas Troutman led Elon on the backboards, pulling down 10 boards in the contest.
Wofford Wins Fifth Straight, Defeats Cremins-less Charleston
With its 68-59 setback to Wofford on Saturday afternoon at TD Arena, College of Charleston now has lost four straight games in SoCon play for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Meanwhile, the two-time defending champion Terriers remain red-hot, posting their fifth-straight win on Saturday and their seventh victory in their last nine outings, and now hold a firm grip on second place in the SoCon’s South Division. The win means the Terriers record the regular season sweep over CofC and have now won three straight against its Palmetto State and South Division arch-rival.
The win sees the Terriers improve their overall mark to 14-8 on the season and 7-3 in SoCon play. The loss, which is Charleston’s ninth in its last 11 games, drops the Cougars to 12-9 overall and 4-6 in league play, now sitting in fifth place in the South Division standings heading into a three-game road trip, which begins on Monday night with a trip to red-hot Samford.
Mark Byington, who took over as the Cougars’ interim head coach upon Bobby Cremins’ medical leave, drops to 0-1 as the head coach. Byington is the second assistant coach to transition into interim head coach this season, with UNCG’s Wes Miller stepping into that same role after Mike Dement resigned in mid-December.
Wofford was led in the victory by three players posting double-figure scoring performances, as senior point guard Brad Loesing led the trio with 18 points, while talented freshman Karl Cochran added 15 and leading scorer Kevin Giltner chipped in 13.
Charleston was led in scoring in the contest by Trent Wiedeman’s 18 points, while Antwaine Wiggins and Nori Johnson added 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the losing effort.
The Terriers held the Cougars to just 20.7% percent shooting from the field to take a 28-19 lead to the half. The series sweep for the Terriers was their first since joining the SoCon as an official member in the 1997-98 season.
Georgia Southern Records Season Sweep Of Mocs On Hewitt Buzzer-Beater
With its 75-72 win over Chattanooga on Saturday evening at the McKenzie Arena, Georgia Southern recorded the season sweep of the Mocs and also posted their third league road win of the season after entering the campaign with a 26-game road losing skid.
With the win, Georgia Southern kept pace with second place Wofford, moving to 9-12 overall and 7-4 in league play to remain a half-game behind Wofford in the SoCon’s South Division. The loss dropped the preseason North Division favorite Chattanooga Mocs to last place in the North Division, with a 9-14 overall mark and a 3-7 ledger in league play.
Georgia Southern clawed back from a 72-70 deficit in the final minute, with Jelani Hewitt, who led the Eagles with 16 points on the evening, answering a Ricky Taylor jumper to tie the contest, 72-72. After the Mocs missed a layup on the ensuing possession, the Eagles got the rebound and senior guard Willie Powers pushed the ball quickly into the forecourt and found a wide open Hewitt at the elbow, and his fourth three-pointer of the night as time expired gave the Eagles the thrilling win.
Chattanooga won a game in a similar situation earlier this season, as Dontay Hampton drove the length of the floor and layed the ball in off the glass with only seven-tenths of a second remaining, helping the Mocs to a 65-63 win over Appalachian State.
GSU’s Hewitt was joined in double figures by Eric Ferguson and Tre Bussey, who added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Chattanooga was led by Drazen Zloravic’s double-double of 16 points and 10 boards, while Keegan Bell matched Zloravic for team-high scoring honors with 16 points. Chattanooga squandered a 12-point halftime advantage in the home floor loss.
UNCG Claims Sixth Straight Win Under Wes Miller
UNCG needed an extra five minutes for the second time in as many games to decide Saturday’s outcome against Western Carolina, as the Spartans posted an 89-86 win on Saturday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum to move into sole possession of first place in the SoCon North Division. It was UNCG’s sixth-straight win, while the Catamounts dropped their seventh game in their last nine outings, and have now lost three straight.
With the win, UNCG improves to 8-14 overall and 6-4 in SoCon play, while Western Carolina falls to 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the league, and now are in sole possession of fifth-place in the Southern Conference. UNCG also played an overtime contest with Appalachian State on Thursday night, eventually posting a 77-73 win.
It appeared the Spartans were well on their way to a win, leading 67-63 with 19 seconds left. A three-pointer by WCU’s Keaton Cole made it a 67-66, but UNCG’s Trevis Simpson, who led the Spartans with 26 points, added a pair of free throws and gave the Spartans a 69-66 lead once again with nine seconds left.
Cole found himself with the ball in his hands once again, and his three-pointer to tie the game with two seconds was no good; however, he was fouled in the act of shooting and knocked down all three charity shots to tie the game, 69-69, and force the extra session.
UNCG outscored the Catamounts 20-17. Talented guard and reigning SoCon Player of the Week Derrell Armstrong added 23 points off the bench for the Spartans, while Drew Parker scored 11 to round out the double-figure scorers for the Spartans.
Forward David Williams had a monster game on the boards, ripping down a career-best 18 caroms. He also had seven points and three blocks.
WCU was led by Trey Sumler’s 22 points, while Cole added 18, with 15 of those points coming on perimeter shots. Harouna Mutombo and Tawaski King rounded out the Catamounts in double figures, with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
SoCon Standings (Jan. 29), Conference Record and Overall Record
| North | ||||||||||||
|
UNCG |
6-4 | 8-14 | . | |||||||||
| Elon | 5-4 | 10-10 | ||||||||||
| Appalachian State | 5-5 | 9-11 | ||||||||||
| Samford | 4-5 | 7-13 | ||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 3-6 | 9-13 | ||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 3-7 | 9-14 | ||||||||||
|
South |
||||||||||||
|
Davidson |
9-1 | 15-5 | ||||||||||
| Wofford | 7-3 | 14-8 | ||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 7-4 | 9-12 | ||||||||||
| Furman | 5-5 | 11-10 | ||||||||||
| College of Charleston | 4-6 | 12-9 | ||||||||||
| Citadel | 1-9 | 4-17 | ||||||||||
Coming Up This Week:
College of Charleston at Samford (Jan. 30)
Western Carolina at Wofford (Jan. 30)
Davidson at Furman (Feb. 1)
Samford at Appalachian State (Feb. 2)
College of Charleston at Elon (Feb. 2)
The Citadel at UNC Greensboro (Feb. 2)
Chattanooga at Western Carolina (Feb. 2)
College of Charleston at Appalachian State (Feb. 4)
Chattanooga at Davidson (Feb. 4)
The Citadel at Elon (Feb. 4)
UNC Greensboro at Furman (Feb. 4)
Georgia Southern at Western Carolina (Feb. 4)
Samford at Wofford (Feb. 4)
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NCAA Basketball: 6 Bubble Teams to Watch
College basketball’s Selection Sunday is six weeks away, but it’s never too early to start keeping an eye on teams headed for the NCAA tournament bubble. Which schools will be sweating out the bracket announcements as they hope to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament?
Although plenty of teams from less-prominent conferences will have a case for at-large bids—witness the surprising Mountain West, with its two ranked squads in UNLV and San Diego State—it’s rarely the mid-majors that get the most debate leading up to Selection Sunday. Instead, it’s the teams that land near the middle of the pack in power conferences, teams whose tournament hopes hinge on an extra, quality win here or a couple of percentage points in the conference standings there.
One such team that’s waging an uphill battle to make it onto the bubble is the Purdue Boilermakers. While Robbie Hummel and company have battled to a 15-7 record, they’re just 5-4 in Big Ten play and have only one quality win (at home over Illinois) on their resume.
Take a look at this collection of the most intriguing bubble teams from each major conference. How many will see their bubbles burst, and how many will be headed to March Madness?
If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions.
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Boatright’s attorney blasts NCAA after probe
A lawyer says the family is considering legal options after the NCAA detailed its investigation into the freshman’s eligibility.
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Boatright attorney rips NCAA after probe (AP)
A lawyer representing the mother of Connecticut guard Ryan Boatright says the family is considering legal options after the NCAA detailed its investigation into the freshman’s eligibility. The NCAA has cleared Boatright to play, but said Saturday he and his mother had accepted more than $8,000 in impermissible benefits from at least two people.
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