February 12, 2010 –
by Brendon
Printable Version of Bracket »
Bracketing Challenges: This bracket came together well, but there were still a few challenges. Most notably, any of the last three teams in the field could easily be omitted. South Carolina, Texas Tech and VCU have thin cases, but I found them marginally more compelling than Mississippi, Florida, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and Louisville. If the bracket were announced today, I would not be very confident in those final three teams.
The other challenge continues to be in filling out the top four seedlines. Finding the last two No. 3 seeds was particularly difficult with the poor play of Texas and after Wisconsin’s home defeat to Illinois. Still, the full-season profiles of those two teams remains stronger than Vanderbilt, Gonzaga and the others on the No. 4 seedline. Read More »
Posted in Bracket Junkie, National Perspective
|
Tagged ACC, Alabama, Andy Kennedy, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Bruce Weber, California, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Cornell, Demetri McCamey, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Frank Martin, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Harvard, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Ivy League, Jerome Randle, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Mid-Majors, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Pac-10, Pat Knight, Purdue, Richmond, Rick Barnes, SEC, Seth Greenberg, Seton Hall, South Carolina, South Florida, St. John's, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
|
February 5, 2010 –
by Brendon
Printable Version of Bracket »
Bracketing Challenges: Well, it finally happened. After relatively smooth bracketing so far this season, I ran into a bunch of problems trying to separate teams from the same conference. The Big East and ACC grouped teams in the 2-3-6-7-10-11 seeds; the Big 12 grouped in the 1-4-5-8-9 seeds. Therefore, I had to move a record five teams up and five teams down by one seedline. We don’t know how common this is for the NCAA Tournament committee because it doesn’t reveal this information like I do, but I would guess it happens with 2-4 teams per year. I’m hopeful that these uneven distributions work themselves out by mid-March.
It’s important to note that Cincinnati was moved from its true seedline of No. 10 because three of the spots where the Bearcats could have played already had a Big East team in the eight-team pod. In the other spot, the No. 7 seed was Xavier, a team that Cincinnati plays every year. The NCAA prefers to avoid those rematches early in the tournament, and that’s especially the case since UC-XU is a notorious rivalry.
Breakdown: One of the surprising parts of this bracket to many of you might be Michigan State’s position as a No. 3 seed after its loss to Wisconsin. MSU was being propped up by that undefeated conference record, and now that it’s no longer, we can evaluate the Spartans on their paltry list of quality victories. Michigan State has just two wins against top-50 RPI teams — Gonzaga and Wisconsin at home, and Sparty has yet to play Ohio State or Purdue. The Boilermakers are now a No. 2 seed even though they’ve actually played an easier conference schedule than MSU so far, but they have four top-50 wins, including Tennessee and West Virginia out of conference. Read More »
Posted in Bracket Junkie, National Perspective
|
Tagged ACC, Alabama, Andy Kennedy, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Augustus Gilchrist, Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Brigham Young, Bruce Weber, Butler, California, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Connecticut, Cornell, Dayton, DePaul, Derrick Williams, Dominique Jones, Duke, Evan Turner, Florida, Florida State, Gary Williams, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Leonard Hamilton, Marquette, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Mid-Majors, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Pac-10, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Purdue, Rhode Island, Robert Morris, Rutgers, Scott Drew, SEC, Seton Hall, Siena, South Carolina, South Florida, Stan Heath, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Xavier
|
December 14, 2009 –
by Brendon
It’s Norm Roberts’ sixth season in Jamaica, and his team is off to its best start yet — 8-1 with quality wins over Temple and Siena and lone loss by nine at Duke, which is more impressive than last season’s 9-1 start with only one quality win — Cornell — in the bunch. Roberts’ teams have been marked by competent defense and inept offense, but with the emergence of an efficient go-to player, the Red Storm have a legitimate opportunity at an NCAA Tournament bid.
When Roberts brought in a large junior class three seasons ago, it was this set of players that figured to make or break his tenure. D.J. Kennedy and Justin Burrell were the two players who appeared most likely to become offensive standouts as freshmen in 2007-08. The team offense was simply wretched, but Kennedy managed to hit 48.5 percent of his 2-pointers and grab a decent share of offensive rebounds. Burrell was much more active in the offense, but his 43 percent 2-point percentage was not a fortuitous sign.
Last season, a new challenger emerged when Paris Horne became a major part of a marginally improved St. John’s offense. Horne was mediocre on his many 3-pointers (33.5 percent on 182 attempts), but like Kennedy the year before, Horne flourised inside the arc, hitting 51.3 percent of his 2-pointers, a terrific figure for a 6-foot-3 guard. Kennedy saw his interior efficiency plummet (43.6 percent on 2’s), but he replaced those misses with a lot of made free throws. Burrell hit a few more of his 2’s (45.0 percent) but continued to struggle with turnovers, especially for a player not asked to handle the ball.
This season, with his team in need of a go-to scorer, Kennedy has been nothing short of phenomenal. He’s been about 20 percent more active in the offense and still much more efficient at the same time. The key has been his ability to get to the line. He hits 79 percent of his free throws and gets fouled about six times per 40 minutes on the floor. Kennedy has also gotten his 2-point percentage back up — to 61.4 percent — and has even shown range from deep, knocking down threes at a 44.8-percent rate, this after making exactly one-third of his 3-point attempts in each of his first two seasons. Read More »
Posted in Big East
|
Tagged Anthony Mason, Big East, Cornell, D.J. Kennedy, Dele Coker, Duke, Dwight Hardy, Georgetown, Hofstra, Justin Brownlee, Justin Burrell, Malik Boothe, Norm Roberts, Paris Horne, Sean Evans, Siena, St. John's, Temple
|
November 23, 2009 –
by Brendon
After perusing all of the scores from this weekend, I count 36 that were particularly meaningful, and I’m probably underselling others. While the opening weekend of the college basketball was exciting because it was new, we definitely learned a lot more over the last three days simply because there were games that could go either way. We saw the Big East get its first loss — four of them, in fact. We saw Big Ten teams place seventh and eighth in eight-team tournaments. And at Madison Square Garden on Friday, we saw Syracuse complete the most impressive two-game stretch of the season.
Most of the interesting games were on Friday, so, it’s Friday’s games that account for most of my words on this Monday. I’ll be looking at Saturday and Sunday in subsequent posts.
Friday
Syracuse’s 87-71 win over North Carolina headlined the night’s action and rightfully so. Syracuse is a team that lost Jonny Flynn and two other key players from last year’s Sweet 16 team, and prior to last season, Syracuse had narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament twice in a row, so the Orange no longer give off the scent of a program that can simply reload.
Enter Wesley Johnson. Well acknowledging that his length and diverse skillset would be a huge asset for a team lacking both, I was very cautious about those who saw Johnson as an immediate star and potential Big East Player of the Year in his first season at Syracuse after transferring from Iowa State. Johnson had 25 points and eight rebounds on Friday, and that doesn’t convey the length he adds to Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| North Carolina |
76 |
0.93 |
0.413 |
0.250 |
0.432 |
0.302 |
| Syracuse |
76 |
1.14 |
0.610 |
0.210 |
0.343 |
0.059 |
When you look at Syracuse’s figures above, notice that this one game is a replica of the Orange’s season thus far. Syracuse’s offense has been exceptional at hitting shots, especially 2-pointers — the Orange hit an incredible 59.6 against that imposing UNC frontcourt. The rest of the offensive for Syracuse, however, has been nothing special. Syracuse continues to turn the ball over too much, has not been great on the offensive glass and has not gotten to the line. It’s important to remember, though, that shooting is the overriding factor in an offense’s success and that the type of 2-pointers Syracuse has been making are not as beholden to fate as the 3-point shot. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
|
Tagged Alabama, Andy Kennedy, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Atlantic-10, Auburn, Big East, Big Ten, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, California, Central Florida, Chris Warren, Chris Wright, Cornell, Davidson, Dayton, DePaul, Drexel, George Mason, Indiana, Iowa State, JaMychal Green, Jeff Lebo, Jim Boeheim, Joe Trapani, Jonny Flynn, Kansas State, La Salle, Mac Koshwal, Mikhail Torrance, Mississippi, Missouri Valley, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State, Providence, Rakim Sanders, Reggie Jackson, Rutgers, SEC, Seton Hall, South Carolina, St. John's, St. Joseph's, St. Mary's, Syracuse, Talor Battle, Tennessee, Terrico White, Tulane, USF, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wesley Johnson
|
November 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: Dayton did what it needed to do on Saturday. After falling behind early, Chris Wright led the Flyers to victory over Creighton in a crucial early-season matchup for the Flyers and their conference. Phil Martelli got his St. Joseph’s Hawks off on a positive start with an overtime victory over Philly foe Drexel. UMass had an ugly showing in Orlando, losing to UCF by 17. Meanwhile, Fordham is stretching the definition of mid-major after a pair of opening-weekend losses.
Team of the week: Dayton. On Friday, I openly wondered if Dayton’s offense would be good enough for the Flyers to become an elite team, rather than just a very solid top-40 team. Early returns are propitious. Last season, only two NCAA Tournament teams — Cleveland State and Morgan State — had worse team eFGs than Brian Gregory’s club, and Dayton was also poor at taking care of the ball, but both of those numbers turned around on Saturday.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Creighton |
73 |
1.10 |
0.552 |
0.178 |
0.254 |
0.276 |
| Dayton |
73 |
1.23 |
0.558 |
0.123 |
0.364 |
0.188 |
There’s a caveat. Creighton is not a very good defensive team, ranking 113th in the nation in defensive efficiency last season. It is strange, though, that the two defensive areas where Creighton is most proficient — forcing turnovers and holding opposing shooters to low percentages — were where Dayton flourished. The Bluejays were primarily a good 3-point defense team last year, and they did hold Dayton to just 33.3 percent. On the other hand, the Flyers still made nine 3-pointers and 59.5 percent of 2-pointers. Chris Wright shined with 26 points on 83.3 percent eFG. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
|
Tagged Alabama, Atlantic-10, Boston College, Brian Gregory, Central Florida, Chris Wright, Cleveland State, Cornell, Creighton, Dayton, Dereck Whittenburg, Derrick Favors, Devin Downey, Drexel, Duquesne, Fairfield, Fordham, Gani Lawal, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Holy Cross, Iowa, La Salle, Maine, Massachusetts, Mid-Majors, Morgan State, Nebraska, Phil Martelli, Rhode Island, Siena, South Carolina, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, St. Joseph's, St. Louis, Temple, Villanova
|
November 15, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: It wasn’t a pretty weekend for the SEC West against small Northeast programs. After Auburn nearly fell to Niagara on Friday night, Mississippi State did lose to Rider. A day later, Cornell knocked off Alabama in Anthony Grant’s debut. As a whole, the league went 8-2, and, in the most highly anticipated game, Kentucky defeated Morehead State behind terrific play from freshman Eric Bledsoe and junior Patrick Patterson.
Team of the week: Mississippi. There is great popular support behind Andy Kennedy getting the Rebels to break through and make the NCAAs in this his fourth season, and their opening performance won’t weaken that support. Chris Warren was back and healthy. He didn’t shoot well (1-for-7 from deep), but he did have seven steals in a 92-64 win over a decent Arkansas-Little Rock team. Mississippi forced 22 turnovers and, as a result, attempted 22 more field goals than the Trojans. Senior DeAundre Cranston scored 21 points in just 21 minutes. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews, SEC
|
Tagged Alabama, Alcorn State, Andy Kennedy, Anthony Grant, Arkansas, Arkansas-Little Rock, Auburn, Chris Warren, Cornell, DeAundre Cranston, Eric Bledsoe, Georgia, Indiana, Jarvis Varnado, Kentucky, LaSalle, Louisville, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri State, Morehead State, Niagara, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Patrick Patterson, Providence, Rick Stansbury, Rider, Rotnei Clarke, Ryan Thompson, SEC, South Carolina, St. Mary's, Tennessee, UAB, UCF, Vanderbilt
|
November 15, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: It wasn’t always pretty, but the Big East emerged from the season’s first week unscathed with a 17-0 record. Seton Hall and Pittsburgh both narrowly escaped home losses on Friday night, while Providence nearly blew a 19-point lead in defeating Mercer on Sunday. All in all, it’s a good start for a league that figures to go through some growing pains in the pre-conference schedule.
Team of the week: South Florida. The opening win was a departure from the Bulls’ typical pre-conference play. For once, the offense was actually good.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| USF |
63 |
1.06 |
0.55 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
0.32 |
| SMU |
63 |
0.97 |
0.47 |
0.19 |
0.29 |
0.21 |
The Bulls have not been a good shooting team for a while, but the difference in eFG was, basically, the margin of victory. Augustus Gilchrist’s 8-for-12, including a 3-pointer, was a big reason why the shooting efficiency was better. Chris Howard’s 6-for-6 from inside didn’t hurt either. We’ll learn a lot more about the Bulls in the week ahead. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Reviews/Previews
|
Tagged Alabama, Alcorn State, Arkansas, Augustus Gilchrist, Big East, Binghamton, Bobby Gonzalez, California, Chris Howard, Cincinnati, Columbia, Cornell, Dayton, DePaul, East Carolina, Eugene Harvey, George Mason, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Jeremy Hazell, Jerome Randle, Kansas State, Keon Lawrence, LaSalle, Louisville, Mercer, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Monmouth, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Prairie View A&M, Providence, Seton Hall, South Carolina, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, St. Peter's, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, USF, Villanova, Virginia
|
November 13, 2009 –
by Brendon
The best games on Saturday’s slate give us looks at two teams expected to be among the best mid-majors this season as well as a two-time defending conference champion attempting to bring its shooting form south of the Mason-Dixon against an opposing coach making his debut with a new school.
Creighton at Dayton (1 p.m. ET): I feel comfortable calling this the best matchup of the weekend in terms of the quality of the two teams. The problem is injuries. For Dayton, guard Rob Lowery is out, greatly diminishing the Flyers’ backcourt depth. Creighton will be without starting forward Justin Carter. The 6-foor-4 senior has a torn MCL. Casey Harriman and Chad Millard, who are expected to be key cogs in a small Creighton frontcourt may also be out.
Have I diminished the spectacle of this matchup enough yet? Let me rebuild it. Even without those players, this is a game featuring the coaches’ preseason pick to win the Atlantic 10 and finish second in the Missouri Valley. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews, SEC
|
Tagged Alabama, Alex Ruoff, Anthony Grant, Atlantic-10, Booker Woodfox, Brian Gregory, Casey Harriman, Chad Millard, Chris Wright, Chris Wroblewski, Chuck Davis, Cornell, Creighton, Dayton, Geoff Reeves, Ivy League, JaMychal Green, Jeff Foote, Jermareo Davidson, Josh Dotzler, Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson, Larry Sanders, London Warren, Louis DAle, Luke Fabrizius, Marcus Johnson, Mark Gottfried, Mid-Majors, Mikhail Torrance, Missouri Valley, P'Allen Stinnett, Penn, Princeton, Richard Hendrix, Rob Lowery, Ryan Wittman, SEC, Senario Hillman, Steve Donohue, VCU, West Virginia
|
