The Jekyll and Hyde Illini: Can Illinois crack the tourney?
Speaking to ESPN college basketball commentator Sean Farnham ahead of his team’s Jan. 31 road meeting against Michigan State, first-year Illinois head coach John Groce said that if the Illini could beef up their three-point shooting in conference — then hovering around 25 percent — they’d crack the NCAA tournament. Illinois shot 9-of-25 that night [...]
St. John’s beat Duke… Wait. What?
NEW YORK — When St. John’s blows out Duke in a game that wasn’t as close as its 93-78 final tally, people tend to draw conclusions. Simply choose your bold proclamation from the below list: “Something’s the matter with Duke!” “Steve Lavin has turned St. John’s into a contender!” “The Big East is the best!” [...]
Rock. Choke. Jayhawk.
But is it unfair to say that? After all, Northern Iowa definitely won this game more than Kansas lost it. Northern Iowa never trailed. Northern Iowa had nine players not only score, but actively contribute. Northern Iowa was lobbing alley-oops over the Kansas defense as if it was Saturday-afternoon pickup game. Northern Iowa scored 20 [...]
Video daily triple: Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas and Ali!
It’s been a day of big shots. Can’t believe how incredible this day was. We’re all so blessed.
Anyone got the guts to take Vermont?
If UVM wins, it would have the trump card on central New York. Forever. A 16 only beats a 1 for the first time once. Are you brave enough to call it? Have made no attempts to mask my subjectivity to the Vermont Catamounts (what a nickname). A reset: I lived in South Burlington, Vt., [...]
Houston is the first team to “steal” an at-large bid
Who just got knocked out? Florida? Ole Miss? Seton Hall? Rhode Island’s in the process of giving away its chances at a bid. If I had to pick, I think Mississippi State would be the team, as I don’t think Ole Miss has a shot. Florida still barely in. Who the hell knows, though. Let’s [...]
Saturday breakdown, part 2: the Top 25 upsets
The games that only — maybe — affected seeding down the road. Let’s crack ‘em open. — Kansas falling 85-77 at Gallagher-Iba and losing a perfect season in the Big 12 is first up. Despite the loss, we’ve got writers believing it shouldn’t lose its grip on the top ranking. I could care less about [...]
A wild Friday: Game of the year, upset of the year and Siena falls to Niagara
Did you miss any of the drama and upsets from last night? If so, come on in.
Wichita State: gone from the bubble after losing to pathetic Evansville
A loss for the small guys. Yep, a mid-major just fell out of the at-large pool. It did it in the most affronting way possible, too. The Wichita State Shockers were doing considerably well this season — second place in the Missouri Valley, a win over conference leader Northern Iowa and a win over Texas [...]
Devan Downey gives us the first memorable performance of the new decade
And to think: Devan Downey was really close to not returning to South Carolina. It was probably the most epic regular-season performance for a guy who needed 29 shots to score 30 points. But I don’t want to hear about that. I don’t want to hear about all the shots he missed, because I witnessed [...]
There were a lot of games Saturday. Here were the results you should be aware of
Before I get to the real games of consequence, because it deserves it, I’m going to start with Northeastern, which won 74-62 yesterday afternoon. The Huskies are on an 11-game winning streak. Best of all? The streak was extended against VCU, arguably the toughest team Northeastern has had to face in its successful run. The [...]
Charleston in Charge: Cremins and the Cougs capsize Carolina
In the grand scheme of college basketball upsets, this one wasn’t an all-timer. But in 2010, it’s going to be hard one to usurp. Before The Tournament, at least. After close calls and underwhelming performances Valparaiso, Ohio State, Nevada and Rutgers — combined with the decisive losses against Syracuse and Texas — the Tar Heels’ [...]
While You Were Out: Marquette Loses to South Florida
Friday night basketball is usually reserved for the Ivy League and March tournaments. But South Florida hosted Marquette last night, and the Bulls got their first win over a top 10 school in program history. It was a 57-56 final. Marquette missed a bunch of bunnies in the final seconds to seal its fate for [...]
Couple of Top 10 Teams Fall Last Night, Y’Know
Duke couldn’t handle its second matchup with Michigan in less than three weeks, and the Irish came up short in a game played at … Lucas Oil Stadium? Yeah, it’s true. I’m never in favor of Duke losing early; we get much more pleasure out of seeing the Blue Devils fall on their faces when [...]
Let’s Not Forget About Western Kentucky
Yes, everyone loves Stephen Curry and what Davidson is doing … remember that they’re in the same bracket as Kansas. Remember that they now go against a Wisconsin team that everyone undervalues. (How will Curry react/play when he suddenly goes against the most physical team he’s encountered since December?) What about Western Kentucky? All they’ve [...]
Duke Booted
Doesn’t feel the same as a Belmont victory would have, but we can all feel a little better about ourselves because Duke won’t be going to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. West Virginia defeated the Devils 73-67 and will now be considered the most “dangerous” team left in The Tournament. “Dangerous” is [...]
Dick Vitale Is an Accidental Image of Clairvoyance
To think we all laughed and mocked Dickie V in drag yesterday … all double-digit squads won down in the Sunshine State. The coincidental nature of the photo is more than troubling. And in case you hadn’t seen this picture, which was bouncing around the Interwebs yesterday, I apologize for such a startling image to [...]
‘Which of Course in German Means … A 13 Seed Winner’
I’m claiming this headline right now. Let the Anchorman references loose. Since I had Drake going Elite Eight, this only means good things for my bracket. We can have a bunch of snoozers tonight, I don’t care. The drama in the first two days has been fantastic. Here’s the final moment of San Diego-UConn for [...]
