Singler Leads Blue Devils to ACC Final; All In on Selection Sunday

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Duke Blue Devils can wrap up the ACC tournament with a win over Georgia Tech on Sunday, after surviving a scare from upset-minded Miami in their semi-final, eventually coming out on top of a 77-74 score.

As is often the case, when his team needed him to step up, Kyle Singler did just that, hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers (8 of 15 overall), to go with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Singler led all scorers and will have a shot at being named the tournament's MVP when he and his Duke teammates square off with Georgia Tech on Sunday in the tourney final.

Having already captured the outright regular season ACC crown, the Blue Devils have little to prove in their match-up with the Yellow Jackets, a team they lost to in January, but soundly trounced in early February, 86-67, though that win was on Duke's home court. A win by Duke would ensure a #1 seeding, most likely in the West Region. A loss could send that seed to Ohio State, if the Buckeyes handle Minnesota in their final.

Notable: There are just four games on Sunday to determine automatic bids. The ACC, A-10 and SEC tourney finals all begin at 1;00 EDT, while the Big Ten final is set for a 3:30 pm tip. In each case, the conference #1 seed is facing a team ostensibly on the bubble, though, in all likelihood, the four "bubble" teams - Richmond (A-10), Georgia Tech (ACC), Mississippi St. (SEC) and Minnesota (Big Ten) - have, by virtue of solid play to reach their conference final, already earned enough respect from the selection committee to make the field of 65 even if they lose.

It should be interesting to watch what happens especially to Minnesota and Mississippi State. Both have solid enough resumes to get them into the tourney, though some experts are calling them "first teams out."

We'll find out soon enough, as the selections are scheduled to be announced at 6:00 pm ET. Get your brackets ready!

Jayhawks Reach Big 12 Final; Big East, ACC, Mountain West Show Depth

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 12, 2010

A model of consistency, the Kansas Jayhawks have steamrolled to the best record in the nation at 31-2 (15-1) and, after knocking off #23 Texas A&M, 79-66, in their Big 12 semi-final, will face Kansas State in the championship game Saturday afternoon.

Senior guard Sherron Collins led the scoring for both teams, hoisting up 26 points on 9-for-19 shooting (3-5 3-pointers) and added six assists. The team leader, Collins' work ethic and unflappable style exemplifies the core of the Jayhawk system. This is a no-nonsense group that is neither flashy nor flamboyant. They just go out and get the job done, game after game.

On Saturday they will face their toughest oppenent in Kansas State. The Wildcats came within two points of beating the Jayhawks back in January, losing 81-79, but when the teams met again at Kansas on March 3, it was all Jayhawks in an 82-65 rout.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's Big 12 final, the Jayhawks will likely be awarded the top #1 seed in the NCAA tourney and play in the Midwest region. They will be the ultimate tough out in the upcoming tourney.

Notable: What to think of the various doings around the country's conference tournaments? Here's an angle that will be proven out in the upcoming NCAA tourney. Three conferences have produced various upsets, showing that they have real depth. The ACC, Big East and Mountain West have produced the best play, top to bottom. In the Mountain West, even though the top four seeds reached the semi-finals, both games were won by the unranked underdogs, setting up a #3 vs. #4 final as UNLV will face San Diego State. Along with BYU and New Mexico, all four teams should receive bids and all four should perform well in the national tourney.

The Big East final pits the #4 seed, West Virginia against #8 Georgetown. The Hoyas have stormed through the tourney, dropping South Florida, Syracuse and, on Friday, thumping a very solid Marquette squad, 80-57. The Mountaineers have just barely survived their two games, beating Cincinnati on a Da'Sean Butler buzzer-beater and holding off Notre Dame for a two-point win.

In the ACC, Duke has demonstrated that they are the class of the conference, but the rest of the league can scratch and claw with the best of them. Besides the Blue Devils, the remaining teams are Georgia Tech, NC State and Miami, the latter two having no hope of an NCAA invitation unless they win the tourney, while Tech has likely moved off the bubble and into the mix.

The SEC has produced no surprises, with Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi St. reaching the semis, while in the Big 10, Minnesota surpried Michigan State in overtime in one upset and Illinois regrouped for a win over Wisconsin. Ohio State and Purdue are the other semi-finalists, as expected.

In the PAC-10, Washington kept its hopes alive with a 79-64 win over Stanford, setting up a final with Cal on Saturday. The Huskies and Golden Bears split a pair of home wins this season, so even a close loss by Washington should be enough to get them into the NCAAs.

Cougars on the Prowl; Conference Tourneys Coast-to-Coast

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 11, 2010

#14 BYU advanced to the semi-finals of the Mountain West tourney with a 95-85 win over unranked TCU. They will play UNLV on Friday with hopes of reaching the final, ostensibly against #1 seed New Mexico, which has a date in the other semi-final with San Diego State. There's a good possibility that no matter which way the remaining games play out, all four semi-finalists could receive bids to the NCAA tourney. UNLV might be the last team out, so a win over BYU could be huge for them.

Leading the scoring barrage for the 29-4 Cougars was junior guard Jimmer Fredette, who poured in 45 points - his second-highest single game point total of the season - on 10-for-23 shooting and 23 of 24 free throws. Fredeete hit only 2 three-pointers, but also snatched 4 rebounds and dished out 6 assists without committing a single foul.

Fredette leads the Cougars in scoring and assists. BYU lost only three times in Mountain West play, twice to conference champion New Mexico. They split a pair of games with UNLV, each team winning on their home floor.

Notable: No bids were handed out on Thursday, but more are due each remaining day up to the Selection Sunday deadline. The Big East continues to prove itself the best conference top to bottom as three of the four teams which received double byes - Syracuse, Villanova and Pittsburgh, were defeated, respectively, by Georgetown, Marquette and Notre Dame. The 4th double-bye entrant, West Virginia, needed a desperation 3-point bank shot by Da'Sean Butler at the buzzer to break a 51-all tie and send home Cincinnati.

Georgetown faces Marquette, while West Virginia will square off with Notre Dame, winners of seven straight, in semi-fianl games Friday night.

Texas proved to be vulnerable once again, losing to Baylor, 86-67, in the second round of the Big 12 tourney. The Longhorns appear to be headed for a one-and-done NCAA appearance after starting the season with a 17-0 record and going 7-9 since then. Among the Texas troubles are inconsistent guard play, no inside presence (Dexter Pittman is just a big lump most of the time) and a general lack of enthusiasm. They're likely to be seeded somewhere between a #8 and a #12, ripe territory for elimination.

The PAC-10 may send only one team to the tourney, as Arizona State lost to Stanford, 70-61 in the opening round of the conference tourney. The Sun Devils finished second to Cal in the standings, but now appear to be in jeopardy of missing out on further post-season play. Cal thumped Oregon in their tourney opener and seem headed to the final on Saturday. The only remaining hope for the PAC-10 would be Washington - third during the regular season - after their 59-52 win over Oregon State. The 22-9 Huskies face Stanford, while Cal plays UCLA in semi-final games Friday. Washington could get an invite with a win over Stanford, but beating Cal in the final would ensure an automatic selection.

It's official: Two stalwarts of the NCAA tournament, North Carolina and Connecticut, will be missing from this year's field. Both lost opening games in their conference tourneys and appear headed for NIT bids. North Carolina was bounced out of the ACC tourney Thursday by Georgia Tech. UConn lost to St. John's on Tuesday.

James Guides Longhorns to Win; Two More Bids Resolved

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 10, 2010

On January 18, the Texas Longhorns were 17-0 and ranked #1 in the nation. From that point through the end of the regular season, they went 6-8 and as of the most recent poll had dropped right out of the Top 25, finally settling in the "other teams receiving votes" category.

Wishing to put the latter part of their schedule behind them, the Longhorns found new life as the Big 12 conference tourney began on Wednesday, getting 28 points and 16 rebounds from their floor leader, Damion James, as the Longhorns snuffed Iowa State, 82-75, advancing to a second round game against #21 Baylor, a team that's beaten them twice.

How Texas will do against the Bears and in the NCAA tourney (at 24-8, they're still considered a lock for an at-large bid) will depend largely on how short their memories are. If the Texas players can put the latter half of their season behind them, they have enough talent to reach the Sweet 16 and maybe beyond. Most teams have their ups and downs, but Texas has been particularly aberrant this season.

As for James, a senior forward, his game is still incomplete. Even though he was the game's high-scorer and rebounder against Iowa St., his play was faulty, as he hit just 9 of 20 shots (3 of 8 3-pointers), but was magnificent on the boards. His 28 points matched his season high. Still, Texas still needs to find more scoring options, and time is working against them.

Notable: Notre Dame got 20 points and 10 boards from Luke Harangody as the Irish topped Seton Hall, 68-56, winning their opening Big East tournament game and 5th overall. The win put the Irish on the list of teams that will almost surely receive an at-large bid to the Big Dance.

Also in the Big East was the upset of the day, as Cincinnati stormed back from a 41-32 half time deficit to knock off Louisville, 69-66, and advance to the quarterfinals.

Even though the Bearcats shot only 38%, they outrebounded the Cardinals, 54-32 (21-8 on the offensive end), and scored on numerous put-backs in the paint. Cincy can get after it on the boards and will face #7 West Virginia in the last of four games Thursday at Madison Square Garden. A win would almost surely put Cincinnati into the NCAA tournament. With an 18-14 record, they are still considered to be on the bubble.

Two more teams found their way into the main event on Wednesday by winning conference tournaments. Robert Morris held off a determined Quinnipiac squad, 52-50, to capture the Northeast Conference Tourney, and Montana got 42 points from senior Anthony Johnson to slip past Weber State, 66-65. Johnson brought Montana back from 22 points down early in the second half, scoring their last 21 points, but, even though the Grizzlies earned a trip to the NCAAs by winning the Big Sky tourney, they will probably be a one-and-done team against a probable #1 or #2 seed.

Providence's Peterson Goes for 38 and 16 in Loss

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 9, 2010

With all the conference tournaments underway, normally, the player of the day would go to a player who was a large factor in his team moving on, but the effort by Providence sophomore Jamine Peterson was just too good to be overlooked. Even though the Friars ended the season by losing 11 in a row and were ousted from the Big East tournament on Tuesday by Seton Hall, 109-106, Peterson did not let the team's woes weigh on him. In fact, he produced his best game of the season, a monster effort, resulting in 38 points and 16 rebounds (10 offensive).

The 6'6" force of nature hit 14 of 26 shots, including 1-for-5 from 3-point range, and 9 of 10 free throws. It was his 16th double-double of the season, and what makes his season and his final game (will he go pro?) so special is that he dd his work without much help. Providence is 12-19. Peterson led them in both points and rebounds. If he decides to return for another year, the Friars should fare better, though in the highly competitive Big East, nothing is certain.

Notable: Three more teams earned NCAA automatic bids on Tuesday by winning their respective conference tourneys. Butler thumped Wright State in the Horizon League final, 70-45; North Texas dropped Troy, 66-63, to capture the Sun Belt tournament; and, Oakland laid claim to the Summit League championship with a 76-64 victory over IUPUI.

McConnell, Allen Lead Gaels in Rout of Zags; Four More Punch Dance Tickets

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, March 8, 2010

After losing twice to Gonzaga during the regular season, not many gave St. Mary's much of a chance against the Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference tournament final, but Mickey McConnell, who was shut out in the last meeting with the Zags, lit them up for 26 points and led the Gaels to the 81-62 upset win.

McConnell hit 10 of 17 shots, including 4 of 7 from three-point range, as he dashed through the Gonzaga defense en route to equalling his season high. At 6'0", McConnell was like a gnat amongst the trees, slashing into the lane for shots or dishing to teammates. He had 6 assists along with 4 steals as the Gaels pulled away steadily in the second half.

Also providing a significant boost was Ben Allen, who played his best game of the season when it counted the most, nailing 8 of 11 shots from the field - including 4 of 6 3-pointers - for a season-high 20 points. Allen was also solid on the boards, snatching 9 rebounds.

The win gave St. Mary's the automatic conference bid. Gonzaga, already a sure thing to make the tourney, will have to wait until Sunday to see where they are seeded.

Notable: Along with St. Mary's, the other teams winning conference tournaments were Old Dominion in the Colonial, with a 60-53 win over William & Mary; Sienna, slipping past Fairfield in OT, 72-65 (Edwin Ubiles, 27 points) for the Metro Atlantic crown; and, Wofford, winning the Southern Conference tourney, will be making its first ever appearance in the NCAA tourney, after a 56-51 win over Appalachian State.

Morgan Cashes Season-High 22; Spartans Earn Share of Big Ten

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 7, 2010

When Raymar Morgan is on his game, Michigan State is a very tough beat. When the Spartans get Morgan involved early, less-talented teams generally fall behind early and never catch up. Such was the case Sunday afternoon when the Spartans earned a share of the Big Ten regular season title with a breezy, 64-48 victory over in-state rival, Michigan.

The final score did not nearly capture how one-sided the game was. While Morgan was scoring 13 of his season-high 22 points in the first half, Michigan state defenders were doing a number on the Wolverines, holding them to a mere 14 points for the half and opening up an 18-point lead. Morgan, a senior forward, hit 10 of his 15 shots from the field, all inside the three-point line and most of them on drives to the hoop, and canned 2 of 3 free throws while bringing down 10 rebounds for his 5th double-double of the season.

Michigan State finished the Big Ten season at 14-4, tied with Ohio State and Purdue. The Spartans are 24-7 overall.

Notable: After Cornell became the first team to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on Friday, three more teams did so on Saturday. East Tennessee State won the Atlantic Sun Conference Tourney with a 72-66 win over pesky Mercer; Murray State topped Morehead St., 62-51, winning the Ohio Valley Tourney, and; Winthrop won the Big South tournament and the automatic bid for the fifth time in the last six years, topping Coastal Carolina, 64-53.

On Sunday, Northern Iowa punched their dance ticket by winning the Missouri Valley tournament, beating Wichita State, 67-52.

Other conference tourneys are already underway in the Northeast, Metro-Atlantic, Colonial, Mid-American and a handful of others. The major conference tournaments begin in earnest on Tuesday, when the Big East opens. On Wednesday, the PAC-10 and Big 12 tournaments begin, followed on Thursday with opening tips in the Big Ten, SEC and ACC. The week-long smorgasbord of conference tourneys culminates with the Big Ten final at 3:30 pm, the last game before the field of 65 is announced late Sunday afternoon.

Kuric's 22 Drops Syracuse in Freedom Hall Finale

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 6, 2010

A little-known sophomore sub named Kyle Kuric scored a game-high 22 points - all in the second half - to lead Louisville to their second victory this season over #1 Syracuse in a fitting farewell to hallowed Freedom Hall in Louisville,Kentucky.

The Cardinals also became the only team to not only top the Orange twice this year, but the only team to beat them away from the Carrier Dome, as Rick Pitino's flow offense cut Kuric loose and produced a 78-68 win.

Not only was the win important for sentimental reasons, as Freedom hall has been home to Louisville Cardinals basketball teams since 1956, but the win virtually ensured Louisville a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals finished the Big East regular season 11-7, and are 20-11 overall.

Kuric, who averages less than 14 minutes per game, came up big in the second haf as he was pressed into action after starting guard Jerry Smith sprained his thumb just before half time. The spunky soph responded by hitting 9 of 11 shots, including four 3-pointers in a memorable career-high performance.

Cornell Captures Ivy; Earns Tourney Seed

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 5, 2010

With their 95-76 win at Brown Friday night, Cornell's Big Red locked up first place in the Ivy League, earning them an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

Their remaining game at Yale tonight becomes inconsequential as Cornell already has a 12-1 record and 2nd place Harvard is two games back at 10-3, so, after Saturday's road finale, it will be back to the books for the brainy Cornellians, awaiting their fate from the selection committee on March 14. By the time Cornell players are back on the hardwood they will have had at least an 11-day layoff. That's a long time the Big Red can use to plot the overthrow of a #3 or #4 seed. They're currently ranked around 50 in the field of 65.

In Friday's win, the Big Red used long ball to demolish the Brown Bears, hitting 20 of 30 shots from 3-point range. Leading the long-range barrage was senior forward Jon Jaques, who 7 of 9, including 6 of 8 from downtown. A 48% 3-point shooter on the season, Jaques also handled 7 rebounds and led five players in double figures with 20 points.

The Big Red has demonstrated ability to score in all aspects of the game throughout the season, so their opponent in the first round of the NCAA tourney better come well-prepared.

Gibbs Beats Buzzer as Pitt Escapes Friars

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

It wasn't supposed to be a close game. After all, Providence had lost 8 straight games and #17 Pitt was on its home court. But the way the game turned out, the Panthers needed a near-mid-court heave at the buzzer from their best shooter, Ashton Gibbs, to finally take down Providence, 73-71.

Gibbs' trey gave him a game-high 25 points. Better yet, the win gave Pitt a double bye in next week's Big East tournament, and, with a win against Rutgers (another game Pitt is "supposed" to win easily) and a Villanova loss to West Virginia on Saturday would make Pitt the #2 seed in the tourney, an enviable position, ensuring that they would not have to face Syracuse unless it was in the final.

Gibbs, who hit 9 of 13 shots and 6 of his 9 3-point attempts, was not alone in his starring role. Teammate Jermaine Dixon poured in a career-high 24 points and added 12 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Providence was kept in the game largely due to the effort of their 6'6" sophomore stud, Jamine Peterson, who scored 24 points and hauled in 18 boards for his 15th double-double of the season. Despite the Friars being just 4-13 in the Big East, Peterson should get plenty of votes as conference player of the year. He has dominated the lane in just about every game this season.

Notable: Michigan State kept its hopes alive for a share of the Big Ten title Thursday night with a 67-65 win over Penn State in which the Spartans nearly blew a 10-point lead late in the game. The Spartans need a win over Michigan to tie Ohio State and Purdue, the Boilermakers expected to win their season-ender on Saturday at Penn State. In that case, all three would end with identical 14-4 records, but Ohio State would be the #1 seed in the conference tournament, Purdue, #2 and the Spartans, the #3 seed.

Maryland Is All About Greivis

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

One of the flashiest and most-outspoken players in college hoops, Greivis Vasquez - third all-time scorer for the Maryland Terrapins behind Len Bias and Juan Dixon - could easily just let his play do the talking, but that's not his style.

In Wednesday's showdown for the ACC top spot with Duke, Vasquez took the Comcast Center crowd along for a wondrous ride, continually exhorting the fans to make more noise as the Terps downed Duke, 79-72. Vasquez led the Terps in scoring with 20 hard-earned points, the biggest a running one-hander as he drove across and past the lane with 37 seconds left which gave Maryland a 73-69 lead that Duke could not overcome. In addition to scoring and cheerleading, Vasquez added 5 rebounds and 4 assists, putting Maryland in position to at least tie for the ACC championship.

Both teams are expected to win their final games this Saturday. Duke hosts North Carolina and Maryland travels to Virginia.

Notable: The Kentucky Wildcats secured at least a tie in the SEC East with an 80-68 win at Georgia, improving to 13-2 in the conference, a game ahead of 12-3 Vanderbilt, whom they have beaten twice. In their final regular season game against Florida on Saturday, the Wildcats can clinch the title outright with a win.

In the Big 12, Kansas locked up the championship with an 82-65 win over Kansas St. The Jayhawks are 14-1 with just Missouri left on the schedule, but they're 3 games ahead of 11-3 K-State. The win also gives Kansas a #1 seed in the conference tourney and a likely #1 seed in one of the NCAA regions.

UTEP Captures C-USA Crown

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 2, 2010

After starting their Conference USA slate 1-1, the UTEP Miners went on to win their next 13 straight, culminating in Tuesday's 80-76 victory at Marshall, a win which clinched the regular-season championship.

Led by leading-scorer Randy Culpepper's 32 points, the Miners overcame a 7-point half time deficit with 51 second half points to post their seventh consecutive road win. Culpepper nailed 7 of 11 3-point shots and was 11-for-18 overall.

The 23-5 Miners are 14-1 in the conference and seek to wrap up the season in good fashion when they face 2nd place UAB at home on Saturday. Winning the regular season does not guarantee an NCAA bid, though the Miners - along with UAB - seem deserving. The winner of next week's conference tournament gets the automatic bid.

Notable: Playing for the first time since 1990 as a #1-ranked team, Syracuse easily handled St. John's, 85-66, assuring themselves of the conference championship and the #1 seed in next week's Big East tournament. The Orangemen, 28-2 and 15-2 in the conference, finish the regular season at Louisville on Saturday.

Ohio State earned the #1 seed in the Big Ten tourney with a 73-57 win over Illinois in their final game of the season. The win gave the Buckeyes a 14-4 record in the conference, assuring them of at least a share of the outright title. Purdue (12-4) has yet to face Indiana on Wednesday and finishes at Penn State, Saturday. Michigan State, also 12-4, finishes with a pair of home games, Thursday vs. Penn St. and Sunday against in-state rival, Michigan.

Mountaineers Hammer Georgetown

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2010

Led by senior forward Da’Sean Butler's 22 points, the West Virginia Mountaineers pummeled Georgetown, 81-68, in a game that wasn't nearly as close as even the lopsided final score would suggest.

The #10 Mountaineers, playing their final home game of the season, jumped all over the defense-challenged Hoyas and quickly opened a double-digit lead which expanded to a 43-27 score at the half. As the second half ensued, it got worse, as the Hoyas played sloppily on the offensive end (20 turnovers) and West Virginia extended the lead of as many as 27 points.

Georgetown eventually brought the advantage down to single digits, but by that time, it was too late. The Mountaineers made their free throws and scored key buckets late in the game. Butler, in addition to his 22 points, added six rebounds and six assists, helping the Mountaineers improve to 23-6. Their 12-5 Big East record also secured byes in the first two rounds of the conference tournament which begins next week. The Mountaineers join Syracuse, Villanova and Pitt with double byes in the upcoming tourney.

Villanova will host West Virginia on Saturday in the regular season finale for both teams. A West Virginia win would secure second place in the conference and an opportunity to play against the #1 Syracuse Orangemen in the final, if both teams reach that game.

The Hoyas, in free-fall since mid-February, lost for the 4th time in their last 5 outings and have dropped to 9-8 in the conference with a final home game against Cincinnati on Saturday. Another loss and an early exit from the conference tourney might endanger Georgetown's NCAA bid, though they are currently in 7th place, a half-game ahead of Notre Dame, who topped the Hoyas, 78-64, last week.