Moving Day: Orange, Buckeyes, Spartans, Big Red, Mountaineers Advance

NCAA Tourney Update: 2nd round results

East Region

10 Missouri 59
2 West Virginia 68
The Mountaineers held off a scrappy Mizzou squad, but eventually wore them out. DaSean Butler led the charge with 28 points, including 12 of 13 from the foul line.

12 Cornell 87
4 Wisconsin 69
Cinderella Cornell established an early lead and expanded it to as many as 24 points in the second half, completely dominating their Big Ten rivals. Louis Dale had 26 points and Ryan Whittman scored 24 to pace the Big Red, improving their season record to 29-4. Cornell will face the region's top seed, Kentucky, in a regional semi-final game.

Midwest Region

10 GA Tech 66
2 Ohio St. 75
The Buckeyes advanced past Georgia Tech to the regional semi-finals on the strength of Evan Turner's all-around floor presence. Turner tallied a game-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and 9 assists.

5 Michigan St. 85
4 Maryland 83
Greivis Vazquez hit a jumper to give Maryland a one-point lead with 6.6 seconds left, but Cory Lucious nailed a three as time expired, enabling Michigan State to advance. Durrell Summers single-handedly kept the Spartan hopes alive with 26 points, hitting 6 of 8 threes and 10 of 15 overall. Durrell's game-high total also equalled his career best.

West Region

1 Syracuse 87
8 Gonzaga 65
Once Syracuse had established a lead early in the first half, there was no looking back as the Orange, led by Wesley Johnson's game-high 31 and 14 rebounds and Andy Rautins' 24 points, throughly disabled the Gonzaga offense with the 2-3 zone defense and demoralized Gonzaga players by bombarding them with 3-pointers and an up-tempo offense. Syracuse shot 55% for the game, hitting 12 of 25 from beyond the arc.

The Orange advance to the regional semi-final against Butler.

Pullen's Career-Best 34 Was Also Day's Best

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 20, 2010

There were a number of big efforts and big moments on Saturday, including Ali Farokhmanesh's stunning 3-pointer that helped Northern Iowa bury Kansas, and Omar Samhan's 32 points which led the way for the St. Mary's Gaels to overwhelm Villanova, another shocker.

The day's best, however, occurred in the final game of the day, as Kansas State soared past BYU, 84-72, thanks to the career-high 34 points from Jacob Pullen.

Pullen, who has scored in double figures in every one of K-State's 35 games this season, absolutely blistered the Cougars hitting 7 of 11 3-pointers, 8 of 15 overall and all 11 of his free throws.

Wildcats on the Prowl: K-State, Kentucky Advance

NCAA Tourney Update: Second round results

East Region

1 Kentucky 90
9 Wake Forest 60
This one was all Kentucky, as the Wildcats thoroughly dominated Wake Forest, earning the right to move on to the East regional semi-final. Darius Miller led the Wildcats with a career-high 20 points as coach John Calipari emptied the bench and 11 different players scored.

Kentucky will play the winner of Sunday's Wisconsin-Cornell game.

West Region

2 Kansas St. 84
7 BYU 72
With conference rival Kansas out of the way, the Wildcats of Kansas State can carve themselves a path to the national championship, having dispatched BYU in their second round match-up. Jacob Pullen was outstanding for K-State, hitting 8 of 15 shots, including 7 of 12 from three-point distance for a game-high and career-best 34 points.

The #2 seed in the West, Kansas State can look forward to playing the winner of Sunday's Xavier-Pitt contest.

NCAA Conference Scoreboard (through games of March 20)

Conference W-L
ACC (4-3)
Atlantic-10 (1-2)
Big East (4-5)
Big Ten (4-1)
Big 12 (7-3)
Conference-USA (0-2)
Mountain West (2-4)
PAC-10 (3-0)
SEC (4-2)
West Coast (3-0)
Western Athletic (0-2)
Other (8-16)

*Conferences with only one tournament team listed as "Other."

So Long KU: Northern Iowa Shocks #1 Kansas

NCAA Tourney Update: 2nd round results

Midwest Region

9 Northern Iowa 69
1 Kansas 67
Ali Farokhmanesh did it again. Just two days after his decisive three-pointed ended UNLV's dreams, the dead-eye senior guard knocked down a bomb that exploded the #1 overall seed Kansas. Wide open off the Kansas pressure, Farokhmanesh had a perfect look with 30 seconds left and a one-point lead burying his shot from the wing with less than 30 seconds left in the game. He finished with a game-high 16 points as the Panthers eliminated Kansas, widely believed to be the best team in the tournament and ranked #1 in the last polls.

Northern Iowa led nearly the entire game, but felt the pressure late, turning the ball over repeatedly on inbounds plays as Kansas turned up the heat. In the end, it was Kansas' inability to hit three-pointers, defend and rebound that cost them a chance at a second national championship in the last three years. The only time Kansas led in the game was at the start, when they opened with a 2-0 edge.

The Panthers improved to 30-4, advancing to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of the Michigan State-Maryland match-up.

South Region

11 Old Dominion 68
3 Baylor 76
LaceDarius Dunn scored a game-high 26 points to lead four Baylor players in double figures past Old Dominion. Dunn, a high-energy scorer, hit 9 of 16 shots, including 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Bears advance into the Sweet 16 and will face the region's #10 seed, St. Mary's, next Friday night in Houston.

East Region

11 Washington 82
3 New Mexico 64
It appears that offering just two invitations to PAC-10 teams might have been a huge mistake by the selection committee, as the Washington Huskies, the conference champs, easily dispatched the #3 seed in the East, New Mexico, after handling Marquette in the opening round. The huskies opened up a double-digit lead early and, after leading 44-32 at the half, coasted to the win, as Dairese Gary poured in a game-high 25 points.

With Cal beating Louisville on Friday, the PAC-10 is now 3-0 in the tourney. Washington, winners of nine straight, advances to the regional semi-final to face the winner of Sunday's West Virginia-Missouri game.

Butler, Vols Dance into Sweet 16

NCAA Tourney Update: 2nd round results

Midwest Region

6 Tennessee 83
14 Ohio 68
Coach Bruce pearl let everyone get into the act as ten Tennessee players scored in the Vols second round win over upset-minded Ohio. The Bobcats stunned #3 seed Georgetown on Thursday to advance, but proved to be no match for Tennessee.

West Region

5 Butler 54
13 Murray St. 52
It wasn't very pretty, but the Butler Bulldogs, shooting only 36% for the entire game, survived a duel with fellow small-school rival Murray State to advance to the regional semi-finals. Sophomore Ronald Nored led the Bulldogs with 15 points and 6 assists. Horizon League player of the year, Gordon Hayward, scored 12 and pulled down 7 rebounds.

Big Trouble for Big East: St. Mary's Knocks 'Nova

NCAA Tourney Update: 2nd round result

South Region

10 St. Mary's 75
2 Villanova 68
Just as he did in their opening round win over Richmond, St. Mary's Omar Samhan dominated the interior - though this time with even more emphasis on the offensive end - scoring 32 points to lead the Gaels past the South region #2 seed, Villanova.

Samhan had 29 in the first round and upped the ante against the Wildcats, hitting 13 of 16 shots and 6 of 8 from the foul line. St. Mary's led by as many as 10 points in the first half, gave up the lead in the second half, but batted on and eventually overcame the higher-seeded Wildcats.

Mickey McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova scored 15 and 14, respectively. Both cashed key three-pointers late in the contest, especially McConnell, who banked one in from 35 feet with just over a minute left to play.

With the loss, the Big East drops to 4-5 in the tournament. Villanova was the highest seed to be ousted thus far.

Johnson's 23 and 15 for Purdue Friday's Top Performance

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 19, 2010

When the Purdue Boilermakers took the court against Sienna in their opening round game Friday night, they were well aware of two things: Sienna was a dangerous team that had produced upsets in each of their last three NCAA appearances, and that Purdue would have to find a way to win without Robbie Hummel, one of their best players.

Pudue found resolve in their defense and lane domination from senior center JaJuan Johnson, who posted 23 points and tied his career high with 15 rebounds in the 72-64 triumph. Johnson kept the Saints out of the paint with his imposing 6'10" frame and long wingspan, blocking 3 shots officially, but intimidating and changing quite a few forays toward the rim.

Johnson and his Boilermaker teammates will attempt to advance to the regional semi-final when they face the Texas A&M Aggies Sunday afternoon in round two.

Second Round Bound: Syracuse, Ohio State, Cal, Maryland

NCAA Tourney Results: 1st round

Midwest Region

15 UC-Santa Barbara 51
2 Ohio St. 68
Jon Diebler drained 7 of 12 three-pointers, allowing Ohio State to coast to an opening round win over the gauchos. The Buckeyes meet Georgia Tech in the second round.

13 Houston 77
4 Maryland 89
Aubrey Coleman, the nation's leading scorer, has a game-high , but the Maryland attack was more balanced. Jordan Williams scored 21 points and snatched 15 rebounds to spearhead the effort which sent the Terrapins to a second round match-up with Michigan State.

South Region

9 Louisville 62
8 California 77
Cal opened the game with a 12-0 run and it was 22-4 before Louisville ever got involved. The Cardinals eventually cut Cals' lead to 4 in the second half, but then were shut out for nearly four minutes as the Golden Bears secured the win. Jerome Randle and Theo Robinson each tallied 21 for Cal, who will face Duke in the next round.

West Region

1 Syracuse 79
16 Vermont 56
Wesley Johnson scored 18 points to lead five Syracuse players in double figures over Vermont. The Orange face Gonzaga in the second round Sunday in Buffalo.

NCAA Conference Scoreboard (includes all 1st round games)

Conference W-L
ACC (4-2)
Atlantic-10 (1-2)
Big East (4-4)
Big Ten (4-1)
Big 12 (5-2)
Conference-USA (0-2)
PAC-10 (2-0)
SEC (2-2)
West Coast (2-0)
Western Athletic (0-2)
Other (6-13)

*Conferences with only one tournament team listed as "Other."

Blue Devils, Spartans, Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs All Advance

NCAA Tourney Results: 1st round

Midwest Region

10 Georgia Tech 64
7 Oklahoma St. 59
The Yellow Jackets used swarming defense and balanced scoring to upend Oklahoma State and advance. Gani Lawal led the Jackets with 14 points. Georgia Tech hit 24 of 25 free throws.

12 New Mexico St. 67
5 Michigan St. 70
New Mexico State battled until the very end, but failed to upset favored Michigan State. Kalin Lucas scored 25 points to lead all scorers.

South Region

1 Duke 73
16 Arkansas Pine Bluff 44
Duke the South's #1 seed, dusted Pine Bluff without so much as breaking a sweat. Kyle Singler had 22 points and 10 boards, both game highs.

West Region

8 Gonzaga 67
9 Florida St. 60
After leading the Seminoles 35-19 at the half, Gonzaga held on for the win and the right to play top-seeded Syracuse in the second round on Sunday. The Bulldogs had four of their starters in double figures and no bench scoring.

Mizzou, Badgers, Aggies, Boilermakers Move Forward

NCAA Tourney Results: 1st round

East Region

10 Missouri 86
7 Clemson 78
In a literal battle of Tigers, Missouri broke open a close game with pressure defense and sharp floor skills. Keith english missed time due to foul issues, but returned to spark a second half run and join teammate Keith Ramsey with 20 points. Missouri advances to play West Virginia, with the winner advancing to the regional semi-final.

13 Wofford 49
4 Wisconsin 53
Bo Ryan's Badgers survived a serious scare from little Wofford, making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. Jon Leuer came up big late, scoring the final four points for Wisconsin, on a short jumper and a pair of free throws. Leuer finished with 20 points and 8 boards. Teammate Treveon Hughes scored 19. The Badgers face Missouri next.

South Region

13 Siena 64
4 Purdue 72
Purdue roared out of the intermission and turned a 3-point half time deficit into a 15-point lead in short order, then held on as Sienna eventually cut the lead to 5 points late in the contest. The Boilermakers were paced by JaJuan Johnson, who led in both points and rebounds, with 23 and 15, respectively.

12 Utah St. 53
5 Texas A&M 69
Texas A&M won the battle of Aggies, knocking off Utah State handily. Freshman Khris Middleton led all scorers with 19 points in 25 minutes of action. A&M took control early and was never seriously threatened.

Advancing: West Virginia, Cornell, Xavier Pitt

NCAA Tourney Update: 1st round

East Region

15 Morgan St. 50
2 W Virginia 77
Kevin Jones canned 7 of 8 shots and finished with a game-high 17 points and Devin Ebanks scored 16 to go with 13 rebounds, as the Mountaineers easily disposed of Morgan State in their opening round win.

12 Cornell 78
5 Temple 65
Louis Dale tallied a game-high 21 points and Ryan Wittman went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc as the Ivy league chalked up a win over A-10 rival, Temple. The owls trailed virtually the entire game, much of the time by double digits. Cornell advances to the second round where they will likely face Wisconsin, if the Badgers win their opening round game with Wofford. Cornell's win was the sixth by a double-digit seed in the tournament.

West Region

11 Minnesota 54
6 Xavier 65
The only Xavier player in double figures, Jordan Crawford poured in 28 points to lead all scorers as Xavier opened up late to hold off Minnesota, the first Big Ten team to see action in the tournament. Crawford has scored in double figures in 32 of Xavier's 33 games this season. It was his second-highest point total of the campaign.

14 Oakland
3 Pittsburgh
Pitt put six players in double figures, exemplifying the kind of team effort the Panthers have relied upon all season, to leave no doubt against long-shot Oakland. The Panthers meet Xavier in the next round.

Samhan's 29 and 12 Thursday's Top Effort

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 18, 2010

Omar Samhan's domination in St. Mary's 80-71 opening round win over Richmond was worthy of player of the day honors. Samhan manhandled the Spiders inside, hitting 11 of 16 shots from the floor and 7 of 10 free throws en route to 29 points and 12 rebounds.

The 6'11" senior center has led the Gaels in scoring and rebounding all season, averaging a double-double (21.2, 11), so his continued strength inside will be important in Sunday's second round match-up with Villanova.

16 more games are on tap Friday, which will whittle the field down to 32 heading into the weekend. Thus far, the Big East looks like the most overrated of the conferences, checking in with a 1-3 record on Thursday. Four more Big East teams - Syracuse, Louisville, Pitt and West Virginia - will try to right things, though Syracuse, the #1 seed in the West, will be without the services of one of their starters. Arinze Onuaku is day-to-day according to the Orange, and will be replaced in the starting lineup by Kris Joseph, usually the first man off the bench.

Syracuse will sacrifice some heft inside, as Joseph is two inches shorter than Onuaku but nearly 50 pounds lighter. The fitness of the already-thin Orange will be tested in their opener against Vermont, as they normally only go 7 deep. Onuaku will likely not see much action Friday.

NCAA Conference Scoreboard - through games of March 18

Conference W-L
ACC 1-0
Atlantic-10 0-1
Big East 1-3
Big Ten 0-0
Big 12 3-1
Conference-USA 0-1
Mountain West 2-2
PAC-10 1-0
SEC 2-2
West Coast 1-0
Western Athletic 0-0
Other 5-6

*Conferences with only one tournament team listed as "Other."

Tennessee, Kansas, Wake Forest and New Mexico Advance

NCAA Tourney Update

Midwest Region

1 Kansas 90
16 Lehigh 74
Marcus Morris led Kansas with 26 points and 10 rebounds, as the tournament's top seed cruised past Lehigh. The Jayhawks will face #9 Northern Iowa in the second round.

6 Tennessee 62
11 San Diego St. 59
On a day in which 5 double-digit seeds won, Tennessee squeaked past San Diego State to advance to the second round against the University of Ohio Bobcats, upset winners over Georgetown, on Saturday. Melvin Goins, who hadn't scored in his previous two games, came up big down the stretch with key shots to carry the Vols to victory. Goins, who was 4 of 5 from 3-point range, joined teammate J.P. Prince with 15 points apiece.

East Region

9 Wake Forest 81
8 Texas 80 OT
Battling back from 8 points down in overtime, the Demon Deacons dispatched Texas in the opening round. The Longhorns, once ranked #1 in the nation, have to be considered the biggest collapse of the season. Led by forward Al-Farouq Aminu's 20 points and 15 rebounds, Wake Forest survived a see-saw affair, also getting 19 points and 12 boards from Ishmael Smith. The Deacons will face top-seeded Kentucky in the second round

3 New Mexico 62
14 Montana 57
Montana didn't make it easy on New Mexico, keeping the game close until the final minute, but the Lobos prevailed as Dairese Gary carried the team down the stretch. Roman Martinez led the Lobos in scoring with 19 points. Gary had 15. New Mexico will face #11 Washington in the second round.

NCAA Conference Scoreboard (through games of March 18)

Conference W-L
ACC 1-0
Atlantic-10 0-1
Big East 1-3
Big Ten 0-0
Big 12 3-1
Conference-USA 0-1
Mountain West 2-2
PAC-10 1-0
SEC 2-2
West Coast 1-0
Western Athletic 0-0
Other 5-6

*Conferences with only one tournament team listed as "Other."

Kentucky, Northern Iowa, Washington Move on; Georgetown Stunned by Ohio

NCAA Tourney Update

Midwest Region

9 Northern Iowa 69
8 UNLV 66
Ali Farokhmanesh scored a game-high 17 points and gave Northern Iowa the lead on a long three-pointer with 4.9 seconds left as the Panthers moved into the second round. Farokhmanesh hit 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.

14 Ohio 97
3 Georgetown 83
If you're looking for the Cinderella of the 2010 tourney, look no further than the Ohio Bobcats, out of the Mid-Aerican conference. The Bobcats were the #9 seed in their conference tourney, winning four straight to earn the automatic bid. On the opening night of the tournament, Ohio took Georgetown out behind the woodshed for a good, old fashioned whipping. Ohio grabbed an early lead and never looked back, using deft passing and torrid outside shooting to establish, at one juncture, a 19-point lead.

The Bobcats were led by guards Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper. Basset scored a game-high 32 points, while point man Cooper tallied 23, with 3 steals, 3 rebounds and 8 assists.

East Region

1 Kentucky 100
16 East Tenn. St. 71
No surprises as the Kentucky Wildcats, the nation's tallest team, dominated the interior and hammered East Tennessee State into submission and a quick exit. Freshman Eric Bledsoe and senior Patrick Patterson had 29 and 22 points, respectively.

11 Washington 80
6 Marquette 78
Quincy Pondexter scored on a drive to the hoop with 1.7 seconds left to supply the winning margin for underrated Washington, winners of the PAC-10 tourney. The game was another close call, evening Marquette's record in games decided by four points or less at 8-8, the most in the nation. Pondexter finished with 18 points; teammate Isaiah Thomas led the Huskies with 19.

Advancing: K-State, Murray St., St. Mary's, Baylor, Butler

NCAA Tourney Update

Kansas State easily cruised past North Texas, the #15 seed in the West region. The Wildcats, the #2 regional seed, took command of the game early and were never threatened. Denis Clemente led the way to the 82-62 victory, with 17 points. Three other players scored in double figures for the Wildcats, who face BYU in the second round.

The upset of the day thus far belongs to the Murray State Racers, a #13 seed, taking out #4 Vanderbilt on a buzzer-beater by Danero Thomas, 66-65. The Racers clawed all day long to maintain short leads, but eventually found themselves down by a point with 4.8 seconds remaining. Thomas' 15-footer caught nothing but nylon as a celebration ensued with the ball going cleanly through the hoop. Murray State's next opponent is the winner of the Butler-UTEP game, the last of the Thursday day games. It was the second one-point win of the day.

The St. Mary's Gaels, winners of six straight, including the final of the West Coast Tournament over Gonzaga, took over after the break, and outgunned Richmond, the #7 seed from the Atlantic-10, 80-71. The big problem for the Spiders was 6'11" Omar Samhan, who scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, both game highs. Samhan dominated the interior, while his teammates lined up open outside shots. The Gaels earned their first tournament win since 1959, shooting 49%. They face Villanova in the second round on Saturday in Providence.

Baylor unknotted a tight game with a late spurt to put down pesky Sam Houston, 69-58, in the South region. Ekpe Udoh registered a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Bears advance to the second round game against upset winner Old Dominion on Sunday.

Trailing by 6 at the half, the Bulter Bulldogs advanced into the second round in the West region with a 77-59 win over UTEP, the region's #12 seed and will face upset winner, Murray State on Sunday. The Bulldogs roared out of half time, going on a 22-4 run. Shelvin Mack, on fire from outside, canned 7 of 9 3-pointers for a game high 25 points.

Nova Survives in OT; BYU over FL in 2OT; Old D. Ousts ND

Tourney 1st Round Results

BYU, which had led by as many as 13 points, needed two overtime periods to post a rare win for the Cougars over the Florida Gators, 99-92. Jimmer Fredette, one of the highest scoring players in the nation, was on the money for 37 points. The Cougars will face the winner of the Kansas St.-North Texas match-up in the West region.

Old Dominion dealt with Notre Dame's slowdown "burn" offense and added their own defensive touches, holding the Irish to 37% shooting and star Luke Harangody to a 2-for-9 effort and 4 points. The Monarchs march on to the second round with the 51-50 win.

Villanova needed to get a slew of questionable calls from the refs plus overtime in order to advance past a very capable Robert Morris squad, 73-70. The Wildcats were down by as many as 9 points and trailed the Colonials throughout the game. Villanova took 40 trips to the foul line, in comparison to just 26 for Robert Morris. Villanova played poorly most of the contest, though Scottie Reynolds managed to pull the Wildcats even late in regulation by making almost all of his free throws in the second half. He could have given Villanova the lead with under a minute remaining, but missed his only free throw of the game.

Bracket Busters and Myth-Breakers

Some insights into the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Midwest Region

We've all heard just how rugged the Midwest region is supposed to be, wherein Kansas, the #1 overall seed in the tourney, will be hard-pressed by any number of teams, but that is a flawed idea, a myth, as Kansas will likely breeze through the first three rounds and only face serious competition in their regional final.

While the region boasts some quality teams, the best of them are in the lower half of the bracket, meaning Kansas will only have to play one of the better teams. Tennessee, San Diego State, Georgetown and Ohio Sate are all in the lower half, while the only quality teams in the Kansas draw at the top are Michigan State (5) and Maryland (4). The winner of the Northern Iowa-UNLV game may give Kansas some trouble for the first 15 minutes, but the Jayhawks simply have too much size and experience to imagine that they'd be ousted as early as the second round. Whether Maryland or Michigan State emerges from the other side of the draw, it won't matter. Kansas should handle either of them by ten points at least.

If either Georgetown or Ohio State match up in the regional final against Kansas, that game will provide a true test, though Ohio State has no depth, playing six men at most, and Georgetown, while very good, probably won't be able to keep up with Kansas for a full 40 minutes. That's the big myth this season. Kansas should cruise into the Final Four without breaking a sweat.

As far as bracket-busters are concerned, there are good prospects for upsets in each of the other regions.

West Region

#1 seed Syracuse will have its hands full, given they get past Vermont in the opening round. The Orange were upset by the Catamounts in the first round in 2005, though the Orange were a #4 seed that season and Vermont, 13. Figure Syracuse will not allow lightning to strike twice, but after that, it looks like Gonzaga next and then possibly Butler. The Zags haven't exactly knocked over the world this season, though early wins over Wisconsin and Cincinnati and a close loss to Michigan State gave them impetus to cruise through the West Coast conference with a 12-2 mark. A talented team, the Bulldogs are always dangerous, though Syracuse is probably much better.

The other Bulldogs in the draw, Butler, poses different dilemmas for the Orange. A disciplined, well-coached team with tourney experience and a solid bench. Forwards Matt Howard, Gordon Hayward and Willie Veasley are slightly undersized, but match up well with the orange front line. The guard play is solid and Butler won't be intimidated by Syracuse's 2-3 zone. It's easy to see how the Bulldogs could create the first #1 casualty of the tournament.

If Syracuse survives to that point, Kansas State will likely end their Final Four dreams. The Wildcats would be a #1 seed were it not for the potent Jayhawks. K-State can run and score in transition, playing against one of Syracuse's weaknesses. The early games in the lower portion of this region could go any way, with the exception of K-State. Pitt, Minnesota, Vanderbilt or BYU all have solid teams.

East Region

Kentucky probably has the easiest draw of any team in the tournament. They will dispose of East Tenn. St. in the opening round, then dust off the winner of the Texas-Wake Forest opener, probably the worst 8-9 match-up in the pool. After that, Temple, Cornell or Wisconsin all have equal opportunity to become the Wildcats' regional semi-final victim. Trouble looms in the regional final, where Marquette, West Virginia or New Mexico could emerge, though the Mountaineers seem to be the only realistic challenge to Kentucky. If West Virginia reached the regional final, their game with Kentucky could produce the national champion.

South Region

There's been some expression of a belief that Duke caught a break by getting into this regional draw, but there are minefields throughout what shapes up to be the most busted-up bracket of them all. Will the Blue Devils face Cal or Louisville in the second round? If the Golden Bears step up and beat the Cardinals, they could be the surprise of the tournament, as only two teams came out of the PAC-10. However, if Louisville plays to their potential, there aren't many teams they can't beat. Duke could be an early out.

Other sleepers in the top half of the draw include Sienna and Utah State, both of which are widely unknown, though Sienna has a history of knocking off higher-seeded opponents with regularity. They face Purdue in the opening round, and without Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers are already vulnerable. Sienna could cause a quick exit.

Even if Duke survives the first two rounds, a win over either Utah State or Sienna cannot be taken for granted.

The bottom of the bracket also features the weakest #2 in the tournament, Villanova, which proved in the latter part of the season to be somewhat overrated. They haven't got the size or the shooters to go deep this year and their draw is loaded. Notre Dame, Old Dominion, St. Mary's, Richmond or Baylor are all teams capable of high levels of play. Villanova is unlikely to last three rounds, maybe not even two.

Baylor or St. Mary's could emerge as a regional finalist and either could reach the Final Four, though Notre Dame and Old Dominion's chances are not bad either. In any case, Villanova is doomed and Duke will be thoroughly tested.

Pine Bluff Cashes Over Winthrop, Will Face Duke Next

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tiny Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a team which lost its first 11 games of the season, took a big step, knocking off Winthrop, 61-44, in the NCAA Tournament Play-in game Tuesday night in Dayton, OH.

Propelled by senior guard Allen Smith's four 3-pointers, the Golden Eagles took control of the game early in the second half and cruised past the flat Eagles, who hit just 2 of 21 3-point attempts.

Smith took just 5 shots - all 3-pointers - while playing the entire 40 minutes, but nailed four of them and added 2 of 3 from the foul line for his game-high 14 points. He also helped out on the boards with 6 rebounds and dished two assists.

Tyree Glass was a force inside for much of the game, scoring 10 points, but left after banging his right knee on a drive to the hoop midway through the second half and did not return. Fortunately, the Golden Lions didn't need his help down the stretch. It was unclear whether he could go against Duke, the #1 seed in the South region, on Thursday night in Jacksonville.

Tourney Play-in Game Tonight

Winthrop Eagles at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions

The 19-13 Eagles are a 3 1/2 point favorite against the 17-15 SWAC champion Golden Lions. Winner of the play-in game will face Duke, the top seed in the South. Wintrop earned the right to this position by winning the Big South tournament, after finishing third behind Coastal Carolina during the regular season.

Only one player, sophomore Reggie Middleton averages in double figures for the Eagles, at 10.2 points per game.

That's a contrast to the Golden Lions, who have four players who score between 9.6 and 10.4 points per outing, led by guard Terrance Calvin. Pine Bluff also offers a deep bench with interchangeable parts, with 9 players who average 26 or more minutes of floor time.

Just in case you're a little over-hyped and need a game to calm your nerves, game time is 7:30 pm airing live on ESPN.

Take the points. It's time for a little March Madness.

Mississippi St. vs. Joe Lunardi

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 14, 2010

Let's go out on a little bit of a limb here and say that ESPN's Joe Lunardi (their bracketology expert) and the tournament selection committee is all wet if the Mississippi State Bulldogs don't catch a bid into the NCAA field.

Even though the Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to Kentucky in the SEC final, losing in overtime by a 75-74 score, it was the second time this season they took the Wildcats into OT. They lost at home and now lose again here, but how can anyone deny that they are a quality team?

The very first player to receive Player of the Day honors this season will also be the last prior to the tournament. Jarvis Varnado kept the Bulldogs in the game with a superior effort of 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. The man is simply the best shot-blocker in the history of the NCAA, a fact proven by career stats.

Even though they ended their season on the short end of the scoreboard, the Bulldogs provided future opponents of Kentucky with a game plan. Spread them out, shorten the game, hit a bunch of treys and send the Wildcats to the line. It almost worked for the Bulldogs, and should have, except for DeMarcus Cousins' tip-in with 0:00.1 left on the clock, which sent the game into overtime.

Along with the Bulldogs, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, currently playing Ohio State for the Big Ten championship and an automatic bid, ought to get into the field. Again, Lunardi has had the Gophers on the outside looking in at various stages of development over the weekend.

If Lunardi is even partially right and one of these two teams doesn't get in, I will publicly heap profuse praise upon him in an upcoming post. If both Minnesota and Miss. St. make the field, I reserve the right to call Lunadri whatever names I choose, whenever I please. Childish? Yes, but, after all, we're only talking about basketball games.