Trevon Bluiett, Sindarious Thornwell, Moritz Wagner Lead Xavier, South Carolina, Michigan to Sweet 16

Editor's Note: Due to car issues and internet unavailability (when we say "off the grid" we mean it) College Basketball Daily fell flat on the most critical of weekends, but, happily, we're almost back in business. The vehicle is under repair, and the internet is well, available. We did manage to keep track of events as they unfolded over the past three days and are presenting the last three players of the day for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus the updated Conference Tournament Scoreboard, in this bonus posting. More as the week unfolds... we hope!

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 17, 2017

South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell was not only the high scorer in the Gamecock's 93-73 rout of Marquette, he was the high scorer of any of the 16 winning teams in the NCAA tourney on Friday. Only one player scored more. Norbertas Giga of Jacksonville State had 30 in a losing effort to Louisville.

Beyond his 29 points, Thornwell was also busy on the boards, collecting 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. The 6'5" senior from Lancaster, SC, was on target, making 10 of 19 shots from the floor, including a 3-for-6 effort from beyond the arc, adding 6-for-7 from the foul line.

Thornwell and his South Carolina teammates matched up with Duke on Sunday in a classic in which Thornwell had 24 points as the #7 seed Gamecocks ousted the #2 Blue Devils from the East Region. The result left the low seed in the region as #3 Baylor, who faces South Carolina Friday night in one of the two regional semi-final games.

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College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 18, 2017

Junior swingman Trevon Bluiett helped Xavier defeat Maryland, 76-65, in Thursday night's "First Four" play-in game with 21 points, but he and his teammates made sure nobody underestimated them as the Musketeers slaughtered Florida State, 91-66. Bluiett led all scorers with 29 points, pitching in three assists and six boards in 36 minutes of floor time.

Bluiett was 8-for-14 from the field with three 3-pointers and canned 10 of 14 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Musketeers shot 55.6% from the field (30-54) and an amazing 64.7% from three-point land (11-17). The Seminoles were completely outplayed and outclassed, outscored by 10 at the end of the first half, and going down 47-32 in the second half.

Xavier, the #11 seed in the West region is the highest seed remaining in the tournament's Sweet 16. They face #2 seed Arizona Thursday night in San Jose, California.

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College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 19, 2017

In a day replete with upsets, one of the biggest (and the earliest) was Michigan's stunning 73-69 defeat of #2 seed Louisville in the Midwest region. The seventh-seeded Wolverines hung with their ACC rivals throughout, and forged to a late lead to hang on for the victory.

Playing his best string music, 6'11" sophomore from Berlin, Germany, Moritz Wagner, scored a career-high 26 points in the effort, knocking down 11-for-14 from the field, including his lone three-point attempt, and hitting three of six from the foul line.

As winners of the Big Ten tournament, the 26-11 Wolverines received the automatic bid to the NCAA and are making the most of it, advancing to the Sweet 16 where they will face the region's #3 seed, the Oregon Ducks.

As the Wolverines set the stage for a memorable day of upsets, including South Carolina's 88-81 win over Duke in the East Region, as mentioned above.

The losses by Duke and Louisville, along with previous losses by Notre Dame, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Wake Forest, left the North Carolina Tar Heels as the only team remaining from the ACC, now bearing the moniker of "overrated", the tournament selection committee with egg on all of their faces.

Of the major conferences, the team with the smallest representation (four teams) has the best record, that being the PAC-10 at 8-1, with only USC out of the mix. UCLA, Arizona and Oregon all advanced to the Sweet 16 round. The Big 12, which sent six teams to the tourney has an 8-3 record and three teams (Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia) advancing, along with the 7-2 SEC (Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina) and the 8-4 Big Ten (Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue).

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

ESPN Tournament Bracket (updated)

NCAA Tournament: Dwayne Bacon Powers Florida State Past Florida Gulf Coast

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 16, 2017

There was plenty of hype to go around concerning the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles playing Florida State in the first round of the NCAA tournament's West region, but, thanks largely to the effort of Seminole sophomore Dwayne Bacon, the #3 seed Seminoles had their way.

Bacon, a 6'7" guard from Lakeland, Florida, had his way with the FGCU backcourt, making 11 of 17 shots despite missing on all three of his 3-point attempts. Adding three of four free throws, Bacon, who averages 17.1 points per game, led Florida State in scoring with 25 while pulling down nine rebounds and dishing a pair of assists.

The Seminoles nearly let a double digit lead slip away in the late stage of the game, but managed to make free throws and enough defensive plays to keep the Eagles at bay, winning, 86-80, and advancing to the second round against #11 seed Xavier on Saturday.

Florida State will have something of a home court edge against the Musketeers being that the game is being held in Orlando, Florida. Xavier defeated Maryland, the #5 seed in the West, 76-65, to advance.

ESPN Tournament Bracket Page

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Thursday (3/16) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	3-2	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1)
Big East (7)	3-1	Villanova (1), Butler (1), Xavier (1)
Big Ten (7)	3-2	Purdue (1), Wisconsin (1), Northwestern (1),
Big 12 (6)	3-0	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (1), Iowa St. (1)
SEC (5)	1-1	Florida (1)
PAC 12 (4)	2-0	USC (1), Arizona (1),
Atlantic 10 (3)	0-1	---
American (2)	0-0	---
West Coast (2)	2-0	Gonzaga (1), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(3-13)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1)

Wesley Iwundu Leads K-State; USC Tops Providence on Benny Boatwright's 24

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Senior forward Wesley Iwundu's 24 points were instrumental in leading the Kansas State Wildcats to a 95-88 victory over Wake Forest in one of Tuesday night's "First Four" match-ups.

Iwundu, a senior, averaged just 12.4 points per game this season, but came up big in the high-scoring affair, hitting on six of nine shots from the field and making 11 of 13 free throws to go with his six rebounds and seven assists.

The Wildcats shot an incredible 66% from the field (31-for-47) and also out-rebounded the Demon Deacons, 29-21. Kansas State will play Cincinnati, the #6 seed in the South region, Friday in Sacramento.

In the early game, Mount St. Mary's squeaked by New Orleans, 67-66 and advances to play #1 tournament seed, Villanova Thursday.

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Benny Boatwright's game-high 24 points lifted the USC Trojans to a 75-71 victory over the Providence Friars in Wednesday's edition of the NCAA Tournament "First Four" play-in games.

Boatwright was 8-for-16 with three three-pointers. The 6'10" sophomore added seven boards and chipped in three assists. The Trojans - one of just four PAC-12 teams invited to the tourney - lifted the conference profile with the win and will have an opportunity to do more resume-building when they they meet East Region #6 seed SMU on Friday.

The other play-in contest on Wednesday saw the Aggies from UC Davis win their first NCAA tournament game in school history, topping North Carolina Central, 67-63.

The Aggies have a date with the #1 seed in the Midwest region, Kansas, on Friday.

Tomorrow: Thursday night results and the first appearance of the CBD Tournament Conference Scoreboard.

2017 NCAA Championship Tournament Bracket Breakdown

Bracket Breakdown for Monday, March 13, 2017

Editor's Note: Unavoidably, this may be the last College Basketball Daily post until Thursday morning, at which point Fearless Rick may have managed to extricate himself from up to 18 inches of snow (therein lies the danger of opening one's camp too early). Our intrepid publisher made it through a windstorm that crippled Rochester NY, leaving more than 120,000 homes without power last week, and for surviving that in a camper on a windswept plain, he managed only to get cut off in eight seconds by AM radio talk show host Bob Lonsberry on WHAM, Monday morning. In any case, the snow storm is expected to be not quite as severe as the windstorm, but travel will likely be impossible Tuesday and Wednesday. Good luck with your brackets. We'll be listening, and tracking the four play-in games.

Let's break down some brackets, shall we?

Link to ESPN's 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket (opens new window)

East: #1 seed, Villanova Wildcats. The reigning champs are in good company in their home region, their first game a meeting with the winner of the Mount St. Mary's-New Orleans play-in game. Villanova will be making it's initial tournament appearance of the season on Thursday night in Buffalo, which, as noted above, might include a bit of a travel issue. Note to Wildcats and their fans: leave Philly NOW! It's about six hours to Buffalo and you won't make the drive on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other notables in Villanova's portion of the East bracket are Florida, Virginia, and Wisconsin, though none of these teams have been playing particularly well. Look out for #13 seed East Tennessee State. The 27-7 Buccaneers won the Southerrn conference tournament and are upset-minded.

Villanova should cruise through their bracket into the Sweet Sixteen, and play for the regional title that weekend, potentially against Duke, the #2 seed. The Blue Devils won the ACC tournament, and, as usual, are ready to rock. They face Troy in their opener, and will likely have to deal with South Carolina, then Baylor or SMU. The 30-4 Mustangs have won 16 straight and knocked off Cincinnati to capture the American Athletic conference tourney title. They get the winner of the Providence-USC play-in game to start and could be a real tournament sleeper. Overall, the #6 line - SMU, Creighton, Cincinnati, Maryland - looks pretty formidable, but this is set up for a Villanova-Duke meeting in the Big Apple, with the winner advancing to the Final Four. There's a real chance that it could happen, but #1 meeting #2 in a region is not all that probable. Odds are that the Blue Devils get knocked off somewhere before meeting the Wildcats.

Midwest: #1 seed: Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas skipped the Big 12 tournament by losing in their opener, 85-82, to TCU. It should be readily apparent that despite getting six teams from the Big 12 into the tournament, the Horned Frogs and their 6-12 conference record are not among them. Is this a black eye for the Jayhawks? Probably, but it won't be noticeable until the regional semi-final, when they'll likely meet either Iowa State or Purdue. In the unlikely event that they get past one of those, Michigan, Louisville (#2 seed), Oregon or #6 seed Creighton await in the regional final. The Jayhawks are a liability to the tournament and will get an early boot. Reaching the Final Four is like their Big 12 counterpart in football, Oklahoma, playing for the national championship. It's just ont going to happen. Iowa State already beat them, 92-89, in Kansas and the Cyclones are probably drooling for another shot at their conference nemesis. Also, this just in: KU head coach Bill Self is a jerk. Enough. The Midwest is loaded and Kansas won't survive. Iowa State may be the team to beat here.

South: #1 seed: North Carolina Tar Heels. There's something about North Carolina and this tournament that brings back fond memories. Ah, yes, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan. That has to be it, or, maybe, Dean Smith smoking outside the locker room at halftime. In any case, the Tar Heels are a #1 seed, despite losing to Duke in the ACC final, 93-83. But, that's all right, because Carolina beat Duke, 90-83, a week prior, wrapping up the ACC regular season title, which is probably a more deserving honor. Besides, the only way the Heels would play the Devils again would be in the NCAA final, and that would make any bracketologist blush at the mere notion of picking ACC chalk all the way through.

After dispatching with Texas Southern in their opener Friday afternoon (Greenville, SC), the Heels will kick it against either #8 Arkansas or #9 Seton Hall. Both are good teams, but unlikely to spring an upset. Take the Pirates in their opener, because, well, everybody likes Pirates, right?

The one hiccup in the South may come from little Middle Tennessee State, a 30-4 squad that stormed through Conference USA with a 17-1 mark, won the conference tourney without breaking a sweat (83-72 over Marshall in the final) and can play with any team in the country. If proof is needed, try their 77-62 win over Ole Miss or, better yet, the 71-48 beat down they put on Vanderbilt. Both of those games were way back in late November, early December, so, the Blue Raiders may be even better now. They're the #12 seed and face #5 Minnesota Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee. Nothing like your home boys getting crushed by some unknowns from the South.

On the other side of the South bracket are two powerhouse programs, UCLA and Kentucky, making this region possibly the toughest in the tourney, with the Midwest next. The #2 Wildcats and #3 Bruins should both reach the regional semi-final, the winner (hint: UCLA) taking on the Tar Heels. (Hint: UCLA). The Pac-12 sent just four teams to the tournament. Arizona, UCLA, Oregon and USC. Since the Ducks have come up lame and USC isn't very good, that leaves the doors wide open for AZ and UCLA. See below for Arizona's road to the Final Four.

West #1 seed: Gonzaga Bulldogs At 31-1, the Zags have the best record in the nation, but they hail from a notoriously-weak West Coast Conference. Only they and St. Mary's made the tournament, which is about all one needs to know about Gonzaga other than their head coach, Mark Few, is one of the best in the nation. He's repeatedly taken this team deep into the tournament and this may be one of the best Gonzaga teams ever.

Despite the high praise for the coach and the program, Gonzaga faces a myriad of obstacles. In their side of the bracket are #8 Northwestern, #5 Notre Dame (vs. #12 Princeton), and #4 West Virginia. Any one of those four teams could upend the Zags. If Gonzaga makes it through to the regional final, their likely opponent is Arizona, who has no competition to speak of in their side of the bracket. #6 Marquette, #11 Xavier, #3 Florida State, and #10 VCU aren't nearly the caliber of the Wildcats, who quietly went 30-4, won the PAC-12 tournament by defeating both UCLA in the semis and Oregon in the final. If there is a rock-solid pick to reach any regional final and probably the Final Four, it's Arizona.

In case anybody wants to go out on a limb and predict the Final Four and the ultimate champion, College Basketball Daily will do so. After all, what other publication has a guy who goes by the name Fearless Rick as editor and publisher? Um, none.

So, it's Villanova from the East, Iowa State from the Midwest, UCLA from the South, and Arizona from the West.

East plays West and Midwest plays South. Let's take Arizona over Villanova and Iowa State over UCLA, with Arizona beating the Cyclones, 87-78, in the championship.

Easy, right?

Good luck and enjoy.

As usual, College Basketball Daily will provide somewhat untimely and incomplete coverage of almost the entire tournament, including our non-exclusive conference scoreboard. For those interested, here are the number of teams from each conference (showing only those with two or more teams invited):
ACC 9
Big East 7
Big Ten 7
Big 12 6
SEC 5
Pac-12 4
Atlantic 10 3
American Athletic 2
West Coast 2

Derrick Walton Jr. Leads Michigan to Big Ten Tourney Title

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 12, 2017

On the day the Michigan Wolverines captured the Big Ten championship, Derrick Walton Jr. may not have been the most accurate shooter for the Michigan Wolverines, but he did everything else well enough to lead the Wolverines to a 71-56 victory over #24 Wisconsin in the Big Ten tourney final.

Walton, a 6'1" senior, made just six of 15 shots from the field, but four of those were three-pointers (he was 4-for-9 from beyond the arc) and he was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line for a game-high 22 points, adding six rebounds, dishing seven assists and making a pair of steals in the big win that ended up with Michigan getting the automatic NCAA invitation and a #7 seeding in the Midwest region.

At the conclusion of the title game, Walton was named tournament Most Outstanding Player. In Michigan's four wins, Walton scored 82 points, distributed 25 assists and was a remarkable 22-for-23 from the charity stripe (perfect 21-for-21 in the final three games).

The Michigan story kicked into high gear over the weekend, with the Wolverines winning four straight after escaping a charter airplane crash on Wednesday night (3/8) to win the tournament as a #8 seed, defeating Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin to stamp their impression on the month of March.

Set to face Oklahoma State, the #10 seed in the region, on

Gary Clark Leads Cincinnati to American Athletic Final With 25 Point Effort

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 11, 2017

Junior forward Gary Clark scored 25 points to lead the Cincinnati Bearcats to an 81-71 victory over Connecticut in Saturday's American Athletic tournament semi-finals.

Clark did the bulk of his scoring from the foul line where he canned 15 of 16 free throws. He was 5-for-9 from the field, adding nine rebounds.

With the victory, the Bearcats advance to the tournament final on Sunday against #12 SMU, 70-59 victors over UCF.

Cincinnati is ranked #15 in the AP poll. During the regular season, the Bearcats defeated the Mustangs, 66-64, at home, and lost, 60-51, at SMU.

Semi Ojeleye Leads SMU to AA Semi-Finals With 36 Points, 12 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 10, 2017

Advancing through the quarterfinals of the American Athletic conference with an 81-77 win over East Carolina, the SMU Mustangs got their 14th straight win thanks largely to a career-high 36 points from junior forward, Semi Ojeleye.

Ojeleye, a transfer from Duke who sat out last season in order to play for the Mustangs, has been a solid boost to the program, averaging 19.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. In Friday's victory, Ojeleye was 12-for-19 from the field, adding another 11 points on 13 free throw attempts. With 12 rebounds, the 6'7" forward recorded his fifth double-double of the season.

The 12th-ranked Mustangs are 28-4 and will meet Central Florida in the conference tournament semi-final on Saturday. SMU already holds a 65-60 win at UCF from the regular season.

Villanova Advances In Big East; Donte DiVincenzo Scores 25

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 9, 2017

Within the slew of conference tournament games this week, it's easy to overlook otherwise fantastic performances by players not quite on the national radar.

Such would be the case of freshman Donte DiVincenzo, who came off the bench to score a game-high and career-high 25 points as the Wildcats slaughtered St. John's, 108-67.

In 31 minutes, DiVincenzo was 7-for-8 from the field, going 5-for-6 from three-[point range and 6-for-8 from the foul line. The 6'5" guard also collected five boards and dished four assists.

The #2-ranked Wilcats are on cruise control in the Big East tourney and are widely expected to win the conference title handily and receive a #1 seeding in the NCAA tournament.

Zach DeLay Scores 31, Adds 15 Boards As Hokies Advance In ACC Tourney

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Senior Zach LeDay dominated the interior, leading Virginia Tech to a 99-90 victory over Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC tournament.

LeDay came off the Hokie bench to go 8-for-15 from the field, also grabbing 15 boards, seven of them off the offensive glass. The 6'7" forward from Dallas, Texas, was deadly from the charity stripe, making 14 of 18 free throws. The win sends the Demon Deacons home and possibly out of the NCAA, while the Hokies continue against Florida State on Thursday night (7:00 pm ET) in the quarterfinal round of the tourney.

One bid was taken on Wednesday, as the Bucknell Bison Thundered past Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament Final, http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400945694. The game was tight in the first half, with Bucknell taking a one-point lead into the break, 35-34, but the Bison rampaged in the second half, outscoring Lehigh, 46-31, for the easy win.

Mike Daum Scores 37 As South Dakota State Captures Summit Title; Three Others Advance To NCAA Tourney

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Four more teams punched their tickets to March Madness on Tuesday:

Gonzaga defeated St. Mary's for the third time this season, 74-56, this time winning the finals of the West Coast conference tournament.

Mount St. Mary's defeated St. Francis for the Northeast Conference (NEC) title, 71-61; Northern Kentucky defeated Milwaukee, 59-53, earning the NCAA bid from the Horizon League.

The nation's second-leading scorer, Mike Daum, led South Dakota State to the Summit League championship with a game-high 37 points, defeating Omaha, 79-77. The victory earned the Jackrabbits their fourth NCAA bid.

Daum, the Summit League Player of the Year, made 14 of 24 shots from the field and was 5-for-9 from three-point land. He cashed all four of his free throws and added 12 rebounds, five of them on the offensive end. The Jackrabbits were just 8-8 in the conference and 18-16 overall, but a player like Daum, who average 25.4 points per game, make them a threat under any condition.

C.J. Bryce Leads UNC-Wilmington To CAA Title; Iona, E. Tennessee St. Also Receive Bids

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, March 6, 2017

C.J. Bryce scored 24 points, leading UNC Wilmington to its second straight NCAA tournament berth, winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship with a 78-69 victory over College of Charleston Monday night.

Bryce, a 6'5" sophomore from Charlotte, NC, was 9-for-15 from the field, hitting three of four from three-point land. He also had five rebounds and five assists in the championship effort.

The Seahawks went 15-3 in conference play and are an impressive 29-5 overall. Including their three tournament wins, UNCW has won seven straight and head to the first round of the NCAA tourney, the location of their game to be determined on Sunday, when the selection committee seeds all 68 teams.

Also earning automatic bids were Iona, capturing the MAAC championship with an 87-86 victory over Sienna in the tourney final.

Finally, East Tennessee State rallied past UNC Greensboro, 79-74, to win the Southern conference tournament and the automatic NCAA invitation. The Buccaneers trailed the Spartans 38-31, at the half, but shot the lights out in the second half, scoring 49 points for the win.

Caleb Swanigan's 25th Double-Double Leads Purdue Past Northwestern

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 5, 2017

The Purdue Boilermakers cemented their claim on the Big Ten regular season title, winning at Northwestern, 69-65. Finishing the regular season with a 14-4 record, the Boilermakers wrapped up two games ahead of Maryland and Wisconsin, at 12-6.

Fueling the Boilermakers was their candidate for national player of the year, Caleb Swanigan, who notched his 25th double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

The 6'9" sophomore from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was 8-for-15 from the field and hauled down 14 rebounds. Swingian's effort was aided by Vince Edwards' 25 points.

Swanigan and Edwards lead #16 Purdue into the upcoming Big Ten tournament, the winner of which will grab an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, though Purdue is assured to get at least an at-large bid should they not win the conference tourney.

Swanigan averages 18.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, making him one of the more versatile inside players in the collegiate ranks.

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A week out from Selection Sunday and there are already a host of teams that have played their way into the Big Dance.

On Saturday, Jacksonville State took down the Ohio Valley conference championship with a 66-55 win over UT-Martin. It's the first OVC title for the Gamecocks and their first NCAA invite since jumping to Division 1 and joining the conference in 2003.

Sunday began with Winthrop ending the dreams of Campbell, taking the Big South conference title with a no-doubter, 76-59 win over the upstart Fighting Camels. Winthrop had gone to the conference championship game in each of the past four seasons, but this is their first win during that span.

Florida Gulf Coast captured the Atlantic Sun conference championship, defeating North Florida, 77-61. The automatic bid is the third for the Eagles in the last six seasons.

The Missouri Valley conference championship went to Wichita State, as the Shockers pounded Illinois State, 71-51. Both teams were 17-1 in conference play, but 21st-ranked Wichita State was clearly the better of the two, racking up a 30-4 record overall.

Princeton, champions of the Ivy League, wrapped up an undefeated, 14-0, conference schedule with a 85-48 win over Dartmouth on Saturday. The perfect confernce mark was the sixth in Princeton's rich basketball history, but the kicker is that the Tigers, despite winning the conference title by four games, will have to play on in the first ever Ivy League Tournament. The league has implemented a four-team playoff, with the top seed playing #4 and #2 playing #3. All games will be played at the Palestra in Philadelphia, home to Princeton's first opponent, the Penn Quakers.

Semi-final games are on Saturday, March 11, with the finals on Sunday, March 12.

Syracuse Improves Post-Season Chances Behind 40 Points By Andrew White III

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 4, 2012

Likely in need of a win for consideration by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, the Syracuse Orange torched the visiting Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before a sellout crowd at the Carrier Dome Saturday, using a stifling defense and 40 points from Andrew White III for a 90-61 victory.

White, in his final home game as an Orange, set a career mark with 40 points. Deadly accurate from anywhere on the floor, White was 12-for-16 from the field, including a Syracuse season-high eight threes on nine attempts. The fifth-year senior also went 8-for-9 from the foul line, adding three rebounds, two assists and a pair of thefts.

A transfer from Nebraska, and previously having spent two seasons at Kansas, White tied the Syracuse record for most points scored in the Carrier Dome, matching the effort by Gene Waldron in 1983 against Iona.

The Orange avenged a 71-65 two weeks ago at Georgia Tech and bolstered their chances of making the NCAA tourney, improving to 18-13 overall and 10-8 in the ACC.

Syracuse's 2-3 zone, brainchild of mastermind coach Jim Boeheim, limited the Yellow Jackets to 44% shooting, and was even more effective at limiting three-pointers. Georgia Tech shot just 25% (5-for-20) from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Orange were blistering, hitting at 54% overall and 62.5% (15-for-24) from three-point range.

Elsewhere in the ACC, #5 North Carolina captured the regular season title with a 90-83 win over #17 Duke and #8 Louisville outlasted #19 Notre Dame, 71-64.

The Tar Heels finished conference play with a 14-4 mark, two games better than Florida State, Louisville, and Notre Dame, each of which finished at 12-6.

The conference tournament, the winner of which will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney, runs Wednesday, March 8 through Saturday, March 11 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Chris Clemons Leads Campbell To Big South Championship With 33 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 3, 2017

The 5'9" whirling dervish was at it again, as Chris Clemons scored 33 points to lead the Campbell Fighting Camels to a semifinal win over the Radford Highlanders.

Campbell scored exactly half of his team's points in the 66-50 romp, sending Campbell to the finals on Sunday against top-seeded Winthrop.

Clemons was solid, playing all but two minutes in the win, going 11-for-20 from the field, with a 4-for-9 mark from three-point range. The sophomore guard made seven of nine free throws, but, perhaps most impressive was his work on the boards, grabbing nine rebounds. His unselfish play led to Campbell out-rebounding Radford, 42 to 34. He also dished four assists.

The opportunity for Campbell University against Winthrop is not without obstacles. In their two meetings this season, the Eagles won both games, winning 72-63 at Campbell and 76-62 at home. Clemons had just 16 points in the meeting at Winthrop and 24 against the Eagles on his home court.

Game time for the Big South championship game is Sunday at 1:00 pm ET, at Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Campbell's Chris Clemons Ties NCAA Season High With 51 In Win Over UNC-Asheville

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 2, 2017

One of the most exciting players in Division 1 was at his best Thursday night, as Campbell's Chris Clemons racked up 51 points in the Fighting Camels 81-79 victory over UNC-Asheville in the Big South tournament quarterfinals.

The effort tied Mike Daum of South Dakota State (51 points on February 18 at Fort Wayne) for the most points scored by a player in a single game this season. It was also Clemons highest point total in his two years at Campbell University and set a new school and conference scoring mark.

At 5'9", the sophomore from Raleigh, NC, may be small in stature, but he is certainly not short on scoring. Thursday's result moved him into third place nationally at 24.1 points per game. Clemons hit on 18 of 32 shots from the field, including an impressive 8-for-14 tally from three-point land and 7-for-8 from the foul line.

Campbell's win over Asheville came in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament, dropping the Bulldogs - who finished the regular season tied for first place with Winthrop - out of the running for the automatic NCAA bid. Both Winthrop and Asheville finished at 15-3 in the conference. Campbell, whose only chance of making the NCAA tournament lies with winning the ongoing Big South tourney, ended at 7-11 in conference play.

The win was a huge boost for the small private school, based in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

Campbell (16-16) faces sixth-seeded Radford on Friday in the semifinals, upset winners over 3rd-seeded Liberty.

#3 UCLA Wins 8th Straight Behind Bryce Alford's 29 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 1, 2017

If you're looking for a team that has the right elements to capture the NCAA tournament championship, look no further than the UCLA Bruins.

A strong starting five, experienced head coach, deep bench, an extending winning streak, and senior leadership make the Bruins a team to watch as the tourney unfolds.

On Wednesday, the Bruins took down Washington, 98-66, for their eighth straight win behind senior guard (and son of coach Steve Alford) Bryce Alford, who canned 10 of 18 from the field, including an 8-for-14 effort from three-point range.

Lonzo Ball chipped in with 19 and the Bruins got 15 from Isaac Hamilton. UCLA's bench accounted for 27 points.

Alford has been remarkably consistent in his three years as a starter for the Bruins, averaging 15.4 points per game as a sophomore, 16.1 as a junior, and 16.6 this season. His 29 points was the most he's scored since putting up 30 as the Bruins pounded Pacific in their season opener.

While the Bruins may be a serious threat in the NCAA tournament, they're still unlikely to win their own conference. They trail both Oregon and Arizona by one game, with one game remaining. However, they've beaten both the Ducks and Wildcats during their current winning streak and will certainly be a factor in the PAC-12 tourney which begins next Wednesday.

Malik Monk Guides Kentucky To 25-5 Mark, 15-2 Leading SEC

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 28, 2017

With only Texas A&M remaining on the regular season schedule, the Kentucky Wildcats are on the verge of winning their 3rd straight SEC title, after downing Vanderbilt Tuesday, 73-67.

Fueled by super sub, Malik Monk, the Wildcats overcame a six-point halftime deficit, scoring 49 in the second 20 minutes to win going away.

Monk went 8-for-21 from the field, but made up for his dull shooting at the free throw line, where he canned nine of ten attempts.

A 6'3" freshman from Lepanto, Arkansas, Monk scored 33 on Saturday to lead the Wildcats over their closest conference rival, Florida, 76-66. Kentucky has a 1 1/2 game lead in the standings with just one game left. The Wildcats pounded Texas A&M earlier in the season, 100-58. While that game was at Rupp Arena and Saturday's final is a road game, there's little doubt as to the final result.

Freshman Kyle Guy's 17 Points Rallies #23 Virginia Over #5 North Carolina

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 27, 2017

After four straight losses - to Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, and Miami - Virginia's season was on the ropes, the Cavaliers having dropped from #12 in the rankings to #23 in the most recent poll (2/26) at 18-9.

Then, along came freshman Kyle Guy, who came in off the bench to light up the NC State Wolfpack with 19 points in Saturday's 70-55 victory. So solid was the effort that head coach Tony Bennett named Guy a starter for the home game against North Carolina Monday night.

Guy's response was a huge boost for the Cavaliers, whose style is predicated on hard-nosed defense and opportunistic offense. Leading all scorers, Guy dropped in 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including going 5-for-7 from three-point range. He added four assists and six rebounds, helping the Cavaliers to a 53-43 win over the #5 Tar Heels.

Virginia's defense was exceptionally good in the victory, allowing North Carolina just 35% shooting while forcing 14 turnovers from the Tar Heels. It's the kind of gritty defense for which the Cavaliers have become renowned over the past seven years of Tony Bennett's coaching tenure.

A 6'3" guard from Indianapolis, Indiana, Guy has played sparingly throughout the season, but respectively logged 35 and 32 minutes in the wins over NC State and North Carolina and will likely be a fixture in Virginia's starting rotation through the ACC tournament and into the NCAA tourney later in March.

The win put the Cavaliers at 10 up and seven down in conference play, tied with Miami and Virginia Tech, but just three games behind ACC leader North Carolina in the nation's most-contested conference. A win over 4-11 Pitt on Saturday (3/4) and a win or two in the conference tournament would have Virginia at 11-7 and a near lock for an NCAA invite.

With 25 Points, Donovan Mitchell Leads Louisville Rout Of Syracuse

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 26, 2017

After defeating #10 Duke on Wednesday, 78-75, the Syracuse Orange had reason to be excited over their prospects of receiving an invitation to the NCAA championship tournament.

That thrill faded quickly, however, as the unranked Orange were devastated at Louisville by the #7 Cardinals, 86-66.

The culprit was defense, or, in the Syracuse case, the lack thereof, that led to the lopsided loss. The Cardinals shot a healthy 57% from the field, including a solid 45% (9-for-20) from three-point range, as Syracuse defenders were often out of position in their trademark 2-3 zone. Another fallback of the zone was in rebounding, where Louisville held a 39-28 advantage.

Topping the scoring barrage was Louisville's sophomore guard, Donovan Mitchell, who was 9-for-16, including six threes, amassing 25 points over 35 minutes of court time.

The 6'3" native of Greenwich, Connecticut added four assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals to his outstanding performance.

Louisville penetrated and found the open man repeatedly throughout the onslaught, with a team total of 18 assists on 33 buckets. Tied with Notre Dame and Florida State at 11-5 in the ACC, the Cardinals are two games back of conference leader, North Carolina. An overall record of 23-6 has the Cardinals as high as a #3 seed heading into March Madness.

With only one game left in the regular season, Syracuse likely needs a win over visiting Georgia Tech, this Saturday, March 4, and a win in the opening round of the conference tournament to make a case for inclusion into the NCAA field. With the Louisville defeat their fourth in five games, the Orange are on the bubble, or, the ropes for tourney inclusion. The Yellow Jackets topped the Orange, 71-65, on February 19.

BYU Stuns #1 Gonzaga, 79-71, Behind Eric Mika's 29 Points, 11 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 25, 2017

BYU ended the nation's longest winning streak at 29, defeating top-ranked and previously-undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs, with a 79-71 win at Spokane, Washington.

Sophomore forward Eric Mika led the assault, racking up 29 points and 11 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season.

Working primarily against the Gonzaga interior, 6'10" Mika was 10-for-14 from the field, adding nine of 13 from the line. Aiding the effort were Gonzaga's long-range shooters, who were a combined 3-for-16 (19%) from three-point range.

The loss was the first of the season for the top-ranked Bulldogs, ending their regular season with a BYU blemish at 29-1 and a 17-1 mark in the West Coast conference. The Cougars finished up 21-10 overall, and 12-6 in the conference, good for third place and, with an important road victory now on their resume, a likely at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament.

In other key match-ups from Saturday, Miami dumped #10 Duke, 55-50, handing the Blue Devils their second straight loss, after they were upset at Syracuse earlier in the week. #5 UCLA prevailed over #4 Arizona, 77-72, putting five players in double figures.

In Lexington, Malik Monk score 30 of his game-high 33 points to lead #11 Kentucky over #13 Florida, 76-66, giving the Wildcats a one-game lead in the SEC standings.

On tap for Sunday, Syracuse seeks to add to their register of top 10 victims when the take on the #7 Louisville Cardinals at 2:00 pm ET. The game will be broadcast live on CBS, followed by Big Ten action as #16 Wisconsin travels to Michigan State. Later (6:30 pm ET), #21 Notre Dame hosts Georgia Tech on ESPNU.

Princeton Closer To Ivy League Title With Win Over Columbia; Devin Cannady Tallies 18

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 24, 2017

Princeton won its 14th straight, improving to 11-0 in the Ivy League, defeating Columbia, 64-45, closing in on another conference title.

Devin Cannady scored a game-high 18 points all on three-pointers, going 6-for-14 from the field, but 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.

A 6'1" sophomore guard from Mishawaka, Indiana, Cannady didn;t go to the foul line at all as the Tigers breezed to the win with a sharp second half.

Princeton has just three games left in the regular season, and needs just one win, over either Cornell, Harvard or Dartmouth to clinch at least a tie. Considering that the Tigers have beaten all three of their upcoming opponents earlier in the season, their chances for getting the automatic NCAA tournament invite are very good.

The Tigers travel to Cornell on Saturday, and play Harvard and Dartmouth next Friday and Saturday, respectively, at home next weekend.

T.J. Leaf Scores 25, Leads #5 UCLA Past Arizona State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 23, 2017

There's a serious showdown coming in the PAC-12 between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins, currently ranked numbers four and five in the AP Poll, and among the leaders in the conference (Arizona is on top; UCLA 2 1/2 back).

The colossal collision is expected to occur beginning with the tip-off Saturday night in Tuscon, when the Wildcats host the Bruins for the second time this season. The first meeting - at UCLA - went to Arizona, 96-85, but, since that result and a subsequent loss at USC, the Bruins have reeled off six straight wins, including Thursday night's 87-75 victory at Arizona State, and 25 points from freshman T.J. Leaf, who fell just shy of his 12th double-double, with nine rebounds.

Leaf dominated the middle, hitting 11 of 16 shots and making all three free throw attempts. The 6'10" frosh has become a mainstay for the Bruins as they improved to 25-3 overall and 12-3 in conference play.

With just two games left for Arizona, 16-0 in the conference, UCLA would have to win Saturday night and the wildcats would have to lose their remaining game against Arizona State, in order to tie the Wildcats for the PAC-12 title.

Syracuse Wins, 78-75, On John Gillon's Buzzer-Beater Over #10 Duke

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The bank was open for John Gillon.

With time running down and the scored tied at 75, the Syracuse guard let fly from 25 feet, the ball banking in off the backboard for the game winner as Syracuse prevailed at home over the #10 Duke Blue Devils, 78-75.

Gillon finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting including three of five from three-point range. The Orange had trailed by as many as ten points in the first half, but trimmed Duke’s advantage and the game was tight for the final ten minutes. Syracuse never led by more than two points until Gillon’s heroic buzzer-beater.

Sending the partisan Syracuse crowd at the Carrier Dome into a court-rushing frenzy, the 17-12 Orange kept alive their hopes of receiving an invitation to the upcoming NCAA national championship tournament. It was the third win over a top 10-ranked team for the Orange. They previously upset Florida State and Virginia.

The victory leaves the Orange at 9-7 in the ACC with just two games remaining in the regular season. A Syracuse win on Sunday at #7 Louisville would likely result in a bid to the big dance, but a Marcvh 4 win over Georgia Tech in their regular season finale at home and a good showing in the ACC tournament would also weigh mightily on the selection committee’s decision.

#13 Florida Powers To 9th Straight Win Behind KeVaughn Allen's 26 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 22, 2017

Winning their ninth straight, the Florida Gators moved into a tie for first place in the SEC with Kentucky, sending slumping South Carolina to their third straight loss, 81-66.

Leading the Gators was sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, who took just seven shots from the field but ended up the game's high scorer with 26 points.

Allen was 5-for-7 overall, including 3-for-5 on three-pointers. He also made 13 of 14 from the free throw line, dished three assists, blocked a shot, made a pair of steals and had seven boards.

Florida, ranked #13 in the most recent poll, avenged a 57-53 setback at South Carolina back on January 18.

The Gators (23-5, 13-2 SEC) play at #11 Kentucky this Saturday, the result likely to determine the SEC regular season champion. Florida topped the Wildcats on February 4, dominating, 88-66.

Jevon Carter, Lamont West Lead West Virginia Past Texas

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 20, 2017

Alive and well in the Big 12, #12 West Virginia (22-6, 10-5) still trails Kansas in the conference standings by 3 1/2 games after the Mountaineers trashed Texas Monday night, 77-62, aided in large part by the 38 minutes of floor time from junior guard Jevon Carter.

Carter, 6'2", from Maywood, Illinois, was 9-for-17 from the field with a pair of three-pointers, 4-for-4 from the foul line and had his third double-double with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.

6'8" freshman, Lamont West, chipped in 23 points in the same number of minutes, went 7-for-10 from the field, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, adding four boards, two assists and a blocked shot. Carter also dished four assists and made a steal.

The Mountaineers may not be the ultimate class of the conference, but they're close, and continuing to meld as a unit. The win was their fourth of the last five games, the only defeat coming last Monday, in an 84-80 overtime loss at Kansas.

With just three games left in their regular season, the Mountaineers appear to be headed to the NCAA tournament for the third straight time, after having missed out in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Marcus Foster Pours In 35, Leading #20 Creighton Past Georgetown, 87-70

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 19, 2017

While the Creighton Blue Jays aren't likely to win the Big East conference - that seems to belong to Villanova - they are almost certainly going to the NCAA tournament, aided by Kansas State transfer, Marcus Foster, who scored a career-high 35 points in Sunday's 87-70 win over Georgetown.

A junior guard from Wichita Falls, Texas, Foster was 13-for-19 from the field, canning four of six from three-point range, adding five boards and five assists in his best game of the season. After two years at Kansas State, Foster sat out the 2015-16 season to ply his trade at Creighton and the results have been better than expected.

Foster's range and shooting percentage have improved markedly from his stint at KSU, and he leads the Bluejays in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game.

Creighton took an 8-point lead (41-33) into halftime, then went on a 19-6 spurt early in the second to essentially put the game on ice.

Creighton (22-5, 9-5 Big East) shot 53%, avenging a 20-point road loss to the Hoyas on January 25. Georgetown (14-13, 5-9) shot just 38.5% and made only 3 of 22 three-point heaves.

The win leaves the Bluejays alone in third place, 3 1/2 games behind second-ranked Villanova (26-2, 13-2). Butler is second, three games back; Xavier, at 8-6 in conference play, is 4 1/2 behind the front-running Wildcats.

With four games remaining on the regular season schedule, Creighton has home games against Providence and St. John's, travels to Villanova on Feb. 25th, finishing up on the road at Marquette, March 4th.

Freshman Lauri Markkanen Scores 26 With 13 Rebounds in Arizona Win Over Washington

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 18, 2017

College teams in the PAC-12 and down the road in the NCAA tourney had best acquaint themselves with #5 Arizona's Freshman Finn, seven-footer Lauri Markkanen, who tallied 26 points and 13 boards in the Wildcats' 76-68 victory at Washington Saturday.

Markkanen, who hails from Jyvaskyla, Finland, is a potent scorer, who is equally deadly near the rim or from three-point range, where he splashes at a .457 clip. Though he did not connect on two attempts from beyond the arc Saturday, he was 9-for-17 overall and canned eight of nine from the charity stripe. He leads Arizona in minutes, scoring (15.7) and rebounding (7.5), and has the Wildcats a game better than second place Oregon in the conference standings, at 14-1 (25-3 overall).

Arizona won their fourth straight, following an 85-58 drubbing at Oregon two weeks ago, and they won't play the Ducks again unless they meet up in the conference tourney. The Wildcats have just three games left in the regular season, with a home game against #6 UCLA looming as the potential conference title clincher. UCLA is 11-3 in the conference, 2 1/2 games back after blasting USC on Saturday, 102-70.

Arizona, Oregon and UCLA look like locks for the NCAA tournament, with either Colorado or Cal becoming the fourth team from the PAC-12 to get invited, hinging largely on their performance in the conference tournament.

Notable: Mike Daum of South Dakota State scored a career-high 51 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the Jackrabbits' 97-89 win over the Fort Wayne Mastadons (no really, that's their chosen name). Daum's point total was the highest in the NCAA this season.

Sunday Spotlight: #23 Maryland plays at #11 Wisconsin, Sunday at 1:00 pm ET in a Big Ten showdown. Both the Terps and Badgers trail Purdue by 1/2 game in the conference standings, making the game a must-see (CBS has the national broadcast) despite the NCAA tournament committee completely shunning the Big Ten in their early top 16 seedings last week.

Princeton Thumps Yale, 71-52, As Devin Cannady Leads 12th Straight Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 17, 2017

Devin Cannady matched a career high with 29 points and seven 3-pointers, helping the Princeton Tiger beat the Bulldogs of Yale, 71-52, on Friday night for its 12th straight win.

Cannady, a sophomore sharp-shooter, dominated the perimeter for Princeton, hitting nine of 11 shots from the field, including an impressive 7-for-8 from beyond the arc. He was 4-for-4 from the foul line, adding three rebounds and a pair of assists as the Tigers maintained their two-game lead in the Ivy League over Harvard. Yale's loss dropped them into third place, three games off the pace. Cannady scored 20 of Princeton's 38 first half points.

At 9-0 in the conference (16-6 overall), Princeton appears to be well on their way toward taking the Ivy League title and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They have five games remaining, one of them hosting Harvard, on March 3. Three of the games are on the road, and, in succession. The Tigers play at Brown this Saturday, then at Columbia and Cornell next weekend. The regular season sends at home, against Brown, March 4th.

Looking ahead across the college hoops spectrum, the big game on Saturday is #3 Kansas at #4 Baylor, a huge Big 12 meeting between two teams that are obviously heading to the Big Dance. The game will be broadcast live on CBS beginning at 1:00 pm ET.

On Saturday night, #14 West Virginia plays at #10 North Carolina, at 8:15 pm ET. ESPN has the coverage.

#1 Gonzaga Solid in 96-61 Win Over SF; Nigel Williams-Goss Drops In 30

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 16, 2017

The hits just keep on coming for top-ranked Gonzaga, as Nigel Williams-Goss pumped in 30 points, leading the Bulldogs to their 27th win without a loss, bombing San Francisco, 96-61.

Not only are the Zags the #1 team in the country, they're also demolishing the West Coast conference with a 15-0 mark, their closest competitor being #20 St. Mary's, at 13-2, though Gonzaga has beaten the Gaels twice, first by 23 points and most recently in a 74-64 road win this past Saturday.

The closest any team has come to defeating Gonzaga this season was back in December, when the Bulldogs hosted Florida and Iowa State back-to-back. The Zags dropped the Gators, 77-72, then slipped by the Cyclones, 73-71. Since then, blowouts - mostly of conference rivals - of 20, 30 points or more have been the norm.

In Thursday's game, Williams-Goss was at his usual best, making 10 of 14 from the field, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line, adding six boards and dishing seven assists.

One of the leading candidates for national player of the year, Williams-Goss averages 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.

The Bulldogs have just three games left in their regular season, all against teams they've already mastered, Pacific, San Diego, and BYU. The season finale, February 25 at home against the BYU Cougars, should be the most competitive of the three. Gonzaga won at BYU, 85-75, on February 2nd.

Khadeen Carrington Carries Seton Hall Past #20 Creighton With 41 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012

If there's any team out there right now that's a textbook case of being on "the bubble" for the NCAA tournament, it has to be the Seton Hall Pirates.

At 16-9, the Pirates are 6-7 in the Big East conference, landing them in fifth place with the season winding down.

In terms of quality wins, count an early season win at Iowa, a December 12, 67-64, win over South Carolina, and last night's 87-81 upset over #20 Creighton as plus signs, but there are more than a few losses to teams like Xavier, Marquette, and Big East leader Villanova putting the Pirates in jeopardy of missing out on the big dance.

Seton Hall hosts #2 Villanova on Saturday, hoping to solidify their chances by avenging a 76-46 thumping by the Wildcats earlier in the season.

Getting back to what could be their most important win of the season, last night's win was a coming out party for the player known locally as "Deeno", junior forward Khadeen Carrington, who tallied a career-high 41 points and scored the final 10 points of the game for Seton Hall, securing the victory.

Carrington made six free throws and a couple of buckets in the final minute, including a steal and breakaway dunk that brought the fans out of their seats.

Carrington's totals were impressive: 10-for-15 from the field, including 3 of 5 on three-pointers, 18-for-22 from the foul line, four steals, five rebounds and seven assists.

The 6'4" junior from Brooklyn, NY, leads the Pirates in scoring at 17.6 points per game. He'll need to keep playing at a high level for the rest of the regular season and into the Big East tournament for the NCAA selection committee to consider them for the March tourney.

VCU Wins 7th Straight, 91-81, Over St. Joe's Behind JeQuan Lewis' Career-High 34 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) appears ready for another wild ride through March as the Rams won their seventh straight, topping St. Joe's, 91-81, behind JeQuan Lewis' career-high 34 points.

Unranked despite a 21-5 record and an 11-2 mark atop the Atlantic 10 conference (tied with Dayton), VCU has been a mainstay of March Madness since the 2010-11 season in which second year head coach Shake Smart took them to the Final Four. After another year dmeolishing the Colonial Athletic conference in 2011-12, the Rams moved to the Atlantic 10 and continued their excellence.

Smart moved on to the University of Texas following the 2014-15 season, replaced by Will Wade, who guided the team to a 25-11 season, a tie for first in the conference and another NCAA appearance. The Rams were knocked out in the second round, but notice had been served that VCU was still on track, becoming one of the small conference powerhouses in the NCAA.

In Tuesday's home win, Lewis took just one shot that was not from beyond the 3-point line and missed it. He did, however, can 9 of 15 from downtown and made seven of nine from the foul line, adding five assists in 36 minutes on the court.

The 6'1" senior out of Dickson, Tennessee, leads the Rams in both scoring and assists, averaging 15.6 points and 4.5 assists per game.

The Rams have five games left in their regular season, including a key rematch at Dayton, tied with VCU in the A-10 standings. VCU kncked off the Flyers, 73-68, back on January 27.

A first or second place finish in the conference and a good showing in the conference tourney should be enough to land the Rams their seventh straight NCAA invite.

Defense, Bryant McIntosh's 25 Points Lead Northwestern Upset of #7 Wisconsin

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 12, 2017

Since North Carolina topped Wisconsin back on November 23, the Badgers had won 11 straight home games.

That was until Northwestern, and junior guard Bryant McIntosh, showed up on Sunday and dismantled the Wisconsin game plan, forcing 12 turnovers and limiting the #7 Badgers to just 7-for-19 (37%) shooting from three-point range.

Overall, it was Northwester's sprawling, clogging defense that took the initiative, while a game-high and season-high 25 points from McIntosh drove the offense. The 6'3" guard from Greensburg, Indiana, was 10-for-23, hit all four of his free throw attempts and had seven assists and seven rebounds. Doing his best imitation of a one-man wrecking crew, McIntosh played all 40 minutes in the 66-59 Wildcat victory that wasn't really as close as the score suggests.

Northwestern was down 17-10 midway through the first half but went on a 21-5 run to finish up 31-22 at the break. The streak included five three-pointers by Northwestern, including one by McIntosh that completed the first half scoring.

Wisconsin held Northwestern scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half, forging a 32-31 advantage, but the Wildcats quickly regained the lead and maintained it for the remainder of the game. The Badgers cut the lead to four points on a couple of occasions, but when Northwestern took a 60-50 lead with 1:16 remaining, the Badgers' first conference home loss was all but confirmed.

The win upped Northwestern's record to 19-6 and 8-4 in the Big Ten. They're two games behind Wisconsin in the conference standings, behind Maryland and Purdue, both 9-3.

Wisconsin remains in first place with a 10-2 conference mark. They are 21-5 overall and a no doubter to be headed to the NCAA tourney in March. Northwestern may have punched its own ticket with an impressive road win.

The wildcats face another big test when Maryland comes calling on Wednesday in the only meeting of the regular season between the two Big Ten foes.

Fighting Irish Ride Bonzie Colson's 33 Points To 84-72 Win Over Florida State

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, February 11, 2017

Less than a month ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had won seven straight, their 16-2 record had them high in the national rankings and their 5-0 ACC record led the conference.

That was before a spate of five losses (and just two wins) dropped the Irish out of the Top 25 and down in the conference standings. The Irish lost to Florida State, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke and North Carolina, while defeating just Syracuse and Wake Forest.

Saturday may have been the start of what could be called the Irish Revenge Tour as Notre Dame hosted #14 Florida State and handed them an 84-72 defeat at South Bend.

Leading the charge was junior forward Bonzie Colson, who hung a career-high 33 points on the Seminoles and improved his conference-best double-double tally to 16 with 13 rebounds.

The win moved Notre Dame to 8-5 in conference play, tied with Syracuse in fifth place, but only 1 1/2 games behind ACC leader, North Carolina.

Colson, a 6'5" match-up nightmare out of Detroit, made 12 of 18 shots from the field including a three-pointer and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

With the win, the Fighting Irish may have turned their season back into a sure invite to the NCAA tournament. At 19-7, the Irish have an excellent shot at being one of the six or seven teams out of the ACC to go to the big dance, They have games remaining against Louisville, Georgia Tech, Boston College (twice, home and away) and NC State prior to the ACC tournament.

Harvard Tops Brown 87-74 As Bryce Aiken Equals Career-High With 23

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, February 10, 2017

Limited action in college hoops on Friday, which means the Ivy League comes into focus.

Bryce Aiken scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half as Harvard pulled away for an 87-74 win over Brown Friday night.

Brown led at the half, 35-33, but the Crimson pulled away in the latter stages of the game, scoring 55 second half points, fueled by Aiken's outburst and contributions from Siyani Chambers and Seth Towns, who tallied 15 and 17, respectively.

Aiken, a six-foot freshman out of Randolph, New Jersey, came in off the bench as he normally does, but was on court for 32 minutes. He leads the Crimson in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game. His 23 points equaled his career best when he put up the same number in Harvard's win over Howard on December 30.

Harvard improved to 5-2 in conference play and is two games back of 7-0 Princeton in the Ivy. The Crimson fell to Princeton, 57-56, on February 4. The rematch, at Princeton, is set for Friday, March 3rd. In between the Tigers and the Crimson stands 6-1 Yale, who hosts Harvard on Saturday, making for a robust trio of teams vying for the Ivy League title.

There's no conference tournament in the Ivy, so every game is important.

A slew of key games are on tap for the weekend, including #1 Gonzaga at #20 St. Mary's, #2 Villanova at #24 Xavier, and #5 Oregon at USC on Saturday. Sunday's action heats up with Oregon State at #10 UCLA, #11 Cincinnati at #25 SMU, and #12 Virginia at Virginia Tech.

Grayson Allen Scores 25, Leading Blue Devils Past Tar Heels

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 9, 2017

The first meeting between the two powerhouses of the ACC lived up to its advance billing as Grayson Allen poured in 25 points to lead #18 Duke past #8 North Carolina, 86-78, Thursday night in Durham, North Carolina.

Allen, a junior guard from Jacksonville, Florida, splashed in seven of 12 from three-point range and was 9-for-14 overall, adding three rebounds and three assists.

Both teams were on the mark all night. The Tar Heels shot 52.5% from the floor; Duke, 52.6%. The scoreboard difference was fueled largely by Allen, as Duke made 13 of 27 from beyond the arc (48.1%), while the Tar Heels were cold, making just four threes in 12 attempts (33.3%).

The victory was the fourth straight for Duke, which had suffered through an uncharacteristically rough patch in which they dropped three of four, including losses to Louisville, Florida State and North Carolina State.

North Carolina's loss dropped them into a tie for first place in the ACC with Florida State at 9-3. Duke is still 1 1/2 games back at 7-4 and 19-5 overall. North Carolina is 21-5 on the season.

The Blue Devils face a quick turnaround, with Clemson (13-10, 3-8, conf.) coming to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Baylor Holds Off OK State Behind Johnathan Motley's 24 Points, 11 Boards

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 8, 2017

#6 Baylor defeated Oklahoma State Wednesday, keeping the Bears a game back of Kansas in the Big 12. Kansas is 9-2 in conference action; Baylor is right behind at 8-3.

Johnathan Motley dominated inside play with 24 points in the 72-69 win at Oklahoma State. Motley was 9-for-12, all of his scoring coming from inside the paint or the foul line, where he nailed 6 of 8 free throws.

A 6'10" junior from Houston Texas, Motley has become one of the most overpowering figures in college hoops. With 11 boards Motley registered his third straight double-double, though the prior two were in losses to Kansas (73-68) and Kansas State (56-54).

This was also the tenth double-double for the big man, his most dominating performance coming in a 74-64, January 17 win over the Texas Longhorns, where he notched career highs with 32 points and 20 rebounds. Motley, who has improved his scoring a rebounding averages each of his three years at Baylor, leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per outing.

The 21-3 Bears host TCU on Saturday and travel to Texas Tech on Wednesday prior to their February 18 showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks. The prior loss to the Jayhawks was in Kansas. Baylor will be home for the rematch, which is shaping up to be one of the most highly-anticipated games of the season.

Josh Hart Scores 25, Leading #2 Villanova Past Georgetown

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Josh Hart scored 25 points, leading #2 Villanova to a 75-64 win over the visiting Georgetown Hoyas.

Hart a 6'6" senior guard, hit eight of 18 shots from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range. He also canned five of six free throws and had seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Hart's been on a scoring tear, having put up 26 in the Wildcats' 92-79 win over St. John's on Saturday. He leads Villanova in minutes (33.3), scoring (19.2) and rebounding (6.6) per game.

The 22-2 Wildcats won their fourth straight game following a setback at Marquette on January 24.

Villanova has a meeting at #24 Xavier this Saturday. The Musketeeers knocked off #22 Creighton this past Saturday, 82-80.

Virginia On Track In ACC As Isaiah Wilkins Leads Cavaliers to 71-55 Win Over Louisville

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, February 6, 2017

Isaiah Wilkins had a double-double, scoring 13 points to go with 11 rebounds as the Virginia Cavaliers upended Louisville, 71-55.

Ranked #4 in by the AP, the loss was just the fifth for Louisville (18-5), but #12 Virginia's win pushed the Cavaliers into a second place tie with Florida State in the ACC at 8-3. Both the Seminoles and Cavaliers trail North Carolina (9-2) by one game. Louisville dropped to 7-4 in the ultra-competitive ACC.

Wilkins and his teammates dominated the glass against Louisville, outrebounding the Cardinals, 38-19. A 6'7" junior from Lilburn, Georgia, Wilkins was 5-for-7 from the field and made all three of his free throws. High scorer for the Cavaliers was London Perrantes, who leads the team in scoring (12.2), with 18.

The effort by Wilkins was one of his best of the season and shows why Virginia is a threat to go deep into the NCAA tournament in March. Including Monday's game, he averages 7.7 points and 6.1 boards per game.

Virginia showed resilience at home after losing at Syracuse on Saturday, 66-62. The Cavaliers take to the court next on Sunday, at Virginia Tech.

Dwayne Bacon Leads Florida State to 109-61 Rout of ACC Rival Clemson

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 5, 2017

With the vast majority of sports fans preoccupied with the Super Bowl, it's quite possible that some may have missed Florida State's dismantling of ACC rival Clemson on Sunday afternoon.

The Seminoles overwhelmed the Tigers in the first of two meetings of the teams. The rematch - if that's what anyone will consider it to be - is at Clemson, on Saturday, February 25. It's the second-last game of the season for Florida State, a team well on its way to the NCAA tournament.

Florida State drove to a 25-point lead at the half, fueled by sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon's 18 points. Unrelenting in the second half, the Seminoles strolled to a monstrous, 109-61, victory on their home court.

Bacon tied his career high with 29 in total, with six 3-pointers and 10 of 14. Florida State hit 17 threes, the most they've ever had in an ACC contest.

With subs coming in early, often and throughout the game for Florida State, the time for the starters was limited. Bacon played just 26 minutes, adding three boards and a pair of assists.

The 14th-ranked Seminoles improved to 20-4 overall and 8-3 in conference play, the conference losses all occurring on the road, at North Carolina, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Florida State, second in the ACC behind North Carolina (9-2), hosts NC State Wednesday night.

#1 Gonzaga Busts BYU, 85-75, Behind Nigel Williams-Goss' 33 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, February 2, 2017

Hailing from Happy Valley, Washington, 6'3" junior transfer, Nigel Williams-Goss, has made the transition from playing two years for the Washington Huskies, across the state to Gonzaga, in Spokane.

At Washington, Williams-Goss averaged 13.4 points per game as a freshman and 15.6 as a sophomore. With 33 points in Gonzaga's' Thursday night 85-75 victory at BYU, Goss is again averaging 15.6 per game and the future for the 23-0 Bulldogs looks bright.

Proving to be one of the more versatile players in college hoops, Williams-Goss made 12 of 18 field goals including a pair of three-pointers and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. He also dished four assists, hauled in seven rebounds, and made three steals.

The scoring outburst was the most by the junior since pouring in 36 in a 95-80 Zags win at San Francisco on January 5th. Because of rules surrounding transfers, Williams-Goss sat out the 2015-16 season at Gonzaga, paving the way for his return to action for the Zags this season. He leads the Bulldogs in scoring and assists (4.3) and is second in rebounding, averaging 5.7 per game.

Ranked #1 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, Gonzaga has cruised through their schedule thus far and has notched wins against three ranked teams, Iowa State, Arizona, and St. Mary's. They have seven games remaining in their regular season slate, hosting pushover Santa Clara on Saturday. On January 15, the Bulldogs bucked the Broncos, 88-57.

Malik Monk Leads Kentucky Over Georgia In Overtime

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 31, 2017

As fabulous freshmen go, Kentucky's Malik Monk ranks among the most "fab."

Monk, who has scored in double digits every time he's taken the floor (22 games), is averaging a solid 22.4 points per outing.

In Tuesday's meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs - incidentally, the final broadcast game for legendary announcer, Brent Musberger - Monk showed off his range, hitting on 7 of 11 three-point attempts and scoring a game-high 37 points.

After just six points in the first half, Monk carried the Wildcats in the second stanza, scoring 23 points to help Kentucky tie the score at 76 and send the game into overtime. He added eight points in OT, outscoring Georgia himself, 8-5, as the Wildcats pulled away from the Bulldogs for a 90-81 victory.

While the 8th-ranked Wildcats avoided a three game losing streak after losses at Tennessee (82-80) and to Kansas (79-73), Monk's 37 points were outstanding and necessary, though still shy of his best effort to date, a 47-point scoring spree in Kentucky's 103-100 win over North Carolina on December 17. In that game, Monk was 18-for-28 from the field, hitting 8 of 12 threes.

In Tuesday's victory over Georgia, the freshman star was 11-for-20, but hit a career-high 10 free throws on 12 attempts.

The Wildcats next match-up is with another SEC opponent, #24 Florida, on Saturday (2/4).

Blue Devils Do It Again; Tyus Jones Leads Duke to National Championship

National Championship Recap

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, April 6, 2015

(1) Duke 68 (1) Wisconsin 63 - Tyus Jones lit up the Wisconsin Badgers in the second half, willing his Duke Blue Devils to the National Championship. The game's leading scorer, Tyus Jones pumped in 19 of his 23 points in the second half, providing the Duke Blue Devils with the fifth championship in program history, all of them masterminded by coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Following a 31-all tie at the break, Wisconsin went on a run, but Duke surged back from a nine-point deficit to take the lead with 4:09 left on Jones' three pointer, putting Duke ahead 59-58. Two buckets by Jahlil Okafor preceded another three-pointer from Jones at 1:24. Jones' two free throws sealed the win for the Blue Devils.

Jones was 7-13 from the field with two three-pointers, a 7-7 mark from the foul line, and five rebounds. Fellow freshman, Grayson Allen, came off the bench to score 16 for the Blue Devils.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	18-6	Notre Dame (3), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (3), Duke (6)
Big East	5-6	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	12-7	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (4), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (5)
Big 12	5-7	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	8-4	UCLA (2), Arizona (3), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	5-5	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (4)
All Others	14-32	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1), N. Iowa (1), Wichita St. (2), San Diego State (1), Gonzaga (3), Dayton (1)

Frank Kaminsky, Badgers Send Kentucky Home; Duke Hammers Spartans; Blue Devils Face Wisconsin in Monday Championship

National Semi-Finals

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, April 4, 2015

(1) Duke 81 (7) Michigan State 61 - So much for hype. In terms of excitement, this one was definitely snooze button material. No wonder these semi-finals are televised on TBS. Once Duke established a lead - about midway through the first half - they never looked back and led by 11 at the break.

The Blue Devils expanded their lead to as many as 20 points. Michigan State never got closer than 13 after Duke made the opening three buckets of the second half. Justise Winslow led Duke with 19 points, followed by Jahlil Okafor's 18 and 17 from Quinn Cook. Statistically, the game was decided at the foul line. Duke went to the line 37 times and made 27. The Spartans had 16 free throw attempts and made 10.

The only remaining question is when do the "I Hate Coach K" tee-shirts go on sale?

(1) Wisconsin 71 (1) Kentucky 64 - Wisconsin engineered a 15-4 run to close out the game, ending Kentucky's unbeaten streak at 38 games. The Badgers seemed desperate with under five minutes remaining, but Sam Dekker's jumper at 4:28 got the Badgers rolling. Outstanding defense against the Wildcats throughout, but especially at crunch time keyed the Badger victory. Kentucky made just one of eight attempts from the field in the final 5:30.

The Badgers led most of the first half, but Kentucky managed to claw back into the fray leaving the two teams deadlocked at intermission.

Wisconsin shot 47% (13-28) in the first half; Kentucky, 60% (15-25), but The Badgers out-rebounded Kentucky, 15-10, seven of Wisconsin's boards coming on the offensive end. Kentucky was just 11-for-29 (19%) in the second half. Wisconsin finished at 48% (23-48).

Frank Kaminsky led all scorers with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocked shots. Amazingly, Wisconsin ended the game with an enormous edge on the boards, out-rebounding the Wildcats, 34-22.

The Badgers will face the Duke Blue Devils for the National Championship, Monday night, April 6.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	17-6	Notre Dame (3), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (3), Duke (5)
Big East	5-6	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	12-6	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (4), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (5)
Big 12	5-7	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	8-4	UCLA (2), Arizona (3), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	5-5	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (4)
All Others	14-32	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1), N. Iowa (1), Wichita St. (2), San Diego State (1), Gonzaga (3), Dayton (1)