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)

Final Four Semi-Finals: Michigan State vs. Duke; Kentucky vs. Wisconsin Game Analysis

Final Four National Semi-Finals

Game Breakdown and Analysis

March Madness has become Awesome April, with the Final Four ready to rumble on Saturday, April 4 at Lucas Stadium in Indianapolis.

Unsurprisingly, the four finalists are teams with exceptional coaches, three of which have won national championships, all of whom have been to the Final Four, especially Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has taken Duke teams to college hoops' promised land more often than any coach, except UCLA's legendary John Wooden, tying the Wizard of Westwood this season with his 12th Final Four appearance.

Coach K has also notched four NCAA Division I Tournament Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010), thus, his prowess as a college basketball mastermind is beyond question. He still has a way to go to match Wooden's record of 10 national titles, however, a record that may never be broken, if only because Division I hoops has changed so much over the years. In Wooden's day, one only needed two wins to reach the Final Four and four wins to take it all. Nowadays, it takes four wins just to get into the Final Four and six to win it all. Plus, quality players are leaving college after a year or two, making building a long-lasting program improbable and exceedingly difficult.

But, along with Krzyzewski, the likes of Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) and John Calipari (Kentucky) continue to get their teams into the tournament and prepare them for the single-elimination marathon.

For Tom Izzo, this marks the seventh Final Four for his Michigan State Spartans and his first Final Four since 2010. He is seeking a second national championship. He won his first in 2000. John Calipari has been to six Final Fours, four with Kentucky (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) and previously had led UMass in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 to the Final Four, but those appearances were later vacated by the NCAA. He has one national championship to his credit, that one earned in 2012. It was Kentucky's eighth national championship.

67-year-old Bo Ryan has the fewest number of Final Four appearances, making the grade last season and this year, both with the Badgers. He has never won a national championship in Division I, though he did win four Division III championships as head coach of University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999), so the competitive fires burn deep in the Badger head coach.

Following is a breakdown/analysis of the two semi-final games:

6:09 pm (7) Michigan State (27-11) vs (1) Duke (33-4) (TBS)

Line: Duke -5

Michigan State Spartans:Points per game: 71.9; Rank: 67
Rebounds per game: 37.7; Rank: 36
Assists per game: 17.1; Rank: 4
Field Goal Pct.: .471; Rank: 32

Duke Blue Devils:Points per game: 80.6; Rank: 4
Rebounds per game: 37.3; Rank: 44
Assists per game: 15.5; Rank: 21
Field Goal Pct.: .502; Rank: 3

Both teams seem cut from roughly the same cloth, that of hard-working, blue-collar determination and team principles, though Duke arguably has more overall talent. Duke and Michigan State both share the ball, as evidenced by their high rankings in the assist column. Other than Duke being the higher-scoring team and having a better shooting percentage, there's little separating these two, but the high level of shooting, especially considering how many three's the Blue Devils take (and make) should be of concern to the Spartans.

Michigan State will have to defend the thee-point line, where Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook predominate, plus be mindful of the inside presence of Jahlil Okafor, possibly the best inside presence in the college ranks this season. The Spartans really don't have the size nor the manpower to put the clamps down on Okafor, so expect them to double-team, even though that's going to free up some three-point shooters. Michigan State will play man-to-man defense, as will the Blue Devils. The premier match-up will be at point guard, where Duke's Jones will have to deal with lightning-quick Travis Trice and diminutive Lourawls Nairn Jr.

Darnell Valentine, Michigan State's leading scorer, will have to provide leadership and hit more than a few contested points. It would be in Michigan State's favor to turn this into a half-court contest, as Duke can and will run and gun. Fast break points may be hard to come by, however, as the well-prepared Spartans play excellent defense.

As for records, Michigan State's 27-11 mark is the worst of all the Final Four contestants, but they knocked off the #2, 3 and 4 seeds in the East region, topping Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville, respectively, after cruising by Georgia, 70-63, in their first game. Michigan State's average margin of victory in tournament games is a mere 5.75, and the 76-70 win over Louisville was in overtime.

Duke's mark of 33-4 is among the best in the nation, and, considering they came out of the rock-solid ACC, is quite an accomplishment. Their tourney wins have been sensational and by large margins. After whipping 16-seed Robert Morris, 85-56, in their opener, the defeated San Diego State, 68-49; Utah, 63-57; and Gonzaga, 66-52, for an average margin of victory of 17.0, an impressive stat.

Neither team is especially deep on the bench, but both coaches will substitute freely, giving their star players needed breaks, though Izzo will be shuffling in more players for the Spartans than does Duke. If the Spartans don't defend well or Duke has open looks from beyond the arc, this could turn into a rout. What will keep it close is solid defense by Michigan State, a bit of luck, and second chance points by the better-rebounding Spartans.

8:49 pm (1) Wisconsin (35-3) vs (1) Kentucky (38-0) (TBS)

Line: Kentucky -5

Wisconsin Badgers:
Points per game: 71.9; Rank: 67
Rebounds per game: 33.7; Rank: 204
Assists per game: 12.7; Rank: 165
Field Goal Pct.: .480; Rank: 21

Kentucky Wildcats:
Points per game: 74.9; Rank: 29
Rebounds per game: 38.2; Rank: 21
Assists per game: 14.7; Rank: 42
Field Goal Pct.: .469; Rank: 40

If there's been any mismatches in this tournament, they've likely featured the Wildcats, who have run their record to 38-0, after sweeping the SEC regular season and tournament, by winning four tournament games by a combined 77 points, for an average margin of 19.25 points per game. Take out the two-point win over Notre Dame (68-66) and their margin improves to 25 points per outing.

The Wildcats have nothing in mind other than to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, coached by Bobby Knight, to win a national championship with an undefeated record. Kentucky is two games from accomplishing the feat, which, somewhat surprisingly, hasn't been done in 39 years, nearly as long as another Kentucky-related record, that being horse racing's triple crown. The last time that happened was 1978, when Affirmed fended off Alydar in three straight close races.

While there may not be a triple crown horse on the racing horizon, these Wildcats are surely basketball thoroughbreds, and this team, despite being mostly freshmen and sophomores, is exceedingly deep, and very tall and long. Wisconsin will find out early on that Kentucky's size can be extremely incapacitating, especially if the Wildcat players are able to set their feet on defense. Since Wisconsin plays a half-court kind of game, the Kentucky players will almost certainly have an edge when the Badgers are trying to score.

A glance at the stats and rankings above reveals even more issues for the Badgers. They are almost certain to be out-rebounded and much of their offense depends on two big men, Frank Kominsky and Sam Dekker, whereas the Wildcats can counter with four or five players of size, starting with 6'11" Karl Anthony Towns, and seven-footers Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson, with Trey Lyles (6'10") and Marcus Lee (6'9").

The back court match-ups don't hold much promise for Wisconsin either. Though the Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, are the starters, their replacements, Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker are probably better. Booker is especially deadly from outside. He can rain down threes like the sky is falling.

The Badgers do have Kaminsky, the choice for player of the year, but asking him to do it alone is a task too great. He is crafty and has extreme range, but, unless he gets help from others in the scoring and rebounding department, it's hard to see how Wisconsin can stay with the Wildcats for the entire 40 minutes. Notre Dame nearly pulled off a remarkable upset, and they were one of just a few teams that could possibly defeat Kentucky, as they had been red-hot, proven by winning the ACC tournament and played a nearly flawless game.

Wisconsin is certainly capable of playing with few turnovers - that is their trademark - but they'll really have to clamp down on defense, especially in the paint. What works for Wisconsin is their experience versus Kentucky's youthful talent. The Badgers are cool under pressure and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them with a chance to win late in the game, but, from well before March Madness began, this was always going to be Kentucky's tournament to lose, and if they do lose, it will be by a team with depth and determination, but it remains a long shot.

Michigan State, Duke Complete Final Four, Will Join Kentucky, Wisconsin in Indianapolis; Matt Jones Big for Blue Devils

Sunday Sweet 16 Results

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

(7) Michigan State 76 (4) Louisville 70 OT - Montrezl Harrell and Wayne Blackshear each scored 12 points in the first half and the Louisville Cardinals led by eight, 40-32, at the break. The Cardinals were 17-for-32 in the first half (53%) and outscored the Spartans 8-2 over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the half.

Michigan State used an 8-2 run of their own to start the second half and finally took a lead at 8:53. Neither team could score in the closing seconds, sending the game into overtime, where the Spartans took a 7-1 edge on a Byrn Forbes three-pointer and a pair of free throws, followed by a layup from Darnell Valentine. Louisville got back to within two points with just over a minute remaining, but could not stop the Spartans late. Blackshear led all scorers with 28 points, but overall, Louisville couldn't hit many shots in the second half, finishing at 36% for the game, 23 of 64 overall, six for 32 in the second half (17%).

(1) Duke 66 (2) Gonzaga 52 - After building a solid early lead, the Blue Devils cooled off and Gonzaga rallied to cut into the lead, down five at the half, 31-26. Six turnovers and foul trouble were issues for the Bulldogs in the opening half.

Gonzaga surged to a four-point lead early in the second half, but Duke quickly regained control and began to pull away in the latter stages of the game. A force off the bench, Matt Jones had 16 points, as did Justise Winslow. Jones was 6-for-10 from the field, with four three-pointers. Tyus Jones scored 15 and dished six assists for the Blue Devils.

Duke will meet Michigan State on Saturday, April 4, in Indianapolis.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	16-6	Notre Dame (3), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (3), Duke (4)
Big East	5-6	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	11-5	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (4), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (4)
Big 12	5-7	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	8-4	UCLA (2), Arizona (3), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	5-4	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)

Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky Propel Wisconsin into Final Four; Kentucky's Karl Anthony Townes Leads Wildcats over Fighting Irish

Elite Eight Results, College Hoops

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 28, 2015

West Region
(1) Wisconsin 85 (2) Arizona 78 - After hitting just one of their first eight shots and falling behind by a 10-2 score, Arizona gained some composure and outscored the Badgers 31-20, finishing the first half with a 33-30 advantage.

Wisconsin countered with a 14-3 run to begin the second half and carried that momentum through to victory. Briefly, the Wildcats got to within two points early in the half, but never substantially threatened Wisconsin's lead. Frank Kaminsky was spectacular in the low post with 29 points and six rebounds, all the while putting virtually all Arizona front line players in foul trouble. Sam Dekker was enormous for the Badgers, with 27 points, making eight of 11 from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, plus six of seven free throws and five boards.

Both teams shot 56% for the game, but the Badgers were 12-for-18 beyond the arc, a 67% clip.

Midwest Region
(1) Kentucky 68 (3) Notre Dame 66 - Games like this one are why the NCAA tournament has become one of the premier sporting events on the world stage. Both teams played with commitment and desire and the outcome was not sure until the final buzzer, in between the action punctuated by compelling play after play, from both sides.

Eventually, Andrew Harrison's two free throws with six seconds left to play provided the winning margin, though the game would not have been so close if not for the effort of Kentucky's Karl Anthony Townes, who rang up a game-high 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field and five of six from the foul line. Townes also grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists, made two steals and blocked a shot.

If not one of the greatest college basketball games of all time, this certainly is one in which all participants can enjoy in proud memory. There were no goats, and no gaffes. Only winners. All of us.

The Wisconsin Badgers and Kentucky Wildcats meet in a Final Four match-up Saturday, April 4.

Sweet 16: Duke, Michigan State, Gonzaga Reach Elite Eight with Louisville as Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier Power Cardinals

Sweet 16 Recaps: Friday Games

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 27, 2015

South Region
(2) Gonzaga 74, (11) UCLA 62 - Unable to strike from outside nor contain Gonzaga's bigs in the paint, the UCLA Bruins were bitten by the Bulldogs and eliminated from the NCAA proceedings. The Bruins didn't hit a three-pointer until there were less than three minutes left in the game. Meanwhile, Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski scored a game-high 18 points and Domitras Sabonis added 12. Karnowski added nine boards, two assists and two blocks, helping the Zags establish a double-digit lead in the second half that they would not relinquish.

Gonzaga out-rebounded the Bruins, 50-39. Neither team was effective from beyond the arc. UCLA ended up the better of the two, hitting three of 13 (23%), while Gonzaga was 3-for-19 (16%).

(1)Duke 63, (5) Utah 57 - Led by Justise Winslow's 21 points and 10 rebounds, the Duke Blue Devils prevailed over the Utes, building a second-half gap that Utah tried in vain to close.

The Blue Devils did it with defense and foul shots, holding the Utes to 35% shooting, while making 20 of 26 free throws. Duke will meet Gonzaga on Sunday for the chance to advance to the Final Four.


East Region
(4) Louisville 75, (8) NC State 65 - In a game that resembled a rugby scrum at times, the two ACC entrants went toe-to-toe until Louisville opened up a late lead on a 9-0 run approaching the end of regulation. Terry Rozier did it all for the Cardinals with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists, as four Cardinal starters scored in double figures.

Montrezl Harrell was his usual impressive self, with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Harrell was 9-for-12 from the field and 6-for-7 at the foul line.

(7) Michigan State 62 (3) Oklahoma 58 - Tom Izzo's surprising Spartans knocked off the #2 and #3 seeds - Virginia and Oklahoma - in the region for the right to move onto the Elite Eight round. Once again, Travis Trice was sensational, leading both teams in scoring with 24 points, hitting four of nine from three-point range and going 6-for-6 from the foul line.

The game was as close as the final score indicates, with neither team shooting 40% from the field. The Spartans make a date with Louisville on Sunday, the winner heading to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	15-4	Notre Dame (3), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (3), Duke (3)
Big East	5-6	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	9-5	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (3), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (3)
Big 12	5-7	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	8-3	UCLA (2), Arizona (3), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	4-4	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (3)
All Others	14-31	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)

Sweet 16 Thursday Results; Irish, Both Wildcats Advance; Sam Dekker Has Career-Best 23 to Move Wisconsin Forward

Sweet 16 Results

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 26, 2012

Midwest Region
(3) Notre Dame 81, (7) Wichita St 70 - The Fighting Isish sustained a 38-18 second half run to completely blow away the Shockers, advancing to the Elite 8 and a meeting on Saturday with Kentucky.

Wichita State lead for only 36 seconds, at 38-37, before Notre Dame went on its game-winning tear. Four of the five Irish starters finished in double figures, led by Demetrius Jackson's 20. The only Irish starter not in double figures was Jerian Grant, who had nine points ad 11 assists. Pat Connaughton registered a double-double with 16 and 10 boards.

(1) Kentucky 78 (5) West Virginia 39 - Never close, the Wildcats blew away the Mountaineers by the largest margin of the tournament.

West Region
(1) Wisconsin 79, (4) North Carolina 72 - North Carolina held a four-point lead with just over six minutes to play, but, as has been the case most of the season, the Tar Heels could not close out, and the Badgers, expert at end-of-game tactics, prevailed.

Sam Dekker had a career-high 23 points and added 10 boards. Dekker's layup with 1:08 to play gave the Badgers a four-point cushion; eight straight free throws sealed the deal for Wisconsin.

(2) Arizona 68 (6) Xavier 60 - A late, 19-7, run to close out the game got Arizona past pesky Xavier and into the Elite Eight to face Wisconsin. T.J. McConnell paced the Wildcats with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Matt Stainbrook paced the Musketeers with 17. A rematch from the 2014 tournament, Wisconsin eliminated the Wildcats in last year's Elite Eight.

* * * *

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Previews, Friday Games feature Duke, Gonzaga, Cardinals, Spartans

Sweet 16 Previews: Friday Games

South Region
7:15 pm (11) UCLA (22-13) vs (2) Gonzaga (34-2) CBS - The highest seed remaining in the tournament, UCLA will defend the honor of the PAC-12, which has done surprisingly well during the first two rounds, compiling a 7-1 mark from four teams (UCLA, UTAH, Arizona, and Oregon). What the Bruins face, however, is one of the best teams left in the tourney. Gonzaga hasn't been a "Cinderella" team for quite some time; they're established as a powerhouse on a national scale and perennial champions of the West Coast conference. Additionally, Gonzaga already has a win at UCLA in the books this season, a December 19, 87-74 victory.

9:45 pm (5) Utah (26-8) vs (1) Duke (31-4) CBS - As usual, the Blue Devils have raised their game as the tournament has proceeded. Under the tutelage of Mike Krzyzewski, nothing short of 100% is expected from the players on the floor and that's generally what he always gets. Duke can produce from the outside, raining down threes on the opposition or inside, using Jahlil Okafor's wide body for scoring and defense. The Utes will test the interior of Duke's defense, as they have significant size on their front line. Not an easy task for the Blue Devils and possibly a significant upset, should Utah prove too tough in the lane.

East Region
7:37 pm (8) NC State (22-13) vs (4) Louisville (26-8) TBS - An all-ACC meeting here in the East, and the edge belongs to the Wolf Pack, by virtue of a 74-65 win at Louisville during the regular season. Both teams are notable for athleticism and defense, and this will be as hard-nosed a game as one will see in the entire tournament. While Louisville was awarded a lower seed, there really isn't much differentiating these teams and the game could come down to fouls (who's left on the court) and free throws. If there's a "must see" game for potential upsetters of the status quo, this one is it.

10:07 pm (7) Michigan State (25-11) vs (3) Oklahoma (24-10) TBS - The Sooners and Spartans are both well-coached and highly regarded by the remaining competition. This game could turn into a brawl, with physicality in excess on both sides, but the duel between Michigan State's Travis Trice and Oklahoma's premier scoring threat, Buddy Hield, will be prominent. Oklahoma hasn't seen much in the way of serious competition, beating Albany, then Dayton, to advance, while the Spartans have made their way with a win over Georgia before upsetting the #2 seed in the region, Virginia, and doing so with apparent ease. Ought to be a good one leading up to Sunday's epic games.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Regional Semi-Final Thursday Night Previews, Looks Like Wildcat Night

Sweet 16 Regional Semi-Final Previews

Midwest Region
7:15 pm (7) Wichita State (30-4) vs (3) Notre Dame (31-5) CBS - This is likely to be the most entertaining game of the evening, as both teams like to get up and down the floor and can really light it up from beyond the arc.

The Irish are quite a dangerous commodity, presently, having beaten Duke and North Carolina to win the ACC tournament, and gutting out close wins over Northeastern (69-65) and Butler, beating the Bulldogs in overtime, 67-64.
Wichita State downed Indiana in their tourney opener and then stunned the region's #2 seed, Kansas, with a 78-65 whipping. The Shockers were fortunate to receive a seeding that kept them on the underside of the Kentucky bracket and there is little doubt that they can match up quite well with Notre Dame.

9:45 pm (5) West Virginia (25-9) vs (1) Kentucky (36-0) CBS - Knocked out of the Big 12 tournament in the first round by Baylor, Bob Huggins' Mountaineers may be the tournament's poster boys for overachievement, knocking off Buffalo, 68-62, and then Maryland, 69-59, to get to this game against the Wildcats.

The chances of West Virginia pulling off the upset over the nation's #1 team? Slim. Kentucky has too much size on the front line and too much skill in the back court, which can involve as many as four guards, including the twins, Andrew and Aaron Harrison. Since LSU nearly ended Kentucky's undefeated run on February 10 in a 71-69 loss, the closest any team has come to beating the Wildcats is Georgia, which lost, at home, 72-64. In the SEC tournament, won by 13, 24 and 15 points, and their average magin of victory in the NCAA tourney has been 18 points.

West Region
7:47 pm (4) North Carolina (26-11) vs (1) Wisconsin (33-3) TBS - A real heavyweight battle here between two teams that are perennial tournament participants. Wisconsin has been to the tourney 17 straight seasons and are likely to be moving forward here. Frank Kaminsky leads a veteran group that is notorious for closing out opponents. The Tar Heels have had a successful season up to this point, but they've often wilted in late stages of games. It will be noteworthy to watch what happens at about the seven-minute mark of the second half. That should be about the time the teams will either show up or give in to pressure.

10:17 pm (6) Xavier (23-13) vs (2) Arizona (33-3) TBS - Viewers on the East coast haven't likely seen much of the Wildcats, but they're about to get an eyeful from this well-balanced and very dangerous team. Arizona has won 13 straight, their last loss an 81-78 defeat at in-state rival Arizona State on February 7. That's history, and the Wildcats steamrolled through the PAC-12 tourney with wins of 22, 14, and 28 points, slaughtering Oregon, 80-52 in the final. A 93-72 win over Texas Southern in their first toruney game and a ho-hum, 73-58 rout of Ohio State has them here.

Xavier hasn't met much competition in the tourney, beating Ole Miss in their opener and handling upstart Georgia State (a 14 seed) in the next round. Teams from the Big East have a 5-5 record in the tournament through the last round, while the PAC-12 boasts a 7-1 mark.

Tomorrow: Friday games previewed.

Two's Blues: Virginia, Kansas Out; Blue Devils Blast San Diego St., Advance to Sweet 16 on Jahlil Okafor's Big Effort

Round of 32 Sunday Games

and Player of the Day for Sunday, March 22, 2015

(7) Michigan St 60, (2) Virginia 54 - The ACC had won 10 games without a loss, and the streak had to end somewhere. No surprise, it was Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans that rose to the occasion. A near-fixture in the Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four under Izzo's tutelage, Spartan players turned on the defensive jets and smother Virginia, holding them to 18 first half points and a woeful 29% shooting for the game.

On the other end of the floor, Travis Trice was irrepressible, scoring a game-high 23 points on 7-15 shooting, including 4-8 from three-point range and 5-6 from the foul line in 39 minutes of court time.

(1) Duke 68, (8) San Diego State 49 - As is often the case in the tournament, while other teams are floundering and falling by the wayside, the Duke Blue Devils simply play on and continue mowing down the opposition. Such was the case against San Diego State, who could not deal with Jahlil Okafor inside. Duke's freshman superstar was 12-16 from the field for a game-high 26 points, adding six rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocked shots.

(7) Wichita State 78, (2) Kansas 65 - Kansas had appeared vulnerable due to losing the Big 12 final to Iowa State (eliminated by UAB Thursday night) and, indeed, they were. The Shockers didn't exactly shock anyone; they are a quality team and they know it, and now, so does everyone else. The Jayhawks got into trouble late in the first half, when they scored just four points - all from the foul line - in the last six minutes leading up to the break and left the court down, 29-26. They never got any closer.

Wichita State opened up their offense and basically outran Kansas, quicker to the ball in every aspect and scoring repeatedly on breakaways, steals and sloppy defense. All five starters scored for the Shockers, led by Tekele Cotton's 19 points. The Jayhawks became the second #2 seed to lose in the tourney; earlier in the day, Michigan State (also a #7 seed) knocked off Virginia in the East region.

(3) Oklahoma 72, (11) Dayton 66 - The Sooners got all they could handle from Dayton, but managed to make key plays in the closing minutes to edge away from the fiesty Flyers and advance to the round of 16, where they will meet up with the Michigan State Spartans.

(2) Gonzaga 87, (7) Iowa 68 - A complete mismatch and a blowout for the Zags, who were never threatened once they established a lead. Led by Kevin Wiltjer's 24 points and seven rebounds, the Bulldogs were a model of consistency, hitting 61.5% from the field, 62.5% on threes and 61.9% from the foul line. Dazzling.

(1) Wisconsin 72, (8) Oregon 65 - The Ducks' Joseph Young led all scorers with 30 points, but the Badgers kept to task and eliminated the only PAC-12 representative to take to the hardwoods on the day. Though the score was close, Wisconsin actually led almost all the way. The only times they didn't was at 0-0 to start the game and 52-all with 5:56 left to play. The Badgers will meet North Carolina in the Sweet 16.

(5) West Virginia 69, (4) Maryland 59 - Nearing the midpoint of the second half, Maryland's sensational point guard, Melo Trimble, suffered a concussion-like injury and left the game, not to return. The Terrapins, without one of their leading scorers and main play-maker, suffered from the loss and the Mountaineers gradually pulled away for the victory. Tremble finished with a team-high 15 points. Devin Williams led the Mountaineers with 16.

(4) Louisville 66, (5) Northern Iowa 53 - The Panthers made a game of it, but the final game of the weekend ended with a whimper instead of a thunderous dunk. Louisville's starting five was simply too good, scoring all but five of the Cardinal points. Sophomore, Terry Rozier, was stunning, scoring a game-high 25 points to go with five boards and seven assists.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	12-1	Notre Dame (2), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (2), Duke (2)
Big East	5-5	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	7-5	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (2), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (2)
Big 12	5-5	Kansas (1), West Virginia (2), Oklahoma (2)
Pac-12	7-1	UCLA (2), Arizona (2), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	3-4	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (2)
All Others	13-30	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 (2), Dayton (1)

NCAA Tournament Round of 32: ACC 10-0, PAC-12 7-0; Tony Parker Leads Bruins into Sweet 16; Kentucky, Notre Dame, Tar Heels Advance

Round of 32 Saturday Games

and College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 21, 2015

(11) UCLA 92, (14) UAB 75 - There were those who said that UCLA didn't belong in the tournament, but the Bruins are having them eat their words, blowing out the Blazers to become the first team in the tourney to reach the level of Sweet 16 and posting the third-highest point total of the tourney, behind Arizona and Villanova, both of which had 93 in their openers. Tony Parker led everyone with 28 points and 12 rebounds, turning away three shots in UCLA's win to garner today's Player of the Day honors.

(1) Kentucky 64, (8) Cincinnati 51 - The Bearcats wanted to dance with the Wildcats, but it was Kentucky showing off the fancy footwork, smothering Cincy with defense. The Bearcats shot just 32%.

The Wildcats ended the first half on a 10-0 run and went into the break with a seven-point cushion, holding Cincinnati scoreless the final 3:43 of the first half. Leading the entire second half, the Wildcats expanded their lead to as many as 19 points, cruising to their 36th straight win.

(2) Arizona 73, (10) Ohio State 58 - The Buckeyes led most of the first half, but didn't score the final 3:13, and trailed 26-25 at intermission. Arizona used a 16-6 run early in the second half to open a ten-point lead and were never threatened after that. Gabe York and T.J. McConnell each had 19 for Arizona.

(6) Xavier 75, (14) Georgia State 67 - Representing the Sun Belt as well as they could, the Panthers finally fell too far behind the Musketeers in the late stages of the game and were eliminated after sending #3 seed Baylor home early in the previous round. Even though Georgia State shot 53.5% from the field, Xavier was fr better, clicking at 67.6% (23-34) and also made 22 of 25 from the line (88%).

(8) NC State 71, (1) Villanova 68 - Stunning the top seed in the East, the Wolfpack was relentless and held the lead throughout the second half after leading 32-28 at the break. Trevor Lacey was brilliant, with 17 points, six boards and four assists, and both Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu each registered double-doubles for NC State. The closest Villanova came was with just 1.9 seconds left, when they closed to within a point, but Ralston Turner's two free throws sealed the win.

(5) Utah 75, (4) Georgetown 64 - The Hoyas opened up a 21-10 lead, making five threes in the first 6:28 of the game, but the Utes clawed back to tie the game at 32 into half time. Utah never fell behind after that and gradually pulled away in the latter stages of the game, shooting 58% from the field.

(4) North Carolina 87, (5) Arkansas 78 - Arkansas made this a tight one, but the athleticism, size and talent of the Tar Heels prevailed. Marcus Paige had 22 points, six rebounds and five steals for North Carolina.

(3) Notre Dame 67, (6) Butler 64 - For the bleary-eyed who managed to stay up late for this one, the loss of a little sleep was well worth it, as the Irish and Bulldogs played a back-and-forth classic that could only be decided in overtime. Steve Vasturia had a career high 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including the clinching three-pointer in overtime. He added 6-for-6 from the line and six rebounds.

Conference Power Scoreboard

Conference	W-L	Winners (# of Ws)
ACC	10-0	Notre Dame (2), NC State (2), North Carolina (2), Arkansas (1), Virginia (1). Louisville (1)
Big East	5-5	Butler (1), Xavier (2), Villanova (1), Georgetown (1)
Big Ten	5-3	Ohio State (1), Michigan St. (1), Maryland (1), Iowa (1), Wisconsin (1)
Big 12	3-4	Kansas (1), West Virginia (1), Oklahoma (1)
Pac-12	7-0	UCLA (2), Arizona (2), Utah (2), Oregon (1)
SEC	3-4	Ole Miss (1), Kentucky (2)
All Others	11-27	Hampton(1), Robert Morris (1), Dayton (1), UAB (1), Georgia St. (1), Cincinnati (1), N. Iowa (1), Wichita St. (1), San Diego State (1), Gonzaga (1), Dayton (1)