Richard Howell Saves Wolf Pack in 82-80 Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 24, 2012

Bucketfuls of Top 25 action adorned the holiday hoops weekend. For some, life was a breeze; for others, just hanging on to a ranking was enough.

Down on Tobacco Rosd, in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Wolf Pack had their hands full with unwelcome guests from NC-Asheville, as Jeremy Atkinson led all scorers with 28 points and the Bulldogs led most of the game, until Richard Howell bailed out the 16th-ranked Wolfpack, scoring the go-ahead bucket with 3:06 remaining in an 82-80 NC State victory.

Howell, a 6'8" senior forward, scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, registering his second double-double of the season. The Wolfpack improved to 4-1, bouncing back from a 76-56 drubbing by Oklahoma State on November 18.

Howell was 8-for-10 from the field and 7-for-11 from the foul line. Five of his 15 boards were offensive.

Elsewhere, in the "romp-over-cupcake" category, #3 Ohio State blasted Missouri-Kansas City, 91-45; #8 Kentucky bombed LIU Brooklyn, 104-75.

In the best holiday tournament action, the Battle for Atlantis got down to two teams for the finals, with #5 Duke topping a determined and sure to be heard from again VCU squad, 67-58.

On the other side of the draw, #2 Louisville erased Missouri, 84-61. Russ Smith popped in 18 points, but junior forward matched a career high with 19 points on six of nine shooting, making five of seven threes in just 21 minutes.

For the Memphis Tigers, the trip to the Bahamas was a veritable disaster. After losing to VCU in the opening round, 78-65, the Tigers were humbled in a consolation game by Minnesota, 84-75. The #19 Tigers went from 2-0 to 2-2 in the span of 24 hours and are unlikely to remained ranked when the new poll is released on Monday.

Also encountering early season issues was #18 UNLV, losing at home to Oregon, 83-79. The Runnin' Rebels are 2-1.

Mason Plumlee Paces Duke in 89-71 win over Minnesota

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 22, 2012

In between mounds of mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, some college squads got in a little hoop action on Thanksgiving, like the Duke Blue Devils, who are spending the holiday weekend in the Bahamas at the Battle for Atlantis tourney in Nassau, where they dispatched Minnesota, 89-71, earning a ticket the to a semi-final game against VCU, 78-65 upset winners over Memphis. The two sqauds will tip off at 7:00 pm ET.

Duke got an enormous effort fromsenior forward, Mason Plumlee, who scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting and eight of 10 free throws. Plumlee also matched his career high rebounding total with 17, five on the offensive end, notching his second double-double of the young season. Seth Curry pitched in a game-high 25 points for the Blue Devils.

With Plumlee playing a big part - averaging a double-double, with 21.3 points and 10.8 boards, Duke is off to its usual strong start, at 4-0, ranked #5 in the most recent poll.

In the other half of the tournament draw, #13 Missouri matches up against #2 Louisville. Both the Tigers and Cardinals are 4-0.

There is a veritable feast of college basketball on tap Friday through Sunday, with tournaments nationwide, including the Old Spice Classic in Kissimmee, Florida; the Great Alaska Shootout in Ancorage; the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim, California and the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Grinnell's Jack Taylor Sets New NCAA Scoring Mark with 138 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012

This is a special edition of CBD

The collegiate single-game scoring record stood for 58 years until Jack Taylor bombed away for an incredible 138 points Tuesday night in Grinell College's 179-104 victory over Faith Bible Baptist.

Taylor had a mere 58 points at half time, and finished his shooting spree with 80 in the second frame, 52-for-108, including 27 of 71 from the three-point line.

The previous NCAA record of 113 points, set by Bevo Francis of Rio Grande against Hillsdale, in 1954, was shattered by Taylor's incredible performance.

Grinnell College is located in Grinnell, Iowa. Grinnell is a Division III school.

Cashmere Wright Leads Bearcats to 4-0 Record; Indiana Survives over Hoyas, Tar Heels Dumped by Butler

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 20, 2012

As his name implies, Cincinnati's Cashmere Wright is a smooth operator, capable of putting up points from anywhere on the floor, as he did in Wednesday night's 91-72 victory over Campbell, the Bearcats' fourth straight win without a loss.

A 6-foot senior guard out of Savannah, Georgia, Wright tallied a game-high and career-high 28 points for the Bearcats, hitting four of six from three-point range on 8-for-14 shooting overall. Wright also canned eight of 10 free throws, distributed a pair of assists, and made five steals, making up for his four turnovers.

As usual, the Bearcats are pounding lesser opposition in their early season tune-up phase, preparing for headier days ahead when Big East play commences.

Elsewhere, various tournaments were displaying some of the best talent around. In Hawaii, at the annual Maui Invitational, Butler had an incredibly easy time defeating #9 North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels by as many as 27 points as they cruised to an 82-71 win in one of two semi-final games.
A night after topping Marquette by a point to advance, the 3-1 Bulldogs were paced by 17 points apiece from Kellen Dunham and Rotnei Clarke. They held North Carolina to 18 first half points, rolling to a 17-point lead at the break. Butler will face Illinois - an 84-61 winner over Chaminade - in the tournament final Wednesday night. The Bulldogs and Fighting Illini are both unranked.

In Brooklyn, top-ranked Indiana held off a determined Georgetown team, finally dispatching the Hoyas in overtime, 82-72, to capture the Legends Classic title at the Barclays Center.

The Hoosiers are 4-0. Georgetown dropped to 3-1, but should not be disappointed with the result of their trip to the Big Apple. The Hoyas tore up #11 UCLA in the tourney semi-final and fared well against one of the nation's best teams in the championship game. A Top 25 ranking for the youthful Hoyas, who have no seniors on their roster, is a good likelihood in the near future.

Otto Porter Buries UCLA as Georgetown wins in Brooklyn

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 19, 2012

UCLA got their star recruit into the mix, as Shabazz Muhammad was reinstated off suspension prior to their trip to the Brooklyn, NY, and a meeting with the Georgetown Hoyas in the Progressive Legends Classic tournament at the Barclays Center.

While Muhammad fit right in, scoring 15 points in 25 minutes, the 11th-ranked Bruins were undone by an underrated, unranked Georgetown squad that improved to 3-0 with a 78-70 victory.

Markel Starks, a junior guard, led all scorers with 23 points, but 6'8" sophomore forward, Otto Porter, put on an impressive, double-double performance with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, making both of his attempts from beyond the arc, cashing in four of five free throws and nabbing 11 rebounds.

When Porter wasn't busy scoring or rebounding, he got busy dishing to teammates, totaling five assists, or defending, with five blocked shots and three steals.

The game was Porter's first of full time action of the season, having sat against Liberty this past Wednesday due to concussion symptoms resulting from an injury sustained in the Hoyas' season-opening win over Duquesne on November 11. Porter played only six minutes in that game before sitting out with dizziness.

His 35 minutes on the floor against UCLA proved invaluable, as the Bruins found few openings in the Hoya zone defense, within which Porter excelled. The Bruins were held to 41% shooting and just 5-for-19 on threes (26%). On their offensive end, Georgetown sizzled, shooting a cool 55% for the game with seven of 14 threes.

The Bruins dropped to 3-1.

Georgetown will face #1 Indiana in the tournament championship game, Tuesday night, with tip time slated for 10:00 pm ET.

Sean Kilpatrick's 29 Leads Cincinnati to 3-0 Record

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 18, 2012

It was back to routine routs for Top 25 teams playing unranked, lesser opponents on Sunday and finishing up tip-off tourneys for others.

A few of the bigger blowouts included #2 Louisville ripping Miami (OH), 80-39, #8 Syracuse's, 88-57, toppling of Wagner, and #19 Gonzaga taking out South Dakota, 96-58.

Brady Haslip pumped in 29 points to lead the #16 Baylor Bears over St. John's, 97-78.

There were a couple of games that didn't exactly come off as planned. #23 Connecticut was taken to double overtime by tiny Quinnipiac before finally prevailing, 89-83. Shabazz Napier led all scorers with 29 points, but made only eight of 23 shots.

#6 NC State lost at home, badly, being roped and tied by the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 76-56. The Wolfpack were held to 36% shooting and made only half (8-16) of their free throws, dropping to 3-1. The Wolfpack becme the seventh Top 25 team to record a loss in just the first nine days of play, assuring a major shake-up in the national rankings.

Cincinnati's 93-39 palindromic victory over NC A&T may have been the most lopsided rout of the day, in which Sean Kilpatrick buried eight of 12 three-pointers and made 10 of 15 overall to lead all scorers with a career high 29 points.

In just 26 minutes of floor time, Kilpatrick, a 6'4" junior swingman, hauled in seven boards, dished five assists and made two steals.

Cincinnati, ranked 24th, is 3-0, and almost certain to move up in the new poll out Monday.

DeShaun Thomas Leads #4 Buckeyes to 69-58 Win

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, November 17, 2012

DeShaun Thomas score 25 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 69-58 win over Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Connecticut.

Thomas had ten rebounds for the fourth-ranked Buckeyes, who play Washington in the tournament final on Sunday afternoon. It was his first double-double of the season. The Buckeyes are 2-0.

The 6'7" junior forward hit 9 of 18 shots from the field, including going 3-for-5 on three-pointers. Thomas played a full 40 minutes and is averaging 22.0 points per game after scoring 19 against Albany in Ohio State's season opening win.

Last season, Thomas averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Ronald Roberts Jr. Leads St. Joseph's Upset Win over #20 Notre Dame

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 16, 2012

With plenty of tip-off tournaments and Thanksgiving tourneys underway, there was plenty of college hoops action on Friday, a weekday that later on in the season will be fairly bland, unless you're a big fan of Ivy League basketball.

Anyhow, for now, we're loving it, and the biggest upset of the night had to be Colorado's 60-58 victory over #16 Baylor. The Bears had a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into OT, but missed.

That makes six ranked teams that already have lost a game. The others are Kentucky, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Kansas. Quite a list, considering we're only a week into the season. Surely, there will be more to come.

One of those ranked teams suffering defeat was Notre Dame, beaten by St. Joseph's, out of the traditionally-tough Atlantic 10 conference. The two met up in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and it was a classic, with the Hawks winning, 79-70, in overtime.

The main contributor to the demise of the Fighting Irish was St. Joseph junior forward, Ronald Roberts Jr., who tallied 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting, making good on 11 of 16 free throws and doing serious board damage with 16 rebounds, nine of which were on the offensive glass. Roberts also had a pair of blocked shots in his second straight double-double for the 2-0 Hawks, the first coming in St. Joseph's, 61-35, rout of a pretty good Yale squad, back on Monday, November 12.

St. Joseph's win may not have been pretty, but their defense, especially on the interior, was effective, limiting the Irish to 39% shooting, though Notre Dame did hit 10 threes on 28 shots. The Hawks had fewer shot attempts than the Irish, but cashed on 47% of their opportunities. They also went to the free throw often, making 19 of 24 attempts (79%).

Another player with a huge game was Roberts' front court running mate, Halil Kanacevic, who went 6-12 for 15 points, adding eight boards, six assists, three steals and three blocked shots.

As Dick Vitale might put it, that's some serious stat sheet stuffing, baby!

Davon Usher Lights Up Northwestern for 35 as MSVU Loses Third Straight

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, November 15, 2012

There were blowouts aplenty among Top 25 teams on Thursday night. #1 Indiana improved to 3-0 with a breezy, 99-45, victory over Sam Houston. Louisville, ranked #2, blew past Samford, 80-54.

After trailing 36-28 at the break, #7 Kansas scored 41 in the second half and ripped Chattanooga, 69-55. #6 Villanova humbled Penn State, 72-65, in the Puerto Rico Tip Of, and #13 UCLA - still awaiting word on the eligibility of Shabazz Muhammad - pounded James Madison, 100-70.

But, hidden within the plethora of scores and stats around the college hoops universe, Davon Usher, a 6'5" junior guard, lit it up for 35 points as his Mississippi Valley Delta Devils dropped their third straight - all on the road - in an 81-68 defeat at Northwestern.

Usher hit 12 of 18 shots from the field, including 7-8 three-pointers, adding a fo4-for-4 effort from the line and seven rebounds. He single-handedly kept the Devils in the hunt, hitting a three-point shot to knot the score at 58-all, but the Wildcats pulled away in the final minutes, outscoring MSVU, 23-10, down the stretch.

The South Baltimore native is averaging 22.3 points per game while seeing over 37 minutes of court time.

Usher, who toiled his first two years of eligibility in junior college, at Polk State College in Lakeland, Florida, figures to make the most of his two years in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)

The Delta Devils have an imposing early schedule. They've already visited Mississippi and Cincinnati and will continue their non-conference road trip for six more games - including stops at LSU, Virginia, Virgiia Tech and TCU - before opening SWAC play at Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Last season, the Devils followed a similar route, going 1-11 before reeling off 17 straight wins to capture the conference title and went on to win three games in the conference tournament to qualify for the automatic bid to the NCAAs.

That's where the road ended, with a 59-58 loss to Western Kentucky in the opening round. With Usher now adding to the mix, keep an eye out for the Delta Devils as the season progresses. They are among the favorites to win the SWAC for a return visit to the Big Dance in March.

NOTABLE:
Norman Powell, UCLA: 10-14, 27 Pts, 3 Rebs, 5 Assists
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova: 7-10, 22 Pts, 3 Rebs
T.J. Warren, NC State: 9-12, 22 Pts, 8 Rebs
Pierre Jackson, Baylor: 10-15, 31 Pts, 2 Rebs, 7 Assists

Erik Murphy Leads #10 Gators over Badgers with 24 Points

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, November 14, 2012

While the pundits, broadcasters and analysts ooh and aah over John Calipari's success at Kentucky and his youthful 2012-13 squad, there's another SEC team that almost surely will challenge the Wildcats for the conference championship this season: the Florida Gators.

Coached by Billy Donovan - who, by the way, has two national championships on his resume - the Gators have depth, balance and experience, which was on display Wednesday night in a nationally-televised (ESPN), 74-56 rout of a very solid Wisconsin team that was ranked #22 in the latest poll.

The 10th-ranked Gators pt up an early lead and were never challenged by the Badgers, who were held to 36% shooting by the active Florida defenders.

Senior Erik Murphy, who averaged 10.5 points per game last season, matched his career high (notably achieved in a 74-71 loss to Kentucky in last season's SEC tournament) with 24 points on perfect 10-for-10 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, 2-for-2 from the foul line, with four offensive and four defensive boards.

Murphy led all scorers in his 33 minutes of floor time. The Gators sizzled at 62% shooting and hit 16 of 20 shots from the foul line (80%).

The 2-0 Gators should move up in next week's poll, probably past #3 Kentucky, after the Wildcats dropped a 75-68 decision at home to Duke on Tuesday.

Jordan Adams Cans 16 of 16 Free Throws as UCLA Escapes UC Irvine in OT

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Jordan Adams scored six of his game-high, career-high 26 points in overtime, helping #13 UCLA to a 2-0 record with an 80-79 nail-biter over UC Irvine.

Jordan made all sixteen of his free throws, including four in overtime, having less success from the field, where he was 5-for-12.

A 6'5" freshman out of Oak Hill Academy, Adams promises to be one of the top free throw shooters in the nation. In the Bruins opener, he made five of six and is shooting at 95% from the line.

Last season, UCLA made the NCAA tournament out of a weak PAC-12 field, winning their opening round game over Michigan State, 78-76, but falling to Florida in the next round, 73-65. The Bruins finished the 2011-12 season with a 19-14 record.

NOTABLE:

Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati: 9-12, 20 points, 8 rebounds
Tray Woodall, Pittsburgh: 8-13, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
Keith Clanton, UCF: 9-10, 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists

Kansas State 87 Alabama-Huntsville 26 - OK, we all know that this is the time of year that good teams from major conferences have on their schedules games against teams from small conferences that simply can't compete at the same level, but this score is a little embarrassing.

The division II Chargers didn't have any player score more than four points. As a team, they shot 16% from the field, including three three-pointers, but they took 33 shots from outside the arc, a percentage of .091. Kansas State also held a 55-22 edge in rebounding and shot 56% for the game.

Jaime Smith, the co-high scorer for the Chargers, made two of 12 from the field, but was 0-for-9 from long range.

Kadeem Batts, Bryce Cotton Combine for 51 Points as Providence Rolls

College Hoops Player of the Day for Monday, November 12, 2012

There are so many good teams and good players in the Big East, it's tough to keep track of them all, but keep an eye on Kadeem Batts and Bryce Cotton the inside-outside duo for the Providence Friars who combined for 51 of their team's points in an 81-49 thrashing of Bryant College.

The Friars are 2-0 and will probably be 11-0 or 10-1 or something like that before Big East play gets underway in late December, early January.

Cotton a 6'1" junior guard, scored 24 points on 6-for-13 shooting - including 4 of 7 from 3-point range - made 8 of 11 free throws, ripped down 11 boards and handled six assists, while his inside partner, Batts, was 12-for-15, scoring 27 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

The 6'8" Batts, also a junior, fell just short of a double-double, a feat he accomplished just twice last season in limited playing time. The Friars were just 4-14 in Big East play last season, but they soldier on in the nation's most rigourous conference.

NOTABLE:

Cody Zeller, Indiana: 8-12, 22 points, 9 rebounds
Trey Burke, Michigan: 8-19, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists
Garrick Sherman, Notre Dame: 8-10, 22 points, 9 rebounds
Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall: 7-19, 23 points, 10 rebounds

Ryan Anderson Sets Career Highs with 29 and 17 in Boston College Victory

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, November 11, 2012

Buried within the ranks of the ACC, Boston College hasn't made much noise inside the conference dominated by the Tobacco Road teams, notably, Duke and North Carolina, but they may have a spark-plug this season in Ryan Anderson, a 6'8" sophomore forward from Lakewood, California, who pumped in 29 points in BC's, 84-70, season-opening win over Florida Atlantic.

Anderson was 9-for-16 from the field and hit 11 of 14 free throws. He also snatched 17 rebounds - eight offensive - both his scoring and rebounding career highs.

The Eagles took care of business in the opening half, posting a 49-33 edge at the break. Three other BC players scored in double figures, each scoring exactly a dozen points. Besides winning the point total, BC also enjoyed a sizable rebounding advantage, pulling down 46 boards to 28 for the Panthers.

Not completely off the radar as a true freshman, Anderson notched double-double efforts seven times last season, even as the Eagles went 9-22. With a little help from teammates, BC may actually be competitive in the rough-and-ready ACC, though nobody is expecting them to challenge for the top spot.

A trip to the NCAA tournament would be a suitable goal, though realists understand that the best the Eagles may do this season is .500 in the conference and an invite to the NIT.

Other Notable Efforts:
Aaron Craft, Ohio State: 20 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova: 25 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
C.J. Fair, Syracuse: 17 points, 10 rebounds

Isaiah Sykes Powers UCF to Upset Win at South Florida, 74-56

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, October 10, 2012

For the South Florida Bulls, Saturday's meeting with the University of Central Florida was not supposed to go this way.

Bad enough that the Bulls play in the tough Big East and missed a bid for the NCAA tournament with a 19-12 record last season, but getting ripped at home by the Knights was not exactly in the playbook.

Trouble was, the Bulls could not find a player - or even two - to handle match-up nightmare, Isaiah Sykes, a 6'5" junior guard out of Detroit, who lit up the Bulls for 26 points in UCF's 74-56 road win.

Sykes did all of his damage from within the three-point arc, not even attempting a long-range shot, hitting 10 of 16 from the field. When he wasn't scoring, Sykes was hauling down rebounds, getting 11 (five offensive), or dishing to teammates, which he did successfully on eight assists.

Sykes averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, but has begun the 2012-13 campaign with a bang. He still needs to work on his foul shots, as he made just six on 14 trips to the charity stripe against the Bulls.

UCF raced out to a 40-24 half time lead and coasted to the win, outscoring their hosts by two in the second half. UCF had a huge edge on the boards, 45-26, and held South Florida to 36% shooting.

If their opening game is any kind of indication, the Knights may challenge Memphis (currently ranked 17) for the Conference USA title. UCF handed Memphis a 68-67 defeat in January, but were demolished by the Tigers twice later in the 2011-12 season.

They were 22-10 overall last season, ending their campaign in mid-March with a 81-56 loss to Drexel in the NIT tournament.

Sykes and his teammates have bigger and better ideas about this season.

College Hoops Tips Off; Dee Davis of Xavier Stars in 117-75 Rout

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, November 9, 2012

College hoops tipped off with a flurry of activity Friday night, including blowout mismatches by #1 Indiana (97-54 over Bryant College), #5 Michigan's 100-62 victory over Slippery Rock, and a close call by #3 Kentucky, getting by Maryland, 72-69.

One of the more lopsided and dominant wins was turned in by unranked Xavier, a perennial Atlantic 10 powerhouse, which got 22 points and 15 assists from Sophomore Dee Davis, in their 117-75 romp over Farleigh Dickenson.

Davis, who played sparingly last season as a freshman, is the starting point guard on this year's Musketeer squad and he came through with a standout performance, hitting 8 of 11 shots from the field, including 5-for-7 from three-point range.

Turning the ball over just three times, for an exceptional assist-to-turnover ratio of 5-1, Davis, a six-footer out of Bloomington, Indiana, had a steal and four rebounds.

The game was never very much in doubt after Xavier opened a big, early lead and had the visiting Knights down 68-32 by the half.

The Musketeeers were ousted from the NCAA tournament last year by Baylor, 75-70, ending the season with a respectable record of 23-13.

Scion FR-S Debuts in June

I don't know about anybody else, but during the hoops off-season, there's nothing like tooling around in a sports car and this new Scion FR-S looks sweet. Can't wait to get down to my dealer and take one for a test drive.

I'll take mine in that hot lava color, thank you.

Here's some info and specs, for all you fellow auto enthusiasts.


Brought to you by the all new Scion FR-S

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Kentucky Captures 8th National Championship with 67-59 Win over Kansas

After a grueling college basketball season and the rigors of the NCAA tourney, fans got the match-up they wanted when the Wildcats and Jayhawks met in the New Orleans Superdome to decide the national championship.

For Kentucky, the game broke down to a frenetic first half and a test of stamina and perseverance in the second, holding off a determined Kansas squad to capture its eighth title with a 67-59 victory.

Kentucky led by as many as 18 points in the first half, which ended with a 41-27 Wildcat advantage. The Wildcats were too quick for Kansas and pushed the ball upcourt with relentless ferocity and were also efficient with the basketball, making 16 of 30 field goal attempts (53%). Though they committed five first half turnovers, the Wildcats dished nine assists and out-rebounded Kansas, 22-14 through the first 20 minutes.

The Jayhawks struggled on offense, hitting just 33% of their first half shots (11-33) but picked up the scoring pace after the break, scoring the first three points of the second half to cut briefly into the Kentucky lead.

As had been their forte throughout the tournament, the Jayhawks deployed their defense to claw back into the fray, though this time they would come up short as Kentucky had forged too big a lead and was reluctant to slow the game down and offer any hope to the Kansans.

With 12:30 remaining, Kansas had cut the lead to 10 points, but Doron Lamb made two three-pointers within a 38 second span to give Kentukcy its largest second half lead, at 54-38.

Anthony Davis, who made only one field goal in the game but dominated the interior with a game high 16 rebounds and six blocks, hit a short baseline jumper with 5:10 left to boost Kentucky back to a 59-44 lead that signaled the end was in sight.

Kansas was relentless down the stretch, however, eventually cutting the lead down to five points when Thomas Robinson made a pair of free throws with 1:37 to go, but that was as close as the Jayhawks would get. Kentucky's Marcus Teague made two of three free throws and Lamb sunk a pair from the foul line with 17.5 seconds left to complete the scoring.

Elijah Johnson threw up a three-point attempt as time wound down, the ball suitably ending up in the hands of Davis as the final buzzer sounded.

Kentucky had survived, giving John Calipari the most cherished coaching prize in college basketball, his first national championship after three years of building the Kentucky program into an NBA feeding ground.

The scrambled second half took its toll on the stat sheet. Kentucky made just seven of 26 shots in the last 20 minutes, finishing with a shooting percentage of 41% for the game. Kansas shot just 35.5%, making 22 of 62 field goals attempts. Kentucky turned the ball over just 11 times - to nine for Kansas - and won the battle of the boards, 39-34.

Freshman Anthony Davis will not likely return to Kentucky, taking the route of winning the national title straight to the NBA, as did Carmello Anthony after his championship with Syracuse in 2002.

The Kentucky program may be decimated by the NBA draft, as, along with Davis, fellow freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague could also go pro. Sophomore Terrance Jones will almost certainly opt for an early exit as well, leaving only Lamb, a sophomore, as the only returnee from the starting five.

Leading all scorers with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers and 5 of 6 from the foul line, Doron Lamb's contribution cannot be understated. While Davis had one of his worst shooting performances (1-for-10) of his brief collegiate career, it was Lamb who picked up the scoring, with 12 in the first half and 10 in the second. He is College Basketball Daily's final player of the day for the 2011-12 season.

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Conference Tournament Scoreboard FINAL

With Kentucky's victory in the final, the SEC proved to be the best conference through the tournament, racking up an impressive 11-3 record. with the Big Ten and Big 12 also putting in impressive performances. With nine losses and just 14 wins, maybe it's time for the selection committee to pare down the number of Big East teams invited next season, though Louisville may argue with that scenario.

The worst record was that of the Mountain West, which sent four teams but won just one game (New Mexico). The PAC-12 sent just two teams - Cal and Colorado - and won only one game, that being Colorado's win over UNLV, while Cal fell in one of the play-in games, to South Florida.

2012-2013 will see a good number of teams shifting of conferences, but clearly, the best basketball is being played East of the Mississippi, primarily in the heartland, mid-atlantic and mid-southern states.

Through games of Monday, April 2

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	4
ACC	6	5
Big East	14	9
Big Ten	11	5
Big 12	10	7
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	11	3
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	20

Kentucky Captures National Championship, 67-59, over Kansas

Kentucky captured the NCAA Men's basketball national championship with a 67-59 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks, Monday, April 2, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Complete report, recap and player of the game on Tuesday, April 3, 2012.

NCAA Final Preview: Kansas- Kentucky Final One for the Ages

NCAA National Championship - Kentucky Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks - 9:23 pm EDT

Just in case you've been asleep under a rock the past month, tonight's the night, the BIG ONE, for all the college hoops marble, the national championship final pitting the Kentucky Wildcats against the Kansas Jayhawks.

They are the two winningest programs in collage basketball. Kentucky has 2,089 victories all-time, while Kansas is a close second with 2070.

Without a doubt, this one will be a thriller. It has all the elements of a classic that will be looked back upon when maybe half a dozen of the players on the court tonight will be NBA stars.

Two of the greatest college hoops programs feature two exceptional coaches. Kansas' Bill Self has done nothing but win in his nine years with the Jayhawks, compiling a record of 269 wins and 52 losses, a winning percentage of .839, seven straight Big 12 regular season championships and five Big 12 tournament titles, a national championship in 2008 and his second trip to the Final Four.

John Calipari, coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, has had his sights set on winning a national championship since he set foot on the Kentucky campus in 2009. In three season, Coach Cal has produced a record of 101-14, winning the SEC championship each year and is making his second straight Final Four appearance.

The teams are highly regarded, as Kentucky owns the best overall record this season at 37-2, while Kansas went through the 2011-12 season with a 32-6 tally. Both teams lost in their conference tournaments, Kentucky falling to Vanderbilt in the SEC final, while the Jayhawks were ousted from the Big 12 tourney by Baylor in a semi-final meeting.

Featured in the game will be the two leading player of the year candidates, Kentucky's Anthony Davis and Kansas' Thomas Robinson. Freshman Davis averages 14 points and 10 rebounds and is a shot-blocking specialist, setting the single-season record for blocked shots. Robinson is the complete power forward, averaging 17.9 points and 11.6 boards.

While those two will almost certainly wage a battle royal in the lane, their running mates, UK forward Terrance Jones and Kansas 7-footer Jeff Withey will also play key roles, while the backcourt battle between point guards Tyshawn Taylor and Marcus Teague will be a determinant of which team gets the better scoring opportunities.

The two teams met back in November, with Kentucky taking a 75-65 win at Kansas, though the outcome of that game is nearly meaningless five months later. Both teams have matured and dominated their opponents since, and there is nary a weakness on either squad.

Nationally televised by CBS, the Wildcats are the bettors' choice, having been installed as 6 1/2 point favorites in most popular venues.

Anthony Davis Leads Kentucky over Louisville; Kansas Shoots Down Ohio State; Kansas-Kentucky Final Monday Night

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 31, 2012

National Semi-Final: Kentucky 79 Louisville 71 - The highly-anticipated Final Four meeting between Louisville and Kentucky lived up to its billing, but in the end, Kentucky forward Anthony Davis proved virtually unstoppable.

Kentucky led almost the entire game, though the Cardinals mounted a second-half rally that eventually tied the game, but the Wildcats always had an answer, even under pressure situations. Usually, that answer was Davis, who led the Wildcats with 19 points and 14 rebounds, reaching the national championship game for the first time since they won it all in 1998.

Davis had all his stuff working in the win, hitting seven of nine shots from the field and adding four of six from the foul line. On defense, he made the lane a no-driving zone for the Cardinals, blocking five shots, but mostly just imposing his presence in the middle, forcing Louisville into a shooting nightmare of 35% for the game while the Wildcats were hoisting it at a 57% clip.

Despite losing the rebounding battle, 37-32, and Louisville's 16 offensive boards, the Cardinals were forced into tough second-chance shots, many of which realistically had no chance of finding the inside of the rim.

For Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, the irony was bitter, because the last time the Wildcats won the national championship he was their head coach.

John Calipari, who has guided Kentucky to a 37-2 record, has to work his coaching magic for just one more game in order to fulfill his goal of winning a national title. Calipari has coached Kentucky for three seasons, but this team, despite its youth, appears to have all the elements necessary to complete the task and cut down the nets when they face the Kansas Jayhawks Monday night.


National Semi-Final: Kansas 64 Ohio State 62 - Kansas roared back in the second half, erasing a 34-25 Ohio State half time lead, to win their Final Four meeting with the Buckeyes and proceed to the national championship game with Kentucky Monday night.

The Jayhawks couldn't get into a smooth offense in the first half, eventually falling behind by as many as 13 points as Jared Sullinger and Ohio State stormed to what appeared to be an insurmountable lead.

Kansas head coach Bill Self never lost faith in his players' abilities and the Jayhawks used pressure defense in the final 20 minutes to force Ohio State into mistakes and tough shooting chances. Though the game had a helter-skelter quality to it throughout, Kansas kept pressing until finally taking the lead for good with 1.35 left when Travis Relaford calmly tossed in two free throws to give the Jayhawks a 60-59 advantage. A driving layup by Elijah Johnson off a Jeff Withey blocked shot gave Kansas a 62-59 lead with 1:08 to play.

Ohio State eventually cut the lead back to one at 62-61 on a William Buford dunk, but there were only nine ticks left on the clock by then. The Buckeyes fouled Tyshawn Taylor with seven seconds to go, and the senior nailed both freebies to put the Jayhawks back up by three.

With time running down, Kansas chose to foul Aaron Craft, sending him to the line for a 1-and-1. Craft made the front end and purposely missed the second shot and was called for a lane violation as he raced in after his purposeful miss.

With just 2.5 on the clock, Kansas quickly inbounded the ball and the confused Ohio State players failed ot foul, ending the game and sending Kansas back to the championship game for the second time in five years. The Jawhawks won the national championship in 2008, giving Self his first title. The Jayhawks-Wildcats showdown Monday will feature two of the most storied programs in college basketball history.

Kansas will be seeking its fourth tournament championship and sixth overall. Kentucky has won the championship tourney seven times and was also national champion in 1933.

Game time for the final game of the college basketball season is set for an opening tip at 9:23 pm EDT, Monday, April 2nd. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.

Final Four Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Kansas Jayhawks

National Semi-Final, Saturday, March 31

(2) Ohio State (31-7) vs. (2) Kansas (31-6), 8:49 pm EDT - The second game of the Final Four is likely to be a battle down to the final buzzer, as both Kansas and Ohio State have done everything needed to reach the penultimate game of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes, headed by coach Thad Motta, with a career coaching record of 323–95 (.773) and 221–64 (.775) at Ohio State, will be coaching in his second Final Four game, after getting Butler, Xavier and the Buckeyes into the tournament eight times, reaching the championship game in 2007, when they lost, 84-75, to the Florida Gators.

For Kansas, coach Bill Self has distinguished himself as one of the nation's finest coaches, having taken over the KU program from Roy Williams following the 2002-03 season. In his nine years at Kansas, Self has produced an outstanding record of 268–52 (.838), having won the national championship with the Jayhawks in 2007-08. He has a career mark of 475–157 (.752).

On the court, battles will rage in both the front and back courts, as these two teams are about as evenly matched as any contest in the tournament.

Up front, the Buckeyes feature the burly Jared Sullinger, a strong scorer in the paint and a ferocious rebounder, who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 17.6 points and 9.3 boards per game. Aside him will be 6'7" sophomore, Deshaun Thomas, who has flourished in Motta's free-flowing system. Thomas, a big time scoring threat is dangerous from just about anywhere on the court, but his best forte may be from the seven to ten foot range, where he can either nail jumpers or back opponents into the paint.

Contesting the boards with Thomas and Sullinger will be Kansas' star Thomas Robinson, who, like Sullinger, leads his team in scoring and rebounding, with 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. His wingman is 6'11" Jeff Withey, a shot-blocking machine who is not a great rebounder, but has shown more than adequate ability in the low post.

The back court battle will be vied by the two point guards - Ohio State's Aaron Craft and Kansas specialist Tyshawn Taylor. Craft, more of a defensive specialist, will be on curt for almost the entire duration, trying to stay in front of Taylor, who is a slick dribbler and excellent finisher at the rim.

Role players will be vital to each team. For the Buckeyes, William Buford is the best pure shooter of the starters, and he will be joined by Lenzelle Smith Jr. a slasher with good inside moves and a nice shooting touch.

Opposing them for Kansas, Elijah Johnson will be a key player, as he has been throughout the tourney, providing key baskets at critical moments. He's very much like Smith, though probably has more offensive potential than his Ohio State foe. Travis Releford doesn't do much scoring, but he's a capable passer and strong rebounder for the Jayhawks.

Another player to watch is Ohio State's Even Ravenel, who has performed quite well when spelling either Sullinger or Thomas.

For an idea of how close this match-up is, the statistics tell the story. Ohio State is 35th nationally in scoring at 75.1 points per contest, 57th in rebounding, at 36.8 and 12th in the nation in field goal percentage, stroing it at a .486 clip. The Jayhawks are 36th in scoring (75.0), 54th in rebounding (36.9) and shoot a field goal percentage of .485, 14th nationally.

Las Vegas has installed the Buckeyes as a 2 1/2 point favorite, but this one is really up for grabs.

Final Four Preview: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals

National Semi-Final, New Orleans, LA

(1) Kentucky Wildcats (36-2) vs. (4) Louisville Cardinals (30-9), 6:09 pn EDT - Seriously, does it get any better than this?

Two storied programs located just 69 miles apart in the great state of Kentucky, Louisville and Kentucky will meet for the 44th time in their shared histories in a series that dates back to 1913, the year the Federal Reserve was formed.

The Wildcats hold the series edge, 29-14, with the most recent meeting being earlier this season, on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2011, when Kentucky escaped with a 69-62 home win at Lexington.

The programs and their coaches - Louisville's Rick Pitino and John Calipari - are no strangers to the Final Four. Kentucky has been there 14 times, Louisville, eight. The Wildcats' last Final Four appearance was in 2011; the Cardinals last made it into the Final Four in 2005.

The coaches will get plenty of attention in this match-up, as they are two of the greatest of all time. Rick Pitino, 26 years a college basketball coach, has a career record of 627-229, for a .732 won-loss percentage. Since 2001, Pitino has been head coach of Louiville, where he's compiled a record of 275-105. He's guided teams to the Final Four six times, and this will be his second Final Four appearance as coach of the Cardinals.

Ironically, Pitino won his only national championship when he was head coach of Kentucky, a position he held from 1989 through 1997, winning the national championship in 1996. A year later, he left the Wildcat program and headed down the road to Louisville after racking up a record of 219-50 in Lexington.

John Calipari has a similar resume. In 20 years of coaching, he's amassed a career record of 545-154, a winning percentage of .780. His earlier stints at Massachusetts (193-71) and Memphis (252-69) led to his hiring as head coach of Kentucky, replacing Tubby Smith in 2009. In just three seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari has produced a record of 100-14, the best of any Division 1 coach during that span.

Calipari is becoming quite the regular at the Final Four, having taken Kentucky there last season, losing in a semi-final game to eventual national champion, Connecticut, 56-55. He took Memphis there in 2008 and UMass was a Final Four team in 1996 under his guidance. Calipari has never won a national championship, though he came awfully close with Memphis in 2008, losing to Kansas, 75-68, in the national final.

The two used to be good friends, though lately, the descriptions of their acquaintance have ranged from "frenemies" to rivals to unfriendly associates.

While the sidecourt drama will be something of a sideshow to the main event on the court, the players will ultimately decide which team advances to the title game, and here, Kentucky seems to have a large advantage.

According to the latest line, Kentucky is an 8 1/2 point favorite over the Cardinals, a number that may well add more fuel to the underdogs' fire.

The Wildcats have a decided height advantage, with freshman Anthony Davis patrolling the lane along with fellow frosh Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and sophomore Terrence Jones. David stands 6'10", Jones, 6'9" and Kidd-Gilchrist, 6'7".

By contrast, the Louisville front line has center Gorgui Dieng at 6'11", who, like Davis is a ball-swatter and shot-changer, but after that the height drops off dramatically. Freshman Chane Behanen is only 6'6", but his bulky 250-pound frame allows him to bang with the big men. The usual Louisville lineup will feature three guards, though Kyle Kuric, a 6'4" swingman who does most of his scoring from the perimeter, isn't going to help out much on the boards or in the paint. The disparity in size - on paper, at least - gives Kentucky a huge inside advantage.

In the back court, there's no faster player than Louiville's senior point guard Peyton Siva, who will match up with larger rivals, either Marcus Teague, the starter or Darius Miller, who is a real spark off the bench. Siva will likely play at least 36 minutes, while Teague can get plenty of rest, so in this match-up, Siva, who is in exceptional condition, may be worn down by the time the game reaches the crucial last four or five minutes.

The shooting guards are somewhat of a stand-off. Chris Smith and Russ Smith of Louisville have responded well to the rigors of tournament play with solid games in the regionals. They'll have to be on the mark if Louisville is going to keep pace with the Wildcats, which sports players that can score in a variety of ways from virtually anywhere on the court. Sophomore Doron Lamb is Kentucky's best scoring guard, hitting at 47% both inside and outside the 3-point line.

Statistically, the Wildcats enjoy even more advantages. They are the 20th-highest scoring team in the country, at 77.1 points per game, are 15th in rebounding (39.2) and 10th in field goal percentage, at .487%. The Cardinals rank 155th in scoring at 68.8 ppg, 27th in rebounds (38.2) and a troubling 255th in field goal percentage, checking in at .425%.

None of this is particularly bothersome to the confident Pitino nor his troops, who have taken the same path as last season's national title-holders, UConn, winning the Big East tournament and all four of their NCAA games, for an eight-game winning streak.

Kentucky doesn't seem the least bit concerned either. They've lost only twice all season and they've already avenged one of the losses. A December, 73-72, defeat at Indiana was reversed when the Wildcats thumped the Hoosiers, 102-90, in the South regional semi-final. Their other loss was to Vanderbilt, in the SEC championship. Though it was a disappointment for Kentucky, it didn't matter, as they were named the tournament's overall #1 seed, remain the #1 team in the polls and now have a chance to prove it in New Orleans.

Stopping Kentucky on offense is going to be difficult of the Cardinals, though penetrating their huge defense could prove to be just as daunting a task. Key to Louisville's success will be the shooting of Kuric, who can be a dagger from downtown, and the Smith boys, along with Siva's penetration. The Wildcats can spread the scoring around, but their defense is probably the most critical aspect of this contest.

We'll all know how it turns out shortly after dusk on Saturday.

Friday: Kansas vs. Ohio State Preview

Week Before Final Four the Perfect Time for Golf

March Madness really slows down between the Regional Finals and the Final Four games, so, with time on your hands and no hoops on the tube (except for the NIT, but who really wants to watch the battle for #69?), warming temperatures and sunny days make it the perfect time to get a head start on your golf game.

If you're like most guys and gals, the clubs have been neatly tucked away in the garage or breezeway, just sitting there, patiently awaiting a chance to get out to the links.

Before you had out to your favorite course, it pays to check the contents of the bag in advance, making sure you've got all the necessities, from clubs (probably could use a good wash), golf balls, tees, glove, shoes, and any other necessities.

Since many amateur golfers - from duffers to 5-handicappers - won't be hitting the links for a few more weeks, most courses will be pretty desolate, which offers the opportunity to play more than just one ball per hole, so, to take maximum advantage of your practice rounds, a small investment in some premium golf balls might not be a bad idea.

There are deals online and your pro shop may have some specials. Nothing like some new balls to get your golf game moving in the right direction.

Tyshawn Taylor Lifts Jayhawks into Final Four

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 25, 2012

Experience matters in almost every walk of life, but Tyshawn Taylor's four years of tutelage under coach Bill Self at Kansas paid huge dividends for the senior guard as he lifted his team past North Carolina and into the NCAA Final Four.

Taylor was the catalyst in the Jayhawks' 80-67 win in the the Midwest regional final. It didn't hurt that North Carolina's regular point guard, Kendall Marshall had been sidelined with a fractured wrist, leaving Taylor one-on-one for much of the game with less-capable replacements - Stilman White and Justin Watts - who together tallied just nine points for the Tar Heels.

Able to guard players with limited understanding of North Carolina's attack, Taylor was able to pick off five steals, and snatch six rebounds while the bigs battled under the hoop, while on the offensive end he scored a game high 22 points and dished out five assists to grateful teammates.

Playing all but four minutes of the game, Taylor slowed Carolina's offense and while he was 0-for-5 from three-point range, he was effective otherwise, hitting 10 of 19 shots from the field and turning the ball over just three times.

Kansas will face the East region's Ohio State in Saturday's semi-final in a battle of #2 seeds. Ohio State, like Kansas, defeated their region's #1 in the regional final - in Ohio State's case, Syracuse - to advance to New Orleans.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard: ACC Out, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC Reach Final Four

Four teams from four different conferences have reached the Final Four: Kentucky from the SEC, the East region champion, will play Louisville, from the Big East, out of the West region; Ohio State, the Big Ten representative, emerged from the East region and will play Kansas, of the Big 12, from the Midwest region.

The two semi-final games will be played on Saturday, March 31, in the New Orleans' Superdome, the vidtors advancing to the national championship game on Monday, April 2.

Through games of Sunday, March 25

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	4
ACC	6	5
Big East	14	8
Big Ten	11	5
Big 12	9	6
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	9	3
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	20

Kansas Punches Out Tar Heels, Heads to Final Four

Midwest Regional Final

(2) Kansas 80, (1) North Carolina 67 - The loss of Kendall Marshall turned out to be an achilles heel for North Carolina as they could not make plays down the stretch and Kansas overwhelmed the Tar Heels late, en route to a date with Ohio State in the Final Four.

A frenetic first half ended in a 47-47 tie. Thomas Robinson led all scorers with 14 first-half points, James Michael MacAdoo had 10 for Carolina; Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, 8 apiece. Kansas made a 12-2 run to lead, 40-33, but Carolina quckly scored eight straight to grab a brief, 41-40 advantage.

Kansas set the tone for the second half by scoring the first seven points and held the lead throughout most of the period. Elijah Johnson broke the game open with a 3-pointer at 3:09, followed by Tyshawn Taylor's layup and 3-point play, then a Travis Relaford dunk gave Kansas a nine-point lead - their largest of the game to that point - with just 1:28 to play.

Carolina could not muster any offense in the final minutes. Kansas ended the game on a 12-0 run, holding North Carolina scoreless for the final 3:58. Taylor led all scorers with 22 points, plus six rebounds, five assists and five steals. The Jayhawk big men dominated inside. Jeff Withey had 15 points and eight rebounds. Thomas Robinson scored 18, with nine boards.

Kansas will face East region #2 seed Ohio State in the Final Four at New Orleans next Saturday in one of two semi-final games.

Kentucky is the sole #1 seed remaining. Ohio State and Kansas are both 2-seeds, while Louisville was the #4 seed from the West.

Wildcats Cruise into Final Four with 82-70 Win over Baylor

South Regional Final

(1) Kentucky 82, (3) Baylor 70 - For the first 6:35 of the first half, the Baylor Bears made a game of it, when they had Kentucky tied at 10 apiece. From there the Wildcats put on an exhibition of extraordinary basketball execution, outscoring Baylor, 32-12, into the half time break.

The half time deficit was the largest of the season for Baylor and the 22 points their lowest scoring half.

With the game well in hand, Kentucky was less ferocious on offense in the second half, allowing Baylor to chip away at the lead, getting it down to 13 on a couple of occasions and eventually to 10 with only 0:50 seconds left. Though the outcome was never in doubt, the final score was deceptive of how completely Kentucky dominated the affair.

Quincy Acy and Pierre Jackson scored 22 and 21 for the Bears, but had little support. Kentucky was paced by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's 19 points with five rebounds. Anthony Davis had 18, with 11 boards and six blocked shots. Four Wildcats ended in double figures, the team shooting a brisk 53% for the game, taking only nine three-pointers, making four.

Kentucky also had a huge edge on the foul line, making 30 of 44 free throws, compared to 16 of 19 for Baylor.

The Wildcats will face Louisville, the #4 seed from the West region, in one of two Final Four semi-final games next Saturday in New Orleans.

Jared Sullinger Leads Buckeyes to Final Four with Win over Orange

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 24, 2012

Ohio State is in the Final Four for the first time since 2007 after defeating Syracuse in the East region final, 77-70, on Saturday.

The Buckeyes head to New Orleans with an experienced squad that finished the Big Ten regular season tied with Michigan and Michigan State for the title at 13-5 and is 31-7 overall. Their on-court leader, sophomore Jared Sullinger, the team's top scorer and rebounder, was once again a key factor in the Buckeyes' success.

Sullinger was forced to sit out the final 16 minutes of the first half after picking up his second foul just four minutes into the contest. Still, he finished with a game-high, 19 points, scoring 15 points in the second half and leading the Buckeyes to break open a 29-all tie at the break. Sullinger has had four fouls in a game 11 times this season, fouling out just once, in a February 21, 83-67, win over Illinois. On Saturday, he committed just one more foul over the last 20 minutes of play.

Leading all scorers with 19 points, Sullinger also was a factor on the boards when he was allowed to play his usual fearless, low-post style. He ripped down seven rebounds for the Buckeyes, which led Syracuse, 37-22, in rebounding. Considering he played only 26 minutes, his personal numbers and the final score might have been vastly different had he been on the floor his normal 32-35 minutes.

Ohio State will face Sunday's winner of the Midwest regional final between North Carolina and Kansas. They'll be in New Orleans for one of the two national semi-final games on Saturday, March 31.

Ohio State Defeats Syracuse, 77-70, Heads to New Orleans

East Regional Final

(2) Ohio State 77, (1) Syracuse 70 - Despite playing only six minutes of the first half due to two early fouls, Jared Sullinger scored 15 of his game high 19 points during the second half, turning a 29-29 tie at the break into a win and trip to the Final Four for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Sullinger was 5-for-9 from the field, made nine of 12 free throws and pulled down seven rebounds, leading four Ohio State starters in double figures.

The game was tight throughout, with Ohio State maintaining a narrow lead through most of the second half. Syracuse committed a number of crucial turnovers late in the contest, but overall the game was a statistical draw, except on the boards, where the Buckeyes held a 37-22 advantage and at the foul line, where Ohio State was 31-42 compared to 20-25 for the Orange. Two Syracuse players fouled out of the game and three others finished with four.

Ohio State will advance to the Final Four next Saturday to face the winner of Sunday's Midwest regional final, pitting top seed North Carolina against the region's #2 seed, Kansas.

Louisville Reaches Final Four with Comeback Win over Florida

West Regional Final


(4) Louisville 72 (7) Florida 68 - Russ Smith came off the bench for 19 points, sparking the Louisville Cardinals to a win over Florida and a trip to the Final Four. The Cardinals were outshot, 50% to 45% and out-rebounded, 32-27, but won the turnover battle, 13 to 6, overcoming as much as an 11-point deficit to rally back against the Gators for a hard-earned victory.

Smith added five rebounds and Chane Behanen had 17 points and seven boards for Louisville. Florida, which led most of the game and took a 41-33 lead into the half, made eight three-pointers in the first half but none in the second.

It was the seventh time Louisville coach Rick Pitino had faced his protege, Florida coach Billy Donovan. Pitino's teams have prevailed in all seven meetings.

Louisville will meet the winner of Sunday's South region final between Kentucky and Baylor in the Final Four, Saturday, March 31, in New Orleans.

Elite Eight Regional Final Previews, Saturday and Sunday Games

You've seen the games and heard all the commentary from Digger and Clark and the bloviating Vitale. You're maxed out on previews and predictions, so College Basketball Daily is here to cut through the noise and present some really brief snippets of what to watch for in the four weekend games.

Saturday, March 24

West: (4) Louisville vs. (7) Florida, 4:30 pm EDT - Pace wins the race. Florida wants to go fast; Louisville wants to control the flow and the clock. It's also Obi Wan Kenobi (Rick Pitino, Louisville) against Luke Skywalker (Billy Donovan, Florida). They've engaged in light saber duels six times in the past. Obi Wan has won all six.

East: (1) Syracuse vs. (2) Kansas, 7:05 pm EDT - One of two 1-2 match-ups (Midwest is the other). Syracuse 2-3 zone faces the double headed monster of Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State front men. The team that keeps their hands up and active on defense the most wins. Back court duel between Kraft and Trish/Jardine will be epic.

Sunday, March 25

South: (1) Kentucky vs. (3) Baylor, 2:20 pm EDT - Size matters, but Kentucky's interior players are bigger and more active than Baylor's. The Bears have done well so far, but they'll need more back court contributions ot stay in this. Kentucky coach John Calipari has been close before, but this is his best chance to win a national championship.

Midwest: (1) North Carolina vs. (2) Kansas, 5:05 pm EDT - Without Kendall Marshall, the Carolinians are wounded ducks. Thomas Robinson needs to step up for the Jayhawks and overpower Zeller and Henson in the paint. Elijah Johnson can play a huge role in the back court as disruptor, distributor and scorer. May be close, but only Kansas wins if it's a blowout.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard:

With just eight teams remaining after Thursday and Friday's regional semi-final games, all of the smaller conferences have been ousted, leaving only the ACC (North Carolina), Big Ten (Ohio State), Big East (Syracuse, Louisville) Big 12 (Kansas, Baylor) and SEC (Kentucky, Florida).

Regional final match-ups include only one scenario that could produce a Final Four meeting within the same conference, that being the potential South-West game that could come down to an all-SEC showdown between Florida and Kentucky.

Suffered the worst in regional play was the Big Ten, which entered the week with five teams still in the hunt (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State and Indiana), but was decimated in the semi-finals, leaving only the Buckeyes to fend for the conference.

The Big East, which sent nine teams to the tournament, still has two left - Syracuse and Louisville. Syracuse could eliminate the Big Ten completely with a win over Ohio State on Saturday, while the Cardinals hope to whittle the SEC down to one with a win over Florida, also on Saturday.

Two potential meetings in the championship game could involve teams from the same conference. Syracuse could face Louisville in an all-Big East final or Kansas could meet up with Baylor, a Big 12 championship assured.

The SEC, which sent only four teams to the tourney, leads the way with a 7-2 record. Alabama went down ot Creighton in the opening round, while Vanderbilt won one game before falling to Wisconsin in the sub-regional round of 32.

Through games of Friday, March 23

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	4
ACC	6	4
Big East	13	7
Big Ten	10	5
Big 12	8	5
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	7	2
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	20

Tyler Zeller Bails Out Tar Heels in OT Win over Ohio

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 23, 2012

Without their playmaker, Kendall Marshall, North Carolina barely survived their regional semi-final tilt with the Ohio Bobcats, Friday night, having to go into overtime to eventually conquer their upset-minded opponents, 73-65.

Marshall suffered a fractured wrist in the Tar Heels' previous game, an 87-73 win over Creighton this past Sunday (March 18) that set up the Sweet 16 meeting with the Bobcats. Coach Roy williams was forced to start freshman Stilman White in his place, and, while White was an adequate replacement, North Carolina still turned the ball over 23 times against Ohio.

What the Tar Heels lost with Marshall's absence was compensated for by the steady play of senior forward Tyler Zeller, the ACC player of the year, who tallied 20 points and 23 rebounds. Zeller's 20+ double-double was the first time any player in the NCAA tournament had accomplished such a feat since Tim Duncan did it when playing for Wake Forest in 1997, putting Zeller and his accomplishment in elite company.

Besides the scoring and glass-cleaning, Zeller was a powerful force in the middle, with four blocked shots and numerous others altered as Ohio players tried in vain to penetrate the middle against him and fellow front court stalwart John Henson.

Carolina's win sets up a Sunday afternoon meeting with the Kansas, the #2 seed in the Midwest region. The winner will earn a trip to New Orleans and the Final Four.

NCAA Tournament Regional Semi-Final Results and Recaps, Late Friday Games

South Region

(1) Kentucky 102, (4) Indiana 90 - The Kentucky Wildcats prevailed in a game played at a breakneck pace from start to finish and avenged one of just two losses suffered this season by taking Indiana out of the tournament.

The Wildcats advanced to a Sunday regional final against third-seeded Baylor, which took down Xavier in the region's earlier semi-final.

Indiana's Christian Watford led all scorers with 27 points, but Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist equalled his career high with 24 points and had 10 rebounds.


Midwest Region

(2) Kansas 60, (11) NC State 57 - Elijah Johnson scored a layup off an inbounds pass to put Kansas up 60-57 with 13.5 seconds to play, and NC State could not respond in the final seconds as the Kansas Jayhawks advanced to the regional final to face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday.

Thomas Robinson led the Jayhawks with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Jeff Withey had a career high 10 blocked shots. Kansas barely survived a poor shooting night, making just one of 14 three-pointers and shooting only 37.5% for the entire game. The Jayhawks were only 11-20 from the foul line, but held the Wolfpack to 28% from the field.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Friday Early Games Results & Recaps

South Region

(3) Baylor 75, (10) Xavier 70 - Baylor looked like they would blow out the Musketeers, opening up an 18-point lead in the first half, but Xavier closed with a 13-3 run to go into the break down 36-29. Baylor shot 53% in the opening half, but tailed off in the second half as Xavier closed the gap to four points, and finally to three with 22 seconds left, but Brady Heslip nailed down the win with four free throws in the final seconds for the win.

Xavier's Tu Holloway led all scorers with 22 points, but the game ball belonged to Baylor's Quincy Acy, who had a monster game with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Acy was 8-for-11 from the field and made all four of his free throws. The Bears advance to the regional finals where they will face the winner of tonight's Kentucky-Indiana regional semi-final.


Midwest Region

(1) North Carolina 73, (13) Ohio 65 OT - The David vs. Goliath match-up of the tournament went to... Goliath, but David forced North Carolina into overtime.

The Tar Heels were clearly out of sorts without point guard Kendall Marshall, who was in street clothes due to a fractured wrist suffered in Carolina's win over Creighton. Freshman stillman White started in Marshall's place, but Carolina committed 13 first half turnovers and, despite leading by 15 at one point, took a 29-22 lead into intermission. North Carolina turned the ball over 23 times in the game, allowing Ohio to remain close and eventually tie the game late, sending it into an extra five-minute session.

North Carolina scored the first five points in OT, and outscored the worn-down Bobcats, 10-2, for the hard-earned win. Walter Offutt scored 26 for the Bobcats, but North Carolina's Tyler Zeller owned the night, with 20 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks. It was the first time any player had scored 20 points with 20 or more rebounds since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan did it in 1977.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard: SEC Rising

With Florida's 68-58 win over Marquette in the West region semi-final, the SEC - which sent just four teams to the tournament - suddenly is looking pretty good, especially since, beside the Gators, the only other remaining team from the conference is Kentucky, the #1 seed in the South and the tournament's overall #1 seed.

The Wildcats face Indiana (one of just two teams to beat Kentucky this season) on Friday, while the Gators have a Saturday date with Louisville for the right to advance to the Final Four.

Elsewhere on Thursday night, the Big Ten and Big East took turns beating up each other. Syracuse took out Wisconsin, and Louisville beat #1 West seed, Michigan State. Ohio kept the Big Ten looking good with a win over Cincinnati. The Big East won two and lost two, while the Big Ten won just one, and lost two.

The SEC's .750 winning percentage is better than either of those two conferences.

Through games of Thursday, March 22

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	3
ACC	5	3
Big East	13	7
Big Ten	10	4
Big 12	6	5
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	6	2
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	19

Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas Lead Buckeyes Past Bearcats

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 22, 2012

Ohio State's 81-66 win over Cincinnati in the East region semi-final was the largest margin of victory of the four games played Thursday night.

The primary reason that the #2 seeded Buckeyes were able to put away the Bearcats so handily was their dominance in the paint, on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

Jared Sullinger recorded yet another double-double, his second - in three games - of the tournament and his 16th of the season, with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Sullinger was 7-for-13 from the field and made nine of 10 free throws. Five of his rebounds were offensive.

His front court running mate, Deshaun Thomas, poured in a game high 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, including three of five three-pointers. Four of Thomas' seven rebounds were of the offensive variety.

If Ohio State reaches the Final Four (they face East region #1 seed Syracuse on Saturday for the right to advance), Thomas could be looking at tournament Most Outstanding Player. He scored 31 points with 12 rebounds against Loyola (MD) and dropped in 18, with seven boards, in Ohio State's win over Gonzaga.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Results & Recaps, Thursday Late Games

East Region

(2) Ohio St. 81, (6) Cincinnati 66 - The Sweet 16 battle of Ohio became Cincinnati's Waterloo as the Ohio State Buckeyes cruised past the Bearcats and onto the regional final against Syracuse.

Buckeye forwards Deshaun Thomas and Jared Sullinger led the charge with 26 and 23 points, respectively. Point guard Aaron Craft's heady defense and 11 points, six steals, five assists and four rebounds were a huge contribution to the success of Ohio State.

The East region will conclude with a chalky complexion, as the #1 and #2 seeds battle for the right to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans.


West Region

(7) Florida 68,(3) Marquette 58 The Florida Gators will face the region's #4 seed, Louisville, in Saturday's regional final after taking out Marquette Thursday night.

Florida freshman Bradley Beal led all scorers with 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting, along with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Billy Donovan's efficient Gators held the edge in rebounding and assists and made 13 of 15 free throws.

NCAA Tournament: Results & Recaps of Thursday Sweet 16 Early Games

East Region

(1) Syracuse 64, (4) Wisconsin 63 - 32-2 Syracuse survived their second one-point victory of the season, advancing to the regional final as the #1 seed. Wisconsin, forced to foul with 18 seconds to play and down by a point, put Kris Joseph on the line for a one-and-one. When Joseph missed the front end, Wisconsin had their opportunity for the upset, but Jordan Taylor's heave from well beyond the three-point line did not catch iron and the clock expired on the Badgers.

The only other one-point win for the Orange this season was a 52-51 nail-biter at Louisville, on February 13. Wisconsin stayed in the game by hitting an amazing 14 of 27 three-point shots (52%). The two teams combined for just 12 turnovers, six by each team. Jared Berggren and Jordan Taylor each had 17 points for the Badgers. Syracuse had four players in double figures, led by CJ Fair's 15 points. The Orange shot 55% from the field, including five of nine from three-point range and the same (5-9) from the foul line.

West Region

(4) Louisville 57, (1) Michigan St. 44 - Louisville's defensive effort produced an easy win over Michigan State, the first #1 seed in the tournament to taste defeat. The Cardinals held the Spartans to a mere 29% from the field and 24% (5-for-21) from three-point range. Louisville was superior in the paint. Chane Behanen was the game's leading scorer with 15 points, along with eight boards. Center Gorgui Dieng scored just five points but blocked seven shots and ripped down nine rebounds.

Louisville has run off seven straight wins, including four in a row to capture the Big East championship.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Previews, Thursday Games

East Region

(1) Syracuse (33-2) vs. (4) Wisconsin (26-9), 7:15 pm ET - A serious contrast in styles awaits fans at the TD Garden in Boston. The Syracuse attack is predicated on turnovers and fast break points out of their 2-3 zone defense that most teams have trouble penetrating successfully. Wisconsin, however, does have advantages in three-point shooting and their own steady, heady defense on the opposite end.

While the Orange haven't seemed to have missed their center, Fab Melo, they also haven't played a team as disciplined as the Badgers, who don't turn the ball over very often. In their 60-57 win over Vanderbilt, Wisconsin suffered only eight turnovers and despite coming up on the short end in rebounds, shooting percentage and free throws, still managed to prevail. It gets tougher in the round of 16, and even though Syracuse has played well enough to win their previous two games, they'd better not get down early, because the Badgers have a way of milking leads and making others pay for their mistakes.

(2) Ohio St. (29-7) vs. (6) Cincinnati (26-10), 9:45 pm ET - The all-Ohio regional semi-final will be a gut-check for both teams, though if the Buckeyes get hot, they may be able to romp home with a win here because the Bearcats are not a great shooting team, relying more on defense to survive low scoring games. Cincinnati's wins in the tournament were both in the 60s, and, during the Big East regular season, they topped 80 points only twice.

By contrast, the Buckeyes have the players and system that can put up points in a hurry. Through their Big Ten season, they scored 80 or more four times and had a slew of wins in the 70s. Their two tournament wins were both in the 70s as well, and they won them by comfortable margins - 19 points over Loyola (MD) and seven better than a solid Gonzaga team.


West Region

(1) Michigan St. (29-7) vs. (4) Louisville (28-9), 7:47 pm ET - Both West regional semi-final games will be played at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ, so there won't be any perceived home advantage for any of the contestants. Both Michigan State and Louisville have been impressive through the first two games of the tournament and play very similar styles, though the Cardinals depend more on penetration by point guard Peyton Siva, whereas the Spartans have a go-to guy in Draymond Green, who registered a triple double in Michigan's opening win and a double-double taking down St. Louis to get to this point.

This is likely to be the defensive struggle of the night, as neither team is blessed with an abundance of offensive talent. A score with both teams in the 60s would not be surprising. Louisville, which ended their regular season with four losses in six games, has turned things around nicely, winning six straight, including the Big East tournament.

(3) Marquette (27-7) vs. (7) Florida (25-10), 10:17 pm ET - The Gators are arguably the faster team in this Big East-SEC match-up, but the Golden Eagles are a determined, consistent bunch who are difficult to label. They are surely among the best defensive teams remaining in the tourney, but they can go cold for long stretches on offense, which will hurt them badly if they don't score well against Florida.

Marquette made a shambles of their first two opponents in the tourney - BYU and Murray State - but Florida has big school credentials and demolished Virginia, 71-45 and Norfolk State, 84-50, making the Gators the tournament's biggest margin-of-victory team remaining. They have big time scorers in Kenny Boynton, Bradley Beal and Eric Murphy. Either team will be a tough out, but Florida has coaching expertise in Billy Donovan and the scoring punch that could turn this into a catch-up game for the Golden Eagles, a condition at which they do not excel.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard: Big Ten Send Four to Sweet 16

With Indiana, Wisconsin, Oho State and Michigan State winning their weekend games, the Big Ten has four teams heading into the round of 16. Three of the upcoming match-ups involve teams from the Big East, as Wisconsin faces Syracuse and Ohio State meets Cincinnati in the East, while Michigan State matches up with Louisville in the West. The other meeting will be a rematch of the Kentucky-Indiana rivalry. Indiana handed the Wildcats their first loss of the season back in December. The 73-72 setback was one of just two losses suffered by the Wildcats this season.

Through games of Sunday, March 18

Conference	W	L
Atlantic-10	4	3
ACC	5	3
Big East	11	5
Big Ten	9	2
Big 12	6	5
Conf-USA	0	2
Missouri Valley	1	2
Mountain West	1	4
Ohio Valley	1	1
PAC-12	1	2
SEC	5	2
West Coast	2	3
All others	7	19

Walter Offett and DJ Cooper Lead Upstart Ohio Bobcats into Sweet 16

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 18, 2012

In the search for the tournament's most broken bracket, the Midwest region comes up a winner and it could have been worse had Purdue been able to hang on against 2nd-seeded Kansas Sunday night.

While the Jayhawks moved onto the Sweet 16, as did #1 seed North Carolina, the middle of the bracket became a mess as #11 NC State stopped #3 Georgetown and #13 Ohio prevailed over the 12 seed from South Florida. While the Bobcats may be accused of bottom-feeding, they still managed a to make the round of 16, no mean feat for a school from the Mid-America conference, whose teams are supposed to genuflect and gently give way to teams from the power conferences.

Ohio may be a small school without much of a basketball pedigree, in sharp contrast to their upcoming opponent, North Carolina, a programs whose legendary players and coaches - like Michael Jordan and Dean Smith - fill the record books and are woven into the fabric of March Madness.

What the Bobcats do have is a sound back court, a small detail that may come in handy against the Tar Heels, who may be without point guard Kendall Marshall in their upcoming meeting (Friday, March 23, 7:47 pm, TBS) after Marshall suffered a fractured bone in his right wrist in the Tar Heels' win over Creighton.

In Ohio's 62-56 triumph over South Florida, the champions of the Mid-America conference were led by their back court duo of Walter Offett and DJ Cooper, who scored 21 and 19 points, respectively. Offett was 7-for-9 from the field, 4-for-4 on three-pointers and had three rebounds and four steals. Cooper was 7-for-9 from the foul line, with seven assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals.

With a pair of guards with that kind of capability, Ohio is a threat whenever and wherever they play. North Carolina had better not be looking past the surprising Bobcats.