NCAA Tourney: Friday Second Round Late Games Results

South Region

(15) Florida Gulf Coast 78 (2) Georgetown 68 - A number of expert college hoops handicappers called this one, and the Eagles, in their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, were good to the word. Georgetown trailed by double digits most of the game, but made it close late, only to watch Florida Gulf Coast's Sherwood Brown knock don his free throws to ice the game.

Brown finished with a game-high 24 points, followed by teammates Bernard Thompson - who had 23 - and Brett Comer, with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double. The biggest upset of the tournament was also one of the most entertaining games of the opening weekend. If you missed it, find a replay on the web. You will not be disappointed.

(8) North Carolina 78 (9) Villanova 71 - After taking a 12-point lead into the break, North Carolina held on against the Wildcats. The ACC-Big East match-up was a turnover festival, the two teams combining for 34 mistakes.

PJ Hairston was sharp for the Tar Heels, making five threes within 7-for-11 shooting for a game-high 23 points.

(3) Florida 79 (14) Northwestern State 47 - Regular season champions of the SEC, the Gators easily dispatched Northwestern State, holding the Demons to 36% from the floor. Erik Murphy led four Gators in double figures with 18 points. The Gators held a 38-20 edge on the boards.

(7) San Diego State 70 (10) Oklahoma 55

(1) Kansas 64 (16) Western Kentucky 57 - Top-seed kansas pushed to the limit by 16 seed Hilltoppers.

(11) Minnesota 83 (6) UCLA 63 - Tubby Smith's Golden Gophers took the measure of the Bruins in a big way. UCLA, the highest-seeded of the PAC-12 teams, is the first to go down. Andre Hollins led Minnesota with 28 points and nine rebounds.

West Region

(2) Ohio State 95 (15) Iona 70 - The Gaels wanted to play an up-tempo game, and the Buckeyes were more than willing to comply, putting up the highest total by any team thus far in the tourney. Deshaun Thomas led the way with 24 points, followed by sophomore Sam Thompson, who dazzled with 20 points and 10 boards.

(10) Iowa State 76 (7) Notre Dame 58 - Niang: 19 points.

NCAA Tourney: Friday Second Round Early Games Results

Midwest Region

(2) Duke 73 (15) Albany 61 - The Great Danes gave it their best, but Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee were simply unstoppable as the Duke Blue Devils sent Albany packing. Curry scored a game-high 26 points on 11 of 14 shooting, and Plumlee went 9-for-11 from the field for 23 points and snagged nine rebounds. Albany kept it close by hitting 63% from three-point land, making nine of 15 to Duke's 4-for-11 from beyond the arc, but the Blue Devils hit at an overall rate of 59% for the game, making 27 of 46 shots.

(7) Creighton 67 (10) Cincinnati 63 - Cincinnati became the second Big East casualty in a match-up with the Missouri Valley, after Wichita State took down Pitt yesterday and Crieghton, behind 27 points from Doug McDermott, sent the Bearcats home.

McDermott, a candidate for player of the year, had his usual exceptional game, leading all scorers by going 7-for-13 from the field with a pair of threes, 11-for-11 from the foul line and 11 boards.

The game was statistically tight, except from the foul line, where Crieghton hit 22 of 25, but the Bearcats were limited to just 4-for-9.

West Region

(12) Ole Miss 57 (5) Wisconsin 46 - Marshall Henderson led a second half comeback to help Ole Miss grab the victory from the Badgers, making Wisconsin the third #5 team to lose their opening game to a #12 seed.

Trailing 36-30 with 11:25 to play, Henderson, coming out of time out, hit a three-pointer that ignited the Rebels on a 27-10 run to close out the game. Henderson, who scored 19 points for the Rebels, had 17 during the close-out stretch, including all three of his three pointers. He had gone 0-for-9 from outside the arc prior to the final run.

Though the Rebels shot just 39% for the game, Wisconsin finished at just 25.4%, unable to solve Mississippi's zone defense. The Badgers made just 15 field goals, seven of which came from outside the three-point stripe, on 30 attempts.

(13) La Salle 63 (4) Kansas State 61 - The Explorers won their second game in two days (beat Boise State in Tuesday's First Four contest) and completed a clean sweep for the Atlantic 10 conference, which has won six tournament games without a loss.

Kansas State, trailing by 18 at the half, made a game of it, eventually taking a one-point lead late in the proceedings, but LaSalle's Jerrell Wright was solid as a rock, making clutch free throws down the stretch to eek out the win. Wright, who led all scorers with 21 points, was nearly perfect, making six of six from the field and nine of ten from the free throw line. He missed his final attempt at the line, which gave the Wildcats a chance to tie or win with 9.8 seconds left, but the Explorer defense was stout and held on for the victory.

East Region

(9) Temple 76 (8) North Carolina State 72 - The Wolfpack nearly came all the way back from an 18-point deficit, but Temple scored their final 14 points at the foul line, sealing the fifth straight win for the powerful Atlantic 10 conference, while handing the ACC its first defeat of the tournament.

Khalif Wyatt, Temple's leading scorer during the regular season, playing with an injured left thumb suffered in the first half, scored a game-high 31 points for the Owls. Though Wyatt wasn't exactly making it rain from the field, where he was 9-for-22, he made up for it at the foul line, canning 12 of 14 attempts. Temple will face the Indiana Hoosiers in the next round on Sunday. Indiana is the top seed in the East region.

(2) Miami (FL) 78 (15) Pacific 49 - Pacific, champions of the Big West conference, proved no match for the Hurricanes, regular season and tournament champion from the ACC. Miami's defense was at its usual high level, holding the Tigers to 33% shooting for the duration. Pacific didn't help itself, making just four of 11 from the free throw line.

Durand Scott had five three-pointers from eight attempts for a game-high 21 points. Miami was 12-for-22 (54.5%) from three-point range.

(1) Indiana 83 (16) James Madison 62 - Victors of the Colonial Athletic Association and winners over LIU-Brooklyn in one of Wednesday's play-in games, the James Madison Dukes proved no match for the powerful Indiana Hoosiers. Andre Nation and Charles Cook scored 42 of James Madison's 62. Indiana's scoring was more balanced, with five players in double figures.

(7) Illinois 57 (10) Colorado 49 - In a see-saw battle that had Colorado erase an 16-point half time deficit with a 21-0 run and take a five-point lead only to see the Illini finish the game on an 11-3 run, Illinois advanced to the round of 32. Illinois took down the first team from the PAC-12, which had won its previous three tourney games.

Despite a 3-for-12 mark from the field, Brandon Paul scored 17 points to lead the Fighting Illini, who will face #2 seed Miami in the next round.

Derrick Nix Delivers Top Performance in Michigan St. Win; A-10 Tops Conference Scoreboard at 4-0

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 21, 2013

From the sixteen games played on Thursday, there were plenty of great candidates for Downtown Magazine's Player of the Day, but one only had to watch the first game of the Midwest session - the first game of the day - to find the best individual game performance.

In #3 Michigan State's rousing, 65-54, victory over Valparaiso, Derrick Nix was so dominant in the paint that he needed to be on the floor a mere 26 minutes to amass these incredible stats: game-high 23 points and 15 rebounds (9 offensive), an assist and two steals. Impressively, Nix, all the while battling two or more defenders, did not commit a single foul, and only turned the ball over twice.

The bulky center was 10-for-17 from the field and 3-for-5 from the foul line, his effort boosting the Spartans to a lead which maxed out at 27, less than six minutes into the second half.

The Spartans advanced to the round of 32. They meet 6th-seeded Memphis on Saturday.

Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through games of 3/21

Conference (#)	W-L	Winners (wins)
ACC (4)	0-0	--
Atlantic 10 (5)	4-0	LaSalle (1) Butler (1) St. Louis (1) VCU (1)
Big 12 (6)	0-1	--
Big East (8)	3-1	Marquette(1) Louisville (1) Syracuse (1)
Big Ten (7)	2-0	Mich. St. (1), Michigan (1)
PAC-12 (5)	3-0	Oregon (1) Arizona (1) Cal (1)
SEC (4)	0-1	--
Missouri Valley (2)	1-0	Wichita St. (1)
Mountain West (5)	1-3	Colorado St. (1)
WCC (2)	2-1	St. Mary's (1) Gonzaga (1)
Sun Belt (2)	0-1	--
All Others (19)	4-13	NC A&T (1) James Madison (1) Memphis (1) Harvard (1)

NCAA Tourney: Thursday Second Round Late Games Results; Harvard Ousts New Mexico

Midwest Region

(1) Louisville 79 (16) North Carolina A&T 48 - As expected, the tournament's top seed, Louisville, had few problems taking out the Midwest region's 16 seed, North Carolina A&T, which advanced from the first four with a one-point win over Liberty on Tuesday. The Cardinals hammered the Aggies to advance to the next round where they meet Colorado State. The combination of pressure defense and red-hot shooting by the Cardinals produced 25 turnovers, a 56% shooting percentage and s decisive victory.

Coach Rick Pitino emptied his bench, playing 12 players, nine of which scored, led by Russ Smith, who pumped in a game-high 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Aggies' starters scored just 16 points.

(8) Colorado St. 84 (9) Missouri 72 - Missouri scored the first basket of the game and it was the only time they led the entire game. Colorado State established an early lead and never let the Tigers get any closer than four points in the second half.

Dorian Green pushed in a game-high 26 points, making 11 of 12 from the charity stripe.


South Region

(3) Michigan 71 (14) South Dakota State 56 - The two Michigan players with NBA pedigrees, Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr., each scored 21 points to lead the Wolverines to a solid win over the Jackrabbits. Hardaway was 8-for-13 and 5-for-7 from three-point range, while Robinson soared at 8-for-9 from the field, making all three of his shots from outside the arc.

(5) VCU 88 (12) Akron 42 - Taking a cue from Louisville, VCU pummeled an out-manned Zips squad which lost two starters to the flu. Nine different players scored for the Commodores, led by Troy Daniels' 23 points.


West Region

(6) Arizona 81 (11) Belmont 64 - Belmonth put three players in double figures but they were no match for the Wildcats, who led from the first bucket until the final buzzer. Mark Lyons led the Wildcats with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting including three bombs from three-point land. Arizona shot 57% for the game and will meet Harvard in the next round.

(14) Harvard 68 (3) New Mexico 62 - The Harvard Crimson pulled off the upset of the day, knocking off a highly-regarded Lobos team for the Crimson's first-ever win in the NCAA tournament. Harvard shot 52% for the game and held New Mexico to just 37.5%. The Crimson was 8-for-18 from the three-point line, five of those coming off the hand of Laurent Rivard, who finished with 17 points. Sophomore Wesley Saunders led the Crimson with 18 points.

East Region

(12) California 64 (5) UNLV 61 - Like a pair of heavyweights, the Golden Bears and Runnin' Rebels went toe-to-toe from start to finish,

Cal missed eight of 12 free throws in the final minute to allow UNLV to draw to within one, but Allen Crabbe, the PAC-12's leading scorer, made two crucial ones to put the Bears ahead by three and seal the win, avenging a one-point loss to the Rebels earlier in the season. Crabbe was the game's high scorer with 19.

Just as Oregon did earlier in the day, a #12 seed from the PAC-12 knocked off a #5, something the selection committee may want to take a closer look at next season.

(4) Syracuse 81 (13) Montana 34 - In what has to be considered the most complete mismatch of the tourney, Syracuse led all the way, going up 20-4 early and extending their lead over the smaller, slower Grizzlies. Brandon Triche led all scorers with 20 points. Montana shot a mere 20% (11-for-54) for the game; no Montana player scored more than five points.

The 47-point win was one better than VCU's win over Akron. Ouch!

NCAA Tourney: Thursday Second Round Early Games Results

Midwest Region

(3) Michigan State 65 (14) Valparaiso 54 - Widebody Derrick Nix led the Spartans with game highs in scoring and rebounds, with 23 and 16, respectively.

Michigan State had a huge rebounding edge of 44-20, including 17 on the offensive end, nine of which were hauled in by Nix. After Michigan State took a 35-18 lead into the half, the contest was never in doubt.

(4) St. Louis 64 (13) New Mexico State 44 - Dwayne Evans scored a game-high 24 points as the Billikens easily outpaced the Aggies, advancing to play the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.

(6) Memphis 54(11) St. Mary's 52 - The Tigers dodged a bullet, beating the Gaels by a bucket. St. Mary's Matthew Dellavedova hoisted a three-point shot as time expired, but missed, advancing the only entrant from conference USA onto the next round. Memphis will face Michigan State on Saturday.

(12) Oregon 68 (5) Oklahoma State 55 - This is technically an upset (12 beating a 5), though it's difficult to comprehend how the Ducks, who won the PAC-12 tournament, were seeded so low, while the Cowboys, respectable at 13-5 (third) in the Big 12 got a 5-seed.

No matter, the Ducks dominated the proceedings, opening up an 11-point lead at the half and never being challenged, eventually leading by as many as 15. Arsalan Kazemi scored 11 points and was a monster on the glass with 17 rebounds. The Ducks had a massive rebounding edge of 45-29. Damyean Dotson led the scoring parade with 17.

East Region

(6) Butler 68 (11) Bucknell 56 - Bucknell actually out-shot Butler by a smidge - 37.1-36.4% - but the Bulldogs took better care of the rock, turning it over just four times, and had a slight rebounding edge, 36-30. Center Andrew Smith was a powerhouse, with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Butler will face Marquette in the third round on Saturday.

(4) Marquette 59 (13) Davidson 58 - Miraculously, Marquette ended the nation's longest winning streak at 17, coming from seven points down with 1:33 to play, to narrowly oust the Wildcats from the tournament. Down the stretch, Vander Blue made a pair of free throws, then made a three bracketed by a pair of three-pointers by Jamil Wilson to draw to within one.

Davidson threw away an inbounds pass with 6.7 seconds left, giving Marquette a final chance and Vander Blue made a running layup with one second on the clock to escape the possible 14-3 upset. Blue (16 points) was just 5-for-15 from the field, but he and Wilson (4-for-13, 14 points) made the shots when they counted.


West Region

(8) Wichita State 73 (9) Pittsburgh 55 - The first team from a major conference has fallen, and it didn't take long, happening on the first full day of the tournament, Wichita State, out of the Missouri Valley, topped Pitt from the Big East in a result that wasn't even close. The Shockers went on a 15-8 run to close out the first half and the Panthers were never able to cut the lead to less than four.

Malcolm Armstead and Cleanthony Early lead the Shockers in scoring with 22 and 21, respectively. Three-pointers came at a premium, with the Panthers hitting just one of 20 and Wichita State making two of 20. Pitt committed 27 fouls, sending the Shockers to the line 41 times, where they made 33. The Shockers face #1 seed Gonzaga in round three.

(1) Gonzaga 64 (16) Southern 58 - The Jaguars threw quite a scare into the top-seeded Bulldogs. Southern tied the game at 54 with just over four minutes left, but couldn't connect down the stretch and Gonzaga played cool under pressure. Derrick Beltran scored 21 for Southern, but was equalled by Kelly Olynyk, who scored 17 of his 21 in the second half to go with 10 rebounds.

Despite a huge, 36-20, edge in rebounding, Gonzaga shot only 42%, which kept the Jaguars in the game.

First Four: Tyrone Garland Leads LaSalle over Boise State; James Madison Advances

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 20, 2013



First Four Play-in Games

James Madison 68 LIU-Brooklyn 55 - Advancing to the second round to meet Indiana, the top seed in the East region, James Madison won a tournament game for the first time in 30 years, topping the MEAC tourney champion Blackbirds.

AJ Davis led the Dukes with 20 points. In a true team defensive effort, James Madison held LIU-Brooklyn to just 35% from the field and a woeful 3-for-16 (19%) from three-point range. The Blackbirds were out-rebounded, 35-30, and the Dukes blocked 10 shots, five by freshman Andre Nation.


LaSalle 80 Boise State 71 - Taking an 8-6 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the game, the LaSalle Explorers never looked back, shooting an incredible 63.3% for the game - making 11 of 21 from the three-point line - to send Boise State back to Idaho after a quick trip to Dayton, Ohio.

The Explorers, one of five teams in the tournament from a powerhouse Atlantic 10 conference, advanced from the First Four to face Kansas State, the #4 seed in the West, the most heavily-stocked region in the tournament.

Junior guard Tyrone Garland had an outstanding game from off the bench, scoring 22 points in 30 minutes to lead LaSalle on 9-for-11 shooting, with a pair of treys, two rebounds, three assists and a steal.

The Explorers meet Kansas State on Friday.

Matthew Dellavedova Leads St. Mary's over Middle Tennessee; NC A&T Advances

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, March 19, 2013

All of those analysts lobbying for the inclusion of Middle Tennessee to be admitted to the field of 68 got their wishes on Sunday, when the Blue Raiders were paired with St. Mary's for a Tuesday night "first four" game, but they had to be embarrassed by the effort as the Gaels punished Middle Tennessee in a 67-54 runaway.

The Gaels led most of the game, taking the lead for good after an 18-all tie when Stephen Holt made one of two free throws and Beau Levesque turned in a three-point play on a layup, foul and subsequent free throw.

After that, it was the Matthew Delladevoda show, the four-year point guard pumping in a game-high 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, with a 5-for-7 mark from beyond the arc. When he wasn't scorching the Blue raiders with threes, Delladevoda was hitting the boards, playing tight defense and helping out teammates. He finished with six boards and four assists.

St. Mary's defense was so good that Middle Tennessee players only went to the line seven times, making six. And, while the shooting was nearly even - 45% for St. Mary's; 42% for the Blue Raiders - it was outside the three-point line that made the difference. St. Mary's was 8-for-14 (57%). Middle Tennessee managed only 4-for-12 (33%).

The Gaels advance to the second round, where they will face Memphis, the #6 seed in the Midwest region, on Thursday.

In the other first four meeting, North Carolina A&T held on for a 73-72 win over a gritty Liberty squad, advancing to play the tournament's #1 seed, Louisville, on Thursday.

Play-in Tourney Games and a Final Four Prediction

The 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship gets underway tonight in Dayton, OH, when the North Carolina A&T Aggies tip off with the Liberty Flames, surprise winner of the automatic bid from the Big South after going 6-10 in conference and 15-20 overall. Opening tip is set for 6:40 pm EDT.

Liberty won three tournament games to reach this spot; their ascent into the NCAA tourney their second chance in nine years. In 2004, they lost an opening round game to St. Joe's.

The game figures to be close, though NC A&T has a distinct height advantage which could prove fatal to the Flames.

Like Liberty, the Aggies won their conference tourney, winning four straight to advance. The problem with A&T is that they rank 317th in shooting percentage, which is pretty poor, and Liberty plays sound defense.

Look for the Flames to advance, possibly via the foul line, to play Louisville on Saturday.

In the late game (9:10 pm EDT), St. Mary's, which, besides West region top-seed Gonzaga, is the only entrant from the West Coast Conference. The Gaels face a solid, yet unappreciated squad from the Sun Belt, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who posted a 19-1 record in conference and boast a 28-5 record overall.

Despite those gaudy numbers, the Blue Raiders lost to Florida International in their conference tournament, but received a gift vote from the selection committee. They'll have to prove they belong against St. Mary's, and they should advance to a second round game with Memphis. If so, they'll have a big opportunity to post an early upset.

Final Four Prediction

Picking the Final Four usually involves more luck than predictive skill, and this season is no different. In fact, this is one of the most competitive fields ever presented by the NCAA, with at least ten teams with a legitimate shot at capturing the championship.

Fearless Rick's best guess at who emerges from each region goes like this:
East: Miami (2)
West: Ohio State (2)
Midwest: St. Louis (4)
South: VCU (5)

OK, maybe that's a bit optimistic, with no #1 seeds reaching, but, this is tough field and upsets are nothing new at the Big Dance.

In the semi-final, Midwest plays West and East plays South, so look for the Buckeyes of Ohio State to advance over the Billikens, and Miami to to the Commodores.

The final goes to Ohio State, in a close, 67-63 win over the Hurricanes.

Good luck to everybody with their bracket picks.

March Madness: NCAA Tournament Observations

Just some off-the-cuff commentary on the field of 68 set on Sunday for the NCAA Men's National Basketball Championship:

Oregon, despite winning the PAC-12 tournament was seeded #12 in the Midwest, while UCLA (which the Ducks beat in the tourney final) and Arizona received 6-seeds.

CBS, on their tournament seeding show Sunday evening, flashed "Weakest Region" on the West, which includes top-seeded Gonzaga, #2 Ohio State, #3 New Mexico and #4 Kansas State along with #5 Wisconsin and Notre Dame, seeded 7th. The truth of the matter is that the West is far and away the most competitive of the regions, not even close to the weakest, which would likely be either the South (Kansas #1, Georgetown #2, Florida #3) or the Midwest, which has the woeful Duke squad implanted at #2 and Louisville, #1. The best team in the that region might be the aforementioned Oregon, or #4 St. Louis, champions of the Atlantic 10 (regular season and tournament), #3 Michigan State or #7 Creighton, out of the Missouri Valley.

Miami, which won both the regular season and conference tourney in the ACC, was posted as a #2, in the East region, on a collision course with #1 Indiana. Various bodies on the selection committee must have liked Kansas better than the Hurricanes, or preferred Duke, because, in reality, the Hurricanes got a raw deal, though they will likely waltz through their sub-region.

In the play-in games, there are actually two different flavors. The winner of the North Carolina A&T-Liberty meeting is nothing but cannon fodder for Louisville, as is the LIU-Brooklyn-James Madison match-up, the winner of which will certainly fall to Indiana.

The other two are more compelling, as Middle Tennessee plays St. Mary's (a solid game), the winner advancing to the second round against Memphis, the Conference USA champion which has proven, thus far, nothing. Look for an upset, with Memphis taking it on the chin. Boise State plays LaSalle in the other play-in, the victor moving on to a round two meeting with Kansas State, another vulnerable team. At least the tournament committee has created some excitement in expanding the field and getting teams from smaller conferences.

Key second round games include all of the 8-9 match-ups, which could actually be called toss-ups. Try picking between Missouri and Colorado State in the Midwest, NC State and Temple in the East, Pitt and Wichita State (take the Shockers) in the West, or North Carolina and Villanova (leaning toward the Tar Heels) in the South.

Bracket busters appear all across the landscape. While there's likely little chance that a #1 seed will fall in their opening game, it's bound to happen some time. The best shot at it this year would be Western Kentucky, a team with plenty of experience and tournament savvy (they won four straight games to get in, for the second year in a row, out of the Sun Belt) against the #1 seed in the South, Kansas.

A number of people have mentioned Florida Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Sun champion, as a possible winner over #2 Georgetown in the South, though only because they've been noticed, their chances are diminished.

Sorry, Duke haters, but Albany is not going to knock off Duke, though seven-seed Creighton might in the following round. If the Blue Devils advance to the regionals, look for either Michigan State or Valparaiso to end their 2013 tournament in a hurry. The third round game between Michigan State and Valpo could be a good one to watch as well, and a Spartan win is by no means guaranteed. A 3-seed has fallen to a 14 in each of the last four tournaments, a trend which fits the Valpo-Michigan state scenario.

In the East, #14 Davidson could easily top #3 Marquette. The Golden Eagles were knocked out of the Big East tourney early on and are over-seeded at #3.

Sorry, Ivy Leaguers, but #14 Harvard isn't going to get past #3 New Mexico in the West.

Syracuse, another overseed victim at #4 in the East, may have problems with #13 Montana. As it is, Syracuse is still searching for identity, especially after the 56-point explosion by Louisville in the second half of the Big East final. They, like Michigan and Michigan State, are enigmas which could be gone early or proceed possibly to an unlikely Final Four.

Streakers: The highest-quality streak coming in belongs to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have won eight straight, including the Big Ten championship with a final win over Wisconsin (the team which last beat them, on February 17), a semi-final win over Michigan State, and regular season wins over Indiana and the Spartans. They are the #2 seed in the rough West region, but any slip up could derail their championship run.

In any case the Buckeyes are hailing from the region which just may produce the overall champion, be it themselves, New Mexico or Gonzaga, the top seed.

The longest streak coming in belongs to Davidson, regular season and tourney champs of the Southern League, at 17 straight, which spells real trouble for Marquette. Interestingly, their closest game during their winning run was a 93-87 overtime win against Montana, at home, no less. Look out, Syracuse.

More tomorrow...

Shane Larkin Leads Miami to ACC Title; Hurricanes Shunned by Tourney Committee

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 17, 2013

Of the four conference championships decided on Sunday, the ACC contest brought out the best shooters, and, for those who have been screaming about the lack off offense in the college game this season, the highest score.

The Hurricanes' 87-77 victory over North Carolina was the icing on the cake that saw Miami wqin its first regular season ACC title, followed up by confident victories in the tournament and a first outright title in the nine years in which its been a member of the ACC.

The game saw 25 of 51 three-point shots find their marks. Both PJ Hairston of the Tar Heels and Miami's Trey McKinney-Jones made six, but it was the small ball of Hurricane point guard Shane Larkin that carried the day. Larkin matched Hairston with 28 points, sealing the deal with six consecutive free throws without a miss in the final minute.

Larkin also made four three pointers on 8-for-15 shooting overall, was a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line, dished seven assists, collected five rebounds and made a pair of steals. He was also the only player from either team to play all forty minutes.

While the great accomplishments of the Hurricanes this season cannot be overstated, they still did not measure up to the NCAA tournament committee's standards which saw fit to put them in as a #2 seed, albeit in the East Region, which will provide them with some semblance of court familiarity.

With the brackets set for the Big Dance, later today, College Basketball Daily will post a breakdown of some of the key first and second round games, insights into the overall tournament and picks for the Final Four and National Championship.

Ohio State Wins Big Ten; All 31 Automatic Bids Allotted

College Hoops Player of the Day for DAY, Month, 2012
Ohio State held Wisconsin scoreless for the final seven minutes to capture the Big Ten championship, 50-43, the fourth under head coach Thad Motta.

The Buckeye victory completes the 31 automatic bids to the NCAA tournament for conference champions.

2013 NCAA Tournament Bids by Conference

Harvard	Ivy League
Belmont	Ohio Valley
Florida Gulf Coast	Atlantic Sun
James Madison	Colonial Athletic Association
Iona	MAAC
Creighton	Missouri Valley
LIU Brooklyn	Northeast
Western Kentucky	Sun Belt
Liberty	Big South
Gonzaga	West Coast
Davidson	Southern
South Dakota State	Summit League
Valparaiso	Horizon League
Bucknell	Patriot
New Mexico	Mountain West
Memphis	Conference USA
Albany	America East
Northwestern State	Southland
Pacific	Big West
Chicago State	Great West
Montana	Big Sky
Southern	SWAC
North Carolina A&T	MEAC
New Mexico State	WAC
Akron	MAC
Louisville	Big East
Oregon	PAC-12
Kansas	Big 12
Miami	ACC
Mississippi	SEC
St. Louis	Atlantic 10
Wisconsin/Ohio St.	Big Ten

30 of 31 Automatic Bids In: Mississippi, Miami, St. Louis Punch Tourney Tickets

With all the tournaments finished except the Big Ten, the field is nearly set for the 2013 NCAA Championship.

Today's results:

ACC Final: Miami 87 North Carolina 77 - In a championship game that more resembled a 3-point shooting competition, Miami's Trey McKinney Jones made six of nine from beyond the arc (7-for-11 overall) for 20 points to lead the Hurricanes to their first ACC championship, following up on their regular season title.

Game high scorers were Shane Larkin for Miami and PJ Hairston for North Carolina, each of whom tallied 28.


SEC Final: Mississippi 69 Florida 66 - Murphy Holloway scored 23 points and hauled down 11 rebounds, and Marshall Henderson scored 21 as the Rebels roared back from a 36-24 half time deficit to win their first SEC championship since 1981. With that result, Mississippi gets the automatic NCAA bid, while Florida, the regular season conference champ, will wait until later in the day to see where they are seeded.


Atlantic 10 Final: St. Louis 62 VCU 56 - The Billikens followed up their regular season championship with a win over VCU to capture the A-10 tourney. Kwamain Mitchell came off the Billiken bench to score 19 points. Treveon Graham scored a game high 20 for the Commodores, who are almost certain to receive an at-large bid.

That leaves only the Big Ten to complete the 31 automatic bids.

Below is a chart of the automatic bids so far, with Wisconsin-Ohio State in progress. The tournament selection process concludes with the reveal of the seedings and brackets beginning at 6:00 pm EDT, live on CBS.

2013 NCAA Tournament Automatic Bids by Conference

Harvard	Ivy League
Belmont	Ohio Valley
Florida Gulf Coast	Atlantic Sun
James Madison	Colonial Athletic Association
Iona	MAAC
Creighton	Missouri Valley
LIU Brooklyn	Northeast
Western Kentucky	Sun Belt
Liberty	Big South
Gonzaga	West Coast
Davidson	Southern
South Dakota State	Summit League
Valparaiso	Horizon League
Bucknell	Patriot
New Mexico	Mountain West
Memphis	Conference USA
Albany	America East
Northwestern State	Southland
Pacific	Big West
Chicago State	Great West
Montana	Big Sky
Southern	SWAC
North Carolina A&T	MEAC
New Mexico State	WAC
Akron	MAC
Louisville	Big East
Oregon	PAC-12
Kansas	Big 12
Miami	ACC
Mississippi	SEC
St. Louis	Atlantic 10
Wisconsin/Ohio St.	Big Ten

Miami's Durand Scott Player of the Day; 8 More Conferences Crown Champions

College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 16, 2013

Miami's Durand Scott turned in the performance of the day, leading the Hurricanes into Sunday's ACC final, seeking the championship for the first time in the nine years Miami has been a member of the conference.

Scott dazzled NC State defenders with 12-for-18 shooting, making five of eight from outside the 3-point line, for a game-high 32 points. Scott was also active elsewhere, with three boards, four assists and a pair of steals. Miami's 81-71 victory was one in which they led almost the entire game.

In the final, the #9 Hurricanes will face North Carolina at 1:00 pm EDT Sunday. Miami won both meetings with the Tar Heels during the regular season and a win could result in a #1 seeding.

Recapping late action:

Louisville shredded Syracuse's vaunted 2-3 zone defense with 56 second half points, upending a 35-22 deficit to win the Big East championship going away, 78-61. The dominant win will likely land Louisville the #1 seed in the East region of the NCAA tourney.

Oregon grabbed the auomatic bid from the PAC-12, thumping UCLA, 78-69, in the conference final. The Ducks struggled though the latter half of their conference schedule, losing three of their last five, but regained their swagger in the tourney and hopefully will carry their confidence into the NCAAs.

Other conference winners (all receive automatic NCAA bids:

Chicago State 75 Houston Baptist 60 - 11-21 Cougars win Great West title.

Northwestern State 68 SF Austin 66 - Southland championship.

Montana 67 Weber State 64 - Big Sky

Pacific 64 UC Irvine 55 - Big West

New Mexico State 64 Texas-Arlington 55 - Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title.

Kansas Takes Big 12; New Mexico Wins Mountain West; Akron, Southern, NC A&T Go Dancing

#15 New Mexico followed up its Mountain West regular season title by winning the conference tournament, 63-56, over UNLV.

Tony Snell led all scorers with 21 points, nailing five three-pointers and scoring 13 straight points for the Lobos in the waning minutes of the game.

Kansas easily topped #11 Kansas State, 70-54, to take the Big 12 tourney championship. Jeff Withey led the Jayhawks with 17 points and nine boards.

The win puts #7 Kansas in a solid position to be the #1 seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA tourney.

Other conference tourney winners this afternoon included Southern, topping Prarie View A&M, 45-44, for the SWAC championship and North Carolina A&T, a 57-54 winner over Morgan State, to clinch the MEAC title.

Akron took the MAC championship, romping, 65-46, over Ohio.

SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Atlantic-10 Semi-Final Results, Highlights

Conference Tournament Updates:

Big Ten Semi-Finals

Wisconsin 68 Indiana 56 - The Badgers beat Indiana for the 12st straight time and third time this season, something to keep in mind should the two meet again in the NCAA tournament.

Ohio State 61 Michigan State 58 - Arron Craft scored 20 points, had three rebounds, nine assists and four steals to lead the Buckeyes past the Spartans and into the Big Ten final.

Ohio State and Wisconsin will duel for the Big Ten championship Sunday afternoon.

ACC Semi-Finals

Miami 91 NC State 81 - Durand Scott pumped in 32 points as the Hurricanes blew past the Wolfpack, advancing to the Sunday tourney final.

North Carolina 79 Maryland 76 - North Carolina held on against a determined Maryland team to advance to the ACC final. With the loss, Maryland will have to wait until Sunday afternoon to determine their post-season fate, though any team that beats Duke twice in a season deserves a good, hard look.

Sunday's ACC final features the tournament's top-seeded team, the Miami Hurricanes, against the Tar Heels from North Carolina.

SEC Semi-Finals

Florida 61 Alabama 51 - The Gators broke open a close game with a 15-point, second half run and cruised to the win. Kenny Boynton led all scorers with 16 points.

Mississippi 64 Vanderbilt 52 - Ole Miss likely played themselves into the NCAA tourney with this semi-final win, turning a 26-all tie at the half into a solid victory and a shot at Florida in the conference final on Sunday.

Atlantic-10 Semi-Finals

St. Louis 67 Butler 56 - 16th-ranked Billikens whipped Butler for the third time this season, advancing to the A-10 final. Dwayne Evans scored a game-high 25 and scored a double-double with 11 rebounds. St. Louis boasts a 26-6 record and a 13-3 mark in conference.

VCU 71 Massachusetts 62 - Troy Daniels came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and Juvonte Reddic scored 18 with 12 rebounds to lead the Commodores into the A-10 Final.

VCU faces St. Louis in the tourney final Sunday. The Billikens took a 76-62 victory at home over VCU during the regular season.

Great Danes and Tigers Capture Conference Titles, Go Dancing

The Albany Great Dames became the first team this Saturday to punch their ticket to the NCAA tourney with a 53-49 victory over the Vermont Catamounts. Albany won the America East conference tourney and the automatic bid.

In Tulsa, it took two overtimes, but the Memphis Tigers grabbed their seventh Conference-USA championship and third in a row, topping Southern Miss, 91-79.

More scores and highlights as the big day of conference championships develops...

Dez Wells Pumps in 30 as Maryland Ousts Duke in ACC Tourney

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 15, 2013

On a night of heavy conference tournament action, the upset of the night was produced by the Maryland Terrapins, who whipped the 2nd-ranked Duke Blue Devils for the second time this season, 83-74, advancing to the semi-finals to face North Carolina Saturday afternoon.

The Terps led the entire game, though Duke cut the lead to one point midway through the second half, but Dez Wells, who pumped in a career high 30 points for Maryland, would not allow his team to fail in what some considered a must-win for the Terrapins' tournament hopes.

Wells was 9-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-2 from outside the arc and made all 10 of his chances at the foul line. He added six boards, three assists and a steal in 32 minutes.

Maryland topped the Blue Devils back on February 8th, 83-81, at the Verizon Center in Washington DC, and proved it was no fluke as they dominated Duke and sent them packing in a one-and-done tournament appearance, out-rebounding Duke, 36-26, and had 18 assists to the Blue Devils' 10.

The Terps were just 8-10 in ACC play, but 22-11 overall, stringing together 11 straight wins prior to conference action. Their match-up with the Tar Heels may be a troublesome one, as North Carolina topped the Terrapins twice during the regular season.

Elsewhere, Georgetown and Syracuse met for the third time this season, and this time the Orange avenged their previous two losses to the Hoyas with a 58-55 OT win, advancing to the Big East final against Louisville, a 69-57 victor over Notre Dame.

The Cardinals and Orange tip at 8:35 pm EDT at Madison Square Garden.

The Big 12 will also crown a champion Saturday night, when #7 Kansas meets #11 Kansas State for the tourney title.

Also on Saturday, UCLA faces Oregon for the PAC-12 championship.

It will be a busy weekend for crowning, as the Mountain West, Conference USA, America East, Southland, Big West, Great West, Big Sky, SWAC, MEAC, WAC and MAC all play tournament finals on Saturday. The ACC, SEC, Big Ten, and Atlantic-10 each have championship games on Sunday.

Olivier Hanlan Sets ACC Frosh Record in Boston College Win over Georgia Tech

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 14, 2013

With a 16-16 record and a 7-11 mark in conference, the Boston College Eagles are likely headed to the NIT rather than the NCAA tournament, but freshman Olivier Hanlan made certain that he'd leave a permanent mark on the ACC tournament.

Hanlan scored a career-high 41 points in the Eagles' 84-64 win over Georgia Tech in the opening round of the ACC championship, the most ever scored by an ACC freshman in the history of the conference, post-season or otherwise.

Hanlan had a nice season for the Eagles, scoring at a 15.4 ppg clip, but his performance on Thursday afternoon was one for the ages, making 14 of 18 shots, including eight of 10 from beyond the arc, adding five of six from the foul line.

In his 36 minutes of floor time, Hanlan also collected five boards, make three steals and dished a pair of assists. BC will play top-seeded Miami at noon EDT on Friday.

Elsewhere, the Big East tournament produced a pair of semi-final match-ups as Syracuse topped Pitt, 62-59, and Georgetown cruised past Cincinnati, 62-43. Georgetown and SU will meet for the third time this season at 7:00 pm EDT Friday night. Georgetown won the previous two meetings handily.

On the other side of the bracket, #4 Louisville overwhelmed Villanova, 74-55, and Notre Dame stopped Marquette, 73-65, setting up a 9:00 pm EDT meeting between the Cardinals and the Fighting Irish.

Conference tournament action heats up this weekend as all conferences will crown champions prior to the NCAA committee selections on Sunday at 6:00 pm EDT.

Jahii Carson Lifts Arizona State over Stanford in OT; Bucknell Bison Earn a Bid

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, March 13, Month, 2013

Conference tournaments spanned the countryside on Wednesday with action from the Big East to the PAC-12 on tap.

In one of the most hotly-contested battles of the night, Arizona State's Jahii Carson scored the first five points for the Sun Devils in overtime on a three-pointer and a layup and teammate Evan Gordon sealed the 89-88 ASU victory, making five of six free throws to close out Stanford in the first round of the PAC-12 championship.

Carson, a 5'10" freshman who led the Sun devils in scoring at 18.2 points per game, topped the scoring charts with a career-high 34 points on 14-for-22 shooting, including three of four from three-point range. The diminutive guard was a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line and added a steal, three rebounds and four assists.

Also in the PAC-12, Colorado advanced with a 74-68 win over Oregon State, Washington edged Washington State, 64-62 and Utah slipped by USC, 69-66.

In the Big East, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame and Cincinnati advanced in second round games.

A full slate is set for Thursday, with the Big 12 and Big Ten opening tourney play. There are 53 games on the college hoops schedule for Thursday.

Bucknell captured the Patriot League title and received the automatic bid with a 64-56 win over Lafayette in the league final.

The Bison were led by Mike Muscala's double-double: 20 points and 11 boards.

Valparaiso, South Dakota State Make Tourney Field; CJ Garner Leads LIU-Brooklyn with Career Effort

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

LIU Brooklyn defeated Mount St. Mary's for the Northeast conference championship and an invitation to their third straight NCAA tournament, with a 91-70 victory.

Trailing by eight points midway through the first half, LIU head coach, Jack Perri, switched from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone on defense and his players responded, taking a 35-31 lead by half time and pulling away in the second half.

The Blackbirds were led by C.J. Garner, who scored a career-high 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting, adding five of seven from the foul line. LIU-Brooklyn shot 61% for the game, making five of nine from three-point range.

South Dakota State returned to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, winning the Summit League tittle with a 73-67 win over North Dakota State.

Nate Wolters led all scorers with 27 points for the Jackrabbits, to go with six assists and six rebounds.

Valparaiso won the Horizon League championship, topping Wright State in the tournament final, 62-54. Erik Buggsled three Crusaders in double figures with 22 points.

13 teams have now qualified for the NCAA tournament by winning their league championships.

Harvard - Ivy League
Belmont - Ohio Valley
Florida Gulf Coast - Atlantic Sun
James Madison - Colonial Athletic Association
Iona - MAAC
Creighton - Missouri Valley
LIU Brooklyn - Northeast
Western Kentucky - Sun Belt
Liberty - Big South
Gonzaga - West Coast
Davidson - Southern
South Dakota State - Summit League
Valparaiso - Horizon League