College Basketball Nation: Missouri Valley
What could possibly make this year's Final Four better? If we invited more than one Cinderella.
Yes, the four major surprises of the NCAA tournament -- or at least the four mid-majors still kicking, surprises or not -- are in four different regions: No. 12 Cornell in the East, No. 10 St. Mary's in the South, No. 5 Butler in the West, No. 9 UNI in the Midwest. None of these teams could possibly eliminate the others unless they met on April 3 in Indianapolis.
Remember when George Mason made the Final Four? It was awesome, right? I want that to happen again. Except I want to multiply it by four. Let's get greedy!
Actually, let's get the opposite of greedy; CBS and the NCAA have to be quietly praying this dream/nightmare scenario doesn't happen. As much fun as it would be for us college hoops die-hards to watch four unlikely mid-majors duke it out on the final weekend of the tournament, I'm betting the casual fan would prefer a Syracuse, Duke, or Kentucky be mixed in. Then again, given that the NCAA seems determined to expand the tournament whether fans of the sport actually want it or not, my heart will not bleed for the Association. This would be the perfect coda to the 64-team format, and the perfect way to snare some tiny measure of revenge at the NCAA for changing one of the few things in this world that need not be changed. It needs to happen.
What are each team's chances of actually making it to the Final Four? They vary from "eh, it could happen" to "um, not so much." Butler is the least surprising of any of these teams to have made it to the Sweet 16, but the Bulldogs might have the toughest path; even if they survive their date with a hot No. 1-seeded Syracuse team Thursday, Butler will have to face the winner of Xavier-Kansas State, and neither opponent would be easy. (Just think: If Butler had handled its nonconference schedule a bit better in November and December -- Butler scheduled tough to stockpile some respect after they won the Horizon League, and it didn't go quite as planned -- the Bulldogs might have nabbed a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, and would look much better on the other half of the bracket somewhere.) Same goes for Cornell, which drew an infinitely talented Kentucky team that has absolutely blitzed its two opponents thus far.
St. Mary's actually seems our most likely Final Four candidate. The Gaels easily handled Villanova, match up pretty well with a more athletic Baylor team, and could legitimately give Duke problems in the Elite Eight. UNI got a really favorable Sweet 16 draw with a Kalin Lucas-less Michigan State team, but to get to Indy, the Panthers will likely have to take down Evan Turner & Co. I would never want to doubt King Ali and the Cedar Falls Giant Killers ... but Ohio State looked pretty good in Milwaukee this weekend.
Still, though, this is eminently possible. We could actually have four legitimate mid-majors from four sub-Red Line conferences in the Final Four. Seeing as your bracket is shot anyway (I believe I'm coming in right around the 15th percentile of most pools, which, ugh) would you care to join me in rooting for what would quite possibly be the best Final Four in the history of Final Fours?* There's plenty of room on this bandwagon.
Omar, Ali, Jeff, Gordon -- care to make some room for our newest members? Hop on, y'all. Next stop, April. Hopefully, anyway.
*The only concern I have about this Final Four is that if every team left in the tournament is an underdog, none of them are. Which means that the Final Four wouldn't have that same sort of let's-go-little-guy feel; every team would be a little guy. Do I think that's a reason why this wouldn't be awesome? No. But I bet others would.
Yes, the four major surprises of the NCAA tournament -- or at least the four mid-majors still kicking, surprises or not -- are in four different regions: No. 12 Cornell in the East, No. 10 St. Mary's in the South, No. 5 Butler in the West, No. 9 UNI in the Midwest. None of these teams could possibly eliminate the others unless they met on April 3 in Indianapolis.
Remember when George Mason made the Final Four? It was awesome, right? I want that to happen again. Except I want to multiply it by four. Let's get greedy!
Actually, let's get the opposite of greedy; CBS and the NCAA have to be quietly praying this dream/nightmare scenario doesn't happen. As much fun as it would be for us college hoops die-hards to watch four unlikely mid-majors duke it out on the final weekend of the tournament, I'm betting the casual fan would prefer a Syracuse, Duke, or Kentucky be mixed in. Then again, given that the NCAA seems determined to expand the tournament whether fans of the sport actually want it or not, my heart will not bleed for the Association. This would be the perfect coda to the 64-team format, and the perfect way to snare some tiny measure of revenge at the NCAA for changing one of the few things in this world that need not be changed. It needs to happen.
What are each team's chances of actually making it to the Final Four? They vary from "eh, it could happen" to "um, not so much." Butler is the least surprising of any of these teams to have made it to the Sweet 16, but the Bulldogs might have the toughest path; even if they survive their date with a hot No. 1-seeded Syracuse team Thursday, Butler will have to face the winner of Xavier-Kansas State, and neither opponent would be easy. (Just think: If Butler had handled its nonconference schedule a bit better in November and December -- Butler scheduled tough to stockpile some respect after they won the Horizon League, and it didn't go quite as planned -- the Bulldogs might have nabbed a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, and would look much better on the other half of the bracket somewhere.) Same goes for Cornell, which drew an infinitely talented Kentucky team that has absolutely blitzed its two opponents thus far.
St. Mary's actually seems our most likely Final Four candidate. The Gaels easily handled Villanova, match up pretty well with a more athletic Baylor team, and could legitimately give Duke problems in the Elite Eight. UNI got a really favorable Sweet 16 draw with a Kalin Lucas-less Michigan State team, but to get to Indy, the Panthers will likely have to take down Evan Turner & Co. I would never want to doubt King Ali and the Cedar Falls Giant Killers ... but Ohio State looked pretty good in Milwaukee this weekend.
Still, though, this is eminently possible. We could actually have four legitimate mid-majors from four sub-Red Line conferences in the Final Four. Seeing as your bracket is shot anyway (I believe I'm coming in right around the 15th percentile of most pools, which, ugh) would you care to join me in rooting for what would quite possibly be the best Final Four in the history of Final Fours?* There's plenty of room on this bandwagon.
Omar, Ali, Jeff, Gordon -- care to make some room for our newest members? Hop on, y'all. Next stop, April. Hopefully, anyway.
*The only concern I have about this Final Four is that if every team left in the tournament is an underdog, none of them are. Which means that the Final Four wouldn't have that same sort of let's-go-little-guy feel; every team would be a little guy. Do I think that's a reason why this wouldn't be awesome? No. But I bet others would.
Buzzer-beaters cap entertaining weekend
March, 21, 2010
Mar 21
11:31
PM ET
AP Photo/Don RyanMichigan State players mob Korie Lucious after he hit the game-winning shot against Maryland.And there's one team from the Pac-10, which only looked like a mid-major league this season.
The final day of the first weekend of the 2010 NCAA tournament was as unpredictable as the first three, as Sunday delivered yet another upset and two more buzzer-beaters.
Now the tournament takes a three-day hiatus before regional semifinals begin Thursday in Salt Lake City and Syracuse, N.Y. College basketball fans can probably use a break after watching one of the most entertaining opening weekends in NCAA tournament history.
And maybe they'll stop celebrating by then on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, N.Y. On Sunday, the 12th-seeded Big Red became the lowest-seeded team to reach the Sweet 16 this year after blasting 4-seed Wisconsin 87-69 in an East Regional second-round game in Jacksonville, Fla. Outside first-round games, it is the second-largest margin of victory ever for a team seeded 12th or lower.
Read more ...
Northern Iowa draws late crowd at airport
March, 21, 2010
Mar 21
3:06
PM ET
After its stunning 69-67 win over Kansas Friday night, the members of the Northern Iowa Panthers flew home and found fans who couldn't wait to celebrate, greeting them at the airport at 2 a.m.
According to the Des Moines Register:
They don't call it the Sweet 16 for nothing.
According to the Des Moines Register:
Northern Iowa fans stood on the tarmac and sang the UNI Fight Song as the players and coaches got off the plane, then everyone broke into a happy chant of "UNI, UNI, UNI."The Gazette in Cedar Rapids has video of Ali Farokhmanesh doing an interview in the waiting area of the airport and then watching as Dick Vitale dropped his name on ESPN.
"Yeah, it's crazy," said big Jordan Eglseder, still smiling seven hours after UNI's victory over the Jayhawks.
They don't call it the Sweet 16 for nothing.
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesNorthern Iowa surprised Markieff Morris and the Kansas Jayhawks with 69-67 victory.
Nelson Chenault/US PresswireAli Farokhmanesh celebrates hitting a 3-pointer late in Northern Iowa's upset of Kansas.
How surprised is America about Northern Iowa? Let's take a look at ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge, which includes just under 4.8 million brackets:
Northern Iowa:
And what about Kansas?
President Obama’s bracket is among the 4,689,556 that had Kansas in the Sweet 16 and the 2,017,360 that had Kansas winning it all. With Villanova and Georgetown also losing, the President has now lost 3 of his Elite 8.
Northern Iowa:
- 42,500 brackets (0.9%) had Northern Iowa making the Sweet 16
- 16,169 (0.3%) have them in the Elite Eight
- 5,720 (0.1%) have them in the Final Four
- 2,620 (0.005%) have them in the championship game
- 1,546 (0.003%) have them winning it all
And what about Kansas?
- 98% had Kansas in the Sweet 16
- 59% had them in the Final Four
- 42% had them winning it all
President Obama’s bracket is among the 4,689,556 that had Kansas in the Sweet 16 and the 2,017,360 that had Kansas winning it all. With Villanova and Georgetown also losing, the President has now lost 3 of his Elite 8.
OKLAHOMA CITY –- A quick look at the two second-round games here Saturday:
Northern Iowa (9) vs. Kansas (1), 5:40 p.m.
Key to the game: As is always the case when the Panthers play, the tug-of-war over tempo will be vital. Northern Iowa, the sultans of slowdown, have not played a game with more than 64 possessions since December according to pace guru Ken Pomeroy. Kansas, by contrast, has played just one of its last 19 games with fewer than 64 possessions. UNLV did its best to pressure the Panthers into a faster pace Thursday night, but the score still wound up in the 60s. But Kansas has the better players, and if the game becomes a half-court grinder, the Jayhawks can handle that too.
“Whatever the pace is, we need to embrace it and enjoy it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We don’t need to get frustrated because we don’t like the pace. I think we have a team that’s equipped to play fast or not so fast. The whole deal is from my standpoint we need to be patient on both ends, offensively and defensively, because there’s going to be lots of possessions that I think (the shot clock) gets under 10. And the team that executes under 10 seconds on the shot clock will probably have a great chance.”
Player to watch: Northern Iowa point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe. He only played 23 minutes Thursday against UNLV because of first-half foul trouble, but was vital in the second half running the offense and getting to the foul line. The hard-edged Ahelegbe finished with 13 points and four assists, and will have to hold his own in the matchup with Kansas All-American Sherron Collins.
Who has the edge: Kansas. The Panthers have the size to play the Jayhawks, but not the same level of athleticism –- especially on the wings. If Kansas gets its running game going it should be able to win without much of a scare.
Brigham Young (7) vs. Kansas State (2), 8:10 p.m.
Key to the game: Can BYU wear out a path to the foul line? The Cougars are the best foul-shooting team in the nation at 79 percent, and have a knack for drawing them. Meanwhile, Kansas State is foul-prone. BYU shot 32 free throws against Florida Thursday, and North Texas shot 31 against K-State.
“We foul some,” Wildcats coach Frank Martin acknowledged. “We had a moment during the season where we fouled too much because of how we play, the new players in place. It takes time for guys to understand the aggressiveness that we ask our guys to play with and where you can draw that line.
“The Kansas game (in the Big 12 tournament), we fouled too much. We put our hands on them and put them on the line a little too much, and then we kind of did that again (Thursday). That’s why I’m a little concerned about it, because we reverted. … If we foul (the Cougars), we’re in trouble. They’re not going to miss free throws.”
Player to watch: Jimmer Fredette, coming off a 37-point performance against Florida Thursday. Does he continue his Stephen Curry-style scoring spree and vault BYU to a major upset and a de facto home game in Salt Lake City in the Sweet Sixteen?
Who has the edge: Kansas State. The Wildcats are a much better defensive team than Florida, and their athleticism and ability to disrupt flow will make it hard for BYU to run its efficient offense. The Cougars have great shooters, but open looks figure to be at a premium.
Northern Iowa (9) vs. Kansas (1), 5:40 p.m.
Key to the game: As is always the case when the Panthers play, the tug-of-war over tempo will be vital. Northern Iowa, the sultans of slowdown, have not played a game with more than 64 possessions since December according to pace guru Ken Pomeroy. Kansas, by contrast, has played just one of its last 19 games with fewer than 64 possessions. UNLV did its best to pressure the Panthers into a faster pace Thursday night, but the score still wound up in the 60s. But Kansas has the better players, and if the game becomes a half-court grinder, the Jayhawks can handle that too.
“Whatever the pace is, we need to embrace it and enjoy it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We don’t need to get frustrated because we don’t like the pace. I think we have a team that’s equipped to play fast or not so fast. The whole deal is from my standpoint we need to be patient on both ends, offensively and defensively, because there’s going to be lots of possessions that I think (the shot clock) gets under 10. And the team that executes under 10 seconds on the shot clock will probably have a great chance.”
Player to watch: Northern Iowa point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe. He only played 23 minutes Thursday against UNLV because of first-half foul trouble, but was vital in the second half running the offense and getting to the foul line. The hard-edged Ahelegbe finished with 13 points and four assists, and will have to hold his own in the matchup with Kansas All-American Sherron Collins.
Who has the edge: Kansas. The Panthers have the size to play the Jayhawks, but not the same level of athleticism –- especially on the wings. If Kansas gets its running game going it should be able to win without much of a scare.
Brigham Young (7) vs. Kansas State (2), 8:10 p.m.
Key to the game: Can BYU wear out a path to the foul line? The Cougars are the best foul-shooting team in the nation at 79 percent, and have a knack for drawing them. Meanwhile, Kansas State is foul-prone. BYU shot 32 free throws against Florida Thursday, and North Texas shot 31 against K-State.
“We foul some,” Wildcats coach Frank Martin acknowledged. “We had a moment during the season where we fouled too much because of how we play, the new players in place. It takes time for guys to understand the aggressiveness that we ask our guys to play with and where you can draw that line.
“The Kansas game (in the Big 12 tournament), we fouled too much. We put our hands on them and put them on the line a little too much, and then we kind of did that again (Thursday). That’s why I’m a little concerned about it, because we reverted. … If we foul (the Cougars), we’re in trouble. They’re not going to miss free throws.”
Player to watch: Jimmer Fredette, coming off a 37-point performance against Florida Thursday. Does he continue his Stephen Curry-style scoring spree and vault BYU to a major upset and a de facto home game in Salt Lake City in the Sweet Sixteen?
Who has the edge: Kansas State. The Wildcats are a much better defensive team than Florida, and their athleticism and ability to disrupt flow will make it hard for BYU to run its efficient offense. The Cougars have great shooters, but open looks figure to be at a premium.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Quick halftime thoughts from UNLV 36, Northern Iowa 35.
• Neither team can maintain any momentum here. But Vegas has had the strategic upper hand: It is running the pick-and-roll repeatedly, and Northern Iowa has struggled to guard it. They tried fighting through screens and that didn't work. They tried switching screens and that didn't work. When 7-footer Jordan Eglseder couldn't guard the play, they tried 6-foot-6 backup Lucas O'Rear. Finally, they played the last several minutes of the half with brothers Adam and Jordan Koch both in the game and guarding the Rebels' bigs. They had better success, but Vegas was still able to get good shots and put UNI's defense in scramble mode over and over again.
• Vegas also used full-court pressure and half-court traps to speed the Panthers out of their comfort zone at several points in the half. Scoring 70 points is usually the demarcation between victory and defeat for UNLV, and it is on pace for 72. UNI hasn't given up 70 points in 20 games. The Panthers' nine turnovers also can be directly attributed to UNLV pressure.
• If you're Northern Iowa, you have to be pleased with the fact that you're right in the game despite having No. 3 scorer Kwadzo Ahelegbe only play eight minutes because of two fouls. They'll need the Missouri Valley Conference tournament's Most Outstanding Player to stay on the floor longer and be productive in the second half. He had three points and three assists in the first half.
• Neither team can maintain any momentum here. But Vegas has had the strategic upper hand: It is running the pick-and-roll repeatedly, and Northern Iowa has struggled to guard it. They tried fighting through screens and that didn't work. They tried switching screens and that didn't work. When 7-footer Jordan Eglseder couldn't guard the play, they tried 6-foot-6 backup Lucas O'Rear. Finally, they played the last several minutes of the half with brothers Adam and Jordan Koch both in the game and guarding the Rebels' bigs. They had better success, but Vegas was still able to get good shots and put UNI's defense in scramble mode over and over again.
• Vegas also used full-court pressure and half-court traps to speed the Panthers out of their comfort zone at several points in the half. Scoring 70 points is usually the demarcation between victory and defeat for UNLV, and it is on pace for 72. UNI hasn't given up 70 points in 20 games. The Panthers' nine turnovers also can be directly attributed to UNLV pressure.
• If you're Northern Iowa, you have to be pleased with the fact that you're right in the game despite having No. 3 scorer Kwadzo Ahelegbe only play eight minutes because of two fouls. They'll need the Missouri Valley Conference tournament's Most Outstanding Player to stay on the floor longer and be productive in the second half. He had three points and three assists in the first half.
Utah State coach Stew Morrill recently relayed to Andy Katz what he told his team -- that the Aggies aren't in the NCAA tournament yet.
Morrill does, of course, think they should be even with the WAC tournament yet to be played. From the Salt Lake Tribune:
Last night, the Aggies sent a message by routing a talented New Mexico State team by 18 points at home, where they are backed by a big crowd at the Spectrum (see photo).
Today, Morrill was named the conference's coach of the year, with guard Jared Quayle and forward Tai Wesley making the first team.
They'll open with No. 8-seeded Boise State in Thursday's quarterfinal on ESPNU. A tournament title would make all the at-large discussion unnecessary.
Morrill does, of course, think they should be even with the WAC tournament yet to be played. From the Salt Lake Tribune:
"Anytime you win 14 straight league games and your league is ranked 10th out of 30-plus conferences, you should be in," Morrill said. "I don't care what happens next week, you should be in."Utah State is 25-6, won the WAC regular season title by three games, and have won 15 straight including a BracketBuster victory against Wichita State.
Last night, the Aggies sent a message by routing a talented New Mexico State team by 18 points at home, where they are backed by a big crowd at the Spectrum (see photo).
Today, Morrill was named the conference's coach of the year, with guard Jared Quayle and forward Tai Wesley making the first team.
They'll open with No. 8-seeded Boise State in Thursday's quarterfinal on ESPNU. A tournament title would make all the at-large discussion unnecessary.
ST. LOUIS -- Welcome to Arch Madness, where the fifth bid to the NCAA tournament will go to either Northern Iowa or Wichita State this afternoon as champion of the Missouri Valley Conference tourney.
The game will either mark an arrival of Gregg Marshall as a Valley coaching force after a two-year struggle, or further validation of a Northern Iowa team that won this tourney last year and has dominated the league all season.
Marshall came to Wichita from Winthrop, where he built a Big South powerhouse that played in seven NCAA tournaments. He replaced Mark Turgeon at Wichita and could not come close to duplicating that success, going 11-20 his first year and 17-17 last season. This season has been a breakthrough, with a 25-8 mark and a No. 2 seed in this tourney, but the Shockers are outside the NCAA bubble and must win today to go dancing. Wichita hasn't won this tournament since 1987.
At 27-4 and owning the regular-season title, Northern Iowa is almost certainly in the dance at this point -- just making the final probably iced that. But it would be a surprise to see a veteran team let down at this point. The deep and balanced Panthers undoubtedly want to remove even a hint of doubt about their tourney resume.
Watch the tempo. Northern Iowa prefers the pace to be glacial and is averaging 56 points per game in the Valley tournament while surrendering just 40. Wichita, while not exactly a run-and-gun outfit, has averaged 69 points in its two games here.
The game will either mark an arrival of Gregg Marshall as a Valley coaching force after a two-year struggle, or further validation of a Northern Iowa team that won this tourney last year and has dominated the league all season.
Marshall came to Wichita from Winthrop, where he built a Big South powerhouse that played in seven NCAA tournaments. He replaced Mark Turgeon at Wichita and could not come close to duplicating that success, going 11-20 his first year and 17-17 last season. This season has been a breakthrough, with a 25-8 mark and a No. 2 seed in this tourney, but the Shockers are outside the NCAA bubble and must win today to go dancing. Wichita hasn't won this tournament since 1987.
At 27-4 and owning the regular-season title, Northern Iowa is almost certainly in the dance at this point -- just making the final probably iced that. But it would be a surprise to see a veteran team let down at this point. The deep and balanced Panthers undoubtedly want to remove even a hint of doubt about their tourney resume.
Watch the tempo. Northern Iowa prefers the pace to be glacial and is averaging 56 points per game in the Valley tournament while surrendering just 40. Wichita, while not exactly a run-and-gun outfit, has averaged 69 points in its two games here.
Tournament expansion has been a roundly panned idea, mostly for one reason: No one wants to watch teams 66 through 96 play a bunch of low-quality, NIT level basketball. It really comes down to that. There are reasons you could list for expansion, and some of them are valid (chief among them the NCAA's desire to make more money, which isn't necessarily a bad thing). But the bottom line is that very few people like the idea of expanding the NCAA tournament, because expanding the NCAA tournament means shoehorning the NIT into the NCAA. Even in vague form, it's not a very attractive idea.
How about in not-so-vague form? College Gameday asked Joe Lunardi to project a 96-team field on this morning's show. He did so. Here are some of bracketology-esque elements that resulted. A word of warning -- if you weren't against tournament expansion already, you might be now:
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
" Big East (13)
" ACC (8)
" Big 12 (8)
" Atlantic 10 (6)
" Big Ten (6)
" SEC (6)
" Conference USA (5)
" Missouri Valley (5)
" Colonial (4)
" Mountain West (4)
" Pac-10 (4)
" WAC (4)
" West Coast (3)
" Metro-Atlantic (2)
" Mid-American (2)
LAST FOUR IN
" Missouri State
" North Carolina
" Arizona
" Akron
FIRST FOUR OUT
" Charleston
" IUPUI
" Wright State
" Fairfield
Gross, right? Do you have a losing record in the Missouri Valley? Not a problem! A major program going struggling to stay above .500 in a down year? Come on down! Are you, um, Fairfield? Great! You're all in the tournament! Woo-hoo! Expansion, baby!
I'm probably be a little bit too snarky here, so you'll have to forgive me. I'm just a little, I don't know, shocked? Talking about tournament expansion -- which, again, I'm not 100 percent against -- and actually seeing that expansion in action are two entirely different things. I get the pro-expansion arguments, but really? 13 Big East teams? Who, besides those teams' coaches, want this? And why?
How about in not-so-vague form? College Gameday asked Joe Lunardi to project a 96-team field on this morning's show. He did so. Here are some of bracketology-esque elements that resulted. A word of warning -- if you weren't against tournament expansion already, you might be now:
CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
" Big East (13)
" ACC (8)
" Big 12 (8)
" Atlantic 10 (6)
" Big Ten (6)
" SEC (6)
" Conference USA (5)
" Missouri Valley (5)
" Colonial (4)
" Mountain West (4)
" Pac-10 (4)
" WAC (4)
" West Coast (3)
" Metro-Atlantic (2)
" Mid-American (2)
LAST FOUR IN
" Missouri State
" North Carolina
" Arizona
" Akron
FIRST FOUR OUT
" Charleston
" IUPUI
" Wright State
" Fairfield
Gross, right? Do you have a losing record in the Missouri Valley? Not a problem! A major program going struggling to stay above .500 in a down year? Come on down! Are you, um, Fairfield? Great! You're all in the tournament! Woo-hoo! Expansion, baby!
I'm probably be a little bit too snarky here, so you'll have to forgive me. I'm just a little, I don't know, shocked? Talking about tournament expansion -- which, again, I'm not 100 percent against -- and actually seeing that expansion in action are two entirely different things. I get the pro-expansion arguments, but really? 13 Big East teams? Who, besides those teams' coaches, want this? And why?
Ekpe Udoh fell a block shy of his second triple-double of the season in Baylor’s 88-70 win over Texas Tech. Udoh finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 blocks. He would have been just the second Big 12 player with multiple triple-doubles in a season since the conference formed. Colorado’s David Harrison had a pair back in 2003. Meanwhile, Baylor clinched its third straight 20-win season with the win. The Bears only had three such seasons before Scott Drew arrived.
North Carolina only put up 51 points in a loss to Georgia Tech. That’s the fewest points of the Roy Williams era, and the fewest by a Tar Heels team since 48 against Duke in 2002. The Tar Heels shot just 32.2 percent from the field, their lowest since a 2003 win over Akron. North Carolina also had its worst performance from the line (41.7 percent) since 2003. The first half was particularly disastrous, as the Tar Heels nearly had more turnovers (15) than points (21).
Michigan came back from a five-point deficit with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation to notch an overtime win over Iowa. DeShawn Sims led the charge with six points in the final 15 seconds. Both Sims and Manny Harris put up 20-point, 10-rebound games in the win. It’s just the third time that Sims and Harris have had a double-double in the same game, and the first time both went for 20 and 10.
Northern Iowa got back to its defensive ways on Tuesday, clinching its first outright MVC regular-season title. The Panthers did so by holding Creighton to 52 points and a 37.5 field goal percentage. This came after giving up 68 points in Saturday’s loss to Bradley. Northern Iowa is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 55.1 PPG. In conference play, that is down to 53.5 PPG, also second to Princeton. A big part of those low point totals is the fact that Northern Iowa does not send its opponents to the line. Panthers’ opponents attempt only 13.8 free throws per game, third fewest in the nation.
Speaking of Princeton, the Tigers improved to 6-1 in the Ivy League with a 58-51 win at Penn. The 51 points allowed represent just the second time that Princeton has allowed an Ivy opponent to crack 50 points. In seven games, Princeton has held conference opponents to just 46.6 PPG and 35.5 percent from the floor. Princeton is a perfect 5-0 in conference road games, and closes its conference slate with five of seven at home, though a test in Ithaca looms.
North Carolina only put up 51 points in a loss to Georgia Tech. That’s the fewest points of the Roy Williams era, and the fewest by a Tar Heels team since 48 against Duke in 2002. The Tar Heels shot just 32.2 percent from the field, their lowest since a 2003 win over Akron. North Carolina also had its worst performance from the line (41.7 percent) since 2003. The first half was particularly disastrous, as the Tar Heels nearly had more turnovers (15) than points (21).
Michigan came back from a five-point deficit with just 22 seconds remaining in regulation to notch an overtime win over Iowa. DeShawn Sims led the charge with six points in the final 15 seconds. Both Sims and Manny Harris put up 20-point, 10-rebound games in the win. It’s just the third time that Sims and Harris have had a double-double in the same game, and the first time both went for 20 and 10.
Northern Iowa got back to its defensive ways on Tuesday, clinching its first outright MVC regular-season title. The Panthers did so by holding Creighton to 52 points and a 37.5 field goal percentage. This came after giving up 68 points in Saturday’s loss to Bradley. Northern Iowa is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 55.1 PPG. In conference play, that is down to 53.5 PPG, also second to Princeton. A big part of those low point totals is the fact that Northern Iowa does not send its opponents to the line. Panthers’ opponents attempt only 13.8 free throws per game, third fewest in the nation.
Speaking of Princeton, the Tigers improved to 6-1 in the Ivy League with a 58-51 win at Penn. The 51 points allowed represent just the second time that Princeton has allowed an Ivy opponent to crack 50 points. In seven games, Princeton has held conference opponents to just 46.6 PPG and 35.5 percent from the floor. Princeton is a perfect 5-0 in conference road games, and closes its conference slate with five of seven at home, though a test in Ithaca looms.
UNI coach Ben Jacobson is drawing heat from all sides today. The reason? Jordan Eglseder.
Eglseder is Northern Iowa's 7-foot center and second leading scorer. He's also, unfortunately, in some trouble. Mere hours after UNI's loss to Bradley Saturday, Eglseder was pulled over and charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. As punishment, Jacobson suspended Eglseder for ... three whole games. Harsh, dude. Harsh.
This rather lenient punishment happened for obvious reasons -- UNI can't afford to lose any more league games and stay on the right side of the bubble, and the Panthers desperately need Eglseder to make sure that doesn't happen. Losing Eglseder for the rest of the season or the NCAA tournament would be dire for UNI's chances to make waves in March.
Of course, that's also a somewhat cynical approach. From College Hoops Journal's Matt Norlander:
Norlander isn't the only person making this case; Andy Katz's first tweet on the subject was met with the same reaction. Most people are comparing Elgseder's punishment to Brady Morningstar's, the Kansas guard who was arrested for a DUI in the fall and suspended for an entire semester. There are a couple of pertinent differences there -- Kansas is super-deep, the fall semester isn't nearly as crucial as UNI's stretch run and Morningstar had previously been involved in a fight on Kansas' campus between football players and the basketball team.
Still, the general concern is the same, and critics of Jacobson have a point here. Eglseder's punishment is lenient. It's driven less by educational concerns than by the desire to get a star player back on the court as quickly as possible. For all of college basketball's highfalutin rhetoric about student-athletes and academia, the core of the sport is no more noble than any other.
Eglseder is Northern Iowa's 7-foot center and second leading scorer. He's also, unfortunately, in some trouble. Mere hours after UNI's loss to Bradley Saturday, Eglseder was pulled over and charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. As punishment, Jacobson suspended Eglseder for ... three whole games. Harsh, dude. Harsh.
This rather lenient punishment happened for obvious reasons -- UNI can't afford to lose any more league games and stay on the right side of the bubble, and the Panthers desperately need Eglseder to make sure that doesn't happen. Losing Eglseder for the rest of the season or the NCAA tournament would be dire for UNI's chances to make waves in March.
Of course, that's also a somewhat cynical approach. From College Hoops Journal's Matt Norlander:
Eglseder is a key player for the Panthers. He accounts for more than 12 points and nearly eight rebounds per game. He’s a 7-foot lug in a conference and a sport that lacks them. Northern Iowa is on the bubble right now, and with another two losses, it would likely mutate from an at-large candidate to a sure-fire NIT squad. Making The Tournament would be an economic boost to the school. So with that in mind, it seems, at this hour, that head coach Ben Jacobson is content with the perception that he goes easy on his players when they break the law. Three games is weak, I don’t care how thin your bench is.
[...] That’s version 24 out of How to React to Controversy coach’s handbook, I believe. The games Eglseder is schedule to miss: Creighton, Old Dominion and Evansville. ODU is noteworthy because it’s the BracketBusters game. I wish Jacobson would send a message and pine the kid until the conference tournament at least. Creighton and Evansville would struggle to beat UNI this year even if the Panthers only played four guys.
Norlander isn't the only person making this case; Andy Katz's first tweet on the subject was met with the same reaction. Most people are comparing Elgseder's punishment to Brady Morningstar's, the Kansas guard who was arrested for a DUI in the fall and suspended for an entire semester. There are a couple of pertinent differences there -- Kansas is super-deep, the fall semester isn't nearly as crucial as UNI's stretch run and Morningstar had previously been involved in a fight on Kansas' campus between football players and the basketball team.
Still, the general concern is the same, and critics of Jacobson have a point here. Eglseder's punishment is lenient. It's driven less by educational concerns than by the desire to get a star player back on the court as quickly as possible. For all of college basketball's highfalutin rhetoric about student-athletes and academia, the core of the sport is no more noble than any other.
You already know all about what Siena's loss to Niagara means for the Saints. It's, um, not good. Now, just over 12 hours later, Northern Iowa can feel the Saints' pain.
Bradley hosted Northern Iowa in beautiful Peoria, Ill. today. Things did not go well. The Braves, sitting at .500, took advantage of an inefficient, cold Panthers team -- UNI shot 18-of-55 from the field, including 6-of-30 from behind the arc, committing 16 turnovers in the process.
The loss moves UNI to 22-3, with two wins over top 50 RPI teams in Wichita State and Siena, neither of whom are NCAA tournament locks. UNI's case isn't as dire as Siena's, at least not yet; the Panthers have played a much tougher schedule than the Saints, and a 13-2 record in the MVC is nothing to sniff at. Their RPI of 14 is considerably more impressive than Siena's No. 33 ranking.
But UNI lacks marquee victories, and 15 of their wins have come against teams with RPIs of over 100. A loss to DePaul is a confusing blemish. Assuming UNI won out in the MVC regular season, it was a lock, but this loss to Bradley throws everything into flux, much like Cornell and Siena before them.
Much like those two teams, this is another bummer. Anyone interested in college hoops wants to see how these teams do in the NCAA tournament, and this loss throws another such squad into an uncertain position. Now, it's up to UNI. An MVC conference tourney title may not be a must ... but it sure wouldn't hurt, either.
Bradley hosted Northern Iowa in beautiful Peoria, Ill. today. Things did not go well. The Braves, sitting at .500, took advantage of an inefficient, cold Panthers team -- UNI shot 18-of-55 from the field, including 6-of-30 from behind the arc, committing 16 turnovers in the process.
The loss moves UNI to 22-3, with two wins over top 50 RPI teams in Wichita State and Siena, neither of whom are NCAA tournament locks. UNI's case isn't as dire as Siena's, at least not yet; the Panthers have played a much tougher schedule than the Saints, and a 13-2 record in the MVC is nothing to sniff at. Their RPI of 14 is considerably more impressive than Siena's No. 33 ranking.
But UNI lacks marquee victories, and 15 of their wins have come against teams with RPIs of over 100. A loss to DePaul is a confusing blemish. Assuming UNI won out in the MVC regular season, it was a lock, but this loss to Bradley throws everything into flux, much like Cornell and Siena before them.
Much like those two teams, this is another bummer. Anyone interested in college hoops wants to see how these teams do in the NCAA tournament, and this loss throws another such squad into an uncertain position. Now, it's up to UNI. An MVC conference tourney title may not be a must ... but it sure wouldn't hurt, either.
Rick Majerus has made it clear he's not very happy with St. Louis' decision to join the Atlantic 10. He thinks the travel requirements -- SLU has to fly to the east coast for most of its away games -- are costing his players valuable academic time. It might also have something to do with Majerus not liking to travel, or at least disliking the idea of traveling commercial.
Still, though, the man has a point, and he's not backing down. Quite the contrary. Majerus is going for broke:
So, yeah, in case you were wondering, Majerus isn't budging. He'd like to be out of the A-10 and in the Missouri Valley, and he's not afraid to tell the SLU powers that be. Again. And again. And again. Whether they're listening -- and whether they'll actually consider the move a viable option -- is another matter entirely.
Still, though, the man has a point, and he's not backing down. Quite the contrary. Majerus is going for broke:
"The answer is, first, get the hell out of the league," a calm but clearly annoyed Majerus said afterward. "Most successful people in life make mistakes and say, 'You know what, I made a mistake and I'm not going to let that happen again.' So, the school is afraid to say they made a mistake, that's all."
Majerus' contention isn't with the A-10, which he called a "good league, with great venues and really great players," rather with SLU's place in it. His beef is that the Billikens (15-8, 6-3 A-10), in their fifth season in the A-10, are missing too much class time. And, with the second major snowstorm in four days hitting Philadelphia on Tuesday night, SLU's long trip probably will continue. St. Louis didn't expect to depart this morning for home as scheduled and might not leave until Friday.
"I would rather have lost both games," said Majerus, who earlier this season said the Missouri Valley Conference would be a better fit for SLU. "Nothing means more to me than the academic success of our players. We have compromised our players' academic success and we have put them behind a big 8-ball. Even if it was the best of weather, we're missing an entire week of school."
So, yeah, in case you were wondering, Majerus isn't budging. He'd like to be out of the A-10 and in the Missouri Valley, and he's not afraid to tell the SLU powers that be. Again. And again. And again. Whether they're listening -- and whether they'll actually consider the move a viable option -- is another matter entirely.
