Category Archives: ncaa basketball

2015 March Madness: #11 Seed Play-In Game – BYU vs Ole Miss

This is the final play-in game we will preview for the 2015 NCAA Tournament. BYU will have their hands full with Ole Miss.

BYU squeaked into the Big Dance and we are all better for it. BYU brings the kind of offense that can bring mayhem into a game. Their defense tends to be more swiss cheese-like, but let’s just focus on the offense right now.

Ole Miss isn’t your ordinary play-in game team either. They probably would have been a much higher seed if not for the last three weeks of the season. Their best ‘marquee win’ wasn’t even a win. They forced Kentucky into overtime back in January. That’s better than most real marquee wins this season.

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2015 March Madness: #11 Seed Play-In Game – Boise State vs Dayton

The Dayton Flyers ruined a lot of NCAA Tournament brackets last season. They beat Ohio State in the opening round. They officially had bragging rights as the best team in the state of Ohio. They parlayed that victory into a run that led them to the Elite Eight.

Boise State come into this game with their heads held high. They won the Mountain West and they should probably have a better seed. They now have the unfortunate task of playing an NCAA Tournament at the true home of their opponent.

I know North Carolina and Duke have played in Greensboro and other venues near their campuses, but this has to be historic. I know Butler played the NCAA title game a few miles from their campus, but I don’t remember a team playing on their actual home court.

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2015 March Madness: #16 Seed Play-In Game – North Florida vs Robert Morris

The winner of North Florida/Robert Morris will face Duke. I don’t know if the winner will feel like the victor when they see Jahlil Okafor in person. It could get real ugly.

North Florida comes from the Atlantic Sun. The magical place where Florida Gulf Coast (aka Dunk City) was born. Is tournament magic contagious?

Robert Morris finished the regular season in second place in the Northeast conference. They beat SFNY Brooklyn in the tournament final to punch their ticket.

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2015 March Madness: #16 Seed Play-In Game – Hampton vs Manhattan

I hope the NCAA will once again call their ‘first round’ games as what they used to be called…play-in games. As a person who writes a lot about the NCAA Tournament, it’s confusing as hell to call, the first real games of the tournament, ‘second round’ games.

Hampton comes into the NCAA Tournament with a record under .500 (16-17). They got hot at the end of the year and stole an automatic bid away from the top reams in the MEAC.

Manhattan nearly lost their head coach Steve Masiello after last year’s tournament appearance. He was hired by South Florida, but wasn’t hired due to lying that he graduated on his résumé. He completed the course he needed and kept his job at Manhattan. The Jaspers ended up winning the MAAC conference tournament.

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2015 March Madness: #6 Butler vs #11 Texas

In years past, the Butler and Texas seedings would be flip-flopped. Butler was always the underdog and Texas would be a Goliath. It shows how much the NCAA selection committee have changed their mindset over the years.

Butler didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last season during a transition after Brad Stevens left to coach the Boston Celtics. It didn’t take long for The Bulldogs to look just as good as they were under Stevens.

Texas has had some good teams under head coach Rick Barnes. He is often criticized for underachieving in the NCAA Tournament. That would once again be the case if they fail to advance into the third round.

Can Chris Holtmann get his first NCAA Tournament win as the coach of Butler?

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2015 March Madness: #7 Iowa vs #10 Davidson

I love when Davidson makes the NCAA Tournament. It reminds me of all the great Cinderella moments they had when Stephen Curry was in college. It’s amazing how one player’s NCAA Tournament success could put them on the map long-term.

Iowa hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament in almost a decade. It took the Hawkeyes nearly a decade to find their identity after Steve Alford left. Iowa is now a physical team that relies less on guards and more on wings/forwards.

Davidson has an enrollment of less than 2,000 students, but their program has been larger than life. Head coach Bob McKillop is one of the best basketball coaches in the game. Can he get Davidson to another Elite Eight?

How many Big Ten teams can push deep into the tourney?

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2015 March Madness: #7 Michigan State vs #10 Georgia

This game pairs a perennial title contender (Michigan State) against a school more known for football (Georgia).

Michigan State is coming off a close loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament final. They had a double-digit lead late in the game, but coughed it up. Tom Izzo is great in the NCAA Tournament, so I have high expectations for the Spartans.

Georgia wasn’t expected to have an NCAA Tournament-bound team to start the season. Head coach Mark Fox had his best record at Georgia since he took over the job in 2009. This will be his second tournament appearance with the team.

Can Georgia pull off the upset and beat Michigan State?

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2015 March Madness: #7 VCU vs #10 Ohio State

There are some great #7 vs #10 games this season. Many of the teams are on trending upwards instead of falling into these spots. Winners of these games have a real shot at beating a #2 seed the next round.

VCU made a name for themselves when they made the Final Four after in 2011 after playing in the play-in game. Head coach Shaka Smart is great on his toes. He’s an X’s & O’s guy who knows when to make adjustments.

Thad Matta and the Ohio State Buckeyes have also made some noise in the NCAA Tournament in the past. Matta has had success in the Big Dance with both OSU and Xavier. This coaching match-up will be one of the best of tourney.

Can Briante Weber’s injury hurt VCU’s shot at advancing?

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2015 March Madness: #7 Wichita State vs #10 Indiana

This game pits Wichita State, who was last year’s dark horse title contender, and Indiana, who many believe shouldn’t have received an at-large bid from the NCAA Selection Committee.

The Wichita State Shockers are one of the representatives of the Missouri Valley Conference. They won the regular season, but were upset by Illinois State in the conference tournament final.

Indiana is limping into the NCAA Tournament. They have some really nice individual players, but head coach Tom Crean has had trouble getting them to play together as a team. The Hoosiers haven’t looked ‘right’ since mid-January.

Will this be the last game Tom Crean coaches for the Hoosiers?

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2015 March Madness: #8 San Diego State vs #9 St. John’s

This match-up pits two head coaches with NCAA Tournament experience. Neither are still with the team they had the most success with, but Steve Fisher and Steve Lavin will have their current teams ready for this game.

San Diego State have come into the NCAA Tournament with better teams recently, but this seed better suits this squad. They couldn’t live up to the high seeds Fisher’s teams have received from the selection committee.

This will only be the fourth time this century that St. John’s will appear in an NCAA Tournament. The once-powerful program fell on hard times in the late 90’s. Lavin helped resurrect them from the dead.

This game will be a chess match between two great head coaches. Which team will advance?

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2015 March Madness: #8 Oregon vs #9 Oklahoma State

This match-up is one of the most intriguing 8 vs 9 games in this the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The styles of teach team won’t mesh well at all.

Oregon’s offense is their best asset. Joe Young can put up points in a hurry and is a lot of fun to watch. The Ducks will do their best to keep pushing the ball up and down the court.

Oklahoma State will play the role of the turtle in this game. They are methodical and use their defense to set up a lot of their offense. I don’t want to compare their half-court offense to watching paint dry, but it’s damn close.

Which team will get their way and force their pace of the game?

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2015 March Madness: #8 NC State vs #9 LSU

We love a good #8 versus #9 matchup. It’s often one of the most difficult picks you’ll have to make on your bracket.

The ACC was top-heavy this season. Virginia and Duke lead the way, but there are a few other teams that could win a few games in the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky was the cream of the crop in the SEC, but there were plenty of teams playing for at-large bids this season. LSU was a bubble team, but unlike Texas A&M, they received an invite to the tourney.

How will LSU’s low-post offense do against NC State’s smaller lineup?

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