2015 March Madness: #5 Arkansas vs #12 Wofford

The SEC doesn’t have a very good track record when an above average SEC team faces a small school in the opening round. Georgia, Auburn and even Arkansas have been bitten in the ass by Cinderella in the past.

This is Mike Anderson’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament as the head coach of Arkansas. He took over the job in 2011 and the team’s record has improved each season. They hope to build on last year’s NIT experience.

This is Wofford’s fourth appearance in the Big Dance. They have yet to win a game. Their closest loss was in their first tourney appearance in 2010, when they lost to Wisconsin 53-49.

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2015 March Madness: #5 West Virginia vs #12 Buffalo

There are some intriguing #5 vs #12 games in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. This is where I believe at least one true Cinderella could come out of the opening round.

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins hasn’t been in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. This year’s 23-8 squad finished with his second-best regular season record since he’s been in Morgantown. Can he get the ‘Neers to their first Sweet Sixteen in five years?

Bobby Hurley took over Buffalo’s program last season after serving as an assistant at Wagner College and Rhode Island. He was an accomplished college point guard at Duke in the early 90’s. This is his first appearance in the tournament as a head coach. How much did Coack K and his legendary father rub off on him?

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2015 March Madness: #6 SMU vs #11 UCLA

UCLA lost a lot of talent to the NBA this offseason. Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine were all drafted while Travis Wear caught on with an NBA team after Summer League. That’s a lot of talent that has gone bye bye.

SMU and their head coach Larry Brown (who always looks like he can’t find his keys) have been nearly automatic since early-season losses. They have learned to be patient with the ball. The Mustangs finished the regular season in the top 25 in both assists per game and field goal percentage.

Can Alford quiet all the ‘UCLA shouldn’t be the tournament’ naysayers?

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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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