Not much to report from the early games but with about 10 minutes left in each game UAB leads Memphis and Michigan leads Purdue. Both desperately need these games for their tournament hopes. The impressive part for UAB is that their DUDE, Robert Vaden, is current 0-14 from the field and 0-9 from the land of trey and they still are holding on. Terrence Kinnard is 5-7 from deep to make up for it.
Michigan-Purdue
Memphis-UAB
UPDATE:
Memphis 71, UAB 60
Coming down the stretch Memphis was just able to work what they wanted and UAB couldn't respond. Every Memphis starter was in double-figures, save Tyreke Evans who had 8. Vaden never got going for UAB and finished 0-17 (0-12 for 3-point land). Kinnard and Paul Delaney III contributed 25 and 18 respectively but it wasn't enough. With Memphis' execution amped up late, they were able to keep their turnovers down, something UAB had thrived on earlier in the game. (Note: Selfishly I was rooting for the Blazers in this one, if they had one it could only help BC with their computer numbers as the Eagles won at the NIT Tip-off IN MSG)
For UAB it was their chance to add a signature win to their resume, the only other one that qualifies would maybe be Arizona. They have solid computer numbers but without the big win I think they are NIT bound this year, no big upset of #1 seeded Kentucky like the 2004 version of the Blazers. They still could make something happen and they are the 2nd team in Conference USA but as you see elsewhere the mid-major at larges just aren't out there this year.
For Memphis this is what they need to do. As other top 8 teams are losing Memphis does all it can do, and has done in Conference USA and thats keep winning. I'm still not sure they deserve a number one seed over teams making a late push like Louisville, but they'll keep making their case. They will be on the top two lines come Selection Sunday but I personally feel they'll be in that second four.
Michigan 87, Purdue 78
This game was just what Michigan needed. The color guy doing the game mentioned 8 or possibly 9 teams from the Big 11 making the field of 65 but i think that's ridiculous (Nittany Nation will do a little something on Big 10 bubble watch later). Michigan has a chance to make the field but needs to win the next two games over fellow bubble teams Minnesota and Wisconsin and get to 20 wins, 10-8 in conference to have a chance. Their win over Duke will do wonders for their resume. They cannot expect 63% team shooting every game, especially the UNCONSCIOUS performance (13-16) from DeShawn Sims. Manny Harris will get his if he's not going a little insane but when other guys step of the Wolverines can be a solid team and a tough out.
Purude is safely in and this will pretty much stop upward movement on the seed lines. They are most likely a 5 or 6 now. The Boilermakers can take one HUGE thing from this game as Big 10 preseason POTY Robbie Hummel played 39 minutes and dropped 24 in only his 4th game back from his back problems. It was the first time he played more than 25 minutes since coming back and was 8 more points than he had in those three games combined.
February 26, 2009
What We Learned from Last Nights Games
Marquette: They no longer have a chance to get a #1 seed and their title hopes, both Big East and NCAA, are almost certainly dashed. Acker and Butler are nice players but they are no Dominic James. I said he'd been there forever, but now he has played his last college game. The Golden Eagles actually lead UConn before James broke his foot. They were an entirely different team with out him and despite McNeal and Matthews' best efforts they couldn't prove any differently. They could be in for a free fall seed wise if they don't pick themselves up. Marquette very rarely plays more than 8 guys so guys are going to have to step up. They have a tough close to the conference season with Louisville and Pitt on the road before they close at home to a Syracuse team that may be desperate.
UConn: Not much. They were good. They are good. They will be good. They we most likely take the number one overall ranking back come Monday and are in a good position to lock up a top seed.
There were a quartet of Bubble Teams in need of big wins last night against tough opponants and one of the four came through.
Virginia Tech: The win over Clemson gives them another win over the conference elite after taking down Wake on the road earlier in the year. They close with Duke and UNC at home before a road game at Florida State. Losing to the two Tobacco Road schools would make a win in Talahassee a must have just to get the Hokies any serious consideration. Lose all three and they won't even finish .500 in conference. I'd say they have to win one of the two home games against Duke and UNC and maybe even FSU. A win in one of the next two would get them at least 8-8 in the ACC and wins over 3 of the 4 general consensus top teams in the conference and as long as they avoid an embaressing loss in the confernce tournament they should be fine.
Maryland: Another ACC bubble team with a big chance last night, but the Terps fell short. They weren't completely obliterated by Duke like on their trip to Cameron Indoor but fell well short. They are sub .500 in the ACC at 6-7 for the moment but two games against the bottom of teh barrel (NC State and UVA) leave them a chance to get .500 in ACC play. They need those games to have a chance but could maybe afford one loss if they take down Wake in their other remaining conference game. If they lose 2 of 3 it'll take a deep tourny run to get them in and they may need two tourny wins even if they beat NC State and Virginia to get the nod over other teams on the bubble.
Kansas State: After taking down Missouri in Manhatten the first go round the Wildcats were far less successful the second go round. Losing by 20 may officially knock them off the bubble unless they win they next three (Nebraska, at Oklahoma State, Colorado) and make a deep run in the conference tournament game. Though those three wins would give them a decent conference resume their non-conference can be generously described as WEAK. They lost all three games against power conference teams (Kentucky and conference cellar dwellers Iowa and Oregon) and their best OOC win is arguably Cleveland State, unless you care to mention the 10-18 Idaho State Bengals who knocked off another bubble team in Utah. This was their last chance to make a case and they are now on the outside looking in.
Utah: They look to be all set after knocking off UNLV last night 80-70. They have a lead in the surprising Mountain West by two games (Side Note: What is it with that conference this year? First they have three ranked teams in football now they have about as many teams in conversation for a bid as the SEC? Bizarre year, or maybe they should become the 7th BCS confernce) over BYU and New Mexico. This Utah team, no longer with Rick Majerus or Andrew Bogut (they do have 7'2" Luke Nevill), stands a chance to be possibly the first team to ever lose a game to Division II Southwest Baptist and still recieve and at large bid if they don't win the MWC tournament....ITS MADNESS!
UConn: Not much. They were good. They are good. They will be good. They we most likely take the number one overall ranking back come Monday and are in a good position to lock up a top seed.
There were a quartet of Bubble Teams in need of big wins last night against tough opponants and one of the four came through.
Virginia Tech: The win over Clemson gives them another win over the conference elite after taking down Wake on the road earlier in the year. They close with Duke and UNC at home before a road game at Florida State. Losing to the two Tobacco Road schools would make a win in Talahassee a must have just to get the Hokies any serious consideration. Lose all three and they won't even finish .500 in conference. I'd say they have to win one of the two home games against Duke and UNC and maybe even FSU. A win in one of the next two would get them at least 8-8 in the ACC and wins over 3 of the 4 general consensus top teams in the conference and as long as they avoid an embaressing loss in the confernce tournament they should be fine.
Maryland: Another ACC bubble team with a big chance last night, but the Terps fell short. They weren't completely obliterated by Duke like on their trip to Cameron Indoor but fell well short. They are sub .500 in the ACC at 6-7 for the moment but two games against the bottom of teh barrel (NC State and UVA) leave them a chance to get .500 in ACC play. They need those games to have a chance but could maybe afford one loss if they take down Wake in their other remaining conference game. If they lose 2 of 3 it'll take a deep tourny run to get them in and they may need two tourny wins even if they beat NC State and Virginia to get the nod over other teams on the bubble.
Kansas State: After taking down Missouri in Manhatten the first go round the Wildcats were far less successful the second go round. Losing by 20 may officially knock them off the bubble unless they win they next three (Nebraska, at Oklahoma State, Colorado) and make a deep run in the conference tournament game. Though those three wins would give them a decent conference resume their non-conference can be generously described as WEAK. They lost all three games against power conference teams (Kentucky and conference cellar dwellers Iowa and Oregon) and their best OOC win is arguably Cleveland State, unless you care to mention the 10-18 Idaho State Bengals who knocked off another bubble team in Utah. This was their last chance to make a case and they are now on the outside looking in.
Utah: They look to be all set after knocking off UNLV last night 80-70. They have a lead in the surprising Mountain West by two games (Side Note: What is it with that conference this year? First they have three ranked teams in football now they have about as many teams in conversation for a bid as the SEC? Bizarre year, or maybe they should become the 7th BCS confernce) over BYU and New Mexico. This Utah team, no longer with Rick Majerus or Andrew Bogut (they do have 7'2" Luke Nevill), stands a chance to be possibly the first team to ever lose a game to Division II Southwest Baptist and still recieve and at large bid if they don't win the MWC tournament....ITS MADNESS!
February 25, 2009
Quick Preview of Tonights Big Game
#2 Connecticut vs. #10 Marquette
UConn can solidify its seed on the top line with a win in Milwaukee while Marquette is knocking at the door and a win against the Huskies and a run to the Big East tournament final could net the Golden Eagles a number one seed as well. Since Jerome Dyson went down UConn's perimeter D has suffered and Marquette has three of the best outside players in the conference in Dominic James (who seems like hes been there since Dwayne Wade was in town), Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews. The problem is Marquette has nobody to counter Hasheem Thabeet, and Lazar Hayward, though formidible for 6'6", is not about to toss the big man around ala DeJuan Blair of Pitt. I'd still give a SLIGHT edge in this game to Marquette but if Kemba Walker can play well enough and AJ Price has a game like he did against Gonzaga then UConn could dominate the game and come out with a double digit win.
My Prediction: Connecticut 63, Marquette 65
Thabeet will have a big game but Marquette will get at least McNeal going. If either James or Matthews can join him they can win this game.
UConn can solidify its seed on the top line with a win in Milwaukee while Marquette is knocking at the door and a win against the Huskies and a run to the Big East tournament final could net the Golden Eagles a number one seed as well. Since Jerome Dyson went down UConn's perimeter D has suffered and Marquette has three of the best outside players in the conference in Dominic James (who seems like hes been there since Dwayne Wade was in town), Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews. The problem is Marquette has nobody to counter Hasheem Thabeet, and Lazar Hayward, though formidible for 6'6", is not about to toss the big man around ala DeJuan Blair of Pitt. I'd still give a SLIGHT edge in this game to Marquette but if Kemba Walker can play well enough and AJ Price has a game like he did against Gonzaga then UConn could dominate the game and come out with a double digit win.
My Prediction: Connecticut 63, Marquette 65
Thabeet will have a big game but Marquette will get at least McNeal going. If either James or Matthews can join him they can win this game.
Where Have You Gone Corliss Williamson?
The 2008/2009 SEC should get three bids at most. Aside from America's feel good story LSU, the SEC is a collection of teams that feature a couple of exciting players (Jodie Meeks, Nick Calathes) and terrible team basketball that gives you the impression that Oak Hill Academy could probably hang with half of them. The stat that I find most disturbing is the fact that as a whole, the conference has beaten nine AP top 25 teams this season while Uconn by itself has eight such wins and could add to that number tonight, if they can hold off Marquette. Two of those wins came from Arkansas, thanks to Courtney Fortson personally dismantiling the Big 12 over a seven day stretch during the heart of college football's bowl season. In conference play, where Arkansas was expected to contend for a title, they have looked worse then a drunk Charles Barkley trying to play 18 holes at Augusta. After LSU, who lost to Utah by 30 fyi (no Keith Van Horn and Andre Miller circa 1997 were not playing), none of the other 11 teams have looked impressive, only showing flashes of untapped potential. Aside from Tennessee beating Marquette and Florida winning at Washington, quality wins come few and far between.
SEC Rundown- this could get ugly
Two teams (Tennessee and Ole Miss) have a strength of schedule in the top 50.
Not one team is over .500 against RPI top 50 teams.
ESPN's Bracketology has 5 SEC teams in.
Kentucky is the highest projected seed at #7.
Conference is 9-16 against the top 25.
My prediction: no SEC team gets to the Sweet 16 and only one will get past the first round.
SEC Rundown- this could get ugly
Two teams (Tennessee and Ole Miss) have a strength of schedule in the top 50.
Not one team is over .500 against RPI top 50 teams.
ESPN's Bracketology has 5 SEC teams in.
Kentucky is the highest projected seed at #7.
Conference is 9-16 against the top 25.
My prediction: no SEC team gets to the Sweet 16 and only one will get past the first round.
News and Notes 2/24
So I'd just like to point out that after tonight (well last night), all four of the "hard and fast" number one seeds in the tournament have all lost in the last four days, Oklahoma doing it twice without Blake Griffin. Aside from UConn's loss to Pitt, all the losses were to unranked teams too, though Texas is more talented then their standing. Providence and Maryland, two teams thought to be out of Bubble talk at this point climbed back into the discussion with wins over Pittsburgh and UNC respectively. This is one crazy season in the college basketball world. Opinion is so varied on almost every team that all the "bracketology experts" of the world that talk about there high rates of success have almost no uniformity. Teams like my Eagles (at least before tonights win over FSU) are emblematic of that fact. Joe Lunardi has them as one of the last four teams in. Bracketology 101 had them at a 8 seed. Things might be worked out more in the coming weeks but Selection Sunday will really be the deciding factor. I feel like this could be the year that a Hampton/Iowa State kinda upset happens or some unexpected team makes a deep run. Of course my saying this means we'll have another year of straight chalk all across the board.
February 24, 2009
Penn State/Ohio State Preview
In a crucial game for both teams, Penn State (19-8, 8-6 Big 10) travels to Columbus to face Ohio State (17-8, 7-7 Big 10). Penn State has a solid road record in Big 10 play this season, with wins over contenders Michigan State and Illinois. PSU has righted the ship after a three game losing streak with wins over Minnesota and the aforementioned Illini. The Lions have the favorite for Big 10 player of the year in point guard Talor Battle and a possible all Big 10 forward in Jamele Cornley. Ohio State seemed like a virtual lock for the NCAA tourney but three straight losses by a combined 10 points has put the Buckeyes chances very much in jeopardy. Do everything swingman Evan Turner and guards Jon Diebler and William Buford must step up in order to stop Ohio State's freefall back to the NIT. This game will feature A LOT of three point shooting, both teams have lived and died with the three this season, and this game will not be an exception. The difference maker could be Ohio State C BJ Mullens. Mullens has been somewhat of a disappointment for Thad Motta's club, but could dominate the smaller and fould prone interior of the Lions. This game should turn out to be a slugfest, but if Ohio State can start strong, the Lions could fold and this one could get ugly.
What to watch for- Battle and Turner taking the game over offensively down the stretch.
Wild Cards- Ohio State- BJ Mullens, PSU- free throw shooting, defensive rebounding
Prediction- Penn State 69, Ohio State 64
What to watch for- Battle and Turner taking the game over offensively down the stretch.
Wild Cards- Ohio State- BJ Mullens, PSU- free throw shooting, defensive rebounding
Prediction- Penn State 69, Ohio State 64
February 20, 2009
Boston College at Miami
Of course I'll be previewing my own schools weekend game, as I'm sure Nittany Nation will do sometime early next week as his Nittany Lions travel to Ohio State in a game that is HUGE for their chance to dance.
I enjoy looking at the game from the students perspectives. Here's the game-story from the BC paper, The Heights. The Miami Hurricane, their student paper doesn't seem to have a game story, or anything at all on the win at BC. I'll just chalk it up to the fact they were on break, if I find anything I'll put it up.
Boston College (19-8, 7-5 ACC) at Miami (Fla.) (15-10, 4-8 ACC)
Why I'm Watching: Because I go to BC is the obvious reason, but there are other reasons to tune to NESN or RSN if you can. The first is because you HATE mid-majors and would rather watch two unranked ACC teams than Butler/Davidson. Other than that it would be the first chance to watch BC play since their upset of Duke and go in with a chance to avenge their early season home loss to the Hurricanes. Also you get a chance to watch two of the ACC's best senior scorers in Tyrese Rice and Jack McClinton. McClinton, before a snoozer against Florida State with 13 points, scorched the nets against the ACC's elite to go for more than 30 in three straight games against Wake Forest, Duke and UNC.
What to Look for: Beyond the scoring of McClinton Miami offers very little. Dwayne Collins provides a very strong inside presence for the 'Canes and last month in Conte grabbed 5 offensive boards and got to the line 14 times. 14! Even Jeff Allen, who was seeming ALWAYS at the line for VaTech at BC had less attempts that, albeit he had 13. Good news for BC is that Joe Trapani has hopefully gotten himself back on track with the Duke game. With Collins a little banged up as well all BC needs is some contribution from Southern and Dunn, their two big men, and they should be better. The Eagles actually won the rebounding battle last time around but Tyrese Rice led them with 8, and that is a rare anaomaly that doesn't accurately reflect how they did on the board. Rice and freshman Reggie Jackson managed to shut down McClinton very nicely but the sharpshooting of Adrian Thomas and inability to get inside on the other end forced BC into 27 threes, the same number of free throws they took. Rice actually accounted for 12 shots from behind the arc, only connecting on 3. At the same time he only got the the line 8 times, something he gernally does very well of his penetration.
What I Expect to See: BC should go inside early and often with Collins banged up. The other big man of note for Miami is really Jimmy Graham, but he shouldn't cause to many issues for the Eagles has offensively he is just a grabage man and is decently foul prone on D. If Josh Southern can get himself on track at all and do better than his 5 point average the Eagles should be set. Look for Corey Raji, one of the sneakiest rebounders on the offensive glass to take advantage of the slowed down Collins and have a nice game of putbacks. Also look for Rakim Sanders to have his usual big first half impact scoring down low on smaller guards and taking bigger players outside. He also has the ability to shut down McClinton. If he doesn't bring it on both ends he could be looking at the bench, especially after Reggie Jackson's performance against Duke. It comes down to the ability of Miami's role players to contribute to keep the 'Canes in it. Last game they had 5 players, including Collins and McClinton in double figures. They've played tough lately but enough close loses and you start to get deflated. The Eagles will come in destined to not let their early season slide after the UNC win come back again and will take the week off they had to be prepared for this game. Miami's bubble may already be burst but to have a chance they certainly need this game so they'll play tough again, but how much their recent run has taken out of them remains to be seen.
Prediction: Boston College 80, Miami 73
I enjoy looking at the game from the students perspectives. Here's the game-story from the BC paper, The Heights. The Miami Hurricane, their student paper doesn't seem to have a game story, or anything at all on the win at BC. I'll just chalk it up to the fact they were on break, if I find anything I'll put it up.
Boston College (19-8, 7-5 ACC) at Miami (Fla.) (15-10, 4-8 ACC)
Why I'm Watching: Because I go to BC is the obvious reason, but there are other reasons to tune to NESN or RSN if you can. The first is because you HATE mid-majors and would rather watch two unranked ACC teams than Butler/Davidson. Other than that it would be the first chance to watch BC play since their upset of Duke and go in with a chance to avenge their early season home loss to the Hurricanes. Also you get a chance to watch two of the ACC's best senior scorers in Tyrese Rice and Jack McClinton. McClinton, before a snoozer against Florida State with 13 points, scorched the nets against the ACC's elite to go for more than 30 in three straight games against Wake Forest, Duke and UNC.
What to Look for: Beyond the scoring of McClinton Miami offers very little. Dwayne Collins provides a very strong inside presence for the 'Canes and last month in Conte grabbed 5 offensive boards and got to the line 14 times. 14! Even Jeff Allen, who was seeming ALWAYS at the line for VaTech at BC had less attempts that, albeit he had 13. Good news for BC is that Joe Trapani has hopefully gotten himself back on track with the Duke game. With Collins a little banged up as well all BC needs is some contribution from Southern and Dunn, their two big men, and they should be better. The Eagles actually won the rebounding battle last time around but Tyrese Rice led them with 8, and that is a rare anaomaly that doesn't accurately reflect how they did on the board. Rice and freshman Reggie Jackson managed to shut down McClinton very nicely but the sharpshooting of Adrian Thomas and inability to get inside on the other end forced BC into 27 threes, the same number of free throws they took. Rice actually accounted for 12 shots from behind the arc, only connecting on 3. At the same time he only got the the line 8 times, something he gernally does very well of his penetration.
What I Expect to See: BC should go inside early and often with Collins banged up. The other big man of note for Miami is really Jimmy Graham, but he shouldn't cause to many issues for the Eagles has offensively he is just a grabage man and is decently foul prone on D. If Josh Southern can get himself on track at all and do better than his 5 point average the Eagles should be set. Look for Corey Raji, one of the sneakiest rebounders on the offensive glass to take advantage of the slowed down Collins and have a nice game of putbacks. Also look for Rakim Sanders to have his usual big first half impact scoring down low on smaller guards and taking bigger players outside. He also has the ability to shut down McClinton. If he doesn't bring it on both ends he could be looking at the bench, especially after Reggie Jackson's performance against Duke. It comes down to the ability of Miami's role players to contribute to keep the 'Canes in it. Last game they had 5 players, including Collins and McClinton in double figures. They've played tough lately but enough close loses and you start to get deflated. The Eagles will come in destined to not let their early season slide after the UNC win come back again and will take the week off they had to be prepared for this game. Miami's bubble may already be burst but to have a chance they certainly need this game so they'll play tough again, but how much their recent run has taken out of them remains to be seen.
Prediction: Boston College 80, Miami 73
Re: Bracketbusters Day One
These two games are honestly the undercard to the heavyweight battles of tomorrow. ESPN basically put these games together to fill out its Friday night lineups on ESPN2 and U. Aside from saving us from hearing about A-Rod's Dominican cousin and Mike Leach's contract situation these games bring little to the table.
Illinois State 22-5 (11-5 MVC) vs. Niagara 21-7 (12-4 MAAC)
Illinois State has been struggling lately, as noted earlier and needs to win the conference tourney to make the dance. Niagara has been better but just lost to Rider almost killing their regular season MAAC title dreams. Look for Niagara's size to cause ISU major problems in a game the Purple Eagles need to win before a major test against Siena.
Key Stat- The top four scorers on each team shoot better then 70% from the foul line.
Prediction- Niagara 78, Illinois St. 70
Virginia Commonwealth 19-8 (12-4 Colonial) vs. Nevada 15-10 (8-4 WAC)
This game has two stars: Eric Maynor and Luke Babbitt, and two teams that could end up being spoilers in the dance. The problem for Nevada is that they are simply too inconsistent, and lack the leadership that VCU has. Nevada is one year away. VCU has looked sluggish of late, but with a sense of urgency and a standout senior point guard, the Rams should tame the Wolf Pack.
Key Stats- Senior PPG: Nevada 3.4, VCU 22.9 (both teams have one senior)
3 PT %: Nevada 29%, VCU 37%
Prediction- VCU 67, Nevada 54
Illinois State 22-5 (11-5 MVC) vs. Niagara 21-7 (12-4 MAAC)
Illinois State has been struggling lately, as noted earlier and needs to win the conference tourney to make the dance. Niagara has been better but just lost to Rider almost killing their regular season MAAC title dreams. Look for Niagara's size to cause ISU major problems in a game the Purple Eagles need to win before a major test against Siena.
Key Stat- The top four scorers on each team shoot better then 70% from the foul line.
Prediction- Niagara 78, Illinois St. 70
Virginia Commonwealth 19-8 (12-4 Colonial) vs. Nevada 15-10 (8-4 WAC)
This game has two stars: Eric Maynor and Luke Babbitt, and two teams that could end up being spoilers in the dance. The problem for Nevada is that they are simply too inconsistent, and lack the leadership that VCU has. Nevada is one year away. VCU has looked sluggish of late, but with a sense of urgency and a standout senior point guard, the Rams should tame the Wolf Pack.
Key Stats- Senior PPG: Nevada 3.4, VCU 22.9 (both teams have one senior)
3 PT %: Nevada 29%, VCU 37%
Prediction- VCU 67, Nevada 54
Bracket Busters: Day One
ESPNU's seventh installment of Bracket Busters is set to grace our presence today with a microscopic slate of TWO games. Of the games on the docket for this year, including three featuring ranked teams, the two on Friday are fairly tame. The Late game between everyone's favorite team to upset Duke, VCU, and Nevada is really the undercard on night one, even getting relegated to THE U.
Virginia Commonwealth (19-8, 12-4 CAA) at Nevada (15-10, 8-4 WAC)
Eric Maynor is still an absolute manimal for the Rams and they still have a great coach in Anthony Grant, though for how long remains to be seen with those two SEC openings looming large, but they are no longer big dog in the CAA this year. They have a one game lead over Northeastern and George Mason but have looked beyond mortal in conference. Nevada, a distant second behind Utah State in the weak WAC, should just be happy to get this game at home, even though they are better on the road, at least record wise. Nevada is a STELLAR 1-4 vs. the RPI top 100 and VCU just happens to fall at 66. Hey look the RPI IS a useful stat!
Prediction: VCU 72, Nevada 58
Illinois State (22-5, 11-5 MVC) at Niagara (21-7, 12-4 MAAC) - ESPN 2
GAME OF THE NIGHT
Remember when Illinois State was one of the nations last undefeated teams at 14-0? I barely do. The Redbirds now sit third in a once powerful mid-major who is in down year, while losing both games against Indiana State, who find themselves in a 30 year swoon since Larry Bird left and are 9th of 10 teams in the Valley. Their best non-conference wins are arguably Illinois-Chicago (at least at the time) and Bowling Green, not exactly Duke and UNC on the resume (see what I did there, Boston College DOES have those wins on their resume). Niagara, before a loss on Wednesday to Rider by 2 on the road, was streaking and seems to have a better overall profile despite the weak conference of the MAAAAAAAAC. They lost at conference power Siena by 17 before and have a week after Bracket Busters to get ready for that return game, so hopefully they won't be overlooking this game. Both teams have an RPI in the 60's, very respectable for their conferences but I'd look for the Purple Eagles (interesting nickname, when was the last time you saw a purple eagle patrolling the skies?) to enjoy the home cooking, FINALLY getting a big opponent at home. They had to travel to their three biggest opponents (Villanova, Buffalo, South Florida) and won two of them, but such is the life of a low major.
Prediction: Niagara 72, Illinois State 65
Virginia Commonwealth (19-8, 12-4 CAA) at Nevada (15-10, 8-4 WAC)
Eric Maynor is still an absolute manimal for the Rams and they still have a great coach in Anthony Grant, though for how long remains to be seen with those two SEC openings looming large, but they are no longer big dog in the CAA this year. They have a one game lead over Northeastern and George Mason but have looked beyond mortal in conference. Nevada, a distant second behind Utah State in the weak WAC, should just be happy to get this game at home, even though they are better on the road, at least record wise. Nevada is a STELLAR 1-4 vs. the RPI top 100 and VCU just happens to fall at 66. Hey look the RPI IS a useful stat!
Prediction: VCU 72, Nevada 58
Illinois State (22-5, 11-5 MVC) at Niagara (21-7, 12-4 MAAC) - ESPN 2
GAME OF THE NIGHT
Remember when Illinois State was one of the nations last undefeated teams at 14-0? I barely do. The Redbirds now sit third in a once powerful mid-major who is in down year, while losing both games against Indiana State, who find themselves in a 30 year swoon since Larry Bird left and are 9th of 10 teams in the Valley. Their best non-conference wins are arguably Illinois-Chicago (at least at the time) and Bowling Green, not exactly Duke and UNC on the resume (see what I did there, Boston College DOES have those wins on their resume). Niagara, before a loss on Wednesday to Rider by 2 on the road, was streaking and seems to have a better overall profile despite the weak conference of the MAAAAAAAAC. They lost at conference power Siena by 17 before and have a week after Bracket Busters to get ready for that return game, so hopefully they won't be overlooking this game. Both teams have an RPI in the 60's, very respectable for their conferences but I'd look for the Purple Eagles (interesting nickname, when was the last time you saw a purple eagle patrolling the skies?) to enjoy the home cooking, FINALLY getting a big opponent at home. They had to travel to their three biggest opponents (Villanova, Buffalo, South Florida) and won two of them, but such is the life of a low major.
Prediction: Niagara 72, Illinois State 65
Welcome!
Welcome to the blog, hopefully we'll be able to give you a nice take on College Basketball that you can enjoy. We're two college kids, one from Boston College and one from Penn State, who consider ourselves avid sports fans, and what is better than College Basketball? Obviously if you ask us, nothing. Hopefully we can give you some insight and opinion through the month leading up to the big dance and beyond. Enjoy!
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