Answers from the Editor - Bracket Style

Last night, Clement went where no man has gone before (except himself) and asked a series of questions pertinent to the NCAA Tournament. Today, I answer them. Is this deja vu? I think so.

Q: "On the Outside Looking In...Sorta"
Who has the best shot at a #1 seed: Memphis or Michigan State? And please, don't tell me neither (even if that's the case).

A: Neither has a realistic chance, but if you put a revolver to my head, I’d go with Michigan State. Memphis has zero chance of a #1 seed, because they have zero signature wins and zero additional opportunities for them. Michigan State has none either, but they have a number of very strong wins and could catapult to a #1 with a lot of help coupled with regular season and conference tournament championships in the Big Ten.

Q: "East Coast Bias"
Which team west of the Mississippi isn't getting enough respect: Washington, Arizona State, or Utah?

A: Actually, I think all of these teams are getting enough respect. Perhaps, many of Utah’s non-conference wins (Wisconsin-Green Bay, Ole Miss, Morgan State, Weber State, LSU, Gonzaga) have gone under the radar but they are respected, since they hold a 2-game lead in the hotly-contested Mountain West with only three to play. I would not be shocked if two of these play into the second weekend of the tournament.

Q: "Bengals from the Bayou"
How has LSU remained under the radar so much? Is SEC basketball that unexciting and uninspiring this season (outside of Mr. Meeks)? Are they a legitimate threat in the tournament?

A: LSU has remained under the radar as a result of their OOC schedule, which ranks 22^nd from the bottom of Division I. Additionally, they play 10 of their conference games in the frail SEC West (enough said). That said, they are starting to gain respect with every victory (4-0) against the sturdier SEC East. While LSU has performed admirably as we reach March, I do not see the Tigers outplaying their seed.

Q: "Hurricane Season???"
Which team is more likely to have a costly hiccup in their remaining games: Miami (Fl) or South Carolina?
A: Sadly, Miami is more likely to have that hiccup, despite being the more potent team in my opinion. South Carolina (9-4 in conference) has a realistic chance at 11 wins in conference with a visit from Rocky Top sandwiched between trips to Nashville and Athens. It’s no secret that the Hurricanes are battered and bruised, but they have started to play well in the clutch, and if they win at Georgia Tech and defeat NC State at home, then they are 8-8 in the nation’s top-ranked conference. That may keep them in the Last Four In, but we have seen that bids may be stolen in even the power conferences (e.g. Georgia).

Q: "(Mid) Major Dilemma!"
What's the (updated) prognoses on teams like Utah State, Creighton, and Siena, assuming neither of the three wins their conference tournament?

A: If Utah State does not win their conference tournament, then they should be prepared for a high NIT seed. If Creighton and Siena win the rest of their regular season games and lose in the final to the next best team, then they both should be in. Of course, a lot of this depends on other variables (i.e. teams other than Butler and Gonzaga winning their conference tournaments).

Question #6: "50/50"
Pick an ACC and a Big Ten team - out of each pairing - who you favor as being more likely to secure an at-large birth: Big Ten (Penn State or Michigan) & ACC (Virginia Tech or Maryland).

In the Big Ten, I’d give the nod to Penn State, as they have defeated the 1^st and 3^rd best team in their conference on the road. In the ACC, I would select Virginia Tech by a very slim margin based on the same rationale. That said, much can change at the conference tournament.

***Bonus Question***
What did you answer for the poll (Chalmber is Chalmers, btw...thanks Clement) and why? Just a sentence or two will do.

A: This is a great question, because I was only able to eliminate three players (Chalmers, Brewer, Noah) from this list due to the composite strength of their respective teams. I went with Juan Dixon, because fans forget exactly how dominant he was in the final two minutes of a game. Any time that Maryland needed a play to either lead a spurt or to kill a crowd, Juan Dixon did it.

Thursday NCAA Tournament Streaming Updates & Re-Caps

Welcome to our live streaming updates at PHSports, beginning Thursday afternoon and concluding Sunday evening as we go from 64 to a Sweet 16.

Check in throughout the day for score updates, reactions, insights, and potential reactions to an upset or two. (Or so we hope.)

You can find "10 reactions to Opening Thursday" HERE tonight after the final games end.

...Completed Games...

East Region

Mike Brey doesn't wear a tie. He also has a Duke-pedigree.
Translation: His team shoots a TON of threes and flops on defense extremely well.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

#4. Washington State 71
#13. Winthrop 40 [Final Score]
The game was tied at halftime; however, the Cougars annihilated Winthrop in the second-half 42-11. OUCH.

#5. Notre Dame 68
#12. George Mason 50 [Final Score]
Will Thomas was a MAN; however, Notre Dame was extremely prepared for this matchup. Interesting Saturday matchup vs. WASU, indeed for the Irish.

Midwest Region

UNLV's Curtis Terry helped lead the effort against Kent State for the W.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

#1. Kansas 85
#16. Portland State 61 [Final Score]
Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk. Nothing else left to say as the winner of Kent St./UNLV has a nightmarish matchup awaiting them. Good luck to that team!

#8. UNLV 71
#9. Kent State 58 [Final Score]
Kent State's performance (tying a tourney record with only 10 first-half points) is embarassing. I underestimated Coach Kruger a little too much.

#6. USC 67
#11. Kansas State 80 [Final Score]
Beasley wins the scoring battle and earns the W. How again was KSU an 11-seed?

#3. Wisconsin 71
#14. Cal-State Fullerton 55 [Final Score]
Wisconsin didn't exactly put away last year's first-round opponent until late either.

South Region

Jerel McNeal and the Golden Eagles were willing to force Kentucky to milk possessions and take difficult shots at the end of the shot clock.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

#5. Michigan State 72
#12. Temple 61 [Final Score]
When your star player can't buy a bucket...bye bye tourney run. Michigan State vs. Pitt (if they beat Oral Roberts) is an official bracketbuster.

#6. Marquette 74
#11. Kentucky 66 [Final Score]
Crawford (35 points) and Bradley (played with 4 fouls the final 10+minutes) tried their best, but Marquette was the better team - especially on the defensive front - today. No first-round loss for Marquette this season.

#4. Pittsburgh 82
#13. Oral Roberts 63 [Final Score]
Nothing like an 18-0 run first-half run to blow open your first-round matchup. If Field plays like this, Pitt may be Final Four-bound.

#3. Stanford 77
#14. Cornell 53 [Final Score]
Stanford's size will match up quite nicely with Marquette's phenomenal team-speed.

West Region

Henderson's coast-to-coast layup with under 12 seconds to play allowed Duke to escape the MAJOR upset.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

#3. Xavier 73
#14. Georgia 61 [Final Score]
Throughout their SEC Tournament-run, Georgia slipped up in the second-half. They weren't able to survive such a defensive slip-up against the Musketeers, who were lights out, especially at the free throw-line, in the second half rally.

#6. Purdue 90
#11. Baylor 79 [Final Score]
Purdue just squashed any chance of a Baylor-run in the second half. Baylor did not deserve to be in this field. I said it Selection Sunday evening. I meant it.

#2. Duke 71
#15. Belmont 70 [Final Score]
I honestly thought that half-court prayer might fall. If only...

#8. BYU 62
#9. Texas A&M 67 [Final Score]
BYU's can blame themselves for this loss: make your free throws (7-14 FTs)!

#7. West Virginia 75
#10. Arizona 65 [Final Score]
Is there anything better than ANOTHER 1st-round exit for the Wildcats? NO!!!

#1. UCLA 70
#16. Mississippi Valley State 29 [Final Score]
UCLA should allow people in the stands to walk-on and play tonight for them in the second half. (Sorry MVS.)

Arizona & WVU provided some late-game theatrics, at least inbetween the under-8 and under-4 timeouts for insomniacs.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Big props to Armin for helping with these posts this afternoon. Amazing work, bro.

Stick with us all day and night Friday, and this weekend, for enhanced updates, analysis, and one-liners!!!!

Note: If you’re feeling a little down in-between games, feel free to check out:
-Players we LOVE in March Madness
-Upsets we LOVE in March Madness
-Games we LOVE in March Madness
-A Dozen Thoughts on the Bracket and Selection Sunday

Until next time...

Four Games We Love

Four Games I Love - Clement Edition

Pay is going to take over the reigns with his own four matchups in an evening post.

Xavier is on tons of media "hot-lists" as a Final Four sleeper.
Question is: are the healthy enough???
Credit: MP3.com

Here we go…

East Region
#7. Butler vs. #10. South Alabama
-It’s only fair to let Pay have Mason vs. Notre Dame. Fortunately, I have tons of interest in this mid-major battle between the WCC’s Zags and the Sun Belt’s Jags. Both teams have strong depth, playmakers at multiple positions and a TON to prove. Even more interesting is that South Alabama wound up in a pod being played in Birmingham (yes, Alabama).

Midwest Region
#6. USC vs. #11. Kansas State
-Mayo v. Beasley. Need I say more? Honestly, I don’t.

South Region
#5. Michigan State vs. #12. Temple
-Nicknamed Team Schizophrenia by several media outlets, Michigan State may be the most difficult team to read in this entire bracket. In years past, they’ve proved doubters wrong, and rode momentum and great coaching to the Final Four (2005 rings a bell). Other years, they’ve folded out early to seemingly lesser competition (2006 rang a bell, at first). Enter the A-10 Tourney champs and this might be the 5/12 matchup that several people are eyeing intently.

West Region
#3. Xavier vs. #14. Georgia
-Everyone is jocking the Musketeers as their "sleeper" team. Yeah, as if a #3 seed is a real sleeper. Nevertheless, if Drew Lavender is healthy, I like Xavier to make a real run in this tournament. The problem is: he isn’t. Suddenly, you enter in that pod the remarkable SEC Tourney Champion Georgia Bulldogs (rest!), the last announced team (Baylor) and another schizophrenic Big Ten team (Purdue). Call me crazy, but Xavier is just as likely to make a legit Elite Eight run as they are to not survive the opening weekend.

Pay will check in shortly with his four...

Four Games I Love - Paymon Edition

East Region
#5 Notre Dame vs. #12 George Mason
- Thanks for letting me tackle the alma mater's battle versus "Da-da-da-da-da ol' Notre Dame". That was for Sum. Since Notre Dame has been consistent this season (great on offense, average on defense), this matchup will come down to how Mason plays defense. Why? That's because Mason will have to stick with what worked in Richmond, and cover the perimeter (ND averages 8.5 made threes per game and shoots 41% from behind the arc). These teams are very similar statistically despite the Irish holding a distinct height advantage, though the Irish are a better perimeter shooting squad. The battle between Will Thomas and Luke Harangody will be intriguing. All of this said, guard play wins this one.

Midwest Region
#8 UNLV vs. #9 Kent State
- The real media will provide you every detail possible on Gonzaga and Davidson (did you know the game was in Raleigh and that Gonzaga may be jet-lagged???). It's like that team has never traveled before. Moving onto this game, if UNLV wins, it will be because of ball security (+4.3 turnover margin and averaging only 10 TOs per contest). Keeping the ball won't be easy, as the Golden Flashes force in excess of 16 turnovers per game. On the opposite of the ball, Haminn Quaintance's long frame presents matchup problems and disrupt the free-flowing Runnin' Rebels. Once again, all eyes are on the guards -- more specifically, Wink Adams versus Al Fisher.

South Region
#6 Marquette vs. #11 Kentucky
- Without a doubt, this is my least favorite region. I hope Billy Gillispie and his assistants have surrounded Rupp Arena with the newspaper and web clippings clamoring over Kentucky's inclusion in the tournament field. For those just joining us, this tournament is about guard play and the last time I checked, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford were awfully good seniors. Of course, they must be on their 'A' game if they want to progress past the backcourt trio of Jerel McNeal (73 steals), Dominic James (60 steals) and Wesley Matthews, all of whom average double figures in scoring.

West Region
#5 Drake vs. #12 Western Kentucky
- You gotta love it when the tournament selection committee pits one mid-major against another. I don't. According to some experts, Drake is considered the best shooting team in the field. Led by Missouri Valley Conference POY Adam Emmenecker, Drake has four double-digit average scorers (of which Emmenecker is not one) who made at least 40 three-pointers. The latent facts are that "The Drake" has underrated athleticism and has a penchant for playing stiff defense (opponents averaging less than 61 ppg). As for the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky, Courtney Lee (20.4 ppg in 29.4 mpg!) is the man; however, WKU has ten players who average more than ten minutes of action per game. In its two losses to South Alabama, the Hilltoppers were held to 28.6 and 22.7 percent three-point shooting. Drake knows what it needs to accomplish.

Saturday’s College Basketball Wrap-Up

We’ll start at the top with North Carolina. As expected, they took care of business, but 43-13 is an embarrassing halftime scoreline to swallow for in-state rival North Carolina State. While giving praise to the Tar Heels for their play, ESPN’s Jay Bilas also suggested that the Wolfpack have major chemistry issues. Having viewed as much as I can handle with a full slate of competitive games on the docket, Bilas’s conjecture seems correct. Of course, it’s easy to be down to North Carolina by 30 points at the interval when they are rolling on all cylinders and the opposition settles for long-distance heaves.

Anyone who did not see the finish to the UConn-Georgetown game may be thinking that there’s another Hibbert on the Hoyas roster, because the 7’2” center nailed a three-pointer with less than five seconds in regulation to earn the home team a 72-69 triumph at the Verizon Center. Right now, I am kicking myself for not getting tickets when I could have to see the Hibbert/Thabeet showdown.

Vanderbilt got knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens at Rupp Arena. Welcome to traveling on the road in the SEC.

Texas got scorched by Missouri. While receiving solid production from their big three – DJ Augustin, Damion James and AJ Abrams – the rest of the team contributed a whopping 19 points and 16 rebounds. This will have to change if Texas wants to remain in 2-seed consideration come Selection Sunday.

Another victim of the shock was none other than Michigan State. Who knew that you could beat a legitimate top 10 opponent by shooting 27.5% from the field and miss 13 free throws? Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter must have preached ball security, because committing eight turnovers versus eighteen for the Spartans is what won the game for the Hawkeyes.

At Westwood, UCLA outlasted Washington State. It was a story of two games – the first 38 minutes where WASU failed to make a basket and the second when they knocked down 7 straight three-pointers. Yes, seven.

Outside of the BCS conferences, Drake and Illinois State continue to be the pacesetters in the Missouri Valley. At some point, I expect at least one member of the old guard – Southern Illinois, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State – to wake up.

In the Colonial, Delaware (you mean that was picked 12th by the foremost expert on the conference?) is 5-0 in conference play and have been a different team since one game after a number of transfers joined the squad. This week, the Blue Hens required overtime in wins against George Mason and Old Dominion.

I could dabble with the goings-on of other conferences, but they will get their fair share of love in the bracket projections that will be available tomorrow.

And The Coaching Carousel Begins in College Basketball ...

Yesterday, Tubby Smith made waves by pulling a pre-emptive move in trading Kentucky for Minnesota ... the university and not the Timberwolves. Like many, I was not shocked by his departure but was by the destination. Frankly, I'm stirred by the names associated with this job -- namely, Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons and Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois. Tubby Smith wasn't even on the radar. I'm aware that Minnesota is a basketball state, but this is what I find shocking. Can Smith turn around the Golden Gophers? Early indications are that he'll change it to a degree, signifying that they won't be a doormat in the Big Ten. But, are the Golden Gophers going to be national title contenders? Not by a longshot, and I'll be hard-pressed to find that spending $1.8 million per year on a fading coach is a good business decision.

In other surprising news, Steve Alford has left Iowa, a BCS school, for New Mexico. Was it a realization that with Tubby Smith in the Big Ten, it would mean another high-profile coach to battle against in the recruiting wars? That means he'd be going against Thad Motta, Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Kelvin Sampson, Bruce Weber, Matt Painter, and whomever Michigan hires as their head coach. Not to mention, he would have to compete against surging Missouri Valley programs. Rebuilding is no fun when you have that kind of competition. Little does Alford know that the conference he's stepping into is no walk in the park.

Who is the next Kentucky head coach?
The early rumors include Tom Creen of Marquette, Mark Few of Gonzaga, and Billy Gillespie of Texas A&M. Travis Ford of UMass and John Pelphrey of South Alabama are former UK players who have an outside shot at being the next Wildcats head coach.

Here is some speculation on recent coaching vacancies.

Michigan
Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery, Xavier's Sean Miller and West Virginia's John Beilein, and Michigan State assistant Jim Boylen. (source: Yahoo! Sports)

Princeton
Georgetown assistant Sydney Johnson and Brown's Craig Robinson.
(source: Newark Star-Ledger)

Utah
Winthrop's Gregg Marshall, Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery, Butler's Todd Lickliter, and Old Dominion's Blaine Taylor and Kent State's Jim Christian. (source: Yahoo! Sports)

Thursday Game Previews

We are just an hour and a half from the start of the first games of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Today, we look at five games on our radar that should be on yours as well.

At day's end, the tournament field will have shrunk from 64 to 48 and sixteen dreams will have ended with others looking forward to fulfillment on Saturday. Without further ado, here are today's previews.

#5. Butler vs. #12. Old Dominion [2:40 pm] Midwest Region
- The question for me is, “Which ODU team will come out?” If it’s the team that won 12 in a row leading up to the CAA Tournament, Vasylius, Williamson, and the boys will be too much to handle for Miss November. Butler absolutely needs AJ Graves to get out of the funk he left on Wright State’s home court. The guard matchups up will be key as well as Vasylius’ ability to assert himself on the offensive end.
Deciding Factor: ODU’s ability to cause turnovers and get Dahi back on track.

#6. Duke vs. #11. VCU [7:10 pm] West Region
- Likely to get a ton of deserving national attention, VCU has a golden opportunity to try and really test this underachieve Duke squad. Yet, don’t let the Blue Devils fool you…they’re still loaded with talent. VCU will have to shoot 40% or better from the three-point line and their three bigs (Anderson, Fameni, and Roland) must stay out of serious foul trouble.
Deciding Factor: Duke’s ability, or inability, to handle the VCU press.

#8. Marquette vs. #9. Michigan State [7:20 pm] East Region
- The game to get UNC. Never underestimate Tom Izzo (23-8 record in the NCAA Tournament), despite how youthful this team is this season. Dominic James and Drew Neitzel are a pair of dynamic backcourt players who should be seen by anyone with a television set. Important to note, Michigan State is fourth in the nation in scoring defense and should be able to out rebound the Golden Eagles due in large part to this.
Deciding Factor: The sprained thumb of Marquette guard Jerel McNeal, clearly the team’s top defender, may strip Marquette of too prized of a possession against the pesky Spartans.

#8. BYU vs. #9. Xavier [9:30 pm] South Region
- I have to admit, I’ve seen these teams play a combined four times this season. In that short time, I realize that the 3-ball will be hoisted early and often. Both teams shoot above 37% as a team from behind the arc and run very fluid offenses. The teams are absolutely even when it comes down to the major categories. It will be a battle of wills between Keena Young and Stanley Burrell.
Deciding Factor: Lavender’s ability to exploit the BYU guards on both sides of the ball and bench play.

#7. Indiana vs. #10. Gonzaga [9:40 pm] West Region
- Two things jump out to me. Indiana’s abysmal road/neutral court record (5-10) and their record since the Wisconsin victory against non-bottom three teams in the Big Ten (1-5). I’m not that keen on Gonzaga either. While they’ve regrouped as a team since the suspension of Josh Heytvelt, Kuso has little chance of stopping DJ White. In the end, if Gonzaga has a lead late, the free throw shooting of Derek Raivio and leadership of Jeremy Pargo will be too much for the struggling Hoosiers.
Deciding Factor: Pargo vs. Wilmont.

Losing My Mind

The last two days are exactly what the mid-majors who couldn't seal feared. Last night, Xavier and Nevada fell in their respective tournaments, allowing for a second seed that may not have existed. At present, this likely puts Stanford and Florida State on the outs. Teams like Old Dominion, Drexel, and Missouri State all had a legitimate shot at earning an at-large bid; however, things have changed in the last 48 hours.

Thought to be amongst the dead, Oklahoma State rose from the ashes to defeat A&M last night. Make no mistake about it, if the Cowboys make the field without winning the automatic bid in the Big XII conference, it will be a travesty. You cannot go 2-8 from February 1st onward and then rediscover form for 3 days only to lose on Sunday to Kansas (even if it's a "good loss"). That's still 5-9 and that's not good enough when you have stronger at-large candidates.

Speaking of the "good loss", I hate that concept during Championship Week. Victories during conference tournaments are already overblown (i.e. overvalued by the committee) as is, so we don't need to pat Kansas State on the rear for losing by six to Kansas on a neutral court. Kansas State will receive heavy consideration, but I feel their resume is not strong enough to garner an at-large bid.

Before I go further, let me extend my congratulatory statement to Arkansas and Stan Heath's short-term job security. They were my last team in the field prior to the SEC tournament and after three more wins, they will be the fifth representative from the SEC.

Meanwhile, in the Big Ten, this is where I'm losing my mind. Indiana's resume looks weaker by the second. The Illini's doesn't look horrible, but 6 of their 11 conference wins are against the bottom three Big Ten squads. They're like the girl who'd receive the "good from far, far from good" label -- but that change with a victory against Wisconsin today. As for the Spartans, they are 3-10 in neutral court and road games, yet they have the 9th-rated SOS nationally and a recent signature win against Wisconsin on their home floor. With respect to Purdue, they are another team who may receive extended consideration due to their grit during two close defeats to Ohio State - it's not something I agree with, but it's something that will happen. Count on it.

But like I said, a lot has changed in the last 48 hours, and as a result, I'm losing my mind. The pieces will continue to fall in place and the story will unfold - just not at the speed that we want it to do so.

Questions To Ponder

Thursday is the busiest day of the spectacle that is Championship Week. The day is all about answering questions in the major conferences. If teams are unable to do so today, then they are often the ones sweating it out on Selection Sunday and usually on the short end of the stick. With that said, here are some questions I've thought of that may or may not be answered today. Feel free to add to them.

* How will Mike Nardi's injury that prevents him from his normal contributions affect the Villanova resume?
* How much can Florida St. blame their 1-4 slump on Toney Douglas being out of the lineup?
* Did Air Force do enough in the first three months of the season to overcome the last month and a half? And what if they lose later today to Wyoming?
* Where are you, Ronald Steele? One answer. The NIT, if you're lucky.
* If Texas Tech loses to Colorado, do they return to the other side of the bubble despite 3 signature wins? What about Michigan State?
* Which team, if any, will emerge from the SEC bubble?