UCONN

National Champions by the Numbers

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:57:22 -0400

This time of the year brings out all kinds of strategies in regards to how one will fill out their bracket. Opinions, uniform colors and mascots are just three of the dozens of ideas that people throughout the nation (and in some cases outside of the US) have in regards to turning in that winning bracket. But what about the statistics of recent champions? Those numbers can go a long way in showing which teams have the best shot at cutting down the nets on April 5^th. Below are the numbers (and national rankings in that particular year) for each of the last six national champions. Does your favorite fit the “profile”?

2003-04 (Connecticut)

Points per game: 78.8 ppg (17^th)

Field goal percentage: 48.0 (16^th)

Three-point percentage: 40.2 (5^th)

Efficiency: 112.0 (13^th)

Free throw percentage: 62.3 (312^th)

Field goal percentage defense: 36.9 (1^st)

Rebounding margin: 9.7 (1^st)

Assist/Turnover Ratio: 1.3 (4^th)

2004-05 (North Carolina)

Points per game: 88.0 (1^st)

Field goal percentage: 49.9 (5^th)

Three-point percentage: 40.3 (7^th)

Efficiency: 115.7 (6^th)

Free throw percentage: 72.5 (54^th)

Field goal percentage defense: 40.1 (26^th)

Rebounding margin: 7.5 (8^th)

Assist/Turnover ratio: 1.2 (18^th)

2005-06 (Florida)

Points per game: 78.3 (22^nd)

Field goal percentage: 50.0 (2^nd)

Three-point percentage: 39.2 (15^th)

Efficiency: 113.9 (2^nd)

Free throw percentage: 74.4 (34^th)

Field goal percentage defense: 39.9% (21^st)

Rebounding margin: 3.6 (59^th)

Assist/Turnover ratio: 1.2 (17^th)

2006-07 (Florida)

Points per game: 79.8 (11^th)

Field goal percentage: 52.6 (1^st)

Three-point percentage: 40.9 (9^th)

Efficiency: 118.4 (1^st)

Free throw percentage: 69.0 (168^th)

Field goal percentage defense: 40.7 (38^th)

Rebounding margin: 8.5 (4^th)

Assist/Turnover ratio: 1.1 (42^nd)

2007-08 (Kansas)

Points per game: 80.5 (13^th)

Field goal percentage: 50.8 (2^nd)

Three-point percentage: 39.7 (14^th)

Efficiency: 116.6 (2^nd)

Free throw percentage: 70.3 (131^st)

Field goal percentage defense: 37.3 (3^rd)

Rebounding margin: 7.9 (5^th)

Assist/Turnover ratio: 1.4 (2^nd)

2008-09 (North Carolina)

Points per game: 89.8 (2^nd)

Field goal percentage: 48.0 (15^th)

Three-point percentage: 38.7 (21^st)

Efficiency: 118.3 (1^st)

Free throw percentage: 75.2 (19^th)

Field goal percentage defense: 41.0 (60^th)

Rebounding margin: 6.3 (17^th)

Assist/Turnover ratio: 1.45 (3^rd)

Average Champ

Points per game: 11th

Field goal percentage: 7th

Three-point percentage: 9th

Efficiency: 7th

Free throw percentage: 102nd

Field goal percentage defense: 25th

Rebounding margin: 16th

Assist/Turnover Ratio: 14th

Trends

- Each of the last six national champions ranked in the Top 25 in scoring offense and FG%. Focus on picking teams that have high-octane, fast-tempo offenses.

- Only Florida’s second national title team and North Carolina last season finished outside of the Top 25 in field goal percentage defense. When looking at quality of defense, focus on FG% against as opposed to total points given up.

- The Gators are also the only national champ out of the last six to not rank in the Top 20 in assist/turnover ratio.

- With the exception of Florida’s first title team each of the last six national champs ranked in the Top 20 in rebounding margin.

- North Carolina (2009) was the worst three-point shooting team of the last six champs and they ranked 21^st nationally. This goes hand in hand with why the last four champions are ranked either the 1^st or 2^nd most efficient offensive teams.

- Connecticut (2004) and North Carolina (2009) are the only titlists to rank outside of the Top 10 in field goal percentage.

This year’s field contenders in relation

- Of the eight teams on the top two seed lines, four (West Virginia, Kansas, Ohio State and Syracuse) rank in the Top 25 in assist/turnover ratio. Duke comes in at 29^th and Kentucky 119^th to round out the top seeds while Kansas State is 113^th and Villanova is 130^th to complete the two line.

- Kansas (3^rd) and Kentucky (7^th) both rank in the Top 10 in field goal percentage defense while Syracuse (33^rd) and Duke (48^th) are further down the totem pole. In regards to the two line, none rank in the Top 50 in this category; Villanova is the highest-ranked at 56^th.

- Three of the nation’s Top 10 scoring teams are on either the one or two seed line. Villanova (3^rd), Kansas (5^th) and Syracuse (6^th) lead the way while Kansas State (13^th), Kentucky (17^th) and Duke (21^st) reside within the Top 25.

- Kansas (5^th) is the only team out of these eight ranked in the Top 10 in three-point percentage. Ohio State (21^st), Syracuse (25^th) and Duke (28^th) are all within the Top 30.

- Kentucky (6^th), West Virginia (9^th) and Kansas (13^th) are the best teams in the field in regards to rebounding margin. Duke (19^th) and Kansas State (29^th) aren’t far behind.

- Kansas, Duke and Syracuse all rank in the Top 10 in offensive efficiency while Villanova, Ohio State, West Virginia and Kentucky are all in the Top 20. Kansas State goes into the Tournament ranked 36^th.

Possible Interlopers: Baylor, New Mexico. If the numbers prove to be “honest” the pool of teams with the best shot of winning the national title may not be as deep as originally thought. But the numbers aren’t everything; expect this year’s national champ to have at least one statistical characteristic that doesn’t fall in line with the last six champions.

UCONN 2010 NIT Capsule

Joel Welser — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:11:40 -0500

Connecticut Huskies

Big East Conference (17-14, 7-11)

Big Wins: 1/23 Texas (88-74), 2/15 at Villanova (84-75), 2/22 West Virginia (73-62)

Bad Losses: 1/17 at Michigan (63-68), 1/27 at Providence (66-81), 3/10 vs St. John’s (51-73)

Coach: Jim Calhoun

Why They Can Surprise:

Once again Connecticut is among the nation’s leaders in blocked shots. Gavin Edwards, who usually does not even start, leads the team with 2.1 blocks per contest. Freshman center Alex Oriakhi is not far behind, averaging 1.6 blocks. Add fellow forwards Stanley Robinson and Ater Majok to the mix and there is not a big man on this team who fails to intimidate the opposition under the basket.

All those blocked shots leads to quick baskets on the other end of the floor. Robinson is the best scorer among the frontcourt players and often the beneficiary of a blocked shot since he can quickly get down the floor. Edwards and Oriakhi are more traditional back to the basket players, but it is Edwards who is a bigger threat to score, while Oriakhi, who is just a freshman, is still coming into his own offensively, but does plenty of work on the glass. Majok missed the early part of the season for academic reasons, but almost immediately stepped into the starting lineup. He is not much of a scorer at this point in his career, nor is he as productive of a rebounder as Edwards or Oriakhi, but he is a great defender.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The Huskies play great in transition, but running the half court offense can be a problem. Jerome Dyson is an experienced player, but he has had trouble creating for his teammates. Sophomore Kemba Walker is in the same situation. Both are more than capable scorers who do dish out plenty of assists, but a lot of those come out of fast break situations. If Uconn cannot start being productive in their half court offense, they will continue to lose to teams that can sit back and simply stop their transition offense. Usually the Huskies do not need to come from behind, but that is not the case this year and the total lack of three-point shooting is a major concern as well. There are only a handful of teams in the nation that take fewer three-point shots than Coach Jim Calhoun’s squad and that can make it very difficult for them to come from behind.

Who To Watch:

Dyson and Robinson, the team’s top two scorers, are the only legitimate outside shooting threats. Dyson probably takes more long range shots than he should, but when he gets hot he is not a bad shooter. However, on the year he shot just 28.7 percent from beyond the arc. Like Dyson, Robinson is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he will get open looks outside and he can shoot over smaller defenders. Both of those guys do not have to be hot from outside for Uconn to win, but one of them better at least be a threat or the opposition can simply pack in their defense.

Probable Starters:

Kemba Walker, Sophomore, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 5.2 apg, 4.2 rpg

Jerome Dyson, Senior, Guard, 17.3 ppg, 4.3 apg, 4.4 rpg

Stanley Robinson, Senior, Forward, 14.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg

Ater Majok, Freshman, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Alex Oriakhi, Freshman, Center, 4.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Donnell Beverly, Junior, Guard, 1.6 ppg, 1.3 apg

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Freshman, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Gavin Edwards, Senior, Forward, 10.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.2 (113^th in nation, 10^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 66.8 (145, 9)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.2 (84, 6)

Field-Goal Defense: 38.9 (16, 1)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.7 (332, 16)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.9 (141, 6)

Rebound Margin: 3.7 (62, 7)

Assists Per Game: 14.0 (102, 10)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.9 (258, 15)

Follow Joel Welser's Postseason Capsules & College Basketball Previews on Twitter @Joel_Welser and on his Facebook page. Joel will be back in June for his annual Top 144 Teams in 144 Days preview on CollegeHoops.net

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College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Charlotte is Done

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:53:01 -0500

It's been a couple of years since the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament had this much attention. Charlotte, Dayton and Rhode Island all hosted games and needed to move on to Atlantic City in order to maintain their hopes of getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large. But while the Rams took care of business by beating Saint Joseph's 87-76 and Dayton beating George Washington 70-60, the 49ers weren't as fortunate, falling to an opponent you have to beat if you're to make a solid case to the selection committee.

The 49ers dropped a 59-56 decision to UMass thanks in large part to huge plays and 24 points from Ricky Harris. Neither team shot well from the field, with the Minutemen shooting just 32.1%, but they got to the foul line (18-22; Charlotte was 5-8) and took full advantage of those "free" points. An'Juan Wilderness led Charlotte with eleven points but that wasn't enough to stem the tide of a late 9-0 run that gave UMass control of the game for good. And to a certain extent Bobby Lutz's team has no one to blame but themselves; the run was aided in large part by a Charlotte technical foul...for having six players on the court. Not going to get it done.

So while Rhode Island and Dayton get to take on the cream of the Atlantic 10 crop in Atlantic City and take one more shot at a big win the 49ers get to sit at home and think about what could have been. And also look into possible opponents in the NIT.

Three Key Happenings

1. Butler leaves no doubt in the Horizon League final. This was a game that worried bubblers across the nation since this would be a definite "bid thief" situation has the Raiders won. But the Bulldogs left no doubt in extending their nation's best win streak to 20 games, whipping Wright State 70-45 at Hinkle Fieldhouse to wrap up the automatic bid. Tournament MVP Matt Howard led the way with 14 points and nine rebounds (Shelvin Mack also scored fourteen) and the Butler defense harassed the Raiders into fifteen turnovers and 2-for-20 from beyond the arc. N'Gai Evans led the visitors with 13 points but neither of the other key contributors, Vaughn Duggins or Todd Brown, shot well from the field against Butler's stifling defense. The win also completed an undefeated run through the Horizon League in both the regular season and conference tournament; to accomplish such a feat is simply amazing. Brad Stevens' squad will most definitely be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

2. North Texas caps a wacky year in the Sun Belt with a conference title. Josh White picked exactly the right time to master the pull-up jumper in the Sun Belt final. Struggling for much of the game due to his tendency to over-penetrate, White sank a pull-up jumper with 22 seconds remaining to give the Mean Green the lead for good in a game they eventually won 66-63. He shot just 3-for-11 from the field but that doesn't matter when you knock down the game-winner. Forwards Eric Tramiel (20 points, 10 rebounds) and George Odufuwa (11 points, 17 rebounds) took care of business in the frontcourt, allowing North Texas a 36-26 rebounding advantage on the night. Four Trojans scored in double figures, led by Brandon Hazzard's 15, but it wasn't enough to overcome White's big play. And as a result the Mean Green will make their first NCAA appearance since 2007.

3. Connecticut gets embarrassed at Madison Square Garden.

Top Three Games

1. North Texas 66, Troy 63 See above.

2. Seton Hall 109, Providence 106 There were few people (if any) who thought it possible for the Friars to come back when the score hit 76-47 with 13:36 to go. But they did just that, fighting back to within three before a Duke Mondy three in the final seconds missed wide left. Jamine Peterson led all scorers with 38 points (and 16 rebounds) while Herb Pope led the Pirates with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

3. Massachusetts 59, Charlotte 56 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jamine Peterson (Providence) The redshirt sophomore finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the Friars' 109-106 loss to Seton Hall.

2. F Derick Nelson (Oakland) Nelson led the Grizzlies to the Summit League crown with 36 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

3. F Herb Pope (Seton Hall) 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Pope in the Pirates' victory over Providence.

Big East: All-Conference Teams

Press Release — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:33:20 -0500

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third straight year, Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the league announced. The conference’s head coaches choose the all-conference teams. The coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Six players were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from that list. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Oppenheimer Funds/BIG EAST Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete on Tuesday, March 9. The announcement will be made between sessions of the first day of The BIG EAST Championship Presented by New York Life at Madison Square Garden. The press conference will begin after the postgame interviews of the afternoon doubleheader have been completed. The other individual awards will be announced Monday, March 8.

The other first-team selections are: Greg Monroe of Georgetown, Dominique Jones of USF, Wes Johnson of Syracuse, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova, Da’Sean Butler of West Virginia.

Harangody, a 6-8 senior, was first in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 23.3 average and finished third in rebounding with a 9.7 mark. In league games, he compiled averages of 22.5 points and 9.4 boards. As a junior, Harangody became the first player in BIG EAST history to win the scoring and rebounding crowns in two seasons. This year, Harangody missed five games with a knee injury. He becomes only the 11th player in league history to earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades three times.

Monroe, a 6-11 sophomore, was Georgetown’s second leading scorer, averaging 16.0 ppg. He also pulled down 9.6 rebounds, which was fourth in the BIG EAST. Last season, Monroe was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.

Jones, a 6-4 junior guard, was the key component in USF’s rise in the standings. The junior averaged 21.3 points in all games and won the BIG EAST scoring crown by averaging 23.2 points in league play. The Bulls, who had never won more than four BIG EAST games in a season, finished the year with a 9-9 conference record. Jones was second on the team in rebounding with a 6.4 rebounding mark.

Johnson was a critical addition for Syracuse. A transfer from Iowa State who sat out last season, the 6-7 junior led the Orange in scoring and rebounding with 15.7 and 8.5 averages, respectively. Syracuse won the BIG EAST regular-season crown with a 15-3 record.

Reynolds has been the cornerstone for Villanova’s success. The 6-2 senior guard was the team’s top scorer with an 18.8 average. He led the Wildcats to a 24-6 overall record and a 13-5 league mark, which tied for second place.

Butler, an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last season, also was his team’s top scorer and leader. The 6-7 senior forward averaged a team-leading 17.2 ppg and 6.3 rebounds. WVU also finished 24-6 overall and 13-5 in the BIG EAST.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Wes Johnson, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 205, Corsicana, Texas
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Herndon, Va. *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-4, 237, Mitchelville, Md.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, So., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Andy Rautins, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-5, 195, Jamesville, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 232, Unionville, Conn.
Jamine Peterson, Providence, F, So., 6-6, 230, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-5, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y. *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Fr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Fr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dane Miller, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Henrietta, N.Y. *
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6-4, 198, Jamesville, N.Y.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.

Poll: If UCONN Beats USF Today, Will They Make NCAA's?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:44:06 -0500

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:37:42 -0500

While the best game of the night is the Top 5 battle between rivals Kansas State and Kansas, in regards to a conference title Duke visits Maryland with the winner either winning the ACC outright (Duke) or taking a step towards earing the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament (Maryland). Duke dominated the first meeting with Brian Zoubek playing an excellent game against a team that lacks the size required to deal with a seven-footer. Jordan Williams, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week, will need to play arguably his best game of the season in the paint for the Terrapins. As for the headline matchup, Jon Scheyer and Greivis Vasquez will likely determine ACC Player of the Year at the Comcast Center. Maryland needs an almost freewheeling style of game that negates the impact of the Blue Devils' big men (primarily Zoubek) if they're to defend their home court.

As for the Wildcats and Jayhawks, Kansas has already clinched a share of the Big 12 title but there's still a little work to be done in regards to both the outright title and the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament. Sherron Collins and company had their hands full in the first meeting, needing some big plays in overtime to escape the "Octagon of Doom" with the win. Denis Clemente did not have his best game from the field in that matchup, but he and Jacob Pullen have to ability to take over a game due to their scoring and ballhandling abilities. But the most important players for Frank Martin Wednesday night will be his frontcourt, especially Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly. They've got to win the matchup with the likes of Cole Aldrich and the Morris twins if the Wildcats are to win at Allen Fieldhouse.

Other games of importance on Wednesday include Connecticut visiting Notre Dame in a crucial game for both. The Huskies have already been swept by two other Big East bubble teams (Cincinnati and Louisville) but a season sweep of the Irish would conceivably give them a leg up on at least one team in the muddled Big East picture. Notre Dame will look to build upon the momentum gained in their impressive win at Georgetown on Saturday and as of today they've got the final single bye spot in the upcoming Big East Tournament. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are safe at this point but a win for either, especially the visiting Cowboys, would be a nice boost in regards to seeding come Selection Sunday. And Charlotte, Rhode Island and St. Louis are all in need of wins with regards to the bubble. The 49ers visit the Rams while St. Louis has a golden opportunity in the form of visiting Temple on Wednesday night.

TV GAMES

7p ESPN Connecticut at Notre Dame
7p ESPN2 Wake Forest at Florida State
7p ESPNU Alabama at South Carolina
7p CBS-College Holy Cross at Bucknell
9p ESPN Duke at Maryland
9p ESPN2 Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
9p ESPNU Virginia at Boston College
9p CBS-College BYU at Utah

OTHER GAMES

7p Arkansas at Tennessee
7p Charlotte at Rhode Island
8p Kansas St at Kansas
8p Kentucky at Georgia
8p Temple at St. Louis
9p Memphis at UAB

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic Sun (all games at Mercer)
Patriot League (all games at higher-seeded team)

Two more one-bid leagues get their conference tournaments underway on Wednesday, with the Atlantic Sun tourney taking place in Macon, GA (at Mercer) and the Patriot League quarters all being played on the floor of the higher seeded team. Top two seeds Lipscomb (with A-Sun POY Adnan Hodzic) and Jacksonville play in the day/night doubleheader, but the Bisons could have their hands full with Kennesaw State. Lipscomb split the two games with KSU, losing 97-91 back in December and winning on February 25th 74-66. Hodzic and company are playing much better now than they were in December but the Owls know that they can knock off Lipscomb. As for Cliff Warren's Dolphins, they're led by Ben Smith (19.5 ppg) and beat quarterfinal opponent North Florida twice during the regular season.

As for the Patriot League, regular season champ Lehigh hosts an Army team they beat by double figures twice in the regular season. And with CJ McCollum leading four Mountain Hawks averaging double figures with just under nineteen points per game it's tough to envision the Black Knights having enough offense to keep up with Lehigh. Navy visits American in what sets up to be the closest of the four quarterfinals due to their matching 7-7 league records. However, Jeff Jones' Eagles won both regular season meetings including a 69-59 home win in late-January. Looking for a possible upset? How about Colgate at Lafayette, where they fell to the Leopards by one point (74-73) on February 10th. Jared Mintz leads Fran O'Hanlon's squad while the Raiders will rely on Kyle Roemer. Rounding out the round is Holy Cross visiting Bucknell with the Bison and Crusaders splitting their two games (home team won both).

ONE PREDICTION

Kansas over Kansas St: A win in Lawrence would not only snap their bitter rival's 58-game home win streak but also vault the Wildcats into the conversation regarding the fourth one-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. But the Jayhawks will survive on Senior Night for Sherron Collins and his classmates, winning by four.

BubbleBoard 2/24: Ranking the Bubble Teams

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:12:09 -0500

RPI #'s updated as of 2/24/10, 2:00 pm.

The BubbleBoard returns again in 2010. CHN ranks at-large contenders using a variety of standard resume components. The BubbleBoard ranking is a modified RPI, that gives extra credit for success against Top 50 teams & games away from home. The purpose of the BubbleBoard is to weed out those teams that may have a high RPI due to playing a seemingly challenging schedule, but either a) lost almost all their challenging games, or b) have won a few challenging games at home but have been sub-par away from home. Ultimately the tourney should feature teams with a track-record of beating good teams on neutral courts.

The BubbleBoard will be updated weekly until March, when it will be updated daily.

Top 5 Rising teams*: Florida, UCONN, Utah St, Maryland, Richmond

Top 5 Falling teams: Georgia Tech, Wichita St, Dayton, Ole Miss, Baylor

*Based on difference between last week's BubbleBoard

Top 5 Faker teams*: Notre Dame, California, Seton Hall, Mississippi St, Northeastern

Top 5 Dangerous teams: Richmond, UNLV, St. Mary's, UAB, Louisiana Tech

*Faker teams are those that have struggled most away from home & against Top 50 teams as compared to their RPI.

Today's BubbleBoard Additions/Subtractions:

Texas A&M moved into the "lock" category. (Richmond is on the verge of joining them next week.) St Louis added to teams tracked on the list, while Arizona, North Carolina, Northwestern, Texas Tech, and Virginia are no longer tracked as the Bubble tightens up.

Into/Out of Projected At-Large Bid:

In: UCONN, UTEP, Maryland

Out: Charlotte, Virginia Tech (extra in team based on conference champion status of another team)

Today's BubbleBoard Thoughts:

UCONN's success in the past has obviously been well-documented, and it shows as they move from the brink right back firmly on the bubble. They're the last team, which is impressive when you consider they were about 25 teams out 2 weeks ago. Florida also picked up a big win over Tennessee last night, and although the BubbleBoard doesn't love the Gators, it helped them move into legitimate contention. Richmond is on the verge of becoming a lock, and I arguably could have taken them off the list. However, they do have 3 challenging league games remaining and they are in the A-10, so you never know what the committee will do with a non-BCS team. However, so long as they win one of the remaining games, they'll be fine. Interesting that the BubbleBoard is not imrpessed with Big East teams on the most part. Marquette is just 3-7 against Top 50 teams and 4-6 on the road, while Louisville is 2-6 against top 50 teams and a similar 4-6 on the road. Sure, these teams have a few nice wins (because of so many chances), but the BubbleBoard is not fooled by conference affiliation. On the flip-side, the BubbleBoard has been high on CAA teams all year. If you assume that the committee will not take VCU & William & Mary (although W&M is probably deserving), then Virginia Tech & Florida are really the last 2 teams in.

How The Yellow At-Large Field Is Projected:

The yellow shading represents teams who would fit into an approximate bubble. There are 25 "lock" teams (listed below), as well as 16 one-bid league champs not listed, and 3-4 probable league champs included in the BubbleBoard. This leaves about 21 teams with room to make the tournament. Teams with 10+ points are approaching "lock" status to make the tourney as of now. Teams with -10 or below still have work to do. (The 2 semi-shaded boxes represent the extended bubble if you consider that the committee would probably not take VCU and William & Mary, despite what the computers say about them).

	Team	RPI	SOS	NCSOS	Computer	T50 W	T50 L	R/N W	R/N L	L100 L	Bonus =	Total =	Was	Dif
#	Kansas	1	21	45	3	8	1	9	1	0	100	97	97	0
1	Richmond**	25	81	63	20	5	2	9	5	0	55	35	19	16
2	Baylor	16	20	121	14	4	4	7	5	2	19	5	21	-16
3	UAB	32	98	101	26	1	0	10	3	1	25	-1	0	-1
4	Rhode Island	28	60	29	20	2	4	9	4	0	14	-5	1	-6
5	UNLV	44	75	209	35	4	4	9	4	2	25	-10	3	-13
6	Xavier	18	24	17	12	3	6	6	7	0	1	-11	-15	4
7	Saint Mary's	47	135	87	36	2	3	10	3	0	24	-12	-12	0
8	Utah St**	35	84	83	27	2	1	7	5	2	14	-13	-31	18
9	William & Mary	46	77	25	30	3	3	9	6	2	17	-14	-14	0
10	Oklahoma St	29	38	141	23	3	4	6	6	1	9	-14	-22	8
11	Old Dominion**	42	91	7	28	3	4	8	8	1	10	-18	-2	-16
12	Georgia Tech	30	13	113	21	4	6	5	8	1	2	-19	5	-24
13	Clemson	33	36	149	25	3	5	6	5	1	5	-20	-19	-1
14	Missouri	37	59	200	30	4	5	5	6	2	6	-24	-27	3
15	VCU	59	143	93	43	4	1	5	6	4	18	-25	-20	-5
16	Maryland	34	32	154	26	3	6	5	6	0	0	-25	-42	17
17	Dayton	43	37	20	26	3	5	5	7	1	-1	-28	-10	-18
18	Florida St	39	45	204	31	3	6	7	5	1	2	-29	-29	0
19	Cincinnati	56	15	57	34	4	6	4	8	0	5	-29	-27	-2
20	UTEP**	55	133	193	44	1	1	8	3	1	15	-29	-40	11
21	UCONN	41	2	5	23	4	6	3	8	2	-8	-31	-49	18
22	Virginia Tech	45	158	341	45	2	3	7	5	0	13	-32	-25	-7
23	Florida	48	55	158	35	3	6	7	5	1	2	-33	-54	21
24	San Diego St	38	80	122	29	2	4	7	6	2	-4	-34	-34	0
25	Charlotte	55	106	160	41	3	7	9	5	0	7	-35	-23	-12
26	Louisville	40	8	23	23	2	6	4	6	1	-18	-41	-38	-3
27	California**	23	3	1	13	0	4	5	8	1	-29	-42	-43	1
28	South Florida	69	57	241	49	2	3	7	6	1	6	-43	-34	-9
29	Louisiana Tech	66	253	328	61	1	1	10	4	1	18	-43	-49	6
30	Illinois	65	68	132	44	4	6	6	8	2	0	-44	-44	0
31	Washington	60	49	42	37	2	2	1	7	2	-10	-47	-49	2
32	Arizona St	57	78	68	38	1	4	5	5	1	-13	-51	-58	7
33	St Louis	82	142	222	60	3	1	4	7	3	8	-52	X	X
34	Tulsa	75	129	212	55	1	1	4	5	1	1	-55	-50	-5
35	Memphis	62	109	75	43	1	4	6	4	2	-14	-56	-60	4
36	Seton Hall	51	14	150	34	3	9	3	7	0	-23	-57	-66	9
37	Minnesota	76	51	80	47	3	5	3	8	2	-13	-60	-72	12
38	Ole Miss	63	50	136	42	1	6	7	5	1	-19	-61	-42	-19
39	Marquette	61	63	212	44	3	7	4	6	2	-18	-62	-56	-6
40	Wichita St	50	139	299	45	1	3	6	7	3	-19	-64	-46	-18
41	Northeastern	78	90	9	48	2	4	9	7	6	-21	-69	-55	-14
42	Mississippi St	64	123	235	50	1	4	8	6	4	-22	-72	-62	-10
43	Notre Dame	81	69	192	55	1	4	2	8	2	-31	-86	-71	-15

*Teams leading their leagues

Yellow = Approximate bubble cut-off

NC-SOS = Non-conference strength of schedule

Computer = Modified RPI taking into account SOS/NCSOS a bit more

Bonus = Modifications due to Top 50 & R/N success

R/N = Road/neutral

L100L = Lower than 100 losses

Lock Teams: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Villanova, Duke, Purdue, Georgetown, Michigan St, West Virginia, Kansas St, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio St, Temple, BYU, Gonzaga, Northern Iowa, Butler, Siena, Cornell, Wake Forest, Texas, Texas A&M

As teams move in and out of bubble consideration, the teams tracked will change in future weeks.

Poll: Which Big East Bubble Team is Best-Suited For a March Run?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:37:09 -0500

Bracketology: UCONN Returns After WVU win

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:39:37 -0500

The Bracketology field is based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." The field below is not based on who I think deserves to be in, but a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand. For the next few weeks, I'll be posting Bracketology updates every Tuesday & Friday. As March begins, I'll start releasing Bracketology updates daily leading up to Selection Sunday.

Why should you care what I have to say? In 2007 & 2008, I was considered to have one of the Top 2 or 3 brackets amongst 53 national experts including Joe Lunardi, Gary Parrish and the like. (Admittedly my 2009 final bracket was rather weak.. not sure what happened. Can't win 'em all.)

Notes:

Arrows indicate movement by seed. Green indicates new to the field this week. Conference champions are not my end of season predictions, but current leaders. (Ties atop conference standings go to the higher RPI team).

ONE

Kansas**

Kentucky**

Purdue**

Syracuse**

TWO

Duke**

Kansas State

Villanova

Ohio St

THREE

West Virginia

New Mexico**

Pittsburgh

Georgetown

FOUR

Michigan State

Vanderbilt

Wisconsin

BYU

FIVE

Butler**

Temple

Texas

Tennessee

SIX

Gonzaga**

Texas A&M

Richmond**

Northern Iowa**

SEVEN

Baylor

Xavier

Maryland

Missouri

EIGHT

Wake Forest

Clemson

Florida State

Louisville

NINE

UTEP**

Virginia Tech

UNLV

Oklahoma St

TEN

California**

Illinois

UAB

Georgia Tech

ELEVEN

Old Dominion**

Rhode Island

Marquette

Florida

TWELVE

Utah St**

St. Mary's

Cornell**

Siena**

THIRTEEN

UCONN

Dayton

Murray State**

Kent St**

FOURTEEN

Wofford**

Oakland**

Weber St**

Sam Houston St**

FIFTEEN

Coastal Carolina**

Morgan St**

UCSB**

North Texas**

SIXTEEN + ONE

Stony Brook**

Jacksonville**

Robert Morris**

Lehigh** / Jackson St**

** = Automatic Bid

League Leaders/Winners (31)

- Leaders throughout the season are merely the first place team in the standings as of the update, and not projected winners. Ties go to the higher RPI team. New teams this week in green.

America East - Stony Brook

A-10 - Richmond

ACC - Duke

Atlantic Sun - Jacksonville

Big 12 - Kansas

Big East - Syracuse

Big Sky - Weber St

Big South - Coastal Carolina

Big Ten - Purdue

Big West - UCSB

CAA - Old Dominion

Conference USA - UTEP

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Cornell

MAAC - Siena

MAC - Kent St

MEAC - Morgan St

MVC - Northern Iowa

MWC - New Mexico

Northeast - Robert Morris

Ohio Valley - Murray St

Pac-10 - California

Patriot - Lehigh

SEC - Kentucky

Southern - Wofford

Southland - Sam Houston St

SWAC - Jackson St

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - North Texas

WAC - Utah St

WCC - Gonzaga

*** = Locked Up Automatic Bid

Last In: Dayton, UCONN, Saint Mary's, Florida

Last Out: San Diego St, Mississippi St, Charlotte, Seton Hall

Further Four: Cincinnati, William & Mary, Memphis, Minnesota

Dropped Out Of Field (at-large): Charlotte

Post your thoughts on this week's field below:

College Hoops Monday Recap: Huskies Bag Another Top 10 Victim

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:37:09 -0500

Connecticut went into their game against West Virginia back in the NCAA Tournament conversation following wins over Villanova and Temple. But consistency has been a problem for the Huskies all season long, so it can be understood if some expected them to fall to West Virginia at the XL Center. A mediocre rebounding team for most of the season, the Huskies received a far better performance on the glass on Monday night, out-rebounding the Big East's best 37-33 in a 73-62 win. WVU fans will likely cite the foul shot disparity (42-23) as a major factor (Bob Huggins didn't stick around for the end, receiving a pair of technical fouls), but the fact that the Mountaineers made just twelve (52.2%) put them behind the 8-ball to begin with.

Kemba Walker led the Huskies with 21 points and four assists, scoring fourteen points from the foul line, while Stanley Robinson (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Jerome Dyson (17 points) chipped in. Dyson's biggest contribution may have come on the defensive end, where he was assigned Da'Sean Butler and held him to nine points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field. Devin Ebanks led the Mountaineers with 17 points and nine rebounds while Kevin Jones added 12 but the team's struggles from both the foul line and behind the arc (4-for-18) proved to be too much for the visitors. The win moves the Huskies further into the conversation for an at-large bid and moves their win streak to three.

"We've got a couple of pretty good, significant wins right now, and none of it means anything except that we have Louisville next Sunday," said head coach Jim Calhoun. "I have no misgivings about what we didn't do. All I care about is what we're doing right now. There's no look-back in life. There are no mulligans. I just happy with what we're doing now, and we still have a lot more work to do (quote courtesy of UConn Athletics)."

Three Key Happenings

1. Kansas takes care of Oklahoma, clinches share of the Big 12 title. No Willie Warren for Oklahoma meant little drama for the Jayhawks as they wrapped up at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with an 81-68 win. Xavier Henry made all seven of his shots in the first half and finished with 23 points and five rebounds while Sherron Collins led three other starters in double figures with seventeen. Tommy Mason-Griffin led the Sooners with 17 while Andrew Fitzgerald, whose made field goal ended a streak of eleven straight misses to start the game, scored sixteen. The title is the sixth straight for Kansas and they can clinch it with either a Kansas State loss tomorrow night or a win in their next contest (at Oklahoma State on Saturday).

"To win six conference championships in a row and be undefeated is quite an accomplishment," said head coach Bill Self. "We are really proud of our guys. For Sherron to become the winningest player ever and for Cole to be named basically the student-athlete of the year, it was a pretty good day for our basketball program (quote courtesy of Kansas Athletics)." The Jayhawks have had the answers for much of the season and are one of the favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. The only thing missing has been a "killer instinct", something they really haven't needed thus far. But with veterans like Collins and Cole Aldrich it won't be a trait they lack come March.

2. Texas receives the results on Dogus Balbay's MRI: torn ACL. Balbay's scoring deficiencies may be brought up often in discussing the struggles of the Longhorns, but if that were what's been holding Rick Barnes' team back then why hadn't either J'Covan Brown or Jai Lucas passed him in the rotation? Now with the native of Turkey done for the year with a torn ACL it's time for either one (or both) of those two to step up lest a once-promising season fall by the wayside. Dogus was the Longhorns' best perimeter defender and while the other two are more talented offensive players Brown's been inconsistent and Lucas a non-factor.

If there's to be any kind of turnaround Brown's the likely choice to run the point for Texas. Could the loss of Balbay mean more definitive roles or simply more confusion for a group that's struggled to find an identity? If it's the former then Texas can still be a team to keep an eye on next month. But if not they'll most likely flame out well before anyone expected them to back in November.

3. Morgan State clinches their third consecutive MEAC title. The Bears closed the game by outscoring the Hawks 9-5 in the final 1:27 to win 65-61, wrapping up at least a share of their third consecutive MEAC title in the process. Kevin Thompson led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks missed five of their final six free throws, allowing Morgan State to escape despite leading scorer Reggie Holmes shooting 1-for-10 from the field. Rarely do teams win games on the road when they go 0-for-15 from behind the arc but when UMES shoots 9-for-21 from the foul line you get that chance.

Outside of a three-point loss to South Carolina St and their BracketBusters defeat at Murray State, Todd Bozeman's team has played very good basketball in 2010. Could they scare someone in the NCAA Tournament provided they win the MEAC Tournament? Yes; Holmes isn't going to shoot 1-for-10 from the field very often. As for the history of the MEAC Tournament, only three times in the last decade did a team that didn't have one of the top two seeds win the automatic bid.

Top Three Games

1. Prairie View A&M 69, Mississippi Valley St. 68 Christopher Jones' layup with two seconds left gave the Panthers the one-point road win in Itta Bena. Jones scored eleven while Dorian McDaniel led the way with 22 points, and Shannon Behling led MVSU with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

2. Connecticut 73, West Virginia 62 See above.

3. Seattle 90, San Jose St 88 Adrian Oliver scored 35 points and four Spartans reached double figures but it wasn't enough to make up for a bench that produced zero points. Charles Garcia led the Redhawks with 20 as Seattle U picked up their fifth win in their last six games.

Three Notable Perfomances

1. G Adrian Oliver (San Jose St) 35 points (9-14 FG, 17-18 FT) in the Spartans' 90-88 loss to Seattle.

2. G/F Dana Smith (Longwood) Played forty minutes, scoring 25 points and grabbing ten rebounds in the Lancers' 96-86 loss at James Madison. G Pierre Curtis (James Madison) added his own 25 & 10 (his were assists) in the same game.

3. G Michael Deloach (Norfolk St) 31 points, five steals and four assists in the Spartans' 82-62 win over South Carolina St.