Cornell

Cinderella Madness: '04 Nevada vs '10 Cornell

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:52:15 -0800

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012. This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the BCS conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate. Teams were seeded 1 through 16 and then simulated using WhatIfSports.com's award-winning college basketball simulation engine. Each match was "played" 501 times.

2009-10 Cornell vs 2003-04 Nevada

2009-10 Cornell: The third of Steve Donahue's Ivy League champion teams was the best, and the Big Red would show that in decisive wins over Temple and Wisconsin. Surprisingly enough, Cornell's lone league defeat would come at the hands of a Penn squad that would go on to finish the season 6-22, and from that point on the Big Red went on to win nine straight before falling to Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Ryan Wittman was the leading scorer while seven-footer Jeff Foote and guard Louis Dale also averaged double figures, and nine players would play at least 10.7 minutes per game.

2003-04 Nevada: Mark Fox's Wolf Pack were the class of the WAC throughout the 2003-04 season, and led by wing Kirk Snyder Nevada would win 26 games before falling to Georgia Tech in the Sweet 16. But Snyder wasn't alone as the versatile Nick Fazekas had the ability to score either inside or out, and Todd Okeson was a more than capable sidekick on the perimeter. All five starters averaged at least 9.4 points per game, and their NCAA tournament wins would come at the expense of Michigan State and Gonzaga. Nevada averaged a shade less than 76 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field while limiting opponents to 41 percent shooting.

Game Recap: Nevada 74 - Cornell 73 (Boxscore)

At the time of publication, only two NCAA basketball programs were shooting over 50 percent as a team in 2011-2012 (Creighton/Missouri). Cornell allowed Nevada to shoot 52.6 percent from the floor (30-57 FG) and were outrebounded by 12 (36-24) in their opening round matchup.

The Wolfpack were in prime position to knock the Big Red out in the first half with a firestorm of hot shooting, but Dale drilled back-to-back three pointers followed by a Foote floater in the lane to keep the game within reach.

The story of the second half was a six and half minute stretch of uninterrupted action. Nevada outscored Cornell 15-7 during that stampede and led by eight in the game's final minutes. Jon Jacques' three-pointer would pull Cornell within two, but Andy Bernard's alma mater could get no closer.

The Wolfpack advance with a 75-73 win.

Player of the game: Kirk Snyder (19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '04 Nevada 51.3% - '10 Cornell 48.7%

More Cinderalla Madness with the complete bracket.

Ivy League Notes and Quotes

Jon Teitel — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:30:37 -0800

With Ivy League become fully joined so to speak this weekend it's a good opportunity to take a look at the league to this point in the season. CHN writer Jon Teitel compiled some quotes from the coaches' midseason media teleconference a couple weeks ago, and those will be combined with notes and evaluations of each of the Ancient Eight. This weekend's schedule:

Friday, January 28th
7:00 PM Brown at Princeton
7:00 PM Cornell at Dartmouth
7:00 PM Columbia at Harvard
7:00 PM Yale at Penn

Saturday, January 29th
6:00 PM Cornell at Harvard
6:00 PM Yale at Princeton
7:00 PM Brown at Penn
7:00 PM Columbia at Dartmouth

Harvard (13-3, 2-0)
It's been a good season thus far for Tommy Amaker's Crimson, who boast wins over Boston College and Colorado not to mention a three-point loss at Michigan. Expected to be one of the contenders to win the league, Harvard has lived up to that status despite Kyle Casey missing four games due to injury. Freshman guard Laurent Rivard has been one of the reasons as to why, averaging 12.6 points per game. Forward Keith Wright leads Harvard in both scoring (14.3) and rebounding (8.3), and with four players in double figures Harvard is a difficult team to slow down offensively. Harvard leads the Ivy League in assists per game as well.

Princeton head coach Sydney Johnson on Harvard: "Harvard and Penn are the most talented teams from top to bottom, but everyone is playing good basketball."

Dartmouth head coach Paul Cormier on Harvard: "I hope Harvard is the most talented team we face all year, because they are really, really good."

Columbia (11-5, 2-0)
The Lions have also gotten off to a good start, winning both meetings with Cornell to begin league play with a 2-0 record. As expected Norwua Agho has been the lead option offensively, averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Kyle Smith's squad is the best rebounding team in the Ivy League, boasting a margin of plus-6.8 rebounds per game. Columbia's best non-conference victory may be a 74-71 win over Maine, who currently leads America East. Next up for the Lions is that trip to Harvard on Friday night, a significant step up in competition despite Cornell's status as three-time defending league champions.

Head coach Kyle Smith: "Noruwa Agho has been playing great. I have been really impressed with how he passes the ball, as he has changed from a scorer to a playmaker. It is hard to rebound when you are hurt and playing on back-to-back nights, but we have been emphasizing it in practice."

Yale (9-7, 2-0)
James Jones' team has won four straight, most recently sweeping a pair of games from Brown over the last two weeks. Center Greg Magnano has already won or shared three Player of the Week awards while Austin Morgan has one to his credit as well. Freshman Jeremiah Kreisberg has started six games, even winning the Rookie of the Week award for his play last week. Three Bulldogs average double figures, and just like their bitter rival they also own a victory over Boston College this season. Yale visits Penn and Princeton this weekend.

Head coach James Jones on Magnano: "Greg Mangano has been real important for us on both offense and defense: drawing double-teams, making good decisions, etc. It is kind of hard to say whether Greg is best big-man in conference, but if he is not the best then he is one of the best. "

Princeton (12-4, 0-0)
The Tigers have yet to enter league play but they've done a solid job of navigating their non-conference schedule. Forwards Ian Hummer and Kareem Maddox have both played well, each showing off the talent to earn postseason honors in the form of one of the All-Ivy teams. Four Tigers average from 13.1 to 13.8 points per game with Hummer and Maddox being two; the others are guards Dan Mavraides and Douglas Davis and the two forwards are also in the top five in the league in rebounding. Tops in the Ivy League in field goal percentage, Princeton also ranks well in the league with regards to both field goal and three point percentage defense. They get Brown and Yale this weekend, with the latter possibly being a big one if the Bulldogs arrive at Jadwin Gym 3-0 in league play.

Head coach Sydney Johnson on Ian Hummer: "Ian Hummer has gotten more comfortable this season, and has always had the enthusiasm."

Penn (6-8, 0-0)
Penn may have taken on the most ambition non-conference schedule, playing the likes of Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Big 5 rival Villanova, and while they didn't win any of those contests the experience of playing such competition could help them in league play. Zack Rosen and Jack Eggleston lead the way offensively and freshman guard Miles Cartwright has been a good addition to the rotation. But the Quakers will need to improve defensively if they're to contend as they're last in the Ivy in field goal percentage defense (47.3%) and sixth in three-point percentage defense (35.7%). Penn is also sixth in rebounding margin, meaning that they'll need to help out Eggleston (8.1 rpg) in this area as well. Conference play opens with a tough battle tonight as they host Penn at the Palestra.

Head coach Jerome Allen on Rosen: "Zack Rosen does everything for us, and is a great leader both on and off the floor. He wants to be coached and wants to get better."

Allen on Cartwright: "Miles Cartwright has done a tremendous job of blending in with the group on both ends of the court."

Allen on their early-season scheduling: "We do not schedule games to learn lessons. We schedule them to win. We are just trying to establish our identity on the defensive end, regardless of who we are playing. Our three games against Top 10 teams taught us that every possession counts."

Brown (7-9, 0-2)
Brown opened up league play with two games against Yale, dropping both by a combined 13 points, most recently falling 59-51 in New Haven last weekend. Four players average at least 9.4 points per game with senior Peter Sullivan's 13.6 leading the way. Sophomore Tucker Halpern has raised his scoring average three points this season and is shooting higher percentages from both the field and three. Brown's been a middle of the pack team in many of the major statistical categories, which could be an explanation for their current record. But they're also the worst three-point shooting team in the league, and they'll need to become more proficient in that department if they're to finish league play with a solid record. They'll visit Princeton and Penn this weekend, with the latter possibly being the better choice in regards to which game the Bears can win to earn a split.

Head coach Jesse Agel on his rotation: "It takes a village for us to be good. We do not have one specific guy who will carry us. When we win, we usually have 5-7 guys who play very well. It excites me that we still have not hit our peak yet, as we are getting better in every practice."

Agel on Sullivan's change in role: "Peter Sullivan has become more of a facilitator during the season, which is why his free throw attempts have gone down. He is still getting into the lane, but is just kicking it out to an open man once he gets there."

Cornell (4-12, 0-2)
The reigning three-time defending Ivy champs dropped a pair of tough games to Columbia in the beginning of their quest for a fourth crown, and their non-conference slate may have been a bit ambitious given the coach and roster turnover. First-year head coach Bill Courtney has a team that's finally approaching good health and in Chris Wroblewski one of the better guards in the Ivy League. Cornell is second in the league in three-point percentage but just seventh in overall field goal percentage (just 41.5% of their points come on two-point shots). Cornell visits Dartmouth tonight in a matchup of two 0-2 teams in league play and with Harvard on Saturday night the game against the Big Green becomes that much bigger.

Head coach Bill Courtney on Wroblewski: "It has been an adjustment for Chris Wroblewski, as he hurt his ankle early on and was a role player last year, but as of late he has been terrific."

Courtney on the season to date: "We have had some ups and downs, which were expected after losing so many seniors from last season, but we are as healthy as we have been since the start of the season. We have learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses, both as players and coaches."

Dartmouth (4-12, 0-2)
In their first season under Paul Cormier the Big Green have struggled offensively, ranking at or near the bottom of the Ivy League in many of the major statistical categories. R.J. Griffin, David Rufful and Jabari Trotter all average nine points per game to lead the way but it's tough to win games consistently when as a team you average less than 59 points per game. It also didn't help matters that senior point guard Ronnie Dixon has missed the last six games with a broken hand, and the date of a possible return remains to be seen. Dartmouth's two league games came against Harvard, most recently losing by nine at Harvard last weekend. Just like Cornell the Big Green could have Friday's contest circled as an opportunity to get into the win column conference-wise.

Head coach Paul Cormier on Dixon: "Ronnie Dixon is an important asset to our team. He was starting to have a real good season before breaking his hand last month. One of our biggest weaknesses is shooting, as we seem to be rushing some of our shots. If we are not risking any further injury to Ronnie, we will put him back in there. He is a senior who deserves all the minutes he can get, but he will be out for the bulk of the season. He is only going to be able to play for 1/3 of the season, so it is a real shame."

Player of the Week History

11/15 F Keith Wright (Harvard)
11/22 G Christian Webster (Harvard) and G Austin Morgan (Yale)
11/29 Wright
12/6 F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
12/13 G Norwua Agho (Columbia) and F Kareem Maddox (Princeton)
12/20 Maddox
12/27 G Zack Rosen (Penn)
1/3 G Chris Wroblewski (Cornell)
1/10 Agho and C Greg Magnano (Yale)
1/17 Agho and Magnano
1/24 Magnano

Rookie of the Week History

11/15 G Miles Cartwright (Penn)
11/22 G Sean McGonagill (Brown)
11/29 Cartwright
12/6 G Laurent Rivard (Harvard)
12/13 G Steve Frankoski (Columbia)
12/20 F Gediminias Bertasius (Dartmouth)
12/27 Cartwright
1/3 Rivard
1/10 F Dockery Walker (Brown)
1/17 Rivard
1/24 F Jeremiah Kreisberg (Yale)

Ivy League Coaches Media Conference Quotes

Jon Teitel — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:01:13 -0700

Last Wednesday the eight Ivy League head coaches took part in the Ancient Eight's preseason media teleconference, and along with their thoughts the preseason poll results and preseason All-Ivy candidates were unveiled. CHN writer Jon Teitel compiled the thoughts of each coach below, and the preseason poll can be seen there as well.

Brown's Jesse Agel (11-20, 5-9)
"Hopefully we are going to progress from being competitive to winning games. I feel we are pretty good offensively, but a work in progress defensively. I am hoping that our freshmen will grow up during the season to become "February sophomores". The Sullivan brothers (Matt/Peter) are a couple of years apart, and Pete shoulders a lot of the load for us. The biggest part for Garrett Leffelman last year was trying to stay healthy for more than one month at a time. He really burst onto the scene in the second half of the season. With Pete Sullivan being down, we want Garrett to take more shots, and if he can make 55% of his shots again, he is going to have a great season. We want the stars to be stars and let our four freshmen just fill in by playing their roles, while adjusting to college life both on and off the court. They are very coachable and learning extremely quickly. We do not have any juniors in our program, so we have to garner some experience for our young guys."

Columbia's Kyle Smith (11-17, 5-9)
"We have a mostly new coaching staff and several returning players. Noruwa Agho wants to be a good all-around player: I thought he might be just a shooter, but he is willing to pass the ball and make his teammates better. The talent level in this league is excellent. I would not put 7-foot center Max Craig in the same category as Omar Samhan (who was the star of the Sweet 16 squad at St. Mary's last year when Smith was an associate coach), but he has a physical presence and plays hard. Zack Crimmins is another 7-footer we have who is skillful. We do not want to put a lot of pressure on ourselves with wins/losses: we just want to get better every day. Having success on the road is a key for any winning program."

Cornell's Bill Courtney (29-5, 13-1)
"We are a team full of unknowns, so even our returning players will have to step into new roles. I love the work ethic of my players. Losing 3 of the best players in school history means that a guy like Chris Wroblewski will have to take on a lot of leadership, and he has excelled in that role. I definitely can recall the night I scored 31 points as a senior in a two-point win against Cornell; you always remember the games when you scored 30! I always knew I wanted to be a college basketball coach. It is a tremendous honor to be at Cornell with its great reputation in both academics and athletics. My family and I have been embraced by the community. The trickiest part is figuring out the whole process of recruiting without scholarships."

Harvard's Tommy Amaker (21-8, 10-4)
"We feel like we have a good nucleus of returning players, but Jeremy Lin was incredible for us last year, so we will have our work cut out for us this year. Injuries have set us back, but if we can remain healthy and consistent, then I think we can be a very competitive team this year. A lot of on-court success is determined about how things are going for our guys off the court, particularly our younger players. Coach K has not called me to chat about Princeton: he does not have to ask me for any advice related to basketball, as it is the other way around all the time! It has been a neat environment on campus ever since we made the postseason last year (the school's first postseason appearance since 1946), and it has been wonderful to see the growth and excitement take place. We had a lot of sellouts and overflow crowds last year, and I think both our fans and our recruits enjoy our entertaining style of play. We have played MI before, which was part of the contract from before I got here because we had some kids from Boston on our roster at Michigan (Amaker previously was the MI head coach). We would love to continue to play BC since they are a local rival, and BC (and former Cornell) head coach Steve Donahue also wants to see that happen."

Penn's Jerome Allen (6-22, 5-9)
"This will be an interesting year throughout the league due to the good balance, now more than ever. I think our staff has the opportunity to bring back the brand of basketball success we are used to at Penn. They say that you never know how she is until you marry her: we are only a couple of weeks into our relationship, and still have to figure out who are going to be our constant contributors. All of our guys who were injured (such as Tyler Bernardini/Andreas Schreiber) have done a great job in rehab of getting back towards 100%. We have to compete and really respect the game. Whichever team makes the fewest mistakes and plays defense will probably be on top. Nothing has changed from a coaching standpoint in terms of starting the season as coach vs. becoming coach during the season. We just embrace the process of going from point A to point B, and after mastering that first step we will just try to keep playing the right type of basketball."

Princeton's Sydney Johnson (22-9, 11-3)
"Trying to size up our league, I think that Penn will be a very strong team and right the ship immediately. I agree with the talk that it is a wide-open league, and our task is to practice hard and be very hungry. We have told our three seniors (Bobby Foley/Kareem Maddox/Dan Mavraides) the same thing for the past four years, so now they can turn around and tell the younger guys what to do. It is always different going from individual workouts to having the whole gang out there. Marcus Schroeder was the heart and soul of our team, but we have some guys who can fill that void. We want all of our guys to be able to handle the ball, which was a major point of emphasis last spring. Rutgers and Duke will just start our season with a bang. Coach K will more than likely go down as one of the greatest coaches of all-time. Harvard head coach (and former Duke captain) Tommy Amaker has not given me any tips, but I think the Duke basketball family is pretty tight, and they should keep it that way. As we all go out and play different teams, we all represent the Ivy League. It is an interesting dynamic: you want the other seven teams to get some good non-conference wins, but you have to have tunnel vision during conference play."

Yale's James Jones (12-19, 6-8)
"We have a Good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, but not a lot of experience outside of Michael Sands/Porter Braswell. We certainly have to take care of home court, but also have to play consistently down the stretch. We don't need a high-scoring point guard; we just need someone to not turn the ball over and be smart with his decision-making. Expectations have been raised so high in our league due to Cornell's convincing run in the tourney. The Connecticut 6 Classic is a tremendous idea. It will not be the first game played at the Mohegan Sun Arena, and I do not think our guys will be anywhere near the casino. I think it is great for fans of all 6 teams to get to see them play there, and hope we can do it for years to come. The only thing I am worried about for the game at BC on November 18th is that my 5-year old son will come with us on the bus, and I just hope he does not burn the house down when playing with my brother Joe's (assistant coach at BC) kid. I suspect the game itself will be a dogfight, as Steve Donahue (former Cornell head coach) is a great coach."

Dartmouth's Paul Cormier (5-23, 1-13)
"I have never seen these kids play before this year and did not recruit them. We started with 20 players and are now down to 14. We have about seven who were on the team last year and the rest are new. This year is about changing the culture a bit and focusing on defense, as we know we will be recruiting some players to fit our offensive style. Some of my fondest memories were coaching in Philly (as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova): it is a tremendous college basketball environment. In the early 1980s the Big 5 games were absolutely the best. Those games were bloodbaths, as the teams left everything out on the floor. Most teams had at least a few kids from Philly and it was neighbor against neighbor, so you could just throw out any records/predictions. I enjoyed my first go-round at Dartmouth, but I got into the scouting side of the NBA game and stayed there too long. I have been trying to get back into the college game for a few years, and when the Dartmouth position opened up I jumped at the chance. There is nothing better than being back in northern New England at the school that gave me my first chance to be a head coach. I am as excited as hell about being here, and think we will be competitive in the near-future. This is the first time I have ever gone after a job without really needing it. You cannot rebuild from scratch without the commitment from the school. The admissions and financial aid process is much more transparent now."

Preseason Poll
1. Princeton (12 first-place votes) 128 points
2. Harvard (4) 120
3. Cornell (1) 96
4. Pennsylvania 89
5. Yale 57
6. Brown 55
7. Columbia 48
8. Dartmouth 19

Kentucky vs Cornell: Preview, Prediction, Poll

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:35:45 -0700

Start: Mar 25 2010 - 9:27pm

#1 Kentucky Wildcats

Team Preview

Kentucky Stats

RPI 2nd

#12 Cornell Big Red

Team Preview --

Cornell Stats

RPI 37th

Vegas Odds: Kentucky -9

How Kentucky Got Here: Kentucky 90 - Wake Forest 60

How Cornell Got Here: Cornell 87 - Wisconsin 69

Why Watch? This is what the NCAA Tournament's all about. Big, bad, Kentucky led by big, bad John Calipari going up against the future financial advisors of America, the Ivy League's Big Red.

Why Cornell will win:

Cornell showed against Kansas that they can hang with anyone in the country, now they've proven against Temple and Wisconsin that not only can they hang with top teams.. they can destroy them.

Big Red to Watch:

Jeff Foote, C - 12 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg

While John Wall gets the hype for UK, the Wildcats biggest edge is arguably in the middle with DeMarcus Cousins. Foote, the big 7-footer, has been a major pain for recent opponents, but he's met his physical match with Cousins.

Why Kentucky will win:

With a ridiculously good 34-2 record, winning hasn't been much of an issue for the Cats. They're Top 10 in offense & defense, can beat you on the inside or the outside, in transition or in the half-court. While some top seeds have struggled (Kansas, Villanova, etc), UK's steamrolled their first two opponents by 29.5 ppg.

Wildcat to Watch:

Eric Bledsoe, G - 11 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg

On any other team, Bledsoe would be getting tons of hype. He's overshadowed by Wall & Cousins, but is still an integral piece of UK's puzzle. In the two losses, he was a combined 5-17 from the floor and 1 of 6 from three. UK struggles when he's not hitting shots.

How it will go down:

In UK's two losses, they were a combined 5-34 from downtown, and on the season they rank only 144th from long-range. Cornell will do its best to slow the tempo, keep UK in the half-court set, and force them to hit threes. UK will win, but the formula will help keep Cornell with in range for most of the game.

Betting Pick: Cornell

Real Pick: Kentucky

Second Round Sunday Recap: Michigan State Survives But Loses Lucas

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:25:08 -0700

Up 65-50 with 12:42 remaining following a Durrell Summers three pointer, Michigan State looked to be a safe bet to advance to the Sweet 16, despite losing starting point guard Kalin Lucas to an apparent Achilles' tendon injury. But the turnovers, nineteen in total, began to catch up with the Spartans as Maryland made their furious charge back into the game. Thanks in large part to senior Greivis Vasquez the Terps held an 83-82 lead with seven seconds remaining as Vasquez knocked down a driving basket. But just as it looked like the Spartans were headed back to East Lansing with their season over, Draymond Green found Korie Lucious, whose shot fake freed him for the game-winning three pointer that fell as time expired.

"Coach didn't call a timeout and Dray pushed it, they kind of crowded around Dray and I think I had the open look and he hit me so I just tried to get it up and it went in," said Lucious, whose role will expand if Lucas is unable to go next week. Summers made six three pointers in leading the Spartans with 26 points and Vasquez finished with the same to lead the Terps. What saved Michigan State from themselves: out-rebounding Maryland 42-24 and rebounding 48.1% of their missed shots on the afternoon. Next up for the Spartans is Northern Iowa, who scored the upset of the Tournament thus far with their win over Kansas on Saturday.

But the prevailing question now is how the Spartans go about dealing with the probable loss of Lucas. "It looks like it might be a torn achilles to be honest with you," said head coach Tom Izzo after the game. "And that poor kid, he was devastated and I wish you all could have been in the locker room when we went out at the end and everybody went into this little room he was in and maybe one of the prouder moments I've had as a head coach is the way they- we all talked to him and went out." The Spartans became looser with the basketball once he went out, and going up against a defense like Northern Iowa's they can't afford similar mistakes in St. Louis. But they're moving on nonetheless, and with Coach Izzo leading the way it wouldn't be wise to sell this team short.

Key Happenings

Buffalo: Big East heavyweights take care of business. There was a lot of criticism of the Big East in light of five (now six with Pittsburgh falling) teams losing by the end of Saturday's games. But regular season champion Syracuse and tournament champ West Virginia took another step towards a possible Final Four berths with wins over Gonzaga and Missouri in second round games at HSBC Arena. Wes Johnson led the Orange, who will now take on Butler Thursday night in Salt Lake City, with a career-high 31 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Andy Rautins added 24 points in the 87-65 victory and for the game the Orange shot 54.7% from the field. Elias Harris and Robert Sacre combined for 41 points for the Bulldogs but the Orange did a good job of limiting Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray (combined 6-24 FG).

As for the Mountaineers, they led for most of their game in beating Missouri 68-59 while turning the ball over just ten times (three in the first half) in dealing with the Tiger pressure. Da'Sean Butler led the way with 28 points and eight rebounds while Devin Ebanks (14 points, seven rebounds) and Kevin Jones (13 points, nine rebounds) chipped in on the scoreboard. And while they scored just seven points combined point guards Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla did a good job of helping to navigate the Missouri press. "He's [Mazzulla] just been stepping up for us at a good time," said Ebanks. "Starting in the Big East tournament and it's carrying over to the NCAA tournament. He's being very more vocal on the court and more into the game. You can definitely tell and sense it from him. That's what we need from him." Is too much read into "conference supremacy" in relation to Tournament results? Maybe, but at least the conference has its best two still playing.

Jacksonville: Cornell advances with an impressive beating of Wisconsin. Louis Dale and Ryan Wittman combined for fifty points and four starters finished in double figures as the Big Red soundly whipped the Badgers 87-69 to advance to the East Regional, where they'll play Kentucky. Cornell shot an astonishing 61.1% from the field and also out-rebounded Wisconsin 29-21, putting together a performance that impressed both head coaches. "I just thought in all my coaching, all the experience I had on any team that I ever played on, this game here was as well executed that I couldn't even imagine that we could play that well in the stretches that we did," said Cornell head coach Steve Donahue.

Jon Leuer led Wisconsin with 23 points and four players finished in double figures but the issue for Wisconsin was their shot selection. Twenty-five of their forty-nine field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, and while their efficiency percentage finished out at 116.9% that isn't their game. Cornell did a good job defensively of keeping the Badgers out of the paint and were rewarded for it. can they do the same against the powerful Wildcats? That's the question that will need to be answered in the affirmative if they're to knock them off in Syracuse on Thursday night. But the way the Big Red are playing right now it wouldn't be wise to automatically rule them out.

Milwaukee: Xavier's back in the Sweet 16. Regardless of who's coaching or who's playing, Xavier has a proud basketball tradition that dates back decades. All that Chris Mack has done in his first season in charge is win the most games for a first-year head coach and lead the Musketeers back to the Sweet 16, beating Pittsburgh 71-68 to earn a meeting with Kansas State. Jordan Crawford, who has been one of the players of the Tournament thus far, led all scorers with 27 points and a 16-0 first half run gave Xavier control of the game going into the locker room. The Panthers fought back with a second-half run of their own but it was too little too late as timely foul shooting from Terrell Holloway helped seal the game. Ashton Gibbs (19 points), Brad Wanamaker (16 points) and Gilbert Brown (14 points) led the way for Pittsburgh, but the Panthers were unable to gain control of the game once Xavier went on their run.

Add in the inability to stop Crawford and you've got a disappointing end to what should be looked at as a highly successful season given who they lost from last year's Elite 8 squad. But the story here should be about Xavier, who heads to their third consecutive Sweet 16. Be sure to understand just how good this program really is, and don't use the phrase "mid-major" either. "I don't feel like we're a mid-major at all," said center Jason Love. "You look at our schedule, we played some of the best teams in the country. And I mean I don't know a lot of mid-majors that make three consecutive Sweet 16s. So you can throw that out of the door right now. And maybe media will start getting us a little more attention."

Spokane: Purdue proves the critics wrong once again. Thought to be in trouble once Robbie Hummel went down with a torn ACL and given up for dead by many following their loss in the Big Ten semis to Minnesota, Matt Painter's Boilermakers have made a statement this weekend. They're a tough basketball team that while lacking a key component still has the ability to make some more noise in this tournament. Chris Kramer, not exactly known for his scoring prowess, scored on a driving layup with 4.2 seconds remaining in overtime to give Purdue the 63-61 win over Texas A&M, advancing them to a meeting with Duke in Houston on Friday night. Kramer led four Boilermakers in double figures with 17 points and defensively Purdue limited the Aggies to 35.4% shooting.

Today nobody picked to us win this game," said Coach Painter. "After a while I think it really sits with our guys. They really use it for motivation." Now they'll go into yet another matchup that few will expect them to win, but if they can get scoring on the perimeter from E'Twaun Moore and Keaton Grant along with JaJuan Johnson up front the Boilers have the ability to send the top-seeded Blue Devils home. We already know that they've got the toughness required to do so.

Top Games

Buffalo: West Virginia 68, Missouri 59 See above.

Jacksonville: Duke 68, Californina 53 There wasn't much suspense in this one outside of the Blue Devils using defense to keep the Golden Bears at arm's length once Cal cut the lead to seven early in the second half. Nolan Smith (20 points) and Kyle Singler (17 points) led the way while Brian Zoubek added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Duke transfer Jamal Boykin led the Golden Bears with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Milwaukee: Xavier 71, Pittsburgh 68 See above.

Spokane: Michigan State 85, Maryland 83 See above.

Notable Performances

Buffalo: F Wes Johnson (Syracuse) 31 points and 14 rebounds in Syracuse's 87-65 pasting of Gonzaga to advance to the Sweet 16 in Salt Lake City.

Jacksonville: G Louis Dale and F Ryan Wittman (Cornell) The two seniors combined for 50 points (20-32 FG), six rebounds and five assists in Cornell's 87-69 win over Wisconsin.

Milwaukee: G Evan Turner (Ohio State) The junior rebounded from a subpar (for him) performance on Friday, accounting for 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists (those nine turnovers need to come down though) in the Buckeyes' 75-66 win over Georgia Tech.

Spokane: G Greivis Vasquez (Maryland) If not for Korie Lucious the senior from Venezuela would have scripted an amazing chapter in the Maryland postseason history book. 26 points, eight assists and four rebounds in the Terrapins' 85-83 loss to Michigan State.

Sunday's Scores

East Region
2)West Virginia 68, 10)Missouri 59
12)Cornell 87, 4)Wisconsin 69
Midwest Region
2)Ohio State 75, 10)Georgia Tech 66
5)Michigan State 85, 4)Maryland 83
South Region
4)Purdue 63, 5)Texas A&M 61 (OT)
1)Duke 68, 8)California 53
West Region
1)Syracuse 87, 8)Gonzaga 65
6)Xavier 71, 3)Pittsburgh 68

Cheerleader of the Day: Cornell

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:16:55 -0700

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College Hoops Friday Recap: Cornell Advances

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:56:53 -0700

Even though many acknowledged that the Cornell Big Red were underseeded in the aftermath of Selection Sunday, it was still a toss-up in regards to whether or not they would beat Temple. But in a game matching mentor (Fran Dunphy) and one-time assistant (Steve Donahue), it was Coach Donahue's team that took control of the game for good in the second half via the three-point shot (Ryan Wittman) on their way to the 78-65 win in Jacksonville. It was the first win for the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament since 1998 (Princeton), and more amazingly the first win for an Ancient Eight team not named Penn or Princeton in more that forty years.

Louis Dale led three Cornell players in double figures with 21 points and as a team the Big Red shot 56.3% from the field (72% on two-point shots). And when they weren't scoring from the field Cornell was doing so from the foul line, making fifteen of nineteen foul shots to just nine (making six) for the Owls. And while Cornell was very good offensively their defense shouldn't be overlooked. The Big Red alternated between man to man, 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones in order to keep Temple from getting the ball into the paint.

"I think when we're playing good defense, we're playing aggressively," said Wittman. "You know, I think when we struggle on the defensive end, it's because we're too passive. But in terms of getting on their guards and being aggressive, if you let guys like Fernandez feel comfortable, they're extremely good, not only making plays for themselves but making plays for others. I think it was just a matter of trying to make them feel uncomfortable."

Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez scored 14 points apiece but despite shooting 51.9% from the field the Owls could do little to put a dent in Cornell's lead early in the second half. Temple would go down and score...only to watch the Big Red do the same and after a while that began to weigh on the Atlantic 10 champions. "We just could never get over the hump," said Temple head coach Fran Dunphy. "Every time they needed a big basket they got it." That's what awaits Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon; Cornell's an experienced team that seems to be making up for the missed opportunities of their prior two trips to the NCAA Tournament. And that can make for an even more dangerous opponent.

Key Happenings

Buffalo: Missouri picks up their 5th straight first round win. Going into their game against Clemson conventional wisdom was that Missouri would struggle with Clemson's size, especially that of senior Trevor Booker. But on this day even Booker was no match for "The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball", a style that forced 20 turnovers (every Clemson player who saw time had at least one) and limited the big man to 11 points (5-11 FG) and 11 rebounds on the afternoon. Missouri scored 20 points off of those turnovers and outscored Clemson 42-28 in the paint thanks in large part to Keith Ramsey, who scored 20 points while also defending Booker on the other end of the floor.

"He [Ramsey] really put his stamp on the game," said J.T. Tiller. "Just being able to guard one of the best players in the ACC and hold him to 11 points, that says something about his effort. That says something about his pride, his integrity and his character." With Ramsey doing the job on Booker and both David Potter and Demontez Stitt being saddled with foul trouble, Clemson would have been in serious trouble if not for their three-point shooting (12-24) and Andre Young. Young scored 19 points for the game, getting 12 of those in the first half. But when you turn the ball over, especially in the way of live-ball turnovers, you're going to be in trouble against a team like Missouri. Mike Anderson's team is more than capable of using their defense to upset West Virginia on Sunday.

Jacksonville: Cal jumps Louisville and moves on to face Duke. As much as talent and matchups have to do with games this time of the year, the simple act of showing up ready to play can go a long way in determining which team is going home. Such was the case in the final game of the night in Jacksonville, as California got out to leads of 12-0, 22-4 and 30-12 in the first half of their game against Louisville. And while the Cardinals were able to close to within six before the half was over, Jerome Randle provided the first dagger with a runner from three-point territory as time expired to give the Golden Bears a 41-30 halftime lead. The second half provided much of the same as the Cal backcourt found open looks against the Cardinals' pressure, keeping Louisville at bay in what would eventually be a 77-62 victory.

Randle and Theo Robertson scored 21 points apiece while Patrick Christopher added 17, and Cal shot 51% from the field (53.3% from three) and assisted on seventeen of their twenty-six field goals. Instead of passing the ball around simply to get the ball across halfcourt against Louisville's pressure, Cal attacked it for good looks at the basket and trips to the foul line. Rakeem Buckles led Louisville with 20 points while Samardo Samuels added 16, but they were done in once Edgar Sosa picked up his third foul in the first half. The four starters outside of Samuels all struggled from the field and you cannot beat Cal that way unless they're cold as well. No such luck, and as a result Mike Montgomery and company get their shot at Duke on Sunday.

Milwaukee: Does Georgia Tech have a run left in them? The talent is definitely there, and despite giving up 16 points off of turnovers the Yellow Jackets did enough to beat Oklahoma State 64-59. The key: their defense on Big 12 Player of the Year James Anderson, who scored 11 points while shooting just 3-for-12 from the field. Obi Muonelo wasn't much better for the Cowboys, making just four of eleven shots on his way to ten points. Meanwhile all seven Georgia Tech players who scored finished with at least six points with Gani Lawal (14 points) and Derrick Favors (12 points) leading the way. Georgia Tech, who struggled from the foul line during the regular season, even made twenty-four of twenty-five from the charity stripe. But it was their defense that earned them a date with Ohio State.

"I thought our guys did an outstanding defensive job, and that's even with giving up 50 percent from the floor," said head coach Paul Hewitt. "I thought our guys were tremendous defensively taking them out of some of their pet plays. And after playing against a guy like Anderson, who is clearly one of the top five players in the country, I thought we stayed really disciplined defensively." Next up: probable National Player of the Year Evan Turner, who will be just as much of a challenge for Georgia Tech (if not more) than Anderson. Despite their struggles during the regular season the Yellow Jackets have the physical ability to win more games in March; if they can make smart decisions on both ends of the floor look out.

Spokane: If Purdue's going to have an extended Tournament stay Keaton Grant will be key. Siena was the trendy upset pick heading into the NCAA Tournament, with most people citing Purdue's recent offensive struggles in light of Robbie Hummel being lost for the remainder of the season. Coming out of the locker room to start the second half down 32-29 the Boilermakers needed an offensive spark. And they got just that from senior Keaton Grant, who knocked down some big three-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half. scored all eleven of his points in that barrage while JaJuan Johnson led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds in a 72-64 victory. For a player who scored just five points combined in Purdue's two games prior this could be the spark that Grant needs to be a consistent scorer in the Tournament.

"They got some run outs and then they started hitting some shots, primarily Grant, and he's done that; it's not like we weren't expecting him to do that," said Siena head coach Fran McCaffery. Lewis Jackson also made key baskets early in the second half while Chris Kramer did a good job of defending Alex Franklin. The Saints were without Clarence Jackson (sprained ankle) and the impact was noticeable on the offensive end; just like the Boilermakers replacing a player the caliber of Jackson is tough to do. "They lost a very good player and they're a little bit short handed, but obviously that's part of the game," said Purdue head coach Matt Painter. "But they're a good team. They are a very good team." If Purdue is to prove folks wrong they'll need Keaton Grant to produce offensively.

Top Games

Buffalo: Missouri 86, Clemson 78 See above.

Jacksonville: Wisconsin 53, Wofford 49 In a game featuring similar styles the Badgers were able to survive the Terriers to move on to the second round in the East Region. Jon Leuer (20 points, eight rebounds) made a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining to seal Wofford's fate. Jamar Diggs led the Terriers with 13 points.

Milwaukee: Georgia Tech 64, Oklahoma State 59 See above.

Spokane: Michigan State 70, New Mexico State 67 This one ended with a little controversy but the issue should have been regarding the officials not putting time back on the clock with three-tenths of a second remaining instead of the lane violation called on Troy Gillenwater. Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 25 points while Gillenwater paced the Aggies with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Notable Performances

Buffalo: F Keith Ramsey (Missouri) 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Missouri's win over Clemson.

Jacksonville: F Kyle Singler (Duke) 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 73-44 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Milwaukee: G Jordan Crawford (Xavier) 28 points, six rebounds and five assists in the Musketeers' 65-54 win over Minnesota.

Spokane: F Jordan Williams (Maryland) 21 points and 17 rebounds in the Terrapins' 89-77 win over Houston.

Friday's Scores

East Region
2)West Virginia 77, 15)Morgan State 50
10)Missouri 86, 7)Clemson 78
12)Cornell 78, 5)Temple 65
4)Wisconsin 53, 13)Wofford 49
Midwest Region
10)Georgia Tech 64, 7)Oklahoma State 59
2)Ohio State 68, UC-Santa Barbara 51
5)Michigan State 70, 12)New Mexico State 67
4)Maryland 89, 13)Houston 77
South Region
4)Purdue 72, 13)Siena 64
5)Texas A&M 69, 12)Utah State 53
1)Duke 73, 16)Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44
8)California 77, 9)Louisville 62
West Region
6)Xavier 65, 11)Minnesota 54
3)Pittsburgh 89, 14)Oakland 66
8)Gonzaga 67, 9)Florida State 60
1)Syracuse 79, 16)Vermont 56

Temple vs Cornell: Odds & Prediction

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:49:34 -0700

Start: Mar 19 2010 - 12:30pm

Team Previews: #5 Temple -- #12 Cornell

Vegas Odds: Temple -4 Bet at bodog

Why Cornell will win:

Cornell's season is kind of similar to Murray St's, who knocked off 4th seed Vanderbilt yesterday. Conference domination and some impressive efforts against quality opponents early in the year. Temple isn't the type of team that pummels people, so you don't have to worry about a blow out, and so long as Ryan Wittman pops in some threes, Cornell will be in the game down the stretch.

Big Red to Watch:

Louis Dale, G - 12 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg

Cornel's senior PG started the season slowly, but has picked it up as late. He had poor games in Cornell's 3 big non-conference losses to Syracuse, Seton Hall, and Kansas. Anything less then 10 points and a couple threes out of Dale probably won't cut it.

Why Temple will win:

Temple has one of the country's defenses, especially against the 3. If that holds true, it will take a big chunk of Cornell's offense away. Unlike Cornell who came close against top teams, Temple actually has been able to win those games.. knocking off Villanova, Virginia Tech, Xavier, etc.

Owl to Watch:

Juan Fernandez, G - 13 ppg, 2 rpg, 4 apg

Temple's at their best when Fernandez is playing their best. He had bad games in 4 of their losses (6 ppg on dismal 21% shooting), and missed the 5th. As he goes, Temple goes.

How it will go down:

Expect a good hard-fought back and forth affair, with a score around the low 60's. In Temple's last loss, Richmond hit 56% threes to only 10% from Temple. Cornell will need to somehow break-through Temple's tough 3-pt defense to win. They won't

Betting Pick: Cornell (barely, I'd avoid this line)

Real Pick: Temple

East Region Preview: Kentucky Done No Favors

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:16:47 -0700

John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, who just topped off an SEC regular season title with the tournament crown, were the top seed in the East as expected. In John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins the Wildcats have two likely lottery selections whenever those two decide to ply their trade in the NBA, and Patrick Patterson isn’t exactly chopped liver himself. But for all their talent there is a lack of tournament experience, especially in the role of favorite, and there are also teams in their region who can at the very least make them work for a trip to Indianapolis.

That could start as soon as the second round, with a pair of talented underachievers facing off in New Orleans in the first round. Texas was at one point the top-ranked team in the nation; ever since that crown was knocked off their head by a mediocre UConn team, Rick Barnes’ squad has struggled. Wake Forest had the look of an ACC title contender back in January…and they closed out the regular season 1-5 in their last six games. Both teams essentially find themselves in the same boat: which one is more capable of “flipping that switch” under college basketball’s brightest spotlight?

Damion James, Dexter Pittman and Gary Johnson make up the lion’s share of a Texas frontcourt that can make things difficult up front for a Cousins, Patterson or Daniel Orton. But their issue could be guard play, especially at the point. J’Covan Brown, Jai Lucas and Justin Mason haven’t played to a level anywhere near what they’ll see from John Wall.

The Demon Deacons have a point guard in Ish Smith who can match Wall in the speed department, and the senior also has plenty of experience. But which Al-Farouq Aminu will show up for Dino Gaudio? The body language of Wake’s most talented interior player (they’re deep up front as well) in recent games has not been on par with what you’d expect of a possible lottery pick.

West Virginia, who had quite the argument for being a one seed, is the two in their region. And if you follow the S-curve (with Kentucky being the second-best one seed) that would make Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers the second-weakest two in the eyes of the selection committee…fail. WVU has a number of talented players all in the 6-7 to 6-9 range, and while they aren’t the best shooting team out their this length makes them a monster on the offensive boards (going into the Big East Tournament they had an offensive rebounding rate of nearly 41%).

Da’Sean Butler was the most evident hero of their run to the Big East Tournament crown but he had plenty of help from the likes of Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks, Wellington Smith and the underrated Joe Mazzulla. They’ll face a team in Morgan State that has two of the better players around most people haven’t seen much of: Reggie Holmes (a lights-out scorer) and Kevin Thompson (a very good rebounder).

The region also included the Mountain West regular season champ in New Mexico, a team that in regards to personnel bears a resemblance to the Mountaineers. Darington Hobson took the west by storm this season, and players such as Dairese Gary and Roman Martinez aren’t slouches either. Wisconsin, who will need to deal with Wofford's Noah Dahlman in the first round, has one of the best coaches in the game in Bo Ryan. That swing offense is a pain to prepare for much less play against. Trevon Hughes, Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil are three players to keep an eye on.

And then you’ve got arguably the best first round matchup of the Tournament, one that makes you wonder what the committee was thinking when seeding both teams (IMO, both were underseeded). Temple takes on Cornell in a 12-5 matchup that will lead to much hand-wringing among most (if not all) pool competitors in the days leading up to Thursday. Juan Fernandez, Lavoy Allen and Michael Eric are just three of the players that the Big Red will have to account for.

Not to be outdone, Cornell brings Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote and Louis Dale to the table with some of the best three-point shooters around also at Steve Donohue’s disposal. Add in the teacher/pupil angle (Donohue was an assistant on Fran Dunphy’s staff at Penn) and you’ve got a game that should not fail to live up to the hype. Marquette/Washington and Clemson/Missouri also make for intriguing matchups; the first game matches two teams that played well in their conference tournaments while the second will be a test in both teams’ ability to take care of the basketball.

Also, it would be a good idea for Oliver Purnell’s team to not go through stretches where they think that big muscular man wearing #35 (Trevor Booker) is on the other team. The Midwest may be the toughest bracket but this one isn’t far behind; don’t be surprised if more than one of the double-digit seeds moves on to the second round (and maybe even further). Will Kentucky be the last team standing on March 28^th in the Carrier Dome? Possibly, but they’re going to have a serious fight on their hands in getting to that point.

Predictions

Pick: West Virginia

Sweet 16: Kentucky, Temple, New Mexico

Best 1^st Round Game: #12 Cornell vs. #5 Temple

1^st Round Upset Possibility: #13 Wofford over #4 Wisconsin

Scary Underachiever: #8 Texas

Sweet 16 “Crashers”: #11 Washington/ #12 Cornell

Players who can shoot their team to an upset:

G Reggie Holmes (Morgan State), G Ryan Wittman (Cornell), F Damion James (Texas) F Quincy Pondexter (Washington)

East Region Team (one per team):

G John Wall (Kentucky), G Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin), F Lazar Hayward (Marquette), F Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia), F Quincy Pondexter (Washington)

Top 5 NCAA Tournament Sleepers

Matthew Ryter — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:32:22 -0700

When filling out brackets, you have to choose your “sleepers” wisely. Do they matchup well against their potential opponents? Have they been challenged this year? Do they have a guy who can take over a game in the final minutes? If can say Yes to all three of these questions, you may have found yourself a sleeper. Here are 5 potential sleepers to consider:

Cornell: This team has a great inside-outside combo in 7 foot big man Jeff Foote (12.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and swingman Ryan Wittman (17.5 ppg, 42% from 3). Usually most Ivy League teams are seen as “untested”, however that is not the case with the Big Red. They had a 3 point lead at the half against Kansas at Phog Allen, before eventually losing by 5. This team has also faced Syracuse, Seton Hall, Alabama and St. John’s. I believe this team was actually under-seeded. They seem to be this year’s “sexy” pick for a first round upset. There’s also a legitimate chance they could square off against Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

Butler: They aren’t a first/second round sleeper. They are my Final Four sleeper, especially if Onuaku’s injury is more severe then we think for Syracuse. The Bulldogs went 18-0 in the Horizon League. I don’t care what conference you play in, if you go undefeated, that’s pretty damn good. They have their own version of a “Big 3” in Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard. Not to mention an up and coming coach in Brad Stevens. This team can play with anyone in the country. I think their first round matchup will be tougher then their second round matchup and if they can survive against UTEP, look for them to give Syracuse some trouble, if not flat out beat them.

Texas: Why not? They were the No. 1 team in the nation at one point this season. They started off 17-0. They have out of conference wins against Michigan State and Pittsburgh. Can they get their swagger back? Most people (smart people) don’t think the Longhorns have a chance in hell to top Kentucky in the second round, especially after their blowout loss against Baylor in the Big 12 tourney. However, I’d like to think they can bounce back. They have a potential NBA lottery pick in Damion James, a good big man in Dexter Pittman and two good young guys in Jordan Hamilton and Avery Bradley. They also have depth. The pieces for this team to do damage are there, they just haven’t put together the puzzle. They have underachieved. I know a lot has changed since their 17-0 start but, can they snap out of it for the Big Dance?

Old Dominion: They scheduled tough opponents at the beginning of the year to help them for conference play. Their confidence from playing tougher opponents then carried over to winning their conference tournament and regular season title. The confidence from that should carry over into the tournament against Notre Dame. Got all that? Their out of conference schedule this year included Missouri, Mississippi State, Richmond, Dayton, Northern Iowa and Georgetown. Although all but one of those games resulted in losses (win at Georgetown) they won’t be scared to face anybody in the tournament. They posted a 15-3 record, including the conference tournament championship, in an underrated CAA Conference. They are a relatively balanced team, with eight guys averaging double digit minutes. Plus, ODU head coach, Blaine Taylor, has an incredible mustache on his side. Fear the ‘stache.

Georgia Tech: They enter the tournament on a bit of a run despite losing to Duke in the ACC Tourney Finale. They, like Texas, underachieved this season. I thought that the Yellow Jackets could finish as high as third in the ACC entering this season. They have a physical guard in Shumpert combined with a great frontcourt in Lawal and Favors. Paul Hewitt has the NCAA experience, leading Georgia Tech to an NCAA Finals appearance in 2004. Again, like Texas, the pieces are there. If they can slow down James Anderson and Evan Turner or catch them on an off night ... Okay, I am throwing out a ton of “what ifs” but you never know. It could happen. The point I’m trying to drive home is that they have the talent to be a good sleeper pick and even reach the Elite Eight.

Who are your sleeper picks?