LBSU

NCAA Tournament Interviews: Long Beach State forward T.J. Robinson

Jon Teitel — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:29:02 -0700

Recently CHN writer Jon Teitel was able to spend some time with Long Beach State forward T.J. Robinson, currently the all-time leading rebounder in Big West history. Robinson and the 49ers are the 12-seed in the West Region, where they will begin play on Thursday against 5-seed New Mexico.

Jon Teitel: You played a very tough non-conference road schedule this season (San Diego State, Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina and Kansas State). Which of your opponents impressed you the most, and how much of an advantage do you think your schedule will give you in the postseason?

T.J. Robinson: We have played a lot of good non-conference teams during the past four years, and I think that level of competition will give us a big advantage.

JT: In January you tied a career-high with 19 rebounds in a win over Pacific, and you will graduate with the most rebounds in conference history despite being only 6'8". What is your secret for being a great rebounder?

TR: I try to work hard and just be in the right spot at the right time: that is my role and I am good at it.

JT: You scored 20 points but Antonie Young made a fade-away jumper with three tenths of a second remaining to give Creighton a two-point win in a BracketBusters game that snapped your 12-game winning streak. Where does Doug McDermott (36 points and 11 rebounds) rank among the best opponents you have seen this season?

TR: He is pretty good and as only a sophomore he has a good career ahead of him. He was everywhere in that game and made a lot of great plays.

JT: You have averaged a double-double for each of the past three years. How have you been able to remain so consistent throughout your entire career?

TR: I just train as hard as possible in the offseason. Endurance, conditioning, etc.

JT: Coach Dan Monson was recently named Big West Coach of the Year. What makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing you ever learned from him?

TR: He taught us to have a great mindset coming into every game, and we want to be as good as his previous teams at Gonzaga.

JT: Cal State Fullerton snapped your 23-game conference win streak last week in a three-point win, preventing you from becoming the first Big West team to go unbeaten in conference play since Pacific in 2005. How devastating was that loss, and how have you been able to bounce back?

TR: It was very devastating. There was silence in our locker room afterward. We just bounced back by going out and practicing hard.

JT: Your teammate Larry Anderson suffered a knee injury in that loss and has not played since then. Will he be ready to go this week, and how crucial is he to your success?

TR: I have no idea if Larry will be able to play, but hopefully so. He is crucial to us because he rebounds and is a great defender.

JT: Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware scored 33 points (8-16 3PT) en route to being named tournament MVP in a win over UCSB in the Big West tournament final. What makes Ware such a great player, and was it extra-special to beat the Gauchos after losing to them in the past two conference tournament finals?

TR: We came in with great focus because we did not want to lose to UCSB three times in a row. Casper is tough and just has a will and a heart that I have not seen in a lot of other people.

JT: You start four seniors and one junior. Do you think your experience will be a big factor in the tournament?

TR: It will be a huge factor because we know how to defend and are one of the most athletic teams in the country.

JT: How do you feel about your seed, and how do you think you will matchup against New Mexico?

TR: I think it will be a great matchup. The committee blessed us.

New Mexico vs Long Beach St: Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:08:14 -0700

(5) New Mexico vs. (12) Long Beach St: West Region

Records

New Mexico 27-6, 10-4 MWC (Regular-season and Conference Tourney Champions)

Long Beach State 25-8, 15-1 Big West (Regular-season and Conference Tourney Champions)

Time: 4:10 p.m. Thursday

TV: TBS

Location: Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.

Winner will face: (4) Louisville or (13) Davidson, Saturday

Rankings

New Mexico No. 21 AP; No. 22 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

Long Beach State No. 35 AP; No. 34 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

RPI Ratings

New Mexico 29

Long Beach State 35

Line: New Mexico -4 (O/U 134)

Player to Watch

New Mexico: F Drew Gordon, 6-9 Sr. (13.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 53.7% FG); G Tony Snell, 6-7 So. (12 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.3 rpg); G Kendall Williams, 6-3 So. (12 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg). Snell played below expectations this season, but he had an outstanding MWC Tournament. He had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists in a semifinal win over UNLV, then went 5-for-7 with 14 points in the championship game win over San Diego State.

Long Beach State: G Casper Ware, 5-10 Sr. (17.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 1.4 spg); G Larry Anderson, 6-5 Sr. (14 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.9 spg); F T.J. Robinson, 6-8 Sr. (12 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 53% FG). Ware – the 2-time Big West Player of the Year – scored 33 points, had six assists and three rebounds during Long Beach’s 77-64 Big Sky championship game win over UC-Santa Barbara Saturday. Ware scored 77 points during the three games of the league tourney.

Why Each Team is Dangerous

New Mexico: No team is as hot as any team in the country. The Lobos have won five straight and went 12-2 since Jan. 25, including a pair of wins over San Diego State and UNLV each. UNM can score in the open court or in the half-court and displayed the most efficient offense in the MWC and one of the best in the country. Gordon, Williams and Snell are all effective scorers and all can facilitate. Solid depth will also help the Lobos if they get into a long tourney run.

Long Beach State: Ware, Anderson and Robinson are almost as good as any trio in the nation and they’re making their first NCAA Appearance. The 49ers have seven players who are capable of putting the ball in the basket and LBSU shot 46.9 percent from the field this season. The Niners get to the foul line often and they play strong, opportune defense. The 49ers played the nation’s best non-conference schedule, so they won’t be afraid of anyone.

Why Each Team is Vulnerable

New Mexico: There’s not a lot New Mexico doesn’t do well – or at least nominally well. The one problem has been consistency. A home loss to New Mexico State, a neutral-court loss to 8-22 Santa Clara and big road losses at Colorado State and TCU are concerns. In those losses, the Lobo defense was poor and foul trouble caused them problems.

Long Beach State: The 49ers really rely on their senior trio of Ware, Anderson and Robinson. Anderson missed the Big West Tournament with a sprained knee. If the conference Defensive Player of the Year is unable to go Thursday, LBSU has almost no chance to win this game. Shot selection can be a concern with Long Beach, particularly with Ware. Long Beach is average on the boards and allowed opponents to hit one-third of their 3-point shots.

The Bottom Line: It’s a shame these teams have to play each other in the first round. Both teams are capable of deep tournament runs. But you have to love the way New Mexico is playing. They’ve shown toughness that it lacked early in the season.

The Pick: New Mexico 79, Long Beach State 72

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 198-148-6 (Through Sunday, March 11)

NCAA Tournament: 10 Potential First Round Upsets

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:04:11 -0700

Top 10 Most Likely Upsets

March is no time to play it safe. When you fill in your brackets over the next few days, here are the 10 most likely First Round upsets to focus on:

10 #14 South Dakota St over #3 Baylor

Led by Nate Wolters, South Dakota St had a rock-solid season with only one bad loss. In games against power conference teams, they've been very competitive (including a shock 19 point win at Washington.) This is not the best match-up for the Jackrabbits though as Baylor's size will be hard for them to handle.

9 #12 VCU over #5 Wichita St

VCU arguably deserved a 10 or 11 seed, instead of getting unlucky going against a Wichita St team that arguably was a 4 seed. Although their not as good as last year's Final Four team, the Rams play solid D which keeps them in most games.

9 #15 Detroit over #2 Kansas

While no 16 seed has ever won a first round game, 15 seeds pull off an upset about once a decade. Will this be that time? Detroit is hot, having come out of the solid Horizon League, and they have a big-time player in Ray McCallum. And don't forget, Kansas lost a home game to Davidson earlier in the year, so they're vulnerable. Don't bet the house on this one, but if you're feeling uber-risky, maybe this is your play.

7 #13 New Mexico St over #4 Indiana

The Aggies have hit their stride over the last month, and face Indiana feeling quite confident. As good as Indiana was this year, they still were shaky on the road, losing to the likes of Iowa and Nebraska.

6 #11 Colorado St over #6 Murray St

According to the RPI, Colorado St is barely any worse than Murray St, with the 26th best ranking vs 22nd for Murray. In a sense, this is like a 6 seed vs 7 seed game by the RPI. The spread is only 2.5 points right now which shows you how close Vegas thinks this game is.

5 #12 Long Beach St over #5 New Mexico

According to most ratings (including the RPI and KenPom), Long Beach St is a top 40 team. They played an extremely hard non-conference schedule, but always seemed to come just short of the big upset. Is this the time they finally break through?

4 #12 Harvard over #5 Vanderbilt

While Vandy is appropriately seeded as a 5, Harvard arguably deserves to be a 9 or 10 seed. The Crimson beat the likes of Florida St and St. Joseph's earlier, and although they didn't dominate the Ivy League like many expected, the Ivy League was also better than most realize. So long as Harvard can keep the game at a slow pace, this should be a game until the final minutes.

3 #14 Saint Bonaventure over #3 Florida St

Florida St is a hard team to figure out. They've had great results against Duke and North Carolina, but yet lost to Boston College, Princeton, and Clemson. With Andrew Nicholson, the Bonnies have a player more talented than anyone on FSU.

2 #13 Ohio over #4 Michigan

Led by do-everything PG DJ Cooper, Ohio is a feared 13 seed. The Bobcats beat 7 top 100 teams, and MAC squads tend to fare well in the Tournament. Michigan was great at home this year, but no so great on the road. If the Wolverines aren't hitting threes, Ohio could pull off the upset.

1 #13 Davidson over #4 Louisville

Although Louisville won the Big East tournament, they seem very vulnerable here. Davidson not only beat Kansas on the road earlier in the year, but they only lost to 5 seed Vanderbilt by 4 points as well. Louisville wins by playing tight D, but because they struggle to score, they fail to crush weaker opponents and keep them in the game. This one could be interesting.

More Bracket Tips

Tournament Poll: Most Likely 12 vs 5 Upset?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:20:04 -0700

Bracketology: Sunday Morning Update

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:21:32 -0800

3:00 AM Sunday: This is the 2nd to last Bracketology projection of the season, with the last coming sometime before the Selection Show. Since Saturday evening's update, a few teams locked up conference titles, but the overall field looks quite similar. Titles went to Louisville (Big East), Missouri (Big 12), Long Beach St (Big West), Ohio (MAC), New Mexico (MWC), Mississippi Valley St (SWAC), and New Mexico St (WAC).

MVSU is headed for a First Four game, Ohio seems destined for a 14 seed, and New Mexico St will most likely be a 13. I currently have Long Beach as the first 12 seed, but an 11 is not out of the question. Missouri remains the #1 two seed for now, while Louisville stays a 5 despite the win. Its possible they move up to a 4 in final projection, replacing Wichita St. New Mexico moved into a 6 in this late night projection, replacing foe San Diego St. Those two along with UNLV form an odd threesome in the 6-7 range that I'm struggling to sort properly. The committee could conceivably place any of these teams in the 6 through 8 range.

Why Pay Attention to What I Have to Say: Collegehoops.net's projections have consistently proven to be the best in the business. Over the last 4 years, Shawn Siegel is the #1 ranked Bracketologist according to the Bracket Project. This ranking includes the likes of Joe Lunardi, Gary Parrish, Jerry Palm, and Andy Glockner.. none of whom come close.

As always, the field below is a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand today, not what they should do. This is done by taking into account standings, polls, computer rankings, and the committee's historical biases. Check out the follow up Bubble Watch for updates about teams on the NCAA Tournament Bubble, and NITology for a ranking of the best of the rest.

Notes:

Arrows indicate how many seeds a team has moved up or down since the previous update. Teams in Green are new to the field today. Teams in CAPS have locked up a bid. **=Projected Conference Champs. Conference Champion.

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

Temple

SEVEN

San Diego St

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

Xavier**

TWELVE

THIRTEEN + 2

Tennessee / Northwestern

Belmont

Davidson

FOURTEEN

New Mexico St

South Dakota St

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN + 2

Lamar

Vermont / Mississippi Valley St

Norfolk St / Western Kentucky

Last In: Northwestern, Tennessee, NC State, Seton Hall

First Out: Mississippi St, South Florida, Drexel, Iona

Further Four: Miami, Washington, Ole Miss, Dayton

Dropped Out Of Field (at-large): xx

New (at-large): xx

Conference Bids

- Multiple Bid Leagues

Big East - 9

Big Ten - 7

Big 12 - 6

ACC - 5

SEC - 5

MWC - 4

A-10 - 3

WCC - 3

CUSA - 2

MVC - 2

Pac-12 - 2

------------------- (20 one-bid leagues)

League Leaders/Winners (31)

- #1 team according to current standings

- New leaders in green

- Locked Up Bid

America East - Vermont
A-10 - Xavier
ACC - North Carolina
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Big 12 - Missouri
Big East - Louisville
Big Sky - Montana
Big South - UNC-Asheville
Big Ten - Michigan St
Big West - Long Beach
CAA - VCU
Conference USA - Memphis
Horizon - Detroit
Ivy - Harvard
MAAC - Loyola (MD)
MAC - Ohio
MEAC - Norfolk St
MVC - Creighton
MWC - New Mexico
Northeast - Long Island
Ohio Valley - Murray St
Pac-12 - Colorado
Patriot - Lehigh
SEC - Kentucky
Southern - Davidson
Southland - Lamar
SWAC - Mississippi Valley St
Summit - South Dakota St
Sun Belt - Western Kentucky
WAC - New Mexico St
WCC - Saint Mary's

Check out Bubble Watch for updates and NITology for teams that are 2nd best. Follow Shawn @collegehoopsnet for his up to the minute bracketology thoughts.

Cal May Not Be As Safe as We Think: Friday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:38:44 -0800

Cincinnati and Louisville advance to the Big East final, marking the first time that no original members will be in the game.

1. California falls to Colorado in the Pac-12 semis, which could mean two bids for the league.
Based on conventional wisdom, Mike Montgomery's Cal Golden Bears had the best resume of any team in the Pac-12. But in a league that went 1-31 against non-conference Top 50 opponents this season, what's that really saying? Thanks to the Golden Bears' 70-59 loss to Colorado in the second Pac-12 semifinal we've got extra time to figure that out. Carlon Brown and Andre Roberson scored 17 points apiece and Austin Dufault added 15 for the Buffaloes, who are one win away from being picked to finish 10th in the conference to grabbing the Pac-12's automatic bid.

As for Cal, who shot a decent 42.9% from the field but turned the ball over 17 times and saw Colorado shoot 50% from the field? They may be in a little more trouble than many thought. Entering Friday with an RPI of 34 and a strength of schedule of 82 (non-conference SOS: 71), Cal looked to be in good shape in that regard. But this is where further inspection is needed. 16 of their 23 wins have come against teams sitting 101 or worse in the RPI, and their two Top 50 wins both came at the expense of Oregon, who was 49th at the start of the day. Their best non-conference wins: Weber State and Denver. Cal likely will find their way into the Field of 68 come Selection Sunday, but the optimism may need to be a bit more cautious at this point in time.

2. Baylor and Missouri advance to the Big 12 title game in Kansas City.
Entering the Big 12 tournament most of the talk centered around the possibility of Kansas and Missouri meeting for a third time this season, and with a one-seed possibly being on the line it was expected that the Jayhawks and Tigers would meet. But two things were learned on Friday night: Baylor, who felt a little disrespected by the talk (they did go 0-4 against those two this season), stepped up after Kansas made their run and beat the Jayhawks 81-72. Secondly, Missouri didn't seem to be in the mood for "Border War" talk, as they showed a focus that championship-caliber teams tend to display at this point in the year.

Marcus Denmon may have gone 0-for-10 from the field but Missouri beat Texas 81-67 anyway, as Kim English and Phil Pressey scored 23 points apiece and Ricardo Ratliffe added 18 and 14 boards. The Bears now get another shot at the Tigers, and with Brady Heslip coming off of a big performance in which he knocked down some key three-pointers and A.J. Walton playing well this week it's fair to say that Baylor has improved. Missouri can earn a one-seed with a victory, but Baylor could jump a seed line as well (likely tapping out at a two).

3. Miami loses Durand Scott before the game, and their loss to Florida State may have cost them an at-large bid too.
Just before the tip-off of the final quarterfinal of the night in the ACC, Miami announced that starting guard Durand Scott was ineligible to play due to the possible receipt of impermissible benefits. That certainly didn't help Jim Larranaga and his Hurricanes, who fell 82-71 to Florida State. With so many other bubble teams faltering maybe the loss doesn't kill Miami's NCAA hopes, but with the chance to distinguish themselves from the "competition" the Canes were unable to do so.

Not only did the Seminoles take care of the basketball, finishing with 11 turnovers (they average more than 16 per game), but they outscored Miami 25-9 from the foul line. Michael Snaer and Ian Miller led five FSU players in double figures with 20 and 18 points respectively, and the Seminoles put together their most efficient showing on the offensive end since their 84-70 win over Maryland on January 17th. Miami has to hope for a swift (and positive) decision regarding Scott, because the selection committee does take a team's current parts into consideration. This capped a day in Atlanta that also saw John Henson injure his left wrist and NC State may have locked up an at-large bid with their win over Virginia.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a busy day in the Big Ten and not just because of a full day of action in Indianapolis. Both Illinois and Nebraska made moves at the top of their programs, deciding that it was time to move forward without the services of Bruce Weber and Doc Sadler respectively. While neither move is a surprise, what is interesting about Tom Osborne's decision to let Sadler go is that he'd given him an extension after last season.

2. With the quarterfinal between Xavier and Dayton being thought of as almost an NCAA tournament elimination game, the Musketeers' 70-69 victory could loom large on Selection Sunday. Chris Mack's team may be safe at this point but a win over Saint Louis on Saturday wouldn't hurt their chances either.

3. Another game of that magnitude was the first game of the night session at the SEC tournament, and Ole Miss picked up a much-needed 77-72 overtime win over Tennessee. Next up for Andy Kennedy's Rebels is a matchup with Vanderbilt, and a win over the Commodores would likely lock up a bid for a team few had near the bubble just a couple weeks ago.

4. One more automatic bid to the NIT may have been accounted for as well, as WAC regular season champion Nevada fell 78-73 to Louisiana Tech in the WAC semis. David Carter's Wolf Pack find themselves in a situation similar to that of Drexel: gaudy record but the strength of schedule numbers (168 overall, 165 non-conference) could put them in a tough spot come Selection Sunday.

5. Once again it will be Long Beach State and UCSB playing for the Big West crown, and while quite a few believe that the 49ers would get in with a loss one can never be too sure. The Gauchos, who held off Cal Poly, have won the last two conference tournament titles.

6. Three players who hail from the state of Ohio scored 30 points or more in Big Ten quarterfinal games, all leading their teams to wins. Rob Wilson scored 30 points in Wisconsin's 79-71 win over Indiana, Trey Burke scored 30 in Michigan's 73-69 overtime win over Minnesota and Jared Sullinger scored 30 in Ohio State's 88-71 win over Purdue.

7. One player to watch out of the Mountain West, which should get four teams into the Big Dance, next week is New Mexico wing Demetrius Walker. In wins over Air Force and UNLV, Walker's averaging 15.5 points per game, more than double his season average. The Lobos take on top-seed San Diego State in Saturday's title game.

8. Marshall advanced to the Conference USA title game with a 73-62 win over Southern Miss, and a win by the Thundering Herd could make C-USA a three-bid team. Tom Herrion's team will have their work cut out for them however as they take on Memphis, who took UCF's resume and ripped it to shreds with an 83-52 demolition of the Knights.

9. Top-seed Akron took care of business in their MAC semifinal, beating Kent State 78-74 with Nikola Cvetinovic leading four Zips in double figures with 15 points. They'll take on three-seed Ohio, who beat two-seed Buffalo 77-74 in the other semifinal. D.J. Cooper led five Bobcats in double figures with 18 points to go along with nine assists.

10. The top two seeds in the SWAC tournament will meet on Saturday as both regular season champ Mississippi Valley State beat UAPB 71-64, and Texas Southern beat Alcorn State 60-55. Cor-J Cox led the Delta Devils with 19 points and 11 rebounds as they avenged their lone conference defeat.

Conference Finals Predictions: Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 & More

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:52:34 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. Here are is predictions for Saturday's conference championship game. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

AMERICA EAST FINAL: AT STONY BROOK

(2) Vermont (22-11, 13-3) at (1) Stony Brook (22-8, 14-2)

Tipoff: 11:02 a.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 2 – Stony Brook 65-59; Feb. 12 – Vermont 68-49. RPI: Stony Brook 141, Vermont 156. Analysis: Vermont has been great for the last month-and-a-half and will break the hearts of the Seawolves home faithful. Line: Stony Brook -3½. Pick: Vermont 63, Stony Brook 58.

BIG 12 FINAL: AT KANSAS CITY

(2) Missouri (28-4, 14-4) vs. (4) Baylor (27-6, 12-6)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Missouri 89-88*; Feb. 11 – Missouri 72-57. RPI: Baylor 8, Missouri 17. Analysis: I picked Baylor the first two times. Sticking with the Bears. Pick: Baylor 79, Missouri 74.

BIG EAST FINAL: AT NEW YORK CITY

(4) Cincinnati (24-9, 12-6) vs. (7) Louisville (25-9, 10-8)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 23 – Cincinnati 60-56. RPI: Louisville 18, Cincinnati 40. Analysis: Louisville’s stifling defense has carried the Cardinals this far. A Big East title is next. Pick: Louisville 59, Cincinnati 53.

BIG WEST FINAL: AT ANAHEIM

(1) Long Beach State (24-8, 15-1) vs. (2) UC-Santa Barbara (20-9, 12-4)

Tipoff: 10 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Long Beach 71-48*; Feb. 22 – Long Beach 70-58. RPI: Long Beach 38, UCSB 126. Analysis: Do you think the 49ers have been looking forward to this game for a full year? They want blood – and they’ll get blood. Pick: Long Beach State 75, UC-Santa Barbara 54.

CONFERENCE USA FINAL: AT MEMPHIS

(1) Memphis (25-8, 13-3) vs. (6) Marshall (21-12, 9-7)

Tipoff: 11:35 a.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Memphis 83-76; Feb. 25 – Memphis 87-67*. RPI: Memphis 16, Marshall 39. Analysis: The Memphis we’ve seen since the beginning of February is the Memphis we expected to see all season. Line: Memphis -9½. Pick: Memphis 90, Marshall 69.

MAC FINAL: AT CLEVELAND

(1) Akron (22-10, 13-3) vs. (3) Ohio (25-7, 11-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Akron 68-63; Feb. 26 – Ohio 85-61. RPI: Akron 50, Ohio 68. Analysis: Ohio had a disappointing regular season. It will be a memory because the Bobcats are going dancing. Pick: Ohio 75, Akron 68.

MEAC FINAL: AT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

(2) Norfolk State (24-9, 13-3) vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman (18-16, 11-5)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 25 – Norfolk State 75-72*. RPI: Norfolk State 134, B-C 243. Analysis: Norfolk is the class of the MEAC. Pick: Norfolk State 78, Bethune-Cookman 66.

MOUNTAIN WEST FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(1) San Diego State (26-6, 10-4) vs. (2) New Mexico (25-6, 10-4)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: NBC Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 18 – San Diego State 75-70*; Feb. 15 – New Mexico 77-67*. RPI: San Diego State 22, New Mexico 34. Analysis: How good did the Pack look in a virtual road game on Friday? Whoa! Pick: New Mexico 79, San Diego State 73.

PAC-12 FINAL: AT LOS ANGELES

(4) Arizona (23-10, 12-6) vs. (6) Colorado (22-11, 11-7)

Tipoff: 6:10 p.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan 21 – Colorado 64-63; Feb. 9 – Arizona 71-57. RPI: Colorado 77, Arizona 84. Analysis: How does the Pac-12 deserve more than one team? Anyway, this one is a toss-up. Pick: Arizona 63, Colorado 58.

SOUTHLAND FINAL: AT KATY, TEXAS

(3) Lamar (22-11, 11-5) vs. (4) McNeese State (17-14, 10-6)

Tipoff: 3 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – McNeese 57-54; March 3 – Lamar 78-68. RPI: Lamar 118, McNeese 177. Analysis: Did you see what the Cowboys did to the UTA, which dominated the league all season? Take the points. Line: Lamar -5½. Pick: McNeese State 71, Lamar 69.

SWAC FINAL: AT GARLAND, TEXAS

(1) Mississippi Valley State (20-12, 17-1) vs. (2) Texas Southern (17-14, 13-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 23 – MVSU 77-69 (OT)*; Feb. 20 – MVSU 56-53. RPI: MVSU 153, Texas Southern 231. Analysis: Valley wins, but the Tigers cover. Pick: Mississippi Valley State 60, Texas Southern 59.

WAC FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(2) New Mexico State (25-9, 10-4) vs. (5) Louisiana Tech (18-15, 6-8)

Tipoff: Midnight. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 7 – NMSU 83-73*; Feb. 4 – NMSU 83-72. RPI: New Mexico State 69, Louisiana Tech 170. Analysis: Been saying all year that the Aggies would win this tournament. Nevada’s elimination only solidifies that. Pick: New Mexico State 84, Louisiana Tech 72.

2012 All Mid-Major Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:34:23 -0800

Player of the Year Isaiah Canaan of Murray State highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All Mid-Major Team. Canaan, a junior guard, led Murray State to an impressive 30-1 season.

Canaan is joined on the First Team by fellow guards Scott Machado of Iona and Damian Lillard of Weber St. A pair of senior forwards round out the squad in Dominique Morrison of Oral Roberts and Ryan Pearson of George Mason.

CollegeHoops.net All High-Major Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel.

Last year's winner was Morehead St's Kenneth Faried.

Mid-Major Player of the Year: G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr

First Team Mid-Major

G Isaiah Canaan, Murray St, Jr
G Scott Machado, Iona, Sr
G Damian Lillard, Weber St, Jr
F Dominique Morrison, Oral Roberts, Sr
F Ryan Pearson, George Mason, Sr

Second Team Mid-Major

G Casper Ware, Long Beach St, Sr
G Zack Rosen, Penn, Sr
G Nate Wolters, South Dakota St, Jr
F Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso, Jr
F Mike Glover, Iona, Sr

Third Team Mid-Major

G CJ McCollum, Lehigh, Jr
G Kerron Johnson, Belmont, Jr
G Reggie Hamilton, Oakland, Sr
F Orlando Johnson, UCSB, Sr
F Mike Muscala, Bucknell, Jr

Fourth Team Mid-Major

G Matt Dickey, UNC-Asheville, Sr
G Lamarcus Reed, Texas-Arlington, Sr
F TJ Robinson, Long Beach St, Sr
F Jake Cohen, Davidson, Jr
F Mitchell Watt, Buffalo, Sr

Honorable Mention

G Nick Barbour, High Point, Sr
F Julian Boyd, LIU Brooklyn, Jr
F De'Mon Brook Davidson, So
G Will Cherry, Montana, Jr
G DJ Cooper, Ohio, Jr
F LaRon Dendy, Midd Tennessee, Sr
G Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart, Jr
F Ken Horton, Central Connecticut St, Sr
F Greg Mangano, Yale, Sr
G Ray McCallum, Detroit, So
G Charles Odum, Portland St, Sr
F Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk St, Sr
G Jesse Sanders, Liberty, G
F Keith Wright, Harvard, Sr
G Alex Young, IUPUI, Sr

Poll: Which West Coast Team is Most Dangerous in March?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:31:32 -0800

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams, Part Two

Jon Teitel — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:01:39 -0800

Last week CHN writer Jon Teitel unvelied part one of his CollegeHoops.net All-Conference selections, featuring the fourteen conferences that begain conference tournament play at that time. The final seventeen teams are here, with the Player of the Year in each league in italics.

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Khalif Wyatt (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Tyler Zelller (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa State)

Big East
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Jae Crowder (Marquette)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio St.)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal-State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Independents
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago St.)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
G Sean McGonagill (Brown)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

Mid-American
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Mitchell Watt (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Jay Threatt (Delaware St.)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Mountain West
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamal Franklin (San Diego St.)
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Devoe Joseph (Oregon)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)
C William Mosley (Northwestern St.)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Terrence Joyner (Mississippi Valley St.)
F Quinton Doggett (Southern)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawai'i)