Old Dominion

Notre Dame vs Old Dominion: Odds & Prediction

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:24:14 -0400

Start: Mar 18 2010 - 12:25pm

Team Previews: #6 Notre Dame -- #11 Old Dominion

Vegas Odds: Notre Dame by 2.5 -- Bet at bodog

Why Old Dominion will win:

This is an interesting case where the lower seeded team is ranked substantially higher in the RPI then they're opponent. 27th to 49th. ODU's won 8 of 9 games, and the earlier win against Georgetown shows they can hang with Big East teams. The Monarchs have good size, and ND's lack of dominant guard helps ODU because they are a front-court heavy team.

Monarch to Watch:

Kent Bazemore, G/F - 8 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg

While Gerald Lee is ODU's best player, Bazemore could be a key here. He's good at picking off steals, and when he gets 4-5 assists or more, ODU tends to win. This is because its a sign the offense is flowing better. In ODU's first 5 losses, he only had 3 assists total.

Why Notre Dame will win:

The Irish got hot at the right time, winning of 6 of 7 to close the season, including a close 2-point loss to West Virginia. The good run coincided with a change in ND's philosophy to slow down the pace of the game. They've beaten 5 Top 50 teams, something ODU only did once.

Irish to Watch:

Luke Harangody, F - 22 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 apg

Don't buy the nonsense that ND is better off w/o Harangody. If the Irish are going to make some noise, he'll need to get back to giving a productive 30 minutes.

How it will go down:

If ND opts to play the slow down game, it should result in an extremely close game. In fact, I think ND would be better served to push the pace again. ODU hasn't broken 65 points in their losses, and can struggle to score at times.. which will be their downfall here.

Betting Pick: Notre Dame (I wouldn't really touch this line, should be close.)

Real Pick: Notre Dame

Top 5 NCAA Tournament Sleepers

Matthew Ryter — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:31:58 -0400

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?

Poll: Most Likely 11 vs 6 upset?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:58:27 -0400

Old Dominion 2010 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Joel Welser — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:40:15 -0500

Old Dominion Monarchs

Colonial Athletic Association (26-8, 15-3)

Big Wins: 12/19 at Georgetown (61-57), 12/23 Charlotte (81-48), 1/23 at William & Mary (58-55)

Bad Losses: 11/28 vs Mississippi State (55-69), 1/2 at George Mason (55-71), 1/30 at Northeastern (64-74)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, First Round loss to Butler

Coach: Blaine Taylor (0-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)

Why They Can Surprise:

Coach Blaine Taylor always makes sure his team plays solid defense. That is why Old Dominion is a consistent contender in the Colonial Athletic Association. This year is no different as the Monarchs allowed a mere 57.3 points per game and allowed the opposition to shoot just 40.1 percent from the floor.

The other thing ODU usually does well is rebound. And as usual it has been a team effort during the 2009-2010 campaign. Gerald Lee is the obvious star of the team and will grab his fair share of boards. Lee is also a very consistent interior scorer who will also cause problems for the opposition on the other end of the court with his ability to block shots and grab some steals. Frank Hassell is the other usual starter in the frontcourt. The 6-8, 245 pound junior is another tough rebounder and is a pretty good interior scorer as well. Keyon Carter has started a handful of games this season and averages 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Wing Ben Finney is the player that really makes ODU so special on the glass. The 6-5 wing averages 8.8 points per game, but is also a tenacious rebounder and ranks second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per contest.

Why They Can Disappoint:

ODU is not going to score a lot because they like to slow down the tempo and force the opposition to work on the offensive and defensive end of the floor, but the offense can be just painful at times, especially when it comes to outside shooting. Finney is the most prolific shooter on the team and he averages just one three-pointer per game. Kent Bazemore, another tall wing, shoots under 30 percent from long range and Darius James and Marsharee Neely are no better. Luckily the team as a whole takes very few three-pointers, but their shooting percentage from long range is just awful.

Who To Watch:

James at least is the point guard who can create opportunities for his teammates. He might take way too many shots himself when he should be attacking the basket and finding his teammates, but in general he is relatively productive and will put his teammates in a good position to score. Bazemore is also a good passer for his size and, unlike most of the team, he will use his size and speed to get to the basket. However, Bazemore shoots a dismal 47.2 percent from the charity stripe, so attacking the basket is not the best thing he does, but it is better than shooting a bad three-pointer.

Probable Starters:

Darius James, Junior, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 3.4 apg

Kent Bazemore, Sophomore, Guard, 8.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 4.2 rpg

Ben Finney, Junior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.9 rpg

Frank Hassell, Junior, Forward, 8.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Gerald Lee, Senior, Forward, 14.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Keyon Carter, Junior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Trian Iliadis, Sophomore, Guard, 3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg

Marsharee Neely, Senior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.0 apg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 67.8 (203^rd in nation, 4^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 57.3 (6, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.0 (93, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.1 (42, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.5 (306, 11)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 64.7 (288, 10)

Rebound Margin: 9.0 (3, 1)

Assists Per Game: 15.5 (29, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (106, 6)

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 Monday Recap: Gaels Have No Use for Bubble Talk

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:43:29 -0500

All the talk leading up to the West Coast Conference final between Gonzaga and Saint Mary's focused on how much the Gaels would need this victory. Anywhere from "they're fine without it" to "they're in trouble with a loss" depending on which bracketologist you happened to be listening to at that particular moment. But at the end of the game at Orleans Arena there was a rather emphatic message from Randy Bennett's team:

Save that bubble talk for someone else.

Of course no such words came out of the mouths of anyone involved but how else do you explain the second half run Saint Mary's went on in beating the Bulldogs 81-62 for the WCC crown? Omar Samhan may have scored just nine points but that's OK when Mickey McConnell (26 points) and Ben Allen (20 points, nine rebounds) play the way that they did on Monday night. And while a technical foul is never a good thing, the senior center likely gave his team a little more fire in bumping into Robert Sacre in the second half with the score SMC 46-40.

McConnell and Allen helped lead the Gaels on an 18-7 run that decided the outcome, and Saint Mary's did a better job in two areas that had an impact in their two regular season losses to Gonzaga. They held their own on the boards (30 rebounds apiece) and also won the turnover battle, handing the ball over just eight times to Gonzaga's fourteen. Steven Gray led the Bulldogs, who may have lost the chance to play their first two NCAA Tournament games at Spokane Arena, with sixteen points but freshman forward Elias Harris was 3-for-13 from the field.

Those fourteen Gonzaga turnovers were converted into eighteen points by the Gaels, who won the WCC Tournament crown for just the second time since the event began in 1987. Freshman Jorden Page added eleven points off the bench in the victory while Matt Bouldin scored fourteen points for Gonzaga. Did this win snatch a bid away from a team sitting on the bubble? Maybe, but it also could have save the Gaels from a repeat of last year's finish.

Three Key Happenings

1. Siena survives a tough Fairfield squad to win their 3rd straight MAAC crown. Few people expected any game in the Saints' run to a third consecutive MAAC title to be as difficult as Monday night's final turned out to be. While Fran McCaffery's bunch did trail at the half in games against Manhattan and Rider, a quick second half run was all they needed to put both away. No such folding from Ed Cooley's Stags, who took an eleven-point lead into the locker room at the half (39-28) and led by as many as fifteen points behind the play of Derek Needham (16 points) and Anthony Johnson (14 points, 13 rebounds). But the veteran Saints showed their championship mettle in fighting back into the game, and the tactical move at the end of regulation to put those fouls to give to good use was nothing short of brilliant.

In the extra session it was time for senior swingman Edwin Ubiles, who struggled in the first two games of the tournament, to make his presence known. Ubiles had six points in the extra session as Siena held off the Stags 72-65. Siena shouldn't be an unknown commodity given their success in the last two NCAA appearances, whipping Vanderbilt (2008) and edging Ohio State in double overtime (2009). But the experience and skill of players such as Ubiles, tournament MVP Alex Franklin (22 points, 12 rebounds), Ronald Moore (nine points, six assists) and Ryan Rossiter (10 points, 12 rebounds) makes this a tough team to knock out.

2. Old Dominion will be a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament. Why will Blaine Taylor's Monarchs be a tough out? They've got the size and depth that allows them to adjust to a variety of styles; eight players played at least fifteen minutes in Monday's 60-53 win over William & Mary. This was an awkward game for ODU, who was taking on one of the best three-point shooting teams in the CAA. But they essentially took away the bonus shot, limiting the Tribe to 9-for-31 from behind the arc for the game. Tony Shaver's team was able to get back into the game by working the ball inside but the Monarchs had done such a good job of defending the three that it was too little too late.

Gerald Lee was named MOP of the CAA Tournament with an average of 17.3 ppg over the weekend but offensively it was a balanced effort (as it has been all season) that earned ODU their first NCAA berth since 2005. All five starters scored at least eight points, while William & Mary's David Schneider made just two of thirteen field goal attempts on the night. Danny Sumner led the Tribe with nineteen but with Schneider and Quinn McDowell (3-for-8, 9 pts) off from the field the Monarchs were simply too much. Coach Taylor has a team that rebounds and defends well, and combined the versatility of their offense ODU is a name that few teams want to see come up immediately after theirs on Selection Sunday.

3. Ignore the Wofford Terriers at your own peril. If you're looking for a team with the ability to sneak up on opponents in the NCAA Tournament, Wofford may be a good choice. When most people think of the Southern Conference they think Davidson or Charleston. Western Carolina and Appalachian State both made their mark this season but nationally it was a case of "out of sight, out of mind" when it came to the teams on top of the league. And if someone does that with the Terriers next week they're likely headed home when the game ends. This a very good basketball team that will be making its first NCAA Tournament appearance as a Division I member and has a school-record 26 wins. Cameron Rundles led the way Monday night with 20 points but it was the defense that was the story in their 56-51 win over Appalachian State.

Wofford held the Mountaineers to 29% shooting and harassed leading scorer Donald Sims into shooting 2-for-15 from the field for just nine points. "They just did a really good job of taking us out of everything we wanted to do offensively and knocked us off our cuts," said Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson. "We couldn't get by them on dribble penetration. They did one heck of a job on the defensive end." Mike Young's team will make opponents work for everything they get offensively, and with the likes of Rundles and Noah Dahlman this is a team that can run their sets efficiently on the other end. The best team in the SoCon all year long, Wofford is a team that can pop up and surprise someone given the right matchup.

Top Three Games

1. Siena 72, Fairfield 65 (OT) See above.

2. Wofford 56, Appalachian State 51 See above.

3. IUPUI 69, Oral Roberts 65 Robert Glenn led three Jaguars in double figures with 18 points (seven rebounds) as Ron Hunter's team sealed a date in the Summit League final opposite regular season champ Oakland.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Edwin Ubiles (Siena) The senior saved his best performance of the weekend for the final, scoring 27 points in the Saints' 72-65 overtime victory over Fairfield.

2. G Mickey McConnell (Saint Mary's) McConnell scored 26 points in the Gaels' 81-62 win over Gonzaga for the WCC title. Also, Ben Allen added 20 points and nine rebounds.

3. C Keith Benson (Oakland) There's been some buzz among NBA types in regards to Benson and he showed why Monday night. Keith scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the Grizzlies' 71-58 win over IPFW.

MAAC Hoops

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: Best Team in ESPN BracketBusters?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:49:36 -0500

BracketBusters TV Pairings Announced

Press Release — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:56:58 -0500

ESPN announced today live on ESPNU’s 2010 BracketBusters Selection Show the pairings for the eighth annual BracketBusters – a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Tournament hopefuls Friday, Feb. 19, and Saturday, Feb. 20. The field features two ranked teams, No. 15 Butler and No. 22 Northern Iowa, as well as the return of Siena, which also received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll.

BracketBusters will feature 11 nationally televised games live, selected from a pool of 98 teams. ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise five BracketBusters games, and ESPN2 will televise six, all simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service. Three of the ESPN2 telecasts will be in high definition. The matchups are highlighted by Old Dominion at No. 22 Northern Iowa on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m., and Siena at No. 15 Butler on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. ET, both on ESPN2 HD and ESPN360.com.

2010 BracketBusters Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network(s)
Fri, Feb 19	7 p.m.	Old Dominion at No. 22 Northern Iowa	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
	9 p.m.	William & Mary at Iona	ESPNU
Sat, Feb 20	11 a.m.	Siena at No. 15 Butler	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
	Noon	Morgan State at Murray State	ESPNU
	1 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at Northeastern	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
	3 p.m.	Nevada at Missouri State	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
	4 p.m.	Akron at Virginia Commonwealth	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	Coll. of Charleston at George Mason	ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
	8 p.m.	Western Carolina at Kent State	ESPNU
	10 p.m.	New Mexico State at Pacific	ESPNU
	11:59 p.m.	Wichita State at Utah State	ESPN2 / ESPN360.com

This year’s 22 BracketBusters teams represent 10 conferences and:

· Two ranked teams: No. 15 Butler and No. 22 Northern Iowa

· 19 teams in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) top 100: No. Iowa (16); Butler (18); Siena (44); Old Dominion (46); Wichita State (48); William & Mary (51); Utah State (55); Northeastern (56); Virginia Commonwealth (60); Nevada (66); Kent State (69); Western Carolina (73); La. Tech (74); New Mexico State (82); Missouri State (84); Iona (85); Murray State (92); College of Charleston (94); Pacific (95)

· Seven 2009 NCAA Tournament participants: Northern Iowa; Siena; Butler; Morgan Sate; Akron; Virginia Commonwealth; Utah State

· 16 teams with 15 or more wins overall: Old Dominion; Northern Iowa; William & Mary; Iona; Siena; Butler; Morgan State; Murray State; La. Tech; Missouri State; Akron; Virginia Commonwealth; George Mason; Western Carolina; Wichita State; Utah State

· Four teams undefeated in conference play: Butler; Siena; Morgan State and Murray State

College Hoops Wednesday Recap: Tigers End the Streak

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:14:52 -0500

The Missouri Tigers hadn't beaten rival Illinois since 1999, losing games in which they've been favored as well as those they weren't expected to win. Wednesday's game was more of a toss-up with a slight edge going to Bruce Weber's team, who had already won at Clemson thus far. But the Tigers were able to control the flow of play, forcing 22 Illinois turnovers on their way to an 81-68 win. While Illinois outrebounded the Tigers 44-32 and all five starters reached double figures Missouri forced 22 turnovers and held the Illini to 39.7% shooting from the field.

Kim English led the way with 24 points, including a career-high five three pointers, and Michael Dixon added sixteen points with five assists and three steals. Another characteristic of the Tigers under Mike Anderson has been their willingness to share the basketball. On Wednesday nineteen of their twenty-eight field goals were assisted while the Illini had just thirteen assists for twenty-seven made baskets. But the main headline will go to the Missouri pressure; fewer than half of Illinois' turnovers (10) came via the steal; the Tigers don't have to take the ball from you to force you into mistakes. And as a result Missouri can celebrate their first win in the Braggin' Rights game since 1999.

Three Key Happenings

1. If you're going to beat West Virginia you'd better rebound. The Mountaineers, who had fifteen offensive rebounds in the first half against Ole Miss, outrebounded the Rebels 50-28 on their way to a 76-66 win in Morgantown. For the game Bob Huggins' team had 22 offensive rebounds; had that number been their sole output on the boards they would have been just a minus-6 for the game. West Virginia isn't blessed with wide bodies; they simply have a number of versatile players willing to get after it on the boards. And once they got it going from the perimeter early in the second half they could essentially pick the final score.

Wellington Smith made five three pointers on his way to a game-high nineteen while Devin Ebanks added 14 points and 13 rebounds. And while they did finish with eighteen turnovers the Mountaineers also had 22 assists on 28 field goals; if they can limit the turnovers while regaining their perimeter stroke West Virginia will be the team many expect to contend in the Big East.

2. Nevada and Old Dominion make impressive statements. Both the Wolf Pack and Monarchs scored blowout victories over teams expected to contend for their respective conference titles. Nevada demolished Tulsa in the third-place game of the Las Vegas Classic, winning by a final score of 99-68. The first half was bad enough for the Golden Hurricane, who went into the locker room down 48-30. But things got even worse in the second half as they came out of the gates cold while Nevada continued to score at will. Luke Babbitt proved to be too much, totaling 24 points and 11 rebounds while Brandon Fields and Armon Johnson scored seventeen apiece.

As for the Monarchs, they absolutely hammered a Charlotte squad that some pegged a contender in the Atlantic 10 based on their early success, which included an impressive win at Louisville. But none of that mattered to Gerald Lee (16 points, seven rebounds) and company, who kept the momentum gained from their win at Georgetown going with an 81-48 win. ODU ranks second nationally in points allowed per game and they went into the half leading 40-13. The 49ers shot 16% from the field in the first twenty minutes and 33.3% for the game; ODU finished with a field goal percentage of 53.0%. Simply put: Nevada and Old Dominion made emphatic statements to their conferences and the nation on Wednesday.

3. Oral Roberts knocks New Mexico from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Golden Eagles were able to pick up another big win at the Mabee Center, this time handing the Lobos their first loss of the season by a 75-66 final. New Mexico's top two scorers, Darington "Butta" Hobson and Roman Martinez, combined to score just fifteen points on 6-of-23 shooting, while ORU's Michael Craion (18 pts, 13 reb) and Dominique Morrison (17 pts) combined for thirty-five. New Mexico made just five of nineteen shots from behind the arc and finished the game with an overall field goal percentage of 37.3%. Oral Roberts was far more efficient offensively, making 46.9% of their shots and finishing with fifteen assists on twenty-two made field goals. As Missouri can attest to the Mabee Center is a dangerous place to play; add New Mexico to the list of teams who've found that out the hard way.

Top Three Games

1. Arizona 76, NC State 74 Nic Wise provided the heroics for the second consecutive game, going the length of the floor to score the game-winning basket with nine tenths of a second left on the clock. Freshman Derrick Williams led all scorers with twenty-four while the Wolfpack were led by Javier Gonzalez, who spearheaded a late rally and scored eighteen.

2. Xavier 70, Miami (OH) 67 The Musketeers survived a wild final minute, beating the Redhawks by three at the Cintas Center. Jordan Crawford led Xavier with nineteen but it was a late charging call on Kenny Hayes (24 points) that sealed the game.

3. Missouri 81, Illinois 68 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Trey Thompkins (Georgia) The talented sophomore led the Bulldogs to a 77-60 win over Florida Atlantic with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

2. F JaMychal Green (Alabama) Another sophomore in the SEC led his team to victory, with Green scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Crimson Tide's 90-71 win over Mercer.

3. G Aubrey Coleman (Houston) Coleman scored thirty-three points, shooting 9-for-11 from behind the arc, in the Cougars' 105-81 pasting of TCU.

College Hoops Saturday Recap: An Eventful Saturday

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:28:54 -0500

Saturday was definitely a day full of action, but little did much of the nation know that the most-discussed event would be the end of the Xavier/Butler game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Down one to the visiting Musketeers Butler scuffled through their final possession, even having the ball deflected into the backcourt as the clock ticked under fifteen seconds. But a peculiar thing happened as the ball rolled away from the Butler basket: the clock stopped. How long it stopped and why are questions that we may never get concrete answers for but in the madness that ensued Gordon Hayward was able to make the layup that ultimately won the game 69-68.

Had the Musketeers simply been allowed to go from that point (1.2 seconds remaining) there may not have been such an angry reaction from Xavier head coach Chris Mack and his players. But as the play was supposed to be reviewed on the courtside monitor the fans, players and coaches waited. And waited. Why? Well, the 13-minute delay was caused by the absence of a digital stopwatch at the scorer's table. So the Musketeers waited thirteen minutes only to lose 1.2 more seconds, triggering the angry reaction. A painful game to lose for Xavier, especially considering that their best resume win as of right now stands to be their win over Cincinnati last Sunday.

Hayward led all scorers with 22 points (and 14 rebounds) while Jordan Crawford led Xavier with twenty points. Butler led by as many as fifteen points in the first half and finished the game with a 31-19 rebounding edge but their fourteen turnovers and Xavier's shooting (finishing with a 54.7% FG percentage) got the Musketeers in position to leave Hinkle with the win. But unfortunately for them they were unable to avoid being tied up after inbounding the basketball, setting up the wild final sequence. To say the least this is a game many will be talking about for some time.

Three Key Happenings

1. Dexter Pittman and Damion James lead Texas. While freshmen Avery Bradley and J'Covan Brown spearheaded the spurt late in the first half that gave the Longhorns of their game with North Carolina at Cowboys Stadium the two forces in the paint were a pain for the Tar Heels throughout, combining for 48 points and 30 rebounds in the 103-90 victory. All four of those players scored at least twenty points and Texas outrebounded North Carolina 56-36 on the afternoon. But the transformation of Pittman from a freshman closing in on 400 pounds to a senior in the best condition of his life played a role in this win and is a reason why Rick Barnes has a Final Four contender at his disposal.

North Carolina had no answer for Pittman when it came to his interior strength; whenever the Tar Heels needed a stop in the second half the ball went inside to Dexter and he scored many easy baskets. In addition to the disparity in offensive firepower it remains to be seen if the Tar Heels can find another ballhandler to go with Larry Drew II without turning the ball over too often. But at the end of the day the Longhorns were able to pass their first major test of the season due to their rebounding and ability to get the ball to the basket.

2. Lethargic efforts cost both Tennessee and Georgetown. The Volunteers made the long trek west while the Hoyas played a home game at night after watching snow fall thoughout the day. But to offer these things up as reasons for their losses would be nothing more than offering up excuses and taking away from the efforts of USC and Old Dominion. The Trojans took full advantage of a lackluster effort from the Volunteers, outrebounding the Volunteers 42-17 on their way to an impressive 77-55 victory. Tennessee made just two of twenty-two attempts from behind the arc but that rebounding margin shows just how dominant the Trojans were.

As for the Hoyas, they got off to a slow start in falling to Old Dominion for the second time at McDonough Gym, 61-57 in front of a frenzied crowd in a game that Georgetown never led. In fact the Monarchs led by as many as eighteen in the second half before the Hoyas made a furious run to close to within three. But it wasn't enough on a night in which Georgetown turned the ball over eighteen times and shot just 5-17 from behind the arc. That's how you get beat when the preseason Player of the Year in the CAA (Gerald Lee) scores just six points. The defeats should be a wake-up call for both teams, one that they may have needed in order to reach their potential come March.

3. Duke rides their defense to a blowout win over Gonzaga. Neither the Blue Devils nor the Bulldogs got off to a hot start in the early going at Madison Square Garden, going into the under-12 timeout tied at six. But while the Blue Devils were eventually able to find and make good looks the Bulldogs found no such comforts offensively, shooting 27.8% from the field in the 76-41 Duke victory. Gonzaga also made just one of ten shots from behind the arc (10-21 FT as well) while turning the ball over eighteen times.

The Blue Devils, who were led by Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer (combined 44 points), don't play the same overplay man-to-man all over the floor but good luck finding open spots inside the three-point line. Kyle Singler scored just eight points but he also grabbed eleven rebounds, leading Duke to a 41-29 edge on the boards. Mike Krzyzewski has a bigger team that's also more versatile than prior versions, which makes them a serious threat to get to the Final Four.

Top Three Games

1. Butler 69, Xavier 68 See above.

2. West Virginia 80, Cleveland St. 78 The Mountaineers escaped Cleveland with the win thanks to Kevin Jones finding a streaking Da'Sean Butler for the game-winning layup.

3. Wichita State 85, Texas Tech 83 After leading 35-21 at the half the Shockers hung on for dear life in the second half, winning despite the Red Raiders scoring sixty-two points in the final twenty minutes. Clevin Hannah led Wichita State with twenty-four points while J.T. Durley scored a career-high twenty while also grabbing ten rebounds.

Three Notable Performances

1. G/F Dexter Pittman and C Dexter Pittman (Texas) James (25 pts, 15 reb) and Pittman (23 pts, 15 reb) combined for 48 points and 30 rebounds in the Longhorns' 103-90 win over North Carolina.

2. G Jacob Pullen (Kansas State) Pullen scored thirty points, making six of nine three-pointers, in the Wildcats' 87-74 win at Alabama.

3. F Jarvis Varnado and F Kodi Augustus (Mississippi State) Neither shot well in the Bulldogs' 70-64 win over Houston but they did combine for 20 points and 33 rebounds. Varnado added five blocks in the victory.