All 1 Seeds In Sweet 16

Even though half of the two and three seeds are out of the tournament all of the number one seeds still remain alive. If you have watched any of this tournament you would have realized that none of these games come easy and are only going to become more difficult down the road.

1. Kentucky: The wildcats came inot the tournament as the best team and nothing has changed since then. They have a stacked power packed lineup with no injuries. The team consists of elite players in the NCAA such as predicted number 1 draft pick Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones. So far in the tourny they have had a complete breeze but its never easy to make it to the Final Four.

1. Syracuse: With their star big man Fab Melo out for the tournament on academic suspension the Orange Men face a tough road ahead. In the past two rounds they were able to defeat UNC Ashville and Kansas State. The games ahead will be much different facing Wisconsin on Thursday and down the road might play Ohio State. They have the talent to reach the Final Four but do not be suprised if they don't make it.

1. UNC: Things were going extremely well in the tournament for UNC up until the last game where they lost their superstar point guard, Kendall Marshall. Marshall has just undergone surgery on his wrist and no one is sure of how long he will be out. He could come back as early as their next game against Ohio but he also could be out for a while. If he does not play this game will be tough for UNC but they are defineatly still capable of winning. They will need the likes of Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller to step up on Friday.

1. Michigan State: I think Michigan State could be given a run for their money this Thursday against Louisville. Louisville is a strong team and is defineatly ready for their shot at the Final Four. I believe as long as the continue to play the way they have been playing they will be fine and possibly play Marquette or Florida in the Elite Eight. This Michigan State team with the leadership of Draymond Green could go a long way in this tournament.

Michael Kidd- Gilchrist

Interesting Matchups Coming Up On Thursday

After last nights action the Sweet 16 is all set. This round of the tournament includes obiously 16 teams and 8 games. The winners of the games on Thurday March 22 and Friday March 23 will move on and play in the championship for their quadrant of the bracket. There have been a few set backs for different teams which will open doors for other clubs. Here are some of the intreging matchups in the Sweet 16.

1. Michigan State vs.  4. Louisville
So far in the tournament Michigan State has not been extremely challenged by anyone unless you consider their game against St. Louis a challenge. This Louisville team could give Sparty some touble with Peyton Siva at the point guard and Kyle Kuric in the post. Although I believe this will be a real test for Michigan State I feel that Draymond Green is just to good and Michigan State will advance to the Elite Eight.

1. Syracuse vs  4. Wisconsin
This could be the game where not having Fab Melo in the lineup might hurt Syracuse at the end of the game. Wisconsin is a good defensive team and can shoot the ball with Jordan Taylor in the back court. Wisconsin has a legitimate chance of taking down the Orange Men and it should be an exciting game to watch.

2. Ohio State vs.  6. Cincinnati
After winning a nail bitter against Florida State, Cincinnati has to go up against one of the top teams in the nation in Ohio State. Ohio State is an all around basketball team with Aaron Craft and William Buford at the guards and Deshaun Thomas and the unstopable Jared Sullinger in the post it might be a rough day for the Bearcats. Cinci is going to need Yancy Gates and Sean Kilpatrick to step up if they are going to have a chance of moving to the Elite Eight.

\Jordan Taylor, guard for Wisconsin
 
 

Draymond Green Reaches an Incredible Mark

Draymond Green is the faceof the Michigan Spartans basketball team and is the reason why they are a number 1 seed in the tournament. Over this season Green has averaged a double, double with 16.1 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Although Green does a remarkable job in the post his court vision is amazing and they way he is able to make passes to cutters in the lane is mind boggeling. Over this season he is averaging 3.6 assists per game so he is an all around player and his performance against LIU Brooklyn proved that. He single handedly dominated LIU while reaching a historic mark. After the game was over Green's stats totalled up to reach a triple double which is when you have ten or more stats and 3 different categories. The way the Green earned his was by scoring 24 points, snatching down 12 rebounds and getting his teammates the ball where they could score totalling with 10 assists. A triple double by itself is an amzing feat but doing it for the second time in the tournament in your career is an accomplishment only few have reached. Draymond Grren getting his 2 triple double in his tournament career put him on a small list with the likes of Oscar Robertson and former Spartan Magic Johnson. Robertson still holds the record with 4 but Green has tied Magic Johnson on the list. Green is a senior and this will be his last NCAA Tournament so if he wants to tie or beat Robertson's record first Michigan State will need to win more games and Green will have to step his game up.

Draymond Green, forward for Michigan State drives by Brian Conklin AKA (The STUD) forward for St Louis.
 

Upsets Galore

Before the NCAA Tournament began everyone knew that there were going to be some shocking upsets. After a quiet first day everyone expected and upset filled second day but this was much more than anyone expected. For the first time in NCAA Tournament history two number two seeds lost in the first round. I will be writing about a few of the premier upsets that occured in the first round of the tournament.

15. Lehigh defeats  2. Duke
Lehigh is a team that is only in the tournament because they are the champions of a weak Patriot League but after that game the proved to the entire country that the deserve to play in this tournament. Lehigh was in control for most of the game and kept it all the way to the end. Duke did not play their best game and Coach K was not to happy. Lehigh sent Duke and their freshamn guard, Austin Rivers packing by a score of 75-70.

15. Norfolk State defeats  2. Missouri
This was a game the messed up brackets all around the country including Mr. President Barack Obama who ad the going to the Final Four. Norfolk State outplayed Missouri but not by much. Missouri still played a decent game but could have used the transition game a little more. Norfolk State was lead by the senior big man Kyle O'Quinn who had a double, double with 26 points and 14 rebounds. The final score was 86-84.

13. Ohio defeats  4. Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines and their wishy washy athletic program swagered into the arena thinking that this game was going to be a breeze but they were wrong. Zack Lisman was extremely upset at watching Michigan being outplayed by a far worse team. If you are looking for excuses of why Michigan lost that
game you know who to find... and its not me. \


Norfolk State, center, Kyle O'Quinn as he celebrates the victory over Mizzou

Day 1 Of The Tourny Has Come To An End

As I write this entry I am extremely excited not only because I am spending my spring break writing journal entries but because the NCAA Tournament has started. Yesterday was the first day of the second round of the tournament and 16 games took place. There were some predictable games but there were also some stunning upsets. I wil post the scores of all the games and a brief recap.

6. Murray State vs. 11. Colorado State
This was the first game of the entire tournament and was looking like it was going to be a thriller. At the end of the first half Murray State was actually down by one but in the second half Colorado State could not handle the pressure and turned the ball over numerous times. The final score ended up being 58- 41 with a Murray State victory.

8. Kansas State vs. 9. Southern Miss
This was one of the games that you knew before it started it would be an intense game. Kansas State lead for most of the game by a small margin and held onto it the whole way. Kansas State ended up winning by a score of 70-64.

4. Louisville vs. 13. Davidson
This game was predicted by experts to be a blowout with a Louisville victory. But that was not the case. The 13 seed Davidson battled the whole way through but still ended up loosing but not by too much. Louisville got the big W by a score of 69-62.

4. Wisconsin vs. 13. Montana
There realy is not anything possitive to say about Montana in this one. They were outhustled out rebounded out scored and just flat out beat by the Badgers of Wisconsin. The final score was 73-49.

3. Marquette vs. 14. BYU
There was nothing BYU could do to stop Marquette. They were pumelling them in the post with their big forward Jae Crowder who dropped 25 points and has 16 rebounds. Because of this Marquette took out BYU by 20 points with a final score of 88-68.

1. Syracuse vs. 16 UNC Asheville
With thier big man, Fab Melo out people were doubting the Orange Mens abilities to go far in the tournament. Syracuse made it past this round but it was not a blowout and I am sure that the players of Asheville have earned their respect. The final score was 72-65.

5. New Mexico vs. Long Beach State
This was an exciting game to watch. As it came down to the wire the two teams were exchanging baskets but when Long Beach was in trouble they fouled New Mexico and sent them to the foul line where they did not miss down the stretch. New Mexico ended up winning with a final score of 75-68.

5. Vanderbilt vs. 12. Harvard
Once this game started you could tell that Vanderbilt was the supierior team in the contest. They had the lead by ten at half time and for the whole second half Harvard played their hearts out but could not come back. The did outscore Vandy in the second half but still lost 79-70.

1. Kenticky vs. 16. Western Kentucky
This game was funny to watch. The best team in the tournament against the worst team in the tournament. At one point in this game they had opposite scores with Kentucky who had 63 and Western Kentucky had 36. The final outcome was a little better but that is only becuse UK brought in their scrubs. Final score 81-66.

5. Witchita State vs. 12. VCU
Coming off of their Final Four appearence last year VCU brought a little swagger to the tourny. They were still the underdog in this game but they did not play like it. This game came down to the last minute and VCU hung on to their lead and won by a score of 62-59.

7. Gonzaga vs. 10. West Virginia
All I have to say is what an great performance by the Zags. They were able to shut dow West Virginia's big man, Kevin Jones and just about everyone else on the court. This was the largest blowout in the first day with a final score of 77-54.

3. Baylor vs. 14. South Dakota State
Baylor wore sweet neon green jerseys in their game and they played like they deserved to. South Dakota also played and excellent game and was able to stay in it until the end. The Bears won by a score of 68-60.

8. Iowa State vs. 9. Uconn
Pranzy can not be to happy after he saw the way Iowa State took down Uconn. They brought the pressure and it payed off. They will face Kentucky in the next round. Now we know who the supreme college sports team is in Iowa. Final score 77-64.

4. Indiana vs. 13. New Mexico State
Indiana has taken down many amazing teams this season and was not heading out of the tournament in the first round. They shot the ball excedingly well and the defense was swarming. They won by a score of 79-66.

2. Ohio State vs. 15. Loyola
Ohio State used thier big weapons down low in Jared Sullinger who had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Deshaun Thomas who had a monster game with 31 points and 12 rebounds. The Buckeyes ended up wining by a final score of 78-59.

6. UNLV vs. 11. Colorado
This was a great game to end the night on. Coming into the game UNLV was a favorite to win but Colorado but all doubters aside and was leading by 11 points at halftime. UNLV came back but it just was not enough they outscored Colorado by seven in the second half ending the game with a total score of 68-64.

Jae Crowder, forward for Marquette   AKA Zach Lisman

The Big Dance Starts

Its the moment we all have been waiting for, at least I have. The 2012 NCAA Tournament has started up. Like most people who enjoy college basketball I picked my bracket this year. For anyone who does not know what this means I will explain. The NCAA comitee selects the teams that are eligible to enter this tournament. There are 64 teams that are selected to compete in the tournament. The comitee ranks the teams from 1 to 16 and splits each 16 teams into there own part of the bracket. So if you do the math you will soon figure out that there are 4 quadrants in the bracket. Due to their hard work over the season the number one seeds will get to play the 16 seeds in their bracket. Then the 2 seeds will play the 15 seeds the 3 seeds will play the 14 seeds etc. The system that they go by is the one and done process which means if you lose a game then you are out and if you continue to win you advance and play the team that wins the game below or above you. After repeating this process a few times you will come down to the Elite Eight which is the championship games for each part of the bracket which means there will be eight teams. Then the winner of those games advance to the Final Four where the winner from one bracket plays the winner of the bracket above or below them and then the other half of the bracket does the same thing. Finally the winners of those competitions have the chance to play in the title game for all the marbles. So for my bracket in the Elite Eight I selected.

1. Kentucky vs. 2. Duke
1. Michigan State vs. 3. Marquette
1. Syracuse vs. 2. Ohio State
1. UNC vs. 2. Kansas

Final Four
2. Duke vs. 1. Michigan State
2. Ohio State vs. 1. UNC
Championship
2. Duke vs. 1. UNC


2012 NCAA Mens Basketball Champions
UNC Tar Heels

Harrison Barnes, forward for UNC

SEC Tourny Not Even Close

Out of all the big conferences that are having tournaments the SEC is probably the most pathetic division. This conference contains the number one team in the nation, Kentuky who has only been defeated once by Indiana on a last second shot. The other top teams in this tournament are ones that wouldn't even be contenders in most other divisions such as Tennesse, Alabama and Vanderbilt. Even though Tennesse and Vanderbilt are ranked higher than them I feel that the only team that is a threat to Kentuky is the Florida Gators. They have a dominant junior guard in Kenny Boynton who is averaging 16.8 points per game and they have some dominant forces down low. I believe that Kentuky will easily be crowned the 2012 SEC Conference Tournament Champions because of their all around depth. They have two beastly freshman forward in Anthony Davis who is averaging 14.4 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds per game and Michael Gilchrist who is averaging 11.9 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game. Also I neglected to mention Doron Lamb who has really stepped up a the guard possition for them. I do not believe that this tornament will get them ready for the big dance but they are already prepared. Kentuky's next game will be against LSU.

Anthony Davis, Forward for Kentuky
 

Syracuse Wins a Close One

After the Connecticut Huskies took down te West Virginia Mountaineers in overtime yesterday they knew they had a tough challenge ahead of them playing against the Syracuse Orange Men. Uconn entered Madison Squar Garden with as much swag as Zach Lisman after he just beat Johnson up. After a hard played half by Uconn they where only down 3 points. Although I was not in the locker room I believe that Jim Calhoun gave the Huskies and amazing pump up speech to start off the second half because the came out with some intensity. Uconn played their hearts out and tied Syracuse in the second half but their was just too much Orange for them to handle. Syracuse ended up beating Uconn by a final score of 58-55. The keys to victory for the Orange Men were Dion Waiters who had 18 points and just about everyone else chipped in some way whether it was rebounding, dishing out assists or stealing the ball. Although Syracuse did not play their best game Uconn has proved that they can compete with top teams around the nation. Syracuse will move on to play Cincinati who defeated Georgetown ealier today by and extremely close score of 72-70.

Dion Waiters, Guard for Syracuse

Big Ten Tournament Starts Up

Although the Big Ten does not have any of the top four seeds in their division I believe that overall this conference holds better teams than any other. The first rounds games will take place March 8th and will be featuring Iowa 64 vs. Illonois 61, Indianna vs. Penn State, North Western vs. Minnesota and Purdue vs. Nebraska. Even though these are some good matchups there is plenty more great teams in the Big Ten. These teams include the number 8 team in the nation Michigan State, Wisconsin and  the number 7 team in the nation Ohio State. The Michigan Wolverines are also in this tournament and having a nice season despite their poor athletic program. It will be extremely interesting to see how these games turn out. The best possible outcome in this tourny will be if the Iowa Hawkeyes are able to beat the Michigan Wolverines and their poor athletic program.

Jared Sullinger, forward for Ohio
 

ACC Tournament

You better prepare yourself for some good basketball if you are watching this year's ACC Conference Tournament. As some people may know the Boston College Eagles are in this tournament but they are the lowest seed and are probably going to be knocked out by North Carolina State in this first round. The first round games that will be played today are Maryland vs. Wake Forest, Boston College vs. NC State, Clemson vs. Virginia Tech and Miami vs. Georgia Tech. Although these first round games should be interesting but the real story of this tournament is the possibilty of a third meeting between the 4th ranked UNC Tar Heels and the 6th ranked Duke Blue Devils. These two teams met early on in the season and as anyone who watched the game would know, Austin Rivers hit a game winning shot for Duke. The last game of the regular season featured these two teams and as much as everyone was expecting a close game, UNC came out with fire and intensity and was able to defeat Duke by a final score of 88-70. I am really hoping to watch these two teams play again and just lke the first game I think it will come down to the wire but with a different result. Although those two teams are the obivous front runners you can not forget about the Seminoles who have beat both UNC and Duke over the season. This tournament will have some tight games but in the end I think it will come down to UNC vs. Duke.

Harrison Barnes, Forward for UNC
 

Big 12 Tourny Tips Off

Tonight the Big 12 will start up their conference tournament. This conference is fillled with many power packed teams and should be an exciting handful of games to watch. The predicted championship for this tournament is Kansas vs. Missouri. The Jayhawks are the #3 team in the nation and Missouri is #5 but as most people who followed this season of college basketball would know that the Tigers have defeated Kansas 1 out of the 2 times that they have faced off. But for the first round of this tournament Oaklahoma will be playing Texas A&M and the cowboys of Oaklahoma State will be showing down against Texas Tech. But there are also other high quality teams playing in this tournament such as Baylor, Kansas State, Texas and Iowa State. Unlike some of the other divisions I feel like anyone can win this tournament but then again I believe that the championship for the Big 12 tournament will come down to the third matchup between Kansas and Missouri.

Team to watch out for: Baylor

Below: Tyshawn Taylor, guard for Kansas Jayhawks

Uconn Stuns West Virginia in Big East Tournament

By James Finneral on March 7, 2012 2:50 PM | No Comments

After having a quite easy victory over DePaul, Connecticut knew that they would have a tough schedule ahead of them. Today they squared off against West Virginia, a strong team with some big time players. Uconn was the 9 seed in the tournament and West Virginia was the 8 seed. Although this game was supposed to be good it was closer than anyone thought it was going to be. In the end the Huskies were able to pull out a victory of 71-67 in overtime. Uconn was lead by their point guard Shabazz Napier who scored 26 points had 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks. The Mountaineers who were lead by Kevin Jones who scored 25 points and 10 rebounds were able to put up agood fight and will probably still make the big dance. Their next game will be an extremely difficult one when the play the Orange Men of Syracuse. Another big game in the Big East tournament today is Georgetown playing Pittsburgh coming off of a nice win over St. Johns. This tournament is a perfect oppurtunity to punch their ticket to the big dance they just have to take advantage of that.

Big East Tournament

When you think about this years NCAA Mens Basketball Big East Tournament only one sentence comes to mind, who is going to step up and be the Kemba Walker for their team. Today Connecticut faced off against DePaul and it seemed like Jeremy Lamb stepped up and played like Kemba Walker by scoring 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists leadin Uconn to a 81-67 victory. With that win Uconn will take on West Virginia on March 7th at 12:00 PM. The other game that took place earlier today was Pittsburgh vs. St. Johns. St Johns was favored to win the ball game but the game did not follow the seeding. Pitt looked like there team last year today beating St Johns 73-59. The Panther's senior guard Ashton Gibbs was able to chip in with 20 points 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Pitt's next game will be a difficult one facing off against Georgetown tomorow at 2:00 PM. These teams will be playing to face the likes of Syracuse and Cinncinati. Although Pitt and Uconn have tough games tomorow it is not getting any easier for them down the road.

NCAA Mens Basketball Rankings

By James Finneral on February 29, 2012 2:42 PM | 2 Comments

NCAA Mens Basketball Top 20
1. Kentuky  28-1
2. Syracuse  29-1
3. Kansas  24-5
4. Duke  25-4
5. Michigan State  24-5
6. UNC  25-4
7. Missouri  25-4
8. Marquette  24-5
9. Baylor  24-5
10. Ohio State  23-6
11. Georgetown  21-6
12. Murray State  28-1
13. Michigan  21-8
14. Wisconsin  21-8
15. Witchita State  26-4
16. Florida  22-7
17. UNLV  24-6
18. Indiana  22-7
19. Louisville  22-7
20. Notre Dame  20-9

With only a few weeks left before the division tournaments and the selecting of the brackets these are the top 20 teams in mens college basketball. The number one team, Kentuky after having a tragic loss to Indiana has bounced back and has not lost a game since then. The number two team, Syracuse has also played extremely well after their only loss which came from Notre Dame. Although Kansas has had some key loses such as Missouri they have continued to play at the high level that they always do. Duke being lead by freshman point guard, Austin Rivers are ahving another one of there steller seasons with a nice victory against UNC and will be having a rematch against them in there next game. Michigan State coming off of a deoressing loss to Indiana have bounced back from last season and are once again one of the premier teams in the NCAA. These are the rankings that stand right now but anything can change from now and the end of the season.