Cole Aldrich in my opinion is the biggest factor if Kansas is to advance out of this region. He is arguably the best big man in the country and is an All-American. Aldrich nearly averages a double double with 11.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He is also a huge presence defensively, averaging 3.3 blocks. The man is a beast in the post and could be the key for a Kansas trip to the Final Four.
B is for “Bruce”
As in Bruce Pearl. Pearl did one of the best coaching jobs in America this season in guiding the Tennessee Vols to the six seed in the Midwest Region. Pearl had to deal with the suspensions of several key contributors and even kicked star player Tyler Smith off the team. Despite all this turmoil, Pearl guided his team to two upset victories over #1 Kansas and #2 Kentucky while finishing the year 25-8. Pearl now hopes he and his bright orange blazer can help the Vols make a run.
C is for “Cougars”
The Houston Cougars have finally made it back to the big dance. Tommy Penders squad upset heavily favored UTEP in the C-USA final and stole a bubble spot away from several deserving teams. Houston hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1992 and if they want the party to last a while, they need to pull another big upset over Maryland.
D is for “Derrick Favors”
Favors was a beast as a freshman for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was named ACC rookie of the year with averages of 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. Favors led all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (60.4), blocked shots (2.0) and double-doubles (8). Among all ACC players, he ranks 19th in scoring, fourth in rebounding, second in blocked shots and fourth in double-doubles.
E is for “Evan Turner”
Evan Turner of Ohio State is arguably the best player in the nation this season. Turner led Ohio State to both the Big Ten regular season championship and tournament championship. Turner averaged 20.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He has already been named Big Ten Player of the Year and is the favorite to win National Player of the Year honors. Turner is without a doubt the heartbeat of Ohio State and the Buckeyes need him to play well if they want to advance far in the dance.
F is for “Ford”
That’s right Kentucky fans, Travis Ford has once again taken his Oklahoma State Cowboys to the Big Dance. Ford, a former star point guard at UK in the 90’s, has done a sensational job in Stillwater since taking over for Sean Sutton. He is in his second year as coach of the Cowboys and has made the field of 64 in each of those years. Ford has also taken Eastern Kentucky to the Tournament and led UMASS to an Atlantic 10 Championship. He is one of the best young coaches in the game and his Cowboys could make some noise in this region.
G is for “Gauchos”
You may be asking yourself, “What the hell is a gaucho?” Well, a gaucho is a term used to describe the natives of a South American Patagonian grassland. These areas are commonly found in Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil. The term gaucho is equivalent to the American term “Cowboy”. The 15th seeded Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara look to make history when they square of against Ohio State. UC Santa Barbara are champions of the Big West and come into the Dance with a record of 20-9. They look to become only the fifth #15 seed in tournament history to defeat a #2 seed. The last to do so was Hampton in 2001 when they defeated Iowa State.
H is for “Hoyas”
The Georgetown Hoyas are one tough team to figure out. They have shown flashes of brilliance this year in blowout victories over Duke and Villanova, but have been absolutely dreadful in loses to Rutgers and South Florida. The Hoyas finished eighth in the Big East regular season, but made a strong run in the conference tournament before losing to West Virginia in the final. Georgetown is also responsible for one of Syracuse’s four loses. As a number three seed, this team has the potential to be dangerous. Star players Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman might be two names we hear in the Final Four.
I is for “Izzo”
Tom Izzo is the coach with the most tournament experience and tournament success for this region. Since he took over the coaching job at Michigan State in 1995, Izzo has led the Spartans to the 2000 National Championship and five final four appearances. He is the winningest coach in Michigan State history and has coached his team into 12 straight NCAA Tournaments. Izzo and the Spartans were last year’s national runner-up to North Carolina and many favored the Spartans to win it all this year. Michigan State has run into some bumps this season, but with several key players still on the team from last year, the fifth seeded Spartans are a team you don’t want to take lightly.
J is for “Jayhawks”
The Kansas Jayhawks come into this tournament as the favorites to win it all. Kansas spent most of the year atop the polls and are riding a wave of momentum coming into the dance. The Jayhawks are the tournaments overall #1 seed and were crowned Big 12 regular season and tournament champions. They are led by a duo of All-Americans in center Cole Aldrich and guard Sherron Collins (15.6 pts, 4.4 assts). Kansas also has a fabulous freshman in Xavier Henry (13.6 pts, 4.2 reb) who chose to play for the Jayhawks over Kentucky. This team is my pick to win it all and it’s going to take a heck of an effort to knock this powerhouse off.
K is for “Kawhi Leonard”
Kawhi Leonard is an absolute beast for the San Diego State Aztecs. He is a 6’7 freshman forward that leads the team in both points (12.8) and rebounds (9.9). Leonard led the Aztecs to the Mountain West Tournament Title over UNLV with a monster game of 16 points and 21 rebounds. He was also named the tournament’s most valuable player. The Tennessee Volunteers better find a way to contain this man or the Aztecs could pull the upset.
L is for “Las Vegas”
The University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels are the second team from the Mountain West to be selected to the Midwest region. UNLV finished the season 25-8 and made a run to the Mountain West title game before being knocked off by fellow Midwest Region participant San Diego State. Louisville fans may be familiar with the Rebels from back in November when the Cards may the trip to Vegas and were knocked off. Former Kentucky guard Derek Jasper is a Rebel but has been out of action lately due to injury and is expected to miss the tournament. The Rebels have a tough 8-9 matchup with Northern Iowa before they get a chance at Kansas. It looks like it will be an early exit back to Vegas for this squad.
M is for “Mountain Hawks”
The mighty Mountain Hawks of Lehigh enter the tournament as the 16 seed in the Midwest region. Lehigh is a private university from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that is apparently pretty good at hoops. The Mountain Hawks were the regular season champions from the Patriot League and earned the automatic NCAA berth by winning the conference tournament. Unfortunately for the Mountain Hawks, they are rewarded with the opportunity to play the overall #1 seed Kansas. Keep in mind no #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed. Don’t expect that to happen in this region either as the Mountain Hawks should be one and done.
N is for “New Mexico State”
The Aggies of New Mexico State are in the tourney as the #12 seed in the Midwest after an upset victory over Utah State in the WAC conference tournament. The Aggies are 22-11, but former Louisville assistant Marvin Menizes has them playing their best ball in March. New Mexico State will square off against the Michigan State Spartans on Friday in the 5-12 matchup. I see some upset potential in this group so the Spartans better beware.
O is for “Obi”
Obi Muonelo is a player to watch for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The 6′5 senior guard is the second leading scorer for the ‘Ole Pokes, averaging 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures nine straight times entering the tournament, including a 31 point outburst against Iowa State. Georgia Tech and the rest of the Midwest Region will have their hands full with Obi.
P is for “Panthers”
The Northern Iowa Panthers have been the biggest surprise of the college basketball season. The Panthers, hailing from the Missouri Valley Conference, burst onto the scene by starting the season 17-1 and finishing at 28-4. The Panthers have been ranked in the top 25 most of the year and their #9 seed is way too high for as good as this team is. The Panthers play like a 4-5 seed and are a team that could create problems. They should get past UNLV and will give Kansas a tough test in the second round, but ultimately the Jayhawks should end the Panthers magical season.
Q is for “Quit”
This is a word that the Ohio Bobcats refuse to say. The Bobcats had a lack luster regular season in the MidAmerican Conference, finishing 7-9 in league play and 21-14 overall. The Bobcats earned the #9 seed is the conference tournament and could have easily quit and called it season over. Instead, Ohio beat heavily favored and #1 seed Kent State in the first round, and later defeated #2 seed Akron in the championship to earn a tourney birth. Head coach John Groce has his team believing in March and the Georgetown Hoyas better be on upset alert. This team doesn’t quit.
R is for “Raymar Morgan”
Raymar Morgan is the do it all guy for the Spartans of Michigan State. Last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year is the second leading scorer on State’s team with 11.5ppg. He is also second in rebounding (6.2rpg) and is third in steals (1.1spg). He is a senior leader for the Spartans and has plenty of tournament experience as he led his squad to the national title game last year. Raymar Morgan is a name you will hear a lot this weekend.
S is for “St. Louis”
St. Louis is the sight of the Midwest Regional semifinals and finals. Only four teams will make it to The Arch and it looks like Kansas, Ohio State, Georgetown, and Michigan State will be those teams. All 16 teams from this region have dreams of cutting down the nets in St. Louis to earn a trip to the Final Four, and I will be surprised if Kansas is not that team.
T is for “Terps”
The Maryland Terrapins have been a surprise out of the ACC this season. The Terps struggled early in the season, suffering back to back losses in the Maui Invitational and another loss in early December to Villanova. But Gary Williams got his fighting turtles back on the right path by the time conference season came around. Maryland ripped through the ACC, going 13-3 in conference play, and earning co-championship honors with the Duke Blue Devils. In fact, Maryland beat #1 seed Duke during the last week of the season before losing to Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament. Williams knows what it takes to win in March, leading his team to multiple tournament births and a 2002 National Championship.
U is for “Ugly”
This is exactly the word to describe Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl’s orange blazer. The thing is absolutely hideous. Some people think that Rick Pitino in his all white suit is bad, this tops the charts. If Pearl wasn’t a basketball coach, he could pass for the Syracuse mascot. Take a look!
V is for “Vasquez”
Greivis Vasquez is the go to guy for the Maryland Terrapins. He is a first team All-ACC performer and is one of the best guards in the entire country. Vasquez leads the ACC in assists (6.3) and is second in scoring (19.5). He also leads his team in steals (1.7). Vasquez is the do it all guy for Terps and they will go as far in this tournament as he can carry them.
W is for “Wayne Chism”
Wayne Chism is a First Team All-SEC selection from the Tennessee Volunteers. The senior F-C leads the Vols in points (12.5), rebounds (7.1), and blocks (1.4). He is also second on the team in steals (1.2). Chism is a force on both the offensive and defensive end. He is very athletic and creates matchup problems for a lot of teams. He is a smart, experienced player that has the ability to take over a game. If he plays at the top of his game during this tournament, Tennessee could make a deep run.
X is for “Xavier Henry”
Xavier Henry is the fabulous freshman from the Kansas Jayhawks. Henry was a highly touted freshman that chose the Jayhawks over the Wildcats of Kentucky. As a freshman, Henry earned Big 12 postseason honors by being named to the Big 12 Honorable Mention list. He leads the Jayhawks in steals (1.5), is second in scoring (13.6), and is fourth in both rebounds (4.2) and assists (1.2). He is also third in blocks (0.5). Henry is a very versatile player that not only starts for the number one team in America as a freshman, but is a major contributor. Henry can flat out play and could be the x factor for the Jayhawks to win a national title.
Y is for “Yellow Jackets”
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets barely played their way into the dance. Tech started the season strong, going 13-2 and finding themselves ranked in the top 25. The Yellow Jackets even beat Duke early in the conference season, but fell hard once late January and February hit. Georgia Tech went 3-6 down the stretch heading into the conference tournament and found themselves on the bubble with little hope of getting an NCAA tournament invite. Tech finished the regular season 19-11 and had a losing conference record of 7-9. There were even rumblings that coach Paul Hewit would be fired. However, the Yellow Jackets pulled it together at the right time and made an improbable run to the ACC conference championship game against Duke. The conference tournament run persuaded the selection committee that Tech belonged in the field of 64 and the Yellow Jackets look to prove the committee right.
Z is for “Zahir Carrington”
Zahir Carrington is a starting forward for the #16 seed Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Carrington is the best big man that the Hawks have and will have the tough task of trying to stop Cole Aldrich. Carrington leads the team in both rebounding (6.7) and blocks (1.3), while he is third on the squad in scoring (10.8 ppg) and steals (1.1). The senior was named to the second team All-Patriot League team for his outstanding play. If Lehigh is going to have any chance at all of shocking the world and making history, Zahir Carrington must shut down Aldrich.
A is for “Arinze Onuaku”
#1-seed Syracuse’s big man, Onuaku got hurt in the team’s Big East tourney loss to Georgetown. Supposedly his quad injury is day-to-day, but reports show a cloudy outlook of him being able to play the first weekend. The ‘Cuse opens with Vermont on Friday.
B is for “Bouldin, Matt”
Bouldin joins a long list of Gonzaga guards who have filled it up for the Zags (15.8 ppg). He’s the ninth Gonzaga player to win West Coast Player of the Year honors in the past 10 seasons. Long live Blake Stepp, Dan Dickau, and, Lord of the chest hair, John Stockton.
Another shaggy haired baller from Gonzaga
C is for “Chandler Parsons”
Parsons hit two game-winning shots for the tenth-seeded Florida Gators this year, helping them snap a two-year tournament hiatus. His 12 points per game help make up a starting five that all averaged in double figures.
D is for “Derrick Caracter”
The UofL castoff is now playing for UTEP, who is trying to win their first tourney game since 1992. Caracter is the only player on the Miners’ squad who has been to the NCAA tournament.
E is for “El Paso”
Home of the UTEP Miners, El Paso is located right on the US-Mexican border. Of the seven schools from Texas who are in this year’s tournament, only the Miners have ever won a championship. This was done when they were Texas Western in 1966. Remember ‘Glory Road?’ That’s them.
F is for “field goal percentage defense”
Leonard Hamilton’s ninth-seeded Florida State team lead the nation in field goal percentage D. It will be an interesting contrast to see how they match up against the shooters from Gonzaga.
G is for “Golden Gophers”
If this were Scattegories, I would get two points. Alliteration aside, Tubby Smith’s Gophers were left for dead after getting stomped by Michigan a few weeks ago. They rose from the ashes in the Big Ten tourney and snuck into the field of 65 as an 11-seed facing Xavier.
H is for “home court advantage”
Syracuse will play the opening two rounds just down the road in Buffalo, meaning the arena will most likely be decked out in all orange. If/when they get past Vermont, their second round opponents (Florida State/Gonzaga) may as well approach it as a road game.
I is for “Ivan Aska”
Ivan is the leading scorer on a balanced Murray State squad, who had six players averaging in double figures for most of the season. The 6′7″ sophomore hit almost sixty percent of his shots, but will have to deal with Vandy’s front line as the Racers try to pull the upset from their 13-seed.
J is for “Jacob Pullen”
Pullen leads one half of second-seeded Kansas State’s solid backcourt. Pullen scored in double figures in all 33 of K-State’s games, as the Wildcats went 26-4 against teams not named the Jayhawks.
K is for “Keith Benson”
Keith is averaging a double-double this season for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, who are the 14-seed in the west. Benson is a beast (17ppg, 10rpg), and Oakland was 17-1 in the Summit League. We’ll see how he can match up with Pitt and some Big East muscle.
L is for “lunatic”
This is what Kansas State coach Frank Martin looks like when he is forced to call a timeout. He seems to be one step away from choke slamming one of his players. #15-seed North Texas is hoping Martin spends the entire game like this on Thursday.
Frank Martin is a madman.
M is for “Marqus Blakely”
Vermont’s Marqus not only has a unique spelling of his first name, but is also the only player in the country to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, and steals. This begs the question for Blakely and his Vermont teammates: Is he that good, or are the Catamounts that bad?
N is for “North Texas”
The Mean Green, who took the Sun Belt conference crown, are in the tournament for the first time since 2007. The last few years, Western Kentucky has owned the Sun Belt. Their 24 wins are a school record.
O is for “Ogilvy, AJ”
Vanderbilt’s Aussie with highlights was DeMarcus Cousins’ whipping boy when they played earlier this year. After being a preseason SEC Player of the Year candidate, Ogilvy didn’t play as well as expected. Him and the ‘Dores hope to take care of Murray State in the west’s 4-13 matchup.
P is for “Pittsburgh Panthers”
Yes! Another two-pointer. Pitt lost their studs from last year’s team that was a #1 seed, but managed to prove the haters wrong by having a solid season and earning a three seed. Guard Ashton Gibbs was voted the Big East’s Most Improved Player.
Q is for “Q’Doba”
I couldn’t think of any Q themes, and I’m hungry.
R is for “revenge”
Back in 2005, Vermont upset a 4th-seeded Syracuse squad in the first round of the tourney. Jim Boeheim isn’t going to be messing around with the Catamounts this time.
S is for “Stevens, Brad”
Stevens is in his third year as Butler’s head coach, and the team has made the big dance all three seasons. Stevens, who has been at Butler as an assistant for the entire 21st century, will face UTEP in the opening round.
Brad Stevens
T is for “thirty”
That’s how many wins 13-seed Murray State has this season, thanks to a 17-1 record in the Ohio Valley Conference. Murray will be looking to make the Bluegrass state proud in a matchup against Vandy. In 1990, Murray State almost became the first 16-seed to win when it took Michigan State to overtime.
U is for “Utah”
Home state of 7-seed Brigham Young University, and the regional finals, which will be in Salt Lake City. While BYU has been a tournament fixture of the last decade, they have been what ladies would call a one-minute man. Seven tournaments in the last 10 years, but no victories.
V is for “Vanderbilt”
Mega-rich shipping and rairoad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt provided the first endowment for Nashville’s prestigious university, hence the name. Vandy has been in the tournament three of the past four years.
W is for “winning streaks”
In a 5-12 matchup, Butler takes on UTEP in a contest of teams that have been hot down the stretch. Butler has the nation’s longest winning streak (20), while UTEP had the nation’s second longest such streak (16), until it was upended by Houston in the C-USA title game.
X is for “Xavier”
The sixth-seeded Muskies have been to five strait NCAA tournaments, and nine of the last 10. In those nine appearances, they have advanced past the first round in all but two.
Y is for “Y is Oakland called Oakland?”
The Golden Grizzlies are located in Rochester, Michigan. I would love to hear an explanation on why their school shares the name with one of the most notorious cities in America. That being said, I’m down to see them pull the upset.
Z is for “Zags”
Nickname of the eighth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who have been to 12 consecutive NCAA big dances. That is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the NCAA.
Steve Alford, the former IU Standout and Iowa head coach, took over the New Mexico Lobos entering the 2007 season. He won 24 games in his first season as the head coach which is the most wins for a first-year coach in school history. He is now 75-25 in three seasons at the helm, and this season led them to a 29-4 overall record and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
B is for “Bo Ryan”
AP Photo/Brian Kersey
Wisconsin’s head coach, Bo Ryan, just does what he does. He wins games and finds ways to get his Badgers into the NCAA Tournament. They have qualified for the Big Dance in each of his nine seasons as head coach. The Badgers win consistently because of their patented “swing” offense and their strong man-to-man defense, which once again ranked in the top ten nationally.
C is for ”Cornell”
Many analysts believe that Cornell has a chance to make a run in the NCAA tournament because of their ability to score the basketball from the inside with 7-footer Jeff Foote and from the outside with Ryan Wittman. Wittman leads the Big Red in scoring with 17.5 ppg and is shooting 42-percent from deep. He is a great shooter but has also shown the ability to score from the inside as well. Cornell is also one of the most experienced teams in the tournament, starting four seniors and bringing more off of the bench. Also, remember that they took Kansas to the wire at Phog Allen this season, losing 71-66.
D is for ”Darington Hobson”
Hobson, a 6-7 junior forward for New Mexico, could be one of the most unheralded players in the country. The junior-college transfer led the Lobos in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounds (9.1 rpg) and assists (4.6 apg) en route to MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year Awards. Head coach Steve Alford often puts him at the point guard position, which shows his versatility.
E is for ”East Tennessee State”
The East Tennessee State Bucanneers are probably the best of the five No. 16 seeds in the tournament. Just last season they nearly upset No. 1 Pittsburgh as a No. 16 seed in the first round of the tournament. They trailed the Panthers by only three with under six minutes remaining before eventually succumbing, 72-62. ETSU is not a big team but they do most of their damage offensively at the rim and struggle from the perimeter. They are led by Tommy Hubbard, a 6-4 junior forward, who averages 14.1 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Defensively, they live off of forcing turnovers.
F is for “Foote”
At 7-0, 265-pounds, Cornell center Jeff Foote is pretty much a beast at both ends of the court. On the offensive end he is a definite threat at the rim, averaging 12.3 points while shooting over 62-percent from the field. On the defensive side of the court, he is one of the best shot blockers in the country, averaging 1.9 per game. He is also an effective rebounder.
G is for “Gaudio”
Prior the the 2007 season, Dino Gaudio took over at Wake Forest following the worst possible circumstances, the death of his friend and mentor, Skip Prosser. He is now in his third season as head coach and has led his team to back-to-back tournament appearances. The Deacons like to move the ball up-and-down the court, but they rely on their top 20 defense to keep them in games. They are in the top 20 in field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and blocked shots.
H is for “Huggy Bear”
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins is yet another coach in his third season at the helm. Just last weekend he led the Mountaineers, his alma mater, to their first ever Big East Conference Tournament Championship. Huggins has failed to lead his squad past the Sweet 16 in his last 11 trips. WVU is favored to get past the Sweet 16 and is a serious threat to win the whole thing but they struggle to score when Da’Sean Butler can’t find the bottom of the net. In five of their six losses this season, he failed to score at least his season average.
I is for ”Isaiah Thomas”
Washington’s sophomore guard has been forced to play with a broken bone in his shooting hand nearly all season long. Despite the injury, Thomas is still playing relatively well, and along with Quincy Pondexter, led the Huskies to an upset victory over Cal in the Pac-10 Championship. Despite the fact that he is just 5-8, Thomas is fearless and a tremendous scorer, averaging just over 17 points per game.
J is for “Jay Bilas Slurp Job”
I understand that Jay Bilas is simply trying to mix it up during ESPN’s Bracketology. Everyone else on the panel consistently just went “chalk”, which means they took only No. 1 through No. 3 seeds to the Elite Eight. Bilas went out on a limb and predicted Cornell to advance to the Elite Eight, which is fine. However, I don’t have to hear about the Big Red during every single segment you run. I love Bilas and think he has the best basketball knowledge in the business, but he has a tendency to go on rants and continue obsessing over them. During their two-hour Bracketology segment, he slurped over Cornell so much that I refused to pick them in my bracket.
K is for “Kentucky”
Last season, everyone’s favorite alchy, Billy “Clyde” Gillispie, led the Kentucky Wildcats to the N.I.T. Tournament, forcing them to miss their first Big Dance since 1991. This season new head coach John Calipari leads them back to the NCAA Tournament and the Wildcats are a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2004. Now they look to reach their first Final Four and win their first championship since 1998. They are led by junior Patrick Patterson, who is playing in his first NCAA tournament, and a a trio of freshmen in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe.
L is for ”Lazar Heyward”
With the trio of amazing guards (Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal) all graduating from Marquette following last season, 6-6 senior Lazar Heyward was left to carry the load. During his senior season he led the Eagles in scoring with 18 points a game and nearly pulled down eight rebounds a game. Offensively he can drive by his man and knock down shots from the perimeter. He is also lights out at the free throw line, shooting 84-percent.
M is for ”Montana Grizzlies”
The Grizzle, as ESPN’s Stuart Scott refers to them, trailed Weber State by 20 points at halftime of the Big Sky Conference Tournament title game before rallying to win. They finished the season at 22-9 and rely heavily on the three-point shot, where they are shooting over 40-percent on the season. Anthony Johnson, a 6-3 senior guard, leads the way for the Grizzlies, averaging nearly 20 points per game. His leadership and experience are vital to Montana’s success and when he is isn’t on the court the drop-off is quite obvious.
N is for ”No. 43″
East Tennessee State’s 6-10 junior Seth Coy died in a one-car accident in July. The team is honoring Coy’s memory by wearing a black patch with the No. 43 (Coy’s old number) on it. Prior to the season, Adam Sollazzo, Coy’s former roommate, changed his uniform number to 43 to honor his fallen friend.
O is for “Owls”
Head Coach Fran Dumphy is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Temple Owls and has led them to three strait NCAA tournaments. However, he hasn’t had much success in tournament with an overall 1-11 record and has yet to win a tourney game as head coach of the Owls. This season they have a goal of getting to the Sweet Sixteen. Temple enters the tournament winners of their last ten games and claimed both the A-10 regular season and conference championship. They aren’t a high scoring team, but they have a great balance of interior and perimeter scoring. They are led by 6-9 junior LaVoy Allen, who finished the season averaging a double-double.
P is for ”Purnell”
Oliver Purnell’s Clemson Tigers are back in the Big Dance and once again he is instituting that patented Diamond-And-One Press. They pressure constantly and therefore depth is a key to their success. To keep his players fresh, Purnell is known for his propensity to switch out five guys at a time. Trevor Booker, a first-team All-ACC selection, is an absolute beast on the block for Tigers, averaging 15.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg.
Q is for “Quincy Pondexter”
Pondexter is one of the most explosive finishers in the country. If you are forced to guard him one-on-one in transition, you are pretty much through. The senior guard for the Washington Huskies is averaging nearly 20 points per game and is also pulling down 7.6 rebounds. The kid can score in absolute bunches and is shooting 52-percent from the field. Like fellow Huskie guard, Isaiah Thomas, Pondexter has zero fear in his bones.
R is for “Reggie Holmes”
Holmes is Morgan State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,039 career points. This season he averaged 21.8 points, which was second in the country behind only Houston’s Aubrey Coleman. Holmes has the ability to generate his own offense by using one or two dribbles to create enough space to shoot the jumper. He is a prolific scorer who is always looking for a way to get the ball in the basket.
S is for “Selvig”
As in Montana’s big man Derik Selvig. Selvig is a 7-foot sophomore center for the Grizzlies who has the athleticism to score from the perimeter and at the rim.
T is for “Trevon Hughes”
Wisconsin’s Trevon Hughes is one of the best guards in the tournament. He is an elite scorer who also has the ability find others, something that is mandatory in Bo Ryan’s swing offense. He suffered an ankle injury in their regular season finale against Illinois, but is expected to be fine in time to dance.
U is for “Undefeated”
The East bracket features the two teams that remained undefeated the longest this season in Kentucky and Texas. The Wildcats were the last team to be beaten when they fell to South Carolina in Columbia, 68-62, on January 26. The Longhorns fell eight days earlier than the ‘Cats, when they were defeated 71-62 at Kansas State. Since starting the season 17-0, Texas finished the season with just a 7-9 record en route to a No. 8 seed.
V is for ”Victories”
Every team in the East Region is looking for four strait “victories”, which will allow them to cut down the nets at the Carrier Dome and venture on down to Indy for the Final Four.
W is for ”Wall”
In just one season, John Wall has built himself a Great Wall of Lexington. He finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds en route to being named the first freshman to win SEC Player of the Year honors since LSU’s Chris Jackson in 1989.
X is for “X-and-O’s”
Murry Bartow, the son of coaching legend Gene Bartow, can X-and-O with the best of them. Last season they scared the crap out of Pittsburgh in the No. 1 vs. No. 16 game. This year they look to do the same against the young and crazy-talented Kentucky Wildcats.
Y is for ”Young”
Nope, we’re not talking about how “young” the Kentucky Wildcats are. Instead, we are talking Wofford’s head coach, Mike Young. Young is in his eighth season as head coach of the Terriers and is making his first NCAA tournament appearance. Prior to their first place finish in the Southern Conference this season, his prior best finish was third back in 2003. They finished this season at 26-8 and execute in their half court offense very well. They rely on Southern Conference Player of the Year, Noah Dahlman, to do the majority of their damage. At 6-6, Dahlman is an undersized big with tremendous footwork and hustle. He averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 rpg on the season, while shooting 58-percent from the field.
Z is for “Zaire Taylor”
Zaire Taylor, a 6-6 senior guard for the Missouri Tigers, does a little bit of everything for Mike Anderson’s squad and is often the one to take the big shot. The Tigers like to push the ball to the offensive end after stops and Taylor is one of the best at getting the ball to the other end. He is averaging 8. 3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists on the season.
A pair of Aggies will do battle in the first round as 5th-seeded Texas A&M goes up against the 12-seed Utah State. Texas A&M is in the Tourney for the third time under Mark Turgeon, who replaced Billy Gillispie when he bolted for UK. The other Aggies, led by Stew Morrill’s motion offense will try and pull off what it almost accomplished last year against Marquette. Utah State has bowed out in the first round in their past four attempts, last winning in 2001, when they beat Ohio State in OT in a first round upset.
B is for “Baylor Bears.”
What a tremedous turnaround Scott Drew has orchestrated since the tragedy and scandal that rocked this team back in the summer of 2003. After only winning a total of 36 games (and only 13 conference games) from 2003 to 2007, the Bears made the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and lost in the championship game of the NIT last year. One could credit some of the Bears’ success to Drew’s apparent recruiting strategy of trying to assemble an “All-Name” team. Tweety Carter, LaceDarius Dunn, Givon Crump, Ekpe Udoh and Quincy Acy could all make at least honorable mention on such a squad.
C is for “Cardinals.”
The Louisville Cardinals are coming off back-to-back Elite Eight appearances and have proved this season, though they are nowhere near as talented as the past two years, that they can compete with anyone. They’ve defeated Syracuse twice and held big and late leads over the likes of Villanova, West Virginia and Kentucky. Leadership is an issue with this team and senior point Edgar Sosa as well as Jamaican postman Samardo Samuels are going to have to show up if they intend on beating Cal and then mowing down the Dookies..
D is for “Duke.”
I feared ESPN may threaten to send some goons my way if Duke wasn’t my “D”. The number one seed in what many are calling the weakest region, the Blue Devils will look to prove they deserved a number one seed despite running through a weaker than usual ACC. However, if you listen to Gregg Doyel, or any other talking head out there, you should go ahead and pencil Duke into your Elite Eight.
E is for “Execute.”
Sure this is a key for all squads in March and in any month if they want to win, but for the Monarchs of Old Dominion, executing their gameplan is a must. The Monarchs finished the regular season fifth in the NCAA in scoring defense (allowing just 56.9 points per game) and fifth in rebounding margin (plus 7.9). Running the shot clock down and hitting shots is what they’ll need to do when they face an equally defensive minded Notre Dame squad in the first round. Though the Fighting Irish have just recently begun to run a stall ball offense, Old Dominion has had the entire season to perfect theirs. This should make for a Big Ten-esque first round matchup.
F is for “Finland.”
That’s the home country of Old Dominion’s best player, 6-foot-10 Gerald Lee. Senior big man, two-time All-CAA First Team and the pride of Uusikaupunki, Finland; Lee leads the Monarchs with 14.3 points per game, shoots 54-percent from the field and 76-percent from the free throw line.
G is for “Dallas Green.”
Green averages only 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, but in back-to-back seasons has hit the game-winning shot in the NEC tournament, clinching an NCAA bid for the Colonials of Robert Morris .
H is for “Harangody.”
The man is simply a beast. He has led the Big East in scoring for three strait seasons and is Notre Dame’s career leader in points and rebounds. If he can return to 100% and continue to fit in with Mike Brey’s new offensive strategy instituted because of his injury, the Fightin’ Irish may indeed make a deep run.
I is for “Irish.”
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish somehow were given a 6-seed and will open against Old Dominion. With All-American and “H” Luke Harangody coming off the bench due to a knee injury that forced him to miss a month and Mike Brey to turn the Irish’s usual high scoring offense into a stall ball defensive club, Notre Dame will look to continue their recent hot streak. With a physical Monarch team, they may approach their first round matchup with a “first team to fifty points wins” mentality.
J is for “JaJuan Johnson.”
Purdue still has this guy underneath to go along with fellow junior, guard E’Twaun Moore. Though they have looked lost since losing Robbie Hummel, this is still a very talented Boilermaker squad. Johson averaged 14.9 points per game, 7.2 rpg, and 2.0 bpg en route to First-Team Big Ten honors.
K is for “Karon Abraham.”
The NEC rookie of the year and MVP of the conference tourney, Robert Morris’ Karon Abraham connects on 44.2-percent of his threeballs and strokes 85.3-percent from the line. If he continues his improvement and the Colonials play defense like they have all year, they just might have a shot at becoming the fifth 15-seed to ever win. Led by Mike Rice, a former Pittsburgh assistant, Robert Morris has now made the tourney two out of the last three years.
L is for “Land Down Under.”
Five of the Saint Mary’s Gaels top seven players hail from the Land Down Under, Australia. St. Mary’s has won only one NCAA Tournament game in its history, and that was an opening round game against Idaho State way back in 1959. The Gaels have been one and done in all four appearances since then.
M is for “Mike Montgomery.”
Head Coach of the California Golden Bears, Montgomery led Cal to its first Pac-10 regular season title in 50 years and second strait NCAA Tourney appearance. Led by Pac-10 Player of the Year and Cal’s career scoring leader Jerome Randle, the Golden Bears will be out to prove that they didn’t win the Pac-10 solely because the league is horrible. Expect to see screens, screens and more screens from Montgomery’s offense to set up threes, threes and more threes. And if they find themselves with a late lead, Cal’s 75.7 percent free-throw percentage is going to make it tough for a team to foul its way back into the game.
N is for “No North Carolina.”
A year removed emerging from the South Region and claiming their fifth National Title, the Tar Heels were horrible this year and will be NITing it for the first time since 2003, Matt Doherty’s final season.
O is for “Omar Samham.”
St. Mary’s best player and one of the best centers in the country, 6-foot-11 Omar Samhan does it all for the Gaels. Samhan averages 20.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game which led the entire WCC in all three categories. The last player to do that? Bill Cartwright of San Francisco in 1978.
P is for “Perimeter Defense.”
Four teams in this region (Duke, St. Mary’s, Richmond and Old Dominion) hold opponents to under 30 percent shooting from downtown.
Q is for “Questionable Placement.”
We’ve all heard the arguments about why Syracuse was sent out west while Duke was given the apparent easiest bracket. Why is Notre Dame a 6-seed and Louisville a 9-seed? Louisville defeated the Irish head-to-head, had a better conference record and downed Syracuse twice on the year. Three seeds lower? Lots of questionable placements made by the committee this year, and not just in the South.
R is for “Richmond.”
The Richmond Spiders are the only program in NCAA history to win as the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th seed. Beating the likes of Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri and Old Dominion and a 13-3 conference record in a tough A-10 has earned them a shot at getting a win as a 7-seed against 10-seed Saint Mary’s.
S is for “Siena Saints.”
The Saints have pulled the upset for two years in a row now and will go for three against 4-seed Purdue. Siena won as a 13-seed in 2008 and a 9-seed last year before giving top seeded Louisville a scare in the second round. Led by MAAC player of the year and Conference Tourney MVP Alex Franklin’s 16.8 points per game, the Saints have four starters averaging 13.6ppg or more. This is a very talented and experienced Siena squad who should no longer be a surprise to anyone. They also feature the nation’s leading assist man in Ronald Moore, who drops 7.8 dimes each game.
T is for “Three Pointers.”
With an experienced backcourt in Senior guards Corey Allmond and Ashton Mitchell, who should give Baylor’s backcourt of Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn all they can handle in the first round, the Sam Houston State Bearkats have six players who have drained 25 or more threes on the year, and average 8.8 made longballs as a team per game.
U is for “University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.”
After starting their season 0-11, the Golden Lions of the SWAC finished the season 17-4 and won 11 of their last 12 games. It should be noted that they played their first fourteen games away from home and during their 0-11 start, included were losses to UTEP, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Kansas State: all tournament teams. If they can take out Winthrop, the Dookies might just be a little nervous…
V is for “Villanova.”
Coming off a Final Four appearance, the best dressed coach in the country Jay Wright and his Wildcats will try to navigate the South to get back. Led by soon to be 2,200-point scorer Scottie Reynolds (and just 50 points away from passing Kerry Kittles as the schools all-time leading scorer), ‘Nova will try and break out of their slump which has seen them lose five of their past seven games.
W is for “Winthrop.”
Winthrop will be making its second appearance in the Opening Round Game (2001), joining Florida A&M (2004, 2007) as the only two teams to earn that prestigous honor. This is the Eagles second appearance in coach Randy Peele’s three years at the school.
X is for “X Factor.”
Supposedly you have to have it to win in March. What is it? I have no idea, Algebra and Calculus were never my thing. I was more of a “Y” guy….
Y is for “Yumps.”
(1)vs.(16)
(8)vs.(9)
(5)vs.(12)
(4)vs.(13)
(6)vs.(11)
(3)vs.(14)
(7)vs.(10)
(2)vs.(15)
Z is for “Zone.”
You will see lots of zone defense in the South. Louisville’s Rick Pitino likes to drop back into a zone after his token press takes teams deeper into the shot clock. Richmond plays a tough matchup zone, Baylor institutes a stingy 2-3 zone. Old Dominion switches from man to zone often, and is helped by their length when in zone.
Earlier this season, John Wall made the cover of Sports Illustrated. This week, on SI’s annual regional NCAA Tournament issue, DeMarcus Cousins is one of six player featured. Pretty cool for Big Cuz.
Also, Cousins clearly has good taste in shoes. In the picture, DeMarcus is wearing (at least I think so) Air Jordan XI’s, also known as my favorite shoe of all time. I remember getting a pair back in elementary school and protecting them as if my life depended on it.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I have to break out one of the most hilarious videos I have ever seen. Residents of Mobile, Alabama thought for certain that there was a leprechaun roaming around.
“To me, it look like a leprechaun to me. All you gotta do is look up in the tree,” said one man. “Who else see the leprechaun, say YEAAHH!”
However, other residents were skeptical.
“It could be a crackhead, that got hold to the wrong stuff,” said a lady in her car. “And it told him to get up in the tree and play a leprechaun.”
Luckily, for the residents of Mobile, there is a man with a special leprechaun flute, a flute he received from his great, great, great grandfather, who is taking charge of the situation. Also, they have a pretty good sketch of the elusive leprechaun.
But, when it comes down to it. All the residents of Mobile really care about is where the gold is.
“I wanna know where the gold at!”
Check out the video and then drink some green beer.
The Daily Beast just released their list of America’s craziest cities. The 57 largest metropolitan areas were ranked — using four criteria: psychiatrists per capita, stress, eccentricity and drinking levels. The Craziest Cities in America were then revealed.
The Methodology:
• Psychiatrists per capita: How many shrinks there are to fill the therapy demand per person, with data from the Census and Citysearch.com. Read: The lower the score, the more psychiatrists per capita.
• Stress: Emotional and mental health, based on a 2008 national survey by Gallup-Healthways.
• Eccentricity: How crazy, wacky, and weird each city is, compiled with help from travel writer, and student of all things eccentric, Mike Barish
• Drinking: Whether the metropolitan area’s residents are heavy drinking, defined as two drinks a day or more for men, and one drink a day or more for women. With data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008.
Louisville earned the honor of fourteenth on the list. It wasn’t “Sin City” (5th) that came in atop the nuttiest though, it was a different type of “cin”: The Queen City of Cincinnati came in as the number one wackjob city on the list.
St. Louis, MO hit blackjack at number 21, while Nashville finished 32nd, partly due to the fact it is illegal to roller-skate and listen to a CD at the same time… Indianapolis barely staved off being the sanest of the bunch, finishing in 52nd out of the 57 cities ranked.
Join the StraitPinkie.com Bracket Pool Right Now! The password is “pinkie”. IT’S FREE…and the winner will receive a $100 Gift Certificate to FansCloset.com. FansCloset.com specializes in University of Kentucky and University of Louisville college apparel, which means it is perfect for the six Pinkie readers out there. If you don’t like the ‘Cats or the Cards, the $100 can be used for anything on the entire website.
We will also be giving away some Strait Pinkie T-Shirts and Koozies along with some Jeremy Sharfe and Timmy Lickteig CDs.
If you don’t have a CBSsports.com account and you don’t want to make one, e-mail me your name and your picks to nickev14@yahoo.com and I will find the time to input them for you.
If you are impatient and want a Strait Pinkie T-Shirt now, e-mail me us at info@straitpinkie.com and we’ll tell you how to get one for $10.
If you are impatient and want a Jeremy Sharfe or Timmy Lickteig CD, buy them on iTunes at the links below.
Today’s Humpday Yumpday Yump is best known for her role on one of nickev’s favorite shows “Bones” as Dr. Temperance Brennan. Her biggest movie roles have been “It Could Happen To You” and “Glory Road”. She also filmed an AWESOME slumber party video with Alyson Hannigan, Jaime King, Minka Kelly, and Katharine McPhee for the website funnyordie.com to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up 2 Cancer. Emily Deschanel, Uh YUMP!!
