I brain cramped on a few, listing Georgetown twice on my list of at-large's when UConn should've been my top at large. And I just overlooked a pair of obvious picks in UNC and California.
Probably most surprised at not seeing Cincinnati, Michigan, Hofstra and Bradley left out.
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Iowa (25-8
Big Ten Conference
How’d they do it? Done by three at the half to favored Ohio State, the Hawkeyes rallied for a 67-60 win in the Big Ten Championship. Jeff Horner led Iowa with 16 points while passing out nine assists. Adam Haluska added 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds as did Greg Brunner. The Hawkeyes shot 48% from the field and 62% from the line while the Buckeyes hit less than 40% of their field goals and 59% from the charity stripe. Jamar Butler led Ohio State with 19 points.
Top Players: Brunner (6-7, Sr.) scored 14.2 per game with 9.3 rebounds. Haluska (6-5, Jr.) averaged 13.7 per contest with 4.6 rebounds. Horner (6-3, Sr.) scored 13.6 per game with 4.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
Top Opponents: Won at then #7 Kentucky 67-63 (Nov 21). Lost 68-59 at then #2 Texas (Nov 22). Beat then #21 NC State 45-42 (Nov 30). Split regular season series with Wisconsin . Split regular season series with Illinois. Split regular season series with Minnesota, then beat them 67-57 in Big Ten tourney. Split with Michigan State in regular season before beting them 53-48 in tournament. Beat Indiana twice in regular season. Beat Ohio St 67-62 in regular season before the 67-60 win in the Big Ten Finals.
Streaking: Won last five and 11 of last 14.
RPI: 0.6216 (#14)Leave a comment:
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Kansas (25-7)
Big 12 Conference
How’d they do it? Trailing by one at the half in the Big 12 title tilt, the Jayhawks came on strong in the second half to pop Texas by an 80-68 count. All five KU starters scored in double figures and hit 12 of 26 (46%) as a team from long range. Jayhawk defenders also picked the Longhorns’ collective pockets with 11 steals on the afternoon. Mario Chalmers led Kansas with 15 points while grabbing three rebounds, handing out four assists and coming away with three steals. Kenton Paulino led Texas with 19 points.
Top Players: Brandon Rush (6-6, Fr.) averaged 13.6 PPG with 5.8 rebounds. Mario Chalmers (6-2, Fr.) scored 11.3 per game with 3.9 assists. Russell Robinson (6-1, So.) averaged 8.8 per game with three boards and 4.5 assists. Top seven scorers were either freshmen or sophomores.
Top Opponents: Lost 61-49 to then #8 Arizona (Nov 21). Lost 65-64 to Arkansas (Nov 22). Fell 72-70 to Nevada (Dec 1). Dropped a 70-67 decision to St. Joseph’s (Dec 6). Beat California 69-56 (Dec 10). Beat then #21 Kentucky 73-46 (Jan 7). Won on the road at Texas A&M 83-73 (Jan 25). Beat Nebraska twice in regular season and again in Big 12 semifinals. Beat then #18 Oklahoma (Feb 5). Lost 80-55 at then #7 Texas (Feb 25) before beating Texas in Big 12 Championship.
Streaking: Won last five and 15 of last 16.
RPI: 0.5938 (#35)Leave a comment:
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My picks for the 34 at large bids...ok, I cheated a little with four teams on the Bee Bubble
1. Georgetown
2. Villanova
3. Tennessee
4. Ohio St
5. Texas
6. Illinois
7. LSU
8. Oklahoma
9. Pittsburgh
10 Michigan St.
11 Wisconsin
12 Marquette
13 Washington
14 George Washington
15 Hofstra
16 Arizona
17 West Virginia
18 Boston College
19 Cincinnati
20 Indiana
21 Bradley
22 Kentucky
23 NC State
24 Georgetown
25 Creighton
26 UAB
27 Arkansas
28 Alabama
29 Seton Hall
30 St. Joseph’s
31 Maryland
32 Louisville
33 Michigan
34 Texas A&M/Air Force/Wichita St/George MasonLeave a comment:
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Northwestern State (25-7)
Southland Conference
How’d they do it? The Demons won the right to go to their second NCAA Tournament with a 95-87 win over Sam Houston State in the Southland championship. NW State held a 9-point advantage at halftime but the scrappy Bearcats clawed their way back into it before late free throws won it for the Demons. Clifton Lee scored 22 and grabbed four rebounds to lead Northwestern State who hit 21 of 25 foul shots on the day, well above their season average of 66% that ranked 255th in the nation. Jejuan Plair led Sam Hosuton with 23 points while Ryan Bright grabbed 10 boards.
Top Players: Lee (6-7, Sr.) scored almost 14 a game with 6.5 rebounds. Jermaine Wallace (6-3, Sr.) averaged 9.6 per contest. Tyronn Mitchell added almost eight per game along with 5.0 assists.
Top Opponents: Dropped 81-77 decision to Iowa St (Dec 22). Lost 80-76 to Hawaii (Dec 23). Lost 73-61 at Texas A&M (Dec 31). Split regular season series with Sam Houston, each team winning at home. Fell 66-63 at Utah State (Feb 18)
Streaking: Won last seven and 15 of last 16.
RPI: 0.5641 (#67)Leave a comment:
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Duke (30-3)
Atlantic Coast Conference
How’d they do it? The Blue Devils survived a last second desperation heave by Boston College to win their seventh ACC title in eight years, 78-76. A free throw in the waning seconds by freshman Greg Paulus gave Duke the final margin of victory in a hard-fought battle. Senior JJ Redick scored 26 points and handed out four assists while Sheldon Williams added 18 points and eight rebounds. The Blue Devils shot 50% from the floor, including 9-16 (56%) from long range, but missed 10 of the 29 free throws they were tendered. The Eagles were paced by Louis Hinnant and Craig Smith who scored 20 and 19 points respectively, with Smith also contributing 12 boards and six assists.
Top Players: Redick (6-4, Sr.) averaged 27.4 PPG. Williams (6-9, Sr.) scored 18.4 per game while averaging 10.3 rebounds. Paulus (6-1, Fr.) scored 6.7 per game with 5.2 assists.
Top Opponents: Crushed Seton Hall 93-40 (Nov 16). Beat Davidson 84-55 (Nov 19). Beat then #11 Memphis 70-67 (Nov 25). Won on the road at then #16 Indiana 75-67 (Nov 30). Beat Pennsylvania 72-59 (Dec 7). Won big at then #2 Texas 97-66 (Dec 10). Beat Bucknell 84-50 (Jan 2). Won at then #22 Wake Forest 82-64 (Jan 8). Won both games against Maryland. Split regular season series with North Carolina, each team winning on the other’s home court. Beat then #14 NC State 81-68 (Jan 18). Lost 87-84 at Georgetown (Jan 21). Split season series with Florida St., each team winning at home. Beat Wake Forest 93-70 in regular season and 78-66 in ACC tourney. Won regular season game at then #14 Boston College 83-81 before beating the Eagles in the ACC Finals today.
Streaking: Lost final two regular season games. Won last three ACC Tournament contests and 13 of last 15 overall. Opened season with 17-game win streak.
RPI: 0.6843 (#1)Leave a comment:
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Florida (27-6)
Southeastern Conference
How’d they do it? The Gators came away with the SEC title with a tough 49-47 win over South Carolina. With the score even at 47 and about 10 seconds left, Joakim Noah scored to put Florida ahead then blocked the last shot by the Gamecocks to seal the win. Corey Brewer led Florida with 16 points, adding seven rebounds. Taureen Green shipped in 10 and handed out six assists. The Gators shot 50% from the field and 3-point land, making all four of their free throws on the game. There were on 12 free throws total between the two teams. South Carolina was paced by three players scoring 12 each, with Renaldo Balkman and Terence Kinsey combining for 18 rebounds and six steals.
Top Players: Noah (6-1, So.) scored 14.0 PPG with 6.7 rebounds. Green (6-0, So.) averaged 13.9 per game with nearly five assists. Brewer (6-8, So.) added 12.3 points to go with 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Top Opponents: Beat Albany 83-64 (Nov 10). Won at Wake Forest 77-72 (Nov 17). Beat Syracuse 75-70 (Nov 18). Lost twice to Tennessee in regular season. Beat Vanderbilt both times in regular season. Beat Kentucky both times in regular season. Beat LSU in regular season 71-62 (Feb 11) and 81-65 in SEC Tournament (Mar 11). Lost 85-81 at Arkansas (Feb 18) and beat Arkansas 74-71 in the SEC tournament.
Streaking: Won last five and seven of last 10.
RPI: 0.6019 (#23)Leave a comment:
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Using RPI ratings from the first of the week before conference tournament play started, here's how the 29 teams guaranteed a spot in the NCAA's stack up:
RK . SCHOOL . . . . RPI
01 . Duke . . . . . 6843
02 . Memphis. . . . 6469
03 . Gonzaga. . . . 6286
04 . UCLA . . . . . 6218
05 . Iowa . . . . . 6216
06 . Nevada . . . . 6060
07 . Florida. . . . 6019
08 . So. Illinois . 5978
09 . Kansas . . . . 5938
10 . UNC-Wilmington 5926
11 . Syracuse . . . 5880
12 . Bucknell . . . 5816
13 . UW-Milwaukee . 5740
14 . Kent State . . 5665
15 . San Diego St . 5663
16 . Murray St. . . 5661
17 . NW State . . . 5641
18 . Iona . . . . . 5633
19 . Montana. . . . 5594
20 . Winthrop . . . 5594
21 . So. Alabama. . 5557
22 . Pennsylvania . 5448
23 . Xavier . . . . 5406
24 . Pacific. . . . 5401
25 . Davidson . . . 5392
26 . Belmont. . . . 5287
27 . Albany . . . . 5204
28 . Oral Roberts . 5151
29 . Southern . . . 5094
30 . Monmouth . . . 5016
31 . Hampton. . . . 4044
Leave a comment:
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Nevada (27-5)
Western Athletic Conference
How’d they do it? The Wolf Pack had to go to overtime at home before pulling away for a 70-63 win over Utah State on Saturday in Reno. Nevada was held to just 22 points in the second half by the Aggies before a 15-8 edge in OT put the WAC favorites over the top. The Wolf Pack shot 43% from the floor and hit 20-of-25 free throws compared to just 7-14 foul line shooting for Utah State. Nick Fazekas led the way for Nevada with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Mo Charlo came off the bench with 14 points for the Wolf Pack. Nate Harris was the man for Utah State with 22 points and nine boards.
Top Players: Fazekas (6-11, Jr.) scored 21.8 per game and averaged more than 10 rebounds. Marcelus Kemp (6-5, So.) averaged 14.4 PPG while Charlo (6-7, Sr.) added 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds each match.
Top Opponents: Won on the road at Vermont 77-62 (Nov 23). Won 72-70 at Kansas (Dec 1). Beat Pacific on the road 77-70 (Dec 3). Lost 67-56 at UCLA (Dec 10). Beat Akron 88-61 (Feb 17). Split regular season games with Utah State, each team winning on the road. Won both regular season games against Louisiana Tech. Split season series with Hawaii, each team winning at home.
Streaking: Won last 14 and 17 of last 19.
RPI: 0.6060 (#18)Leave a comment:
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Pacific (24-7)
Big West Conference
How’d they do it? The Tigers earned their 3rd-straight NCAA Tourney with a 78-70 win over Long Beach State in the Big West finals on Saturday in Anaheim. Pacific pounced on the 49ers for a 42-36 lead at half, then shot over 62 in the second half to get the dubya. Christian Maraker’s 23 points and 11 rebounds led the Tigers. Johnny Gray added 21 and dished out five assists. Both players were 3-5 from long range. LB State’s Shawn Hawkins led all scorers with 27 while Mark Dawson grabbed 15 boards for the 49ers.
Top Players: Maraker (6-9, Sr.) scored 17.2 per game and grabbed nearly nine boards. Gray (6-1, Sr.) averaged almost 15 per contest with 3.1 assists. Mike Webb (6-1, Sr.) averaged 10.7 points and 2.4 assists each contest.
Top Opponents: Lost 77-70 at home to Nevada (Dec 3). Lost 72-66 at UTEP (Dec 20). Beat Texas A&M 63-56 (Jan 3). Won both regular season contests against Long Beach State. Split regular season games with UC-Irvine, each winning on their home court. Dropped a 79-68 decision at home to New Mexico State (Feb 18).
Streaking: Won last six and 13 of last 14, the only loss in that span coming to New Mexico St.
RPI: 0.5401 (#100)Leave a comment:
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San Diego St (24-8)
Mountain West Conference
How’d they do it? The Aztecs needed a strong overtime to beat Wyoming 69-64 in the Mtn. West title tilt. Brandon Heath scored 22 and grabbed seven rebounds for SDSU while Marcus Slaughter and Kyle Spain combined for 27 points and 25 boards. The Aztecs shot just 29% overall in the game, but were 7-8 from the line in OT and held a solid 50-39 rebounding edge over the Cowboys. Brandon Ewing led Wyoming with 22 points.
Top Players: Heath (6-4, Jr.) averaged 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Slaughter (6-9, Jr.) added 16.6 PPG with 11 rebounds. Mohamed Abukar (6-10, Jr.) contributed almost 14 points and 4.5 boards each contest.
Top Opponents: Beat Albany 80-53 (Nov 26). Lost 82-64 at California (Dec 6). Split regular season series with both Air Force and BYU, winning both times at home and dropping both road decisions. Beat Wyoming and UNLV twice each in regular season plus one more time each in the Mountain West Tournament.
Streaking: Won last six and 16 of last 18.
RPI: 0.5663 (#61)Leave a comment:
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Syracuse (23-11)
Big East Conference
How’d they do it? The Orange completed their amazing run to the Big East crown with a 65-61 win over Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden Saturday evening. Syracuse built a 34-25 halftime lead, then needed some clutch free throws from Josh Wright in the final 17 seconds to seal the deal. Tourney MVP Gerry McNamara scored 14 and handed out six assists. Darryl Watkins added nine points and 11 rebounds. Syracuse shot 45% from the floor and held the Panthers to a 33% field goal shooting performance.
Top Players: McNamara (6-2, Sr.) averaged 16.4 PPG and 6.0 assists. Demetris Nichols (6-8, Jr.) averaged 13.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Terrence Roberts (6-9, Jr.) contributed 10.6 points and 7.6 boards per game.
Top Opponents: Lost 75-70 at Florida (Nov 18). Lost 74-69 at home to Bucknell (Nov 22). Beat Davidson 90-80 (Dec 18). Split regular season series with Cincinnati , each side winning on the road, before beating them 74-73 in the Big East Tournament opener. Lost both regular season games against UConn, then beat the Huskies 86-84 in Big East tourney. Lost 68-61 to Seton Hall at home (Jan 29). Dropped both regular season matches to Villanova. Fell 80-67 at home to Pitt in regular season game. Lost 68-53 at Georgetown (Feb 25) before beating them 58-57 in Big East semi’s. Suffered brutal 108-69 defeat at DePaul (Mar 2).
Streaking: Dropped final three regular season games, and nine of last 13, before going on 4-game run in the Big East Tournament.
RPI: 0.5880 (#43)Leave a comment:
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Southern (20-12)
Southwestern Athletic Conference
How’d they do it? The Jaguars beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a 57-44 tally, picking up the school’s first SWAC tournament title in the process. Peter Cipriano scored 21 for Southern with an 8-11 game from the field, grabbing nine rebounds in the process. Deforrest Riley-Smith scored seven and came away with 12 boards. Southern shot less than 40% from the field as a team but held a 42-29 edge on the boards with a 13-8 advantage in offensive rebounding.
Top Players: Chris Alexander (6-1, Sr.) scored 15.6 per contest with 3.4 rebounds. Riley-Smith (6-6, Jr.) averaged just under 11 per game with 4.1 rebounds. Cipriano (6-9, Sr.) added 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Top Opponents: Lost 89-56 at Texas in season opener. Dropped 84-56 decision at LSU (Nov 18). Lost 88-44 at Texas A&M (Nov 20). Split home-&-home series with La. Tech early in season. Lost 68-54 at then #9 Oklahoma (Dec 17). Lost 73-56 at Xavier (Dec 29). Won both regular season matches against Ark-Pine Bluff.
Streaking: Won last six, 10 of last 11 and 13 of last 15.
RPI: 0.5094 (#145)Leave a comment:
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Hampton (16-15)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
How’d they do it? The Pirates kept their tournament surge going by beating Delaware St., 60-56, in the MEAC title game. Coming out of the 6th-seed slot of the tourney, Hampton came away with the upset by virtue of their free throw shooting, hitting 16-of-22 (73%) compared to the Hornets’ 12-of-20 (60%). Jaz Cowan led Hampton with 15 points and seven rebounds. Tracey Worley scored 15 for Delaware State.
Top Players: Cowan (6-9, Jr.) averaged 13.2 per game with seven rebounds. Jeff Granger (6-3, Sr.) scored nearly 12 per game with 3.9 rebounds. Bruce Brown (6-11, Sr.) added 10.5 points and 6.4 boards each contest.
Top Opponents: Lost 79-66 at George Mason (Dec 21). Dropped both regular season games to Delaware State.
Streaking: Won last four. Lost six of last seven regular season games.
RPI: 0.4044 (#304)Leave a comment:
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Kent State (25-8)
Mid-American Conference
How’d they do it? The Golden Flashes built an 11-point lead at halftime then held on to beat Toledo by a 71-66 count. Kent State never trailed in the contest though the Rockets did get within three with under half a minute to play. Kevin Warzynski showed off his 6th-man skills by leading the Flashes with 21 points, picking up five rebounds to boot. Both teams hit equally well from the field, 42.9% for Kent State and 40.4% for Toledo. Each school also connected on more than 81% of their free throws, the difference being Kent State getting 11 additional charity chances than Toledo and scoring nine more points from the line.
Top Players: Jay Youngblood (6-5, Sr.) averaged 14.7 PPG and 3.6 rebounds. DeAndre Haynes (6-2, Sr.) scored more than 13 a contest with four assists. Warzynski (6-8, Sr.) added 10.3 per game with 5.1 boards.
Top Opponents: Lost 65-56 to Delaware St in season opener (Nov 21). Fell 58-51 at So. Illinois (Dec 10). Dropped a 78-66 decision at Syracuse (Dec 30). Won on the road against No. Illinois (72-61). Beat Miami (OH) twice in regular season. Beat Butler 80-76 (Feb 18). Split regular season games with both Akron and Toledo.
Streaking: Won last three, nine of last 10 and 19 of last 22. A perfect 23-0 when leading with five minutes left on the clock.
RPI: 0.5665 (#60)Leave a comment:
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UCLA (27-6)
Pac-10 Conference
How’d they do it? The Bruins won their first Pac-10 tournament in nearly 20 years with an easy 71-52 win over California. Four players scored in double figures for UCLA, led by Jordan Farmar’s 19. The Bruins shot over 53% from the field compared to Cal’s less than 40%, with UCLA also hitting on 12-15 from the free throw line and dishing out 16 assists t Cal’s four.
Top Players: Arron Afflalo (6-5, So.) averaged 16.6 PPG with 4.3 rebounds. Farmar (6-2, So.) scored 13.6 per game with over five assists. Josh Shipp contributed 11.3 per game along with 4.8 boards.
Top Opponents: Opened season with wins over New Mexico St, Temple and Delaware St before dropping an 88-80 decision at then-#11 Memphis (Nov 23). Beat Albany 73-65 (Nov 29). Beat then-#22 Nevada 67-56 (Dec 10). Won on the road at Michigan 68-61 (Dec 17). Beat Stanford both regular season games. Beat Arizona twice in regular season and once in Pac-10 tourney. Lost both regular season games to Washington. Split regular season games with Cal. Lost 60-56 at home to West Virginia (Jan 21).
Streaking: Won last seven and 12 of last 14. Only losses in that stretch came in back-to-back road games at Washington and USC by combined six points.
RPI: 0.6218 (#13)Leave a comment:
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Xavier (21-10)
Atlantic 10 Conference
How’d they do it? The Musketeers used a couple of free throws and some tough defense at the very end of the A-10 title game to nip St. Joseph’s by a 62-61 count. The victory gave Xavier its fourth tournament win in four days, the second time they have done such and the first team in NCAA history to do it twice. Justin Doellman scored seven points, including a pair of free throws with under six seconds left, and blocked three shots. Justin Cage scored 19 on the game to lead the Musketeers, hitting 7-of-8 from the floor to help Xavier shoot 50% as a team. St. Joseph’s shot 24-27 from foul stripe, but just 34% from the field. Chet Stachitas led the Hawks with 23 points.
Top Players: Brian Thornton (6-8, Sr.) averaged over 15 PPG with nearly seven rebounds. Stanley Burrell (6-3, So.) scored 14.1 per game with 3.2 assists. Doellman (6-9, Jr.) added 11 points a contest along with nearly seven boards.
Top Opponents: Lost 56-62 at then-#12 Illinois (Dec 3); Lost 61-59 at Creighton (Dec 18); Beat Cincinnati 73-71 (Jan 19); Fell 81-79 at Temple (Jan 25); Lost 89-85 to then-#10 George Washington; Lost both regular season matches to St. Joseph’s.
Streaking: Won last four in tourney after dropping three of final four and eight of last 13 regular season games.
RPI: 0.5406 (#99)Leave a comment:
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Memphis (30-3)
Conference USA
How’d they do it? Even held to their lowest scoring game of the season, Memphis still managed to win their first Conference USA title with room to spare after the Tigers popped UAB, 57-46. Memphis shot just under 34% from the floor but played solid defense and held the Blazers to less than 28% field goal shooting, including a miserable 3-18 from long range. Freshman Shawne Williams tallied 18 for the Tigers to lead all scorers in the game. Joey Dorsey added 10 points along with 12 rebounds. Paul Delaney cae off the bench to score 14 and grab six rebounds to lead UAB.
Top Players: Rodney Carney (6-7, Sr.) averaged 17.8 PPG with 4.3 rebounds; Darius Washington (6-2, So.)scored nearly 14 per game with 3.3 assists; Shawne Williams (6-9, Fr.) contributed 13.3 per contest with 6.3 rebounds.
Top Opponents: Won at Alabama 87-76 (Nov 17); Beat then-#16 UCLA 88-80 (Nov 23); Lost 70-67 at Duke (Nov 25); Won on the road at Cincinnati 91-81 (Dec 3); Beat Gonzaga 83-72 (Dec 27); Lost 69-58 at home to Texas (Jan 2); Beat Tennessee 88-79 (Jan 18); Beat UTEP 66-56 (Feb 22); Split regular season games with UAB, each team winning at home.
Streaking: Won last four and 19 of last 20. Only loss in that stretch was at UAB by 80-74 count on Mar 2nd.
RPI: 0.6469 (#4)Leave a comment:
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Albany (21-10)
America East Conference
How’d they do it? The Great Danes won their way into a 1st-ever NCAA Tourney spot with a solid 80-67 win over Vermont on Saturday. Albany built a comfortable 18-point lead at the half before coasting to the win over the Catamounts who were trying to win their 4th-consecutive conference title. Jamar Wilson pumped in 29 for Albany to lead all scorers in the game, hitting 10 of 18 from the field and going a perfect 8-8 from the line along with grabbing eight rebounds. Lucious Jordan added 18 for the Great Danes; Mike Trimboli led Vermont with 16 points.
Top Players: Jamar Wilson (6-1, Jr.) averaged over 17 per game with 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists; Brent Wilson (6-8, So.) scored 10.7 PPG with 4.5 rebounds.
Top Opponents: Lost 83-64 at Florida (Nov 10); Lost 73-65 at then #17 UCLA (Nov 29); Won both matches with Binghamton; Split regular season series with Vermont, each team winning on their home court.
Streaking: Won last four and 11 of last 13.
RPI: 0.5204 (#128)Leave a comment:
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Bucknell (26-4)
How'd they do it? Perfect in conference play, the Bison won the Patriot League automatic bid in deserving fashion, completing it all with a 74-59 win over Holy Cross (20-12). Kevin Bettencourt poured in 23 for Bucknell to lead all scorers, also handing out four assists. The Bison shot 52% from the floor and almost 86% from the free throw line in the win. Kevin Hamilton led the Crusaders with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Top Players: Chris McNaughton (6-11, Jr.) averaged 12.9 PPG and 4.7 rebounds; Charles Lee (6-3, Sr.) was just behind with 12.8 points a game while leading the club with 6.1 rebounds. Bettencourt also averaged over 12 pr contest with nearly three apiece in boards and assists.
Top Opponents: Won at Syrcause 74-69 (Nov 22); Won at DePaul 57-52 (Dec 3); Lost 79-60 to then #4 Villanova (Dec 6); Beat St. Josephs 63-51 (Dec 21); Fell 84-50 at then #1 Duke (Jan 2); Won both regular season matches with Holy Cross; Lost 65-61 at No.Iowa (Feb 18)
Streaking: Won last five and 17 of last 18. Only loss since they were at Duke on Jan 2nd was at Northern Iowa about three weeks ago.
RPI: 0.5816 (#51)Leave a comment:
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Happy Friday
Morning, ladies
Just checking my own brain matter on this and looking for someone/anyone to correct me if I'm wrong.
My list currently shows 14 teams with auto bids:
Southern Illinois (22-6) Missouri Valley Conference
Davidson (20-10) Southern Conference
Murray State (24-6) Ohio Valley Conference
Winthrop (23-7) Big South Conference
Belmont (20-10) Atlantic Sun Conference
Pennsylvania (19-7) Ivy League
UNC-Wilmington (25-7) Colonial Athletic Conference
Iona (23-7) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Gonzaga (27-3) West Coast Conference
Oral Roberts (21-11) Mid Continent Conference
Univ. of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (21-8) Horizon League
South Alabama (24-6) Sun Belt Conference
Monmouth (18-14) Northeast Conference
Montana (23-6) Big Sky Conference
That leaves 17 plus the SWAC to go, correct?
Big Ten
Big 12
Conference USA
Southeastern Conference
Pac-10
ACC
Big East
Atlantic 10
Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference
Big West
America East
Mid American
Mountain West
Patriot League
Southland
Southern
Western Athletic Conference
(SWAC)
If I'm off somewhere, please don't hesitate to let me know.Leave a comment:
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Most likely they will be in the play-in game.Originally posted by Willie BeeLeave a comment:
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Monmouth (18-14)
Northeast Conference
How’d they do it?: The Hawks used a late layup from guard Chris Kenny to complete a 2nd-half comeback over Farleigh-Dickinson, 49-48. Monmouth trailed by nine at the half, 33-24, and Farleigh-Dickinson’s missed free throws, and overall poor field goal percentage in the second half, caught up with them in the end. Neither school could find the net, with the Hawks hitting just 36.5% to the Knights’ 32.1%. Monmouth’s Marques Alston led all scorers on the evening with 14 points while also grabbing 10 boards.
Top Players: Dejan Delic (6-6, Jr.) averaged 12.1 PPG with 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Alston (6-4, Jr.) added 12 points and 5.3 boards per contest.
Top Opponents: Beat So. Illinois 80-68 (Nov 25); Lost 62-54 at Oral Roberts (Nov 26); Fell 61-45 at Seton Hall (Dec 8); Won 41-21 on the road at Princeton (Dec 14); Split regular season matches against Farleigh-Dickinson, both teams winning on their home courts.
Streaking: Won last three and five of last six. Stood just 1-7 after their first eight games.
RPI: 0.5016 (#157)Leave a comment:
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Montana (23-6)
Big Sky Conference
How’d they do it?: The Grizzlies secured their 2nd-straight NCAA Tournament bid by knocking off Northern Arizona, 73-60. Montana built a 36-25 halftime advantage and were led by freshman Jordan Hasquet’s 20 points and 13 rebounds. Virgil Matthews also came up big with 21 points. The Grizzlies shot 48% from the field and almost 37% from long range, but were just 10-20 from the foul stripe.
Top Players: Andrew Strait (6-8, So.) average 16.7 per game with 6.6 rebounds. Kevin Criswell (6-2, Sr.) contributed 16.5 PPG and Matthews added 10 points, 4.7 boards and 4.0 assists each contest.
Top Opponents: Beat Stanford 88-69 (Dec 2); Lost 78-74 to Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec 30); Beat Oral Roberts 88-74 (Feb 18); Split regular season series with No.Arizona, each winning at home.
Streaking: Won last three and seven of last eight.
RPI: 0.5594 (#72)Leave a comment:
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Lets just hope they dont put Ohio St and Texas in the same region. We dont need them taking each other out, because they very well could beat any of the number ones. It should make things interesting if they get put in different regions.Leave a comment:
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None of them; remember, I'm an AggieOriginally posted by Illusion
I guess just looking at the teams from this list already in, you'd have to like Gonzaga. So. Illinois is another team I was liking earlier, but the way they sort of stumbled, fumbled, farted and fell at the end of the regular season, well, maybe they're getting it back together.
Overall, I really like someone from the Big Ten, and hearing me say 'like' and 'Big Ten' in the same sentence is rare Ohio State and Illinois, I really think one of them will make the Final 4.
And for a little bit of a sleeper, even though they're still top 20 in the latest poll, I'm starting to get a gumby over LSU.Leave a comment:
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Originally posted by Willie Bee
I hate this team!!! They have burned me alot!Leave a comment:
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You crack me up Willie.Originally posted by Willie BeeNot exactly a ringing endorsement, Dan. Maybe I might put some money on someone if I can maybe keep my wife from possibly finding out about the possible bet I might make.
Willie, of the teams in who do you like?Leave a comment:
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Not exactly a ringing endorsement, Dan. Maybe I might put some money on someone if I can maybe keep my wife from possibly finding out about the possible bet I might make.
Leave a comment:
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Oral Roberts could be one of those teams that possably could cause problems for someone.Leave a comment:
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Oral Roberts (21-11)
Mid Continent Conference
How’d they do it?: Trailing Chicago St. 34-33 at half, the Golden Eagles went on a torrid 18-zip run near the start of the second half to win the MCC title, 85-72, and secure their first NCAA tournament berth since the mid-80s. Ken Tutt led all scorers with 25 points while Caleb Green added 15 and 10 boards. ORU shot better than 58% from the field and held a 25-19 rebounding edge over the Cougars who were paced by David Holston’s 21 points.
Top Players: Caleb Green (6-8, Jr.) scored 21 per game with nearly nine rebounds; Ken Tutt (6-1, Jr.) averaged 13.8 per contest; Larry Owens (6-7, Sr.) contributed 12.1 PPG, 7.9 boards and 3.2 assists during the season.
Top Opponents: Lost 73-70 at home to Marquette (Nov 25); Lost at home 88-76 to Missouri St.; Fell 81-73 at then-#15 Oklahoma (Dec 28); Split season series with IUPUI, both teams winning at home.
Streaking: Won last five and 10 of last 12. Had one rough stretch in December losing five of six.
RPI: 0.5151 (#137)Leave a comment:
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Univ. of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (21-8)
Horizon League
How’d they do it?: The Panthers had an easy time in the Horizon League championship, beating Butler by an 87-71 count. Boo Davis scored 18 and grabbed nine rebounds while Adrian Tigert added 14 points, nine boards and five assists for UWM who head to the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. The Panthers shot 51.6% from the field and a strong 90.5% from the line on 19-21 shooting. Brandon Polk scored 27 for Butler to lead all scorers in the game.
Top Players: Joah Tucker (6-5, Sr.) scored 16.5 per game with 6.2 rebounds; Davis averaged just over 16 per contest with 4.8 boards; Tigert contributed 12.9 PPG with 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Panthers.
Top Opponents: Lost 79-52 at Memphis in season opener (Nov 15); Lost 74-68 at then-#24 Wisconsin (Dec 15); Split regular season games with Butler with both teams winning on their home courts; Beat Loyola-Chicago twice in regular season and once in the HL Tournament; Fell 72-63 at home in regular season finale to Missouri State.
Streaking: Won last three and nine of last 13.
RPI: 0.5740 (#58)Leave a comment:
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South Alabama (24-6)
Sun Belt Conference
How’d they do it?: The Jaguars pasted Western Kentucky, 95-70, in the Sun Belt title game, building a 45-26 lead at half and shooting almost 68% from the field. Richard Law came off the bench to score 22 for South Alabama and Demetric Bennett also subbed in with 18 points. Anthony Winchester led Western Kentucky with 18 points but managed to hit just 6 of 21 field goals to epitomize the Hilltoppers’ cold night from the floor (33.8%).
Top Players: Mario Jointer (6-2, Sr.) averaged 13.6 per game with 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists; Law (6-6, Jr.) added 10.7 PPG with 4.4 rebounds; Carlos Smith (6-0, Jr.) shot 42% from 3-point land and handed out 2.9 assists per game.
Top Opponents: Beat Samford 55-52 (Dec 3); Beat Houston 66-62 (Dec 17); Lost 87-69 at Tennessee (Jan 4); Lost 74-73 to Western Kentucky in only regular season meeting (Jan 21).
Streaking: Won last eight and 11 of last 12.
RPI: 0.5549 (#76)Leave a comment:
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