Tag: March Madness (Page 21 of 24)

      Couch Potato Alert: 3/13

      March 13, 2009 /

      Last night, you got a taste of madness…March Madness, as Connecticut/Syracuse played a 6-OT historic Big East quarterfinal game that seemed like it would never end. The player’s performances in this contest sum up why we love this time of the year in college basketball. You watch teams that will fight tooth and nail just to compete for another day. Neither team will receive a special trophy for last night’s game. No, Syracuse gets the opportunity to play West Virginia in a semifinal matchup this evening. Enjoy your hoop du jour.

      All times ET…

      NBA
      Friday, 7:30 PM: Indiana Pacers @Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
      Saturday, 9 PM: Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets (NBA TV)
      Sunday, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
      Sunday, 9 PM: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors (NBA TV)

      NHL
      Saturday, 3 PM: Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins (CBC)
      Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers@ New York Rangers (NBC)

      College Basketball
      Friday, 7 PM: #13 Villanova vs. #5 Louisville (ESPN)
      Friday, 7 PM: Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest (ESPN2)
      Friday, 9 PM: #23 Arizona State vs. #20 Washington (Fox Sports Net)
      Friday, 9:30 PM: Boston College vs. #8 Duke (ESPN2)
      Friday, 9:30 PM: #7 West Virginia vs. #20 Syracuse (ESPN)
      Friday, 11:30 PM: USC vs. #14 UCLA (Fox Sports Net)
      Saturday, 1:30 PM & 4 PM: ACC Semifinals (ESPN)
      Saturday, 1 PM & 3:15 PM: SEC Semifinals (ESPN2)
      Saturday, 1:40 PM & 4 PM: Big-10 Semifinals (CBS)
      Saturday, 6 PM: Pac-10 Final (CBS)
      Saturday, 6 PM: Big 12 Final (ESPN)
      Saturday, 9 PM: Big East Final (ESPN)
      Sunday, 1 PM: ACC Final (ESPN)
      Sunday, 1 PM: SEC Final (CBS)
      Sunday, 3:30 PM: Big-10 Final (CBS)
      Sunday, 6 PM: NCAA Tournament Selection Show (CBS)

      World Baseball Classic
      Saturday, 8 PM: Puerto Rico vs. United States from Miami, FL. (MLB Network)

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, March Madness, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

      Blogging Championship Week: Thursday

      March 12, 2009 /

      Bookmark this page and check back periodically for my thoughts as I watch the scores roll in on Thursday. There are at least 10 bubble teams in action today, starting with Providence/Louisville in the Big East quarterfinals.

      1:32 AM:       I’m going to hit the hay. I’ll be back tomorrow at 12 PM ET to start this all again. New Mexico is currently down seven to Wyoming with two minutes to play, so their bubble might be bursting tonight. It was a great day of basketball capped by one of the best games I’ve ever seen.

      1:25 AM: The Orangemen finally prevailed, 127-117 (6 OT). Syracuse plays a ton of zone and I think that gave them an advantage in a game of this length. When you’re playing man to man, you have to go from side to side (of the half court) to cover your guy. When you’re in a zone, you just cover an area, so there’s less running involved. Over the course of a regular 40-minute game, it doesn’t make that much of a difference, but if you give a player the choice of playing 70 minutes of man-to-man or 70 minutes of zone, they’ll pick zone. Zone simply requires less effort, and I think the Orangemen had more in the tank at the end. I’m exhausted and I didn’t play a minute. What a great game…

      1:07 AM: This is insane. This UConn/Syracuse game just went to a 6TH OVERTIME! Forget about the winner having any gas left in the tank for tomorrow night. Hell, they might not even show up to play.

      12:57 AM: Bill Rafferty with the line of the night, “These guys are so tired they’re going to need cabs to get to the other end of the court.” A.J. Price has been great in the last two OTs.

      12:47 AM: Wow, what a game in New York. UConn and Syracuse are in a 5TH OVERTIME. My TiVo ran out of space at the end of the second overtime, so I checked the internet to see who won and I saw that the game was still going on. So I flipped it on and watched the 4th OT. Hasheem Thabeet just fouled out, but Syracuse couldn’t finish at the rim with time winding down. Five more minutes.

      11:06 PM:       USC just beat Cal in a tight one, so the Trojans are still alive for an NCAA berth. Mizzou is controlling its game against Texas Tech as is Boston College in its game versus Virginia. UConn and Syracuse are battling with about nine minutes left on ESPN. The Huskies are up two and probably need the win if they hope to secure a #1 seed next week.

      10:00 PM: USC is beating Cal by 15 at halftime. The Trojans are a team that could play their way into a bid with a few wins in the Pac-10 tourney. Their RPI (61) and SOS (27) aren’t bad, but they’re 0-4 against Top 25 RPI teams.

      9:17 PM: Down goes Pitt! Down goes Oklahoma! The Panthers lost to a very good West Virginia team that was helped by DeJuan Blair’s foul trouble. Watch out for the Mountaineers in the tourney. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State nipped Oklahoma in a great game, which means that the top two seeds in the Big 12 tourney have been knocked out (and Missouri has yet to play). OSU was already in, but now the door is open for a team like Baylor or Texas Tech to get a bid by winning the tourney. The other three teams still alive – OSU, Mizzou and Texas — are already in. In the ACC, Maryland beat NC State to keep the Terps’ slim NCAA hopes alive. They really need to win another game or two to have a legit shot.

      Continue reading »

      College Basketball, Fantasy Football, March Madness, Television

      Couch Potato Alert: 3/12

      March 11, 2009 /

      No fewer than ten bubble teams will be in action on Thursday. If any of these teams lose, they’re looking at the NIT, so these are virtual playoff games. Also, don’t forget the NBA doubleheader on TNT — Lakers/Spurs at 8 PM and Cavs/Suns at 10:30 PM.

      All times ET.

      12 PM: Providence vs. #5 Louisville (ESPN)
      The Friars are on the hot seat and really need a win against Louisville to earn a spot in the tourney. A loss probably knocks them out.

      12 PM: Northwestern vs. Minnesota (Big Ten Network)
      The Gophers are on the bubble and they need a win against the feisty Wildcats. If they lose, they’ll really be squirming on Selection Sunday.

      12 PM: Virginia Tech vs. Miami (ESPN 360)
      Both teams are on the bubble, and the winner probably needs to beat North Carolina in the next round.

      2:30 PM: #21 Marquette vs. #13 Villanova (ESPN)
      This game will have an effect on the seeding for the Big Dance.

      2:30 PM: Iowa vs. Michigan (ESPN2)
      The Wolverines can’t lose to the Hawkeyes and expect to get an NCAA berth.

      3 PM: Arizona vs. #23 Arizona St. (FSN)
      I think this is the game of the day. The Sun Devils can probably end their arch-rival’s season if they can hang a loss on the Wildcats.

      3 PM: Texas vs. Kansas St. (ESPN360)
      The Wildcats really need a win against Texas to get back into the conversation.

      5 PM: Penn St. vs. Indiana (ESPN)
      This is pretty much a must-win game for the Nittany Lions.

      7 PM: Maryland vs. N.C. State (ESPN2)
      The Terps need to make a run in the ACC tourney to get a look from the committee.

      7 PM: West Virginia vs. #2 Pittsburgh (ESPN)
      The Mountaineers are safely in, but could improve their seeding with a win over Pitt. Meanwhile, the Panthers need to win to secure a #1 seed.

      9 PM: USC vs. Cal (FSN)
      The Golden Bears are already in, but they can end the Trojans’ season with a win. USC needs to make a run and a win over Cal would really help.

      9:30 PM: #20 Syracuse vs. #4 UConn (ESPN)
      If the Huskies want a #1 seed, they’re going to have to beat the Orangemen and (probably) make the Big East Championship final.

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, March Madness, NBA, Television

      Cleveland State upsets #17 Butler, gobbles up an at-large bid

      March 11, 2009 /

      Tuesday brought some bad news for the bubble teams — 17th-ranked Butler lost in the Horizon League final, 57-54, and since Butler is getting in regardless, there is one fewer at-large bid to be had.

      This makes things tougher for bubble teams like South Carolina, Penn State, Arizona, San Diego State, Creighton, Saint Mary’s, Florida and Miami — Joe Lunardi’s “Last Four In” and “First Four Out.”

      College Basketball, March Madness

      North Dakota State is going to the Dance

      March 10, 2009 /

      In their first year of Division I eligibility, the North Dakota State Bison (26-6) won the Summit League Championship, 66-64, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. NDSU trailed for much of the game, and was down by 12 with 9:05 to play before going on an 18-4 run, capped by Ben Woodside’s leaning jumper with just three seconds remaining. That gave the Bison the lead for good.

      Why am I blogging about the Summit League Championship? Well, two reasons: a) it was an exciting game that deserves attention, and b) I played college ball with the NDSU coach, Saul Phillips. Saul is the kind of guy that had “future coach” written all over him even then. He was an assistant under Bo Ryan at UW-Milwaukee for two years and was an assistant at NDSU for three seasons before getting the head job in 2007. He’s a great guy and clearly a very good coach.

      When the two teams played in early January, Oakland hung a loss on the Bison. NDSU was 8-5 at that point, so they have rattled off 18 wins in the 19 games since. Transitioning to the D1 level is tough, and Phillips has handled it well. With the job he’s done at NDSU, he’s a rising star in the coaching world.

      Go Bison!

      College Basketball, March Madness

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