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NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.16.2011

Throughout the NCAA Tournament, we’ll be providing you with the daily chatter from around the webosphere relating to what’s going on with the teams still playing.

West

  • Word came last night that Kyrie Irving will be available for Duke, but how big a difference can he make for a team already at a one-seed?
  • According to a study conducted by BracketScience.com, Michigan head coach John Beilein is the second-best coach at outperforming his seed.
  • Missouri is ninth in the nation in scoring, but it’s mostly due to Mike Anderson‘s uptempo style rather than smooth shooting.
  • A survivor mentality is crucial for Memphis, who fell under the radar during a roller coaster season.
  • Bucknell senior GW Boon, a Kansas fan when the Bison shocked the Jayhawks in 2005, changed allegiances when the coaching staff came knocking shortly after.
  • It’s taken a few years, but Mick Cronin finally has Cincinnati on the upswing.

Southwest

  • An apt nickname for the UNLV-Illinois matchup game might be “The Lon Kruger Bowl.”
  • Old Dominion is one of this season’s Cinderella candidates, behind big man Frank Hassell.
  • A veteran lineup is expected to get plenty of mileage for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
  • It’s already been an up-and-down week for Purdue, and they haven’t even played a tournament game yet. After JaJuan Johnson was named an All-American, Kelsey Barlow was suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
  • Off the court, Utah State is one of just seven schools in the NCAA Tournament with perfect graduation rates.
  • Richmond coach Chris Mooney has been poring over Vanderbilt film and has a good idea of what the Commodores will try to do Thursday.

Southeast

  • UNC-Asheville opened the NCAA Tournament with an overtime win over Arkansas-Little Rock. The Bulldogs now have a matchup with Pittsburgh.
  • Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo expects a huge breakout performance from Durrell Summers.
  • Florida is looking to maintain staying power at the forefront of college basketball.
  • The remarkable success of St. John’s can be attributed to head coach Steve Lavin and his tremendous staff.
  • Kansas State star guard Jacob Pullen is hoping to star again on the tournament stage.

East

  • They say defense wins championships, so Ohio State head coach Thad Matta is stressing defense leading up to the tournament. Luckily for him, the Buckeyes possess defensive stalwart David Lighty.
  • In an era where coaches have been known for going fancy, give credit to West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins for sticking to his signature look.
  • Xavier head coach Chris Mack produced a couple tweets that were highly critical of analyst Kenny Smith, one of a handful of personalities making the move from NBA commentary to breaking down the NCAA’s.
  • Syracuse used great interior defense to recover from a midseason swoon.
  • Georgia head coach Mark Fox believes that if his team can get over the awe of playing in the NCAA Tournament, it should be a tough out.
Brian Goodman (987 Posts)

Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.


Brian Goodman: Brian Goodman a Big 12 microsite writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BSGoodman.