NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.14.12 Edition

Posted by Brian Goodman on March 14th, 2012

The NCAA Tournament is here and there’s more news, commentary and analysis than any of us can possibly keep up with. To make things a little easier, we’ll bring you a list of daily links gathered about teams in each of the four regions all the way through the Final Four.

South

Midwest

  • The Creighton Bluejays aren’t bothered by Alabama‘s defensive prowess going into their opening round matchup. Creighton has pulled off wins against athletic teams in Long Beach State, Wichita State and San Diego State, but in an elimination setting, the margin of error becomes thinner.
  • Kansas forward Thomas Robinson responded to some early smack talk from Detroit‘s Eli Holman prior to the team’s departure for Omaha. Holman was probably doing his best to keep confidence high, but likely generated some bulletin board material in doing so.
  • The gradual recovery of Temple‘s Michael Eric from an early-season injury could make the Owls a threat.
  • Ohio head coach John Groce has the Bobcats playing an uptempo style, which could be just the trick to upset Michigan in the opening round. Over the last few days, the Bobcats have become a popular upset pick and Groce comes from the coaching tree of Michigan’s biggest rival, Ohio State.
  • The matchup between NC State and San Diego State pits two teams on the rise. In the Friday morning matchup, the Aztecs will try to overwhelm the Wolfpack with quickness, while the strength of Mark Gottfried‘s team is its size.

East

  • By now, the development of Fab Melo‘s recent ineligibility is old news, but how will the Orange respond? Perhaps by taking on the look of high-octane teams like Marquette and Missouri, according to Rob Dauster.
  • Montana head coach Wayne Tinkle took home Big Sky Coach Of The Year Honors, but right now, his attention is turned toward stopping Wisconsin.
  • Matt Reynolds, UNC Asheville‘s director of basketball operations, got his start as a student manager with Syracuse. The branches of the NCAA coaching fraternity are wide-reaching, but they include support staff as well.
  • The transformation of Cincinnati is one of the most compelling stories in Bracketville as tipoff nears. The turning point, according to many, was the embarrassing brawl at the Crosstown Shootout, but how did they get here from there?
  • Leonard Hamilton‘s calling card with Florida State is an effective brand of defense. The ‘Noles advanced all the way to the Elite Eight last season without a potent offensive attack and stand a decent chance of returning if they can continue to put a lid on the basket.
  • Southern Mississippi‘s leading scorer, Neil Watsonsits down for an interview discussing his team’s upcoming battle with Kansas State.

West

Brian Goodman (987 Posts)

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


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