NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.22.13 Edition

Posted by WCarey on March 22nd, 2013

RTC_final4_atlanta

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.

Midwest Region

  • After easily dispatching North Carolina A&T in its Round of 64 game Thursday evening, Louisville coach Rick Pitino knows that his team must move on quickly to get ready for its Round of 32 matchup with Colorado State on Saturday.
  • Prior to Thursday’s win over Missouri, Colorado State had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1989. The Rams embarrassed the Tigers on the rebounding glass (42-19) and both coach Larry Eustachy and his players used losing experience from last year’s event to help drive them to victory.
  • Some harsh words from CBSSports.com’s Gregg Doyel on Missouri‘s lackluster performance in its loss to Colorado State on Thursday, “Missouri doesn’t play defense so much as it plays possum, laying there on the floor until it can get the ball back and go do what it likes to do, which is shoot.”
  • Oregon put together an impressive performance in its upset victory over Oklahoma State on Thursday. The Ducks are looking for their strong play to continue when they face fourth-seeded Saint Louis on Saturday.
  • Oklahoma State freshman standout Marcus Smart struggled a bit in Thursday’s loss to Oregon – shot just 5-of-13 from the field and committed five turnovers – but that did not stop him from making a strong impression on Oregon coach Dana Altman.
  • Saint Louis forward Cory Remekun missed a dunk near the end of the first half in Thursday’s victory, but that did not phase the senior as he went on to finish the afternoon with a solid 11 points and six rebounds.
  • Michigan State big man Derrick Nix has had his fair share of struggles during his time in East Lansing – academic and obedience issues as a sophomore and an arrest for impaired driving and marijuana possession last spring – but instead of dumping Nix from the program, Tom Izzo gave him a second chance that is now paying off for the Spartans.
  • Creighton star junior Doug McDermott has yet to decide if he will return to school next season. It is possible that his decision has been made even more complicated due to the fact that the Blue Jays will begin play in the Big East next season.
  • Cincinnati seriously struggled offensively at some points during the regular season. Bearcats leading-scorer Sean Kilpatrick is hoping that a better flow offensively will lead to more open shots and more scoring.
  • Duke assistant coach Chris Collins has been mentioned as a top candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Northwestern. On Thursday, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made very supportive comments in endorsing Collins (and the rest of his staff) for potential openings.

West Region

  • Gonzaga survived a serious scare from 16-seed Southern on Thursday. After the game, Bulldogs coach Mark Few says the team shouldn’t let the close call affect its play for the remainder of its run in the tournament.
  • Southern put forth a spirited effort in its attempt to pull a historic upset over Gonzaga. While the upset bid fell short, it was the relentless defense of the Jaguars that helped give them a chance.
  • Sports can certainly be cruel sometimes. This video shows Pittsburgh senior point guard Tray Woodall breaking down following the Panthers’ loss to Wichita State on Thursday. In his last collegiate game, Woodall turned in one of the worst performances of his career – just two points on 1-of-12 shooting.
  • Wichita State got past Pittsburgh by playing tenacious defense, but the offensive effort from Shockers forward Cleanthony Early provided the team with the necessary spark on the offensive end of the court.
  • Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan got a little testy Thursday when he was asked about the Badgers’ “plodding” or “boring” style of offense.
  • Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy is not worried about his team’s preparedness as it makes his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2002.
  • When Kansas State watched La Salle top Boise State on Wednesday night, the Wildcats were intrigued with the Explorers’ style of play because it reminded them of themselves.
  • Arizona doubters are quick to dismiss the strong bond that exists between Arizona point guard Mark Lyons and Wildcats coach Sean Miller, but it is that bond that has helped both flourish at certain times over the season.
  • Former Harvard star guard Jeremy Lin took to Twitter to share his genuine excitement regarding the Crimson’s improbable upset victory over New Mexico on Thursday night.
  • Notre Dame guard Pat Connaughton is also a member of the Irish baseball team and this has resulted him in having to find a way to balance the two sports in the most effective way as possible.

South Region

East Region

WCarey (318 Posts)


Share this story

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *