NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.18.14 Edition
Posted by Griffin Wong on March 18th, 2014
March Madness is finally upon us, and we here at RTC are here to make everything a little bit easier for you. From the First Four until One Shining Moment, we’ll be dropping daily tidbits of knowledge regarding the teams in each region.
South Region
- While Michigan State is a trendy pick to win it all, Florida, as the number one overall seed, remains the favorite at 4-1 odds.
- While Colorado coach Tad Boyle always gives his players credit, his players credit their “superstar” coach for this season’s success.
- Pittsburgh has had some tumultuous results in past NCAA Tournaments, but this year they’re looking to change history.
- Though VCU lost in the A-10 Tournament final, they still did well with the viewers at home.
- The NCAA Tournament is their prime focus right now, but UCLA standouts Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, and Zach LaVine all have NBA decisions lurking on the horizon.
- The other Ohio schools have a severe bias against Ohio State. Here is Benjamin Lanka’s plea for Dayton to dethrone the Buckeyes.
- Though a ticket in Buffalo is a tough get with Syracuse coming to town, spectators will be able to watch each team practice this Wednesday.
- Excited about benefiting from extra rest, New Mexico coach Craig Neal and the Lobos are looking to take care of some “unfinished business.“
- Stanford, in the words of coach Johnny Dawkins, are “relieved, but not vindicated” about finally reaching the NCAA Tournament. Even though his job was at stake, Dawkins never mentioned his job security to the team, and simply tried to put on the “blinders” to focus on basketball.
- Against a potentially dangerous Eastern Kentucky team, Kansas coach Bill Self has the Jayhawks focused on defending the three-point line, college basketball’s great equalizer.
West Region
- Arizona is coming into the NCAA Tournament with high expectations, but coach Sean Miller just wants the Wildcats to “focus on what’s in front of them.“
- Did sophomore superstar Marcus Smart’s suspension cost Oklahoma State a better seed? The unfortunate truth is that we’ll never know.
- Even though the Sooners made the Tournament last year, Oklahoma is ready to win at least one game this season. The road begins against a “really good” North Dakota State team.
- For San Diego State leader Xavier Thames, a move from Washington State to SDSU proved to be an opportunity to continue his knack for stepping up in clutch moments. As the Aztecs reach yet another NCAA Tournament, the message of his father rings ever true: “Do not be afraid of the moment.”
- They were dead in the water earlier this season, but could Baylor be the NCAA Tournament’s “most dangerous sleeper?” Brad Evans certainly thinks so.
- Even though Creighton is eyeing a deep run, it isn’t going to overlook its first round opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette. With Elfrid Payton’s 19 points per game, no one in Omaha is taking the Ragin’ Cajuns lightly.
- Even though March Madness is known for upsets and Cinderellas, BYU is getting disrespected with a rematch against Oregon in sight.
- Oregon, unlike BYU, is getting love to win the rematch. However, sophomore Damyean Dotson is calling the Tournament a “new season.”
- Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan is in the NCAAs yet again, but this time his whole coaching tree – including Virginia’s Tony Bennett, North Dakota State’s Saul Phillips, and UW-Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter – is here with him.
East Region
- We all know Virginia was thrilled to grab a #1 seed, but it’s even sweeter in the wake of last year’s NCAA disappointment.
- George Washington has been a pleasant surprise to those who enjoy college hoops in our nation’s capital. However, even in a season where the Colonials overshadowed crosstown rival Georgetown, they were still unable to make the NCAA Tournament official shirt. If you look in the bottom right of the circle, you’ll see the Georgetown “G” rather than GW’s logo. Tough luck.
- Memphis will head to Raleigh to take on GW, but they did not hold a Selection Show get-together to watch their fate. Instead, the Tigers have decided to view the Tournament as a “business” trip.
- Harvard coach Tommy Amaker heavily credits his school’s education for its emergence as a basketball program. As Amaker states in the article, “We talk about the option of Harvard is not a four-year decision, it’s a 40-year decision. We believe in that.” The Crimson looks to improve on last year’s third round result.
- Michigan State has emerged as a national championship contender despite only earning a #4 seed. However, here’s an argument from Jason Lisk of The Big Lead that suggests that the so-called “experts” could be placing too much emphasis on the Spartans’ triumph in the Big Ten tournament.
- How far can North Carolina advance in the East Region? According to Keeping it Heel‘s Zack Pearson, the Heels could finish anywhere from a first round exit to an Elite Eight.
- Providence’s ACC-transfers Carson Desrosiers (Wake Forest) and Tyler Harris (NC State) are looking for some revenge against former conference foe UNC. Though they never beat the Heels in ACC play, they wouldn’t mind winning this one in a Friars uniform.
- Iowa State took down the Big 12 Tournament, but their second round opponent this week is no joke. North Carolina Central has won 20 in a row en route to a MEAC title.
- In such an unforgiving profession, St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli has received the help from his grandchildren to keep him loose before and after games.
- Milwaukee respects Villanova, but knows that the game can be won on the defensive end, particularly outside. Panthers coach Rob Jeter boils it down to a simple question: “Can we match up with Villanova’s quickness on the perimeter?”
Midwest Region
- Wichita State downed Gonzaga in its second game last season, but the Shockers hope to emulate Gonzaga’s status as the premier mid-major program in college basketball.
- It’s been an up and down season, but Kentucky has been quite good when it has played its best. For the Wildcats, success in the postseason will simply come down to which team shows up from night to night.
- Kansas State freshman Wesley Iwundu is excited to face his former AAU teammates Kentucky freshmen Andrew and Aaron Harrison. It will be a family reunion of sorts, as the three played under Aaron Harrison Sr. for the Houston Defenders. In the words of Harrison Sr., “those three are very close, nothing less than brothers.”
- In case you are unsure, USA Today has a comparison between St. Louis center Rob Loe and actor Rob Lowe. Who wins? That’s for you to decide.
- If Xavier wants to get out of the First Four against NC State, Musketeers coach Chris Mack is stressing rebounding and limiting ACC player of the year TJ Warren to just one shot per possession. In other words, Xavier must “rely on its identity.”
- Not only is Louisville impressing everyone with its recent play, but they’re also impressing with their bank account. As college basketball’s most valuable team, the Cardinals are worth $39.5 million. Sounds like the KFC Yum! Center is paying off.
- UMass grabbed a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they’re left with the interesting challenge of having two fewer days to prepare for their opponent. The winner of the First Four game between Iowa and Tennessee will earn the right to take on the Minutemen.
- In the wake of Bruce Pearl’s exit and two straight NIT appearances, Tennessee is thrilled to be back in the Big Dance.
- Duke is notorious for “getting all the calls,” but Coach K is out to debunk those rumors. “It’s like old stuff,” he argues.
- Arizona State has struggled at times this season, but if the Sun Devils can up their intensity, they’ll have a chance to take down Texas. “I think the big thing for them is to go out and play hard,” Sun Devils color commentator Kyle Dodd argues, “When they play with energy, I think they have the talent and the personnel to match up with anybody.” Increased energy, along with super sophomore Jahii Carson, could prove dangerous to ASU’s potential opponents.
- Even the Michigan players admitted that Michigan State may have wanted to win the Big Ten title game more than they did. As senior Jordan Morgan puts it, “they [the Spartans] were more aggressive and more physical all game long, all night long.” While the Wolverines are disappointed, Big Ten player of the year Nik Stauskas isn’t discouraged. “We’d rather lose now than have our season end in the Tournament,” Stauskas said.
Go Gators! I’ll have to cheer on the home team. They’ve trained incredibly hard this year and their preparation has gotten them the number 1 seed. Hopefully they can run the tourney and find a championship!