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

• Florida coach Billy Donovan and UCLA coach Steve Alford had a couple NCAA Tournament battles in the 90s, and they’ll meet again on Thursday.
• “Complete the Climb” is Florida’s motto as it looks to win its first national championship since they repeated in 2007. The Gators have reached three straight Elite Eights, but have been unable to “reach the summit” in all three opportunities.
• Florida big man Will Yeguete is the type of player every really good team has on the roster. He doesn’t necessarily fill up the box score or make flashy plays, but he’s what coach Billy Donovan calls a “dirty work guy.”
• The Gators present a recent adversary for UCLA. The Bruins have lost to Florida in three out of the last eight NCAA Tournaments, but the Bruains feel it’s time to get over the hump.
• UCLA guard Jordan Adams likes to keep things simple. One of the ways he does so is not letting his mind take control of him, even in big moments . “I don’t believe in pressure,” he says.
• After leading Dayton to a Sweet Sixteen, coach Archie Miller landed an extension that will keep him as head coach of the Flyers until 2019.
• The city of Dayton already hosts play-in games every year, so the university hopes that the Flyers’ success can put Dayton basketball even more on the map.
• The emergence of Stanford junior Stefan Nastic has done wonders for the Cardinal, giving it a legitimate post presence inside.
• Behind leading scorer Chasson Randle, the Cardinal is proving that it “belongs” among the Sweet Sixteen.
• Stanford may be an afterthought to advance out of the South Region, but head coach Johnny Dawkins is maintaining high hopes. “I think we all have a chance to compete for a national championship,” Dawkins said. “We have to believe that.”

West Region

• Arizona already defeated San Diego State this season, but this time, the Wildcats will have to prevent the Aztecs from making history. The Aztecs have never made an Elite Eight.
• Arizona’s leading scorer Nick Johnson was named a Naismith Player of the Year Finalist over the weekend.
• San Diego State has suffered a tough loss to Arizona in each of the past two regular seasons. They still hurt, but the Aztecs will at least have an idea of what to expect on Thursday evening.
• Looking to gain an advantage against an Arizona team that defeated the Aztecs in November, Aztecs coach Steve Fisher is “hiding a secret weapon” to unleash on Thursday.
• San Diego State junior Dwayne Polee II didn’t even register a minute in the Aztecs’ meeting with Arizona in November, but Polee has since worked his way into the rotation and has proved to be a big contributor to the Aztecs.
• Baylor was dead set for the NIT after starting 2-8 in Big 12 play, but the Bears finally “connected the dots” and now find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen.
• Read why Rick Gosselin thinks Baylor can make a Final Four run.
• Offensively, Wisconsin is trying to figure out how to score against Baylor’s long, athletic 1-3-1 zone.
• Wisconsin knows it has an athletic Baylor team ahead of it, but the Badgers hope to overcome that through their toughness. As forward Nigel Hayes notes, “Especially here, at Wisconsin, they pride themselves on being tougher than the opponent.”
• The Badgers know how dangerous Baylor is, so coach Bo Ryan has his team figuring out how to attack the more “skilled, athletic squad.”

East Region

• Though Michigan State came in as a trendy pick to go the distance, does Virginia have the team to cut down the Spartans?
• Virginia senior Joe Harris is the Cavaliers’ do-it-all offensive guy, and he’s doing even more off the court with his #SWOON movement.
• Virginia is hoping, per usual, to “grind it out” against #4 seed but favored Michigan State.
• Is Michigan State still the team to beat in the NCAA Tournament? The Spartans struggled, particularly with turnovers, in their win over #12 Harvard this past weekend.
• Michigan State senior Adreian Payne holds a special friend dear to him, eight-year old cancer patient, Lacey Holsworth. Princess Lacey and Payne have been with each other for some pretty big moments since they met two years ago. “She walked onto the court with him during senior night; he attended a fundraising party for her; and after Michigan State won the Big Ten Tournament, she helped Payne cut down the net.”
• Former Iowa State guard Chris Babb was thrilled to see his former teammates reach the Sweet Sixteen this past weekend. Coach Fred Hoiberg’s first transfer, Babb, helped lay a “foundation” for the Cyclones’ success this season.
• Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is doing wonders at his alma mater, but could he be “the biggest star of the NCAA Tournament?” Not just his coaching, but his dance moves may also point to yes.
• The Cyclones survived North Carolina without Georges Niang, and Iowa State believes it can pick up the slack and win without him.
• UConn guard Ryan Boatright suffered a tragedy when his cousin died in January, but he has done his best to not let it affect his play. Boatright powered through as he helped the Huskies to the Sweet Sixteen this past weekend.
• You wouldn’t necessarily believe it because of their program’s history of success, but UConn’s Sweet Sixteen appearance is a “big deal.”

Midwest Region

• Kentucky stayed true to its “preseason promise,” as it continues its to inch closer to a Final Four berth.
• The highly touted freshmen haven’t fared very well in this year’s NCAA Tournament.That is, except for Kentucky’s.
• Friday will be a Sweet Sixteen match-up for the ages when arguably “the best rivalry in college basketball,” Kentucky and Louisville, hits the floor in Indianapolis.
• Louisville guard Russ Smith has had to shoulder much of the load as the Cardinals have looked more vulnerable during the postseason. It’s going to be tough, but if Smith can continue to play at a high level, he may just lead the Cardinals to their second straight title.
• Louisville has the experience and the higher seed, but Kentucky already has a win over the Cardinals and is currently playing its best basketball. Either way, it’s going to be a dogfight.
• Everyone knew Florida was good and Kentucky had a chance, but shockingly, Tennessee is the team that is keeping the SEC undefeated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
• Tennessee senior bigs Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon have Michigan and its thin frontcourt “wary” going into Friday.
  
• To Michigan coach John Beilein, Tennessee presents a “difficult match-up” for the Wolverines. Without Mitch McGary, the Wolverines could struggle against the Volunteers’ front line, particularly on the boards, where Tennessee excels.
• Nik Stauskas is one of the best shooters in the country, but check out what Michigan coach John Beilein had the Big Ten Player of the Year do at practice yesterday.
• Michigan’s Beilein is reeling in the cash right now as his team continues to advance through the postseason.

Griffin Wong (51 Posts)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 at 12:01 pm by Griffin Wong and is filed under 2014 ncaa tournament, tidbits. Tagged: feature, ncaa tournament, Tidbits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.