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.
Midwest Region
- The obvious front-page story going into the 2015 NCAA Tournament is whether Kentucky can complete its pursuit of perfection. A perfect season would be the first since Bob Knight’s 1976 Indiana team. In a way, the two quests aren’t so different.
- For a team that lost several leaders from 2014 and coach Mick Cronin to medical issues in late December, Cincinnati has shown incredible “perseverance” this season.
- Purdue will end a two-year drought from the NCAA Tournament this week when it takes on Cincinnati. Here are 10 moments that brought the Boilermakers back to the Big Dance, courtesy of the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
- There’s no better place for West Virginia senior Juwan Staten to end his career than in his home state of Ohio. The Mountaineers will take on Buffalo Friday in Columbus.
- Apparently former Duke standout and current Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley has some moves off the court too. The Bulls appear to be a popular #5-#12 upset pick, and if they can pull it off, who knows what moves Hurley will bring out next?
- Maryland felt like it was snubbed by the Selection Committee not only in that it was given a #4 seed rather than a #3 seed, but also in that it was placed into Kentucky’s region. However, according to the numbers guys, the Terps were actually overrated and seeded higher than their ability.
- Texas has a tough road ahead, but considering it got into the NCAA Tournament and avoided the First Four, can the Longhorns really complain?
- Texas barely squeaked into the tournament, but Butler has reason to be concerned about the Longhorns’ significant size advantage. Texas appears healthy, and has four guys over 6’8” in its front line rotation.
- As two competitive programs that occupy the same state, why don’t Kansas and Wichita State have a heated rivalry?
- Notre Dame hasn’t had recent Tourney success, but this year’s team is looking to change that. “We still want to rewrite history here at Notre Dame,” senior leader Jerian Grant remarked.
West Region
- Wisconsin’s sophomore point guard Bronson Koenig been vocal both on and off the court this year. Identifying as Native American, Koenig has been vocal in his support for Change the Mascot, a campaign dedicated to forcing the Washington Redskins to change their name.
- Another Arizona/Wisconsin rematch? Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne is all for it. “That’s great for college basketball, that’s great for the Arizona Wildcats,” he noted.
- He has his team in the Tournament for the third year in a row, but that’s not what Oregon coach Dana Altman is getting recognized for. Altman was named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award. Congrats Coach!
- With a front line power combo of Michael Qualls and Bobby Portis, Arkansas hopes to make the most out of its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2008.
- North Carolina has been up and down all season, but landed a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Check out some “Burning Questions” that every Tar Heels fan is asking right now.
- Harvard is in the Tournament again, but this year’s team is different. With a game against a fast, athletic North Carolina team coming up, the Crimson will have to win in different ways. “We haven’t scored as well this year as we have in the past, our personnel is a little different,” [Coach Tommy] Amaker said. “So we’ve had to rely a little bit more on our defense.”
- Arguably one of the best mid-major players in the country, BYU’s Tyler Haws will finally have the chance to show the country what he can do. In Haws, “you’ll find a player who has mastered the lost art of the mid-range game.”
- VCU may not have the same kind of bulletin board material it had during it’s 2011 Final Four run, but it should have plenty, as many have the Rams as underdogs to #10 seed Ohio State.
- D’Angelo Russell is all but gone to the NBA as soon as Ohio State’s season ends, but for now, the standout freshman is still racking up NCAA accolades. Russell was just named a First Team All-American by the USBWA.
- Baylor looks like a strong favorite to advance past Georgia State, but coach Scott Drew has some flattering things to say about the Panthers.
East Region
- Though Villanova has relied on several different options to contribute on any given night, fifth year senior JayVaughn Pinkston is clearly the team leader. As his final days as a Wildcat wind down, he can only hope to make his mark in the coming weeks.
- Lafayette is coming into its game against #1 seed Villanova as a big underdog, but the Wildcats are not looking ahead, particularly with respect to Philly guard Nick Lindner. “He [Lindner] put some numbers on us the last time we played,” [Villanova coach Jay] Wright added. “He’s going to be tough to handle.”
- LSU and NC State share several ties between their respective programs. Among others, LSU coach Johnny Jones was an assistant under NC State coach Mark Gottfried at Alabama; NC State guard Ralston Turner transferred from LSU; and LSU guard Keith Horsnby played against the Wolfpack when he was at UNC-Asheville. Despite these ties, the two programs have never faced each other on the hardwood.
- Northern Iowa has a tough task against #12 seed Wyoming. Ironically, the Cowboys’ best player, Larry Nance Jr,. may seem familiar, as he plays a similar style to UNI All-American Seth Tuttle.
- This may be Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt‘s first time in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, but he knows how to win in March. Shyatt was an assistant on Florida’s back-to-back National Championship teams in 2006 and 2007.
- UC Irvine may have finals to worry about this week, but do the Anteaters have a better chance to upset Louisville than most think?
- Dayton may have a home game on Wednesday night, but did the Flyers get snubbed by having to play in the First Four? Based on their resumé, some would probably say that they did.
- Australian brothers Sam and Mike Rowley haven’t always been close, but coming to America to play basketball at Albany has surely helped their relationship. Though the brothers fought a lot growing up, they’ve taken on a mature relationship as they’ve entered college.
- Michigan State may have been underseeded by the Selection Committee, but the Spartans are still a “trendy” pick to make noise in March. With a struggling Virginia squad and coach Tom Izzo’s history of March success, would you bet against them?
- According to Virginia blog Streaking the Lawn, though many saw it coming, the ‘Hoos failing to receive a #1 seed in this year’s Tournament was “historic.”
South Region
- Duke grabbed a (perhaps controversial) #1 seed, but it was also the 30 For 30 “I Hate Christian Laettner” that caught some eyes on Sunday. In fact, the documentary prompted Laettner to apologize to Aminu Timberlake for stomping on his chest during the 1992 Regional Final.
- San Diego State admittedly doesn’t know which St. John’s team it will get this week. The Red Storm are volatile, so the Aztecs need to be ready for anything. According to SDSU associate head coach Brian Dutcher, “I don’t think you’re ever going to be safe, and I don’t think you’re ever going to be out of it.”
- St. John’s and San Diego State could not be more differently constructed teams. The Red Storm plays a four-guard offense while the Aztecs play just one or two. Though, at first glance, the Red Storm seem to have a tough matchup, exploiting the Aztecs’ lack of quickness could be the recipe for a victory.
- Though it upset VCU in wild fashion last year, Stephen F. Austin is still looking for more heading into the Tourney this season. “We’re not content to win our conference,” senior forward Jacob Parker said. “The whole goal isn’t just to get to the Tournament but win a game. Me and Thomas, we came in the same year, and we wanted to put SFA on the map and let everyone know where Nacogdoches is.”
- With a history of early March exits and essentially a road game against Eastern Washington, will Georgetown go down in the second round? EWU guard Tyler Harvey, the nation’s leading scorer, could certainly play a part in that.
- What’s the best perk of SMU getting to play in the Big Dance? It may not be a consensus, but a personal visit from George W. Bush could be tough to beat.
- Many gawked at UCLA‘s inclusion into the field of 68, citing better ratings and respecting Blue Blood status as possible rationales. However, Jeff Eisenberg is here to tell you that it there was no ulterior motive.
- Here’s a funny little Twitter exchange between Iowa, Davidson and even the Golden State Warriors.
- Davidson coach Bob McKillop is offering some words of wisdom as he leads his Wildcats to yet another NCAA Tournament berth. McKillop: “Our quest is to win, but we have a greater quest for excellence. That needs to be the message that our guys live this week. It’s not a quest to win, it’s a quest to become excellent.”
- With both Gonzaga and Eastern Washington in the NCAA Tournament, the Spokane area has bragging rights over Seattle for the time being.