2012 ncaa tournament – Rush The Court

On Boeheim Scheduling: Do Tough November Games Pay Dividends in March?

Will Tucker — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:16:47 +0000

Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse team has looked like the most complete in the country at points in its dominant 7-0 start this season. But tough road tests at Arkansas and against ranked San Diego State notwithstanding, their generally lackluster non-conference schedule (ranked #69 nationally thus far, according to StatSheet) exposes the Orange to the perennial “paper tiger” treatment their fans have come to expect. In his press conference after a shellacking of Long Beach State on Tuesday, Jim Boeheim argued unequivocally that scheduling difficult opponents in the first month of the season does not help a team prepare for the NCAA [...]

NCAA Tournament Final Tidbits: 04.03.12 Edition

WCarey — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:45:58 +0000

With the season now finished, this will be our last version of NCAA Tournament Tidbits. Special thanks to contributors Brian Goodman and Walker Carey for putting these together throughout March Madness.

Kentucky

John Calipari finally won his first National Championship Monday night, which many think will catapult him from being a good coach to being a great coach. No matter your thoughts, it is time to give the coach his due. Dan Wolken argues that you cannot blame John Calipari for the one-and-done culture that helped earn Kentucky its title. Wolken notes that Calipari has always been the same coach, but it is [...]

NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.28.12 Edition

WCarey — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:59:16 +0000

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.

Kansas

Heading into his second Final Four in four seasons, Kansas head coach Bill Self is the lowest paid of the four coaches who will be in New Orleans this weekend. Of the group, only Self and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino have won titles. While Kansas reserve forward Kevin Young’s contributions [...]

Rushed Reaction: #1 Michigan State 65, #9 Saint Louis 61

WCarey — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:40:51 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Draymond Green is still the man. The senior do-everything man for Michigan State put up another terrific performance with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and six steals. In such a close game, the Spartans needed every one of those contributions from Green. Green was in such control for Michigan State that there were times late in the game during Saint Louis’ furious comeback that he was running the point for the Spartans. He is one of those special talents who can lead Michigan State all the way to the Final Four and beyond. Keith Appling is capable of making huge [...]

Rushed Reaction: #1 Michigan State 89, #16 LIU Brooklyn 67

WCarey — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:55:04 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Draymond Green is the man. The senior Big Ten POY compiled a triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. It has been said all year that Green does everything for the Spartans and tonight that was definitely the case. It is tough to find a player in the country that means more to his team than Draymond Green means to Michigan State. Michigan State dominated in the low post. Green had a triple-double. Adreian Payne had 16 points and seven rebounds. Derrick Nix came off the bench to put up 18 points and eight rebounds. The Spartans [...]

Rushed Reaction: #9 Saint Louis 61, #8 Memphis 54

WCarey — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 02:25:36 +0000

Three Key Takeaways.

Neither team played very well. Saint Louis won despite turning the ball over 16 times. The Billikens had an assist/turnover ratio of 7 to 16. Brian Conklin, the team’s leading scorer, turned the ball over a total of eight times. Memphis only shot 38.9% from the field for the game, turned the ball over 11 times and only had four assists. There were many times during the game were both teams possessed zero offensive rhythm. Rick Majerus can still really coach. Saint Louis was overmatched physically and athletically, but the Billikens found a way to get the victory. Leading [...]