0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/19/2015
Mid-Major conference teams are still clearly the Rodney Dangerfield of the NCAA Tournament brackets. They just don’t get any respect. The only non-Power Five conference team that received a seed above a five seed was Gonzaga… and do the Zags really count as a non-power team these days? Northern Iowa lost three… yes, three… games […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/18/2015
The timing of the ESPN 30 for 30 broadcast of “I Hate Christian Laettner” was perfect. The 2015 NCAA Tournament, which began on Tuesday night, could easily have a similar name of “I Hate the Kentucky Wildcats” for nearly everyone outside Big Blue Nation. However, with a team that is so close to history, what is […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/15/2015
The Big Ten tournament championship game never disappoints. Wisconsin was seeking a top seed and Michigan State was looking to climb up the seedings in an overtime thriller. College basketball won in the final minutes before the announcement of the NCAA tournament pairings. The Badgers were looking for the No. 1 seed they deserved, a […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/14/2015
For much of the Big Ten season, the purpose of the journey for non-Wisconsin Big Ten teams was to get into the top four and secure a double bye in the conference tournament, which is unfolding this weekend in Chicago. Though it looks odd and seems to give lower-seeded teams a disadvantage by playing an […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/7/2015
How much do you know about the Big East, as tournament time approaches? Chances are you’re familiar with Villanova and are aware that the Wildcats will be a top-two seed when March Madness begins. What about the teams just below Villanova in the standings, however? It’s been easier for the likes of Butler and Providence […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/6/2015
It’s the first weekend of March. You might be intimately familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Virginia, and you might be preparing to size up Kansas without Perry Ellis as the Jayhawks prepare to face Oklahoma. You might know various power-conference teams inside and out. However, what about a league such as the Atlantic […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer
Because it seems that about half of the Big Ten Conference has found itself located firmly on the bubble, this weekend’s schedule provides some very tantalizing games. Bubble games might not feature the best teams, but they bring the most drama to the conclusion of the regular season, leading into the conference tournaments. The Big […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 3/3/2015
With the conference tournaments looming, bubble teams are looking to make some final impressions in the regular season. Here are some mid-week games to watch: TUESDAY Ole Miss at Alabama: With both of these teams on the bubble (and yes, Alabama is on the bubble, albeit the periphery), both need this win badly. Alabama needs […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/27/2015
A year ago, the Texas Longhorns were expected to crash and burn. Instead, they made their way to the NCAA tournament, and Rick Barnes appeared to have rescued himself in Austin. This season, the exact opposite could happen, but this bubble weekend gives the Horns a chance to avoid a miserable Selection Sunday afternoon in […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/25/2015
It’s that time of year. “Seed lines” become a part of the national discussion… and unlike Great Britain, such a term has nothing to do with the Royal Family or its babies. We’re talking brackets, and no seed line is more scrutinized than the top one. Just exactly which teams are in line to get […]
Jim Larranaga is pursuing an ACC regular season championship. If he beats Notre Dame on Wednesday, he should be able to celebrate.
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/23/2015
With the bubble season ramping up as the conference tournaments approach, here is a list of “bubbly” games to watch this week in college basketball: TUESDAY Texas A&M at Arkansas – Texas A&M has won four of its six games in February, after losing only two games in January. One of those was an overtime […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/22/2015
In nearly 13 minutes of game time on Saturday night, the Arizona Wildcats were outscored 24-0 by the UCLA Bruins. UCLA outscored Arizona 7-0 in the first six-plus minutes of the game, and then slapped a 17-0 run on Sean Miller’s team to start the second half. Naturally, these two runs — accompanied by […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/20/2015
Coming off Wednesday night’s loss to Arizona State and Stanford’s recent loss to Colorado, the Pac-12 is in danger of getting as many teams in the NCAA Tournament as the Missouri Valley Conference: two. While Arizona and Utah are locks to get in, there is not another team in the conference which can feel confident […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/18/2015
Prior to the start of Big Ten play, nobody in their right mind thought that the words “NCAA tournament team” and “Purdue” would even be near the same sentence, let alone in it. However, with just a week and a half left in February, the Boilermakers find themselves in second place in the Big Ten […]
0 comments by Ryan Palencer on 2/17/2015
This past Sunday stood exactly one month from Selection Sunday. While some teams feel strongly about their candidacies for the NCAA tournament, others do not have the same sentiment and have some work to do. Here is a list of games in the heart of the week that could have some strong bubble implications. TONIGHT […]
