Syracuse vs. Butler
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - After two games in the unfamiliar role of a higher seed, Butler is back where the Bulldogs are much more accustomed to being.
Welcome back to the underdog Bulldogs, who face top-seeded Syracuse on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals.
The Bulldogs may eventually shed this image, but they don't seem to be in much of a hurry to do so. Actually, they really don't seem to care either way.
"You don't ever look at the seed or the number next to the team's name, otherwise, you'll let that become a factor in your mind," Butler coach Brad Stevens said.
Butler is unbeaten in the NCAA tournament as the higher seed. But that has only happened four times and the Bulldogs (30-4) are quite comfortable playing as one of the tournament's lesser-known teams.
The No. 5 seed is the highest for the school in its 10 NCAA tournament appearances, matching the Bulldogs' position in 2007, when they also reached the regional semifinals before losing to eventual champion Florida.
Back then Butler was a real unknown.
Now that the Bulldogs are in the tournament for the fourth straight year and in the regional semifinals for the third time in the last eight seasons, the Horizon League champions' reputation has grown enough that they earned the No. 11 ranking in the last AP poll and the eighth in the coaches' poll.
Yes, they're still the team that plays in the fieldhouse that served as the set for the state championship game in the movie "Hoosiers." Yes, the Bulldogs get little of the attention that Indiana and Purdue receive in the country's biggest basketball state.
Eventually, the high-profile respect and reputation will follow if the Bulldogs keep winning.
"What would you say we need to do to become a legit team? Do you have to get to the Elite Eight?" Howard asked. "I guess it's up for debate. Obviously somebody - especially the coaches - think we're a pretty good team."
As does Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who is trying to get the Orange (30-4) past this round for the first time since they won the national title in 2003.
The Orange know a little about being unheralded, too. They started the season unranked and ended it as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Boeheim doesn't want his players to forget how far they had to climb this season when they prepare for the Bulldogs, who have won 22 in a row.
"I don't look at conference when you get into the NCAA tournament. The only thing that matters in the NCAA tournament is the teams you're playing against," Boeheim said. "They're as good a team as I've seen all year."
The Orange will be without center Arinze Onuaku, who has an injured right quadriceps and missed Syracuse's blowout wins over Vermont and Gonzaga in the first two rounds.
Onuaku averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds this season. The longer the Orange stay alive in the tournament, the more likely they are to get their top big man back in the lineup.
"Our expectations for this team are very high," forward Wes Johnson said. "Being in the 16 is a great accomplishment for us, but we're trying to win it all."
Johnson grinned and shook his head when asked what the secret was to Syracuse's highly touted zone defense.
"I can't give that out," Johnson said before elaborating slightly. "I think our length gives a lot of teams a lot of problems."
Well, that's not much of a secret. The Bulldogs know what they'll be facing. Can they shoot well enough to break through the zone and play their usual pesky defense and slow down Syracuse? Or do the Orange, the Big East's regular-season champions, continue their run for another national title?
The winner will play either Kansas State or Xavier on Saturday for the ticket to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Butler is heading there no matter what because it's home. It would also make for quite a story, although Stevens and his players would prefer not to talk about it this early.
"I don't really relax. I don't think our guys do either," Stevens said. "It's never been mentioned in our locker room. It's kind of funny. I've never heard our guys utter the phrase 'Final Four."'
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
March Madness 2010: Expect Cornered
Longhorns To Come Out Swinging
In nature, when an animal is injured or in a compromising situation, it tends to become more aggressive and incredibly dangerous.
The once undefeated and first-ranked Texas Longhorns are limping into the NCAA tournament following a nightmarish month and a half of mediocre basketball.
After starting 17-0, with quality wins over Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Michigan State coming in that stretch, the Longhorns have dropped nine of the last 16 contests, including seven losses in Big 12 play.
Over the first half of the season, Texas looked like a sure bet to be a Final Four contender and a possible No. 1 seed. The Longhorns now find themselves in a treacherous 8-9 matchup against Wake Forest in the first round, with a contest with Kentucky looming should they advance.
Texas' recent struggles can be attributed to a number of factors including an injury to starting point guard and defensive specialist Dogus Balbay, inconsistent defense, freshman mistakes, and atrocious free-throw shooting.
With all of that in mind, I believe the biggest issue facing Texas is the loss of a definitive identity.
Through the first two months of the season, this team could speed up the pace and play in transition or slow it down in the half-court game. The Longhorns were also among some of the better defensive teams in the nation.
The Texas offense ran through senior leaders Damion James and Dexter Pittman with incredible efficiency, with freshmen sensations Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton providing support from the wing.
Since the Longhorns' first loss of the season at Kansas State, head coach Rick Barnes has been unable to find a group of five players out of the incredible wealth of talent he posesses that can give consistent minutes on the floor.
Apart from double-double machine Damion James and the surprising offensive outburst from junior forward Gary Johnson, production has dropped off across the board.
Big man Dexter Pittman, who nearly averaged a double-double during Texas' 17-0 run, hasn't been nearly as effective in Big 12 play, often spending much time on the bench with foul trouble. Pittman also sees double and triple teams much of the time due to a drop off in shooting percentages from behind the arc.
Avery Bradley showed signs of greatness in December, including two 30 point outbursts, but the talented freshman has gone quiet on the offensive end ever since.
With the loss of Dogus Balbay, guards J'Covan Brown and Jai Lucas have struggled to produce at the point and often make bad decisions with the ball.
Jordan Hamilton simply takes bad shots and makes bad passes.
Right now this Texas team is made up of a bunch of talented individual basketball players who have yet to grasp the team concept.
Bevo is losing blood quickly after taking so many shots from the brutal Big 12 schedule and some brutal Bear attacks (three to be exact).
It would be easy for the Longhorns to fold up and let equally-beleagured Wake Forest take advantage of them in the first round, and seeing as how this team has played of late, I wouldn't be surprised.
It won't happen, though. The killer instinct will kick in.
The Longhorns were pushed to the ground and have been kicked around for the last month, but the attributes that made Texas a 17-0 team are still in there somewhere, buried deep beneath the bumps and bruises this team has suffered.
Damion James has been consistently great all season long and has the firey leadership you look for in a championship contender.
Big Pittman has proven to be a monster down low when given room to operate.
The freshmen Bradley, Hamilton, and Brown have shown signs of growth and play-making ability.
At this point, Texas can play loose, pressure-free basketball. What's left to lose anyway?
Some expect the Longhorns to get past Wake Forest. Even fewer expect the Longhorns to stay in the building against a talent-riddled Kentucky squad.
Texas is arguably one of the most talented teams in the nation with no expectations this postseason.
So why not leave it all out on the court?
Expect Rick Barnes to have his team unleash everything in the arsenal without hesitation. After all, there is no tomorrow for Texas if they can't win in the first round.
It's now or never.
Whether Texas can actually realize its potential and pick itself up from the mud remains to be seen, but these Longhorns are dangerous none the less.
Don't expect Bevo to go down for good without a fight.
Copyright © 2010 Bleacher Report, Inc.
Kilicli makes WVU even harder to stop
This Deniz Kilicli guy is pretty good, eh?
In his first collegiate game following a 20-game NCAA-mandated suspension, Kilicli showed all West Virginia fans exactly what they wanted to see.
The 6-foot-9 forward from Turkey towered over Pitt's scrawny team. He used the height and weight advantage to completely dominate the Panthers inside for nearly two minutes in the first half of the No. 6 Mountaineers' 70-51 win over No. 22 Pitt.
When Kilicli entered himself into the game, the select fans waiting anxiously for his debut screamed.
When the camera zoomed in on Kilicli's face, the crowd got even louder. When WVU broke its huddle and Kilicli was in the lineup, the Coliseum started bouncing.
WVU made a quick stop out of the time out and came down the court on offense looking for Kilicli.
And Kevin Jones found him on the left block.
Kilicli made a nice power move toward the bucket and shot a left-handed hook, which circled around the net twice and went in to the eruption of the Coliseum.
WVU went to him once more in the two-minute stretch, and he hit another hook shot from the other side of the court.
Later in the stint, Kilicli scored another bucket off a tip in of a Da'Sean Butler miss.
The crowd went crazy.
"Turkey! Turkey! Turkey!"
Kilicli played just seven minutes in one of the most intense basketball games I've ever watched. But that short time was some of the best minutes off the bench WVU has seen all season long.
Kilicli finished with nine points and one rebound. He was 4-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.
The fact is, Kilicli can help this team so much down the road if he plays like he did against the Panthers.
He adds a completely new dimension to this team.
Kilicli is big and strong in the paint and has the ability to out-tough an opposing big man or finesse his way around him.
If his hook shot showed anything, it's that his post-up game is on point.
WVU hasn't had a player like him in a long time. With his abilities he showed Wednesday, he could have unbelievable impact on the future of this team -- not just in seasons to come, but this year.
Just think of what opposing coaches will have to defend now against WVU.
They have Butler from mid-range and the outside. They have to worry about Truck Bryant on the drive and Jones, Devin Ebanks and Wellington Smith from all areas. In addition, you have to throw in Dalton Pepper from beyond the arc.
And, now, Kilicli in the post.
If Kilicli can come off the bench like he did against Pitt vs. other opponents the rest of the way, West Virginia is a Final Four-caliber team.
West Virginia has a post presence for the first time under Huggins.
Opponents, beware.
(c) 2010 The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University. All rights reserved.
BYU basketball: How good are these guys?
Albuquerque >> From Arizona coach Sean Miller to ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz to Mountain West Conference coaches Heath Schroyer, Tim Miles, Steve Fisher and Steve Alford, praise for the BYU basketball team has poured in to Provo this season.
The 20-1 Cougars, enjoying their first top-10 ranking since 1988 and a 15-game winning streak, can play with any team in the country, they all say.
Aside from that 71-61 loss to unranked Utah State (15-6) at the Logan madhouse known as the Smith Spectrum, the Cougars have played the part, winning 15 of the 20 games by 10 points or more. And they have done it while their best player, junior guard Jimmer Fredette, has missed two games and been fairly limited in four others due to a bout with mononucleosis.
But questions remain, questions that probably won't be answered until the Cougars do something they haven't done since 1993: win an NCAA Tournament game.
Are these guys really that good?
It's a question BYU coach Dave Rose has been asked almost daily since the Cougars made their first big national splash, waxing college basketball blueblood Arizona 99-69 on Dec. 28 at McKale Center behind Fredette's school-record 49 points.
"I tell [inquisitors] it is a really good team, and it is a really resilient team," Rose said. "We have good leadership, we have talented players. In college basketball, like most sports, the answer to that question is really the next game, and the game after that."
In other words, even the Cougars acknowledge, to a point, that the jury is still out.
And perhaps the biggest trial of the season comes Wednesday, as BYU travels to the always-hostile and already sold-out Pit to take on No. 23 New Mexico, a team that has defeated three ranked teams this season. The Lobos (18-3) pounded BYU 81-62 here last year, by far the Cougars' most lopsided loss of 2009.
"This [BYU] team has accomplished quite a bit," Rose said. "But I kind of feel like we are at halftime, and we are playing really well. We need to see what happens in the second half...but it is a good team, I believe that."
And so do BYU's players, who unanimously agreed with Monday's USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll that put them at No. 10 in the country, ahead of traditional college basketball powers such as Georgetown (15-3), Tennessee (15-3) and Connecticut (13-6).
"I think that we are [a top-10 team]," Fredette said. "We've beat some really good teams, we've beat some good teams on their own floor. We have some really good talent and a lot of good team chemistry. It remains to be seen what happens the rest of the season, or whatever, but hopefully we just continue to play well and continue to win."
Rose's past three teams were good, too, winning MWC regular-season titles only to draw unfavorable seeds and fizzle in the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the hands of Xavier and Texas A&M (twice).
What makes the Cougars and coaches around the MWC believe this year will be any different?
Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds, usually not one to heap praise on an opponent, said it is depth and defense.
"I think the biggest different in their team is they have made a consensus effort to defend," Reynolds said. "As of last week I think they were leading the league in defensive field goal percentage, and I think that to me is the biggest difference in their team....the biggest difference between BYU now and BYU of old, I would have to tell you it is defensively."
Sure enough, the statistics offer plenty of evidence: BYU is first in the country in free-throw percentage, third in scoring margin, fourth in field-goal percentage, 24th in field-goal percentage defense and seventh in scoring offense. The Cougars are in the top 100 in all 18 statistical categories kept by the NCAA, and in the top 50 in 15 of them.
"I think they are the best team we will play," said UNM's Alford. "I don't think there is any question, watching tape, and the times I have seen them play, that this isn't the best team we have played all year."
But there are detractors, too. Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis, for instance, dropped BYU six spots to No. 23 in his latest AP ballot, and said the Cougars don't have enough quality wins to justify having a lofty ranking.
"BYU's best wins this season were over Arizona State and UNLV at home, and Arizona and UTEP on the road," he noted. "They can make a better case by winning Wednesday night at New Mexico, but for the time being I felt the need to make a course correction."
(c) The Salt Lake Tribune.
UTEP Snaps Memphis' Conference Win Streak at 64
UTEP snaps Memphis' conference win streak at 64 games with 72-67 victory.
Jeremy Williams scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Randy Culpepper added 13 points, including a key steal and layup with a minute left, and UTEP beat Memphis 72-67 on Wednesday night, preventing the Tigers from setting an NCAA record for consecutive conference wins.
The UTEP victory ended Memphis' 64-game winning streak in Conference USA, including postseason tournament games. The Tigers had not lost a conference game in the regular season or postseason since dropping an 80-74 decision at Alabama-Birmingham on March 2, 2006.
But UTEP (12-5, 3-1) built a second-half lead that reached seven and held on to end the overall streak and also Memphis' regular-season C-USA winning streak at 52 games.
Kentucky also won 64 consecutive conference games from 1945-50.
Memphis had a chance on a late possession to tie the game, but turned the ball over with 4.3 seconds left. Christian Polk, who finished with 17 points for the Miners, hit a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left. Derrick Caracter scored 14 points for the Miners.
Elliot Williams led Memphis with 23 points, while Wesley Witherspoon added 12 for the Tigers (13-5, 3-1).
UTEP coach Tony Barbee was an assistant coach under former Memphis coach John Calipari when the streak started.
UTEP took the lead for good with 9:40 left when Polk connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key. From there, Memphis got within a point -- 65-64 with 3:30 left on a pair of free throws by Witherspoon, but couldn't catch the Miners.
The teams exchanged leads early in the first half, neither building an advantage of more than four points until Memphis created a slight lead with a trio of baskets, including 3-pointers by Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp.
That run allowed Memphis to lead 34-31 at halftime, despite a pair of 3-pointers from Polk in the final minutes.
Williams carried the Tigers in the half with 12 points. Caracter gave UTEP an inside presence early, and Polk provided a closing offensive punch.
Memphis' lead was built behind shooting 5 of 10 from outside the arc. But UTEP countered with 10 points off Memphis turnovers and outrebounding the Tigers 19-13.
(c) 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Jon Wilner on college basketball: Stanford has shown it isn't awful
Midway through the season, it's clear that Stanford is not awful.
It's not very good. But it's definitely not awful -- and you can win plenty of games in the Pac-10 by simply not being awful.
Picked last in the league's preseason media poll, the Cardinal (8-7, 2-1 Pac-10) swept USC and UCLA last weekend and appears to have a reasonable chance to finish in the middle, or lower middle, of the Pac.
(Of course, the solid start doesn't guarantee a solid finish. Given Stanford's lack of talent and depth, it could go belly-up at any moment.)
The better-than-expected results are due largely to the play of senior forward Landry Fields and sophomore guard Jeremy Green, who scored a career-high 30 points against UCLA.
Fields is one of the top all-around players in the Pac-10, Green one of its best shooters. They rank second and sixth in the conference in scoring, respectively, and have a combined average of 39.7 points.
That's 54.5 percent of Stanford's per-game output.
"Green tore us apart,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "They have two big-time players in those kids.''
The Cardinal is also making better use of its talent than it did last season, when first-year coach Johnny Dawkins ran versions of the offensive and defensive systems he learned at Duke -- even though they weren't well-suited for Stanford's personnel.
This year, the Cardinal is playing to its strengths: Fields and Green.
"The role players know they're role players, and the scorers know they're scorers, and they mesh well together,'' said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, who faces Stanford on Thursday.
"They understand what they need to do to be successful, and they aren't deviating.''
The combination of Fields and Green, sound strategy and abysmal competition -- the Pac-10 hasn't been this bad in decades -- mean Stanford should more than hold its own at home in league play. The question is whether it can win a few on the road.
Overshadowed by St. Mary's sterling execution in its victory at Santa Clara was the play of SCU point guard Robert Smith, who scored a career-high 23 points.
"He's really quick; we had a hard time guarding him,'' SMC's Mickey McConnell said.
Smith struggled in the first half but scored 17 points (and had just one turnover) in the second -- his best stretch of the season, given the competition.
"I told Robert that he couldn't have scored 23 points in this game if it had been played a month ago,'' SCU coach Kerry Keating said.
Stanford forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike was named Pac-10 player of the week for the third time this season after she averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds in Stanford's Southern California sweep.
If you're scoring at home, that's more POW honors for Ogwumike this season than teammates Kayla Pedersen (two) and Jayne Appel (zero).
The Stanford single-season record is four, held by Kate Starbird, Nicole Powell, Candice Wiggins and Appel.
Ogwumike, a sophomore, has eight chances to join them.
San Jose State forward C.J. Webster missed the final 12 minutes of Monday's loss at Fresno State after he was poked in the right eye. His availability this week has not been determined.
In three conference games, Cal senior Patrick Christopher is averaging just nine points and shooting 36.6 percent.
That's a function of the scrutiny the all-conference guard receives from opposing defenses and of Cal's half-court execution.
"I don't think we're doing a good job screening for him or him using the screens,'' Bears coach Mike Montgomery said. "The result is not as many (field goal) attempts. But Patrick is too good to be held down too long.''
And finally "...
Ignominious Pac-10 factoid of the week: The league is not represented in the Associated Press top-25 poll for the first time since February '87.
(c) 2010 - San Jose Mercury News.
Trojans plan to take 'playoff style of basketball' on the road
USC is hoping for great defense, good rebounding, no turnovers and good shots as the team prepares for a two-game trip to the Bay Area.
Aside from jerseys, sneakers and toothbrushes, the Trojans are bringing something extra along on their two-game trip to the Bay Area, where they open tonight at Stanford.
USC Coach Kevin O'Neill calls it a "playoff style of basketball" and he says it's the only style that travels well.
The ingredients: Great defense, good rebounding, no turnovers and good shots.
The outcome: "You can play well and win on the road as well as at home," O'Neill said.
On its first trip, USC lost by a combined 45 points to then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 23 Georgia Tech.
But senior guard Dwight Lewis points out a key difference between that team and the one that later won three straight games at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
"We didn't have our whole team," Lewis said, referring to guard Mike Gerrity and forward Leonard Washington, who recently became eligible.
For defense, no team in college basketball is better than USC, which is giving up an average of 54.5 points and in its last game held Arizona State to 37 points, its lowest output since 1991.
USC also rebounds well and takes decent shots.
Turnovers have been the Trojans' biggest problem; they average almost 15 per game.
The mission tonight and always: "Control our team tempo, keep our team poised," Lewis said.
"If something goes wrong on the road, we have to stay poised."
Money players
USC has already faced high-scorers in Arizona's Nic Wise, Texas' Damion James and Tennessee's Tyler Smith.
But O'Neill said Stanford's Landry Fields, who is averaging 23.2 points, might be the best scorer USC has seen so far.
"It looks to me like he's a guy who can generate points very effectively," O'Neill said. "He's a very, very, very good scorer."
O'Neill also gushed about Jeremy Green, who is averaging 16.7 points.
"I think both of those guys have a chance to play for money somewhere," O'Neill said.
Heavy hearts
O'Neill told the team at practice Tuesday that USC radio play-by-play announcer Rory Markas died Monday night at his home in Palmdale.
Markas, who worked for the Angels, was in his 12th season with the Trojans.
"It's sad man, real sad," Lewis said. "Especially when I was a freshman, he would talk to me and ask how things were going. I appreciated it. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He was a great man."
O'Neill, who is in his first year at USC, didn't know Markas well but spoke "of his reputation of being a premier announcer."
Steve Physioc and Pete Arbogast will fill in as USC's play-by-play announcers for the remainder of the season.
Physioc, who worked with Markas through 2009 on the Angels' television and radio broadcasts, will call tonight's game at Stanford.
Arbogast, USC's football radio play-by-play announcer, will handle USC's final 15 games, starting with Saturday's game at California.
(c) 2010, The Los Angeles Times.
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