Stanford isn't ready to crown UConn as champions
SAN ANTONIO -- Hold up on the Connecticut coronation.
Sure, UConn is on the greatest run in women's college basketball history, and yes they've torn through the NCAA tournament.
Coach Tara VanDerveer and her Stanford Cardinal believe they just might be able to spoil the party in Tuesday night's national title game.
With a few tweaks here and there from their 12-point December loss to UConn, the Cardinal feel they can pull off the monumental upset, ending the Huskies' 77-game winning streak.
For 22 minutes the Cardinal hung right with UConn. Stanford shot 57 percent in the first half and held a 40-38 advantage at the break — the only time this season the Huskies trailed at the half.
(c)2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tennessee v. Michigan State
Not No.1 seed Kansas and No. 2 seed Ohio State, but No. 5 seed Michigan State and No. 6 seed Tennessee will battle it out Sunday at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis with a Final Four trip on the line. Michigan State will be trying to make a second straight Final Four appearance, but NCAA odds makers have the Spartans coming up just short, listing Tennessee as a 2-point favorite with the total set at 135.5. Looking for a place to bet your college basketball picks this March? Our readers get a special $500 match bonus at BetUS!
Michigan State struggled during the regular season when it was asked to play without star point guard Kalin Lucas, but it found a way to win without him in Friday's Sweet 16 matchup against Northern Iowa. The Spartans overcame a 7-point half time deficit to defeat the Panthers 59-52.
Tennessee already took down Big Ten regular season co-champion Ohio State, and now it will look to take down co-champion Michigan State. Tennessee trailed most of the game against the Buckeyes, but found a way to hang around and win it in the end. The Vols allowed star guard Evan Turner to go off for 31 points, but they held everyone else in check.
Tennessee is a long, athletic team that really gets after it on the defensive end, but it has struggled shooting the basketball throughout the season. A big reason why the Vols beat Ohio State was because they shot 46.9% from the field, 4.4% better than they have shot away from home this season. The Vols could struggle to shoot that well again Sunday against a Michigan State team that held Northern Iowa to only 52 points on 38.6% shooting.
Jimmy Boyd enters the Elite 8 on a recent 6-1 NCAA Tournament run, and he is on an awesome 29-13 NCAA Tournament tear dating back to last season. Make sure you're playing who he's playing in this matchup Sunday!
Copyright (c) 2002 - 2010 Locksmith Sports Picks
NCAA Sweet 16
This Week in Sports Betting: 3/22 through 3/28
As we did last week, here at Cappers Mall, we're going to take a look at the best Sweet 16 betting affairs that March Madness has to offer in each bracket going into next weekend, as the field of 65 has been trimmed to just 16 combatants for college basketball's biggest prize.
West Bracket: #6 Xavier Musketeers vs. #2 Kansas State Wildcats - This is a highly anticipated duel between two teams that aren't afraid to get up and go. Both are averaging at least 79 points per game this year, and both are holding their opponents to under 70. It hasn't been an easy march to the Sweet 16 for the X-Men, who needed to hold on in the dying seconds against Pittsburgh to reach this stage. K-State has had a bit of an easier ride, beating both North Texas and BYU by double digits. These two teams should be very familiar with each other by now. Back in December, the Wildcats beat Xavier 71-56 in Manhattan, in what has amounted to be the third college basketball betting war between these squads in the L/4 years. The Musketeers won the previous two meetings 103-77 and 76-66 in the '07-'08 and '06-'07 affairs respectively. The boys in purple are -4.5 right now.
East Bracket: #12 Cornell Big Red vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats - Can one of the giant killers in this tournament claim yet another scalp? The Big Red only trailed in two minutes of game action in upset victories over Temple and Wisconsin this past week to become the first Ivy League team in 12 years to win a game in the tournament and the first since 1979 to make it to the tourney's second week. However, this test will be like none other. In spite of the fact that HC John Calipari continues to remind us that his team is, "nothing but a bunch of freshmen and sophomores," stopping F DeMarcus Cousins, F Patrick Patterson, and G John Wall is going to be virtually impossible. There's a reason that Big Blue is the nine-point betting favorite.
Midwest Bracket: #9 Northern Iowa Panthers vs. #5 Michigan State Spartans - Speaking of giant killers... Does it get much bigger than UNI's shocking defeat of the #1 overall seed in this tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks? The Missouri Valley champs are for real, and thanks to the fact that Michigan State will most likely be playing without its top scorer, G Kalin Lucas, they could be primed for a run all the way to the Final Four. G Ali Farokhmanesh has really made a name for himself in this tournament, nailing eight threes, including the game-winner against UNLV and the one that was the dagger against KU. Sparty is a favorite, but it's just a slender one and -1.
South Bracket: #10 St. Mary's Gaels vs. #3 Baylor Bears - Offense should once again be the theme of the game on Friday night in Houston, as the Bears and Gaels aren't afraid to run at each other. St. Mary's has made the West Coast Conference proud and proved that it belonged in this dance from the outset, as C Omar Samhan and G Mickey McConnell have become impossible to guard for opponents. G LaceDarius Dunn has a 26-point effort to his credit against Old Dominion. This is largely one of the most talented teams in America, and there's a reason the Bears as 3.5-point chalks in spite of the fact that the Gaels are incredibly hot.
(c) 2000 - 2009 Cappersmall.com
Don't Believe the Hype on the Teams out West
The colorful history of the American West is full of glorious tales and legends based less on fact on more on embellishment and that seems to the true of the realm of basketball betting as well. While the there are several teams from mid-level NCAA odds conferences that have penetrated deep into the top 25 college basketball betting don't believe for a minute that these teams are legitimate contenders for the NCAA odd title.
The beauty of the college basketball betting tournament is that once the March Madness begins, the slate is wiped clean and everyone is on equal footing. It's put up or shut up time and every team in the NCAA odds has ample opportunity to prove themselves worthy of their invite to the Big Dance.
And so too do teams like #8 ranked New Mexico, #14 ranked BYU, #18 ranked Gonzaga and their kin have a chance to silence their critics and "just win, baby!"
But it won't happen. Even if the computer driven RPI ranks these teams among the best in the land and their records sparkle, bloated with wins against basketball minnows, it's all smoke and mirrors my friends.
The Mountain West, the WAC and other such mid-tier conferences simply aren't on par with other conferences like the Big East, Big 12, Big 10 and so forth. Even if these highly ranked teams from the Mountain Time zone get through their first round opponent, which is likely, they'll most likely be facing their toughest competition of the year in the second round of the tourney and that could be the death of their Rocky Mountain dreams.
2009 Sportsmedianetwork.com
Miami Hurricanes fall in to ACC men's basketball cellar with last-second loss to Florida StateCORAL GABLES -- A difficult regular season came to a frustrating end for the University of Miami men's basketball team Saturday. The 61-60 loss to Florida State locked up last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings for the Hurricanes.
Freshman Durand Scott missed a running hook shot at the buzzer after Miami had battled back from a 14-point deficit as the Hurricanes (18-12, 4-12 ACC) lost for the 11th time in their last 14 games.
But in a year that started well, then went from bad to worse in a hurry, the worst news came after the game.
UM coach Frank Haith said that Dwayne Collins, the Hurricanes' leading scorer and rebounder, would probably miss the ACC Tournament that begins Thursday because of a stress reaction in his tibia that also caused the senior to miss Saturday's game at the BankUnited Center.
"I don't know for sure, but he's more than likely not going to play," Haith said of Collins, who is averaging 12 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.
UM will open the ACC Tournament on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum as the No. 12 seed against the No. 5 seed, which has yet to be determined.
Despite playing without Collins, the Hurricanes stayed in the game because of Scott and center Reggie Johnson, two freshmen who combined for 26 points.
UM appeared to be on the way to a one-sided defeat after FSU (22-8, 10-6 ACC) took a 56-45 lead with 7:03 to play on a three-pointer by Deividas Dulkys.
But the Hurricanes fought back, going on a 12-0 run and taking the lead, 60-58, on a layup by Scott with 2:04 remaining.
"Their kids clawed and scratched and did whatever they had to do to win," said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, the long-ago Hurricanes' coach.
But, for UM, it wasn't to be.
FSU's Luke Loucks followed Scott's bucket by hitting his third three-pointer with 1:52 remaining. It turned out to be the game-winning shot as neither team managed to score the rest of the way.
"When we had the 12-0 run, we played with extreme intensity," Haith said. "I just wish we could have exerted ourselves a little longer. But you have to give our guys credit. We played hard."
The Hurricanes had several opportunities to take the lead down the stretch, but were unable to score. James Dews missed two wide-open three-pointers while UM's final possession with five seconds remaining was botched when Adrian Thomas mishandled the in-bounds pass from Scott. Thomas got the ball back to Scott, but the freshman was unable to get off a good shot.
The win was a big one for FSU because it could result in a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament. If Clemson loses tonight at Wake Forest, the Tigers would finish at 9-7 in the conference and the Seminoles would finish in the ACC's regular-season top four. FSU would get a bye in the conference tournament and not have to play until Friday's quarterfinals. Clemson beat FSU twice during the regular season.
"It's important," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said of the possible first-round bye. "We're playing catch up with some of our ACC brothers. We're trying to elevate ourselves and move into the hierarchy of the ACC. That gives you a certain level of prestige, respect and accomplishment."
Copyright (c) 2010 The Palm Beach Post
Western holds off Central in rivalry game
Senior point guard Morris Anderson poured his heart and soul - and 22 points - into what looked like a convincing win over Central Washington on Sunday, Feb. 28, at Carver Gym.
And when he left with a cramp in his calf with 1 minutes, 28 seconds left in the game, even though the Wildcats had trimmed a 13 point deficit to within 72-65, the game still seemed easily in hand for the Western Washington men's basketball team, especially when senior Harold McAllister sank two free throws to give the Vikings a nine-point lead.
But then Central Washington hit a 3-pointer. And another. And another. The Wildcats hit five treys in all to finish the game in a flurry, scoring 21 points after Anderson limped to the bench.
Good thing Western could hit its free throws. The Vikings needed all 18 of them to fend off the late surge, with McAllister facing a final free throw with 2.5 seconds left to finally put the game out of reach.
The eeriness of the Central comeback had McAllister, who finished with 17 points, thinking as he stepped to the line, "If I don't hit this, they're going to come down and make it, so I had to at least stick one of them for a four-point lead."
He did, giving the Vikings a hard-fought 90-86 win over the Wildcats in front of a packed house of 2,672 fans at Carver Gym.
The game was also televised live on Fox Sports Northwest, adding some electricity to an already charged atmosphere normally saved for rivals like Central Washington.
The Vikings didn't responded so well from the get-go, though, falling behind 11-0 before Anderson finally hit a 3-pointer about four minutes into the game to get the Vikings on the board.
The Vikings then turned to their bench. McAllister, Rory Blanche and Cameron Severson each came off the bench to bring Western roaring back to life, scoring 22 of 25 points provided by the Vikings bench during the first half.
After trailing 15-5, Western responded with a 16-6 run, tying the game at 21-21 on a 3-pointer by reserve Severson with 9:28 left in the first half.
Western took its first lead on a 3-pointer by Anderson, who scored 14 points in the first half, with 5:34 remaining in the half, and never trailed from then on.
"The start of the game certainly wasn't what we wanted, but I felt like our bench came in and did a great job," Western coach Brad Jackson said. "Cameron did really well tonight, Harold has played really well all year long and Rory - we're just getting solid play from those guys night after night after night. And I think that's probably emblematic of a good team."
Anderson, who also notched six rebounds and four assists and made his presence felt with several highlight reel drives to the basket, felt the need to assert himself on a night like this.
"I had to, you know. It's a big game," Anderson said. "I was just feeling really good today. I just wish I could hit everything."
Western led by as many as 16 points in the second half and held a 10-point edge, 80-70, with 53 seconds to play, until Central staged its wild comeback, scoring 16 points in 44 seconds and knocking down four straight 3-pointers.
"We kind of figured they were gong to miss one at some point," Jackson said. "It's hard to defend that. You don't want to foul them, certainly. But I felt as long as we were making free throws we were OK, and we had it at a three-possession game there for most of that time. It was unusual, certainly. They just did great job."
Western's bench scored 47 of the team's 90 points, with McAllister's 17 being a season-high, Severson adding 14, and Blanche had 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Starting senior forward Zach Bruce added 10 points on 5-of-6 field-goal shooting.
"Me and Rory, especially Rory, we've been coming in all year trying to give some energy," Severson said. "Even if we're not hitting shots we're trying bring something to the team. Tonight we were hitting shots, too, so it worked out."
The Vikings, No. 24 in this week's National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll and No.2 in the latest West Region Poll, improved to 24-5 overall and remained second in the GNAC standings at 11-4.
Central fell to 15-9 overall and 9-5 in GNAC play. Guard Jon Clift led the Wildcats with a game-high 23 points to tie his career-high, scoring 15 in the second half.
Clift finished 5 for 9 from beyond the 3-point arc, which made for an exciting end to this rivalry game.
"I wanted to get back in there," Anderson said he was thinking during the last 1:28 of the game, "Coach kept asking me if I was ready. I kept telling him 'yeah' but he kept holding off. We have faith in our team to finish out and they finished it."
bellinghamherald.com
PhilaU's Magee wins 900th game
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia University men's basketball coach Herb Magee won his 900th career game when the Rams beat Bloomfield College 81-77 on Saturday.
Now the Division II coach is just three victories away from passing Bobby Knight for first place on the NCAA career wins list. Knight's 902 victories are the most for coaches who spent their entire careers at the NCAA level.
Northern State coach Don Meyer has 921 victories at the NAIA and NCAA divisions.
"We treat every game the same and that's been the key. No game is more important than another," said Magee, who has coached the Rams for 43 years and led them to a national title in 1970. "At the end of the year when I'm playing golf, at the coaches convention or having dinner with my wife, that's when I'll reflect and think 'that's pretty darn good.'"
With his two granddaughters by his side, Magee unveiled a banner commemorating the milestone victory while standing on the court that is named after him.
"That's the whole thing; family," said Magee, whose No.4 is retired by his alma mater. "My wife (Geri) is here, my two children and my two grandchildren are all here. Once you have grandchildren it's something you just can't imagine."
Malcolm Ingram scored 22 points and the Rams (20-6, 12-1 Central Atlantic) shot 50 percent from the field to beat Bloomfield. The sharp shooting has been a staple of the team's headed by a coach known as the "Shot Doctor."
The 68-year-old Magee, who took over at his alma mater in 1967, has earned a reputation as a shooting guru and worked with future NBA players including Charles Barkley, Jameer Nelson and Malik Rose.
His current players slipped on shirts that celebrated the victory and took pride in being a part of Magee's climb toward the top.
"As a returner I knew at the end of the season last year that he only needed a few games to reach 900," senior forward Marcus Lemon said. "We didn't know until about three or four days ago that he was close. Coach isn't someone who talks about himself or his records, it's about the team and that's all he cared about.
"He did a great job in reminding us that this win was not about him but for our season. He's a mentor for all of us. We're away from home and he's there to guide us."
Copyright (c) 2010 The Associated Press
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