Archives › 2012 › March › 23
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Tu Holloway has deservedly earned himself a reputation as one of the most clutch players in the country. And rightfully so. He made a name for himself as a freshman by hitting a number of clutch free throws as the Musketeers ran through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament. Since then, he’s seemingly made every big…
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With North Carolina having to go without starting point guard Kendall Marshall due to a fractured bone in his right wrist, there was the potential for Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper to win the battle at the point decisively. For a guy who has led the Bobcats to three NCAA tournament wins in their last…
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The loss of point guard Kendall Marshall was expected by many to cause No. 1-seed North Carolina trouble in Sunday’s Elite Eight match-up with either Kansas or NC State. But his absence nearly cost UNC tonight against Ohio as the Tar Heels turned the ball over 24 times. But thanks to Reggie Bullock and Tyler…
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For the second time in three years, No. 3 Baylor is heading to the Elite Eight with a 75-70 win over No. 10 Xavier. The Bears jumped out to a 22-4 lead on Xavier in the opening minutes, and while the Musketeers were able to trim the lead to five before the half, they didn’t…
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As first reported by Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com, Weber State junior guard Damian Lillard is expected to enter the NBA Draft. Lillard, who helped lead the Wildcats to a 25-7 record this season, was the nation’s second-leading scorer with an average of 24.5 points per game. The Oakland, California native also averaged 5.1 assists and…
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Brad Stevens says ‘absolutely no truth to’ to Illinois rumors
Mar 23, 2012, 7:51 PM EDT
If the thought of Illinois hiring a high school coach seems wild, here’s an idea that’s even more far-fetched – Brad Stevens coaching Illinois. The site HammerandNigel says a “very reliable source” indicates the Butler coach will accept an 8-year $21 million contract to coach the Illini. Except for one problem. “There is absolutely no…
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Miles leaving a loaded Colorado St. roster for one lucky coach
Mar 23, 2012, 6:53 PM EDT
For a fan base it’s never fun having to go through a coaching change, especially when the coach moving on was well on his way to turning things around. That’s what Colorado State fans will likely have to deal with as head coach Tim Miles is expected by many outlets to be introduced as the…
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It’s official: UNC won’t have Kendall Marshall against Ohio
Mar 23, 2012, 6:39 PM EDT
North Carolina will not have Kendall Marshall for its Sweet 16 game against Ohio Friday night. Freshman point guard Stilman White will get the start, but expect senior Justin Watts to see plenty of playing time. He’s a superior defender to the true freshman White. The Tar Heels (31-5) are the Midwest’s No. 1 seed…
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Mark Gottfried really can’t lose tonight. Even if N.C. State’s NCAA tournament run ends in the Sweet 16 tonight, there’s no doubt he’s fully and completely embraced by his players, Wolfpack fans and his boss, athletic director Debbie Yow. The regular season had some ups and downs – State is 24-12 and didn’t beat UNC…
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Illinois won’t have Shaka Smart on the sidelines next season, tapping the rich Chicago hoops talent for the Illini. So what now? How about a coach who knows that local talent as well as anyone? This story from CSN Chicago features Simeon High coach Robert Smith stating his case for the Illinois job. After winning…
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Jim Boeheim might spend as much time defending Syracuse’s use of a 2-3 zone defense as he does coaching it. So he went on the offensive on Friday. Per Adam Zagoria, the Orange coach shrugged off any notion that he must convince players that the zone is worth playing – “They buy into it because…
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UPDATE (9:32 p.m. ET): The deal is done. Miles will be introduced at a press conference on Saturday. Nebraska’s been aggressive in its search to find a replacement for the fired Doc Sadler, reportedly offering the job at least three coaches. But it seems to have settled on a candidate who also wants the gig.…
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Kansas spent the last two NCAA tournaments heading home early. Nearly every crucial player on the Jayhawks were part of losses to 8-seed Northern Iowa (2010) and 11-seed VCU (2011). It’s doubtful Kansas, the Midwest’s No. 2 seed, is overlooking N.C. State just because the Wolfpack are an 11 seed. Not this season. “You can’t…
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Marshall’s absence raises the question: Who is Stilman White?
Mar 23, 2012, 3:26 PM EDT
OK, so the odds of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall playing vs. Ohio are roughly the same as you posting a perfect bracket. Without him running the show, the Midwest’s No. 1 seed should be OK against the 13th-seeded Bobcats, even with Stilman White likely getting the start. Which raises the question: Who the…
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With all the talk about players transferring out of Wake Forest, it would only make sense that a former Demon Deacon would be in the news. Ari Stewart, who sat out this season after transferring to USC, was arrested back in February for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. At the time, Stewart’s Trojan teammates…
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Two more transfer from Wake Forest; how long does Jeff Bzdelik have?
Mar 23, 2012, 2:12 PM EDT
The implosion of the Wake Forest program continued on Friday. A day after rising junior Carson Desrosiers decided to leave the program, rising sophomore point guard Anthony Fields has decided to transfer. On Tuesday, starting point guard and third-leading scorer Tony Chennault announced that he would be transferring. For those scoring at home, in two…
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Xavier is one of just four programs to have made the Sweet 16 in four of the past five years, putting their name along side Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina. But given that the Musketeers are the only team from outside a power conference left in the NCAA tournament, the dreaded “mid-major” label will…
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Mentor vs. Mentee: Pitino and Donovan square off in the Elite Eight
Mar 23, 2012, 1:02 PM EDT
The West Region final is a sportswriter’s dream. The story lines are endless: How did Louisville turn their season around? For that matter, how did Florida? Can Billy Donovan get back to the Final Four after winning back-to-back titles? Can Rick Pitino get back to his first Final Four since 2005 and just his second…
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Indiana played pretty close to a perfect game on December 10th. That was the day that the Hoosiers, then undefeated but unranked, knocked off Kentucky in one of the season’s best games with one of the year’s most memorable shots. Indiana shot 9-15 from three that day. They won the battle of the back boards,…
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Duquesne fires coach Ron Everhart two days after star PG transfers
Mar 23, 2012, 12:02 PM EDT
Duquesne has fired their head coach Ron Everhart. This is not entirely unexpected given the events in recent days. Star point guard TJ McConnell, Mike Talley and Danny Herrera all announced their intention to transfer out of the program. Combine that fact with the growing tension between Everhart and Duquesne’s AD Greg Amodio, toss in…
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The NCAA tournament is the most exciting three weeks in sports. Of course, I’m biased when I say that. I spend 12 months a year immersed in the sport; most people are only concerned with college hoops in the month of March. But regardless of how much hoops you consume through out the season, the…
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In case you didn’t know, Dean Smith grew up in Kansas and played for the Phog Allen’s Jayhawks when Kansas won its first NCAA tournament in 1952. He’s the reason Roy Williams came to Kansas in 1988 and one of the big reason the North Carolina native went back to UNC in 2003. And he’ll…
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Austin Rivers intends to enter his name in the NBA Draft, per a report, although Duke announced today that nothing is yet official and his decision will come next week. If Rivers does end up leaving school, it should come as no surprise. The 6’3″ freshman, who averaged 15.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 2.1 apg, is…
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What will sting the most of Cincinnati’s 81-66 loss to No. 2 Ohio State on Thursday night won’t be the fact that the Bearcats are heading home from the NCAA tournament. Cincinnati was never supposed to make it this far. Not as a No. 6 seed. Not when they lost to Presbyterian at home. Not…
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BOSTON – So Ohio State is going to be one of the final eight teams standing entering the weekend. That shouldn’t shock you, but you may overlook the fact that this is unchartered territory for this current roster of Buckeye players. Yeah, Thad Matta’s Buckeyes were a national runner-up in 2007, but since then the…
