Archives › Rob Dauster
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Most intriguing matchup 9:40 pm ET, TBS, No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Cincinnati, Nashville: Florida State is as tough of a defensive team as you are going to come across at this level of basketball. And while their offense is inconsistent, they are good enough to be one of the more spurtable teams…
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Player of the Day: Brady Heslip, Baylor: For all the talent and all the NBA potential on the Baylor roster, the kid that saved Baylor’s season was a guy that has been a perennial afterthought. He played on a loaded AAU team, transferred to Baylor after leaving Boston College and has been nothing but a…
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The Big East set records last season. Eleven teams were given an invite to the NCAA tournament. Only two made it out of the first weekend. Both of them were the result of Big East-on-Big East violence; No. 11 seed Marquette upset No. 3 seed Syracuse before getting drubbed by North Carolina in the Sweet 16…
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Peyton Siva is Louisville’s difference-maker, even when he stuggles
Mar 18, 2012, 12:52 AM EDT
Midway through January, the discussion wasn’t whether or not Louisville had a chance to make the Sweet 16. The potential for a tournament run was secondary for a team that many thought could miss the NCAA tournament. Losing by 29 to Providence isn’t exactly the way to inspire confidence. But the Cardinals turned things around…
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Only remaining question about Kentucky: can it finish the job?
Mar 17, 2012, 10:22 PM EDT
We all know who the best team in the country is this season. It’s not a secret. It hasn’t been for months. We didn’t need to see Kentucky break the will of Iowa State with an 87-71 win in the round of 32 to know it. When Kentucky is motivated, when they are playing as…
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The good news for this year’s crop of seniors on the Vanderbilt team is that they won’t be remembered strictly for their inability to win a big game. They are the only team in the country to beat Kentucky in a game that didn’t occur on their home floor, knocking off the Wildcats in the…
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It doesn’t get more ‘Wisconsin’ than the Badgers’ win vs. Vandy
Mar 17, 2012, 9:29 PM EDT
A basketball game really doesn’t get much more ‘Wisconsin’ than what we saw as the No. 4 Badgers survived an impressive comeback to knock off No. 5 Vanderbilt 60-57, moving into the Sweet 16. The game was played in the 50′s, with the Badgers putting five players in double figures. Jordan Taylor led the way…
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Report: Samuels received improper benefits from his AAU coach
Mar 17, 2012, 6:15 PM EDT
It looks like we now have some insight as to why Jamar Samuels was suspended. Speaking to Austin Meek, a writer for the Topeka Capital-Journal, Samuels’ AAU coach Curtis Malone, who runs powerhouse program DC Assault, said that he was the reason Samuels was suspended and it was because he gave the senior some money.…
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Kansas State will be playing without Jamar Samuels on Saturday afternoon. The senior forward that averages 10.0 ppg and 6.6 rpg will be held out due to an eligibility concern. It was announced just 20 minutes before game time. According to the CBS broadcast, this has nothing to do with a) academics, b) behavior or…
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Most intriguing matchup 5:15 pm ET, CBS, No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6 Murray State, Louisville: The key to this game lies in the location: Louisville. Murray State is in Kentucky. This game will be played right before the Kentucky game. In other words, this will be a home game for the Racers, and we…
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The opening day of the opening round of the NCAA tournament was less than stellar. There were a lot of blowout and not much in the way of upsets. That all changed on Friday afternoon, as Day 2 provided us with one of the most exciting four hours since I started following college basketball. It…
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More controversy? No, but blame game ruins great Xavier comeback
Mar 17, 2012, 1:48 AM EDT
For the second time in two days, a lane violation on a free throw cost a team a game. This time, it was Jerian Grant of No. 7 Notre Dame. Down two with 2.8 seconds left, Grant crossed the 3-point line before Eric Atkins hit the front-end of a one-and-one. The shot went in, but…
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CJ McCollum and Kyle O’Quinn are the heroes of the NCAA tournament’s opening round. They’ll be the guys all over Sportscenter They are the kids whose names were trending on twitter. They are the players that picked the perfect time to lead their team to a perfect game and, in turn, upset carry a No.…
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In recent years, Duke has been known for their back court players, be it Austin Rivers, Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith, JJ Redick, Jay Williams … I could go on. So that’s why the most shocking part of No. 15 Lehigh’s upset win over No. 2 Duke on Friday wasn’t necessarily the fact that the Mountain…
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It looks like we all bought into the Memphis hype too heavily. The No. 8 Tigers came into the NCAA tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country, but they ran into a St. Louis team that did exactly what they needed to do to beat Memphis. They controlled the tempo, they didn’t…
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UPDATE: It only makes sense that, after we do some research and put together a post on the biggest NCAA tournament upsets that less than two hours later, another No. 2 seed goes down in the opening round. If you missed it (and I’m sure you didn’t), Duke lost to Lehigh and their demigod point…
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Thank you, Georgetown, for making me look smart. I went all-in on the Hoyas heading into Friday afternoon’s matchup between the No. 3 Hoyas and No. 14 Belmont. I was one of the few that wasn’t touting Belmont as the Upset Special of Friday’s action, and I was right. The Hoyas took control early, riding…
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Survive and advance. That’s the motto of the NCAA tournament, and no one embodied it in this opening round quite like Creighton. The Bluejays struggled to score against Alabama’s stifling defense throughout much of the game before their defense finally settled in down the stretch, spurring a 14-0 run that allowed them to open up…
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John Henson is out today against Vermont. A UNC spokesman officially announced it this aftertoon. This isn’t a big deal, seeing as UNC is playing No. 16 seed Vermont. I would actually go as far as to say that this is a smart move if Henson isn’t 100%. They aren’t going to need him against…
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The discussion involving the East Region centers around Fab Melo and what his ineligibility means for No. 1 seed Syracuse. And for that matter, what his ineligibility means for the rest of the region. Does this open up the door for Vanderbilt to make a run to the Final Four? Can Ohio State overcome their…
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Most intriguing matchup 6:50 pm ET, TBS, No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 St. Louis, Columbus: I am as excited about this game as any of the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Memphis is playing as well as any team in the country right now. They have a roster loaded with potential NBA players…
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We all know that Kentucky fans can be overly sensitive. They are the most passionate fan base in the country, but it isn’t a secret that if you need a traffic bump on your website, you write something overwhelmingly negative about the Cats. They’ll crash your servers faster than you can say Kelenna Azubuike. Perhaps…
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This is not the same VCU team as last season. Not even close. Going beyond the fact that VCU lost four of their five starters from the team that made the 2011 Final Four, this group plays a completely different style from last season’s team. The 2011 version of the Rams, as head coach Shaka…
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UConn’s season came to an unceremonious end of Thursday night, as the No. 9 seed Huskies got bounced out of the NCAA Tournament by No. 8 Iowa State in the opening round. It was a disappointing end to a thoroughly disappointing season that saw UConn struggle to find leadership, offensive continuity and have anywhere near…
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Most intriguing matchup 3:10 pm ET, TruTV, No. 3 Georgetown vs. No. 14 Belmont, Columbus: The Hoyas have been one of the popular upset picks heading into the NCAA tournament. Belmont’s good. Kenpom ranks them high. We know this. But I’m still not buying the upset. The reasons why Georgetown has been a popular upset…
