Archives › Rob Dauster
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Perry Jones III may frustrate you, but you should be rooting for him
Mar 1, 2012, 3:30 PM EDT
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Sometimes it is too easy to fall into the trap of being a fan. We forget that the athletes we are watching from the stands or on our TV aren’t simply a source of entertainment for us, that they aren’t cyborgs immune to the criticism and the name-calling and all the rest of the vitriol…
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Game of the Night: No. 22 Florida State @ Virginia, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Ok, ok, ok. Game of the Night may be a bit of a stretch, at least for those that prefer offense over 55 possession games where the first to 50 points has a legitimate shot at winning. The first time these two…
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The most commonly used saying when talking about basketball during the month of March is “if seeding holds”. Its how we predict what the best matchups will be. Its how us media folks try and build our schedules during the month. Its how ESPN tries to predict which games it will broadcast. Think about it…
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Here’s the thing that I love about college basketball: you may only end the season with one win, but that one win is going to matter. Enter Binghamton. On February 21st, Binghamton hosted America East co-leader Vermont. The Bearcats were 0-26 on the season and at the point in the year where respectable losses were…
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The Valley is, and always will be, the ultimate mid-major conference. Every year, it seems, this league produces at least one team deserving of an at-large bid that is also capable of making the second weekend of the tournament. Why? Because the conference is so unbelievably competitive. Road wins are not easy to come by.…
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Cincinnati, South Florida and Colorado State were the bubbles big winners on Wednesday night. But we already told you that. Who else helped their NCAA Tournament chances? Mississippi State: Finally, a sign of life out of the Bulldogs. After losing five straight games and playing their way out of the top 15 and onto the…
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Colorado St. snags key win, but road woes complicate bubble status
Mar 1, 2012, 1:43 AM EDT
I may be in the minority here, but even after Colorado State erased a 16 point second half deficit to beat No. 17 UNLV 66-59 in Moby Arena on Wednesday night, I have trouble saying they are a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Yes, the Rams now can claim wins over San Diego State and…
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Cincinnati boosts its bubble standing in an impressive win over Marquette
Mar 1, 2012, 12:43 AM EDT
Cincinnati got a career-high 28 points from JaQuon Parker, forced 17 turnovers — gathering 13 steals and swatting nine shots — and shredded what had been a stifling Marquette press over the last two months as they ran past the eighth-ranked Golden Eagles 72-61 on senior night at Fifth Third Arena. It was an impressive…
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Shabazz Muhammad is the most sought-after recruit in the country, but any college team currently pursuing has been warned by the NCAA: some of his financial dealings may have rendered him ineligible. The 6-6 wing has a lengthy list of schools he’s considering, which includes Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, Kansas and UNLV, his hometown school. He’d…
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The West Coast Conference, in its history, has sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament just once. There is a chance that that record could end up being tied this season. Gonzaga and St. Mary’s are locks for the dance, or so says your courageous bracketeers. BYU, on the other hand, probably still has some…
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Game of the Night: Iowa State @ No. 7 Missouri, 8 p.m. (ESPN3, Big 12 Network) With their win at Kansas State over the weekend, Iowa State ensured that there would be no collapse in Ames this season. What the Cyclones are playing for now, however, is seeding in the NCAA Tournament. With the middle…
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What the Patriot League lacked this season in overall talent it made up for in drama down the stretch. Bucknell headed into the final few weeks of the season with a three game lead in the conference standings over both Lehigh and American. But Player of the Year CJ McCollum of Lehigh drilled a last-second…
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I’m not sure if you guys heard about this or not, but the Ohio Valley was pretty thoroughly dominated by one team this season. The Murray State Racers? That ring a bell? Anyone? After running through the OVC slate with just a single loss for the second time in three years, Steve Prohm’s club is…
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Weber State loses Big Sky title; will it cost us a chance to see Damian Lillard?
Feb 29, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT
There’s an argument to be made that Damian Lillard is the best point guard in the country. Better than Kendall Marshall, better than Scott Machado and maybe even better than the Tyshawn Taylor that has graced our presence over the last month and a half of the season. He may be the best NBA prospect…
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Buh bye, Xavier. That’s the only way we can react after seeing St. Louis dismantle the Musketeers in the second half, using a 22-2 run to open the second half and spark the Billikens to a 70-59 win over the Musketeers on Tuesday night. Xavier is now 18-10 overall and 9-5, tied for third, in…
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Story paints UCLA’s Ben Howland as cruel coach who coddled stars, ignored issues to detriment of program
Feb 29, 2012, 3:45 AM EDT
When word started leaking out on Tuesday that Sports Illustrated had George Dohrmann working on a story about UCLA men’s basketball, the immediate reaction from most was that the Bruins had committed some kind of violation that SI’s resident bloodhound had sniffed out. Not the case. What was hyped on twitter as a potential bombshell…
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Have we dogged Vandy’s Brad Tinsley so much that he’s now underrated?
Feb 29, 2012, 12:06 AM EDT
The biggest concern for Vanderbilt all season long has been the point guard spot. The Commodores have two pros on the wing in Jeff Taylor and John Jenkins. They have a first-round pick manning the paint in Festus Ezeli. Lance Goulbourne has been severely underrated this season at the four spot for the Commodores. The…
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Thanks to a dominating 70-55 win for No. 18 Indiana in Assembly Hall on Tuesday night, we are going to have to wait until Saturday to see if No. 5 Michigan State will be able to win the Big Ten’s outright regular season title. Draymond Green looked every bit the all-american he is, finishing with…
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Its not difficult to figure out why Michael Sweetney’s career floundered. A hefty, 6-8 power forward at Georgetown, Sweetney was simply never able to keep the weight off once he reached the professional level. It’s why, despite being the No. 9 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft Sweetney only managed to hang around the NBA…
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All times ET. Television guide via here. Game of the Night: No. 5 Michigan State @ No. 18 Indiana, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Michigan State can clinch the outright Big Ten title tonight with a win over the Hoosiers. Indiana, however, has already beaten Kentucky and Ohio State in Assembly Hall. Should be fun, right? The Spartans…
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It doesn’t get much more entertaining that the Horizon League. Its a balanced league that always has a handful of quality basketball teams that play competitive, emotionally draining games. You want an example? Just last week, last place Loyola (IL) took league champion Valpo to overtime on Valpo’s home court. This season was no different.…
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Delaware State loses after hitting a buzzer-beater … wait, what?
Feb 28, 2012, 10:00 AM EDT
Believe it or not, Delaware State — a team that has now had six of their last seven games either come down to the final possession or go to overtime, with five of them resulting in a win — has managed to find a new and unique way to lose a game in the final…
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Immediately after No. 20 Notre Dame lost to No. 11 Georgetown on Monday evening, my colleague Mike Miller was here to tell you that you’d be a fool for picking the Irish in March. Frankly, I don’t agree with that sentiment. Yet. If they can’t snap out of their shooting funk against Providence at home…
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Arnett Moultrie on Miss St. turning the year around: ‘Probably not’
Feb 27, 2012, 5:28 PM EDT
Mississippi State is a team in utter shambles right now. They’ve lost five games in a row, and other than one stirring performance in the first half against Kentucky, this last three weeks have been an utter disaster for the Bulldogs. If blowing a 13 point lead to Kentucky wasn’t bad enough, MSU has also…
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Ever heard the name Gyasi Cline-Heard before? No? I don’t blame you. He’s a 6’8″ forward that averaged 16.8 ppg and 8.0 rpg for that Penn State team that upset North Carolina en route to the Sweet 16 back in 2001. After bouncing around professional basketball’s minor leagues for a decade, you probably would have…
