Georgetown vs. West Virginia Free Pick + Preview
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Georgetown vs. West Virginia - 9:00 P.M. Saturday, March 13th
Big East Conference Tournament Finals
Georgetown +2 (-110)
West Virginia -2 (-110)
Over/Under 132.5
As the 8th seed in the Big East Tournament, the Georgetown Hoyas will look to pull off their third straight win over a higher seed and bring home the title tonight against the #3 seed, West Virginia Mountaineers in tonight's final at Madison Square Garden.
After losing two out of their last three regular season games including a 68-81 loss to this very team, Georgetown (23-9) found their offense at the perfect time, reeling off three wins to land themselves in the finals. After a routine 69-49 win over South Florida, they pulled off an incredible 91-84 upset of top seed Syracuse. Last night they showed they are for real by demolishing a very good Marquette team, 80-57.
They are playing with the same form and intensity that had them ranked in the top 10 earlier in the year which bodes well for this ride to continue deep into the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoyas are led by sophomore C Greg Monroe and junior G's Austin Freeman and Chris Wright. Against the Golden Eagles, Monroe was a force with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Wright added to the effort with 15 points and Freeman had 12. If they can repeat this effort one more night, they will add a title to their already impressive Big East Tournament resume.
West Virginia (26-6) has been living on the edge this entire tournament. In their 54-51 win over Cincinnati, it took a buzzer beating three point shot by senior F Da'Sean Butler to seal the win. Last night against a Notre Dame team that simply would not go away, they barely escaped elimination when Irish G Tory Jackson's three point shot with four seconds left bounced off the rim to come away with the hard fought 53-51 win.
None the less they find themselves in the finals and with a win could still secure a #1 seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. With the star power on this team, including Butler, sophomore F Devin Ebanks, and sophomore F Kevin Jones they have what it takes to win a National Title.
In the last two games, Butler has 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, Jones has 27 points and 9 rebounds and Ebanks has 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Georgetown has looked extremely impressive in their last three games and come into this one with a ton of momentum. West Virginia has been leading a charmed life, but their last two games were a little too close for comfort. I expect tonight to be more of the same with the Hoyas keeping it close enough to cover, if not pull off the outright win.
Betting Trends:
West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
West Virginia is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games when playing Georgetown
Georgetown is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Georgetown is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing West Virginia
Hoyas vs. Mountaineers Free Pick:
Georgetown +2
Copyright (c) 2009 - Sports Betting Forums
Tuskegee men win SIAC tournament
ATLANTA -- Lorell Friend's free throw with four seconds remaining sealed Tuske gee's 61-57 win over Clark Atlanta on Sat urday and gave the Golden Tigers their first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship in 31 years.
Calvin Thomas scored 16 points and Friend had 15 for Tuskegee (20-10), which last won a SIAC tournament in 1979.
Derrick White finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds.
The Golden Tigers receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. The field will be announced tonight.
Thomas had four points in a decisive 8-1 run in the final three minutes.
With the game tied 52-52, Friend hit a jumper with 21/2 minutes left to put Tuskegee ahead. Thomas drained four free throws on the Tigers' next three possessions, the last with 11/2 minutes remainingto make it a five-point game. Andrae Nelson's free throw with 52 seconds left gave Tuskegee a 60-53 advantage.
David Brown had 17 points and Najee Lane 12 for Clark Atlanta (24-6).which last won a SIAC title in 1965. The Panthers beat Tuskegee twice this season.
Tuskegee, which was the SIAC tournament runner-up two years ago, also reached 20 wins for the first time since finishing 20-9 in the 1981-82 season. The Tigers were 21-10 in 1978-79.
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Washington University men's basketball heads to NCAA Division-III tourneyWashington University's Bears are once again headed into the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament as the team to beat.
The Bears are ranked number one in the nation and are two-time defending Division III national champions.
The team watched the announcement of tournament bracket Monday morning in the Danforth University Center Fun Room. The women were waiting to hear their bracket placement later in the morning.
In the first round, the Bears will face Missouri's Westminster College. Wash U was 23-2 in the regular season.
Copyright (c)2010 ksdk.com
Coaches support bigger tournament
The Big Dance could be just a few steps from picking up a whole bunch of new partners.
The NCAA recently met with conference commissioners, university presidents and athletic directors about the possibility of expanding its popular Division I-A men's basketball tournament from 65 teams to 68 or 96.
"It's just a series of ongoing dialogues with interested parties, but nothing definitive to even analyze at this point," said NCAA senior vice president Greg Shaheen, who oversees the tournament.
The fact that the NCAA is considering opting out of its 11-year, $6 billion TV contract with CBS after the Final Four in April and increasing the size of its tournament has coaches buzzing locally and nationally.
March Madness may get even zanier.
"I'm not only for expansion, I think they ought to double the size of the field to 130 teams," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. "That still would only be a little more than a third of all Division I basketball teams in the field."
Under the current format, 65 of 347 teams get into the NCAA tournament and 32 teams are picked for the NCAA-owned National Invitation Tournament.
Percentage-wise, those figures still are well below the number of bowl berths handed out to Division I-A football teams. Sixty-eight of 120 teams participate in postseason play.
Under the NCAA's new basketball proposal, a bracket of 68 teams would involve three additional "play-in" games. In a 96-team field, 31 games would be added.
"Expansion would be a good thing," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "You look at the football situation. You have 34 bowl games and teams that are .500 playing in some of them.
"On the other hand, you have teams in basketball that are pretty good who are being left out of the NCAA tournament every year."
Several high-profile coaches also have come out in favor of expansion, including Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim.
Krzyzewski believes the NCAA and NIT should be combined into one tournament. He also believes all regular-season conference champions should automatically be in the field. Ten were excluded last year.
For now, talk of increasing the NCAA tournament field is purely speculation, but it has led to much discussion and debate.
"I love it," Villanova coach Jay Wright. "I just think it's an idea whose time has come."
"I would like to see it opened up and see more teams get a chance to compete," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.
The NCAA's current deal with CBS still has three years and $2.1 billion remaining, but a clause in the contract allows college sport's governing body to opt out after this season. SportsBusiness Journal reported that CBS and Turner Sports are considering a joint bid on a 14-year deal to land the expanded NCAA tournament. Fox and ESPN also are seen as potential bidders.
"For obvious reasons, you think there could be opportunity," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "It gets compared to football and bowl games. I don't think the opportunity is there. I don't know how it's feasible. It's only based on monetary reasons.
"If adding 32 more teams makes more, that's the only way it will happen."
Others who have expressed their concerns about expansion include Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who wonders how it will affect the regular-season races and conference tournaments; ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, who called the idea "ludicrous"; and Jerry Palm from collegeRPI.com, who said it would "add more unqualified teams to a tournament already filled with them."
Kentucky coach John Calipari believes the current 65-team NCAA tournament is big enough. And Michigan's John Beilein, who coached at West Virginia from 2002-07, thinks 96 teams are too many.
"I could see adding a couple more play-in games if you had to, but to go to 96 may be a hard thing to do," he said.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber believes a much larger NCAA tournament would give coaches a little more job security.
"Selfishly, I think as a coaching profession, there's so much pressure on you to get into the tournament, if you don't get in, you're a failure," he said. "So, I think it would help keep jobs. It would maybe stabilize some programs, so I am definitely for it. I think most of our coaching profession is."
The NCAA tournament began as an eight-team bracket in 1939, moved to 16 teams in 1951, 32 in 1975, 48 in 1980 and 64 teams in 1985, when there were 282 Division I teams.
In 2001, the NCAA adopted its current format. A play-in game increased the field to 65 teams.
"To me, it's foolish for those people who are saying it's perfect the way it is," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "Obviously, they've lived a very shallow life when it comes to looking at change and what change can do and how it can affect things. The history of expansion with the NCAA has been very successful.
"The only people who would be disappointed would be all those people that have already printed out their 64-game bracket sheets. I think those can be changed.
"For the expansion not to take place, it can only be because there are some people behind the scenes that are controlling certain entities that will not allow us to do this. But, if this doesn't happen, it'll be a crime."
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Pac-10 football recruited a bumper crop
Before we touch on basketball developments, a few thoughts on the top story of the week: Football recruiting . . .
Cal signed one of the top 10 or 15 recruiting classes in the country.
Stanford's class, while not as acclaimed as its 2009 group, stands as one of the strongest in school history.
But neither the Bears nor Cardinal came close to landing the best group in the Pac-10, which had its finest top-to-bottom recruiting year in ages.
With the Southern California schools leading the signing-day charge, seven teams corralled highly regarded classes. (The league's basketball coaches ought to take notes.)
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA's closer extraordinaire, grabbed five coveted prospects in the final 24 hours alone.
Meanwhile, rookie USC coach Lane Kiffin snared signatures from seven elite players who were uncommitted when the week began.
The furious finish allowed the Trojans to overtake Florida for the No. 1 class in the country, as ranked by the Rivals recruiting service.
It also serves notice that the Trojans will continue to dominate recruiting in the post-Pete Carroll era. They're in good hands with Kiffin and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron (unless that darn NCAA rulebook gets in the way).
The conference-wide success stems largely from a lineup of coaches that has become decidedly younger and more charismatic in recent years with Kiffin, Neuheisel, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh and Washington's Steve Sarkisian.
It's impossible to confirm, but my guess is that Cal's Jeff Tedford became the first coach in Bay Area history to sign two players ranked No. 1 nationally at their positions: outside linebacker Chris Martin and safety Keenan Allen, whose primary position will be receiver.
I'd also guess that the Bears' class will ultimately be remembered by how well three-star quarterback Austin Hinder develops — or doesn't develop.
(For more on that subject, see: Riley, Kevin; Mansion, Brock; Longshore, Nate; and Ayoob, Joe.)
Stanford landed a last-minute prospect in running back Ricky Seale, but his signature doesn't offset the blows the Cardinal took in the final 48 hours, especially losing linebacker Jordan Zumwalt to UCLA.
A Stanford optimist might say: Any time we sign a top-25 class, it's a home run.
A Stanford pessimist might wonder: The best we could do after a breakthrough season was fifth- or sixth-best in the conference?
Any other year, the Cardinal's class probably would rank no worse than fourth.
Public service announcement: Keep in mind that the recruiting rankings mean something but not everything — not close to everything.
Two great examples with a local flavor:
Aaron Rodgers, the former Cal star and current Pro Bowler, was not rated among the nation's top 100 quarterbacks during his senior season at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico.
And Stanford's Toby Gerhart, who finished second in the 2009 Heisman Trophy voting, was ranked No. 40 among running backs in the high school class of 2006.
Cal has now missed on two chances to take control of the Pac-10 basketball race:
A victory last weekend at Arizona would have given the Bears a two-game lead at the midpoint of the conference season, while a victory Thursday at USC would have given them a one-game lead (or more) entering the weekend.
Each time, the ultra-experienced Bears failed to make enough big plays in the final minutes. As a result, they're in scramble mode — not only for the league title but also for a possible NCAA tournament at-large bid.
Today's tangle with UCLA is crucial on both fronts, especially given that the Bruins won in Berkeley last month.
Watching UCLA outlast Stanford on Thursday, I kept thinking about how far both programs — and the Pac-10 itself — have fallen since their 2008 showdown in Pauley Pavilion with the conference title on the line. (The Bruins won, thanks in part to a controversial no-call in the final seconds.)
Stanford has entered every-game-counts-double mode. The Pac-10 tournament figures to be wide open, but because of its lack of depth, the Cardinal must avoid finishing in eighth or ninth place — and having to win four games in four days with a March Madness invitation on the line.
Santa Clara's loss at Saint Mary's dropped the Broncos to 1-7 in conference play, but the schedule gets easier from here with San Diego (road), Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and USF (all at home).
That's a chance for the young Broncos to generate momentum and confidence for the brutal season-ending trip to the Northwest and, after that, the West Coast Conference tournament.
Copyright (c) 2010 - San Jose Mercury News
Baylor finally wins one at Texas
AUSTIN - Calm and collected with a sea of burnt orange as a shooting backdrop, A.J. Walton looked nothing like a struggling freshman who was making less than half his free throw attempts.
His Baylor team bore little resemblance to its predecessors who had dropped 11 straight games at the Erwin Center.
Baylor blew a 14-point lead in the second half, forced overtime in the final second and then watched Walton make five of six clutch throws. The 80-77 win over No. 6 Texas wasn't decided until Texas freshman Avery Bradley's attempt at a tying 3-pointer bounced off the back iron.
Baylor (16-4, 3-3 Big 12) needed a road victory after losing at home Tuesday to Kansas State and got one in Austin for the first time since Jan. 3, 1998, the end of the Tom Penders era.
"This was a great win for us, but it doesn't stop here," said senior point guard Tweety Carter, who scored a game-high 27 points. "We just have to come out and play like we did today."
Walton was an unlikely candidate to seal the win, making just 47.4 percent of his free throws this season.
"I stepped to the line, cleared it out and just knocked down the free throws," Walton said.
Maybe Texas should take note. The Longhorns, ranked 318th nationally in free throw percentage, connected on 19 of 31 attempts, with four costly overtime misses.
Even freshman J'Covan Brown, an 88.9 percent free throw shooter, was affected. With a chance to put Texas up three, he made just one of two free throws with 16 seconds remaining in regulation.
"If they want to win, you have to figure it out," Texas coach Rick Barnes said of his team's woes unguarded from 15 feet. "I wish I could come up with a remedy for it and tell you, but I've never been able to figure it out."
Texas (18-3, 4-2) has now lost three of four, its two-week stay at No. 1 a fleeting memory. The Longhorns allowed 27 points off 18 turnovers and shot just 38.6 percent.
Conversely, Baylor relished a collective effort, one that became a necessity when leading scorer LaceDarius Dunn fouled out with 4:14 remaining in regulation. Sophomore Anthony Jones forced overtime by grabbing Ekpe Udoh's air ball and laying the ball over the rim with 0.3 seconds remaining for a 64-64 tie.
"Nobody blocked me out," Jones said, "and the ball just fell right into my hands."
Barnes bemoaned a good defensive effort gone awry.
"We got them to shoot the kind of shot you want to shoot, and we gave up an offensive rebound," Barnes said. "In that situation, you've got to finish that possession. If you do, the game's over."
Udoh, who entered overtime 0-of-11 from the field, scored Baylor's first three baskets in the extra period. After struggling against Kansas State, he did a little midnight shooting practice in Waco.
Baylor built a six-point lead only to see Texas rally again. Then Walton did his part, leading to a few scattered fan chants of "Let's go Baylor" during the on-court celebration.
"A.J. wasn't a freshman at the line at the end," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
UP NEXT
A look at Texas' next three games in what could be a defining Big 12 stretch:
Monday at Oklahoma State: Cowboys need a win after falling at Missouri.
Saturday at Oklahoma: Young Sooners are a different team at home.
Feb. 8 vs. Kansas: Jayhawks likely back to No. 1 come Monday.
(c)2010, The Dallas Morning News, Inc
SNC stays perfect in conference
GALESBURG, Ill. -- The St. Norbert men's basketball team defeated Knox 56-45 on Saturday, winning its second straight game with leading scorer Dave Wipperfurth sidelined.
St. Norbert (14-1, 8-0 Midwest) used a 14-0 run in the second half to separate from Knox (1-14, 1-7). Mike Brumm led the Green Knights with 13 points.
ST. NORBERT COLLEGE (14-1, 8-0 MWC)
Brumm 5-10 0-0 13; Appleton 4-9 0-0 10; Taylor 3-6 4-4 10; Peterson 3-12 1-2 7; Papke 2-5 1-2 5; Dietz 2-3 0-0 4; Whalen 1-3 0-0 3; Durrett 1-2 0-0 2; Mallers 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 22-52 6-8 56.
KNOX COLLEGE (1-14, 1-7 MWC)
Horvath 3-6 3-4 11; Shaw 4-8 2-2 10; Wetherbee 3-14 0-0 8; Kozak 3-6 0-0 6; Schobert 2-3 1-2 5; Lewis 1-2 0-0 3; Carlson 1-5 0-0 2; Lillibridge 0-0 0-0 0; Tokar 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-44 6-8 45.
St. Norbert College 26 30 - 56
Knox College 22 23 - 45
3-point goals - SNC 6-20 (Brumm 3-7; Appleton 2-6; Whalen 1-2; Mallers 0-1; Peterson 0-4), Knox 5-13 (Horvath 2-4; Wetherbee 2-7; Lewis 1-2). Fouled out -None. Rebounds - SNC 25 (Peterson 6), Knox 29 (Shaw 10). Assists - SNC 12 (Taylor 3), Knox 9 (Carlson 7). Total fouls - SNC 9, Knox 11. Technical fouls - None. Attendance - 500
WOMEN: St. Norbert 65, Knox 51
GALESBURG, Ill. - Stefanie Bunday led St. Norbert with 20 points, 10 steals and six assists.
The Green Knights (11-3, 6-2) used a 11-0 run late in the first half to build a 35-23 halftime lead.
ST. NORBERT COLLEGE (11-3, 6-2 MWC)
Bunday 8-9 2-2 20; Otzelberger 2-6 7-13 11; Heuser 3-8 2-5 9; Hermus 3-6 1-1 7; Baganz 3-7 0-0 7; Pelky 2-8 2-2 6; Zimmerman 0-1 2-5 2; Kuhl 0-1 2-2 2; Secor 0-0 1-2 1; Brigette Baudhuin 0-1 0-0 0; Amy Brunner 0-4 0-0 0; Bri Hauge 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 19-32 65.
KNOX COLLEGE (6-8, 2-6 MWC)
Ricketts 4-6 1-1 9; Williams 3-7 2-2 8; Johnson 3-5 0-0 7; McDonald 2-2 2-2 6; Navolio 2-7 2-3 6; Hidden 2-4 0-0 4; Haskell 1-1 2-3 4; Herring 1-2 1-2 3; Mueller 1-6 0-0 2; Moon 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 20-43 10-13 51.
St. Norbert College 35 30 - 65
Knox College 23 28 - 51
3-point goals - SNC 4-12 (Bunday 2-2; Baganz 1-2; Heuser 1-3; Pelky 0-2; Brunner 0-2; Hauge 0-1), Knox 1-5 (Johnson 1-1; Navolio 0-2; Herring 0-1; Mueller 0-1). Fouled out - None. Rebounds - SNC 30 (Otzelberger 6), Knox 28 (Hidden 7). Assists - SNC 14 (Bunday 6), Knox 15 (Haskell 7). Total fouls - SNC 16, Knox 22. Technical fouls - Knox Team. Attendance - 500.
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