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ACC Tournament
Duke vs. Miami-Florida
League insiders classify Miami as a one-dimensional team with above average perimeter players. Insiders believe the significant imbalance in the team's backcourt-to-frontcourt scoring schemes will give it significant trouble against a balanced Duke attack.
Despite yesterday's 66-63 win over Clemson, Miami still comes into this contest on a 2-6 SU run.
League insiders believe Duke has the best one-two punch in the nation with ACC scoring leader J.J. Redick (27.8 points per game) and 6-9, 255-lb F Shelden Williams (18.8 points per game, 10 rebounds per game).
Duke led the ACC in all five offensive categories and averages an impressive 82 points per game.
Insiders are also quick to point out the defensive accolades of the Blue Devils, who also led the ACC in 3-point field-goal defense and ranked second in the league in turnover margin.
League insiders believe as long as Duke wins one or two games in the tournament, the team should solidify a #1 NCAA Tournament seeding because due to a top-ranked non-conference RPI rating.
Duke comes into the ACC tournament having lost just a single conference game all season.
Duke has a phenomenal 46-8 SU record in its last 54 postseason games.
In their only other meeting this season, Duke crushed Miami, 92-71.
N.C. State vs. Wake Forest
League insiders were shocked by yesterday's 46-26 drubbing of Florida State in the second half which gave Wake the 78-66 win. Despite yesterday's stunning upset, team insiders are still not sold on this Wake team, which comes into this contest as losers of 13 of its last 18 games and a poor 4-13 conference record.
N.C. State likes to play fast, averaging 76 points per game this season. Nearly 45 percent of the Wolfpack's shots are 3-pointers and they spread the floor well enough to make 54 percent of their two-pointers.
Team insiders are still concerned with the depth on N.C. State, as the team's starters often get tired in the second half of games, especially when they are matched up against teams that are as offensively capable, proven by their double-digit defeats at North Carolina and Duke.
N.C. State comes into this tourney losing 3 in a row - as a favorite each time - to BC, North Carolina and Wake.
North Carolina vs. Virginia
Virginia held off Virginia Tech 60-56 in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. Despite the win, Virginia still has lost 7 of its last 12 games.
North Carolina comes into this tournament playing with a ton of confidence, winning nine of its last 10 games both SU and ATS while averaging a whopping 84 points per game. The team's only loss during that span was a four-point nail biter at Duke. However, the Tar Heels returned the favor by shocking Duke 83-76 on their home floor in the regular-season finale.
These two teams split the regular season series with North Carolina beating Virginia 99-54 at home and Virginia returning the favor 72-68 at Virginia.
Big Ten Tournament
Ohio State vs. Penn State
Penn State continues to play with a lot of confidence, as the team's zone defense stymied cold-shooting Northwestern 60-42 on Thursday to advance into the quarterfinals. The win assured the Nittany Lions of a winning record following the Big Ten Tournament, strengthening their case for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.
Team insiders reporting a very tired Penn State team, with four starters averaging over 30 minutes per game, lacks the depth necessary to advance deep into the tournament.
Ohio State's Thad Matta was just named the 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year and senior center Terence Dials was chosen as the 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Ohio State leads the league in 3-point shooting percentage (40 percent) along with most of the other major offensive and defensive categories. The Buckeyes have the quintessential inside-outside game with sharpshooter Je'Kel Foster and Dials. Insiders are also quick to point out, that this team won 20 games last year with essentially the same lineup, so with more experience this season, expectations are higher.
In their two prior meetings this season, Ohio State defeated Penn State 76-64 on the road and humiliated the Lions 104-69 at home.
Even though Ohio State is 2-0 in the series on the year, Penn State managed to keep Dials in check.
The Nittany Lions have been working on stopping Ohio State's Ron Lewis, who scorched them in both meetings this season. The problem is if they work on stopping Lewis, Dials will be left open to score at will.
Minnesota at Iowa
Minnesota needs to continue doing well in the tournament after upsetting Michigan and is happy to be playing Iowa. The Hawkeyes struggled against Minnesota this season, needing triple overtime to beat the Golden Gophers 76-72 in Iowa City and losing 74-61 in Minneapolis last month.
Iowa's Greg Brunner sprained his ankle Saturday against Wisconsin. News reports say he should be at 100 percent on Friday, but insiders report that is not the case.
Wisconsin vs. Indiana
League insiders believe Indiana will be the sleeper of this conference tournament with as an excellent chance at winning the whole tournament. This will mark head coach Mike Davis' final road show, and team insiders believe the Hoosiers will be filled with inspiration to win this event for their coach, a man they truly respect and genuinely like.
Indiana played very tight games against Connecticut and Duke and have key league wins over Ohio State, Illinois and the two Michigan schools.
Wisconsin was just 2-8 on the road this season but hammered Indiana 72-54 at home last month.
Despite injuries and academic issues all season, the Badgers have always seemed to play huge in big games all season.
The Hoosiers will likely have a home-court edge tonight with it basically being a home game since they are playing in Indianapolis, right down the street from Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are looking to open up the inside by giving the green light early on to 3-point shooters Robert Vaden, Earl Calloway, A.J. Ratliff and Marshall Strickland. If the three ball drops early on for Indiana and the crowd gets into the game, look for the Badgers to exit the Big 10 tourney early.
Illinois vs. Michigan State
Michigan State held off Purdue 70-58 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.
Illinois comes into the tournament playing with a lot of confidence, riding an impressive 5-1 SU & ATS run.
League insiders believe Michigan State has the conference's best trio of scorers and maybe even the nationin 6-5 senior guard Maurice Ager (18 points per game) and 6-4 junior Shannon Brown (17.9 points per game),and 6-10 Paul Davis (18 points per game, 9 rebounds per game). One team insider stated that if the Spartans get motivated, they should have little trouble advancing to the championship game.
League insiders believe Illinois is the best defensive team in the league. The Illini are relentless in their defensive pressure and rebound with ferocity.
Illinois is 18-5 SU in its last 23 postseason games.
These teams recently hooked up in East Lansing, where Illinois won 75-68 at Michigan State in the regular-season finale on March 4th. Illinois also won 60-50 in the earlier meeting at home.
Big 12 Tournament
Texas vs. Texas Tech
Jarrius Jackson scored 21 points despite making only 4 of 17 shots, leading Texas Tech past Kansas State 73-65 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday and keeping alive one of head coach Bob Knight's most disappointing seasons. Despite the win, the Red Raiders still come into this contest losing of 9 of their last 13 games
Overall, Texas comes into the tournament as the conference's best overall offensive and defensive team, and league insiders believe nobody will beat the Longhorns if they play up to their potential.
Texas is 7-3 on the road and destroyed Texas Tech in two meetings, winning by a combined 55 points.
Colorado vs. Texas A&M
Texas A&M plays very tough defense, which was evident in a late-season 46-43 upset of Texas. The Aggies are not afraid to slow the pace down and keep it close, hoping for a shot at the end to win it. They carry a 7-game conference winning streak into this matchup.
League insiders believe Texas A&M does not have the firepower to win the whole tournament butcould play well enough to sneak into the title game.
Texas A&M beat Colorado 61-58 in their only other meeting this season.
SEC Tournament
LSU vs. Vanderbilt
League insiders not at all surprised by Vanderbilt's win over Auburn last night, and they will not at all be surprised if the Commodores make a solid run in this tournament. As the host team for the tournament, Vandy is 41-9 SU on this floor and is the best three-point shooting team in the SEC.
Other than two relatively close losses at Alabama and Florida, LSU won every conference game on its SEC schedule. The Tigers ride a 6-game winning streak into this game.
League insiders reporting that any team facing LSU's massive 6-9, 310-pound sophomore Glen Davis (18 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game) will have trouble securing any kind of inside presence. Davis was named SEC Player of the Year and is trying to help the Tigers to their first conference title since 1980.
Team insiders reporting LSU's 6-9 freshman Tyrus Thomas (13 points per game, 9 rebounds per game) is doubtful with a sprained ankle. Thomas was named SEC Freshman and Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
In their only other meeting this season, LSU defeated Vanderbilt, 77-66.
Tennessee vs. South Carolina
South Carolina overcame a sluggish start and beat Mississippi State 59-44 Thursday in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
League insiders do not expect much fromthe Gamecocks here,as they do not have a lot of frontcourt muscle with skinny 6-8 junior Renaldo Balkman and 6-10, 196-pound junior Brandon Wallace as their leading rebounders.
Tennessee has a dynamite offense run by a three-guard attack in sophomore Chris Lofton (16 points per game), senior C.J. Watson (15 points per game) and junior Dane Bradshaw.
League insiders reporting that opposing SEC coaches continue to have a difficult time preparingagainst Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl, who brought his ideology of 40 minutes of full-throttle attack from when he coached at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In their prior two meeting this season, Tennessee won 76-69 at South Carolina and again 81-65 at home.
Alabama vs. Kentucky
History has shown that the Kentucky Wildcats will be a tough out no matter who plays them in this tournament. Kentucky wins nearly 90 percent of its tournament games and covers 75 percent. Indeed, the Wildcats have won 35 of their last 39 SEC tourney games with 10 championships since 1990. They are coming off a win over Missisippi on Thursday in which they outscored the Rebels 45-28 in the second half after trailing at halftime.
Team insiders are surprised at the unbelievable run made by Alabama after the loss of star forward Chuck Davis. In 22 days, Alabama defeated Tennessee, Florida and LSU to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with.
League insiders believe that bubble team Alabama needs at least one win in the conference tournament to secure its spot in the big dance. With 17-11 record and an RPI of 45, Alabama has plenty of reasons to go all out in this contest.
Alabama head coach Mike Gottfried is very worried: "There has never been a team left out with 10 (SEC wins) and (people assume) you've got the NCAA Tournament in your back pocket," he said. "That's a dangerous trap to fall into that we cannot let happen with our team. We've got to go to Nashville and play better."
In their only other meeting this season, Alabama won 68-64 at Kentucky.
Big East Tournament
Syracuse vs. Georgetown
Georgetown came back to top Notre Dame 67-63 with strong defense leading the charge and then beat Marquette 62-59 the same way yesterday. Meanwhile, Syracuse is the defending champion in this tournament and didn't disappoint our insiders against the nation's #1 team. beating UConn 86-84 in OT.
Team insiders continue to advise "not to dismiss" the chances of this always dangerous Syracuse team that entered the Big East Tournament on a 2-3 run in their last 5 games. Remember, last year's Orange team also went into the tournament just 2-3 in its prior five games, and they won the whole thing.
Georgetown is one of only two teams to beat former #1 Duke this season. However, head coach John Thompson III said it was sweeter for the Hoyas to beat conference rival Syracuse 68-53 later in the season. "The Duke game was nice," Thompson said. "This is nicer."
The Hoyas have a huge athletic front line led by 7-2 sophomore Roy Hibbert and 6-9 senior Brandon Bowman, who anchor the league's #1 defense.
Insiders can't help but wonder how much more energy Syracuse senior Gerry McNamara has left in him after hitting huge 3-pointers at the end of each of the team's first two tournament games. McNamara has been the star of the tourney so far but was visibly exhausted following yesterday's upset of UConn, playing 41 minutes. He has answered the critics who called him underrated and most likely got his team into the NCAA Tournament with his back-to-back heroic performances.
Villanova vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh continues to roll after holding on against Louisville Wednesday night, following that up with an impressive over West Virginia last night.
Villanova certainly has something to play for, with the possibility of obtaining a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament within the Philadelphia pod, giving the Wildcats a home-court edge in the Big Dance.
Villanova is no stranger to winning away from home as they posted an impressive 11-2 mark on the road!
Team insiders reporting that Villanova players and coaches had a quick team meeting after watching Connecticut's stunning loss and vowed not to repeat the same mistake. "After we watched UConn lose, everyone realized that anything can happen in these tournaments," Allan Ray said. "And you've got to come out ready to play." The Wildcats repsonded with a 32-point rout of Rutgers, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by 31 points in the second half after getting a scare themselves.
Team insiders believe the Panthers can play with any team in this field, as they have the most talented and versatile reserves. All eight players in the Pittsburgh rotation have played in all 28 games so far.
Atlantic 10 Tournament
St. Joseph's vs. Temple
Temple made a season-high 13 3-pointers in beating Rhode Island 74-45 Wednesday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Temple followed that performance by playing a brutal zone defense that left George Washington's high-powered offense in shambles en route to a 68-53 victory.
St. Joe's polished off Dayton then played nearly mistake-free game during a 56-37 quarterfinal victory over Saint Louis yesterday afternoon.
League insiders believe that Temple always has a chance with veteran head coach John Chaney. The Owls have made it to the final game eight times in the last 16 years and been at or near the top of the league standings for most of those 16 years.
Team insiders are very concerned with the lack of depth in this year's Temple squad that only plays seven players, one of which is trigger-happy freshman guard Dionte Christmas, who averages a meager 29.3 percent shootingfrom the field. With the team's other starters, Collins, Robinson, Tyndale and Salisberry all averaging from 30 to 37.5 minutes per game, they could get tired the further they advance in the tournament.
St. Joe's plays excellent defense, as the Hawks are on a 17-3 run UNDER the total.
Xavier vs. Fordham
Fordham beat Richmond 45-37 in the lowest-scoring game in Atlantic 10 tournament history, then topped LaSalle last night. Xavier upset NC Charlotte 59-55 to advance to this semifinal round.
League insiders are not quick to dismiss the chances of Xavier despite a #10 seeding in this year's tournament. Xavier has won 10 of its last 12 games in this event, taking home the championship trophy twice in the last four years.
League insiders reporting seeing a very tired Fordham team after last night's win over LaSalle. Fordham, which is not a very deep team, will have to play for the third consecutive day.
Xavier absolutely destroyed Fordham 84-64 in their only other meeting this season.
Mountain West Tournament
San Diego State vs. UNLV
San Diego State won last night 64-52 over Colorado State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. UNLV advanced with a 65-64 win over New Mexico earlier in the day.
Team insiders believe the potential loss of leading scorer Louis Amundson (ankle), who is questionable for this contest and will not be 100 percent if he does play, as well as the losses of guards Jason Petrimoulx (8 points per game) and Mike Umreh for the year (knee), could explain why UNLV has lost 3 of its last 5 games.
San Diego State has won more conference road games than any other team in the country and was a mere 13 points away from going undefeated in league play.
SDSU is the best three-point shooting team in the conference.
UNLV lost both of the prior meetings between these teams this season, 83-67 at SDSU and 81-70 at home.
WAC Tournament
Utah State vs. Louisana Tech
Louisiana Tech beat Boise State 75-64 in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday, while Utah State disposed of San Jose State, 76-69.
La Tech has one of the best frontcourt players in the country in 6-9 Paul Millsap (21 points per game, 12 rebounds per game).
Despite their impressive win over Boise, team insiders reporting that the loss of Ragin' Cajuns starter Michael Wilds, who was ruled academically ineligible this week, will have a significant impact on a team already lacking depth.
League insiders are not quick in dismissing Utah State's chances to win this tournament. The Aggies were the only conference team to beat Nevada in Reno and have a history of winning these events with 19 wins in their last 24 chances.
Utah State won both of the previous two meeting this season, 64-55 at home and 63-62 at Louisiana Tech.
Pac-10 Tournament
UCLA vs. Arizona
Arizona defeated Stanford 73-68 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament. The Wildcats showed character without leading scorer Hassan Adams, forcing 23 turnovers and battling back from a 32-31 halftime deficit.
Many league insiders are not quick to back Arizona remembering head coach Lute Olson's disdain for this tournament. He has publicly stated that his team's performance in this event is of no matter to him or his program. But Lute can't keep his kids from wanting to win and since Chris Rodgers has been reinstated with a new attitude, the Desert Cats have the talent to win this tourney.Since Arizona hasalso been classified as a bubble team, a solid victory would do wonders for the team'sNCAA aspirations.
UCLA's defense is proving to be its best asset heading into the NCAA Tournament, as the Bruins limited Oregon State to just 32 percent shooting in yesterday's 32-point victory, the largest margin in tourney history.
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ACC Tournament
Duke vs. Miami-Florida
League insiders classify Miami as a one-dimensional team with above average perimeter players. Insiders believe the significant imbalance in the team's backcourt-to-frontcourt scoring schemes will give it significant trouble against a balanced Duke attack.
Despite yesterday's 66-63 win over Clemson, Miami still comes into this contest on a 2-6 SU run.
League insiders believe Duke has the best one-two punch in the nation with ACC scoring leader J.J. Redick (27.8 points per game) and 6-9, 255-lb F Shelden Williams (18.8 points per game, 10 rebounds per game).
Duke led the ACC in all five offensive categories and averages an impressive 82 points per game.
Insiders are also quick to point out the defensive accolades of the Blue Devils, who also led the ACC in 3-point field-goal defense and ranked second in the league in turnover margin.
League insiders believe as long as Duke wins one or two games in the tournament, the team should solidify a #1 NCAA Tournament seeding because due to a top-ranked non-conference RPI rating.
Duke comes into the ACC tournament having lost just a single conference game all season.
Duke has a phenomenal 46-8 SU record in its last 54 postseason games.
In their only other meeting this season, Duke crushed Miami, 92-71.
N.C. State vs. Wake Forest
League insiders were shocked by yesterday's 46-26 drubbing of Florida State in the second half which gave Wake the 78-66 win. Despite yesterday's stunning upset, team insiders are still not sold on this Wake team, which comes into this contest as losers of 13 of its last 18 games and a poor 4-13 conference record.
N.C. State likes to play fast, averaging 76 points per game this season. Nearly 45 percent of the Wolfpack's shots are 3-pointers and they spread the floor well enough to make 54 percent of their two-pointers.
Team insiders are still concerned with the depth on N.C. State, as the team's starters often get tired in the second half of games, especially when they are matched up against teams that are as offensively capable, proven by their double-digit defeats at North Carolina and Duke.
N.C. State comes into this tourney losing 3 in a row - as a favorite each time - to BC, North Carolina and Wake.
North Carolina vs. Virginia
Virginia held off Virginia Tech 60-56 in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. Despite the win, Virginia still has lost 7 of its last 12 games.
North Carolina comes into this tournament playing with a ton of confidence, winning nine of its last 10 games both SU and ATS while averaging a whopping 84 points per game. The team's only loss during that span was a four-point nail biter at Duke. However, the Tar Heels returned the favor by shocking Duke 83-76 on their home floor in the regular-season finale.
These two teams split the regular season series with North Carolina beating Virginia 99-54 at home and Virginia returning the favor 72-68 at Virginia.
Big Ten Tournament
Ohio State vs. Penn State
Penn State continues to play with a lot of confidence, as the team's zone defense stymied cold-shooting Northwestern 60-42 on Thursday to advance into the quarterfinals. The win assured the Nittany Lions of a winning record following the Big Ten Tournament, strengthening their case for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.
Team insiders reporting a very tired Penn State team, with four starters averaging over 30 minutes per game, lacks the depth necessary to advance deep into the tournament.
Ohio State's Thad Matta was just named the 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year and senior center Terence Dials was chosen as the 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Ohio State leads the league in 3-point shooting percentage (40 percent) along with most of the other major offensive and defensive categories. The Buckeyes have the quintessential inside-outside game with sharpshooter Je'Kel Foster and Dials. Insiders are also quick to point out, that this team won 20 games last year with essentially the same lineup, so with more experience this season, expectations are higher.
In their two prior meetings this season, Ohio State defeated Penn State 76-64 on the road and humiliated the Lions 104-69 at home.
Even though Ohio State is 2-0 in the series on the year, Penn State managed to keep Dials in check.
The Nittany Lions have been working on stopping Ohio State's Ron Lewis, who scorched them in both meetings this season. The problem is if they work on stopping Lewis, Dials will be left open to score at will.
Minnesota at Iowa
Minnesota needs to continue doing well in the tournament after upsetting Michigan and is happy to be playing Iowa. The Hawkeyes struggled against Minnesota this season, needing triple overtime to beat the Golden Gophers 76-72 in Iowa City and losing 74-61 in Minneapolis last month.
Iowa's Greg Brunner sprained his ankle Saturday against Wisconsin. News reports say he should be at 100 percent on Friday, but insiders report that is not the case.
Wisconsin vs. Indiana
League insiders believe Indiana will be the sleeper of this conference tournament with as an excellent chance at winning the whole tournament. This will mark head coach Mike Davis' final road show, and team insiders believe the Hoosiers will be filled with inspiration to win this event for their coach, a man they truly respect and genuinely like.
Indiana played very tight games against Connecticut and Duke and have key league wins over Ohio State, Illinois and the two Michigan schools.
Wisconsin was just 2-8 on the road this season but hammered Indiana 72-54 at home last month.
Despite injuries and academic issues all season, the Badgers have always seemed to play huge in big games all season.
The Hoosiers will likely have a home-court edge tonight with it basically being a home game since they are playing in Indianapolis, right down the street from Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are looking to open up the inside by giving the green light early on to 3-point shooters Robert Vaden, Earl Calloway, A.J. Ratliff and Marshall Strickland. If the three ball drops early on for Indiana and the crowd gets into the game, look for the Badgers to exit the Big 10 tourney early.
Illinois vs. Michigan State
Michigan State held off Purdue 70-58 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.
Illinois comes into the tournament playing with a lot of confidence, riding an impressive 5-1 SU & ATS run.
League insiders believe Michigan State has the conference's best trio of scorers and maybe even the nationin 6-5 senior guard Maurice Ager (18 points per game) and 6-4 junior Shannon Brown (17.9 points per game),and 6-10 Paul Davis (18 points per game, 9 rebounds per game). One team insider stated that if the Spartans get motivated, they should have little trouble advancing to the championship game.
League insiders believe Illinois is the best defensive team in the league. The Illini are relentless in their defensive pressure and rebound with ferocity.
Illinois is 18-5 SU in its last 23 postseason games.
These teams recently hooked up in East Lansing, where Illinois won 75-68 at Michigan State in the regular-season finale on March 4th. Illinois also won 60-50 in the earlier meeting at home.
Big 12 Tournament
Texas vs. Texas Tech
Jarrius Jackson scored 21 points despite making only 4 of 17 shots, leading Texas Tech past Kansas State 73-65 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday and keeping alive one of head coach Bob Knight's most disappointing seasons. Despite the win, the Red Raiders still come into this contest losing of 9 of their last 13 games
Overall, Texas comes into the tournament as the conference's best overall offensive and defensive team, and league insiders believe nobody will beat the Longhorns if they play up to their potential.
Texas is 7-3 on the road and destroyed Texas Tech in two meetings, winning by a combined 55 points.
Colorado vs. Texas A&M
Texas A&M plays very tough defense, which was evident in a late-season 46-43 upset of Texas. The Aggies are not afraid to slow the pace down and keep it close, hoping for a shot at the end to win it. They carry a 7-game conference winning streak into this matchup.
League insiders believe Texas A&M does not have the firepower to win the whole tournament butcould play well enough to sneak into the title game.
Texas A&M beat Colorado 61-58 in their only other meeting this season.
SEC Tournament
LSU vs. Vanderbilt
League insiders not at all surprised by Vanderbilt's win over Auburn last night, and they will not at all be surprised if the Commodores make a solid run in this tournament. As the host team for the tournament, Vandy is 41-9 SU on this floor and is the best three-point shooting team in the SEC.
Other than two relatively close losses at Alabama and Florida, LSU won every conference game on its SEC schedule. The Tigers ride a 6-game winning streak into this game.
League insiders reporting that any team facing LSU's massive 6-9, 310-pound sophomore Glen Davis (18 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game) will have trouble securing any kind of inside presence. Davis was named SEC Player of the Year and is trying to help the Tigers to their first conference title since 1980.
Team insiders reporting LSU's 6-9 freshman Tyrus Thomas (13 points per game, 9 rebounds per game) is doubtful with a sprained ankle. Thomas was named SEC Freshman and Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
In their only other meeting this season, LSU defeated Vanderbilt, 77-66.
Tennessee vs. South Carolina
South Carolina overcame a sluggish start and beat Mississippi State 59-44 Thursday in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
League insiders do not expect much fromthe Gamecocks here,as they do not have a lot of frontcourt muscle with skinny 6-8 junior Renaldo Balkman and 6-10, 196-pound junior Brandon Wallace as their leading rebounders.
Tennessee has a dynamite offense run by a three-guard attack in sophomore Chris Lofton (16 points per game), senior C.J. Watson (15 points per game) and junior Dane Bradshaw.
League insiders reporting that opposing SEC coaches continue to have a difficult time preparingagainst Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl, who brought his ideology of 40 minutes of full-throttle attack from when he coached at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In their prior two meeting this season, Tennessee won 76-69 at South Carolina and again 81-65 at home.
Alabama vs. Kentucky
History has shown that the Kentucky Wildcats will be a tough out no matter who plays them in this tournament. Kentucky wins nearly 90 percent of its tournament games and covers 75 percent. Indeed, the Wildcats have won 35 of their last 39 SEC tourney games with 10 championships since 1990. They are coming off a win over Missisippi on Thursday in which they outscored the Rebels 45-28 in the second half after trailing at halftime.
Team insiders are surprised at the unbelievable run made by Alabama after the loss of star forward Chuck Davis. In 22 days, Alabama defeated Tennessee, Florida and LSU to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with.
League insiders believe that bubble team Alabama needs at least one win in the conference tournament to secure its spot in the big dance. With 17-11 record and an RPI of 45, Alabama has plenty of reasons to go all out in this contest.
Alabama head coach Mike Gottfried is very worried: "There has never been a team left out with 10 (SEC wins) and (people assume) you've got the NCAA Tournament in your back pocket," he said. "That's a dangerous trap to fall into that we cannot let happen with our team. We've got to go to Nashville and play better."
In their only other meeting this season, Alabama won 68-64 at Kentucky.
Big East Tournament
Syracuse vs. Georgetown
Georgetown came back to top Notre Dame 67-63 with strong defense leading the charge and then beat Marquette 62-59 the same way yesterday. Meanwhile, Syracuse is the defending champion in this tournament and didn't disappoint our insiders against the nation's #1 team. beating UConn 86-84 in OT.
Team insiders continue to advise "not to dismiss" the chances of this always dangerous Syracuse team that entered the Big East Tournament on a 2-3 run in their last 5 games. Remember, last year's Orange team also went into the tournament just 2-3 in its prior five games, and they won the whole thing.
Georgetown is one of only two teams to beat former #1 Duke this season. However, head coach John Thompson III said it was sweeter for the Hoyas to beat conference rival Syracuse 68-53 later in the season. "The Duke game was nice," Thompson said. "This is nicer."
The Hoyas have a huge athletic front line led by 7-2 sophomore Roy Hibbert and 6-9 senior Brandon Bowman, who anchor the league's #1 defense.
Insiders can't help but wonder how much more energy Syracuse senior Gerry McNamara has left in him after hitting huge 3-pointers at the end of each of the team's first two tournament games. McNamara has been the star of the tourney so far but was visibly exhausted following yesterday's upset of UConn, playing 41 minutes. He has answered the critics who called him underrated and most likely got his team into the NCAA Tournament with his back-to-back heroic performances.
Villanova vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh continues to roll after holding on against Louisville Wednesday night, following that up with an impressive over West Virginia last night.
Villanova certainly has something to play for, with the possibility of obtaining a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament within the Philadelphia pod, giving the Wildcats a home-court edge in the Big Dance.
Villanova is no stranger to winning away from home as they posted an impressive 11-2 mark on the road!
Team insiders reporting that Villanova players and coaches had a quick team meeting after watching Connecticut's stunning loss and vowed not to repeat the same mistake. "After we watched UConn lose, everyone realized that anything can happen in these tournaments," Allan Ray said. "And you've got to come out ready to play." The Wildcats repsonded with a 32-point rout of Rutgers, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by 31 points in the second half after getting a scare themselves.
Team insiders believe the Panthers can play with any team in this field, as they have the most talented and versatile reserves. All eight players in the Pittsburgh rotation have played in all 28 games so far.
Atlantic 10 Tournament
St. Joseph's vs. Temple
Temple made a season-high 13 3-pointers in beating Rhode Island 74-45 Wednesday in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Temple followed that performance by playing a brutal zone defense that left George Washington's high-powered offense in shambles en route to a 68-53 victory.
St. Joe's polished off Dayton then played nearly mistake-free game during a 56-37 quarterfinal victory over Saint Louis yesterday afternoon.
League insiders believe that Temple always has a chance with veteran head coach John Chaney. The Owls have made it to the final game eight times in the last 16 years and been at or near the top of the league standings for most of those 16 years.
Team insiders are very concerned with the lack of depth in this year's Temple squad that only plays seven players, one of which is trigger-happy freshman guard Dionte Christmas, who averages a meager 29.3 percent shootingfrom the field. With the team's other starters, Collins, Robinson, Tyndale and Salisberry all averaging from 30 to 37.5 minutes per game, they could get tired the further they advance in the tournament.
St. Joe's plays excellent defense, as the Hawks are on a 17-3 run UNDER the total.
Xavier vs. Fordham
Fordham beat Richmond 45-37 in the lowest-scoring game in Atlantic 10 tournament history, then topped LaSalle last night. Xavier upset NC Charlotte 59-55 to advance to this semifinal round.
League insiders are not quick to dismiss the chances of Xavier despite a #10 seeding in this year's tournament. Xavier has won 10 of its last 12 games in this event, taking home the championship trophy twice in the last four years.
League insiders reporting seeing a very tired Fordham team after last night's win over LaSalle. Fordham, which is not a very deep team, will have to play for the third consecutive day.
Xavier absolutely destroyed Fordham 84-64 in their only other meeting this season.
Mountain West Tournament
San Diego State vs. UNLV
San Diego State won last night 64-52 over Colorado State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. UNLV advanced with a 65-64 win over New Mexico earlier in the day.
Team insiders believe the potential loss of leading scorer Louis Amundson (ankle), who is questionable for this contest and will not be 100 percent if he does play, as well as the losses of guards Jason Petrimoulx (8 points per game) and Mike Umreh for the year (knee), could explain why UNLV has lost 3 of its last 5 games.
San Diego State has won more conference road games than any other team in the country and was a mere 13 points away from going undefeated in league play.
SDSU is the best three-point shooting team in the conference.
UNLV lost both of the prior meetings between these teams this season, 83-67 at SDSU and 81-70 at home.
WAC Tournament
Utah State vs. Louisana Tech
Louisiana Tech beat Boise State 75-64 in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday, while Utah State disposed of San Jose State, 76-69.
La Tech has one of the best frontcourt players in the country in 6-9 Paul Millsap (21 points per game, 12 rebounds per game).
Despite their impressive win over Boise, team insiders reporting that the loss of Ragin' Cajuns starter Michael Wilds, who was ruled academically ineligible this week, will have a significant impact on a team already lacking depth.
League insiders are not quick in dismissing Utah State's chances to win this tournament. The Aggies were the only conference team to beat Nevada in Reno and have a history of winning these events with 19 wins in their last 24 chances.
Utah State won both of the previous two meeting this season, 64-55 at home and 63-62 at Louisiana Tech.
Pac-10 Tournament
UCLA vs. Arizona
Arizona defeated Stanford 73-68 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament. The Wildcats showed character without leading scorer Hassan Adams, forcing 23 turnovers and battling back from a 32-31 halftime deficit.
Many league insiders are not quick to back Arizona remembering head coach Lute Olson's disdain for this tournament. He has publicly stated that his team's performance in this event is of no matter to him or his program. But Lute can't keep his kids from wanting to win and since Chris Rodgers has been reinstated with a new attitude, the Desert Cats have the talent to win this tourney.Since Arizona hasalso been classified as a bubble team, a solid victory would do wonders for the team'sNCAA aspirations.
UCLA's defense is proving to be its best asset heading into the NCAA Tournament, as the Bruins limited Oregon State to just 32 percent shooting in yesterday's 32-point victory, the largest margin in tourney history.
