Crystal Basketball

NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball

by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos

Feb. 29, 2008

The Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast connects several major metropolitan centers, which can claim to be the country’s political and economic nucleus. In the world of college basketball, the Interstate 40 corridor in the South connects several major programs, which hope to prove in March that they are the hub of basketball supremacy.

Within a few miles of I-40, Memphis, Tennessee, North Carolina and Duke have been playing top-notch basketball. All four schools are in the mix for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, though at least one of those schools will probably lose out to the likes of Texas, UCLA or Kansas. For the record, Texas is six hours from one of the few highways that crosses the entire country; Kansas is less than five hours; and UCLA is a mere two hours from I-40′s western endpoint in Barstow, Calif.

Although Tennessee and North Carolina are brethren as the only states I-40 passes through east of the Mississippi, the two are going head to head for the title of college basketball’s most dominant state. In addition to the Tigers and Volunteers, Tennessee has Vanderbilt in the top 25. Austin Peay (in Clarksville), Belmont (in Nashville) and Chattanooga are legitimate contenders for conference championships. Meanwhile, the Tar Heel state has Davidson (near Charlotte) and UNC-Asheville in play for NCAA Tournament appearances. North Carolina has a slew of strong teams that are on the bubble or potential conference tournament spoilers, especially Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Charlotte and UNC-Wilmington.

Given Vanderbilt’s contribution to the strength at the top, Tennessee gets the nod as the top basketball state. But the NCAA Tournament will be the best stage — in terms of bids and length of stay — to judge which state is king. Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos disagree on which state will claim the overall No. 1 seed. Hauptman awards the top spot to North Carolina while Protos has Memphis, Tennessee and Texas ahead of the Tar Heels.

In addition to slight variance at the top, Hauptman and Protos continue to vary widely at the bottom. For example, Hauptman has Maryland as a No. 7 seed, while Protos sees the Terrapins as one of the first teams to miss the field. On the other hand, Protos likes Arizona State to earn a No. 9 seed, but Hauptman thinks the Sun Devils are NIT-bound. Three weeks remain before Selection Sunday, and all these bubble teams need to make a move to solidify a bid.

Here’s the rest of the field, as envisioned by Hauptman and Protos. Check here next week to see how their predictions change.

Hauptman’s Hoops Horoscope	Protos’ Prognostications
North Carolina Tennessee Memphis Texas	Memphis Tennessee Texas North Carolina
UCLA Duke Kansas Georgetown	Duke UCLA Louisville Kansas
Wisconsin Xavier Vanderbilt Stanford	Xavier Wisconsin Georgetown Connecticut
Indiana Connecticut Washington State Louisville	Vanderbilt Stanford Marquette Notre Dame
Clemson Notre Dame Kansas State Purdue	Indiana Purdue Michigan State Butler
Drake Marquette Michigan State USC	Washington State Pittsburgh Clemson USC
BYU Maryland Butler Mississippi State	Kansas State St. Mary’s Gonzaga Texas A&M
Pittsburgh Florida Baylor Arizona	Arizona Drake BYU Miami
Texas A&M Miami Kent State UNLV	Baylor UNLV Arizona State Kentucky
St. Mary’s Ohio State Arkansas Gonzaga	Oklahoma West Virginia Massachusetts Mississippi State
Illinois State Oklahoma Massachusetts West Virginia	Davidson Villanova Kent State Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois Wake Forest Kentucky VCU	South Alabama New Mexico VCU Illinois State
Davidson South Alabama Stephen F. Austin Oral Roberts	Houston Dayton Oral Roberts Boise State
Boise State Winthrop Cornell Cal State Northridge	Cornell Cal State Northridge UMBC Winthrop
Portland State UMBC Siena Austin Peay	Austin Peay Belmont Rider Lamar
American Belmont Robert Morris Morgan State Alabama State	Robert Morris Portland State Morgan State Navy Alabama State
Last 4 In: West Virginia Southern Illinois Wake Forest Kentucky	Last 4 In: New Mexico Illinois State Houston Dayton
First 4 Out: Virginia Tech Villanova Arizona State UAB	First 4 Out: UAB Florida Maryland Saint Joseph’s
Shooting Stars: USC Vanderbilt Kentucky Texas	Shooting Stars: Wisconsin Vanderbilt Kentucky Kent State
Sinking Ships: Pittsburgh Oklahoma Ohio State Michigan State	Sinking Ships: Maryland Arkansas Ohio State Saint Joseph’s
Conference Breakdown: Big East: 7 ACC: 6 Big 12: 6 SEC: 6 Big Ten: 5 Pac-10: 5 Missouri Valley: 3 Atlantic 10: 2 Mountain West: 2 West Coast: 2 21 one-bid conferences	Conference Breakdown: Big East: 8 Big 12: 6 Pac-10: 6 ACC: 4 Big Ten: 4 SEC: 4 Atlantic 10: 3 Missouri Valley: 3 Mountain West: 3 Conference USA:2 West Coast: 2 20 one-bid conferences

Whose field looks more accurate to you? Or are both Hauptman and Protos off target? E-mail us your comments on the Crystal Basketball or give us your own NCAA Tournament prognostications. Then check back throughout the next few weeks, as Hauptman’s and Protos’ visions for the Big Dance become clearer. Despite the extra day in February, March Madness is nearly here.

Patriot League Tight All Around

Patriot League Race is Right Down to the Wire

by Phil Kasiecki

Looking for a wacky conference? Just take a look at the Patriot League standings.

With one game remaining for each team, the standings are no less clear now than they were before Wednesday night’s games. American and Navy are tied atop the league and assured of the top two spots, with the only question being who the top seed is. Navy has the tie-breaker by virtue of a sweep of the Eagles, so a Navy win or American loss on Saturday clinches it for the Midshipmen.

But the real fun begins after those two teams.

Entering Saturday, four teams are tied with 6-7 records and two teams are 5-8. Given the matchups for the final four games, it’s quite possible that the league ends with a six-way tie for third place, with all six teams being 6-8. All six teams still have a chance to finish in the third or fourth spot, which would earn them a home game in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament. The tournament is held entirely at campus sites.

How could this happen? An examination of the matchups shows how possible it is.

• Navy travels to Colgate on Saturday, and a Navy win leaves Colgate at 6-8.
• American hosts Lafayette on Saturday, with an Eagle win giving Lafayette a 6-8 finish.
• Holy Cross travels to Lehigh for a nationally-televised 9 p.m. game on Friday night. A Crusader win – they knocked off the Mountain Hawks earlier this season – puts both teams at 6-8 as Holy Cross enters the game at 5-8.
• Lastly, Bucknell travels to Army, a team that beat them earlier in the season, on Saturday. An Army win would make both teams 6-8, as Army enters with a 5-8 mark.

The Patriot League put out a release explaining all of the scenarios with the six teams that follow American and Navy. Suffice it to say that there is a lot to parse through in it with all of the possibilities. With six teams tied, the tie-breakers will eventually reach the Collegiate Basketball News RPI rankings on Sunday morning. Who would most likely benefit from this six-way tie? Entering the week, American had the highest RPI in the league, followed by Holy Cross, Lafayette, Colgate, Bucknell, Navy, Lehigh and Army.

Even the journey to get to this point has been interesting. The league looked to be more even this season since Bucknell and Holy Cross, who have led the way in recent years, both lost important personnel. In non-league play, neither team looked like a sure-fire contender although both had their moments. Instead, it was Holy Cross and Colgate who looked better than anyone in terms of non-league wins and losses, while American went 8-7 including a win at Maryland.

While American has been solid all along and Navy is riding a six-game winning streak into its place near the top, early on Bucknell looked like they would be the team to beat once again. The Bison were getting injured players back and improving, and a road win at Holy Cross added to it for a 3-0 start. But a four-game losing streak in the latter part of January dropped them down.

Lafayette started out looking like they could be the team to challenge Bucknell, starting off 4-0. Two of those wins came on the road in overtime. But a five-game losing streak to start February knocked them back in the standings.

Lehigh at one time looked like they might have a chance, as a four-game winning streak to close out January put them at 4-2. But prior to Wednesday night’s win against Bucknell, the Mountain Hawks had lost five of six.

Holy Cross looked to be in trouble with an 0-4 start and three of those losses coming at home. A three-game winning streak earlier in the month aided their comeback, and they could still finish as high as third place with some help. Army could finish there as well with a win and some help.

A curious thing to watch in the tournament will be how teams fare at home vs. on the road. American and Navy have reached their spots in the top two on the strength of excellent road records, with the Eagles going 5-2 and Navy entering Saturday’s finale with a 5-1 record away from home. No team will go better than 5-2 at home, and it’s possible that no team will even get to 5-2 since American and Lehigh could lose their final game. Holy Cross and Army will also finish the season with better records on the road than at home in league games.

While we should finally have some idea of how the regular season standings shake out around 5 p.m. on Saturday, it’s conceivable that we might have to wait a few more hours. One thing is for sure: given how streaky most teams in the league have been and the ability of everyone to win on the road, seeding and homecourt advantage is likely to mean very little in the next couple of weeks.

Auburn: Barber Won’t Return to Auburn This Season

Barber Won’t Return to Auburn This Season: Auburn junior forward Korvotney Barber will not return for the Tigers this season after breaking his hand Dec. 29 against Towson. Barber had hoped to return this season, but he needs more time to recover. Before the injury, Barber averaged 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to lead the Tigers. [2/28/08]

Bradley: Bradley Brings Back Ruffin

Bradley Brings Back Ruffin: Bradley guard Daniel Ruffin can return to the team while awaiting the outcome of his legal problems. Ruffin, who averages 15 points per game, was arrested Saturday after his ex-girlfriend accused him of cutting her lip as he was forcing her out. Police charged Ruffin with misdemeanor domestic battery, and he will appear in court March 17. [2/28/08]

Texas Tech: Knight Lands in Bristol

Knight Lands in Bristol: Recently resigned Texas Tech coach Bob Knight will become an ESPN analyst for March Madness. Knight resigned so his son, Pat Knight, could become the Red Raiders’ head coach through the rest of the season and prepare for next season. The elder Knight will start his work with the World Wide Leader in Sports March 12 during conference championships. He will also provide analysis on Selection Sunday and throughout the NCAA Tournament. The career leader in wins in Division I men’s basketball, Knight brings a strong personality to the cable network known for being hip and edgy. [2/28/08]

Big Sky: Refs Suspended by Big Sky

Refs Suspended by Big Sky: The Big Sky Conference will give one-game suspensions to three officials who ruled an illegal timeout was called after the final horn sounded –- even though it wasn’t — in a Montana vs. Idaho State game. The Montana player called the timeout with his team tied 58-58 after getting a rebound in the final second. His team was out of timeouts, however, but the refs decided time had expired and didn’t even look at replays to determine the time left when the timeout was allocated. If it would have happened within the regulation time-frame, it would have meant a violation and given Idaho State two technical free throws. Possession then would have returned to Montana. Montana went on to win the game 73-62 in overtime.
[2/27/08]

Atlantic 10 Might Get Just Two NCAA Bids

Atlantic 10′s Developing Teams Hurt NCAA Chances

by Phil Kasiecki

Back in January, many were projecting the Atlantic 10 to get at least four and possibly five bids to the NCAA Tournament. Some thought six would be possible if a few things fell right. Like many projections, they were based on most of the teams generally continuing what they had shown up to that point. Things always change, and the outlook come Selection Sunday for the Atlantic 10 is not immune from that.

As we reach the end of February, the conference looks more and more like it might be hard-pressed to get more than two unless Xavier, the only team that can be considered a lock, loses in the Atlantic 10 Tournament – and not necessarily in the title game. The chances of that happening are very slim since the Musketeers are a sleeper Final Four contender and playing about as well as anyone right now.

The big reason is the emergence of several teams into the top of the standings after Xavier and second-place Saint Joseph’s. The Hawks are sure to be in play if they continue what they have shown so far, but after that it gets to be a big question mark. The next best contenders for at-large bids have been thought to be UMass, Dayton, Rhode Island and Charlotte, but each has a significant amount of work to do or is basically eliminated from at-large contention. Part of what they must do is bypass three teams that are tied behind Saint Joseph’s in the standings.

While some who politick for bids will say the tried-and-true line of how this is a sign of the conference’s depth and that even the teams further down the standings are good teams, that argument won’t hold water when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. The reality is that some of the teams knocking off the projected NCAA Tournament teams don’t have the same body of work, and the 65-team field is not selected based on potential. Indeed, the next three teams behind Saint Joseph’s don’t really have a chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

For one, there is Temple. The Owls have shown well in the second year of Fran Dunphy’s tenure, as they are 8-5 and have been aided by a tough non-conference schedule. Quality wins there are lacking, but they have knocked off conference foes Xavier, Charlotte, UMass and Rhode Island, the latter two in overtime. They continue to ride the excellent backcourt play of Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale.

There is also Richmond. The Spiders were thought to be at least a year away from possibly contending, but they are currently in the mix for third place at 8-5 in the Atlantic 10. Along the way, they have won against Dayton and swept Charlotte. They have a good young nucleus and certainly look better than advertised.

Lastly, there is La Salle. John Giannini’s team has a lot of youth and is fresh off a season where they finished in last place, but his young players appear to be coming around. The young Explorers are 8-5 in Atlantic 10 play and are riding a five-game winning streak after winning at Fordham on Wednesday. Recently, they won at Saint Joseph’s and then knocked off Dayton at home. Rhode Island and UMass are still ahead on their schedule, the latter a road game.

Saint Louis, while behind others in the standings, has made a couple of their wins count. While the Billikens have struggled mightily at times this season, they have knocked off Rhode Island and UMass at home.

In recent weeks, a few spoiler losses have occurred with other schools as well. In the middle of February, Fordham knocked off UMass and Charlotte three days apart. Duquesne beat Saint Joseph’s (although the Hawks were without Ahmad Nivins) and won at Dayton a week later.

While some of the key losses come with asterisks of some sort – Dayton’s personnel losses due to injury are well-documented – teams still need to win games if they are NCAA Tournament-worthy. No matter how many injuries a team may have, if they are to get to the NCAA Tournament, they must put together a good record. So while Dayton has been without star freshman Chris Wright for much of Atlantic 10 play, the Flyers still have had to win games but have not done so.

It’s unfortunate, considering the non-conference resume to the Flyers have, as their 5-8 record in Atlantic 10 play is the primary knock on them. The Flyers’ lone non-conference loss was at George Mason, as they have wins at Louisville and at home against Pittsburgh, and their win over American at home might look even better if the Eagles win the Patriot League. But that would all be moot if the Flyers don’t start winning, as they are currently in a three-way tie for 11th place in the conference. That means they might struggle just to make the Atlantic 10 Tournament, given that their final three games are at Fordham, at St. Bonaventure and at home against Saint Joseph’s.

Wednesday night brought more carnage to the at-large contenders, as George Washington beat Rhode Island by 17. With their fifth straight loss, the Rams are now 6-8 in Atlantic 10 play, and at best they can finish 8-8.

UMass is 7-6 and swept Rhode Island, and they have a couple of good non-conference wins that give them good computer numbers. But the Minutemen were swept by Saint Joseph’s, so they likely have some work to do in the last week and a half of the regular season and the conference tournament.

Barring a sudden winning streak by a few teams, the Atlantic 10 now looks to be at most a three-bid conference, and even that may be a stretch. That’s certainly not what many projected over a month ago.

NCAA: NCAA Might Ban Teams From TV for Major Sanctions

NCAA Might Ban Teams From TV for Major Sanctions: The NCAA is thinking of handing down tougher sanctions, like banning Division I teams from TV, in case of major infractions, according to USA Today. The NCAA Infractions Committee thinks the tougher penalties could effectively deter cheating. TV bans have not happened since 1996, however. Something even tougher, though less likely is the “death penalty”, which is the suspension for as long as two years of the sanctioned team’s athletics program.
[2/27/08]

Michigan State: Big Ten Network Issues Has Izzo Fed Up

Big Ten Network Issues Has Izzo Fed Up: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, after being supportive, is finally fed up of the Big Ten Network’s inability to reach an agreement with certain cable companies that have forced some fans to go to bars and restaurants to watch the games. The Big Ten Network doesn’t want to be included in a special sports package that would make cable costumers pay more to have the channel. BTN wants to be part of basic cable, and that’s where the disagreements have come. Izzo has received phone calls and letters about the problem that prevents some fans from watching the games. The Big Ten Network, which is still in talks with Comcast about the subject, debuted before the last football season.
[2/27/08]

Indiana: Indiana Raises Security

Indiana Raises Security: Indiana has decided to provide more security at President Michael McRobbie’s office, Assembly Hall and other campus locations, choosing precaution in the wake of former coach Kevin Sampson’s resignation. Officers will be in these locations and others that might draw crowds. When the university fired former coach Bobby Knight in 2000, several protesters rushed to the residence of then-President Myles Brand and set fire to trees and effigies of Brand. Police arrested several of them then.
[2/27/08]

Central Michigan: Central Michigan’s Winningest Coach Dies at 84

Central Michigan’s Winningest Coach Dies at 84: Central Michigan’s winningest coach, Ted Kholhede, died Feb. 24 at his Mount Pleasant home. He was 84. Kholhede helped the Chippewas become a Division I team and join the Mid-American Conference. He won 216 games in 15 seasons with them dating back to 1956. He became the school’s athletic director in 1972 and retired in 1984.
[2/27/08]

CCSU Keeps Winning

Central Connecticut Shows They Know How to Win

by Ray Floriani

TEANECK, N.J. – Just under fifteen minutes remained and Fairleigh Dickinson University had a 52-44 lead over Central Connecticut. The Knights appeared to be in the driver’s seat and head coach Tom Green was ready to claim win number 400. Then the entire course of the game reversed.

In the space of just under nine minutes FDU’s offense disappeared and the defense was quick to follow suit. Central then had an eight-point lead of their own with six minutes to go. Given the time it wasn’t an insurmountable edge, but given the situation, FDU was finished. Central went on to post a 73-60 decision in a Northeast Conference game at the Rothman Center last Thursday.

“We just can’t seem to live with prosperity,” Green said. His club made it through a shaky start of the game and put themselves in position to control the contest before the wheels fell off. “They made that run with (Tristan) Blackwood out resting. We had the lead and we should have bearing down and executing our offense. Instead we took bad shots and made bad decisions.”

While Blackwood, Central’s leading scorer who had 12 points at the guard spot, rested, the Blue Devils received support from frontcourt players Marcus Powell and Ken Horton. In the end, this was FDU’s game to win and they lost it on the offensive end.

“I’m disappointed with experienced players not focusing,” Green said. “Freshmen mistakes I can live with, but upperclassmen not doing the right thing in the right circumstances is tough. It’s disappointing also because I thought we were ready to play.”

Central Connecticut mentor Howie Dickenman was obviously pleased, noting, “It’s a positive win because Tristan (Blackwood) was not at his best. The defense was the thing that won it for us.”

Shemik Thompson led Central Connecticut with 21 points while Manny Ubilla paced FDU with 21 as well.

“I thought we defended Ubilla well,” Dickenman said. “We challenged their shots but Ubilla just hit some with a defender’s hand in his face.”

That second half, which was FDU’s undoing, saw Central Connecticut shoot 55 percent from the floor. The Blue Devils also forced 14 turnovers and had an 18-11 edge on the offensive boards. Central Connecticut improved to 9-7 in the NEC while FDU fell to 3-12.

“We still have a chance mathematically (to make the NEC playoffs),” Green said,” but we’re running out of time.”

Speaking of the NEC post season tournament, Central Connecticut is the only NEC member to qualify for every tournament the past decade. Central has been the dominant conference program over that time winning three NEC titles and outdistancing runner-up Monmouth 122 to 104 in NEC victories. This run has been completely under the watch of Dickenman.

“Over the years I’ve had assistants like Steve Pikiell, now doing a nice job at Stony Brook, Rod Sellers who is at UConn and Chris Casey at St. John’s working for me,” Dickenman said. “You are only good as your assistants. These are quality guys like the ones I have on staff now. They are the reason for the program’s success. When Nick Macarchuk first hired me at Canisius, he told me there were three important things: One, who you marry, two, who you hire when you are a head coach, and three, the house you buy. Nick was 100 percent right.”

With Dickenman, a former Jim Calhoun aide, at the helm Central Connecticut has had a wonderful association and resided in the NEC penthouse.

Bad Home Stretch For Rhode Island

Rams Struggle In Key Home Stretch

by Phil Kasiecki

SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. – The past week wasn’t one for the books as far as Rhode Island is concerned. The Rams’ key stretch has come and gone, and along with it, at least most of the hope the home team had of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Sunday’s 90-83 loss to Saint Joseph’s capped a three-game homestand for Rhode Island that looked to be a vital stretch in the season. The Rams’ record in that span was 0-3, which is certainly not what the doctor ordered. After this stretch, they have a 6-7 record in Atlantic 10 play and their NCAA Tournament hopes look to be in trouble, something that was unthinkable a month ago.

The Rams went up against three good teams, but the reality is that if you are to be an NCAA Tournament team, you have to beat some good teams along the way. There’s no shame in last Monday’s loss to Xavier, a team that is a sleeper Final Four contender, although it was a missed opportunity for a signature win. But Thursday night’s loss to UMass and Sunday’s loss to Saint Joseph’s are games a team like Rhode Island needed to win if an NCAA Tournament bid is to come, save for being victorious the night before Selection Sunday in Atlantic City.

The past week was a chance for Rhode Island to put itself in a solid position for an NCAA Tournament bid. Three wins, or even two with a loss to Xavier, would have put the Rams at either 9-4 or 8-5 in Atlantic 10 play with three to go. If they even went 1-2 in the final three games after a good week of home games, they would have a winning conference record, which might be enough given the conference’s strength, the separation Xavier has achieved from the rest of the pack and the weakness at the bottom. But now the Rams need to win three straight to get to 9-7.

“We’re struggling. I don’t know any way to put it,” said senior forward Will Daniels.

The Rams’ struggles are most pronounced on the defensive end, as they have been for most of the season. Even early on, when they started off 14-1 and were nationally ranked in the polls, the Rams were often out-scoring teams. Opponents shoot over 43 percent against the Rams on the season, but in Atlantic 10 play that number jumps to 46.6 percent. In the three losses this past week, only UMass shot below 50 percent – at 48.4 for the game – and the three teams combined to shoot 54 percent from the field.

Rams head coach Jim Baron wanted to get a “Runnin’ Rams” style going last year, and that continued this year. While his teams have historically played good defense, having to grind out low-scoring wins in recent seasons wasn’t characteristic of many of his teams, either. He said he’s always been a “scoring” coach. If the play of late is any indication, his team may have gone too far in the opposite direction.

“We put a lot of emphasis on changing and really pushing the ball, and I just didn’t think we would be giving up this many easy buckets,” said Baron after Sunday’s game. “We emphasized pushing the ball and scoring. Early on, in January, I thought we were doing a good job of defending.”

The players have spoken about defense all season as well, so it’s not as if it became issue for the first time last week. They have talked about working on that aspect of the game even when they were winning.

On Sunday, the defensive issues were very clear. Every other possession, it seemed, Saint Joseph’s got an open look; Baron noted this after the game. When they had an open shot, most of the time it went down, which basically gave them easy points even from behind the arc. The Hawks were 9-16 on three-pointers on Sunday. For the game, Saint Joseph’s shot 62.2 percent, just behind their season high against rebuilding Fairleigh Dickinson to open the season.

Baron has talked often about the team’s need to get better. While many coaches say that, it’s not one of the many examples of coach-speak. As the season goes on, opponents have more to draw from when scouting a team, so teams have to be able to adjust, especially if they can’t dictate the flow of the game. Additionally, teams inside a conference are more familiar with one another than they are with teams outside the conference from playing each other every season.

Right now, it looks like this team was better earlier in the season, and that’s not a good thing. Their players have picked up on this as well as the coach.

“As the season goes along, you have to play better every game,” said Daniels. “You have to get better progressively every game. We haven’t done that yet.”

Now that the Rams have added some losses, including a few tough ones, it doesn’t get easier. That adds in more adversity than they’ve had to face all season, and at a critical time. Three straight home losses is never easy to absorb, and they have lost five of six overall. It makes bouncing back that much more difficult, but it’s also something they need to do now more than ever.

Northern Illinois: Northern Illinois Returns to the Hardwood

Northern Illinois Returns to the Hardwood: Northern Illinois played the first athletic game on campus Tuesday night against Western Michigan since a gunman killed five students in a lecture hall Feb. 14 before killing himself. The Huskies lost 56-49 to Western Michigan, but the coaches and players said the game’s meaning was deeper than a win or loss. Before the game, players from both teams locked arms at center court to observe a moment of silence. Northern Illinois led by six in the second half before the Broncos clamped down on defense to end the game on an 18-5 run. [2/27/08]

Indiana: Sampson’s Separation From Indiana Not Done Until St. Patrick’s Day

Sampson’s Separation From Indiana Not Done Until St. Patrick’s Day: Kelvin Sampson may have resigned from Indiana Friday, but he has 21 days to back out of the agreement. The agreement also requires Sampson to continue to cooperate with the NCAA, bars him from participating in any team activities and states that he can’t sue the university. Sampson took the $750,000 buyout Friday after the NCAA accused him of five major rules violations. Indiana has until May 8 to respond to the allegations, and a hearing will be held June 14 in Seattle. From there, a decision should be expected within 30 days. [2/26/08]

Montana Tech: Montana Tech Sticks With Sampson’s Name on Court

Montana Tech Sticks With Sampson’s Name on Court: Kelvin Sampson’s recent resignation from Indiana after a recruiting scandal has left his reputation destroyed — but at least the Montana Tech Orediggers still support him. Sampson coached at Montana Tech from 1981-85 and recently donated $50,000 to the cost of revamping the school’s physical education building. His signature graces the basketball court. Considering Sampson took the Montana Tech job when it paid $1,100 dollars a year, his $750,000 buyout from Indiana must look pretty good right now. [2/26/08]

NCAA: Bentley Rolls to D-II Record

Bentley Rolls to D-II Record: Bentley College set a Division II winning streak record by claiming its 53rd consecutive regular season victory with a win against St. Michael’s College. Bentley, a small college in Waltham, Mass., broke the 63-year-old record of Langston University in Oklahoma. The Falcons last lost in February 2006.
[2/26/08]

Michigan: Rose’s Return to Michigan Might Start Healing Process

Rose’s Return to Michigan Might Start Healing Process: Jalen Rose was honored at halftime of Michigan’s game Saturday – but not for his play as a member at the university’s famous — and infamous — Fab Five. Rose was instead honored for his charity work in Detroit. Although the banners from the team’s two consecutive national championship game trips don’t hang from the rafters, both Rose and Jimmy King say they hope Rose’s trip to Crisler Arena will start an increased willingness of the university to associate with the Fab Five. [2/26/08]

Big Ten Notebook

Big Ten Conference Notebook

by Nils Hoeger-Lerdal

At this point in the Big Ten season, only four teams remain in contention for the league title. We expected Indiana and Michigan State to be there, and it’s no surprise to see Wisconsin in the running, but Purdue is a stunner. Let’s handicap each team’s chances.

Wisconsin Badgers (23-4, 13-2)

The Badgers picked up a huge road win Sunday at Ohio State and were led in scoring by sophomore sharpshooter Jason Bohannon, who’s turned into another serious threat for Bo Ryan. He’s scored in double figures in five consecutive games, notching 15 threes in that span. Wisconsin certainly has the most balanced team in the league and the Badgers have shown they can win close road games without a dominant scorer.

Remaining games: Michigan State, Penn State, at Northwestern

Outlook: For all intents and purposes, Thursday is the day the Big Ten title will be decided. If the Badgers can knock off Michigan State in East Lansing, the crown’s theirs. If not, it opens up the door for the following contenders. I think the Spartans will step up to the test Thursday and open that door. With that said, 15-3 will be tough to beat outright.

Indiana Hoosiers (23-4, 12-2)

Obviously the big story in the Big Ten this week was Kelvin Sampson’s dismissal. The bigger story will be how the team responds to new coach Dan Dakich. They survived their first test Saturday night at winless Northwestern. They have two stars in Eric Gordon and D.J. White, a solid supporting cast and the potential to rally behind their new coach, but their inconsistency has been a bit concerning.

Remaining games: Ohio State, at Michigan State, Minnesota, at Penn State

Outlook: The Hoosiers weren’t impressive against Northwestern, and it’s hard to blame them if they’re lacking a little focus. They must be very careful this week with a desperate Ohio State team coming to town. A distracted group of Hoosiers, combined with a feisty set of Buckeyes could equal a stretch slip-up for Indiana. I’d watch out for this one. I think Indiana stumbles down the stretch and out of contention before righting themselves for the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Purdue Boilermakers (21-6, 12-2)

Matt Painter is a cinch for coach of the year, as he has led his team – filled mostly with freshmen and sophomores – to a 12-2 mark and well within reach of the title. Though their 11-game conference streak came to an end Tuesday at Indiana, there’s no reason to believe this crew will spiral downward from there. Robbie Hummel is as unassuming of a star-in-the-making as there is. This team is very reminiscent of overachieving Wisconsin clubs of the past. Nobody wants to play them.

Remaining games: Minnesota, Northwestern, at Ohio State, at Michigan

Outlook: The schedule is very favorable for the Boilermakers, to say the least. Ohio State will provide a test, but Purdue has more conference wins than the other three teams combined. Sometimes, you just like a team, and I like this one. I’m declaring them the favorite.

Michigan State Spartans (22-5, 10-4)

The Spartans certainly are on the outside looking in. But to some extent, they can play their way up, with games against leaders Wisconsin and Indiana yet to come. They had an easy week, blowing out Penn State and Iowa, and look to be in good shape for a stretch run. Drew Neitzel hasn’t scored as much, but he hasn’t needed to. He’s still deadly from deep, and had his first two 20-point games of the season this month. Don’t count Tom Izzo’s club out just yet, but don’t print any t-shirts either.

Remaining games: at Wisconsin, Indiana, at Illinois, at Ohio State

Outlook: The Spartans’ remaining schedule is without question the most difficult of the four contenders. Wins at Madison are rare, you know Indiana will be ready, and Ohio State will most likely be battling for an NCAA at-large bid. A two-game deficit in the loss column and this schedule doesn’t bode well. I give them a slim-to-none chance.

Tidbits

• You can’t help but respect what Kevin Coble has done this year for Northwestern. After missing most of the non-conference schedule to be with his ailing mother, Coble has stepped in and averaged over 16 points per game, including his 37-point explosion Saturday night against Indiana. He’s even more unassuming than Hummel, doesn’t have much flash in his game, but he gets it done. He would be a solid player on any team in the nation.
• And the ugliest game of the year goes to… Saturday’s epic Illinois-Michigan tilt. Michigan shot an abysmal 17-56 and won the game, thanks in large part to Illinois’ 16-50 performance. Surprisingly, there were only 22 turnovers in the contest (less than Saturday’s other highly-anticipated showdown, but who’s counting).
• The national buzz around D.J. White is finally becoming audible. White has 18 double-doubles this season (a few less than that Beasley guy) and leads the conference in rebounding and field goal percentage. I, for one, love him.

Colonial Notebook

Colonial Athletic Association Notebook

by Jay Pearlman

With Obama now safely ahead of Hillary, McCain long since having dispatched Giuliani and Romney, and even Boston folks now over the Pats’ near-perfect season, America’s hoops-junkies can return to their true passion. And with BracketBusters Saturday behind us, one week left in some conferences and two in others, well, it’s just in the nick of time.

BracketBusters Saturday was a mixed day in the CAA. An overall record of 7-5 brought the league within one game of .500 in non-conference games (69-70 with just post-season tournaments remaining). The two best teams split television games at MAC schools, with VCU besting Akron 57-52, and George Mason falling to Tim O’Shea’s Ohio U. 69-57, but the conference lost what was likely the only “true” bracket buster, Mason’s game in Athens, Ohio. So the quiet talk around the conference is that unless someone upsets VCU in the conference tourney – and perhaps not even excepting that circumstance – the CAA reverts to a one-bid league in 2007-08.

Even with the tiebreaker over Mason for second in the conference, 18-11 Wilmington’s 7-6 soft non-conference mark leaves the Seahawks out of the at-large running, and even before yesterday’s loss now 19-9 Mason appeared on the wrong side of the bubble. Heck, even at 21-6, VCU is hardly a lock for an at-large, and might need to win out through the conference semifinal – finishing 25-7 – to earn such a bid. So even with the conference office located in Richmond, that probably means that down deep, Tom Yeager and his staff are rooting for VCU to make the CAA tournament final on Monday night March 10, and then to be upset that evening.

In evaluating conferences, the natural and most frequent CAA comparison in recent years has been with the Atlantic 10. And yes, with Mason’s run to the Final Four two years ago, and strength at Wilmington, ODU, VCU, Hofstra, Drexel and Northeastern, the CAA zoomed to 8th nationally (nosed out for 7th by the PAC-10), jumping the A-10 in the process. Though not as clearly, with two bids and VCU’s slaying of Duke and near-upset of Pittsburgh, the CAA held off the A-10 for a second year last season. But after sitting courtside at the University of Massachusetts’ second win over Rhode Island in Kingston Thursday night (UMass’ Chris Lowe is a left-handed Eric Maynor with ten or fifteen more pounds), it is clear to this writer that for this year, the A-10 is both stronger at the top and deeper than the CAA. And no less a basketball guru than Five Star’s and HSBI Report’s Tom Konchalski told me at halftime of Holy Cross’ home win over Northeastern that the A-10 merits five NCAA bids this year, and will probably get four.

But CAA fans need not despair. Those of you around this league for a decade may remember that when Jim Larranaga landed at Mason eleven years ago after disappointing at Bowling Green with Antonio Daniels and Anthony Stacey, that was viewed as a huge step down in class (and hardly the lateral move revisionist historians would have us believe). Of course, due in no small part to Larranaga’s efforts, eleven years later no one could seriously dispute that the CAA has jumped past Larranaga’s former conference, the MAC. (On that subject, at 58 years old and two years removed from the Final Four, one wonders whether an upset of VCU in the CAA tournament – or even a run to the conference final and an NIT bid – would be enough to land Coach Larranaga one big job to crown his career).

All that said, even a brief look at CAA rosters will tell the story, and convince one that this rebuilding year in the conference bodes well for the future. At the bottom of the standings, with five sophomores and five major conference transfers sitting out at Georgia State, coach Rod Barnes will have a junior class ten deep supporting star senior Leonard Mendez next fall. Likewise, four players are sitting out for Pat Kennedy’s Towson team, with Junior Hairston and Josh Thornton returning. Drexel loses Frank Elegar (who disappointed this season anyway), and whoever replaces Dean Keener at James Madison will likely have everyone back, including a healthy Pierre Curtis. (This does assume no transfers, which these days assumes a lot.) Going forward Northeastern loses only reserve center Mark Washington, and its six best players are three sophomores and three freshmen.

Hofstra loses Antoine Agudio, but with the emergence of Charles Jenkins and still-high hopes for Nathaniel Lester, Tom Pecora’s club should stay competitive. Herb Courtney completes his career at Delaware, but freshman Alfonso Dawson is a budding star. While coach Blaine Taylor loses guards Brian Henderson and Brandon Johnson, emerging star Gerald Lee is only a sophomore, and forwards Ben Finney and Frank Hassell just freshmen. And while VCU will lose sharpshooter Jamal Shuler – and probably Anthony Grant – likely Player of the Year Maynor is just a junior, freshman guard Joey Rodriguez already starts and scores, and freshman shot-blocking machine Larry Sanders should have a much more well-rounded game by next fall. (In other words, what a great coaching gig someone will step into if Grant moves on to another job such as LSU.)

That leaves only Mason and Wilmington to suffer severely from graduation. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, sophomores on the Final Four team, finish this spring at Mason (giving rise to the speculation above about a bigger job for Larranaga), as do T.J. Carter, Vladimir Kuljanin, Todd Hendley and Dan Fountain at Wilmington. But with the CAA tradition, great gymnasium, and seacoast beauty of Wilmington – and with the wonderful play of freshman point guard Chad Tomko, this writer’s Rookie of the Year with two games to go – coach Benny Moss should be able to reload and compete in the not-too-distant future.

So even if VCU prevails, leaving it with just one bid, CAA fans have every reason to expect that next season – to quote a morning radio host – their conference will be “back and better than ever.” For now, enjoy the last two regular season games, conference tournament, and whatever lies beyond for CAA stars Shuler, Thomas, Campbell, Carter, Kuljanin and Courtney. And oh yes, enjoy that magician Agudio on Long Island.

CAA News and Notes

• With two wins over Mason, Wilmington controls its own destiny in the battle for second. However, VCU and Alltel Pavilion lay in the Seahawks’ path, with a television game Wednesday at 7. (If you have a schedule that came out early, you may see that game listed as being on Thursday, so note the change to Wednesday night.)
• Ralph Willard of Holy Cross may have done his finest coaching job ever this year, besting Northeastern at home with no-longer-a-project center Tim Clifford and a Division III supporting cast. And who’d have thunk Willard would control pace like Pete Carril used to? As for Bill Coen’s Northeastern Huskies, they looked mentally worn down from one of the nation’s toughest schedules, mostly on the road, and sixteen conference games under their belts without a single “night off.” No rest for the weary as ODU awaits in Norfolk.
• Now on a five-game winning streak, ODU controls its own fate for a fourth seed and first round bye, hosting Northeastern Wednesday and finishing at Wilmington (in UNCW’s second television game of the week). It also appears to this writer that the Monarchs have thrust themselves right into the middle of the NIT conversation.
• I wonder if the change of the Wilmington-VCU game from Thursday to Wednesday night was at Moss’ request, looking at travel home, preparation and fatigue leading to Saturday.
• If money talks in college basketball, James Madison Athletic Director Jeff Bourne put his where his mouth is: with everyone back next year, Bourne will be paying both departing coach Keener (his final year) and a new coach, showing that Madison wants to win now.
• So you think the big game of the day yesterday was Tennessee’s 66-62 win at No. 1 Memphis? Well, to this writer’s thinking – biased by my coaching pedigree – the game of the day was Indiana’s 85-82 win in Evanston in game no. 1 of the Dan Dakich era. Good luck Dan.
• Lastly, with baseball’s spring training about to begin, Boston’s best basketball announcer is heading to Viera, Florida for his “off-season gig” with the Washington Nationals. Boston fans won’t hear Dave Jageler again this season unless Northeastern gets all the way to the conference final.