Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis – March 26, 2016

Welcome to another edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis. Ted and I are happy to talk about the regional semifinals and what lies ahead in the regional finals.

In this edition, we start by looking at Thursday night, where all four games were decided by double digits, then Friday night, a big night for the ACC, which will make big gains as a result of this. The ACC will have two Final Four teams and at least one will be in the national championship.

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The Morning Dish – Saturday, March 26, 2016

Friday night, like seemingly so much of the NCAA Tournament, belonged to the ACC. And it sets the stage for a Final Four that will include two teams from the conference. That follows from how the tournament has gone thus far, and the evening also followed another trend, which is the dominance of the No. 1 seeds.

The ACC went a perfect 4-0 on Friday night after the two teams in action the night before bowed out. That means Sunday’s matchups will involve nothing but ACC teams. And the No. 1 seeds are all alive and won their games convincingly.

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Will Buddy Hield’s great year translate into a high pick and NBA stardom?

A leading candidate for national Player of the Year is Oklahoma senior guard Buddy Hield. While not exactly a consensus pick, you can hardly go wrong selecting him. What will that translate into in June when the NBA Draft comes? Or more importantly, what kind of a professional player will he be?

The answers are not easy, no matter how facile some who try to answer the questions might make them seem. But they highlight two important things worth expanding on regarding the college game and the NBA: perception of seniors and the difference between the two levels.

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Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis – March 23, 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis. Here, we look back at the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, which was memorable for a lot of reasons.

We start by looking back at the game that will probably be most remembered, when Texas A&M overcame a 12-point deficit with 44 seconds left to force overtime and ultimately win in double overtime. Other games that stood out are discussed as well.

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The Morning Dish – Monday, March 21, 2016

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament was all we could ask for and more, and all we could expect with the way the regular season went. There were surprises, there were fantastic finishes, and there were reminders that the line between winning and losing in the NCAA Tournament is often very, very thin.

Most of all, there are unlikely teams that advance, and this year is no different. The improbable is continuing to happen.

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The Morning Dish – Saturday, March 19, 2016

The first two full days of the 2016 NCAA Tournament weren’t like last year, when you couldn’t possibly have two more contrasting days in terms of results. But they did have a clear pattern develop, especially on Friday: for the most part, seeding doesn’t mean so much this year. The day also ended in dramatic fashion.

And with the way the regular season went, this shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s been that kind of year.

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Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis – March 18, 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis. Here, we look into the first round of the NCAA Tournament, which was quite a couple of days of basketball.

Ted spent the first two days in Providence and Brooklyn, so he saw his share of great games, from Yale knocking off Baylor to Wichita State’s great defense, all the way up to Iowa winning on a buzzer-beater and Stephen F. Austin winning another NCAA Tournament game. We also talk about the larger subject of the double-digit seeds winning, as Friday was quite a day for that.

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The case of the disappearing college senior

Have you seen this person? A physical description isn’t available, but we know some characteristics that might help.

He could be any height or weight. He has a plethora of experience – more than most of his peers, in fact – and plenty of maturity. He is a better player than he was four years ago, proving he can get better, and he is probably more ready to help someone right now than he was back then. The other distinguishing feature is that he’s probably being discounted by those evaluating him, and on a big night in late June, suddenly goes missing.

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Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis – March 17, 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of Talking Hoops with Ted Sarandis. Here, we look into the NCAA Tournament selections and some surrounding items.

March is the best month of basketball because of the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Here, we touch on some of the issues surrounding this year’s selections both in terms of who is in and who is out, as well as seeding. In addition, we also touch on some surrounding issues like the conference championship games, as well as the Selection Show itself.

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2016 NCAA Tournament Players to Watch – Part 2

March is always a month where players emerge from the shadows, with some being more memorable than others. Some end up being one-hit wonders, while for others, it’s just the beginning of their notoriety. All the same, though, March brings both players and casual fans out of the shadows, and it’s the best month of basketball.

This year, more than any in recent memory, we have been reminded of this. And as the NCAA Tournament beckons, this idea fits in even better than usual. More players will emerge under the bright lights, and some already have.

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