BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – One of Tom Crean's favorite things to say when it comes to Cody Zeller is how much his big center impacts the game in different ways.
He doesn't have to pack the statistics sheet. Sure, he can score, rebound and pass the ball. But his defense, the way he runs the floor and the little things are sometimes overlooked.
That's what he did Sunday in the final 2 plus minutes against Michigan State.
BOX SCORE: Indiana 75, Michigan State 70
The lanky 7-footer had a key block, drove for an off-handed lay up from 30 feet on top and a little later took a huge charge that helped propel No. 7 Indiana to a 75-70 victory over No. 13 Michigan State at Assembly Hall.
The win was big for Indiana (18-2, 6-1) as the Hoosiers improved to 7-0 at home the last two seasons and 3-0 this year against teams ranked in the top 25. The win also gave IU its best start to a season since the 1992-93 team opened the year 24-2.
After the game, IU's director of basketball operations and all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney was stopped in the hallway and asked if he remembered the last time the Hoosiers opened a season 18-2?
"Was it a team that I played on?'' Cheaney asked. The answer would be yes.
Victor Oladipo was the stats stuffer against the Spartans. He had a game-high 21 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals. He hit 8-of-12 shots from the field and also had three blocks.
INDIANA: Has Oladipo become Hoosiers' top player?
But it was clearly Zeller who came up big in the clutch.
It started with a block with 2:13 to play and IU clinging to a 72-70 lead. Zeller got a block on a scrum near the Michigan State basket that eventually ended when Derrick Nix was called for traveling.
On IU's next possession, with the shot clock under 10, Zeller had the ball on the top well above the 3-point line with 1:45 to play. Without hesitation he drove the ball hard to the basket and scored on a left-handed lay up with 1:38 remaining to make it 74-70.
With 14.3 seconds to play, and the score still 74-70, Zeller slid over and took away the driving lane from Adreian Payne. Payne ran him over, was whistled for the charge and the basket was disallowed. Instead of a play that could have cut the lead to one, Zeller had drawn his fourth charge of the season.
"Our guys know that (Zeller) can do a lot of things. He's not just an inside player,'' said IU coach Tom Crean. "It was winning time and Cody answered the bell – he rang the bell. To get that charge and then to get that drive and to make that play in the heat of that game, that's where his mental toughness is.
"He's so non-statistic driven. That's why he's such a winner. He just does what it takes.''
Crean said Zeller's drive came off of a high pick-and-roll play that the IU coach had added to the teams' 5-on-0 work recently in practice.
"I had no hesitation with that call,'' Crean said. "We didn't call it out of a timeout. I had it in the bag and it looked good because he ran it to perfection. That's a high level player that can do that 30 feet from the basket.''
For a 7-footer to be able to make that kind of play is even more remarkable.
"He's got that,'' Ferrell said.
Oladipo said a play like that was no surprise to his teammates.
"It's not freakish to us because he does that every day,'' Oladipo said. "He's capable. People might say he's had two bad games or whatever but he has been playing phenomenal for us. He's been leading at a high level. We're going to look at him to close out games.''
In the last two games Zeller had scored 11 points and has hit 2-of-11 from the field. The only important Indiana statistic, however, is that IU is 2-0 in those games.
TOP 25: How ranked teams fared this weekend
IU never trailed in the second half and only had two deficits the entire game. But the Spartans (17-4, 6-2) always seemed to be at an arm's length away.
A couple of points that really hurt Michigan State were 19 turnovers, the most it has had in a game in more than a month and allowing 51 percent shooting from the field, the second best percentage it has allowed Big Ten play. The better performance was 56 percent by Minnesota in the only other game the Spartans lost in conference play.
It also didn't help that senior guard Keith Appling was a non-factor. Averaging 14.1 points per game, Appling was held to a season low three before fouling out with 5:17 remaining.
Gary Harris, the reigning IndyStar's Mr. Basketball, led the Spartans with 21 points including five 3-pointers. Harris scored on a transition slam with 3:32 to play to cut the IU lead to 71-70.
The wild week in college basketball produced the expected shakeup in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, resulting in the closest voting for the No.1 spot in over a season. Kansas moved into the top position, finishing just three poll points ahead of No.2 Michigan. The Jayhawks received 16 first-place votes to the Wolverines' 14. It was the closest finish for No.1 since the poll of Feb. 28, 2011. Kansas was also involved that week, finishing four points behind Ohio State.
KU and Michigan were picked one and two in some order on all but one ballot. That last one had Florida No.1. The Gators actually finished fourth, just a single point behind No.3 Indiana. Duke fell from the top spot to No.5 following a midweek drubbing at Miami (Fla.). Syracuse slipped two places to No.6, Gonzaga climbed three to No.7 and Arizona fell two to No.8. Michigan State climbed two spots to No.9 despite Sunday's loss to Indiana. The voters were also kind to Butler, which slid only one position to stay in the top 10. The Bulldogs followed a midweek loss at La Salle with a home win against Temple.
Oregon and Mississippi continued to make big moves. The Ducks, now alone atop the Pac-12, vaulted seven places to No.12. The Rebels jumped eight places to No.16. Miami, which followed its upset of Duke with a victory against Florida State, makes a splashy season debut in the poll at No.15.
Virginia Commonwealth dropped out of the rankings after a pair of close losses this week. Marquette claimed the No.25 spot this week, replacing fellow Big East member Notre Dame in the poll.
Oklahoma State held on to pull off a huge upset, knocking off Kansas 85-80, snapping the Jayhawks' nation-leading 18-game winning streak. Kansas was voted No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports' coaches poll, while Michigan is No. 1 in the AP poll.
"We had to come out, punch them in the mouth and not let the crowd get into it," Oklahoma State's Markel Brown said. "We just beat one of the top teams in the country." Coincidentally, it was the Cowboys' first road win over a top-five team since beating then-No. 2 Kansas 52-50 in overtime in 1958.
Brown paced the Cowboys (15-5, 5-3 Big 12) with 28 points, while do-everything point guard Marcus Smart chipped in 25 points, which included a tenacious breakaway dunk over Kansas 7-footer Jeff Withey. Smart spearheaded a 13-2 Oklahoma State run with a couple of key baskets down the stretch. The Cowboys trailed 66-62 before Smart took over.
The Jayhawks (19-2, 7-1) trimmed it to 81-80 on a basket by Elijah Johnson with 18.8 seconds left. Oklahoma State's Phil Forte then made two clutch free throws with 7.9 seconds to give the Cowboys a three-point cushion. Kansas had a chance to tie the game, but Johnson turned the ball over and the Jayhawks never got a shot off, as a Forte lay-up put the finishing touches on Oklahoma State's first win at Kansas since 1989, which also broke a 33-game winning KU home winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse.
"All he had to do was shoot it," Kansas coach Bill Self said of Johnson's turnover with a few seconds left. "He crossed over and I don't know where he was going, and he lost it."
Ben McLemore led the Jayhawks with 23 points in the losing effort.
"This one hurts, definitely," said Withey, who finished with 10 points and three blocks.
Oklahoma State stuns No. 1 Kansas for historic win
The scene has played out more than a dozen times on college basketball courts in the past month — with or without a wheelchair.
The clock starts ticking down, and at some point it becomes clear: the visiting team, which happens to be ranked in the top 25, is going to lose. The message begins to spread through the student body. Students head down toward the baselines. They're going to rush the court. It'll be messy, potentially dangerous and confusing out there, but the students embrace it because, among other things, there's a possibility they'll get on TV. A blend of passion and excitement — fueled, in some cases, by adult beverages — carries them to the court.
Villanova senior Tim Stuart was captured by TV cameras shirtless and screaming after the Wildcats beat then-No. 5 Louisville on Jan. 26.
"When we got to the court, everyone was jumping up and down," said Stuart, who is triple-majoring in finance, accounting and real estate. "It's kind of crazy. It's kind of like you're in a night club with the lights on, and there's music. Everyone's hugging. I'm hugging kids I'd never seen before. Girls who couldn't name one player on the team are on the court." Two weeks earlier North Carolina State students, led by wheelchair-bound Will Privette, stormed the floor after knocking off then-No. 1 Duke, led by Will Privette in a wheelchair. The video of the wheelchair court-stormer instantly went viral.
"It all is just kind of a big blur," said N.C. State student body president Andy Walsh, who pushed Privette's wheelchair onto the court. "One of the things I remember the most was how hot it got. Everybody is sweating, pouring sweat, when you leave. Not even just the basketball players who played in the game. There are just so many people, and it happens so quick. There's an adrenaline rush." Victorious players will often hang around on the court to celebrate with their peers. Meanwhile, opposing players try to get to the nearest exit as soon as physically possible.
"When you're in it for the first time, it's a little shocking," former Duke star Jon Scheyer said via Skype last week. "A lot of times, you're kind of caught out in the open. You're playing the game, and, obviously, the game ends, and you're in the middle of the court. Sometimes, you need to physically get yourself out of the crowd. That was the biggest thing."
In the past 10 seasons, Duke has lost 32 true road games. Fans rushed the court after 26 of them, according to the Wall Street Journal. Two of those losses came this season — to ACC foes N.C. State and Miami. Both resulted in court stormings.
"That's something you expect when you're at Duke," Scheyer said.
Scheyer said the worst part of the experience is the loss itself, not the fans around you. There is the slightest of silver linings, however: At least the opposing fan base thought beating you merited such a reaction.
"It's a statement to your team," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "I tell (my players), 'It's what you want to be. You want to be the team that if you get beat, they have to storm the court.'"
GOOD FOR THE GAME
Calipari's conference, the SEC, has a rule against court storming. that reads, "For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area."With that policy comes a $5,000 fine that can be assessed to a school on a first offense and up to $25,000 and $50,000 for additional offenses. That might be one reason that when Arkansas beat No. 2 Florida last night, its fans didn't rush the hardwood.
When South Carolina beat Calipari's then-No. 1 Kentucky team at home in 2010, fans handed $1 bills to then-Gamecocks athletic director Eric Hyman to help defray the cost.
Most coaches interviewed for this story view court-storming as a great part of the sport — with the caveat that nobody gets injured. They say the melee doesn't impact them or their players; it provides students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I watched the Butler-Gonzaga game, and that was a phenomenal ending," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "If I'd have been a student, I would have wanted to rush the floor and carry the players off." Read More: The forecast for college basketball: Storming the court
With less than five weeks until Selection Sunday, the scramble for top seeds in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and the nation's No. 1 ranking remains wild and wide open.
Despite a loss at Illinois, will Indiana — coming off Sunday's win at No. 10 Ohio State — remain No. 1 Monday in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll? Or will the top spot go back to Duke, which barely avoided defeat Sunday at Boston College? "There aren't one or two teams that are head and shoulders above everybody else," said Florida coach Billy Donovan, whose second-ranked Gators lost at unranked Arkansas last week. "You can go and take everybody's best game they've played and say, 'Boy, that team's unbeatable.' Not everybody sustains that level night in and night out. There's a dropoff. … There are a lot of teams that have displayed the potential to really, really, really play at a high level. Can they consistently?"
Gonzaga could move into the top five for the first time since December 2008. There hasn't been a team from outside the six power conferences ranked in the top five of the coaches poll at this point in the season (Week 15) since Memphis was No. 1 under then-coach John Calipari five years ago. In addition to Gonzaga, four other non-power conference teams are currently ranked; the Mountain West boasts as many ranked teams (two) as the Atlantic Coast Conference, traditionally one of the sport's most dominant leagues. Projecting the top seed lines has proved nearly futile, as upsets have jumbled the college basketball landscape all season and made it difficult to evaluate the season's elite teams.
Donovan said he thinks 30 teams have a legitimate chance to make the Final Four. Butler coach Brad Stevens said he thinks it's more.
"40? 50? 68? Whoever gets in has a shot, that's true," Stevens said. "Obviously, there are a lot of factors that play into it but to say right now, this time of year, 'This is a Final Four team.' 'That's a Sweet 16 team.' Nobody knows. You haven't seen a bracket yet, and you don't know how they'll be playing at that time. Or that night."
Madness arrives ahead of schedule for college basketball
For the past few months, Florida was the rage of the Southeastern Conference. Way better than everyone else, a team destined to run away with the league title. Kentucky, albeit the defending national champion, was the whipping boy. The Wildcats dropped a couple of games and they were left for dead.
And here we are.
As the Big Blue Nation frowned, John Calipari kept working, kept challenging. And started winning. As the Gator Nation delighted, Arkansas handed Florida a dose of reality last Tuesday -- an 80-69 loss that not only stopped a 10-game winning streak but made things in the SEC very interesting again.
Florida (19-3 overall, 9-1 in SEC play) is 11-0 at home this season but has lost five straight to the Wildcats going into Tuesday's 7 p.m. game (ESPN) against Kentucky (17-6, 8-2) and has won just two of the last 11 meetings in the series.
UK has won a season-high five straight games coming into tonight. Once again, UK has huge balance with five players averaging in double figures. And the smiles are gone in Gainesville. They're back in Lexington.
"They play well in their building. It will be a hard game for us to win,'' Calipari said. "Let's put it this way, they were an Elite Eight team last year, should have been in the Final Four, were one game short of that, and they've got everybody back. And college basketball isn't what it was a year ago, so that's how a good a challenge, or how big a challenge and how good of a team they are.'' Kentucky's key is how well it's guards play. UF starts three guards averaging a combined 34.9 points.
Wildcats forward Kyle Wiltjer: "They have great guards that get out and run, so our guards are going to have to step up. It's going to be a big game so everyone is really going to have to play great. We are excited for practice today to prepare for them.''
Wiltjer thinks things have changed for the better during the current streak.
"We feel ready,'' he said. "We have had a lot of tests before and I feel like we are improving every day, so it is going to be a great battle for us and hopefully we can learn from it.''
Calipari said there are no secrets. It's time for Kentucky to show it's better and guard play will be huge.
"We all know that, and our guys know that,'' Calipari said. "This is our challenge. I mean, you can't make excuses, you can't cop out. Here it is: let's show what we are. Our team's getting better, our guards are getting better, our bigs are getting better. We're getting better as a team. We're being more efficient.''
As a result UK is back in the top 25 this week.
"I just feel like this is someplace where we want to stay, but we're also not where we want to be,'' Wildcats guard Archie Goodwin said. "We're honestly not worried about rankings right now; we just want to keep getting better. And as long as we keep getting better, everything else will take care of itself.''
Florida's Kenny Boynton will be making his 128th career start, which ties him with Andrew DeClerq for the most in school history. A win would give Billy Donovan, who is 1-7 vs. Calipari since he took the UK job, his 15th straight 20 win season. Only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim have longer active streaks. Calipari's dominance over the Gators isn't viewed by Donovan as a coach vs. coach thing. And Donovan notes the game only counts as one result, that life has to go on -- quickly -- regardless of the outcome.
"I've always felt that playing against teams like that, like a Kentucky. I think ultimately it makes you better, getting a chance to play against them twice,'' Donovan said. "If we're fortunate enough to win the game Tuesday, there's another game coming Saturday, there's another game coming after that. The world doesn't stop.
"It's one game right now. It's an important game right now and it's the next game on our schedule right now, one we want to continue to move forward on, but I really never, ever get wrapped up in that kind of stuff. Clearly the last three or four years just incredible talent and incredible pieces and they've been very, very gifted and they've been a very, very hard team to beat. I think John has done a terrific job with his team. But for us right now, this is an important game because it's right in front of us right now and this is the next one. After this one is over with our focus is going to have to shift right to Auburn.''
Boynton is not counting up the losses to Big Blue.
"I think it's a new team, new players,'' he said of Kentucky. "I think that's the past, we lost five straight, but it's time for us to start a new trend. Hopefully we go from here, win (tonight) and we make it five straight. We've just got to come out (tonight) and play.''
But fellow guard Scottie Wilbekin is.
"They beat us three times last year, and that's really embarrassing to lose to a team three times in one year,'' he said.
While the players have changed, Boynton said Kentucky looks similar.
"I think it's their same offense. Honestly, I think their talent's the same. Archie Goodwin I think is a great driver. I think they've got a good, solid team. Despite what their record is, I think lately they've gotten better,'' he said. Size is going to be an issue for Florida against Kentucky, especially with Will Yeguete out for at least the rest of the regular season with a knee injury
"I think it's something we're gonna have to deal with,'' Donovan said. "They've got really, really good length across the front line. They've got a lot of different lineups they can play. Getting Willie Cauley-Stein, then you add Wiltjer and (Alex) Poythress and Noel, there's a lot of length up there. Our hand is what it is in terms of our frontcourt. We collectively have gotta do a good job as a group. I've always been a big believer that it's not one guy's responsibility to take care of another guy, but we've got to do it as a team. We will need to continue to do a g
The Bracket Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the field of 68 (31 automatic and 37 at-large bids). Essentially, the Bracket Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for amateur bracketologists if they were filling out a Tourney Pick 'Em '13 entry today. The Triple-B, the most accurate bracket predictor among macro-sites over the past five years, is updated every Monday until the dance card is unveiled March 17.
After he'd missed time and time again all night long, for some reason Naadir Tharpe's final attempt just felt right when it left his hand.
And what a shot it was for No. 9 Kansas.
Tharpe connected on a short jumper in the lane with 16.5 seconds left in the second overtime, lifting the Jayhawks over No. 14 Oklahoma State 68-67 on Wednesday night for a critical win in the Big 12 championship race.
Tharpe had made only one of his first 11 shots, and Kansas (22-4, 10-3 Big 12) hadn't made a field goal in either overtime, before one finally fell through at just the right time.
''I knew I just had to make a play,'' said Tharpe, who was filling in at the point after starter Elijah Johnson fouled out.
Travis Releford scored 18 points and Jeff Withey had three double-overtime free throws among his 17 points for the Jayhawks, who are tied with No. 13 Kansas State for the conference lead with five games to go. Kansas has had at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title for each of the past eight years, but that streak was in jeopardy against the surging Cowboys.
Markel Brown scored 20 points to lead Oklahoma State (19-6, 9-4), which had won seven straight - including snapping the Jayhawks' 33-game home winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse earlier this month - to move into a three-way tie for the league lead.
''Our whole focus is just to win the Big 12,'' Releford said. ''Teams beat us. We knew we weren't going to run the table and go undefeated.
''Unfortunately, it just happened they beat us at home. We just were focused to come in and try to get a win.''
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State's star freshman, had 16 points but fouled out midway through the second extra period when he slammed into Releford after going airborne on a drive to the basket.
On the winning play, Tharpe isolated against Phil Forte and wiggled his way into the lane before popping in a jumper from the right side. Brown missed a jumper from the left wing with about 7 seconds left, and Releford dove along the sideline in front of Oklahoma State's bench to prevent the rebound from going out of bounds and instead let the final seconds tick off the clock.
''It's a hard pill to swallow,'' Brown said. ''I felt like this game could have went either way. A double-overtime game, it was a tough one out there.''
Neither team led by more than six during the classic with championship implications, and both had their chances to win it at the end of regulation and each overtime.
The Jayhawks' best-in-the-nation defense limited Oklahoma State to a season-low 32.8 percent shooting. Kansas missed its first seven shots after regulation, only escaping after Tharpe's play in crunch time.
''Neither team had any offense and he certainly made a huge play there late. Just huge,'' coach Bill Self said. ''Biggest play of his life, I'm sure,''
With so many misses, naturally, each team's star freshman had his share.
Ben McLemore, on pace to replace Danny Manning as the highest-scoring freshman in Kansas history, misfired on his first eight shots before making three in a row in the second half. He had a season-low seven points.
Smart started out 0 for 9 before finally hitting a fallaway jumper along the right side of the lane to cut Oklahoma State's deficit to 53-51 with 3:20 left in regulation. Forte tied it soon after, making a pair of free throws after coming up with a steal.
Smart came out of the game once after hurting his right shoulder and again after tweaking his right ankle in the first half. He then got socked in the face by Withey early in the second half. But it wasn't until he got his fifth foul that he finally couldn't return.
''Marcus is a big key to this team, so once he fouled out, I was like, 'Oh, shoot! We need Marcus out there,''' Brown said. ''He brings the toughness out there. He gets stops out there. No matter if he's shooting bad for the night, he still can make that big-time play for you.''
The Jayhawks weren't able to close it out in regulation after Releford banked in a tricky scoop shot underneath for a 57-53 lead with 1:49 to play. Smart made one of two free throws at the opposite end and, after Withey missed inside for Kansas, he got out in transition for a 3-pointer to tie it with 1:11 to play.
Johnson crossed over Smart on a drive, getting him to fall down in the lane, but Michael Cobbins came over to the rescue and swatted Johnson's shot into the hands of Self on the Jayhawks' bench. Brian Williams knocked the ball away from Tharpe to give OSU a chance at the win, but Smart missed a wild, off-balance jumper from the right wing and time ran out with the game tied at 57.
Forte drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner with 56.4 seconds left to tie it at 63 in the first overtime. The game went to a second overtime after McLemore air-balled a 3-pointer, Smart came up empty on a drive and Releford missed a driving attempt for Kansas. Smart's desperation shot from three-quarters court grazed the front of the rim.
''It was crazy,'' Releford said. ''We knew it was going to be a tough match. With the crowd on their side and them being at home, we just knew we had to come out and just tough it out, and we did.''
Being the oldest member of a young Kentucky team didn't exempt Julius Mays from the transition toward becoming a leader.
His contributions in Saturday night's 90-83 overtime victory over Missouri not only solidified his qualifications, but might have firmed up the Wildcats' postseason credentials as well.
Mays scored eight points in overtime, including four clinching free throws in the final 33 seconds, helping Kentucky beat Missouri and get the important victory it needed to bolster its NCAA tournament chances.
The fifth-year senior guard who graduated from Wright State and transferred to Kentucky, made six free throws in overtime and scored 21 of his 24 points after halftime for the Wildcats (19-8, 10-4 Southeastern Conference). Kentucky needed a 'quality' win to go along with its triumph over then-No. 16 Mississippi last month, and got it by holding serve at Rupp Arena over Missouri (19-8, 8-6) in the marquee game on ESPN College Game Day. The Wildcats' backcourt was key in beating the Tigers.
''Obviously we'd rather win in regulation,'' said Mays, who also made four 3-pointers, ''but to come out with the win, and the guys played as hard as they did - they fought and battled and not give up - it was good.''
On being a leader, he said, ''it definitely takes time.''
Archie Goodwin scored all 18 of his points after intermission while Ryan Harrow added 16 with eight rebounds and six assists. That collective effort helped offset Phil Pressey's 27 points and Missouri's determined effort that forced overtime. Instead, the Tigers saw their road woes continue in falling to 1-7.
Mays had a chance to win it in regulation for Kentucky after rebounding Pressey's missed shot, but his attempt from just past midcourt rimmed off to the left at the buzzer.
''Oh, man. I didn't even know how much time I had,'' Mays said. ''When the guy jumped in front of me, I didn't see the time. I was making sure I didn't turn it over. I saw Archie at the end, and if I had thrown the pass up by the time he jumped in front of me, I don't think he would have gotten it off, honestly.''
Alex Poythress added 21 points for the Wildcats, who improved to 2-1 since losing freshman center Nerlens Noel to a season-ending knee injury.
Kentucky shot 30 of 59 from the field (51 percent) and converted 23 of 36 free throws. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Tigers 41-39.
Missouri finished 33 of 76 (43.4 percent).
Alex Oriakhi added 16 points and Laurence Bowers 13 for the Tigers.
The tight ending typified the game's importance for both teams hoping for at-large tournament bids. Though Missouri seemed to be in better shape than Kentucky - especially after beating No. 5 Florida on Tuesday night - Tigers coach Frank Haith said there were many teams ''in the same boat,'' needing a substantive win.
Thanks to Kentucky's guards, the Wildcats' postseason hopes remain afloat.
Out of sorts midway through the first half, the Wildcats regrouped to trail by 35-31 at the half before mounting a 31-20 run over the first 10-plus minutes of the second half for a 62-55 lead. Missouri fought back and forced overtime and led twice in the extra period but couldn't hold off determined Kentucky.
''They were more aggressive than us,'' Haith said of the Wildcats. ''They got to the line 36 times and we got to the line 17 times. They were the aggressive team and I think, again, in the second half they got to every loose ball, every 50-50 ball and that was the difference in the game.''
Mays converted a 1-and-1 then added a follow basket to keep Kentucky tied at 79. Goodwin made a reverse layup before Poythress and Harrow both made two free throws. Mays' four sealed the game.
''Mays was terrific,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ''The shots he made and the leadership.''
Kentucky was coming off Wednesday's 74-70 victory over Vanderbilt, earning the close victory with crisp play on both ends of the floor and two huge blocks by freshman center Willie Cauley-Stein, handling duties in the pivot since Noel's injury.
The Tigers entered the game with one of the SEC's most potent offenses and a balanced one at that, with every starter averaging in double figures. Pressey (11.8 points per game) drew most of Kentucky's attention because of his ability to distribute the ball and create turnovers along with scoring.
And while forward Bowers and center Oriakhi presented a dual inside threat, it shaped up as another matchup of guard play.
Living up to the Show-Me state motto, the Tigers quickly displayed their offensive prowess.
Three straight baskets staked Missouri to a 7-2 lead that quickly grew to 17-8 as the Tigers outhustled the young Wildcats on both ends. Pressey's steal and layup for Missouri's second basket and consecutive baseline drives by reserve guard Earnest Ross that made it 15-8 and epitomized the Tigers' athleticism.
Oriakhi followed with a layup to cap an 8-for-17 start from the field for the Tigers, compared to 4 of 14 for the Wildcats. Missouri cooled off some after that but still was able to build its biggest lead at 28-15 with 4:55 remaining in the first half.
Just as quickly, Kentucky found some poise along with some shooters and closed with a 16-7 run to trail by 35-31 at intermission.
Harrow, who scored 12 Wednesday in his return to the starting lineup, set the tone again with inside drives to score 12 in the first half. Others followed his lead and the results were 3-pointers by Mays and Poythress, whose thunderous dunk from Harrow's lob started the spurt.
Kentucky began drawing fouls as well, converting 7 of 12 from the line. The Wildcats shot 39 percent (11 of 28) for the half compared to 14 of 38 for the Tigers (37 percent).
After the Miami Heat's heart-wrenching loss in the 2011 NBA Finals, a demoralized LeBron James knew what he had to do to get better and win his first championship.
He went back to square one. James returned to his hometown in Akron, Ohio, and reunited with his former coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Keith Dambrot, the coach at the University of Akron since 2004.
"I told him what he already knew," Dambrot said of his "heart-to-heart" advice to James that summer. "I said he needed to be as coachable as possible, he needed to get back to the basics. But most of all, he needed to clear his head. I told him to be true to himself.
"I said, 'You're not the golden child anymore; people don't like you. Well who cares, if you can look yourself in the mirror and say you're a good guy.' It was hard for me to see so many people hate him. He made a business decision. LeBron is the most team-oriented player I've coached, and he's such a great person."
James was spotted courtside cheering on the Miami (Fla.) basketball team this month, but he's pulled for another college team for years. Dambrot's Akron Zips (22-4, 12-0 Mid-American Conference) own the nation's longest winning streak with 18 consecutive victories. On Monday, No. 24 Akron jumped into the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time since moving to Division I in the 1980-81 season.
"They're on an unbelievable streak right now," James said. "One thing about coach (Dambrot) is he maximizes talent that he has by putting that belief in guys who may not feel like they can do some of the things they can do. That's always something he did while we were in high school. He's unbelievable with them." James, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft with the Cleveland Cavaliers, never played college basketball. But his impact is felt in the Akron community, and Dambrot credited James for the basketball program's resurgence.
"Listen, our program would not be what it is today if it wasn't for LeBron James," said Dambrot, who has deep Akron roots, as his mother was a professor at the school. "When I walk into recruits' homes and they know I coached LeBron, they trust I know what I'm talking about. He plays in the summer at Akron, he was here a ton during the (NBA) lockout. And there's no question LeBron helped me become a better coach. I always held him to the highest standard, and I still do today." James might always steal the headline in Akron, but the Zips deserve attention for becoming the first Mid-American team to make the coaches poll during the regular season in exactly five years. Akron hasn't lost since mid-December and is still undefeated in the MAC heading into Wednesday's road clash against second-place Ohio (20-7, 11-1), a Sweet 16 finisher in last year's NCAA tournament.
With the nation's longest winning streak and James as a supporter, Akron has the ingredients to become the next mid-major to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
"Our goal isn't just to get to the NCAA tournament, it's to win the whole thing," said confident center Zeke Marshall, a dominant 7-footer with NBA potential. "I don't want to say we could be a Cinderella team because I think we're as talented as some of the top teams. The only difference is that those teams like Duke are high majors. Talent-wise, if you look at our lineup, we have on of the biggest in the country. Our biggest (hurdle) this season is making sure we stay hungry."
Marshall, averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, provides the Zips with an intimidating paint presence, and Zambrot thinks his team can compete with major BCS-level schools because of Marshall's "ability to change the game on both sides of the floor."
"The biggest difference with Zeke this season has been his maturity as a person," Dambrot said of Marshall, who had five blocks in Akron's 68-53 BracketBusters win over North Dakota State last Friday. "He could barely bench (press) the bar when he first got here. Now he can bench over 300 pounds. His biggest issue has been realizing how good he really is. I think a lot of (NBA) teams will be surprised in individual workouts when they see what he could blossom into."
Dambrot has guided the Zips to postseason tournaments in six of the past eight seasons. He isn't shy in acknowledging this to be his best team yet. Complementing Marshall is junior forward Demetrius Treadwell, the team's top rebounder with 7.7 boards a game, while 5-10 point guard Alex Abreu pilots the offense with 9.8 points and 5.9 assists a game.
There's no denying Akron has NCAA tournament potential, but if it fails to win the MAC tournament, its at-large bid hopes are in question despite a résumé that features an RPI of 48.
"It's an interesting debate because we know how good we are, but America doesn't," Dambrot said. "If (the NCAA committee) really studies what happened to us, they'll see that when we lost games during the non-conference schedule, we were dealing with injuries that postponed our development. We haven't lost in two months and I don't even think we're playing our best basketball yet. If we get into (the NCAA tournament), I don't think we'll get bullied like a lot of other mid-majors will because we have the size and strength to compete with some of the top teams."
Akron college hoops program thriving thanks to LeBron
No. 8 Florida showed the kind of resiliency that could come in handy in the postseason.
Casey Prather had 10 points and nine rebounds, most of them in the second half, and the Gators rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat Alabama 64-52 on Saturday.
The Gators used a 15-0 run late in the second half - fueled by Prather - to pull away from the Crimson Tide and remain unbeaten (14-0) at home.
Even though Florida won its 13 Southeastern Conference games by double digits, this one easily could have gone the other way.
''Casey, thank God, gave us good minutes,'' coach Billy Donovan said. ''If he didn't play well, we probably would have had a hard time winning the game.''
Erik Murphy led Florida (23-5, 13-3 SEC) with 15 points. Kenny Boynton added 13, and Scottie Wilbekin chipped in 11.
But there's no doubt Prather was the key. He played relentless defense and was equally impressive on the other end. With Prather leading the way, Florida outscored Alabama 23-5 over the final 10 minutes of the game.
''I was definitely trying to bring energy because we looked a little dead offensively and defensively,'' Prather said.
Trevor Releford led the Tide (19-10, 11-5) with 12 points. Trevor Lacey and Nick Jacobs added 11 points apiece.
Florida made just 2 of 13 shots from 3-point range, but made up for it by making 22 of 26 from the free-throw line.
Alabama was 4 of 10 from the charity stripe.
The Tide really went cold from the field, making just two baskets after taking a 45-37 lead with 12:23 remaining.
''You've got to be able to manufacture some offense,'' coach Anthony Grant said. ''We had opportunities that we let slip away.''
Missed shots, bad passes, charges, Alabama did a little bit of everything to give up the lead on the road. It was the complete opposite of what Alabama did right during a 14-4 run that put the Tide ahead.
''Defensively, we weren't as locked in as we were during that stretch,'' Lacey said.
The Gators gladly took advantage en route to clinching a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. Florida later secured at least a share of the SEC regular-season title when Arkansas beat Kentucky. Donovan's team needs one more win to clinch the league tournament's top seed.
Donovan cared little about those accomplishments after the game. He was more concerned about his team's problems.
Florida used a 12-0 run to open up a double-digit lead early in the game, making this look like it would be another lopsided affair.
But the Gators stopped making shots and starting giving up baskets at every turn. It was concerning for Donovan because it's the kind of emotional letdown he has tried to rid his team of the last two years.
Instead of moving the ball and getting everyone involved, the Gators started taking ill-advised shots and trying to do too much.
''We've deviated from who we are and we've got to get back to that,'' Donovan said.
Getting healthy could help.
Bench players Will Yeguete and Michael Frazier II returned from injuries but clearly weren't at full strength. Yeguete missed six games following arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right knee, and Frazier sat out Tuesday night's loss at Tennessee because of a concussion. Frazier also missed two days of practice this week with back spasms.
Neither did much against the Tide.
Yeguete missed both shots, had one rebound and one turnover in 11 lackluster minutes. Frazier missed his only shot and had a turnover in 6 minutes.
''I couldn't get anything out of Frazier at all,'' Donovan said. ''And Yeguete tells me after the game that he was absolutely petrified going out there.''
Prather picked up the slack, a welcome sight for Florida since he's been banged up all season. He missed several games because of a concussion and a few more with a high-ankle sprain.
He banged his head against the Volunteers, needed stiches above his left eye and created concern about another concussion. He passed all his baseline tests, though, and turned in one of his best performances in three years.
''I thought we were a little drained,'' Donovan said. ''I thought Casey, for whatever really, was really focused and locked in. ... Scottie wasn't himself. I didn't think Kenny Boynton was himself. Patric (Young) wasn't himself. Murphy looked a step slow. It was just one of those games where you sometimes can't maybe put your finger on it.
''I was really, really, really disappointed in my team. Disappointed in my team that I didn't do a better job getting them ready to play and I couldn't have been any prouder the last 9 minutes.''
The last home game for Duke's three seniors unexpectedly was tight until they turned it into a rout by doing what they do best.
Seth Curry hit 3-pointers. Mason Plumlee battled in the paint.
And Ryan Kelly - well, he did a little bit of everything to help the third-ranked Blue Devils pull away and beat Virginia Tech 85-57 on Tuesday night.
''It's hard (to focus) until you realize you're about to lose or it's possible you could lose,'' Plumlee said.
Curry scored 20 points with five 3-pointers, and Kelly added 18 points with team bests of nine rebounds and five assists in his second straight strong performance since coming back from an injury.
Plumlee finished with 14 points for Duke (26-4, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which shot nearly 52 percent yet struggled for a while in a classic trap-game scenario before outscoring the Hokies 32-10 during the final 12-plus minutes to finish unbeaten at home for the 17th time in school history.
''We're emotionally spent,'' coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''We're not as physically spent as we are emotionally. It's been a heck of a thing. ... I'm proud of our guys. I thought the three seniors just asserted themselves in the second half.''
Erick Green scored 25 points on 10 of 19 shooting to lead Virginia Tech (13-17, 4-13), which hasn't beaten a team in the upper half of the league standings all season.
''We were right there, but we didn't put a 40-minute game together,'' Green said. ''We played 30 minutes, and then they just blew us out.'' Still, for much of the game, they found a way to keep pace with Duke. Jarell Eddie's jumper with 12 1/2 minutes left pulled Virginia Tech to 53-47.
Kelly capped Duke's next possession with an extraordinary effort to stick back a rebound after Tyler Thornton had a shot blocked. The Blue Devils outrebounded Virginia Tech by 12 in the second half.
''That's a point of emphasis for us, period,'' Kelly said. ''Rebounding's obviously something that, in the past, hasn't been our biggest strength. And if you can take your lesser strengths and make them bigger strengths, you can be a really good team.''
That started a game-ending run in which the Blue Devils scored on 15 of their final 16 possessions and included curtain calls for the three seniors.
The Blue Devils improved to 17-0 this season with Kelly - a 6-foot-11 floor-stretching threat who missed nearly two months with a right foot injury. He scored 36 points last time out in his first game back, a 79-76 victory over then-No. 5 Miami three nights earlier.
''Kelly gives them a whole other level,'' said Eddie, who finished with 13 points. ''They're really able to spread the floor. It's tough to guard all those guys.''
Quinn Cook also had 14 points while Curry - the son of former Virginia Tech and NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry - hit a handful of 3s against his dad's alma mater for the second time in 13 days.
There were traps aplenty in this one for the Blue Devils, who had a tough time generating the same high level of emotional energy that they had against the Hurricanes.
Couple that with rival North Carolina looming ahead this weekend, and it might have been easy for Duke to look past a last-place Virginia Tech team that the Blue Devils had beaten by 32 in Blacksburg yet quietly entered having won two of three.
''We definitely had to be (wary), and I think we were,'' Kelly said. ''We knew we had to be prepared.''
Cameron was energized for the Senior Night festivities - but not much else - during a first half surprisingly led for much of the way by the Hokies.
Duke outscored Virginia Tech 26-11 during a 9-minute stretch to turn a seven-point deficit into an eight-point lead, but led just 38-35 at the end of a sluggish opening 20 minutes. Duke pushed its lead to 12 slightly over 4 minutes into the second half on a Curry 3 before Green briefly brought the Hokies right back.
''You have a different type of emotion coming into the game - you want to play well really badly,'' Curry said. ''You don't want to be nostalgic and think about it being your last game, but you can't help it. I think that's why we got off to a slow start.''
Commissioner Mike Slive was on the Bridgestone Arena court Thursday afternoon, honoring a pair of former Southeastern Conference players.
On his left was LSU center Geert Hammink. On his right was Georgia forward Tim Bassett.
All around them was towering disinterest. The applause for Hammink and Bassett was almost non-existent. There were about 50 LSU fans in attendance for the SEC basketball tournament second-round opener, and maybe half that number for Georgia. Mostly there were empty blue chairs.
Kentucky wasn't scheduled to play for another 30 hours, but the Wildcats still had the most fans in the building.
This is the state of the SEC. America's greatest football conference is an apathetic mess in basketball.
"I'm bullish on our basketball," Slive said. "But we appreciate the fact that the rest of the country may not see it the way we do here."
The rest of the country does not see it that way, nor do I. I've covered SEC basketball since 1990, and this is the worst I can remember the league.
The rest of the country sees a 14-team league with two secure NCAA bids (Florida and Missouri) heading into Thursday. It sees five teams on the bubble (which does at least create some tournament urgency at what I've been calling the Festival of Desperate Basketball). It sees a league that suffered non-conference losses to Mercer, Tulane, Youngstown State, Indiana State, Marist, Southern, Elon, Troy, Loyola Chicago, Alabama A&M, Rhode Island and Winthrop. It sees a league with half its members ranked 75th or lower in the Sagarin Ratings.
On the football side, Sagarin rated two SEC schools 75 or lower. And eight 25 or higher. This is the massive disconnect in the SEC. How can a league that is so good in football – and makes so much money because of it – be so bad in basketball? How can a league that succeeds at anything it wants to – excellence in baseball, softball, swimming, track, gymnastics and so on – have so little desire to succeed in hoops?
Slive points out that the SEC has won three men's hoops national titles in his 10 years as commissioner – two by Florida and one by Kentucky, the most recent being last year.
"How many other leagues have won three national championships in the last 10 years?" he asked, and the answer is two: the Big East and ACC. "It's a hard perception to change, but we have to keep working on it and pay attention to it."
Here's the problem: after title winners Kentucky and Florida, the pool of competitive programs is not deep. And it has been getting shallower in recent years.
From 2002-08, the SEC averaged 5.7 NCAA tourney bids per year. In the past four years, it has averaged four. That drop of nearly two bids per year is emblematic of the league's shrinking reservoir of quality teams.
So what has happened? Mostly, the fans just don't seem to care. If they did, they'd demand better, the way they do in football. Mississippi fans may demand an NCAA tournament bid at least once in Andy Kennedy's first six years on the job. South Carolina fans might be more dismayed about a nine-year streak without a bid. Auburn's streak is at 10, but it's unclear whether anyone on The Plains has noticed.
It's almost as if the better the football gets, the less anyone pays attention to basketball.
Attendance in 2013 is down at 10 of 14 schools – down 1,000 or more per game on average at Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Texas A&M (new to the conference) and Vanderbilt.
Even at Florida, where the Gators are admirably consistent under Billy Donovan, there are routinely empty seats at home games. That's preposterous on a campus that size, with a program that good.
Instead of going to basketball games, SEC fans seem to be spending December, January and early February following football recruiting. Then spring practice has become a cottage industry in its own right. And pro days have even become a big deal on campuses, used as a vehicle to further publicize the fact that the SEC is the most direct route to the NFL. The NFL has figured out how to take over the entire calendar year. And the SEC isn't far behind. The fans are embracing off-field football as a means of avoiding in-season basketball.
When the tourney opened here with a doubleheader Wednesday night, the attendance was 7,879 – the smallest single-session crowd in SEC tourney history. That's mostly due to the fact that all four teams playing (Mississippi State, South Carolina, Auburn and Texas A&M) were terrible. However, that's also the price of expansion – if you go up to 14 teams, you create an extra round of games between flotsam and jetsam.
Even with Tennessee playing a must-win game in its home state Thursday afternoon, the session drew just 10,065 – what would be an unforgivably small crowd at any spring football game. And again, a good portion of that Thursday crowd was wearing Kentucky blue.
There are other factors in the SEC's hoops crisis, of course. One is keeping good players local. Ohio State is in the top 10 with a pair of key contributors from the South: LaQuinton Ross from Mississippi and Shannon Scott from Georgia. Mississippian Romero Osby is starring at NCAA-bound Oklahoma after languishing for two years under Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State. Georgian Jordan Adams has been an instant-impact star at UCLA. Wichita State's best all-around player might be Malcolm Armstead of Florence, Ala.
And the feeder systems are more suspect in the South than just about anywhere else. The coaching is not great at the high school level, and less so on the AAU level. There are too many operators in charge of AAU teams and not enough people who know how to coach and teach basketball. Thus there are a ton of athletes lacking skill on the rosters in the SEC.
Slive told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday that the league will formally announce its new SEC Network about a month from now. That will be a huge new revenue stream for a conference that already prints money in its
Whereas most years deserving mid-majors are spurned in favor of middling power-conference programs the day the NCAA tournament brackets are revealed, this year's selection committee opted to take the opposite approach.
Saint Mary's received one of the final four at-large bids, a reward for having beaten Creighton and lost to nobody besides Gonzaga since Christmas. Middle Tennessee also snuck into the field, a controversial selection since the Blue Raiders dominated the Sun Belt Conference but didn't accomplish much in non-league play. And, in a sign of respect for the Mountain West and Atlantic 10, Boise State and La Salle nabbed two of the last at-large bids as well despite finishing fifth in their respective leagues.
Fans of those schools surely let out sighs of relief when their teams appeared on the TV screen Sunday evening, but some bigger-name NCAA tournament hopefuls were not as fortunate. Here's a look at the best teams omitted from this year's field:
1. Tennessee (20-12, 11-7, RPI 59): The absence of Kentucky will get all the headlines, but Tennessee may be the best SEC team left out of the field. The Vols won eight of their final 10 games and had four quality wins against RPI Top 50 opponents, including a rout of the Wildcats in Knoxville last month. When assessing why Tennessee missed the field, there are two reasons that come to mind: The Vols lost seven league games in a mediocre SEC this season and all four of their marquee wins came at home. Add in a quarterfinal loss to Alabama in the SEC tournament on Friday, and that was enough to keep Tennessee out of the field of 68.
2. Kentucky (21-11, 12-6, RPI: 57): For the third time in six years, the defending national champion will not be part of the NCAA tournament. Kentucky joins 2008 Florida and 2010 North Carolina in ignominy as a result of a disappointing season that started with the Wildcats in the top five of most polls and will end with them deciding whether to accept an NIT invitation. Kentucky did boast quality wins over Florida, Missouri and Ole Miss, but that wasn't enough to make up for its flaws. The Wildcats beat nobody of consequence in non-league play and they lost too many games to middling competition. Three losses against non-NCAA tournament teams in their last four games typified that problem, the most egregious a 64-48 SEC tournament meltdown against Vanderbilt.
[Related: Play Yahoo! Sports Tourney Pick'em]
3. Virginia (21-11, 11-7, RPI: 76): The most confounding profile of any bubble team wasn't good enough to get Virginia into the field of 68. On one hand, the Cavaliers beat Duke, Wisconsin, North Carolina, N.C. State and Tennessee, a list of marquee wins that rivals many top 25 teams. On the other hand, Virginia also suffered seven sub-100 RPI losses, falling against three CAA schools and four of the worst five teams in the ACC. What probably killed Virginia was the way it finished its season after upsetting Duke on Feb. 28. The Cavaliers dropped three of their final four games, including a 75-56 ACC quarterfinal loss to NC State.
4. Southern Mississippi (25-9, 12-4, RPI: 31): The highest rated RPI team left out of the field of 68 was a Southern Mississippi team that was hoping to return to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. The Golden Eagles amassed a gaudy record and piled up plenty of victories in Conference USA, but quite frankly their profile wasn't all that impressive after a closer look. Not only did they lose all three times they faced Memphis, including in double overtime in Saturday's conference tournament title game, the best teams they beat all season were Denver, UTEP and Central Florida. That makes it fairly easy to understand why the committee overlooked them.
5. Maryland (22-12, 8-10, RPI: 71): Two victories over Duke and a win against N.C. State vaulted Maryland into the bubble discussion despite a sub-.500 ACC record, but the Terps accomplished little else in their remaining 31 games. Their non-league schedule was extremely weak. They dropped games to ACC bottom feeders Boston College and Georgia Tech. And they were swept by Florida State and fellow bubble team Virginia. Unless the NCAA tournament features only Tobacco Road schools, Maryland has the look of a classic NIT team.
South Dakota State's campus is almost 1,000 miles and more than a 13-hour drive to the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan.
Despite the distance, the Jackrabbits figure to have more than a few fans on site for Thursday's game against Michigan — even if they can't find Brookings, S.D. on a map.
According to a South Dakota television station, some Michigan State fans have been ordering South Dakota State t-shirts off the school's website so they can wear them to the game. The Spartans play against Valparaiso at the Palace earlier in the day, so why not help beef up the Jackrabbits' cheering section?
Michigan, after all, will be playing near its home turf of Ann Arbor and boasts a current enrollment of over 40,000 students. South Dakota State, meanwhile, has an enrollment of about 13,000, many of which won't be able to make the trip for the second tournament trip in school history. (The Jackrabbits didn't qualify for one of our earlier Facebook data analysis posts because it didn't have enough "likes" on the social media network.)
From Keloland-com:
Because the SDSU men play Michigan, some of the requests for Jackrabbit gear have actually been coming from Michigan's instate arch rival.
"We've actually have had some people, Michigan State fans calling in," Brua said. "Michigan and Michigan State are playing in the same arena, so what the people are doing, buying some stuff so they can go to that game and cheer against Michigan."
Meaning, the SDSU men's team will have a lot of fans, even if some of blue and yellow faithful can't be there in person.
South Dakota State reports that its merchandise sales have quadrupled this week and that many orders are paying $50 for overnight delivery. That's a rather expensive way to get behind South Dakota State lines, but Michigan State fans must know that you can always use another great t-shirt (that Jackrabbit logo is admittedly kind of cool).
Plus it's an easy way to disguise their shame if the Spartans lose to Valpo earlier in the day.
Congratulations, Kaleb Tarczewski. You are the sole survivor of the college basketball freshman top 10.
The Arizona center is the only member of the Rivals.com Class of 2012 top 10 still playing in this NCAA tournament. Not only that, he's the only player to even win a game in this NCAA tournament. Five other top 10 freshmen made the tournament but lost in the first round: Shabazz Muhammad (No. 1) and Kyle Anderson (No. 3) of UCLA; Steven Adams (No. 5) of Pitt; Anthony Bennett (No. 7) of UNLV; and Marcus Smart (No. 10) of Oklahoma State.
Three members of the top 10 saw their teams dispatched to the NIT: Nerlens Noel (No. 2) and Alex Poythress (No. 8) of Kentucky and Isaiah Austin (No. 4) of Baylor.
The other top 10 recruit, Ricardo Ledo (No. 6), was academically ineligible at Providence and never played anywhere.
So it's hardly been a banner year for blue chips. The lightning Kentucky captured last year cannot always be bottled, as the defending champions and UCLA both found out the hard way this season. One-and-dones have gotten nothing done in this NCAA tourney.
Instead, it's been a banner March for Cleanthony Early of Wichita State, who was anonymous in high school and went to a Division III junior college in upstate New York. But the Shockers found him and have enjoyed the reward for their diligence: Early had 37 points and 14 rebounds in two wins in Salt Lake City. It's been a banner March for Tyreek Duren of LaSalle, a zero-star recruit who scored 19 points in the Explorers' round-of-32 victory over Mississippi. Being a third-tier prospect out of Philly hasn't kept Duren out of a starring role in the Sweet 16.
And it's been a banner March for the motley collection at Florida Gulf Coast, a bunch of recruiting nobodies who have morphed into the surprise team of this tournament. Point guard Brett Comer (24 assists in two games) signed with Florida Atlantic, then backed out and went to FGCU – there was no line of suitors waiting for him. Chase Fieler, the guy who famously threw down Comer's alley-oop against Georgetown, cannot even be located in the Rivals.com recruiting database. Neither can Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Sherwood Brown, who arrived at FGCU as a walk-on. Bernard Thompson, the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year, was by comparison a big star: he had offers from East Carolina, Murray State, VCU, Wright State, Northeastern and Georgia State. But even Thompson was unranked nationally.
"I wasn't highly recruited out of high school, but I knew that I could play amongst some of the best people in the nation," Brown said. "I just had that type of confidence."
A player's confidence and willingness to work can matter more than how many stars he's assigned coming out of high school. That is not new knowledge, but FGCU has set a new standard in that area.
Yet even beyond the Cinderella-style schools in the Sweet 16, this tournament has become a three-star playground. Yes, there are several Rivals five-star talents left in the Big Dance – Cody Zeller at Indiana, Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State, Vander Blue of Marquette, Gary Harris and others at Michigan State, plus more at Kansas and Florida and Louisville – but they’re sharing the spotlight with players who toiled in their shadows in high school and AAU ball.
This tournament belongs to juniors and seniors who were good coming out of high school, but stuck around and made themselves college stars.
Guys like Louisville leading scorer Russ Smith, an unranked three-star guard out of New York. Three years ago, nobody projected little Russdiculous as the leading man on the overall No. 1 seed. Guys like Damyean Dotson of Oregon, a three-star freshman who did not crack the Rivals150 but has scored 40 points in two dominant Ducks victories. Dotson is Oregon's No. 2 scorer on the season behind E.J. Singler, brother of blue-chipper Kyle Singler but far less-heralded himself. Beyond the home-state Ducks, Singler had offers from Pepperdine, Washington State and Saint Louis.
Guys like Seth Curry of Duke, a three-star prospect who went to Liberty before transferring to the big time. Seth and brother Steph have to be the most under-recruited family in college basketball history.
The two best players still in the tournament, according to all the national awards voters? That would be Michigan point guard Trey Burke and Indiana guard Victor Oladipo. Burke was Rivals' No. 142 prospect in the Class of 2011. Oladipo was No. 144 in 2010. I don't recall live national broadcasts of their college decisions.
(In fact, the lower end of the Rivals 150 class of 2010 was apparently the place to be for 2013 success. Oladipo teammate Will Sheehey was No. 141; Duke guard Tyler Thornton was No. 140. Ohio State had a pair of guys in the same neighborhood: Lenzelle Smith at No. 132 and Aaron Craft at No. 111.)
Of the five-star guys still in college, most have learned a lot along the way to this point.
Louisville, Florida, Kansas and Michigan State all are populated with highly-ranked recruits who got to college and found out it was going to take a little longer to reach their potential or refine their games for the NBA. Guys like Peyton Siva at Louisville (now a senior), Kenny Boynton at Florida (senior), Elijah Johnson at Kansas (senior) and Adreian Payne at Michigan State (junior).
That hasn't been a catastrophe for any of them. There are worse things than spending three or four years at those schools, being coached by the best teachers in the game and enjoying the perks of campus celebrity while (what a novelty) completing an education and growing up. Along the way, Siva, Johnson and Payne have been to a Final Four. Boynton has been to consecutive regional finals. All of them are four games away from winning a national title.
Draft day may belong to the prospects at the top end of each recruiting class. But almost all of them will be sitting at home and watching less-heralded players for the next two weeks
At precisely the wrong time, the Louisville starting backcourt has gotten sick.
Point guard Peyton Siva said he thought he's in the early stages of strep throat and started taking an antibiotic Friday. His voice was thick and froggy after the Cardinals' 77-69 victory over Oregon Friday night in a NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game.
Shooting guard Russ Smith said he's running a fever – which didn't stop him from scoring a career-high-tying 31 points on the Ducks. Nothing has stopped Smith this NCAA tournament (81 points in three games).
"Russ is sickest," Louisville forward Chane Behanan said.
[More: Worldwide Wes' access restricted at Lucas Oil Stadium]
Siva and Smith, along with center Gorgui Dieng, are the most important players on the Louisville team, so their health will be of paramount importance going forward.
"I sort of had to prod our guys the entire night," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "Unfortunately, Russ has infected our entire team with a ridiculous cold, and all our guys are really sick. And it took a lot out of us because Oregon's so good. When Peyton got in foul trouble, Russ had to play way too many minutes, and everybody's coughing and hacking at every timeout.
"We just had to get our guys through it, and hopefully we'll get better. The only problem is on every timeout Russ is hacking in our faces."
Said Smith: "What Coach said is right on cue. I'm terribly sick. I just kept coughing."
Asked further about his illness, Smith said, "I wouldn't say I'm terribly sick, because there's like people more terribly sick than me. But I was pretty sick where it affected my conditioning to a point. But Coach been telling me to fight through it, fight through it, dig in. My teammates as well. I mean, I'm not the only one. There's been a few. …"
The Cardinals won't have much time to convalesce. They will play Sunday afternoon for the Midwest Regional championship, trying to make their second straight Final Four.
The multimillion dollar NCAA men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium recently fell under a dark cloud after Louisville Cardinals player Kevin Ware’s gruesome injury was witnessed by millions of fans on national television, and players, including those in attendance, went into a frenzy of tears during the Midwest regional final versus Duke Blue Devils.
Ware’s broken leg calls for the Mandatory Rule Change Allowing University Funding for Immediate Family Members not only to be present for emergency medical situations, but it’s also a clear indication of student athletes' exploitation that’s been debated for many years regarding a rule change for countless family members who don’t have the financial means to travel across the country and support their children.
NCAA officials must implement a special condition rule that would allow the university's institutions to pay for immediate family members of student-athletes who participate in national events who face financial burdens.
The major issue at hand is if transportation costs were provided to Ware’s family, they would have been in attendance when he suffered the broken right leg and they would have been able to make critical medical decisions versus the CBS sportscaster reported information that Ware's girlfriend was in attendance and his parents had been contacted regarding his injury.
Though it may have not been the case of a financial burden, the thought of Ware’s mother, who lives in Atlanta, having to watch her son’s injury on television and not having the opportunity to attend the game, or even sending an immediate family member to be present, is absurd in comparison to the millions of dollars of revenue generated by the NCAA. National TV advertising revenue for NCAA men’s basketball is over $1 billion, and the cost of providing immediate family members the right to attend contests is in the hands of the power brokers. The so-called NCAA authoritative figures in charge who have the ability to provide the much needed funding to those financially burdened family members who are not in a position to cover the traveling costs necessary to watch their children generate millions of dollars in revenue for NCAA universities.
The two power house NCAA basketball programs at Duke and Louisville have coaches whose salaries exceed $5 million per year, thus they are in financial positions to pay for family and friends to attend games and cover all costs associated with said events. The current NCAA rule
that prohibits coaches to pay for their players' family members to attend these types of events should be changed, and they too should have the right to pay for their players' family members to attend.
The opening suggestion would be to allow NCAA coaches to use a portion of their salaries to fund the immediate family members' travel expenses to attend NCAA events.
The NCAA, founded more than hundred years ago in 1906, has taken the position to govern athletics of NCAA affiliated institutions and place emphasis on academic excellence and amateur competition according to its website on NCAA.org. It should now revisit some of its rules and guidelines regarding competition and participation of student-athletes who participate in revenue generated athletic programs. The NCAA’s stance according to NCAA.org is a perfect fit for the non-revenue generating sports that men and women participate in and openly admits its purpose is “to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable, and sportsman-like manner and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student athlete is paramount.”
The NCAA should take a look at reality and admit it is time to change the focus of college athletics, as these student-athletes are required to put in hours of preparation and physical training to be in
shape to perform at a high level and the amount of money generated is primarily based on their performances. Genuine public opinion would no longer classify these athletes as amateur performers.
The first NCAA Men’s Division 1 basketball tournament was established in 1939. It involved eight schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship.
After 74 years the true nature of this matter is for the NCAA to take a look at reality and admit it’s time to change focus and admit they're profiting millions of dollars and we can no longer take the stance that these young men and women fall into to the category of student-athletes.
The initial process begins in a Big East or ACC conference tournament prior to the selection of the NCAA tournament bid that is determined at an off-site location around the middle of March calendar month, and it continues as student-athletes press on to compete in NCAA or National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Championships.
The student-athlete is actually competing for monetary gain for the university's athletic budget, and let’s face it, the student-athlete has now become an employee who is not getting fair market value for services rendered. The NCAA assumes the mindset that the student-athlete has the option to receive a quality education for free, but is this really enough considering all of the time, effort, and restrictions these athletes are bound by?
The time has come for the NCAA to recognize there should be some type of compensation for student-athletes who participate in athletic programs where large amounts of revenue are generated, and to the point a situation arises like the tragic injury to Kevin Ware, the possibility of an immediate family member being present at the game is not based upon the parents' financial capabilities, their financial needs, but because players earned the right to be compensated monetarily by working for the university.
Without sophomore point guard Trey Burke running the show, the Michigan basketball program would not have been able to end its 20-year Final Four drought this season. For his efforts, Burke should have a full trophy case once the 2012-13 campaign concludes next week.
Burke is a finalist to receive the Naismith College Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Award, Adolph Rupp Trophy and the Lute Olson Award.
The Columbus, Ohio native has already been named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, Associated Press Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Two-time All-American Cazzie Russell (1963-66) is the only other Wolverine to have been named the top player by the AP.
This year's Bob Cousy Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top point guard, is headed for Burke's trophy shelf as well.
Nothing should prevent Burke from taking home the other five player of the year awards either. Since 2006, the AP player of the year has also won the Naismith, Wooden and Robertson awards. The two most recent winners, Anthony Davis and Jimmer Fredette, nabbed the Rupp trophy, too.
As far as Burke's credentials go, no one has put together a more impressive resume this season. The 6'0", 190-pounder averaged 18.8 points, 6.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Wolverines.
Burke also finished No. 3 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.12).
Consistency has been the most impressive part of Burke's game this year, though. The former Ohio Mr. Basketball was the only player in the Big Ten to score more than 15 points in each league game.
Only four opponents managed to hold Burke below that mark this season, which is impressive to say the least.
Those numbers are right on par with three of the last four point guards to win player of the year awards. Jameer Nelson piled up 20.6 points, dished out 5.3 assists, grabbed 4.7 rebounds and notched 3.0 steals per contest with the St. Jospeh's Hawks during the 2003-04 campaign. Nelson won the Naismith, Wooden, Robertson and Rupp awards.
Jay Williams also swept the postseason awards in 2002. The former Duke Blue Devil recorded 21.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as a junior.
T.J. Ford managed to win the Naismith and Wooden Awards with a less impressive stat line than Burke's. Ford finished the 2002-03 season with averages of 15.0 points, 7.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest for the Texas Longhorns.
In addition to having the statistical comparison on his side, two game-changing plays will make it tough for the voters to snub Burke.
With Michigan's season on the verge of falling apart against the Michigan State Spartans, Burke turned a sure loss one of the most important victories of the year. The Wolverines had lost three of their last five games and blew a nine-point lead in the final 4:36. Michigan State had the ball with the game tied at 56-56 and only 30 seconds remaining in regulation. As Keith Appling brought the ball across half-court, Burke got around him and stole the ball away. Burke finished the play off with a two-handed dunk to put Michigan out in front.
Thanks to Burke's heroics, the Wolverines held on to win a 58-57 decision.
The Kansas Jayhawks were the unfortunate victims of another one of Burke's clutch moments. Michigan trailed Kansas by as many as 14 points in the Sweet 16, but Burke refused to lose.
Eight of Michigan's final 10 points in regulation came from Burke, including the game-tying three-pointer with less than five seconds to play. Burke scored the first four points in overtime as well to get the Wolverines into the Elite Eight. Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Hoosiers and Otto Porter Jr. of the Georgetown Hoyas are in the hunt to steal some awards from Burke.
Porter and Oladipo have both turned in tremendous seasons, but neither can match Burke. Oladipo has only managed to score 13.6 points per game, dole out 2.1 assists, grab 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. For the Hoosiers, though, Oladipo is just another cog in the wheel. Veteran players like Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford help anchor Indiana's lineup, while Cody Zeller is a dominant force in the post.
Meanwhile, Porter's inefficient efforts against the Syracuse Orange and Florida Gulf Coast Eagles cost Georgetown a chance to make a run in the Big East Conference and NCAA tournaments.
Burke has carried a team that starts three freshmen and one junior to the Final Four. Billy Donovan validated Burke's case with these comments after the Florida Gators' Elite Eight loss to Michigan:
"It's all a result of Burke...it's all a result of Burke," Donovan said, according to The Tennesseean. "Those guys, they do not have players that really are able to create for themselves. But what happens is because Burke is such a great scorer."
There is no player in college basketball this season that has been better than Burke. Here's to hoping all of the award voters have seen the same thing.
Michigan Basketball: Analyzing Trey Burke's Case for Player of the Year Awards | Bleacher Report
Moments after sinking a key jump shot from the elbow late in the second half Saturday night, Mitch McGary approached Michigan's section of the crowd, popped his jersey and signaled for the fans to get louder.
As if Wolverines fans needed any further encouragement.
They stood and roared after every Michigan basket. They flung their Final Four seat cushions in the air like caps on graduation day as the buzzer sounded. And they chanted "beat the Cardinals" as their team celebrated at mid-court. On a night when Trey Burke missed seven of his eight shots, Nik Stauskas failed to score and Tim Hardaway Jr. needed 16 shots to score 13 points, Michigan still found a way to thwart a late Syracuse rally and escape with a 61-56 victory. McGary produced a near triple-double, Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht each hit a pair of threes off the bench and the Wolverines continued their recent trend of playing surprisingly stingy half-court defense.
The biggest play of the game came when Syracuse guard Brandon Triche drove to the rim with 17 seconds left and his team having cut an 11-point halftime deficit to two. Michigan big man Jordan Morgan stepped in front of Triche and drew a charge, helping the Wolverines survive a hail of missed free throws in the final two minutes and advance to face Louisville in Monday night's national title game.
"I was kind of in the lane watching the action," Morgan said. "That's something we preach all year on defense is taking charges. It's a big play in a basketball game, so I am just glad I was able to get there."
Michigan's victory is the latest step in the remarkable turnaround coach John Beilein has orchestrated in Ann Arbor. Hired in 2007 to revive a once-proud program that had missed March Madness nine consecutive times, Beilein quickly instilled discipline and increased the talent level, taking the Wolverines to four NCAA bids in the past five seasons.
That this year's Michigan team is now one win away from its first national title since 1989 is a surprise considering the way the Wolverines faded down the stretch in the regular season. They lost six of their final 12 games prior to the NCAA tournament, a stretch that included a Big Ten quarterfinal loss to Wisconsin and a humbling upset at the hands of a Penn State team previously winless in league play. Improved defense has played a role in Michigan's turnaround, but it's McGary's tour de force in the NCAA tournament that has transformed the Wolverines from a good team to a title contender. Since replacing Morgan in Michigan's starting lineup in the team's NCAA tournament opener, McGary has emerged as the interior scorer and rebounder the Wolverines have lacked all season, averaging 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in Michigan's first four NCAA tournament games.
McGary again was critical for Michigan on Saturday, flashing to the high post and effectively distributing the basketball to help Michigan counter Syracuse's vaunted two-three zone. He finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, a pretty amazing line for a guy who had only 18 assists all season entering play Saturday.
"I consider myself a good passer," McGary said. "Sometimes too crazy for Coach Beilein. Sometimes I turn the ball over. Open gym and stuff during the sumer, I was doing no-look passes, but [tonight] I was just trying to make the right play."
If Michigan appeared to have a white-knuckle grip on a berth in the title game with an 11-point halftime lead, Syracuse gradually loosened the Wolverines' hold in the second half. Michigan went cold from the perimeter and C.J. Fair caught fire for the Orange, sinking a baseline jump shot to cap a 10-3 run that cut the Wolverines' lead to 48-45 with less than eight minutes to play. Syracuse had a golden opportunity to tie the game on its next possession when Fair found a wide-open James Southerland spotted up in the corner behind the arc. Alas, Southerland's shot rimmed out and Michigan gradually widened the gap again, Trey Burke sinking one of two foul shots, Glenn Robinson III converting a tip-in and McGary knocking down his jump shot from the elbow to put the Wolverines ahead 53-45.
Syracuse's loss keeps Jim Boeheim stuck on one national championship, but the Orange deserve credit for getting closer than anyone would have guessed given the turbulent finish to the regular season they endured. They lost seven of their final 12 games prior to the Big East tournament, a poor stretch culminating in a 78-61 thrashing at the hands of rival Georgetown that appeared to confirm this Syracuse team wasn't the same caliber as some of the powerful yet snake-bitten Orange teams of recent years.
In 2010, Syracuse won the Big East title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament only to fall in the Sweet 16 after losing starting center Arinze Onuaku to a season-ending knee injury days before Selection Sunday. The Orange were again a No. 1 seed after taking a 31-1 record into the Big East tournament, but they lost starting center Fab Melo as a result of academic issues on the eve of the NCAA tournament and fell in the Elite Eight.
This year's team peaked at the right time, but it fell two wins short of a championship.
He doesn't have to pack the statistics sheet. Sure, he can score, rebound and pass the ball. But his defense, the way he runs the floor and the little things are sometimes overlooked.
That's what he did Sunday in the final 2 plus minutes against Michigan State.
BOX SCORE: Indiana 75, Michigan State 70
The lanky 7-footer had a key block, drove for an off-handed lay up from 30 feet on top and a little later took a huge charge that helped propel No. 7 Indiana to a 75-70 victory over No. 13 Michigan State at Assembly Hall.
The win was big for Indiana (18-2, 6-1) as the Hoosiers improved to 7-0 at home the last two seasons and 3-0 this year against teams ranked in the top 25. The win also gave IU its best start to a season since the 1992-93 team opened the year 24-2.
After the game, IU's director of basketball operations and all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney was stopped in the hallway and asked if he remembered the last time the Hoosiers opened a season 18-2?
"Was it a team that I played on?'' Cheaney asked. The answer would be yes.
Victor Oladipo was the stats stuffer against the Spartans. He had a game-high 21 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals. He hit 8-of-12 shots from the field and also had three blocks.
INDIANA: Has Oladipo become Hoosiers' top player?
But it was clearly Zeller who came up big in the clutch.
It started with a block with 2:13 to play and IU clinging to a 72-70 lead. Zeller got a block on a scrum near the Michigan State basket that eventually ended when Derrick Nix was called for traveling.
On IU's next possession, with the shot clock under 10, Zeller had the ball on the top well above the 3-point line with 1:45 to play. Without hesitation he drove the ball hard to the basket and scored on a left-handed lay up with 1:38 remaining to make it 74-70.
With 14.3 seconds to play, and the score still 74-70, Zeller slid over and took away the driving lane from Adreian Payne. Payne ran him over, was whistled for the charge and the basket was disallowed. Instead of a play that could have cut the lead to one, Zeller had drawn his fourth charge of the season.
"Our guys know that (Zeller) can do a lot of things. He's not just an inside player,'' said IU coach Tom Crean. "It was winning time and Cody answered the bell – he rang the bell. To get that charge and then to get that drive and to make that play in the heat of that game, that's where his mental toughness is.
"He's so non-statistic driven. That's why he's such a winner. He just does what it takes.''
Crean said Zeller's drive came off of a high pick-and-roll play that the IU coach had added to the teams' 5-on-0 work recently in practice.
"I had no hesitation with that call,'' Crean said. "We didn't call it out of a timeout. I had it in the bag and it looked good because he ran it to perfection. That's a high level player that can do that 30 feet from the basket.''
For a 7-footer to be able to make that kind of play is even more remarkable.
"He's got that,'' Ferrell said.
Oladipo said a play like that was no surprise to his teammates.
"It's not freakish to us because he does that every day,'' Oladipo said. "He's capable. People might say he's had two bad games or whatever but he has been playing phenomenal for us. He's been leading at a high level. We're going to look at him to close out games.''
In the last two games Zeller had scored 11 points and has hit 2-of-11 from the field. The only important Indiana statistic, however, is that IU is 2-0 in those games.
TOP 25: How ranked teams fared this weekend
IU never trailed in the second half and only had two deficits the entire game. But the Spartans (17-4, 6-2) always seemed to be at an arm's length away.
A couple of points that really hurt Michigan State were 19 turnovers, the most it has had in a game in more than a month and allowing 51 percent shooting from the field, the second best percentage it has allowed Big Ten play. The better performance was 56 percent by Minnesota in the only other game the Spartans lost in conference play.
It also didn't help that senior guard Keith Appling was a non-factor. Averaging 14.1 points per game, Appling was held to a season low three before fouling out with 5:17 remaining.
Gary Harris, the reigning IndyStar's Mr. Basketball, led the Spartans with 21 points including five 3-pointers. Harris scored on a transition slam with 3:32 to play to cut the IU lead to 71-70.
No. 8 Indiana holds off No. 11 Michigan State