College Men's Capsules: Hoyas use D to beat South Florida in Big East
NEW YORK — Georgetown coach John Thompson III has a remarkable knack for making a difficult game sound simple.
Take, for instance, his approach to guarding Dominique Jones. The South Florida star ripped apart the Hoyas the last time the two teams met, and was coming off an impressive performance that helped his team reach the second round of the Big East tournament.
"I just yelled at the guys, 'Guard him!'" Thompson said, grinning.
They sure listened, and didn't stop with the league's second-leading scorer. The No. 22 Hoyas frustrated South Florida all over the court in a 69-49 second-round victory Wednesday, propelling them into a marquee matchup with regular-season champion Syracuse.
Jason Clark and Greg Monroe scored 16 points each Georgetown (21-9), which held the Bulls to a season-low 29.1 percent from the field — pretty decent even by Thompson's stringent standards. It was the second straight game and fifth time this season that an opponent failed to break 50 against the Hoyas' numbing defense.
"We really struggled to find a shot," South Florida coach Stan Heath said. "It happened yesterday and today it really caught up to us, not being able to hit a perimeter jumpshot."
Chris Wright added 15 points for the eighth-seeded Hoyas (21-9), who won a tournament game for the first time in two years. They were likely already in the NCAA tournament but now have the chance to improve their seeding with a deep run at Madison Square Garden.
The matchup with No. 3 Syracuse on Thursday is a tantalizing one. The Big East heavyweights have split 12 meetings in the tournament, although the Orange won both games in the regular season.
"They're a good team, they can beat you so many ways," Thompson said. "They're long, they have a terrific defense, so we just need to come out and execute at both ends of the floor."
If they execute anything like they did on the defensive end against South Florida, Thompson has to figure the Hoyas have a chance.
Georgetown built a 14-point first-half lead relying almost entirely on defense, holding the Bulls without a field goal for nearly 8 minutes. Jones seemed to be especially frustrated, unable to create any open looks.
The league's second-leading scorer finally started hitting late in the first half, helping get South Florida within 44-36 with about 13 minutes left in the game. At one point over an 18-minute stretch spanning both halves, Jones scored or had an assist on each of his team's field goals.
He finished with 21 points, but was unable to keep up the pace in the closing minutes. The Hoyas answered his push behind a pair of baskets from Wright and a deep jumper by Austin Freeman.
"I just feel like we had open shots and we missed 'em — I missed 'em — and you can't beat a Top 25 team, a Big East team, missing shots," Jones said. "It's hard to beat times like that when you're not hitting shots from the outside."
Even when the Hoyas' only legitimate inside threat, Julian Vaughn, fouled out with about 9 minutes remaining, the Bulls couldn't sustain a run. The lead swelled to 20 as a small contingent of sleepy fans began chanting "Let's Go Hoyas" — no doubt unaccustomed to the early start that comes with being a high seed in the Big East tournament.
Vaughn may have been happy to take a seat on the bench even with plenty of time left.
After a timeout in the first half, the 6-foot-9 junior walked over to a bucket sitting courtside and promptly vomited. Vaughn didn't even bother to get a drink of water, wiping his face on his jersey and heading back onto the court moments later.
The Bulls may have a similar uneasiness in the pit of their stomach as they wait to hear whether 20 wins playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country gets them in the NCAA tournament.
Tournament Championship Games
Robert Morris wins NEC, earns second straight NCAA bid
HAMDEN, Conn. — Robert Morris coach Mike Rice preaches to his team that defense wins.
On Wednesday night, the Colonials locked down their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.
Dallas Green deflected a potential game-winning shot then sank two free throws with 7 seconds left as Robert Morris beat Quinnipiac 52-50 for the Northeast Conference championship, the Colonials seventh title and second straight.
"To be honest with you, I have no idea what we do sometimes on offense," said Rice, a former assistant at Pittsburgh, who is now in his third year at Robert Morris. "My whole thing is — defend."
Freshman Karon Abraham scored 16 points to lead the Colonials (23-11), and Green and Russell Johnson each added nine.
James Feldeine had 17 points for Quinnipiac (23-9) which was seeking its first conference title, but will settle for a berth in the NIT. Justin Rutty, the NEC Player of the Year, added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Green got a piece of Feldeine's 3-point jumper with 10 seconds left and Robert Morris leading 50-48. His free throws gave the Colonials a four-point lead, and they held on for the win.
Robert Morris held Quinnipiac to 35 percent shooting and six second-half field goals.
"Out of one-bid leagues, the team that finishes first or second in field-goal percentage defense goes to the NCAA Tournament," Rice said. "If you don't defend in these one-bid leagues, you don't have a chance."
Neither team led by more than three points in the second half, and both teams were in the bonus for the game's final 7½ minutes.
Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore, a former Connecticut assistant, said the game was a lot like the physical, defensive battles UConn and Pitt would have back when both coaches were in the Big East.
"It's a phenomenal stat to hold a team to six field goals in a half on their court in a championship game," Moore said. "We you play a defensive team this good and they wear you down, anytime you create an open shot, you've got to make the open shot."
Robert Morris took its first lead of the second half, 39-38, with just over 9 minutes to play on a 3-pointer from the corner by Gary Wallace.
Quinnipiac took it back at 46-45 on a 3-pointer by Deontay Twyman with 3:24 left, and back and forth it went.
Velton Jones' leaner in the lane gave Robert Morris a 50-48 lead with 1:18 to play. The Colonials got the ball back after James Johnson missed a jumper at the other end.
But Johnson deflected the ball off Abraham's foot with 19 seconds to play, giving Quinnipiac one more chance. The Bobcats ran Feldeine off a curl and he tried a 3-pointer over Green, who got his hands on the ball.
"Luckily they didn't call a foul," Green said. "I had my hands up and blocked it."
Both teams started slowly. The Colonials hit just two of their first nine shots, and Quinnipiac was 2 for 11.
Robert Morris stayed in the game by hitting four of eight shots from 3-point range, but trailed 25-23 at halftime.
Robert Morris was playing in its ninth NEC Tournament title contest, but its first on the road. They are 5-0 when hosting the championship game, and 0-2 in neutral site games.
Last season the Colonials lost to eventual finalist Michigan State, 77-62, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
"Let's try to go and win this time," senior forward Rob Robinson said. "Shock the world."
Quinnipiac came in 14-0 on its home court this season, and its 23 wins are the most in school history. The Bobcats earned the top-seed in the tournament with an 87-79 win over Robert Morris on Feb. 20.
They get an automatic bid to the NIT, where a possible foe could be Connecticut, which finished 17-15 with a loss in the Big East tournament.
"I haven't thought at all about any matchups," said Moore, who spent 13 years as an assistant to Jim Calhoun. "We spent so much time and investment trying to win this game, I haven't thought of any potential matchups."
-- Pat Eaton-Robb
Montana rallies for 66-65 win over Weber State
OGDEN, Utah — Montana coach Wayne Tinkle shook off his assistants' suggestions to get the ball inside as the Grizzlies tried to rally from a 22-point deficit against Weber State.
Tinkle chose to continue riding guard Anthony Johnson's scoring streak — and it carried the Grizzlies back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years.
Johnson scored 34 of his career-high 42 points in the second half, including the Grizzlies' last 21 points in a 66-65 win over Weber State in the Big Sky tournament championship game Wednesday night.
"We just collectively got it going. I fed off of that," Johnson said. "Things were getting emotional, especially in the huddles. We never gave up — never lost our edge and our effort. We ended up getting it done."
Johnson hit a jumper with 10 seconds left to put Montana up by a point and the Grizzlies completed it with a final stop on defense when Will Cherry tied up Damian Lillard with 2.6 seconds left. The officials called a jump ball and the Grizzlies knew they had the possession arrow and the game, stunning the tournament's No. 1 seed.
The comeback gives Montana (22-9) its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006, the season before Tinkle was hired by his alma mater to replace Larry Krystkowiak.
"We sent the bus back to hotel at halftime and went and got our real team," Tinkle said. "It's unbelievable. Weber was just kicking our tails. We showed not much fight on either end."
Derek Selvig added 12 points and Brian Qvale pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked six for the Grizzlies, who held Weber State to 28 percent shooting in the second half.
After committing 14 turnovers in the first half, Montana had just six in the second, slowly chipping away until Johnson hit what turned out to be the winning shot.
"I feel like I'm kind of dreaming right now," Johnson said. "I'll probably end up watching on TV and it will sink in when we get back home."
Lillard scored 16 to lead top-seeded Weber State (20-10), which led 40-20 at halftime.
"It's hard when somebody's unconscious like that. Even when you have a hand in his face and he's still making it," Weber State's Nick Hansen said. "I don't really think we let down defensively, I think that he just played out of this world."
Johnson took over after Selvig got Montana within 51-45 on a reverse layup with about 10:30 left to play.
Johnson finished 13 for 22 and made all 14 of his free throws, breaking his previous career high by 10 points despite playing the last several minutes with four fouls. The Wildcats knew who was going to take the shots for Montana, but still couldn't stop Johnson — and couldn't shoot in the second half, going 7 for 25.
"We're so used to jumping on AJ's back and letting him carry us. He did it one more time," Selvig said. "It was looking pretty abysmal there for a while. We just had to scrap and got it done."
Johnson broke the tournament record of 39 points, set by Mike O'Quinn of Cal State Northridge against Eastern Washington in the 1998 quarterfinals.
Franklin Session had 10 points for Weber State, but missed seven of his 12 foul shots. He missed twice from the line with 28 seconds left and Weber State up 65-64.
After Johnson's shot put the Grizzlies back ahead, Montana's Will Cherry tied up Lillard and forced a jump ball with 2.6 seconds left, giving possession back to the Grizzlies. Selvig missed his first free throw with 2.1 seconds, then clanged the second off the rim and Weber State didn't have enough time to get the ball back up court for another shot.
Weber State was hosting the semifinals and championship after winning the Big Sky regular season for the second straight year, but fell short of returning the NCAA tournament, instead settling for an NIT berth.
"We will think about that down the road. It's going to take a while to get over this," Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. "It hurts, obviously. When guys invest so much into something, it's supposed to hurt. If they didn't, there is something wrong."
-- Doug Alden
Major Conference Advances
Can Duke, Maryland stay on top in ACC tournament?
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Duke and Maryland ended the regular season atop the Atlantic Coast Conference with plenty of separation from the rest of the league. Their last meeting was a tense fight that went to the final minute.
Yet they could have a difficult time setting up another matchup in this week's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Fourth-ranked Duke (26-5, 13-3 ACC) is a good team, but coach Mike Krzyzewski acknowledges this year's squad hardly has the powerful look of Blue Devils past — no matter how good struggling North Carolina made it look in last weekend's rivalry romp in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Meanwhile, No. 19 Maryland (23-7, 13-3) didn't exactly overwhelm the league in the final month even as it caught up to the Blue Devils and shared the regular-season title.
"We have to fight hard, and I'm sure every team in the league will," said Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, who was voted ACC player of the year this week. "It's an even league. Nobody really stands out and is like, 'This is the best team.' Every game's going to be close. It's going to be so much fun this weekend."
Duke, the defending champion, earned the top seed and will play the winner of Thursday's first-round game between Boston College and Virginia on Friday afternoon. Last year's title was the eighth in 11 years and 17th overall for the Blue Devils, pulling them in a tie with the Tar Heels for most championships in ACC history.
"A lot of times, we've been playing our best basketball at the end of the season, which is what you try to gear for," Krzyzewski said. "Then you put a level of importance on the tournament. Hopefully, it touches the guys so that they use their talents and their experience at this time and not look forward to just the NCAA tournament."
Maryland enters the tournament with momentum after seven straight victories, though the Terrapins had to work their way through nearly every one of them. They needed a last-second 3-pointer at home to beat NCAA bubble team Georgia Tech, won by four in double-overtime at Virginia Tech and had to rally from 15 down to beat Clemson.
Its "easy" win in that stretch? Rallying from 10 down at halftime to win 67-58 at North Carolina State, the tournament's No. 11 seed.
Last week, Maryland got several clutch baskets from Vasquez late to beat Duke 79-72 in College Park, Md. Duke won the first meeting by 19 points.
"We obviously would love that opportunity to get another chance at them (in Sunday's championship)," Duke senior Jon Scheyer said. "But that's a long ways away. First of all, we need to get there and worry about ourselves. There are six other teams in that side of the bracket. We can't worry about who comes out."
Third-seeded Florida State — which lost to Duke in last year's final — and fourth-seeded Virginia Tech finished three games back of the Blue Devils and Terrapins. That quartet earned a bye into Friday's quarterfinals, and will face the winner of matchups featuring teams playing for NCAA seeding, postseason invitations or just plain pride.
Wake Forest is the fifth seed, yet lost to North Carolina and N.C. State — both of which managed just five wins. Clemson had a chance to earn the third seed, but lost to the Demon Deacons in Sunday's season finale to fall to sixth.
Next up is Georgia Tech, which has lost three of four games entering Greensboro to put its NCAA chances in jeopardy. The Yellow Jackets face the Tar Heels with the winner facing the Terrapins the next day.
"There are teams in our league that are good basketball teams that might feel they need to win a game (for NCAAs)," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Anytime you get in that situation, you have to be ready to play."
Making matters more difficult for the teams playing in the first-round games is the fact that no team has won four games in four days in the tournament. N.C. State has come the closest, winning three games to reach the finals in 1997 and 2007 before falling in the final each time.
That's the challenge awaiting the defending national champion Tar Heels, who have their lowest seed ever at 10th. After a miserable season filled with injuries and youthful mistakes, North Carolina knows its NCAA chances are reduced to winning the title.
"We really have no choice but to play as many games as it's going to take," senior Deon Thompson said. "If it's four games, it's four games."
-- Aaron Beard
Kentucky back in accustomed spot as SEC fave
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Maybe Kentucky coach John Calipari wants to ease the pressure on his young Wildcats.
He's busy talking about playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, though ending a drought with Kentucky's first Southeastern Conference tournament title since 2004 would a big deal, too.
All those blue-clad fans heading to Nashville, determined to sneak through every nook and cranny to watch? They want to see the Wildcats resume their rightful place atop the SEC. No. 2 Kentucky is the heavy favorite to take home a 26th tournament title after running to its 44th regular season crown.
"For us, our whole goal is the seed," Calipari said. "So we go in there, we lose the first game we're not going to be a 1 seed. We win the first, lose the second, I think we've done enough to get that seed."
The games start Thursday, with South Carolina playing Alabama, No. 15 Tennessee facing LSU, Auburn versus Florida and Georgia against Arkansas.
Mississippi State won four games in four days to take last year's title, while Georgia did the same in 2008. Not since Florida won this tournament en route to consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007 has a team with a first-round bye won the title.
Vanderbilt, the No. 2 seed in the East, has the hometown advantage, playing in the Bridgestone Arena just a couple miles away from campus. Tennessee always draws a crowd of orange anytime the Vols play anywhere in this state. Florida, Mississippi State and Mississippi are desperate for more wins to push them into the NCAA tournament.
"There are a number of teams that can win," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "Obviously, Kentucky was the very best in our league this year, but you never know.
"Certainly Kentucky would have to be considered the favorite."
Darrin Horn's South Carolina Gamecocks joined Tennessee as the only SEC teams to beat Kentucky (29-2) this season, and his team is coming off a 77-73 road upset of Vanderbilt. He isn't conceding to the Wildcats, not at 15-15 and with the SEC's top scorer in Devan Downey.
"Obviously, they're the team over a period of a conference season that has gotten the best record and has earned their No. 1 seed. At the same time, it's tournament time, and anything can happen on a given day," Horn said.
Calipari and his Wildcats traveled Wednesday with the short trip from Lexington to Nashville, enjoying the time off until their first game Friday against either South Carolina or Alabama. Calipari has had his share of success in league tournaments played in Tennessee, going 12-0 with four Conference USA titles in Memphis the previous four seasons.
This roster features five freshmen, including the sensational John Wall and the stout DeMarcus Cousins. So Calipari had his Wildcats meet with a sports psychologist March 5, and the coach is using the SEC tournament almost more as a tuneup for the NCAA tournament and the chase for an eighth national title.
"We've got to get ourselves prepared for that next weekend, and that's what we'll do. Basically everything we do is based on how and where we finish the season," Calipari said.
"We're trying to get ready and right physically and emotionally, and in every way so we can go in and do our very best. If you are your best and you do not win, then you can deal with it, as long as you're your best. I want fresh legs. I want fresh minds. I want a competitive spirit. I want the players to expect to win so that when things get a little crazy, it's OK."
Kentucky fans are helping create that crazy atmosphere.
The search for tickets on the streets outside the arena already was under way Wednesday, and the blue faithful have been working every angle to squeeze into a much smaller building than the Georgia Dome, where the tournament is usually held. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl noted the coincidence of the SEC tournament being during Kentucky's spring break each year.
"It's amazing how much blue that they put in any building that I've been in come tournament time, so I can't imagine what it's going to be like in Nashville so close to Lexington. I know we'll have plenty of orange in the house, but we've got to do enough to give them something to cheer about," Pearl said.
Tennessee's J.P. Prince, a Memphis native, is hopeful of seeing plenty of home-state orange.
"Our fans are pretty competitive. I'm sure they'll try to outdo Kentucky at whatever they do," Prince said. "I'm waiting to see. We won't know till game-time."
The Vols (23-7) have won three straight and five of six. But Tennessee hasn't won the SEC tournament since 1979, losing to Mississippi State in the title game last year. The last time the SEC tournament was played at this arena, Tennessee lost its first game.
The top four teams in the East — Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Florida — went a combined 24-0 against the Western Division. No. 20 Vanderbilt also swept Florida this season, possibly giving the Commodores the easiest path toward their first tourney title since 1951.
"It means a lot to us," Stallings said. "We would like to play well, and we would like to be playing on Sunday with a chance to win the tournament."
-- Teresa M. Walker
SEC Notebook: Time to change SEC tournament? Not until offseason
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee is ranked 15th in the country and went 11-5 in the Southeastern Conference. So of course, the Volunteers are enjoying a first-round bye at the league tournament, right?
Nope. Tennessee (23-7) wound up as the Eastern Division's No. 3 team and playing Thursday against LSU, the sixth-seeded team from the West. The Volunteers aren't alone. Florida combined with Tennessee, No. 2 Kentucky and 20th-ranked Vanderbilt to sweep all 24 games they played against the SEC's Western Division, and the Gators will play Auburn on Thursday night.
The disparity and the first-round byes enjoyed by Mississippi State (21-10, 9-7) and Mississippi (21-9, 9-7) have prompted talk of reseeding teams one through 12 for the SEC tournament rather than by divisions with the top two teams in each division getting byes.
It's a topic Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl will be happy to talk about when the season ends.
"Today the format is we play LSU at 2:15 tomorrow. That's the only answer I have as it relates to the format today. In the offseason, I'll comment on how conference tournaments ... how we think their formats can be improved. Right now, we play LSU tomorrow at 2:15. It's a fair question. I just don't want to answer it right now," Pearl said.
Pearl said he has noticed a discrepancy between the East and West since he arrived at Tennessee in 2005. He noted the Vols played before sold-out, or nearly sold-out, crowds while on the road against the Eastern Division. Empty seats were quite noticeable when playing against the Western Division.
"That opens the door for road teams to be able to come in there and win. What's impressive as being 24-0 is however many games, 12-0 I guess, on the road," Pearl said.
That's exactly what Auburn coach Jeff Lebo is using as motivation for his Tigers in Thursday night's first-round game with Florida (20-11, 9-7) — win one for the West.
"We know there were a lot of close games with the top four teams in the East," Auburn senior Tay Waller said.
DESPERATION TIME: Tournament time means lose and go home for a handful of teams here, but South Carolina and Georgia are among the more dangerous opponents. South Carolina beat Kentucky and is coming off a road win over Vanderbilt last weekend. Georgia knocked off Tennessee and Vanderbilt this season.
"It's do or die. We're approaching every game as if it's our last," Gamecocks senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross said. "We know if we can get some wins and get some momentum, I think we'll be fine. We're just going to approach it one game at a time and not think about past events."
The Georgia Bulldogs are very aware of what the program accomplished two years ago at the Georgia Dome by winning four games in four days, even despite the distraction of a tornado that forced a mid-tournament move to a small arena. Now senior guard Ricky McPhee redshirted that season, while sophomore forward Trey Thompkins watched on TV as a signee.
Georgia coach Mark Fox said a photo of that team holding the tournament trophy is in the Bulldogs' locker room.
"I'm not going to pray for a tornado," Fox said to laughs.
This team has 13 wins — just like that 2008 team. Now they start Thursday night in the last game of the first-round against Aransas (14-17, 7-9) and the No. 3 seed in the West to become the fourth Georgia squad since the SEC tournament resumed in 1979 to reach the title game.
"Outside of telling them to pack for a week, our entire focus has been on playing well on Thursday night," Fox said.
PLAYING FOR JOB SECURITY: Of the coaches needing wins, none may need a victory or two here more than Auburn coach Jeff Lebo. His Tigers are 15-16 (6-10 SEC) in his sixth season, and his record is 96-92 in that time. The worst stat is no NCAA tournament berths and only one NIT appearance in 2009.
It won't be easy with Auburn playing Florida with the Gators needing a win or two to secure their first NCAA berth since their last national championship in 2007.
"I'm focused on this team, focused on the tournament and focused on Florida, and that's my total. That's where all my energy has gone right now and to these kids. As in most cases, I think when the season's over I'll sit down with my AD and when the season's complete we'll have a conversation at that point," Lebo said.
Lebo later talked with reporters in the hallway when Georgia coach Mark Fox walked by and patted Lebo on the shoulder.
-- Teresa M. Walker
Top Big Ten teams still have much to prove
INDIANAPOLIS — Injuries to Ohio State's Evan Turner and Purdue's Robbie Hummel might have dimmed the Big Ten's chances of snagging a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — not that the teams aren't going to try to make a run and strengthen their cases.
Turner missed six games this season with two broken bones in his lower back, and the team went 3-3 without him. He came back to be named Big Ten player of the year as the fifth-ranked Buckeyes won 14 of 17 games after his return to claim a share of the conference title.
The Buckeyes (24-7) open tournament play Friday against Michigan or Iowa. Turner considers that game part of the business he needs to handle before what many consider his inevitable jump to the NBA.
"I definitely haven't thought about any of that stuff yet," Turner said after Sunday's win against Illinois. "I'm trying to just live in the moment right now with my team. We still have a couple more trophies to win."
Ohio State and Purdue aren't the only two teams with something to prove.
No. 11 Michigan State has suspended guard Chris Allen for at least the tournament opener, and the Spartans need their bench to step up. Illinois is trying to snap a 3-game skid. Northwestern has 19 wins and is trying to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time, and Minnesota will attempt to break into the field after a strong finish in conference play.
Purdue won 10 straight and looked like a solid contender for a No. 1 seed, but the sixth-ranked Boilermakers (26-4) lost to Michigan State on Feb. 28 in their first full game without Hummel, who is gone for the season with a knee injury.
Purdue coach Matt Painter knows that experts no longer consider his team a Final Four contender, and he's using that to motivate his team. The Boilermakers will play Northwestern or Indiana on Friday.
"That's the challenge I've given our guys and talked to our guys about," Painter said. "There's only one thing to do when people knock you and they don't think you're going to have as much success, and that's go out and prove them wrong and win."
NCAA selection committee chairman Dan Guerrero said Wednesday that injuries are factored into the selection process, but exactly how depends on the team and the circumstances.
"We will evaluate that team's performance with the player and without the player," Guerrero said. "It's very likely that a team can be just as strong or perform in a manner that doesn't require us to make any changes in terms of where we thought a team might be. It is something we will discuss at great length in our meetings."
Michigan State (24-7) will be without Allen for at least one game, Friday's matchup with the Minnesota-Penn State winner. He usually starts and is the fifth-leading scorer for the Spartans, averaging 9.1 points per game.
Coach Tom Izzo was hard on his team after the sloppy win at Purdue, but he liked the way his team bounced back in a 64-48 win over Michigan on Sunday that gave the Spartans a share of the conference title.
"Right now, we're better than I give us credit for, but not as good as I think we can be," Izzo said. "Somewhere in between is where we are right now. Are we going to vault forward or are we going to sink back? That will be the big key in the next couple of days."
No. 13 Wisconsin (23-7) wants to beef up its resume for NCAA seeding. The Badgers will get their chance with a first-round matchup with Illinois, which has lost five of six heading into the tournament.
"Now, we put ourselves in a major bind," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "We've got to go to the tournament and do some damage if we're going to have any chance for postseason."
Painter believes Illinois and Minnesota should make the field of 65, and Northwestern deserves consideration. Northwestern suffered a costly loss to Indiana on Saturday, but the Wildcats have a win over Purdue and will get a rematch with the Hoosiers on Thursday.
"I think Illinois should be in," Painter said. "A lot of the experts say they're going to have to get a win in the tournament. From watching them and playing against them, Illinois is an NCAA tournament team, and so is Minnesota. Northwestern gives us fits. They would be a tough out in the NCAA tournament."
-- Cliff Brunt
New Mexico headlines fantastic foursome in MWC
LAS VEGAS — It was supposed to be a rebuilding year in the Mountain West Conference.
Instead, the league could land four teams in the NCAA tournament — maybe five if one of the second-tier schools gets especially hot this week at the conference tourney at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The only seniors among the 15 players who made the all-conference squads are forward Roman Martinez of eighth-ranked and top-seeded New Mexico and swingman Jonathan Tavernari of second-seeded BYU.
The Lobos went 28-3 and handed No. 14 BYU (28-4) half of its losses. The third seed is UNLV (23-7) and the fourth seed is San Diego State (22-8).
With so many seniors having left the league after last year, which was widely considered the strongest in its first decade of existence, expectations weren't high for the Mountain West this year.
"I don't think anybody saw this year coming with all the young guys," New Mexico coach Steve Alford said Wednesday.
Nobody exemplifies the stunning success of this year's MWC teams as much as New Mexico, which was picked to finish fifth in the preseason polls.
Behind Martinez and juniors Dairese Gary and Darington Hobson, the league's newcomer and player of the year, the Lobos went 6-0 against ranked teams, tied a school record for wins and, thanks to a 14-game winning streak, clinched their first conference regular season crown since 1994.
They haven't lost since Jan. 9.
Yet, they've been one-and-done in the MWC tournament four years in a row, the last two under Alford, the league's coach of the year two years running.
"We've talked about it, (but) each team's different," Alford said. "We've never come here as the No. 1 seed, we've never come here with an RPI of 7 or 28-3, so you can only talk about it so much because the guys look at you and say, 'Oh, that's great but this is a new year, it's a new team.' And this is a conference champion team.
"So, it's a little different demeanor. We come into this tournament knowing we're in the NCAA tournament and knowing we've had a great year, so there's not quite the pressure and the stress we've had the last two years" when they were squarely on the bubble.
Martinez said nerves are no longer an issue with this team, even though it's young, and Hobson said that pressure has been replaced by a quiet confidence.
"Yeah, I think we're going to come in loose and just play our game because there's no pressure. We're already in the (NCAA) tournament," Hobson said. "But we can't relax on that and just sit back and say, 'We're going to the NCAA tournament, so these games don't really matter.' We're competitors and we're going to compete every game and really try to win this championship to get a high seed."
Hobson, a junior college transfer from the College of Eastern Utah, is from Las Vegas, but he's not looking at this tournament as any sort of homecoming.
"It's just another road game. It's all business. I don't really pay attention to me coming home to play. It really doesn't matter," he insisted.
So, how many family and friends will be packing the Thomas & Mack Center to see him play?
"I don't know. I turn my phone off when I come here," Hobson explained. "I'm pretty sure they'll be here, but I don't talk to any of them."
He hopes not to check his messages until Saturday night, either.
"Holding the trophy and we walk off the court, then I'll turn the phone back on," he said with a smile. "But right now I'm just trying to stay focused on what we're trying to do here."
While the NCAA tournament selection committee might know how tough this conference is, Hobson isn't so sure hoops fans across the country realize it.
He said he knew the Lobos were better than the middle of the pack when he first arrived to Albuquerque.
"The year before they picked them fifth and they shared the title. We weren't worried about it," Hobson said. "None of us were on any preseason teams or preseason newcomer, freshman, no one got any of those accolades in the preseason. So, it was just a matter of coming in with a chip on our shoulder and proving people wrong because we knew we were a better team than fifth."
It took a while for even him to realize how good the league was, however.
It wasn't until the Lobos, who went 14-1 in the non-conference slate, dropped their first two league games — at San Diego State and to UNLV, and by double digits.
"We really got a wake-up call and for us to go on a 14-game winning streak, that's tremendous," Hobson said. "Our conference is really underestimated. I don't think San Diego State or UNLV should be on the bubble. I think they're solid NCAA tournament teams.
"Of course, we should get four teams in, easily."
-- Arnie Stapleton
Team Features
Rested Buckeyes head for Big Ten tourney
COLUMBUS, Ohio — There are lots of players who don't like conference tournaments. Ohio State's Evan Turner isn't one of them.
Turner loves it that the games come as if they're on a conveyor belt, that coaches don't have time to devise intricate defensive plans and that players can let their natural instincts flow.
The games at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis are like playground pickup games with capacity crowds.
"It's a great atmosphere. It's a showcase," said Turner, recently selected as the conference's player of the year. "You see Big Ten basketball at its best because they're not typical Big Ten games. Coaches don't have time to prepare for it, because you have to go back each day, (so) you're just playing basketball. You have a lot of high-scoring games and it's fun."
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes, winners of 13 of their last 15 games, try to back up their top seeding in the tournament when they play in the quarterfinals at noon on Friday. The Big Ten co-champions (with Purdue and Michigan State) will meet the winner of Thursday's first-round game between eighth-seeded Michigan and ninth-seeded Iowa.
Team captain David Lighty was unable to play in last year's Big Ten tournament, missing all but the first few games of the season after breaking a bone in his foot. He's looking forward to this year's tournament more than anyone else on the Ohio State roster.
"It's kind of like a high-school mode. You're going to play a team on Friday and they play Thursday so you go over there with your jacket on, with your teammates, and you watch them. You sit in the stands and get booed by their fans," Lighty said with a laugh. "And I haven't played there in a while. This tournament's going to be kind of fun for me."
The Buckeyes (24-7) have won seven of their last 10 games in the conference tournament, taking their only Big Ten tournament title in 2007. They've lost in the championship game three other times, including last season's 65-61 setback to Purdue.
Coach Thad Matta has gone with just five players for the most part down the stretch. They have benefited by having nine days off between clinching their share of the title with a 73-57 win over Illinois on March 2 and their Big Ten tournament debut.
The Buckeyes feel rejuvenated, despite a long and arduous season.
"As I planned practice last night, I looked at my watch and, I'm like, my gosh, it's March 10," Matta said. "And I did the math of October, November, December, January, February, March. It's amazing. But it doesn't feel that way to me at all."
It has already been a banner season. Besides capturing a piece of their third Big Ten regular-season crown in the last five years, Turner was selected as the Big Ten's player of the year and Matta was picked as the top coach.
"That's really cool, definitely just being recognized. I'm really grateful that I have those honors," said Turner, listed on almost every All-America team. "Most of the trophies will probably go to my mom."
Matta has been tabbed as the Big Ten's coach of the year each of the three times his teams have won the regular-season crown.
"I really believe this, that's the players," he said. "I don't score, I don't rebound, I don't get stops — the guys earn coaches those awards."
When it was pointed out to him that he was selected by the media as the league's top coach but that his peers had chosen Purdue's Matt Painter, Matta joked, "I've always said that you guys know a hell of a lot more than we know."
Still, the Buckeyes didn't feel everyone got their due. Turner was an unanimous selection in media balloting for player of the year, but one Big Ten coach did not vote for him — even though the junior led the conference in scoring (20.1 points per game), steals (2.0) and rebounding (8.3) and was second in assists (5.9). He likely will end up as the national player of the year.
Matta was clearly troubled but stopped short of criticizing the coach for not making it unanimous.
"I think (Turner) is very deserving of that. But that's in my mind, neither here nor there," he said. "You know, that's up to them and their judgment."
Likewise, Lighty, a 6-foot-7 shutdown defender, was not picked for the Big Ten's defensive team.
Lighty said he would use that slight as motivation.
"I'll just go out there and keep doing what I've been doing — playing the game the way I've been playing and helping my team get wins," he said.
-- Rusty Miller
Penn St. faces tough road at Big Ten tourney
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State's big men are playing better, while Talor Battle is finishing another fine season and finally getting more scoring help from teammates.
The Nittany Lions (11-19, 3-15 Big Ten) have improved of late, but an 0-12 start in league play was too big a hurdle for the team to overcome to get out of last place.
So hopes have sprung anew in Happy Valley with the Big Ten tournament starting Thursday in Indianapolis, where coach Ed DeChellis' crew hopes they can pull off a few upsets as the 11th and last seed.
"It's a brand new season, a four-game season," Battle said. "If we go out there, regardless of what our record is, we win these four games, we're automatically in the (NCAA) tournament."
And that's the only way Penn State can get into the NCAAs, a rather pie-in-the-sky goal for a team with 19 losses. At the least though, the Nittany Lions can wreak havoc on higher-seeded teams either looking to improve NCAA seeding or their postseason credentials.
Minnesota, Penn State's first-round Big Ten opponent, is squarely on the NCAA bubble. The Gophers (18-12, 9-9) won both previous meetings this season, but only by a combined seven points.
Battle appears fine to play Thursday after missing the last six-plus minutes of last week's loss to Purdue in the regular-season finale due to illness. He practiced full speed Monday, the same day he was selected to the All-Big Ten second team after leading his club in points (18.8), rebounds (5.4) and assists (4.1).
DeChellis said he didn't need to pace Battle specifically in practice this week.
"We're preparing to hopefully play for several days, so we want to make sure practice-wise, we're not wearing guys out," he said.
But the key for Penn State is to get production from guys other than Battle, a season-long story line.
Center Andrew Jones and forward Jeff Brooks have played better over Penn State's 3-3 stretch the last three weeks, providing more inside scoring and energy.
Sharpshooter Chris Babb and scrappy forward David Jackson are both averaging over 10 points in league play, and Babb specifically has scored at least 14 the last three games.
And the Nittany Lions can glean confidence from close losses last week to Michigan State and Purdue, two of the league's co-champs along with Ohio State.
"All the dreams of playing in the NCAA tournament, you can do it in four days," DeChellis said. "Everybody thinks they can get into the tournament. If you don't, you're in the wrong business."
-- Genaro C. Armas
Iowa hoping to upend Michigan in Big Ten tourney
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa coach Todd Lickliter's experience with the Big Ten tournament has been limited and sadly familiar.
All he's ever seen his Hawkeyes do is play Michigan in the opening round, lose and go home.
Iowa (10-21, 4-14 Big Ten) will get the Wolverines in the first round in Indianapolis for the third year in a row on Thursday. Lickliter is hoping his latest tourney matchup with Michigan (14-16, 7-11) won't end like the last two, both losses that ended Iowa's season.
Whatever happens in Indianapolis won't change the fact that Iowa will go down as the first 20-loss team in school history. The challenge for this young team is to gain some confidence heading into the offseason after back-to-back blowout losses at Wisconsin and Minnesota last week.
"This has been a good group as far as responding to task at hand," Lickliter said. "They're probably mature beyond their years in that regard, being able to bounce back and knowing they can't do anything about the past."
Perhaps the best news Iowa has had in quite some time came out earlier this week. Three Hawkeyes earned league honors — sophomores Matt Gatens and Aaron Fuller as honorable mention all-Big Ten picks and Eric May as an all-freshman team selection — and they all should have their best days in front of them.
The selections also underscored just how much the Hawkeyes were forced to lean on youngsters this season. Only Indiana got more points from its freshman class than Iowa, led by May (9.1 points per game) and point guard Cully Payne (8.1).
It's also no coincidence that the Hawkeyes and Hoosiers are the ninth and 10th seeds in the league tournament.
"Most freshmen, they should be able to get their feet wet," Lickliter said. "They should have an upperclassman directing them and showing them. And they should be getting some minutes, but not to the point where you're depending totally on them. And they're having to learn during that time."
The 73-45 blowout Michigan delivered to Iowa in last season's tournament was a bad omen. Starters Jeff Peterson and Jake Kelly then left the program in the spring, leading to yet another rebuilding year.
The Hawkeyes got a chance for a little payback in Ann Arbor on Jan. 30, but the Wolverines led by as many as 24 points before cruising to a 60-46 win. Iowa finally had Michigan on the ropes in their last meeting in Iowa City back on Feb. 16, but DeShawn Sims hit a late 3-pointer to force overtime and the Wolverines prevailed, 80-78.
Getting past Michigan would be one strong step forward for the Hawkeyes, who will be expected to get much better as early as next season.
"They've got a very bright future, but we can't sell out the present for that. We know we're going to be better because we're going to continue to work, but making sure we're as good as we can be today," Lickliter said.
-- Luke Meredith
Huskies know 'season is on the line'
SEATTLE — Four-plus months of Washington's basketball season has come down to three days. Opponents and setting don't really matter.
Whether it's against the unusual zone defenses of Oregon State and Arizona State, whether the cavernous Staples Center in Los Angeles is as lifeless as usual or not, the Huskies must do one thing during the wide-open Pac-10 tournament to claw their way into the NCAA tournament: win.
At least two times. Three times if they want to make sure of it.
"I don't care if it's in an alley or on an ice rink. The entire season is on the line," coach Lorenzo Romar said of the first-round matchup Thursday night against sixth-seeded Oregon State (14-16, 8-10 Pac-10).
"Right now, we're in a dogfight to make it into the NCAA tournament," Romar said of his Huskies (21-9, 11-7). "If we're not motivated by that, we shouldn't be playing."
Oh, these Dawgs are barking for a fight. Finally.
"We know when we play like we can, we can play with anybody in the country," said forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in last weekend's win over the Beavers. It was Washington's ninth win in 10 games against Oregon State. "We've been building for this all season."
They were broken in mid-January, 1-3 in the league and in last place. Then Quincy Pondexter's All-Pac-10 season went into overdrive, second-leading scorer Isaiah Thomas briefly got benched before becoming more of an all-around guard, Justin Holiday emerged as a lock-down defender and the forgotten Bryan-Amaning started dominating inside consistently for the first time in three years.
Washington has won nine of 11 games, including its first four road wins of the season. The last was at Oregon State on Saturday.
But a first-round exit from the Pac-10 tournament would probably tarnish all of that in the eyes of the selection committee.
"They look at your last 10 games or so," Pondexter said. "They see we're steadily getting better. I think we're a team many think is dangerous. Hopefully, they think we deserve to be in.
"We've battled hard. We've had our ups and downs, but we've played pretty good basketball here down the stretch."
All of that won't matter if the Huskies don't finish with a strong showing in Los Angeles.
First comes Oregon State's 1-3-1 zone defense, with conference defensive player of the year Seth Tarver at the top. The 6-foot-5 Tarver and his teammates gave Thomas nightmares during his freshman season. But this season, Thomas' sharp drives past Tarver and deft passes through the teeth of the Beavers' zone is the primary reason Washington won 76-70 in Seattle and 82-70 in Corvallis.
Romar is still smiling over the play Thomas made in the second win. The 5-foot-8 guard split two Beavers. When it looked as if he'd launch a runner shot in the lane, the other three defenders collapsed on Thomas. Instead, he found Bryan-Amaning for an easy layup while the big guy was fouled by a late-arriving Beaver.
If Thomas plays like that again and Oregon State, second in the Pac-10 in points allowed, again has no answer, Washington will have a third win this season over the Beavers. That hasn't happened since 1953.
The Huskies would then be likely to face second-seeded Arizona State (22-9, 12-6) on Friday in a possible play-in game for the NCAA tournament.
"Oregon State has a couple of zones, whereas Arizona State has about 15 zone defenses," Romar said.
When Holiday missed Washington's trip to the desert in January because of academic technicalities, Washington scored a season-low 51 points while the Sun Devils' outside shooting scorched the Huskies in a 17-point rout. When Holiday was there for the rematch in Seattle, ASU shot blanks, Thomas responded to a benching the game before to solve the zone and score 17 points and Washington won by 23.
Wins Thursday and Friday would put Washington into the Pac-10 tournament title game. Pondexter thinks the Huskies need to win that, too, for the automatic bid that would take the decision out of the NCAA's hands.
"Our goal is to win this tournament," Pondexter said. "At that point, there's no more questions of whether you are a 'bubble' team or not."
-- Gregg Bell
Elsewhere
NCAA tournament committee focused on 65, not 96
INDIANAPOLIS — UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero has a tough enough job this week without imagining it being even more challenging.
The NCAA is discussing whether to expand the 65-team men's basketball tournament, a topic with no shortage of controversy and opinions. Guerrero, the chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee, said expansion isn't on the minds of those who will select the 2010 tournament field this weekend.
"I can't speak for any of the other committee members, but I don't think there's anyone thinking about what might happen in the future," Guerrero said Wednesday.
Guerrero said that the immediate focus is on selecting the best 34 at-large teams. The first choices will be made Wednesday, and information will be gathered until the brackets are announced on Sunday.
Guerrero acknowledged that talk about expansion is constant.
"I believe that the discussion of expansion is sort of an evergreen topic, something that has always come to the forefront of the committee over the years," he said. "It's certainly heated up in present times."
The NCAA tournament expanded from 48 teams to 64 in 1985 and increased to the current 65-team bracket in 2001, when the number of automatic bids was increased from 30 to 31. Earlier this week, NCAA senior vice president Greg Shaheen said no decision has been made about the next step, if any.
Guerrero offered no details about what changes might take place, though much talk has centered on increasing the field to 96 teams.
"There needs to be a lot more discussion, a lot more deliberation on what could happen and what might happen," he said. "But it's pure speculation at this point."
Guerrero says he's too busy to worry about it.
"Frankly, from our perspective, we know what our task at hand is," Guerrero said. "I'm not trying to dodge the issue in any way, shape or form, but it's not a reality in our world right now."
Without expansion, the committee's job remains difficult as the talent level among the teams grows. There are 347 teams in Division I, and more mid-major teams have proven to be capable of competing against schools from larger conferences.
"There's a lot of parity across the country, a lot of teams that look alike," Guerrero said. "We will need to dig deep with all the nitty-gritty, all the information that we've been able to garner over the course of the season, both by watching games in person, on television, and of course by talking to each other."
Guerrero's biggest concern is how conference tournaments will affect which teams are available to gain at-large berths.
"We still have the tournaments to be played," he said. "The door stands open for any one of those teams, whether they're bluebloods or not bluebloods. The storyline's different from year to year. Each year is unique. I still think we need to see how things play out. That's the beauty of college basketball, that's the beauty of this tournament."
-- Cliff Brunt
George Mason to play in CollegeInsider.com tourney
FAIRFAX, Va. — George Mason says its men's basketball team will host a first-round game in the CollegeInsider.com tournament next Tuesday.
The opponent has not been announced yet.
Coach Jim Larranaga says Wednesday that the CIT is "an excellent opportunity to give our players a taste of the postseason."
The CIT is a 16-team tournament that began last season.
George Mason is 17-14. The Patriots reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in 2006.
WAC reprimands Utah State coach
LOGAN, Utah — The Western Athletic Conference has reprimanded Utah State coach Stew Morrill for yelling at a New Mexico State player during a game last week.
Morrill shouted at New Mexico State's Jahmar Young after he dived on a Utah State player while going for a loose ball in Utah State's win on Saturday. The WAC says Morrill's language was provocative and violated the league's sportsmanship rules.
Morrill issued a statement Wednesday saying his comments were inappropriate and he made a mistake. He says Young got a technical foul for the situation and Morrill has been reprimanded. In his words, "that should cover it."
The Aggies are the No. 1 seed in the WAC tournament and play Boise State on Thursday in Reno, Nev.
Cal State Northridge forward Daniel suspended
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cal State Northridge forward Lenny Daniel was suspended from the Big West Conference tournament for failing to fulfill academic requirements, the college announced Wednesday.
Daniel, a 6-foot-7 junior from Richmond, Va., was the Matadors' leading rebounder at 7.8 per game and second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game.
The honorable-mention all-Big West performer also set Northridge's single-season record for blocks this year with 44.
Highlands in NCAA tournament for the first time
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team is playing in the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in school history.
The Cowboys, under coach Joe Harge, qualified for this weekend's regional tournament in Mankato, Minn. New Mexico Highlands (20-10) is the No. 6 seed and will face No. 3-seeded Augustana College (18-6) out of South Dakota on Saturday at 11 a.m. MST.
The regional tournament champion will advance to the NCAA Division II Round of 16.
Harge turned a one-win program into a 20-game winner last season, which tied an NCAA record for the largest single-season turnaround in history.
