Penn State Win Is Redemption for Big Ten posted by Bryan Rose

When Michigan State shocked Louisville last Sunday, college basketball fans around the country had to take notice. The Big Ten, which was supposed to be having another down year, had sent its eighth team to the Final Four since 2000. Maybe this conference wasn't as bad as some people thought?

Last night Penn State put the emphasis on the redemption of the Big Ten season by knocking off Baylor and securing the NIT crown at Madison Square Garden. And the Nittany Lions won the National Invitational Tournament by knocking off some quality opponents.

Penn State not only beat George Mason, Rhode Island and Florida to get to the Big Apple, but Penn State then finished off their title run with wins over Notre Dame and then last night against Baylor. And Big Ten fans could not be happier.

For years, critics of the Big Ten have been complaining about the style of play, the type of athletes and the overall lack of depth in the teams in the Big Ten. And every year, the teams in the Big Ten go about their business and when the season is over, they look back and see NCAA wins, NIT wins and overall a pretty good season.

This year, the Big Ten was criticized for having six teams in the NCAA tournament, but what did those teams go out and do in the first round. Win four of those games and then send two teams to the Elite Eight and one to the Final Four.

And then last night, Penn State showed that the conference not only is playing quality basketball at the top of the standings but that the league does have depth. The Nittany Lions were not on anyone's radar at the beginning of the season. In the previous two years, Penn State scraped by to garner about 25 wins. Then this season, they took a step forward, gaining some national recognition, becoming a bubble team and then eventually taking care of business in the end at the NIT.

College Coaches Staying Put Was The Right Call posted by Bryan Rose

This is the time of year when college coaches gather around and play the game of musical chairs to see who will be the next coach where. We have already seen it with Billy Gillespie being replaced by John Calipari. But one coach, at least, seems to have bucked the trend.

Mike Anderson agreed to a new extended contract at Missouri, keeping him a Tiger for the next seven years and ending rumors that he would jump ship to coach Memphis.

And signing that contract may have been the best decision Anderson has made all year (and this from a coach who took his team to the elite and an impressive win over that same Memphis team).

In his time with Missouri, Anderson has transformed the Tigers from a mid level contender in the Big 12 to conference front-runner, with a flashy style and up pace game plan that he perfected at UAB. With all that going for him, why would he even consider Memphis?

Granted Memphis is one of the premier programs in college basketball, but that is because of the success that Calipari had. Anderson is doing to Missouri what Calipari did for Memphis. Building a strong, lasting program from the ground up.

Anderson's style of play (Missouri scored 102 points in the elite eight game against Memphis) is sure to attract top-level recruits who will excel in his fast breaking system. Add to it the national television exposure recruits will get when Missouri travels to the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Conference USA simply cannot contend with the Big 12 for that kind of exposure.

So with all that in place for Anderson, signing a contract extension was a no-brainer and a win for college basketball as Missouri will remain a contender with their fun to watch style for years to come.

Calipari Hiring Will Create Recruiting Rivalry posted by Bryan Rose

When Kentucky and Indiana square off in their annual non-conference matchup, the rivalry is usually intense. Both storied traditions looking to gain an edge on their opponents not just in the eyes of voters in the national polls but in the eyes of the nation and the athletes in talent rich Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

With the signing of John Calipari to Kentucky, however, that rivalry just intensified. But the battles may be in living rooms across the Midwest rather than on the hardwood.

Calipari has always been known as a great recruiter. He got Marcus Camby to come to UMass and then went to Memphis and built a national juggernaut in a couple of years. Add the prestige of Kentucky basketball and Calipari is a force on the recruiting trail.

But if anyone is ready to face up Coach Cal in the battle of the living rooms it is Indiana head coach Tom Crean. Crean also is one of the top recruiters in the country. Where Calipari can go into a propects home and fill them dreams of the NCAA titles and NBA contracts, Crean is like a tornado of energy that anyone would be hard pressed not to be attracted too.

Also is Crean's back pocket is his track record at Marquette, where, like Calipari, he took a school that was down and again made them a national force. Add to it that he brought Dwayne Wade to Marquette and the banners at Assembly Hall and Crean too is a weapon that any recruit would be hard pressed to say no to.

The bottom line is that with these two coaches at the helm, the early season Indiana/Kentucky game may once again be a possible preview of the national championship game. Also Indiana and Kentucky fans now have a reason to hate each other through the off-season. As if they needed any.

NIT Moves to New York: Previewing the Other Final Four in College Basketball posted by Bryan Rose

As the sports world waits anxiously for Saturday and the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, college hoops fans will get a taste of the excitement tonight as the NIT revs up with its semifinal contests.

First of all, as you know, the NIT's final four is held every year at Madison Square Garden, which possibly the best venue to watch a broadcast game from. The floor always seems a little shinier, the paint a little brighter and the atmosphere is unbeatable.

Whether it is preseason tournaments, the Big East tournament or the NIT, watching a game on television broadcast from the MSG is treat.

And that ambiance will only enhance the slate of games being played tonight. Going into the NIT, the field was loaded with quality schools because the regular season was so tough. When you have field that has Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Georgetown and up starts like St. Mary's and Creighton, you know you are in for some quality basketball.

The schools that have survived one of the best NIT fields in years each will add to the tournament that has brought so many memorable moments. And each school has its own unique story line.

The opening game tonight features two Cinderella teams in Baylor and San Diego State. Everyone remembers where the Baylor Bears have come from. A program that was nearly destroyed by murder and cover up and now is on the brink of bring home a trophy. On the other side, you have the Aztecs who are best known for producing running back Marshall Faulk rather than their on court prowess. But coached by seasoned veteran Steve Fisher, the Aztecs also are one of the eight teams left playing college basketball.

March Madness? More Like March Mildness posted by Paul Milousis

As excited as I was anticipating the start of the NCAA Tournament, this season's version has been, well, disappointing to say the least. There have been hardly any close games or great finishes, especially after the first round.

Since that exciting second day which ended with the double OT game between Ohio St. and Siena, the only great finish that comes to mind is Dmitri Goodson's end to end bank that led the Zags past Orlando Mendez-Valdez and Western Kentucky (and straight into a powder blue whooping in the sweet 16). Further more, the only really great game since was the all Big East battle between Villanova and No.1 Pitt in the East Regional Final. 

This game had everything, intensity, passion, was well played and most of all went right down to the wire. Despite struggling all game with a sore hand, it was Scottie Reynollds, typifying Nova's toughness by not only taking the big shot but hitting it and sending the Wildcats to their first Final Four trip since 1985.

 Aside from that, this tournament has been a little flat. Most games have been mismatches or simply lacked excitement. There were no true Cinderella's as only Arizona was the lone double digit seed to reach the Regionals (and there from the Pac-10! Hardly a mid-major) and scheduling games in these cavernous domes is just ridiculous.

 I can sort of understand doing this when it comes to the Final Four but doing this in the Regionals equals half empty attendance and therefore a flat atmosphere. Why not play in a BASKETBALL purpose facility. What! Is 15 to 20 thousand seat capacity not enough?  Plus, players constantly complain about how difficult it is to shoot in domes, the back drop can be extremely distracting.

Michigan State Put Together Perfect Performance to Advance posted by Bryan Rose

At one point yesterday color commentator for CBS Len Elmore said that if Louisville was going to come back and win, the Cardinal would have to "take it away" from Michigan State. Nothing could have been more true.

At the time Elmore made those comments, Michigan State was in the process of pulling away from the top-seeded team in the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament, and the Spartans were not looking back.

I will be one of the first to admit that when the brackets came out, Michigan State was not on my radar. In fact, I had them losing in the second round.

But the Spartans have slowly made their way through the field, knocking off one opponent after another and even knocking off defending champion Kansas. And then came Sunday.

The game of the day was supposed to be North Carolina versus Oklahoma. Hansborough versus Griffin. But Michigan State had other ideas.

Taking a three point lead into halftime, Michigan State came out in the second half and dominated the Cardinals. The Spartans handled the vaunted Louisville defense with ease and then closed out the deal by controlling the offensive boards and hitting their free throws.

Next up for Michigan State will be UConn and game-changer Hasheem Thabeet. But judging from Sunday's performance, the Spartans won't be afraid of any thing.

UConn versus Missouri Will Be Key for Big East Dominance posted by Bryan Rose

The Big East will have at least one team in the Final Four as Pitt and Villanova square off tonight in one of the two Elite Eight games. But for fans of the Big East another step toward basketball dominance will be the UConn/Missouri game.

The Big East is the only conference to send three schools to the Final Four. Last night's loss by Syracuse to Oklahoma eliminated the possibility of a Big East sweep heading to Detriot. And with Louisville playing Sunday, the Connecticut game is the most important contest for the Big East to repeat its three team feat back in 1985.

But today's matchup is a classic irresitible force meets the immovable object. The irresitible force is Missouri's offense which put up 102 points on No. 2 seeded Memphis Thursday. The immovable object is of course Hasheem Thabeet and the Huskie interior defense which has been potent through out the tournament.

In Thursday's match up Purdue was able to pull Thabeet and the Huskies away from the basket for most of the game but in the end, the UConn defense was too much for the Boilermakers. The key for Missouri will be to transition quickly and not give the big bodies of UConn a chance to run down the floor.

That maybe easier said than done. It took Syracuse six overtimes in the Big East Championship to finally wear down the bigger bodied Huskies. 

On the offensive side of the ball, UConn like it has most of the season, will have a decided advantage. Against Purdue, the Huskies were able to throw the ball into Thabeet at will and he could simply turn around and put the ball in the hoop or draw the foul and head to the line. 

Friday Night Has Been Wild in The NCAA Tournament posted by Bryan Rose

Okay so last night I went 2 for 4. Not bad. If I were a baseball player, I would be in the Hall of Fame. Apparently UConn is not as affected by the off court issues as much as I thought they would be and Coach K did not prepare for Villanova manhandling and basically running the Dukies out of the gym. At least Missouri lived up to its billing hanging 102 on Memphis in regulation.

But the great thing about the NCAA Tournament being played on Thursday night is that it also played on Friday night. And this year, Friday night has been a wild one.

A week ago we had upsets galore and two overtime games in the matches that tipped off after dinner. Tonight is shaping up to be almost as good but the upsets might not be as plentiful.

Louisville and Arizona will kick off the festivities and the Wildcats are the only double-digit seed left in the tournament. But this is Louisville's tournament to lose and I think the Cardinal will easily dispatch Zona, who by making it to the Sweet Sixteen proved a lot of doubters wrong.

Syracuse and Oklahoma will tip of in the second game of the first session and this is a game a lot of people will be waiting to tune into. I am included in that group. The Big East has fared well in the Sweet Sixteen, 3-0 last night. But the Orange will run into the Big Beast in Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. Griffin has shown why he is the player of the year throughout this tournament and I think Syracuse will have no answer for him inside. If the Cuse can hit the 3-point shot tonight, they can stay with Oklahoma but I think the Sooners will move on to the elite eight.

Despite Lack of Lower Seeds, March Madness is Ready To Heat Up posted by Bryan Rose

Crank up the Victrola the dance is about to start again.

After a long week of wishing it was Thursday, the day has finally arrived and the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is ready to resume. And tonight's games should provide a good wake up call that March Madness is back in full swing.

Even though Purdue as a five seed is the lowest seeded team left in tonight's field, the games are shaping up to just as exciting as the first round competition was.

The night starts off with both No. 1s in action. UConn will face Purdue in the opener and the Huskies will have more to contend with than the Boilermakers. Yesterday a string of stories emerged about possible recruiting violations in the Huskie program. Add that to all the recent happenings in coach Calhoun's life (questions about his salary and dehydration) and you wonder how much the Huskie players can handle. Add to it a Purdue team that seems to be hot right now coming off a Big Ten tournament title and this maybe the game UConn cracks. My pick is that off the court troubles will be too much for UConn and Purdue pulls the upset in a nail biter.

The second game in the early session also features a No. 1 seed as Pitt will take on Xavier. The East was tabbed as the toughest bracket by most and so far the top seeds have weathered the storm. Of the No. 1s I think most people believe Pitt is the weakest and will be the first to fall. But this team is battled tested in the Big East and with Blair in the middle they will have little trouble dispatching an over-matched Xavier team. Pitt in a cake walk.

Free Throws Ground Creighton in the NIT posted by Bryan Rose

Dana Altman and his Creighton Blue Jays probably had nightmares last night about falling bricks.

Creighton had its second round NIT game with Kentucky all but wrapped up. All they had to do was make their free throws. And that's where things went off track.

The Jays struggled from the line down the stretch connecting on just 5 of 6 attempts. Yikes. Kentucky, whose biggest lead of the game was 2 points which was also the margin of victory, took advantage scoring the last bucket with Jodie Meeks making his free throw to put the Wildcats up by two.

Creighton still had a chance to win but the three point attempt was just off the mark.

But free throws were the real story. Creighton shot 75 percent from the free throw line this season. Not great but certainly better than the 1-6 performance down the stretch.

In addition, it was a shame to see the Jays go down like that. The crowd in Omaha was great last night and really pushed their team on. There was a point in the game down the stretch where Creighton dunked the ball with the shot clock running out and the crowd was so loud that no one could hear the whistle for the foul that was called on Kentucky. Even the players had run down to the other end.

Despite the unfortunate outcome for Creighton, last nights came truly rivaled the NCAA Tournament games over the weekend. That has always been a mark of the NIT tournament, though. Great games with little hype. So if you are watching the NIT tournament continue to enjoy the excitement and if you haven't been watching, tune in. You will see some really great basketball.

Butler-Hoyas, Indiana-Pitt in Jimmy V (AP)

Butler will meet Georgetown and Indiana will face Pittsburgh in this year's Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The pairings for the Dec. 8 doubleheader were announced Wednesday. This will be the 15th annual Jimmy V Classic and the seventh played in New York City. The games are part of the fundraising effort for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which is named for the late Jim Valvano,... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pairings announced for Jimmy V Classic (AP)

Butler will meet Georgetown and Indiana will face Pittsburgh in this year's Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. The pairings for the Dec. 8 doubleheader were announced Wednesday. This will be the 15th annual Jimmy V Classic and the seventh played in New York City. The games are part of the fundraising effort for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which is named for the late Jim Valvano,... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

UCLA to give longtime fans best seats (AP)

UCLA unveiled a point system to determine the pecking order by which fans get to choose their seats in a renovated Pauley Pavilion. The aging basketball arena is set to undergo a makeover in time for the 2012-13 season. The university announced a plan Tuesday that ranks ticket holders, giving credit to alumni, longtime season ticket holders and donors who help pay for the $185 million renovation. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Self: Henry brothers to play for Kansas (AP)

Kansas coach Bill Self's fence-mending trip worked: Xavier and C.J. Henry are still coming to Lawrence to play for the Jayhawks. A day after traveling to Oklahoma City for an air-clearing meeting with two of his prized recruits, Self said Wednesday that Xavier and C.J. will play for Kansas next season. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Xavier Henry says he's staying at Kansas (AP)

After a frantic day that had Kansas fans fretting they might lose a prized recruit, Xavier Henry texted a local radio station late Tuesday night saying he decided to stay with the Jayhawks. Earlier, the father of Xavier and his brother, C.J. Henry, said there would be a family meeting on Tuesday and that the two might not play at Kansas, after all. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports