The ultimate Cinderella is back, ladies and gentlemen. After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2012, Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs have made it into the 2013 dance as a No. 6 seed. Could we be in store for another magical run? 1. The Butler Bulldogs have competed in two of the past three National Championship games. In that time, they’ve defeated the likes of Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Kansas State, Syracuse and VCU. They eventually lost, but set the standard for
For the first time since 2008, the Oregon Ducks are in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks won their first Pac-12 conference tournament title since 2007 and will now play as a No. 12 seed in March Madness. The question is, what makes the Ducks such a tantalizing team? 1. The last time that Oregon won the Pac-12 conference tournament was 2007. Led by Aaron Brooks, that team went on to the Elite Eight. Could we see another magical run by Dana Altman and company? 2.
After a one-year hiatus, the UCLA Bruins are back in the NCAA Tournament. Led by coach Ben Howland and a cast of freshmen, the Bruins are seeded No. 6 in the South Region. So what do you need to know about UCLA? 1. UCLA enters the NCAA Tournament without second leading scorer Jordan Adams. Adams suffered a broken bone in his right foot during the semifinals of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament. Adams was averaging 15.3 points and 2.2 steals at the time
For the fourth consecutive season, the UNLV Rebels are going to the NCAA Tournament. They finished the 2012-13 regular season at 25-9 and were granted with a No. 5 seed. So what do you need to know about UNLV? 1. If there is anything you need to know about UNLV, it’s that they move the ball well and crash the boards hard. They’re sixth in the nation in rebounding and ninth in assists. Point guard Anthony Marshall (5.8 assists) and power forward
The Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 championship and will be making their 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, more than any other team in the nation. Here are five things to know about the Jayhawks: 1. They’ve won nine straight Big 12 titles. Kansas dominates that league like no other. The Jayhawks have also won nine of the 17 Big 12 tournaments that have been played, including six of the past eight. They dominate the Big 12 like 2. Their numbers are
OK, consecutive win #22 is in the history books and Miami’s stars didn’t have to play huge minutes, so they should be ready to extend the streak in Boston. Dwyane Wade (24 PTS, 9 AST, 3 REB) and LeBron James (22 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL) led the way as usual, with former Raptor star Chris Bosh chipping in 18 points and Ray Allen (20 PTS) draining four 3-pointers. [Read more…]
Sunday was a double-double of it’s own, to use an NBA term, as it was both St. Patrick’s Day and Championship Sunday when they announce the NCAA tournament bracket. Eight games were on the NBA schedule on Sunday. So what else is new? The sun rises, the Heat win. On Sunday, Miami won their 22nd straight game. Elsewhere, the Knicks continued to fall further down the Eastern Conference with another loss on their west coast road trip, the Lakers learned there
The NCAA March Madness bracket was announced at 6 PM EST, and only three hours later, betting lines started to trickle out in Las Vegas and at offshore sports books across the world. Lines began to appear most notably at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas after the clock crossed the 9 o’clock hour. Right now the futures market offers to most value, but there have been significant shifts in point spreads in the overnight hours that you should know about —