For the first time since 2010, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are back in the NCAA Tournament. They’re on their way there behind head coach Tubby Smith and a starting lineup worth marveling. So what is it that you should know about Minnesota? 1. If there is only one name you should know on Minnesota’s team, it’s third team All-Big Ten selection Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe is a massive load on the interior, standing at 6’8″ and 245 pounds. He puts his size to
Illinois’ nickname is the Fighting Illini. That is a fitting name, as they fought their way to a season to remember at 22-12. As they enter the NCAA Tournament, however, we must ask—what should we know? 1. Illinois owns victories over two No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament—Gonzaga and Indiana. They won 85-74 at Gonzaga and 74-72 during a home game against Indiana. 2. Illinois has won five games by two points or less. Three of those victories have come on buzzer-beaters,
The Marquette Golden Eagles were chosen to compete in the field of 68 by the NCAA selection committee, meaning they’ll be competing in their 31st NCAA Tournament. Here are five fast facts to help you as you fill out your bracket: 1. Their go-to guy is a 6-4 junior slasher named Vander Blue. He’s quick and creative off the bounce and takes long strides on his way to the hoop. He’s not much of an outside shooter, but he’s averaged 14.3 points
The Syracuse Orangemen, who were a half of solid basketball away from becoming the Big East Conference Tournament champs, will make their 36th NCAA Tournament appearance this week. Here are five fast facts about the Orange to help you as you fill out your bracket. 1. If they’re going to make a deep run in the tournament, then they’re going to be hitting their 3-pointers with consistency: #bbpBox_313092027128627201 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_313092027128627201 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; } Heck of a stat they just flashed
The Miami Hurricanes are this season’s most pleasant surprise. After finishing 20-13 in 2011-12, Miami worked their way to 27-6 overall and 15-3 in the ACC. So what do you need to know about the ACC Regular Season and Tournament champions? 1. Oftentimes, a team rises up the Top 25 by winning a high volume of games against average opponents. That couldn’t be further from the truth about Miami. Thus far in 2012-13, they’ve defeated No. 2 Duke, No. 8 Michigan State,
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the North Carolina Tar Heels have managed to right the ship. Once believed to be on the outside looking in, UNC has fought their way back into the NCAA Tournament after losing in the ACC championship. So what should you know about the Tar Heels? 1. On February 13, the North Carolina Tar Heels fell to an unimpressive 16-8. Many believed their NCAA Tournament chances to be dashed and their season to be lost. Fortunately, the Tar
The Georgetown Hoyas are back in the NCAA Tournament, and this time around, they appear to have boom potential. They were the 2013 Big East regular season champions and are led by a National Player of the Year award candidate. So what do you need to know about the Hoyas? 1. The Georgetown Hoyas are led by head coach John Thompson III. JT3 is the son of Naismath Basketball Hall of fame legend and former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr., whom led
For the second consecutive season, the Louisville Cardinals are the Big East Tournament champions. They’ve done so with hard-nosed defense, Hall of Fame coaching and veteran leadership. So what do you need to know about this defensive juggernaut? 1. Louisville’s elite defense is currently holding opponents to 58.0 points per game on a slash line of .388/.312/.648. This comes in spite of the fact that center and defensive anchor Gorgui Dieng missed seven games due to injury. 2. Louisville ranks second in the