Temple earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Owls will make their sixth consecutive NCAA appearance this season. Here are five things you may not have known about Temple: 1. They’re a Jekyll-and-Hyde team. The Owls own some terrific wins (Syracuse, Saint Louis, Villanova) and some puzzling losses (Canisius, St. Bonaventure). Temple has the talent to make a deep run in the tournament, but they’re going to have to start playing more like Jekyll in order to
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will make their 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Here are five fast facts you should know heading into March Madness: 1. As their shooting goes, they go. They’re in the top eighth in the country in terms of 3-point percentage, shooting 37.3% for the season. 2. Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant are their two best – and only reliable – playmakers. Atkins is a true point guard and Grant is more of a scoring guard who helps
Just two weeks after receiving the schools first ever No. 1 overall ranking, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have earned their first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga (31-2) won the West Coast Conference regular season and conference championships and will open tournament play Thursday in Salt Lake City against Southern. [Read more…]
Bracket-busting Virginia Commonwealth is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year after earning an at-large berth out of the Atlantic 10. You may know that VCU advanced to the 2011 Final Four as an 11-seed, but here are five things you probably didn’t know about the Rams: 1. VCU is a Spike Lee joint. The precocious director visited one of the team’s practices earlier this season while he was on campus to speak at an assembly. He also
The Saint Louis Billikens cruised to both the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament title, and will be dancing for the second consecutive year. Here are five things you didn’t know about Saint Louis University: 1. They’re playing for their head coach. Legendary coach Rick Majerus passed away in December, and the Billikens have dedicated this season to his memory. Interim head coach Jim Crews has done a fantastic job of keeping this team on track and accentuating the ideals Majerus
Despite missing out on their conference tournament championship, the Duke Blue Devils are back in the NCAA Tournament. This marks the 18th consecutive season in which coach Mike Krzyzewski’s crew has made the big dance. So what do you need to know about this year’s Dukies? Here are five facts. 1. Of their 27 wins, four have come against teams that were ranked in the Top 5 at the time they played. That includes Louisville, Ohio State, Miami (FL) and Kentucky. They’ve
After months of invigorating highs and devastating lows, the North Carolina State Wolfpack have finally made it to the NCAA Tournament. The star-studded N.C. State team had underachieved, but the committee clearly valued their late-season push. So what should we know about the Wolfpack? 1. The North Carolina State Wolfpack are one of the most under-achieving teams in college basketball. They began the season as the No. 6 ranked team in the AP and Coaches Polls, yet finished the season unranked. Fortunately, they’ve turned
The Wisconsin Badgers have become the most overlooked power in the Big Ten, despite finishing the regular season at 21-10. After downing both Michigan and Indiana, however, Wisconsin reminded the world of their status by reaching the Big Ten Championship. While there, Wisconsin WON/LOST. The question is, what should we know about Wisconsin for the upcoming NCAA Tournament? 1. The Wisconsin Badgers are the nation’s 10th ranked scoring defense. They’re 39th in opponent field goal percentage, 28th in opponent three-point field goal