For the second consecutive season, head coach Fred Hoiberg has led the Iowa State Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament. This is the first time since 1997 that Iowa State has made consecutive appearances in the big dance. So what should you know about the Cyclones? 1. Iowa State is one of the most exciting teams in the nation. Four players average double-figures and six post at least 9.0 points per contest. As a result, the Cyclones are fourth in the nation in
While the more popular in-state New Mexico Lobos receive more praise, the New Mexico State Aggies are not a team to sleep on. At 24-10 they are the champions of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and are one of the hottest teams in the country entering the tournament. [Read more…]
The Oklahoma Sooners are the fifth and final team from the Big 12 in the NCAA Tournament. They finished fifth in the conference, with an 11-7 conference record, and lost to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. Here’s five things you need to know about the 10-seeded Sooners: They go nine deep. The Sooners don’t have a real superstar, but they have a lot of pretty good players. Nobody plays more than 30 minutes per game, and nine guys get
Mississippi is back in the Big Dance for the first time since since 2002 after winning the SEC championship by defeating Florida on Sunday afternoon. Here are five things you need to know about the Rebels: 1. Marshall Henderson is their heart and soul. He’s crazy, outspoken and brash, but Henderson’s tongue-wagging enthusiasm is what makes the Rebels tick. He averages 20.1 points per game and virtually carried Ole Miss to the SEC title. 2. They score a lot of points. The
After being upset by 15 seed Norfolk State in last year’s tournament, the Missouri Tigers are back, though seeded seven spots lower, at #9. They had a moderately successful first season in the SEC after winning the Big 12 tournament championship a year ago. They’ll be taking on Colorado State in the first round. Frank Haith won the AP’s Coach of the Year award last year in his first season at Mizzou, a sharp turnaround from his tenure at Miami, where
Kansas State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season and fifth time in six years. Here are five things to know about the Wildcats: 1. Rodney McGruder leads the team in scoring. MCGRUDER! He averages 15.7 points per game, and 5.4 rebounds per game, and like the “McGruber” SNL skit, he can explode in a hurry. 2. They share the ball well. The Wildcats rank 13th in the nation in assists per game (16.0). Point guard Angel Rodriguez
Despite losing to Ole Miss in the SEC tournament final, the Florida Gators wrapped up a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament. They’ll be taking on 14 seed Northwestern State in the first round. Last year, they made the Elite Eight before losing Bradley Beal to the NBA draft, where he went third overall to the Wizards. This year’s team won the SEC regular season championship and was ranked as high as #2 during the season. Five other Gator items: 1. They have three players
For the second consecutive season, the California Golden Bears will make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears will be a No. 12 seed in the East Region as they play the UNLV Rebels in San Jose, California. So what do you need to know about Mike Montgomery’s group? 1. This is the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years under coach Mike Montgomery. The Bruins hadn’t made it to consecutive tournaments since the 2003 season under Ben Braun. 2. The California