+ All Categories
Home > Documents > Special Section: March Madness

Special Section: March Madness

Date post: 03-Jun-2018
Category:
Upload: lansingstatejournal
View: 220 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend

of 9

Transcript
  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    1/9

    INDY GOES GREEN

    INDIANAPOLIS GaryHarris got past GlennRobinson III, put a cross-over dribble on Max Biel-feldt, threw down a fero-cious slam over Spike Al-

    brecht and couldnt bestopped until Tom Izzomet him near halfcourtwith an emphatic handslap.

    Thats what Im talk-ing about! Izzo screamedat Harris, his face con-torted with more emotionthan a Big Ten tourna-ment championship gameusually elicits.

    But Michigan Statebadly wanted this one, toget Michigan back aftertwo losses to the regular-season champion Wolver-ines, to complete a week-end of revival, to make astatement about them-

    selves. Thats exactly

    what the Spartans did.They defended, dunkedand dominated their wayto a 69-55 rout for theirfourth Big Ten tourna-ment championship.

    I think we all neededit, said MSU senior pointguard Keith Appling, whoimproved to 3-6 againstU-M in his career.

    It was kind of impor-tant in a lot of ways, Izzosaid. No. 1, (the Wolver-ines) have taken our lunchthe last couple games. ...

    Junior Branden Dawson holds up his tournament Most Outstanding Player trophy with teammates after MSUs 69-55 win over Michigan on Sunday in Indianapolis. GREG DERUITER/LSJ

    Branden Dawson, who had 15 points and six rebounds,

    throws down a power dunk during Sundays game.

    Spartans rip U-Mfor tourney titleBy Joe RexrodeGannett Michigan

    INSIDE NCAA bracket, 2K Writers NCAA picks, 4K Michigan a No. 2 seed, 6K Region capsules, 5K, 7K

    MORE ONLINEFor photos and videos onMSUs win and the tourney,

    go to www.lsj.com.

    See MSU, Page 4K

    Lansing State Journal h LSJ.com h March 17, 2014

    !" !$%%&' (")$&%* +")&,'2014 The Kroger Co.

    !"#$%$$&'(&'&

    MICHIGAN ST MICHIGAN5569BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP

    INDIANAPOLISHop aboard,everyone.

    The bandwagon is a sports-clich institution, and MichiganStates is filling up again after

    the Spartans ripped through theBig Ten tournament.

    After watching MSU blastMichigan 69-55 in Sundays titlegame and earn what appears tobe a favorable if strange path to the Final Four in Arling-ton, Texas, CBS analyst Seth Da-vis said of the Spartans: Mightbe the best 4 seed Ive seen in avery long time, I think they go tothe Final Four.

    Later in the evening, all fiveESPN analysts making their

    picks chose MSU to win it all.Suddenly, MSU (26-8) looks a

    lot more like the team that wason the short list of national titlecontenders before the seasonthan the team that lost seven ofits last 12 regular-season games.The Spartans were admittedlysurprised they didnt get a high-er seed after beating U-M andWisconsin over the weekend,but there are no extraordinaryobstacles in the way of Tom Iz-zos pursuit of a seventh Final

    Four.MSU is the No. 4 seed in the

    East region and will take on No.13 seed Delaware (25-9) onThursday in Spokane, Wash. at4:40 p.m. The winner will playthere Saturday against the win-ner between No. 5 seed Cincin-nati and No. 12 seed Harvard coached by former Michigancoach Tommy Amaker.

    I just talked to him last

    Suddenly, Spartans are popular national title pickMSU gets No. 4 seed,

    will face Delaware inSpokane on Thursday

    By Joe RexrodeGannett Michigan

    THURSDAYS GAME

    EAST REGION

    No. 4 seed MSU (26-8) vs.No. 13 seed Delaware (25-9) When: 4:40 p.m. Where: Spokane VeteransMemorial Arena in Spokane,Wash. TV: TNT About Delaware: The BlueHens won the Colonial AthleticAssociation regular-season andtournament titles.See NCAA, Page4K

    INDIANAPOLISKeithApplings wide, in-termittent smiles

    came uncontrollably,every thought seeming tobring with it joy.

    The contrastwith his two previ-ous experiences

    against Michiganthis season wastoo much to fullyexplain. So afterevery failed at-tempt Sundaynight, MichiganStates point guardjust smiled.

    Even as heawkwardly fibbedfor the sake ofpolitical correctness.

    It was just a matterof our energy, Applingsaid, when asked how theSpartans dominated theBig Ten tournament andwhat they proved in do-ing so. We just tried to

    outmatch their intensity

    and just play as hard aswe could for 40 minutes...

    Eventually he gave upand, well, you know.

    No reason to putSundays feat intodivisive words.MSU made its

    point, had the lastlaugh, let the BigTen and everyoneelse cognizant ofcollege basketballknow ...

    Were back, ascenter Matt Costel-lo put it.

    If the Big Tendidnt know itsbest team before

    this weekend, I think itdoes now, Costello con-tinued.

    Michigan State sound-ed like a team both in-spired and relieved Sun-day night, having dis-

    SeeCOUCH,Page 4K

    MSU, finally full,makes its point

    GRAHAM

    COUCH

    [email protected]

    4Number of Big Ten tourna-ment titles for MSU. TheSpartans have reached theFinal Four two of the threeprevious times they won thetournament. 17

    Consecutive NCAAtournament ap-pearances for theSpartans, all whichhave come underIzzo.

    39-15Izzos record in the NCAAtournament at MSU. 6

    Final Fourappearancesfor Izzo thefourth-most byan activecoach.

    56-26MSUs all-time record inthe NCAA tournament

    MSU NCAA TOURNAMENT NUMBERS

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    2/9

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    3/9

    www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Monday, March 17,2014 3K

    MOTORMALL

    ** w/$1999 due at signing

    10,000 miles per year.

    Deep cherry red, leather bucket seats, 8spd auto,3.6 V6, heated seats, pw, pl, pmirrors, keyless entry,pseats, 5.4 touch screen radio, Sirius Radio, cruise,

    tilt, alum wheels, much more. Stk#C28612WAS $31,760

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Cashmere pearl coat, leather bucket seats, heatedseats, remote start, power seat, pw, pl, pmirrors,

    keyless entry, Alum wheels, much more. Stk#C26808WAS $26,690

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Deep cherry red, leather 7 passenger seating with stow & go, 6spd auto, 3.6V6, pwr sliding doors, pwr liftgate, pseat, pw, pl, pmirrors, touchscreen radio

    w/backup camera, rear dvd, player alum. wheels, much more.Stk#C51941 WAS $31,860

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Billet silver, cloth bucket seats, 9spd auto, 2.4 multi air 4cyl, cold weathergroup, heated seats, heated steering wheel, 8.4 u connect access radio,

    pw, pl, pm, much more. 31 MPG HWY. Stk#J77040 WAS $26,185

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Deep cherry red, perm cloth, 6 spd auto, heated seats, remote start, keylessentry, pw, pl, pmirrors, uconnect voice command, alum wheels, loaded.

    Stk#J16039 WAS $23,960

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Granite Crystal, premium cloth seats, auto, pw, pl, pmirrors,keyless entry, air, cruise, tilt, alum wheels, Sirius radio, much more.

    Stk#D68518 WAS $25,285

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Bright white, cloth 40/20/40 split bench seating, 6spd auto, 5.7 V8Hemi, pw, pl, pmirrors, fog lamps, 20 alum wheels, Class IV receiver

    hitch, CD player, cruise, tilt, loaded. Stk#R45333 WAS $38,565

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Header orange, sport seats, wheels and trans group, 5spdauto, 5.7 Hemi V8, navigation, backup camera, power

    everything, loaded. Stk#D66802 WAS $34,380

    Included with all purchases: Road Hazard Tire and Wheel protection. No pothole worries here!**

    www.DICKSCOTTMOTORMALL .net

    Call 1-877-467-4198Call for Guaranteed Credit Approval at Ext. 1339 or Apply Online!

    I-96 and Fowlerville Road, Exit 129, 3030 Fowlerville Road

    Dont Get Rocked in LansingGet your BEST SHOT at Dick Scott!*Plus tax, title, plate, DOC fee & CVR Fee and destination charge. Must provide valid Chrysler employee control number. Must qualify for financing through Chrysler Capital to receive Chr ysler Capitol bonus cash on 300, 200, Journey, RAM 1500 andCharger. All rebates to dealer. See dealer for details. **24, 36 or 39 month closed end lease. 10,000 miles per year w/approved tier 1 or 2 credit through Chrysler Capitol. $1999 due at inception includes 1st payment, plate transfer, title, and DOC& CVR fee. Must provide valid Chrysler employee control number. All payments plus 6% use tax. All rebates to dealer. See dealer for details. **Valid for purchase on vehicles 2003 and newer with under 79,999 miles contact is valid for one year.

    Showroom Open: Mon. & Thurs. 9am-9pm

    Tues., Wed., & Fri. 9am-6pm

    Sat. 10am-3pm

    SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN:

    Mon. & Thurs. 7am-8pm

    Tues., Wed., & Fri. 7am-6pm Sat. 8am-3pm

    Collision Center OPEN: Monday - Friday 8am-6pm

    !"#$%$$&'(')*

    Its Cold Outside,but our Deals are

    HOT!!!

    ** w/$1999 due at signing10,000 miles per year.

    Billet Silver, cloth seats, 8spd Auto, 3.6 V6, pw, pl, pmirrors, pseat,cruise, tilt, keyless entry, alum wheels, sunscreen glass, much more.

    Stk#J74179 WAS $33,790

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    4/9

    4K Monday, March 17,2014 Lansing State Journal www.lsj.com

    KEY STRETCH

    Michigan State put together another

    overwhelming first-half run Sundayand led 38-29 at the half. But it wasthe Spartans 8-0 spurt coming backout of the locker room that putMichigan on its heels beyond recov-ery four quick points each fromAdreian Payne and Branden Daw-son, capped by a breakaway wind-mill dunk from Dawson.

    UNSUNG HEROES

    MSUs three point guards, KeithAppling, Travis Trice and DenzelValentine combined for just 16points on 5 of 16 shooting. AndValentine found his minutes limitedby foul trouble. But with Dawson,Payne and Gary Harris providing thepoints, MSUs three primary ball-handlers played their roles well,facilitating offense without mis-takes. Appling, Trice and Valentinecombined for nine assists, five stealsand just one turnover.

    QUOTABLE

    I was shocked, because I reallythought either Gary Harris orAdreian Payne was going to win it.But it feels great. I saw my mom and

    my sisters and my family in thecrowd smiling. It felt good. Dawson, on winning the Big Tentournament most outstanding play-er award, after scoring 45 points inthree gamesSaturday night, when you go throwthose walk-through (practices) inthose hotels and youve got thatcourt out on the floor, you really geta feel whether a team is there to gothrough the motions or whether ateam is there with a purpose. Therewas so much energy in there, theywere there for a purpose. Theirconfidence is growing. ... It wasrocked (during the year). So wasmine. We just had no identity. MSU coach Tom Izzo

    WHATS NEXT

    MSU (26-8) is the No. 4 seed in theNCAA tournaments East Region,beginning play Thursday in Spokane,Wash., against 13 seed Delaware(25-9), champions of the ColonialAthletic Association. If the Spartanswin, theyll play the winner of Cin-cinnati and Harvard on Saturday inSpokane. The East Regional thenfeeds through Madison Square Gar-den in New York. The No. 1 seed inthe region is ACC champion Virginia.

    Graham Couch

    KeithAppling

    Travis Trice DenzelValentine

    BRIAN CALLOWAY

    EAST: Michigan StateMIDWEST: LouisvilleSOUTH: KansasWEST: WisconsinNATIONAL CHAMPION:

    Louisville The trendy pick has

    been MSUafter itsbig week-end, but Rick Pitino and theCardinals find a way to end up

    in this spot again. Louisville willbe battle tested from surviving the

    difficult Midwest region, but has the experi-ence from last year's championship run toduplicate the feat.

    GRAHAM COUCH

    EAST: Michigan StateMIDWEST: Wichita StateSOUTH: KansasWEST: CreightonNATIONAL CHAMPION:

    Wichita State The Shockers are too

    much mostteams inthis field,their 34-0 record too muchconsidered a product of their

    schedule. Conference roadgames are a chore in any league.

    Butler lost five Horizon League games beforeits 2011 Final Four run. Kansas won't scheduleWichita State in the regular season. TheJayhawks won't have a choice in Texas.

    JOE REXRODE

    EAST: Michigan StateMIDWEST: MichiganSOUTH: KansasWEST: Oklahoma StateNATIONAL CHAMPION:

    Michigan State At the risk of looking

    like a homerand/orblatantthief of ESPN content fiveof its analysts picked MSU on

    Sunday night this is the pickthat makes the most sense. No one

    else has the same blend of talent, experienceand coach with a tournament blueprint.Look for MSU to edge Kansas, then take outOklahoma State in a duel of sophomoreguards Marcus Smart and Gary Harris.

    CHRIS SOLARI

    EAST: Michigan StateMIDWEST: LouisvilleSOUTH: KansasWEST: ArizonaNATIONAL CHAMPION:

    Kansas Playing the toughest

    schedule inthe coun-try pre-pares you for this moment.Thats always been Tom Izzos

    mantra, and thats what Kansasdid this season. The Jayhawks still

    remain a supremely talented bunch minusEmbiid, with Andrew Wiggins Texas two-step over MSU and Arizona his one-and-donefarewell for the NBA.

    NCAA TOURNAMENT STAFF PREDICTIONS

    And it gives us a little barom-eter of where we are, wherewe can be.

    Less than an hour after thegame ended, MSU (26-8) gath-ered in a room in BankersLife Fieldhouse and got tolooking ahead to the NCAAtournament theyll be theNo. 4 seed in the East regionand play Thursday againstNo. 13 seed Delaware in Spo-kane, Wash.

    First, they breathed in thereward of their three-daystorm through the Big Ten,which included a convincingwin over Wisconsin in Satur-days semifinals. Izzo took themicrophone on stage andthanked the thousands ofMSU fans who came for sup-port in a packed, energeticarena.

    He also thanked MSU foot-ball coach Mark Dantonio,who was in the building andwho sat with Izzo for a few

    minutes on the bench beforethe game. Izzo brought histeam to watch Dantoniosteam win the Big Ten titleover Ohio State in December.

    We won a football cham-pionship in this city, Izzo saidto the crowd, and now wewon a basketball champion-ship!

    And now they look likethey might be ready to con-tend for a much bigger one.The weekend was a long lookat just how dangerous theSpartans could be in the up-coming NCAA tournament,now that theyre healthy and

    clicking Harris had a sec-ond-half scare with a hit to hisleft arm, but he said later itwas just a stinger and noth-ing serious.

    He scored 15 points nearhis hometown of Fishers,Ind., and played top-notch de-fense on U-M guard NikStauskas (4 for 14, 17 points).Adreian Payne scored 18points for MSU and BrandenDawson continued his hugeweekend for the Spartans.

    Dawson, who missed both

    of MSUs regular-seasonlosses to U-M with a brokenhand, had 15 points, six re-bounds, high-flying dunksand terrific defense. He wasthe Spartans best all-aroundperformer in the tournamentand was named Most Out-standing Player. Payne andHarris joined him on the All-Tournament team.

    I think we made a state-ment to the whole countrythat we can play with any-body, that were not out, saidMSUs Denzel Valentine, whoalso had a strong weekend.

    I still think this is one of

    the best teams Ive evercoached here, Izzo said.And what that could mean? Idont know. It could mean outin the first round, it couldmean win a national champi-onship.

    Joe Rexrode is a reporter for

    the Detroit Free Press.

    MSU 69, MICHIGAN 55MSU (26-8)Player MIN FG FT Rb A F PTS

    Payne 29 6-13 5-5 9 1 1 18

    Appling 37 3-7 1-2 3 3 3 7

    Harris 30 7-13 0-0 2 0 0 15

    Dawson 24 7-8 1-1 6 3 3 15

    Valentine 21 0-2 3-4 4 4 4 3

    Byrd 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

    Gauna 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

    Ellis III 8 1-1 0-0 1 5 5 2

    Costello 5 0-1 0-0 3 1 1 0

    Wetzel 1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0

    Trice 21 2-7 2-2 3 1 1 6

    Kaminski 12 1-1 0-0 1 0 0 2

    Schilling 5 0-1 1-2 4 1 1 1

    Chapman 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

    Wollenman 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

    Team 1

    Te am 200 27-54 13-16 38 14 19 69

    MICHIGAN (25-8)Player MIN FG FT Rb A F PTS

    Robinson III 31 2-8 2-2 3 0 2 6

    Walton Jr. 30 3-6 4-5 4 1 3 11

    Stauskas 39 4-14 6-6 2 1 1 17

    LeVert 34 2-10 3-3 1 4 0 7

    Morgan 20 4-6 0-0 6 0 4 8

    Albrecht 11 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0Dakich 1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0

    Horford 5 0-2 0-0 2 0 4 0

    Lonergan 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0

    Irvin 15 2-5 0-0 1 0 0 6

    Bielfeldt 13 0-2 0-0 2 0 0 0

    Team 5 1

    Te am 200 17-54 15-16 28 7 15 55

    3-Point Goals: MSU 2-17 (Payne 1-4, Appling0-3, Harris 1-5, Valentine 0-2, Trice 0-3); Michigan6-23 (Robinson III 0-3, Walton Jr.1-4, Stauskas 3-5,LeVert 0-4, Irvin 2-5, Bielfeldt 0-2). Steals:MSU 7,Michigan 3.Blocked Shots: MSU 6, Michigan 3.Turnovers: MSU 10, Michigan 9. Halftime:MSU 38, Michigan 29. Technical Foul: Michigan(Team). Officials: Mike Kitts, Terry Wymer, GeneSteratore. Attendance: 18,582

    MSU senior guard Keith Appling gets a hug from coach Tom Izzo as he comes out of Sundays game in the final minutes. GREG DERUITER/LSJ

    MSUContinued from Page 1K

    posed of Big Ten regular-season champion Michigan,69-55, a day after dumping aWisconsin program alsohopeful of an NCAA tourna-ment No. 1seed.

    The Wolverines and Bad-gers are better off for their 2seeds. MSU, it turns out, is a4 seed, on course to meet a 1as soon as the Sweet 16.Thats Virginias problemnow.

    Actually Delawares first,then Cincinnati or Harvard the rest of MSUs four-some beginning East Region-al play Thursday in, of allplaces, Spokane, Wash.

    MSU wasnt sure this wascoming in time for thisweeks firm deadline.

    I didnt know if wed runout of time, Izzo said. Itsstill not there. Were just alot better than we were. Butwe really, honestly, werestill not in sync.

    The remaining kinks canbe worked out on the fly.What took place this week-end was the rebuilding ofMSUs large muscle groups its head, heart and juniorforward Branden Dawson.

    The Spartans limpedthrough the second half of

    the Big Ten season losing

    twice to Michigan, once toWisconsin without Daw-son, who missed nine gameswith a broken hand.They

    clearly missed Dawson.

    But not this Dawson. Thisguy didnt exist prior to Fri-day. In three games, MSUsuber-athletic 6-foot-6, 225-

    pound junior scored 45

    points, hauled in 22 reboundsand, most significantly, ap-peared engaged in every

    moment. He was named theBig Ten tournaments mostoutstanding player.

    He wins games for us,Costello said. When hesplaying with emotion andheart, its tough to beat us.

    Thats clear.Now MSU gets to find out

    how far it takes them. This issuddenly a cohesive andsometimes overwhelminggroup, playing to its talent.

    I still think we can be asgood as anybody, Izzo said.I guess that part was atleast validated in our league.Now well see what it does aswe move on.

    This is a seasoned team,aware of the challengesahead, having survived mis-ery.

    Nothings going to comeeasy, Appling said.

    Nothing has.That made this weekend,

    for this once-beleagueredgroup, all the more satis-fying.

    I try to let the past be thepast, Appling said, but onething coach told me that willalways stick with me, hesaid, Well see those guysagain. And I believed him.And for things to play outtonight the way they did, itsa great feeling, and I can

    appreciate it even more.

    MSUs Gary Harris shoots over Michigans Max Bielfeldt onSunday. Harris finished with 15 points as the Spartans won theirfourth Big Ten tournament championship. GREG DERUITER/LSJ

    Couch

    Continued from Page 1Kweek and hes done a hell of a job therenow, Izzo said of Amaker. If I wasCincinnati, Im not sure I would wantto play Harvard. If Im MichiganState, Im not sure I would want to playHarvard. Hes done a hell of a job.

    The Fightin Blue Hens won the Co-lonial Athletic Association and are ledby senior guard Devon Saddler (19.7points per game). Among their resultsthis season were an 84-80 loss to the re-gions No. 2 seed, Villanova; an 80-75loss at Notre Dame; and a 76-64 loss atOhio State.

    I dont know anything about them,but were gonna know a lot about themin the next 24 hours, I know that, MSUjunior guard Travis Trice said.

    If MSU can win two games, it willplay in the regional semifinals and fi-nals in New Yorks Madison SquareGarden on March 28 and 30. The Spar-tans could be looking at a Sweet 16matchup against No. 1 seed Virginia,and the other side of the bracket in-cludes Villanova, No. 3 seed Iowa Stateand No. 6 seed North Carolina.

    MSUs Denzel Valentine said theSpartans were a little shocked we gota 4 seed, but weve got to do whatweve got to do.

    And just like four years ago at thestart of their last Final Four run, theSpartans get to do it in front of formerMSU coach and Izzo mentor JudHeathcote, who lives in Spokane.

    How about that? Izzo said.And you guys think youve got

    pressure.

    NCAAContinued from Page 1K

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    5/9

    www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Monday, March 17,2014 5K

    NCAA TOURNAMENT

    1. FloridaNickname:Gators. Location:Gainesville.Record: 32-2, 18-0. Bid: SEC champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Michigan in the

    regional finals.Coach: Billy Donovan, 31-11 in 13 appearances.Overview:How good is Florida? Until Ten-

    nessee built a double-digit lead in the SEC semi-finals, the Gators hadnt trailed by double figuressince before Thanksgiving. Why is Florida thisgood? The stability of four senior starters.

    Twitter: @GatorZoneMBK

    2. KansasNickname:Jayhawks.Location:Lawrence.Record: 24-9, 14-4. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Michigan in

    regional semifinal.Coach: Bill Self, 35-14 in 15 appearances.Overview:With star freshmen Andrew Wiggins,

    Wayne Selden Jr. and Joel Embiid, the Jawhawkshave largely lived up to lofty preseason expecta-tions. However, Embiids status is up in the air aftera stress fracture in his lower back, leaving Kansasprone to an early upset. The 7-footer shoots 62.6%,pulls down 8.1 rebounds and blocks 2.6 shots agame.

    Twitter: @KUAthletics

    3. SyracuseNickname:Orange. Location: Syracuse, N.Y.Record: 27-5, 14-4. Bid:ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Michigan in

    Final Four.Coach: Jim Boeheim, 52-29 in 30 appearances.Overview:The Orange won their first 25 games

    and were ranked No. 1 for three weeks beforestumbling down the stretch with five losses in sevengames. Their zone defense and size always causeproblems for opponents, but they need to shootbetter and get support from the bench to reboundfrom that end-of-season slump.

    Twitter: @cuse

    4. UCLANickname:Bruins. Location:Los Angeles.Record: 26-8, 12-6. Bid: Pac-12 champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Minnesota in

    second round.Coach: Steve Alford, 5-7 in seven appearances.Overview:First-year head coach Alford led the

    Bruins on a tear through the Pac-12 tournamentthat culminated with a title game win againstArizona. Do-everything forward Kyle Andersonsparks the Pac-12s highest-scoring offense. Leadingscorer Jordan Adams ranks No.3 in the coun-try in steals per game.

    Twitter: @UCLAMBB.

    5. VirginiaCommonwealth

    Nickname:Rams. Location:Richmond.Record: 26-8, 12-4. Bid:Atlantic 10 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Michigan in

    third round.Coach: Shaka Smart, 7-3 in three appearances.Overview:The Rams fell to Saint Josephs in

    the A-10 title game but still secured a NCAA tourna-ment berth. Their havoc style of play saw themlead the nation in steals for the third year in a row.

    Twitter: @VCUathletics

    6. Ohio StateNickname:Buckeyes. Location: Columbus.Record: 25-9, 10-8. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Wichita State in

    Elite Eight.Coach: Thad Matta, 23-11 in 11 appearances.Overview:The Buckeyes started 15-0 and

    reached as high as No. 2 but had an inconsistentconference campaign that included two losses tobottom-feeder Penn State. Ohio State, a veteranteam with a senior backcourt, won three in a rowbefore falling to arch-rival Michigan in the Big Tensemifinals.

    Twitter: @OhioStateHoops.

    7. New MexicoNickname:Lobos. Location:Albuquerque.Record: 27-6, 15-3. Bid: Mountain West champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Harvard in the

    second round.Coach: Craig Neal, first appearance.Overview:Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk

    form a formidable frontline that helps the Lobosdefend the basket and control the backboard. In thebackcourt, Kendall Williams can score and passwith equal success. However, Williams and reserveCullen Neal are the lone consistent outsideshooters.

    Twitter: @UNMHoops.

    8. ColoradoNickname:Buffaloes. Location:Boulder.Record: 23-11, (10-8). Bid: Pac-12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Illinois in first

    round.Coach: Tad Boyle, 1-2 in two appearances.Overview:Joining the Pac-12 has been a boon

    for the Buffaloes, who are in the tournament for thethird consecutive year. Spencer Dinwiddie, Colora-dos top scorer, was lost for the season because of ananterior cruciate ligament injury near the beginningof conference play. Josh Scott has stepped up in hisabsence, but the Buffaloes have struggled with theirthree-point shooting percentage finishing second tolast in the conference.

    Twitter: @CUBuffsMBB

    9. PittsburghNickname:Panthers. Location:Pittsburgh.Record:25-9, 11-7. Bid:ACC at-large.Last appearance:2013, lost to Wichita State in

    second round.Coach:Jamie Dixon, 11-9 in nine appearancesOverview:The Panthers ran through a soft early

    schedule before narrow losses in the ACC to Vir-ginia, Syracuse (twice) and North Carolina. LamarPaterson does a little bit of everything to lead theteam. Like most years, Pitt wins with its stingydefense and physical play. However, the offense isprone to stretches of drought that have hurt theteam in past NCAA tournament disappointments.

    Twitter:@HailToPittHoops.

    10. StanfordNickname:Cardinal. Location: Palo Alto, Calif.Record: 21-12, (10-8). Bid:At-large.Last appearance: 2008, lost to Texas in region-

    al semifinal.

    Coach: Johnny Dawkins, first appearance.Overview:Stanford is back in the tournament

    for the first time in Dawkins six-year run at theschool. Chasson Randle keys the Cardinals offenseand finished the year as the Pac-12s No. 2 scorer.Anthony Brown was named the conferences mostimproved player.

    Twitter: @StanfordBBall

    11. DaytonNickname: FlyersLocation:Dayton, OhioRecord: 23-10, 10-6 Bid:At-largeLast appearance: 2009, lost to Kansas in

    second roundCoach:Archie Miller, first appearance

    Overview:The Flyers found themselves on thebubble under third-year head coach Archie Millerafter scoring a number of big wins as well as poorlosses. The Flyers got hot down the stretch in A-10play however, winning 10 of 12.

    Twitter: @DaytonMBB

    12. Stephen F. AustinNickname: Lumberjacks.Location:Nacogdoches, Texas.Record: 31-2, 18-0. Bid: Southland champ.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Syracuse in first

    round.Coach: Brad Underwood, first appearance.Overview:The Lumberjacks blitzed the South-

    land, posting a perfect 18-0 conference record andcome into the tournament riding a 28-game win-ning streak. While eighth in the nation in assists pergame, the Lumberjacks only have one player whoaverages more than three per game.

    Twitter: @SFA_MBB

    13. TulsaNickname: Golden Hurricane.Location:Tulsa, Okla.Record: 21-12, 13-3. Bid: Conference USA

    champ.Last appearance: 2003, lost to Wisconsin in

    second round.Coach: Danny Manning, first appearance.Overview:Tulsa has won 17 of its last 20 games.

    The three losses came by a combined 16 points. TheGolden Hurricanes will enter the NCAA tourna-ment riding an 11-game winning streak. Sophomoreguard James Woodard, the C-USA tourney MVP,has scored double figures in 26 consecutive games.

    Twitter: @TUMBasketball

    14. Western MichiganNickname: Broncos.Location:Kalamazoo.Record: 23-9, 14-4. Bid: Mid-American

    champion.Last appearance: 2004, lost to Vanderbilt in

    first round.Coach: Steve Hawkins, 0-1 in 1 appearanceOverview:Western had its first back-to-back

    20-win seasons since 2003-2004 and 2004-2005.The Broncos are led by David Brown, who becamethe sixth player to score more than 600 points in aseason. Western goes into the NCAAs winning 14 ofits last 16. They had the composure to come backfrom 18 down in the second half of the MAC semisvs. Akron.

    Twitter: @BroncoBBall

    15. Eastern KentuckyNickname: Colonels.Location:Richmond, Ky.Record: 24-9, 11-5. Bid: Ohio Valley champ.Last appearance: 2007, lost to North Carolina

    in first round.Coach: JeffNeubauer, 0-1 in 1 appearance.Overview:The Colonels can surround the

    perimeter with a cast of capable long-range shoot-ers. Even top reserve Orlando Williams hits threes

    at a better than 42% clip. They also are one of thenations best at taking care of the ball and taking itaway, boasting a whopping +6.5 turnover margin.EKU shoots 75% from the line. Not deep, playingessentially a six-man rotation, and not big, with noone topping 6-8 on the roster.

    Twitter: @EKUHoops

    16. AlbanyNickname: Great Danes. Location:Albany, N.Y.Record: 18-14, 9-7. Bid:America East champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Duke in second

    round.Coach:Will Brown, 0-3 in 3 appearances.Overview:For the second year in a row, the

    Great Danes advanced despite entering the leaguetournament as the No. 4 seed. They beat the top twoseeds along the way. Albany enters having won six ofseven, avenging the loss by beating Stony Brook towin the conference tournament. It leans heavily onthe starters with the bench producing just around 11points a game in the regular season.

    Twitter: @UAlbanySports

    16. Mount St. MarysNickname: Mountaineers.Location: Emmitsburg, Md.Record: 16-16, 9-7. Bid: Northeast Conference

    championLast appearance: 2008, lost in first round to

    North Carolina.Coach: Jamion Christian, first appearance.Overview:The Mountaineers are just the

    second No. 4 seed to win the Northeast Conferencetournament, taking down the top two seeds on theirhome floors along the way. A lineup with threesenior starters picked up the pace after a sub.-500February, shooting 49.3% from the field while going4-0 since the calendar turned to March.

    Twitter: @MountHoops

    A LOOK AT THE DIVISION I MEN'S TEAMSSouth region

    KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS

    Stanford guard Chasson Randle (left)and the Cardinal face New Mexico onFriday.

    1. VirginiaNickname: Cavaliers. Location:

    Charlottesville.Record: 28-6, 16-2. Bid:ACC champ.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Florida in

    second round.Coach: Tony Bennett, 3-3 in three appearances.Overview:It was a historic year for the Cava-

    liers, who won their first ACC regular-season titlesince 1981 and the conference tournament for firsttime since 1976. Stopping opponents is the back-bone of the Cavaliers, who lead the nation in scoringdefense.

    Twitter: @UVABasketball.

    2. VillanovaNickname: Wildcats. Location:Villanova, Pa.Record: 28-4, 16-2. Bid: Big East at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to North Carolina

    in second round.Coach: Jay Wright, 12-10 in 10 appearances.Overview:Before a loss to Seton Hall in the Big

    East tournament, the Wildcats losses were toSyracuse and Creighton (twice). But just one wincame against a ranked team (Kansas), and that wasNov. 29. Outside shooting will be critical. Villanovais one of the nations leaders in three-point percent-age and three-pointers made.

    Twitter: @NovaMBB

    3. Iowa StateNickname: Cyclones. Location:Ames.Record: 26-7, 11-7. Bid: Big 12 champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Ohio State in

    third round.Coach: Fred Hoiberg, 2-2 in two appearancesOverview:Big 12 player of the year Melvin Ejim

    leads a Cyclones team that is adept at winninghigh-scoring games they are first in the confer-ence and sixth in the country in scoring offense, andamong the worst at scoring defense, tied for 272nd.

    Twitter: @CycloneATH

    4. Michigan StateNickname: Spartans. Location:East Lansing.Record: 26-8, 12-6. Bid: Big Ten champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Duke in Sweet

    16.Coach: Tom Izzo, 39-15 in 16 appearances.Overview:Michigan State started 18-1 and was

    No. 1 in the nation, but injuries hit the team hardduring Big Ten play. The Spartans went 5-7 in theirfinal 12 regular season games but back at fullstrength, won the Big Ten tournament, showingthat they are a force to be reckoned with.

    Twitter: @MSU_Basketball

    5. CincinnatiNickname: Bearcats. Location:Cincinnati.Record: 27-6, 15-3. Bid:American at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Creighton in

    second round.Coach: Mick Cronin, 3-5 in five appearances.Overview:The Bearcats plan to stick around a

    little longer this time. The formula isnt complicat-ed, create shots for Sean Kilpatrick and let JustinJackson and Titus Rubles clean the glass, but thereisnt a lot of scoring depth.

    Twitter: @GoBEARCATS

    6. North CarolinaNickname: Tar Heels. Location:Chapel Hill.Record: 23-9, 13-5. Bid:ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Kansas in third

    round.Coach: Roy Williams, 62-21 in 23 appearances.Overview:After a 0-3 start in the ACC, the Tar

    Heels won 13 of their next 14 games which coincid-ed with Leslie McDonalds return to the startinglineup after a knee injury. A strong reboundingteam, shooting could be a major issue preventing adeep run. UNC ranks near the bottom of the coun-try in three-point and free-throw shooting.

    Twitter: @UNC_Basketball.

    7. ConnecticutNickname: Huskies. Location: Storrs.Record: 26-8, 12-6. Bid:American at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Iowa State in

    second round.Coach: Kevin Ollie, first appearance.Overview:The Huskies will go as far as Shabazz

    Napier, their do-everything league player of theyear, can take them. UConn is tougher to beat whenRyan Boatright is hitting from the arc, but he can beinconsistent.

    Twitter: @UConnMBB

    8. MemphisNickname: Tigers. Location:Memphis.Record: 23-9, 12-6. Bid:American Athletic

    at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Michigan State

    in third round.Coach: Josh Pastner, 1-3 in 3 appearances.Overview:The Tigers have a lot of backcourt

    depth, including AAC sixth-man award winnerMichael Dixon (12.2 ppg). There are fewer optionson the front line, so foul trouble for the starterscould be problematic.

    Twitter: @UofMTigersHoops

    9. George WashingtonNickname: Colonials. Location:Washington,

    D.C.Record: 24-8, 11-5. Bid:Atlantic 10 at-large.Last appearance: 2007, lost to Vanderbilt in

    first round.Coach: Mike Lonergan, 0-1 in one appearance.Overview:The Colonials were picked to finish

    10th in the league but earned the No. 3 seed after astrong season. Guard Kethan Savage, the ColonialsNo. 2 scorer, returned briefly in the Atlantic 10tournament after missing eight weeks because of abroken foot.

    Twitter: @GW_MBB

    10. Saint JosephsNickname: Hawks. Location: Philadelphia.Record: 24-9, 11-5. Bid:Atlantic 10 champ.Last appearance: 2008, lost to Oklahoma in

    first round.Coach: Phil Martelli, 6-5 in five appearances.Overview:Saint Josephs claimed its first

    conference tournament title since 1997 by toppingVCU in the title game. The Hawks posted theirhighest win total and conference win total since2005.

    Twitter: @SJUHawks_MBB

    11. ProvidenceNickname: Friars. Location:Providence, R.I.Record: 23-11, 10-8. Bid: Big East champ.Last appearance: 2004, lost to Pacific in first

    round.Coach: Ed Cooley, first appearance.Overview:Providence enters the tournament

    with momentum, six wins in seven games, includingits first Big East tournament title since 1994. Abelow-average shooting team, the Friars benefit bygetting to foul line and being one of the top shootingteams from the charity stripe. Depth is a significantconcern, however. F Carson Desrosiers is the onlysub that sees significant action.

    Twitter: @PCAthletics

    12. HarvardNickname: Crimson Tide. Location:Cam-

    bridge, Mass.Record: 26-4, 13-1. Bid: Ivy League champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Arizona in third

    round.Coach: Tommy Amaker, 3-3 in three

    appearances.Overview:Amaker has again guided the Crim-

    son to the Big Dance, their third consecutive bid.Led by Ivy League POY Wesley Saunders, severalplayers return from last years 14th-seeded teamthat upset third-seeded New Mexico.

    Twitter: @hoopsatharvard.

    13. DelawareNickname: Blue Hens. Location:Newark.Record: 25-9, 14-2. Bid: Colonial Athletic

    champ.Last appearance: 1999, lost to Tennessee in

    first round.Coach: Mont Ross, first appearance.Overview:The Blue Hens average 79.5 points a

    game, which puts them in Kansas territory. Ross isloaded with veterans and gets great guard play,usually a tricky combination for unsuspectingGoliaths. Senior Carl Baptiste is their fiery insidepresence.

    Twitter: @UDBlueHens

    14. North CarolinaCentral

    Nickname: Eagles. Location:Durham.

    Record: 28-5, 15-1. Bid: Mid-Eastern Athleticchamp.Last appearance: First appearance.Coach: LeVelle Moton, first appearance.Overview:One of the nations most experienced

    teams (the top seven in the rotation are juniors orseniors) and one of the nations hottest (20-gamewinning streak). The Eagles have won at NorthCarolina State and lost by 11 at No. 2 Wichita State,so they should be able to handle the brights lights ofthe NCAA tournament.

    Twitter: @NCCUBasketball

    15. Wisconsin-MilwaukeeNickname: Panthers. Location:Milwaukee.Record:21-13, 7-9. Bid: Horizon League champ.Last appearance: 2006, lost to Florida in

    second round.Coach:Rob Jeter, 1-1 in 1 appearance.Overview:The Panthers claimed the Horizon

    title a year after finishing 8-24 and after beingpicked last this preseason. The No. 5 seed won fourgames en route to the title, including in overtime attop seed Wisconsin-Green Bay. They got a boostwith the return from suspension of leading scorerJordan Aaron in time for the Horizon tournament.

    Twitter handle: @MKEPanthers

    16. Costal CarolinaNickname: Chanticleers Location: Conway,

    S.C.Record: 21-12, 11-5. Bid: Big South champ.Last appearance: 1993, lost to Michigan in the

    first round.Coach: CliffEllis, 8-8 in eight appearances.Overview: The Chanticleers bounced back from

    a 14-15 record in 2013 to finish first in the SouthDivision of the Big South. This is the fourth teamcoach CliffEllis has led to the NCAA tournament.

    Twitter: @GoCCUsports

    East region

    REESE STRICKLAND, USA TODAY SPORTS

    Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim andhis Cyclones will face North CarolinaCentral on Friday.

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    6/9

    6K Monday, March 17,2014 Lansing State Journal www.lsj.com

    www.msufcu.org

    !" $%&'()At MSU Federal Credit Union, supportingMichigan State University is a big deal to us.

    have been loyal to green and white since day one.

    Why Join MSUFCU?

    saving and checking accounts,

    auto loans, home loans, and much more.

    !

    Not an MSU employee? Not a problem. ContactMSUFCU today to see how we can make a

    difference in your life.

    EQUAL HOUSING

    LENDER

    !

    "#$%$$&'()%*

    Call for quote.

    In your area call:

    CAPITAL AREASERVING

    YOU FIRST

    Agency Members

    Abbot Insurance & Financial 517-337-6000 www.hackerkingsherry.com East Lansing

    Advanced Insurance Markets 517-699-0467 www.greatagency.org Holt

    Allaby & Brewbaker Agency 517-332-3766 www.abins.com East Lansing

    Allaby & Brewbaker Agency 989-224-3251 www.abins.com St. Johns

    Al Bourdeau Agency 517-351-4188 www.albourdeau.com East Lansing

    Al Bourdeau Agency 517-655-5421 www.albourdeau.com Williamston

    Bubolz Insurance Agency 517-332-8671 www.bubolz.com East Lansing

    Capital Insurance Services Corp. 517-482-7900 www.capitalinsurance.com Lansing

    David Chapman Agency 517-321-4600 www.davidchapmanagency.com Lansing

    Doty Agency 517-627-3245 www.dotyinsurance.com Grand Ledge

    Fiedler Insurance Agency 517-676-2449 www.fiedlerinsurance.com Mason

    Financial Services Center, Inc 517-351-2400 www.fscins.net East Lansing

    Hacker-King-Sherry Agency Inc 517-337-6000 www.hackerkingsherry.com East Lansing

    Harry O. Culp Agency 517-627-8441 www.culpagency.com Grand Ledge

    Holt & Dimondale Agency, Inc 517-694-0149 www.holtdimondaleagency.com Holt

    Lane Jessop Agency, Inc 517-394-4800 [email protected] Lansing

    Lebuda Totte Bray Agency 517-336-8000 East Lansing

    Lyman & Sheets Agency 800-648-0856 www.lymansheets.com Lansing

    Marc Nichols Insurance Agency 517-887-1030 www.marcnicholsinsurance.com Lansing

    Mason Insurance Agency 517-676-5534 www.masoninsurance.com Mason

    Meiers and Lombardini Insurance 517-351-9117 www.mllins.com East Lansing

    Payne Insurance Agency 517-321-6624 www.payneinsurance.com Lansing

    Pohl Insurance Agency 517-323-4805 www.pohlinsurance.com Lansing

    PSI Insurance Agency 517-377-0250 www.psiinsurance.net Lansing

    Rathbun Agency Inc 517-482-1316 www.rathbunagency.com Lansing

    Rouse Insurance Agency, LLC 517-589-5313 www.rouseinsurance.net Leslie

    Russell and Schrader Agency 517-543-1740 www.russellschrader.com Charlotte

    Simmon Insurance Agency 517-323-2900 www.simmoninsurance.com Lansing

    Voss Insurance Services 517-347-6100 www.vossins.com Okemos

    Associate MembersInsurance Companies & Brokers

    Accident Fund Insurance Company of America 866-206-5851 www.accidentfund.com Lansing

    Agency Insurance & Financial Services (AIFS Corp) 616-988-4470 www.aifscorp.com Grand Rapids

    Arlington/Roe & Co. 800-878-9891 www.arlingtonroe.com Grand Rapids

    Citizens Insurance Co./Hanover Insurance 877-255-6374 www.hanover.com Howell

    Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Co. 989-652-6121 www.fmins.com Frankenmuth

    Fremont Insurance Co. 1-888-968-3664 www.fmic.com Fremont

    Hastings Mutual Insurance Co. 1-800-442-8277 www.hastingsmutual.com Hastings

    JM Wilson Brokerage 800-666-5692 www.jmwilson.com Portage

    Michigan Insurance Company 888-606-6426 www.michiganinsurance.com Grand Rapids

    Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance 1-800-888-1914 www.mimillers.com Lansing

    Secura Insurance Co. 517-349-0700 www.secura.net Okemos

    Special Risks/Insta Prem 586-795-8200 www.specialrisks.com Sterling Heights

    Fire & Water Damage Restoration

    Air Quality Consultants, Inc. 517-490-1304 [email protected] Haslett

    Ameri Pro Restoration Co. 517-374-3566 ameri-pro.com Lansing

    J&L Restoration & Cleaning 517-322-3000 www.jlrestoration.com Lansing

    McCardel Restoration 517-339-3473 www.mccardelrestoration.com East Lansing

    Patriot USA Professional Property Restoration 877-791-7477 www.patriotus.com Michigan Center

    Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling 1-800-676-9118 www.pdrmichigan.com Mason

    Servicemaster Absolute 517-676-1626 www.servicemasterabsolute.com Mason

    ServPro of Lansing 517-699-4451 www.servprolansing.com Holt

    Sunrise Cleaning & Construction 517-351-4200 www.sunrisecleaning.biz Lansing

    Auto Body Repair & Auto Glass

    Belle Tire Auto Glass 1-800-639-4527 www.belletireglass.com Lansing

    Benedict Auto Body 517-676-4970 www.benedictautobody.com Mason

    Century Glass Co. 517-393-6030 centuryglassmichigan-com.web Lansing

    Davis Collision Center 517-339-1967 7150 W. Saginaw East Lansing

    Enterprise Car Rental 800-736-8222 www.enterprise.com

    Harmon Glass/Glass Doctor 517-394-1745 glassdoctormichigan.com Lansing

    Henderson Glass Co. 517-349-6027 www.hendersonglass.com Okemos

    Mason Auto Body Repair 517-676-9011 www.masonautobody.com Mason

    Mid-Michigan Glassworks 517-655-1509 [email protected] Williamston

    Pollack Glass Co. 517-482-1663 www.pollackglass.com Lansing

    Safelite Auto Glass Co. 517-887-2670 www.safelite.com Lansing

    Vision Collision 517-374-7033 www.visioncollisionllc.com Lansing

    Other

    Madeira Networks 877-562-3347 www.madeiranetworks.com Lansing

    The More Than One Company Agents

    Clip & Save Directory Clip & Save Directory

    LJ-0100268857

    EAST LANSING Piecing to-gether the NCAA womens tour-nament bracket is a difficulttask with pre-determined hostsites providing a major variablein the process.

    Good or bad proceduralbumps can occur in seeds beingaltered as many as two spots forthe womens tournament, andMichigan State could be im-pacted by that when the field of64 is announced today.

    ESPN bracketology guruCharlie Creme believes theSpartans could be anywherefrom a No. 5 to a No. 7 seed

    when the pairings are revealedat 7 tonight on ESPN. As of Sun-day, Creme projected MSU tobe a No. 5 seed playing in Mary-land for the third straight sea-son.

    I see them kind of in that 5-6range, said Creme, who is inhis 11th season projecting thefield for ESPN. Theres a possi-bility with where theyre at thatthey could slide down a little bitmore. If they were a 7, ultimate-ly it wouldnt shock me, but Ireally do kind of see them as a 6.

    The 5 was a proceduraljump in order to get some teamsin a better geographical spot

    and to kind of bal-ance the bracketin terms of someconference affili-

    ations.Creme says

    MSUs body ofwork, which in-cluded an 8-5mark in the non-

    conference season before get-ting hot during its run to a shareof the regular-season Big Ten ti-tle, will certainly be reflected inthe seeding. The Spartans post-ed wins over nationally rankedPurdue, Nebraska and Daytonat home this season and alsoown a solid road win over Iowa.

    Its a decent body work,Creme said of the 22-9 Spar-tans. I think some of the stuff

    they did in the Big Ten and themiddle of the season wherethey went on a bit of a winningstreak where at one point they

    were probably the hottest teamin the league that definitelyholds some water.

    Its a body of work descrip-tive of a team thats kind ofwhere theyre at. Being a 5 or 6seed is decent, but its not idealin terms of matchups usually.And I think thats reflective onsort of the season they had.

    Odds are the Spartans, whowill be making their sixthstraight NCAA tournament ap-pearance, will end up playingthe opening rounds of the tour-nament at one of the destina-tions where a host school is alsopresent. Thats been the case

    the past two seasons with MSUbeing shipped to College Park,Md., with the host Terrapins.

    Other possibilities Cremehas recently listed for the Spar-tans include going to Lexington,Ky., where Kentucky is the hostand in Durham, N.C., with for-mer MSU coach Joanne P.McCallie and Duke being thehome school.

    The only chances MSU hasof ending up at a destinationwithout a host school would beif it was sent to Los Angeles, Se-attle or nearby Toledo, Ohio.

    MSU WOMENS BASKETBALL

    Spartans projected to get NCAA seed in 5-7 rangeMSU will find out itstourney fate tonight

    with selection showBy Brian [email protected] Suzy

    Merchant

    NCAA TOURNAMENTSELECTION SHOW

    When: 7 tonight

    TV: ESPN

    INDIANAPOLIS Asthe nation was analyzingMichigans NCAA tour-nament fate, wonderingif U-M would be a No.1seed, the Wolverineshardly noticed.

    They sat in BankersLife Fieldhouse watch-ing the selection showand that was one of thefirst times their seedingwas in front of them.

    They knew there wasa discussion for the finalNo. 1seed in the East butwhen it didnt come andwent to Virginia, lessthan an hour after losingto Michigan State, 69-55,in the Big Ten tourna-ment championshipgame, they had no prob-lem with their MidwestNo. 2 seed and the pathfrom Milwaukee the firstweekend and Indianapo-lis for the regionals.

    That (No. 1 seed)wasnt really mentionedat all, U-M guard Nik

    Stauskas said. We want-ed to win this tournamentand we understood if we

    won thistourna-ment wecould pos-sibly be a 1seed, butwe werenttoo con-cerned

    about that.U-M coach John Bei-

    lein took that a bit fur-ther, having lived the oth-er side of the seedinggame he is the activeleading coach in outper-forming his seed so heknows that having a No. 1vs. No. 2 seed is more foroutside expectations.Thats one of the mainreasons he barely consid-ered it this week.

    There is so much dis-cussion on that, that iswasted effort, Beileinsaid. What is the bigdeal? ... Theyre all thesame. Take the top 12teams. the top 16teams, the top four(lines), theres not hugedifferences.

    The difference for the

    Wolverines may be theirunderstated reaction tothe No. 2 seed.

    Its the programshighest NCAA seed sincebeing a No. 1 in 1993 andjust the second time as aNo. 2, following 1986when the Wolverines lostin the second game toIowa State and formercoach Johnny Orr. U-Mwas a No.4 seed last sea-son.

    The excitement, butnot exuberance as it wasannounced on CBS, was asign of how far the pro-gram has come since2011, when drawing a No.8 seed caused players to

    explode out of recliners.Mark Snyder is a reporterfor the Detroit Free Press.

    COLLEGE BASKETBALL

    Wolverines live with 2 seed

    THURSDAYSGAME

    No. 15 Wofford (20-12) vs.No. 2 Michigan (25-8) When: 7:10 p.m. Where:Bradley Center(Milwaukee) TV: CBS

    John Beilein

    By Mark SnyderGannett Michigan

    ATLANTA Top-rankedFlorida reveled in a con-fetti celebration, cutdown the nets again, andlet out a big sigh of relief.

    Kentucky came oh-so-close to sending the Ga-tors to the NCAA tourna-ment with their first losssince early December.

    By the narrowest ofmargins, Florida capped aperfect run through theSoutheastern Conference

    when Kentucky failed toget off a shot on the finalpossession. That allowedthe Gators to escape witha 61-60 victory in theleague championshipgame Sunday.

    I honestly dont thinkthis was our best in termsof handling a close game,senior center PatricYoung said.

    Florida (32-2) built a 16-point lead early in the sec-ond half, but Kentuckynearly pulled off the im-probable comeback. Af-ter Florida missed twofree throws, the Wildcats(24-10) had a shot at the

    game-winner. JamesYoung slipped trying todrive into the lane, the ball

    squirted loose, and thehorn sounded while Flori-das Scottie Wilbekin andKentuckys Andrew Har-rison lunged for it.

    A giddy Wilbekinpopped off the court andsprinted toward the Ga-tors bench in jubilation.Harrison rolled over withthe ball, putting his handsover his face in anguish.

    I took too much of awide step and I justslipped, Young said. Itjust slipped away from

    us. No. 6 VIRGINIA 72,

    No. 7 DUKE 63: MalcolmBrogdon scored 23 pointsand Virginia claimed itsfirst Atlantic Coast Con-ference tournament titlesince 1976.

    Tournament MVP JoeHarris added 15 pointsand hit the backbreaking3-pointer with just under2 minutes remaining forthe top-seeded Cavaliers(28-6).

    They shot 45 percent,pestered the Blue Devilsinto 38 percent shootingand used a late 12-3 run topull away and claim the

    second ACC tournamenttitle in school history.

    Jabari Parker scored

    23 points on 9-of-24 shoot-ing for the third-seededBlue Devils (26-8), whowere making their 31st ap-pearance in the champi-onship game but were de-nied their ACC-record20th title.

    Anthony Gill added 12points.

    SAINT JOSEPHS 65,No. 23 VCU 61: LangstonGalloway scored 19 pointsand hit yet another huge 3-pointer, and Saint Jo-sephs won its first Atlan-

    tic 10 tournament titlesince 1997.

    The fourth-seededHawks (24-9) arrived inBrooklyn on the NCAAbubble. They all butclinched an at-large berthwith a win over fellowbubble team Dayton inFridays quarterfinals onGalloways go-ahead 3,then made that moot bycapturing the confer-ences automatic bid.

    Halil Kanacevic ofSaint Josephs won tour-nament MVP honors afteranother all-around perfor-mance. He had 11 points,14 rebounds, four assists

    and two blocks.Rob Brandenberg led

    VCU with 18 points.

    COLLEGE TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP

    Florida center Patric Young (4) celebrates with Florida forward Will Yeguete (15) as thehorn sounds to the the SEC title game against Kentucky on Sunday in Atlanta. AP

    Florida slips past

    Kentucky in SECAssociated Press

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    7/9

    www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Monday, March 17,2014 7K

    NCAA TOURNAMENT

    1. ArizonaNickname:Wildcats.Location: Tucson.Record: 30-4, (15-3). Bid: Pac-12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Ohio State in

    regional semifinal.Coach: Sean Miller, 11-6 in six appearances.Overview: The Wildcats ran away with the

    Pac-12 regular-season title, finishing three gamesahead of second-place UCLA. Losing Brandon

    Ashley, the teams third-leading scorer, to a season-ending foot injury was a midseason blow to Arizo-nas depth. But Pac-12 Player of the Year NickJohnson and Freshman of the Year Aaron Gordonkept the team rolling down the stretch.

    Twitter: @APlayersProgram

    2. WisconsinNickname: Badgers. Location: Madison.Record: 26-7, 12-6. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Mississippi in

    second round.Coach: Bo Ryan, 16-12 in 12 appearancesOverview: The Badgers had an extremely

    streaky season, starting 16-0, losing five of six andthen winning eight in a row before losing the reg-ular-season finale. An experienced team, Wisconsinmade it to the Big Ten semifinals and enters thetournament with confidence from a strong finish.

    Twitter: @BadgerMBB

    3. CreightonNickname: Blue Jays. Location: Omaha.Record: 26-7, 14-4. Bid: Big East at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Duke in the

    third round.Coach: Greg McDermott, 2-5 in five

    appearances.Overview: The Blue Jays made the transition to

    the Big East look seamless, finishing second in theleague and making the conference tournamentfinal. They have two key ingredients to make aNCAA run: experience and great shooting. All fivestarters make at least 40% of their three-pointers.

    Twitter: @gocreighton

    4. San Diego StateNickname:Aztecs. Location: San DiegoRecord: 29-4, 16-2. Bid: Mountain West

    at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Florida Gulf

    Coast in the third round.Coach: Steve Fisher, 23-12 in 13 appearances.Overview:Any team that faces the Aztecs must

    figure out a way to score on defense that ranks nearthe top in every major category. The domination inthat area carried them to one of the best records inthe country, despite an offense led by Mountain

    West player of the year Xavier Thames that

    doesnt shoot well from the field or free-throw line.Twitter: @GoAztecs

    5. OklahomaNickname: Sooners. Location: Norman.Record: 23-9, 12-6. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to San Diego State

    in second round.Coach: Lon Kruger, 14-14 in 14 appearances.Overview: The Sooners have consistency to

    their advantage: All five starters have started everygame, and Tyler Neal is the Big 12 co-sixth-man-of-the-year, providing an offensive boost. That offenseis second in the league (82.2) but the defense is last(75.9). The Sooners are dangerous from the foul lineat a league-best 75%, tied for 17th nationally.

    Twitter: @ou_athletics

    6. BaylorNickname: Bears. Location:Waco, Texas.Record: 24-11, 9-9. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Kentucky in

    regional final.Coach: Scott Drew, 6-3 in three appearancesOverview: Despite losing to Iowa State in the

    conference tournament final, the Bears have beenon an impressive late-season run, winning nine oftheir last 11. Senior guard Brady Heslip is the best3-point shooter in the conference and 18th in thecountry with 3.09 a game and fifth in percentage at46.4.

    Twitter: @BaylorAthletics

    7. OregonNickname: Ducks. Location: Eugene.Record: 23-9, (10-8). Bid:At-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    regional semifinal.Coach: Dana Altman, 4-9 in 9 appearances.Overview: The Ducks wont be flying under the

    radar this March after making a Sweet 16 run in2013. Oregon won eight games in a row beforefalling to UCLA in the conference tournamentquarterfinals. Sharpshooter Joseph Young paced an

    offense that ranked No. 12 in the country with 81.8points per game.Twitter: @OregonMBB

    8. GonzagaNickname: Bulldogs. Location: Spokane,

    Wash.Record: 28-6, 15-3. Bid:West Coast champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Wichita State in

    round of 32.Coach: Mark Few, 15-14 in 14 appearances.Overview: The Zags are in their 16th consec-

    utive NCAA tournament, but a deep run would be asurprise for this group that lacks a complete postpresence. When the treys arent falling, Sam Dowerhas to do a lot.

    Twitter: @ZagMBB

    9. Oklahoma StateNickname: Cowboys. Location: Stillwater.Record: 21-12, 8-10. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Oregon in

    second round.Coach: Travis Ford, 1-4 in four appearancesOverview: The Cowboys are picking up steam

    again after an up-and-down season. The teamstarted 16-3 before losing seven in a row, including aloss at Texas Tech where star guard Marcus Smartshoved a fan and was suspended for three games.

    Twitter: @OSUAthletics

    10. Brigham YoungNickname: Cougars. Location: Provo, Utah.Record: 23-11, 13-5. Bid:West Coast at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Marquette in

    round of 64.Coach: Dave Rose, 4-6 in six appearances.Overview: The Cougars advancement hopes

    took a huge hit with the loss of G Kyle Collinsworth(14.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.6 apg) to a knee injury in the

    WCC tourney final. Creating open looks for TylerHaws could be a challenge.

    Twitter: @byubasketball

    11. NebraskaNickname: Cornhuskers.Location: Lincoln.Record: 19-12, 11-7. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 1998, lost to Arkansas in first

    round.Coach: Tim Miles, 0-1 in one appearanceOverview:After starting 0-4 in Big Ten play, the

    surprising Cornhuskers turned things around in amajor way, notching signature wins against OhioState, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

    Twitter: @HuskerHoops.

    12. North Dakota StateNickname: Bison. Location: Fargo.Record: 25-6, 12-2. Bid: Summit League champ.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Kansas in first

    round.Coach: Saul Phillips, 0-1 in one appearanceOverview: Summit League POY Taylor Braun

    stuffed the box scores for Coach Phillips squad,leading the conference in scoring. The Bison willrely on Braun and senior forward Marshall Bjor-klund to fuel an offense shot 50.9% from the field tolead the nation.

    Twitter: @NDSUmbb

    13. New Mexico StateNickname:Aggies. Location: Las Cruces.Record: 26-9, 12-4. Bid:WAC champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Saint Louis in

    second round.Coach: Marvin Menzies, 0-3 in three

    appearances.Overview: Most of these guys have NCAA

    experience, and Sim Bhullar can alter the wayopponents attack the rim. Daniel Mullings playedwell at the point in the WAC tournament in place ofsuspended K.C. Ross-Miller, whose reinstatementhas yet to be determined by the school.

    Twitter: @NMStateAggies

    14. La.-LafayetteNickname: Ragin Cajuns. Location: Lafayette,

    La.Record: 23-11, 11-7. Bid: Sun Belt champ.Last appearance: 2005, lost to Louisville in

    first round.Coach: Bob Marlin, 0-2 in two appearances.Overview:With two improbable upsets in the

    SBC tourney, the Ragin Cajuns claimed their firstNCAA automatic berth in Marlins fourth season inLafayette. Payton and Long are the big scorers, butthe confidence shown by role players in the postsea-son could make them dangerous.

    Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns

    15. AmericanNickname: Eagles. Location:Washington, D.C.Record: 20-12, 13-5. Bid: Patriot League champ.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Villanova in first

    round.Coach: Mike Brennan, first appearance.Overview: Brennan took over a team picked in

    the preseason to finish next-to-last in the Patriotand guided it to the title, tying the school mark forwins by a first-year coach. American enters thetournament shooting 49.5% from the field. AU leansheavily on its starters with four averaging at least 32minutes.

    Twitter: @AU_MBasketball

    16. Weber StateNickname:Wildcats.Location: Ogden, Utah.Record: 19-11, 14-6. Bid: Big Sky champ.Last appearance: 2007, lost to UCLA in first

    round.Coach: Randy Rahe, 0-1 in 1 appearanceOverview: Rahe has won four conference titles

    in his eight seasons as head coach of the Wildcats.He uses a seven-man rotation, each player receivingmore than 15 minutes of playing time. Weber Statehas three double-digit scorers in its starting lineup.Davion Berry was named Big Sky MPV.

    Twitter: @WeberStateMBB

    A LOOK AT THE DIVISION I MEN'S TEAMSWest region

    RON CHENOY, USA TODAY SPORTS

    San Diego State guard Xavier Thamesand the Aztecs face New Mexico Stateon Thursday.

    1. Wichita StateNickname: Shockers. Location:Wichita.Record: 34-0, 18-0. Bid: Missouri Valley champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    Final Four.Coach: Gregg Marshall, 5-9 in nine appearances.Overview: The Shockers are the first team to

    enter the NCAA tournament unbeaten in 23 years.Wichita State's weak strength of schedule (97thnationally) and its mid-major tag have led to skepti-cism, the Shockers are efficient in a lot of areas. Itstarts on the defensive end where the players'chip-on-their-shoulder toughness comes out best.

    Twitter: @GoShockers.

    2. MichiganNickname:Wolverines.Location:Ann Arbor.Record: 25-8, 15-3. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    national title game.Coach: John Beilein, 13-8 in eight appearances.Overview: The Wolverines won the Big Ten

    regular-season crown, overcoming the injury to starsophomore Mitch McGary, who played in eightgames. A deep and experienced team, Michigan wonseven in a row before fall ing in the Big Ten titlegame.

    Twitter: @UMichBball

    3. DukeNickname: Blue Devils. Location: Durham,

    N.C.Record: 26-8, 13-5. Bid: ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    Elite Eight.

    Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, 82-25 in 29appearances.

    Overview: Jabari Parker lived up to his billingas one of the nation's top freshmen. He and RodneyHood are part of an athletic frontcourt that lackssize and depth to match up with more physicalopponents. Foul trouble caused them problemsduring the season. The Blue Devils explosive offenseavoids turnovers and relies on three-point shot.They ranked among the nation's leaders in bothcategories.

    Twitter: @ Duke_MBB.

    4. LouisvilleNickname: Cardinals. Location: Louisville.Record: 29-5, 15-3. Bid: American champ.Last appearance: 2013, national champion.Coach: Rick Pitino, 48-16 in 18 appearances.Overview: Russ Smith has made his game less,

    well, Russ-diculous this year and cut down on histurnovers. The defending champs miss the steady-ing influence of Peyton Siva in the back court, but

    the rapid development of Chris Jones has h elped.Twitter: @GoCards.

    5. Saint LouisNickname: Billikens. Location: St. Louis.Record: 26-6, 13-3. Bid: Atlantic 10 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Oregon in third

    round.Coach: Jim Crews, 2-5 in five appearances.Overview: The Billikens start five seniors,

    almost unheard of in this one-and-done era. Theyclaimed their second consecutive regular-seasontitle but were shocked by St. Bonaventure in thequarterfinals of the A-10 tournament. After starting24-2, including 19 consecutive wins, SLU hasdropped four of its last five.

    Twitter: @SaintLouisMBB

    6. MassachusettsNickname: Minutemen.Location:Amherst.Record: 24-8, 10-6 Bid: Atlantic 10 at-large.

    Last appearance: 1998, lost to Saint Louis infirst round.Coach: Derek Kellogg, first appearance.Overview: UMass rocketed offto a 16-1 start in

    Kellogg's sixth season, helping propel the Min-utemen back to the tournament after a 16-yearabsence. UMass relies on energy but doesn't have adeep bench.

    Twitter: @CoachKellogg

    7. TexasNickname: Longhorns.Location:Austin.Record: 23-10, 11-7. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Cincinnati in

    second round.Coach: Rick Barnes, 18-14 in 14 appearancesOverview: The Longhorns are back after a

    missing last year's tournament for the first timesince 1998. If Texas makes a run, it will be on de-fense and rebounding. Opponents shoot only 39.8%,putting Texas at the top of the Big 12; UT also leadswith 41.8 rebounds a game. That includes 14.8offensive boards, fifth in the country.

    Twitter: @texassports

    8. KentuckyNickname:Wildcats.Location: Lexington.Record: 24-10, 12-6. Bid: SEC at-large.Last appearance: 2012, national champion.Coach: John Calipari, 38-13 in 14 appearances.Overview:With Calipari at the helm since the

    2008-09 season, the Wildcats have gotten to at leastthe Elite Eight three times. His young team lostthree of four heading into the SEC tournament.

    Twitter: @KentuckyMBB

    9. Kansas StateNickname:Wildcats.Location: Manhattan.Record: 20-12, 10-8. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to La Salle in

    second round.Coach: Bruce Weber, 11-9 in nine appearancesOverview: The Wildcats have been looking

    worse for the wear late in the season, losing theirlast three games, but Marcus Foster's big-gamepotential could single-handedly sink a mightierteam. They also can rely on their defense, tops inthe Big 12 in points per game at 65.7 but they onlyscore 69.7. They also shoot poorly, eighth in theleague at 43.6%.

    Twitter: @kstatesports

    10. Arizona StateNickname: Sun Devils. Location: Tempe.Record: 21-11, (10-8). Bid: Pac-12 at-large.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Syracuse in

    second round.Coach: Herb Sendek, 7-7 in seven appearances.Overview: The Sun Devils enter the tourna-

    ment having lost their final three games and five oftheir last seven. Arizona State boasts one of the

    country's best diminutive players in 5-10 JahiiCarson, last season's Pac-12 co-Freshman of theYear. And Jordan Bachynski, who led the country inblocks per game, provides the Sun Devils a menac-ing defensive presence at the rim.

    Twitter: @SunDevilHoops

    11. IowaNickname: Hawkeyes. Location: Iowa City.Record: 20-12, 9-9. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2006, lost to Northwestern

    State in first round.Coach: Fran McCaffery, 2-5 in five appearances.Overview: Ranked as high as No. 10 in the USA

    TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at one point, theHawkeyes were in the running for the Big Ten titlebut collapsed down the stretch. They lost six of theirlast seven, including to No. 11 seed Northwestern inthe conference tournament. McCaffery is coachinghis fourth different team in the NCAAs.

    Twitter: @IowaHoops

    11. TennesseeNickname:Volunteers.Location: Knoxville.Record: 21-12, 11-7. Bid: SEC at-large.Last appearance: 2011, lost to Michigan in the

    first round.Coach: Cuonzo Martin, first appearance.Overview: Since former coach Bruce Pearl was

    let go in 2011, the Vols failed to reach the NCAAsuntil now. They won five of their last six, the loss toNo. 1 Florida in the SEC semifinals. They rely onstrong defense, as exemplified by holding SouthCarolina scoreless for the first s ix minutes of theirSEC quarterfinal.

    Twitter: @Vol_Hoops

    12. North Carolina StateNickname:Wolfpack. Location: Raleigh.Record: 21-13, 9-9. Bid: ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Temple in the

    second round.Coach: Mark Gottfried, 7-9 in nine appearances.Overview: Late wins at Pittsburgh and against

    Syracuse in the ACC tournament helped the Wolf-pack join the field after an up-and-down season.

    ACC player of the year T.J. Warren is an explosivescorer on a team that doesn't shoot the ball fromoutside or rebound well. Warren will need scoringhelp from G Ralston Turner and reserve AnthonyBarber, who is one piece of a deep bench.

    Twitter: @PackMensBball.

    12. XavierNickname: Musketeers. Location: Cincinnati.Record: 21-12, 10-8. Bid: Big East at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Baylor in the

    Sweet 16.Coach: Chris Mack, 6-4 in four appearances.Overview: Xavier returns to the tournament for

    the 11th time in 13 seasons despite losing eight oftheir last 14. The backcourt of Semaj Christon andDee Davis leads the offense. Matt Stainbrook pro-

    vides size in the frontcourt, but he came offthebench in the Big East tournament because of a kneeinjury.

    Twitter: @XUAthletics

    13. ManhattanNickname: Jaspers. Location: Riverdale, N.Y.Record: 25-7, 15-5. Bid: Metro Atlantic champ.Last appearance: 2004, lost to Wake Forest in

    second round.Coach: Steve Masiello, first appearance.Overview: Masiello is a Rick Pitino disciple, so

    expect a player rotation that goes nine or 10 deepand plenty of pressure defense. Backstoppingeverything for the Jaspers is Rhamel Brown, who at

    just 6-7 is one of the nation's top shot blockers.

    Twitter: @GoJaspers

    14. MercerNickname: Bears. Location:Macon, Ga.Record: 26-8, 14-4. Bid: Atlantic Sun champion.Last appearance: 1985, lost to Georgia Tech in

    the first round.Coach: Bob Hoffman, first appearance.Overview: The Bears beat No. 1 seed FGCU,

    who returned four starters from last year's Sweet 16team, in the title game. The experienced Bears haveseven seniors and have won 77 games during thelast three seasons.

    Twitter: @MercerMBB

    15. WoffordNickname: Terriers. Location: Spartanburg,

    S.C.Record: 20-12, 11-5. Bid: Southern champ.Last appearance: 2011, lost to Brigham Young

    in the second round.

    Coach: Mike Young, 0-2 in two appearances.Overview: If the Terriers are to win theirfirst-ever NCAA tournament game, they mustcontrol tempo and slow the game down to play totheir strength. Wofford plays solid defense and isefficient with the three-point shot. With no regulartaller than 6-7, it lacks size to handle bigger teams.

    Twitter: @WoffordMBB

    16. Cal PolyNickname: Mustangs. Location: San Luis

    Obispo.Record: 13-19, 6-10. Bid: Big West champ.Last appearance: None.Coach: Joe Callero, first appearance.Overview: The Mustangs had lost nine of their

    previous 11 games before a three-game run to theBig West title. Every previous Cal Poly team in fiveseasons under Callero had matched or improved itswin total from the previous year, but none of thosemade the NCAA tournament. The Mustangs, a No. 7seed in the Big West, are the lowest seed from aconference to make the field of 68.

    Twitter: @CPMUSTANGS

    16. Texas SouthernNickname: Tigers. Location: Houston.Record: 19-14, 12-6. Bid: Southwestern Athletic

    champ.Last appearance: 2003, lost to UNC-Asheville

    in opening round.Coach: Mike Davis, 7-5 in 5 appearances.Overview: The Tigers have won nine in a row.

    Davis, who took Indiana to the 2002 Final Four, cancall on a wealth of experience. The top eight playersin the rotation are juniors or seniors, led by AaricMurray (the SWAC player of the year and defensiveplayer of the year).

    Twitter: @TXSOTigers

    Midwest region

  • 8/12/2019 Special Section: March Madness

    8/9

    www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Monday, March 17,2014 7K

    NCAA TOURNAMENT

    1. ArizonaNickname:Wildcats.Location: Tucson.Record: 30-4, (15-3). Bid: Pac-12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Ohio State in

    regional semifinal.Coach: Sean Miller, 11-6 in six appearances.Overview: The Wildcats ran away with the

    Pac-12 regular-season title, finishing three gamesahead of second-place UCLA. Losing Brandon

    Ashley, the teams third-leading scorer, to a season-ending foot injury was a midseason blow to Arizo-nas depth. But Pac-12 Player of the Year NickJohnson and Freshman of the Year Aaron Gordonkept the team rolling down the stretch.

    Twitter: @APlayersProgram

    2. WisconsinNickname: Badgers. Location: Madison.Record: 26-7, 12-6. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Mississippi in

    second round.Coach: Bo Ryan, 16-12 in 12 appearancesOverview: The Badgers had an extremely

    streaky season, starting 16-0, losing five of six andthen winning eight in a row before losing the reg-ular-season finale. An experienced team, Wisconsinmade it to the Big Ten semifinals and enters thetournament with confidence from a strong finish.

    Twitter: @BadgerMBB

    3. CreightonNickname: Blue Jays. Location: Omaha.Record: 26-7, 14-4. Bid: Big East at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Duke in the

    third round.Coach: Greg McDermott, 2-5 in five

    appearances.Overview: The Blue Jays made the transition to

    the Big East look seamless, finishing second in theleague and making the conference tournamentfinal. They have two key ingredients to make aNCAA run: experience and great shooting. All fivestarters make at least 40% of their three-pointers.

    Twitter: @gocreighton

    4. San Diego StateNickname:Aztecs. Location: San DiegoRecord: 29-4, 16-2. Bid: Mountain West

    at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Florida Gulf

    Coast in the third round.Coach: Steve Fisher, 23-12 in 13 appearances.Overview:Any team that faces the Aztecs must

    figure out a way to score on defense that ranks nearthe top in every major category. The domination inthat area carried them to one of the best records inthe country, despite an offense led by Mountain

    West player of the year Xavier Thames that

    doesnt shoot well from the field or free-throw line.Twitter: @GoAztecs

    5. OklahomaNickname: Sooners. Location: Norman.Record: 23-9, 12-6. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to San Diego State

    in second round.Coach: Lon Kruger, 14-14 in 14 appearances.Overview: The Sooners have consistency to

    their advantage: All five starters have started everygame, and Tyler Neal is the Big 12 co-sixth-man-of-the-year, providing an offensive boost. That offenseis second in the league (82.2) but the defense is last(75.9). The Sooners are dangerous from the foul lineat a league-best 75%, tied for 17th nationally.

    Twitter: @ou_athletics

    6. BaylorNickname: Bears. Location:Waco, Texas.Record: 24-11, 9-9. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Kentucky in

    regional final.Coach: Scott Drew, 6-3 in three appearancesOverview: Despite losing to Iowa State in the

    conference tournament final, the Bears have beenon an impressive late-season run, winning nine oftheir last 11. Senior guard Brady Heslip is the best3-point shooter in the conference and 18th in thecountry with 3.09 a game and fifth in percentage at46.4.

    Twitter: @BaylorAthletics

    7. OregonNickname: Ducks. Location: Eugene.Record: 23-9, (10-8). Bid:At-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    regional semifinal.Coach: Dana Altman, 4-9 in 9 appearances.Overview: The Ducks wont be flying under the

    radar this March after making a Sweet 16 run in2013. Oregon won eight games in a row beforefalling to UCLA in the conference tournamentquarterfinals. Sharpshooter Joseph Young paced an

    offense that ranked No. 12 in the country with 81.8points per game.Twitter: @OregonMBB

    8. GonzagaNickname: Bulldogs. Location: Spokane,

    Wash.Record: 28-6, 15-3. Bid:West Coast champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Wichita State in

    round of 32.Coach: Mark Few, 15-14 in 14 appearances.Overview: The Zags are in their 16th consec-

    utive NCAA tournament, but a deep run would be asurprise for this group that lacks a complete postpresence. When the treys arent falling, Sam Dowerhas to do a lot.

    Twitter: @ZagMBB

    9. Oklahoma StateNickname: Cowboys. Location: Stillwater.Record: 21-12, 8-10. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Oregon in

    second round.Coach: Travis Ford, 1-4 in four appearancesOverview: The Cowboys are picking up steam

    again after an up-and-down season. The teamstarted 16-3 before losing seven in a row, including aloss at Texas Tech where star guard Marcus Smartshoved a fan and was suspended for three games.

    Twitter: @OSUAthletics

    10. Brigham YoungNickname: Cougars. Location: Provo, Utah.Record: 23-11, 13-5. Bid:West Coast at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Marquette in

    round of 64.Coach: Dave Rose, 4-6 in six appearances.Overview: The Cougars advancement hopes

    took a huge hit with the loss of G Kyle Collinsworth(14.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.6 apg) to a knee injury in the

    WCC tourney final. Creating open looks for TylerHaws could be a challenge.

    Twitter: @byubasketball

    11. NebraskaNickname: Cornhuskers.Location: Lincoln.Record: 19-12, 11-7. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 1998, lost to Arkansas in first

    round.Coach: Tim Miles, 0-1 in one appearanceOverview:After starting 0-4 in Big Ten play, the

    surprising Cornhuskers turned things around in amajor way, notching signature wins against OhioState, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

    Twitter: @HuskerHoops.

    12. North Dakota StateNickname: Bison. Location: Fargo.Record: 25-6, 12-2. Bid: Summit League champ.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Kansas in first

    round.Coach: Saul Phillips, 0-1 in one appearanceOverview: Summit League POY Taylor Braun

    stuffed the box scores for Coach Phillips squad,leading the conference in scoring. The Bison willrely on Braun and senior forward Marshall Bjor-klund to fuel an offense shot 50.9% from the field tolead the nation.

    Twitter: @NDSUmbb

    13. New Mexico StateNickname:Aggies. Location: Las Cruces.Record: 26-9, 12-4. Bid:WAC champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Saint Louis in

    second round.Coach: Marvin Menzies, 0-3 in three

    appearances.Overview: Most of these guys have NCAA

    experience, and Sim Bhullar can alter the wayopponents attack the rim. Daniel Mullings playedwell at the point in the WAC tournament in place ofsuspended K.C. Ross-Miller, whose reinstatementhas yet to be determined by the school.

    Twitter: @NMStateAggies

    14. La.-LafayetteNickname: Ragin Cajuns. Location: Lafayette,

    La.Record: 23-11, 11-7. Bid: Sun Belt champ.Last appearance: 2005, lost to Louisville in

    first round.Coach: Bob Marlin, 0-2 in two appearances.Overview:With two improbable upsets in the

    SBC tourney, the Ragin Cajuns claimed their firstNCAA automatic berth in Marlins fourth season inLafayette. Payton and Long are the big scorers, butthe confidence shown by role players in the postsea-son could make them dangerous.

    Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns

    15. AmericanNickname: Eagles. Location:Washington, D.C.Record: 20-12, 13-5. Bid: Patriot League champ.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Villanova in first

    round.Coach: Mike Brennan, first appearance.Overview: Brennan took over a team picked in

    the preseason to finish next-to-last in the Patriotand guided it to the title, tying the school mark forwins by a first-year coach. American enters thetournament shooting 49.5% from the field. AU leansheavily on its starters with four averaging at least 32minutes.

    Twitter: @AU_MBasketball

    16. Weber StateNickname:Wildcats.Location: Ogden, Utah.Record: 19-11, 14-6. Bid: Big Sky champ.Last appearance: 2007, lost to UCLA in first

    round.Coach: Randy Rahe, 0-1 in 1 appearanceOverview: Rahe has won four conference titles

    in his eight seasons as head coach of the Wildcats.He uses a seven-man rotation, each player receivingmore than 15 minutes of playing time. Weber Statehas three double-digit scorers in its starting lineup.Davion Berry was named Big Sky MPV.

    Twitter: @WeberStateMBB

    A LOOK AT THE DIVISION I MEN'S TEAMSWest region

    RON CHENOY, USA TODAY SPORTS

    San Diego State guard Xavier Thamesand the Aztecs face New Mexico Stateon Thursday.

    1. Wichita StateNickname: Shockers. Location:Wichita.Record: 34-0, 18-0. Bid: Missouri Valley champ.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    Final Four.Coach: Gregg Marshall, 5-9 in nine appearances.Overview: The Shockers are the first team to

    enter the NCAA tournament unbeaten in 23 years.Wichita State's weak strength of schedule (97thnationally) and its mid-major tag have led to skepti-cism, the Shockers are efficient in a lot of areas. Itstarts on the defensive end where the players'chip-on-their-shoulder toughness comes out best.

    Twitter: @GoShockers.

    2. MichiganNickname:Wolverines.Location:Ann Arbor.Record: 25-8, 15-3. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    national title game.Coach: John Beilein, 13-8 in eight appearances.Overview: The Wolverines won the Big Ten

    regular-season crown, overcoming the injury to starsophomore Mitch McGary, who played in eightgames. A deep and experienced team, Michigan wonseven in a row before fall ing in the Big Ten titlegame.

    Twitter: @UMichBball

    3. DukeNickname: Blue Devils. Location: Durham,

    N.C.Record: 26-8, 13-5. Bid: ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Louisville in

    Elite Eight.

    Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, 82-25 in 29appearances.

    Overview: Jabari Parker lived up to his billingas one of the nation's top freshmen. He and RodneyHood are part of an athletic frontcourt that lackssize and depth to match up with more physicalopponents. Foul trouble caused them problemsduring the season. The Blue Devils explosive offenseavoids turnovers and relies on three-point shot.They ranked among the nation's leaders in bothcategories.

    Twitter: @ Duke_MBB.

    4. LouisvilleNickname: Cardinals. Location: Louisville.Record: 29-5, 15-3. Bid: American champ.Last appearance: 2013, national champion.Coach: Rick Pitino, 48-16 in 18 appearances.Overview: Russ Smith has made his game less,

    well, Russ-diculous this year and cut down on histurnovers. The defending champs miss the steady-ing influence of Peyton Siva in the back court, but

    the rapid development of Chris Jones has h elped.Twitter: @GoCards.

    5. Saint LouisNickname: Billikens. Location: St. Louis.Record: 26-6, 13-3. Bid: Atlantic 10 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Oregon in third

    round.Coach: Jim Crews, 2-5 in five appearances.Overview: The Billikens start five seniors,

    almost unheard of in this one-and-done era. Theyclaimed their second consecutive regular-seasontitle but were shocked by St. Bonaventure in thequarterfinals of the A-10 tournament. After starting24-2, including 19 consecutive wins, SLU hasdropped four of its last five.

    Twitter: @SaintLouisMBB

    6. MassachusettsNickname: Minutemen.Location:Amherst.Record: 24-8, 10-6 Bid: Atlantic 10 at-large.

    Last appearance: 1998, lost to Saint Louis infirst round.Coach: Derek Kellogg, first appearance.Overview: UMass rocketed offto a 16-1 start in

    Kellogg's sixth season, helping propel the Min-utemen back to the tournament after a 16-yearabsence. UMass relies on energy but doesn't have adeep bench.

    Twitter: @CoachKellogg

    7. TexasNickname: Longhorns.Location:Austin.Record: 23-10, 11-7. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Cincinnati in

    second round.Coach: Rick Barnes, 18-14 in 14 appearancesOverview: The Longhorns are back after a

    missing last year's tournament for the first timesince 1998. If Texas makes a run, it will be on de-fense and rebounding. Opponents shoot only 39.8%,putting Texas at the top of the Big 12; UT also leadswith 41.8 rebounds a game. That includes 14.8offensive boards, fifth in the country.

    Twitter: @texassports

    8. KentuckyNickname:Wildcats.Location: Lexington.Record: 24-10, 12-6. Bid: SEC at-large.Last appearance: 2012, national champion.Coach: John Calipari, 38-13 in 14 appearances.Overview:With Calipari at the helm since the

    2008-09 season, the Wildcats have gotten to at leastthe Elite Eight three times. His young team lostthree of four heading into the SEC tournament.

    Twitter: @KentuckyMBB

    9. Kansas StateNickname:Wildcats.Location: Manhattan.Record: 20-12, 10-8. Bid: Big 12 at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to La Salle in

    second round.Coach: Bruce Weber, 11-9 in nine appearancesOverview: The Wildcats have been looking

    worse for the wear late in the season, losing theirlast three games, but Marcus Foster's big-gamepotential could single-handedly sink a mightierteam. They also can rely on their defense, tops inthe Big 12 in points per game at 65.7 but they onlyscore 69.7. They also shoot poorly, eighth in theleague at 43.6%.

    Twitter: @kstatesports

    10. Arizona StateNickname: Sun Devils. Location: Tempe.Record: 21-11, (10-8). Bid: Pac-12 at-large.Last appearance: 2009, lost to Syracuse in

    second round.Coach: Herb Sendek, 7-7 in seven appearances.Overview: The Sun Devils enter the tourna-

    ment having lost their final three games and five oftheir last seven. Arizona State boasts one of the

    country's best diminutive players in 5-10 JahiiCarson, last season's Pac-12 co-Freshman of theYear. And Jordan Bachynski, who led the country inblocks per game, provides the Sun Devils a menac-ing defensive presence at the rim.

    Twitter: @SunDevilHoops

    11. IowaNickname: Hawkeyes. Location: Iowa City.Record: 20-12, 9-9. Bid: Big Ten at-large.Last appearance: 2006, lost to Northwestern

    State in first round.Coach: Fran McCaffery, 2-5 in five appearances.Overview: Ranked as high as No. 10 in the USA

    TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at one point, theHawkeyes were in the running for the Big Ten titlebut collapsed down the stretch. They lost six of theirlast seven, including to No. 11 seed Northwestern inthe conference tournament. McCaffery is coachinghis fourth different team in the NCAAs.

    Twitter: @IowaHoops

    11. TennesseeNickname:Volunteers.Location: Knoxville.Record: 21-12, 11-7. Bid: SEC at-large.Last appearance: 2011, lost to Michigan in the

    first round.Coach: Cuonzo Martin, first appearance.Overview: Since former coach Bruce Pearl was

    let go in 2011, the Vols failed to reach the NCAAsuntil now. They won five of their last six, the loss toNo. 1 Florida in the SEC semifinals. They rely onstrong defense, as exemplified by holding SouthCarolina scoreless for the first s ix minutes of theirSEC quarterfinal.

    Twitter: @Vol_Hoops

    12. North Carolina StateNickname:Wolfpack. Location: Raleigh.Record: 21-13, 9-9. Bid: ACC at-large.Last appearance: 2013, lost to Temple in the

    second round.Coach: Mark Gottfried, 7-9 in nine appearances.Overview: Late wins at Pittsburgh and against

    Syracuse in the ACC tournament helped the Wolf-pack join the field after an up-and-down season.

    ACC player of the year T.J. Warren is an explosivescorer on a team that doesn't shoot the ball fromoutside or rebound well. Warren will need scoringhelp from G Ralston Turner and reserve AnthonyBarber, who is one piece of a deep bench.

    Twitter: @PackMensBball.

    12. XavierNickname: Musketeers. Location: Cincinnati.Record: 21-12, 10-8. Bid: Big East at-large.Last appearance: 2012, lost to Baylor in the

    Sweet 16.Coach: Chris Mack, 6-4 in four appearances.Overview: Xavier returns to the tournament for

    the 11th time in 13 seasons despite losing eight oftheir last 14. The backcourt of Semaj Christon andDee Davis leads the offense. Matt Stainbrook pro-

    vides size in the frontcourt, but he came offthebench in the Big East tournament because of a kneeinjury.

    Twitter: @XUAthletics

    13. ManhattanNickname: Jaspers. Location: Riverdale, N.Y.Record: 25-7, 15-5. Bid: Metro Atlantic champ.Last appearance: 2004, lost to Wake Forest in

    second round.Coach: Steve Masiello, first appearance.Overview: Masiello is a Rick Pitino disciple, so

    expect a player rotation that goes nine or 10 deepand plenty of pressure defense. Backstoppingeverything for the Jaspers is Rhamel Brown, who at

    just 6-7 is one of the nation's top shot blockers.

    Twitter: @GoJaspers

    14. MercerNickname: Bears. Location:Macon, Ga.Record: 26-8, 14-4. Bid: Atlantic Sun champion.Last appearance: 1985, lost to Georgia Tech in

    the first round.Coach: Bob Hoffman, first appearance.Overview: The Bears beat No. 1 seed FGCU,

    who returned four starters from last year's Sweet 16team, in the title game. The experienced Bears haveseven seniors and have won 77 games during thelast three seasons.

    Twitter: @MercerMBB

    15. WoffordNickname: Terriers. Location: Spartanburg,

    S.C.Record: 20-12, 11-5. Bid: Southern champ.Last appearance: 2011, lost to Brigham Young

    in the second round.

    Coach: Mike Young, 0-2 in two appearances.Overview: If the Terriers are to win theirfirst-ever NCAA tournament


Recommended