Catching up with the little dances

The first weekend of March Madness is over with. 96 hours of seemingly-endless college basketball action has come to a halt, and we now must wait three more days until the NCAA Tournament to continue.

But that doesn't mean we have to forget about college basketball for the next 70 hours.

Why?

Because The N.I.T., C.I.T, and C.B.I are all taking place this week. The N.I.T finishes up second round action and begins quarterfinal competition to determine which four teams will travel to Madison Sqaure Garden for the semifinals. The C.B.I and C.I.T also continue this week, and since the C.I.T does not have a bracket, it may take you the entire time to project match-ups in the next round.

But since this is all that we are left with until Thursday, now is as good a time as ever to get caught up on "The Little Dances".


N.I.T. Results

First Round

Region 1
#1 Alabama 68, #8 Coastal Carolina 44
#2 Miami (FL) 85, # 7 Florida Atlantic 62
#3 Missouri State 89, #6 Murray State 76
#4 New Mexico 69, #5 UTEP 57

Region 2
#1 Colorado 88, #8 Texas Southern 74
#4 California 77, #5 Ole Miss 74
#6 Fairfield 62, #3 Colorado State 60
#7 Kent State 71, #2 Saint Mary's 70

Region 3
#1 Boston College 82, #8 McNeese State 64
#2 Washington State 85, #7 Long Beach State 74
#3 Oklahoma State 71, #6 Harvard 54
#4 Northwestern 70, #5 UW-Milwaukee 61

Region 4
#1 Virginia Tech 79, #8 Bethune-Cookman 54
#2 Cleveland State 63, #7 Vermont 60
#4 Wichita State 76, #5 Nebraska 49
#6 Charleston 94, #3 Dayton 84


Second Round

Region 1
Monday 3/21 - 7:00PM - ESPN - #3 Missouri State at #2 Miami (FL)
Monday 3/21 - 9:00PM - ESPN - #4 New Mexico at #1 Alabama

Region 2
#1 Colorado 89, California 72
#7 Kent State 62, #6 Fairfield 68

Region 3
#4 Northwestern 85, #1 Boston College 67
Monday 3/21 - 11:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Oklahoma State at #2 Washington State

Region 4
#4 Wichita State 79, #1 Virginia Tech 76 OT
#6 Charleston 64, #2 Cleveland State 56



C.B.I Results

First Round

Davidson 85, James Madison 65
Creighton 85, San Jose State 74

Duquesne 87, Montana 76
Oregon 68, Weber State 59

Boise State 83, Austin Peay 80
Evansville 77, Hofstra 70

Rhode Island 76, Miami (OH) 59
Central Florida 69, St. Bonaventure's 54



C.I.T Results

First Round

Air Force 77, North Dakota 67
Santa Clara 68, Northern Arizona 63
San Francisco 81, Idaho 73
Hawaii 76, Portland 64
Southern Methodist 64, Oral Roberts 57 OT
Jacksonville 71, East Carolina 66 OT
Buffalo 75, Quinnipiac 68
Iona 85, Valparaiso 77
Ohio 65, Marshall 64
East Tennessee State 76, Furman 63
Northern Iowa 84, Rider 50
Western Michigan 74, Tennessee Tech 66


Second Round

Santa Clara 88, Air Force 75
Buffalo 49, Western Michigan 48
San Francisco 77, Hawaii 74
Southern Methodist 63, Jacksonville 62



Upcomming Games

N.I.T. Second Round
Monday 3/21 - 7:00PM - ESPN - #3 Missouri State at #2 Miami (FL)
Monday 3/21 - 9:00PM - ESPN - #4 New Mexico at #1 Alabama
Monday 3/21 - 11:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Oklahoma State at #2 Washington State

N.I.T Quarterfinals
Tuesday 3/22 - 9:00PM - ESPN - #7 Kent State at #1 Colorado
Wednesday 3/23 - 9:00PM - ESPN - #6 Charleston at #4 Wichita State

C.B.I Quarterfinals
Monday 3/21 - 7:00PM - Rhode Island at Central Florida
Monday 3/21 - 8:00PM - Davidson at Creighton
Monday 3/21 - 9:00PM - Evansville at Boise State
Monday 3/21 - 10:00PM - Duquesne at Oregon

C.I.T Quarterfinals
Monday 3/21 - 8:00PM - Southern Methodist at Northern Iowa
Tuesday 3/22 - 7:00PM - Ohio at East Tennessee State
Tuesday 3/22 - 7:30PM - Buffalo at Iona
Tuesday 3/22 - 7:00PM - Santa Clara at San Francisco


Continue reading...

URI gets robbed, UNC goes to the NIT Final

The NIT is what it is.

The NIT.

I don't know how many people were watching the semifinal game last night between UNC and URI, but if you were you got to see an entertaining, if ugly, game. I'm not going to get into the details because, well, its the NIT, but the play everyone is going to be talking about came in the final seconds in overtime.

And it wasn't a buzzer beater.

UNC was up 68-67 with a five second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. URI opted not to foul, forcing a tough jumper from Larry Drew. Drew missed and Lamonte Ulmer corralled the rebound. As he started to go up court, it looked as if he was tripped from behind by Will Graves.

Take a look:



As Fran Fraschilla says (and give him credit for ripping the officials), intentional or not, a trip is a foul. Make your own conclusions, but based on the video it seems fairly obvious to me that Graves tripped Ulmer.

Can you imagine the uproar if this happened in the NCAA Tournament? And we all thought Duke was the team that got all the calls.

Anyway, UNC moves on to the NIT Finals on Thursday night against Dayton. If they win, they will become the first team to win an NIT title the year after winning the NCAA championship.

Give Roy Williams credit. With everything his team has been through this season, its obvious these kids haven't quit playing.

Continue reading...

The Little Dances: Day 7

We all know that March Madness is all about the real NCAA tournament. But while those lucky souls that managed to earn themselves a bid to the Big Dance sit back and wait for Thursday, the rest of the country takes part in what I like to call the Little Dances -- the NIT, the CBI, and the CIT.

Here's what happened on Thursday:

Not too much. In a game that was originally set to go yesterday, but was delayed so Pacific could have ample travel time (damn-near across the entire country) the Tigers won 64-56. It was not nearly as close as the score indicates.

Sorry, but that's it for the in-depth analysis on the little dances from tonight.

I mean, come on, did you watch that Kansas State game?

Did you hear Gus Johnson?

I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

C.I.T

Semifinals
Pacific 64, Appalachian State 56

Finals
Tuesday, March 30
TBA - Pacific at Missouri State


N.I.T

Semifinals
Tuesday, March 30 (New York City, NY)
7:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Ole Miss vs. #3 Dayton
9:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Rhode Island vs. #4 North Carolina


C.B.I

Finals (Best of 3)

Game 1
Monday, March 29
7:00PM - St. Louis at Virginia Commonwealth

Game 2
Wednesday, March 31
8:00PM - Virginia Commonwealth at St. Louis

Continue reading...

The Little Dances: Day 6

We all know that March Madness is all about the real NCAA tournament. But while those lucky souls that managed to earn themselves a bid to the Big Dance sit back and wait for Thursday, the rest of the country takes part in what I like to call the Little Dances -- the NIT, the CBI, and the CIT.

The Atlantic-10 dominated Wednesday night. Rhode Island and Dayton went on the road, into more-than hostile conditions, and squeezed out victories to ensure bids in the Final-4 at MSG. Plus, let's not forget about mighty St. Louis. The team with the bulbous head coach who wants his team to be in a different conference beat Princeton, the team that once almost beat a number one seed as a number-16 seed but didn't, and in the process earned themselves a right in the best-of-3 bizarro championship series of the College Basketball Invitational.

Here's what happened on Wednesday:


N.I.T
Quarterfinals

#2 Rhode Island 79, #1 Virginia Tech 72
The Rams trailed by as many as nine in the second half, but made a late push to defeat the hokies on Tech's home court. Lamont Ulmer had 13 points for the Rams, including the final two, a put-back off of his own miss, that won the game. Rhode Island's reward for a victory in Blacksburg? A semifinal date with the defending national champion North Carolina Tar heels in New York City.

#3 Dayton 77, #1 Illinois 71
The Dayton Flyers pulled ahead of the Fightin' Illini early in the game and never looked back. The Flyers trailed 3-0 before two consecutive trips down court resulted in baskets gave them the lead for the first and only time of the night. Illinois' Dimitri McCamey was two rebounds shy of a triple-double (13pt, 8reb, 10ast) but as a team the Illini shot below 30% and despite a late comeback, could never take the lead back. The Flyers move on to New York City to tangle with the #2-seeded Runnin' Rebels of Ole Miss.

Semifinals
Tuesday, March 30
7:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Ole Miss vs. #3 Dayton
9:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Rhode Island vs. #4 North Carolina


C.B.I

Semifinals
Virginia Commonwealth 88, Boston 75
St. Louis 69, Princeton 59

Finals (Best of 3)

Game 1
Monday, March 29
7:00PM - St. Louis at Virginia Commonwealth

Game 2
Wednesday, March 31
8:00PM - Virginia Commonwealth at St. Louis


C.I.T

Semifinals
Missouri State 67, Creighton 61

Thursday, March 25
8:00PM - Pacific at Appalachian State
Continue reading...

The Little Dances: Day 4

Sorry if we haven't been as up-to-date with the Little Dances as we should have been.

As you can imagine, we have had our eyeballs glued to CBS for the past 100 hours. But this break in March Madness action would be an applicable time to inform you of the other tournaments going on. After all, some of the kids playing this week do deserve to be playing post-season basketball.

One interesting tidbit about the College Basketball Invitational: The championship is a best-of-three series.

Can you imagine a Kansas/Kentucky best-of-three for the National Championship?

Neither can I. Thank you very much Northern Iowa.

But still, a best-of-three series would be a neat idea. But I guess I should wait in line. The NCAA already has it's hands full with another "neat" idea.

Here is where we stand after Monday's action:


N.I.T

Second Round

Monday, March 22
#1 Virginia Tech 65, #4 Connecticut 63
#1 Illinois , #5 Kent State
#2 Rhode Island 85, #6 Nevada 83
#3 Dayton 81, #2 Cincinnati 66

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 23
7:00PM - ESPN - #5 Texas Tech at #2 Ole Miss
9:00PM - ESPN - #4 North Carolina at #2 UAB
Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Rhode Island at #1 Virginia Tech
9:00PM - ESPN2 - #3 Dayton at #1 Illinois


C.B.I

Quarterfinals

Monday, March 22
Boston 91, Morehead State 89 OT
Virginia Commonwealth 93, Charleston 86
Princeton 74, IUPUI 68 2OT
St. Louis 68, UW- Milwaukee 62 2OT

Semifinals

Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - HDnet - Boston at Virginia Commonwealth
9:00PM - HDnet - Princeton at St. Louis


C.I.T

Quarterfinals

Monday, March 22
Missouri State 69, Louisiana Tech 40
Creighton 73, Fairfield 55
Appalachian State 80, Marshall 72
Pacific 63, Northern Colorado 59

Semifinals

Wednesday, March 24
7:00PM - Pacific at Appalachian State
9:00PM - Creighton at Missouri State

Continue reading...

The Little Dances: Day 1

We all know that March Madness is all about the real NCAA tournament. But while those lucky souls that managed to earn themselves a bid to the Big Dance sit back and wait for Thursday, the rest of the country takes part in what I like to call the Little Dances -- the NIT, the CBI, and the CIT.

Here is what happened on Tuesday:


Game of the Day: Marshall 90, Western Carolina 88

Western Carolina was all set to cap one of the best comebacks in college basketball this season. The Catamounts had rallied from a seven point deficit in the final minute to tie the game at 88. Marshall had the ball for the final possession, Harouna Mutumbo made a steal with two seconds left, calling timeout to earn possession. The only problem? Western Carolina was out of time outs. The Catamounts were assessed a technical foul, and Marshall hit both free throws to hold on for the win in the first round of the CIT.


Team of the Day: Jacksonville Dolphins

Jacksonville knocked off Arizona State in impressive fashion on Tuesday night. Ben Smith scored 26 points, but the most important three came with 1.5 seconds left. After Derek Glasser missed a free throw, Smith came the other way and banked in a 24 footer for the win. Arizona State was the top seed in the NIT.


Player of the Day: Mike Evanovich, Fairfield

Fairfield was down 27 points with under 16 minutes left in the game, but led by 32 points and nine threes from Mike Evanovich, the Stags were able to rally against George Mason. Fairfield was still down nine with 1:05 left and seven with :34 left, but Evanovich hit three threes in a 12-3 run to end it, including a game tying three at the buzzer. Fairfield took a quick lead in overtime and never looked back.


Tuesday's NIT Results

#1 Mississippi State 81, #8 Jackson State 67
#1 Arizona State, $8 Jacksonville
#2 UAB 65, #7 Coastal Carolina 49
#4 Connecticut 59, #5 Northeatern 57
#4 North Carolina 80, #5 William & Mary 72
#5 Texas Tech 87, #4 Seton Hall 69
#6 North Carolina State 58, South Florida 57

Tuesday's CIT Results

Marshall 90, Western Carolina 88
Fairfield 101, George Mason 96 OT
Creighton 89, South Dakota 78

Tuesday's CBI Results

VCU 79, George Washington 73
St. Louis 63, Indiana State 54


Wednesday's Slate of Tournament Games

NIT

7:00 pm - #5 Tulsa at #4 Kent State
7:00 pm - #6 Illinois State at #3 Dayton
7:00 pm - ESPNU - #7 Nothwestern at #2 Rhode Island
7:00 pm - ESPN2 - #7 Weber State at #2 Cincinnati
7:00 pm - #8 Quinnipiac at #1 Virginia Tech
8:00 pm - #7 Troy at #2 Ole Miss
8:05 pm - #6 Nevada at #3 Wichita State
9:00 pm - ESPN2 - #6 St. Johns at #3 Memphis
10:00 pm - ESPNU - #8 Stony Brook at #1 Illinois


CIT

7:00 pm - Harvard @ Appalachian State
8:05 pm - Middle Tennessee State @ Missouri State
9:05 pm - Portland @ Northern Colorado
10:35 pm - Pacific @ Loyola Marymount


CBI

7:00 pm - Duquesne @ Princetown
7:00 pm - Green Bay @ Akron
7:00 pm - Charleston @ Eastern Kentucky
7:00 pm - IUPUI @ Hofstra
9:00 pm - Colorado State @ Morehead State
10:00 pm - Boston U @ Oregon State

Continue reading...

National Invititational Tournament Bracket

Even if this was one of the most stacked N Brackets we have seen in years, and still, not very many people will notice. With UConn and UNC both playing for a shot at MSG and not Indianapolis, along with quality teams that got snubbed, like Illinois and Virginia Tech, I for one am looking forward to watching the Not Invited Dead Man Walking National Invitational Tournament during off-days of March Madness.




Continue reading...

Thursday N.I.T. Turmoil

All the fat has been trimmed away, and we are now left with the four best non-NCAA tournament teams, ready to fight it out in Madison Square Garden for the N.I.T championship. BCG might have coached his last game for Kentucky last night, and in the nightcap, San Diego State and St. Mary's battled it out to see who has to make the cross-country flight to NYC next weekend.

Wednesday's Results

- #2 Notre Dame 77, #4 Kentucky 67 - 'Gody sank a three-pointer right out of the tip-off, an indicator of things to come. He finished with 30 points and 11 boards as the Irish continued their dominance at the Joyce Center. Kentucky's Jodie Meeks had only one shot attempt in the first half, as Patrick Patterson had to do most of the heavy lifting. In the second half, Meeks finally got hot, hitting 5-8 from behind the arc, but it was too late. The closest Kentucky could get was within 6, but they had no answer for Harangody, who hit four consecutive foul shots to ice the game. Meeks finished with 21 points, and Patterson had 18 points as well. I'm  not going to discuss the future of BCG because, I imagine B.I.A.H will be covering that in-depth in the near future.

- #1 San Diego St. 70, #2 St. Marys 66 - This was the first time I have gotten a chance to watch the Aztecs in action. Unbeknownst (yes this is an actual word) to the Trizzle, this was the biggest game in San Diego State history. Off the bat, the Aztecs opened the flood gates with a 13-0 run, which nearly blew the roof off the Cox Arena. The Gaels slowly chipped away at the Aztecs lead, which held for the entire game. Diamon Simpson and Omar Samhan both logged double-doubles for St. Mary's. But with just under two minutes left Patty Mills picked up his fifth foul and left the game with a team-high 18 points. From here on the Aztecs were able to finish the Gaels off from the charity stripe. Billy White led the Aztecs in scoring with 17 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and three other starters scored in double-digits. When the game ended, fans stormed the court, and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasted through the speakers. This was the first time in school history the Aztecs have advanced past the second round of a post-season tournament. This was just the third loss of the season with Patty Mills in the lineup for St. Marys.

Semifinal Matchups (March 31 @ MSG)

- 7:00PM: #3 Baylor vs. #1 San Diego St. - ESPN2

- 9:00PM: #2 Penn St. vs. #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2

Continue reading...

Wednesday N.I.T. Turmoil

The first night of N.I.T. Quarterfinals are in the books, and for the second straight night, we had some legit action on the hardwood. Both #1 seeds fell, leaving Kentucky as the lone SEC team in post-season play. Two of the Trizzle's favorite non-Georgetown teams got wins tonight to send them into the semis of the N.I.T. (Contrary to popular belief, it is not called the Not Invited Tournament.)

- #2 Penn St. 71, #1 Florida 62 - If you know anything about the Trizzle, you know that I have been high on Penn St. all year. Jamelle Cornley, PSU's go-to big man had a superb game scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing 12 boards as well. Oh yeah, he hurt his shoulder late in the first half, and played almost the entire second half to secure the Nittany Lions victory. Talor Battle had 13 points, but shot a dismal 8-21 from the field. Gator's senior Walter Hodge had only 7 points in his last collegiate game ever. May I remind you that Walter Hodge was the only Florida player to stay after the back-to-back Championships. The end of the game was a surreal moment. Florida was down by 9, but the student section in Gainsville was still cheering "WALTER HODGE.....WALTER HODGE" That right there is why I love college basketball.

- #3 Baylor 74, #1 Auburn 72 - I have been a big fan of Baylor for the past two years. The improvement their program has made in the past 36 months is second to none in the entire country.. Their roster has been way to good this year to fall to a streaking SEC team in Auburn. LaceDarius Dunn led the Bears with 19 points and was just one rebound shy of the double-double. Curtis Jerrels had a spectacular game, hitting the go-ahead basket as well as posting 16 points and 8 assists. To round out the night for Baylor was big man Kevin Rogers, who got the double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. For Auburn, senior Quantez Robinson ended his college career on a down note, being shut down for the majority of the game, as he ended with just 4 points.

Tonight's Games

- 7:00PM: #4 Kentucky @ #2 Notre Dame
- 9:00PM: #2 St. Mary's @ #1 San Diego St. Continue reading...

Tuesday N.I.T. Turmoil

We have hit our first dry stretch of the NCAA tournament. It's a good thing the N.I.T. provides a descent helping of interesting matchups to get us thru the week. Creighton, the NCAA's odd man out, hosted the Billie Gillespie Farewell Tour in front of a packed house, and two of the elite scoring guards in the country went toe-to-toe in the nightcap.

- #4 Kentucky 65, #1 Creighton 63 - The Qwest Center in Omaha was entirely sold out, and I would guess that a majority of the tickets were sold to students, because it was loud, very very very loud. With every shot that Creighton made, the place erupted like it was a buzzer-beater. Second Team A.A. Jodie Meeks was shut down the majority of the game, but hit the game winner on a nice dribble drive to the basket, and converted on the 3-point play. Perry Stevenson had a 13 points and grabbed 10 boards and Patrick Patterson chipped in with 12. Booker Woodfox led the Blue Jays with 18 points but shot a dismal 9-23 from the field. This game had all the makings of a NCAA tournament game; neither team led by more than 5, and there were 11 lead changes. I think the wildcats need two more post season wins to salvage their season, and Gillespie's coaching status.

- #2 St. Marys 80, #6 Davidson 68 - Steph Curry vs. Patty Mills, not much else needs to be said. Oh ya, this was the fastest sell-out in the history of St. Mary's College. At the half, Mills had 17 and Curry had 12. The pace of this game was set by the two speedy guards. St. Mary's had a better team performance, getting excelent play from Diamond Simpson (12,15) and Omar Samhan. There were stretches of this game that looked like a consistant fast break drill with both guards running the floor, leading to some beautiful finishes (still trying to find a good clip). Curry finished with 26, but Mills had the more complete game, logging the double double of 23 points and 11 assists.

QUARTERFINALS

Tonight's Games
- 9:00PM: #2 Penn St. @ #1 Florida - ESPN
- 7:00PM: #3 Baylor @ #1 Auburn - ESPN

Wednesday's Games
- 7:00PM: #4 Kentucky @ #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2
- 9:00PM: #2 St. Mary's @ #1 San Diego St. - ESPN2 Continue reading...

Thursday N.I.T. Turmoil

Well, we finally made it. After a season full of upsets, blowouts and spectacular performances, the madness is finally upon us. But before we all mentally checkout of work today, lets take a look at the N.I.T action from March Madness Eve. There were a handful of compelling matchups, and the games definitly did not dissapoint.



Wednesday's Results

- #2 Virginia Tech 116, #7 Duquesne 108 2OT - This was the type of game that we should be seeing plenty of this afternoon. Aaron Jackson dropped 46 points and went 8-13 from behind the arch for the Dukes. Four of five Tech starters scored more than 20 points, including A.D. Vasallo, who had 33 points and 12 rebounds. The Hokies prevailed in this dandy of a contest despite getting only 4 points from their bench.

- #4 Miami (FL) 78, #5 Providence 66 - Jack McClinton scored 25 points including 7 three pointers. Dwayne Collins chipped in 12 rebounds as Miami outrebounded the Friars 44-35, and got the 12 point win. This game was suppose to be played in Miami, but the Latin Music Awards were in town, so the 'Canes had to travel to Rhode Island to pick up the postseason W.

- #3 Baylor 74, #6 Georgetown 72 - The Hoyas shot 76% from the field in the first half and led by 10 at the break. Baylor erased the defficit less than 90 seconds into the second period. After that, Baylor continued to pour it on, causing turnovers and making easy baskets. Baylor scored on every possesion that came after a timeout in the second half. Four of those five possesions ended in an alley-oop to Kevin Rogers. Baylor picks up their first postseason win in 59 years. Georgetown ends a dissapointing season in dissapointing fashion.

- #1 Auburn 87, #8 Tennessee-Martin 82 - Lester Hudson, the Nation's #2 scorer had 33pts, 12rebs, and 7asts for the Skyhawks ( I love that nickname, could be one of the best in all of D-1), but career highs from DeWayne Reed and Quantez Robinson were enough to propel Auburn to the win, and a place in the second round.

Other N.I.T Results

- #4 Kansas State 83, #5 Illinois State 79 OT
- #4 Tulsa 68, #5 Northwestern 59
- #1 Creighton 73, #8 Bowling Green 71
- #1 Florida 84, #8 Jacksonville 62

Second Round Matchups (3/19 - 3/23)

- 3/19: #6 Rhode Island @ #2 Penn St.
- 3/19: #3 New Mexico @ #2 Notre Dame
- 3/20: #4 Kansas St. @ #1 San Diego St.
- 3/20: #4 Miami (FL) @ #1 Florida
- 3/21: #3 Baylor @ #2 Virginia Tech
- 3/21: #4 Tulsa @ #1 Auburn
- 3/23: #6 Davidson @ #2 St. Mary's
- 3/23: #4 Kentucky @ #1 Creighton Continue reading...

Wednesday NIT Turmoil

I know we are all preparing ourselves for lunchtime on Thursday, but that's no reason not to check out some pretty descent basketball action before hand. Like I was told hundreds of times in school, and ignored every time, don't judge a book by its cover. Yea, it might be the NIT, but since at least 15 of the teams in the NCAA tournament only got there because of automatic bids, so you have to figure that the majority of the teams ranked #30-50 in the country will be invited to this second tier tourney.

If your a college basketball fan, you like seeing competitive basketball, and I honestly believe there are a handful of matchups in the N.I.T that will feature competitive basketball. I mean, I would much rather watch Georgetown vs. Baylor rather than Missouri vs. Cornell, even if there isn't a lot at stake.


Tuesday's Results


- #6 Davidson 70, #3 South Carolina 63 - Davidson might not be the Cinderella anymore, but that didn't stop Steph Curry from dropping 30+ points for the 15th time this season.


- #2 Penn St. 77, #7 George Mason 73- Maybe it's because I currently reside in Pennsylvania (not for long), but I have been all about Penn State this year. They were just a Mississippi State loss away from making the big dance, and Talor Battle is proving to everyone that he is a play maker. He hit another buzzer-beater, this time to send it in to overtime. In OT, Battle scored 8 of PSU's 10 points and sealed the deal for the Nittany Lions.


- #2 Notre Dame 70, #7 UAB 64 - the bar scene in South Bend must have been out of control last night, because there was literally nobody at this game. But again it was St. Patrick's Day, and it's Notre Dame we are talking about here. UAB should have been a tournament team this year, but by the time conference play started they were down to 6 scholarship players. Luke Harangody dominated against a much smaller Blazers squad. But let me reiterate something I have been saying for the past two years: Robert Vaden is a stud. He had 16 points before halftime, but still, UAB's season is over.


- #4 Kentucky 70, #5 UNLV 60 - Rupp Arena was already being used (High School State Playoffs) so UK played in their practice gym and although they struggled early, they put together a solid second half to get the win. But more importantly, the win silenced any talk of firing coach Billy Gillespie. Wait, this is the NIT? Yea, BCG is screwed.

Other N.I.T. Results

- #3 New Mexico 83, #6 Nebraska 71
- #1 San Diego St. 65, #8 Weber St. 49
- #7 Washington St. 57, #2 St. Mary's 68
- #6 Rhode Island 68, #3 Niagara 62


Wednesday's Games
- 7:00PM: #7 Duquesne @ #2 Virginia Tech
- 7:00PM: #4 Miami (FL) @ #5 Providence - ESPN2
- 8:00PM: #8 Tennessee-Martin @ #1 Auburn
- 8:00PM: #8 Bowling Green @ #1 Creighton
- 8:00PM: #8 Jacksonville @ #1 Florida
- 9:00PM: #6 Georgetown @ #3 Baylor - 9 pm - ESPN2
- 8:00PM: #5 Illinois State @ #4 Kansas State
- 9:00PM: #5 Northwestern @ #4 Tulsa - 9 pm Continue reading...

Tuesday N.I.T Turmoil

The bubbles have been busted, and Selection Sunday has came and gone. We know which teams snuck into March Madness, and we know which teams got snubbed. There are still a handful of quality basketball teams that could have been tournament teams, but sustained too much damage during conference play. This is the time that they get one final chance to prove that the 08-09 season wasn't a failure.



Tuesday features the first round of the National Invititational Tournament, the country's longest running postseason basketball tournament. The Trizzle will be taking over the N.I.T for the next few weeks, filling you in on all the scores and updates on the teams that got their bubbles busted.

Tuesday, March 17

- 7:00PM: #6 Rhode Island @ #3 Niagra

- 7:00PM: #6 Nebraska @ #3 New Mexico

- 7:00PM: #6 Davidson @ #3 South Carolina - ESPN2

- 8:00PM: #7 George Mason @ #2 Penn St.

- 9:00PM: # 7 UAB @ #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2

- 9:30PM: #5 UNLV @ #4 Kentucky - ESPN

- 10:00PM: #8 Weber St. @ #1 San Diego St.

- 11:00PM: #7 Washington St. @ #2 St. Mary's - ESPN2

Continue reading...

Stephen Curry Headed to the NIT

We may have just seen Davidson guard Stephen Curry's last meaningful college basketball game. Why? Because his Davidson Wildcats lost to Charleston last night 59-52 in the Southern Conference tournament semifinals.

Curry was held to just 5=18 shooting and 2-11 from three, finishing with 20 points. The Wildcats were still able to open up a lead as big as 12 in the first half, heading into the break up 29-20. But Charleston came out guns ablaze in the second half, going of a 20-4 run to take a 40-33 lead that Davidson was never able to recover from.

Davidson, last year's tournament darlings, will be headed to the NIT in 2009.
(photo credit: Angela Lewis/AP)

By all accounts, Davidson has almost no shot at earning an at-large bid to the dance. No team from the Southern conference ever has. So do they stack up?

The Wildcats have a decent RPI (67) and a terrible SOS (176), but that is to be expected from a team that plays in a low-major conference. The bigger issue is that they have only played six games against the RPI top 100, losing four (Duke, Purdue, Butler, and Oklahoma). Their only wins came against NC State, whose is number 100 (according to RealTimeRPI), and West Virginia, who played without Alex Ruoff and had an injured Joe Mazzulla play the first five minutes.

The bottom line is that, like it or not, the Wildcats are not an NCAA tournament team. They needed to win their conference tournament to have a chance at a berth.

They didn't.

Which means that we will not be seeing March's golden boy in this year's dance. Continue reading...