BUCKET BRACKETS 103: Best Defense Ever?

Johnny J

The Syracuse Orange were the first team to punch their ticket to the Final Four next weekend in Atlanta by beating Marquette 55-39. The Golden Eagles defeated the Orange back in February 74 -71, but Saturday was all Syracuse. The 2-3 zone swarmed all over Marquette  as they coughed up the ball 13 times. Both teams shot poorly from the field: Syracuse just 38% and Marquette a measly 23%. They shot 12%from behind the arc going 3-25.

"They cover ground really good. You've got to get the ball in the middle, you've got to play inside out, you've got to get to the free-throw line and wear them down with the 3-pointer when you can,"said Marquette's junior guard, Vander Blue. "They're really good at what they do in that zone." Blue went 3-15 from the floor.

Syracuse makes their fourth Final Four appearance, the last time was in 2003, when they won the National Champion. Led by a guy you may know, by the name of Carmelo Anthony. So what's better than having Anthony's jersey retired this year? Wait, wait--what's better than saying good bye to the Big East Conference and saying hello to the Atlantic Coast Conference? I'l tell you what; it's bringing home a Championship trophy and switching conferences at the same time. Hello ACC! Welcome the University of Syracuse, 2013 Champions!

"You want to go out with a win," said junior forward C.J. Fair.

Barack Obama was in attendance as well as Washington Redskins quarterback, Robert Griffin III. I guess Obama had to see the team that beat his team up-close in person (he had Indiana winning it all).  Not a bad way to leave the nation's capital, brushing off your shoulders.

Syracuse played an up and down season all year long. The first part of the season they went 18-1.  They looked like a dominant Big East team that couldn't be slowed down. They finally did in the second half, going 5-7 against teams in the Big East. They played so bad down the stretch, that they had to open the Big East tournament against Seton Hall. Usually a good team in the conference gets a first round bye to let the weaker teams battle it out. Yes, Syracuse was considered a weak team late in the season. They overcame adversity by making it past three teams to reach the Big East Championship. They lost it by 17 to Louisville.

I have no idea how you lose 7 out of 12 games and still be a ranked team. Syracuse were ranked 19th at the end of the season, which helped them secure a four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Somebody must have known something I didn't because they turned it on after that loss to Louisville, winning three straight to reach the Final Four.

The Orange are making more rounds than the Blue Man Group!

Also reaching the Final Four is Wichita St.  A team that has reached the Final Four for the first time since 1956. Since my bracket is totally ruined, I wouldn't mind seeing Syracuse and Louisville in the Championship game. A rematch and a farewell gift. The battle of the Big East for one last time! With Louisville all ready punching their ticket to the Final Four, that scenario is one step closer to becoming a reality.

More NCAA content is available here. 

THE BIG EAZY: The Final Big East Conference Tournament

The Big East final at Madison Square Garden as a special thing to cover. The passion of the players, fans, coaches, everybody.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 14, 2013

Johnny J

The "Big Eazy," also known as the "Beast," or simply the Big East Conference, is one of my favorite tournaments to watch. The conference is full of ranked and sleeper teams, including NBA prospects and at a stage that gets no bigger than playing at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks, are on a four game road trip out west, racking up losses. So who is going to be filling the seats at the Mecca? Fans of college basketball, fans of the big east, fans of the most exciting conference tournament in college basketball  Welcome to the "Big Eazy!"

The Big East Tournament started on Tuesday and goes through Saturday. The teams that played first are the weaker teams of the conference. Seton Hall defeated South Florida and Rutgers defeated DePaul.  Now on to round two, where things get pretty interesting.  The game I believed that could of went either way were between, Villanova and St. John's. These are teams that really didn't get noticed at all, simply because their conference is loaded. There are six, ranked teams in the Big East. Villanova is 20-12 overall and 11-8 in their conference, after beating St. John's on wednesday, 66-53; they are ranked seventh in conference play. The Red Storm, on the other hand ,have lost five in a row. They are 16-15 overall and only 8-11 in the Big East. They took number 15th ranked Marquette to the edge after a 69-67 loss in last Saturday's game.  I figured that might have been enough motivation to make a deep run in the Conference Tournament.  That didn't happen. They're done!

I still think Villanova is on the bubble, although, they do have some upsets on their resume. They've beaten Syracuse, Louisville, and Georgetown at home. They play better at home, yes, but in this tourney, Madison Square Garden is everyone's home. Now a win over Louisville, again, should secure a spot.

Another good match-up I look forward to is, Syracuse and Pittsburgh in round three. The last time these teams played, unranked Pittsburgh won by 10 in early February, while the Orangemen were ranked 6th overall. This time, Pitt is ranked 17th and Syracuse is ranked 19th.  Syracuse started the first half of the season strong, but has dropped in the 2nd half, losing four out of their last six games, but somehow still find themselves ranked. (this UNC Tar Heel fan is furious about this!). You never know with a team like the Orangemen. They played their last game in the Carrier Dome, their home-streak of 38 was snapped and they retired former Syracuse player Carmelo Anthony's jersey, all in the same-day. Where is the emotion? Where is the effort?  Show something for your last Big East run!   Because after this season, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Norte Dame are all heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where the conference tournament is held in Greensboro, N.C.

"I was thinking about all the times coming here," said  Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim after his 48th Big East tournament win, 13 more than the second-place coach. "I first came to the Garden when I was a sophomore in college, the old, old Garden. Seems like about 50 years ago. Oh, it was 50 years ago.

"I was thinking in the locker room before the game, about some of the games, and some of the highlights. Things have kind of been two years coming, but now that it's here, your whole life has been spent in this league, and the last 31 years coming to this building, that's a lot. That's a lot of memories, a lot of time."


The Panthers, however, have been gaining momentum: they've won their last four games and have a great record at the Garden, winning 30 out of 45 games there over 13 years and have won two out of three there this season. They have found new life at the right time. They've only lost four times out of the last 15 games, all against Big East teams. They're winning the old-fashioned way; by feeding each other the rock. They rank 8th in assists with almost 17 a game. Their leading scorer, Tray Woodall, averages only 12 points per game; he's their point guard, people! Repeat: a point guard is the leading scorer on the team. That's amazing! This is college, not the pros.  I'm kind of curious to see how far this team will go in the big tournament. They look dangerous finishing their big east record at 12-6. This game is definitely going to be worth watching. The winner plays Cincinatti, or Georgetown in the semi-finals. That game is going to be good as well.

The whole Big Easat Tournament is a joy to watch and very interesting once the 2nd round gets uderway. I like underdogs, so i'm going to go with Villanova winning the Tournament. They have something to prove, plus they have already beaten Louisville and Georgetown. I like them, but getting past Louisville would be the toughest task at hand. The Cardinals still remember that loss and they have won seven in a row entering Thursday's match-up, two against ranked teams. They are led by guard Peyton Siva, who averages close to 10 points and six dimes per game (a point guard, people!). Wow, what a conference!  This is the Big Eazy!  This is the Beast!  R.I.P.

More on the NCAA, here. 

GATOR-AID

Here come the Gators!
(photo courtesy of Sharon P. Mancia)

Johnny J

With "Selection Sunday" three weeks away, top schools in the nation are hoping they can become a #1 seed.  The benefits are obvious, as in any sport: it's the easiest road to the championship. One of those schools, whom I believe has a good chance at becoming a #1 seed are the Florida Gators. With a bad loss on their resume to the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Gators would need to blow them out of the waters to show that loss was a fluke. What better way to welcome the Razorbacks to the murky, swampy waters of Florida.?  Thankfully, for the Gators, they did indeed avenged their double-digit loss, by death-rolling the Razorbacks down and putting a 17-point bite into their backs.

"I'm not Coach Donovan. He says it's not a revenge (game), but I wanted to get them back. Everyone on that team wanted to get them back because the way they acted after they beat us was a little ridiculous," said PF/C Patric Young. "But, you know, I guess that's what happens when someone beats the Florida Gators. When we get wins, it's not that much publicized, but when we lose everyone wants to know about it. We just really wanted to get that win tonight."

You might remember coach Billy Donovan: the guy who had signed a contract with the Orlando Magic, and then quickly changed his mind and cried his way out of the contract to go back to coaching college. Yeah that guy! I guess coaching the NBA wasn't for him, but he definitely knows the college game as his 8th-ranked Gators are on the move and sitting two games in front of Alabama in the SEC.

The Gators are 22-4 and 12-2 in their division, with four games to play and one, huge matchup against the Alabama Crison Tide on March 2nd.  The Gators are in good position to finish at the top of the SEC. I believe if they win out the rest of the season and win out their conference tournament, the Gators are going to be a #1 seed for March Madness and with a team that ranks high in points, field goal percentage and assist, the Gators can make noise when the madness starts.

Led by junior Pactric Young, the Gators are a good inside-outside team. They have players who can move around in the paint and when they're in trouble they kick it out to someone around the three-point line. They have a team that that shoots 39% from beyond the arc. Young, however, brings the low-post game. He is quick, he is strong and he brings defense, along with his athleticism. He averages almost two blocks a game and has a total of 44 blocks so far on the season. He leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game and he is fourth in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game.

"It's not like Patric's not getting the ball. You know what? As big and as strong as he is, there's no reason why he shouldn't demand the ball every single time when he gets down inside," Donovan said. "Now, are there times our guys miss him? Yes. Is there times he should get the ball and he doesn't get it? Yes. But there's also -- like tonight, my daughter could have thrown the ball inside to him tonight. He was open. He made himself available and he wanted it and he had a presence."

When selection sunday arrives, the Gators will have the committee's attention. The SEC may not be a powerhouse conference in college basketball (only Florida ranks in the top 30 in RPI--Ed), but if you take a look at their resume they have some quality wins. They beat Wisconsin by 18, Marquette by 33, Mizzou by 31, Kentucky by 17, and in-state rival, Florida St. by 25. I would even look at the loss to then #8th ranked Arizona as a good, hard-fought loss: they lost by one at Arizona. They have a great resume. Now lets see how the SEC tournament plays out. Watch out for those Gators!

More NCAA content is available here.