March Madness Live Blog
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FYI Let us not forget that The Fighting Hoibergs have notched five consecutive comeback victories heading into this game, including all three of their Big 12 tournament contests, leading the aforementioned Niang to dub the team "The Comeback Kids." Most recently, Iowa State won the Big 12 title over Kansas by overcoming a 17-point deficit.ESPN Stats put together a nice little graphic showing just how deep the Cyclones have dug their holes as of late:
So maybe three points ain't no thang. -
Three games at once! No. 3 Baylor vs No. 14 Georgia State starts now on @tbsveryfunny.
Watch: on.ncaa.com/1x8r43W #MarchMadnessby NCAA March Madness via twitter 3/19/2015 5:41:32 PM -
Meet No. 14 Georgia State
Location: Atlanta, GA
Enrollment: 24,865 undergrad
Mascot: Panthers
Record: 24-9
Last NCAA tournament appearance: 2001
Notes: The Panthers have only been to the NCAA tournament twice, but they've left their mark, downing No. 6 seed Wisconsin in 2001. The offense runs through R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow, but keep an eye on Kevin Ware, the Louisville transfer who broke his leg in the 2013 Elite Eight vs. Duke. He led Georgia State in scoring against Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt final. Coach Ron Hunter will be coaching injured against Baylor, as he tore his Achilles celebrating that win.
Optimistic tweet from the team's official account:Pretty cool! @LyricHR: How could would it be if the @GSUPanthers were this years NCAA tournament Cinderella team?Mar. 17, 2015- Reply
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Notre Dame 43, Northeastern 38, 14:35 remaining in the second half: Big men Zach Auguste (Notre Dame) and Scott Eatherton (Northeastern) both picked up their third fouls early in the half, but they've stayed in the game and avoided a fourth whistle. The Irish are in attack mode and getting what they want on offense but they can't keep the Huskies out of the paint. Really fun game so far.
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UPDATE: UAB 31, Iowa State 28, halftime (AKA what you missed if you weren't watching TruTV the one time a year you watch TruTV): Verne Lundequist really wants to know why conferences aren't properly numbered, lamenting that the Big Ten should, in fact, have 10 teams. Perhaps Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State players were also pondering this question, because for long stretches it sure looked like they weren't focused on basketball. After opening up an early 10-2 lead over UAB, the Cyclones faltered, shooting a mere 42.3 percent from the field and missing eight of their 12 3-point shot attempts. Most notable, Iowa State star forward Georges Niang spent almost half of the first period on the bench with two fouls. The Fighting Hoibergs have plenty of time and skill to turn it around, but Niang staying out of trouble and active on the court will be key if they're to recapture the lead and avoid an upset.
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New Dagger Post: "NCAA Offers Mixed Message With Gambling Warning"
"Every so often, we get a perfect look at the way the NCAA ties itself in knots trying to reconcile its stated dreams of honorable amateurism and its true motives of naked capitalistic grab-it-all greed. " -
Iowa State down three at halftime, which based on recent history means it's pretty much over for UAB.by Jeff Eisenberg via twitter 3/19/2015 5:30:34 PM -
Is your bracket better than John Boehner's?
A copy of Speaker John Boehner's 2015 bracket, torn out of the pages of a daily Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, because old-school politicians are keeping print papers in business. (Courtesy of John Boehner's office)It's no secret that lots of people think Kentucky is going to win the national title, but what you may not know is that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, who is a personal friend of coach John Calipari, is also on the #BBN bandwagon.Boehner was one of more than a half dozen lawmakers who submitted a bracket to Yahoo News as part of a Capitol Hill bracket challenge. An aide to Boehner noted the speaker's friendship with Calipari, as well as his rooting interests in his alma mater Xavier and home state favorite Ohio State.All but one politician picked Kentucky to win it all. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia selected the WVU Mountaineers to run the table, which surely was a pick with his head and not his heart. Second-ranking House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland picked Kentucky but stipulated that he only did so as to not "jinx" the Terrapins out of taking the tournament crown.If you're at all curious to see if your elected official filled out a bracket with us, you can read the full Capitol Hill Madness story here. -
Eighteen 14-over-3 upsets have occurred over three decades since field expanded to 64. Would be nothing new if ISU or ND went down.by Steve Greenberg via twitter 3/19/2015 5:27:35 PM -
Well, it wouldn't be an Iowa State game in March without a halftime deficit, would it? UAB 31, Clones 28.by Pat Forde via twitter 3/19/2015 5:27:19 PM -
If you were curious what Kentucky's practice in Louisville looked like yesterday:Kentucky's glorified lay-up line is more crowded than a UCLA conference home game. http://t.co/p8rarwEQMf
Mar. 18, 2015- Reply
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Meanwhile, in Charlotte, Steve Mariucci's BFF meets the press.
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Naz Long is off. Way off. Good shooter who is not close right now.by Pat Forde via twitter 3/19/2015 5:18:54 PM
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UAB and Iowa State has been crazy entertaining, but it's a little sad hearing Verne Lundquist without Bill Raftery, who has been moved to the main announcing crew with Jim Nantz and Grant Hill as he's calling the Final Four this year. Yahoo Sports had the chance to sit down with Uncle Verne and Raft prior to the NCAA East Regional last year and they were both informative and very entertaining.
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It's like this right now, y'all.
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Notre Dame 31, Northeastern 27, halftime: Zach Auguste - back in the game with two fouls - snuck to the rim for a layup at the end of the half to bump the ND lead up to 4. Not a lot of defense being played, with ND at 54.5% from the field and Northeastern at 50%. The Huskies do have eight turnovers, which has been their problem all season long.
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Notre Dame in a battle with Northeastern. Iowa State in a battle with UAB. Both 3-14 games. This is what the tournament's all about, right?by Pat Forde via twitter 3/19/2015 5:06:32 PM
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Northeastern v Notre Dame -
And Georges Niang gets his second foul in two trips. This is getting interesting.by Pat Forde via twitter 3/19/2015 5:02:50 PM
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UAB with the rally sneakers on, down 16-14. Iowa State pretty casual on the defensive glass, giving up second-chance points.by Pat Forde via twitter 3/19/2015 5:01:34 PM
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Turnovers hurting the Cyclones the most. Shooting 5-10 but four turnovers in the last 4:09 and five in the game.by Iowa State Men’s Basketball via twitter 3/19/2015 4:59:32 PM -
@SethDavisHoops Even got my little dog in the shot for ya! He's a fan. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAeZHuLUwAAmu8B.jpg
by makeyourFTs via twitter 3/19/2015 4:56:41 PM -
Live from the stadium funded by your best/worst fried chicken habits:
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Welcome to Yahoo Sports' NCAA tournament live blog!
It's here, friends: sports' Christmas morning. The start of the greatest sporting days of the year. The time when we don't even pretend to work, because we know our bosses filled out brackets, too. It's NCAA tournament time!
We'll be here throughout these opening days of the tournament, bringing you info, updates, tweets, articles, witty quips, insight and the like. Here's the slate of opening games:
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Northeastern (Midwest Region) — 12:15 EST (CBS)
No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 UAB (South Region) — 12:40 EST (TruTV)
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Georgia State (West Region) — 1:40 EST (TBS)
No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Texas Southern (West Region) — 2:10 EST (TNT)
And that's just the start of a 12-hour day of basketball bliss. Only one team will celebrate like this in a couple weeks.
Around here, though, we're dropping the confetti right now. Join us. -
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Meet No. 14 Northeastern
Location: Boston, MA
Enrollment: 13,204 undergrad
Mascot: Huskies
Record: 23-11 (12-6)
Last NCAA tournament appearance: 1991
Notes: The Huskies went to the tournament six times during the 1980s, led by future UConn coach Jim Calhoun on the sideline and future Celtic All-Star Reggie Lewis on the court. They won the Colonial Athletic Association title game over William & Mary as the No. 3 seed.
Optimistic tweet from the team's official account:Last three meetings between #CAAhoops and ACC in NCAA tournament:
GMU def. UNC (2006)
VCU def. Duke (2007)
VCU def. FSU (2011)
#GoNUMar. 16, 2015- Reply
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Preparing to feel like this when my bracket implodes. #DyshawnPierre'd
by Meredith Shiner via twitter 3/19/2015 4:11:02 PM -
NBA Draft prospects to watch Thursday
Kentucky big men (and future NBA players) Karl-Anthony Towns (left) and Willie Cauley-Stein. (Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports)
The participants in the NCAA tournament are all playing for a title, school pride and potential March immortality, but a select few are also working their way up the big boards at NBA front offices. Leaning on the work of our friends at DraftExpress, here are the top NBA prospects in action in Thursday's games.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky: The potential number one overall pick, the Wildcat freshman is a mountain of a man (6'11", 250) who's an elite shot blocker and rebounder. On offense he's capable of stepping away and hitting face-up jumpers and he's an impressive 81% from the free throw line. If you were wondering how far that range stretches, Towns is 2-of-8 from the arc this season.
D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State: A rangy combo guard (6'5"), the freshman is smooth, creative, capable of finding teammates (5.1 assists per game) or finishing in a variety of ways, including a 41% rate from three. Russell will get a fun test against VCU and Shaka Smart's Havoc press and is likely to be picked near the very top of the draft.
Stanley Johnson, Arizona: The freshman wing is already a terror on the defensive side of the ball with his length, strength and athleticism. He still needs some refinement on offense, but he already has solid percentages from both lines, shooting 72% on free throws and 36% from three.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky: The Wildcats' other elite rim protector, Cauley-Stein is a rare Calipari junior who has improved his game over his three seasons in Lexington. He's ridiculously agile for a seven-footer and while he's still a bit raw on offense, his great hands and high steal rate project well to the next level.
Myles Turner, Texas: The towering freshman (6'11) has been inconsistent as Texas' season slid toward the bubble, but NBA scouts are willing to place some of that blame on Rick Barnes due to the clear skills Turner brings to the table. The former five-star recruit is an elite shot-blocker with enough offensive polish (83% from the free throw line) and potential (61 three-point attempts this year, although only 17 makes) to be a star at the next level.
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame: One of the oldest draft prospects on the board, Grant's had an All-American caliber season for the Irish. He projects as a combo guard with incredible vision, good size and a knack for finishing around the rim. Age and outside shot consistency are the main hindrance for the son of former NBA player Harvey Grant and older brother of 76er Jerami Grant.
Kevon Looney, UCLA: The five-star freshman has hung around double-double status and impressed scouts all season despite UCLA's underwhelming campaign. One of the better rebounders in the country at 6'9" but with a bit of range (22-of-48 from three on the year), the Bruin is an upside pick who could potentially play either forward spot in the pros.
For more on the top ten draft prospects in the tourney, check out Marc Spears' conversation with a league scout. -
Follow all 64 tournament teams on Twitter
Because vines of celebratory shimmies and optimistic #sport hashtags never get old, our fearless leader Kevin Kaduk has curated a Twitter list that includes all 64 teams in the tournament field so you don't have to.Just click on the link to the list in the Tweet below and then "subscribe."Here’s a Twitter list of the 64 NCAA teams if you’re into that sort of thing … http://t.co/35tdtt7AO7Mar. 19, 2015- Reply
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And if you weren't already impressed by our dedication, Kaduk also promises to eliminate each Twitter account from the list as teams get knocked out of the Dance. There are only so many sad 140-character-or-less missives from 16 seeds any one Twitterer can take. -
I hate to brag, but I have a perfect bracket right now.by TeecycleTim via twitter 3/19/2015 4:03:28 PM
