March Madness Live Blog
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Michigan State survives, narrowly preventing Tom Izzo from spontaneously combusting on the sideline.by Jeff Eisenberg via twitter 3/20/2015 6:59:07 PM -
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Nationwide Arena resident starling checks out press row. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAj-sjzUYAAfEbB.jpg
by David Jones via twitter retweeted by JeffEisenberg 3/20/2015 6:56:21 PM -
Nationwide Arena resident starling checks out press row. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAj-sjzUYAAfEbB.jpg
by David Jones via twitter 3/20/2015 6:56:00 PM -
It's amazing the leads B1G teams can blow with 40 seconds left in a game.by Meredith Shiner via twitter 3/20/2015 6:53:38 PM -
Something to keep an eye on during the Buffalo/West Virginia game that tips in five minutes. Buffalo coach Bob Hurley may be on early technical watch:Note for Buffalo-WVU. Referee Wally Rutecki has T'd up Dan Hurley, Bob's brother, twice this week (A-10/NIT). He's doing the game.Mar. 20, 2015
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Bob Hurley, like Dan, isn't exactly a Teddy Bear on the sideline. Will be fascinating to see how they interact.Mar. 20, 2015- Reply
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I saw this come across my Twitter feed and got momentarily excited. #derpAlbany 52, Duke 50 with 22.2 seconds left in NCAA women's first round.Mar. 20, 2015
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How is this allowed?
Repping both iowa and UNI today!!! #ncaa #basketball #tourney #marchmadness #uni #iowa #hawkeyes #panthers #northerniowaby miles_the_lab via Instagram -
Want to chat Tourney? Send your questions in for NCAA analyst @JasonCollins98 using #AskJason98 & he'll answer them today at 2:15pm ET!by Yahoo Sports via twitter retweeted by JeffEisenberg 3/20/2015 5:53:03 PM -
Good lord, Derek Cooke. This was vicious even if it didn't count vine.co/v/OYbtjUwpZux (via @MattNorlander)by Jeff Eisenberg via twitter 3/20/2015 5:43:48 PM
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UPDATE: KANSAS 49, NEW MEXICO STATE 32, 13:54 remaining in the second half: The Jayhawk defense is holding the Aggies to 33 percent shooting and has forced eight turnovers while their offense hums along at a 52.6% clip with six different players have scored six or more points. The Big 12 looks like they might finally get their first tournament win.
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UPDATE: GEORGIA 22, MICHIGAN STATE 35, halftime: As announcer Bill Raftery said, the Spartans' senior guard Travis Trice "is pretty nice." Michigan State closed out the half on an 11-2 run, capping a 19-point turnaround after trailing Georgia by six. Trice has 11 of MSU's 35 points and fueled the team's run over the last 1:30 of the period that has created quite the hole for the Bulldogs. Sparked by a great outlet pass from Denzel Valentine, Trice slammed it home to put Sparty up 10, 32-22 (eliciting a golf clap from MSU alum and former NBA great Magic Johnson, who is in Charlotte for the game). On the next possession, Trice buried a 3-pointer to send the Spartans into the locker room with a spring in their step. The game is not out of reach for Georgia — especially if we learned anything from yesterday — but given that MSU starter Branden Dawsen spent most of the first half on the bench in foul trouble and will ostensibly be more of a factor in the second, the Dawgs have their work cut out for them.Mar. 20, 2015
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There's a line to take a selfie with Magic Johnson http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAjsZMqWEAAvXrD.jpg
by Chip Patterson via twitter 3/20/2015 5:36:38 PM -
Georgia and Michigan State are a combined 10-for-30 from the floor with nine turnovers, about 10 minutes into the game. Yep.by Ryan Fagan via twitter 3/20/2015 5:06:22 PM -
UPDATE Kansas 36, New Mexico State 23, Halftime: The Aggie defense has had all kinds of lapses, allowing a few Jayhawk alley oop dunks and easy drives to the rim. Perry Ellis is leading the KU scoring with 9 points while Frank Mason III has 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The Jayhawks are 5-of-8 from 3 and winning the battle of the boards so far, playing like the favorite.
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Yesterday, we highlighted the tournament's "Seniors to Watch." Among them were seventh-seeded Michigan State's Travis Trice and Branden Dawsen.Michigan State's Travis Trice and Branden Dawson: MSU finished the season with a 22 RPI, which, if you watched Sparty play in the beginning (or frankly, even middle of the season) probably surprised you. The Spartans seemingly have put it together in March — HOW DOES TOM IZZO DO IT? — and it's a huge credit to seniors Trice and Dawson, who are the No. 1 and No. 3 scorers on the team, respectively. Michigan State could give Virginia some trouble in the second round, if it makes it there, especially if the Cavaliers' Justin Anderson is not playing closer to 100 percent.The two seniors were key to the Spartans run through the Big Ten tournament, where MSU made it to the final game before bowing out to eventual No. 1 NCAA tournament seed Wisconsin, which has a pretty good senior of its own.Read more on some standout seniors here. And tune in to truTV now for MSU/Georgia. Bill Raftery is on the call!
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Here's a great story from @TheCauldron about how the NCAA almost expanded the tournament to *96* teams: medium.com/the-cauldron/t…by Jay Busbee via twitter 3/20/2015 4:40:02 PM -
Some interest in the upcoming games from our readers:
GO 'EATERS !!! Make this FIRST appearance a memorable one !!!
UCI97Mar 20, 2015 at 12:38 PMReally facinated to see the UNI-Wyo gam. See how UNI takes to being a favorite instead of an undedog at his stage.
GMMar 20, 2015 at 12:38 PM -
Tom Izzo dressed up like Kiss for Michigan State's Midnight Madness this year. What if it jinxed the Spartans' season? (Photo by the Detroit Free Press)What if we never get to see Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's Kiss tongue again because it was the kiss of death on the Spartans' season?No. 7 MSU is about to tip-off against No. 10 Georgia on truTV and you have to wonder whether in the superstition-bound world of sports 2014's Midnight Madness will be the last time we see a paint-clad, fake-guitar-strumming Izzo gracing us with our presence if his Spartans' can't stop this tournament's upset streak.Think about it: the guy is magic in March. And it this March is somehow different, we'll have to investigate the genesis of that failing because it wouldn't possibly be about players, actual game strategy or the opposition. -
UPDATE: Kansas 17, New Mexico State 9, 11:30 remaining in the first half: It was 4-4 early, but the Jayhawks have knocked down a pair of threes, are keeping the Aggies uncomfortable on offense and are holding their own on the defensive boards, which was a potential problem area. Considering the early tip (11:15 a.m. local time), Bill Self has to be pleased with the focus of his team as they look for the Big 12's first tournament win.
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You think you're kicking yourself after watching Thursday's upsets? How'd you like to be among the three people who went a PERFECT 16-for-16 only to realize they turned in incomplete brackets?
Come on, Eileen! -
In a 70-TV Atlanta sports bar with exactly one tuned to the Kansas-NM game. Wondered about this and then I realized who's up at 12:40.by Jay Busbee via twitter 3/20/2015 4:20:21 PM
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by Kansas Basketball via twitter 3/20/2015 4:19:06 PM -
RT if you're excited for GAME DAY! #AggieUp http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAjN46TUcAAbiYu.jpg
by NM State Aggies via twitter 3/20/2015 4:18:37 PM -
Your Friday afternoon NCAA tournament schedule
All times Eastern.
12:15: No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 New Mexico State - CBS
12:40: No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Georgia - truTV
1:40: No. 5 Northern Iowa vs. No. 12 Wyoming - TBS
2:10: No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Buffalo - TNT
2:45 (approx): No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 10 Indiana - CBS
3:10 (approx): No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 15 Belmont - truTV
4:10 (approx): No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 13 UC Irvine - TBS
4:40 (approx): No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Valparaiso - TNT
6:50: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State - TBS
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Beware of No. 15 seeds bearing gifts
Norfolk State celebrates after knocking off No. 2 seed Missouri in 2012. (
Peter G. Aiken/USA TODAY Sports)
Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, No. 2 seeds have fallen to No. 15 seeds only seven times. The first was in 1991, when the Richmond Spiders took down Syracuse. In 1993, Santa Clara (led by a Canadian point guard named Steve Nash) beat Arizona and in 1997 Coppin State dropped South Carolina. After Hampton defeated Iowa State in 2001, No. 2 seeds were perfect in the first round for over a decade
But the underdogs have been getting their revenge as of late. Since 2012, three No. 2 seeds have gone down, with Missouri (Norfolk State) and Duke (Lehigh) losing on the same day in 2012 and Georgetown (FloridaGulf Coast) falling in 2013. Who’s potentially in danger this year?
It might be Kansas, because New Mexico State is about as tough of a No. 2 seed as you’re going to find. The Aggies are 88th in the KenPom.com rankings, which puts them ahead of a couple of No. 12 seeds in terms of computer metrics. And this team won't be intimidated on the big stage, as this will be their fourth straight NCAA appearance, with last year's first round game being an overtime loss to No. 4 seed San Diego State. The Jayhawks have loads of talent, but their opener could be a test. -
This morning's street sign in the ATL http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAirj74UMAAzOtE.jpg
by Derek Leader via twitter 3/20/2015 4:04:00 PM -
UPDATE: The Georgia State men's basketball twitter feed, @GSUPanthers, has updated its handle name from "#NCAABound" to "#StillDancing." Yahoo Sports confirms this as true.
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Thursday's upsets lead to No. 2 most profitable Vegas day ever
The NCAA's official line on its hugely profitable annual men's basketball tournament is that the billion-bracket-inducing mayhem is not about gambling. It is not.Tell that to Las Vegas, however, which posted its second most profitable day ever following a huge swath of upsets that not just busted those aforementioned brackets but seemed to put a pretty serious dent in wallets everywhere.From @JayBusbee at The Dagger:Between the uprootings of heavy favorites like Baylor and Iowa State and the record-setting five one-point wins, the real winner in all this was The House, a.k.a. Las Vegas."Very profitable day, historic profitable day from a basketball perspective," Jay Rood, VP of Race/Sports for MGM International, told Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans. "It was the second biggest day aside from a Super Bowl win in the state of Nevada." (Rood didn't disclose which Super Bowl had a more profitable day, but our guess is the Giants' upset of the Patriots' perfect season in 2008.)From @JayBusbee at The Dagger, hours earlier: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.Look down at the lower right of the huge bracket the NCAA is displaying at its game sites. Right there, in tiny little lawyer-approved wording, is "The NCAA opposes all forms of sports wagering." That means YOU, five-dollar-office-bracket buyer.So there you have it! The NCAA opposes all forms of sports wagering. Except when it doesn't and Vegas makes an undisclosed kajillion dollars. -
What you missed while we were away: Late Night Shots, ed.
Thursday was a day of 1,000 shots and if you blinked, or accidentally got caught watching TNT when you should have been watching TBS, you might have missed it.There was an Arkansas shoe shot!And a dramatic Hoya shot to a Eastern Washington player's chest!Oh, yeah, and there also were some game-winning basketball shots.No. 8 N.C. State over No. 9 Louisiana State, 66-65 (in the second goaltending-or-not controversy of the opening day.)Cincinnati gets the sweet, sweet roll on a baseline runner, cutting a 7-point deficit over the last 45 seconds to force Purdue to overtime, 59-59. The Bearcats would go on to win the game in OT.Harvard almost beat North Carolina with this Slyvani Chambers 3-point bomb +1. Which would have made the Internet maybe the most insufferable place, but indeed would have been epic. UNC held on to win 67-65.Mar. 19, 2015- Reply
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Alright Day Two, hit us with your best shot. -
NBA Draft prospects to watch Friday
Duke's freshman duo of Justice Winslow (left) and Jahlil Okafor are two of the top draft prospects to watch Friday. (Mark Dolejs/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.
Jahlil Okafor, Duke: The giant freshman has been No. 1 on most boards all season after averaging 18 points and nine boards for the No. 1 seed Blue Devils. He's got an advanced offensive post game featuring a devastating drop step and soft hands, but there are concerns about his ability to be an elite defender and his free throw woes (51 percent) on the season.
Justice Winslow, Duke: Okafor's freshman partner in Durham, Winslow is a long, strong, 6-foot-6 wing who's a strong defender with the capability to finish around the rim or from the arc (39 percent on the season). Some consistency issues and poor free throw shooting (61 percent) could hold Winslow back.
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin: The Badgers' 7-foot senior leader has done it all this season: He's a 3-point threat, a rim protector, a potential threat to dribble-drive from the high post and an elite defensive rebounder. The two things keeping Kaminsky from rising too high are his age and lack of elite athleticism.
Kelly Oubre, Kansas: A prototypical NBA wing with a 6-foot-7 height and 7-foot-2 wingspan, Oubre hasn't received the minutes or shots on a veteran Kansas team to really put up the numbers of some of his counterparts, but with his potential and pedigree it's very unlikely he slides out of the lottery.
Kris Dunn, Providence: The Friars' point guard is cilmbing up draft boards after injury derailed his 2013-2014 campaign. He's got the best assist rate in the country (per KenPom.com), size for the position (6'3"), an elite steal rate and is the engine of a No. 6 seed Providence team that could go on a run. A lot to like about the former five-star prospect.
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville: You know exactly what you're getting with the Cardinals junior power forward: Tenacious rebounding, a strong motor, a love of attacking the rim and a guy who is maybe just a little undersized for the position (coming in between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-8). Harrell will have a long NBA career due to his rebounding ability, but his star potential might be limited by his size.
For more on the top ten draft prospects in the tourney, check out Marc Spears' conversation with a league scout. -
The All-Vacated Sweet 16
The only real and enduring thing about the NCAA tournament is the nearly $1 billion the association pockets over three weeks of play. The actual wins racked up by the participating teams and their student-athletes, however, have an increasingly short shelf-life.
Academic infractions, illegal recruiting, payment of players — the most en vogue triple threat in basketball right now is expanding the field of college cheaters at a steady rate, just like the growing tournament itself.
In fact, an enterprising (or bored) person could fill out a Sweet 16 bracket almost entirely of teams that have forfeited at least three NCAA tournament games, spanning from 1961 to 2008, to determine the "Greatest Team That Never Won." And so we did.
Because if a coach can get his jersey hung in the rafters next to Dr. J's by a program he left in shambles to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a vacated season, we certainly can play the part of the cynical Joe Lunardi and honor said coach in a bracket of infamy.
The field is divided into four regions: Calipari, Big 10, Legends and Teams You Already Forgot.
Like the real deal, this tournament is single-elimination, knock-out style. In order to be included in the field, a team must have been formally sanctioned by the NCAA. No specific teams under investigation currently and without a record of rule-breaking are included (Lookin' at you, 2005 North Carolina).
1990 Syracuse lacrosse is the only non-basketball team in the field because when NCAA officials announced sanctions on the basketball program earlier this month, they conveniently vacated seasons from 2004 to 2012, which coincidentally left the Orange's 2003 national title and 2013 Final Four on the books. The NCAA decided to preserve some of coach Jim Boeheim's top accomplishments. Boeheim defended his program in a press conference Thursday when he announced he would retire in three seasons. We decided to include a lacrosse title Syracuse continues to acknowledge to this day, even when the NCAA doesn't. Make of it what you will.
Without further ado, read the full Yahoo Sports All Vacated bracket here.
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Day One of the NCAA tournament is a wrap
(John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports)
What do you even say about that day? Buzzer-beaters, a pair of No. 3 seeds falling, a coach falling off of his stool and a single-day record for most one-point games. Our Jeff Eisenberg has the full recap of all the action. We'll be back with you tomorrow at noon ET to do it all over again.
