Who To Root For | Butler v UConn

During the Butler-VCU game, I felt conflicted. As an ODU student, should I root for one of the school's biggest rivals or the incredibly likable squad who knocked out the Monarchs with less than a second on the clock? After many days of deliberation, I ended up going with the Rams, figuring the rivalry could be put on hold for the betterment of the CAA and the great state of Virginia. Now, with the Rams back in Richmond, it's time to go back to the drawing board and find out who to root for. For the categories and the breakdown, make the jump..

Around The Power 6, March Forecast

I've always wondered how the process worked. I've always wondered why there couldn't be an easier way to objectively pick the 65 (now 68) teams for the Big Dance each March. So I created one. Using http://www.kenpom.com/ as my guide, I came up with a crude formula to seed teams as they stood up until Sunday's games. All for the LCB universe. You're welcome.

How it works: All I did was take Ken Pomeroy's Top 100 teams, which is probably similar to the RPI Top 100. I gave teams points based on their victories, with different points for winning against top 20's, top 50's, and top 100's. I also scored it based on whether the game was on the road, at home, or at a  neutral site. I then took points away based on losses, using the same thing. So a team like Xavier for example, lost a lot of points and didn't make the cut because it has a couple of bad losses against teams outside the top 100. If a team won or lost by 15 or more, they were rewarded or penalized accordingly. I'm by no means a mathematician, and this process took way too long for me to ever do it more than once or twice, but I like the way it turned out. Here's how I have it after Sunday's games.

1. Ohio St., Pittsburgh, Texas, Kansas                                                                                          
2. San Diego St., Duke, BYU, UConn
3. Purdue, Notre Dame, Villanova, Georgetown
4. WVU, Louisville, Kentucky, Wisconsin
5. Syracuse, Washington, Utah St., Missouri
6. Tennessee, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas A&M
7. Michigan St., Cincinnati, Marquette, Arizona
8. Vanderbilt, Georgia, Temple, UNC
9. St. Mary's, St. Johns, UNLV, Florida
10. Harvard, FSU, UCLA, Cleveland St.
11. Nebraska, Wichita St., George Mason, Belmont
12. Clemson/Penn St., Maryland/ODU, Alabama, Missouri St.
13. UTEP, Oakland, Duquesne, VCU
14. Florida Atlantic, Fairfield, Coastal Carolina, Vermont
15. Bucknell, Montana, Austin Peay, Long Island
16. Chatanooga/Texas Southern, McNeese St./Long Beach St., Buffalo, Bethune-Cookman

Around the “Power 6” Plus 1
37 of the 68 spots in my mock field are taken up by these teams, with the Big East getting a whopping 11 into the field. The Big 10 has 7, the SEC has a surprising 6, followed by the Big 12 and ACC with 5. The Pac 10 and Mountain West get 3 bids apiece, with the CAA flying under the radar with 3 squads as well. I could be accused of having a state of Virginia bias with that, but Mason, VCU, and ODU all have strong resumes looking at the parameters I used.

ACC
Teams In: Clemson, FSU, Duke, UNC, Maryland
Close but no Cigar: : VT, Boston College
Player of the Week: John Henson ( 13 pts, 10 rbs, 5 blks)
On The Horizon: Duke at Maryland (2-2), VT at Boston College (2-5), Florida St. at UNC (2-6), UNC at Duke (2-9)

I bumped Duke up to a 2 seed even though by the math they should have been a 4. Maryland and Clemson were two of the last 4 at large teams, although they both seem to be creeping up and getting better. If UNC keeps winning and winning convincingly like last night at BC, they have a great chance to be a 4 or a 5. There are huge matchups in the next 7 days looming, with the bloodbath on next Wednesday overshadowing the Duke-Maryland and Florida St-UNC tilts this week.

Big East
Teams In: West Virginia, Syracuse, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Louisville, Notre Dame, St.Johns, UCONN, Marquette
Close but no Cigar: None
Player of the Week: Ben Hansbrough (20 pts, 4 rbs, 6 assists)
On the Horizon: Syracuse at UCONN (2-2), Villanova at Marquette (2-2), West Virginia at Villanova (2-5), Pitt at West Virginia (2-7), Georgetown at Syracuse (2-9)

The Big East is really good. You don't need to be an unpaid blogger who waits tables to inform you of this. The numbers bare it out in that all of these teams are going to have monster strength of schedule and RPI numbers simply by taking turns pummeling one another. St. Johns win over Duke bumped them up quite a bit. Hansbrough put up 26 against Pitt, bringing the Irish up to number 8 in the polls. All in all, these teams not only got into my fake field, but also came in with 8 in the 1-5 seeds. West Virginia had a surprisingly good number, and has a couple of big games to move up further at Villanova and at home against Pitt.

Big 10
Teams In: Ohio St., Michigan St., Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Penn St.,
Close but no Cigar: Michigan
Player of the Week: Darius Morris, Michigan ( 14 pts, 5 rbs, 7 assts)
On the Horizon: Michigan at Ohio St. (2-3), Michigan St at Wisconsin (2-6), Ohio St. at Minnesota (2-6)

Penn St. was the only real shocker here, though, Michigan was closer than I thought. If these teams can win one or two more against the Buckeyes' and Boilermakers' of the world, at the same time avoiding losing to Iowa and Indiana, they have a real shot at dancing. Darius Morris gets the nod for POTW over Jared Sullinger with his triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists) against Iowa. Michigan St. at Wisconsin highlights the week ahead, as a win in Madison would help Sparty gear up for their inevitable Final Four run. I may be the only person still left on the bandwagon, since I picked them to win it all in October. I like to be right and feel smart. I am insecure and small inside.

Big 12
Teams In: Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Nebraska
Close but no Cigar: Baylor, Kansas St
Player of the Week: Jordan Hamilton (18 pts, 10 rbs, 3 asst)
On the Horizon: Kansas at Nebraska (2-5), Missouri at Kansas (2-7)

The Big 12 is largely regarded as being a top 3 conference, but with the crashes of Baylor and Kansas St., they're really not that great outside of Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. Nebraska has been interesting, and we shall see if they are for real when they play the Jayhawks at home Saturday. Jordan Hamilton might be the most improved player in the country, not only scoring-wise but putting up huge rebound numbers and playing lock down D. He held Khris Middleton of the Aggies in check to the tune of zero for nine shooting in their win over the Aggies Monday night.

SEC
Teams In: Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Alabama.
Close but no Cigar: Mississippi St, South Carolina
Player of the Week: JaMychel Green, Alabama ( 18 pts, 8 rbs, 2 blks)
On the Horizon: Miss.St at Alabama (2-3), Kentucky at Florida (2-5), Alabama at Tennesee (2-5), Tennesee at Kentucky (2-8), Xavier at Georgia (2-8)

I didn't think Alabama would do what they've done so far, giving the SEC 6 teams in right now. They're 5-1 in league play, but need some wins against some of the East's elite to buff up their resume a little bit. No real great teams here, but Kentucky and Florida still could do some damage. Tennessee has done better than I thought without Bruce Pearl, so they might be a factor as well in the extremely tight SEC East race.

Mountain West
Teams In: BYU, San Diego St, UNLV
Close but no Cigar: New Mexico, Colorado St.
Player of the Week: Jimmer Fredette (35 pts, 4 rbs, 4 assts, 2 stls)
On the Horizon: San Diego St. at Colorado St. (2-3), UNLV at BYU (2-6)

BYU and San Diego St. ended up doing better than I thought, especially with BYU's win over Arizona looking better and better as the Wildcats climb in the polls. New Mexico is playing better after struggling early on. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jimmer is going to be my player of the week every time I do this for the rest of the year. UNLV gets a rematch against the Cougs in Provo on Saturday, while Colorado St. can move up with their game against San Diego St. at home tonight.

Pac 10
Teams In: Arizona, UCLA, Washington
Close but no Cigar: Washington St, Cal.
Player of the Week: Derrick Williams ( 20 pts, 9 rbs)
On the Horizon: USC at UCLA (2-3), Arizona at Cal (2-6)

UCLA looks to be getting better and better after some early season losses. Cal also has some better early season wins than I thought, and winning games like the one coming up at home versus Arizona will go a long way, although they already have 9 losses. The battle for Pac 10 player of the year between Williams, Isaiah Thomas, and Klay Thompson won't get much play on the East Coast, but all three might be in the top 15 overall, yet, remain completely overlooked.

LCB Hoops Picks: March Towards Indy

For the better part of this season in college hoops, we have picked two games that are must see television. However, March Madness offers a little more than the typical Saturday. So, for the tourney , myself and Berndon will share a thought or two and finish by giving you our regional picks and the teams we see making the trip to Indianapolis.

"Two on the Aisle": Busted Brackets

From time to time, we tend to use Ed Hopper paintings as a magnifying glass for studying the ins and outs of the NBA, and, with March Madness in full gear, the NBA becomes a fan of the drama much like the rest of us.

Breakfast with Berndon: Day 1 Recap

What an amazing start to everything. Today proved why this is the greatest sporting event we have in America. Nothing can top March Madness, specifically when you start the first day off with 3 overtime games, one buzzer beater and two game-winners with less than 3 seconds left. Even if it was just these three incredible games that captivated audiences, it would still be considered to be a highly successful beginning. There was more however, as thirteen of the 16 contests were either decided late in the game, or involved a huge upset. Here are some highlights from my day of gladly shelling out the 70 bucks for Mega March Madness, and not moving from my chair except to go to the bathroom or to re up on my chewing tobacco intake.

LCB Hoops Picks: The Madness Begins

For the better part of this season in college hoops, we have picked two games that are must see television. However March Madness offers a little more than the typical Saturday. So, for the tourney , myself and Berndon will share a thought or two and finish by giving you our sweet sixteen teams and upset picks for the opening weekend.

March Madness Capsules

I promised random and relevant information about the field of 65, and so as promised here's the info. Do with it what you will. I'm eliminating the teams from the power conferences in the name of space, and also because people generally know about them. So, Mid-Majors, here's your time in the spotlight, since for some of you, it won't last long.

Breakfast with Berndon: Cheaters Sometimes Prosper?

In this edition of B.B.E., Berndon tries to replace his first love with another, if only for a couple weeks. Hit the jump for the result.

Breakfast with Berndon: Paid Professionals Edition

In this edition of "BBE: PPE," Berndon gets back to his NBA Madness pool, shows you where the power lies, and banishes two off the island.

Breakfast with Berndon: Award Tour and the Quest for .700 Edition

 

In this edition of Breakfast, I take a stab at picking the all-league teams. I did this based off of what I’ve seen myself and the statistics at my disposal. Everyone loves lists and most people love to argue about lists, so feel free to comment/verbally bash me if you so choose. I’m also going to attempt to pick the conference tourney champs, striving for a .700 winning percentage as the pre-test before the final exam, where I, much like every year, am going to dominate every pool I’m in and win a wheelbarrow full of money in the process.

ACC
Player of the Year: Jon Scheyer, Duke
Frosh of the Year: Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Coach of the Year: Gary Williams, Maryland

1st Team:
Scheyer, Duke
Grevis Vazquez, Maryland
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech

2nd Team:
Nolan Smith, Duke
Kyle Singler, Duke
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech
Ishmael Smith, Wake Forest
Chris Singleton, FSU

3rd Team:
Tracy Smith, N.C.State
Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Solomon Alabi, FSU
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech
Deon Thompson, UNC

Big East

Player of the Year: Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Frosh of the Year: Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati
Coach of the Year: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

1st Team:
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Deshaun Butler, West Virginia
Lazar Hayward, Marquette

2nd Team:
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Kemba Walker, UCONN
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Andy Rautins, Syracuse
Dominic Jones, South Florida

3rd Team:
Ashton Gibbs, Pitt
Rich Jackson, Syracuse
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame
Jerome Dyson, UCONN
Chris Wright, Georgetown

Big 12

Player of the Year: LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor
Frosh of the Year: Xavier Henry, Kansas
Coach of the Year: Frank Martin, Kansas St.

1st Team:
Dunn, Baylor
Daimon James, Texas
Jacob Pullen, Kansas St.
Ekpe Udoh, Baylor
Sherron Collins, Kansas

2nd Team:
Tweety Carter, Baylor
Denis Clemente, Kansas St.
James Anderson, Oklahoma St.
Cole Aldrich, Kansas
Donald Sloan, Texas A&M

3rd Team:
Xavier Henry, Kansas
John Roberson, Texas Tech
Cory Higgins, Colorado
Dexter Pittman, Texas
Bryan Davis, Texas A&M

Big 10

Player of the Year: Evan Turner, Ohio St.
Frosh of the Year: Christian Wattford, Indiana
Coach of the Year: Thad Matta, Ohio St.

1st Team:
Turner, Ohio St.
Jajuan Johnson, Purdue
Manny Harris, Michigan
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue
Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin

2nd Team:
Kalin Lucas, Michigan St.
Jon Diebler, Ohio St.
Demetri McCamey, Illinois
William Buford, Ohio St.
Robbie Hummel, Purdue

3rd Team:
John Shurna, Northwestern
Deshawn Sims, Michigan
David Lighty, Ohio St.
Dallas Lauderdale, Ohio St.
Draymond Green, Michigan St.

SEC

Player of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
Frosh of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl, Tennessee

1st Team:
Wall, Kentucky
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Jarvis Varnado, Miss. St.
Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

2nd Team:
Chris Warren, Ole Miss
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Trey Thompkins, Georgia
Wayne Chism, Tennessee
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt

3rd Team:
J.P. Prince, Tennessee
Jeffrey Taylor, Vanderbilt
Tay Waller, Auburn
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU
Mikhail Torrence, Alabama

Pac 10
Player of the Year: Quincy Pondexter, Washington
Frosh of the Year: Derrick Williams, Arizona
Coach of the Year: Mike Montgomery, Cal

1st Team:
Pondexter, Washington
Jerome Randle, Cal
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Patrick Christopher, Cal
Landry Fields, Stanford

Mid-Majors
Player of the Year: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Frosh of the Year: Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Coach of the Year: Steve Alford, New Mexico

1st Team:
Fredette, BYU
Darington Hobson, New Mexico
Gordon Hayward, Butler
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Randy Culpepper, UTEP

2nd Team:
Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Derrick Carachter, UTEP
Lavoy Allen, Temple
Steven Gray, Gonzaga
Ryan Brooks, Temple

3rd Team:
Jackson Emery, BYU
Tra’von Willis, UNLV
Kevin Anderson, Richmond
Jordan Eglseder, Northern Iowa
Shelvin Mack, Butler


Now, here’s how I see the conference tourneys playing out. It almost seems like there are more upsets in these than in the real thing, so getting 70% of the games right might be a stretch, but if I can do that, I feel like I can up this to 80-85% for the Dance.

ACC

1st Round Winners: Boston College, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, N.C.State
Quarters: Duke, Wake Forest, Maryland, N.C. State
Semis: Wake Forest, Maryland
Champ: Maryland

Maryland is simply on fire right now. And no, that wasn’t a play off of Teach’s post about rioting etc. at College Park, just a poor choice of words. Wake Forest is trying to play themselves off of the bubble, and I think Ishmael Smith will be too much for Scheyer to handle in the in the semis. N.C. State seemingly always plays well this time of year, and I look for Tracy Smith and the Wolfpack to pull off 2 upsets.

Big 12

1st Round Winners: Texas Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma St, Texas
Quarters: Kansas, Missouri, Kansas St. Baylor
Semis: Kansas, Baylor
Champ: Kansas

I don’t see quite as many upsets in this league, as Kansas has been head and shoulders better than everyone the whole year. They’ll get challenge a little by Baylor, but will hold on for a tournament championship to go along with their regular season crown.

Big East

1st Round Winners: South Florida, UCONN, Seton Hall, Rutgers
2nd Round Winners: South Florida, Marquette, Seton Hall, Louisville
Quarters: Syracuse, Marquette, Pitt, Louisville
Semis: Syracuse, Louisville
Champ: Syracuse

I look for Syracuse to get a third crack at number 6 seeded Louisville, finally beating the Cardinal in the finals. Louisville will get there by beating an erratic Mountaineer squad, and barely squeaking by Pitt in the semis. Other upsets include Marquette knocking off Villanova, exacting revenge for their loss against them at the buzzer in last year’s tournament, and South Florida, led by Dominic Jones, who will beat Georgetown, enabling them to just barely get into the field of 65.

Big 10

1st Round Winners: Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota
2nd Round Winners: Ohio St, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota
Semis: Ohio St, Minnesota
Champ: Ohio St.

Ohio St. has been playing the best ball of anyone in the league as of late, and that, combined with having a player that can take over whenever they need him to will lead them to the crown here in my temporary home state of Indiana. Minnesota will be playing for their faint tournament hopes, going on a mini run knocking off Sparty, and a not as good as they used to be without Robbie Hummel, Purdue squad. Indiana over Northwestern is my other slight upset in the 1st round.

Pac 10

1st Round: Oregon
Quarters: Cal, Arizona, Washington, Arizona St.
Semis: Cal, Washington
Champ: Washington

Washington was a fringe top 10 team at the beginning of the season, they lost an extremely close 2nd round game to Purdue in the round of 32 last year, and will feed off of this, and the fact that Quincy Pondexter is simply the best player in the league to beat Cal in an extremely close final. The Huskies will also strugglewith,  but beat Arizona St. in the semis, with the winner of that game probably getting the second bid to the tourney out of the league.

SEC

1st Round Winners: Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia
Quarters: Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia
Semis: Kentucky, Florida
Champ: Florida

I don’t like my pick to win it all in a couple of weeks to win here. I think Florida has played them close both times they met in the regular season and will get the Cats here. I also like an underrated Georgia team, with two really good players in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, to upset Vandy and make it to the semis. Aside from that, both Mississippi teams will lose in the 2nd round and will be playing in the NIT next week.

Total Games: 68 

Correct Picks Needed to get to .700: 48

Check back next week to see how I did, and whether or not my upcoming March Madness predictions are worth anything.

Breakfast with Berndon: College Basketball Weekly

Thursday: Duke 86, Georgia Tech 67

I make no point in hiding my hatred of all things Duke. I can however be objective and give them their due when they play well. They definitely came out with a statement win in throttling the Yellow Jackets. 86-67. The contest was horribly officiated, at least from my comfortable vantage point in the guest suite at the Brody Hotel. In the first half, Duke was already in the double bonus with 10:50 still left to play.