Saturday was not as kind to the A-10 as the first three days of the NCAA Tournament had been.

Four seed Michigan gave five seeded VCU a taste of their own medicine on Saturday afternoon, as the NCAA Tournament games kicked off from the South Region. The Wolverines played as perfect as you could in a basketball game by blowing out VCU, 78-53.

The Rams were the first A-10 team to lose, while Michigan is headed to the Sweet 16, where they will play the winner of Kansas-North Carolina.

VCU is a deep team, but some foul trouble and poor shooting was their undoing. They shot just 39.7% from the field (just 3-of-16 from the three point line) and committed 11 turnovers. VCU was also out-rebounded 36-22.

Troy Daniels and Rob Brandenberg shot a combined 6-for-24. Treveon Graham scored 11 points and Juvonte Reddic added 16 points in the loss. Briante Weber gave the Rams eight points off the bench.

For Michigan, Mitch McGary had dunk after dunk to score a game-high 21 points. He also hauled in 14 rebounds. Trey Burke scored 18 points and dished out seven assists, but he also committed seven turnovers. Glenn Robinson III, who had his jersey shredded by VCU defenders and had to change, scored 14 points and hauled in nine rebounds. Tim Hardaway, Jr also chipped in 14 points.

Saint Louis‘ magical season came to an end, as they lost to 12 seed Oregon, 74-57. Every time the Billikens would cut into the deficit, Oregon would make a nice play and the lead would build again. It didn’t help that they were down 35-19 at the half (though they only lost the second half 39-38).

Oregon is alot better than most 12 seeds, especially considering they won the Pac 12 Tournament and have their point guard back from injury. They are a very good rebounding team, which caused tons of problems for Saint Louis. The Ducks won that battle, 37-23.

Saint Louis’ defense, which was the best in the A-10, did force 18 turnovers (eight by EJ Singler), but they allowed the Ducks to shoot 52.9% from the field (and 60% in the first half).

The story of the game may have been three point shooting. Oregon was hot and Saint Louis was not. The Ducks made 8-of-11, with Damyean Dotson making 5-of-6. Saint Louis only made 3-of-21, with two of them coming in the final four minutes of the game.

Kwamaine Mitchell, the first Rick Majerus recruit at Saint Louis, saw his career come to an end with 18 points and five steals. Dwayne Evans scored 16 points and hauled in nine rebounds. Jordair Jett added 11 points off the bench.

For the Ducks, Dotson scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Singler chipped in 14 points and Carlos Emory scored 14 points.

» Continue reading “Saturday Not So Kind to the A-10″

Six seed Butler kicked off the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the A-10 with a win over 11 seed Bucknell, 68-56. It was a close game throughout with both teams going on scoring runs.

But it all came down to free throws. Bucknell went to the line just eight times (and made five of them). Butler went 28 times and made 25 of them. That’s a twenty point difference and the game. Considering that Bucknell made three more shots from the field and two more from three point land.

Bucknell took their first lead since they led 2-0 with 11:20 to go (at 32-31). Butler went on an 18-5 run a bit later, and then a 10-0 run that put the game away.

Patriot League Player of the Year Mike Muscala scored just nine points, ten under his average. He did haul in ten rebounds, but only went 4-for-17 from the field. Joe Willman kept Bucknell in the game, as he scored a career-high 20 points.

For Butler, Rotnei Clarke struggled with his shot (just 5-of-14),  but he scored 17 points. Andrew Smith also struggled with his shot (just 3-of-8), but he made his free throws and scored 14 points. Roosevelt Jones chipped in 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Alex Barlow scored ten points.

Butler advanced to the field of 32 and will play three seed Marquette on Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.

Four seed Saint Louis followed suit, with a 64-44 win over 13 seed New Mexico State. The Billikens defense forced 15 turnovers and NMST only shot 27.9% from the field. NMST was held to a season-low of 16 points in the first half.

On the negative side, Saint Louis was out-rebounded badly, 41-30.

NMST has a 7’5, 360 pound center, Sim Bhullar, who caused some problems inside for Saint Louis early. However, the Billikens started pulling up for jumpers around the free throw line or driving by him. Bhullar only scored four points, but did haul in 11 rebounds. Bandja Sy kept NMST in the game for the first part of the second half, but his 17 points were not enough.

Dwayne Evans was key inside for Saint Louis yet again, as he scored 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also hauled in six rebounds. Corey Remekun came up big in the second half and finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Cody Ellis (he of the blue hair down the middle) found his shot and scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Kwamaine Mitchell only scored seven points, but dished out five assists and ran the almost flawless offense. It is hard to not root for the Billikens, as Coach Majerus looks down from heaven. His longtime girlfriend was in attendance, where she has been all season long (because she feels closest to him).

The Billikens advanced to the field of 32 and will play 12 seed Oregon in San Jose on Saturday.

» Continue reading “A-10 Undefeated on First Day of Second Round”

In the final game of the night in Brooklyn, Temple lost to UMass, 79-74. Last season, the Owls also lost to UMass in their first game of the A-10 Tournament.

It was once again the Chaz Williams show. Temple had no answer for him defensively, as he scored 28 points and made all ten of his free throw attempts. The Owls actually led with about seven minutes to play before the 5’9 guard took the game over.

Temple’s scoring leader, Khalif Wyatt, scored 19 points but only made 4-of-19 shots. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson had a good game for the Owls, as he scored 17 points, hauled in nine rebounds, and dished out seven assists.

The Owls now must await their fate on Selection Sunday. UMass moves on to the semifinals on Saturday afternoon (4pm ET) to face VCU, who held off St. Joe’s, 82-79.

VCU made 11 of its first 21 three pointers to build a 17 point lead with more than eight minutes left. They still led by 15 points with two minutes left before the Hawks made their furious comeback. VCU scored 25 points on 17 St. Joe’s turnovers.

In the loss, Carl Jones scored 29 points and Langston Galloway chipped in 25 points for the Hawks.

In the day’s earlier A-10 tourney action…

» Continue reading “Deja’Vu for Temple, as They Lose to UMass in A-10 Tourney”

The A-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament got underway at their new home in Brooklyn on Thursday with four first round games. There were a few minor upsets.

Charlotte and Richmond kicked the day off, as the 49ers won 68-63. It was a wild ending, as the Spiders were called for three technical fouls over the final five seconds and Pierria Henry made eight free throws in just two seconds. That was after the Spiders led 63-60 with 4.7 seconds to go.

It was a crazy ending.

Charlotte moves on to face top seeded Saint Louis, who beat them back on February 16th, 75-58.

In the second afternoon game, Butler pulled away late to beat Dayton, 73-67. The Bulldogs move on to play LaSalle on Friday afternoon and must win four games in four days to win the tourney and possibly make the NCAA Tournament. LaSalle won the only meeting by one point.

The Bulldogs made 10-of-24 shots from the outside, while Dayton only took four. Rotnei Clarke made six of them to score 21 points. Andrew Smith added 18 points in the win.

Dayton actually led 43-39 with less than 14 minutes to go, but Butler hit three pointers on three straight possessions. The Flyers led the play inside, 48-28.

» Continue reading “The A-10 Tournament Gets Underway with a Few Upsets”

I credit my hairdo to the snow that fell ALL DAY in Nashville.

Last night’s visit to Nashville started off pretty exciting, but the game itself lacked the fast-paced, tense ending we enjoyed in Cincinnati.

Memorial Gym was unlike any college basketball stadium I’ve visited before, which is entirely refreshing. The building was older, with a classic and original feel. They boast the first raised court in college bball, which also makes it unique. Also unlike other courts, the team benches were seated underneath their respective baskets, rather than on the side of the court.

Overall, the feel of the gym was like a theater rather than a basketball court. There were bleachers (I think I forgot to mention Cincy had actual seats with backs, which I always prefer) throughout most of the stadium, and though our seats were on the 3^rd level we easily snagged a pair in the second.

So while the court itself was pretty cool, the spirit of the game was lacking a little oomph. There was no band (Cincy didn’t have one either), and there weren’t any cheerleaders or dancers! The husband wanted me to note that had there been dancers, he would’ve liked to refer to them as the “Commo-whores.” So perhaps it’s best they weren’t present.

Cincy had a bowl game at the same time as basketball, and still managed to scrounge up plenty of ladies to get us hyped up. One security person told us that the band leaves for winter break. Hope they had a good time relaxing while the basketball team was getting slaughtered.

The game began with even less fanfare than in Cincinnati, save for a few commercials for Vanderbilt on the big screen. Vandy was full-on in the game in the first half, though neither team did anything spectacular. Similarly to the Cincy halftime score, Butler had the lead at the half, 25-22.

The halftime show was the worst I’ve ever seen, because it didn’t exist. One kid had to walk around blindfolded to find a fiberglass house in the middle of the floor, and that was about it. We took that opportunity to try out the nachos and hotdogs. The husband gave the hotdogs a solid 7 (Cincy had a 6) and the nachos were the same salty chips with orange goop. But, I got to select my own hot peepers, which means I had lots and lots.

The second half was rather dull, and probably upsetting if you’re a Commodores fan. Butler started to heat up, and Rotnei Clarke (who pissed me off when Illinois played Butler in Maui) went off and plopped in some 3’s. All of a sudden, Butler was up by nearly 30 points and the crowd got frustrated and antsy. The game went by rather quickly, clocking in at barely two hours. The stadium was practically empty by the end, with a final score of 68-49, Butler.

It was dark and snowy, but the campus still looked lovely. Everyone was friendly, and no one seemed to mind our Orange and Blue getup. Cincy had a more “college-y” feel, but that might because it’s a bigger school, and a larger amount of students live in the immediate area. There was no student section to speak of, and in general the fanbased skewed a lot… more mature.

We’ve arrived in Memphis, and bless the Comfort Inn for having free wi-fi. Now to find a place with tasty snacks (vegetarian preferred) and the Bears game. Thankfully, the snow didn’t follow us.

Tomorrow morning my partner in crime and I will embark on a basketball road trip that we have been planning for months. To reminisce about the many who didn’t understand what could possible be fun about this trip take a look at my original post.  Five cities and four NCAA basketball games in five days is what’s on the itinerary, and we can’t wait to get going.

Since planning the trip, the matchups have gotten a touch more exciting. Also during that time, various people have told the old ball and chain that I must be a saint for agreeing to go on this trip with him. He beams with pride as he informs them that the trip was actually my idea.

Here’s the schedule, and what to expect:

Dec. 27, 9PM Eastern – #10 Cincinnati vs. New Mexico

Well, this game would’ve been a tad more exciting had New Mexico won last weekend against South Dakota State, as this game would be a top 25 matchup between two undefeated teams. However, Cincy is still the No. 10 team in the country, so that’ll be neat to see. New Mexico was ranked No. 16 last week, and for some reason that one loss kicked them out of the rankings entirely. Since they will be a major underdog tomorrow, clearly I’ll be rooting for the lobos all the way.

Dec. 29, 8PM – #18/21 Butler at Vanderbilt

For our second game in Nashville, we’ll be treated to another ranked team in Butler. Normally I would root for the unranked home team so that I can fit in with the crowd, but since Illinois beat Butler earlier in the season I’m going all-out Bulldogs all the way. I will already get side-long glances for my orange and blue attire, and then I’ll be rooting for the guest. Will the crowd be wearing suits and Sunday dresses, or is that just football games?

Dec. 30, 8PM- Memphis vs. Loyola (MD)

Okay, this game isn’t any more exciting than it looked on paper months ago. Neither of us have been to Memphis, and even though the team hasn’t been the same since Calipari left it in ruins a few years back, there’s still some great basketball history in that building! And, I hope to make a stop at Graceland. At 7-3, the season is far from over for Memphis, and it will be the first stop where we’ll get to join the crowd and root for the home team.

Dec. 31, 730PM – St. Louis vs. New Mexico

Oh Lobos! There you are again. By the end of this trip we will be big fans. Again, this game was just a nice stop on the trip because it’s on the way home, and we have friends in the area. As a bonus, joining us at this game will be the Aerys Gold Rush’s own Marquette expert, Mary! And, if New Mexico manages to win at Cincy, they’ll be ranked again, and then we’ll get to watch another ranked team. Without Rick Majerus (may he RIP), this game isn’t too exciting, but it will be fun to see how many people show up for a New Year’s Eve game!

That’s the trip in a nutshell! Along the way, we’ll also get to watch an Illini basketball game in a bar in Nashville (as a cruel joke they’ll actually be playing in Chicago) and a Bears game in Memphis. Tonight we will pack as many orange t-shirts as possible, because we represent the I-L-L no matter where we are, and even if Illinois has nothing to do with the game whatsoever.

We’ll be blogging along the way to let you know who has the best fans, and who has the best nachos. You’ll get to read about the atmosphere at each place, and who is the most annoyed at our orange and blue shenanigans. See our briefer musings by following @zforthree (or my other half who is a much better tweeter, @jjhparker) or take a look at #jzroadtrip.

Basketball immersion, here we come!