Jumping in Office Pool: Sweet 16 Tips to Chew On About NCAA Playoffs
March 10th, 2013 - 13:23
Participating in office pools for major sports events, whether for money or not, has become as American in the national workplace as filling out your vacation schedule. Both forms can be perplexing because you frequently second guess yourself on where to go, when to go and exactly what to do. More often than not, you want to modify the submissions moments after turning them in. You feel as if you've flunked Office-Pool Economics 101.
No office pool heightens your frustration more than the NCAA Tournament. The allure of the office anarchy can be attributed to the futility of the exercise. Still, a little sophisticated guidance is better than none at all as you strive to meet the deadline for submitting your final NCAA playoff bracket.
If you're among the ardent fans who adore the Final Four and are starving for relevant handicapping tips, a sane approach to surviving March Madness has arrived. It is time to start chewing on historical nuggets to avoid making another April Fool appearance when results are posted on the bulletin board. Pay close attention to these sweet 16 dos and don'ts on how to fill out your bracket. As events unfold, you might want to rekindle old memories by assessing CollegeHoopedia.com's most magical playoff moments and All-Time All-NCAA Tournament teams.
1. SEEDING CAPACITY
DO pick a top three seeded team to win the national title.
In the first 33 years since the NCAA Tournament embraced seeding, 29 of the champions were seeded No. 1 (18 titlists), 2 (six) or 3 (five). The only championship game without at least one No. 1 or No. 2 seed was 1989, when a pair of No. 3 seeds clashed (Michigan and Seton Hall), until last year when #3 Connecticut opposed #8 Butler.
DON'T pick more than two of the four regional No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four. No. 1 seeds always look tempting (especially after all four advanced to national semifinals in 2008). But the Final Four did not have more than two of them any year from 1979 through 1992 and the last three years.
2. DOUBLE TROUBLE
DO pick two teams seeded 13th or worse to defeat teams seeded two through four and one team seeded 12th to reach a regional semifinal.
Since the seeding process started in 1979, never have all of the top four seeds in each regional survived their opening round. A No. 12 seed advanced to the round of 16 five consecutive years from 1990 through 1994.
DON'T automatically pick a perennial power to defeat a team with a double-digit seed.
More than 100 different coaches have lost at least one tournament game to an opponent with a double-digit seed since the seeding process was introduced. Playoff newcomers shouldn't be shunned if they get any break at all in the seeding process. First-time entrants assert themselves when they receive a decent draw. Of the schools making their tournament debuts since the field expanded to at least 52 teams, almost one-fourth of them survived the first round.
3. SCORING SUMMARY
DO shun a potential championship team if an underclassman guard is leading the squad in scoring.
The only freshmen to lead a national champion in scoring were Utah forward Arnie Ferrin in 1944 and Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony in 2003. Of the sophomores to lead national titlists in scoring average, the only guards were Indiana's Isiah Thomas (16 ppg in 1981) and Duke's Jason Williams (21.6 ppg in 2001).
DON'T tamper with a "curse" by picking a team with the nation's leading scorer on its roster to reach the Final Four.
No national champion has had a player average as many as 30 points per game. The only player to lead the nation in scoring average while playing for a school to reach the NCAA Tournament championship game was Clyde Lovellette, who carried Kansas to the 1952 title. The only other player to lead the nation in scoring average while playing for a team advancing to the Final Four was Oscar Robertson, who powered Cincinnati to the national semifinals in 1959 and 1960 before the Bearcats were defeated both years by California. The Bears restricted the Big O to a total of 37 points in the two Final Four games as he was just nine of 32 from the floor.
4. PICKS AND PANS
Unless vital criteria is met to suffice otherwise, DO go with better-seeded teams to win games in the four regionals.
The better-seeded teams win a little over 2/3 of the games in regional competition. However, Final Four games have virtually broken even in regard to the original seedings.
DON'T pick a team to capture the NCAA title if the club lost its conference tournament opener.
No team ever has won an NCAA championship after losing a conference postseason tournament opener.
5. DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS
DO remember the cliche "East is Least."
No Eastern school won the East Regional and the national title in the same season since the tournament went to four regionals until Syracuse achieved the feat in 2003. The first seven national champions from the East Regional since 1956 were all ACC members (North Carolina '57, N.C. State '74, North Carolina '82, Duke '92, North Carolina '93, Duke '01 and Maryland '02) before Carolina won the East Regional again in 2005.
DON'T accept the axiom that the "West is Worst."
What does the Left Coast have to do to shed a misguided image? The Pacific-12 Conference supplied two NCAA champions in a three-year span (UCLA '95 and Arizona '97) before Stanford and Utah reached the 1998 Final Four. Arizona was runner-up in 2001 before UCLA participated in three straight Final Fours from 2006 through 2008. Although the Pac-12 struggled this season, the multiple-bid Mountain West and/or West Coast could take up the slack.
6. MATHEMATICAL ODDS
DO pick two of the ten recognizable schools with the all-time best playoff records to reach the Final Four.
There is a strong possibility some familiar faces will arrive in New Orleans since at least two of the ten winningest schools by percentage (minimum of 40 playoff games) usually appear at the Final Four. The top ten schools are Duke (.756 entering the '12 tourney), UCLA (.730), North Carolina (.724), Florida (.696), Kentucky (.695), Kansas (.693), Michigan State (.684), Michigan (.672), Indiana (.667) and UNLV (.660).
DON'T be too wary of first-rate coaches with dime-store playoff results.
High-profile coaches such as Creighton's Greg McDermott (0-3 tourney mark), Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (1-7), Temple's Fran Dunphy (2-13), North Carolina State's Mark Gottfried (5-7) and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings (5-7) are occasionally grilled because of their dismal tournament resumes. But they're due to eventually turn things around and shouldn't be written off altogether. Remember: Legendary John Wooden lost his first five playoff games as coach at UCLA by an average of more than 11 points and compiled an anemic 3-9 record from 1950 through 1963 before the Bruins won an unprecedented 10 national titles in 12 years from 1964 through 1975. It doesn't seem possible, but additional elite coaches who didn't win their first NCAA playoff game until their 10th DI season or longer include Dana Altman, Rick Barnes, P.J. Carlesimo, Pete Carril, Bobby Cremins, Tom Davis, Cliff Ellis, Bill E. Foster, Hugh Greer, Leonard Hamilton, Marv Harshman, Terry Holland, Maury John, Mike Krzyzewski, Ralph Miller, Mike Montgomery, Joe Mullaney, Pete Newell, Tom Penders, George Raveling, Kelvin Sampson, Norm Sloan, Butch van Breda Kolff and Ned Wulk.
7. GO WITH MIGHTY MO?
DO remember the odds about a conference tournament champion reaching the NCAA Tournament final.
There is a theory that burnout has a tendency to set in. But more than half of the NCAA titlists since seeding started in 1979 also won their conference postseason tournament the same year.
DON'T be swayed by a postseason conference tournament title or a poor performance in an elite league tourney.
Disregard the "hot team" factor because a defeat in a league tournament is often a better motivational tool than a complacency-inducing victory.
8. LOOKING OUT FOR NO. 1
DO look for a school other than the defending champion (Connecticut in 2011) to become national titlist.
Duke was fortunate to repeat in 1992 when they reached the Final Four on Christian Laettner's last-second basket in overtime in the East Regional final against Kentucky. Florida repeated in 2007 despite winning its last five contests by 10 or fewer points.
DON'T pick the top-ranked team entering the tournament to reach the national championship game, let alone capture the crown.
There is a clear and present danger for pole sitters. Only three of the 29 schools atop the national rankings entering the NCAA playoffs from 1983 through 2011 went on to capture the national championship and only six No. 1 squads in the last 25 seasons of that span reached the title game.
9. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
DO pick at least one Final Four team with a coach making his debut at the national semifinals.
Just four Final Fours (1951, 1968, 1984 and 1993) had all four coaches arrive there with previous Final Four experience. There has been at least one fresh face among the bench bosses at the national semifinals all but one of the last 27 years. In 1993, coaches Steve Fisher (Michigan), Rick Pitino (Kentucky), Dean Smith (North Carolina) and Roy Williams (Kansas) returned to familiar surroundings at the Final Four.
DON'T pick a team to win the national title if its coach is in his first season at the school.
Steve Fisher guided Michigan to the 1989 title after succeeding Bill Frieder just before the start of the playoffs. But the only individual to capture an NCAA crown in his first full campaign as head coach at a university was Ed Jucker (Cincinnati '61 after seven years at King's Point and Rensselaer). The average championship team head coach has been at the school almost 13 years and has almost 17 years of college head coaching experience overall. The only championship head coaches with less than five years of experience were Fisher and Fred Taylor (second season at Ohio State '60).
10. SENIORS AND SHEEPSKINS
DO realize that senior experience needs to be complemented by the vigor from undergraduates.
A senior-laden lineup is not a prerequisite for capturing a national championship. An average of only two seniors were among the top seven scorers for NCAA Tournament titlists since the playoff field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985. Eight of the 16 NCAA champions from 1991 through 2006 boasted no more than one senior among its top seven scorers. Only three NCAA champions since Indiana '87 - UCLA (1995), Michigan (2000) and Maryland (2002) - had seniors as their top two scorers.
DON'T pick a team to capture the title if it is coached by a graduate of the school.
A champion is almost never guided by a graduate of that university.
11. CHANGE OF ADDRESS
DO pick at least one of your Final Four teams to have a transfer starter.
Almost every Final Four features at least one starter who began his college career at another four-year Division I school.
DON'T pick schools that lost a vital undergraduate to reach the Final Four if you think the defectors will become pro stars.
Ten individuals scored more than 20,000 points in the NBA or were named to at least five All-NBA teams after participating in the NCAA Division I playoffs and then leaving college with eligibility remaining - Charles Barkley (departed Auburn early), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston), Isiah Thomas (Indiana), Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas), Karl Malone (Louisiana Tech), Magic Johnson (Michigan State), Bob McAdoo and Michael Jordan (North Carolina), Adrian Dantley (Notre Dame) and Elgin Baylor (Seattle). None of their schools reached the Final Four the year or years they could have still been in college.
12. CONFERENCE CALL
DO pick two teams from the same conference to reach the Final Four, with at least one of them advancing to the championship game.
Double your pleasure: A pair of members from the same conference frequently advance to the Final Four.
DON'T be condescending and overlook quality mid-major conference teams.
It's not a question of if but where will David defeat Goliath. There have been more than 100 Big Boy losses against members of lower-profile conferences seeded five or more places worse than the major university which is currently a member of one of the current consensus top six leagues. A total of 74 different lower-profile schools and current members of 23 different mid-major conferences (all but Great West, Northeast and Summit) have won such games since seeding started in 1979.
13. REGULAR-SEASON REVIEW
DO pick two of your Final Four teams from schools failing to finish atop their regular-season conference standings.
The best is yet to come for a team or two that might have been somewhat of an underachiever during the regular season. Almost half of the entrants since the field expanded to 48 in 1980 did not win outright or share a regular-season league title.
DON'T put much emphasis on comparing regular-season scores.
A striking number of NCAA champions lost at least one conference game to a team with a losing league mark. Many NCAA champions weren't exactly invincible as a majority of them lost a regular-season games by a double-digit margin.
14. AT-LARGE ANSWERS
DO avoid picking an at-large team with a losing conference record to go beyond the second round.
An at-large team with a sub-.500 league mark almost never wins more than one NCAA Tournament game.
DON'T pick an at-large team compiling a mediocre record to reach the regional semifinals.
Only a handful of at-large entrants winning fewer than 60 percent of their games manage to reach the second round.
15. RACIAL PROFILING
DO pick at least a couple of teams coached by African Americans to advance a minimum of two rounds in the tournament.
More often than not, at least two teams coached by African Americans reach the regional semifinals (round of 16).
DON'T pick a team to win the championship if its top two scorers are white athletes.
Duke had the only two teams in recent memory to win the NCAA title with white players comprising its top two point producers that season. In 1991, the two two scorers were Christian Laettner and Billy McCaffrey, who subsequently transferred to Vanderbilt. In 2010, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were Duke's top two scorers. Laettner also led the Blue Devils in scoring when they captured the 1993 crown. The only other white players ranked among the top three scorers for NCAA championship teams since the field expanded to at least 40 teams included: Randy Wittman (third for Indiana '81), Steve Alford (led Indiana '87), Kevin Pritchard (third for Kansas '88), Eric Montross (led North Carolina '93), Jeff Sheppard/Scott Padgett (first and third for Kentucky '98), Gerry McNamara (third for Syracuse '03) and Tyler Hansbrough (led North Carolina '09).
16. LAW OF AVERAGES
DO pick one "sleeper" team not ranked among the top ten in either of the final wire-service polls entering the tournament to reach the championship game.
There likely will be a Rip Van Winkle finally waking up to advance to the national final after not being ranked among the top ten in an AP final poll.
DON'T pick the national runner-up from one year to win the championship the next season.
The only three teams ever to finish national runner-up one year and then capture the title the next season were North Carolina (1981 and 1982), Duke (1990 and 1991) and Kentucky (1997 and 1998).
Exercising Patience: Many All-Time Winningest Coaches Erased Shaky Start
March 6th, 2013 - 21:27
Did you know coaching legend John Wooden won a grand total of one NCAA playoff game in his first 13 seasons with UCLA before capturing 10 national titles in 12 years from 1964 through 1975? A significant number of pensive pilots are on the precipice of receiving pink slips from struggling schools. Prior to doing so, the institutions need to reflect a moment on the following alphabetical list of individuals who didn't get off to roaring starts with major colleges but withstood the test of time and became their all-time winningest coaches:
| All-Time Winningest Coach | School | Summary of Shaky Start |
|---|---|---|
| Dana Altman | Creighton | Failed to post winning season record until fourth year (1997-98). |
| Randy Bennett | Saint Mary's | Total of 11 games below .500 through first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03). |
| Bill Bibb | Mercer | Total of 16 games below .500 in first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77). |
| George Blaney | Holy Cross | Total of 18 games below .500 in first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74). |
| Buster Brannon | Texas Christian | Total of 14 games below .500 in first two seasons (1948-49 and 1949-50). |
| Tom Brennan | Vermont | Total of 54 games below .500 overall and 36 below in ECAC North Atlantic Conference competition in first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89). |
| Dale Brown | Louisiana State | Overall losing record through first five seasons (1972-73 through 1976-77). |
| Jim Calhoun | Connecticut | Total of 24 games below .500 in Big East competition in first three seasons (1986-87 through 1988-89). |
| Bobby Cremins | Georgia Tech | Total of 16 games below .500 in ACC competition in first three seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84). |
| Billy Donovan | Florida | Failed to post winning season record until third year (1998-99). |
| Pat Douglass | UC Irvine | Total of 23 games below .500 in first two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99). |
| Homer Drew | Valparaiso | Total of 67 games below .500 in first five seasons (1988-89 through 1992-93). |
| Fran Dunphy | Penn | Failed to post winning season record until third year (1991-92). |
| Cliff Ellis | Clemson | Total of 12 games below .500 in ACC competition through first two seasons (1984-85 and 1985-86). |
| Murray Greason | Wake Forest | Total of 11 games below .500 in first three seasons (1933-34 through 1935-36). |
| Doc Hayes | Southern Methodist | Four losing records in first six seasons (1947-48 through 1952-53. |
| Lou Henson | Illinois | Overall losing record through first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78). |
| Terry Holland | Virginia | Breakeven record overall and 16 games below .500 in ACC competition through first three seasons (1974-75 through 1976-77). |
| George Ireland | Loyola Chicago | Overall losing record through first six seasons (1951-52 through 1956-57). |
| Doggie Julian | Dartmouth | Total of 30 games below .500 through first three seasons (1950-51 through 1952-53). |
| Mike Krzyzewski | Duke | Overall losing record through first three seasons (1980-81 through 1982-83). |
| Guy Lewis | Houston | Total of 14 games below .500 overall and in MVC competition through first four seasons (1956-57 through 1959-60). |
| Eddie McCarter | Texas-Arlington | Six losing records in first seven seasons (1992-93 through 1998-99). |
| Al McGuire | Marquette | Total of eight games below .500 in first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66). |
| Frank McGuire | South Carolina | Total of 13 games below .500 in first two seasons (1964-65 and 1965-66). |
| Bob McKillop | Davidson | Failed to post winning season record until fifth year (1993-94). |
| Eldon Miller | Northern Iowa | Total of 10 games below .500 through first two seasons (1986-87 and 1987-88). |
| Ralph Miller | Wichita | Total of three games below .500 in first two seasons (1951-52 and 1952-53). |
| Danny Nee | Nebraska | Total of 20 games below .500 in Big Eight Conference competition in first four seasons (1986-87 through 1989-90). |
| Fran O'Hanlon | Lafayette | Total of 19 games below .500 in first two seasons (1995-96 and 1996-97). |
| Johnny Orr | Iowa State | Failed to post winning season record until fourth year (1983-84). |
| Nolan Richardson | Arkansas | Total of eight games below .500 in SWC competition in first two seasons (1985-86 and 1986-87). |
| Jack Rohan | Columbia | Failed to post winning season record until fifth year (1965-66). |
| Al Skinner | Boston College | Failed to post winning season record until fourth year (2000-01). |
| Dean Smith | North Carolina | Only one winning season record (1962-63) in first three years. |
| Jim Snyder | Ohio University | Total of eight games below .500 in first five seasons (1949-50 through 1953-54). |
| Kevin Stallings | Vanderbilt | Total of 24 games below .500 in SEC competition through first seven seasons (1999-00 through 2005-06). |
| Rick Stansbury | Mississippi State | Total of eight games below .500 in SEC competition through first three seasons (1998-99 through 2000-01). |
| Norm Stewart | Missouri | Losing record in Big Eight Conference competition in first three seasons (1967-68 through 1969-70). |
| Scott Sutton | Oral Roberts | Total of 10 games below .500 in first three seasons (1999-2000 through 2001-02). |
| Blaine Taylor | Old Dominion | Total of six games below .500 in first two seasons (2001-02 and 2002-03). |
| Bob Thomason | Pacific | Total of 16 games below .500 in first four seasons (1988-89 through 1991-92). |
| John Thompson Jr. | Georgetown | Total of three games below .500 in first two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74). |
| M.K. Turk | Southern Mississippi | Total of five games below .500 in first three seasons (1976-77 through 1978-79). |
| Riley Wallace | Hawaii | Total of 10 games below .500 in WAC competition in first six seasons (1987-88 through 1992-93). |
| Gary Williams | Maryland | Total of 24 games below .500 in ACC competition in first four seasons (1989-90 through 1992-93). |
| Jim Williams | Colorado State | Total of 12 games below .500 in first five seasons (1954-55 through 1958-59). |
| Charlie Woollum | Bucknell | Total of eight games below .500 in first three seasons (1975-76 through 1977-78). |
Tourney Tidbits: Canny Cliff Clavin's Countrywide Conference Collection
March 6th, 2013 - 7:53
The amazing six-overtime thriller between Connecticut and Syracuse in the 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals is relatively easy to remember. But one of the most titillating tourney tidbits among all leagues that gets overlooked because the Southwest Conference is defunct remains Texas Tech's Rick Bullock singlehandedly outscoring the "Triplets" from Arkansas (Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph and Sidney Moncrief) by seven points, 44-37, when he set the SWC's single-game tournament scoring record in the 1976 semifinals.
As league tourney action is ushered in, don't hesitate to capitalize on the links for the current Division I conferences cited below to refresh your memory about past champions and events. Following are many of the names and numbers of note only Cliff Clavn knows about regarding previous conference tournament competition you can reflect upon as teams tune up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA playoff bracket:
America East - The 1989 North Atlantic Tournament was dubbed the MIT (Measles Invitational Tourney) because all spectators were banned due to a measles outbreak. Delaware competed for 17 years in the East Coast Conference and never won an ECC Tournament championship. But the Blue Hens entered the AEC predecessor, the North Atlantic, in 1992 and won their first-ever title and went to the NCAA playoffs for the initial time. They successfully defended their crown the next year before closing out the decade with another set of back-to-back tourney titles.
Atlantic Coast - Maryland, ranking fourth in both polls, lost in overtime against eventual NCAA champion North Carolina State, 103-100, in the 1974 final in what some believe might have been the greatest college game ever played. Three players from each team earned All-American honors during their careers - North Carolina State's David Thompson, Tom Burleson and Monte Towe plus Maryland's John Lucas, Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. The Terrapins had four players score at least 20 points - Lucas, McMillen, Owen Brown and Mo Howard - in a 20-point victory over 22-6 North Carolina (105-85) in the semifinals. The Terps, of course, didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs that year because a 32-team bracket allowing teams other than the league champion to be chosen on an at-large basis from the same conference wasn't adopted until the next season.
Atlantic Sun - Belmont hit 12 of 19 first-half shots from beyond the arc in the 2007 final against top seed East Tennessee State.
Atlantic 10 - Temple reached the tourney semifinals 19 consecutive seasons in one stretch.
Big East - St. John's doesn't seem to have any advantage at Madison Square Garden. It lost five consecutive tourney games on its homecourt by an average margin of 11.4 points from 1987 through 1991.
Big Sky - Montana, capitalizing on a homecourt advantage, overcame a jinx by winning back-to-back tournament titles in 1991 and 1992. The Grizzlies had just two losing regular-season league records from 1976 through 1990, but they didn't win the tournament title in that span, losing the championship game five times from 1978 through 1984.
Big South - The No. 1 seed won this unpredictable tourney only five times in the first 17 years. Radford failed to reach the postseason tournament final for nine years until capturing the event in 1998.
Big Ten - Illinois won as many games in the 1999 tourney as the Illini did in regular-season conference competition that season (3-13).
Big 12 - Kansas won the first three championship games from 1997 through 1999 by at least 14 points.
Big West - Pacific didn't compile a winning league record from 1979 through 1992, but the Tigers climaxed three consecutive appearances in the tournament semifinals by advancing to the '92 championship game.
Colonial - Navy, seeded No. 8 in 1991 in its last year in the tournament before joining the Patriot League, upset top seed James Madison in overtime, 85-82, in the opening round.
Conference USA - Three of four C-USA Tournament champions from 1997 through 2000 won four games in four days. Cincinnati captured six league tournament titles in seven years from 1992 through 1998 in the Great Midwest and C-USA.
Horizon League - The first two tournament winners (Oral Roberts '80 and Oklahoma City '81) of the league's forerunner, the Midwestern City, subsequently shed Division I status and de-emphasized to the NAIA level. ORU, which also won the crown in 1984, returned to Division I status in 1993-94. Butler lost its first 12 games in the tourney until breaking into the win column in 1992.
Metro Atlantic Athletic - Eight different schools won the tournament title in an eight-year span from 1992 through 1999.
Mid-American - Bowling Green never has won the MAC Tournament.
Mid-Eastern Athletic - North Carolina A&T won seven consecutive titles from 1982 through 1988. The Aggies defeated Howard in the championship game each of the first six years of their streak with the middle four of them decided by a total of only 17 points.
Missouri Valley - Indiana State won only two of its next 20 MVC tourney games after All-American Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the 1979 title.
Mountain West - Not once has Air Force reached the championship game of the WAC or Mountain West.
Northeast - The final pitted the top two seeds against each other 11 times in a 13-year span from 1983 through 1995.
Ohio Valley - Former member Western Kentucky reached the championship game in eight of the OVC's first 10 tourneys. Tennessee Tech won only one tournament game from 1975 through 1992.
Pacific-12 - Arizona won the last three tourney finals from 1988 through 1990 by a minimum of 16 points before the league discontinued the event until reviving it in 2002.
Patriot League - No seed worse than third reached the championship game in the first 20 years of event from 1991 through 2010.
SEC - Seven of the 13 tourney MVPs from 1979 through 1991 didn't play for the champion. One of them, LSU's John Williams, didn't even compete in the 1986 title game. Although Kentucky standout center Alex Groza saw limited action in the 1947 tournament because of a back injury, the Wildcats cruised to victories over Vanderbilt (98-29), Auburn (84-18), Georgia Tech (75-53) and Tulane (55-38). UK was also without Converse All-American guard Jack Parkinson (serving in the military), but the five-man all-tourney team was comprised of nothing but Wildcats - forwards Jack Tingle and Joe Holland, center Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones and guards Ken Rollins and Ralph Beard. UK (24) has won more than half of the SEC's tourneys.
Southern - Furman's Jerry Martin, an outfielder who hit .251 in 11 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets from 1974 through 1984, was named MVP in the 1971 tournament after the 6-1 guard led the Paladins to the title with 22-, 36- and 19-point performances to pace the tourney in scoring. Two years earlier, current Davidson coach Bob McKillop scored three points for East Carolina against the Lefty Driesell-coached Wildcats in the 1969 SC Tournament championship game.
Southland - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons outscored Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, 47-6, when Lyons established a still existing single-game scoring record in the 1983 tournament quarterfinals. Malone led the SLC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg) that season as a freshman before going on to score more than 30,000 points in the NBA. Two years earlier, McNeese State won a first-round game after going winless in regular-season conference competition.
SWAC - Regular-season champion Grambling State lost by 50 points to Southern (105-55) in the 1987 final. An interesting twist that year was the fact Bob Hopkins, Grambling's first-year coach, had coached Southern the previous three seasons.
Summit League - The first tournament final in 1984 featured two teams with losing league records in regular-season competition (Western Illinois and Cleveland State).
Sun Belt - South Alabama's stall didn't prevent the Jaguars from losing to New Orleans, 22-20, on Nate Mills' last-second jumper in the 1978 final. The next season, the Sun Belt became the first league to experiment with a 45-second shot clock. The four different schools that accounted for the participants in six consecutive finals from 1980 through 1985 went on to join other conferences - UAB, Old Dominion, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth. Two-time champion Charlotte also abandoned ship.
West Coast - The top two seeds didn't meet in the championship game until 2000. The most tragic moment in the history of any conference tournament occurred in the semifinals of the 1990 event at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed on his home court during the Lions' game with Portland. He died later that evening and the tournament was suspended. The Lions earned the NCAA Tournament bid because of their regular-season crown and advanced to the West Regional final behind the heroics of Bo Kimble, who was Gathers' longtime friend from Philadelphia.
Western Athletic - The tourney's biggest upset occurred in 1990 when No. 9 seed Air Force defeated No. 1 seed Colorado State in the quarterfinals, 58-51. Hawaii's Carl English, averaging 3.9 points per game as a freshman during the regular season, had a season-high 25 in a 78-72 overtime victory against host Tulsa in the 2001 final.
Senior Moments: Little and Big Things a Pensive Parent Needs to Know
March 4th, 2013 - 21:33
Naturally, parental pride displayed from coast to coast during Senior Night this week doesn't necessarily need to stem from athletics. Amid proper priorities, your child didn't have to be the best but he had to try his level best.
A parent knows life goes on after the anticipation of Senior Night. But how can a mom and dad express appreciation for all of the memories shared together?
Adding sports as a factor makes the lessons-learned equation more complex. Culminating at bittersweet Senior Night, it takes a significant amount of resilience to endure withdrawal from all of the devotion and emotion, last-second decisive shots, motivational talks coping with occasional slump, chance to dance in postseason competition, title dream dashed in close contest, team awards banquet, etc., etc., etc.
Who would have thought the first time he picked up a ball that he would make such a difference and stand so tall? Reflecting on all they've experienced, the parent is fortunate to still have a pulse.
It's easy enough to substitute girl for boy in the following poem portraying a parent trying to come to terms with an impending spread-their-wings departure; whether it be from high school to college or from college to the "real world." These reflections might be therapeutic if you went through a similar range of emotions amid whatever success your own flesh and blood enjoyed along the way.
Lord, there's a little thing I need to know
Where in the world did my little boy go?
Packed and ready to depart might seem totally wrong
But it's a calling taking him where he does belong
Perplexed from time to time but one thing I know today
I'm a proud parent beyond words; what more can I say
Kids go through stages but not with this sort of speed
It was only yesterday he was unable to read
Wasn't it just months ago he went from crawl to walk
Hard-headed as a mule; certainly knew how to balk
Took one day at a time raising him the very best we could
Now inspires those around him just like we believed he would
High achiever turning a corner in his life
He has got what it takes to cope with any strife
Can't carry a tune but set school shooting star records
Now, the game-of-life clock dwindles from minutes to seconds
So angels above please watch over him daily
Although some of his antics may drive you crazy
He represents everything that I value the most
For that very reason, I'm offering a toast
But if he feels sorry for himself and about to give up
Do not hesitate to give him a gentle kick in the rump
Remembering what I did wrong but at least a couple things right
Always said you could do it; just try with all your might
I just yearn to see all of his grandest plans come true
God, it's my turn to have a great commission for You
Be with him, bless him and give him nothing but success
Aid his climb up that mountain; settle for nothing less
Guide his steps in the dark and rain
Pick up the pieces and ease any pain
Time to share our best with the remainder of the world
It is much like having a family flag unfurled
How can a once infant son make grown man cry
Groping for right words trying to say goodbye
To me, he'll always be a pure and spotless lamb
Cradled in our arms or holding his little hand
If I was Elton John, I'd tell everyone this is "Your Poem"
Simply sing how wonderful life was with you in our home
My soul swells with pride at any mention of you
How long gone are you going to be; wish I knew
Sure don't believe it is at all out of line
To seek to rebound for you just one more time
Although you're going to be many miles away
I will see you in my heart each and every day
So go down that windy path; don't you dare look back
You've found faith; it will keep you on the right track
He's headed for real world and all it offers
But first, here are your final marching orders
Always do the very best you possibly can
Refuse to lose even when you don't understand
There's no telling the goals you will be able to reach
By giving proper respect to instructors who teach
Aspire each and every day you wake
Not to waste a single breath you take
Might as well let all of your ability show
Because those gifts turn to dust whenever you "go"
Don't bury your talents in the ground
Lend helping hand to those you're around
I'll never forget the times when you were all you could be
Rose to the occasion and sent playoff game to OT
Cherish all the moments - the hugs and tears
For all your passion play through these years
My little guy is bound far beyond a Final Four
Poised for more success; prosperity at his door
All things are possible; he has found out
How much I love him is what I'm thinking about
Wherever you go, you'll be best from beginning to end
To that most truthful statement, I say Amen and Amen
After Senior Night, I'll stroll into your off-limits room
Try to keep my composure when it seems like doom and gloom
You will always be on my mind
But nothing like gut-wrenching time
When I ask the Lord a big thing I need to know
Where in His big world will His maturing man go?
Grambling's Gambling at DI Level is Stark Contrast to Previous DII Success
March 3rd, 2013 - 19:13
Grambling State, winless this season (0-28 after squandering halftime lead in opening round of SWAC tourney against Alabama A&M) with all of its regular-season defeats by double-digit margins, isn't the only HBCU institution imprisoned at the NCAA Division I level. Most of them are little more than indentured servants doing the bidding of their major university masters almost always getting whipped on the road as picking-on-patsies fodder during non-conference competition.
In a form of "gaming the system," a striking number of power league schools appear as if they want to celebrate Black History Month in advance during their non-conference slates by overdosing on scheduling outmatched opponents from the MEAC and SWAC. Arkansas, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Missouri and Pittsburgh were among the HBCU adjunct members this season.
SWAC member Grambling never has appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament. It's a stark contrast to the success the Tigers found at the small-college level. Beginning with third-rounder Charles Hardnett in 1962, they supplied one of the top 21 NBA draft picks four consecutive years through 1965. A total of 23 products from historically black colleges and universities now at the NCAA DI level, including eight from Grambling, were among the following top 22 NBA draft choices in a 20-year span from 1957 through 1976:
1957 - Sam Jones (North Carolina Central/8th pick overall) and Bob McCoy (Grambling/10th)
1958 - Ben Swain (Texas Southern/8th)
1959 - Dick Barnett (Tennessee A&I/5th)
1960 - none
1961 - Ben Warley (Tennessee A&I/6th) and Cleo Hill (Winston-Salem State/8th)
1962 - Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View/3rd) and Charles Hardnett (Grambling/21st)
1963 - Hershell West (Grambling/16th)
1964 - Willis Reed (Grambling/10th)
1965 - Wilbert Frazier (Grambling/12th) and Harold Blevins (Arkansas AM&N/17th)
1966 - none
1967 - Earl Monroe (Winston-Salem State/2nd) and James Jones (Grambling/13th)
1968 - none
1969 - Willie Norwood (Alcorn A&M/19th)
1970 - Jake Ford (Maryland State/20th)
1971 - Fred Hilton (Grambling/19th) and Ted McClain (Tennessee State/22nd)
1972 - none
1973 - none
1974 - Truck Robinson (Tennessee State/22nd)
1975 - Marvin Webster (Morgan State/3rd), Eugene Short (Jackson State and Tom Boswell (South Carolina State before transferring to South Carolina/17th)
1976 - Larry Wright (Grambling/14th)
Is it time for HBCU affiliates to return to the DII level? The truth about black crime in basketball is that it's a big sin many observers don't know or can't recall the high degree of success historically-black colleges and universities enjoyed there. It simply isn't going to the back of the bus. For instance, Norfolk State, seeking to go unbeaten in the MEAC, appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament 10 times in a 12-year span from 1984 until finishing third in the 1995 tourney. The Spartans upset Missouri in last year's NCAA DI playoffs and may get another opportunity this season to become the first HBCU to reach a Sweet 16. Just don't bet on them advancing to Never Never Land.
What many observers should know is seven different historically black colleges and universities advancing to the NCAA DI level captured a total of nine NAIA and NCAA College Division Tournament championships in a 21-year span from 1957 through 1977 (Tennessee State from 1957 through 1959, Grambling '61, Prairie View A&M '62, Winston-Salem State '67, Morgan State '74, Coppin State '76 and Texas Southern '77). Coppin State is the lone school in this group to go on and post a triumph in the NCAA Division I playoffs.
Winson-Salem State saw what life looked like on the DI side of the fence and abandoned ship after only one season. All but two of the 25 HBCUs endured at least one season with 20 defeats in a six-year span from 2003-04 through 2008-09. The pair that emerged unscathed during that stretch were Hampton (worst record was 13-17 in 2003-04) and Norfolk State (11-19 in 2006-07).
Conference members from the Mid-Eastern Athletic and Southwestern Athletic have won only 10% of their NCAA Division I Tournament games. Alcorn State registered the first three of the following modest total of nine HBCU wins over 33 years in the DI tourney (four in preliminary round competition; including Florida A&M's 15-point victory over Lehigh in 2004) since the SWAC and MEAC moved up to the DI level in 1979-80 and 1980-81, respectively:
1980 Midwest First Round: #8 Alcorn State 70 (Baker/Smith game-high 18 points), #9 South Alabama 62 (Rains 22)
1983 Midwest Preliminary Round: Alcorn State 81 (Phelps 18), Xavier 75 (Fleming 16)
1984 Midwest Preliminary Round: Alcorn State 79 (Phelps 21), Houston Baptist 60 (Lavodrama 14)
1993 West First Round: #13 Southern (LA) 93 (Scales 27), #4 Georgia Tech 78 (Mackey 27)
1997 East First Round: #15 Coppin State 78 (Singletary 22), #2 South Carolina 65 (McKie 16)
2001 West First Round: #15 Hampton 58 (Williams 16), #2 Iowa State 57 (Rancik/Shirley 10)
2004 Preliminary Round: Florida A&M 72 (Woods 21), Lehigh 57 (Tempest 13)
2010 Preliminary Round: Arkansas-Pine Bluff 61 (Smith 14), Winthrop 44 (Corbin 13)
2012 West First Round: #15 Norfolk State 86 (O'Quinn 26), #2 Missouri (Dixon 22)
Early Explosion: McLemore May Be KU's First Frosh A-A Since Valentine's Day
March 3rd, 2013 - 16:31
Forward Ben McLemore is bound to become Kansas' first freshman All-American since guard Darnell Valentine in 1977-78 after the academic redshirt poured in 36 points against West Virginia, marking the highest-scoring performance by a yearling in KU history. McLemore broke the previous frosh standard set in 1984-85 by eventual national player of the year Danny Manning, the current Tulsa coach who failed to earn All-American acclaim as a first-year player.
McLemore's outburst fell well short of Wilt Chamberlain's school-record 52 points against Northwestern in 1956-57 before freshmen were eligible. Wilt's coming-out party is the only existing single-game scoring record achieved in a varsity debut.
Cliff Clavin knows that Chamberlain scored many of the points in his inaugural against fellow sophomore Joe Ruklick. They would later be NBA teammates after becoming the first two draft choices for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. Ruklick averaged only 3.5 ppg in his three-year career as Wilt's backup, but supplied one of the most worthy yet long-forgotten assists in hoops history. Ruklick fed Chamberlain a pass in the closing seconds of a memorable March 1, 1962, game in Hershey, Pa., resulting in Wilt scoring his 99th and 100th points of the evening.
One of the single-game scoring marks for an NCAA Division I school set by a freshman goes back more than 90 years and another was set by a current coach in the ACC. Following is a chronological list of the modest number of eight freshmen who established existing school single-game scoring records at the DI level:
| School | Frosh Record Holder | HG | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | Clarke "Pinky" Pittenger | 49 | Bluffton (Ohio) | 12-13-18 |
| Centenary | Robert Parish | 50 | Lamar | 12-12-72 |
| Austin Peay | James "Fly" Williams | 51 | Georgia Southern | 12-30-72 |
| Austin Peay | James "Fly" Williams | 51 | Tennessee Tech | 1-20-73 |
| Green Bay | Tony Bennett | 44 | Cleveland State | 2-11-89 |
| Mississippi Valley State | Alphonso Ford | 51 | Texas Southern | 2-19-90 |
| Lipscomb | Jeff Dancy | 38 | Tennessee State | 1-14-02 |
| Albany | Jamar Wilson | 39 | New Hampshire | 2-16-03 |
| Eastern Washington | Rodney Stuckey | 45 | Northern Arizona | 1-5-06 |
Valpo Remains Vibrant Cinderella Story Because of Extensive Foreign Aid
March 3rd, 2013 - 13:40
The Indiana-based university supplying the nation's premier Cinderella story the past 20 years has been at Valparaiso; not Butler. The institution with a Duke-like SAT average among its students has a reputation as the Midwest's version of an Ivy League school. However, many observers thought it wasn't an intelligent decision for the school to move up to NCAA Division I, especially when the Crusaders compiled losing records each of their first 16 years at the major-college level.
But losing marks are no longer the case. Valpo has maintained one of the most amazing turnarounds over the last couple of decades because blood is thicker than water (Drew family) and the benefits of foreign aid.
The top two scorers and rebounders for this season's Horizon League regular-season champion Valparaiso - Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk - are not North America natives. No school has benefitted more from an influx of foreigners over the years than the Crusaders.
Valpo's spanning-the-globe foreign invasion has included: Lubos Barton (Czech Republic), Ali Berdiel (Puerto Rico), Broekhoff (Australia), Richie Edwards (New Zealand), Antonio Falu (Puerto Rico), Vashil Fernandez (Jamaica), Benjamin Fumey (Germany), Joaquim Gomes (Angola), Raitis Grafs (Latvia), Samuel Haanpaa (Finland), Shawn Huff (Finland), Mohamed Kone (France), Calum MacLeod (New Zealand), Moussa Mbaye (Senegal), Roberto Nieves (Puerto Rico), Stalin Ortiz (Colombia), Marko Punda (Croatia), Michael Rogers (Jamaica), Oumar Sylla (Mali), Van Wijk (Netherlands), Antanas Vilcinskas (Lithuania), Zoran Viskovic (Croatia), Hrvoje Vucic (Croatia), Ivan Vujic (Croatia) and Cameron Witt (Australia).
Barton, Berdiel, Gomes, Grafs, Ortiz and Viskovic were all-conference selections in the Mid-Continent Conference before the school switched to the Horizon League. Other schools that have fortified their rosters with more than a dozen quality foreigners over the years as the new world order unfolds include American University, Davidson, Florida International, George Washington, Hawaii and Saint Mary's.
Broekhoff could join the following alphabetical list of foreigners named Player of the Year/Most Valuable Player in a Division I conference in back-to-back seasons:
| Two-Time MVP | Pos. | College | Native Country | Conference (Years MVP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Duncan | C | Wake Forest | Virgin Islands | ACC (1996 and 1997) |
| Patrick Ewing | C | Georgetown | Jamaica | Big East (1984 and 1985) |
| Adonal Foyle | C | Colgate | West Indies | Patriot League (1996 and 1997) |
| Steve Nash | G | Santa Clara | Canada (British Columbia) | West Coast (1995 and 1996) |
| Ugonna Onyekwe | F | Penn | England | Ivy League (2002 and 2003) |
| Artsiom Parakhouski | C-F | Radford | Belarus | Big South (2009 and 2010) |
| Rik Smits | C | Marist | Netherlands | Northeast (1987 and 1988) |
| Ryan Stuart | F | Northeast Louisiana | Bahamas | Southland (1992 and 1993) |
Zigging and Zagging: Gonzaga Becomes 9th Mid-Major Entering Tourney #1
March 3rd, 2013 - 10:49
A weekly ritual began on January 18, 1949, when the Associated Press announced the results of the first weekly basketball poll. Cliff Clavin might be the only individual who knows that St. Louis was ranked atop the initial poll. The Billikens, who have never been a member of a power league, placed third in the final rankings.
We've traversed from one mid-level school all the way to another (Gonzaga). After the Zags won the WCC Tournament, they became the 9th mid-major school entering the NCAA playoffs ranked #1.
The term "mid-major" annoys some loyalists. But following is a chronological list assessing what happened to nationally top-ranked teams that haven't been members of one of the generally-accepted power conferences since AP national rankings were introduced in the late 1940s:
| Season | Date(s) | Mid-Major Ranked #1 | Score | Team(s) Upsetting #1 | Final AP Ranking (Record) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-49 | 1-20-49 | St. Louis | 29-27 in OT | at Oklahoma A&M | 3rd (22-4) |
| 1949-50 | 3-4-50 | Holy Cross | 61-54 | at Columbia | 4th (27-4) |
| 1949-50 | 3-28-50 | Bradley | 71-68 | CCNY at New York in NCAA Tournament final | 1st (32-5) |
| 1950-51 | 12-9-50 | CCNY | 54-37 | Missouri | unranked |
| 1950-51 | 1-11-51 | Bradley | 68-59 | at St. John's | 6th (32-6) |
| 1952-53 | 1-17-53 | La Salle | 68-62 | at DePaul | 6th (25-3) |
| 1953-54 | 2-26/27-54 | Duquesne | 66-52 & 64-54 | at Cincinnati and Dayton | 5th (26-3) |
| 1954-55 | 12-18-54 | La Salle | 79-69 | Utah | 3rd (26-5) |
| 1955-56 | San Francisco (29-0) was ranked #1 entire season. | ||||
| 1963-64 | 12-27-63 | Loyola (Ill.) | 69-58 | Georgetown at Philadelphia in Quaker City Tournament | 8th (22-6) |
| 1964-65 | 12-14-64 | Wichita State | 87-85 | Michigan at Detroit | unranked (21-9) |
| 1967-68 | 3-22/23-68 | Houston | 101-69 & 89-85 | UCLA and Ohio State at Final Four in Los Angeles | 1st (31-2) |
| 1978-79 | 3-26-79 | Indiana State | 75-64 | Michigan State at Salt Lake City in NCAA Tournament final | 1st (33-1) |
| 1982-83 | 1-10-83 | Memphis State | 69-56 | at Virginia Tech | 17th (23-8) |
| 1982-83 | 2-24/27-83 | UNLV | 86-78 & 87-78 | at Cal State Fullerton and West Virginia | 6th (28-3) |
| 1982-83 | 4-4-83 | Houston | 54-52 | North Carolina State at Albuquerque in NCAA Tournament final | 1st (31-3) |
| 1986-87 | 1-17-87 | UNLV | 89-88 | at Oklahoma | 1st (37-2) |
| 1986-87 | 3-28-87 | UNLV | 97-93 | Indiana at New Orleans in NCAA Tournament national semifinals | 1st (37-2) |
| 1987-88 | 3-26-88 | Temple | 63-53 | Duke at East Rutherford, NJ, in NCAA Tournament East Regional final | 1st (32-2) |
| 1990-91 | 3-30-91 | UNLV | 79-77 | Duke at Indianapolis in NCAA Tournament national semifinals | 1st (34-1) |
| 1994-95 | 12-3-94 | Massachusetts | 81-75 | Kansas at Anaheim | 7th (29-5) |
| 1994-95 | 2-4-95 | Massachusetts | 78-75 | at George Washington | 7th (29-5) |
| 1995-96 | 2-24-96 | Massachusetts | 86-76 | George Washington | 1st (35-2) |
| 1995-96 | 3-30-96 | Massachusetts | 81-74 | Kentucky at East Rutherford, NJ, in NCAA Tournament national semifinals | 1st (35-2) |
| 2003-04 | 3-11-04 | St. Joseph's | 87-67 | Xavier at Dayton in Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals | 5th (30-2) |
| 2007-08 | 2-23-08 | Memphis | 66-62 | Tennessee | 2nd (38-2) |
Last of the Unbeatens: MAC Boasts Longest Streak Without Undefeated Team
March 2nd, 2013 - 21:12
Indiana, the last NCAA Division I school to go undefeated (32-0 in 1975-76), is also the last team to go unbeaten in Big Ten Conference play. Two other leagues - Mid-American (55 straight years) and Southland (39) - have longer active streaks than the Big Ten without an undefeated team in conference competition. Akron's aspirations of ending the nation's longest streak evaporated when the Zips suffered a setback at Buffalo.
Analyst Dick Vitale, rather than chronically currying favor with the big boys energizing ESPN elitism, should always be promoting the MAC. After all, he has firsthand experience dealing with the league, losing his first six games against MAC members when coaching Detroit.
The Big East Conference, Northeast Conference and Summit League never have had an undefeated club since their alliances were formed in the early 1980s. Following are the longest current streaks of more than 25 years without a team going unbeaten in league competition.
| Conference (Years) | Last Unbeaten Team in League Play | Coach (Overall Record) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-American (55) | Miami (Ohio) in 1957-58 | Dick Shrider (18-9) |
| Southland (39)* | Arkansas State in 1973-74 | John Rose (17-8) |
| Big Ten (37) | Indiana in 1975-76 | Bob Knight (32-0) |
| Pac-12 (35) | UCLA in 1977-78 | Gary Cunningham (25-3) |
| Big East (34) | None since inaugural year (1979-80) | never achieved in league |
| Northeast (32) | None since inaugural year (1981-82) | never achieved in league |
| Summit League (31) | None since inaugural year (1982-83) | never achieved in league |
| Colonial (30) | William & Mary in 1982-83 | Bruce Parkhill (20-9) |
| Missouri Valley (27) | Bradley in 1985-86 | Dick Versace (32-3) |
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah: Indefensible if Akron Doesn't Deserve At-Large Bid
February 28th, 2013 - 22:09
If Akron reaches the Mid-American Conference Tournament final for the seventh consecutive year but loses, it would be a disgrace if the Zips don't receive an at-large invitation to participate in the NCAA playoffs. Akron isn't a Johnny-Come-Lately, earning a distinction as one of only seven programs in the country to compile at least 22 victories the last eight seasons.
The Zips squandered a chance to become the first MAC team in 54 years (since Miami of Ohio in 1957-58) to go undefeated in league competition. But even if they had gone unbeaten in conference play, the "Journey to the Tourney" is a road trip lined with daydreamers and potholes.
Norfolk State became the ninth school to join the following chronological list of members from mid-major leagues to go undefeated in conference round-robin regular-season competition but not participate in the NCAA tourney after losing by a single-digit margin in their league tournament since at-large bids were issued to schools other than loop champions in 1975:
| Season | School | Coach | League Record | Conference Tournament Setback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-78 | Lafayette | Roy Chipman | 10-0 in ECC/West | Lost to Temple, 71-70. |
| 1980-81 | American | Gary Williams | 11-0 in ECC/East | Lost to St. Joseph's, 63-60. |
| 1981-82 | Temple | Don Casey | 11-0 in ECC/East | Lost to Drexel, 61-55. |
| 1982-83 | William & Mary | Bruce Parkhill | 9-0 in ECAC South | Lost to James Madison, 41-38. |
| 1993-94 | Coppin State | Fang Mitchell | 16-0 in MEAC | Lost to Morgan State, 61-60. |
| 1995-96 | Davidson | Bob McKillop | 14-0 in Southern | Lost to Western Carolina, 69-60. |
| 2003-04 | Austin Peay | Dave Loos | 16-0 in Ohio Valley | Lost to Murray State, 66-60. |
| 2004-05 | Davidson | Bob McKillop | 16-0 in Southern | Lost to UNC Greensboro, 73-68. |
| 2012-13 | Norfolk State | Anthony Evans | 16-0 in MEAC | Lost to Bethune-Cookman, 70-68. |
On This Date: Memorable March Games in College Basketball History
February 28th, 2013 - 20:42
MARCH
30 - Princeton's Bill Bradley (58 points vs. Wichita State in 1965 NCAA Tournament national third-place game) and Siena's Doremus Bennerman (51 vs. Kansas State in 1994 NIT third-place game at Madison Square Garden) set school single-game scoring records.
28 - UNLV's Mark Wade (18 vs. Indiana in 1987 national semifinals) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most assists.
24 - Askia Jones (62 points vs. Fresno State in 1994 NIT quarterfinals) set Kansas State's single-game scoring record.
23 - Hal Lear (48 points vs. Southern Methodist in 1956 NCAA Tournament third-place game) set Temple's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent.
22 - The only time in major-college history that two undefeated major colleges met in a national postseason tournament was the 1939 NIT final between Loyola of Chicago and Long Island University (LIU won, 44-32). . . . University of Chicago ended Penn's school-record 31-game winning streak (28-24 in 1920) and LIU ended Seton Hall's school-record 41-game winning streak (49-26 in 1941 NIT semifinals).
21 - UNC Wilmington's John Goldsberry became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make as many as eight three-pointers without a miss in single playoff game (against Maryland in 2003 first round).
19 - Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (11 rejections vs. Brigham Young in 1992 first round) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most blocked shots.
18 - Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer (11 three-pointers vs. Michigan in 1990 second round) became only player in NCAA playoff history to make more than 10 three-point field-goals in a single playoff game.
17 - Texas' Travis Mays (23-of-27 vs. Georgia in 1990 first round) tied NCAA Tournament single-game record for most free-throws made. . . . Maurice Stokes (43 points vs. Dayton in 1955 NIT semifinals) set Saint Francis (PA) single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . In 1939, Villanova defeated Brown, 42-30, in the first NCAA Tournament game ever played. . . . Al Inniss (37 vs. Lafayette in 1956 NIT first round) set St. Francis (NY) single-game rebounding record.
16 - Kentucky's Kenny Walker (11-of-11 vs. Western Kentucky in 1986 second round) became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make all of more than 10 field-goal attempts in a single playoff game. . . . Temple's Fred Cohen (34 vs. Connecticut in 1956 NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals) set a school and NCAA Tournament single-game rebounding record. . . . Nate Thurmond (31 vs. Mississippi State in 1963 Mideast Regional third-place game) set Bowling Green's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent.
15 - Andrew Goudelock (39 points vs. Dayton in 2011 NIT first round) set College of Charleston's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent.
13 - Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath (43 points vs. Maine in 2004 final) set America East Conference Tournament single-game scoring record.
12 - Bradley's Bob Carney (23 against Colorado in 1954 regional semifinals) set NCAA Tournament single-game record by converting 23 free-throw attempts. . . . Texas-El Paso's Stefon Jackson (38 points vs. Houston in 2009 quarterfinals) set Conference USA Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . DePaul's George Mikan (53 vs. Rhode Island State in 1945 NIT semifinals), Fairleigh Dickinson's Elijah Allen (43 vs. Connecticut in 1998 NCAA Tournament first round) and Navy's David Robinson (50 vs. Michigan in first round of 1987 NCAA Tournament East Regional) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Syracuse outlasted Connecticut, 127-117, in six overtimes in 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals in longest postseason game in history.
11 - Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (42 points vs. St. John's in 1994 Big East quarterfinals), Texas Tech's Mike Singletary (43 vs. Texas A&M in 2009 Big 12 opening round) and Cal State Fullerton's Josh Akognon (37 vs. UC Riverside in 2009 Big West opening round) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. . . . Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (52 vs. New Mexico in 2011 Mountain West Tournament semifinals at Las Vegas), Montana's Anthony Johnson (42 at Weber State in 2010 Big Sky Tournament final) and Nebraska's Eric Piatkowski (42 vs. Oklahoma in 1994 Big Eight Tournament quarterfinals at Kansas City) set school single-game scoring records. Outputs for Fredette, Johnson and Piatkowski are also single-game scoring records in their respective conference tourneys. . . . Indiana (95) and Michigan (57) combined for an NCAA single-game record of 152 rebounds in 1961. . . . Walt Bellamy (33 vs. Michigan in 1961) set Indiana single-game rebounding record.
10 - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons (47 points vs. Louisiana Tech in 1983 Southland quarterfinals), Northwestern's Michael Thompson (35 vs. Minnesota in 2011 Big Ten opening round) and Washington State's Klay Thompson (43 vs. Washington in 2011 Pac-12 quarterfinals) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. Lyons' output is also a school single-game scoring record. . . . Paul Williams (45 at Southern California in 1983) set Arizona State's single-game scoring record. . . . John Lee (41 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . Lamar's school-record 80-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Louisiana Tech (68-65 in 1984 SLC Tournament). . . . Ed Robinson (32 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game rebounding record.
9 - Greg Ballard (43 points at Oral Roberts in 1977 NIT first round) set Oregon's single-game scoring record. . . . Marcus Mann (28 vs. Jackson State in 1996) set Mississippi Valley State's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent.
8 - Wright State's Bill Edwards (38 points vs. Illinois-Chicago in 1993 final) set Summit League Tournament single-game scoring record and Kentucky's Melvin Turpin (42 vs. Georgia in 1984 quarterfinals) tied SEC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Harvard's Brady Merchant (45 vs. Brown in 2003), Miami of Ohio's Ron Harper (45 vs. Ball State in 1985 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals) and Vanderbilt's Tom Hagan (44 at Mississippi State in 1969) set school single-game scoring records. Harper's output is also a MAC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Brown's Gerry Alaimo (26 vs. Rhode Island in 1958) and Georgia's Bob Lienhard (29 vs. Louisiana State in 1969) set school single-game rebounding records against a Division I opponent.
7 - North Carolina's Len Rosenbluth (45 points vs. Clemson in 1957 quarterfinals) set ACC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Houston Baptist's Reggie Gibbs (43 vs. Georgia Southern in 1989 TAAC Tournament quarterfinals), Lehigh's Daren Queenan (49 vs. Bucknell in double overtime in 1987 ECC Tournament semifinals at Towson State), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (61 vs. Ohio University in first round of 1970 NCAA Tournament Mideast Regional) and Rhode Island's Tom Garrick (50 vs. Rutgers in 1988 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals at West Virginia) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Carr's output is also an NCAA playoff single-game record and outputs by Garrick and Gibbs are single-game records in respective league tourneys. . . . Oklahoma State center Arlen Clark established an NCAA standard for most successful free throws in a game without a miss when he converted all 24 of his foul shots against Colorado in 1959. . . . In 1928, Butler beat Notre Dame, 21-13, in inaugural game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which was the largest basketball arena in the U.S. and retained that distinction until 1950.
6 - Texas Christian's Mike Jones (44 points vs. Fresno State in 1997 quarterfinals) set WAC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Duquesne's Ron Guziak (50 vs. St. Francis, PA, at Altoona in 1968), Fairfield's George Groom (41 vs. Assumption in 1972), Minnesota's Ollie Shannon (42 vs. Wisconsin in 1971), Missouri's Joe Scott (46 vs. Nebraska in 1961) and Sam Houston State's Senecca Wall (45 vs. Texas-Arlington in double overtime in 2001 Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinals) set school Division I single-game scoring records.
5 - Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (41 points vs. Indiana State in 1988 Missouri Valley quarterfinals), Holy Cross' Rob Feaster (43 vs. Navy in 1994 Patriot League semifinals) and Texas Tech's Rick Bullock (44 vs. Arkansas in 1976 SWC semifinals) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. Radford's Kenny Thomas (35 vs. UNC Asheville in 2009 semifinals) tied Big South Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Cal State Northridge's Mike O'Quinn (39 vs. Eastern Washington in overtime in 1998 Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals at Northern Arizona), Cornell's George Farley (47 at Princeton in 1960), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (48 vs. Northwestern in 1966), Minnesota's Eric Magdanz (42 at Michigan in 1962) and Wichita State's Antoine Carr (47 vs. Southern Illinois in 1983) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Carnegie Tech's Melvin Cratsley set Eastern Intercollegiate Conference single-game scoring record with 34 points vs. West Virginia in 1938. . . . Boston University's Kevin Thomas (34 vs. Boston College in 1958), Pacific's Keith Swagerty (39 vs. UC Santa Barbara in 1965) and Saint Louis' Jerry Koch (38 vs. Bradley in 1954) set school single-game rebounding records. . . . Baylor's Jerome Lambert (26 vs. Southern Methodist in 1994) and Wyoming's Leon Clark (24 vs. Arizona in 1966) set school single-game rebounding records against a DI opponent.
4 - Marshall's Skip Henderson (55 points vs. The Citadel in 1988 Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Asheville, NC) and Montana State's Tom Storm (44 vs. Portland State in 1967) set school single-game scoring records. Henderson's output is also a Southern Conference Tournament single-game record. . . . William & Mary's Quinn McDowell (35 vs. James Madison in 2011 quarterfinals) set CAA Tournament single-game scoring record and Army's Mark Lueking (43 vs. Bucknell in 1995 quarterfinals) tied Patriot League Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Villanova's school-record 72-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by St. Francis, PA (70-64 in 1958). . . . San Francisco's Bill Russell (35 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1955) and Santa Clara's Ken Sears (30 vs. Pacific in 1955) set school single-game rebounding records. Collis Jones (25 vs. Western Michigan in 1971) set Notre Dame's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent.
3 - Jacksonville's Dee Brown (41 points vs. Old Dominion in 1990 quarterfinals) set Sun Belt Conference Tournament single-game scoring record and Monmouth's Rahsaan Johnson (40 vs. St. Francis, NY, in 2000 quarterfinals) set Northeast Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Drake's Philip "Red" Murrell (51 vs. Houston in overtime in 1958), Lafayette's Bobby Mantz (47 vs. Wilkes College, PA, in 1958), Maine's Jim Stephenson (54 vs. Colby in 1969), Robert Morris' Gene Nabors (38 vs. St. Francis, PA, in 2000 Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Trenton, NJ), St. John's Bob Zawoluk (65 vs. St. Peter's in 1950), Santa Clara's Carlos "Bud" Ogden (55 at Pepperdine in 1967), Temple's Bill Mlkvy (73 at Wilkes College, PA, in 1951), Tulsa's Willie Biles (48 vs. Wichita State in 1973) and UNLV's Trevor Diggs (49 vs. Wyoming in 2001) set school single-game scoring records. Diggs' output is also a Mountain West Conference record in league competition. . . . Florida State's Al Thornton (45 vs. Miami in 2007), Iona's Sean Green (43 vs. Siena in 1991) and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson (42 vs. Tennessee Tech in 2009) set school single-game scoring records against a Division I opponent. . . . Kentucky's Adolph Rupp became the coach to compile 800 victories the fastest with a 90-86 win at Auburn in 1969 (974 games in 37th season). . . . Army's Todd Mattson (24 vs. Holy Cross in 1990), Iowa's Chuck Darling (30 vs. Wisconsin in 1952) and Minnesota's Larry Mikan (28 vs. Michigan in 1970) set school single-game rebounding records.
2 - San Francisco's Tim Owens (45 points vs. Loyola Marymount in 1991 quarterfinals) set WCC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Colgate's Jonathan Stone (52 vs. Brooklyn in 1992), Eastern Michigan's Gary Tyson (47 vs. Wheaton, IL, in 1974), McNeese State's Michael Cutright (51 at Stephen F. Austin in double overtime in 1989), New Mexico's Marvin Johnson (50 vs. Colorado State in 1978) and Southern Methodist's Gene Phillips (51 at Texas in 1971) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Johnson's output is also a Western Athletic Conference record in league competition. . . . Oklahoma tied an NCAA single-game record by converting all 34 of its free-throw attempts (against Iowa State in 2013). . . . Penn State's school-record 45-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Penn (85-79 in 1955).
1 - Kentucky's Cliff Hagan (42 points vs. Georgia in 1952 semifinals) set SEC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . New Hampshire's Matt Alosa (39 vs. Hartford in opening round of 1996 North Atlantic Conference Tournament at Newark, DE), Saint Louis' Anthony Bonner (45 at Loyola of Chicago in overtime in 1990), Southern Illinois' Dick Garrett (46 vs. Centenary in 1968) and Southern Utah's Davor Marcelic (43 at Cal State Northridge in 1991) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . In 1952, Penn State and Pittsburgh combined for only nine field-goal attempts (fewest in a game since 1938). . . . North Carolina State ended South Carolina's school-record 32-game winning streak (43-24 in 1934) and Southern Methodist's school-record 44-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Texas A&M (43-42 in 1958). . . . Tom Heinsohn (42 vs. Boston College in 1956) set Holy Cross' single-game rebounding record. . . . Chris Collier (23 vs. Centenary in 1990) set Georgia State's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
Memorable February Games in College Basketball History
Memorable January Games in College Basketball History
Odds Were Against Hoosiers Hurryin' to Final Four Let Alone NCAA Crown
February 27th, 2013 - 22:04
Someone has to be first but the odds were stacked against Indiana. The Hoosiers, after losing three times this season as the nation's top-ranked team, faced an uphill battle reaching the Final Four, let alone capturing the NCAA championship. IU became the 18th team to lose at least three times atop the national polls in the same campaign and subsequently fail to win the national title (including IU in 1954 and 1993).
Many in the national media simply showed their amateurish historical perspective when they continued to hail the Hoosiers as the best bet to capture the championship. Only four of the first 18 squads in this category reached the Final Four with Michigan '65 and Georgetown '85 succumbing in the national final. Following is a chronological look at NCAA playoff progress for schools with at least three defeats as the nation's top-ranked team in a single season:
| Season | #1 Three-Time Loser | Opponents Beating Same #1 | What Happened to #1? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-52 | Kentucky | Minnesota/St. Louis/St. John's | UK lost in regional final |
| 1953-54 | Indiana | Oregon State/Northwestern/Notre Dame | IU lost in regional semifinals |
| 1964-65 | Michigan* | Nebraska/St. John's/Ohio State/UCLA | UM lost in national final |
| 1973-74 | UCLA | Notre Dame/Oregon State/Oregon | UCLA lost in national semifinals |
| 1983-84 | North Carolina | Arkansas/Duke/Indiana | UNC lost in regional semifinals |
| 1984-85 | Georgetown | St. John's/Syracuse/Villanova | Hoyas lost in national final |
| 1985-86 | North Carolina | Virginia/Maryland/North Carolina State | UNC lost in regional semifinals |
| 1989-90 | Kansas | Missouri (twice)/Oklahoma | KU lost in NCAA second round |
| 1992-93 | Indiana | Kansas (twice)/Ohio State | IU lost in regional final |
| 1993-94 | North Carolina* | UMass/Georgia Tech (twice)/Boston College | UNC lost in NCAA second round |
| 1997-98 | Duke | Michigan/North Carolina (twice) | Duke lost in regional final |
| 1997-98 | North Carolina | Maryland/North Carolina State/Utah | UNC lost in national semifinals |
| 1999-00 | Cincinnati | Xavier/Temple/Saint Louis | UC lost in NCAA second round |
| 2000-01 | Stanford | UCLA/Arizona/Maryland | Stanford lost in regional final |
| 2001-02 | Duke | Florida State/Maryland/Indiana | Duke lost in regional semifinals |
| 2002-03 | Arizona | Louisiana State/Stanford/UCLA | UA lost in regional final |
| 2005-06 | Duke | Georgetown/Florida State/North Carolina | Duke lost in regional semifinal |
| 2012-13 | Indiana | Butler/Illinois/Minnesota | IU lost in regional semifinal |
*Michigan '65 and North Carolina '94 are the only teams to lose four times in a single season when ranked #1.
Misplaced Priorities: Kentucky Can't Take Up Slack for Noel's Knee Injury
February 24th, 2013 - 8:49
Projections go up and down like projectiles. Kentucky, despite the Wildcats' win over an underachieving Missouri club, probably will be the next touted team to fail to live up to preseason hype.
Even with freshman phenom Nerlens Noel in the lineup, this year's Big Blue edition in a mediocre SEC might be one of the five worst Wildcat squads in the last 75 years. With Noel lost for the season because of a knee injury, UK (ranked #3 entering this year) will join the following list of more than 20 disappointing teams, including Michigan State under Tom Izzo three times in an eight-year span from 2003-04 through 2010-11, that were preseason Top 5 selections since 1968-69 but finished out of the AP's final Top 20 poll:
| Preseason Top 5 Team | Season | PS Ranking by AP | Coach | Record | Top Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 1968-69 | 4th | Johnny Dee | 20-7 | Austin Carr, Bob Arnzen, Bob Whitmore, Dwight Murphy, Collis Jones and Sid Catlett |
| Purdue | 1969-70 | 3rd | George King | 18-6 | Rick Mount, Larry Weatherford, George Faerber, Bob Ford, William Franklin and Tyrone Bedford |
| Southern California | 1971-72 | 3rd | Bob Boyd | 16-10 | Paul Westphal, Joe Mackey, Ron Riley, Dan Anderson and Mike Westra |
| Florida State | 1972-73 | 2nd | Hugh Durham | 18-8 | Reggie Royals, Lawrence McCray, Otis Cole, Benny Clyde and Otis Johnson |
| Indiana | 1976-77 | 5th | Bob Knight | 14-13 | Kent Benson, Mike Woodson, Wayne Radford and Derek Holcomb |
| Kansas | 1978-79 | 5th | Ted Owens | 18-11 | Darnell Valentine, Paul Mokeski, John Crawford, Wilmore Fowler and Tony Guy |
| DePaul | 1984-85 | 3rd | Joey Meyer | 19-10 | Tyrone Corbin, Kenny Patterson, Dallas Comegys, Marty Embry, Tony Jackson and Kevin Holmes |
| Indiana | 1984-85 | 4th | Bob Knight | 19-14 | Steve Alford, Uwe Blab, Stew Robinson, Dan Dakich, Delray Brooks and Daryl Thomas |
| Louisville | 1986-87 | 2nd | Denny Crum | 18-14 | Herbert Crook, Pervis Ellison, Tony Kimbro, Mark McSwain, Keith Williams, Kenny Payne and Felton Spencer |
| Michigan State | 1990-91 | 4th | Jud Heathcote | 19-11 | Steve Smith, Matt Steigenga, Mike Peplowski and Mark Montgomery |
| Clemson | 1997-98 | 5th | Rick Barnes | 18-14 | Greg Buckner, Terrell McIntyre, Harold Jamison and Tony Christie |
| Auburn | 1999-2000 | 4th | Cliff Ellis | 24-10 | Chris Porter, Doc Robinson, Scott Pohlman, Daymeon Fishback, Mamadou N'diaye and Mack McGadney |
| UCLA | 2001-02 | 5th | Steve Lavin | 21-12 | Jason Kapono, Billy Knight, Matt Barnes, Dan Gadzuric and T.J. Cummings |
| Arizona | 2003-04 | 4th | Lute Olson | 20-10 | Hassan Adams, Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Andre Iguodala and Mustafa Shakur |
| Michigan State | 2003-04 | 3rd | Tom Izzo | 18-12 | Paul Davis, Chris Hill, Kelvin Torbert, Maurice Ager and Alan Anderson |
| Missouri | 2003-04 | 5th | Quin Snyder | 16-14 | Arthur Johnson, Rickey Paulding, Linas Kleiza, Jimmy McKinney, Travon Bryant and Jason Conley |
| Georgia Tech | 2004-05 | 3rd | Paul Hewitt | 20-12 | Jarrett Jack, B.J. Elder, Will Bynum, Luke Schenscher and Isma'll Muhammad |
| Michigan State | 2005-06 | 4th | Tom Izzo | 22-12 | Maurice Ager, Paul Davis, Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel |
| Louisiana State | 2006-07 | 5th | John Brady | 17-15 | Glen Davis, Tasmin Mitchell, Terry Martin, Garrett Temple and Darnell Lazare |
| Texas | 2009-10 | 3rd | Rick Barnes | 24-10 | Damion James, Avery Bradley, Dexter Pittman, J'Covan Brown, Gary Johnson and Dogus Balbay |
| Kansas State | 2010-11 | 3rd | Frank Martin | 23-11 | Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruder, Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels |
| Michigan State | 2010-11 | 2nd | Tom Izzo | 19-15 | Kalin Lucas, Draymond Green, Durrell Summers, Delvon Roe and Keith Appling |
| Connecticut | 2011-12 | 4th | Jim Calhoun | 20-14 | Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb, Ryan Boatright, Alex Oriakhi, Shabazz Napier, Roscoe Smith, Tony Olander |
Power Outages: No Big East Member Has Gone Unbeaten in League Play
February 23rd, 2013 - 21:21
Last season, Miami (Fla.) posted its first winning league record since 2001-02 in the Big East Conference. The Hurricanes, a total of 24 games below .500 in their first eight years in the ACC, went unbeaten in league competition this campaign until bowing at Wake Forest.
But the odds were against Miami going without a setback in the ACC. Last year, Kentucky became only the ninth member of a power conference to go undefeated in league play since Bob Knight-coached Indiana in 1975-76 was the nation's last team to go unscathed overall.
The Big Ten Conference hasn't had a team go unbeaten in league competition since IU and the Big East never has had an undefeated club. Kentucky, under three different coaches, supplied three of the following nine teams to go unbeaten in a power alliance in the last 37 years:
| Year | League | School (League Mark) | Coach (Overall Mark) | Leading Scorer | Leading Rebounder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Pacific-8 | UCLA (14-0) | Gary Cunningham (25-3) | David Greenwood (17.5) | David Greenwood (11.4) |
| 1984 | ACC | North Carolina (14-0) | Dean Smith (28-3) | Michael Jordan (19.6) | Sam Perkins (9.6) |
| 1987 | ACC | North Carolina (14-0) | Dean Smith (32-4) | Kenny Smith (16.9) | J.R. Reid (7.4) |
| 1994 | Big Eight | Missouri (14-0) | Norm Stewart (28-4) | Melvin Booker (18.1) | Jevon Crudup (8) |
| 1996 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0/East) | Rick Pitino (34-2) | Tony Delk (17.8) | Antoine Walker (8.4) |
| 1999 | ACC | Duke (16-0) | Mike Krzyzewski (37-2) | Elton Brand (17.7) | Elton Brand (9.8) |
| 2002 | Big 12 | Kansas (16-0) | Roy Williams (33-4) | Drew Gooden (19.8) | Drew Gooden (11.4) |
| 2003 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0/East) | Tubby Smith (32-4) | Keith Bogans (15.7) | Chuck Hayes (6.8) |
| 2012 | SEC | Kentucky (16-0) | John Calipari (38-2) | Anthony Davis (14.2) | Anthony Davis (10.4) |
Lessons Learned: Will All-American Voters Stop Shunning Mid-Major Stars?
February 23rd, 2013 - 15:39
It's that time of year when BracketBuster games prove more entertaining than marquee conference contests and schools begin to intensify promotion of All-American candidates. Mid-major players should have a banner year but they need to be wary based on the past performance of low-information voters.
Questioning the qualifications of voters quickly comes to mind when assessing the list of standouts who weren't acknowledged as All-Americans. Despite stellar collegiate careers, including player of the year acclaim in a mid-major conference, a striking number of individuals didn't generate sufficient national recognition to be chosen as an All-American. For instance, Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech led the nation in rebounding three straight seasons from 2003-04 through 2005-06 but wasn't accorded All-American status. Paul George, Mr. Versatility for Fresno State in 2009-10, was shunned before also going on to become an NBA All-Star like Millsap this year.
The overlooked features two prominent floor generals who went on to lead the NBA in assists a total of 14 times - John Stockton (nine) and two-time MVP Steve Nash (five) - plus Tim Hardaway, who averaged 8.2 apg during his 13-year pro career; Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star guard and 1989 NBA Finals MVP, and Derek Fisher, who received five championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first decade of the 21st Century. Among shunned frontcourters, two-time conference MVPs Chris Gatling, Brian Grant, Popeye Jones and Rik Smits each played at least 11 seasons in the NBA.
Whether they are coaches who need to come out of the film-watching closet or members of the lame-stream media, many incompetent voters should be deep-sixed for overdosing on the premier leagues while looking condescendingly upon mid-level players. Following is an alphabetical list of Division I conference MVPs left behind in regard to securing All-American status before they enjoyed NBA/ABA careers of at least six seasons:
Southland Conference Members Lead Nation in Both Offense and Defense
February 23rd, 2013 - 12:59
The statistical standard bearers are based in tongue-twister towns titled Natchitoches (La.) and Nacogdoches (Tex.). Northwestern State (La.) and Stephen F. Austin (Tex.), splitting Southland Conference regular-season and league tourney championships, are polar opposites in style as they lead the nation in team offense and defense, respectively. The only other time two members from the same league paced the country in those categories the same season was 1980-81 when PCAA (now Big West) affiliates UC Irvine (86.4 ppg) and Fresno State (50.7 ppg) finished atop the national rankings.
Stephen F. Austin, the nation's only school yielding fewer than 50 points per game, led the country in team defense two years ago under coach Danny Kaspar. On the other end of the point production spectrum, Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy has firsthand knowledge about scoring prowess, ranking among the nation's top scorers with Louisiana Tech in 1975-76 (15th with 24.7 ppg) and 1976-77 (7th with 27.5 ppg). He scored more than 40 points in each of two different games against Northwestern State as a senior after pouring in a school-record 47 against Lamar as a junior.
McConathy comes from a family with a hoop legacy. His father, Johnny, earned small-college All-American honors with the Demons in 1951 when he set a school single-season scoring record by averaging 21.6 ppg before competing in 11 games with the Milwaukee Hawks. Mike also has two uncles, George and Leslie, enshrined in the university's Graduate 'N' Club Hall of Fame in recognition of their basketball exploits in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Mike was in the same graduating class at Tech with UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge and Texas-El Paso coach Tim Floyd, who played in only one varsity game for the Bulldogs. Floyd was McConathy's roommate.
McConathy coached Bossier Parish Community College (La.) for 16 seasons in the same gymnasium where he played in high school. He is one of the following 39 active coaches who were all-conference first-team selections in a Division I alliance:
McConathy was a fourth-round NBA draft choice by the Chicago Bulls. Following is an alphabetical list of the 33 active DI coaches selected in an NBA draft (including 12 in the first or second round):
| Division I Coach | Current School | NBA Team | Draft Year | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Alford | New Mexico | Dallas Mavericks | 1987 | 2nd |
| Jerome Allen | Penn | Minnesota Timberwolves | 1995 | 2nd |
| Tommy Amaker | Harvard | Seattle SuperSonics | 1987 | 3rd |
| Tony Benford | North Texas | Boston Celtics | 1986 | 4th |
| Tony Bennett | Virginia | Charlotte Hornets | 1992 | 2nd |
| Eddie Biedenbach | UNC Asheville | Los Angeles Lakers | 1968 | 4th |
| Larry Brown | Southern Methodist | Baltimore Bullets | 1963 | 7th |
| Johnny Dawkins | Stanford | San Antonio Spurs | 1986 | 1st |
| Howie Dickenman | Central Connecticut State | Phoenix Suns | 1969 | 17th |
| Jamie Dixon | Pittsburgh | Washington Bullets | 1987 | 7th |
| Billy Donovan | Florida | Utah Jazz | 1987 | 3rd |
| Bryce Drew | Valparaiso | Houston Rockets | 1998 | 1st |
| Mark Gottfried | North Carolina State | Detroit Pistons | 1987 | 7th |
| Fred Hoiberg | Iowa State | Indiana Pacers | 1995 | 2nd |
| Lewis Jackson | Alabama State | Golden State Warriors | 1984 | 3rd |
| Clemon Johnson | Florida A&M | Portland Trail Blazers | 1978 | 2nd |
| Jeff Jones | American University | Indiana Pacers | 1982 | 4th |
| Lon Kruger | Oklahoma | Atlanta Hawks | 1974 | 9th |
| Larry Krystkowiak | Utah | Chicago Bulls | 1986 | 2nd |
| Jim Larranaga | Miami (Fla.) | Detroit Pistons | 1971 | 6th |
| Jim Les | UC Davis | Atlanta Hawks | 1986 | 3rd |
| Danny Manning | Tulsa | Los Angeles Clippers | 1988 | 1st |
| Cuonzo Martin | Tennessee | Atlanta Hawks | 1995 | 2nd |
| Ray McCallum | Detroit | Indiana Pacers | 1983 | 8th |
| Mike McConathy | Northwestern State | Chicago Bulls | 1977 | 4th |
| Fran O'Hanlon | Lafayette | Philadelphia 76ers | 1970 | 8th |
| Louis Orr | Bowling Green | Indiana Pacers | 1980 | 2nd |
| Buzz Peterson | UNC Wilmington | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1985 | 7th |
| Joseph Price | Grambling State | Washington Bullets | 1986 | 7th |
| Oliver Purnell | DePaul | Milwaukee Bucks | 1975 | 6th |
| Craig Robinson | Oregon State | Philadelphia 76ers | 1983 | 4th |
| Lorenzo Romar | Washington | Golden State Warriors | 1980 | 7th |
| Corliss Williamson | Central Arkansas | Sacramento Kings | 1995 | 1st |
National Scoring Leader Erick Green of VT Gropes With Highs and Lows
February 21st, 2013 - 21:47
Seth Greenberg missed out on a couple of sizzling scorers for Virginia Tech when he failed to successfully recruit the sons of Gobblers great Dell Curry. Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Seth Curry (Liberty/Duke) are the highest-scoring brother tandem in NCAA Division I history. But amid the mess Greenberg left behind for ACC cellar dweller VT when he was fired as coach after last season is guard Erick Green.
Green is set to become the first player in 19 years from a power six conference to lead the nation in scoring. Glenn Robinson Jr. (30.3 ppg for Purdue in 1993-94) is the only player from a power six league to pace the country in scoring in the previous 41 campaigns.
If Green slumps down the stretch, he could finish with the lowest average for the national scoring leader since Yale's Tony Lavelli posted 22.4 points per game in 1948-49. Following is a look at the high and low games for players during the season when they led NCAA Division I in scoring average:
NOTE: Leaders are unofficial from 1935-36 through 1946-47.
When Will Donovan, Few and/or Ryan Finally Become National Coach of Year?
February 17th, 2013 - 18:37
Incredibly, active coaches Billy Donovan (Florida), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) never have been named national coach of the year by a major award.
If voters don't finally see the light, this terrific active trio could eventually join Gary Williams, Maryland's all-time winningest coach who guided the Terrapins to the 2002 NCAA title during a span when he became the only mentor ever to defeat the nation's top-ranked team in four straight seasons (2000-01 through 2003-04), in a difficult-to-believe category. Williams never was courted as national COY by one of the major awards, joining other NCAA championship coaches such as Denny Crum, Joe B. Hall, Don Haskins, Rollie Massimino and Jim Valvano with this dubious distinction.
Some of the overlooked marquee mentors probably will stun you. Following is an alphabetical list of high-profile retired coaches who never received one of the five major national coach of the year awards since 1955 despite their significant achievements:
Dave Bliss - Compiled a total of 14 20-win seasons with three different schools.
Dale Brown - Led LSU to 15 consecutive postseason tournaments (1979 through 1993) en route to becoming the second-winningest coach in SEC history at the time (behind Adolph Rupp) in both overall and SEC games.
Vic Bubas - Guided Duke to NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances three times in a four-year span from 1963 through 1966.
Pete Carril - Never incurred a losing record in 29 seasons with Princeton from 1968 through 1996.
Gale Catlett - Went his first 23 seasons without a losing record with Cincinnati and West Virginia; participated in nine consecutive national postseason tournaments in the 1980s.
Denny Crum - Won 15 regular-season conference championships in the Missouri Valley and Metro in his first 23 seasons with Louisville; only coach to twice win conference and NCAA tournaments in the same year (1980 and 1986).
Don DeVoe - Compiled a total of 12 20-win seasons with three different schools.
Don Donoher - One of first 10 coaches to take his first three teams to the NCAA playoffs guided his first seven Dayton clubs to national postseason competition; posted double digits in victories all 25 seasons.
Lefty Driesell - One of only three different coaches to guide four different schools to the NCAA playoffs; captured conference tournament titles in four different leagues; only coach to win more than 100 games for four different schools en route to total of 786 victories; had 14 final Top 20 rankings.
Hugh Durham - One of only three coaches in NCAA history to win at least 225 games for two Division I schools, directing both Florida State and Georgia to the Final Four.
Bill C. Foster - Only six losing records in 25 seasons at the Division I level with UNC Charlotte, Clemson, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech.
Jack Gardner - Only coach to direct two different schools to the Final Four at least twice apiece.
Pete Gillen - Remarkable run with Xavier (winning five Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament titles in six-year span from 1986 through 1991) before posting 20-win seasons with Providence in the Big East and Virginia in the ACC.
Joe B. Hall - Averaged 23 victories annually in 13 seasons with Kentucky, reaching championship game in either NCAA Tournament or NIT three times in a four-year span from 1975 through 1978.
Don Haskins - Captured four Western Athletic Conference Tournament championships with Texas-El Paso in a seven-year span from 1984 through 1990 while winning more than 20 games each of those seasons; compiled a total of 17 20-win campaigns.
Lou Henson - Compiled only one losing record in his last 22 years with Illinois and New Mexico State; finished in first division of the Big Ten Conference nine straight seasons.
Terry Holland - Averaged 20 victories annually in 21 seasons with Davidson and Virginia.
Harry Litwack - Finished third with Temple in three consecutive national postseason tournaments (1956 and 1958 in NCAA and 1957 in NIT). Posted only one losing record in 21 seasons with the Owls through 1973.
Rollie Massimino - Averaged more than 20 victories annually in the 1980s; participated in 14 consecutive national postseason tournaments with Villanova and UNLV before coaching at small-school level in Florida.
Ray Mears - Finished lower than third place in SEC standings with Tennessee just once in his final 14 seasons from 1964 through 1977.
Shelby Metcalf - Averaged 18.6 victories annually with Texas A&M in an 18-year span from 1971-72 through 1988-89.
Eldon Miller - Won more than 20 games with three different DI schools (Western Michigan, Ohio State and Northern Iowa).
Joe Mullaney - Reached the 20-win plateau nine straight seasons from 1958-59 through 1966-67, directing Providence to the NIT semifinals four times in the first five years of that stretch; won more than two-thirds of his games with the Friars decided by fewer than five points.
C.M. Newton - Posted at least 22 victories with Alabama six times in the last seven seasons of the 1970s.
Dave Odom - Won 20 or more games 10 times in a 14-year span from 1992-93 through 2005-06 with Wake Forest and South Carolina.
Ted Owens - Finished first or second in Big Eight Conference standings each of his first seven seasons with Kansas from 1965 through 1971.
Tom Penders - Won at least 20 games with three different schools (Rhode Island, Texas and George Washington) a total of 10 times in a 13-year span from 1987 through 1999 before winning more than 20 games three times in six seasons with Houston.
Jack Ramsay - Worst record in 11 seasons with St. Joseph's was an 18-10 mark.
Wimp Sanderson - Won five SEC Tournament titles with Alabama, including three in a row from 1989 through 1991.
Fred Schaus - Won Southern Conference Tournament championships each of his six seasons with West Virginia from 1955 through 1960 before posting winning records in Big Ten competition all six years with Purdue.
Roy Skinner - Compiled only one losing record in 16 seasons with Vanderbilt.
Billy Tubbs - Directed Oklahoma to 12 consecutive 20-win seasons, a Big Eight Conference best; took the Sooners to national postseason play his last 13 years with them before moving on to TCU and Lamar.
Jim Valvano - Guided Iona to a school-record 29 victories in 1979-80 before winning at least 18 games each of his last nine seasons with North Carolina State from 1982 through 1990.
Gary Williams - All-time winningest coach for Maryland directed 13 teams to Top 20 finishes in final polls, including a couple of them with Boston College.
Ned Wulk - All-time winningest coach for Arizona State finished atop conference standings in six of his first seven seasons with the Sun Devils.
From Penthouse to Outhouse: No NCAA Tourney Guarantee for Title Team
February 17th, 2013 - 13:25
Kentucky resembles the previous 11 schools, averaging 20 victories the next season, failing to return to the NCAA tourney the next year after advancing to the Final Four. As for championship clubs, UK could become the sixth titlist since the NCAA Tournament expanded to at least 48 teams in 1980 to fail to qualify for the playoffs the ensuing campaign.
Roy Williams was coach of the last two squads in this category (Kansas in 1988-89 and North Carolina in 2009-10). Since victories down the stretch in the mediocre SEC won't improve the Wildcats' national standing with or without Nerlens Noel all that much, they may join the following list of defending NCAA titlists shut out of the playoffs:
| NCAA Title Team | Record Next Season | Coach | League Finish While Out of NCAA Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State '79 | 12-15 in 1979-80 | Jud Heathcote | 9th in Big Ten |
| North Carolina State '83 | 19-14 in 1983-84 | Jim Valvano | 7th in ACC |
| Louisville '86 | 18-14 in 1986-87 | Denny Crum | 1st in Metro |
| Kansas '88 | 19-12 in 1988-89 | Roy Williams | 6th in Big Eight while on NCAA probation |
| North Carolina '09 | 20-17 in 2009-10 | Roy Williams | T9th in ACC |
Fair and Balanced: Creighton's McDermott is Latest Great White Hope
February 16th, 2013 - 10:56
February is Black History Month, but shouldn't we be fair and balanced to fully embrace political correctness? Amid running the risk of being portrayed akin to Al Campanis when discussing race issues, CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted extensive research on trailblazing African-Americans who broke the color barrier at current NCAA Division I schools. In order to not be onesided, it's time to assess the racial overtones of college basketball through the current minority prism of the white player.
According to a politically-direct UCF study several years ago, fewer than 1/3 of NCAA Division I players are white. There is some credence to refraining from judging a book by its cover, but the last time a majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white was 1969-70 (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel).
Creighton's Doug McDermott could become the first mid-major player to be a two-time NCAA consensus first-team All-American since UNLV's Larry Johnson in 1989-90 and 1990-91. Non-whites accounted for more than 83% of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-selections since the shot clock was introduced nationwide in 1985-86. Alarmists might beg to differ, but the white American player hasn't exactly slipped into extinction. This isn't boxing, but McDermott is clearly the latest "Great White Hope" along with Indiana sophomore center Cody Zeller, the younger brother of North Carolina center Tyler Zeller, a second-team All-American last season as a senior, and vastly-improved Gonzaga redshirt center Kelly Olynyk.
Celebrating White History Moments, the last all-white NCAA consensus first-team All-American squad was in 1953-54. McDermott is bound to become only the sixth white player in the last 30 seasons to emerge as a multiple-year consensus first-team All-American. Even if McDermott doesn't return for a senior season, he and his father could be the top dad-son, coach-player combination in NCAA history other than the Maravichs at LSU. Following is an alphabetical list of only 19 different white players in that time span named as an NCAA consensus first-team All-American:
White First-Team All-American Pos. School A-A Season(s) Steve Alford G Indiana 1985-86 and 1986-87 Andrew Bogut C Utah 2004-05 Nick Collison F Kansas 2002-03 Dan Dickau G Gonzaga 2001-02 Danny Ferry F Duke 1988-89 Jimmer Fredette G Brigham Young 2010-11 Tyler Hansbrough F-C North Carolina 2006-07 through 2008-09 Bobby Hurley G Duke 1992-93 Casey Jacobsen F-G Stanford 2000-01 Christian Laettner F-C Duke 1991-92 Raef LaFrentz F-C Kansas 1996-97 and 1997-98 Kevin Love C UCLA 2007-08 Doug McDermott F Creighton 2011-12 Chris Mihm C Texas 1999-2000 Adam Morrison F Gonzaga 2005-06 Chris Mullin G St. John's 1984-85 Troy Murphy F Notre Dame 1999-2000 and 2000-01 J.J. Redick G Duke 2004-05 and 2005-06 Keith Van Horn F Utah 1996-97
Young Shall Lead Them: Noel Joins List of Freshmen Finishing First in Nation
February 14th, 2013 - 22:25
There is considerable doubt that Nerlens Noel will be the first pick in this year's NBA draft after the Kentucky freshman incurred a season-ending knee injury. He impacts a game on defense but is one-dimensional with virtually no deft moves on offense.
Memo to recruiting gurus and patronizing analysts who deceived the public regarding Noel's overall prowess: He is more like small-college sensations Manute Bol, George Johnson, Caldwell Jones, Elmore Smith and Marvin Webster than genuine ultimate big-timers Lew Alcindor, Wilt Chamberlain, Patrick Ewing, Artis Gilmore and Bill Russell.
Will Noel even bother with limping to class the remainder of this semester and just focus on rehab? The likely "one and done" is expected to finish first nationally in blocked shots per game, joining the following chronological list of freshmen who led the country in a major statistical category:
| Season | Freshman NCAA Leader | School | Category | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Bernard King | Tennessee | Field-Goal Shooting | 62.2% |
| 1975-76 | Sidney Moncrief | Arkansas | Field-Goal Shooting | 66.5% |
| 1983-84 | Steve Alford | Indiana | Free-Throw Shooting | 91.3% |
| 1985-86 | Jim Barton | Dartmouth | Free-Throw Shooting | 94.2% |
| 1987-88 | Kenny Miller | Loyola of Chicago | Rebounding Average | 13.6 rpg |
| 1988-89 | Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | Blocked Shots Average | 5 bpg |
| 1990-91 | Shawn Bradley | Brigham Young | Blocked Shots Average | 5.2 bpg |
| 1992-93 | Jason Kidd | California | Steals Average | 3.8 spg |
| 1994-95 | Keith Closs | Central Connecticut State | Blocked Shots Average | 5.4 bpg |
| 1996-97 | Joel Hoover | Maryland-Eastern Shore | Steals Average | 3.2 spg |
| 2001-02 | Jason Conley | Virginia Military | Scoring Average | 29.3 ppg |
| 2001-02 | T.J. Ford | Texas | Assists Average | 8.3 apg |
| 2003-04 | Blake Ahearn | Southwest Missouri State | Free-Throw Shooting | 97.5% |
| 2003-04 | Paul Millsap | Louisiana Tech | Rebounding Average | 12.5 rpg |
| 2006-07 | Mike Freeman | Hampton | Field-Goal Percentage | 67.8% |
| 2007-08 | Michael Beasley | Kansas State | Rebounding Average | 12.4 rpg |
| 2007-08 | Devin Gibson | Texas-San Antonio | Steals Average | 3.3 spg |
| 2009-10 | Hassan Whiteside | Marshall | Blocked Shots Average | 5.4 bpg |
| 2011-12 | Anthony Davis | Kentucky | Blocked Shots Average | 4.65 bpg |
| 2012-13 | Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | Blocked Shots Average | 4.5 bpg |
Get a Grip: Premier Programs Will Always Recover From Dry Spells
February 9th, 2013 - 22:16
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Chicken Little fans and willfully dense media members, sounding like end-of-the-world doom-and-gloomers from the Sequester Administration, can get on your nerves because of their lack of historical perspective.
Kansas' defeat at Texas Christian sandwiched between two more setbacks was disconcerting but Jayhawks fans shouldn't be on suicide watch as the Jayhawks strive for their fourth straight 30-win season. Plenty of premier programs recover from a reversal or two against an inferior opponent to return to elite status.
KU fans should remember that Wilt Chamberlain's final season in 1958 included one of the most amazing turnarounds in NCAA history. Nebraska, in the midst of 15 consecutive losing seasons, was clobbered at Kansas by 56 points (102-46) before upsetting the Jayhawks (43-41) four games later in Omaha. In the Cornhuskers' next outing, they defeated top-ranked Kansas State (55-48), a team that had overwhelmed them by a total of 46 points in two previous matchups. Nebraska never has won an NCAA Tournament game, making the Cornhuskers treasure the moment even more when they defeated NCAA champion-to-be Kansas in the regular season in 1988.
Cincinnati, compiling just one winning record in Metro Conference competition (8-6 in 1985) in 12 years from 1978 through 1989, is the only school to register a losing record in a season it won a road game against a conference rival that later became NCAA champion. The 12-16 Bearcats, notching a 5-7 Metro mark, won at Louisville (84-82) midway through the 1985-86 campaign when guard Roger McClendon poured in 24 of his 35 points in the second half. The Cardinals recovered from their only home-court loss that year and the embarrassment of squandering a 13-point, second-half lead against Cincinnati to wind up capturing the NCAA title.
Michigan State dominated the 1979 NCAA Tournament, handing each of its five playoff opponents, a quintet averaging 25.6 victories, their worst defeat of the year - Lamar (31-point margin), LSU (16), Notre Dame (12), Penn (34) and Indiana State (11). Consequently, most observers don't recall the glaring defect of the Magic Johnson-led Spartans earlier that season when they were defeated by four Big Ten Conference second-division teams (including three finishing the year at least four games below .500 in league competition). One of Michigan State's setbacks was by 18 points against perennial cellar dweller Northwestern, which had 35 consecutive losing league records from 1969 through 2003.
Florida '98 is the only school at least four games below .500 in league play to win on the road against a conference opponent (Kentucky) that wound up capturing the NCAA Tournament crown later that season. The Gators went on to become the only school to capture back-to-back NCAA titles despite losing a league game each year to an opponent with a conference mark at least four games below .500 (2006 and 2007).
In the aftermath of Miami (Fla.) becoming the first school to whip luminaries Duke and North Carolina by more than 25 points in the same season, following is a chronological list of the 11 schools at least four games under .500 in conference competition to defeat a league rival ending the season as NCAA titlist including four of them in an eight-year span from 2003 through 2010:
| Second-Division Team | Season | Overall (Losing League Record) | Upset Against Eventual NCAA Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | 1938-39 | 13-11 (6-10 in PCC) | Beavers defeated Oregon, 50-31 |
| Oregon | 1958-59 | 9-16 (3-13 in PCC) | Ducks defeated California, 59-57 |
| Illinois | 1978-79 | 19-11 (7-11 in Big Ten) | Illini defeated Michigan State, 57-55 |
| Northwestern | 1978-79 | 6-21 (2-16 in Big Ten) | Wildcats defeated Michigan State, 83-65 |
| Wisconsin | 1978-79 | 12-15 (6-12 in Big Ten) | Badgers defeated Michigan State, 83-81 |
| Nebraska | 1987-88 | 13-18 (4-10 in Big Eight) | Cornhuskers defeated Kansas, 70-68 |
| Florida | 1997-98 | 14-15 (6-10 in SEC) | Gators won at Kentucky, 86-78 |
| Rutgers | 2002-03 | 12-16 (4-12 in Big East) | Scarlet Knights defeated Syracuse, 68-65 |
| South Carolina | 2005-06 | 23-15 (6-10 in SEC) | Gamecocks defeated Florida, 68-62 |
| Louisiana State | 2006-07 | 17-15 (5-11 in SEC) | Tigers defeated Florida, 66-56 |
| North Carolina State | 2009-10 | 20-16 (5-11 in ACC) | Wolfpack defeated Duke, 88-74. |
Two separate Nebraska teams in an eight-year span from 1958 through 1965 finished with an overall losing record despite knocking off a nationally top-ranked club during the same season. Following is a list of nine opponents finishing a campaign with a losing mark despite upending a #1 team (in reverse order):
South Carolina (15-16 record in 2009-10; fifth-place finish in Eastern Division of SEC; defeated Kentucky, 68-62, on 1-26-10 to snap a three-game losing streak in league competition for the Gamecocks)
Florida State (12-17 record in 2001-02; tied for seventh place in ACC; defeated Duke, 77-76, on 1-6-02 before the Seminoles lost 12 of their last 16 games)
Clemson (12-19 record in 2000-01; ninth-place/last-place finish in ACC; defeated North Carolina, 75-65, on 2-18-01 to snap an eight-game losing streak in league competition for the Tigers before they subsequently lost four more in a row)
Wake Forest (13-15 record in 1988-89; seventh-place finish in ACC; defeated Duke, 75-71, on 1-21-89 in the midst of a streak where the Deacons lost six of eight games)
Washington (11-16 record in 1978-79; tied for eighth place in Pacific-10; defeated UCLA, 69-68, on 2-22-79 as the Huskies lost 11 of their last 15 league games)
Nebraska (10-15 record in 1964-65; tied for sixth place in Big Eight; defeated Michigan, 74-73, on 12-12-64 before the Huskers lost 10 of their next 13 games)
Maryland (10-13 record in 1958-59; tied for third place in ACC; defeated North Carolina, 69-51, on 2-21-59 after the Terrapins lost six of their previous seven games)
Nebraska (10-13 record in 1957-58; tied for fourth place in Big Seven; defeated Kansas State, 55-48, on 3-3-58 for the Huskers' fourth straight league victory after dropping eight of their first nine)
Northwestern (9-13 record in 1953-54; tied for fifth place in Big Ten; defeated Indiana, 100-90, on 2-13-54 for second of five straight conference victories after the Wildcats lost eight of their previous nine outings)
Target On Back: Indiana Among Six Schools With Most Defeats When Ranked #1
February 7th, 2013 - 20:26
Indiana, after incurring three such reversals this campaign, is one of the six marquee schools with the most defeats as the nation's top-ranked team. All six have incurred at least one such setback in the last seven seasons. Each of them has had at three campaigns when they lost multiple games while ranked #1.
Role Reversal: IU Latest School to Lose as #1 Before Beating Top-Ranked Team
February 3rd, 2013 - 17:17
Indiana's Tom Crean became the 12th coach to defeat the nation's top-ranked team with two different schools. He previously achieved the feat as Marquette's bench boss.
It was a role reversal for Indiana as the Hoosiers defeated top-ranked Michigan after losing to Butler earlier in the season when atop the national polls. In 1993-94, IU defeated #1 Kentucky before the Wildcats rebounded with a triumph over top-ranked Arkansas.
North Carolina (1997-98) and Pittsburgh (2008-09) did it twice in the same year. Following are the schools that lost as the nation's top-ranked team and later defeated a #1 club in the same campaign:
| Season | School | Coach | Lost as #1 Team | Victory over #1 Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-52 | Kentucky | Adolph Rupp | Minnesota (61-57) | St. John's (81-40) |
| 1957-58 | Kansas | Dick Harp | Oklahoma State (52-50)/Kansas State (79-75) | Kansas State (61-44) |
| 1964-65 | UCLA | John Wooden | Iowa (87-82) | Michigan (91-80) |
| 1967-68 | UCLA | John Wooden | Houston (71-69) | Houston (101-69) |
| 1973-74 | UCLA | John Wooden | Notre Dame (71-70) | Notre Dame (94-75) |
| 1984-85 | Georgetown | John Thompson Jr. | St. John's (66-65)/Syracuse (65-63) | St. John's (85-69) |
| 1988-89 | Oklahoma | Billy Tubbs | Oklahoma State (77-73) | Arizona (82-80) |
| 1989-90 | Missouri | Norm Stewart | Kansas State (65-58) | Kansas (77-71) |
| 1992-93 | Kansas | Roy Williams | Long Beach State (64-49) | Indiana (83-77) |
| 1993-94 | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Massachusetts (91-86) | Duke (89-78) |
| 1993-94 | Kentucky | Rick Pitino | Indiana (96-84) | Arkansas (90-78) |
| 1995-96 | Kentucky | Rick Pitino | Massachusetts (92-82)/Mississippi State (84-73) | Massachusetts (81-74) |
| 1997-98 | North Carolina | Bill Guthridge | Maryland (89-83) | Duke (97-73) |
| 1997-98 | North Carolina | Bill Guthridge | North Carolina State (86-72) | Duke (83-68) |
| 1998-99 | Connecticut | Jim Calhoun | Syracuse (59-42) | Duke (77-74) |
| 2000-01 | Arizona | Lute Olson | Purdue (72-69) | Stanford (76-75) |
| 2006-07 | Florida | Billy Donovan | Kansas (82-80)/Vanderbilt (83-70) | Ohio State (84-75) |
| 2008-09 | Pittsburgh | Jamie Dixon | Louisville (69-63) | Connecticut (76-68) |
| 2008-09 | Pittsburgh | Jamie Dixon | Providence (81-73) | Connecticut (70-60) |
| 2012-13 | Indiana | Tom Crean | Butler (88-86 in OT) | Michigan (81-73) |
Hail to the Victor: Outstanding Oladipo Has Been Indiana's Top Player
February 3rd, 2013 - 8:40
There is no doubt that Indiana's Victor Oladipo has blossomed into an All-American, joining Creighton's Doug McDermott and Michigan's Trey Burke as one of the nation's premier three players after none of them ranked among the top 100 recruits coming out of high school. Excelling in all phases of the game, Oladipo has rendered the recruiting gurus virtually useless by becoming the Hoosiers' MVP this season over more highly-publicized Cody Zeller.
The only question is whether Oladipo and Zeller will become the 12th different set of teammates to be named NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans. IU had such a dynamic duo in 1975-76 when Kent Benson and Scott May helped power the nation's last undefeated squad. Father Henry Bibby (UCLA '72) and son Mike Bibby (Arizona '98) are each involved in the following chronological list of the first 11 different sets of teammates named NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans in the same season a total of 14 times since the start of the NCAA Tournament in 1939:
| School | First-Team All-American Teammates | Season(s)/Record |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | Ralph Beard and Alex Groza | 1946-47 (34-3) and 1948-49 (32-2) |
| Duquesne | Sihugo Green and Dick Ricketts | 1954-55 (22-4) |
| Cincinnati | Ron Bonham and Tom Thacker | 1962-63 (26-2) |
| UCLA | Henry Bibby and Bill Walton | 1971-72 (30-0) |
| UCLA | Bill Walton and Keith Wilkes | 1972-73 (30-0) and 1973-74 (26-4) |
| Indiana | Kent Benson and Scott May | 1975-76 (32-0) |
| North Carolina | Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins | 1982-83 (28-8) and 1983-84 (28-3) |
| Arizona | Mike Bibby and Miles Simon | 1997-98 (30-5) |
| Kansas | Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce | 1997-98 (35-4) |
| Duke | Shane Battier and Jason Williams | 2000-01 (35-4) |
| Duke | J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams | 2005-06 (32-4) |
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