As the final horn and a couple of loud pops echoed around the cavernous Gainbridge Fieldhouse court, the Iowa Hawkeyes quickly and quietly exited into their locker room. The same way they entered, the same way they played.

At the same time, a downpour of blue and white confetti rained from the rafters. The colors of the UCLA Bruins. The colors of the Big Ten champions.

Some scores don’t tell the full picture of what happened in a game. UCLA 95, Iowa 41 certainly does.

While the Bruins are a Big Ten college basketball team on paper, in practice, they are a collection of soon-to-be professionals, getting their last licks in on the rest of the college basketball world.

Four of UCLA’s starting five are projected top 10 picks in the upcoming WNBA draft. It’s a roster that boasts Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts, First Team All-Big Ten Kiki Rice, Second Team Gabriela Jaquez, and Gianna Kneepkens.

“Most of us have one or two go, but they have a lineup like that,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said.

UCLA didn’t just beat Iowa. Beat is when you lose by 10. A blow out is when you lose by 20. Brutalized is 30. There isn’t even a word to describe a 51 point loss.

And this was the championship game. In theory, between the two most deserving, battle tested squads.

UCLA’s quarterfinal against Washington on Friday was close for three quarters, until the Bruins pulled away to win 78-60. Their semifinal bout with Ohio State was stress free the entire way through, finishing 72-62 Bruins.

Iowa cruised to a 64-58 win in their quarterfinal game vs Illinois that only looked close in garbage time. Then on Saturday, the Hawkeyes put together one of their best fourth quarters of the year to pull away from Michigan 59-42. 

“In that fourth quarter, to start it, I just had everybody do a zen moment,” Jensen recalled.

After the championship game opened with a Taylor Stremlow three pointer, the ensuing 13-0 Bruin run snapped the Hawkeye flow state. Iowa never recovered.

“If you let that margin get a little too great, you can never really ever shrink it,” Jensen said. 

Against a team like UCLA, there is zero margin for error. Not when your basketball team contains nine freshmen and sophomores. Not when UCLA has eight seniors and grad students. Not when you shoot 21% from beyond the arc and UCLA shoots 50%.

Throughout the second half, a steady stream of Iowa fans made their way to the exits at each break. As they did, “Carver East” felt more and more like East L.A.

The Bruins never let up. They closed out the game making nine of their last nine baskets. Iowa went one for nine in the same stretch.

At the end, there were no tears as the Hawkeyes left the court. Just stunned silence. A reality check for a group with all the momentum in the world.

If the semifinal win against Michigan was the best game of the year for Iowa, the championship was by far the worst. The 51 point margin of victory was the biggest ever in a Big Ten Championship game. It was the largest margin of defeat for Iowa in 50 years. 

“Disappointments and setbacks make losers bitter, but they make winners better,” Jensen said after the game. 

There’s no doubt Iowa will be better when they host the first two games of their March Madness run in two weeks. When their run inevitably leads them into another national championship contender, though, is when they’ll need to prove it.

The post Powerless in Indianapolis: UCLA Dismantles Iowa in Big Ten Tournament appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Favorites

North Carolina- The Tar Heels are about as talented of a seven loss team as you’re going to find, and they are more than deserving of a #1 seed after winning the brutally competitive ACC regular season title. North Carolina accumulated ten wins this season against NCAA tournament opponents, and that didn’t happen by accident. The Tar Heels score a ridiculous 85 ppg by possessing multiple scoring options, with four players scoring over 12 points a contest. The defending national runner up has more experience than anyone else in the tournament, as all four of their double digit scorers are juniors or seniors. Led by 6’8 junior forward Justin Jackson, the Tar Heels have a relentless inside out offensive attack as they shoot over 36 percent as a team from three and they get to the free throw line over twenty two times a game. Another major advantage that the Tar Heels have is size and depth. Even though only one player on the team averages more 5.7 rebounds a game, they lead the nation in rebounding. North Carolina is a very well rounded team with no obvious holes, which makes them a very tough team to beat in this tournament.

Kentucky- Despite the Wildcats list of household recruits and numerous nationally televised prime time games, this Kentucky team seems to have less fan fair then they have in previous seasons. Some of that has to do with Calipari bringing in new faces every year before fans can become fully acquainted with the “older” ones, but I think it’s mostly because the SEC is generally the worst of the power five conferences and they struggle to draw the eyeballs of casual fans. Regardless of popularity this Kentucky team is, for lack of a better word, awesome. Just like North Carolina, they average over 85 ppg, they dominate the boards average about 40 rpg, and they have four players that average over 12 ppg. The biggest difference is North Carolina’s big guns are juniors and seniors with final four experience, Kentucky’s are freshman and sophomores with one foot already out the door awaiting the NBA. Calipari has taken a young group to the promise land before, and he has a chance to do it again this season.

UCLA- The Bruins are the most dangerous three seed in this entire tournament.  I talked about how explosive North Carolina and Kentucky are offensively, neither of them are quite as explosive as UCLA who leads the country at 90.4 ppg. The Bruins do it by sharing the basketball, as they also lead the country in assists and have six different players in double digits. Led by polarizing freshman phenom point guard Lonzo Ball, the Bruins have a nice mix of youth and experience that help them win 29 games this season. The Bruins don’t defend or rebound as well as UNC or Kentucky, so they will have to rely heavily on Lonzo Ball’s guidance of the offense if they want to advance to Phoenix.

 Everyone is Talking About…

Wichita State- The Shockers lost four year legends Fred Van Fleet and Rod Baker to graduation  this season, but they were still able to rattle off a 30 win season and both the regular season and conference tournament title in the Missouri Valley. However, despite being ranked in the top 20 in most polls they only received a #10 seed. The main reason they were seeded so low was they lack a good out of conference win while coming from a one bid league, but also they don’t have a notable, proven playmaker that convinced the committee that they can win big games. Despite their deficiencies on paper, the Shockers proved they can win on the court with a combined team effort. Nobody on the roster averages more than 11.8 ppg or 26.2 minutes, but they still averaged over 82 points a game while finishing 14th in the nation in total defense and fifth in the nation in rebounding. It will be a tall task for the Shockers to win more than one game in the tournament given their draw, but match ups won’t stop them from putting their best foot forward.

Don’t be Fooled by…

Cincinnati-  Mick Cronin and the Bearcats had an excellent 29-5 season out of the American Athletic Conference, and they were rewarded by the committee with a #6 seed. The Bearcats play absolutely swarming defense, as they finished 4th in the nation in defense. However, they failed to score 70 points on 13 different occasions this season. What is even more shocking to me than that stat is they are 30th in the country in assists but only 127th in the country in scoring. That stat tells me that Cincinnati doesn’t have nearly enough playmaking ability, which will probably cost them in the first round against a Kansas State team that just scored 95 points against Wake Forest.

If the Slipper Fits…

Middle Tennessee State- The Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State come in as the pick to click among #12 seeds this year after winning 30 games, including a blowout over Vanderbilt and nearly beating VCU. Their draw against the over seeded Minnesota Gophers is the most favorable draw of any #12 seed, and their top 3 players combine for 47.6 points a contest. MTSU vs Minnesota just screams 12 over 5 upset.

5 Players to Watch

FR PF TJ Leaf, UCLA- At just 19 years old, Leaf is already better than either of his older brothers ever were at UCLA. He’s ranked by ESPN’s Chad Ford as the 12th best NBA prospect in the world and he leads the highest scoring team in the nation in points per game. He’s extremely efficient, shooting 61 percent from the field and 45 percent from three. His consistency and efficiency are essential to UCLA’s success.

JR PG Joel Berry II, North Carolina- The biggest piece missing from North Carolina’s runner up finish from last season is point guard. In his first full season as the Tar Heels primary floor general, Berry has played very well averaging 14.8 ppg and shooting 42 percent from three. However, his assist to turnover ratio is slightly worse than 2-1. He will need to cut down the turnovers for UNC to be at their best.

FR PG De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky- Fox is just one of those athletes where statistics just don’t tell the whole story, you just need to see him play multiple times before truly grasping how special he is. While his game might not transfer well to the NBA because of his inability to shoot from the perimeter, he can be just as effective on any given night on the college level as potential opponent Lonzo Ball.

FR SG Malik Monk, Kentucky- Fox’s backcourt mate is the arguably the most dominant scorer in the country. He scores over 20 a game and shoots it over 40 percent from every spot on the floor. His 47 points in a December win against North Carolina was the most impressive individual performance in college basketball this season, and there is no reason he can’t put up performances like that in the biggest games of this tournament.

JR F Kelan Martin, Butler- The powerful forward leads the #4 seeded Butler in scoring at 16 a game, and he was the driving force a team that finished runner up in the deep Big East conference. This might be Butler’s best team in the post Brad Stevens era, but it is up to Martin to lead the Bulldogs against the regional’s top dogs.

Predictions

While I believe double digit seeded Wichita State, Kansas State, and Middle Tennessee State will pick up first round upsets, this is probably the one bracket where the top #4 seeds all advance to the sweet 16. The top four in this regional are just too darn good. While Butler handed #1 ranked Villanova two of their three losses, the Wildcats style of play is more comparable to Butler than North Carolina’s. The Tar Heels have too many athletes, they should be able to handle Butler without too much trouble. The UCLA vs Kentucky rematch will as fun as any game in the tournament, but I don’t think Lonzo Ball and company will be able to just outgun Kentucky. Kentucky is harder to defend now then they were in December, when they still put up 92 in a loss. Kentucky will get revenge in this matchup (sorry Lavar).

That leaves us with an elite eight rematch of a game that Kentucky won by a score of 103-100. While North Carolina is talented and has much more experience, the young Wildcats are very battle tested after playing out of conference games against North Carolina, UCLA, and Kansas. If there is a freshman duo capable of taking the down the ACC champion, it’s Fox and Monk. The Wildcats will be going back to their third final four in four years.

The post NCAA Tournament Breakdown:South Regional appeared first on KRUI Radio.

CBS reviled the field of 68 Sunday afternoon, leading most college basketball fans around the country to fill out their brackets. Each fan hoping to win their work pool, or the much more unlikely option, having a perfect bracket.

The name of the tournament speaks for itself, the tournament is unpredictable. The odds to accurately predicting a flawless bracket are about 1 in 9.2 quintillion.

Even with such unpredictability, there are a couple themes stand true about who is likely to be making the trip to Glendale for the Final Four. Year after year, the tournament is complete madness but the road to the Final Four is more simple than it would seem.

Veteran Guards Win Championships

Over the last ten years the team that cuts down the nets features a star, usually veteran, guard. Half of the last ten years Final Four Most Outstanding Players were upperclassmen. Add the Russ Smith and Payton Siva from Louisville’s win in 2013 to the mix as well.

Last year, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono led his team through the gantlet NCAA tournament to their first National Championships since 1985. Coach Jay Wright touted Arcidiacono’s leadership skills, even saying he was a mini version of himself.

Arcidiacono scored 16 points in the championship game but was highlighted by the assist to Kris Jenkins that led to the buzzer-beating shot. Graduating a year ago, Villanova will be without Arcidiacono.

Villanova, among others, features a veteran guard. One that can assist is leading their team through the NCAA tournament.

Josh Hart, a senior for Villanova, is averaging just over 18 points-per-game, leading the team to their number-one seed in East Regional. Not only will his experience in college help but playing on the biggest stage last year won’t hurt.

Hart, a shooting guard, is at the mercy of sophomore Jalen Brunson leading the offense. Brunson and others still are able to find their leader to put on the points for the Wildcats.

Two other veteran shooting guards on power-conference teams have the ability to lead their squad deep into the tournament. UCLA’s Bryce Alford and Duke’s Grayson Allen both have experience on the big stage, Allen won the national championship in 2015.

Alford is playing for his father, Steve, who won the national championship in 1987. Now head UCLA coach, Steve played guard in college as well.

UCLA’s guard play is among the best in the country, featuring Alford and super-star freshman Lonzo Ball. Between the two, UCLA leads all teams averaging over 90 points-per-game.

Midwest Region number-one Kansas also has a two headed monster. Senior Frank Mason III and junior Devonte’ Graham, who alternate at point-guard. As a result, Mason and Graham account for around a fourth of the team’s points.

Mason is among the nation’s top scorers and that is something that is unlikely to change once tournament play begins. He is averaging 20 points-per-game this season.

Conference rival and Big 12 champion Iowa State is a slightly less likely championship contender. Despite being a five-seed, the Cyclones senior Monte Morris holds similar qualities to the above named guards.

Morris leads Iowa State is scoring and has played a key role in the Cyclones peaking at the right time. Morris isn’t the only veteran guard, three of his teammates that rank second, third, and fourth in scoring are also senior guards.

While Iowa State might not be Villanova or Kansas, they could be a team to watch.

Some lower seeded teams aren’t necessarily looking to raise the trophy in Glendale. Their hopes are to win just a game. Having a guard with a hot hand makes that all the more possible.

Winthrop senior Keon Johnson is top-ten in Division I with over 22 point-per-game. His Winthrop Eagles are a 13-seed and will play Butler but that isn’t anything to stop a player shooting 40-percent from behind the arch.

Making over a fourth of Winthrop’s points, Johnson will be an under the radar senior guard to watch on the first weekend.

Don’t Underestimate Anyone

It’s easy to pick by the seeds, and chances are that will result in a solid bracket. Since 2010, 62-percent of top-four seeds have advanced on to the sweet-sixteen. Fairly good odds with as many upsets that due happen.

Each year there are a group of teams that shake up the field and make it further than anyone expected. Whether 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast advancing to the regionals or George Mason making the Final Four, crazy things happen.

Last year was Syracuse, and it very well could be again, that made the Final Four as a double-digit seed. Teams like Wichita State, Butler, and VCU have recently advanced to the final weekend.

Other times it’s an early round upset that busts a bracket. Most times those are harder to predict. Trying to selected a low-seed that will take down a perennial power, it isn’t easy.

Year after year it seems that a 12-seed will knock-off a 5-seed. In the last five years, multiple 5-seeds have fallen each year except 2015.

Often the 12-line corresponds with the bubble. The teams assigned a 12-seed are either the last of the at-large or the best of the small automatic bids. This year that line includes UNC-Wilmington, Nevada, Princeton, and Middle Tennessee.

All four of the 12-seeds will be dangerous in the second round. Each squad boasts a factor that cannot be ignored.

UNC-Wilmington ranks top-five in offensive efficiency. Nevada’s Marcus Marshall averages just under 20 points-per-game. Princeton enters the tournament on a 19 game winning streak. Middle Tennessee, one year removed from upsetting 2-seed Michigan State, returns nearly their entire roster from last years’ team.

Even though the seeds are high, the Big Ten schools tend to show up when it matters. Michigan sits on the seven-line and Wisconsin an eight-seed.

Major conference schools that feel they are seeded low will show two different outcomes. Some will roll over and others will go out with something to prove.

The Big Ten, as a conference, is seeded lower than in the past. In addition, the committee also left out three teams form the big dance: Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. Watching how the Big Ten will respond could present an entertaining tournament.

When All Else Fails, Pick a One-Seed

A one-seed has never lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It’s been close recently, Arizona and Gonzaga both narrowly escaping with single digit wins. The closest a 16 has ever come is one point.

The field features three number-one-seed teams from major conferences and one from a small mid-major. Villanova, Kansas, and North Carolina out of power basketball conferences are the odds on favorites to head to Glendale. Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference champions, have the best record of any team in the tournament.

Villanova and Kansas could face intriguing matchups in the third round. 8-seed Wisconsin is one win from Villanova and 9-seed Michigan State the same distance from Kansas. Both teams played in the Final Four two years ago.

North Carolina, the one-seed in the South Regional, has been the third most talked about school of the region. Both ESPN and CBS thought higher of Kentucky and UCLA out of that bracket than the Tar Heels, despite their regular season ACC title.

Multiple teams, all seeded anywhere from one to three, could have been on the one-line. UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, and Oregon could all make a run at the Final Four.

Look for the high seeds to be strong, even with as crazy as the year has been. The one-seeds have history on their side.

The post What to Look for in March Madness appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Pop on the television on any given weekday or weekend and chances are there is going to be an intriguing college basketball game on.

When the academics are done and there is nothing else to do in the middle of the day or night, I often find myself partaking in the viewing of men’s college basketball.

As I sat down to brainstorm ideas for this article, I thought about which games stood out to me.

Without further ado, here are the ten most memorable games I have watched so far this college basketball season (in order of date played).

 November 22, 2016      

The teams: Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons v #3 Indiana Hoosiers

The result: Mastodons 71 Hoosiers 68

The skinny: Not only are the IUPU schools my favorite group of satellite schools, they also have the most fun name to type. The Mastodons took down the Hoosiers in Fort Wayne and left everyone in awe.

Obviously this was an early season hiccup for the Hoosiers, but for a team that is on the bubble like themselves this loss will come back to haunt them.

December 3, 2016

The teams: #11 UCLA Bruins v #1 Kentucky Wildcats

The result: Bruins 97 Wildcats 92

The skinny: Both teams just ooze NBA prospects. This game was back and forth the entire way and the guard play was outstanding for both teams. Could this be a preview of a matchup in late March or early April? Only time will tell.

December 17, 2016

The teams: #6 Kentucky Wildcats v #7 North Carolina Tarheels

The result: Wildcats 103 Tarheels 100

The skinny: Malik Monk proved to me that he is easily one of the best guard at this level by scoring 47 points. Kentucky has the young guns and North Carolina has the veterans. Those two recipes that have made up these two incredibly exciting teams to watch moving forward.

January 4, 2017

The teams: #1 Villanova Wildcats v #18 Butler Bulldogs

The result: Wildcats 58 Bulldogs 66

The skinny: Villanova has a great backcourt in Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

The Bulldogs are everyone’s favorite Cinderella team a few years ago. The Big East is an underrated conference and it will be a dogfight to see who is on top of the standings at the end of the season (pun intended).

January 21, 2017

The teams: #14 Arizona Wildcats v # UCLA Bruins

The result: Wildcats 96 Bruins 85

The skinny: Arizona came into Pauley Pavilion and took care of business. They have the most underrated freshman in the country in Lauri Markkanen. With Allonzo Trier back from suspension, Arizona is going to make some noise and these two will be leading the way.

January 25, 2017

The teams: #2 Kansas Jayhawks v #18 West Virginia Mountaineers

The result Jayhawks 69 Mountaineer 85

The skinny: The score is not what I was interested in, it’s what comes after the game. West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins gets a $25,000 bonus every time he beats Kansas. While that is certainly a nice lump sum, Huggins donated this bonus to charity. The Mountaineers are another team to look at critically when filling out your bracket.

January 28, 2017

The teams: #2 Kansas Jayhawks v #4 Kentucky Wildcats

The result: Jayhawks 79 Wildcats 73

The skinny: Kansas had an absolutely crazy week towards the end of January. Themselves and Kentucky will be some of the most battle tested teams headings towards the end of the regular

season.

February 4, 2017

The teams: Iowa State Cyclones v #3 Kansas Jayhawks

The Result: Cyclones 92 Jayhawks 89

The Skinny: Iowa State is a team that just does not go away. They can score in bunches and hang around with the best of them. Not to mention, the Jayhawks had a 51-game winning streak at home. Playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, the Cyclones will be prepared for the Big 12 Tournament come March.

February 9, 2017

The teams: #5 Oregon Ducks v #10 UCLA Bruins

The result: Ducks 79 Bruins 82

The skinny: Oregon and Baylor have the most flourencent uniforms in the country and it’s not even close. Anyway, the Ducks have experience and have played well down the stretch in past seasons and have the right leadership in place to make a deep run.

February 12, 2017

The teams: Northwestern Wildcats v #7 Wisconsin Badgers

The result: Wildcats 66 Badgers 59

The skinny: After previously going 14-1 at the Kohl Center, the Wildcats get another resume boosting win.

They have been playing without starting swingman Scottie Lindsey for a little bit and have really clamped down on the defensive end. If you are a member of the Northwestern community, Selection Sunday could be Christmas in March for you.

If I could watch every game, I would. Time does not allow me to do that. The rest of the season is sure to be all fine and dandy.

March Madness is right around the corner. Boy, I can’t wait.

The post Memorable Games and a Look Ahead appeared first on KRUI Radio.