Niagara 70, Illinois State 56
No matter how much Illinois State chiseled at its lead, Niagara was not going to be denied on this night, in this game.
In the opening act of the 2009 ESPNU Bracketbusters, the Purple Eagles sprinted out to a big lead in front of the faithful Gallagher Center crowd and held on [...]

Unlike the 2k Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, where organizers had an idea of who would play for the title, the organizers of the 2008 Old Spice Classic left the future open to interpretation.
That is what happens when an 8-team tournament features five teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament. Moreover, we’re not talking about [...]

Thank goodness the NCAA Tournament field isn’t decided based on November expectations.
If that were the case, teams that fly under the radar (Davidson, West Virginia, etc.) not only wouldn’t get a chance to prove they belong in the Big Dance but that their seed should be higher than expected. It also makes the big-name [...]

Record: (23-7, 14-3 Big Ten)
Key Wins: @Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Michigan State, N-Louisville
Key Losses: Wofford, Iowa State, @Missouri, @Ohio State
Key Stats: 8.2 – Purdue’s steals per game, second in the Big Ten.
87.9 – Purdue’s defensive efficiency (points allowed in 100 opponent possessions), 11th in the country
Key Numbers: RPI: 31; SOS: 90; NCSOS: 241; Vs. Top 50: 5-4
Biggest [...]

Record: (23-6, 11-5 Big Ten)
Key Wins: N-Texas; Purdue, N-BYU, Indiana
Key Losses: N-UCLA, @Wisconsin, @Iowa, @Penn State
Key Stats: 20-1. The Spartans are undefeated at home this season and have recorded a 5-1 neutral floor record. While road record is important, there are no “road” games in the NCAA Tournament. And, if the Spartans get placed in [...]

Record: (24-4, 14-2 Big Ten)
Key Wins: @Texas, Indiana, @Indiana, Michigan State.
Key Losses: @Purdue, Purdue, @Duke, Marquette
Key Stat: 54.9. That is how many points per game the Badgers allow – best in the nation.
Key Numbers: RPI: 12; SOS: 42; NSOS: 61; Vs. Top 50: 4-4
Biggest Strengths: For years, coach Bo Ryan has used pieces of various [...]

Record: (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten)
Key Wins: Michigan State, Purdue, Kentucky, @So. Illinois, N-Illinois State
Key Losses: Michigan State, @ Wisconsin, Connecticut, @ Xavier
Key Stat: 0.964– As good as Indiana has played this season, it is one of the few elite teams that averages more turnovers per game than assists with a .964 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Key Numbers: RPI: [...]

Record: (18-12, 9-8 Big Ten)
Key Wins: N-Syracuse, Florida, @ Illinois, Minnesota, Purdue
Key Losses: @ Tennessee, North Carolina, @ Iowa, @ Michigan
Key Stat: 4-8 away from Value City Arena.
Key Numbers: RPI: 55; SOS: 33; NSOS: 13; Vs. Top 50: 1-9
Biggest Strengths: Big-time talents. As I wrote earlier this season, the Buckeyes are not in a rebuilding [...]

In a nationally televised BracketBuster game, one would have assumed Virginia Commonwealth’s Eric Maynor would have played a major factor – win or lose – in the Rams’ success.
Ironically, Maynor was a shell of himself Saturday morning in front of 4,098 screaming fans at Rhodes Arena. Still, that didn’t stop VCU from making a major [...]

Game Information: VCU (19-6, 12-3 CAA) vs. Akron (18-7, 8-4 MAC), 11 a.m. ET Saturday, ESPN2.About VCU: One year ago, Virginia Commonwealth took a big hit in its Bracket Buster matchup. The Rams fell to Bradley, 73-64, and I wrote, “The Rams might have to run the table in their remaining regular season games and [...]