Too Big Yo--The Mid-Majority
First Round Game Analysis: Thursday Afternoon--Rush The Court
4:45 pm – #5 Butler vs. #12 UTEP (San Jose pod)
The beauty of this game is that it’s what we like to call the “bridge” game. There are no other games during this time slot, so if you have access to it your focus can be totally and completely in one place (rather than trying to keep your chiropractic bills low with your head on a swivel). This is a popular upset pick in the annual 5/12 mold, and with good reason. UTEP comes in as a mere 2.5-point underdog in the eyes of Vegas, and in the eyes of RTC they’re poised to pull off the ‘upset’ behind the superior talents of Derrick Caracter inside and Randy Culpepper on the perimeter. No disrespect intended to the talents of Butler’s Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward inside, but they haven’t seen a 6′9, 275-lb space-eater in the paint like Caracter all season long (Greg Monroe and Jason Love are probably the closest two, and they both played very well against the Butler interior players). But the teams are otherwise similarly matched — they both play hardnosed defense and don’t need to depend on the three-ball to win, while having an ability to put five scoring options on the floor at any given time. In what we see as a tossup game, we like the superior size and athleticism that UTEP can bring to the floor in addition to their ability for the bigs (including 6′11 Arnett Moultrie) to get Howard in foul trouble and the game-breaking abilities of the uber-quick Culpepper.
The Skinny: Maybe we’re underrating Butler, but we see a lot to like out of UTEP here, so we’re going with the 12/5 upset as Caracter shows why he was so highly touted a few years ago.
RTC Region by Region Tidbits: 03.16.10--Rush The Court
Fran McCaffery is not letting his Siena team think they can beat Purdue by just showing up in Spokane on Friday. He says Purdue is by far the best team Siena will face all season even without Robbie Hummel. You’d have to think a Butler Bulldogs fan would think otherwise.
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The NABC today announced their Division I All-District teams which includes the players who will be eligible for the State Farm D-I All-America teams, and 12 of the 16 teams in this region placed players on one of these teams, highlighted by Syracuse junior forward Wesley Johnson, UTEP junior forward Derrick Caracter, Xavier sophomore guard Jordan Crawford and BYU junior guard Jimmer Fredette. Gonzaga (senior guard Matt Bouldin and freshman forward Elias Harris), Butler (sophomore forward Gordon Hayward and sophomore guard Shelvin Mack) and Oakland (senior guard Jonathan Jones and junior forward Keith Benson) put two players each on their district’s first team, while Murray State had sophomore forward Ivan Aska and junior guard Isacc Miles make the District 19 first team and junior guard B.J. Jenkins make the second team.
NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Gordon Hayward--DraftExpress.com
2010 NCAA Tournament Bracket Breakdown: Sleepers you haven't seen--Ballin' is a Habit
UTEP Miners: #12 seed, West Region
UTEP drew Butler in the first round of the tournament, a team that has been in and around the top ten for much of the season. Butler is a good team -- they went undefeated against their conference, beat Xavier and Ohio State, and have no bad losses. No matter how you slice it, that equals a good team. But where Butler struggles is when they face teams that are bigger and more athletic than them. UTEP, on paper, looks like a high-major team, at least sizewise. Arnett Moultrie is the Miner's center, and he stands 6'11". Derrick Caracter is 6'9", 270 lb. Claude Britten is 6'11". Jeremy Williams and Julyan Stone are 6'6" and 6'7" on the wing. Ronald Nored, at 6'3", is Butler's starting power forward.
Glenn, Hayward, Mack honored--The Indy Star
Hayward gives up tennis to become ace for Butler--ButlerSports.com
NCAA blog 3: Late night at Hinkle--Indy Star Butler Insider
NCAA blog 4: Back in familiar location--Indy Star Butler Insider
Q & A With Former Vikings Star J’Nathan Bullock--Let's Go Vikes!
Information for Cleveland State's NCAA First Round Game at Notre Dame--csuvikings.com
Vikings Travel to Notre Dame for NCAA First Round Game--csuvikings.com
Former Titans Coach Vitale Featured In New Detroit Historical Museum Exhibit--detroittitans.com
Mike Vandermause column: UW-Green Bay women relish NCAA nod--Green Bay Press Gazette
Calling Green Bay Fans to Cheer on Your Phoenix--uwgbathletics.com
UW-Green Bay men expect CBI opponent Akron to bring pressure defense--Green Bay Press Gazette
Lack of postseason play disappoints UWM--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Getting to know: Charlie Gross--Panther Blog Zone
WSU women’s coach failed to lure local talent--Dayton Daily News
Raiders recruits doing well--Mark Katz's Blog
Koch to leave WSU--Mark Katz's Blog
YSU women need a coach for long haul--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
2010 Horizon League women's basketball postseason preview--The Horizon League
Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- March 17 (WNIT)--The Horizon League
California Love--Horizon League Network
Behind Enemy Lines--Horizon League Network
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