On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Deeper look at CBI and CIT fields--ChicagoNow.com

Teams that might to be looking for a bid: Oregon (CBI only), Northwestern (if not NIT, maybe it doesn't come to this, CBI only) Marshall, Davidson, IUPUI, IPFW, Montana, Rutgers (CBI only), Hofstra, Drexel, Dayton, Duquesne, Valparaiso, Tulsa.

Teams that have said no already, or assumed to say no: Wright State, Detroit, Iowa, Mississippi State, North Texas.

NCAA Bracket Chat!--ChicagoNow.com

12:16

And speaking of mid-majors. The selection committee didn't do them many favors (yet again). George Mason has to play in the 8/9 game and then face #1 overall seed Ohio State if they win.
Monday March 14, 2011 12:16
12:16

Butler and Old Dominion play in another 8/9 game and the winner plays Pittsburgh.
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12:42

[Comment From PedroPedro: ]
NU at No.4 was great, playing at home won't be much of a factor though because Milwuakee is so close
Monday March 14, 2011 12:42 Pedro
12:43

I see that Milwaukee if offering students $5 tickets to come down to the game. Considering they had the largest student turnout in Horizon League history for the championship game at their place against Butler I'm wondering how many will take the bus trip down for Wednesday's game.
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1:01

Well, I think if we've got no more questions for the day I'm about ready to wrap up the live chat. It's been a lot of fun. Have to go write about Jim Whitesell being fired from Loyola and finish up a Q&A with a Milwaukee blogger before Wednesday's game. Thanks for participating and reading!

NCAA Capsules-Southeast Regional--MICentralSports.com

Butler

Indianapolis, 23-9.

Nickname: Bulldogs. Coach: Brad Stevens.

Conference: Horizon League. Bid: Horizon champion.

Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 8.

Tournament Record: 13-10, 10 years. Last appearance: 2010.

Scoring: Team (72.8); Matt Howard 16.7; Shelvin Mack 15.2; Andrew Smith 8.9; Shawn Vanzant 8.1.

Rebounds: Team (34.9); Matt Howard 7.8; Andrew Smith 5.4; Shelvin Mack 4.5.

Assists/Turnovers: Team (12.5/11.1); Shelvin Mack 3.6/2.4; Ronald Nored 2.6/2.1.

3-pointers: Team (.361); Shelvin Mack 64; Matt Howard 44; Zach Hahn 41.

Last Ten: 9-1.

The Skinny: After coming within two points of a national title last season, the Bulldogs will ride a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. The closing stretch included a win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Horizon League title game that assured their bid.

Old Dominion

Norfolk, Va., 27-6.

Nickname: Monarchs. Coach: Blaine Taylor.

Conference: Colonial Athletic Association. Bid: CAA champion.

Region: Southeast. Seed: No. 9.

Tournament Record: 3-10, 10 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2010.

Scoring: Team (65.8); Frank Hassell 15.0; Kent Bazemore 12.5; Ben Finney 9.2.

Rebounds: Team (40.2); Frank Hassell 9.6; Ben Finney 6.3; Chris Cooper 5.7; Kent Bazemore 5.0; Keyon Carter 4.1.

Assists/Turnovers: Team (14.5/12.4); Darius James 3.2/1.6; Ben Finney 3.1/1.8; Kent Bazemore 2.9/2.4.

3-pointers: Team (.329); Trian Iliadis 40; Ben Finney 37; Kent Bazemore 31.

Last Ten: 9-1.

The Skinny: Old Dominion led the CAA title game by 18 points before allowing Virginia Commonwealth to get within one late. The Monarchs relied on Hassell and their experience to withstand the rally and earn the automatic bid for the second consecutive year.

Full schedule and announcer pairings for NCAA Tournament's first round--Ballin' is a Habit

SECOND ROUND GAMES

THURSDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 17

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* 12:40 pm, truTV, Washington DC: Butler vs. Old Dominion (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski)

A haiku preview for all your Thurday/Friday games--Eye On College Basketball

SOUTHEAST
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Butler vs. Old Dominion: What a great eight-nine / Monarchs beat ND last year / Butler with mojo

Utah Jazz extra: Jazz have plenty of problems — just ask fans--Deseret News

THE BIG STAT

4: As a team, the Jazz struggled on their 1-3 road trip. But all four of their rookies hit career-highs on the Eastern swing: Gordon Hayward (18), Derrick Favors (16), Jeremy Evans (14) and Marcus Cousin (4).