Yardbarker: Brian Butch

Wisconsin Pre-Game

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:17:00 -0500

Tonight I’m heading to see my first Wisconsin game of the year, their exhibition against UW-Superior. In lieu of doing any sort of preview this year (let’s face it–if you’re reading this, you probably know just as much, if not more about the Badgers than I do), I’d like to take this opportunity about some of the things I’m excited for and that I’ll be looking out for this year when I’m watching Wisconsin games. So here are my thoughts, to this point untainted by actual observation of the curr...

Purdue heads back to Mad-town

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:49:58 -0500

I had promised power rankings today, but I am going to hold off on them for another week. The past 36 hours have been exciting behind the scenes for me at Off the Tracks. There are some things brewing in the works that could be a huge step forward for me personally and professionally involving this blog. I cannot say anything right now, but there could be a major announcement about this blog looming in the very near future.

For now, however, I am all about Wisconsin. I have always been slightly partial to the Badgers because my high school adapted On Wisconsin as its own fight song. To this day any time I hear it when Purdue is playing them I have to remember that it is a bad thing in that contest. Tonight it definitely is a bad thing. I was talking with a fellow Purdue alum yesterday at my dad?s business and I agree with his sentiment. He wanted to get one out of two on this road trip, but after how we played at Minnesota he?s now greedy and wants both.

For those interested, I will have an open thread available for tonight?s game. I am supposed to be covering a high school game up in Zionsville but the weather could get in the way of that. Either way, I will be able to comment along for the second half and I am counting on you readers to carry the day.

Wisconsin Record: 12-7, 3-4 Big Ten
2007-08 postseason: Lost 73-56 to Davidson in NCAA Sweet 16
2007-08 final record: 31-5, 19-2 vs. Big Ten (regular season and tournament champion)
Blog Representation: none

There is little argument that our win in Madison last season was the biggest win for the last five years of Purdue basketball. This basketball team showed it was immediately ready for higher expectations, especially with their comments after the game. As I said after that game, we were for real again.

GBI already beat me to it this morning in mentioning that both teams have gone in opposite directions over the past 16 days. Purdue has now won four straight while Wisconsin has lost four straight. Another loss at home tonight would likely put Wisconsin on the sad side of the bubble in a competitive Big Ten. There will be plenty of chances to play off of that bubble, but two would already be gone with another pair of losses to Purdue.

Not a whole lot has changed since the more in depth preview I published two and a half weeks ago. Wisocnsin is still a very good team. They have simply lost in two of the tougher places to play in this conference (Illinois and Purdue) and in a pair of overtime games.

The most glaring loss was probably the Minnesota one. The Gophers are a good team, but the Kohl Center has been a place where no one goes to win except Wisconsin. Minnesota squeezed out an overtime victory after Lawrence Westbrook hit a 3-pointer to send it to overtime. To that point Wisconsin had controlled the game as they often do at home. After that, Minnesota had seized the momentum and was able to parlay it into an overtime win.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly why Wisconsin has a four game skid. The simplest explanation is that they are missing that extra gear they had lat year. That, or the conference as a whole has caught up to them. Against everyone not named Purdue last season they were unstoppable. The won close games and blowouts. They won at home and on the road. They lost Brian Butch, but in reality everyone else caught up to them.

That doesn?t mean we will have an easy time of it tonight in Madison. Sure, we?re the only team in the conference with a winning streak of more than one against them, but they are desperately needing a win. Wisconsin may have dominated the Big Ten last season, but you know some people doubted their championship because they didn?t beat us. They are still one of the teams in the conference that fiercely defends its home court. They are still 148-15 at the building since it opened in 1998. Two of those losses have already come this season, so you get the sense that their fans feel their minute quota of home losses has already been met.

I think the reason we have had such success against Wisconsin recently is that they are simply a good matchup for us. They don?t have overwhelming size to punish like Illinois did. They play a defensive style of basketball that we see every day in practice. They are the worst 3-point shooting team in Big Ten play, behind even Indiana. When you face them you know you are going to get a game where you need to work on the boards and make every single possession count.

One thing we have to look out for tonight was mentioned by Larry Clisby during the radio broadcast at Mackey Arena. Wisconsin shot just 6 free throws in that game, but they are known to parade to the line in their own building. By comparison they shot 33 free throws and made 30 of them in Madison against us last year. Playing defense without fouling will be paramount to our success. If we can do that Wisconsin will have a hard time staying with us.

Many people thought that our meeting earlier this month was JaJuan Johnson?s best game as a Boiler. You can bet he will be a focus of their defense after his 20-10 performance. From what I saw in Minneapolis though I think we can survive this. As I have long said, Purdue will only be successful if we can recognize that the hot hand is going to rotate from night to night. The sooner we find that hot hand and exploit the better we perform. Against Minnesota it was Ironically Lewis Jackson, someone we don?t count on each night for much scoring, that was hitting key basket after key basket.

In the first meeting we also played fantastic defense. Only Joe Krabbenhoft made it to double figures with 13 points. Trevon Hughes was flustered all afternoon in trying to get open. Marcus Landy also had an awful game. Getting those two to remain off their games will be another critical aspect.

Unlike the Minnesota game I have a really good feeling about this one. I think for stretches of the Minnesota game we played some of our best basketball of the season. Everyone was on the same page offensively as we got contributions from more than just the hot hand. As poorly as Landry and Hughes played for them, E?Twaun Moore was worse for us. AS long as we keep playing lockdown defense and keep them from consistently getting to the line I think we win. Purdue 65, Wisconsin 60

Whiskey in the Jar (with final blogpoll ballot)

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:30:35 -0500

A weekend of high school basketball coverage (three games, weather permitting) means I won

Outside the Coach's Box - 12/12/2008

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:01:40 -0500

We got off the pace for a couple of weeks due to the holidays, but we're back with Coach Bru from Xs and Os of Basketball. He'll be dropping science directly in the space below. Is there any way to stop North Carolina's transition game, eg: how do you slow down a player like Ty Lawson? ? Greivis... ...

NIT Final Preview: #13 Oklahoma Sooners or UAB Blazers

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:16:35 -0500

File this one under putting the cart before the horse. Regardless of tonight's outcome against Boston College, we will be playing one of these teams Friday night. Both present unique challenges. UAB is a team loaded with speed and shooting. Oklahoma is a grind-it-out type of team that will try to pound us into submission inside. This is a great test for the NCAA Tournament. In both cases we will have just 48 hours to prepare for a team. Here is a quick look at each opponent.

Alabama-Birmingham Blazers (4-0) 2008 Postseason: 2nd round NIT loss vs. Virginia Tech 75-49. 23-11 final record.
Blog representation: None

The Blazers had a good year in a weak conference last season. They were 12-4 in conference USA, but two of losses came in games that could have made a difference between an NCAA and NIT berth. Their game-winning shot against Memphis at home was just barely past the final buzzer in a 79-78 loss. That one win could have put the Blazers into the NCAA as an at large team. A loss to Tulsa in the first round of the Conference USA tournament sealed their fate.

UAB is the surprise team in New York. They were the only team here that didn't get to play the opening rounds on its home floor. The Blazers traveled out to Tucson and squeezed out a pair of close wins over Santa Clara (64-61) and host Arizona (72-71). The Arizona game was decided by an absolutely stupid foul committed by the Wildcats that allowed a couple of free throw attempts with less than a second to go. Those wins were the meat in a sandwich of success that featured n 87-66 win at Troy and a 77-62 win at Old Dominion as the bread. Unlike the other three teams in the field, UAB has yet to play a game at home.

The Blazers are a dangerous team. They play in a conference dominated by Memphis and full of mediocre teams. They are searching for wins that will improve their postseason profile, and beating Oklahoma then the Purdue-Boston College winner would suit them quite nicely. They lacked such a win last year and it landed them in the NIT. UAB has already proven they can win on the road too. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting a pair of games against a couple of the nation's best teams. They also know how to win close ballgames as shown in Tucson.

They are led by the aforementioned Robert Vaden, who followed Mike Davis from IU down to UAB and has made a nice name for himself there. While I am hurt by the way he spurned us years ago, I wouldn't go as far as to echo the sentiments of a fellow writer. This fellow Purdue alum, after Vaden switched his commitment, stated jokingly, "He's dead to me, and I am not voting for him for Mr. Basketball." Vaden is a very dangerous scorer. He's averaging almost 19 points per game, he shoots 89% from the free throw line, and he hits almost 45% of his 3-pointers. The scoring battle between him and Blake Griffin should be fun to watch.

Vaden is far from the only scorer UAB has. Paul Delaney III is averaging 17.3 per game while Lawrence Kinnard is over 15 points per game too. Delaney had 10 points and hte game winning free throw against Arizona. Kinnard is an imposing presence in the paint as well with a team high 9.3 rebounds per game. The Blazers love the 3-pointer even more than Boston College. They throw it up from long range 18 times per game and 40% of those tries. Kinnard does not limit himself to the paint either. He is a versatile that can step out and hit the 3-pointer with 41% accuracy. Should we play the Blazers they will definitely test out perimeter defense.

UAB boasts an eight man rotation, but the scoring drops off significantly after the big three. Terrence Roderick is the first man off the bench with 8.3 points per game, but the remainder of the rotation averages five points or less. UAB is not a strong rebounding team, so in a potential matchup we may have a slight edge there. They are pulling down just 35.5 boards per game. They also share the ball well at 14 assists per game. Point guard Aaron Johnson leads this category with almost four dimes per contest.

Channing Toney is another player to watch out for. The 6'5" senior guard averaged more than 10 points a game last year, but has been realtively quite this season. He is another player htat is not afraid to shoot the 3-pointer, but his attempts are down this year.

Seeing Chris Kramer guard Robert Vaden would be a fascinating matchup. Kinnard and Delaney offer him more than enough help though. Beating UAB will not be as simple as shutting down a supreme talent in Vaden. The Blazers are a team full of good shooters. Delaney and Roderick hit better than 50% from the field, so forcing a poor percentage will paramount in any matchup. As always, we must rebound and defend the perimeter.

UAB is not blessed with much size. 6'10" Jeremy mayfield is by far the tallest player. The Balzers style of play is much more up-tempo to offset the lack of size in the paint. We should have a big advantage if we can make them play our halfcourt game and pound them with JaJuan inside. They are a wildcard of a team. If they are good enough to beat Oklahoma tonight htey are certainly good enough to beat us. Our trademark defense and size advantage down low should be the difference, but all bets are off is Vaden goes nuts. Purdue 70, UAB 62

Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)
2008 postseason: 2nd round NCAA loss to Louisville 78-48. 23-12 final record.
Blog representation: Crimson and Cream Machine has some excellent stuff

If we're playing in this tournament in order to get a game that is like a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 game we want to play Oklahoma. As the #2 seed in the tournament, a Purdue-Oklahoma final is what the organizers wanted. We owe them too. Drew Lavender's late layup started the downfall of the 2003-04 team. It was the first of many close losses that season. In the return trip the Sooners kicked us around Mackey Arena a year later. For good measure Lavender was still around to lead Xavier to our demise last year. A win would not just give us a quality non-conference win for later seeding purposes. It would also pay back a largely growing debt. And yes, I am aware we beat a #3 seeded Kelvin Sampson coached team in the 2000 NCAA's

Oklahoma is 4-0 behind one of the best players in the nation in Blake Griffin. Griffin has been the leading scorer in all four games, topping 20 points each time. Oklahoma even had one of the more difficult paths to New York in this tournament. An 82-78 win over Davidson was mere survival, as the Sooners nearly blew a 21 point second half lead. Stephen Curry had a career high 44 points int hat game, but Griffin counters with a 25-21 night in points and rebounds. Oklahoma opened the season with wins over American (83-54) and Mississippi Valley State (94-53). Both were NCAA teams a year ago. Gardner-Webb put a scare into the Sooners this weekend before falling 80-76.

Griffin is a great talent to build around. So far he has punished smaller teams with his size. He has put up 26 points per game and has shot an astounding 74.5% from the field. I would say we need to keep him away from the basket, but he is also 2 for 2 from 3-point land to show some range. Just about the only weakness in his game is 56% free throw shooting. He is still getting to the line 11 times per game though, so if he goes there enough times yhe is going to hit something. Keeping him off the boards will be difficult as he is averaging almost 20 rebounds per game. Griffin will be a very formidable test for our interior players. If we want to be a Final Four worthy team though we have to learn how to contain dominant bigs like him.

The big man is helped in scoring by Willie Warren (15.3ppg) and Taylor Griffin (10.5). Taylor is actually the older brother of Blake Griffin and has been around long enough to be recruited by Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma. Apparently we just can't get away from Sampson this week. In addition to expert-level cell phone use after being recruited by Sampson, Taylor Griffin is having his best season in Norman as a senior.

Austin Johnson makes things go from the point while Tony Crocker is a serviceable fifth starter. Cade Davis can provide some offense off the bench. He has played in just three games but is averaging almost 9 points per contest. As a team Oklahoma shoots almost 50%, and with big bodies like the Griffins they can get plenty of second chance points if we allow them to dominate the glass. This team reminds me a lot of Wisconsin last year with Blake Griffin in the role of Brian Butch.

Granted, some of these numbers may be inflated with a pair of blowouts in the first two games. If a team like Gardner-Webb can make Oklahoma sweat we should be able to really scare them. Blake Griffin needed 35-21 game to top the Bulldogs, but everyone could have been distracted Saturday afternoon because of the football game on campus that night. The Sooners must get past a feisty UAB before facing us anyway. The Blazers are more than capable of pulling the upset.

Should we get a game with the Sooners it is clear that we must make sure Blake Griffin doesn't go absolutely nuts. We must keep the clamps on the other four guys on the floor. If we can contain those four and dare the big man to score 55 and beat us by himself we'll be in a good position to win. Griffin is good enough that he might just do that though. Taylor Griffin is a capable shooter as well, hitting two thirds of his shots from the field. Oklahoma goes with a nine man rotation too, so wearing them down won't be an easy task. Regardless, this will be a nice warm up for a huge game against Duke in about a week.

This will easily be our most difficult contest on the young season, but I am encouraged that teams like Gardner-Webb and Davidson challenged them. I don't think we'll need a 44 point sing-handed effort like Curry, but we can implement a game plan like Gardner-Webb to have a chance. The Bulldogs received balanced scoring from their five starters and held their own ont he glass. They also hit some key 3-pointers from Grayson Flittner to stay close.

Unfortunately, I feel like Blake Griffin is going to have a field day agaisnt us. We're going to have a hard time denying him the ball, and Oklahoma can probably out-physical us like Xavier last year. The bench doesn't do much scoring, so if we can get Blake Griffin in foul trouble it will help. Oklahoma relies on him quite a bit. If we somehow hold his numbers down we will win easliy. If not, we're in trouble. In end the end, I think he will perform well enough to be the difference. Oklahoma 58, Purdue 56

And as for the finals of the Paradise Jam

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:23:41 -0500

If Brian Butch was granted a 27th year of eligibility, maybe I could see UConn getting upset versus your Wisconsin Badgers, but unless Jon Leuer can get Hasheem Thabeet to cover his Brad Lohausian game? The Badgers are going to struggle. UConn should win by fifteen on paper. I can see that. ...

The O'Bryant Signing

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:48:50 -0500

The Celtics have signed Golden State Warriors free agent Patrick O'Bryant to a contract. There were various reports on the contract, but it seems that it is a 2 year contract at the league minimum with the second year a team option. It may also be a contract that is guaranteed only if he is on the roster after a certain date. He has considerable potential although he hasn't shown much progress in his two seasons with Golden State. O'Bryant is legitimately 7 feet tall. While O&#...

Free Agent Rumors and Updates

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:48:43 -0500

This Corey Maggette thing is getting worse than a soap opera. The Globe announced that the Celtics had made offers to both Maggette and Posey on July 1. On July 3, the Herald reported that the Celtics denied making an offer to Maggette. Ok, maybe the Globe was mistaken and the Celtics didn't make an offer, but just contacted his agent and inquired about him. But, then, on July 4, the Globe had another article on how the Celtics made an offer to Maggette and Doc even called him to talk to ...

Celtics Host Rookie and Free Agent Camp

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:03:29 -0500

The Celtics Rookie and Free Agent Camp has become more of a 2nd Year and Free Agent Camp as none of the Celtics rookies are participating. Bill Walker had successful arthroscopic surgery on his knee this morning, Erden is probably back off to Turkey and JR Giddens' agents told him not to participate if he wasn't under contract. It seems to me as though the agents are giving him some bad advice. Rookies for every team in the NBA are participating in practices and summer leagues without...

Free Agents, Rookies and Other Musings

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:32:39 -0500

The Celtics will not be participating in Summer League this year, but will hold a mini camp for between 16 to 20 players at their Waltham training facility from Wednesday through Saturday of this week. Big Baby Davis, Gabe Pruitt, and their first-round draft pick J.R. Giddens are expected to participate. Ex-NBA players Jackie Butler, Lawrence Roberts, David Noel, Omar Cook, and Mustapha Shakur are also expected to play. Undrafted free agent Brian Butch, a center from Wisconsin, will also be a...

Invitees to Minicamp

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:26:11 -0500

As you may have heard, the Celtics won't be fielding a summer league team this year, and instead will be holding its own minicamp. Marc Spears has details on some of the invitees (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2008/06/29/his_next_stop_brooklyn/?page=4) : The Celtics will hold a minicamp for 16-20 players at their Waltham training facility from Wednesday through Saturday. Celtics forward Glen Davis, guard Gabe Pruitt, and first-round draft pick J.R. Giddens are...

Gist Gonna Get His Dunk On

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:07:49 -0500

Maryland fans will get to see James Gist in uniform one last time as he competes in the college all-star game dunk contest.

NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Preview

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:13:48 -0500

After an exciting first weekend, the NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday night with the Regional Semifinal round, otherwise known as the Sweet 16. Here are the exclusive Sports Fan Base game previews for the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday: WEST REGION (7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier As predicted by Sports Fan Base.com, the West Virginia Mountaineers were able to upset the #2 seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2nd round. With Joe Alexander inside and Alex Ruoff hitting three-point shots from the outside, West Virginia is a very dangerous team. The Xavier Musketeers defeated a very tough Purdue team in the 2nd round and have quietly advanced into the Sweet 16. Xavier is athletic and balanced with big men Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown, versatile guards Stanley Burrell, C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond and the little court general, Drew Lavendar. Because of this, Xavier may be a little too much too handle for West Virginia. SFB Prediction: Xavier wins 74-68 (12) Western Kentucky vs. (1) UCLA The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are perhaps this year`s biggest surprise into the Sweet 16. Their thrilling 101-99 overtime victory over Drake in the 1st round permanantly won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere and put the Hilltoppers` guard Ty Rogers into the NCAA Tournament history with his three-point shot at the buzzer. Western Kentucky has two very athletic guards in Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazleton and can certainly give UCLA some problems. For the Bruins, Naismith Award finalist Kevin Love is a force in the paint. Combine that with guards Darren Collison and Russel Westbrook along with forward Josh Shipp, you have a great basketball team. UCLA should win this game, but it will be closer than many people think. SFB Prediction: UCLA wins 79-74 EAST REGION (4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina This is probably the worst possible matchup for North Carolina, other than Wisconsin. Why do I say this? Simply because the Cougars are well-coached and always put together a great defensive scheme. Head coach Tony Bennett will have a plan ready for the Tar Heels and use the big bodies of Aron Baynes and Robbiw Cowgill to frustrate UNC`s Naismith Finalist, Tyler Hansbrough. Washington State was able to shut down Notre Dame`s high-powered offense in the 2nd round, could they do the same against North Carolina? The only problem is that Washington State just does not have the scoring to even come close to what North Carolina scores. But the Cougars could provide the blueprint for Louisville or Tennessee to take down the Tar Heels in the next round. SFB Prediction: North Carolina wins 71-62 (3) Louisville vs. (2) Tennessee In what may be the most entertaining Sweet 16 game, the Louisville Cardinals take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Louisville has had a somewhat easy tournament so far with dominating Boise State and Oklahoma in the 1st and 2nd rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, the Vols had a fairly easy game against American in the 1st round, but had a tough take with #7 seeded Butler in the 2nd round, nearly being bounced from the NCAA Tournament. This is a great matchup of athletic players with Tennessee`s Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith versus Louisville`s Terrence Williams and Eric Clark. The x-factor in this game may end up being Tennessee guard Chris Lofton. If he can make his outside shots, the Vols win. If he struggles, Louisville may move on to the Elite 8. SFB Prediction: Tennessee wins 86-84 MIDWEST REGION (10) Davidson vs. (3) Wisconsin While many sports fans were hoping for a classic Big East-Big Ten showdown in the Sweet 16 with Georgetown and Wisconsin, Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats had other plans. Curry went off for 30 points in the 2nd half (35 overall) to single-handedly take down the Georgetown Hoyas in the 2nd round. If anyone wasn`t a Davidson believer before, believe it now. In addition to Curry, point guard Jason Richards and power forward Andrew Lovedale are very solid players. Wisconsin is a great defensive and fundamentally sound team with experienced players such as Brian Butch and Michael Flowers. The matchup of Flowers, one of the best defensive players in the country, versus Curry, one of the top scorers in the country, is very intriguing. That matchup will be the key to the game for both teams. If Flowers can hold Curry under 20 points, it will be hard for Davidson to defeat the Badgers. SFB Prediction: Wisconsin wins 70-65 (12) Villanova vs. (1) Kansas The Villanova Wildcats were the 8th team put into the NCAA Tournament for the Big East Conference and perhaps were the last team into the Big Dance this year. But a 1st round win over Clemson and a dominating victory over another surprise, Siena, has put Nova into the Sweet 16. Led by play-making guard Scottie Reynolds, the Cats are experienced, athletic and could be a threat for Kansas. The Jayhawks are deeper, more athletic and more balanced than Villanova. Guards Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins combined with the frontcourt of Darrel Arthur and Darrell Jackson gives Kansas a lethal starting lineup. SFB Prediction: Kansas wins 85-73 SOUTH REGION (3) Stanford vs. (2) Texas The Stanford Cardinal and Texas Longhorns run their offenses distinctly different ways. Stanford has the twin towers witgh 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez and they are the Cardinal`s two leading scorers and rebounders. Meanwhile, the Longhorns rely on guard play, primarily from D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Texas` big man Conor Atchley will have a large task in defending Brook Lopez, who will most likely be a Top 10 NBA Draft Pick this coming year. Stanford had a tough take with Marquette in the 2nd round, winning 82-81 in overtime. The good thing for Texas is that Marquette also relies on their guard play. So the Longhorns should certainly watch the game film from this past Saturday if they want a good idea of how to defeat Stanford. SFB Prediction: Texas wins 79-77 (5) Michigan State vs. (1) Memphis Sports Fan Base.com counted out the Michigan State Spartans early in the NCAA Tournament with a 1st round loss to #12 seed Temple. Of course that did not happen and now the Spartans are in the Sweet 16 with a solid win against Big East Champion Pittsburgh in the 2nd round. Guard Drew Neitzel is the leader of this Michigan State squad and he will need to lead his team not only with his three-point shooting and scoring ability, but also with his ability to distribute the ball and get his players involved. The Memphis Tigers will be a tough team to defend as they have a lot of ways they can score. Chris Douglas-Roberts is probably the best player on this team and guard Derrik Rose may be the most athletic. Their front court consists of Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey and combined they pull down over 16 rebounds per game. But the achilles heel for Memphis has been free throw shooting and that did not change in their 2nd round game against Mississippi State with a free-throw percentage of 47%. If Michigan State can get Memphis to the free throw line, they have a shot to win. SFB Prediction: Memphis wins 79-75

MORE ON THE BRACKETS

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:17:00 -0500

Ken Pomeroy's rolling out his preview today. He uses an algorithm called log5 to express each team's Tourney chances as a percentage. It's fascinating stuff that I highly recommend. The great thing about Pomeroy is he knows both hoops and math, and acknowledges that stat IQ doesn't necessarily trump basketball IQ. Of course, he's got loads of both.In the Midwest, he likes Wisconsin a lot more than I do, though he acknowledges that the injury to Brian Butch is a big questio...