http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/1375 Recent articles about the Gonzaga Bulldogs en-us The shooting guard from Davidson won't let them go down! Beaing Gonzaga in a game that looked like they had no shot. Curry's 30 point 2nd half (40 on the night) made the Zags pack their bags! The Hoyas were next as curry only had 5 in the first half. Down 11 at halftime curry had 25 more in a win hitting a three in crunchtime and an up-and-under layup to pull away and never looked back. This kid is a sophomore and I think he could get player of the year next year if he stays which he most likley will. He kind of reminds me of a new Reggie Miller. When I called the upset my dad laughed at me and said "Look how easy it is for Georgetown to score!" After the game he admitted I was right about Curry and Davidson. What do you think is in store for these guys? Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:58:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215789 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215789 Interested in upsets? Satisfied. The first day of the 2008 NCAA college basketball tournament was bit of a snooze, admit it were all a little let down by Belmont. Day 2 however, started and finished with a BANG! Davidson's Stephen Curry answered the call and delivered with authority, Jim Calhoun was sent packing before his suitcases were even empty and my man crush Jay Wright avoided costing his Villanova Wildcats a chance at the round of 32, surviving an epic battle with Clemson. Did I mention that Sunday afternoon will include the likes of Western Kentucky & Siena? Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:57:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/214139 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/214139 The passion, the upsets, buzzer beaters, blowouts. It all happened in the first round. Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:20:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213850 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213850 It made me laugh. I find funny in others pain. Especially if they look like a heroin addict. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:40:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213345 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213345 Thursday's 1st round games were not as exciting as some people thought they would be. Only 2 lower seeds won (#9 Texas A&M and #11 Kansas State) and the two potential upsets (#14 Georgia over #3 Xavier and #15 Belmont over #2 Duke) were so close too happening, yet so far. So what will the 2nd day of the NCAA Tournament bring us? (10) Davidson vs. (7) Gonzaga In a great Mid-Major matchup, the Davidson Wildcats of the Southern Conference take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference. The Zags have been here before with guys like Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt and David Pendergraft. Davidson may have the best overall player playing in this game with son of former NBA sharp-shooter Del Curry, Stephen Curry. The younger Curry averages 25 points per game on the season and can be deadly on the outside. If the Wildcats want to win, Stephen Curry has to be on target. If he is not, look for Gonzaga to buckle down and use the experience to advance to the 2nd round. SFB Prediction: Davidson wins 81-77 (10) Saint Mary's vs. (7) Miami (FL) Should this matchup really be happening? The Saint Mary's Gaels, who spent a good portion of the year in the Top 25 get a #10 seed and the Miami Hurricanes, who struggled towards the end of the season, get a #7 seed. Very questionable. But nonetheless, these teams square off for a very interesting matchup. For the Hurricanes, guard Jack McClinton leads the team with about 17 points per game. Saint Mary's is led by point guard Patrick Mills with 14.5 PPG and 3.4 assists per game. Something that is interesting about this game is that the Gaels are not your typical "shoot-the-three" Mid-Major squad. In addition to Mills, they have two solid big men inside with forward Diamon Sampson and center Omar Samhan. So unlike other Mid-Majors, Saint Mary's certainly has the ability to pound it inside. SFB Prediction: Saint Mary's wins 77-69 (12) Western Kentucky vs. (5) Drake The Drake Bulldogs of the Missouri Valley Conference have had a great season finishing the year 28-4 and nationally ranked. Led by point guard Adam Emmenecker, the Bulldogs play a very interesting style of play and have the ability to score the basketball. Josh Young leads the team in scoring and Klayon Korver is deadly from 3-point range. But don't forget about the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who have a player by the name of Courtney Lee who averages over 20 points per game. The senior stands at 6'5" and will give Drake some matchup problems in this game. SFB Prediction: Drake wins 75-65 (10) South Alabama vs. (7) Butler Here is yet another solid Mid-Major matchup. And again, a question arises with placing the Butler Bulldogs as a #7 seed. But we do have a great matchup here with Butler battling the South Alabama Jaguars, who received an at-large bid out of the Sun Belt Conference. The Bulldogs are led by guards A.J. Graves and Mike Green but they also have a balanced attack with four players averaging over 11 points per game. The Jaguars also have a balance with 4 players averaging over 10 points per game, led by 20-point per game scorer Demetric Bennett. SFB Prediction: Butler wins 88-87 in overtime (11) Saint Joseph's vs. (6) Oklahoma This seems to be the trendy "upset" pick for many sports fans out there with the Saint Joseph's Hawks taking on the Oklahoma Sooners. The Hawks are led by three athletic big men with Pat Calathes, Ahmad Nevins and Rob Ferguson. All three of these players can score inside, outside and run the floor. This is something Oklahoma needs to prepare for if they want to hang with the Hawks. Of course St. Joe's will have to contend with Oklahoma's big men, 6'10" Blake Griffin and 6'11" Longar Longar. The key to this game for either team is to control the pace of the game. As fast-paced game is in the Hawks favor and a slower-paced game is Oklahoma's favor. This should be a great game. SFB Prediction: Saint Joe's wins 73-70 (13) Siena vs. (4) Vanderbilt As said in a previous Blog, this could be the upset of the tournament with the MAAC champion Siena Saints defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores. However, it certainly will not be easy. Vandy has SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster in their corner in addition to 6'11" Aussie B.J. Ogilvy. On the other side, the Saints have sharp-shooters named Kenny Hasbrouck, Tay Fisher and Edwin Ubiles along with forwards Alex Franklin and Josh Duell on the inside. Even if Siena doesn't pull off the upset, this will be a great game to watch. SFB Prediction: Siena wins 85-81 (9) Oregon vs. (8) Mississippi State Again, these #8 vs #9 games are always very competitive on paper. The Ducks have 4 players averaging in double figures in points led by 6'6" guard Malik Hairston. The Bulldogs also have four players scoring in double figures in points including leading scorer Jamont Gordon and sharp-shooting Ben Hansbrough, Tyler's little brother. Look for this game to be action-packed, high-scoring and very exciting. SFB Prediction: Mississippi State wins 79-74 (9) Arkansas vs. (8) Indiana Another "seeding" question comes to mind when we see the Indiana Hoosiers with a #8 seed. Perhaps the NCAA Tournament Committee is sending a message that the Hoosiers can't win without their former head coach Kelvin Sampson. Despite this fact, Indiana is still a great basketball team led by guard Eric Gordon and big man D.J. White. But Arkansas has the sights set on getting to the 2nd round as well. The Razorbacks are led by forward Sonny Weems, who averages over 14 points per game. SFB Prediction: Indiana wins 69-61 (12) Villanova at (5) Clemson The Clemson Tigers finished the season strong making it all the way to the ACC Championship game. Many sports fans believe Clemson to be a potential sleeper team that can take down a #1 seed in the Regional Semi-Final round. Well with a balanced, athletic attack led by 6'6" junior K.C. Rivers, it's not surprising why sports fans are picking this team to go far in the NCAA Tournament. But before the Tigers think about that, they must deal with Villanova Wildcats, who perhaps was the last team to be put into the Field of 65. Villanova is led by sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds, who averages just under 16 points per game. But to win this game, the Wildcats need big games from guys like Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark. SFB Prediction: Clemson wins 77-65 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:36:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213140 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213140 Following up on the success of this column from last year's tourney, FIO staff writer Dan Mesday is back with his guide to helping you fill out those NCAA Tournament brackets. From knowing the mid-majors to explaining the 12 over 5 upset, Mesday lays down 14 rules to know when making your picks for this year. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:18:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209087 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209087 Is it a coincidence the mid-major teams seeded eight or lower are playing other mid-major teams in the first round? View the match-ups: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/204706 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/204706 How did SportProjections.com do against ESPN.com and CBSSportsline.com in their NCAA College Basketball tournament picks? Should you continue reading Yardbarker and their contributors or are the top sport sites the best spot for sports? You'll be surprised to see how we did against the "Big Boys". Visit each team page to get the latest headlines from local newspapers and the best bloggers on the web. If you're a fan of a smaller school that doesn't have a group on our site please add your team and rss feeds for the team. Please send me a message at http://www.sportprojections.com/profile/ChrisFry if you have any question. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:23:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/204048 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/204048 With Selection Sunday upon us, here are our final men's tournament bid predictions.... Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:16:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203198 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203198 My boy Pete doing a little recapping of the Left Coast's Championship week action... and one of few still endorsing Ernie Kent. I know, WHAT? good read, ya'll join in the discussion. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:46:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203174 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203174 It's our last picks before the announcements tomorrow. Which team is missing? Which team is too low? Which team is ranked too high? Give us all your predictions for the upcoming tournament. Visit each team page to get the latest headlines from local newspapers and the best bloggers on the web. If you're a fan of a smaller school that doesn't have a group on our site please add your team and rss feeds for the team. Please send me a message at http://www.sportprojections.com/profile/ChrisFry if you have any question. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:26:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/202642 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/202642 Former Gonzaga University assistant basketball coach, Bill Grier, is dancing...literally. In his first season as the head coach of the University of San Diego, he's taken the Toreros to the NCAA tournament, their first since 2003, by beating his former team and perenial powerhouse Gonzaga Bulldogs. Rob Jones and De'Jon Jackson keyed a huge second-half run for the Toreros, who stunned No. 20 Gonzaga 69-62 to win the West Coast Conference tournament championship game. The Toreros will join Portland State, as they make their first run into the NCAA field, Belmont, Winthrop, George Mason, Cornell, Butler, Siena, Drake, Mount St. Mary's, Austin Peay, Davidson, Oral Roberts and Western Kentucky. March Madness never fails to deliver...finish the rest of the story at www.rawsportsblog.com Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:55:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196403 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196403 Good teams are losing in the mid-majors tournaments, adding teams to the bubble mixes and in some cases, removing available at-large spots. All bubble teams will be rooting for Butler tomorrow. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:50:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/190510 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/190510 SportProjections.com has released their latest and greatest version how the March Madness tournament brackets will look. Which team is missing? Which team is too low? Which team is ranked too high? Give us all your predictions for the upcoming tournament. Visit each team page to get the latest headlines from local newspapers and the best bloggers on the web. If you're a fan of a smaller school that doesn't have a group on our site please add your team and rss feeds for the team. Please send me a message at http://www.sportprojections.com/profile/ChrisFry if you have any question. Sat, 08 Mar 2008 09:22:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/185894 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/185894 This week marks the first week for conference tournaments and the final regular season week for all the major conferences. When we look at the poll this week, there is one simple way to break it down. There are four tiers, grouped in teams of six, that are the most likely to make a deep run in the NCAA tourney, but each tier is closely separated. Let's take a look at the four groups.... Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:01:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/179500