http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/807 Recent articles about the Marquette Golden Eagles en-us Growing up in Chicago, there were only two options when it come to collegiate sports teams. You were either a Fightin' Illini or a member of Notre Dame nation. Period. Occasional Chicagoans would feel sentimental toward Purdue or DePaul because they had relatives that went there, but that was about it. Regardless which area team you passioned over, the enemy never changed -- and never will. It has always been the hated Indiana Hoosiers. WIth their rich tradition and historical success. Bob Knight and Scott May. Tom Coverdale and Dane Fife. Kelvin Sampson and Eric Gordon.. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:03:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227492 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227492 "This was a heart decision. This was not a business decision or a legacy decision. I'd had other opportunities to walk away [from Marquette], and none of them felt like this. I'm going to miss those people a lot, but I'm excited to be here." -New Indiana head basketball coach, Tom Crean, at his press conference today where he was officially named head coach of the Hoosiers As expected, Crean talked about the honor of coaching such a historical program and what needs to be done to restore the once proud tradition. East Coast Bias brings up a good point though, is Indiana really a step up from Marquette? Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:38:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226816 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226816 ESPN's Andy Katz is reporting that Indiana will announce Marquette's Tom Crean as its new coach tomorrow. My first reaction on reading that: Really? That's a step up? Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:21:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226214 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226214 After a season of turmoil, and an offseason of more turmoil, Indiana has finally hired its new head coach in Marquette's Tom Crean. The deal is not yet finalized, but the Hoosiers are waiting on Crean to return a signed letter of agreement. This has to be a tough decision, as IU is a great basketball haven but is stricken by turmoil, possible NCAA sanctions, and the departure of two seniors and probably freshman Eric Gordon. This announcement also comes on the same day as interim head coach Dan Dakich booted two starters off the team (Armon Bassett & Jamarcus Ellis). If these things all play out, Crean will be left with an empty cupboard in Bloomington with the possibility of NCAA sanctions to follow. Marquette has done everything they can to keep him, by signing him to an extremely lucrative deal that runs through the 2016-17 season in which he is one of the most highly paid coaches in the nation. Is this a good move for Crean? How will Marquette react? Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:11:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226149 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/226149 March Madness is about great team runs spurred by uncanny individual performances, and this year's tournament has been no different. But who earns the honor of being the '2nd Round Workhorse?' Stephen Curry, Brook Lopez, AJ Abrams, Kevin Love? Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:31:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216338 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216338 Heading into the Second Round of 2008 NCAA Tournament, FIO staff writer Dan Mesday releases his picks for the regional games. Included, find Mesday's personal bracket, as well as some interesting commentary on each match-up. Also find a recap of Days 1 and 2 from the First Round. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:04:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215757 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215757 There were several great games in the first round of this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament and each of the great games has had key players. But who had the best game of the first round and has earned the right to be deemed the "1st Round Workhorse" or most outstanding performance of the first round of the NCAA tournament? Our list of candidates... (see if you agree or have anyone to add) Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:21:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213747 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213747 I seriously think Texas A & M is going to be UCLA's hardest game until the Final 4. I'm sure you all know that Kevin Love was the #1 Center in the country coming out of high school last year. Do you know who #2 was? I do. He goes to A & M. And He's a beast inside. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:21:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213361 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213361 Well the early games yesterday proved to be "snoozers" with only the potential of #14 seed Georgia beating #3 seed Xavier giving some excitement to basketball fans. #12 seed Temple proved to be very disappointing against #5 Michigan State and #9 Kent State (a very high-scoring team) scored only 10 points in the first half against #8 UNLV. The one game that was truly exciting in the day-cap was #6 Marquette versus #11 Kentucky. The Wildcats, playing without their best player Patrick Patterson, gave Marquette all they could handle. Kentucky senior Joe Crawford went off for 35 points in a gutsy effort to single-handedly push his team to the 2nd round. But Marquette just proved to be too deep and too athletic for Kentucky and the Golden Eagles are the ones advancing. In the night cap, we certainly had a thriller with #15 Belmont pushing #2 Duke to the limit. If not for a Gerald Henderson coast-to-coast layup with under 1 minute remaining, the Blue Devils may have been bounced by the Bruins for Tennessee as only the 5th time a #15 seed had won an NCAA Tournament game. #13 seed Winthrop and #4 seed Washington State were tied at 29 at halftime, but the Cougars just took over in the 2nd half and were able to advance. #14 seed Cal State Fullerton hang tough the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers, but the Titans fell short losing, 71-56. #12 seed George Mason was simply outplayed the #5 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish, showing the Patriots were clearly not the Final Four team from 2006. There were 3 other exciting games in the nightcap with #10 Arizona versus #7 West Virginia, #8 BYU versus #9 Texas A&M and #11 Kansas State versus #6 USC. The West Virginia Mountaineers stayed consistent all game and although star forward Joe Alexander did not have an OUTSTANDING game, he still turned a good enough performance to win. Arizona`s Chase Budinger really stepped up his game with 23 points, but it wasn`t quite enough. The competitive 8-9 matchup did not let down with BYU versus Texas A&M. The Aggies started out the game 11-0, but the BYU Cougars slowed down the game to take a 29-29 tied into halftime. But in the 2nd half, Texas A&M were just too athletic for BYU and went on to win 67-62. When thinking of the Kansas State-USC matchup, everyone was talking about Michael Beasley versus O.J. Mayo. But as said in a previous Blog, this game would depend on the supporting cast and the Wildcats got a 22-point game out of Bill Walker to support Beasley. Jacob Pullen also played well scoring 11 points and dishing out 5 assists off the bench. On USC`s side, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson combined for 25 points, and that is perhaps the reason Kansas State went on to win and advance to the 2nd round. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:40:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121 Every game analyzed for your enjoyment. Day 1 - 16 games - March Madness. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:51:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212991 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212991 Kentucky's roller coaster season comes to a close Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:24:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212958 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/212958 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 NCAA dance floor has enough room for the Commonwealth. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:52:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203703 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203703 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 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