http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/809 Recent articles about the Pittsburgh Panthers en-us The Syracuse Orange finished 19-12 in the 2007-08 season, which was actually an unexpected achievement, considering it was the team's first year without its much-beloved, graduated guard Gerry McNamara. A flashy playmaker named Jonny Flynn strolled into town with his work cut out for him. In his rookie campaign, the heir to the McNamara... www.rawsportsblog.com Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:21:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301922 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301922 1. UNC- The return of national POY Tyler Hansbrough, as well as Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Wayne Ellington makes this the most talented squad in the nation. They will be carrying a huge target on their back with such a talented team. UNC could go undefeated in the regular season but, it only takes one bad game in march. 2. Memphis- Derrick Rose will be sorely missed but John Calipari has another stud freshman in Tyreke Evans to lead the tigers. The competition will be better in C-USA this year but, there is no way 8the tigers lose more than 2 games. 3. UCLA- Darren Collison Returns for a senior year and the addition of Jrue Holiday makes this the top back court in the nation, stealing J'Mison Morgan from LSU helps too. 4. Louisville- With Derrick Character gone and star freshman Senardo Samuels stepping in the Cardinals seem headed to a strong march, unless Rick Potino pulls out that white suit. 5. Duke- With almost everyone back for last years under achieving team the Dukies have an experienced team thats hungry to do damage in march. 6. Tennessee- Bruce Pearl lost Chris Lofton and Juan Smith to graduation and Ramar Smith & Duke Crews to team violations. Yet still has them in national contention, now if they can just find a point guard... 7. Arizona St.- Preseason front runner for Pac-10 POY James Harden returns along with Jeff Pendergraft to give the devils a powerful inside-outside combo and Herb Sendek can coach as well as anyone. 8. Gonzaga- With the return of Jeremy Pargo, the Zags have a great back court loaded with 3-Point specialists. Defense is still an issue, they will need to play better Defense to avoid being upset early in March. 9. Notre Dame- Luke Harangody returns as reigning Big East POY and the solid back court of Macleardy and Jackson make the Irish a legit threat. 10. UCONN- Hashem Tabeet is the most dominant defensive presence north of Jarvis Varnardo and Jerome Dyson and AJ Price make a scoring back court that can keep up with anyone on the offensive end. 11. Marquette- The return of Dominic James, Jereal McNeal, and Wes Mathews gives the golden eagles a top back court but this group of now seniors have not made the sweet 16 yet, and they will need an inside presence to do so. 12. Pitt- Dejuan Blair returns along with Sam Young to anchor the front court add in Levance Fields and you have one of the best floor leaders in America. Jamie Dixon's teams will always play great D, another sweet 16 banner seams likely. 13. Purdue- Last years Big 10 surprise the boilermakers return almost all of their core players, save Scott Martin (Transfered to Notre Dame). 14. Florida- A more experienced Gator team figures to do a lot better this time around even though they only have 1 senior (Walter Hodge). 15. Wake Forest- The Demon Deacons have a very talented young team and one of the nations bright young coaches in Dino Guadio. 16. Oklahoma- The Sooners will have one of the top draft picks in Blake Griffin and enough decent players around him to have a Big 12 Contender. 17. West Virginia- The Loss of Joe Alexander erases any title hopes but UWV always has enough in the tank to make it to March. 18. Ohio St.- With BJ Mullens in the middle and the emergence of David Lighty the buckeyes won't be in the NIT this year. 19. Davidson- With the return Stephen Curry and coach Bob McKillop and enough size in the front court to where they could pull a couple early season upsets and so ones in March as well. 20. Texas- AJ Abrams gives the longhorns one of the nations best 3-point specialists, but some of their role players must step up and assume a larger role. Gary Johnson is the player to watch. 21. Baylor- If this team can hold their own against the Big-12's elite post players then they should get an invite in march, other than that they have the best scoring back court in the Big 12. 22. UNLV- Coming off back to back strong march performances this might be the best UNLV we've seen since the early 90's. 23. Xavier- With freakishly athletic SF/PF Derrick brown and the best recruiting class in the schools history, highlighted by huge center Kenny Frease (6'11" 263) the musketeers will again be the A-10's best, and with Sean Miller there until 2010-2011 it looks like they will be for years to come. 24. Miami- Jack Mclinton is the early favorite to lead the ACC in scoring and the 'Canes have their first stud freshman (Dequan Jones) in what feels like 20 years. There not a lock to make the NCAA's, but this is still the most talented Miami team ever. 25. Wisconsin- With ever prominent Badger coach Bo Ryan on the sideline, it never seems to matter how many good players the Badgers lose. for more visit http://collegebasketball247.blogspot.com/ Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:06:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301163 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301163 The University of Memphis' basketball program's recent success garnered attention for coaching vacancies around the country. Let's look at the two newest assistant basketball coaches for the Memphis Tigers, Josh Pastner and Orlando Antigua. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:37:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277754 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277754 West Regional Final Preview - Xavier (3) vs. UCLA (1) [College Chalk Talk] Bordow: NAU gig gave Howland coaching start [East Valley Tribune] Elite 8 Preview: UCLA-Xavier & UNC-Louisville [Rush The Court] West Region Trainer's Ties Assure Him of a Link to the Final Four [N.Y. Times] The Daily Fix : Ben Howland [The Daily Fix] Letting up against Xavier could doom UCLA [SportingNews] Xavier has UCLA's Love sized up [LA Times] UCLA nears Duke's love-to-hate status [Yahoo! Sports] Love Makes the Bruins Go Round [The Enquirer] Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:23:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223489 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223489 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 Highlights of Michigan State's second round victory over the 4 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:13:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215618 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215618 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 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 A look into our crystal ball revealed some interesting things that will happen as the bracket shakes out and a champion is crowned April 7th in San Antonio. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:43:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211208 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211208 On the eve of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, FIO staff writer Dan Mesday releases his picks for the First Round games. Included, find Mesday's personal bracket, as well as some interesting commentary on each match-up. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:01:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211098 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/211098 With the NCAA Tournament officially underway with an opening round win by Mount St. Mary`s over Coppin State, let`s look ahead to some intriguing matchups on Thursday, the first day of the First Round: (12) Temple at (5) Michigan State: What a way top start off a tournament with a classic 5-12 game with potential for an upset. Temple comes out as out of the hottest teams in the country and are finally playing to their ability. Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale are two very underrated players in the NCAA`s and will be the keys to the Owls success in this game. On the Spartans side, no question that guard Drew Neitzel is what makes this team go. He needs to run his Michigan State squad against a tough Temple defense. If Temple can slow down the game and slow down Michigan State`s offense, an upset may occur. SFB Prediction: Temple wins 69-63 (9) Kent State at (8) UNLV The 8-9 matchup has produced some very good games and these teams are usually the most evenly matched. UNLV won the Mountain West title this year and Kent State won the Mid-American. The Golden Flashes of Kent State were very impressive in their Bracket Buster win over fellow tournament team, St. Mary`s, and perhaps is the game that put them into the NCAA Tournament. With four starters averaging in double figures, Kent State is a dangerous squad. However, the Rebels of UNLV are just as capable to win this game. Wink Adams averages over 16 points per game and is a great playmaker. SFB Prediction: Kent State wins 85-83 in overtime (13) Oral Roberts at (4) Pittsburgh So the Pittsburgh Panthers come into the Big East Tournament as the #7 seed and win the whole thing and get a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have players like Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. So they have a great team with great momentum, right? Well remember in 2005, Syracuse went along a similar path and were upended by feisty #13-seeded Vermont in the First Round. Could this happen again with Oral Roberts pulling off an upset? Robert Jarvis is a phenomenal guard for the Golden Eagles and this team has been to the tournament before (similar to Vermont when they beat Syracuse). A lot of comparisons to that matchup in 2005, so don`t be so sure the Big East post-season champs will move in so easily. SFB Prediction: Pittsburgh wins 78-69 (11) Kansas State at (6) USC When sports fans saw the Kansas State Wildcats will be playing the USC Trojans in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, everyone thought of the matchup between the Wildcats` Michael Beasley and USC`s O.J. Mayo. Both these players are outstanding and will most likely be Top 5 picks in this year`s NBA Draft. However, I say look at the supporting cast matchups for this game. USC`s Taj Gibson, Davon Jefferson and Dwight Lewis versus Kansas State`s Bill Walker and Jacob Pullen may be what determines the outcome of the game. USC is more deep and balanced than the Wildcats, but Beasley can potentially just take over the game. SFB Prediction: USC wins 75-62 (9) Texas A&M vs. (8) Brigham Young Gotta love these 8-9 matchups. The Texas A&M Aggies started off the year very solid and were ranked in the Top 25, but have tailed off towards the end of the year. The Aggies have 6 players averaging more than 8 points per game starting with leading scorer Josh Carter and ending with center (and NBA prospect) DeAndre Jordan. The BYU Cougars were the runner-up in the Mountain West Conference and they have 3 players averaging more than 13 points per game. Center Trent Plaisted is a monster inside and an on the glass scoring 15.6 points per game and pulling down just under 8 rebounds per game. This is another great 8-9 matchup. SFB Prediction: Texas A&M wins 71-67 (10) Arizona vs. (7) West Virginia The Arizona Wildcats are one of those teams that many think do not belong in the tournament. Well, even though their Pac-10 Conference record does not show it, this team is battle-tested (#2 strength of schedule) and talented. Potential 1st round NBA Draft pick Jerryd Bayless scores just over 20 points per game and forward Chase Budinger is a great all-around player. But the West Virginia Mountaineers have a forward named Joe Alexander, who had 34 points against Connecticut in the Big East quarterfinals. The key to this game will be whether Alexander can score for the Mountaineers and if Budinger can stop him. SFB Prediction - West Virginia wins 83-82 in overtime (12) George Mason vs. (5) Notre Dame Everyone picking their bracket this year remembers how the George Mason bracket absolutely tore the bracket apart 2 years ago in 2006 with their Final Four run. Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell are still left over from that starting lineups that beat Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut in the Big Dance. But this still is not the same team from 2 years ago and they can thank William & Mary for upsetting Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Semi-finals in order for Mason to make it to the tournament once again. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have forward Luke Harangody leading the way, averaging about 21 points and 10 rebounds per contest this season. Harangody may be a little too much for the Patriots to handle, but don`t be surprised to see Mason bust another bracket. SFB Prediction: Notre Dame wins 78-68 Enjoy the games on Thursday and fill out your bracket on Sports Fan Base.com! Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:08:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209248 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/209248 Hear more in depth analysis about the entire NCAA Bracket on our newest podcast. Mid-west correspondent Jeff Young took time away from filling out his NIT bracket (sadly the OSU Buckeyes didn't make the big dance) to join us this week to take a look at who will come out on top in March Madness. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:29:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/208399 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/208399 It's that time of year again to start filling out those brackets, and FIO staff writer Dan Mesday is here to offer you some possible Bracket Busters for the NCAA Tourney. From the big schools that may bow out early to the small schools that may pull major upsets, here are a few teams to keep in mind this year. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:46:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/207093 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/207093 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