The Halfcourt Trap

With the regular season reaching its conclusion, the Madness of March is set to begin.  Here are this week’s topics to ruminate over as the calm before the storm comes to a close.

1. Paying Dividends. Michigan and Minnesota each made the decision to open the vault and bring in an established winner last season. Tommorrow, the benefits of those hires will be on display. The Wolverines and the Gophers are both eyeing possible NCAA bids as the regular season reaches its final stanza. Two years ago, reaching the tournament was a pipe dream for each program. It’s funny what competent coaching can do for a school.

2. On The Rollercoaster. Has a program ever experienced more swings in a single season that Arizona has in ‘08-’09? It’s not every year that a legendary coach retires, a guy who was your major rival’s radio analyst is hired to coach the season,  a top notch recruiting class disintegrates, and a team puts togtether the most head scratching resume of any bubble team. Now, the NCAA is poking around into the school’s relationship with a Tucson AAU tournament. A loss to Stanford at home would cap off a horrible week in the desert and likely send the Wildcats to the NIT line.

3. Clash Of The Titans, The Sequel. Arguably the most memorable sight of the regular season has been DeJaun Blair’s hip toss of Hasheem Thabeet in the Panthers’ victory over UCONN. Now, with Big East title and NCAA Tournament seeding ramifications attached, the rematch is at hand. The Huskies are trying to do the near impossible and complete an undefeated conference road run. Pitt will be lloking to cement their status as a #1 seed by protecting their home court. Levance Fields’ balky back will be the major storyline in this one.

4. Standing In The Shadows. If you’re looking for an off the radar candidate for an at large bid, take a peek at Rhode Island. Jim Baron’s squad is sitting at 22-8 overall and 11-4 in the underrated A-1O. The Rams also possess a nonconference win over fellow bubble squad Penn State.  A win over UMASS Saturday, coupled with a good showing in Atlantic City, would would put Rhody in a position to make a compelling case for inclusion in the field.

5. The Meek Shall Inherit… The Big Ten is looking to reel in an impressive haul of NCAA berths. That’s not terribly surprising. What is a bit shocking is that Penn State and Northwestern are in the discussion. The Nittany Lions may well have locked themselves into the field with a dramatic comeback win over Illinois. The Wildcats, looking to make their first NCAA appearance ever, can give the Selection Committee food for thought with a win at Ohio State this weekend. There won’t be many teams at the back end of the at large pools with wins the quality of Florida State, at Michigan State, and at Purdue, all of which Bill Carmody’s group have on their resume.

6. MAAC-hinations. Among the plethora of conference tournaments where the only road to the NCAAs is a championship, the MAAC is the most interesting. Siena and Niagra both possess teams capable of showing up and spoiling some “name” program’s trip to the Big Dance. Here’s hoping that seeding holds up and the Saints and Purple Eagles meet in a game that would be must see viewing on ESPN.

Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.