Roundup: Kyle Anderson off to the NBA

.@WinTheDay's offseason consisted of weights, conditioning and an abundance of nom nom nom. http://t.co/A6ooaogwfs pic.twitter.com/TuNT6Vom7W
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) April 17, 2014

By Kevin Danna, special to Pac-12.com +Pac-12 Conference 

Associated Press

It had been expected and now it’s official: UCLA’s Kyle Anderson has declared for the 2014 NBA draft. It’s only April, but Draft Express has Anderson going 17th overall and NBAdraft.net has Anderson going 10th.

+UCLA Bruins, +NBA, +SPORTS CR3W 

NCAA tournament refs made another bad call at end of Arizona-Wisconsin game

By CHRIS CHASE

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Dear NCAA tournament referees,

Let ‘em play.

Sincerely,

All of us

For the second straight night, a classic +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness game swung on the overeager whistle of a referee. With four seconds left in overtime of Saturday’s West regional final and his team trailing by one point, Arizona’s Nick Johnson was called for a charge on Wisconsin’s Josh Gasser. The Wildcats would go on to lose the game, 64-63.

Refs got the end of the +University of Michigan - +Tennessee Vols wrong

Was it a charge? Maybe. Johnson threw his body into Gasser and pushed off with his left forearm. There was certainly enough contact to blow a whistle.

But was it a block first? Maybe. Gasser bodied Johnson as he started his drive. +SPORTS CR3W. That contact is what led to Johnson throwing the forearm.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

When it’s up in the air like that, there’s only one call to make: Not making one at all. What had been a well-officiated and well-played +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness Tournament has turned into an unfortunate zebra showcase over the past 26 hours. Part of that is because the competition is better, the stakes are higher and there are more eyes on the games. Part of it is officials who think they’re on display. Let the athletes settle it, not the refs. When there’s 10 seconds left in a game and one possession separates the teams, keep the whistle around the neck unless it’s something egregious.

But just like the previous night, one bad call led to another. On the inbound pass after the charge call, both teams slapped for the ball as it went out of bounds. Officials spent almost five minutes looking at the replay. Though the ball was initially awarded to +Wisconsin Badgers, the interminable review eventually gave +Arizona Wildcats the ball with 2.3 seconds left. This appeared to be the right decision, though it was far from conclusive.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

But there was one thing officials missed before the ball was tapped out of bounds. Look how far Arizona’s Aaron Gordon was over the baseline.

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

They all even out.

Then again, it could be the NIT officials doing the games and that would be catastrophic, no doubt.

Early Games set for Sweet 16 - Quick Lookback

This is what the original post said but it would be an extremely long stretch to even say that the foul called on Johnson's drive was equivalent to a side out, in bounds pass with 2.3 seconds left to get 50% of as good of look as he had on the drive with 3 seconds left. Johnson's teammate was right there for the rebound if the shot did bounce as it did for essentially the putback winner like the +Texas Longhorns buzzer beater over the +Arizona State Sun Devils in the 2nd round. Not quite even there, especially when you consider the fact that Wisconsin got a favorable 1 and 1 call on a ball that Johnson was trying to tie up, got elbowed in the face and touched the player after the blow. Really not a foul at all and those 2 points were monumental. Called by the same official, we would add. 

Saturday's NCAA Tournament guide: Players to watch, keys to victory, more

Richard Mackson/Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona guard Nick Johnson celebrates during the Wildcats' win against San Diego State

CORBETT SMITH
Staff Writer
corbettsmith@dallasnews.com
Published: 28 March 2014

Eight teams are one step away in the +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness — but how meaningful that a step is, depends, on the program.

For the bluebloods of college basketball, getting past the Elite Eight means another crack at an all-important title. Otherwise, it’s just another item to update in next year’s media guide. But for those getting a rare — or even first-time — Final Four opportunity, the experience is potentially program-changing.

Here are my highly arbitrary rankings – from a “Meh” 1 to “Holy Smokes!” 10 – on the importance of a trip to Arlington.

SOUTH REGION

11. +University of Dayton (26-10) vs. 1. +Florida Gators (35-2)
5:09 p.m. today (TBS)

DAYTON: 9 (“Is that tear gas?”) +SPORTS CR3W finds little reason to not put this at a "10" though?! First since '47, why would it not be?

(Associated Press)

Dayton coach Archie Miller is most famous for being the younger brother of Arizona coach Sean Miller. During a Sweet 16 news conference, someone even called him Sean, then quickly apologized. “You don’t have to worry about that,” Archie, 35, said. “Everyone calls me Sean.”

The elder brother by 10 years, Sean was the Big East freshman of the year, eventually setting the career assists record at Pitt. Archie was no slouch, a four-year letterman at +North Carolina State, but he could never get away from comparisons to his brother, who actually gave him the nickname “Archie.” His birth name is Ryan.

Sigmund Freud, go nuts with that.

The Flyers made the NCAA title game in 1967, led by Dayton native Don May (who later had a nine-year career in the NBA, winning a title with the Knicks in 1970). +UCLA Bruins beat the Flyers, 79-64, led by 20 points from sophomore Lew Alcindor.

FLORIDA: 3 (Gators’ spring football in two weeks!) Sorry buddy, +SPORTS CR3W will point out that the Gators have become much more of a basketball school to Donovan's credit and over a decade of perhaps the strongest run in all of college basketball regarding programs. Football prowess or lack thereof, does not diminish what Gators' hoops has become.

(Associated Press)

Want a gauge of how much basketball matters in the state of Florida? There was some concern this March that fans of the football-crazed Gators wouldn’t sell out its opening-round games in nearby Orlando.

“If it’s not, the iconic Billy Donovan should leave Florida for a fan base that appreciates the amazing job he’s done in building an elite basketball program where nobody thought it was possible,” +Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi wrote.

Florida is the only program in the country to make the Elite Eight in each of the past four seasons. With another title, Donovan would become the sixth coach to win at least three titles (Florida won back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007), better than Dean Smith, Roy Williams and Denny Crum. Gator fans would be proud of such an accomplishment. But would they rather have a football title, like rival +Florida State Seminoles? Absolutely.

WEST REGION

2. +Wisconsin Badgers (29-7) vs. 1. +Arizona Wildcats  (33-4)

7:49 p.m. today (+TBS)

WISCONSIN: 8 (“On, Wisconsin!”) Another undervalued meaning, this is a "9" or "10"

Photo Courtesy: Official +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness 

When Wisconsin won its only basketball title, 1947, the NCAA Tournament played second-fiddle to the NIT. There’s been a lot of basketball talent roll through Madison since then, both players and coaches.

The Badgers have been a solid but not spectacular program in the basketball-crazy Big Ten for more than a decade, making 16 straight NCAA appearances. +University of Michigan, +Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan State, +Fighting Illini and +Indiana University Athletics have all had their time in the Final Four spotlight since Wisconsin’s last appearance. In 2000, former coach Dick Bennett led a workman-like No. 8 seed to the semifinals, beating No. 1 seed Arizona (with Gilbert Arenas) in the Round of 32 in the process. Wisconsin lost to Big Ten rival +Michigan State Athletics, 53-41, the year of Tom Izzo’s only national championship.

Current Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan is one of the best in basketball, but he also wears the badge of “best current coach to never reach a Final Four.” He does, however, have four Division III titles at Wisconsin-Platteville.

ARIZONA: 5 (“Bringing the dry heat.”)

(Associated Press)

When Lute Olson led Arizona to the 2001 Final Four, eventually losing to +Duke Athletics in the final, the Wildcats' were considered one of the preeminent basketball programs in the country. At that point, Arizona had the best winning percentage of any team over the previous 13 years. Well, it’s been 13 years since the Wildcats have played on the final weekend.

Current coach Sean Miller (see above) hasn’t made the Final Four in his career, despite making the Elite Eight twice before (with +Xavier University in 2008, and Arizona in 2011). But he’s probably not sweating it as much as his brother; after all, he has one of the nation’s premier jobs.

That said, this would be as good a time as any for a Final Four trip; star freshman forward Aaron Gordon isn’t likely to stick around. Gordon continues to boost his +NBA draft stock, going 7-for-9 from the field in a 15 point, six-rebound performance last round against +San Diego State Athletics.

Early Games for Sweet 16 Tonight.

This is for Morgan Miller, of course, we are riding the Dayton High Life (+University of Dayton) Flyers, of course, although +Stanford Athletics might overwhelm with length. And as we have this bracket in tact, going with the +Baylor Athletics Bears, who are scorching hot, to take +Wisconsin Badgers in a high scoring game (not a lot of stiff defense with these two this year, normally, but nerves might affect that).

It's time for the #Sweet16! http://t.co/ZS4UtoNxux #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/3rIoudbfWi
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 27, 2014

.

Miller Brothers Must be Having a Sweet time - Both in Sweet 16

A sweet time for NCAA coaches Sean and Archie Miller

Nicole Auerbach, 
+USA TODAY Sports

35-year-old Archie Miller has led +University of Dayton to a surprise berth in the +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness Sweet 16.

His older brother Sean, has No. 1 seed +Arizona Wildcats in the top spot in the West Region

Their father has split his time between the two programs this season

(Photo: Spruce Derden and Casey Sapio, USA TODAY Sports)

The Sweet 16 can mean different things to different programs. John Miller's two sons epitomize that.

Archie, the third-year coach at Dayton, has his 11th-seeded Flyers into the round of 16 for the first time in 30 years. This is a revelation.

Sean has No. 1 seed and title contender Arizona in the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years. This is expected.

BRACKET BRIEFING: Ranking the Sweet 16

Together, they're also historical. It's the first time two brothers have coached in the same Sweet 16. And the whole situation led to their father John experiencing some mixed emotions — beyond his overall excitement.

He's giddy when he's talking about Archie's surprising run at Dayton: "With Dayton right now, it's like icing on the cake every time he wins one. It's really fun, and the program is just exploding right now."

On the other hand, he's a bit stressed out when he's asked about Sean's postseason run and a team that was No. 1 in the polls for much of the year.

"It's almost like you're supposed to get there," John said in a phone interview Monday. "Watching the team right now, it's a lot more nerve-wracking with Arizona. They're a No. 1 seed. They've been doing pretty well. They're expected to get to the end. I think there's pressure."

SWEET 16: Game and TV schedule

Despite the differences — and their varying effect on their father watching the games – there's one thing that's undeniable about having two brothers in the same Sweet 16.

"It's very special," Sean said after beating Gonzaga on Sunday, a day after Archie punched his ticket. "We're both the product of a great family, but in particular our dad being who he is, not only a great high school coach, maybe one of the best, ever, at least in our opinion but also a great dad. It was that combination of so much time spent that you know he gave us an understanding of the game, a love of the game, and I think we're both probably coaches because of him.

"Today is a special day in my mind more for him."

John was a longtime and legendary high school coach in western Pennsylvania who won four state titles and more than 650 games at +Blackhawk High School school and +Riverside High School. At Blackhawk, he coached both sons, who each went on to have terrific college careers — Sean at Pittsburgh, and Archie at +North Carolina State University — before they followed their father's footsteps and picked up a whistle.

Looking back now, the sons aren't surprised.

"Five years old, six years old, he's teaching us how to play one-on-one, how to keep score when you're playing a pick-up game when you're seven years old," Archie, 35, said in a phone interview Monday. "He was always teaching us the game. Before you realize it, you're a coach, too. It's just a natural fit. It's what you talked about at the dinner table, what you talked on the car ride home, at camps, in the car heading to practice. There were no summer vacations for us. It was all basketball every day."

Day by day, practice by practice, John's boys tried to improve their game. They worked to work harder than everyone else, particularly when they didn't have the size or athleticism others had. They learned, as all of John's players did over the decades, that he required you to have a strong work ethic.

"My program was pretty much, 'We're going to outwork you,' " John said. " 'We're going to try to rack up extra hours on you and get an advantage by being flat-out more determined and passionate about the game.' I think those guys have picked that up and taken it into their own programs. There aren't too many people who can outwork them."

That is evident in everything from recruiting to scouting opponents. The two brothers haven't spoken on the phone since the NCAA tournament began; they're too busy preparing their own teams. Instead, they text.

Arizona coach Sean Miller instructs and manages his team in a style that was informed by his father John, a longtime successful high school coach in Pennsylvania.(Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)

Archie believes he runs his Dayton program similarly to how Sean does it in Tucson. It makes sense; Archie spent the final two seasons before he got the Dayton job as Sean's assistant at Arizona. Both sons still run a few set plays from their father's playbook, too.

"When (Sean) sent me off and I got the opportunity at Dayton, I really stuck to the blueprint that we created at Arizona," Archie said. "To watch it work here, it's kind of proof in the pudding. … We're very similar in our styles. We approach the game the same way — versatility, love offense, love to teach, all about toughness."

There are a few differences in their demeanor on the sidelines or in practice, but they're hard to detect because the brothers — though 10 years apart in age — look like each other, have similar mannerisms and speak with the same inflections.

"I think he probably rolls with the punches a little better right now," Archie said. "Being a little younger, I'm probably a little more antsy, ready to jump on things quicker, a little more aggressive with my players. I think he's more calm."

Said John: "Arch is a little more outgoing, wears his emotions on his sleeve a little more than Sean does."

And both ways work, apparently. John's seen it firsthand; he spent the season's first couple of months with Archie in Dayton, then the cold winter months in Arizona, and now he's back hanging around the Flyers.

Dayton will take on No. 10 seed +Stanford Athletics this Thursday at 7:15 p.m. ET in Memphis — John will be there — while Arizona is set to tip off later that same night against No. 4 +San Diego State University in Anaheim. Thursday will be a special night for one of western Pennsylvania's most famous coaching trees.

"Right now, we're benefactors of growing up in a world a lot of people probably couldn't imagine, being entrenched in the game of basketball," Archie said. "It's what we do."

NCAA Tournament 2014: Bracket reactions, instant analysis

Original by Ryan Fagan (Slight changes by +Marleigh Crews) 
+Sporting News 

East Region

Yes, +University of Virginia, there is a No. 1 seed. The committee clearly rewarded the accomplishment of winning the ACC in the regular season and the tournament. And it seems the loss to Seton Hall was very damaging to Villanova.

But, of course, the big news here was the reveal of the final at-large teams. +SMU Mustangs, +Florida State Seminoles, +UWGB (Green Bay at Wisconsin) and +Georgetown University, were the first four teams out. 

The lowest at-large team in this region is, in fact, ninth-seeded +George Washington University Colonials, which seems odd. You have auto bids at 10 (St. Joe's) , 11 (+Providence Friars), 12 (+Harvard University) and 13 (+University of Delaware).

Big East member, Villanova, their Head Coach, Jay Wright on readying up for +NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness 

MORE: Interactive bracket | Printable | Should you bet against the top seeds?

Seed-wise, I thought +North Carolina Tar Heels would get a 5 and +University of Cincinnati Bearcats, +UConn, and +Michigan State Athletics might be a line up, but that’s not a big deal.

Midwest Region

The stunner in most folks’ minds will be +Louisville Cardinals Athletics as a No. 4 seed. I had them as a No. 3 seed because of their awful, awful non-conference schedule, but there’s no way I thought they would be down as far as a fourth seed, not with the way they blew through the AAC Tournament. That’s surprising. Very surprising, Sports CR3W felt along with Michigan State as a 4. No #1 seed should face those two teams who look to be at full strength currently in the sweet 16 / Regional Finals. Both won their perspective conference tournaments as evidenced.

Speaking of surprisingly low seeds … +Kentucky Wildcats Athletics as an 8 seed? That’s unexpected. It’s a brutal bracket for No. 1 seed +Wichita State, with those two on the top half of the bracket, not to mention +Duke Basketball as a No. 3 seed and +Michigan Wolverines as a 2.

Final Four Seeds (Paul Nisely/SN Illustration)(AP Photos)

PHOTOS: Biggest NCAA Tournament first-round upsets

The crushing reveal in this bracket was when +North Carolina State University got a surprising bid over other potential at-large candidates. The Wolfpack clearly punched their ticket with their ACC Tournament victory against +Syracuse Orange.

West Region

Where to start? A handful of surprising seeds handed out in this region. +BYU, whom +SPORTS CR3W had as "out" to surely +SMU Mustangs, even Green Bay or the Seminoles. The WCC is a one bid conference this year. Very surprising that they got in, let alone as a 10 seed. They had one good win versus the +Texas Longhorns (a 7 seed). Win you look at good wins and then bad losses. BYU played 5 games, all losses, but one, against teams with an RPI of 135 or worse. +San Diego State Athletics was given a No. 4 seed, which is almost stunning considering +UNM (New Mexico) — which beat the Aztecs twice this year — was a 7 seed in the South. Befuddling.

And we have a couple of thoroughly entertaining potential matchups with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. +Oklahoma State Athletics winds up as a No. 9 seed, and if the Cowboys get past the overseeded +Gonzaga Bulldogs — hint, they will — they’ll face top seed Arizona. That will be a fantastic matchup, or at least a very entertaining matchup.

Then, maybe 11th-seeded +Nebraska Cornhuskers  against third-seeded +Creighton University? Of course, the Cornhuskers — the most out-of-nowhere success story this year — first have to play Baylor in the opener. And nobody wants to play the red-hot Bears right about now.

Here Nebraska's Head Coach Tim Miles Touching on the match up versus the +Baylor Athletics Basketball Team

South Region

Honestly, I was a little surprised +Virginia Commonwealth University was as high as a No. 5 seed, but I was a lot surprised that New Mexico wound up as a No. 7 seed. The Lobos beat San Diego State twice — once during the regular season and then again in the Mountain West championship game. Add in a win against Cincinnati — the top seed in the American tournament — and solid computer numbers — the Lobos were 13th in the RPI and 28th in the Pomeroy ratings, and I thought they deserved a seed as high as five.

Also, love the fact that +Ohio State Buckeyes has to play in-state foe +University of Dayton Flyers Flyers. That’ll be intense. Zero surprise about Florida as the top overall seed, or Kansas as a No. 2. The +Kansas Jayhawks struggled, at times, without Joel Embiid, but their resume is beyond reproach, despite the nine losses. Have noticed that Kansas has been able to play in the states of Kansas or Missouri in their last three NCAA Tournaments of the top of our heads'. It might even be more. We understand that they're a locale ideal for the Midwest area of the country but it is a trend we've noticed as the Tar Heels have fallen victim to it the last couple match ups vs the Jayhawks.


+Brought to you by +CBS Sports, Kansas Head Coach Bill Self

Unbeaten: No. 2 Wichita State ends regular season perfect 31-0

AP

Wichita State's Chadrack Lufile (left) and Nick Wiggins react after a score against the Missouri State Bears.
Peter Aiken / Getty Images North America

WICHITA, Kan. -- The chant started when Ron Baker walked toward the Wichita State bench for the final time, and reached a crescendo when he popped the front of his jersey -- No. 31.

As in, 31-0. A perfect regular season.

"Undefeated!" the sellout crowd roared in unison. "Undefeated!"

Baker finished with 13 points, Cleanthony Early led the way with 19 and the second-ranked Shockers rolled to a 68-45 victory over Missouri State on Saturday, becoming the first team since Saint Joseph's in 2004 to enter its conference tournament unbeaten.

Wichita State (18-0) will have a first-round bye in the Missouri Valley tournament next week.

"My teammates told me a couple weeks ago that my number was something special, because that's how many games we could potentially win," Baker said. "I didn't put that together myself, but it's very special. It's going to be something I look back on forever."

Missouri State (19-11, 9-9) had the Shockers in trouble when they met Jan. 11 in Springfield, Mo., but the Bears blew a 19-point second-half lead and ultimately lost 72-69 in overtime.

They never came close to making it a game Saturday, trailing by double-digits in the opening minutes and rarely trimming the lead to fewer than 20 points in the second half.

The result is the best start since UNLV began 34-0 and lost in the 1991 national title game. Wichita State is also off to the best start by a Missouri Valley team since Indiana State, led by Larry Bird, won its first 33 games and fell to Michigan State in the 1979 title game.

The Shockers' last loss came in the Final Four, too -- to eventual champ Louisville last year.

"It seems like the season started about three weeks ago as opposed to months ago," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "It's been incredible. They've met every challenge."

Putting this one away early gave a raucous crowd that had braved the threat of freezing rain ample opportunity to celebrate. Waving signs that applauded their unblemished record, fans packed inside Koch Arena serenaded a senior class led by Early that managed to elevate the program from a solid mid-major into a national power in the midst of a memorable season. 

Along with fellow seniors Chadrack Lufile, Kadeem Coleby and Nick Wiggins, Early gave Marshall a bear hug when he checked out for the final time in the closing minutes.

"I'm just very, very proud of these guys," Marshall said.

Jarmar Gulley scored 15 points to lead Missouri State, which was dominated on the boards, in transition and just about everywhere else in losing its 10th straight against ranked teams.

"We had no answers," Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. "They defend you, they take care of the basketball and they're able to come down and pound it inside every time. We struggled to score on the block, we struggled to score everywhere."

Unlike the first meeting, when it was Wichita State that stumbled early, Missouri State missed 18 of its first 22 shots, suffocated under token pressure and never got into a rhythm.

When the Bears weren't blowing layups, they were turning the ball over, leading to some easy baskets at the other end. Wichita State shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, a big reason why it had built a 20-point lead just before the break.

"You know, there's just a different level of an athlete out there with their size and physicality," Lusk said. "They've big, they're strong and they're physical."


The trio of Early, Baker and Fred VanVleet picked up where it left off out of the locker room, Early scoring quickly and Baker hitting a long 3-pointer to keep Missouri State at bay.

In fact, the only interesting moment of the second half came when Lufile was fouled with about 10 minutes to go. After missing his first seven free throw attempts, the big senior forward -- with the crowd rising to its feet -- finally got one to rattle home.

Of course, it hardly mattered that Lufile's foul shooting wasn't perfect.

Everything else about Wichita State is these days.

"There was a moment before the season, looking at the schedule, saying, `Man, I don't think we'll lose any of these games," VanVleet said. "But we still have more games to play. And we won't celebrate how we should until we play our last, final game."

Sam Thompson Block of the Year Candidate #SCtop10

Although, it appears that Thompson could have caught it, it still sent it far away, far far away. Like where the gnomes and Vikings used to live. +ESPN #SCTop10 and +Fox Sports #TheOne

North Carolina Rallies to Beat No. 5 Duke 74-66

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams protests a call with an official during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Pittsburgh in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014. North Carolina won 75-71.
(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Marcus Paige scored all 13 of his points in the second half, including two big baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes, to help North Carolina beat No. 5 Duke 74-66 on Thursday night in the rivalry’s weather-delayed game. North Carolina played its best defense of the year and has continued to stick to it during their 8 game win streak. That and points in the paint. The usual Carolina strength. Attacking the basket.

The Tar Heels forced the 2nd best 3 point shooting team in college, a usual Duke strength aka Euro ball, to a 4-20 shooting night. Down the tail end of the game. Carolina was behind and tied it up with a few minutes remaining. Then Marcus Paige was the man of the hour and came through with a few huge buckets. 2 mid-range jumpers and a very savvy layup in between two contesting Duke defenders.

Senior Leslie McDonald added a season-high 21 points for the Tar Heels (19-7, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who rallied from 11 down in the second half to snap a two-game home losing streak to the Blue Devils (21-6, 10-4).

It was North Carolina’s eighth straight win and by far its most impressive during the run that has helped the Tar Heels dig out from an 0-3 ACC start.

When it was over, UNC students and fans stormed to midcourt to celebrate a win that was came eight days later than they had hoped due to a winter storm that forced the game’s postponement last week.

rewritten or redistributed.