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Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2007 1:41:36 GMT -5
www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/throughthearch/entries/2007/03/12/a_pair_of_almosts_pitt_coach_t.htmlA Pair of Almosts — Pitt Coach to WSU and Flyers to NIT By Tom Archdeacon | Monday, March 12, 2007, 01:45 AM So for Wright State, the past now becomes the future. Four years ago, WSU athletics director Mike Cusack narrowed his coaching search down to two guys — Paul Biancardi and Jamie Dixon — as the replacement for fired Raiders’ coach Ed Schilling. He chose Biancardi and you know how that worked out thanks to an NCAA violations mess that eventually followed the former Ohio State assistant from his days in Columbus. Had Cusack hired Dixon — who now will coach his No. 3 seeded Pitt Panthers against the 14th seeded Raiders in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Buffalo — there wouldn’t have been the headaches of the past couple of seasons. But then there almost certainly would be no Brad Brownell now either. And to be far, I think at the last minute, Dixon, then a Pitt assistant to Ben Howland, pulled his name from consideration at WSU. Maybe because he knew Cusack was leaning toward Biancardi — who came with solid credentials and no hint of trouble — or maybe because he knew Howland was leaving and he’d be a candidate to replace him. And when Skip Prosser decided to stay at Wake Forest rather than take over the Panthers, Dixon wasn’t just a contender, he was the new Pitt coach. At the time, Cusack spoke glowingly about Dixon and what kind of head coach he knew he’d be. He was right. Just as he was right on Brownell, whom he hired during last year’s Final Four to replace Biancardi. You can tell that Brownell — even though he’s been a head coach just five seasons, four at UNC Wilmington and now this 23-9 campaign with the Raiders — has been around the block. As soon as he learned his team would play Pitt, Brownell said: “We’ve certainly got some game tapes on them from this season and we’ll try to get some more.” I wondered how he already had game film on Pitt. I mean they wouldn’t have been on the WSU radar this season. That’s when Brownell showed you what he’s privately thought about his team for some time: “We’ve been taping games the last month knowing there was a good opportunity for us to make the post season. We don’t have extensive video editing stuff like the higher level schools have, but I’m sure we have a couple of tapes up there. And we’ll get more.” One tape should be hand delivered by the Dayton coaches. The Flyers lost by 30 to Pitt on Dec. 23. While the guys at UD probably don’t like circulating that horror film, they owe WSU big time. When Wisconsin transfer Mickey Perry came to WSU on a visit in January, he got a call from Flyers coach Brian Gregory, who was interested in him. Perry decided to visit Dayton and WSU assistant Billy Donlon drove him across town to the UD campus, then even faxed his transcript to Gregory so the visit would go by all NCAA guidelines. Perry chose UD, but the thing no one should forget is the class act the WSU staff showed itself to be in the situation. So now it’s the Flyers turn, especially since they were snubbed by the NIT. While I thought there was a slight chance they’d get in, they beat five teams in the NCAA Tournament — Creighton, Louisville, Holy Cross, Miami and George Washington — they don’t have as much of a case for being snubbed as does Akron for sure and probably St. Louis, too. The Flyers were hurt this season by two bad losses — to SMU and Duquesne, both with RPIs over 200 — and an A-10 conference that wasn’t as strong as times in the past. So now the March Madness in town here belongs to Wright State and, as Brownell has learned, it’s heartfelt by many: “The genuine excitement of people , you really see it on the faces. I’ve even been with a couple of people who stopped me and I just let them talk and they started crying, it meant so much.” While some 1,000 people came to the Nutter Center for the Selection Sunday proceedings and a chance to salute the Raiders, three of the most interesting people who showed up were Lilly Gan Rose Chen and their friend, Cindy. They’re all Chinese women — exchange students — attending the Wright State MBA program. From Beijing, they received Americanized names from teachers or made them up themselves. Lilly — whose Chinese name is Zong Xun — said she knows a little about basketball and mentioned Yao Ming, the towering Houston Rockets center from China. In the States just two months, it was her first time at the Nutter enter. She and her friends came to meet the guys everyone was talking about and they did. They got the WSU players to pose for photos with them and autograph the team posters they carried. “The last week has been pretty amazing,” said Raiders’ freshman guard Vaughn Duggins. “We’ve been treated kind of like celebrities on campus.”
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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 21:08:32 GMT -5
sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=dw-tourneypreview031207&prov=yhoo&type=lgnsCinderellas (13 seed or worse that are capable of an upset) Wright State (vs. Pitt) – The Raiders finished the season 23-9, but they started 3-5 as they adjusted to new coach Brad Brownell. Since Christmas, this has been one of the hottest teams in the country. Wright State finished by winning 12 of its final 13 games, including two over Butler, and both the Horizon League regular season and tournament championships. This team is much better than a No. 14 seed. Davidson (vs. Maryland) – Bob McKillop is as good of an X's and O's coach as there is in America. With a 29-4 club, this may be his best team at the small, academically competitive North Carolina school, which means it will play smart, deliberate and quite efficiently. Holy Cross (vs. Southern Illinois) – The past two years the Patriot League champion (Bucknell) has won first-round games over Kansas and Arkansas. This year, it is Holy Cross' turn to try to make some noise. The Crusaders can shoot, take care of the ball and dictate tempo behind the excellent coaching of Ralph Willard. Oral Roberts (vs. Washington State) – ORU is back for the second straight year. Coached by Eddie Sutton's son Scott, the Eagles often boast some serious offense. Not only does their campus have a 24-hour prayer center going for it, but this team also beat Kansas in Lawrence earlier this year. If they can do that, they can beat anyone on a given night.
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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 10:30:23 GMT -5
cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10056590Marshall begins coaching search after firing Jirsa March 12, 2007 CBS SportsLine.com wire reports HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Ron Jirsa is out as Marshall's basketball coach after a 13-19 season. His firing comes four days after Marshall ended its season with a 92-71 loss to Memphis in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. The decision was announced Monday by athletic director Bob Marcum, who said a search committee is being formed. Jirsa coached the team the past four seasons and had two more years left on his contract. His overall record at Marshall was 43-74. The 47-year-old Jirsa was an assistant to Oliver Purnell at Dayton from 1999-03. Before that he was head coach at Georgia, where he went 35-30 in two seasons. Jirsa did not immediately respond to a telephone call seeking comment.
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Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 8:47:13 GMT -5
www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/basketball/bal-sp.westanal12mar12,0,3388692.story?coll=bal-college-mbasketball West Regional analysis Originally published March 12, 2007 GOING TO ATLANTA Kansas. The Jayhawks were a sexy pick last season, when plenty of people thought that with so much youth on their team, they would fly under the radar and fly into the Final Four. Instead, Kansas got bounced by Bradley in the first round, the second straight year the Jayhawks didn't even make it to the field of 32. What's different this year? Julian Wright and Brandon Rush are a year older, wiser and better, but the real difference will probably be freshman point guard Sherron Collins, who knows how to use his speed to push the ball and take advantage of Kansas' superior athleticism. He had 20 points in yesterday's overtime victory against Texas in the Big 12 tournament final. Rush nearly jumped to the NBA after his freshman year, and after an up-and-down sophomore season, he needs to make some noise in the tournament if he wants to solidify his status as a top draft pick in the future. Oddly enough, Kansas seems to play its best basketball when Rush plays selfish and takes over games, at least according to his coach, Bill Self. The Jayhawks coach has something to prove, too, after two consecutive first-round exits. He has the talent to win a national championship, and the folks in Lawrence may start to get a bit restless if the Jayhawks don't go far this year. Kansas should face UCLA in the regional final, pitting two teams with speed who also play great defense. Expect Rush and Collins to make the difference. MOST OVERRATED TEAM Duke. Typically, people who rage about an alleged Duke bias come off as neurotic and creepy. It's not healthy. But this year, there's no way to look at the Blue Devils' No. 6 seed and not smell something fishy, considering they're 4-7 in their past 11 games. This season's batch of McDonald's All-Americans appears to have been ordered off the Dollar Menu. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has the second-highest winning percentage in NCAA tournament history (.782), but Duke has bowed out to a lower seed three years in a row. MOST UNDERRATED TEAM Villanova. When people talk about Southern Illinois being underrated this year, ignore them. The Salukis have made the tournament six years in a row, and were ranked in the Top 25 most of this season. They should expect to make some noise. Instead, we'll take the Wildcats, who have one of the best coaches in the country in Jay Wright, and make free throws at an incredible 78.4 percent clip. Senior point guard Mike Nardi, a Steve Blake clone, has played in some big NCAA tournament games, and might help Villanova give Kansas a scare in round two. PRIME-TIME PLAYERS UCLA guards Arron Afflalo and Darren Collison form what is probably the best backcourt in the country. Afflalo averages 16.7 points a game, and Collison hits 45 percent of his three-pointers. Pity the teams that have to try to slow down these two over the next two weeks. BEST PLAYER YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF DeShaun Wood, Wright State. He's only 5 feet 11, but Wood is one of the best players in school history, and he can score. He helped Wright State win the Horizon League title with 27 points and eight rebounds in an upset of No. 17 Butler.KEEP AN EYE ON Gonzaga. The Bulldogs didn't get much attention nationally this season except for an embarrassing episode in February when one of their best players, Josh Heytvelt, was suspended after police found marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his backpack before a Widespread Panic concert. The Zags, however, always seem to make the most noise in the NCAA tournament when expectations are low. Knocking off Indiana and then UCLA is not out of the question.
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Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2007 20:49:16 GMT -5
www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070311/UPDATES04/70311007Matta could meet old mates in second round By JOE KAY Associated Press CINCINNATI — Xavier is bracket buddies with the coach who led the Musketeers to their best moment in the NCAA tournament. The Atlantic 10 regular-season champions had a few nervous moments Sunday before learning they were a No. 9 seed. Xavier will play a first-round game Thursday against Brigham Young at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. Without an automatic berth, the Musketeers (24-8) weren't sure they would make the 65-team field. When the first three regions were announced and their name hadn't been called, the Musketeers started worrying. "Watching commercial after commercial, region after region go by, that was tough," guard Stanley Burrell said. "It was real quiet," forward Justin Doellman said. "We were definitely nervous. You could hear a pin drop." Relief washed over them when they saw they'd play Brigham Young for the third time in school history. The Musketeers played BYU twice in the 1960s, losing both times. If the Musketeers win against Brigham Young, they'd have a chance to play former Xavier coach Thad Matta and No. 1 seed Ohio State in their next game — something they were trying not to think about. Matta led Xavier to the only Elite Eight appearance in school history in 2004, then moved to Ohio State. Assistant Sean Miller took his place and has led the Musketeers (24-8) to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Ohio State (30-3) plays Central Connecticut State (22-11) in its first-round game in Lexington. Xavier and Ohio State have played three times, with the Musketeers getting their only victory the last time they met — 60-57 over the Buckeyes in the NIT in 1984 at Cincinnati Gardens. In addition to the Buckeyes and the Musketeers, two other Ohio teams — Wright State and Miami — pulled up chairs and watched their NCAA tournament pairings announced on television Sunday evening.
Approximately 1,500 fans gathered at the Nutter Center to watch the selection show on the videoboard. The final score of the Horizon League tournament title game — Wright State 60, Butler 55 — was still lit on the scoreboard. The Raiders (23-9) beat the Bulldogs there on Tuesday night.
Players sat on the court in folding chairs to watch the selection show, and jumped to their feet when they saw they were headed to Buffalo to play Pittsburgh (27-7) in the first round on Thursday.
"We're very happy with where we're going," guard Vaughn Duggins said.
Senior guard DaShaun Wood got the loudest applause during pregame introductions. Wood scored 27 points in the Horizon championship game, which sent Wright State to the NCAA tournament for the second time. The Raiders also went in 1993 as the Mid-Continent tournament champion, then lost to Indiana 97-54.
"We've had a few days (to celebrate), but now it's time to get back to business," Wood said. "There's no better feeling than to end this way, with all the fan support we have."
Making the NCAA tournament was a big deal for the Raiders, who joined Division I in 1987.
"We will try to relax as much as possible, but the staff will be up trying to prepare," coach Brad Brownell said.Miami (18-14) was one of the biggest surprises to make the tournament. The RedHawks won the Mid-American Conference's automatic berth by beating Akron 53-52 in the conference title game on Doug Penno's banked 3-pointer in the final second on Saturday night. "I knew they wouldn't be sending us to Lexington or Columbus or Chicago," coach Charlie Coles said. "I knew that right off the bat. But given our situation, I think some of our guys are happy just to still be playing." Miami will play Oregon (26-7) in the first round on Friday in Spokane, Wash. Like Wright State, the RedHawks also got a No. 14 seed. "We didn't have a real great regular season, but we knew we had a great chance to get there," said Tim Pollitz, who was the Mid-American tournament's most valuable player. "Now we get Oregon up around their place. It's almost their home floor. What it comes down to is going up there and playing Miami defense and seeing what happens." The RedHawks played a tough nonconference schedule, including Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Xavier. Coles said none of those teams is like Oregon. "Not Kentucky. Not Illinois. Those teams are slow compared to Oregon," Coles said. "They're determined. I'm sure they're saying to themselves that they have a chance to make a run in this tournament." It's the seventh time that four Ohio teams have played in the NCAA tournament. Four Ohio teams also reached the tournament in 1961, 1985, 1986, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
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Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2007 20:46:37 GMT -5
www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/16883970.htmValley commissioner "sickened" after getting only two NCAA bids R.B. FALLSTROM Associated Press One year after landing four NCAA tournament berths and justifying that record postseason haul and newfound status with a pair of final 16 appearances, the Missouri Valley Conference was squarely back in mid-major land on Sunday night. The Valley received only two bids, a No. 4 seed for regular-season champion Southern Illinois (27-6) in the West and a No. 10 for conference tournament champion Creighton in the West, while Missouri State was among the teams left out for a second straight season. Last March, Missouri State's No 21 RPI was the best ever to be left out of the NCAA tournament and during the buildup to Sunday had said he would be "shocked" if Missouri State (22-10) did not rate an at-large berth after finishing third in the league and with a resume that includes a victory over Wisconsin and a No. 36 RPI. "You sometimes have to wonder what it takes," Elgin said. "I'm just sick with disappointment. "I certainly feel for Barry Hinson's seniors, and the fact they'll never have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. I think they could have done some damage." Elgin was careful not to criticize the work of the NCAA selection committee, where he served four years as a member. Still, he was adamant in his belief that the Valley deserved more respect. The Valley has been ranked as high as fifth in the conference RPI ratings and was sixth on Sunday, right behind the Big East and ahead of the Big 12. The Big East got six bids and the Big 12 four, while the Valley's two-team allotment reflected a lack of postseason opportunity for all mid-majors, totaling six bids after getting eight last March. "I'm not worried about trends, I'm not thinking about which league got how many bids, and I really believe the NCAA committee gets it right," Elgin said. "There were a lot of teams that had very, very strong profiles that were left out as well." The Valley is 11-10 against teams in the NCAA field, including three wins by Bradley over Florida A&M, Virginia Commonwealth and Wright State. Conference research showed that in the last 16 years, the top six conferences have rated at least three bids all but two seasons. Elgin speculated that the bracket buster round of games in February might have hurt the conference, with four of the Valley's six participants losing. Upsets in conference tournaments also reduced available slots. "There were a lot of teams that had very, very strong profiles that were left out as well," Elgin said. "Those were the things that happened this year that didn't seem to happen last year." The Valley's consolation prize was Southern Illinois' high seed, the best in school history and the conference's best since Tulsa also had a No. 4 in 1984. Southern Illinois' previous best was a seventh seed. The Salukis had won 13 in a row before losing to Creighton in the conference tournament final and will play No. 13 seed Holy Cross (25-8), the Patriot League champion, on Friday. The winner will play the winner of the Illinois-Virginia Tech game. Creighton will play No. 10 Nevada (28-4), the regional's b on Friday, with the winner facing either second seed Memphis or No. 15 seed North Texas. Nevada lost to Utah State in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament and is making its fourth straight NCAA appearance. Missouri State also had an overtime loss at a neutral site to Oklahoma State when that school was more highly regarded, although the Bears were hurt by a combined 0-5 record against Creighton and Southern Illinois and lost by 17 to Creighton in the tournament semifinals. "I think that it is gratifying to have Southern Illinois seeded so high and Creighton in good position," Elgin said. "But I just feel tremendous disappointment. I'm just sick for the Bears." Bradley (21-12) had been seeking consecutive NCAA appearances for the first time since 1954-55, but it was hurt by a 1-8 record against teams in the RPI's top 50. The Braves and Wichita State both made it to the final 16 last March.
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Pitt
Mar 13, 2007 23:08:10 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2007 23:08:10 GMT -5
www.collegehoopsnet.com/ncaatournament/2007/arfbracket2.htmPittsburgh-Wright State. If DeShaun Woods gets hot, look out. Brad Brownell coaching them will likely mean Raiders won’t be afraid of Pitt. Brownell has instilled a toughness in this team that should mean WSU doesn’t back down, even if it doesn’t have the size of Pitt.
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Pitt
Mar 13, 2007 22:58:01 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2007 22:58:01 GMT -5
www.gadsdentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/APS/703134017§ioncat=SPORTSBKC Wright St. Pittsburgh Preview By The Associated Press Published March 13, 2007 After Pittsburgh's most recent performance, the Panthers can't afford to look past anybody in this season's NCAA tournament, no matter how intriguing the potential future opponents might be. The Panthers appear to understand that as they prepare to face a dangerous Wright State team Thursday in a first-round game at Buffalo, N.Y. As the No. 3 seed in the West Regional, Pittsburgh (27-7) has its highest seed since it was third in 2004, the last time it reached the round of 16. In order for that to happen this season, the Panthers must bounce back a 65-42 loss to Georgetown in last Saturday's Big East tournament final. Pittsburgh scored the fewest points in the history of that tournament's title game and shot only 26.6 percent (16-for-61) from the field. ``We are going to definitely have to put this behind us and look ahead,'' Panthers guard Antonio Graves said. ``We have another tournament coming up, which is the most important tournament.'' Some interesting matchups down the road, however, have the potential to shift the Panthers' mindset as they meet a 14th-seeded Wright State (23-9) team that has won 11 of its last 12 games and both the Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles. With a win Thursday, Pittsburgh could face perennial power Duke in the second round. With two victories, UCLA and former Panthers coach Ben Howland could be waiting in the regional semifinals. ``We're definitely looking forward to the Dukes and UCLAs,'' Graves said. ``But we have to take care of one game at a time. You can't look past the so-called 'mid major' teams, because every year they beat the powerhouse teams.'' Wright State upset Butler - a fifth seed in the Midwest Regional this year - to win the Horizon tournament title and also beat the Bulldogs once during the regular season. Knowing that, the Panthers aren't expected to take their first-round opponent lightly. ``It's natural to see all those things when the brackets come out,'' forward Levon Kendall said. ``That's what the challenge of the tournament is - not to look ahead. For us to get to those matchups, you have to take care of your side of things.'' The Panthers will need star center Aaron Gray to bounce back after two poor Big East tournament games. The 7-foot senior, who averages 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds, managed just 11 points and five rebounds in his last two games combined. Gray shot 1-for-13 from the field against Georgetown. Mike Cook, a transfer from East Carolina, is the only other Panthers player to average double figures at 10.5 points per game, but had only four versus the Hoyas. Pittsburgh is playing in the NCAA tournament for a school-record sixth year in a row. The Panthers are 15-19 all-time in NCAA tournament play and were upset 72-66 by Bradley in the second round as a No. 5 seed last season. Wright State is making its second tournament appearance - and first since 1993 - thanks to a 60-55 win over Butler in the conference tournament final on March 6. Horizon League player of the year Dashaun Wood scored 27 points in the title game and averaged 26.0 points - more than six above his season average of 19.8 - in two conference tournament games for the Raiders. Coach Brad Brownell, in his first season at Wright State after taking North Carolina-Wilmington to the NCAA tournament twice, told the Raiders before the season they could make it this far despite a 13-15 record in 2005-06. ``Coach came in from day one and said we could make it,'' Wood said. ``All I know is we did make it. And nobody else thought it could be done.'' In their 1993 tournament appearance, the Raiders lost 97-54 to Indiana in the first round. They also won an NCAA Division II title in 1983. Wright State is 0-2 all-time against Pittsburgh.
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Pitt
Mar 13, 2007 22:53:45 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2007 22:53:45 GMT -5
www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=187159Pitt hopes NCAA tourney trip lasts longer than others Posted: March 13, 2007 Associated Press PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh set out on its journey into the NCAA tournament on Tuesday, hoping the trip lasts longer than it has in the past. Pitt has been one of the top regular-season programs in the nation for much of this decade, but that hasn't translated into great NCAA tournament success. Pitt (27-7), a No. 3 seed in the West region, will play 14th-seeded Wright State (23-9) Thursday in Buffalo. The Panthers are one of only 12 teams to qualify for the tournament in each of the past six seasons. The Panthers, who are ranked No. 13 in the nation, have gone 160-40 over that span, a winning percentage of .800 -- fifth-best in the nation. Still, the Panthers have not advanced past the third round of the tournament. In its past two appearances, Pitt has not made it to the final 16. "I think we've done a lot of great things as a program the past five or six years, but no one's really satisfied," senior forward Levon Kendall said. "We've been working our way into the upper echelon of schools in the country, as far as winning percentages and stuff like that. "The next step is to get past the Sweet 16 and make a further run into the tournament." In its most recent trips to the tournament, Pitt lost as a favorite to a team that was not from a so-called "power" conference. In 2002, Kent State, a No. 10 seed, upset No. 3 Pitt. The following year, Marquette -- then of Conference USA -- beat the Panthers in the third round. Two years ago, Pitt entered the tournament with its lowest seed this decade -- No. 8 -- and made its quickest exit, losing in the first round to Pacific. Last year it was No. 13 Bradley that ousted the fifth-seeded Panthers in the second round. While making it to San Jose for the West regional would seem to be a reasonable goal, some Panthers are thinking bigger than that. "Anything short of the Final Four, I think is a disappointment for us," senior guard Antonio Graves said. "I think we have guys that can get it done, and as a team, we have the chemistry and the bench, so I don't think there's any more excuses. We just have to bring our 'A' game every night." Still, Pitt's players are cautious enough to recognize that worrying about possible second-, third- or fourth-round games will mean nothing if the team does not defeat Horizon League champion Wright State. "We look forward to trying to go out there and do our best every single year," junior guard Ronald Ramon said. "But as of right now, we try to just worry about one game at a time."
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Pitt
Mar 13, 2007 1:36:22 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2007 1:36:22 GMT -5
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/03/13/ddn031307wsuboostersb1.htmlWSU tickets available today By the Dayton Daily News Tuesday, March 13, 2007 The latest on Wright State's trip to the NCAA tournament: • The Raiders — and their fans — will be up late Thursday. WSU plays Pittsburgh at 9:40 p.m. in a first-round tourney game at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. • A limited number of tournament tickets for Thursday/Saturday games in Buffalo will go on sale at 2 p.m. today at the Nutter Center box office. Tickets cost $65 each. Cash only. • The Raiders are scheduled to leave Dayton at 1 p.m. today on a charter flight. They will practice today at a Buffalo-area high school.
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Pitt
Mar 12, 2007 9:39:06 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 9:39:06 GMT -5
cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10055682/2The first No. 3 seed to lose will be ... Pittsburgh. The Panthers have struggled against good teams, proof being their 6-6 record against the top 50. Unfortunately for them, pretty much all there is in the NCAA Tournament is top 50 teams. So that doesn't bode well, and even if Pitt gets to the Sweet 16 it'll likely meet UCLA, and there's no way Jamie Dixon is beating Ben Howland because that would be like Daniel LaRusso beating Mr. Miyagi, and we all know that isn't possible.
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Pitt
Mar 12, 2007 8:45:09 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 8:45:09 GMT -5
www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2007/03/12/ddn031207raiderconnection.htmlRaider Connection Did Wright State deserve better than a 14 seed? By Marc Katz Staff Writer Monday, March 12, 2007 FAIRBORN — None of the Raiders seemed nervous or worried or scared Sunday night when they found out they would be a No. 14 seed in the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament. Sure, they want to win, but getting there was the big thing. Who they played seemed to make no difference at all. Well, let it be said the Raiders didn't do so well in the placement category. They're a No. 14 seed, sort of expected to be a No. 13 and could have easily been a No. 12. That doesn't seem like much, but it is. As a No. 14 seed, the Raiders face No. 3 Pittsburgh, which means they play what the selection committee considers one of the top 12 teams in the country. That's a lot tougher than playing one of the top 16 or one of the top 20 teams. In the final month of the season, the Raiders beat Butler twice, and both times the Bulldogs were ranked in the top 20. Sure, both were at home, but Butler faded fast in the final weeks of the season, losing four of eight games, including the two to WSU. So Butler was rewarded with a No. 5 seed. Why? Well, the Bulldogs opened with victories over Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Gonzaga and Tennessee, all NCAA teams. I thought you were supposed to get better at the end, not worse. Wright State won 11 of its last 12. The problem was, other than the victories over Butler, there were no more quality victories for the Raiders anywhere on the schedule, unless you consider Miami University, which was going nowhere until it won the Mid-American Conference tournament. Even the RedHawks got a 14 seed. I don't begrudge Miami, but 24-7 Long Beach State in the Big West Conference was a 12 seed, and who did LBS play? Well, Cal State-Fullerton, for one, a team that WSU beat at the Nutter Center. Albany is 23-9 and won America East and got a No. 13 seed. Albany? Lost 83-82 at Boise State in a BracketBuster game Feb. 16. Boise State, I'm told, ran the Statue of Liberty 3-point play after which the star of the game proposed to a cheerleader ... oh, wrong sport. OK, one more, Holy Cross. Won the tough Patriot League, earning a No. 13 seed. Lost to Hofstra and Bucknell recently, as well as Dayton, Syracuse, Duke, Providence and George Mason earlier in the season. I could go on and on, but the players don't seem to mind, even if Pittsburgh is going to be a tough matchup with 7-footer Aaron Gray and 6-10 Levon Kendall on the front line. Of course, in the Horizon League, Detroit, Loyola of Chicago and Illinois-Chicago had bigger front lines, and the Raiders went 6-0 vs. those teams. "In the mid-majors, we have smaller, quicker players," WSU's 6-6 Drew Burleson said. "That's a tough matchup for the bigger schools." Good attitude. Now, the Raiders have to make it work.
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Pitt
Mar 12, 2007 8:44:28 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2007 8:44:28 GMT -5
www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18068154&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=468632&rfi=6Pitt draws No. 3 seed, opens against Wright State By Stephen Flinn, For the Herald-Standard 03/12/2007 Updated 03/12/2007 08:24:57 AM EDT PITTSBURGH - The Panthers knew they were being invited to the NCAA Tournament before last night's invitation presentation on live TV. They are one of only 12 teams in the nation that are making a sixth-consecutive appearance in the "Big Dance" and the only team in the Big East to achieve the feat. The questions that still remained about Pitt's fate were answered last night in front of a throng of fans, supporters, and media at the Petersen Events Center, namely the bracket seeding, which included first round opponent and location, region, and potential opponents. The story lines surrounding Pitt's tournament appearance this year are abundant. The Panthers are seeded third in the West Region Bracket. Their opponent is the fourteen-seeded Wright State Raiders from Dayton, Ohio out of the Horizon Conference. West Virginia, on the other hand, has no story line because it received no NCAA bid. The Mountaineers failed to garner an at-large bid. Syracuse also failed to get a bid out of the Big East, which had five other teams besides the Panthers reach the NCAA tournament in Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame and Villanova. West Virginia accepted an NIT bid and will host Delaware State in an East region game on Tuesday with the time to be announce. Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon admitted he did not know much about Wright State immediately following the announcement but promised the team would know all about them in time for Thursday's match-up, which will be in Buffalo, N.Y. at the HSBC Arena where the Buffalo Sabres play. Coincidentally, Dixon had an interview for the Raiders' head coaching position while an assistant at Pitt. "I don't know too much about the team, but we'll start watching film on them right away," Dixon said. "I never went after the job but I was approached by Wright State and if someone calls you, the most-professional thing to do is at least listen to what they have to say." He figured following Saturday night's loss that Pitt's seeding would depend on the conference championship game with the winner getting a number-two seed and the loser getting a number-three seed. His prediction came true as Georgetown received a number two seed. He was thrilled with Pitt's seeding as were the players after they learned their fate. "You're never disappointed with a three-seed," Dixon said. "We had our highest ever RPI this year and also played more road games, so we knew we put ourselves in a position to receive a favorable seed." Senior Aaron Gray felt the upcoming NCAA Tournament is a good opportunity for the Panthers to re-focus their efforts and put Saturday night's loss to the Hoyas to rest. "That wasn't University of Pittsburgh basketball Saturday night and it wasn't me Saturday night either," Gray said. "Seeing us get the respect to earn a number-three seed in the NCAA Tournament helped to restore some of our confidence and I can't wait to get back to work and get ready for Wright State." The Panthers are favored to advance and provided that happens, they will face the winner of the sixth-seeded Duke-eleventh-seeded Virginia Commonwealth game. Should Pitt get past the Blue Devils, the probable Sweet Sixteen opponent would be second-seeded UCLA coached by former Pitt head coach Ben Howland. Since the Panthers were seeded in the West Bracket, they would have to travel to San Jose in the third round. "When I saw the brackets a lot of things went through my mind," senior forward Levon Kendall said. "I always wanted to play Duke, and UCLA with Coach Howland there would be a lot of fun." The Panthers advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Kendall stated one team goal this year was to make it further in the tournament. "Being only one of 12 teams to make the tournament 6 years in a row shows the respect our program gets," Kendall said. "One of our goals is to make it further in the tournament now." West Virginia was considered a bubble team and many thought Syracuse was a sure thing. "I spoke to (conference chairman) Mike Tranghese on the phone this morning and we never even considered that Syracuse would not make it," Dixon said. "We thought there could have been as high as nine teams in with Providence and West Virginia making it."
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Pitt
Mar 11, 2007 21:46:35 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2007 21:46:35 GMT -5
www.centredaily.com/305/story/38246.htmlPitt has many possible NCAA story lines The Associated Press PITTSBURGH --It didn't take long after the University of Pittsburgh's No. 3 seeding and bracket placement were announced Sunday evening for players, coaches, fans and media to recognize the bevy of story lines in the Panthers' part of the tournament. Start with a first-round game against Wright State, a school that had interviewed Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon for the same position four years ago. The second round is a potential matchup against perennial national powerhouse Duke. Pitt's possible Sweet 16 opponent, UCLA, stands out the most. The No. 2-seeded Bruins, a national finalist last year, are led by former Pitt coach Ben Howland. Dixon, understandably, downplayed talk of any of the projected later-round matchups. The Panthers (27-7) will play No. 14 Wright State (23-9) Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y. "If anyone wants to, they can create so many different story lines," Dixon said. "You can match teams up in the first round, or, if not, if you look in to the third or fourth round, you're going to find something. (The media) are the ones that have got to come up with the story line. You're going to find some matchup down the road if you work at it." The Panthers insisted they were focused on the Raiders, who are in the tournament for the first time in 14 years. But the players also could not contain their excitement about the prospect of potential second- and third-round opponents. "Everybody wants to play Duke," junior forward Mike Cook said. "Whether it's because you love Duke or because you hate Duke, everybody wants to play against Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski). As much tradition as there is there, right now that's probably the biggest matchup I'm excited about. "Then again, there's also UCLA with Coach Howland and Coach Dixon (facing each other)..." Howland took over a mediocre Pitt program in 1999 and had it in the Big East final two years later and in the NCAA tournament a year after that. Pitt won the Big East regular season and tournament titles in 2003, the year Howland departed. His then-assistant, Dixon, took over the reins and has won 103 games since. Good friends Dixon and Howland have said they would not schedule a regular-season meeting. "They won't schedule it, so the NCAA stepped in and said we will," said center Aaron Gray. "It's what everyone wants to see - we have an opportunity here with a 3 seed and a 2 seed, so why not?" Still, the game will never happen if Pitt or UCLA loses this weekend in first- or second-round West Region contests. "It's natural to see all those things when the brackets come out," forward Levon Kendall said. "That's what the challenge of the tournament is - not to look ahead. For us to get to those matchups, you have to take care of your side of things." That starts with Wright State, which upset Butler - a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament - in the Horizon League tournament championship game. Butler came into that game ranked No. 19 in the country. "We're definitely looking forward to the Dukes and UCLAs," guard Antonio Graves said. "But we have to take care of one game at a time. You can't look past the so-called 'mid major' teams, because every year they beat the powerhouse teams." Notes@: Another former Pitt coach, Ralph Willard, is coaching in the West Region. Willard, who coached the Panthers from 1994-99, is now the coach at Holy Cross. The Crusaders are a No. 13 seed and open up against Southern Illinois.
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Pitt
Mar 11, 2007 21:41:58 GMT -5
Post by Admin on Mar 11, 2007 21:41:58 GMT -5
story.scout.com/a.z?s=17&p=2&c=626062Panthers Draw Wright State Levon Kendall By Dale Grdnic Senior Writer Posted Mar 11, 2007 PITTSBURGH -- A difficult non-conference schedule and high RPI ranking paid off with a No. 3 seed for the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team as it made a sixth straight NCAA Tournament. The Panthers (27-7), runners-up from the Big East, are in the West Region and face Wright State (23-9), the Horizon Conference champion from Dayton, Ohio, Thursday at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. Kansas is the No. 1 seed in the West, while UCLA with former Pitt coach Ben Howland is No. 2. If Pitt gets past the 14th-seeded Raiders, it would meet the winner between sixth-seeded Duke and No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth Saturday. If the Panthers and UCLA advance to the Sweet 16 next week, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon would get to match wits against his former mentor Howland. "Obviously, people are going to look at those things, but we're going to focus on Wright State,'' Dixon said. "So, we're looking forward to playing them. I know what people are going to talk about, and I'm very happy to play them in the first round.'' Dixon added that he believed the Panthers could have been a No. 2 seed, considering they finished with a No. 5 RPI, a strength of schedule that was higher than most teams and more road games than many as well. So, Pitt could have been either a two or three, basing that on its record and highest RPI ranking in history. "But you can't be disappointed at being a No. 3,'' Dixon said. "There's 330 teams that wish they had a three, so that's not the right way to look at things. But for what we did, a number of factors could have put us at a No. 2 seed. So, we had a very good year, with the postseason tournament, as well as the non-conference and conference season.” Dixon was a little surprised that the Big East only got six teams in the NCAA Tournament. He believed that Syracuse would make it again this season, but since the Orange usually don't play any road games or a difficult non-conference schedule that played against them. West Virginia and Providence were other Big East bubble teams that didn't make it. The Panthers are among just 12 teams and are the only Big East team to make six straight NCAA tourneys since Connecticut and Syracuse did not make it this year. Arizona, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Southern Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin are the other teams. "I was surprised that Syracuse didn't make it, and I thought West Virginia had a chance, too,'' Pitt senior center Aaron Gray said. "But you can't worry about that. We're very proud of what we've accomplished at Pitt, making it in all four seasons that Jamie has been the head coach, and going for the sixth straight year. That says a lot about this program.'' The Panthers were unsuccessful in their bid for a second Big East Tournament title with a horrendous overall performance against Georgetown, but senior Levon Kendall believed that the team played pretty well overall the past week at Madison Square Garden in New York City. "Sure, we had a real rough game against Georgetown,'' Kendall said. "But I think the way we played against Marquette in the opening round and against Louisville, the way we came back to win that game, says a lot about us. Now, we have to put that game behind us and move on to Wright State.'' Antonio Graves, the other senior starter for Pitt, believed the sky was the limit for this team despite how poorly it played against the Hoyas. "Really, if we don't go to the Final Four, I'll be very disappointed,'' Graves said. "The talent that we have here, the senior leadership and our younger guys, we have the type of team that can go a long way in this tournament. I really believe we can go all the way.'' But Pitt's first order of business is a game with Wright State. The tip-off time has not yet been determined.
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