Miyerkules, Marso 1, 2017

Watch NCAA College Basketball Now (March 1,2017)

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Championship Week is underway as conference tournaments have tipped off all over the country. Here is a running list of dates and locations for each. Who will be next to punch their ticket to the women's NCAA tournament? Check back for updates as title games go final. We'll add NCAA tournament qualifiers (teams that win a conference's automatic berth) as they are determined. And check out Charlie Creme's Bracketology for the latest projections. The 64-team bracket will be announced on the NCAA Women's Selection Special at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, March 13 (ESPN). ACC Bracket March 1-5 HTC Center (Conway, South Carolina) America East March 4-5, 10 Cross Insurance Arena (Portland, Maine) American Bracket March 3-6 Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville, Connecticut) EDITOR'S PICKS Around the Rim podcast: Beyond the Power 5 LaChina Robinson goes beyond the Power 5 conferences to look ahead at some other conference tournaments with several women's basketball analysts. Plus, she is joined by espnW writer Mechelle Voepel to discuss Kim Mulkey. Atlantic 10 Feb. 25-26, March 3-5 Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia) Atlantic Sun March 3, 8, 12 Campus sites Big 12 Bracket March 3-6 Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City) Big East March 4-7 Al McGuire Center (Milwaukee) Big Sky March 6, 8, 10-11 Reno Events Center (Reno, Nevada) Big South March 9-12 Vines Center (Lynchburg, Virginia) Big Ten Bracket March 1-5 Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis) Big West March 7-8, 10-11 Opening rounds: Walter Pyramid (Long Beach, California) Honda Center (Anaheim, California) How many realistic contending teams for natty? — Daniel Monnier (@z3rdTry) Now this is what a Twitter question should look like: short, crisp, to the point and on point. The key word here is “realistic.” Yes, the NCAA tournament is full of limitless possibilities, but in the vast majority of cases, it is an exercise in realism. If we look at a decent sample size—say, the last 15 years—we find that a team seeded below the 2 line won the title only four times. Syracuse (2003) and Florida (2006) were both three seeds. The other two belonged to UConn, which was a No. 3 in 2011 and a No. 7 in 2014. A No. 1 seed won the title 10 out of those 15 times, and a No. 2 seed, Villanova, won it last year. So “realistically,” there are eight to 12 teams that can win this thing. I’ll do the manly thing and keep this exercise on the low side. That also gives me the chance to reprise one of my favorite now-defunct features that used to populate this space. Before he was All Futbol All the Time, my colleague Grant Wahl used to write an annual “Magic Eight” column in which he listed eight teams and guaranteed that one of them would win the title. After Grant went footsie on us, Luke Winn took over, for a little while. Luke had success his first few attempts but came up empty last season by leaving out Villanova. Luke, perhaps feeling a little chastened and gun shy, has generously bequeathed this responsibility to me this season. So I’m happy to pick up the loose eight ball. Part of the challenge is to leave out a team or two that most people would include, and try to find at least one sleeper. I will add another wrinkle by listing my teams in order of likelihood of winning the title. So with apologies to Grant and Luke, I herewith present my Magic Eight. If I get it wrong, you can blame them: 1. Kansas Sure, size and interior depth is a concern, but that is overcome by the Jayhawks’ stellar, veteran backcourt as well the emergence of freshman forward Josh Jackson as one of the most talented players in the country. More than anything, though, the Jayhawks have demonstrated championship mettle, time and time again. Frank Mason III, the consensus choice for national player of the year, simply will not let this team lose. 2. North Carolina I’ve been skeptical of claims that this Tar Heels team is better than last year’s, given that last year’s team was a buzzer-beating three-pointer away from winning the title. But the Heels have two dynamic perimeter scorers in Joel Berry and Justin Jackson, they’re the best offensive rebounding team in the country, and the healthy return of Theo Pinson gives them a versatile glue guy that every championship team needs. 3. UCLA I believe the Bruins found their championship toughness when they were down by 19 points at home to Oregon. They came back and won that game and went on to triumph at Arizona last Saturday behind some actual defense and aggressive offensive rebounding. Plus, you know, Lonzo. 4. Gonzaga Some people saw the Zags’ home loss to BYU as further reason to doubt them. I saw it as further reason to bet on them. It takes away the pressure of being undefeated, and it gives them a chance to shore up their deficiencies. I also like that regardless of whether they are a 1 or a 2 seed, the Zags will be placed in the San Jose region. 5. Louisville The Cardinals are not only the best defensive team in the country (they’ve been ranked in the top five nationally in KemPom’s defensive efficiency rankings all season), they are the most versatile. They can press and trap fullcourt, and they can grind you down in the halfcourt. They’re 11th in the country in three-point percentage defense, they’re 21st in two-point percentage defense, and they’re sixth in blocks percentage. Plus, they have the type of dynamic backcourt scorer in Donovan Mitchell that we’ve seen carry a team to a title so often. 6. Villanova This team could obviously use one more big man, but I still might rank the Wildcats even higher if it weren’t for the lingering health issues of their best inside player, Darryl Reynolds. That aside, they have tough, talented, savvy, veteran guards who know how to win in March. 7. Oregon I don’t like the way the Ducks seem to go MIA on offense for long stretches, but they are so good defensively that it might not matter. They have a carry-them-on-their-shoulders scorer in Dillon Brooks, and they can play both zone and man-to-man defense to equal effect. 8. SMU Here’s the designated sleeper. The Mustangs only have seven scholarship players and no bona fide five man, but they have great overall team size, they’re tough, they’re smart and they’re highly unusual.

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