The Journey to March Madness ~Are you in the KNOW?

There are many teams with lots of acronyms in college basketball, and keeping up with them can be a daunting task.  Namely, there are currently 33 CBC’s, College Basketball Conferences, but let’s look at the relevant acronyms/logos of the current top conferences along with the conferences RPI rank, Rating Percentage Index, and the rankings of the respective teams in each conference in order to help equip you with up-to-date knowledge of the top contenders on the JOURNEY to March Madness!!!

According to statsheet.com, here are the top 10 conferences in the order of the RPI rank, along with the rank of each team listed in the order of their current overall standings:

#1 BIG TEN CONFERENCE

1.              Michigan

2.              Illinois

3.              Ohio State

4.              MichiganState

5.              Purdue

6.              Wisconsin

7.              Indiana (tied with Iowa)

8.              Iowa

9.              Minnesota

10.           Northwestern

11.           Nebraska (tied with Penn State)

12.           Penn State

#2 BIG EASTCONFERENCE

1.              Syracuse

2.              Cincinnati

3.              Georgetown

4.              Marquette (3-way tie with South Florida & West Virginia)

5.              South Florida

6.              West Virginia

7.              Connecticut (tied with Seton Hall)

8.              Seton Hall

9.              Notre Dame (tied with Rutgers)

10.           Rutgers

11.           Louisville

12.           St. John’s (tied with Villanova

13.           Villanova

14.           DePaul (tied with Providence)

15.           Providence

16.           Pittsburgh

#3 BIG 12 CONFERENCE

1.              Kansas

2.              Baylor (tied with Missouri for 2^nd place)

3.              Missouri

4.              Iowa State

5.              Kansas State (tied with Oklahoma State for 5^th)

6.              Oklahoma State

7.              Texas (tied with Oklahoma)

8.              Oklahoma

9.              Texas A&M

10.           Texas Tech

#4 ATLANTIC COASTCONFERENCE

1.              Duke

2.              Florida State

3.              NC State

4.              North Carolina

5.              Virginia

6.              Boston College

7.              Maryland

8.              Miami(FL)

9.              Clemson

10.           Georgia Tech

11.           Wake Forest

12.           Virginia Tech

#5 SOUTHEASTERNCONFERENCE

1.              Kentucky (tied with Vanderbilt for 1^st place)

2.              Vanderbilt

3.              Florida

4.              Georgia (tied with Tennessee for 4^th place)

5.              Tennessee

6.              South Carolina

7.              Mississippi State (5-way tie for 7^th place with Arkansas, Alabama, LSU & Ole Miss)

8.              Arkansas

9.              Alabama

10.           LSU

11.           Ole Miss

12.           Auburn

#6 MOUNTAIN WESTCONFERENCE

1.              Colorado State (tied with San Diego State for 1^st place)

2.              San Diego State

3.              Air Force (4-way tie for 3^rd place with New Mexico, UNLV & Wyoming)

4.              New Mexico

5.              UNLV

6.              Wyoming

7.              Boise State (tied with TCU for 7^th place)

8.              TCU

#7 ATLANTIC 10CONFERENCE

1.              Xavier

2.              Dayton

3.              Duquesne (tied with Massachusetts for 3^rd place)

4.              Massachusetts

5.              Charlotte (7-way tie for 5^th place with George Washington, LaSalle, Richmond, Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure & Temple)

6.              George Washington

7.              LaSalle

8.              Richmond

9.              Saint Louis

10.           St. Bonaventure

11.           Temple

12.           St. Joseph’s (PA)

13.           Fordham

14.           Rhode Island

#8 MISSOURI VALLEYCONFERENCE

1.              Creighton (tied with Wichita State for 1^st place)

2.              Wichita State

3.              Drake

4.              Evansville (3-way tie with Illinois State & Missouri State)

5.              Illinois State

6.              Missouri State

7.              Northern Iowa (tied with Southern Illinois for 7^th place)

8.              Southern Illinois

9.              Indiana State

10.           Bradley

#9 PACIFIC 12CONFERENCE

1.              California

2.              Oregon (tied with Stanford for 2^nd place)

3.              Stanford

4.              Arizona (3-way tie with Colorado & Washington)

5.              Colorado

6.              Washington

7.              UCLA

8.              Arizona State (tied with Washington State for 8^th place)

9.              Washington State

10.           Oregon State

11.           Utah

12.           USC

#10 CONFERENCE USA

1.              Marshall

2.              UCF

3.              Memphis (tied with Southern Miss for 3^rd place)

4.              Southern Miss

5.              Texas- El Paso (tied with Tulsa for 5^th place)

6.              Tulsa

7.              Rice (tied with Southern Methodist for 7^th place)

8.              Southern Methodist

9.              UAB

10.           Houston

11.           East Carolina (tied with Tulane for 11^th place)

12.           Tulane

Whether you are a die-hard or a band-wagon-fan, this site is a great place to get the latest updates and stats as we get closer to March Madness. You are one click away from accessing more information about my top favorite teams. 

From the statsheet.com site, you can find more information about your favorite team or your team’s biggest competitor, including statistics, tables containing the current standings for the conferences broken down by overall record, the record for home games, the record for away games, the record at neutral sites, and the record against the top 25 teams.

SOURCES:

MARCH MADNESS

JOURNEY

All images were retrieved from:

CBC

ARE TOP NBA PLAYERS OUT OF BOUNDS? YOU MAKE THE CALL…..

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Houston Rockets: Kyle Lowry 

.....BUT be careful when you do.  In the case of Houston Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry, not only are his actions poor sportsmanship, but it appears to be criminal as well. According to Mark Berman of my FOX Houston, a warrant/summons has been issued for his arrest, and he has been charged with misdemeanor battery on a female referee after an incident at a CHARITY, pick-up basketball game in Las Vegas this past September. GO FIGURE!!

Allegedly, Lowry was upset with the calls of a female referee, approached her at the end of the game, and threw a basketball at her striking her in her torso.  He became upset and called her “the B**** word”, challenging her to meet him outside.  After the referee walked away to the designated area for officials, she was once again hit with a basketball at a high rate of speed.

Lowry later apologized for his behavior, however, the other two male referees support her account because Lowry was allegedly verbally abusive to them as well, but did not physically assault them.  Although for a misdemeanor the punishment could be less severe, if convicted as charged, Lowry could face up to six months in prison and assessed a $1,000 fine.  This is very unfortunate for him because it comes at a time when Lowry is playing the best basketball of his career this season, averaging 15.3 points and 10 assists per game. 

GRADE ~ F (Hitting a woman, Kyle? Why didn't you hit the male referees, tough guy?)

Why Do So Many NBA Players Get in Trouble?

Nobody likes to watch their team struggle, but with a shortened season and games coming fast and furious on this season’s schedule, the players have to adjust quickly and try and right the wrongs that the lockout has placed on the season.  Are they mature enough to handle the pressure?  Let’s look at some of the athletes who may not make the grade.

Los Angeles Lakers: Andrew Bynum

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bcPS4

.. has immaturity issues, is an injury concern, and additionally, he has never actually put together a good consistent NBA season.  Although he is still young, and teams continue to lineup to get a shot at him, he also has his off-court battles.  Law enforcement sources tell TMZ “... Bynum was pulled over Tuesday for driving without a license plate and having illegally tinted taillights. Bynum walked away with a fix-it ticket.”  Unfortunately, it was not a lesson learned, because days later Bynum was pulled over in his Porsche 911 on the freeway for going over 80 mph. Bynum was cited and released.

GRADE ~  B-

Memphis Grizzlies: Josh Selby

... the 20-year-old, Grizzlies rookie guard, is facing a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge after police found probable cause during an October 5, 2011 incident at the University of Maryland.  Selby is well known for his bad attitude, troubles with NCAA clearance (age and other issues), playing the game selfishly, and with poor game management.

GRADE ~  C-

Minnesota Timberwolves: Michael Beasley

 

His attitude is the main reason why he landed in Minnesota to begin with. THE VIDEO SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!!

 

GRADE ~ D-

Because many talented athletes start getting pampered at early ages, I believe all the attention they receive often leads them to the mistaken belief that they can do no wrong.  Although these athletes are highly skilled, they each have some red flags concerning their character and/or attitude that have either resulted in their having done very little towards making their teams any good, or will result in bigger troubles and disappointments down the road. 

Character and maturity should be the first factors considered before a team drafts an athlete or considers adding an athlete to their roster via a trade.

SOURCES

ROCKETS KYLE LOWRY CHARGED WITH BATTERY OF FEMALE REFEREE

LAKERS' ANDREW BYNUM TRAFFIC FINES

GRIZZLIES SELBY CHARGED WITH MISDEMEANOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

IMPORTANCE OF SCOUTS ~ JOSH SELBY

TIMBERWOLVES' MICHAEL BEASLEY SHOVES A FAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHecSDRrem4&feature=player_embedded