Tuesday’s NCAA tournament preview capsules
By Mike Huguenin, Yahoo! Sports Monday, Mar 12, 2012
The NCAA tournament gets under way Tuesday night with two play-in games. Here’s a look.
| SOUTH REGION |
| No. 16: Mississippi Valley State vs. Western Kentucky |
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Where: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
Time: 6:40 p.m. TV: truTV Announcers: Jim Nantz play-by-play, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr analysts The spread: Western Kentucky by 4.5 Records: Mississippi Valley 21-12, Western Kentucky 15-18 How they got here: Mississippi Valley won the SWAC tourney. Western Kentucky won the Sun Belt tourney Record vs. NCAA field: Mississippi Valley 0-5, Western Kentucky 0-4 The buzz: Western was the surprise winner of the Sun Belt tourney as the No. 7 seed and is the only team in the field with a losing record. The Hilltoppers, who have won six in a row, are lax defensively and can’t shoot, but they are athletic. Valley opened the season 1-11 but has won 20 of its past 21. The Delta Devils are a physical group, but their offense is spotty, too. The winner gets top-seeded Kentucky in a round of 64 game Thursday. Valley’s coach is former UK PG Sean Woods. [ Related: NCAA tournament bracket | Print it | Play Tourney Pick’em ] |
| WEST REGION |
| No. 14: BYU vs. Iona |
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Where: University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
Time: 9:05 p.m. TV: truTV Announcers: Jim Nantz play-by-play, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr analysts The spread: BYU by 2 Records: BYU 25-8, Iona 25-7 How they got here: BYU received an at-large bid out of West Coast Conference. Iona received an at-large bid out of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Record vs. NCAA field: BYU 1-6, Iona 3-2 The buzz: Iona’s inclusion might be the biggest controversy of the selection process, but the Gaels can play. This is an extremely gifted offensive team; the Gaels lead the nation in scoring (83.2 ppg), can hit the 3-pointer and have three legit weapons in F Mike Glover (nicknamed “Optimus Prime” for his playground prowess) and Gs Scott Machado and Lamont “Momo” Jones, a transfer from Arizona. Machado is one of the nation’s best point guards, averaging 9.9 assists. He should feast on BYU’s backcourt. Glover is a bit undersized (6 feet 7/215 pounds), but he knows how to score in the low post. Iona is not a gifted defensive team; the Gaels allow almost 73 points per game, which is good news for a BYU team that also prefers a fast pace. BYU’s big guys enjoy a decided size advantage; can they take make it pay off, both offensively and on the boards? BYU has four players averaging in double figures: Fs Brandon Davies, Noah Hartsock and Charles Abouo and G Matt Carlino. Expect a game in the high 70s or low 80s; the higher the score, the better it is for Iona. The winner gets third-seeded Marquette on Thursday. |
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Updated Monday, Mar 12, 2012