Road to the Final Four leaves just three undefeated teams

Top-ranked UCLA was just too much for visiting Washington on Sunday, winning 96-74. The Huskies entered the week ranked No. 14 but lost both games in Los Angeles.

The win lifted the Bruins to 13-0. UCLA, which made the Final Four a year ago before losing to Florida in the championship game, is one of three undefeated teams left in Division I. No. 25 Clemson is another, improving to 14-0 after Sunday’s 67-57 win over Georgia State.

The third undefeated team is 20th-ranked Oregon, UCLA’s playmate in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Ducks raised their record to 13-0 on Saturday when they beat cross-state rival Oregon State.

No team has completed a season undefeated since Indiana in 1976. No team has entered the Final Four undefeated since Larry Bird’s Indiana State team in 1979. The Sycamores fell to Michigan State and Magic Johnson in that year’s final.

Only seven teams have finished a season undefeated NCAA champions since the NCAA tournament began in 1939. UCLA had four of those teams during the Bruins run of 10 titles in 12 years under coach John Wooden.

John Wooden

Get your NCAA Final Four tickets at StubHub! Prices range from $425-$8350.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 31, 2006 - Post a comment

Georgia Tech Freshmen Raising Yellow Jackets’ Profile

Another team worth keeping an eye on as the college basketball season progresses is Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets have a freshman class that’s beginning to make some noise on the national scene.  Of course, players like Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton arrived on campus with a lot of fanfare, as each was an All-American in high school.

In recent games, however, Georgia Tech’s freshmen have begun to take over games and make a tangible difference on outcomes.  This bodes well for the team’s immediate and longer-term future, as Tech is looking to re-establish itself among the nation’s elite after a few years of struggle.

It’ll be interesting to see how the team progresses through the always-tough ACC season, but this could be a team that surprises many in the spring.  If you’d like to see the ‘Jackets live, StubHub.com is your destination for Georgia Tech basketball tickets.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 31, 2006 - Post a comment

Wisconsin’s Ryan Gaining Notice

As college basketball fans begin to take notice of teams to watch this season as they gear up for the Final Four, one coach of a nationally-prominent team is beginning to garner much-deserved attention after years of flying under the national radar.  Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan has simply won wherever he’s gone, setting records at UW-Platteville during a dominant run at this Division III school and bringing Wisconsin-Milwaukee to prominence before heading to Madison the lead the Badgers.

CNNSI’s Grant Wahl has named Ryan as one of college basketball’s innovators, and most of that is due to his creative swing offense, which has been befuddling opponents for years.  Wahl points out that Ryan’s offense incorporates several skills and lots of precision, and it appears that this year’s Wisconsin team has grasped the offense’s intricacies.  As a result, the Badgers have gotten off to a flying start.

If you’d like to see the swing offense in-person, head on over to StubHub.com and grab some Wisconsin basketball tickets.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 31, 2006 - Post a comment

Buckeyes Return with a Vengeance

It was a long week for the Ohio State Buckeyes.  They had to wait seven days to return to the court after getting thumped by Florida, and they took out their frustration on an over-matched Coppin State.  The Buckeyes dominated from start to finish and posted a convincing 91-54 win.

It was a coming out party of sorts for super-frosh Greg Oden, who patrolled the paint and intimidated Coppin State’s players, a fact that was admitted by “Fang” Mitchell, the Eagles’ coach.  Oden finished with 18 points on 7-8 shooting and 16 rebounds.  Fellow freshman Daequan Cook led the Buckeyes with 23 points.

The Buckeyes needed this win to get back on track after being humbled recently by the Gators, and it appears that their confidence and swagger is back as the team heads into the Big Ten season.   Of course, if you want to see the Buckeyes live this season,  head to  StubHub.com for Ohio State basketball tickets.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 31, 2006 - Post a comment

Will there be a George Mason in the 2007 Final Four?

The 2006 Final Four was historic for many reasons, but none more so than the stunning appearance of George Mason, a “mid-major” that broke through with the big boys in the Big Dance.  Experts and fans alike have been debating for years whether it’s worth the time to include these mid-major teams in the field of 65, but George Mason proved all of them wrong with their historic run.

Now the talk has turned to the “next edition” of George Mason, as the mid-majors have arrived on the scene for good.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that there will always be a mid-major in the Final Four, but two teams in particular are showing that potential.

These two teams are Missouri State and Butler.  Missouri State already has 10 wins, and that includes a victory over powerful Wisconsin.  All Butler has done already is win the preseason NIT and win games against Indiana, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Gonzaga along the way to their current 12-1 record.

There may or may not be a mid-major still playing in April.  One thing is sure, though - Final Four tickets are now a real possibility to just about any college basketball team, regardless of their conference or “status.”

Permalink - Posted in General on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Final Four Candidate - Ohio State

No team came into this season with more hype than Ohio State, and that includes the defending national champion Florida Gators.  The reason is that the Buckeyes feature a recruiting class that could wind up being legendary in nature, led by superstar Greg Oden.  Oden almost certainly would’ve gone directly to the NBA if not for the new draft eligibility rules, but fans in Columbus are happy to have him, even if it’s only for one year.

The Buckeyes, in truth, may need to grow and mature a bit before they’re truly ready to contend for the Final Four, as their recent game with those Gators showed.  The Buckeyes will no doubt use that game as a learning experience, though, and their only real competition in the Big Ten appears to be Wisconsin, as the rest of the Big Ten is down.

If the Buckeyes do manage to grow and mature, there’s no reason to think that they won’t get another shot at the Gators in the Final Four.  What does go without saying, though is that Final Four tickets will be hard to find in Ohio should the Buckeyes fulfill their promise.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Final Four Candidate - Florida

In today’s world of college basketball, the chance of repeating as national champions is becoming increasingly rare.  The draw of the NBA and potential millions is causing underclassmen to continue to declare early for the draft in droves, and many times a team has to completely replace its core after a championship run.  See North Carolina last year.

However, the Gators are back with a vengeance, and their early season results are bearing out that they’ll be around come March.  They recently got one of their studs, Al Horford, back from injury, and he made all the difference in the Gators’ domination of Ohio State.  That game showed that the Gators are still the “big guy” on the playground.

Like all the teams in contention this year, the Gators are deep, and they can score and defend.  Their SEC schedule along with their non-conference slate will have them even more battle-tested than they were a year ago, and they would be a safe bet to give their fans another chance for Final Four tickets.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Final Four Candidate - UCLA

For many years, it was a given that UCLA would be in contention for the college basketball national championship.  They were “the” program in college hoops, and it appears that the Bruins are beginning to show signs of regaining that old form under Coach Ben Howland.  The Bruins are currently ranked number one in the country, and their roster is as deep as any in the country, even though they lost G Jordan Farmar to the NBA.

The Bruins are currently undefeated, although they did get a scare Thursday night when they held off up-and-coming Washington State, 55-52.  The Bruins have already defeated Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Michigan during their non-conference season, but their next game at Washington could be quite a test.

The Bruins are built for March, however, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be one of the teams still around as the Final Four participants begin to come into focus during the Big Dance.  Go to StubHub.com for Bruins tickets or any other college basketball tickets, as it’s going to be an interesting year in Westwood and around the country.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Gators let Buckeyes know who’s boss

Well that was underwhelming. The defending NCAA Champion Florida Gators showed the Ohio State Buckeyes exactly who is a Final Four favorite on Saturday, blowing Ohio State out, 86-60.
The game was the first real test for the Greg Oden-led Buckeyes, who entered the game ranked No. 3. But calling it a game is a stretch. Florida broke open the game in the second half with a 33-9 run.

Al Horford, who missed two games with a sprained ankle, returned and absolutely dominated the much anticipated matchup with Oden. Horford had 11 points and 11 rebounds while Oden, who was in foul trouble much of the game, had just seven points and six rebounds.

Al Horford

The O’Connell Center in Gainesville saw its largest crowd ever for the game - 12,621. They were in frenzy all game, delightfully chanting, “Over-rated! Over-rated!” at Ohio State as the game wound down.

Florida is now 11-2 on the season and looks like the real deal. All of its starters returned from last season, the first NCAA Champion in nine years to return all five starters.

Ohio State fell to 10-2. Now, the schools will prepare to meet on Jan. 8 in the BCS  football championship game. Ohio State again has the higher ranking and will be favored this time. As for Florida, if the Gators win, they’ll be the first school to win both the NCAA football and men’s basketball titles in the same calendar year.

Get your NCAA Final Four tickets at StubHub! Prices range from $445-$8350.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Final Four Candidate - North Carolina

Teams that have been getting a lot of hype this season include Florida, Ohio State and UCLA, and that’s for good reason.  The Gators are the defending national champs and have their core back from last season.  Ohio State has super-recruit Greg Oden in Columbus, and UCLA got all the way to the final game last year, and most of their team is also back in Westwood.

However, one of the favorites this early in the season has to be North Carolina.  Coach Roy Williams has brought in a potentially-legendary recruiting class, and the Tar Heels have already beaten Ohio State, Tennessee and Kentucky.  Tyler Hansbrough is picking up where he left off last season, and the Tar Heels are at least 9 players deep in their rotation.  They’re built to last, and North Carolina basketball tickets are sure to provide you with a great show as they march towards the Final Four.

Permalink - Posted in General on December 29, 2006 - Post a comment


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