The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

[nolan887]

ROUND 1: UPSET CITY
FedEx Forum
Memphis, TN
March 12, 2014

Memphis, TN - The Conference USA tournament kicked off today and proved to be very exciting. The only non-underdog team going into the games that won were the Rice Owls. This is bad news for Tulane as they were trying to solidify an at large bid for the NCAA tournament. The next round start tomorrow night, March 13. Will anyone from the first round be able to knock off their superior conference foes in the Quarterfinals? Will UCF drop another game on the road? Will Memphis make the most with their home court advantage?

[nolan887]

ROUND 2: A A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING IN THE QUARTERFINALS
FedEx Forum
Memphis, TN
March 13, 2014

Memphis, TN - The extra rest seemed to grealy help the UCF Knights as they blew out the hapless Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. During their only meeting in the regular season, Southern Miss is one of the only teams that was able to keep the score close the entire game. Although they were ranked tenth in the conference, they matched up very well against the Knights. In the end, the Knights' relentless offensive attack proved to be too much for the tired Souther Miss defense. Kody Kleinzweig contributed 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Dominik Hill also came up huge shooting 4-4 from downtown and scoring 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. The Knights next opponent are the 12 seed in the tournament, the bottom-feeding Southern Methodist Mustangs. The Mustangs finished their regular season by getting blown out by UCF in Orlando and ended up finishing 12 of 12 in the conference.

"We certainly made the best of our extra day off," Coach Nolan commented after the win. "We went back and watched tape on Southern Miss and tried to figure out what we did so wrong last time against them. Kody and Dom took their momentum from senior night and kept it going all game today as well. Every win is a big win at this point in the season, now we are off to prepare for Southern Methodist."

Southern Miss at Central Florida
March 13, 2014 1 2 F #10 Southern Miss 24 33 57 #1 Central Florida 44 45 89 Top Performers Southern Miss - Stats Belton Bates - 16 Pts, 2 REb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl Charlie Bozek - 12 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast Central Florida - Stats Kody Kleinzwig - 26 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk, 1 Stl Dominik Hill - 17 Pts (4-4 3 pt), 2 Reb, 1 Ast	Team Stat Comparison USM UCF FG Made-Attempted 22-59 30-60 3P Made-Attempted 4-17 4-5 FT Made-Attempted 9-15 25-36 Rebounds 27 32 Assists 11 21 Steals 6 13 Blocks 7 4 Turnovers 17 6

In other news around the touranment, the ECU Pirates, who were on the bubble with Tulane, succumed to the same fate. It will be hard for either team to make the NCAA tournament due to their poor play in the conference tournament. The Rice Owls who had fallen off since mid-season were able to come up with a win over the Pirates. Southern Methodist found their UCF match up by beating the #4 seeded Houston Cougars, a match up nightmare for the Knights. Finally, the Memphis Tigers were able to easily dispatch of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in a 23 point win on their home court.

[Deuce2223]

Good luck. Looks like its going to be a Memphis vs UCF for the Championship..

By the way love the brackets...

[nolan887]

ROUND 3: NOTHING TO SEE HERE PEOPLE, MOVE ALONG
FedEx Forum
Memphis, TN
March 13, 2014

Memphis, TN - While a match up of Southern Methodist and Rice in the conference finals may sound fun to some, it did not sound fun to the Memphis Tigers or the UCF Knights. The Knights started off the game with three huge dunks by Kody Kleinzweig and seemingly broke the Mustangs' spirit right out of the gates. After the 6-0 lead, the Knights would stretch it to 14-0 before Southern Methodist decided to start playing offense. The Knights led the entire 40 minutes and proved once again why they are the #1 seed in this tournament. Kody Kleinzweig was a monster and ended the game with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 1 steal. Filling in for a foul-troubled Shannon was Armando Ross who has been big off the bench all year. Ross recorded 14 points and 2 rebounds in his limited play. The Knights will now face off against the Memphis Tigers. UCF beat the Tigers in Orlando earlier this season by getting their big men in foul trouble early and capitalizing. The Tigers will likely be looking for blood in this game, as the Knights took the conference tournament that Memphis had won six out of the last seven years.

"We really blew them out on senior night and it looked like it was going to be more of the same," Coach Nolan commented. "They hung around all game, but the lead was never closer than 10 points. Kody has been playing out of his mind lately and it is just fantastic. Playing Memphis here tomorrow will definitely be our biggest challenge of the season. We beat them last time, but you have to remember we were at home. The students and fans from the other C-USA teams that are here to watch will surely be rooting for an upset, so this atmosphere will be very hostile. Hopefully we can come out with a win and really solidify our place atop C-USA."

Southern Methodist at Central Florida
March 14, 2010 1 2 F #12 Southern Methodist 32 34 66 #1 Central Florida 35 43 78 Top Performers Southern Methodist - Stats Clifford Jefferson - 14 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast Noah Dean - 13 Pts, 2 Ast, 3 Stl Central Florida - Stats Kody Kleinzweig - 31 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Blk, 1 Stl Armando Ross - 14 Pts, 2 Reb	Team Stat Comparison SMU UCF FG Made-Attempted 25-53 30-56 3P Made-Attempted 3-15 1-4 FT Made-Attempted 13-15 17-25 Rebounds 25 24 Assists 17 19 Steals 8 11 Blocks 3 5 Turnovers 13 8

[nolan887]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

Good luck. Looks like its going to be a Memphis vs UCF for the Championship..

Good prediction, you posted while I was doing the writeup haha! Hopefully I will be able to beat them again, but in all honesty I think I just got lucky when they came to Orlando. Either way, I'm in the NCAA Tournament and hopefully can make a run.

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

By the way love the brackets...

Thanks, I figured it would take a little bit more time, but it is easier to read a bracket than it is to read through text.

I'm off to play the C-USA Championship now and will post the results and the NCAA Tourney preview this afternoon.

[nolan887]

ROUND 4: UCF FIGHTS BACK FOR HUGE WIN
FedEx Forum
Memphis, TN
March 15, 2014

Memphis, TN - The UCF Knights under the reigns of Coach Nolan just refuse to lose. Memphis dominated the game the entire first half going into halftime with a six point lead. The second half was more of the same, and Memphis went up by as much as 12 points. With only two minutes left in the game, the Knights were down 8 points. J.J. Bone brought the ball down the court and dumped it off to Dominik Hill, who had been shut down all night. Dominik Hill nonchalantly drained a three pointer like it was no big deal, cutting the lead to five. The Tigers brought the ball down and held as long as possible to shorten the game but missed a three pointer with 3 left in the shot clock. Again, Bone brought the ball down and dumped it to Hill, but this time Memphis made the mistake of fouling him on the three point attempt. While falling to the floor, Hill looked up just in time to see his shot swish through the net. With his trip to the line, he could complete the four point play and cut the lead to just one point. However, he did not make his free throw and convert the four point play. His shot clanked off the right side of the rim... right into Kody Kleinzweig's hands. With the ball under the bucket, Kleinzweig knew just what to do. The seven footer jumped up and slammed the ball home igniting the entire crowd. The Knights would then play stellar defense and get sent to the line with 3 seconds left on the clock shooting one-and-one. Shannon, who was cold from the line all night sank the first shot to put the Knights up 73-72. Shannon intentionally missed the second free throw and as time expired the Knights and all of their fans rushed the court for their winning the C-USA tournament for the first time in the history of their school.

"It was an amazing win for us," an ecstatic Coach Nolan near-cried. "I thought we had given up with about four minutes left and let the players know what I thought about that with a few choice words not fit for this interview. I guess it worked because Hill got the hot hand and almost erased the deficit by himself. It was great again to see our two senior stars single-handedly take the game over down the stretch and win it for us. Now we just have to wait for Selection Sunday to see who we get matched up with in the tourney!"

Memphis at Central Florida
March 15, 2014 1 2 F #2 Memphis 40 32 72 #1 Central Florida 34 39 73 Top Performers Memphis - Stats Jayson Wisniewski - 13 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk Terence Ravello - 12 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk Central Florida - Stats Kody Kleinzweig - 17 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 Blk Dominik Hill - 13 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl	Team Stat Comparison UM UCF FG Made-Attempted 28-61 28-60 3P Made-Attempted 4-15 2-6 FT Made-Attempted 12-20 15-26 Rebounds 35 28 Assists 17 17 Steals 8 13 Blocks 9 2 Turnovers 20 10

ECU and Tulane were both on the bubble going into the conference tournament, but seemed to have played themselves out. Hopefully for them they will be able to claim a bid to the NIT. Memphis, ranked #10 going into the tournament, will still receive and at large bid to the dance and the UCF Knights will make the tourney with their automatic conference bid.

[nolan887]

SELECTION COMMITTEE RELEASES 2014 MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS

Orlando, FL - With their regular season conference title and conference tournament title wins, the UCF Knights have been given a #4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Knights will be playing in the West Region. The higher seeds in their region are #1 USC, #2 Miami, and #3 California. All three of these teams have consistently been at the tops of the Media Top 25 polls all season. The Knights have again cracked into the Top 25 with their latest win against Memphis and are headed into the tournament ranked #23 in the nation.

NCAA Basketball Rankings - AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Michigan State Spartans	30-3	15-3
2	Arizona Wildcats	29-4	14-4
3	Maryland Terrapins	27-5	12-4
4	Florida Gators	25-6	13-5
5	USC Trojans	25-6	13-5
6	Wisconsin Badgers	27-6	14-4
7	Miami Hurricanes	26-5	13-3
8	California Golden Bears	24-7	14-4
9	Memphis Tigers	26-8	12-4
10	Illinois Fighting Illini	25-8	14-4
11	Ohio State Buckeyes	23-8	13-5
12	Iowa State Cyclones	25-6	11-5
13	Gonzaga Bulldogs	29-4	14-0
14	Texas Longhorns	24-11	9-7
15	Pittsburgh Panthers	23-9	13-5
16	Saint Louis Bilikens	26-6	11-5
17	Auburn Tigers	27-6	12-4
18	Syracuse Orange	24-8	12-6
19	NC State Wolfpack	23-10	9-7
20	Xavier Musketeers	25-9	14-2
21	Vanderbilt Commodores	21-8	11-5
22	Texas A&M Aggies	23-10	9-7
23	UCF Knights	29-3	15-1
24	Duke Blue Devils	20-11	9-7
25	Nevada Wolf Pack	29-4	16-0

Bubble Watch:
Last 5 In: Last 5 Out:
Missouri St. Joseph's
George Washington East Carolina
Louisville Tulane
Kansas Tennessee
UMass Troy

Conference Breakdown:
This year has found it's tournament with very few non power conference teams represented. The top nine conferences had more than one team make the tournament, but the rest only had their conference tournament champion enter the big dance. The conference rankings follow:

1 - ACC - 5 teams
2 - Pac 10 - 6 teams
3 - Big 12 - 7 teams
4 - SEC - 4 teams
5 - Big East - 7 teams
6 - Big Ten - 5 teams
7 - C-USA - 3 teams
8 - A-10 - 5 teams

Other Notables: UNLV received an NIT bid, ranked as a #4 seed.

Regional Brackets Released:

[Deuce2223]

Congrats on the Conference Title win. #4 Seed is solid. Can't believe Kansas is a #12 though either way you got a tough game in Round 2.


Very happy to see the Pac-10 playing well and the A-10. Wow. On par with the power conferences..