BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

BenMaller.com's NCAA Basketball Tournament picks (SECOND ROUND)

At Greensville, S.C.
South

(2) Alabama -1 1/2 vs. (10) Kent State

Ben's Pick: Kent State in a wow how about that upset game.

(1) Duke -15 1/2 vs. (8) Notre Dame

Ben's Pick: It's a Blue Devil nation. Jayson Williams will light up the Irish...

At St. Louis
East

(4) Kentucky -5 1/2 (12) Tulsa

Ben's Pick: Tulsa keeps it going.

Midwest

(1) Kansas -5 vs. (8) Stanford

Ben's Pick: Stanford covers and stuns the Jayhawks

At Albuquerque, N.M.
West

(4) Ohio State -1 1/2 vs. (12) Missouri

Ben's Pick: Keep an eye on the Buckeyes to cover.

(3) Arizona -8 vs. (11) Wyoming

Ben's Pick: Luke Walton and the Pac-10's Wildcats will take apart the Cowboys.

At Sacramento, Calif.
South
(5) Indiana -8 1/2 vs. (13) N.C.-Wilmington

Ben's Pick: N.C. Wilmington does it one more time to cover the spread.

Midwest

(2) Oregon -3 1/2 vs. Wake Forest

Ben's Pick: Quack Quack Ducks will roll... The power of the Lukes
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Friday, March 15, 2002

From "The Curse of the Bambino" To "The Curse of the Benbino"

By Ben Maller

After an up and down NFL and College Football season, Bob in Jacksonville a caller to my show on Fox Sports Radio pointed out the Curse of the Benbino. It's similar to the Curse of the Bambino that has seen the Boston Red Sox last win a World Series in 1918 and none since they traded Ruth to the Yankees. The curse of the Benbino works like this: I get on the radio or BenMaller.com and make a brilliant pick, a pick that most people agree with, and then the unthinkable happens!

The curse of the Benbino even struck USC coach Henry Bibby. Yesterday, I wrote about Bibby being a hot candidate to leave the Trojans after an NCAA run. SC fans should thank me for single handedly keeping Bibby at SC.

I'm still trying to get over the shock of day one at the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Here are some scary numbers:

BenMaller.com Record:

Wins: 4
Losses: 12 plus late games...

Fox Sports.com Bracket Blast Game

Wins: Duke, Oregon, Alabama, Kent St., Kansas, Arizona

Losses: Marquette, Valpo, USC, Charlotte, Pepperdine, Miami, Davidson, Gonzaga, Western Kentucky.

As a public service I will post my picks for today's round 1 day 2 of the NCAA tournament. permalink

BenMaller.com's NCAA Basketball Tournament picks (Round Two)

Friday
At Pittsburgh
South

(6) California -5 vs. (11) Penn

Ben's Pick: Golden Bears -5
Did You Know? California has to face Penn and possibly Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh?s Mellon Arena. Penn has made 19 NCAA appearances. Their only tournament victory since going to the Final Four in 1979 came over Nebraska in 1994.

(3) Pittsburgh -15 vs. (14) Cent. Conn St.

Ben's Pick: Cent. Conn St. and the points.
Did You Know? The Blue Devils (Cent. Conn St) have won 19 in a row, the nation?s longest winning streak. They have yet to lose in the calendar year. This is Pitt?s first NCAA tourney appearance since 1993. The Panthers are one of the nation?s top defensive teams, allowing only 60 points a game.

West

(8) UCLA -1 vs. (9) Mississippi

Ben's Pick: Old Miss Baby! UCLA has no point guard and will turn the ball over 25 times.
Did You Know? This is the Bruins' 36th appearance, not including the 1980 and 1999 appearances, which were later voided because of NCAA sanctions. They trail only Kentucky; the Wildcats are up to 43 invites. The Bruins have made it to the Sweet 16 in each of the last two seasons.

Before the 1996-97 campaign, Ole Miss went 59 seasons without recording 20 or more victories. The Rebels (20-10) have now reached that mark for the fifth time in the last six seasons. This is their fifth NCAA bid in six years, a run punctuated by last March's trip to the Sweet 16. The Rebels have held their opponents to under 70 points in seven straight contests.

(1) Cincinnati -24 vs. (16) Boston U.

Ben's Pick: Go with the Terriers and take those 24 points!
Did You Know? Boston has won nine straight games. The Terriers have not won an NCAA tournament game since 1959.

Cincinnati is making their 11th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Bearcats set a school record with their 30 victories and have won at least 25 games in seven consecutive seasons. The Bearcats lost their second-round games in four consecutive tournaments from 1997-2000. They finally broke out of the rut by advancing to the round of 16 last year.

At Washington
East

(7) N.C. State -1 1/2 vs. (10) Michigan St.

Ben's Pick: The Spartans will roll!

Did You Know?Tom Izzo has the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage of any coach in history (16-3, .842). Michigan State has made the Final Four in each of the previous three seasons. They were a No. 1 seed each of those years. North Carolina State is making its first tournament appearance since 1991. The Wolfpack is 27-16 in the NCAA Tournament, winning national titles in 1974 and 1983.

(2) Connecticut -13 vs. (15) Hampton

Ben's Pick: Hampton and take the points.

Did You Know? UConn has won nine straight, including a 74-65 double-OT victory over Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament title game. The Huskies are 23-8 in the NCAA Tournament under Jim Calhoun, winning a national championship in 1999.

Hampton went 17-1 in the MEAC during the regular season and avenged its only conference loss by beating Howard 80-62 in the tournament final. Despite losing four starters and 61 percent of their scoring from last year?s team, Hampton became the first school ever to return to the Big Dance after winning as a No. 15 seed the year before.

(8) Wisconsin -2 vs. (9) St. John's

Ben's Pick: Badgers in an ugly game

Did You Know? This is Wisconsin?s fourth consecutive tournament appearance. The Badgers made the Final Four in 2000 but scored just 32 and 49 points, respectively, in first-round losses in 1999 and 2001.

First-year head coach Bo Ryan led Wisconsin to a share of the regular-season Big Ten championship, going 11-5 in conference play. Ryan has never coached in the Division I NCAA Tournament, but he won four national titles at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville in the ?90s.

(1) Maryland -24 vs. (16) Siena

Ben's Pick: The Terps will win by 30
Did You Know? Maryland was a No. 3 seed in the West last year and advanced all the way to the Final Four for the first time in school history. Last year Maryland, Georgetown and George Mason all found themselves in Boise, ID for the opening rounds of the tournament, which was a factor in the NCAA adopting a more geographically-based bracketing system. This year the Terps open play at the nearby MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Siena won the Metro Atlantic Conference tournament and is the only team in the field of 65 with a losing record. Siena is one of only eight teams in history to have won four games in as many days to win a conference tournament.

At Chicago
Midwest

(5) Florida -10 vs. (12) Creighton

Ben's Pick:
Did You Know?

(4) Illinois -10 1/2 vs. (13) San Diego St.

Ben's Pick:
Did You Know? The Illini are 0-4 vs. RPI Top 25 teams. After starting their conference schedule winless in their first five road contests, Illinois won five straight away from home and eight straight overall to close out the regular season.

This is the first NCAA tournament berth for the Aztecs since 1985. Head Coach Steve Fisher is 20-6 in the NCAA Tournament with a .796 winning percentage, ranking him fourth all-time amongst coaches with at least 10 appearances. Fisher led Michigan to the 1989 National Championship.

East

(6) Texas Tech -2 1/2 vs. (11) S. Illinois

Ben's Pick: The Season on a Brink continues for the General and Tech.
Did You Know? In his first year at Tech, Bob Knight has led the Red Raiders to a 23-8 record after the team had a 9-19 mark in 2000-01. Knight failed to advance past the second round in any of his last six tournaments at Indiana, compiling a 2-6 record. The Red Raiders are 7-6 in road and neutral-site games this year.

This is SIU?s fifth trip to the tournament and its first since the Salukis made three consecutive appearances from 1993-95. Southern Illinois earned an at-large berth out of the Missouri Valley Conference after losing the MVC tournament title game to Creighton. With 80 rejections on the season, Virginia Tech transfer Rolan Roberts is the third-leading shot-blocker in this year?s tournament, behind UConn?s Emeka Okafor and Cedric Suitt of Pepperdine.

(3) Georgia -9 (14) Murray St.

Ben's Pick: Take the Racers an the Points

Did You Know? Jim Harrick has led Georgia to back-to-back tournament appearances. This is Harrick?s 16th NCAA berth overall, following four at Pepperdine, eight at UCLA and two at Rhode Island. Harrick is 17-14 in the tournament and guided UCLA to a national championship in 1995. Georgia is just 5-6 in its last 11 games.

The Racers were 9-11 in late January but won 10 of their last 11 games. MSU has been bounced in the first round in its last seven NCAA appearances.

At Dallas
Midwest

(6) Texas -5 1/2 vs. (11) Boston College

Ben's Pick: Longhorns will win this game and cover against BC

Did You Know? Rick Barnes is one of 16 active coaches to take three different teams to the NCAA Tournament (Providence and Clemson). His NCAA record is 3-9. The Longhorns have five players averaging double figure points. Boston College opened the season 9-0 before going 11-11 the rest of the way. Boston College has won at least one game in their last nine NCAA appearances.

(3) Mississippi St. 10 1/2 vs. (14) McNeese St.

Ben's Pick: McNeese St. to cover the 10 1/2
Did You Know? This is Mississippi State?s first trip to the tournament since 1996 when they advanced to the Final Four. Mississippi State has won its last eight games, allowing more than 59 points just once in that stretch.

McNeese State beat Louisiana Monroe 65-43 to win the Southland Conference tournament and gain their first bid since 1989. The Cowboys closed the regular season on a 14-game winning streak.

West

(7) Xavier -2 vs. (10) Hawaii

Ben's Pick:
Did You Know? Xavier is making their 14th tournament appearance, posting a 6-13 all-time record in the Big Dance. The Musketeers have won 20 of their last 22 games.

Hawaii is making their fourth tournament appearance. They have yet to advance past the first round. Predrag Savovic, brother of Ohio State?s Boban Savovic, was named first team all-WAC for a second consecutive season.

(2) Oklahoma -18 vs. (15) Ill-Chicago

Ben's Pick:
Did You Know? The Sooners enter the tournament on an eight-game winning streak. The Sooners' No. 2 seed is their highest since the 1989-90 team earned a No. 1. This will be Oklahoma?s eight consecutive tournament appearance. The Sooners have missed the tournament just three times since 1985, and all of those came during a period that saw Billy Tubbs fall out of favor in Norman, when his teams missed the draw three of four years from 1991-94.

UI-Chicago won the inaugural Horizon League tournament for its second NCAA tournament berth. They were seeded ninth in 1998, losing in the first round to North Carolina-Charlotte.

The Flames are coached by Jimmy Collins, who played in the Final Four with New Mexico State in 1970 and was named to the all-tournament team. He was an assistant coach for the 1988-89 University of Illinois team that went to the 1989 Final Four. permalink

Thursday, March 14, 2002

Ben Maller is a FoxSports.com College Hoops Insider

By Ben Maller

In a brilliant decision FoxSports.com has asked me to join the ranks of Marques Johnson, Jack Haley, Kevin Frazier, Tom Arnold, Chris Rose, Lisa Guerrero, John Kruk, John Salley and DeMarco Farr as a college basketball expert. My NCAA Tournmaent selections are available via the "Experts Results" area.

The great thing about BenMaller.com is you can get my picks here against the spread. Then log on to FoxSports.com and see how my bracket is doing. Then tune into my radio show this weekend and praise me for my brilliant picks. I may not win the bracket blast game but my goal is to beat Tom Arnold of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period!"

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BenMaller.com's NCAA Basketball Tournament Thursday picks

At Greensville, S.C.
South

(2) Alabama -17 1/2 vs. (15) Florida Atlantic

Ben's Pick:Florida Atlantic and the points. I don't have faith in the Tide.
Did You Know? Florida Atlantic is just two years removed from a season in which it recorded just two victories.

(10) Kent St. -1 1/2 vs. (7) Oklahoma St.

Ben's Pick: Kent St. lay the points. The Cowboys are up and down.
Did You Know?The Golden Flashes have won 18-straight

(8) Notre Dame Pk vs. (9) Charlotte

*****Ben's Pick: Charlotte is playing at home and they will win this game its my lock.
Did You Know? Charlotte's nickname is related not to the California Gold Rush, but to the school's proximity to Highway 49.

(1) Duke -33 1/2 vs. (16) Winthrop

Ben's Pick: Winthrop and take the points. 33 1/2 is just to many to lay in any game.
Did You Know? Former NBA superstar Alex English's son, also Alex, is a reserve guard for Winthrop. Duke is a No. 1 regional seed for a record fifth straight season (Note: Seedings began with 1979 tournament).

At St. Louis
East

(5) Marquette -4 1/2 vs. (12) Tulsa

Ben's Pick: Tulsa and the points
Did You Know? Five of Marquette's six losses this season were against teams in the NCAA tourney field, and the Golden Eagles own wins over Indiana, Gonzaga and Cincinnati. Head Coach John Phillips is the fourth coach to lead Tulsa to the NCAA Tournament since 1995, following Tubby Smith (now at Kentucky), Steve Robinson (just fired at Florida State) and Bill Self (Illinois). The Hurricane is 10-12 all-time in the tournament but 9-6 since 1994, with only one first-round exit in six appearances.

(4) Kentucky -7 1/2 vs. (13) Valparaiso

Ben's Pick: Valpo to cover and I think they'll win!
Did You Know? UK has not lost a first-round tournament game since 1987, a string of 11 consecutive first-round wins. This is Kentucky's record 43rd NCAA appearance. The Wildcats will try to add to their 87 tournament victories, also a record. Valparaiso also was a 13 seed back in 1998, when it beat first-round opponent Ole Miss on a last-second three by Bryce Drew and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Midwest

(8) Stanford -3 1/2 vs. (9) W. Kentucky

Ben's Pick: Go with the midmajor Western Kentucky over the average pac-10 team.
Did You Know? Stanford is making its eighth consecutive NCAA appearance. They reached the regional final last season before falling to Maryland 87-73. The Hilltoppers opened the season with a 64-52 win at Kentucky and closed it with an 18-game winning streak, the second longest winning streak in the nation behind Central Connecticut State?s 19-game streak.

(1) Kansas -29 vs. (16) Holy Cross

Ben's Pick: Holy Cross + the points although I wouldn't touch this one knowing Roy Williams past.
Did You Know? Holy Cross has a 7-9 all-time NCAA Tournament record and won the 1947 National Championship. Since 1953 they've lost five straight NCAA Tournament games. The Jayhawks have the top offense in the nation, averaging 92 points a game. They also are the only team in the nation to shoot above 50% (51.1%) and are third in three-point shooting (42.2%).

At Albuquerque, N.M.
West

(5) Miami Pk vs. (12) Missouri

Ben's Pick: Go with the Canes' because Missouri played like crap at the end of the year.
Did You Know? Miami started the season with 14 straight wins and set a school record with their 24 victories on the season. After failing to make the tournament from 1961 to 1997, the Hurricanes are making their fourth tournament appearance in the last five seasons. Missouri won its first nine games but has gone 12-11 since.

(4) Ohio St. -12 vs. (13) Davidson

Ben's Pick: Buckeyes' and lay the points
Did You Know? Davidson set a school record for 3-pointers in a season (245), averaging 8.2 per game, which ranks among the top 25 nationally. Ohio State is 19-2 all-time in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

(6) Gonzaga -6 1/2 vs. (11) Wyoming

Ben's Pick: Zags will blowout this Mountain West club.
Did You Know? Gonzaga leads the nation in rebounding margin, at plus-9.4 per game, and is sixth in FG percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just .379 from the field. Wyoming is back in the NCAA Tournament after a 13-year absence. This is the Cowboys 14th tournament appearance.

(3) Arizona -13 1/2 vs. (14) UC Santa Barbara

Ben's Pick: The Big West sucks out loud. Arizona by 25
Did You Know? UCSB is making their 3rd tournament appearance and their first since 1990. After going 0-4 against UC Irvine and Utah St. during the regular season, the Gauchos beat both teams to claim the Big West tournament title.

At Sacramento, Calif.
South

(5) Indiana -6 vs. (12) Utah

Ben's Pick: I like Rick Majerus and the Utes in this boring matchup
Did You Know? Utah has never lost a first-round game (8-0) under Rick Majerus (he is 9-0 for his career). Indiana has lost in the first round of the NCAA five times in the past seven years.

(4) Southern Cal -10 1/2 vs. (13) N.C. Wilmington

Ben's Pick: Trojans will roll in the opening round of the tourny
Did You Know? This is USC's highest seed since the Harold Miner-led team of 1992 got a No. 2. USC's 46 combined wins from 2001 (24) and 2002 (22) are the most ever in a two-year stretch. The previous best was in 1991 (19) and 1992 (24). The Seahawks won 20 games for the first time in seven seasons. UNC-Wilmington is making its second appearance in the NCAAs after winning the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

Midwest

(7) Wake Forest -4 vs. (10) Pepperdine

Ben's Pick: Pepperdine is a midmajor who is underrated. The Waves will make Waves in this upset.
Did You Know? Wake Forest has not won an NCAA tournament game since 1997. Wake Forest has lost in the first round only four times in 15 appearances. One of those was last season in an upset to 10th-seeded Butler. Wake shot 3-25 in the first half and trailed 43-10 at the break. The Waves offense averaged 81.9 points a game, ranking them 10th in the nation. Pepperdine posted big wins in games at UCLA and USC and beat Gonzaga at home.

(2) Oregon -20 1/2 vs. (15) Montana

Ben's Pick: I have the Ducks going far in this tournament but I'm going to bet Montana and take all those points!
Did You Know? Oregon hasn't won a tournament game since 1960. Oregon won the conference title for the first time since 1939 when the team won its first NCAA title. Montana last got invited to the big dance in 1997 and is 1-5 in tournament games. Montana got an automatic bid by beating three higher-seeded teams in the Big Sky tournament. permalink

Wednesday, March 13, 2002

Jerry Springer to blame for 9/11??

Ben's Take: This is an odd story quoting President Bush. I think we should also blame Rosie O'Donnell, Sally, The View and Oprah.

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Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Big Ben's NCAA Tournament Play in Game Five-Star Pick

Siena (16-18) vs. Alcorn State (21-9)

Where: UD Arena (13,455) -- Dayton, Ohio. NCAA

NCAA Tournament Record: Siena 1-2, Alcorn St. 3-5

The Odds: Siena -4.5

Ben Maller's Breakdown:March Maddness begins tonight in the NCAA Tournament play-in game for the right to play as the 16th seed in the East Region against the top-seeded Maryland Terrapins on Friday. The Saints won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament and, despite winning four straight games, they enter the tournament as the only team with a losing record (16-18). Alcorn State the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference enters this game having won seven straight.

I'm not going to lie and say I have seen either one of these teams play a game. However, I have done my homework and from what I can tell, despite the fact that they are under .500 the Saints of Siena are the more tested team having had their backs to the wall the last four games. Dwayne Archbold leads Siena with an average of 20.3ppg. Marcus Fleming is the leading scorer for the Braves of Alcorn St. averaging 14.9ppg.

Ben's Pick: Siena 79, Alcorn State 70 (Siena and lay the points!) permalink

Monday, March 11, 2002

The Fighting Whities

By Ben Maller

I mentioned this story on the air last night on Fox Sports Radio, America's premiere 24-hour sports radio network. I have received a lot of mail asking for the link. This story comes from the Greeley Tribune, Northern Colorado's Number 1 source for news. An intramural basketball team at the University of Northern Colorado has picked a white man as their mascot. The team now goes by the nickname "The Fighting Whities."

Sports Illustrated did a survey in a recent article and close to 80% of the people polled did not think that team nicknames like the Indians, Braves and Redskins were offensive. As a white guy I think "Fighting Whities" Is really funny! permalink