Power 24 welcomes three new members

Updated on Saturdays, the newest Power 24 at Bracketville welcomes three new teams: Syracuse, Villanova, and Davidson.  North Carolina remains firmly entrenched at No. 1 and probably won’t move.  If you’ve seen the Tar Heels play, you know the hype isn’t hype.  The rest of this week’s Top 5 – Louisville, Connecticut, Duke, and Pittsburgh.  Use the links for our Power 24 to view our full list and breakdown. Then, send us a rebound.  Our first inseason Bracket will be released Monday, December 1 – Bracketguy.

First regular-season NCAA Bracket arriving December 1

Here at Bracketville, our first regular-season NCAA Tournament Bracket will be released Monday, December 1.  Our focus is who should be in the field - not necessarily what we think the Selection Committee would do.  For those interested, the preseason bracket is available, along with our Power 24 rankings, listings of upcoming Key Games, and information about this year’s tournament sites.  You can also find our perspective on all things NCAA tournament (and basketball) related.  Best wishes for Happy Holidays – Bracketguy.

Reaction to final fallout for Indiana, Sampson

After a long and tenous investigation, former Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson rightfully received tough punishment from the NCAA for his repeated failure to abide by established rules governing phone calls to recruits.  His infractions are well documented – abuse and his subsequent cover-up.  Yet, when you read Sampson’s statement – released after the NCAA’s official announcement on Tuesday - you wonder if he actually gets it, or if he ever will. 

Xavier puts an “X” on early opponents

Few teams have had better starts than Xavier.  The Muskateers, fresh off an Elite 8 appearance in last year’s NCAA’s, scrapped their way through Missouri, Virginia Tech and Memphis en route to winning the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.  XU is now 5-0 with wins over the Big 12, ACC, and Conference USA. This despite losing Drew Lavender, Stanley Burrell, and Josh Duncan to graduation.

2008 Maui Invitational preview …

When it comes to the 2009 EA Sports Maui Invitational, you can break the field into three categories … The Favorite … The Contenders … and The Pretenders.  First, who’s in the tournament: North Carolina, Alabama, Oregon, Texas, Indiana, Notre Dame, St. Joseph’s, and Chaminade.  Conferences represented include the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, Big East, and Atlantic 10.