MEN'S BB: Lickliter wastes no time in trying to fill scholarships

With the 4 transfers, as well as the announcement the de-commitment of 2010 Marshalltown recruit, Chanse Creekmur, Lickliter and his assistants have been on the move. The departures were obviously not something that just suddenly sprung up on the coaching staff. They've been recruiting the JUCO ranks very hard the past month.

As previously mentioned, Malcolm Armstead is the key recruit for this staff. It looks good for a visit by Mac. Pegged as the best JUCO PG on the market, Armstead would bring the speed that this Iowa team desperately needs. SEASON HIGHLIGHT - VIDEO.

Another JUCO to look at is Torye Pelham, teammate of Armstead. They have talked about going to the same college after JUCO, so we'll see. At this point, Armstead is much more of a priority for Iowa. SEASON HIGHLIGHT - VIDEO.

Iowa also has their eye on several other JUCOs.

Zach McCabe, teammate of Iowa commit Brennan Cougill, now holds an offer from Iowa, as well. It appears that Creekmur's loss is McCabe's gain.

Right now, Iowa has 3 recruits set to come in: May, Cougill, and Archie. They'll need one more to feel a little better about next year, two more would be ideal.

Then again, we could always bring in Tyrone:

MEN'S BB: It's (NOW) Official - Kelly, Palmer, Peterson, and Davis Leaving Iowa BB Program

No one can say for sure the reason why the mass exodus occurred at Iowa, but four players, including Iowa leading scorer and best player will not be back next year.

Jake Kelly, sophomore guard, is expected to head back to Indiana, possibly transfer to Indiana State.

Jeff Peterson, sophomore guard, frustrated by his role in the program is heading for an unknown destination.

David Palmer, junior forward, is on course to graduate in May and will not be returning to the program. A force out or voluntary leave? Not sure.

Jermain Davis, junior guard, is transferring to Mankato State as he was not happy with his role on the team either.

Black Wednesday was when this info came out - and today it becomes official.

So what's REALLY happening inside the program. This is the third straight year Iowa has had their best player leave the team (Smith, Freeman, Kelly). It's not like this system is easy to pick up or anything. Iowa is now even further behind the 8 ball now.

Recruiting had better get red-hot for Iowa or the Hawks will struggle in the non-conference this year, not to mention the drubbing in conference.

The door is WIDE OPEN for Malcolm Armstead to jump right into a starting role on this team at PG. He canceled his visit at Charlotte and one of his other suitor's, Kentucky, just fired their coach.

Other names are swirling out there, I just hope Iowa can land some of them and they are smart enough to pick up this, apparently, difficult system to pick up.

MEN'S BB: Lickliter to Address Media - LIVE COVERAGE VIA GAZETTE

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090327/SPORTS/903279989/1056

Men's BB: It's (Sort of) Official, Jake Kelly Leaving Iowa

I've been pimped Doc's articles via Twitter the past 24 hours in regards to the news of transferring players, if you missed them, head to Scott Dochterman's blog.

His latest article talks about the players leaving, esp. Jake Kelly. Looks like he is right in line with everything.

All that talk looks to have become the truth. Although nothing "official" has been released yet, the Terre Haute News has talked to Bob Kelly (Jake's dad, not the comedian, but that's not to say Jake's dad doesn't have a sense of humor) and he revealed that Jake has asked for his release from the Iowa Basketball program.

Now Todd Lickliter doesn't necessarily have to honor the release request, however with what we saw happen with Tyler Smith and his family situation it's likely he'll grant it. Then again, I can't help but think Coach Lickliter is pleading with Jake to stay on with his squad.

I have been hoping that we haven't seen the last of Jake Kelly in an Iowa Hawkeye uniform, but it looks like nothing but bad news for Hawk fans.

MEN'S BB: It's Official, Jermain Davis Transferring to Mankato State

Some great audio here from Rob Howe from Hawkeyenation, who has been working overtime the past day with all of the rumors swirling around the Iowa Hawkeye Basketball program.

DAVIS LEAVING IOWA



A very, very interesting interview and it brings up a ton of questions.

Press-Citizen article on Jermain's departure

Jermain is a class act, however, and I wish him all the best at Mankato State.
Hell, I might even go over and watch him play once or twice next year.

MEN'S BB: Several Hawkeye Players Rumored to Be Leaving (Including Jake Kelly)

Several stories have come out last last night and into today reporting that Iowa will be losing several of their players from this year's squad. Jake Kelly transferring to Indiana State?

Rob Howe from Hawkeyenation was in talks with Jake:

When asked the same question on Wednesday, Kelly responded with “I really can’t say right now.”

He was then asked if there was a possibility he might transfer, and he said “I’d really rather not talk about it right now.”

Kelly then said he would be able to say something on the subject soon. He confirmed that he would likely discuss it by early next week at the latest.

Does NOT sound good for Iowa's chances to keep him at Iowa. He's gone by all indications.

Doc had a write up on this morning, as well.

It's also rumored that a couple more guys will be leaving, further depleting the roster.

Not good. Not good at all, folks.

Ouch.

So now it's likely that Lickliter has lost his best player in back to back years due to transferring out.

It's also been reported that 2010 verbal commit, Chanse Creekmur from Marshalltown, has decommitted from Iowa, as well.

Can My 8 Month Son Pick the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Bracket Better Than Me? The Secret to Filling Out Your Bracket

Last year it was the infamous Triscuit Cracker Box that went up against me...



And it FAILED MISERABLY.

This year another contender steps up to the plate to prove once and for all that filling out your bracket might just be a glorious crap shoot.

Here was the premise. I printed out all of the teams (with their record to help him out, of course) and presented him with each matchup as it came up. I randomly chose which side each team was presented to him to avoid biasing the results.

The winner of the round was determined by staying in play the longest on the table.

Rulings included:

• First team to be tossed off the table was out.
• First team to be eaten (or inserted into the mouth) was out.
• In the event of a tie, the top facing team in the mouth was out.
• The NCAA Champion was selected by the first team chosen of the two contenders.

Let's Go! (NOTE: All pics are clickable for larger images)


Studying the Field

FIRST ROUND


Morehead State was the first to fall.



Ohio State suffered the same fate. Perhaps he has a vendetta against the State colleges?


Usually he likes Hug(gin)s, but the little man took down the Mountaineers


Midwest: First round winners


He just HAD to take down his dad's alma mater, didn't he?


West: First round winners


East: First round winners


South: First round winners


END OF FIRST ROUND - He managed to keep three 1 seeds, three 2 seeds, and three 3 seeds.

SECOND ROUND


And DOWN GOES MICHIGAN STATE! Literally...


Sweet Sixteen, Baby! All the 3 seeds were knocked off, two 1 seeds and two 2 seeds still alive... and in all honesty, that West Region could really happen.

THIRD ROUND


Some of the Big Boys made it past the Sweet Sixteen.

FOURTH ROUND


A couple 5 vs 1 battles in the Final Four

FIFTH ROUND

Video coverage of the Final Four action:



Utah and FSU survive to play in the championship game - Two #5 seeds willed their way into the Championship Game.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Video footage of the exciting Championship Game:


And the winner is....


.............................


UTAH!



Congratulations to the Utes out of the Mountain West Conference!

QUEUE THE MONTAGE!


Here are the brackets (clickable for bigger image) -

Pax's:


Mine:


I am really torn on the West. I think Missouri has a legitimate chance to get to the Final Four. Here's my alternate bracket:

MEN'S BB: JUCO Forward Devon Archie Verbals to the Iowa Hawkeye BB Program

So the Interwebs exploded today with the news that Iowa had offered Devon Archie, a JUCO forward out of Vincennes University. And then Devon verballed to play basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.


(Photo courtesy of Scout.com)

That name sounded a little familiar to me, so I had to go back into the archives. Sure enough, I posted a YouTube video of Devon almost two years ago. Problem is, it was a highlight film dunk of Jake Kelly dunking on him. I wonder if that will be awkward the next time they meet?

So back to the recruit. A lot of rumbling that this kid is a project and he can't help the program right now. I'll be honest, I don't know much about him. He's supposed to be a legit 6'9" body, but hasn't played organized ball that long (sound familiar?). I guess my hope is that maybe they redshirt him and then let him play 4 in 5. Not sure. However, if he doesn't redshirt, he might be athletic enough to help out Iowa's interior defense (one that will suffer greatly with Tate's departure). One thing that is undeniable is that the kid has mad hops, and will bring some big time athleticism. How will that work with Lickliter's system, though?

HoopsIndiana has a nice little article on the commit. So WHY Archie? Archie was one of the best prep players in the state of.... Indiana. At Ben Davis high school in... Indianapolis. Starting to make more sense now? It does for me.

Juco Junctions' Ranking, puts Archie as the #28 JUCO player in the nation.

But like I said, a lot of people questioning the recruiting capabilities of this staff. But answer me this.

What does Lickliter have to sell to the kids?

• Packed house? Nope.
• Great facilities? Nope.
• Lofty tradition? Nope.
• Beaches/Hot weather? Nope.
• Winning tradition under Lickliter at Iowa? Nope.

Really, the only selling points are playing time and a chance to resurrect a program. I can't see a lot of 4-5 star recruits jumping at that.

I personally don't know how to rebuild a program, but here are my thoughts. You go out and grab the hard working, versatile players that can play multiple positions. Get smart players, kids that can work well together. Focus on 2 and 3 star type of players that, when in the team environment, can succeed. Get the occasional 4 star if you can, but focus your efforts on the better 3 star type players. Don't go for the big time players, swing and miss (like a former coach of Iowa's) and then be left scrambling for players. Players like Kelly, Gatens, Cole, etc.. are the type of players, in my opinion, that you rebuild a program with. They will be 4 year players that aren't going to bolt to the NBA. They can help the new kids come in with the system and they give the staff 4 years of consistency. I don't believe rebuilding is an overnight deal for Iowa. Some schools have the tradition or coach to bring in the big boys right away, Iowa doesn't.

I think the way Lickliter is going is the way to go.

With the commitment, that fills up Iowa's class for 2009... or DOES IT? Iowa still looks to be recruiting Malcolm Armstead, one of the more promising PGs in the country, who plays on the JUCO powerhouse of Chipola CC. So if Armstead is still in the mix, that means someone goes, but who is it? David Palmer seems to be the most likely candidate. Then again, some of us were saying David would be leaving last year when Iowa was trying to make room for another recruit and he still remained on the team.

MEN'S BB: Who Needs the NCAA Tourney When You Have the N.I.T.?

At least that's what Google Trends is telling us...

MEN'S BB: 2009 NCAA Tournament & My Bubble Team Analysis (FINAL UPDATE)

STORMINSPANK'S BRACKETOLOGY

Final Look at Bubble Teams for 2009 and Projecting the NCAA Tourney Field.
This will likely be the last update, beside editing for the Big Ten champion.

UPDATES:
Mississippi State IN
Florida or Auburn OUT, I don't think both get in. I had Florida ranked higher than Auburn, but I like Auburn's play as of late, it will be tough to keep both in. It will have to be one of the two to be knocked out.


LAST FOUR IN:

Florida

Dayton

Creighton

San Diego State

LAST SIX OUT:

Auburn

Boston College

Arizona

Maryland

St Mary's

Penn State

TEAMS THAT I THINK ARE LOCKS/AUTOBIDS (parenthesis contain total number of bids for the conference; the first number is the locks and the second number is the total bids the conference will get as of right now).

LOCKS

NUMBER ONE SEEDS: NORTH CAROLINA, UCONN, MEMPHIS, LOUISVILLE

Am East (1/1) - BINGHAMTON
ACC (5/5) - DUKE, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State
A. Sun (1/1) - ETSU
A-10 (2/3) - TEMPLE, Xavier
Big East (7/7) - LOUISVILLE, UConn, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia
Big Sky (1/1) - PORTLAND STATE
Big South (1/1) - RADFORD
Big Ten (4/7) - Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State
Big 12 (6/6) - MISSOURI, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M
Big West (1/1) - CSN or PACIFIC
CAA (1/1) - VCU
CUSA (1/1) - MEMPHIS
Horizon (1/2) - CLEVELAND STATE
Ivy (1/1) - CORNELL
MAAC (1/1) - SIENNA
MAC (1/1) - AKRON
MEAC (1/1) - MORGAN STATE
MVC (1/2) - NORTHERN IOWA
MWC (2/3) - UTAH, BYU
NEC (1/1) - ROBERT MORRIS
OVC (1/1) - MOREHEAD STATE
Patriot (1/1) - AMERICAN
Pac-10 (5/5 ) - USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, California
SEC (3/4) - MISSISSIPPI STATE, LSU, Tennessee
Southern (1/1) - CHATTANOOGA
Southland (1/1) - SF AUSTIN
Summit (1/1) - NORTH DAKOTA STATE
SWAC (1/1) - ALABAMA STATE
Sun Belt (1/1) - WESTERN KENTUCKY
WCC (1/1) - GONZAGA
WAC (1/1) - UTAH STATE

CAP/BOLD TEAMS WON THEIR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

BUBBLE TEAMS

8 spots are up for grabs - 29 teams up for the spots.

65 teams - 57 listed above = 8 bubble teams.

Those teams IN are noted with an asterisk (*).

ACC:
Miami
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia Tech

A10:
Dayton *
Rhode Island

BIG EAST:
Providence

BIG TEN:
Wisconsin *
Michigan *
Minnesota *
Penn State
Northwestern

BIG XII:
Kansas State
Nebraska

C-USA:
UAB
Tulsa

HORIZON:
Butler *

MVC:
Creighton *
Illinois State

MWC:
UNLV
New Mexico
San Diego State *

PAC-10:
Arizona

SEC:
Auburn
South Carolina
Florida *
Kentucky

SOUTHERN:
Davidson

WCC:
St. Mary's