HOUSTON, Texas – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced today the 2011 State Farm® Coaches’ Division I All-America teams. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across America.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young, 6-2, Senior, Guard, Glens Falls, N.Y.
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue, 6-10, Senior, Forward/Center, Indianapolis, Ind.
Nolan Smith, Duke, 6-22, Senior, Guard, Upper Marlboro, Md.
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, 6-9, Freshman, Forward, Columbus, Ohio
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, 6-1, Junior, Guard, Bronx, N.Y.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Jordan Hamilton, Texas, 6-7, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, Compton, Calif.
Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame, 6-3, Senior, Guard, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Marcus Morris, Kansas, 6-9, Junior, Forward, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kyle Singler, Duke, 6-8, Senior, Forward, Medford, Ore.
Derrick Williams, Arizona, 6-8, Sophomore, Forward, La Mirada, Calif.

2011 STATE FARM® COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, 6-8, Senior, Center/Forward, Newark, N.J.
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State, 6-7, Sophomore, Forward, Riverside, Calif.
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue, 6-4, Senior, Guard, East Chicago, Ind.
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State, 6-0, Senior, Guard, Maywood, Ill.
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin, 6-1, Senior, Guard, Bloomington, Minn.

While Jimmer Fredette of BYU led the way with 64 votes, UConn Huskies junior point guard Kemba Walker garnered 51 votes to be named tp the 2010-11 AP All-America First Team. They are joined by Nolan Smith of Duke, Jared Sullinger of The Ohio State and JaJuan Johnson of Purdue.

Walker becomes the first First Team AP All-America from UConn since Emeka Okafor was named to the team back in 2004.

A full look at the full AP All-America Teams can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

2010-11 AP All-America Teams

First Team

• Jimmer Fredette, BYU
• Nolan Smith, Duke
• Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
• Kemba Walker, Connecticut
• JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

Second Team

• Marcus Morris, Kansas
• Derrick Williams, Arizona
• Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame
• Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
• Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State

Third Team

• Jordan Hamilton, Texas
• Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
• Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
• Tu Holloway, Xavier
• Marshon Brooks, Providence

Honorable Mention

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina; Talor Battle, Penn State; Devon Beitzel, Northern Colorado; Keith Benson, Oakland; Solomon Bozeman, UALR.

Alec Burks, Colorado; Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State; Norris Cole, Cleveland State; Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech; Austin Freeman, Georgetown.

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh; Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston; Justin Greene, Kent State; Dwight Hardy, St. John’s; John Holland, Boston U.

Ken Horton, Central Connecticut State; Reggie Jackson, Boston College; Rick Jackson, Syracuse; Charles Jenkins, Hofstra; John Jenkins, Vanderbilt.

Aaron Johnson, UAB; Terrence Jones, Kentucky; Trevele Jones, Texas Southern; Brandon Knight, Kentucky; Jon Leuer, Wisconsin.

Mickey McConnell, Saint Mary’s; E’Twaun Moore, Purdue; Markieff Morris, Kansas; Mike Muscala, Bucknell; Chandler Parsons, Florida.

C.J. Reed, Bethune-Cookman; Ryan Rossiter, Siena; Jesse Sanders, Liberty; Kyle Singler, Duke; Mike Smith, East Tennessee State.

Isaiah Thomas, Washington; Tristan Thompson, Texas; Nikola Vucevic, Southern California; Brad Wanamaker, Pittsburgh; Casper Ware, Long Beach State.

Kyle Weems, Missouri State; Taj Wesley, Utah State; Jordan Williams, Maryland; Isiah Williams, Utah Valley; Keith Wright, Harvard.

Off the strength of their miraculous Big East Tournament run, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team has finished the regular season in the top 10 of both polls. They jumped 12 spots in the AP Poll to No. 9 and 11 spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 8.

Joining the Huskies from the Big East, which got 11 teams into the 2011 NCAA Tournament, in the top 10 are the No. 4/4 Pittsburgh Panthers and No. 5/5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Other Big East teams in the top 25 of both polls are the Syracuse Orange (12/14), Louisville Cardinals (14/11) and the St. John’s Red Storm (18/19). The West Virginia Mountaineers are ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll while they are the second highest team among the others receiving votes in the coaches poll. The Georgetown Hoyas are ranked No. 25 in the coaches poll and are the highest team among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are among the others receiving votes in both polls while the Villanova Wildcats and Marquette Golden Eagles are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll.

For a full look at both polls, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

On Sunday the NCAA Selection Committee picked the 68 schools to play in the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament with the Final Four being held at Reliant Stadium in Houston. 

The big news in the selections were as always the teams that were left out or teams that made it that didn’t deserve it and there are a number in these categories.  Among the teams being bashed for their selection by the committee are Southern Cal; UAB; Penn State; Marquette and Clemson.  While teams like St. Mary’s and Colorado were left out.

Others are chirping about the seedings. Why is Florida a #2 seed when Kentucky a #4 seed beat them twice?  Why is Texas a #4 seed?

But to me the biggest thing is that the NCAA took eleven teams from the Big East, clearly the beast of the college basketball world.  I’d put the top four Big East teams up against the top four teams from all the other conferences any day.  Supposed powerhouse conferences like the ACC had four teams picked as did the lowly Pac-10. While the Big Ten put in seven teams, the SEC has five as does the Big 12.  But other smaller conferences like the A-10 got three bids, the CAA got three as well as did the Mountain West.

Granted their were four more slots to fill this year as the tournament expands from 64 to 68 teams but I think teams like St. Mary’s and Colorado deserved a better shot at making the tourney as opposed to 11 teams from one conference or mid-level teams from mid-major conferences.

As a Big East basketball fan since Day 1 I am proud to say the conference has the most bids ever in a single tournament even if maybe some were border line picks. The Big East has one #1 seed; one #2 seed; two #3 seeds; one #4 seed; one #5 seed; three #6 seeds; one #9 seed and one #11 seed.  In the past the committee has tried to avoid having conference members meet head-to-head in the tournament but this year that went out the window as Connecticut could face Cincinnati in the round of 32 as could Syracuse and Marquette. The Big East has had multiple final four teams 3 times.  In 1985, Villanova and Georgetown played in the title game and St. John’s also made the semi finals; in 1987 Syracuse lost the title game and Providence went down in the semi’s and in 2009 UCONN and Villanova lost in the semi final games.  Since it’s inception in 1979 the Big East has been represented in the Final Four 17 times (last school was WVU in 1010) and has won five National titles with UCONN winning twice and Georgetown, Villanova and Syracuse each winning once.

As a UCONN fan I never thought at Day 1 of the Big East that the team would travel to the heights it’s been with  seven conference tournament titles, three Final Fours and two National Championships.  This league is the best of them all and obviously one school from the conference could in all probability be raising the championship trophy on April 4th. It’d really be something if it was Kemba Walker with his hands on it.

Don’t forget to fill out your bracket and enjoy the games.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Here is a list via the AP of all 68 schools selected by conference:

America East (1): Boston University

Atlantic Coast (4): Clemson, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina

Atlantic Sun (1): Belmont

Atlantic 10 (3): Richmond, Temple, Xavier

Big East (11): Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia

Big Sky (1): Northern Colorado

Big South (1): UNC Asheville

Big Ten (7): Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Big 12 (5): Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

Big West (1): UC Santa Barbara

Colonial Athletic Association (3): George Mason, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth

Conference USA (2): Memphis, UAB

Horizon (1): Butler

Ivy (1): Princeton

Mid-American (1): Akron

MEAC (1): Hampton

Missouri Valley (1): Indiana State

Mountain West (3): BYU, San Diego State, UNLV

Northeast (1): Long Island University

Ohio Valley (1): Morehead State

Pacific-10 (4): Arizona, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington

Patriot (1): Bucknell

Southeastern (5): Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Southern (1): Wofford

Southland (1): Texas-San Antonio

SWAC (1): Alabama State

Summit (1): Oakland (Mich.)

Sun Belt (1): Arkansas-Little Rock

West Coast (1): Gonzaga

Western Athletic (1): Utah State

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If you didn’t know, this year during the 2011 NCAA Tournament, you will get a chance to see every game that is played. That’s right, no more regional coverage as TNT, TruTV, TBS will broadcast games along with CBS.

You also will still be able to watch the games online at NCAA March Madness on Demand.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Here is the 2011 NCAA First & Second Round Television schedule along with announcers:

* All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)

After going 0-2 last week to close out the regular season, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball has dropped five spots in the AP Poll to No. 21 and three spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 19. The Ohio State Buckeyes remain No. 1 and are followed by Kansas, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Duke in both polls.

Joining the Huskies, Panthers and Fighting Irish in the top 25 from the Big East are the Syracuse Orange (11/11), Louisville Cardinals (14/14), St. John’s Red Storm (17/18) and Georgetown Hoyas (22/22). The West Virginia Mountaineers are ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll but are the first team receiving votes in the coaches poll.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll and are also among the others receiving votes in the coaches poll.  The Villanova Wildcats are also among the others receiving votes in both polls are falling out of both polls this week.

For a full look at both polls, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Another week and another drop in the polls for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team. After going 1-1 last week, the Huskies have dropped two spots in the AP Poll to No. 16. They fell one spot in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 16.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the new No. 1 team after Duke lost last week (wooooohoooooo!!). They are followed by Kansas, BYU, Duke and Pittsburgh.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish join the Panthers in the top 10 at No. 8/7. Other Big East teams in the top 25 besides the Panthers, Irish and Huskies are the No. 11/11 Louisville Cardinals, No. 12/12 Syracuse Orange, No. 15/15 St. John’s Red Storm, No. 17/17 Georgetown Hoyas and No. 19/19 Villanova Wildcats.

The West Virginia Mountaineers and Cincinnati Bearcats are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll.

For a full look at both polls, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After going 1-1 last week, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team fell one spot in the AP Poll to No. 14 and three spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 15. It’s the lowest the Huskies have been ranked since starting off the season unranked.

It was a crazy a week at the top of the polls as all the first four ranked teams from last week lost. With all that craziness happening, the Duke Blue Devils (BARF!!) have returned to the top of both polls.

There are two teams in the top 10 from the Big East. The Pittsburgh Panthers are No. 4/6 and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are No. 8/9.

Joining the Huskies, Panthers and Fighting Irish from the Big East in the top 25 are the Georgetown Hoyas (11/11),  Villanova Wildcats (15/14), Louisville Cardinals (16/16), Syracuse Orange (17/20) and the St. John’s Red Storm (23/25). The only team from the Big East receiving votes in both polls are the West Virginia Mountaineers.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

The lastest men’s college basketball polls came out on Monday and the UConn Huskies find themselves out of the top 10 for the first time since being unranked. They dropped three spots in the AP Poll to No. 13 and three spots in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 12.

The Kansas Jayhawks take over as No. 1 in both polls and are ahead of the Texas Longhorns by just one point in the coaches poll. The Longhorns are No. 3 in the AP Poll while the Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 3 in the coaches poll.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are the highest ranked team from the Big East in the top 10 as they are No. 4/4. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come in at No. 8/7 and the Georgetown Hoyas at No. 9/9.

Joining the Huskies and those three teams in the top 25 from the Big East are the Villanova Wildcats (14/15), Louisville Cardinals (16/16) and Syracuse Orange (17/20).

The West Virginia Mountaineers and St. John’s Red Storm are receiving votes in both polls while the Marquette Golden Eagles are only receiving votes in the AP Poll.

For a full look at both polls click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After going 1-1 last week, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team has fallen four spots to No. 10 in the latest AP Poll and two spots to No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The top five remains the same in both polls.

Joining the Huskies from the Big East in the top 10 of both polls are the Pittsburgh Panthers (4/4), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8/7) and the Villanova Wildcats (9/10). Also in the top 25 from the Big East are the Georgetown Hoyas (11/11), Syracuse Orange (12/13), and the Louisville Cardinals (16/15).

The West Virginia Mountaineers are ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll but are the first team receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cincinnati Bearcats are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll while the Marquette Golden Eagles are among the others receiving votes in both polls.

For a full look at both polls, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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