Three #12 Seeds Upset #5 Seeds As March Madness Tournament Begins - All 1, 2 & 3 Seeds Advance

Fourteen top-four seeded teams made it to basketball Sweet 16 and three #12 seeds upset #5 seeds during the first two rounds of the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament March 19-22.

Advancing to the Sweet 16 to continue their March Madness bids were #1 seeds Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina and Louisville, #2 seeds Duke, Memphis, Oklahoma and Michigan State, #3 seeds Villanova, Missouri, Syracuse and Kansas, and #4 seeds Xavier and Gonzaga. Only #4 seed Wake Forest was eliminated by #13 Cleveland State and #4 seed Washington was eliminated by #5 seed Purdue.

The three #12 seeds that pulled off upsets of #5 seeds included Wisconsin over Florida State, Western Kentucky over Illinois and Arizona over Utah. Other upsets included #11 Dayton over #6 West Virginia, and #10 Michigan over #7 LSU. Only one game went into overtime as #9 Siena eliminated #8 Ohio State in double overtime.

There were two horrific blowouts as #1 Connecticut swamped poor #16 Chattanooga by 56 points, 103-47, and #1 North Carolina made short work of #16 Radford by 43 points, 101-58. Connecticut ripped #9 Texas A&M by 26 (92-66) in its second contest. Besides Siena's double overtime win over Ohio State, 6 other teams won games by a basket or less. They included Wisconsin, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Marquette, Purdue and Gonzaga. Only Purdue would make it to the Sweet 16.

Only one double digit seed--#12 Arizona-would make it into the Sweet 16. When you add up all 16 seeding spots, the total of 49 set a record for the lowest ever, besting the prior record of 50 set in 1989. The place top-seeded teams fared worst this year was the Midwest Regional which saw #4 Wake Forest, #5 Utah, #6 West Virginia, #7 Boston College and #8 Ohio State get eliminated in their first game.

The Big East became this year's elite conference with an NCAA-record 5 teams among the final Sweet 16: Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Syracuse. North Carolina also tied Kentucky for the most NCAA tournament victories (98) with its win over LSU.

Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Regional Semifinal Match-Ups:

East Regional:

#1 Pittsburgh versus #4 Xavier - Thursday, March 26
#2 Duke versus #3 Villanova - Thursday, March 26

West Regional:

#1 Connecticut versus #5 Purdue - Thursday, March 26
#2 Memphis versus #3 Missouri - Thursday, March 26

South Regional:

#1 North Carolina versus #4 Gonzaga - Friday, March 27
#2 Oklahoma versus #3 Syracuse - Friday, March 27

Midwest Regional:

#1 Louisville versus #12 Arizona - Friday, March 27
#2 Michigan State versus #3 Kansas - Friday, March 27

So who will make it to the Elite 8?

Consider these cold, hard historical facts:

1) When you know that no team less than a #4 seed has won the championship for 20 straight years, you might want to eliminate #5 Purdue and #12 Arizona.

That leaves #1 seeds Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina and Louisville, #2 seeds Duke, Memphis, Oklahoma and Michigan State, #3 seeds Villanova, Missouri,

Syracuse, and Kansas, and #4 seeds Xavier and Gonzaga.

2) Only three of the #1 seeds are likely to advance to the Final 4 since only 70% of #1 seeds advance into the Elite 8. The odds say that either Pittsburgh, Connecticut, North Carolina or Louisville will not make it among the Elite 8.

3) Amazingly, only one or two of the #1 seeds have made it to the Final 4 in 18 of the last 24 years. Last year was an exception as ALL four #1 seeds made it into the Final 4 for the first time ever.

Morehead State eliminated Alabama State 58-43 in the play-in game for the 64th slot in the tournament.

Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament First Round Results:

East Regional:

#1 Pittsburgh eliminated #16 East Tennessee State 72-62
#2 Duke eliminated #15 Binghamton 86-62
#3 Villanova eliminated #14 American University 80-67
#4 Xavier eliminated #13 Portland State 77-59
#12 Wisconsin upset #5 Florida State 61-59
#6 UCLA eliminated #11 Virginia Commonwealth 65-64
#7 Texas eliminated #10 Minnesota 76-62
#8 Oklahoma State eliminated #9 Tennessee 77-75

West Regional:

#1 Connecticut eliminated #16 Chattanooga 103-47
#2 Memphis eliminated #15 Cal State Northridge 81-70
#3 Missouri eliminated #14 Cornell 78-59
#4 Washington eliminated #13 Mississippi State 71-58
#5 Purdue eliminated #12 Northern Iowa 61-56
#6 Marquette eliminated #11 Utah State 58-57
#7 California eliminated #10 Maryland 84-71
#9 Texas A&M eliminated #8 Brigham Young 79-66

South Regional:

#1 North Carolina eliminated #16 Radford 101-58
#2 Oklahoma eliminated #15 Morgan State 82-54
#3 Syracuse eliminated #14 Stephen F. Austin 59-44
#4 Gonzaga eliminated #13 Akron 77-64
#12 Western Kentucky upset #5 Illinois 76-72
#6 Arizona State eliminated #11 Temple 66-57
#10 Michigan upset #7 LSU 62-59
#8 LSU eliminated #9 Butler 75-71

Midwest Regional:

#1 Louisville eliminated #16 Morehead State 74-54
#2 Michigan State eliminated #15 Robert Morris 77-62
#3 Kansas eliminated #14 North Dakota State 84-74
#13 Cleveland State upset #4 Wake Forest 84-69
#12 Arizona upset #5 Utah 84-71
#11 Dayton upset #6 West Virginia 68-60
#10 Southern California eliminated #7 Boston College 72-55
#9 Siena eliminated #8 Ohio State 74-72 in Double Overtime

Here are the 2009 NCAA Tournament Second Round Results:

East Regional:

#1 Pittsburgh eliminated #8 Oklahoma State 84-76
#2 Duke eliminated #7 Texas 74-69
#3 Villanova eliminated #6 UCLA 89-69
#4 Xavier eliminated #12 Wisconsin 60-49

West Regional:

#1 Connecticut eliminated #9 Texas A&M 92-66
#2 Memphis eliminated #10 Maryland 89-70
#3 Missouri eliminated #6 Marquette 83-79
#5 Purdue eliminated #4 Washington 76-74

South Regional:

#1 North Carolina eliminated #8 LSU 84-70
#2 Oklahoma eliminated #10 Michigan 73-63
#3 Syracuse eliminated #6 Arizona State 78-67
#4 Gonzaga eliminated #12 Western Kentucky 83-81

Midwest Regional:

#1 Louisville eliminated #9 Siena 79-72
#2 Michigan State eliminated #10 Southern California 74-69
#3 Kansas eliminated #11 Dayton 60-43
#12 Arizona eliminated #13 Cleveland State 71-57

Copyright 2009 Ed Bagley

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5 Things Not to Do When Playing Basketball

You are probably told most often what to do when playing basketball. However, highlighting some things you should not do is also important to mastering the sport. Being able to see what is wrong is a good thing because it allows you to be aware of the things that can basketball your team fouls or other violations on the court.

Every good player knows the rules, and they know what they can and can not do on the court. These five top things not to do on the court are something every player has to take to heart. One slip up may not be a big deal, but a player who really doesn't know what they are doing wrong can end up making the team lose the game.

Make sure you and all your teammates understand that doing the following things can ruin the game for everyone.

1. Traveling

Traveling is a direct violation of the rules. Traveling is when you are carrying the ball or performing an illegal dribbling action. Players must recognize the rules regarding traveling and avoid doing it. Many players travel when they are attacking the basketball hoop.

Traveling is a simple way to get your team a violation. Fortunately it is a simple thing to avoid if you are constantly aware of the ball and how you are handling it.

2. Losing eye contact

Eye basketball is important in almost every team sport. You can not play as a team if you are not connected with your teammates. Eye contact allows you to know where other players are and what they are doing. You can often tell what a player is going to do through eye contact or send messages through eye contact that are subtle and not picked up by the opposing team.

Good eye contact should always be stressed by coaches because when eye contact is bad it leads to the ball being lost and players feeling disconnected from the team.

3. Knowing where the ball is at all times

Every player on the court, no matter where they are playing or if they are playing defense or offense, should always know where they ball is. Losing sight of the ball is a fatal mistake. Plays are missed, points are lost and games take wrong turns when players start to take the ball for granted.

You have to know where the ball is at all times. You have to always be watching where it is going because your goal is to either get the ball in the basket or stop the ball from getting to the basket. If you do not know where it is then you can not do either.

4. Leaving your position

There is always a reason that the coach places each player in certain positions. It is up to the players to follow the coach's orders and play their position. Unless told otherwise or unless it is a great benefit to the team, a player should always be focused on their position.

When players start to leave their position it weakens the team and allows for mistakes and possible scoring by the other team.

5. Intentional fouls

Lastly, you want to avoid fouls at all costs. Some may be unavoidable and a simple accident. Other fouls, though, are intentional and most often due to a lack of self control. When playing a team sport things can get heated, but players must show self control. Letting your emotions get the best of you is no way to win a game.

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Learn How to Jump Higher - Finding the Right Jumping Program

Are you a volleyball player, basketball player, or high jumper who has reached a plateau? Are you ready to take your game to basketball next level? Are you searching for a way to jump higher? Are you getting frustrated by the plethora of information and jumping programs that you have found on the internet? If you are like many people that I talk to, then you have become confused and discouraged by the many jumping programs that promise big but don't deliver.

The purpose of this article is to arm you with a standard to help you recognize the right jumping program when you see it. Instead of getting lost in the mounds of information, you will be able sift through the piles of promises and theories and be able to find the proverbial needle in a hay stack that will help you reach that next level and learn to jump higher.

The key to finding the right jumping program and learn how to jump higher is knowing the scientific principles that will create the stimulus that your body needs to make improvements. All the exercises and advice in the world, from basketball that claim to be experts, is not going to do you a bit of good if they are not tapped in to the methods that are going to be effective. Here are a few of those principles that I have found to be effective with the athletes that I have worked with.

First, to learn how to jump higher, you will need to find a jump training program that takes advantage of the stretch shortening cycle. To put it simply, the stretch shortening cycle is the way the muscles are able to act like springs. You will be able to train your muscles to immediately take advantage of the energy that gets stored for a very short period of time when it is stretched. This is why it is important to quickly transition from one jump move to the next.

Secondly, plyometric exercises are the most effective way to train the stretch shortening cycle. They consist of rapidly jumping from one jump to the next with the least amount of time spent on the ground. It is important that a jump training program instruct you in the proper way to use plyometric exercises and in the safest manner.

Finally, to learn how to jump higher, your program should include exercises that require total body movements. These are sometimes referred to as complex or multiple joint movements. Jumping is not an isolated muscle movement. In fact, studies suggest that subjects were able to jump higher and generate more vertical force when using their whole body than the sum of force applied by individual movements. That sort of sounds complicated, I know. Basically what it means is that you can jump higher by using your whole body to create the force necessary to get off of the ground.

You will learn how to jump higher by finding a jump training program that incorporates the principles outlined in this article. It can be a little tricky, but good programs are available.

Learning the best way to jump higher can be tricky. Good professionals have spent many years of research and testing to figure what works for most athletes. I hope that the information in this article has helped you know how to judge the quality of a good jump higher or vertical jumping program.

As a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, I have spent a lot of time evaluating programs and comparing them to the principles and characteristics that have proven to work. Those that include these principles will pretty much guarantee that you are successful with the program that you choose.

It is now up to you to take the steps to improve your vertical leaping ability. Go to the Increase Vertical website and find the "6 Factors to Consider Before You Buy a Jump Higher Program." Now go to http://www.IncreaseVertical.net and get started.