Akron

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 46 to 60

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:05:33 -0700

Continuing with the Early 2012-13 Ranking, here are teams 46 to 60.

Its worth repeating that I had to make many assumptions about the NBA Draft in compiling the following list, and I've noted which assumptions I've made. This ranking will be updated later in the summer once players have made their official draft decisions. Also uncertain is where some remaining unsigned recruits will end up, and how the coaching carousel will take form. I purposely made no assumptions about where unsigned prospects will end up. (All prospect rankings are according to the Rivals 150 ranking.)

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 45-60

46 Miami Another year under Jim Larranaga should find the Hurricanes on the inside of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Malcolm Grant departs but he did not have a terribly good season anyways.

47 Butler After a down year, Butler should once again be the class of the Horizon League. Transfer Rotnei Clarke gives them a scoring-punch that was severely lacking this year. Three solid guards enter as freshmen, who should help with depth.

48 Colorado Carlon Brown and Austin Dufault are not small loses, but the hope is that Andre Roberson blossoms into a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. The Buffs recruiting haul is easily their best of the last decade.

49 BYU The Cougars lose veterans Hartsock and Abouo but should still settle into their usual bubble-bound slot. Another year of improvement from Matt Carlino should help.

50 Pittsburgh Coming off of a disastrous season, Pittsburgh has no where to go but up. Although Gibbs and Robinson depart, the Panthers welcome 4th ranked recruit Steven Adams, one of their best-ever recruits. A healthy Tray Woodall would certainly help as well.

51 UCF After being a fringe-bubble team that last two years, UCF will once again be hoping to make the tourney. Although PG AJ Rompza graduates, the team returns solid All-CUSA caliber players in Keith Clanton, Marcus Jordan, and Isaiah Sykes.

52 Temple The Owls should take a step back with key senior losses, including leader Ramone Moore, but expect them to still be competitive in the A10. Khalif Wyatt could score 20 ppg now that the team is fully in his hands. The recruiting haul might be Temple's best since 2007.

53 Xavier Besides leader Tu Holloway, they also loses Kenny Frease and Andre Walker. Role players like Travis Taylor and Jeff Robinson will really need to step it up if Xavier wants to makes its 8th tourney in a row. 4-star recruit Semaj Christon is capable of contributing at PG from day one.

54 UCONN Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond will presumably go pro, and the roster looks pretty thin without them. Last year's shock tourney run covers up what has been 3 years in a row of .500 or worse basketball in Big East play. Add in the potential sanctions and Calhoun's health, and you have yourself a lot of questions.

55 Belmont Seniors Drew Hanlen, Mick Hedgepeth, and Scott Saunders depart, but Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark are still two of the A-Sun's top players. Incoming PG Craig Bradshaw is one of Belmont's better pickups and should fit right into the program.

56 South Florida Three seniors that played over 25 minutes per game depart, but South Florida shouldn't expect too much of a drop-off. USF's 4-person recruiting class is solid for their standards, but still mediocre as far as the Big East goes.

57 Mississippi St With Dee Bost a senior and Arnett Moultrie presumably going pro, Mississippi St loses its leading scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. Although an underrated 5-person recruiting class was set to come in, Rick Stanbury's retirement does open some questions.

58 West Virginia For a team that often struggled to score the ball, it will be interesting to see how they'll manage without Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant. Those two scored almost 50% of the Mountaineers points. Aaric Murray and Juwan Staten are solid transfers who will help.

59 Southern Miss USM was never as good as their gaudy RPI suggested.. Graduations will put a major dent into their major strength, which was depth, but their top two scorers do return.

60 Iowa St The key for Iowa St is whether Royce White decides to go pro. I'm assuming here that he does, which would mean the Cyclones lose their 3 leading scorers. A pair of solid transfers enter the mix, as well as their best recruiting class in a few years.

Also Under Consideration (alphabetical order)

Akron

California

Harvard

Illinois St

Minnesota

Nevada

Ole Miss

Oregon

Providence

Vanderbilt

Virginia

<< Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 45

Cal May Not Be As Safe as We Think: Friday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:38:44 -0800

Cincinnati and Louisville advance to the Big East final, marking the first time that no original members will be in the game.

1. California falls to Colorado in the Pac-12 semis, which could mean two bids for the league.
Based on conventional wisdom, Mike Montgomery's Cal Golden Bears had the best resume of any team in the Pac-12. But in a league that went 1-31 against non-conference Top 50 opponents this season, what's that really saying? Thanks to the Golden Bears' 70-59 loss to Colorado in the second Pac-12 semifinal we've got extra time to figure that out. Carlon Brown and Andre Roberson scored 17 points apiece and Austin Dufault added 15 for the Buffaloes, who are one win away from being picked to finish 10th in the conference to grabbing the Pac-12's automatic bid.

As for Cal, who shot a decent 42.9% from the field but turned the ball over 17 times and saw Colorado shoot 50% from the field? They may be in a little more trouble than many thought. Entering Friday with an RPI of 34 and a strength of schedule of 82 (non-conference SOS: 71), Cal looked to be in good shape in that regard. But this is where further inspection is needed. 16 of their 23 wins have come against teams sitting 101 or worse in the RPI, and their two Top 50 wins both came at the expense of Oregon, who was 49th at the start of the day. Their best non-conference wins: Weber State and Denver. Cal likely will find their way into the Field of 68 come Selection Sunday, but the optimism may need to be a bit more cautious at this point in time.

2. Baylor and Missouri advance to the Big 12 title game in Kansas City.
Entering the Big 12 tournament most of the talk centered around the possibility of Kansas and Missouri meeting for a third time this season, and with a one-seed possibly being on the line it was expected that the Jayhawks and Tigers would meet. But two things were learned on Friday night: Baylor, who felt a little disrespected by the talk (they did go 0-4 against those two this season), stepped up after Kansas made their run and beat the Jayhawks 81-72. Secondly, Missouri didn't seem to be in the mood for "Border War" talk, as they showed a focus that championship-caliber teams tend to display at this point in the year.

Marcus Denmon may have gone 0-for-10 from the field but Missouri beat Texas 81-67 anyway, as Kim English and Phil Pressey scored 23 points apiece and Ricardo Ratliffe added 18 and 14 boards. The Bears now get another shot at the Tigers, and with Brady Heslip coming off of a big performance in which he knocked down some key three-pointers and A.J. Walton playing well this week it's fair to say that Baylor has improved. Missouri can earn a one-seed with a victory, but Baylor could jump a seed line as well (likely tapping out at a two).

3. Miami loses Durand Scott before the game, and their loss to Florida State may have cost them an at-large bid too.
Just before the tip-off of the final quarterfinal of the night in the ACC, Miami announced that starting guard Durand Scott was ineligible to play due to the possible receipt of impermissible benefits. That certainly didn't help Jim Larranaga and his Hurricanes, who fell 82-71 to Florida State. With so many other bubble teams faltering maybe the loss doesn't kill Miami's NCAA hopes, but with the chance to distinguish themselves from the "competition" the Canes were unable to do so.

Not only did the Seminoles take care of the basketball, finishing with 11 turnovers (they average more than 16 per game), but they outscored Miami 25-9 from the foul line. Michael Snaer and Ian Miller led five FSU players in double figures with 20 and 18 points respectively, and the Seminoles put together their most efficient showing on the offensive end since their 84-70 win over Maryland on January 17th. Miami has to hope for a swift (and positive) decision regarding Scott, because the selection committee does take a team's current parts into consideration. This capped a day in Atlanta that also saw John Henson injure his left wrist and NC State may have locked up an at-large bid with their win over Virginia.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a busy day in the Big Ten and not just because of a full day of action in Indianapolis. Both Illinois and Nebraska made moves at the top of their programs, deciding that it was time to move forward without the services of Bruce Weber and Doc Sadler respectively. While neither move is a surprise, what is interesting about Tom Osborne's decision to let Sadler go is that he'd given him an extension after last season.

2. With the quarterfinal between Xavier and Dayton being thought of as almost an NCAA tournament elimination game, the Musketeers' 70-69 victory could loom large on Selection Sunday. Chris Mack's team may be safe at this point but a win over Saint Louis on Saturday wouldn't hurt their chances either.

3. Another game of that magnitude was the first game of the night session at the SEC tournament, and Ole Miss picked up a much-needed 77-72 overtime win over Tennessee. Next up for Andy Kennedy's Rebels is a matchup with Vanderbilt, and a win over the Commodores would likely lock up a bid for a team few had near the bubble just a couple weeks ago.

4. One more automatic bid to the NIT may have been accounted for as well, as WAC regular season champion Nevada fell 78-73 to Louisiana Tech in the WAC semis. David Carter's Wolf Pack find themselves in a situation similar to that of Drexel: gaudy record but the strength of schedule numbers (168 overall, 165 non-conference) could put them in a tough spot come Selection Sunday.

5. Once again it will be Long Beach State and UCSB playing for the Big West crown, and while quite a few believe that the 49ers would get in with a loss one can never be too sure. The Gauchos, who held off Cal Poly, have won the last two conference tournament titles.

6. Three players who hail from the state of Ohio scored 30 points or more in Big Ten quarterfinal games, all leading their teams to wins. Rob Wilson scored 30 points in Wisconsin's 79-71 win over Indiana, Trey Burke scored 30 in Michigan's 73-69 overtime win over Minnesota and Jared Sullinger scored 30 in Ohio State's 88-71 win over Purdue.

7. One player to watch out of the Mountain West, which should get four teams into the Big Dance, next week is New Mexico wing Demetrius Walker. In wins over Air Force and UNLV, Walker's averaging 15.5 points per game, more than double his season average. The Lobos take on top-seed San Diego State in Saturday's title game.

8. Marshall advanced to the Conference USA title game with a 73-62 win over Southern Miss, and a win by the Thundering Herd could make C-USA a three-bid team. Tom Herrion's team will have their work cut out for them however as they take on Memphis, who took UCF's resume and ripped it to shreds with an 83-52 demolition of the Knights.

9. Top-seed Akron took care of business in their MAC semifinal, beating Kent State 78-74 with Nikola Cvetinovic leading four Zips in double figures with 15 points. They'll take on three-seed Ohio, who beat two-seed Buffalo 77-74 in the other semifinal. D.J. Cooper led five Bobcats in double figures with 18 points to go along with nine assists.

10. The top two seeds in the SWAC tournament will meet on Saturday as both regular season champ Mississippi Valley State beat UAPB 71-64, and Texas Southern beat Alcorn State 60-55. Cor-J Cox led the Delta Devils with 19 points and 11 rebounds as they avenged their lone conference defeat.

Conference Finals Predictions: Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 & More

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:52:34 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. Here are is predictions for Saturday's conference championship game. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

AMERICA EAST FINAL: AT STONY BROOK

(2) Vermont (22-11, 13-3) at (1) Stony Brook (22-8, 14-2)

Tipoff: 11:02 a.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 2 – Stony Brook 65-59; Feb. 12 – Vermont 68-49. RPI: Stony Brook 141, Vermont 156. Analysis: Vermont has been great for the last month-and-a-half and will break the hearts of the Seawolves home faithful. Line: Stony Brook -3½. Pick: Vermont 63, Stony Brook 58.

BIG 12 FINAL: AT KANSAS CITY

(2) Missouri (28-4, 14-4) vs. (4) Baylor (27-6, 12-6)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Missouri 89-88*; Feb. 11 – Missouri 72-57. RPI: Baylor 8, Missouri 17. Analysis: I picked Baylor the first two times. Sticking with the Bears. Pick: Baylor 79, Missouri 74.

BIG EAST FINAL: AT NEW YORK CITY

(4) Cincinnati (24-9, 12-6) vs. (7) Louisville (25-9, 10-8)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 23 – Cincinnati 60-56. RPI: Louisville 18, Cincinnati 40. Analysis: Louisville’s stifling defense has carried the Cardinals this far. A Big East title is next. Pick: Louisville 59, Cincinnati 53.

BIG WEST FINAL: AT ANAHEIM

(1) Long Beach State (24-8, 15-1) vs. (2) UC-Santa Barbara (20-9, 12-4)

Tipoff: 10 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Long Beach 71-48*; Feb. 22 – Long Beach 70-58. RPI: Long Beach 38, UCSB 126. Analysis: Do you think the 49ers have been looking forward to this game for a full year? They want blood – and they’ll get blood. Pick: Long Beach State 75, UC-Santa Barbara 54.

CONFERENCE USA FINAL: AT MEMPHIS

(1) Memphis (25-8, 13-3) vs. (6) Marshall (21-12, 9-7)

Tipoff: 11:35 a.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Memphis 83-76; Feb. 25 – Memphis 87-67*. RPI: Memphis 16, Marshall 39. Analysis: The Memphis we’ve seen since the beginning of February is the Memphis we expected to see all season. Line: Memphis -9½. Pick: Memphis 90, Marshall 69.

MAC FINAL: AT CLEVELAND

(1) Akron (22-10, 13-3) vs. (3) Ohio (25-7, 11-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Akron 68-63; Feb. 26 – Ohio 85-61. RPI: Akron 50, Ohio 68. Analysis: Ohio had a disappointing regular season. It will be a memory because the Bobcats are going dancing. Pick: Ohio 75, Akron 68.

MEAC FINAL: AT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

(2) Norfolk State (24-9, 13-3) vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman (18-16, 11-5)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 25 – Norfolk State 75-72*. RPI: Norfolk State 134, B-C 243. Analysis: Norfolk is the class of the MEAC. Pick: Norfolk State 78, Bethune-Cookman 66.

MOUNTAIN WEST FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(1) San Diego State (26-6, 10-4) vs. (2) New Mexico (25-6, 10-4)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: NBC Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 18 – San Diego State 75-70*; Feb. 15 – New Mexico 77-67*. RPI: San Diego State 22, New Mexico 34. Analysis: How good did the Pack look in a virtual road game on Friday? Whoa! Pick: New Mexico 79, San Diego State 73.

PAC-12 FINAL: AT LOS ANGELES

(4) Arizona (23-10, 12-6) vs. (6) Colorado (22-11, 11-7)

Tipoff: 6:10 p.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan 21 – Colorado 64-63; Feb. 9 – Arizona 71-57. RPI: Colorado 77, Arizona 84. Analysis: How does the Pac-12 deserve more than one team? Anyway, this one is a toss-up. Pick: Arizona 63, Colorado 58.

SOUTHLAND FINAL: AT KATY, TEXAS

(3) Lamar (22-11, 11-5) vs. (4) McNeese State (17-14, 10-6)

Tipoff: 3 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – McNeese 57-54; March 3 – Lamar 78-68. RPI: Lamar 118, McNeese 177. Analysis: Did you see what the Cowboys did to the UTA, which dominated the league all season? Take the points. Line: Lamar -5½. Pick: McNeese State 71, Lamar 69.

SWAC FINAL: AT GARLAND, TEXAS

(1) Mississippi Valley State (20-12, 17-1) vs. (2) Texas Southern (17-14, 13-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 23 – MVSU 77-69 (OT)*; Feb. 20 – MVSU 56-53. RPI: MVSU 153, Texas Southern 231. Analysis: Valley wins, but the Tigers cover. Pick: Mississippi Valley State 60, Texas Southern 59.

WAC FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(2) New Mexico State (25-9, 10-4) vs. (5) Louisiana Tech (18-15, 6-8)

Tipoff: Midnight. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 7 – NMSU 83-73*; Feb. 4 – NMSU 83-72. RPI: New Mexico State 69, Louisiana Tech 170. Analysis: Been saying all year that the Aggies would win this tournament. Nevada’s elimination only solidifies that. Pick: New Mexico State 84, Louisiana Tech 72.

BracketBusters: Top 10 Games & Predictions

Greg Mengelt — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:41:05 -0800

Each week, CollegeHoops.net's Greg Mengelt presents a different College Basketball List. This week, Greg ranks the 10 best BracketBusters games and predicts the results.

1. No. 16 Saint Mary’s (23-4) at No. 14 Murray State (25-1), 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN: A little of the luster is off the matchup since it was announced on Jan. 30. Since the announcement, Murray State became the last team in the country to lose its first game and the Gaels have lost two in a row. Still, this is a compelling matchup of two serious Sweet 16 contenders. The analysis: It appears that St. Mary’s Stephen Holt will be out with an ankle injury.

That, along with the homecourt advantage, could be enough to give the Racers the win (even though the Gaels are probably the better team in the long run). The Pick: Murray State 78, Saint Mary’s 75.

2. Long Beach State (19-6) at Creighton (22-5), 10 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2: There probably isn’t a game bigger for a single team in the BracketBuster than for Long Beach State. The 49ers already own wins over Pitt and Xavier and lost close games to San Diego State (in overtime), Kansas and North Carolina. A win over Creighton could punch their NCAA ticket, even if they are upset in the Big West Tournament. Until a recent 3-game losing streak, which ended Tuesday with an 88-69 win over Southern Illinois, Creighton’s Doug McDermott (22.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) was a national Player of the Year candidate. The analysis: Long Beach is one of the best of the mid-majors and it should prove it on Saturday. The Pick: Long Beach State 80, Creighton 76.

3. Nevada (22-4) at Iona (21-6), 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2: These are two teams that could definitely fill the Cinderella role in March. Iona has two of the nation’s best players in country in PG Scott Machado (13.3 ppg, 9.9 apg) and F Michael Glover (18.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg), plus solid scorers in Lamont Jones (16.1 ppg) and Sean Armand (47.1% 3s) to make up one of the best offenses in the country. Nevada has one of the most talented starting lineups in America. Both will be factors in the NCAA Tournament (if they get in, that is). Analysis: Despite a combined 43-10 record, both teams have been inconsistent at times this season. That means this game could go either way. Iona has shown more toughness, though. Expect a lot of points in a game that could be the day’s most entertaining. The Pick: Iona 89, Nevada 87.

4. No. 25 Wichita State (23-4) at Davidson (20-6), Noon Saturday on ESPN2: Wichita State is rolling with five straight wins and 13 victories in 14 games and the Shockers were recently predicted to go to the Final 4 by Sports Illustrated. Davidson is dominating the SoCon at 14-2 and has proven it can play with the best teams in the country when it beat Kansas 88-80 on Dec. 19. The analysis: Even on the road, the Shockers have too much size and talent for the Wildcats. The Pick: Wichita State 84, Davidson 73.

5. Akron (19-7) at Oral Roberts (24-5), 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2: The two teams have two combined conference losses. Behind 7-foot center Zeke Marshall (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 bpg), Akron has won eight straight. The Eagles have won four straight and 18 of 19 behind the play of Dominique Morrison (20.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Both teams have a go-to player, but they also have balanced scoring. The analysis: This one is really, really tough to pick. ORU has been so good in the Summit, but the league may be down a bit. If the Eagles can find a way to keep Marshall off the boards and dominating on the defensive end, they can remain unbeaten at home. The Pick: Oral Roberts 76, Akron 71.

6. Valparaiso (19-9) at Loyola Marymount (17-10), 9 p.m. Friday on ESPN2: These are suddenly two of the hottest teams in the country. Valpo has won eight of its last 10 to move to the top of the Horizon League. The Lions have struggled with injuries all season. They’re healthy now and have won 5-of-6, including a 75-60 win at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday. The analysis: With LMU is healthy and at home. That should be enough to earn a fairly easy victory. The Pick: Loyola Marymount 66, Valparaiso 57.

7. Drexel (22-5) at Cleveland State (20-7), 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPNU: Drexel is another team that has struggled with injuries, but since getting healthy, the Dragons are rolling. They have won 14 in a row and are tied with George Mason atop the Colonial standings. Cleveland State started hot, but has cooled off of late. The Vikings have lost three in a row after a 20-4 start and dropped back-to-back home games to Butler and Valpo last week. The analysis: Drexel will make it very difficult for CSU to score. The streaks will continue. The Pick: Drexel 65, Cleveland State 47.

8. UNC-Asheville (19-8) at Ohio (20-6), 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3: Asheville clinched the Big South with three league games still to play, but the Bobcats are talented and underrated. Led by junior PG D.J. Cooper (13.9 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4 rpg, 2.3 spg), Ohio 7-of-9 and seven in a row at home. The analysis: The Bulldogs are 14-2 in the Big South, but they are 5-6 outside the league. The Bobcats will slow down UNCA’s potent offense. The Pick: Ohio 73, UNC-Asheville 61.

9. Buffalo (16-7) at South Dakota State (21-7), 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU: These are two of the nation’s surprising team. It wouldn’t be a shock to see either in the NCAA Tournament. Led by the talented frontcourt duo of sophomore F Javon McCrea (15.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Senior F Mitchell Watt (15 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Buffalo is one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Jackrabbits’ explosive offense is led by xx PG Nate Wolters (21.8 ppg, 6 apg), who is coming off a 14-for-18, 30-point performance in an impressive 80-57 win over North Dakota State. The analysis: The homecourt advantage may be just enough for SDSU to continue their stunning rise. The Pick: South Dakota State 83, Buffalo 77.

10. UT-Arlington (20-5) at Weber State (21-4), 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3: Another head-to-head matchup of conference leaders. Weber State, which is led by the nation’s leading scorer in Damian Lillard (24.8 ppg), has just one loss in the Big Sky. UTA is unbeaten in the Southland, thanks in large part to balance and rebounding. The analysis: The Mavericks have been impressive during their 16-game winning streak, but the Wildcats are better than anything the Southland has to offer. The Pick: Weber State 85, UT-Arlington 66.

Michigan State Forces a Tie for First: Saturday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:13:47 -0800

With first place on the line in Columbus the expectation was that #11 Michigan State and #3 Ohio State would play a tight, physical affair. And that's exactly what it was, with the visitors from East Lansing seeming to be the more comfortable of the two teams in the first half. Michigan State shot 46.9% from the field but the reason for their 35-25 lead at the half was their defense, as they limited Ohio State to 33.3% and forced eight turnovers. The Spartans' defending of Jared Sullinger was central to that effort, as they forced the sophomore big man into five of Ohio State's eight turnovers (he finished with ten) in the half. Michigan State scored 14 points off of those eight turnovers, and the ten-point margin proved too much for the home team to overcome in the 58-48 loss.

"You have to give them a lot of credit," said Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft, who finished with 15 points. "What they hang their hat on is big pressure defense. They limited us to one shot and they shrink the floor. Our guys weren't ready for it tonight."

Draymond Green didn't shoot his best from the field as he made just five of sixteen shots in scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds, but his work on the defensive end of the floor more than made up for that. Keith Appling turned the ball over seven times but managed to score 14 points, but the star of the evening ended up being big man Adriean Payne. Payne, who entered the game averaging 7.3 points per game, made all six of his field goals in scoring 15 points in 20 minutes of action. Payne and Derrick Nix combined to guard Sullinger, who did score 17 points and grab 16 rebounds but those ten turnovers gave him an unwanted triple-double.

"Most of the turnovers I had were me going up for shots," noted Sullinger. "I wasn't expecting the [double-team] because that's not what Michigan State shows on the film. They dig but they don't dig like they did today. We have to give them credit, they had a great plan and they stuck to their system."

Payne was also a big reason why the Spartans outscored Ohio State 30-12 in the paint, and with William Buford and Deshaun Thomas both shooting 2-for-12 from the field this disadvantage proved to be too much for Ohio State to overcome. The win moves Michigan State into a tie with Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings, and while there's still a long way to go Tom Izzo's team made a major statement in a hostile environment. Michigan State is a Big Ten title contender, and at this rate there's a whole lot more that the Spartans can accomplish this season.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Wichita State wins big at Creighton and is well on their way to the MVC crown.
The rematch between the Shockers and Bluejays was one of the most-anticipated games on the schedule, as the outcome would go a long way in determining the regular season champ in the Missouri Valley. Creighton, who won the first meeting 68-61 in Wichita, would have pulled into a tie for first and owned the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win but they were outclassed on their home floor. Joe Ragland (24 points, six assists) and Ben Smith (22 points, six rebounds) led the way for Wichita State, who shot 58.2% in an 89-68 win to move two games ahead of Creighton in the standings.

Gregory Echenique led the Bluejays with 16 points and five rebounds but a quiet afternoon from Doug McDermott (5-14 FG, 15 points, six rebounds) and 40.4% shooting (5-for-23 from beyond the arc) proved to be too much to overcome when combined with Wichita State's offensive execution (efficiency of 141.3). Gregg Marshall's Shockers entered the game as the more balanced team when looking at their performance both offensively and defensively, and that's why they remain atop the MVC. Creighton, who has now lost three straight, needs to straighten things out defensively ahead of their BracketBusters game with Long Beach State next weekend. Because while the Bluejays remain a good bet to go dancing, their defensive performance will determine how long they stick around.

2. UNLV relies on their defense down the stretch to beat San Diego State.
There haven't been many home-and-home series this season that have been either as tight or as entertaining as the two games between UNLV and San Diego State, with the home team winning both contests by a margin of two points. Jamaal Franklin's runner was the difference in the first meeting, but the Runnin' Rebels had to lean on their defense to return the favor in Las Vegas. Dave Rice's team shot 39.4% from the field in the second half and went more than seven minutes without a made field goal, but steals from Mike Moser (which resulted in the Anthony Marshall layup that gave them a 64-63 lead), Marshall and Justin Hawkins proved to be the difference in the 65-63 win.

Moser scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Oscar Bellfield added 15 (Brice Massamba was also productive with 12 points as he outplayed the SDSU big men), but on an afternoon that saw Marshall and Chace Stanback combine to shoot 4-for-17 from the field UNLV was able to rely on their defense late. San Diego State turned the ball over 17 times to just eight for UNLV and was outscored 16-2 in fast break points, which negated their 49% shooting from the field and also didn't allow them to take advantage of UNLV shooting 6-for-25 from three. Chase Tapley led the Aztecs with 22 points and Franklin added 15, but James Rahon and Xavier Thames were quiet for much of the day. What does this all mean? We need a "Round 3" despite the fact that calls for such will likely motivate New Mexico, who is also 6-2 in the Mountain West.

3. North Carolina adjusts to the tempo well enough to beat Virginia.
Coming off of their tough loss to rival Duke on Wednesday, there were questions as to how #5 North Carolina would not only get over that defeat but deal with the slow pace that #19 Virginia would look to play at. Well, Roy Williams' team did just fine, pulling away with a 22-5 second half run to win 70-52 and remain part of a three-way tie for first in the ACC. Tyler Zeller, who took a great deal of criticism following Wednesday's loss due to missed free throws and his defending of Austin Rivers in the final sequence (he did go for 23 and 11), bounced back with 25 points and nine rebounds and as a team the Tar Heels made up for 35.3% shooting by grabbing 23 offensive rebounds.

Mike Scott led the Cavaliers with 18 points and six rebounds but it wasn't enough to make up for a 40-20 disadvantage in the paint and a 23-9 margin in second chance points. Unlike many teams that run into Virginia's pack line defense, North Carolina remained composed and didn't try to force things especially in the first half. And that's largely a credit to point guard Kendall Marshall, who dished out six assists and as a team the Tar Heels finished with just eight turnovers. Harrison Barnes (14 points, 11 rebounds) and John Henson (ten points, ten rebounds and four blocks) posted double-doubles, and while this result didn't make waves nationally UNC made sure to not allow Duke to beat them "twice".

4. Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague lead Kentucky past Vanderbilt in Nashville.
The national Player of the Year race seems to be a two-horse race at this point, with Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Kentucky's Anthony Davis being the thoroughbreds of choice. Davis was a key figure in the Wildcats' 69-63 win at Vanderbilt as he finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots. But just as important was the play of point guard Marquis Teague, who followed up a double-double against Florida with 13 points, eight assists and four rebounds...with just one turnover. Four Kentucky starters finished in double figures as Doron Lamb led the way with 16 and Terrence Jones bounced back from a slow start to score 14 and grab nine boards, and they limited the Commodores to 27.6% shooting in the first half to take a 36-23 lead into the locker room.

But as expected Kevin Stallings' team fought back in the second half, scoring 40 points as they improved their shooting inside of the arc (45.4% to 25.0% in the first) and turned the ball over just two times. John Jenkins led four VU starters in double figures with 15 points but their 36.5% shooting from the field (and 35.7% from two) proved to be costly. Vanderbilt's going to win games down the stretch and reach the NCAA tournament, but the Wildcats are simply on another level right now. With Davis, Jones and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (who had a quiet game on Saturday night) John Calipari's got a front line that extremely difficult for opponents to score on. The key to cutting down the nets in New Orleans however could be Teague, which makes his improved play of late that much more important. While there definitely are other contenders (Syracuse chief among them), Kentucky's at the head of the class right now.

5. Missouri completes the season sweep of Baylor, whose ceiling really needs to be reevaluated.
The day's lone game matching Top 10 teams was intriguing not just because of the Big 12 race but also due to the fact that it gave viewers the chance to see how Baylor would bounce back from their loss to Kansas on Wednesday night. There was also the question of how the Bears would apply the lessons learned in their 89-88 home loss to Missouri last month, which would go a long way in determining the outcome. Well, Baylor made sure to not get whipped on the glass (40-27 edge) but they didn't accomplish much else, as Missouri limited the Bears to 36.2% shooting while knocking down 14 of 28 from beyond the arc in their 72-57 win. Paul Pressey led four Tigers in double figures with 19 points while Baylor's Quincy Miller (20 points, seven rebounds and three steals) had no such help from his teammates.

Removing Miller's 7-for-10 afternoon from the equation, Baylor shot a putrid 14-for-48 (29.2%) from the field on the day. Not going to beat many teams much less one the caliber of Missouri, who should definitely be considered to be a national title contender, by shooting that poorly. Perry Jones III, considered by many to be a lock for the lottery in the NBA Draft (should be leave), shot 2-for-12 and scored four points while Pierre Jackson (2-9 FG, five points) wasn't much better. Baylor went 0-4 in regular season games against Kansas and Missouri, and to be frank this team's ceiling is limited due to the inconsistency of their frontcourt and an inability to make key adjustments. When the stakes are raised simply relying on superior athletic ability won't get the job done, a lesson Baylor's had hammered home by both Missouri and Kansas.

Quick Hitters

1. Many were interested to see what Connecticut would bring to the table as they visited #2 Syracuse, and while the 85-67 final screams "blowout" the margin is a bit deceiving. The game turned for good when Andre Drummond left the game momentarily with an ankle injury, and the Orange went on a 19-3 run to put the game away. If the Huskies are to make a run at not just getting into the Big Dance but making waves once they get there, they need more from Alex Oriakhi (two points, two rebounds).

2. Wednesday night's hero was Austin Rivers but in #9 Duke's 73-55 win over Maryland it was the Plumlee brothers who led the way. Miles scored 13 points and grabbed 22 boards while Mason added 16 and ten to keep the Blue Devils tied with Florida State and North Carolina atop the ACC. If those two can build on this performance, Duke may end up being the favorite to win the league.

3. In a matchup of two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10, Temple sent a message in an 85-72 win over Xavier at the Liacouras Center. Ramone Moore scored 30 points, Micheal Eric added 11 and 16 boards inside and Khalif Wyatt scored 18 to move the Owls to 8-2 in conference play. Saint Louis, who won 59-51 at La Salle, are a game back in the loss column at 8-3.

4. Two ranked SEC teams did themselves no favors at home, as both #7 Florida and #18 Mississippi State dropped games they were expected to win. Trae Golden scored 17 points and dished out seven assists to lead Tennessee past the Gators 75-70 while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Georgia past Mississippi State 60-58 in overtime with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. While both teams should be safely in the Field of 68, results like these don't do much to help their possible seeding.

5. The race in the Ivy League regained some intrigue on Saturday night as #21 Harvard fell 70-62 at Princeton. This wasn't a huge surprise as the Crimson haven't won at Jadwin Gym since 1989, and Ian Hummer led the victors with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Keith Wright led Harvard with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but they still lead Yale and Penn by a game in the loss column.

6. The Big East Coach of the Year "race" should be interesting to keep an eye on in the final month of the season, and while Jim Boeheim coaches the league's best team there are other solid candidates. Mike Brey, who won the award last season, has a Notre Dame squad that moved to 9-3 on the season with an 84-76 win over DePaul. Buzz Williams is also worthy as #19 Marquette is now 10-3 in league play after they recovered from another slow start to blitz Cincinnati 95-78, and one can't forget USF's Stan Heath as his Bulls are 8-4 following their 55-48 comeback win at Providence. Georgetown's John Thompson III and #23 Louisville's Rick Pitino, whose Cardinals came back to beat West Virginia 77-74 in Morgantown, should also be considered.

7. It's time to move from "he lit up Baylor" to "he's doggone good" when it comes to #10 Kansas big man Jeff Withey, who was outstanding in the Jayhawks' 81-66 win over Oklahoma State. Withey scored 18 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots, which proved to be too much for the Cowboys to overcome with Thomas Robinson going for 24 and 12. The better Withey gets the better this team gets, which makes Kansas a serious threat to get to New Orleans.

8. The Pac-12, at the very least, needed its top contenders to establish some separation from the rest of the conference and that happened on Saturday as all four contenders that played won. California moved into sole possession of first with a 73-63 win at UCLA (Washington can move into a tie for first with a win at Oregon State on Sunday) as Justin Cobbs scored 18 points and dished out five assists. A game behind them at 9-4 are Arizona (who rebounded from arguably their poorest half of basketball this season to beat Utah 70-61), Colorado (63-49 win over Arizona State) and Oregon (78-69 win over Washington State). That separation may not help the national perception much but it was necessary for the contenders to move away from the bottom seven in order to boost their chances come Selection Sunday.

9. #7 Murray State rebounded from their first loss of the season as they beat Austin Peay 82-63. Isaiah Canaan scored 23 points and dished out six assists and Ivan Aska and Jewuan Long scored 12 apiece, and they also received the boost from the bench that wasn't there on Thursday night as the reserved combined to score 24 points.

10. Kentucky (11-0 SEC) still has company when it comes to teams undefeated in conference play as Long Beach State (Big West) and Mississippi Valley State (SWAC) moved to 12-0 with wins on Saturday. Casper Ware (school's all-time assist record) and T.J. Robinson (conference's all-time leading rebounder) established new standards in the 49ers' 89-69 win at UC Davis, and Luka Pavjovic led four Delta Devils in double figures with 16 points in their 71-63 win at Alcorn State. There are five conference undefeateds in college basketball as Utah Valley (Great West), Bucknell (Patriot) and UT-Arlington (Southland) are also unblemished.

11. With Kevin Van Wijk (knee) out and Ben Boggs (reaction after being poked in the eye on Thursday night) limited, Valparaiso fell into a tie for first in the Horizon League with a 71-53 loss at Youngstown State. The Crusaders (11-4), who beat 10-4 Cleveland State 59-41 on Thursday, still don't know the severity of Van Wijk's injury and if he's lost for an extended period of time their regular season title hopes could be in trouble.

12. The CAA has gained a little separation at the top as the three teams tied for first are now two games up on the closest competition with three to go. VCU knocked off rival Old Dominion 68-64 with Bradford Burgess leading the way with 24 points, six rebounds and five steals to move to 13-2 in league play. Joining them are Drexel (78-67 win over Hofstra) and George Mason (75-69 win at UNC Wilimington), and the separation could be part of the equation when it comes to earning multiple NCAA bids. The possible keys now: a good showing in Sears BracketBusters next weekend and two of these three meeting in the CAA tournament final.

13. While Loyola Marymount has been the "road warrior" of the WCC, entering their game at Gonzaga with a 6-0 record in league road games, they were no match for "The Kennel" and the Bulldogs as they fell 78-59. Kevin Pangos scored 21 points and dished out nine assists and Elias Harris added 17 and 15 caroms in the win, which moved Gonzaga to 10-2 in WCC play. The win keeps Gonzaga a game behind Saint Mary's and one ahead of BYU, who whipped Pepperdine 86-48.

14. Antwaine Wiggins scored 25 points and grabbed ten rebounds as Charleston beat Davidson 86-78, dealing the Wildcats' at-large hopes a major blow. The good news for Davidson, who was led by De'Mon Brooks (25 points, nine rebounds), is that they host Wichita State next week in the Sears BracketBusters event.

15. Sometimes a coach has to put the future of a program ahead of the present regardless of the possible consequences, and that's what Alabama head coach Anthony Grant did in suspending three starters ahead of their 67-58 loss at LSU. Already without Tony Mitchell (also suspended), JaMychal Green, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele were all left in Tuscaloosa due to conduct detrimental to the team. While the loss likely kills their at-large hopes, Grant made a decision that a lot of other coaches would not have been willing to make.

16. Saturday marked the end of crossover games in the Mid-American Conference, and that's probably a good thing for the West Division as the East went 30-6 in those games this season. Akron leads the division with a 10-1 record after 75-51 win over Northern Illinois, and the top five conference records in the conference are all in the East (Eastern Michigan leads the West with a 6-5 mark). Does this mean that the East dominates the conference tournament? That would be the expectation, but you never know especially with the Eagles beating Ohio 68-55 on Saturday afternoon.

Five Notable Performances

1. F Thomas Robinson and C Jeff Withey (Kansas)
Robinson scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Withey accounted for 18 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks in the Jayhawks' 81-66 win over Oklahoma State.

2. F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)
21 points and 23 rebounds in the Bonnies' 69-48 win over Duquesne.

3. F Mason Plumlee and F Miles Plumlee (Duke)
In the Blue Devils' 73-55 win over Maryland, Mason scored 16 points and grabbed ten rebounds and Miles scored 13 and grabbed 22 caroms.

4. G Tim Frazier (Penn State)
23 points, ten rebounds and nine assists in the Nittany Lions' 72-54 win over Nebraska.

5. G Kenny McGowen (Idaho State) and G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
McGowen scored 37 points (7-12 3PT) and dished out three helpers in the Bengals' 79-73 win at Northern Arizona, and Gibson accounted for 34 points and four assists in the Pioneers' 72-46 win over Bryant.

Non-BCS Top 25: Akron On the Rise

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:45:30 -0800

The Non-BCS Top 25 is a weekly companion to the popular CHN Top 50 ranking, taking an in-depth look into the underrated universe of teams outside of the big six. The original Non-BCS ranking.

Non-BCS Top 25: February 5th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	Murray St	23-0	2	NA
2	UNLV	21-4*	1	7
3	Creighton	21-3*	3	8
4	Saint Mary's	22-2	4	14
5	San Diego St	20-3	6	18
6	Harvard	20-2	7	21
7	Southern Miss	20-3	8	NA
8	Temple	17-5	9	4
9	Gonzaga	18-4*	5	3
10	Wichita St	20-4	10	13
11	New Mexico	19-4	12	5
12	Saint Louis	18-5	15	NA
13	Cleveland St	20-4	13	NA
14	Long Beach St	17-6	16	23
15	MTSU	21-4*	11	NA
16	Memphis	16-7*	14	1
17	Iona	19-5	17	NA
18	BYU	20-6	20	17
19	Davidson	17-5	18	NA
20	Ohio	19-4	21	NA
21	Xavier	15-8*	19	2

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
22	Oral Roberts	21-5*	22	NA
23	Akron	16-7	34	NA
24	Colorado St	15-7*	31	NA
25	Marshall	14-9*	25	10

pre. = preseason ranking

last = last ranking (end of 2010-11 season)

* = Losses in the last week

Next 5: UCF (17-6), Weber St (18-4), Bucknell (18-6), VCU (20-5), Wyoming (18-5*)

Further 5: Nevada (19-4*), George Mason (19-6*), South Dakota St (19-6), UMASS (17-6*), La Salle (17-7*)

Dropped Out of Top 25 This Week:

#23 Nevada

#24 Dayton

Dropped Out of Top 25 Since Preseason:

#6 Butler

#9 George Mason

#11 Drexel

#15 Kent St

#22 Utah St

#24 UAB

#25 GW

Agree/Disagree? Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Check out last week's Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking

Tuesday Recap: Travel Issues, Cowboys Can't Derail San Diego State

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:35:51 -0800

It's been an interesting couple of days in college basketball when it comes to travel issues, with Purdue having to bus to Michigan State in the early hours of Saturday for a noon tip. While the Boilermakers hung tough in the first half they lost their legs in the second as the Spartans rolled. So what was going to happen to San Diego State, whose trek to Laramie for an important Mountain West game against Wyoming took 20 hours, not to mention the fact that they'd be playing more than 7,000 feet above sea level? The Aztecs seemed to find their second wind in the second half, opening the stanza on a 16-4 run on their way to the 52-42 win.

SDSU shot 57.1% from the field in the second half while limiting the Cowboys to 7-for-27, and their defense helped make up for 19 turnovers that Wyoming was able to convert into 18 points. Chase Tapley and Jamaal Franklin scored 12 points apiece for San Diego State, who remains a game ahead of UNLV with a 4-0 league mark, and Franklin also grabbed eleven rebounds (unfortunately he was three turnovers away from a triple-double).

Leonard Washington (12 points, eight rebounds) and Luke Martinez (11 points) led the way for the Pokes, who have dropped two conference home games (New Mexico before this) and are still in search of a marquee win to add to their resume. Foul trouble short-circuited Wyoming in the first half but they were able to hang close, trailing 25-22 at the break. But their offensive struggles coming out of the gates in the second half proved to be the difference.

"They played very good position defense, but they didn't pressure us other than for a few possessions when JayDee [Luster] was out," remarked Wyoming head coach Larry Shyatt. "They are a tough, competitive group of kids, and they have an arrogance where they expect to win. All good teams have that."

Given the fact that there were just 58 possessions in the game neither team was all that great at taking care of the basketball, combining for 34 turnovers on the night. San Diego State made the most of the possessions they were able to get through without turning the ball over, shooting 51.2% from the field and 45.5% from three. Both teams made five three-pointers on the night, but SDSU only attempted 11 to Wyoming's 22. The Cowboys attempted eight more field goals and six more free throws but it was they who looked to be the team that spent 20 hours on the road, and that's a credit to Steve Fisher, his staff and most importantly the players.

"It had no impact on the game at all, in my opinion," said Fisher of the travel issues. "We've had problems in Laramie my thirteen trips in here. It's a hard place to play and win. To come in here and get a win, I'm very appreciative, and do believe we earned it."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Michigan hangs on to beat Purdue in West Lafayette.
It's safe to say that Michigan didn't get off to a good start at Arkansas on Saturday afternoon, but to their credit the Wolverines fought back before falling short 66-64. No such beginning on Tuesday night for Michigan, but they needed a missed Robbie Hummel three in the final seconds to beat Purdue 66-64 in West Lafayette. Tim Hardaway Jr. led four Michigan players in double figures with 19 points and forwards Jordan Morgan and Evan Smotrycz combined for 22 points in the win.

Michigan wasn't as reliant on the three-point shot as they normally are in their system, attempting 14 (making six). But that's fine when they're able to find enough good shots from two to shoot 58.3% inside of the arc. Purdue on the other hand shot 9-for-26 from deep, and Hummel and Lewis Jackson combined to score 33 of their 64 points. With the win Michigan remains atop the Big Ten standings with a 6-2 mark, and if they can get play like this from Morgan and Smotrycz on a consistent basis they'll remain a contender for the Big Ten title.

2. Baylor bounces back from an 0-2 week by winning at Oklahoma.
It was a tough week for Scott Drew's Bears but that was understandable given the fact that they were playing a Top 10 team on the road (Kansas) and a Top 5 team at home (Missouri). The issue came in how they lost especially when considering rebounding, and while Oklahoma still managed to grab 12 offensive rebounds they weren't able to fully take advantage. Perry Jones III scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Baylor to the 77-65 win, with Oklahoma's poor three-point shooting (3-for-12) also playing a role in the outcome.

Baylor on the other hand made nine of their eighteen shots from beyond the arc, and when combined with a 14-for-17 night from the charity stripe it isn't too difficult to figure out why the 12 offensive boards allowed wasn't a killer. Pierre Jackson scored 16 points and dished out seven assists but also had six of Baylor's 12 turnovers, but the Sooners only scored 12 points off of those turnovers. Romero Osby scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Steven Pledger scored 17 to lead Oklahoma, who dropped to 2-5 in league play with the defeat.

3. Texas picks up a key win over Iowa State to split the season series.
Fred Hoiberg's Cyclones have made their way into the NCAA Tournament discussion with their play throughout the season but they let a good opportunity slip through their fingers with a 72-65 loss at Texas. A win would have given the Cyclones a sweep of the season series, and if both teams were to end up on the bubble that would be a nice line to have on their resume. What makes the defeat even more painful is that Texas won despite J'Covan Brown shooting 3-for-16 from the field.

Myck Kabongo led the Longhorns with 13 points and Julien Lewis chipped in with 12 and seven rebounds, giving Texas a much-needed home win as their next two games are at Baylor and home against Missouri. Iowa State shot just 33.3% from the field and 5-for-21 from three, and starters Scott Christopherson and Chris Allen combined to make just two of their fourteen shots from the field. Iowa State will have plenty of good opportunities for resume-building wins between now and March, but this defeat may put a little more pressure on them to split their next two games (home against Kansas and Kansas State).

Quick Hitters

1. Despite 25 points and nine rebounds from Ball State's Jarrod Jones, Akron won 70-58 in Muncie to remain in sole possession of first place in the MAC East. Quincy Diggs and Brian Walsh scored 16 points apiece to lead the Zips and Alex Abreu added 12 on four three-pointers.

2. Kentucky forward Anthony Davis moved to third on the list of most blocked shots in a single season in SEC history, blocking five shots to move his total to 98 in the Wildcats' 57-44 win at Georgia. Darius Miller scored 19 points off the bench and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 14 and 11 rebounds as Kentucky moved to 6-0 in conference play.

3. In Nashville, Vanderbilt blitzed Tennessee early on their way to a 65-47 win as Jeffery Taylor led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals. John Jenkins added 16 as the Commodores were able to win in comfortable fashion in spite of Festus Ezeli's ejection for a flagrant 2 foul in the first half.

4. With two of their next three games being road contests against ranked teams, there was some thought that we'd find out how good USF is. The first game didn't go well for the Bulls as they fell 67-47 at #18 Marquette. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick led the Bulls with 19 points and ten rebounds but as a team USF shot 35.6% from the field and turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 20 Marquette points.

5. If Jim Larranaga's Miami team is to make a run at a spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble they need to avoid stubbing their toe against teams they're expected to beat in the ACC. That was the case on Tuesday as the Hurricanes beat Georgia Tech 64-49 thanks in large part to 21 points and eight rebounds from Kenny Kadji. Miami needs to take care of business against Boston College and Maryland ahead of their trip to Duke on February 5th.

6. While Buffalo does have one of the country's most underrated players in Javon McCrea, they've also got another solid forward by the name of Mitchell Watt. Watt scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds to compliment McCrea's 17 points as the Bulls beat Eastern Michigan 67-47 to remain a game behind Akron in the MAC East.

Three Notable Performances

1. F/C Will Davis II (UC Irvine)
21 points (9-10 FG), ten rebounds and five blocks in the Anteaters' 78-67 win over Seattle.

2. F Perry Jones III (Baylor)
21 points and 12 rebounds in the Bears' 77-65 win at Oklahoma.

3. F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
23 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the Commodores' 65-47 win over Tennessee.

Saturday Recap: Northwestern, Florida State Pick Up Important Wins

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:07:05 -0800

There weren't many opportunities to watch ranked teams play each other (there was just one, which is discussed below), but Saturday's slate provided many teams the chance to improve their resumes. Florida State and Northwestern took full advantage of their opportunities as they both knocked off Top 10 opponents at home, albeit in different ways.

While #6 Michigan State put up a fight in losing to Northwestern 81-74 in Evanston, #3 North Carolina offered no such challenge for Florida State in Tallahassee. Deividas Dulkys, who entered the game averaging 6.2 points per game, went off to the tune of 32 points (8-10 3PT) in the 90-57 beating.

Roy Williams' team went into the locker room at the half down just eight points at 36-28, but the Tar Heels didn't look like a team that wanted to fight back in the second half. Entering the game Florida State was the worst team in the ACC when it came to taking care of the basketball, but it was North Carolina that turned the ball over 22 times on Saturday with Kendall Marshall tallying seven.

FSU did turn the ball over 17 times but six of those belonged to Luke Loucks, and all six came in the first half. Leonard Hamilton's team didn't shoot better in the second half (47.1% to 50.0% in the first), but they took better care of the basketball (six turnovers). And combining that with their defense (33.3% FG allowed) meant bad things for the visitors from Chapel Hill.

"I think it was a team effort just defending their system," said Hamilton when asked of how they limited Tyler Zeller (14 points, 14 rebounds) and John Henson (ten points, three rebounds). "You just try to limit the clean looks they get and make them work for whatever they get."

As for Northwestern, they received help from the supporting cast and that was a big reason why the Wildcats were able to beat Michigan State. John Shurna (22 points) and Drew Crawford (20 points) did what they normally do, but Davide Curletti and Reggie Hearn (10 points) also reached double figures. As a team the Wildcats shot 50.0% from the field and assisted on 20 of 26 made field goals with just seven turnovers.

Bill Carmody's team also played well defensively in the second half, limiting Michigan State to 34.4% shooting overall and 7-for-21 on two-point shots. Michigan State scored 37 points in both halves, but the drop in their accuracy on two-point shots (61.5%) and efficiency helped Northwestern take control of the game and eventually push their lead out to 12 (69-57) with 6:45 remaining.

Keith Appling scored 17 points and Draymond Green 14, but they were the only two Spartans to reach double figures. Both Northwestern and Florida State were "out of character" in their victories on Saturday, with the Seminoles taking better care of the basketball and the Wildcats getting scoring from guys other than their two primary options. But the wins aren't going to mean much if they can't build on the outcomes and continue to improve.

"In order for this game to be meaningful we need to continue to stacking on these types of games," remarked Hamilton. Can't say it any better than that.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Jamaal Franklin's runner in the final seconds pushes #22 San Diego State past #12 UNLV.
The lone contest on the schedule matching ranked teams was also the Mountain West opener for both the Aztecs and Runnin' Rebels, and they gave the fans either at Viejas Arena or watching on TV a treat. Jamaal Franklin, who had to leave the game with 1:01 remaining after injuring his ankle, returned to the floor 30 seconds later and provided the winning points for San Diego State.

Franklin's driving bucket with three-tenths of a second remaining was the difference in the Aztecs' 69-67 win over UNLV, who remained within striking distance thanks in large part to their work on the offensive glass. UNLV grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, leading to ten second-chance points.

Franklin was outstanding despite some early issues with rushed shots, finishing with 24 points and ten rebounds. But he wasn't the only key contributor for Steve Fisher's team, as James Rahon scored 22 points and Chase Tapley 11. Anthony Marshall led UNLV with 26 points, but he was the Runnin' Rebels' lone double figure scorer as SDSU did a solid job of defending the likes of Chace Stanback (3-9 FG, seven points) and Mike Moser (3-11 FG, nine points, 11 rebounds).

UNLV entered the game averaging more than 18 assists per game but they finished with just nine, and the foul line didn't help matters either. UNLV made 11 of 21 from the charity stripe while SDSU knocked down 16 of 20, and leaving points at the foul line is one of the easiest ways to lose a close contest. With New Mexico getting their shot at both teams next week (SDSU in Albuquerque on Wednesday, at UNLV on Saturday) there isn't much time to rest on this outcome, but at the very least San Diego State held serve at home.

2. Oregon hangs on the beat Arizona, pulling off the road sweep of the Arizona schools for the first time in 34 years.
Dana Altman's team entered Saturday's game in Tucson needing a win to remain a game out of first place in the loss column, but to say the least history was not on their side as they hadn't beaten both Arizona and Arizona State on the road in the same season in 34 years. But thanks to a balanced offensive effort (four players scored either 12 or 13 points) the Ducks made program history in winning 59-57 despite blowing a 17-point lead. The Wildcats had two chances in the waning moments to either tie or win the game but couldn't make either shot, and quiet afternoons from Jesse Perry (2-4 FG, eight points) and Kyle Fogg (1-9 FG, five points) didn't help matters either.

Arizona's had trouble with bigger teams this season, and that was no different with the Ducks having Tony Woods and Olu Ashaolu to pester Perry inside. Does Oregon have enough to contend for the Pac-12 crown? The addition of guard Devoe Joseph is one reason why, and E.J. Singler has played well for much of the season. In a wide-open league the teams that can pull off road sweeps will likely have the best chance of winning the title. This is a big weekend for Oregon from a historical standpoint, but how big it is this season depends on whether or not they can build on the positive momentum.

3. Kentucky makes the plays they needed to make late to win at Tennessee.
Cuonzo Martin welcomed freshman Jarnell Stokes (nine points, four rebounds) into the fold on Saturday, and while he still has a way to go with regards to both conditioning and understanding the system there's no denying Stokes' talent. In spite of a fired up crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena and a team that refused to lie down, Kentucky found a way to leave Knoxville with a win thanks in large part to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. It's become obvious that the freshman is Kentucky's leader and he once again made the "winning plays" needed to close teams out, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the 65-62 win.

Anthony Davis added 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots and Terrence Jones ten points as Kentucky won their second conference road game of the season. That matches their total from all of last season, which should be a good sign for John Calipari's young team. Cameron Tatum led Tennessee with 16 points and Jeronne Maymon added 15 and ten rebounds, but the Volunteers couldn't overcome Kentucky's seven-point edge (21-14) at the foul line. Tennessee gave Kentucky everything they wanted and will get better as the season wears on, but a team with a glue guy the caliber of Kidd-Gilchrist is tough to beat.

4. Weber State makes quite the statement in whipping Montana to take sole possession of first place in the Big Sky.
The second-biggest game of the day out west took place in the Big Sky, with Montana and Weber State being the lone remaining undefeated teams in the conference. But with the return of two key cogs in the attack, Randy Rahe's Wildcats made a statement in their 80-64 win over the Grizzlies in Ogden. Damian Lillard (21 points) and Scott Bamforth (15 points) are names known by most college basketball fans, but what about Frank Otis and Gelaun Wheelwright? Otis, who like Kyle Bullinger missed multiple games due to injury, sparked a Weber State run from the eight-minute mark of the first half that resulted in a 49-36 halftime lead.

Both he and Wheelwright finished with seven points and Kyle Tresnak scored 12 as the Wildcats proved to be too much for Montana on both ends of the floor. Montana shot just 35.7% in the first half and 38.5% for the game as their six-game win streak came to an end. There's a lot of basketball to be played before Wayne Tinkle's team gets another shot at Weber State (the regular season finale for both on February 28th), but Weber State's performance on Saturday night clearly makes them the team to beat.

5. Oklahoma picks up a much-needed win, knocking off #18 Kansas State in Norman.
There aren't many teams that are going to beat Missouri and Kansas period, much less in back-to-back games, so there wasn't much shame in falling to those teams as Lon Kruger's Sooners did to start Big 12 play. But to lose at Oklahoma State on Monday night to fall to 0-3 made Saturday's game against #18 Kansas State even more important, and the Sooners rose to the challenge as they won 82-73 in Norman. Andrew Fitzgerald scored 21 points and Steven Pledger and Romero Osby scored 18 apiece for Oklahoma, who shot 70.0% from the field in the second half to maintain the nine-point spread they built in the first half.

Kansas State shot just 33.3% from the field in the first half and trailed 38-29 at the break, and a big problem for them was the lack of productivity from their starters other than Rodney McGruder (19 points, ten rebounds) and Will Spradling (11 points). The other three starters combined to score just ten points with nine coming from Jamar Samuels, and while Nino Williams and Jeremy Jones scored 12 apiece off the bench it wasn't enough as the Wildcats were unable to get stops in the second half. Whether or not the Sooners can make a run at a tournament bid remains to be seen and it will be tough since the Big 12 is now a true round-robin, but at the least they needed a win Saturday and they got one.

Quick Hitters

1. While neither team won on Saturday, both Pittsburgh and Villanova played far better than they did on Wednesday in losses to Rutgers and Syracuse respectively. The Panthers fell at #24 Marquette 62-57, but the move to put Isaiah Epps in the starting lineup at the point served as a boost for Ashton Gibbs (29 points). As for Villanova, Maalik Wayns (39 points, 13 rebounds, six assists) was outstanding but it wasn't enough in an 82-78 loss at Cincinnati. Whether or not these two can play their way into NCAA Tournament consideration remains to be seen, but at the least they've shown signs of life. That wasn't the case on Wednesday.

2. There may not have been a more impressive bounce-back from a bad outing earlier in the week than what Iowa was able to do, as they beat #13 Michigan 75-59 in Iowa City following a 95-61 loss at Michigan State on Wednesday. Matt Gatens led four Hawkeyes in double figures with 19 points and Fran McCaffery's team assisted on 18 of their 25 made baskets. It also didn't hurt to have Michigan shoot 8-for-31 from beyond the arc.

3. Good luck attempting to handicap the Atlantic 10 race, but unlike the Pac-12 that action would be to sift through quality options as opposed to detritus. Xavier looks to be back to their normal selves as they beat St. Bonaventure 77-64 at home, and Saint Louis was finally able to win a close game as they won 68-67 at Charlotte. But Temple and Saint Joseph's weren't as fortunate, falling to Richmond (76-65) and a surprising UMass (71-62) respectively. This is going to be a fun race to watch unfold.

4. Another non-BCS race to keep an eye on is the NEC, which currently has one undefeated team (LIU Brooklyn at 6-0), three teams at 5-1 (CCSU, St. Francis (NY) and Wagner) and Robert Morris sits a game behind those teams at 4-2. Dan Hurley's Seahawks beat CCSU 67-58 at home despite 21 turnovers, moving their win streak to seven games (Wagner hadn't done that since the 1979-80 season) thanks in large part to their defense (19 TOs forced, 38.8% FG allowed). Jonathon Williams led Wagner with 18 points while CCSU was paced by Robby Ptacek, who finished with 26.

5. The three remaining undefeated teams (Baylor, Murray State and Syracuse) all won on Saturday afternoon, with the Bears and Orange both blowing out overmatched opponents (Baylor beat Oklahoma State 106-65 while Syracuse beat Providence (without the suspended Vincent Council) 78-55). Murray State dealt with a stiffer challenge, beating Tennessee Tech 82-74 thanks in large part to a combined 52 points from guards Donte Poole (28) and Isaiah Canaan (24). With Ivan Aska out for the next month or so while his broken hand heals, the Racers are going to need more from their frontcourt to remain atop the OVC.

6. Zeke Marshall (17 points, six rebounds) became the 8th player in MAC history to block at least 200 shots in a career, but the biggest reason for Akron's 68-63 win over Ohio was the production of their bench. Nick Harney and Brett McClanahan scored 10 points apiece and the Zips' reserves outscored Ohio's 31-18. Keith Dambrot's team moved to 3-0 in league play and there's little doubt that Akron has the tools needed to return to the NCAA Tournament.

7. Arnett Moultrie won the individual matchup between he and JaMychal Green, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and as a result #20 Mississippi State beat Alabama 53-50 in Starkville. Dee Bost added 17, and it should be seen as a good sign for Rick Stansbury's team that they found a way to win with starters Rodney Hood and Jalen Steele combining to shoot 0-for-11 from the field.

8. Despite Shabazz Napier's foot still bothering him and guard Ryan Boatright being held out due to eligibility concerns, #16 Connecticut ended Notre Dame's 29-game home win streak with a 67-53 win. Napier scored a team-high 16 points, Alex Oriakhi had arguably his best game of the season (12 points, seven rebounds) and Andre Drummond posted another double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) to make up for Jeremy Lamb scoring just six points. Eric Atkins scored 20 but Notre Dame made just 32.3% of their shots on the day.

9. Early pick for Ivy League Player of the Year? Has to be Penn guard Zack Rosen, who scored 18 points and dished out five assists (five steals as well) in the Quakers' 64-52 win at Cornell. Penn's off to a 2-0 start in conference play, and while there's quite the gulf between Harvard and the rest of the league Rosen and Tyler Bernardini (18 points, eight rebounds) are two reasons why Jerome Allen's team may be their biggest threat.

10. Bob McKillop's Davidson squad took control of the South Division of the SoCon with their 83-79 win at Appalachian State, moving to 6-0 in league play. Jake Cohen scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds and De'Mon Brooks scored seven straight during a 10-0 run to move the Wildcats to 12-4 overall. And with Georgia Southern losing at Wofford, Davidson is two games up on the second place Eagles.

Five Notable Performances

1. G Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
39 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the Wildcats' 82-78 loss at Cincinnati.

2. G Deividas Dulkys (Florida State)
32 points (8-10 3PT) and four assists in the Seminoles' 90-57 pasting of #3 North Carolina.

3. C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State) and F Dewayne Jackson (Morgan State)
In Norfolk State's 90-89 double overtime win O'Quinn posted a line of 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks while Jackson led the Bears with 33 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

4. G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
34 points (10-16 FG), four rebounds and two assists in the Longhorns' 84-73 loss at #9 Missouri.

5. F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State)
14 points and 19 rebounds in the 49ers' 76-66 win over Pacific, Long Beach State's 17th straight win at home.

#22 San Diego State vs. #12 UNLV: Saturday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:25:25 -0800

The Mountain West, similar to the Ivy League and Great West, had to start conference play later than other conferences due to the fact that they've got just eight members. Saturday marks the beginning of conference play and there are two key games to keep an eye on, most notably #22 San Diego State (14-2) hosting #12 UNLV (16-2) in the day's lone matchup of ranked teams.

Both teams have some quality wins on their schedules but the extra week to schedule non-conference games hurt the strength of schedule numbers for both teams, so getting into league play should give the Runnin' Rebels and Aztecs the boost they need to ensure good seeds in the NCAA Tournament provided they take care of business.

Steve Fisher's team was thought to be a clear third option to win the Mountain West behind UNLV and New Mexico due to the four starters lost from last year's Sweet 16 team. But thanks in large part to their backcourt the Aztecs have exceeded expectations thus far. Chase Tapley (17.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg), San Diego State's lone returning starter, has adjusted well to being the primary scoring option as he's shooting 52.6% from the field and 50.0% from three.

In addition to Tapley there's Jamaal Franklin (15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Xavier Thames (11.4 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.7 rpg) and James Rahon (10.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg) to contend with, and these guards for the most part are good at creating their own offense (SDSU assists on just 49.4% of their made baskets).

UNLV's got some very good perimeter players as well, with Anthony Marshall (10.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.3 rpg) and Oscar Bellfield (9.6 ppg, 5.3 apg) being the players most likely to initiate the offense for Dave Rice. In addition to their offensive skills both are good defenders and Marshall is also a prolific athlete who can finish above the rim.

And sixth man Justin Hawkins (9.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) doesn't receive the pub that the majority of the other Rebels do but he's a good basketball player who would start for many teams. And on the wing the Rebels have senior Chace Stanback (14.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who has raised his scoring average and shooting percentages in his final campaign.

Both teams boast a great deal of talent on the perimeter, but the outcome may depend on what the interior players provide. UNLV's got the advantage with regards to size but San Diego State's big men have done a good job of simply doing what's needed instead of trying to do what Kawhi Leonard, Billy White and Malcolm Thomas did last year.

Tim Shelton (4.1 rpg) has been around for quite some time and his savvy makes him a valuable defender despite knees that have been an issue throughout his collegiate career. LSU transfer Garrett Green (7.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) leads the team in rebounding while Deshawn Stephens (6.3 rpg, 5.9 rpg) isn't far behind.

UNLV also works as a committee inside, with Brice Massamba (5.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) being the starter while Quintrell Thomas (5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Carlos Lopez (7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) come off the bench. Those three are called on for rebounding and defense, while at the "4" the Rebels have one of the nation's most productive transfers in Mike Moser.

Moser (14.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg) was outstanding early in the season as teams failed to come up with an answer for the versatile UCLA transfer, and he's remained a solid bet for a double-double as the year's worn on. With both teams having rebounding margins around a plus-3, Moser may be the difference on the glass in spite of SDSU's ability to hit the offensive boards.

With rebounding about even, the way in which UNLV scores their points will be something to watch on Saturday afternoon. UNLV averages 18.8 assists per game, assisting on 65% of their made baskets. The Rebels have players who can create on their own, but the offense runs better when they're able to create for each other. If SDSU can limit the drive and kick situations that result in UNLV scoring 31% of their points from beyond the arc, "The Show" and the other fans at Viejas Arena have a good chance of going home happy.

Also in the Mountain West on Saturday is New Mexico's trip to Laramie to take on a Wyoming squad that's surprised folks in Larry Shyatt's first season (second stint) at the helm. Drew Gordon and Kendall Williams have played much better over the last month than they did at the beginning of the year, and sophomore Tony Snell hasn't received as much credit as he should for his play throughout the year. Senior Adam Waddell has been a good frontcourt option for the Cowboys, who have improved a great deal on the defensive end since last season.

Florida State has a great opportunity to boost their profile on the heels of a win over Virginia Tech as they host #3 North Carolina. The Seminoles aren't a terrible shooting team as many would lead you to believe. The problem for Leonard Hamilton's team is that they don't take care of the basketball, boasting a turnover rate of around 26%. Giving up too many opportunities to Kendall Marshall and company could result in a blowout if FSU isn't smart with the ball.

Northwestern finds themselves in a similar position as they host red-hot #7 Michigan State and Iowa State visits #10 Kansas with forwards Royce White (ISU) and Thomas Robinson (Kansas) being the marquee attractions. In the Big East, Pittsburgh needs a win at #24 Marquette to avoid their first 0-5 start in conference play since the 1999-2000 season. Tray Woodall's still out due to injury, meaning that players such as John Johnson and Lamar Patterson need to step up and help out Ashton Gibbs.

#16 Connecticut will be without the services of freshman guard Ryan Boatright, who is being held out due to the NCAA looking into possible extra benefits received in high school, as they look to beat Notre Dame in South Bend. The Fighting Irish, led by sophomore point guard Eric Atkins, has won the last three games in the series and have the ability to make it four if the Huskies aren't ready to go from the start.

And even with the great number of games on television a contest that will only be available online will rank among the best games out west. Montana visits Weber State in the first meeting of the two favorites to win the Big Sky this season, and the Grizzlies have the talent to make things tough on the Wildcats despite the presence of Damian Lillard. Kareem Jamar is one of Montana's key players on the perimeter while Derek Selvig is an important piece inside. And there's also a meeting of contenders in the MAC as Ohio visits Akron, with two POY candidates (Ohio guard D.J. Cooper and Akron center Zeke Marshall) on display.

Top 25 Games
6:00 PM Providence at (1) Syracuse (ESPN3)
12:00 PM (2) Kentucky at Tennessee (ESPN)
2:00 PM (3) North Carolina at Florida State (ESPN)
3:00 PM Oklahoma State at (4) Baylor (ESPN2)
3:00 PM (7) Michigan State at Northwestern (BTN)
1:00 PM Texas at (9) Missouri (ESPN2)
4:00 PM Iowa State at (10) Kansas (ESPN3)
4:00 PM (12) UNLV at (22) San Diego State (NBC SN)
1:00 PM (13) Michigan at Iowa (BTN)
6:00 PM Tennessee Tech at (14) Murray State (ESPNU)
4:00 PM DePaul at (15) Louisville (ESPN3)
11:00 AM (16) Connecticut at Notre Dame (ESPN2)
1:30 PM (18) Kansas State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (19) Florida at South Carolina (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Alabama at (20) Mississippi State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM (23) Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount (ROOT NW)
2:00 PM Pittsburgh at (24) Marquette (ESPNU)
2:00 PM George Washington at (25) Harvard

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Stony Brook at Boston University (ESPN3)
12:00 PM Hofstra at Old Dominion (MSG)
12:00 PM Villanova at Cincinnati (ESPN3)
12:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Xavier (ESPNU)
1:00 PM William & Mary at Northeastern
1:00 PM Bryant University at Mount St. Mary's
1:00 PM Tulsa at East Carolina
1:00 PM NC State at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Bucknell at Lafayette
1:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Campbell
1:30 PM Ole Miss at Auburn (ESPN3)
1:45 PM Texas Tech at Texas A&M (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Brown at Yale
2:00 PM Holy Cross at American
2:00 PM Longwood at Dartmouth
2:00 PM Duquesne at Rhode Island
2:00 PM Rutgers at West Virginia (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Davidson at Appalachian State
2:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Ball State
2:00 PM Lehigh at Colgate
2:00 PM Towson at Georgia State
2:00 PM Saint Louis at Charlotte (CBS SN)
2:00 PM Sam Houston State at Nicholls State
2:00 PM Central Arkansas at Northwestern State
2:00 PM UAB at Southern Miss (FSN)
2:00 PM Toledo at Western Michigan
2:00 PM Furman at Western Carolina
2:00 PM Wright State at Green Bay (ESPN3)
2:00 PM SUNY-Cobleskill at NJIT
2:30 PM Army at Navy (CBS SN)
3:00 PM Virginia Tech at Boston College (ESPN3)
3:00 PM Vermont at New Hampshire
3:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Lamar
3:00 PM Howard at North Carolina A&T
3:00 PM Chattanooga at Samford
3:30 PM Oregon at Arizona (CBS)
3:30 PM East Tennessee State at Jacksonville
3:30 PM New Mexico at Wyoming (The Mtn.)
4:00 PM Colorado at Stanford (FSN)
4:00 PM VCU at Delaware (TCN)
4:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Illinois-Chicago (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Massachusetts
4:00 PM Elon at Charleston (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Georgia at Vanderbilt (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Ohio at Akron (ESPNU)
4:00 PM Southern University at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
4:00 PM South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM Hampton at Coppin State
4:00 PM Norfolk State at Morgan State
4:00 PM Quinnipiac at Saint Francis (PA)
4:30 PM Presbyterian at Coastal Carolina
4:30 PM Monmouth at LIU Brooklyn
4:30 PM Central Michigan at Northern Illinois
4:30 PM Pepperdine at San Francisco (CSN CA)
4:30 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at St. Francis (NY)
5:00 PM McNeese State at Texas State
5:00 PM North Texas at Louisiana-Monroe
6:00 PM Air Force at Boise State (The Mtn.)
6:00 PM Buffalo at Miami (OH) (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Alcorn State at Mississippi Valley State
6:05 PM Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado (Altitude)
6:30 PM Savannah State at Florida A&M
6:30 PM Alabama A&M at Alabama State
6:30 PM Prairie View A&M at Jackson State
6:30 PM Texas Southern at Grambling State
7:00 PM Oral Roberts at IUPUI
7:00 PM Princeton at Columbia
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Cornell
7:00 PM George Mason at James Madison (CSN)
7:00 PM Temple at Richmond (CBS SN)
7:00 PM UCF at Marshall
7:00 PM Drexel at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM Maine at Albany
7:00 PM La Salle at Dayton
7:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at High Point
7:00 PM Bowling Green at Kent State
7:00 PM Winthrop at Liberty (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Siena at Manhattan (ESPN3)
7:00 PM USC Upstate at North Florida
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Southeastern Louisiana
7:00 PM UTSA at Stephen F. Austin
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Wagner
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Wofford
7:00 PM Oakland at IPFW
7:05 PM Pacific at Long Beach State (FSN PT)
7:05 PM UNC Greensboro at Citadel
7:30 PM Florida Gulf Coast at Lipscomb
7:30 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at Delaware State
7:45 PM Eastern Kentucky at Morehead State
8:00 PM Oregon State at Arizona State (FSN AZ)
8:00 PM Santa Clara at BYU (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Detroit at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rice at Tulane (LHN)
8:00 PM Radford at VMI (MASN)
8:00 PM Southern Utah at Western Illinois
8:05 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Arkansas State
8:15 PM Stetson at Belmont
8:30 PM Florida International at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:30 PM South Dakota at North Dakota State (ESPN3)
8:30 PM UMKC at South Dakota State
8:35 PM Montana State at Northern Arizona (NAU TV)
8:45 PM Jacksonville State at Austin Peay
9:00 PM LSU at Arkansas (ESPN3)
9:00 PM TCU at Colorado State (The Mtn.)
9:00 PM Idaho at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Memphis at Houston (CBS SN)
9:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri State
9:00 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Tennessee State
9:00 PM SMU at UTEP
9:00 PM South Alabama at Troy (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Montana at Weber State
9:30 PM Utah State at Louisiana Tech
10:00 PM Cal Poly at UC Riverside
10:00 PM San Jose State at Fresno State
10:00 PM Hawaii at Nevada
10:00 PM UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Idaho State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM UC Davis at Cal State Northridge
10:30 PM Utah at California (CSN CA)
11:00 PM Portland at Saint Mary's (CSN BAY)

College Hoops Sunday Recap: Shockers Put On a Show

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:32:49 -0800

Going into Sunday's game at Wichita State, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels were on the tail end of an eight-day stretch that began with a win over then-#1 North Carolina followed by a double-overtime win at UCSB. To say the least this wasn't the easiest way to end that stretch, and Joe Ragland and the Shockers made sure that was the case. Ragland made eight of nine from beyond the arc in scoring a game-high 31 points, and as a team Wichita State shot 12-for-23 from distance in the 89-70 win. Ragland had issues early on the defensive end of the floor, but that changed and as a result the visitors found themselves having a hard time slowing the senior guard down.

"I didn't expect that type of game from Joe Ragland but honestly, I've expected some game similar to that," said Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall. "He's just a dynamite performer...he took it upon himself to bounce back from those missed defensive assignments that cost us a couple baskets early, and when he got back in there he was on a mission."

UNLV didn't play terribly in the first half but they still trailed 47-32 at the break due to a 24-3 Wichita State advantage in points scored from beyond the arc. Ragland made all five of his shots while David Kyles added two and Garrett Stutz, while UNLV made just one of nine shots from deep. The Shockers also did a good job of sharing the basketball as they assisted on ten of seventeen field goals. That was another difference between the two teams as UNLV assisted on just four of ten first-half field goals.

UNLV played better in the second half offensively, making 50% of their shots and assisting on more than half of their baskets (season assist percentage: 67.6%), but they simply could not stop Ragland or the rest of the Shockers. For the game Wichita State finished with an efficiency of 150.8. To put that number in perspective UNLV's opponents average an efficiency of 90.1 with a high of 106.0 (UCSB) according to the website statsheet.com.

Wichita State didn't have the best trip to Puerto Rico as they lost two of three games to finish fourth in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, but the Shockers have improved in the three games since. There should be no doubt that they're going to be right there fighting for the Missouri Valley crown.

Other Notable Happenings

1. San Diego State hangs on to beat California at home by a point.
California was without the services of forward Richard Solomon on Sunday afternoon as he'd been suspended by head coach Mike Montgomery, meaning that they went small with a three-guard lineup. The insertion of Justin Cobbs was a good one as the Minnesota transfer scored 17 points, but with Jorge Gutierrez struggling (3-12 FG, six points) the Golden Bears had their issues on the offensive end against San Diego State. Chase Tapley was SDSU's lone double-figure scorer (25 points) but a key 14-3 run to end the first half gave Steve Fisher's team the breathing room they needed in what would end up being a 64-63 victory. Cal would pull even in the second half but could only gain the lead once (51-50 with 6:33 remaining) despite the play of Cobbs and Allen Crabbe (23 points, nine rebounds). With their loss to Creighton on Wednesday night, San Diego State needed this win to avoid an 0-2 week and thanks in large part to Tapley they got it.

2. Keep an eye on American, who has now won seven straight, in the Patriot League.
Bucknell is the defending league champion and Lehigh has one of the nation's most prolific guards in C.J. McCollum, but don't expect the Patriot League to simply be a two-team race. Jeff Jones' American Eagles won their seventh straight game on Sunday as Charles Hinkle scored a game-high 32 points in a 66-60 win over Saint Joseph's. The Eagles led 38-28 at the half thanks to both Hinkle (17 points) and the defensive effort against SJU guards Langston Galloway and Carl Jones, who combined to score just two points. Jones scored 11 points in the second half but it wasn't enough to overcome a 3-for-17 night from beyond the arc at Bender Arena. If there's a concern for American in the aftermath of Sunday's win it would have to be their play in the paint, with C.J. Aiken and Halil Kanacevic leading the way in a 34-16 SJU scoring edge. if the Eagles can improve in that area leading into league play next month, they'll be better equipped to take on the likes of Bucknell's Mike Muscala in league play.

3. Baylor's zone defense proves to be too much for Northwestern.
For all the press sent Kentucky's way the Wildcats may not have the most distracting front line in the country. Baylor could make a very good case for that distinction however, and their qualifications were on full display in a 69-41 win at Northwestern. Anthony Jones, Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller are four big reasons why, as their wingspan and activity within Scott Drew's matchup zone can eliminate both good looks and lanes to the basket. Northwestern could get little going offensively, shooting 24.1% from the field and shooting 4-for-26 from beyond the arc.

Even worse for the Wildcats was that once they got inside of the zone they made just 31% of their two-point shots, a difference of 19 percent from their season average. Also of note for Baylor was the play of point guard Pierre Jackson, who finished with 16 points and three assists. As he goes so will the Bears come March because even with the mid-season addition of Cal transfer Gary Franklin, Jackson could still be their best option at the point. At the very least, few teams will be looking forward to playing Baylor because of the defensive prowess of their big men.

Quick Hitters

1. While debating the merits of 9-0 Tulane it needs to be pointed out that Murray State is also undefeated, and they handled Dayton 75-58 on Sunday afternoon. Isaiah Canaan scored 21 points and dished out five assists to lead the way, and the Racers forced 17 Dayton turnovers while also limiting them to 3-for-14 from three.

2. Alasdair Frasier scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead three starters in double figures as Maine beat Rhode Island 76-74 in overtime in Kingston. The effort was better for the Rams but that doesn't change the fact that Jim Baron's team has lost seven of their first eight.

3. The process of rebuilding Manhattan is nowhere near complete for first-year head coach Steve Masiello, but the Jaspers are 2-0 in MAAC play following their 68-42 win over Saint Peter's. George Beamon led the way with 22 points (7-9 FG), four rebounds and four steals, but the defense stood out as Saint Peter's shot just 32.6% and turned the ball over 17 times.

4. Alex Abreu returned from a two-game suspension but it wasn't enough to prevent Akron from getting whipped 77-53 at Middle Tennessee. The Zips, who have lost four of their last five after a 2-0 start, shot 28.6% from both the field and from three on Sunday.

5. Stanford made the plays needed late to move to 8-1, beating NC State 76-72 in Palo Alto. Josh Owens led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds and Anthony Brown added 12 off the bench. Johnny Dawkins' team could be one to watch in the Pac-12.

6. Kansas State passed their first test of the season as they won at Virginia Tech 69-61. Jamar Samuels impressed with 17 points and 14 rebounds and Shane Southwell added 11 off the bench.

7. Oregon State posted an impressive win to close the day, beating expected Big Sky contender Montana 71-46. Ahmad Starks led four Beavers in double figures with 17 points, and Craig Robinson's team looked very good in a game that prior Oregon State teams would either struggle with or lose.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Joe Ragland (Wichita State)
31 points (8-9 3PT), five rebounds and three assists in the Shockers' 89-70 win over UNLV.

2. G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
31 points (11-20 FG), five rebounds and two assists in the Terrapins' 78-71 win over Notre Dame.

3. F Jamar Samuels (Kansas State)
17 points (7-8 FG) and 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 69-61 win at Virginia Tech.