Baylor

GameNight: Baylor vs Wake Forest (76 Classic Final)

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:10:35 -0500

Start: Nov 30 2008 - 10:30pm

Preview & Prediction: By Evan Dorey

-- Evan Dorey's game previews & rankings are based on Elo Ratings. Elo Ratings are fairly simple, all teams are assigned an initial number of points, which is the same for all teams, eliminating preseason bias. Then, as the season progresses, when a team wins it gains points, and when it loses it drops points. The amount of points that are gained or lost depend on the level of the opponent (beating a cupcake gets you little, beating #1 will be a big increase), the scoring margin of the game (which is capped), and the game’s location. To take a look at Evan's College Basketball Elo Ratings, visit his website or blog where he discusses the rankings along with other statistical observations about big games and interesting teams.

The 76 Classic from Anaheim has hosted a number of interesting games over the week, and the final looks like it will not disappoint, as it features #13 Baylor (6-0) and #15 Wake Forest (5-0).

Baylor resisted a strong late charge from Arizona St and James Harden to make the final, which was their first top quality win, as they’ve played a relatively weak schedule so far. Wake Forest also has not had a serious test yet, but just survived a semifinal game against UTEP to advance.

Baylor has been an excellent offensive team, but defense has been Wake’s strength, so a good battle should ensue. It surprised me that that the Bears are among the nation’s best two-point shooters, but this is strongly affected by Quincy Acy’s 92.3% two-point shooting so far this season. The Bears shoot mostly from the outside, but when they do go inside, they have some good scoring options, allowing them to present a very strong multiple threat to most teams. They don’t go to the offensive glass much, and aren’t great free throw shooters, but give the ball up very little and get to the line quite often. Wake’s defense is strongest in the interior, which may allow Baylor to shoot over it with their skilled guards. They have done everything well, but nothing spectacularly to date, though they are able to get a lot of blocks.

When Wake has the ball, it will go inside, as they are one of the most heavily two-point dependent offenses in the nation. It’s important for the Deacons to shoot well inside, since when they have taken threes, they have not shot them well. Considering their offensive advantage inside, they don’t get many of their own misses, and they tend to struggle with turnovers somewhat, not unsurprising from a young team. Baylor’s defense looks good statistically, pretty even across most categories. This makes me a little suspicious of a weak opponents effect, especially since Arizona St. managed to torch the Bears’ D pretty badly in the semifinals. Still, their glaring weaknesses from last season, fouling and not forcing turnovers, are as of yet not evident this season.

Baylor have been led, so far, in the backcourt, with senior Curtis Jerrells taking the bulk of the work. He is a good ball mover and a very solid shooter, precisely what a coach would want from a point guard. He also is a steady hand with the ball, generally committing few turnovers, though he has had a couple of nightmare turnover games so far this season. The rest of the backcourt load is shared by prolific but not particularly effective shooter LaceDarius Dunn, along with a couple of other decent shooters in Henry Dugat and Tweety Carter. Inside, Quincy Acy has put up absurd numbers, averaging 10 points and 5 boards, along with nearly 3 fouls in less than 20 minutes per game. In addition, he is leading the nation in field goal percentage with the crazy number mentioned above.

Much of the talk about Wake Forest has been about freshman Al-Farouq Aminu, and while the young big man has been part of a great three man interior unit that have powered the Deacons’ offense, the leading scorer and most important player so far has been guard Jeff Teague. Teague was an average shooter last season, but in the early part of this season he has greatly increased both the size of his role and the effectiveness he has in that role. He’s shot 55% from the field, and one of the big keys is that he has been more selective from three, shooting a larger percentage of twos than last season, but making a lot more of the threes he does take. While I expect Teague will cool off, right now he’s leading the ACC in scoring, and needs to be closely marked. The three inside guys, Aminu, Chas McFarland and James Johnson are all shooting around 60% from the field, and averaging double-digit points with high single-digit rebounds. Baylor haven’t faced a team loaded with good big men, and it may cause some serious defensive problems when the Bears have three guards on the floor.

I’m really uncertain about a prediction for this game, but Baylor’s impressive offensive showing against Arizona St., combined with their strong veteran backcourt presence, makes me think that they can exploit the younger Wake team on the defensive end. While I don’t think Baylor will be too effective at stopping the Deacons from scoring, Wake has enough offensive weaknesses to give the Bears a very slight edge.

Winner: Baylor Margin: 2-6

Big 12 Coach Ranking: Self-Esteem

Kevin McNeill — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:08:14 -0500

Continuing this week's Coach Ranking series: The Big 12

#1) Bill Self, Kansas

Being the head basketball coach at Kansas can be a little intimidating. One must not only excel in the midst of almost implausible fan expectations and media saturation year in and year out, but must coach in the constant shadow of the likes of Hall of Famers Phog Allen, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, and some guy named Dr. James Naismith. For Bill Self, however, those were the least of his worries.

Arriving in Lawrence after taking Tulsa and Illinois to the Elite Eight, Self had to fill the shoes of a beloved coach in Williams, who stunned fans with his departure to North Carolina soon after losing the national title game to Syracuse. He also had to work overtime to convince Williams’ recruits not to follow him.

While Self’s first season saw the Jayhawks come within a hair of returning to the Final Four in an overtime loss to Georgia Tech, he had to overcome constant distractions, not the least of which included reports of Williams contacting his former players during the season. Adding insult to injury, the following year Williams went on to win the national championship against Self’s former team, while KU lost in the first round in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1978. The Jawhawks again bowed out in the first round the next season – the first year in which Self was mostly playing his own recruits - leading the simmering “fire Self!” KU message board posts to rise to a dull roar.

Well, they’re pretty quiet now. Bill Self stands right alongside those great coaches in Kansas lore, sporting a national championship (just the third in KU’s history) and a ridiculous .816 winning percentage since arriving on campus. He is widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation, so much so that his Jawhawk team is currently ranked in the Top 25 despite losing five players to the NBA, and eight overall from last year.

He also turns all of 47 in December, which means he will be on the sideline and winning games for a long time to come.

# 2) Scott Drew, Baylor

It may be considered a stretch to label such a young coach as the second best coach in the conference, but the program he has built up from the smoldering rubble of the Dave Bliss fiasco is nothing less than astonishing.

To recap, after it was revealed Bliss committed some minor infractions, such as framing a murder victim to cover his illegal payments, the Bears were forced to play a half season in 2005-06, lost scholarships, and had paid recruiting visits reduced from twelve to nine for the 2006-07 season. Oh, and the program was placed on probation until June 22, 2010.

Despite all this, Drew has assembled top notch recruiting classes year in and year out, and last season carried Baylor to 21 wins and a NCAA Tournament berth, only their second appearance since 1950 (the other being 1988).

Seriously, how many coaches in America could have led a team to the Big Dance five years after the NCAA leveled the most severe penalties on a basketball program since the Southwestern Louisiana point shaving scandal? With a school with little to zero winning basketball tradition (unlike say Kentucky, who was able to rebound not long after the Eddie Sutton affair)? How many could talk a blue-chip recruit like LaceDarius Dunn, and others, into coming to Waco, despite the fact the school won’t be off probation until he’s a senior?

Going out on a limb, I’d say very few, which is why Baylor very wisely signed Drew to a 10 year contract extension after last season.

#3) Rick Barnes, Texas

In a conference that sports no less than nine coaches with two seasons or less under their belts with their respective teams, Barnes stands out for his consistency.

He is a three-time Big 12 coach of the year. In his ten years at the helm, the Longhorns have not missed a NCAA Tournament, with two Elite Eight appearances in the last three years, five Sweet Sixteen runs in the past seven, and a Final Four in 2003. Barnes also has three regular season titles to his credit, although he has not yet won the Big 12 Tournament.

#4) Jeff Capel, Oklahoma

Jeff Capel, as with some other relatively new coaches in the Big 12, have to be rated more for their potential than their achievements, due to their youth and experience. Still, after just two seasons, it is starting to look like the former Dukie could well be one of the best hires in school history.

After taking over for Kelvin Sampson, and subsequently losing blue chip-recruits Scottie Reynolds and Damion James to other programs, Capel has done an outstanding job of bringing in top notch talent to Norman, led by future stars Blake Griffin and now Willie Warren. He also engineered a remarkable turnaround last season, winning 23 games and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after finishing 7^th in the conference a year earlier.

Capel should stick around long enough to build the Sooners into a perennial conference contender…so long as Coach K doesn’t retire anytime soon.

#5) Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M

The Aggies got off to a great start in Turgeon’s first season, finishing with a 25–11 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 25 wins matched a Big 12 record for the most wins by a first-year coach.

While they lost DeAndre Jordan to an ill-advised decision to enter the NBA Draft, the Aggies still look like they could build on that success this year. Turgeon, like so many new coaches in the Big 12, is an outstanding recruiter and is building the foundation for long term success, starting with incoming freshman David Loubeau and what is so far an outstanding 2009 class.

#6) Travis Ford, Oklahoma State

Ford arrives at Oklahoma State as one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country, having turned down an offer from Providence, and taking himself out of consideration at LSU before accepting the job in Stillwater. He led UMass to 49 combined wins in the past two seasons, and before that memorably led Eastern Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament where they gave his alma mater, Kentucky, all they could handle in the first round.

Ford is aggressive on the recruiting trail, likes to constantly push his players, and likes to score – a lot. With the three point line moving back, Oklahoma State fans may not see the Cowboys throw up as many threes as UMass did last year (they attempted over 900), but they will definitely see a far more up-tempo style than they are used to.

#7) Jeff Bzdelik, Colorado

Coach Bzdelik came to Boulder having just overseen the most successful season in the history of the Air Force Academy, with a 26-9 record and a NIT semifinal run. He led the Falcons to only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in over 40 years in his first season.

Not to belabor the point, but if you can coach and recruit at a US military academy – where sky-high SAT scores and academic requirements for admission all but disqualify 85% of applicants – you can coach and recruit anywhere. Colorado is very young and in the process of rebuilding, but they should begin to show signs of growth under Bzdelik in his second season.

#8) Doc Sadler, Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhusker basketball team opened their first practice on October 17^th… in full view of about “30-40 Husker fans,” according to the school. By contrast, the Nebraska Spring football game drew a record crowd of more than 80,000 back in April.

Such is the life of college basketball at a football school. Still, having recorded a 20 win season last year, and an NIT berth, in just his second season, Doc Sadler looks like he has the program headed in the right direction. Losing Aleks Maric will hurt, but the Huskers could sneak up on some teams this year.

#9) Mike Anderson, Missouri

Mike Anderson showed glimpses of his potential after taking over for Quin Synder, going a respectable 18-12 in his first season. But the following year, just as Mizzou fans were starting to move on from the Ricky Clemons fiasco, off-court issues tripped up their season once again.

Right at the start of conference play, five players were involved in a bar fight that led to their suspension, and, eventually, the dismissal of leading scorer Stefhon Hannah – forcing the team to finish the year short-handed. Even before the season started, leading rebounder Kalen Grimes was dismissed from the team for smashing someone’s face with the butt of a shotgun, Darryl Butterfield – who was later one of the players involved in the bar fight - was arrested for punching an ex-girlfriend, transfer DeMarre Carroll was shot in the ankle, and Mike Anderson, Jr. – the coach’s son, had a DUI.

The Tigers have a lot of potential this season, especially with the arrival of transfer Zaire Taylor. But Coach Anderson will be judged not only by his ability to get his team back to the Big Dance after a five year hiatus, but also whether his strict new team rules can finally get this program under control.

#10) Greg McDermott, Iowa State

When Greg McDermott first began coaching, at Division II Wayne State, he compiled a losing record over his first two years at the helm. He then guided them to four straight 20 win seasons. At Northern Iowa, he endured a losing record in each of his first two seasons, then rattled off three straight 20 win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances before heading to Ames.

Iowa State has gone 29-34 under Coach McDermott in his first two seasons. Cyclones fans are anxiously awaiting his third.

#11) Frank Martin, Kansas State

It’s no secret that Coach Martin at least in part owes his job to his close relationship with Michael Beasley, specifically his ability to keep Beasley on campus after the shocking departure of Bob Huggins to West Virginia. Now that Beasley is gone, Martin has a lot to prove.

#12) Pat Knight, Texas Tech

Texas Tech fans are still stewing over the surprise mid-season resignation of Bob Knight, and the quick transfer of coaching duties to his son, whose only head coaching experience was a very brief stint in the USBL and IBA, with teams that folded soon after he arrived.

After taking over, the Red Raiders lost 7 of their last 11 games. Inconsistency was the main concern, evidenced by a great win at home against Texas followed up by a 58 point drubbing by Kansas.

GameNight: Baylor vs Providence (76 Classic)

CHN — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:05:06 -0500

Start: Nov 27 2008 - 11:30pm

Preview Coming Soon!

Big 12 Player Grades: 2008-09

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:17:59 -0500

Big XII Player Grades

I've graded each Big 12 starter based on projected stats and overall talent. Along with a bench grade, each team has a potential score of 60.0. Teams are ranked according to the sum of the player grades, but these do not necessarily match my (or the sites) predicted standings. The projected stats are from CHN's Fantasy Stats Preview. . Each team's top graded player is highlighted in red.

TEXAS
G AJ Abrams - 18, 3, 3	8.0
G Justin Mason - 9, 4, 3	6.0
F Damion James - 16, 10, 2	8.5
F Gary Johnson - 10, 6, 1	5.5
F Connor Atchley - 13, 7, 1	7.0
Bench	6.5
	41.5
BAYLOR
G Tweety Carter - 9, 2, 4	6.0
G Henry Dugat - 11, 4, 2	6.0
G Curtis Jerrells - 15, 5, 4	8.0
G LaceDarius Dunn - 15, 4, 2	7.0
F Kevin Rogers - 14, 9, 1	7.5
Bench	6.0
	40.5
OKLAHOMA
G Willie Warren - 16, 4, 4	8.0
G Austin Johnson - 10, 3, 3	5.5
G Tony Crocker - 10, 3, 3	6.0
F Taylor Griffin - 10, 6, 1	5.5
F Blake Griffin - 17, 10, 2	9.0
Bench	6.0
	40.0
KANSAS
G Sherron Collins - 13, 3, 5	7.5
G Travis Releford - 9, 2, 2	5.5
G Mario Little - 12, 3, 3	6.5
F Markieff Morris - 9, 5, 1	5.5
F Cole Aldrich - 11, 8, 1	6.5
Bench	6.5
	38.0
OKLAHOMA STATE
G Byron Eaton - 14, 3, 5	7.0
G Terrel Harris - 11, 4, 1	6.0
G James Anderson - 16, 4, 1	7.0
G Obi Muonelo - 9, 4, 1	6.0
C Ibrahima Thomas - 9, 7, 1	6.0
Bench	4.5
	36.5
TEXAS A&M
G Donald Sloan - 12, 4, 3	6.5
G Derrick Roland - 8, 3, 2	5.5
G Josh Carter - 14, 4, 2	7.5
F Bryan Davis - 12, 6, 1	7.0
F Chinemelu Elonu - 6, 6, 1	5.0
Bench	5.0
	36.5
MISSOURI
G Miguel Paul - 9, 3, 4	5.5
G JT Tiller - 10, 3, 2	5.0
G Matt Lawrence - 8, 4, 1	5.5
F DeMarre Carroll - 14, 7, 1	7.0
F Leo Lyons - 17, 7, 2	7.5
Bench	5.0
	35.5
KANSAS STATE
G Jacob Pullen - 15, 2, 4	7.0
G Denis Clemente - 12, 3, 3	6.0
F Dominque Sutton - 7, 5, 1	5.0
F Jamar Samuels - 7, 5, 1	5.0
F Ron Anderson - 8, 7, 1	5.5
Bench	6.0
	34.5
TEXAS TECH
G John Roberson - 14, 4, 3	6.5
G Alan Voskuil - 13, 4, 2	6.5
G Mike Singletary - 12, 5, 2	6.0
F Trevor Cook - 8, 4, 1	5.5
C Esmir Rizvic - 6, 4, 1	5.0
Bench	4.5
	34.0
NEBRASKA
G Cookie Miller - 7, 3, 5	5.5
G Ade Dagundrup - 12, 4, 2	6.0
G Ryan Anderson - 10, 5, 2	5.5
F Alex Chapman - 8, 5, 1	5.0
F Alonzo Edwards - 7, 6, 1	5.0
Bench	6.0
	33.0
IOWA STATE
G Diante Garrett - 9, 3, 4	5.0
G Lucca Staiger - 12, 3, 2	5.5
F Craig Brackins - 14, 6, 1	7.0
F Jamie Vanderbeken - 9, 4, 1	5.0
F Alex Thompson - 5, 5, 1	4.5
Bench	5.5
	32.5
COLORADO
G Cory Higgins - 11, 4, 3	5.5
G Nate Tomlinson - 8, 3, 4	4.5
F Jermyl Jackson-Wilson - 8, 4, 1	5.0
F Austin Dufault - 11, 5, 1	6.0
F Casey Crawford - 7, 4, 1	4.0
Bench	5.0
	30.0

8.0+ Players

9.0 Blake Griffin

8.5 Damion James

8.0 AJ Abrams

8.0 Curtis Jerrells

8.0 Willie Warren

Note: The Longhorns sum of 41.5 is slightly lower than other BCS conference leaders (UNC is #1 at 47.5). Colorado has one of the lowest totals with a 30.0 total.

Player Grades Archive (other leagues)

Fantasy Stats Preview

Baylor Class Includes Three Top 100 Prospects

Press Release — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:10:56 -0500

WACO, Texas - Baylor head men's basketball coach Scott Drew announced the signing of Givon Crump (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Cory Jefferson (Killeen, Texas) and A.J. Walton (Little Rock, Ark.) to National Letters of Intent for the 2009-10 academic year Wednesday.

Crump (first name is pronounced JIV-ON), a 6-foot-6 small forward, averaged nine points and 4.5 rebounds as a junior last season for Brewster Academy, which had nine players sign Division I scholarships a year ago. He came off the bench last season for Brewster's 31-4 team that won the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championship and finished third at the National Prep School Tournament.

Crump is the 14th-ranked fifth-year player, according to HoopScoop.com and is also a top 10 Bob Gibbons All-Star Report fifth-year player. He is ranked No. 142 nationally in Rivals.com's Class of 2009 and is the 31st-rated small forward in the ESPNU 100.

"For the last few years, Baylor has been known for its great 3-point shooting and Givon is one of the best in the nation," Drew said. "He has NBA range and great height, which makes him tough to defend."

A 6-foot-9 power forward from Killeen, Jefferson averaged 13.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.1 blocks as a sophomore in 2006-07, earning All-District 16-4A first team honors. Jefferson is ranked No. 33 overall and No. 11 among power forwards by Rivals.com. Jefferson is listed No. 59 by HoopScoop.com and No. 86 overall in the ESPNU 100 (No. 29 among power forwards).

Jefferson is ranked No. 67 in Bob Gibbons All-Star Report. He is listed as the 20th-best center in the nation by Scout.com.

"Our staff has waited a long time to sign a great local player like Cory," Drew said. "He has tremendous potential and is someone our fans are going to enjoy watching for the next four years."

Walton, a 6-foot-1 point guard, completes Baylor's three-player class during the early signing period. The Little Rock, Ark., native averaged 12 points and seven rebounds as a junior, earning Mr. Basketball honors in the state of Arkansas. Walton is ranked No. 84 in the ESPNU Top 100 and Bob Gibbons All-Star Report. He is ranked No. 77 overall by HoopScoop.com. He is ranked as the 18th-best point guard in the nation by Scout.com.

"Any time you get a ‘Mr. Basketball' like A.J. from Arkansas, you know you are getting a player," Drew said. "He's a leader, loves to compete and, most importantly, seems to always find a way to win.

"All three are great individuals and come from tremendous families and they will represent Baylor University in an outstanding manner," Drew said.