Bethune-Cookman

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.

College Hoops Friday Recap: Perennial Bubbler Finally Gets a Break

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:46:07 -0800

It's almost become an annual occurrence in college basketball: Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech Hokies in their customary spot on the bubble. And they looked to be headed in that direction tonight against Florida State in the final quarterfinal of the night in Greensboro, trailing 27-19 at the half and shooting a brutal 17.9% from the field. The Seminoles outscored Virginia Tech 16-6 in the paint and 14-7 in bench points in the first half, and guards Malcolm Delaney and Erick Green combined to shoot 1-for-15. Florida State's defense hasn't been as good since star Chris Singleton went down with a broken foot six games ago but it's still formidable, and it proved to be more than a handful for Virginia Tech in the first half. If not for unsung hero Manny Atkins, who scored seven of his 14 points in the first half, Florida State likely wins the game in a walk.

"One thing I should say is Manny Atkins and that three he made in the corner, the ball was in the air for about 15 seconds," serif Greenberg. "He was phenomenal. He played so hard, and he had quite an accomplishment today."

The Hokies made an early charge in the second half but Florida State was able to hold them off for the time being, even pushing the margin out to 10 with just over 13 minutes left in the game. But Delaney and Green finally got going offensively, scoring 16 points combined in what was an offensive explosion when compared to the first half. Virginia Tech assisted on nine of their twelve made baskets in the second half, turning the ball over just three times. Florida State on the other hand turned the ball over 11 times, leading to 11 points for the Hokies and helping kickstart their struggling offense.

"We had a stretch there at the end of the first half where we were up 12 points and had three bad possessions in a row and I think they cut it to eight or seven," said Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton. "And we had another stretch there in the second half where we had a 10?point lead and we made three straight turnovers." (quotes courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference)

The outcome came down to two shots: one that counted and one that didn't. Delaney found Green for the jumper that put the Hokies ahead 52-51 with under five seconds left in the game following yet another Florida State turnover. But the Seminoles had one final chance to win and they seemingly took full advantage of it as Derwin Kitchen knocked down a fadeaway jumper from the right side as time expired. But upon video review the officials decided that the ball was still on Kitchen's fingertips, waving the shot off and touching off an emotional scene that included some tears from the head coach. And given the path that the Hokies have traveled over the last three years, in addition to this injury-plagued campaign, one couldn't blame Coach Greenberg one bit for shedding a few tears of joy (and maybe even relief).

Next up for the Hokies will be Duke, who pulled away from Maryland late thanks to the play of Kyle Singler. But the Blue Devils did lose point guard Nolan Smith late in the second half due to a toe injury, and whether or not he plays tomorrow afternoon has yet to be determined. Getting Smith back is crucial for a team that's still without Kyrie Irving (he did his rehab on the floor before the game, prompting many to wonder if he'd play), but at the very least maybe this weekend can be a catalyst to get Singler out of the slump he was mired in over the last three weeks of the season.

On the other side of the bracket Clemson picked up an important victory over Boston College in a game some saw as a "separator" in terms of the final at-large spots in the NCAA Tournament field. The Tigers were ready to go from the opening tip while the Eagles struggled offensively, and the final score of 70-47 wasn't the expectation after BC's win over Wake Forest on Thursday. Clemson moves on to play North Carolina, who finally woke up late in the second half to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as time expired against Miami. Kendall Marshall found an open Tyler Zeller underneath the basket and the junior scored as time expired, capping either a thrilling comeback or an amazing choke job depending on one's point of view. But the story of the day will be Virginia Tech, who did an awful lot to solidify their NCAA Tournament status. Exactly what they were unable to do in previous seasons.

Other Notable Happenings

1. UConn goes where no Big East Tuesday team has ever gone and Louisville rises to the challenge in the nightcap.
Kemba Walker has officially turned Madison Square Garden into his own personal stage this week and his most recent act helped the Huskies do something that no team seeded from 9-16 has done in the Big East (in the years since all 16 teams have been invited to New York): win four games in four days. Walker finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the 76-71 overtime win over Syracuse, helping the Huskies become the first team since Pittsburgh in 2008 to win four games in four days. But once again it's not just Walker making things happen. Jeremy Lamb knocked down a pair of huge shots late in the game and finishing with 11 points, and Alex Oriakhi added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Huskies out-rebounded the Orange 45-37.

But achieving the "impossible": winning five games in five days will depend on how well they do against a Louisville team that's given then fits. Notre Dame was in control of the game in the first half, leading by 14 at the break despite Ben Hansbrough not being as effective offensively as usual. In the second half the Cardinals rose to the challenge, slowing down everyone to get the game to overtime where the Irish had as many turnovers as made field goals (2). With Preston Knowles (20 points) and Peyton Siva (15 points, seven assists) leading the way this is a deep group that's far surpassed the preseason expectations. And to win the Big East title in this season would be a monumental achievement, but the same goes for UConn as well.

2. Michigan State and Penn State grab crucial victories in Indianapolis.
Two Big Ten teams in need of victories did so against highly regarded ranked opponents on Thursday night, with Michigan State whipping Purdue and Penn State simply having one more stone to throw than Wisconsin in the ultimate basketball rock fight. Kalin Lucas was ready from the opening tip, scoring a game-high 30 points and handing out three assists in addition to showing the level or leadership teams expect of their seniors this time of the year. Michigan State turned the ball over just eight times and limited the Boilermakers to 3-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc defensively (37.3% overall) while out-rebounding them 39-25. The Spartans' opponent in the Big Ten semifinals: Penn State, who got out to a fast start against Wisconsin then hung on as the game slowed to a crawl in the form of a 36-33 final.

Talor Battle was the leading scorer with a whopping nine points, but all that matters for Ed DeChellis' team is the fact that they live to play another day. The Nittany Lions need help to make their way into the field of 68, but it's much better to do so on your own terms as opposed to hoping that touting a resume gets through to the selection committee. That makes the matchup between Penn State and Michigan State more important to the Nittany Lions, who may need to win the conference tournament to get into the field. But there's a chance, and that's exactly what they hoped for going into tonight's contest.

3. Chaos occurs in the afternoon in Atlantic City, and the expected finalists in Conference USA do what they have to do.
Xavier's won the last five Atlantic 10 regular season titles but they haven't been successful in the conference tournament, last winning the event in 2006 when the tournament was played in Cincinnati. Boardwalk Hall: not so kind, and that trend continued as a pair of Luke Fabrizius free throws gave rival Dayton a 68-67 win to advance into Saturday's semifinals. The win marks the first time since 1981 than the Flyers have beaten Xavier anywhere outside of Dayton, the epitome of a one-sided rivalry. Dayton's opponent: 12th-seeded Saint Joseph's, who refuse to go down without a fight.

Phil Martelli notched win number 300 on Friday, ending the NCAA Tournament hopes of Duquesne in a 93-90 overtime thriller. Charoy Bentley found Ronald Roberts underneath the basket in the final seconds of regulation, showing a level of poise this young team would not have shown earlier in the season. Either Dayton or Saint Joseph's will be playing in Sunday's conference final, and despite the likely status as a big underdog to either Temple or Richmond, these are two teams playing with confidence. Bid "thief" nothing; should either underdog win the automatic bid they will have earned it.

4. The NIT gains two more teams that will have to use their automatic berths.
Those two entrants come from the MEAC and SWAC, as both conference tournaments saw their top seeds fall on Friday night. Bethune-Cookman was locked up by Morgan State, shooting just 38.8% in their 61-48 loss to the Bears. Todd Bozeman's team will play in its third consecutive conference final on Saturday, and if they get another 22-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench from Kevin Thompson the Bears could very well be headed back to the NCAA Tournament. Leading scorer C.J. Reed shot 4-for-17 in the loss, but the Wildcats' inability to shoot (3-for-13 3PT) did them in. SWAC regular season champion Texas Southern was far and away the best team in the league (16-2 record) but it did not matter to Alabama State.

The Hornets won 73-66 with Ivory White leading five players in double figures with 17 points, and Alabama State out-rebounded the Tigers 34-21 in a game that had just 68 possessions for each team and a combined 32 turnovers (ASU finished with a turnover percentage of 27.9% and still won). Alabama State will take on six-seed Grambling State in Saturday's title game, with the Tigers being the ultimate "Cinderella" as they went 8-10 in conference play and have knocked off both the two and three seeds in this tournament. Can they knock off the four as well? Anything's possible, even if the regular season champions enjoy show themselves to be superior to their competition by a solid margin throughout the course of the year.

5. Alabama mounts a furious rally to beat Georgia and get another shot at Kentucky.
Georgia's issue in many of their close losses this season: the lack of a floor general who can make the right decisions late in games. That bit them once again on Friday afternoon, and the end result could be a trip to the NIT. Leading Alabama 49-36 with six minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs went more than three minutes without a basket as the Crimson Tide made their charge. Chris Hines eventually tied the game at 53 on a layup with four seconds remaining, then the real hijinks began. Instead of calling a timeout after the basket Georgia head coach Mark Fox waited until there were eight tenths of a second remaining on the clock.

Don't even worry about the fact that Dustin Ware banked in a three-pointer that would have won the game, the game management issues down the stretch had just as much to to with their downfall as anything Alabama did. Going to overtime simply delayed the inevitable, with Alabama scoring the final six points of the game to pick up a critical win for the NCAA Tournament hopes. Anthony Grant's team gets another shot at Kentucky, a team they've beaten this season, while the Bulldogs make the short trek back to Athens wondering what could have been. And should they not hear their name called on Selection Sunday, those thoughts will be all the more painful.

Top Five Games

1 (tie). Virginia Tech 52, Florida State 51 and North Carolina 61, Miami (FL) 59

2. San Diego State 74, UNLV 72
A D.J. Gay driving basket with just under five seconds remaining proved to be the difference for the Aztecs as they earned a third shot at BYU tomorrow. Kawhi Leonard led the Aztecs with 18 points and eight rebounds while Chace Stanback led UNLV with 22 points. Tomorrow's Mountain West title game is the first matchup of 30-win teams this season.

3. Saint Joseph's 93, Duquesne 90 (OT)
The Hawks capped a wild afternoon in Atlantic City (Dayton knocked off Xavier in the first game) with a three-point win over Duquesne, likely ending the Dukes' hopes of going to the NCAA Tournament. Carl Jones led the Hawks with 28 points and seven assists, and Bill Clark and Damian Saunders scored 21 points apiece for the Dukes.

4 (tie). Connecticut 76, Syracuse 71 and Louisville 83, Notre Dame 77

5. Ohio State 67, Northwestern 61 (OT)
Unfortunately for the Wildcats the game turned for good on a technical foul called on Luka Mirkovic in overtime. The Buckeyes survive, moving on to play rival Michigan on Saturday afternoon. Jared Sullinger finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds, and John Shurna led Northwestern with 23 points.

Five Notable Performances

1. G Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
52 points (22-37 FG) and four assists in the Cougars' 87-76 win over New Mexico in a Mountain West semifinal.

2. G Kemba Walker (Connecticut)
33 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the Huskies' 76-71 overtime win over Syracuse in a Big East semifinal.

3. F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
20 points and 18 rebounds in the Buckeyes' 67-61 overtime win over Northwestern in a Big Ten quarterfinal.

4. F Kyle Singler (Duke)
29 points and nine rebounds in the Blue Devils' 87-71 win over Maryland in an ACC quarterfinal.

5. G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the Hawks' 93-90 overtime win over Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal.

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College Hoops Monday Recap: Kansas State Wins in Austin

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:41:56 -0800

It's one thing to say you're not going to play in the NIT and another to come through on your guarantee. That's exactly what senior guard Jacob Pullen has done in recent weeks for Kansas State and as a result the Wildcats find themselves in a very good position with one game left in the regular season. Pullen (X-rays on his right hand were negative according to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman) scored 20 points while Rodney McGruder led the way with 22 in a 75-70 win at #7 Texas. It's safe to say that both teams have looked nothing like their respective outfits of a month ago, and as a result some may wonder if the Wildcats and Longhorns are like ships passing in the night.

And the leadership issue may be exactly why that's the case; who is Texas' "Jacob Pullen? They need to figure things out soon, as Rick Barnes' team has reverted back to some of the bad habits that saw them go from top-ranked to first-round exit a season ago.

"Some of the breakdowns are baffling to be honest with you," said coach Barnes. "I can't tell you why because we have proven at times this year that we can be really good defensively. We have proven that we could be really good offensively."

Kansas State shot 57.7% in the second half, scoring 44 points and outscoring Texas 14-13 in the paint after being outscored by ten in the first half. Tristan Thompson played very well for Texas, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and three blocks, but Jordan Hamilton struggled and didn't always exhibit the best shot selection. The sophomore made just five of eighteen shots from the field, finishing with 14 points, and when combined with Cory Joseph's 2-for-12 and Gary Johnson's 2-for-8 nights respectively it becomes an uphill battle for the Longhorns.

But the night was about Kansas State, who has likely gone from the wrong side of the bubble to a team few will want to play this month. And while Pullen's led the way on the floor a lot of credit should go to head coach Frank Martin, who challenged his team when things could have gone past the point of repair. Yes Freddy Asprilla and Wally Judge leaving the program has sapped some of their interior depth, but figuring out who's "all in" is of far more importance. A first round bye in the Big 12 Tournament is still up for grabs, and Kansas State's inclusion in the race is a far cry from where they were headed a month ago.

"I am very proud of the guys in that locker room," said Martin. "They have never stopped believing in the spirit of our team. Regardless of what situations came about, whether we created them ourselves, whether we played someone that was better than us on a given night, those kids' spirits were never broken." (quotes courtesy of Texas Athletics)

Other Notable Happenings

1. Notre Dame lights it up from deep and beats Villanova like they stole something.
Only one team will go undefeated at home in the Big East and that's Notre Dame, who put forth a memorable shooting performance in a 93-72 win over Villanova that wasn't that close. Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough scored 30 points apiece, shooting 16-for-23 from beyond the arc, and as a team the Irish made 20 of 31 shots from deep. Villanova tried both man and zone defenses but it didn't matter as Mike Brey's team wrapped up a double-bye in next week's Big East Tournament. Corey Fisher scored 22 to lead the Wildcats, who have a lot to rectify before playing Pittsburgh on Saturday much less preparing for a run in either of the two tournaments they'll be a part of. Whether they play at a conventional tempo or with their "burn" offense, Notre Dame's unselfish nature combined with an impressive ability to make shots makes Coach Brey's team a very tough club to beat.

2. Bethune-Cookman wins their first-ever MEAC regular season title.
Thanks to North Carolina A&T's win over Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman knew before their game ended that they'd been the MEAC champions. But it's also important to point out that just like Missouri State in the MVC this is the first regular season crown for the Wildcats, who moved to 19-11 overall with a 73-60 non-conference victory over North Carolina Central. C.J. Reed led the way with 23 points and has to be considered one of the favorites for MEAC Player of the Year as he averages 19.2 points and 4.7 assists per game, and Stanley Elliott scored 16 (he averages 5.0 ppg). But how can their 12-3 record in conference play be explained, given their ranking in the middle of the conference in a number of statistical categories? They're second in the MEAC in points per possession while doing a good job of scoring from both two-point range and the foul line. If Reed and company can continue to take advantage of those opportunities they can get to the NCAA Tournament.

3. The top two teams in the SWAC both fall on the road.
If Monday's results mean anything it's that the upcoming SWAC Tournament could be one of the wilder conference tournaments despite Texas Southern having a three-game lead on their closest competition atop the standings. The Tigers scored just 48 points in a 60-48 loss at Alabama State, who moved into a tie for third just a half-game behind second place Jackson State with two games to go. Jackson State fell at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 62-56 with Savalace Townsend scoring 21 points to lead the Golden Lions. So what's going to make the difference among the top five teams in the conference come tournament time? Given four of those teams sit atop the SWAC in points allowed per game the difference may come on the offensive end. Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State lead the league in points per game with Texas Southern, Alabama A&M and Alabama State 4th through 6th. Good luck picking the NCAA Tournament representative from this group.

Top Three Games

1. Northern Colorado 77, Idaho State 74 Chris Kaba's block of a Broderick Gilchrest kept the Bears alone atop the Big Sky in addition to ruling the Bengals out of the upcoming six-team conference tournament. Devon Beitzel scored 28 points (16-16 FT) to lead Northern Colorado while Gilchrest scored 26 to lead Idaho State.

2. Kansas State 75, (7) Texas 70

3. Mississippi Valley State 66, Grambling State 63 (OT) One could argue that these two teams were more prolific offensively in overtime than in regulation as the Delta Devils outscored the Tigers 15-12 in the extra session. Paul Crosby led MVSU with 14 points while Orlando Smith added 11 and 12 rebounds. Grambling's Lance Feurtado led all scorers with 18.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Ben Hansbrough and F Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame) These two were scalding hot in Notre Dame's 93-72 win over Villanova. Both scored 30 points with Hansbrough adding 10 assists and five steals to his stat line. The two seniors combined to shoot 16-for-23 from beyond the arc.

2. G Rodney McGruder and G Jacob Pullen (Kansas State) While Pullen's leadership has made the Wildcats' revival possible it was McGruder who was the leading scorer in the win at Texas. McGruder finished with 22 points and five rebounds while Pullen added 20.

3. F Tristan Thompson (Texas) 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the Longhorns' 75-70 loss to Kansas State.

College Hoops Monday Recap: Kansas State Whips Kansas

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:17:45 -0800

"I'm not going to the NIT. I won't play basketball in the NIT. I'm saying that now. If we lose, and we have to go to the NIT, I will not play."

Those were the words of Kansas State senior guard Jacob Pullen to Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star on January 12th, but from that point forward neither Pullen nor the rest of his teammates had done much to avoid such a decision. That was until last night, when Pullen scored a career-high 38 points in Kansas State's 84-68 home win over top-ranked Kansas. Pullen made nine of seventeen shots from the field (5-6 3PT) and made a regular trek to the foul line as well, where he knocked down 15 of 19.

But in addition to Pullen there was another important performer, center Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. On a night that saw Curtis Kelly largely invisible (six points, four assists, five turnovers), Henriquez-Roberts scored eight of his 10 points in the first half while also finishing with five rebounds. For the game Kansas State shot 56% from the field, and with Thomas Robinson out and some of their most important players making bad decisions Kansas had little chance to escape with a victory.

"I thought they did a very good job of being physical," remarked Kansas head coach Bill Self. "They cut off all our angles on both ends of the floor. We did not have anyone play well. Our three juniors did not come to play tonight."

Kansas State scored 22 points off of 18 Kansas turnovers, also out-rebounding the Jayhawks 29-23 on a night that saw both Morrises struggle (Marcus- 13 points, three rebounds; Markieff- 3 points, no rebounds). Kansas shot just 37% in the second half, and considering the fact that they made 52% of their shots in the first half and still trailed by nine at the break it wasn't difficult to figure out that they were in for a long night. The loss likely drops Kansas from their perch atop the polls next Monday but of far more importance is that they're now two games behind first-place Texas in the Big 12 standings. And when the head-to-head result is factored in it's more like three games, meaning that their chances of winning the regular season crown may have dissolved in Manhattan.

The bigger question on the night is what the win means for Kansas State. While more than a few have put the Wildcats into the field of 68 thanks to the win, keep in mind that Monday's conquest is also their first win over a team in the RPI Top 50 this season. There's still plenty of work to be done, with two more opportunities for good wins (home vs. Missouri and at Texas) mixed in with games against Oklahoma, Nebraska (road) and Iowa State they need to avoid dropping. But when your fate is up in the air there's nothing a coach would rather see than his expected leader rising to the challenge, and Jacob Pullen did that last night.

"Jake has been playing good for a while now," said head coach Frank Martin. "He has been real good and is playing as a big-time point guard right now. I am happy that he had that type of night tonight." (quotes courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)

Other Notable Happenings

1. Brandon Triche puts forth one of his best performances in Syracuse's win over West Virginia.
Coming off of a loss at Louisville the Syracuse Orange needed a win to get back on track and retain hopes of possibly getting back into the race for a double-bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament. And they got just that on Monday night, beating West Virginia 63-52 behind 20 points from Brandon Triche and 16 from Kris Joseph. Casey Mitchell led the Mountaineers with a career-high 23 but the Orange proved to be too much on a night that saw both Truck Bryant and Kevin Jones (combined 3-for-14 FG) struggle from the field. But the problem for West Virginia is that nearly everyone struggled from two, as they made just six of 25 shots from inside the arc. And even when a team manages to knock down half of their three-point attempts (11-for-22), a loss is more than likely when putting forth a performance like that. As for Syracuse, the win means that 10 league wins is a good possibility with road games against Villanova and Georgetown sandwiched in between home games against Rutgers and DePaul. And if Triche can build on Monday's performance the Orange can get some things done in March as well.

2. There's now a three-way tie in the loss column atop the MEAC standings.
One of the tighter races in the mid-major ranks hasn't received much press, something that may be caused by the league's relative lack of national TV appearances outside of their weekly game on ESPNU. But the MEAC race will be an entertaining one to watch the remainder of the season, with three teams tied atop the standings with three losses apiece and another just one game behind with four. Hampton, who went into Monday night leading the conference, lost at North Carolina A&T to drop into a tie with Bethune-Cookman and Morgan State (the Bears have eight wins to Hampton and BCC's nine). And the changes are just in time as the Pirates host Bethune-Cookman on Saturday evening. Kwame Morgan II scored 27 points in Hampton's loss at A&T, and with more playing time the junior's raised his scoring some eight points per game this season. Meanwhile Bethune-Cookman made short work of UMES as C.J. Reed led five Wildcats in double figures with 21 points (Kevin Dukes and Dion Holloman combined for 30 off the bench). Hampton won the first meeting (in Daytona Beach) 68-56 on January 22nd, making Saturday all the more important to the Wildcats.

3. Texas Southern hangs on at Grambling to move to 11-1 in SWAC play.
The formula for many teams in the two HBCU conferences at the Division I level (MEAC and SWAC) is a simple one: hit the road for a number of guarantee games in November and December, with the hope being to not just line the athletic department's coffers but to set yourself up for a run at a conference championship. That's seemed to have worked well to this point for Texas Southern, who moved to 11-1 in the SWAC with a 51-49 win over Grambling State. Harrison Smith's layup with three seconds remaining won the game for the Tigers (Houston version), who nearly allowed a five-point lead with less than five minutes remaining slip away. Texas Southern won just two of eleven non-conference games, going 0-8 against teams ranked in the RPI Top 150. While that record may have "first round in Dayton" written all over it the overall benefits of such a schedule have Texas Southern atop the SWAC by two games in the loss column with six to go. And they already own a season sweep of Jackson State, meaning that taking care of business in the remainder of their games in addition to beating Mississippi Valley State (their lone league loss) on February 21st should be good enough to clinch at the very least an NIT bid.

Top Three Games

1. North Carolina Central 77, Coppin State 75 Nick Chasten's layup with less than a second remaining was the difference as North Carolina Central won the battle of the Eagles in Durham. C.J. Wilkerson led the home team with 21 points while Michael Harper scored the same to lead Coppin State.

2. Savannah State 65, Citadel 61 (OT) Jovonni Shuler knocked down a three-pointer to kick off a 7-0 run to start the extra session in the Tigers' win at The Citadel. Shuler finished with a game-high 24 points, and Zach Urbanus led the Bulldogs with 17.

3. Hawaii 69, Nevada 67 (OT) Vander Joaquim led the way with 24 points and nine rebounds as the Warriors knocked off the Wolf Pack. Jeremiah Ostrowski's shot with 21 seconds to go proved to be the difference in Honolulu. Deonte Burton led Nevada, who had two chances to either tie or win the game, with 21.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Jacob Pullen (Kansas State) 38 points in the Wildcats' 84-68 win over top-ranked Kansas.

2. F Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State) 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Spartans' 76-68 win over Howard.

3. C Vander Joaquim (Hawaii) 24 points and nine rebounds in the Warriors' 69-67 overtime win over Nevada.

College Basketball: Seven Day Stretch

Rob Carpentier — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:57:06 -0800

Rob Carpentier's "Seven Day Stretch" is a whirlwind tour around every corner of college basketball nation:

Seven Day Savior (Team): Duquesne Dukes

I know that the Dukes aren’t the popular pick for Team of the Week, but this is a program that has been down for so long it’s hard to remember when it’s been up. The Dukes began last week by losing in overtime to a mediocre St. Louis squad, but then came the weekend and the wire-to-wire victory over top ten-ranked Xavier. It was the biggest win that Duquesne has had in probably 30 years. The Dukes sit at 15-7 overall and 6-3 in the Atlantic 10. These are heady days for the “other” school in Pittsburgh. Last year, they had a winning season for the first time in 14 years. And this year they are a dark horse to win the A-10 conference tournament, (which they’ll have to do to make the NCAAs), and are almost certainly going to be involved in some postseason tournament. Led by senior Aaron Jackson and sophomores Damian Saunders and Bill Clark, all averaging in double figures, not only does this season look to be magical for the Dukes, but the future looks bright as well. As for the now, the schedule sets up well for Duquesne to potentially earn a top two or three seed in the A-10 tournament, and then, look out.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Ryan Tillema, Wisconsin-Green Bay

UWGB was the first Horizon League team to knock off Butler and it didn’t come as a surprise to those who know the conference. That’s because the Phoenix have perhaps the Horizon’s best player in senior swingman Tillema. The 6’8” Tillema scored 21 points in the victory over the Bulldogs which included making 10-12 from the free throw line. For the season, Tillema is averaging 16.9 PPG, based primarily on his 43% shooting from behind the three point line. Impressively, he scores all those points in just 24.8 minutes per game. More than that he brings a real grit to the floor and gives the Phoenix a real chance to win the conference tournament. He and UWGB did play Butler very close at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse so they have the ability to defeat the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, which, barring something strange is where Green Bay will have to go to win the conference title in March.

Game of the Week (The one you’ve already heard about): UCLA at Arizona State

Yeah, Duke faces Carolina on Wednesday and Pitt travels to Connecticut next Monday, but those are games involving teams that are locked in to the NCAA Tournament. The Big East and the ACC are widely considered the best conferences in the nation this year. The Pac-10 is not. That’s why this battle of the two preseason favorites in the pac-10 is huge. The Bruins are shooting for their fourth straight regular season crown while ASU is trying to gain a game on UCLA and Washington. ASU has arguably the best player in the country, let alone the Pac-10 in sophomore James Harden, but UCLA plays some of the best team defense in college basketball. ASU’s defense is also a tough nut to crack and the Bruins have Darren Collison. Both have excellent coaches; ASU’s Herb Sendek and UCLA’s Ben Howland. The Sun Devils have already defeated the Bruins in Los Angeles but they need the win to validate their season. ASU slid off the bubble at the end of last season and they are starting to play with that kind of inconsistency this year. The Bruins, on the other hand, could essentially wrap up the Pac-10 with a win because Washington, who is a game behind the Bruins, still has to travel to L.A. This is the biggest game out west so far this season.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): Bethune-Cookman at Morgan State

We have never ventured into the land of the two traditionally black college conferences, and that is an oversight on my part. Some of the most exciting basketball in the country is played in the MEAC and the SWAC. Its not that they have the cleanest games or the most talent, but the fans love their respective schools and they show it, as do the players who leave everything they have on the floor. Some of these schools have coaching legends that sit or have sat on the bench, but none have had bigger years than Morgan State’s Todd Bozeman has had this season. He started resurrecting MSU last year with a bevy of transfers, including Marquise Kately, who is MSU’s best player this year. The resurrection of the program has also been a resurrection of Bozeman’s career. Remember it was he who was found guilty of some serious NCAA violations while at California. But the man can coach and seems to have found his way. He has Morgan State at the top of the MEAC and it appears that only Norfolk State or Bethune-Cookman can stop them. MSU has a two game lead on both and gets Bethune at home on Monday night. If MSU wins the MEAC, and having the top seed in the conference tournament is meaningful, then this might be the most dangerous #16 seed since the Princeton squad that just missed knocking off Georgetown more than a decade ago. They are a formidable team…just ask Maryland.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Arkansas-Little Rock

For the last few years in the Sun Belt Conference, Western Kentucky and South Alabama have dueled for dominance. This season’s Hilltoppers are still at the, forgive the pun, top of the hill, while USA has fallen off. The team that is truly challenging WKU’s supremacy this season is UALR. The Trojans used to have decent success in both the Sun Belt and the postseason, but it’s been since 1990 that the Trojans have been to the NCAAs. That’s a long drought. They may have the firepower to go dancing this season. They are tied with WKU for the best record in the Sun Belt, but, more importantly, the Trojans have run away with the Sun Belt’s western division. This is important because they will be one of the two #1 seeds come conference tourney time. The Trojans have already defeated Creighton and barely lost to Memphis. They have four players who average in double figures, led by junior guard Steven Moore. The thing that makes the Trojans stand apart from the rest of their Sun Belt brethren is that they by far and away are the only team that can win consistently on the road. They have an impressive 8-3 road record and that will count for something when conference tournament play begins.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Mike Brey, Notre Dame

Brey has already been on the Hot Seat this season and he was one of my choices to be on the Hot Seat as the season began, and now I think his seat is as hot as Dennis Felton’s and Mike Gottfried’s were two weeks ago…and they’ve since been removed from their respective positions. After Notre Dame’s crushing defeat this past weekend at UCLA, (the Bruins won by 26 and the score was in no way indicative of how badly the Irish got beat), the Irish sit at 12-10 overall and 3-7 in the Big East. This was a team that was supposed to challenge in the Big East for the conference crown and had a realistic shot at the Final Four. I said before the season that Brey, whose teams have tended to play below their talent level, didn’t get a big season out of his squad, then he would be gone. Well, his team has quit on him, (that’s obvious), and there is talk of dissention in the locker room over the amount of touches one player gets and another doesn’t. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who studies college hoops. The Irish are very unathletic and they had major defensive issues at the end of last season. It would take a minor miracle for Brey to survive this season and quite frankly I think Felton and Gottfried have a better chance of regaining their former jobs than Notre Dame does of going on a huge winning streak.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: Rivalry Week

Am I the only one who thinks that ESPN has gotten terribly excessive with its pronouncements of “judgment week” and “throwdown week” and “??? week”? This week its “rivalry week”. Why? Because Duke plays UNC, (as if that’s not overblown by ESPN anyway)? On Monday night I saw ESPN tout Kansas/Missouri as a huge traditional rivalry game. Obviously someone forgot to tell ESPN’s sports information department that Kansas/Oklahoma State goes back much farther and that even the Jayhawks’ games with Texas have been the real rivalry recently. On Wednesday we get to see the renewal of the great “rivalry” game of Marquette versus Villanova…huh?!? If ESPN really wanted a true “rivalry week”, they would have games like Georgetown/Syracuse, (oh, wait, they do), and Michigan/Michigan State, (…they have that, too). Wait, ESPN might be on to something!!! Seriously, the games this coming week have some serious name power to them even if some of the teams, (are you listening Hoyas), aren’t that good right now. But let’s keep in mind that the idea of “rivalry” games is really on for football, not hoops. The big rivalry out west is UCLA/USC, but that isn’t really a hoops rivalry. Michigan and Ohio State? That’s clearly a football rivalry. Same with Auburn/Alabama, Clemson/South Carolina and Yale/Harvard…wait, the Elis and the Crimson don’t like each other in ANYTHING. The point is, college basketball is about the Big Dance and the games leading up to that point. “Rivalry week”, is just another week on the road to the Final Four…hooray for college basketball!

I will be on the Papa Joe Chevalier show, based and syndicated out of Las Vegas, every Tuesday around 5:30 CST. It would be great to get some listener support, whether you agree with me or not.

MEAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:54:55 -0800

Conference Rank: 30th

Conference Page

All-MEAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Tywain McKee	Coppin St	Sr
G	Reggie Holmes	Morgan St	Jr
G/F	Corey Lyons	Norfolk St	Sr
F	Marquise Kately	Morgan St	Sr
F	Jason Johnson	So. Carolina St	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
none		Points: Tywain McKee 16.6 Rebounds: Jason Johnson 7.5 Assists: Joe Ballard (FAMU) 3.8

MEAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

126	Morgan State*	MEAC	1	NCAA
167	Hampton	MEAC	2
197	Delaware State	MEAC	3
240	Norfolk State	MEAC	4
254	South Carolina St	MEAC	5
283	Florida A&M	MEAC	6
301	Coppin State**	MEAC	7
310	NC A&T	MEAC	8
317	Howard	MEAC	9
319	Bethune-Cookman	MEAC	10
339	UMES	MEAC	11

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MEAC?

Other MEAC Content

Conference Media Poll

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Rise & Fall: MEAC