High Point

Wednesday'sTournament Predictions: Atlantic Sun, Big South, Patriot

Greg Mengelt — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:18:38 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking almost conference tournament game over the next 2 weeks.

BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT AT ASHEVILLE, N.C.

(2) Coastal Carolina (19-10, 12-6) vs. (7) Virginia Military (15-15, 8-10)

Tipoff: Noon. TV: Big South Network. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 1 – Coastal Carolina 87-78; Feb. 25 – Coastal Carolina 81-64*. RPI: Coastal Carolina 179; VMI 287. Analysis: The Chanticleers struggled late in the regular season. With a game under its belt, VMI should be able to keep this game close. Line: Coastal Carolina -6. Pick: Coastal Carolina 73, VMI 64.

(3) Campbell (17-14, 11-7) vs. (6) Winthrop (11-19, 8-10)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: Big South Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 17 – Campbell, 54-51*; Feb. 9 – Campbell, 67-58. RPI: Campbell 201; Winthrop 274. Analysis: Campbell really faded down the stretch. This could be the first conference tournament upset. Line: Campbell -1½. Pick: Campbell 61, Winthrop 60.

(1) UNC-Asheville (21-9, 16-2) vs. (8) High Point (11-19, 6-12)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: Big South Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Asheville, 86-79*; Jan. 26 – Asheville, 90-70. RPI: Asheville 123; High Point 276. Analysis: High Point has more talent than its record indicates and has a chance to keep this game close. Line: Asheville -8½. Pick: Asheville 80, High Point 73.

(4) Charleston Southern (18-11, 11-7) vs. (5) Liberty (14-17, 9-9)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: Big South Network. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – Charleston Southern, 81-76*; Feb. 9 – Liberty 75-74*. RPI: Charleston Southern 178; Liberty 282. Analysis: CSU is the higher seed and has the better record, but Liberty is playing better behind do-everything Jesse Sanders. Line: Charleston Southern -3½. Pick: Liberty 72, Charleston Southern 65.

PATRIOT LEAGUE AT CAMPUS SITES

(8) Navy (3-25, 0-14) at (1) Bucknell (22-8, 12-2)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Bucknell 66-51*; Feb. 25 – Bucknell 64-55. RPI: Bucknell 83, Navy 328. Analysis: It would take the return of David Robinson for Navy to stay in this game. Line: Bucknell -21½. Pick: Bucknell 80, Navy 51.

(7) Colgate (8-21, 2-12) at (2) Lehigh (23-7, 11-3)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 24 – Lehigh 78-56*; Feb. 11 – Lehigh 89-69. RPI: Lehigh 109, Colgate 300. Analysis: The Hawks will roll into the title game. Line: Lehigh -21½. Pick: Lehigh 75, Colgate 53.

(5) Lafayette (12-17, 7-7) at (4) Holy Cross (15-13, 9-5)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 19 – Lafayette 54-43*; Feb. 22 – Holy Cross 70-63*. RPI: Holy Cross 165, Lafayette 210. Analysis: The Crusaders win the rubber match with their seventh straight win. Line: Holy Cross -6½. Pick: Holy Cross 60, Lafayette 55.

(3) American (19-10, 10-4) at (6) Army (12-17, 5-9)

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – American 67-55; American 74-50*. RPI: American 152, Army 300. Analysis: American has won 6 of 8 and the hot play with continue Wednesday. Line: American -13. Pick: American 73, Army 52.

ATLANTIC SUN TOURNAMENT AT MACON, GA.

(1) Belmont (24-7, 16-2) vs. (8) Jacksonville (8-21, 6-12)

Tipoff: 2:30 p.m. TV: ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 4 – Belmont 75-63*; Jan. 28 – Belmont 85-51. RPI: Belmont 61, Jacksonville 263. Analysis: Belmont’s explosive offense has led the Bruins to 11 straight wins. Make it 12. Line: Belmont -16. Pick: Belmont 90, Jacksonville 64.

(2) Mercer (21-10, 13-5) vs. (7) Lipscomb (13-17, 8-10)

Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. TV: ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 1 – Mercer 79-72*; Feb. 23 – Mercer 63-54. RPI: Mercer 125, Lipscomb 219. Analysis: Mercer has had a nice season, but the Bears aren’t playing well late in the season. Line: Mercer -10. Pick: Mercer 68, Lipscomb 62.

*Road win

Radford, Gardner-Webb the First Casualties: Monday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:21:32 -0800

#12 Georgetown had three players finish in double figures while also frustrating #19 Notre Dame on the other end of the floor in a 59-41 win at the Verizon Center.

1. Conference tournament play is underway with High Point and VMI moving on in the Big South.
The Big South got things going with the bottom four teams facing off for the right to take on top seeds UNC Asheville and Coastal Carolina on Wednesday. It was all chalk on Monday night but not without suspense as #7 VMI and #8 High Point both won at home to advance to the quarterfinals. Stan Okoye's steal with 19 seconds remaining led to the senior making a pair of free throws to push VMI's lead over #10 Radford to 54-51, and after Javonte Green missed the front end of a 1-and-1 the Keydets sealed the 55-53 win with a Ron Burks free throw. Okoye led the Keydets with 16 points and nine rebounds and Keith Gabriel added 11, but it's going to take a lot more to knock off two-seed Coastal Carolina on Wednesday afternoon. CCU swept the regular season series, winning 87-78 on December 1st and 81-64 on Saturday at VMI, limiting the Keydets to 26.5% shooting in the second half.

High Point took advantage of the foul line in their 68-58 win over Gardner-Webb, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-7 from the charity stripe with 15 of those points coming in the second half. Neither team shot well from the field in a game that featured 39 offensive and 82 total rebounds, and the Panthers were helped by 17 second-half bench points. Tashan Newsome paced GWU with 21 points but no other Bulldogs reached double figures, compared to Nick Barbour leading three Panthers in double figures with 22. Corey Law was huge off the bench for High Point as he finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of play. HPU gets the regular season champ UNC Asheville, who swept the season series (86-79 at HPU, 90-70 at UNCA), on Wednesday night.

2. Not sure which All-America team Tyshawn Taylor ends up on but the senior deserves a mention.
Remember when the Kansas point guard was struggling mightily with turnovers earlier this season? Well Taylor's play of late has the New Jersey native looking like an All-America candidate, and his 27 points were a big reason why Bill Self's Jayhawks left Oklahoma State with a 70-58 win. The result locked up the outright regular season crown for Kansas, who won despite nine points combined from Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson. Keiton Page did his best to deliver the win on Senior Night by scoring 29 points but outside of Brian Williams (20 points) the Cowboys didn't have enough firepower with Le'Bryan Nash injured. Taylor shot 10-for-15 from the field, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, in his third 20-plus point performance in the last five games. Over the last two games Taylor's shot 60.7% from the field, and while the point totals may not be as high in future games an efficient Taylor means a better Kansas.

3. Savannah State is now just one win away from completing a remarkable season in the MEAC.
With this being the first season for Savannah State as a member of the MEAC there wasn't much expected of Horace Broadnax's Tigers as they were picked to finish 11th. But thanks to a 62-50 win over North Carolina A&T the Tigers are now 13-2 in MEAC play and a win in their regular season finale away from winning the regular season crown. Savannah State took a 42-28 lead into the half thanks to their effort on the defensive end, limiting A&T to 34.5% shooting from the field and 7-for-19 from two. Deric Rudolph scored 15 points and Preston Blackmon added 14 to lead the way for the Tigers, who rode their defense in the second half to survive shooting 27.6% from the field. A win over UMES on Saturday would give Savannah State the most unlikely conference title in the nation this season, and while their goal isn't to go to the NIT this season a postseason berth for a program that was 0-28 seven years ago is a noteworthy achievement.

Quick Hitters

1. With Southern ineligible for the SWAC tournament it's become apparent that Texas Southern is the biggest threat to Mississippi Valley State grabbing the automatic bid. Omar Strong scored 17 points and Madarious Gibbs 14 to go along with five steals in the Tigers' 69-59 win over Alabama A&M to move to 11-5 in league play. How much of a threat Texas Southern (or anyone else for that matter) is remains to be seen however, as the Delta Devils have run through the SWAC (17-0 record).

2. #10 Baylor went on a 25-4 run to close the first half in their 77-48 pasting of an overmatched Texas Tech squad. The win was also the 95th for seniors Quincy Acy, Fred Ellis and Anthony Jones, and they're the winningest class in school history.

3. The most exciting team to watch in the upcoming MEAC tournament may in fact be Delaware State, who fell 73-72 to Morgan State on Monday night (to say the finish was controversial would be accurate). Over the last seven games for the Hornets four have been decided by three points or less and two others have gone to overtime.

4. One reserve to keep an eye on in the WCC tournament this weekend is Gonzaga's Gary Bell Jr. Of course the caliber of the opposition (Longwood) needs to be considered, but Bell Jr. scored 20 points in just 15 minutes of action in the Bulldogs' 92-60 win. If Gonzaga can get solid play from Bell Jr. in Las Vegas a tournament crown is definitely possible.

5. Eastern Illinois announced on Monday that it will not renew the contract of head coach Mike Miller after the season, marking the end of his tenure. Miller is 75-130 in seven seasons at the OVC school, and the Panthers finished the season with a 12-17 record (5-11 OVC).

6. Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun underwent a successful procedure in New York on Monday to treat the spinal stenosis that has kept him away from the team for the Huskies' last seven games. According to the Associated Press, Calhoun hopes to rejoin the team in time for their regular season finale against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

#8 Georgetown vs. #18 Notre Dame: Monday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:01:03 -0800

The current era of college sports means that fans have become used to conference foes meeting for the first time in a season in late February, as is the case with #18 Notre Dame (20-9, 12-4) visiting #8 Georgetown (21-6, 11-5) on Monday night. Both teams lost games in the tri-state area over the last five days with the Hoyas getting blown out at Seton Hall and Notre Dame losing at St. John's on Saturday, but these are still teams that can make noise in New York next week. On the line at the Verizon Center is (at the very least) the inside track for one of the two remaining double-byes in the Big East Championship, a perk Mike Brey's team would clinch with a win.

Neither team was expected to be in this position early in the season, with the prognosticators selecting the Hoyas to finish tenth in the Big East and Notre Dame expected by many to be an NIT team (or worse) when Tim Abromaitis went down with a torn ACL. That's why both head coaches, Brey and John Thompson III, have to be considered Big East Coach of the Year candidates and while the teams have different styles the tempo's about the same. Georgetown will use their big man, senior center Henry Sims, as a distributor within their system and he's done well in the role.

Sims leads the team with an average of 3.4 assists per game while also scoring 11.3 points and grabbing 5.5 rebounds, a far cry from the numbers he put up in his first three seasons as a Hoya. Sims' emergence has relieved some of the pressure on Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson offensively while also giving Georgetown an added dimension at the five that was missing with Julian Vaughn there last season. Both Clark and Thompson, who lead the team in scoring, shoot better than 48% from the field and no Hoya who averages 19 minutes or more per game shoots worse than 45.5%.

Notre Dame has become well-known for their "burn" offense, a system first instituted when Luke Harangody went down with a knee injury two seasons ago. The move got the Irish to the NCAA tournament that season, but at this point it's difficult to figure out if Notre Dame is running the special offense of if this is just how they play at this stage. Young guards Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant have been major factors for the Irish, and their maturation has resulted in Notre Dame being a better team than many anticipated. The primary frontcourt scorer is Jack Cooley, a 6'9" forward who has no problem with physical play and shoots 62.8% from the field.

One area the Hoyas have to keep an eye on defensively is the three-point line, as Notre Dame has some players who can get hot from deep. Their percentage of 33.2% may not be the best (Georgetown shoots 35.1%) but Notre Dame isn't shy about putting shots up, with Atkins, Pat Connaughton and Alex Dragicevich being three of the most likely options. The Irish have done a good job of taking care of the basketball (10.0 turnovers per game) and they'll need to continue that against a Georgetown team that forces turnovers on 20.8% of their opponents' possessions as well as keep the Hoyas off the offensive glass (Hoyas have an OR% of 36.4%) in order to win.

#5 Kansas will look to keep on the right track towards a one-seed in the NCAA tournament with a win at Oklahoma State, and #14 Baylor shouldn't have a problem with Texas Tech in Waco. Mississippi Valley State looks to move to 17-0 in SWAC play as they visit Jackson State, with last week's hero (Paul Crosby) having the versatility to have an impact in multiple facets of the area.

In the MEAC there are two games remaining in the regular season with three teams separated by a game atop the standings. Savannah State (12-2) hosts North Carolina A&T while Delaware State (11-3) hosts Morgan State and Norfolk State (11-3) visits Florida A&M. NSU's Kyle O'Quinn is the likely Player of the Year but he and his teammates have a little work to do if they're to win the regular season crown.

The most important games on Monday take place in the Big South as seeds seven through ten meet in the first round of the Big South tournament. Radford, who has had a tough season due to the lack of success on the court along with NCAA sanctions being handed down, visits a VMI team that swept the regular season series but by a total of just nine points. The second meeting, a 65-60 VMI win at Radford, featured 42 combined turnovers with the Highlanders squandering a 52.6% first half with 16 turnovers. If Radford can slow down Stan Okoye they'll have a shot, and RU's Javonte Green put up 23 and 11 in that meeting.

The other first round game matches Gardner-Webb and High Point, who split their season series with the home team winning each meeting by four points. Scott Cherry's Panthers won 81-77 in overtime on February 4th, shooting an impressive 15-for-28 from beyond the arc to make up from their 32% shooting from inside of it. Nick Barbour was on fire in that contest as he scored 34 points, making seven of ten shots from three-point range. It's pretty clear who the Bulldogs are going to focus on slowing down Monday night. Tashan Newsome is the lone Bulldog averaging double figures (12.0 ppg) but four Gardner-Webb players finished in double figures in the February meeting.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (5) Kansas at Oklahoma State (ESPN)
7:00 PM (18) Notre Dame at (8) Georgetown (ESPN)
9:00 PM Texas Tech at (14) Baylor (ESPNU)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Radford at VMI
7:30 PM Norfolk State at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Hampton at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM Morgan State at Delaware State
7:30 PM Gardner-Webb at High Point
7:30 PM Coppin State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at South Carolina State
8:00 PM Texas-Pan American at North Dakota (FCS)
8:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Savannah State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Prairie View A&M
9:00 PM Northern Arizona at Montana State
9:00 PM Longwood at Gonzaga (ROOT)
9:00 PM Alabama A&M at Texas Southern
9:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Grambling State

Notre Dame Blows Things Open in Second Half

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:43:39 -0800

In the first meeting between #18 Notre Dame and West Virginia the Fighting Irish didn't get going until late, when three three-pointers pushed them past the Mountaineers in Morgantown. Mike Brey's team got going offensively much sooner in the rematch, as a two-point lead at the half turned into a 71-44 whipping, moving their win streak to nine. This marks the first time in school history that the Irish have won nine straight Big East games, and by the game this young team has the look of a group that can make some noise next month.

"They really wanted that record," said Brey after the game. "It's really special for this group to do it. When they come back to reunions it's something they'll reminisce about and we certainly want to see if we can keep riding it past tonight. "

Jerian Grant led four starters in double figures with 20 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field and also dishing out three assists. Notre Dame shot 61.4% from the field and 56.3% from three, numbers that West Virginia had no chance of matching. The Mountaineers shot 22.2% from the field and 0-for-7 from three in the second half, and the combination of poor shooting and Notre Dame not slowing down resulted in a 41-16 scoring margin. Kevin Jones led the Mountaineers with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Notre Dame's work on the defensive end sparked their offense in the second half, as they scored 12 points off of six WVU turnovers. The Irish found quality shots all night, and when this group is clicking they're tough to stop. Eric Atkins dished out eight of Notre Dame's 17 assists while also scoring 13 points, and Jack Cooley (13 points, six rebounds) and Scott Martin (15 points) were productive in the frontcourt. Notre Dame may be relying on some young players but they're playing beyond their years, and that's why this team has been so good and could be even better.

"Once we got that under control we were able to guard them a little better and I thought our offensive efficiency was excellent in the second half," noted Brey. "When you have the chance to put somebody away, this group has shown a cruelty to go for the jugular. That's what I really love about us and I think that can help us in March."

As for the Mountaineers, while they're in good shape in regards to making the NCAA tournament they need to finish well to avoid a poor seed. Jones and Truck Bryant will need to lead the way offensively for a team whose point guards are both freshmen, and the Mountaineers have to outwork teams to make up for their lack of athleticism. Notre Dame was able to do just about whatever they wanted offensively, and to lose by 27 points to a team that took ten fewer shots isn't good. If WVU can recommit to going inside for their points they'll be a tough out, but time is short.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Nick Barbour (High Point)
44 points (11-17 FG, 7-10 3PT) in the Panthers' 98-60 win over Campbell.

2. F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)
30 points (10-14 FG) and nine rebounds in the Bonnies' 89-63 win at Fordham.

3. F Jae Crowder (Marquette)
27 points (11-14 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots in the Golden Eagles' 82-65 win over Rutgers.

Wednesday's Quick Hitters, featuring Conference USA's bubble troubles

Thirty-Two Impact Freshmen, Part One

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:26:54 -0700

After going over the teams expected to win their regular season titles, we move on to talking about the top freshmen in each conference. Will all automatically take over and become the stars of their respective teams and leagues? It's tough to say at this point in the season, but that doesn't mean that we can't discuss it. Below are the picks for each of the 32 conferences.

America East: James Kennedy (Boston University)
With Jake O'Brien lost for another season due to injury first-year head coach Joe Jones may need to call on the 6'6" forward for important minutes. The Boston native helped lead Cushing Academy to a 21-7 record last year.

Atlantic 10: Dezmine Wells (Xavier)
While many expect Kenny Frease to be back with the team at some point in the near future, Xavier can make up for the height they lack in the frontcourt with sheer talent. Wells is one reason why, as the 6'5" small forward can flat-out make things happen on the floor.

ACC: Austin Rivers (Duke)
Not sure if there's much that hasn't been said about the Winter Park, Florida native. Duke needs to account for the loss of Nolan Smith in the backcourt, and while there are some experienced options returning to Durham they aren's as explosive as Austin. He should also benefit from the team's summer trip to China and Dubai, as Duke gained 10 practices to prepare for the journey.

Atlantic Sun: Rashawn Rembert (East Tennessee State)
ETSU lost three starters, and not only were they all guards but they were also the top three leading scorers. That means plenty will be needed from a shooting guard like Rembert, who averaged more than 20 points and seven rebounds per game at Sickles High in Tampa.

Big East: Andre Drummond (Connecticut)
Remember when Drummond was slated to spend a year at Wilbraham & Monson with friend and Connecticut Basketball Club teammate Kris Dunn (Providence commit)? That all changed in August as the 6'11", 275-pound Drummond decided this was the right time to join the UConn program. Joining forces with Alex Oriakhi and Tyler Olander will give the Huskies one of the country's best frontcourts.

Big Sky: Gelaun Wheelwright (Weber State)
The team that most people expect to win the Big Sky does have seven players returning from last year's team, not to mention a healthy Damian Lillard. But there's always room for someone else to step up, and that player could be the Centennial (CA) High product. Wheelwright averaged 18.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a senior.

Big South: John Brown (High Point)
Scott Cherry landed a good on in Brown, who was named 1A Player of the Yeah in the State of Florida. Brown averaged 17.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior, and the Jacksonville native has the ability to be the conference's best freshman.

Big Ten: Cody Zeller (Indiana)
The 2011 class is the first of two recruiting classes that many expect Indiana head coach Tom Crean to use as a springboard back to where many expect IU to be on the college landscape. One key cog is forward Cody Zeller, who averaged 24.6 ppg, 13.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for a Washington (IN) High team that won the 3A state title.

Big 12: Le'Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State)
When's the last time a recruit of this caliber has shown up in Stillwater? It's safe to say that a player the quality of Le'Bryan Nash doesn't come around every day, and his arrival could make the Pokes a factor in the Big 12 race. Nash was a McDonald's All-American last year and to say the least has an NBA-ready build (and skill set) right now.

Big West: Reese Morgan (Cal Poly)
The Mustangs ranked 338th nationally in scoring with an average of 59.3 points per game, so to say the least they could use a boost in the scoring column. Enter Reese Morgan, who scored more than 2,400 hundred points in his high school career at Peninsula High in San Pedro, California. Morgan averaged 27.3 points per game as a senior.

CAA: Erik Copes (George Mason)
The freshman forward/center from Philadelphia pairs up with senior Ryan Pearson, and it isn't far-fetched to think that this duo could rank among the best frontcourts in the CAA. Copes was a player Paul Hewitt was able to get in the summer, a near steal for a senior of his caliber.

Conference USA: Adonis Thomas (Memphis)
In addition to their roster full of returnees Memphis should have a good feeling about this season due to the arrival of Memphis native Adonis Thomas. The Melrose High product ranked among the top players in the country in the 2011 class, and his ability to run the floor and finish above the rim will make Memphis even better.

Great West: Shane Benton (North Dakota)
The Fighting Sioux welcome back a host of contributors from a team that won the first Great West conference tournament as well as a game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, but Benton has the ability to crack the rotation. The 6'3" guard is a product of Linn-Mar High school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was a teammate of North Carolina commit (2012) Marcus Paige.

Horizon: Roosevelt Jones (Butler)
With Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack both moving on the Bulldogs need players to step up as offensive options. One of those possibilities could be Jones, a small forward from O'Fallon, Illinois who can do a variety of things on the floor. As a senior Jones averaged 17.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Ivy: Wesley Saunders (Harvard)
Tommy Amaker and his staff have brought in a very good recruiting class for this season, but the question is just how much the preseason Ivy League favorites will need to call on them. One option to play may be the 6'5" Saunders, who averaged a double-double as a senior at Windward High in Los Angeles. He's a very good athlete who also played volleyball in high school.

MAAC: Juan'ya Green (Niagara)
The MAAC will have some good freshmen entering the league (a crop that would have been bolstered by Siena's Imoh Silas and Lionel Gomis if cleared by the NCAA), but one who will have to step up from the start is Philadelphia native Juan'ya Green. The Purple Eagles like to attack teams with their guards, and as a scorer who can also handle the ball Green fits the system.

Next: MAC through WAC

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats" Series: Former High Point coach Bart Lundy

Jon Teitel — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:48:10 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN Jon Teitel spent some time with former High Point head coach Bart Lundy, who won 96 games in six seasons at the school. In his first season at High Point Coach Lundy and his staff led the team to the Big South Tournament title game, where they lost to Liberty. Lundy is now the Director of Basketball Operations at Marquette.

Jon Teitel: You attended five different high schools while growing up in North Carolina. How on earth did that happen, and was it hard to keep moving around each year?

Bart Lundy: My father worked for the Kroger grocery store chain and he kept getting transferred around the state. It was difficult at the time but good for me now because I got to learn from a bunch of different coaches and meet people from all over the state.

JT: You began your coaching career at Queens University, where you had a record of 115-41 in five seasons. How were you able to come in and be so dominant right from the start?

BL: I came in after a coach who had built a great foundation so I just followed his line. We had some great players when I took over, and we found our niche and kept recruiting some great players.

JT: In 2003 you made it to the Division II Final Four led by national Player of the Year Spencer Ross. How good a player was Ross, and how close did you come to winning it all that year?

BL: I really thought we were going to win it all, but we ran into a team that made a boatload of three-point shots. I thought Spencer was an NBA-level player, but his 5'10" size probably hurt him in the eyes of the scouts.

JT: Later that year you became coach at High Point and ended up leading your team to the Big South Tournament title game in your very first season before losing to Liberty by 45 points. What went wrong for your team in the title game,
and what was your reaction like the following month when your star forward Danny Gathings handed over his tournament MVP plaque to Liberty guard Larry Blair?

BL: It just felt like we had wrung everything out of that team that we could. Nine of our top ten guys were new, including a couple of walk-ons. We had one guy get hurt in the first round of the conference tournament, and the wheels just fell off in the final. We went right to spring break after the loss, and after getting back to campus Danny came by my office and said that he felt that he did not deserve the award. He had played great in the first two rounds, but played terrible in the conference final. The league still does not acknowledge that he gave the award to Larry but it was a great gesture on his part. Danny was later named co-sportsman of the year by the NCAA.

JT: You were named 2004 National Rookie Coach of the Year by collegeinsider.com. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

BL: It was nice, as we took over a program that had not had any success at the Division I level. I had a really good staff.

JT: You had the top-rated recruiting classes in the Big South during five of your six years at High Point. What is the key to being a good recruiter, and is it possible to be a successful coach without being a good recruiter?

BL: It is probably impossible to be a good coach without having good players. We were young and my staff and I just worked hard at it. When we got to High Point they had a tiny gym and no money, so we really beat the bushes to find players.
We just sold them on our style of play.

JT: Your best player was two-time conference Player of the Year Arizona Reid, who remains the all-time leading rebounder in conference history despite being only 6'5" tall. What made him such a great player, and what kind of success do you think he will have as a professional basketball player?

BL: He had as big a heart/motor as anyone I ever coached. He was good as a freshman but made great strides throughout his career. I do not take credit for that as he just worked amazingly hard. He is quick and tenacious, and I could not keep him off the floor due to his talent.

JT: 90% of your student-athletes earned their degrees during your time as a head coach. How important are academics to you, and how do you balance recruiting students vs. recruiting athletes?

BL: If you do not keep in mind that your sole purpose is to help kids, then you should go do something else. A lot of guys have one parent and come from families that did not send a lot of people to college, so you have to instill pride in them to get their degree. 90% sounds good but I wish it was closer to 100%.

JT: You are currently in your second year as Director of Basketball Operations at Marquette. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future?

BL: I love it here. The resources/commitment are unlike anything I have ever seen, from the way we travel to the way we work. Coach Buzz Williams has an enormous work ethic and is a really great coach. I do not know where it will go from here; in this profession you just see what comes your way.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

BL: It goes back to the fact that I always did right by my kids. We won a lot of games, but more importantly we had good people who got their degrees and became good citizens. Hopefully I do not die anytime soon!

Coach Lundy is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Big South history.

Charleston Southern: Gary Edwards (1987-1996) 115-139, 2-time conference COY
Coastal Carolina: Russ Bergman (1985-1994) 149-112, 2 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Gardner-Webb: Rick Scruggs (1995-2010) 199-218, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
High Point: Bart Lundy (2003-2009) 96-87, 1-time conference COY
Liberty: Jeff Meyer (1981-1997) 259-206, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title
UNC Asheville: Eddie Biedenbach (1996-present) 201-216, 2 NCAA tourneys, 5 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Presbyterian: Gregg Nibert (1989-present) 362-292, 2 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
Radford: Ron Bradley (1991-2002) 192-125, 1 NCAA tourney, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Virginia Military: Charlie Schmaus (1976-1982) 75-90, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Winthrop: Gregg Marshall (1998-2007) 194-83, 7 NCAA tourneys, 6 conference titles, 4-time conference COY

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Resume-Building Opportunities Missed

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:50:05 -0800

This point in the season offers many at-large candidates the opportunity to boost their resumes with another big win before going into conference tournament play. But having the chance and taking advantage of it are two entirely different things, and this was on full display Tuesday night. Baylor went on the road to Oklahoma State with a chance to simply show that they were effective at staying out of their own way...didn't happen. LaceDarius Dunn made just two of sixteen shots from the field in addition to turning the ball over four times (no assists) and as a team the Bears finished with nine assists to sixteen turnovers in the 71-60 defeat. It also didn't help matters that Baylor shot 35.2% from the field, but occasionally wild shot selection can result in nights like that. Next up for Baylor is Texas in the regular season finale, and while the Longhorns have lost three of their last four if Baylor plays in a similar fashion they could get blown out of their own gym.

Also falling into the "stay out of their own way" category is Virginia Tech, who seemed to play as if there work had been accomplished with Saturday's win over Duke. Enter Boston College, who showed the focus fitting of a team that knows it still needs wins in jumping out to an early 17-point lead and winning 76-61 in Blacksburg. Reggie Jackson scored 20 to lead the Eagles and Corey Raji added 19 and 12 rebounds to complete the season sweep. Steve Donahue's team closes out the regular season with Wake Forest at home while the Hokies visit Clemson in an important game for both. Not being in the room with the selection committee it's tough to pinpoint exactly what a team needs down the stretch, but it has to be noted that in addition to the win over Duke, Virginia Tech has been swept by both Boston College and Virginia. Those results can be just as damaging as a big win can be good for one's resume, but there's still time.

Alabama didn't do themselves many favors either, allowing a manageable game to get out of hand in the second half as Florida won 78-51 to clinch at least a share of the overall SEC title. Chandler Parsons, who has a very good case for SEC Player of the Year, led the Gators with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Vernon Macklin added 19 points of his own in the Gator romp. As for Alabama, it needs to be pointed out once again that their gaudy 11-4 league record is almost a case of "fool's gold"; three of those wins came against the East with only one (Tennessee) coming on the road. Those other two wins: South Carolina and Kentucky, who's 1-6 on the road in SEC play. Add in an underwhelming non-conference slate which includes an 0-3 Paradise Jam (Saint Peter's may be the best of the three losses with Seton Hall and Iowa being the others) and a loss at Providence and the Crimson Tide may need to at least get to the SEC Tournament final if not win the whole thing.

So much focus is placed on the need to pick up marquee wins that in quite a few cases the most basic rule to building a solid NCAA Tournament case is ignored: don't screw up and drop games you should win. Obviously Alabama's loss at Florida doesn't fall in that category, but the Baylor and Virginia Tech dropped the ball in games that did a lot more harm if lost than good if won. But all this hand-wringing could be a waste of time given the weakness of the back end of the at-large field. The teams who take care of business now will have little reason to worry on Selection Sunday, but that's something easier said than done.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Conference tournament play has its first upset victim: Liberty.
When Scott Cherry sat star guard Nick Barbour at the 9:56 mark High Point trailed two-seed Liberty 46-42. Someone needed to step up for the Panthers and who better to do so than Shay Shine, who scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half to lead High Point to a 66-60 quarterfinal victory. After a John Caleb Sanders layup with 10:42 remaining made the score 46-40 the Panthers went on a 12-0 run with Shine supplying 10 of those points. High Point shot 70.6% from the field in the second half, and Tehran Cox stepped up as well and finished with 11 points of his own.

"These two guys sitting next to me [Shay Shine and Tehran Cox] made some really big plays," said Coach Cherry. "Shay with some of the shots he made and Tehran with some of the plays he made late. We came here hungry, even though we didn't finish the season on a high note." (quote courtesy of Liberty Athletics)

Evan Gordon and Big South Player of the Year Jesse Sanders led the way offensively for Liberty but they combined to shoot 8-for-25, and as a team the Flames sot 39.4% in the final 20 minutes. Next up for High Point is UNC Asheville in the semifinals, and why can't they pull off another upset? Keep Barbour on the floor along with Shine and there isn't much limit to what they can accomplish.

2. BYU and North Carolina suffer personnel losses, with the Cougars' being impacted much more.
BYU and North Carolina received bad news on Tuesday with forward Brandon Davies (BYU) and wing Reggie Bullock (UNC) ruled out for the remainder of the season, but for drastically different reasons. Bullock's done because of a knee injury while Davies has been ruled out due to a violation of BYU's Honor Code. Not having Davies means that BYU has to rely even more on Noah Hartsock inside with their interior numbers already being diminished by the loss of Chris Collinsworth earlier in the season. So what does BYU do to make up for the loss of their leading rebounder?

Most likely Charles Abouo sees time at the four in a smaller lineup, and as a team the Cougars will need to rebound at a higher clip. As for North Carolina, Bullock's loss removes a solid bench option but he's just one of eight players averaging at least 14.5 minutes per game. Leslie McDonald could see an increase in his minutes off the bench or maybe head coach Roy Williams increases the minutes for Harrison Barnes. The Tar Heels don't lack for options in replacing their lost player, which is a good position to be in at this point in the season. Don't sell on BYU just yet (they host New Mexico tonight), but another frontcourt loss was exactly what the Cougars did not need.

3. Missouri completes a 1-7 conference road record with a loss at Nebraska.
For as much heat as Kentucky takes for their conference road struggles the talk about Missouri's woes have been quiet by comparison. Mike Anderson's team wrapped up a 1-7 road slate with a 69-58 loss at Nebraska as the Cornhuskers went on a 17-2 second half run to put the game away. The issue last night, as it has been in a number of games for Missouri was rebounding. Nebraska controlled the boards 35-24 in addition to outscoring the Tigers 14-2 in fast break points. The Huskers also shot 53.2% for the game, including 66.7% in the second half as they put the game away. The good news for Missouri: they won't have to play another road game the rest of the season. The bad news: if they run into a team that's effective on the boards the Tigers could find themselves headed home.

Top Three Games

1. (23) Kentucky 68, (20) Vanderbilt 66
Brandon Knight (17 points) and Terrence Jones (15, nine rebounds) may have led the Wildcats on the stat sheet but it was their lone senior who made the big play late. Josh Harrellson harassed Festus Ezeli into fumbling away a pass in the final seconds to preserve the victory and a 17-0 home record for Kentucky this season. Ezeli finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Commodores.

2. North Texas 72, Arkansas-Little Rock 69
Shannon Shorter scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Mean Green to a win in the regular season finale for both despite leading scorer Josh White out with a foot injury. The win also earned North Texas the four-seed in the West Division for the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament. D'Andre Williams and Gus Leeper scored 11 points apiece to lead the Trojans.

3. High Point 66, Liberty 60

Three Notable Performances

1. G Jon Diebler (Ohio State)
Scored 30 points, making 10 of 12 shots from beyond the arc, to go along with five assists and three rebounds in the Buckeyes' 82-61 win at Penn State.

2. G Shay Shine (High Point)
Scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half of High Point's 66-60 win at Liberty in a Big South quarterfinal.

3. G D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the Bobcats' 80-55 win over Akron.

HOOPS TALK LIVE WEDNESDAY 6-7PM EST

Big South Tournament Preview: Radford the Favorite

Evan Dorey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:46:12 -0800

This is the first in a series of conference tournament previews I’ll be doing for CollegeHoops.net, in which I run down all the teams involved, giving a breif statistical review and picking out some of the key players, and presenting the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency.The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Big South

The Big South Tournament features the top 8 teams out of a 10 team league, with the quarterfinals being hosted at the home courts of the top 4 seeds, the semifinals at the regular season champion, Radford, and the final held at the highest remaining seed. Presbyterian is ineligible for the conference tournament.

Tournament Odds

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Radford	95.02%	82.91%	67.71%
2	Virginia Military Inst	84.48%	42.44%	12.06%
3	Liberty	74.55%	41.85%	12.56%
4	NC Asheville	74.07%	12.51%	4.08%
5	Winthrop	25.93%	3.24%	0.82%
6	Gardner Webb	25.45%	11.64%	2.18%
7	Coastal Carolina	15.52%	4.07%	0.43%
8	High Point	4.98%	1.33%	0.15%

Radford are hosting every game they play, so should be clear favorites to win. VMI and Liberty are close for the second spot, and should contest a good semifinal if both survive. There’s just an 8% chance of somebody outside the top 3 grabbing the bid, with most of that belonging to Asheville.

#1 – Radford Highlanders (18-11, 15-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.112

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (1^st Round)

The Highlanders feature the Big South’s best defense, holding their opponents under 40% from the field, and doing an excellent job both inside and outside. They also do well on the defensive glass, and rarely foul, so the fact they force very few turnovers doesn’t hurt them. Offensively, Radford rarely takes threes, and has a lot of problems with turnovers, but lead the league on the glass and in getting to the free throw line.

Players to watch:

6-11 JR Arstiom Parakhouski, 16.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 54.7 eFG% - The Belarusian big man leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, and is one of only two players in the conference to average a double-double. He’s a solid shot blocker as well, but his shooting percentage isn’t that great for a big guy.

6-8 JR Joey Lynch-Flohr, 13.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 52.7 eFG% - Another quality scoring forward, he’s not as good a rebounder as Parakhouski, but shoots a similar percentage and is a solid second option.

#2 – Virginia Military Institute Keydets (22-7, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1977 (Sweet 16)

VMI started the season 11-2 in conference, and after beating Kentucky in the non-conference, looked like they might be on course for the league title, but things fell apart a bit down the stretch, and the Keydets find themselves in second spot. This is easily the nation’s fastest paced team, the only one averaging more than 80 possessions a game, and it takes more than 50% of its shots from behind the arc. The Keydets hold on to the ball exceptionally well despite their speed of play, and shoot a good percentage inside and outside. The problem is on the other end, as their fast pace forces a lot of turnovers, but also results in the third-worst two-point defense, and the second-worst defensive rebounding in the nation.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Chavis Holmes, 22.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG,3.2 SPG, 61.5 eFG% - The first of the Holmes twins is the nation’s second ranked player in steals, and while his big average numbers are mostly a result of the team’s fast pace, he’s a very good percentage player as well, and the conference’s best three-point shooter.

6-4 SR Travis Holmes, 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG, 54.4 eFG% - They may be identical twins, but Travis’ game features better ball movement and somewhat weaker shooting

#3 – Liberty Flames (21-10, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.052

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

Like VMI, Liberty shoot a huge percentage of their shots from behind the arc, nearly 50%, but they make a higher percentage from inside. The conference’s second best offense also depends on good free throw shooting and avoiding turnovers to make up for poor offensive rebounding. The Flames struggle on the defensive interior, allowing a high percentage of shots and getting few defensive rebounds. One notable thing they do well is avoid fouling; only a handful of teams in the country send opponents to the line less often than Liberty.

Players to watch:

6-5 SR Anthony Smith, 17.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 59.0 eFG% - Smith doesn’t start, but is the second leading scorer and leading rebounder for the Flames. He’s just 6-5, but shoots over 60% from inside the arc, while being a nice outside shooter as well.

6-3 FR Seth Curry, 20.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 51.1 eFG% - He’s no Stephen Curry, at least not yet, but he’s still a pretty remarkable player in his own right, the only freshman in the nation averaging over 20 PPG. Seth doesn’t have a long way to go to reach the same level as his brother, just needing to increase his two-point percentage.

#4 – NC Asheville Bulldogs (14-15, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.011

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2003 (1^st Round)

Asheville seemed like it was doomed to the bottom half after starting the conference season 5-6, but put together a solid record since then to earn a home game in the tournament. The Bulldogs have a good offense, making a nice percentage of shots from inside and outside. They struggle with defence, though, with only VMI worse out of the tournament teams. The Bulldogs have real troubles inside, where they are weak on the glass and allow conference opponents to shoot nearly 50%.

Players to watch:

6-4 SO John Williams, 13.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 56.3 eFG% - Williams is the team’s most efficient scorer; he does all of his work inside, and is an excellent shot-blocker, quite impressive for a 6-4 player, even in a smaller league like the Big South.

6-6 SR Reid Augst, 15.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 50.7 eFG% - Augst is the team’s leading scorer, but struggles from behind the arc, where he shoots below 30%. Like Williams, his offensive play is best inside the arc.

#5 – Winthrop Eagles (11-18, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.023

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

Winthrop have represented the Big South in each of the last four NCAA tournaments, but its chances are very thin after a tough season. A strong finish will give Eagle fans some hope, but this is still a work in progress. Their problem is offense, as Winthrop is simply abysmal at making shots. They shoot just 41% overall, and rarely make threes or get to the free throw line. The reason that they’ve managed to stay nearly at .500 is defense; the Eagles are the second best defenders in the conference tournament. They are the Big South’s best shot-blockers and typically get opponents to shoot a lot of threes, where they are good defenders as well.

Players to watch:

6-2 FR Andre Jones, 8.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 42.8 eFG% - Jones is the team’s third leading scorer, but has been an inefficient player, especially with two-point shots, where he is well below 40%. He’s Winthrop’s best long-distance shooting option, but at 36%, that’s a bit of a back-handed compliment.

6-7 SO Charles Corbin, 9.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 47.2 eFG% - Corbin’s numbers are modest, but he’s the team’s top scorer and rebounder. He was slowed somewhat with injuries in mid-February, but has had some big games, including a double-double against Radford. If he can find some form, the Eagles can cause opponents a lot of trouble.

#6 – Gardner Webb Bulldogs (13-16, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.013

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Gardner Webb looked good at 7-5, but losing four straight conference games cost it a first round home game. The Bulldogs are a deserved mid-table team, boasting both a middle-of-the-road offense and defense. They depend a lot on outside play, making 35% of threes and rarely turning the ball over, while forcing a fair number of turnovers themselves and allowing over 50% of opponents’ attempts from inside the arc.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Aaron Linn, 14.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 48.7 eFG% - Linn leads the team in scoring, and just barely makes enough shots to stay reasonably efficient. He’s a better threat from inside than outside, and is also the team leader in steals.

6-0 JR Grayson Flittner, 14.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, 49.1 eFG% - Flittner was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer when he suffered a knee injury, and while he returned earlier in the month, he has struggled since, just 10-for-his-last-43 from the field.

#7 – Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-19, 5-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.049

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1993 (1^st Round)

Coastal Carolina are pretty much mediocre across the board, and it adds up to a mediocre season. The Chanticleers are good offensive rebounders, but their shooting is inconsistent, and they tend to give up a lot of steals. Defensively, they have trouble stopping the long distance-shot, and are below average in most other areas. When they do win, it’s usually because they’ve made a lot of shots, especially from two, where they are occasionally quite dangerous.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Joseph Harris, 15.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.3 eFG% - I can’t pretend to be an expert on the conference, but Joseph Harris has to be a factor in the Big South player of the year race with his numbers. One of only two Big South players to average a double-double, Harris leads the conference in rebounds, and leads his team in points, steals and blocks as well. He’s a high-percentage inside shooter who gets to the free-throw line a lot, and will be a handful for any opponent.

6-5 SO Anthony Breeze, 10.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 56.2 eFG% - Another strong interior scorer, Breeze is second on the team in points, but would be a lot closer if his free throw shooting wasn’t an abysmal 52%. Interestingly, he doesn’t start, and is just 6^th on the team in minutes, but from an outside perspective I really couldn’t tell you why, he’s the Chanticleers most efficient non-Harris player.

#8 – High Point Panthers (9-20, 4-14) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.083

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

With Presbyterian ineligible, a 9^th place finish was enough for a young High Point team to sneak in as the #8 seed, despite an fairly poor record. The Panthers have struggled to score all season, committing a lot of turnovers and making less than 42% of field goal attempts, including under 30% from behind the arc. One bright spot on both sides of the ball is rebounding, where High Point is very good. Their defense is decent, good at forcing turnovers and reasonable defending shots, but unlike another weak offensive team, Winthrop, it’s nothing special, and can’t make up for the lack of scoring.

Players to watch:

6-11 JR Cruz Daniels, 7.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 63.0 eFG% - Daniels isn’t a key player in the offense, only reaching double digits on a few occasions, but does just about everything else you could ask of a big man. He’s an excellent rebounder, with his relatively low minutes somewhat masking excellent rebounding rates, and the conference’s best shot-blocker. When he does attempt to score, he’s high percentage, over 60% from the field, but he doesn’t get to the free throw line much for a big guy.

6-2 FR Nick Barbour, 14.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 48.6 eFG% - The team’s leading scorer, Barbour is High Point’s only legitimate three-point threat, and he hits just enough to make up for a weak performance inside the arc.

My statistical all-Big South team:

VMI G SR Chavis Holmes, 22.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG,3.2 SPG, 61.5 eFG%

Liberty G SR Anthony Smith, 17.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 59.0 eFG%

Liberty G FR Seth Curry, 20.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 51.1 eFG%

Coastal Carolina F JR Joseph Harris, 15.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.3 eFG%

VMI F SR Travis Holmes, 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG, 54.4 eFG%

Big South Tournament: Quarterfinal Previews

Press Release — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:54:53 -0800

#8 High Point Panthers (9-20, 4-14 Big South) at #1 Radford (18-11, 15-3 Big South), 7:00pm ? Live Video: Big South EDGE on www.BigSouthSports.com

Radford and High Point meet in the Big South Tournament for the third time in the last four years and fourth time overall. High Point has won all three postseason meetings (2002, 2006, 2007) ... The Highlanders are the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2001 and fourth time overall ... Radford has lost six-straight Tournament games and is looking for its first Semifinal berth since 2003, when it was a No. 6 seed ... The Highlanders won the season series over the Panthers. KENNY THOMAS averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds against HPU ... High Point is the No. 8 seed for the just the second time since joining the Big South Conference, the first coming in 2003 ... NICK BARBOUR averaged 18.5 points in High Point's two losses to the Highlanders ... High Point has reached the Semifinals in each of the last five seasons -- all under head coach BART LUNDY ... CRUZ DANIELS is averaging 13.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his last four games.

2002 Semifinals -- (7) High Point 72, (3) Radford 70 -- OT
2006 Quarterfinals -- (5) High Point 87, (4) Radford 84
2007 Quarterfinals -- (2) High Point 90, (7) Radford 73

#5 Winthrop Eagles (11-18, 9-9 Big South) at #4 UNC Asheville (14-15, 10-8 Big South), 7:00pm ? Live Video: Big South EDGE on www.BigSouthSports.com

This is the third consecutive year the teams are meeting in the Big South Tournament, and it is a rematch of last year's Championship game .... Winthrop is 5-3 overall against UNC Asheville in the Tournament ... Winthrop carries a Big South-record 12-game Tournament game win streak into the Quarterfinals ... UNC Asheville is the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2000, when it reached the Championship game. The Bulldogs won the title as the No. 4 seed in 1989 ... Asheville has reached the Semifinals in eight of head coach EDDIE BIEDENBACH's 12 seasons ... Winthrop head coach RANDY PEELE is 6-1 in the Big South Tournament with two titles (UNC Greensboro, Winthrop) ... The Eagles swept the season series in 2008-09 and have won three-straight over the Bulldogs.

1988 Quarterfinals -- (4) Winthrop 63, (5) UNC Asheville 58
1993 First Round -- (8) Winthrop 101, (9) UNC Asheville 87
1996 Quarterfinals -- (3) UNC Asheville 69, (6) Winthrop 61
2000 Championship -- (2) Winthrop 75, (4) UNC Asheville 62
2003 Semifinals -- (5) UNC Asheville 81, (1) Winthrop 80 -- OT
2004 Quarterfinals -- (6) UNC Asheville 49, (3) Winthrop 46
2007 Semifinals -- (1) Winthrop 79, (5) UNC Asheville 60
2008 Championship -- (2) Winthrop 66, (1) UNC Asheville 48

#7 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-19, 5-13 Big South) at #2 VMI Keydets (22-7, 13-5 Big South), 7:00pm ? Live Video: Big South EDGE on www.BigSouthSports.com

This is the first meeting between Coastal Carolina and VMI in the Big South Tournament ... VMI is hosting a Conference Tournament game for the first time since joining the Big South in 2003-04 ... The Keydets are looking for their first Semifinal berth since advancing to the Championship game in 2007 ... Coastal Carolina is looking for its first Semifinal berth since advancing to the Championship game in 2006 ... The teams split the season series in 2008-09, which featured two epic battles .... VMI won the first match-up, 103-102 on Jan. 10 when Coastal's STEVEN SEXTON banked a shot at the buzzer, but it was ruled that his foot was on the three-point line, giving VMI the victory ... In Conway on Feb. 14, MARIO EDWARDS hit a three-pointer as time expired to give Coastal Carolina a 100-97 victory ... TRAVIS HOLMES averaged 29.5 points in the season series, while twin brother CHAVIS HOLMES averaged 26.5 ... JOSEPH HARRIS owns a career 19.2 points per game average in six meetings against VMI ... Harris has 11 consecutive double-doubles (17.9 points, 13.6 rebounds) and needs four (4) rebounds to break the Big South single-season record of 342.

#6 Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (13-16, 9-9 Big South) at #3 Liberty Flames (21-10, 12-6 Big South), 7:00pm ? TV: Flames Television Network ? Live Video: Big South EDGE on www.BigSouthSports.com

Big South newcomer Gardner-Webb is a No. 6 seed in a Conference Tournament for the second season in a row, as the Runnin' Bulldogs were the sixth seed in the 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, their final year in that League. GWU defeated No. 3 Stetson, 82-63, a year ago .... Liberty is a Top 4 seed for the sixth time in the seven years of the Big South's home site Tournament format and is looking for its second-straight Semifinal appearance ... The Flames are the No. 3 seed for just the second time in its Big South membership, but the second time in three years (2007) ... The teams split the regular-season series ... Gardner-Webb had six players average double figures scoring against the Flames this season, while JOSHUA HENLEY averaged 13.0 rebounds ... For Liberty, KYLE OHMAN averaged 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds against GWU ... SETH CURRY has set Big South single-season freshman records for points (640) and three-pointers (95), and is looking to become the first freshman to average 20.0 points a game (currently at 20.6).

Big South Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:06:28 -0800

Conference Rank: 29th

Conference Page

All-BIG SOUTH Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Amir Johnson	Radford	Jr
G	Chavis Holmes	VMI	Sr
G	Anthony Smith	Liberty	Sr
F	Charles Corbin	Winthrop	So
F	Omar Carter	Charleston So.	So
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
none		Points: Chavis Holmes 18.3 Rebounds: Kenny George 7.0 (injured) Assists: Amir Johnson 5.5

BIG SOUTH Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

104	UNC Asheville*	Big South	1	NCAA
139	Winthrop**	Big South	2
164	Gardner-Webb	Big South	3
209	High Point	Big South	4
232	Radford	Big South	5
252	Liberty	Big South	6
276	Coastal Carolina	Big South	7
295	Charleston So	Big South	8
330	VMI	Big South	9
343	Presbyterian	Big South	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Note: A lot has changed for UNCA since this preview was written months ago, and they would almost certainly not be our #1 pick at this time.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big South?

Other BIG SOUTH Content

Conference Media Poll

Big South Poll: Winthrop the Favorite

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Rise & Fall: Big South