Liberty

CollegeHoops.net Weekly Awards: Withey, Sanders, Moser, UNCA

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:01:53 -0800

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for CollegeHoops.net's weekly awards by Greg Mengelt.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jeff Withey, Kansas: Withey had a career-high 25 points – hitting 8-of-10 from the field and nine of his 11 free throw attempts – in the Jayhawks’ 68-54 win over No. 6 Baylor on Wednesday. On Saturday, he grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds in an 81-66 triumph over Oklahoma State.

“Jeff was terrific,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Withey had a double-double in Saturday’s win, adding 18 points to his 20 boards. He also finished with seven blocks, a steal and an assist. Against Baylor, he had five rebounds, three blocks, two steals and an assist.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jesse Sanders, Liberty Senior Guard: Sanders’ incredible performances are starting to produce wins for the Flames.

Sanders, one of the most complete players in college basketball, led Liberty to road upsets over Charleston Southern and Presbyterian last week as the Flames improved to 11-16 overall and 6-9 in the Big South.

Sanders filled the stat sheet with 19 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), 10 assists, six rebounds and a steal in Saturday’s 77-64 win over Presbyterian. Earlier in the week, he had 19 points, connecting on eight of his 12 shots, nine assists, five boards, a block and a steal in a 75-74 win over Charleston Southern.

For the season, Sanders is averaging 12.6 points, 8.1 assists (to just 2.6 turnovers), 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He’s shooting 49 percent from the floor and 38 percent from the 3-point line.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

UNC-Asheville: With an easy 88-62 win over Radford and Campbell and Coastal Carolina losses, Asheville earned the Big South regular-season championship and home-court advantage through the conference tournament.

“That’s the first step of some other goals we hope to achieve this season,” Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach said.

The Bulldogs (19-7, 14-1 Big South) went 38-for-42 (90.5 percent) from the foul line and led 28-6 en route to their sixth straight win Saturday. They go to Myrtle Beach Tuesday before Saturday’s BracketBuster contest at Ohio on Saturday.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Mike Moser, UNLV Sophomore Forward: On top of a 19-point, 9-rebound, 4-block, 2-steal performance, Mike Moser made a key steal and assist to Anthony Marshall for the go-ahead basket with 42 seconds left in UNLV’s big 65-63 win over San Diego State on Saturday.

After missing his first five shots, Moser connected on 11 of his final 13 field goal attempts as the Rebels improved to 22-4 overall and ascended to the top of the Mountain West standings. At 6-2, they are now tied with San Diego State, which beat UNLV 69-67 on Jan. 14, and New Mexico.

For the season, the UCLA transfer is averaging 14.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a pair of steals per game.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Rivers buries Tar Heels: Duke freshman Austin Rivers capped a 29-point performance and a 15-4 run in the final three minutes with a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave the Blue Devils a stunning 85-84 win over No. 5 North Carolina on Wednesday.

Rivers’ 23-footer in the face of 7-footer Tyler Zeller hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, evening No. 9 Duke with the Tar Heels atop the ACC standings.

“Obviously, this is my favorite win I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Rivers said. “Everybody thought we were going to lose, and we just kept fighting. To get a (win), it’s amazing.”

WIN OF THE WEEK

Michigan State 58, Ohio State 48: With their fifth win in their last six games, the Spartans share the top spot in the Big Ten with Ohio State at 9-3 after Saturday’s victory.

Michigan State held the No. 3 Buckeyes to 26.4 percent from the floor Saturday, their third-worst performance at home in the last 15 years and forced National Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger into 5-of-15 shooting and 10 turnovers.

“Ohio State’s the best team in the league,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “But on this give day, we were able to get them.”

At 20-5 and winners of 20 of their last 23 games, the No. 12 Spartans are making a serious case for a top-2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Boston College 64, Florida State 60: Florida State had won seven straight and was on the top of the ACC standings. BC had lost six consecutive and was at the bottom.

Even in Boston, the Eagles win on Saturday was a major upset.

“We weren’t as focused as we should have been and that caught up to us at the end of the game,” Seminole guard Michael Snaer said. “We get national recognition, and we didn’t handle it well.”

Jordan Daniels led Boston College, which trailed 23-10 before a 23-3 first-half run, with 19 points.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Tennessee 75, Florida 70: The No. 7 Gators lost their second straight game and saw their 19-game home winning streak come to an end as Tennessee outscored Florida 36-14 in the paint.

“This is one of the most impressive wins of the season,” Volunteer junior guard Kenny Hall said. “We got on them early and made sure we had the lead for most of the game.”

After the game, Florida coach Billy Donovan called his team “soft” and “immature.” Gator freshman Bradley Beal said his team may not worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid.

“Where we’re going might be in the NIT if we don’t just turn around right now,” Beal said. “We really have to turn around, and I think we’ll do that.”

Trae Golden led Tennessee, which is above .500 for the first time since Nov. 28 after its third straight win, with 17 points and seven assists.

College Hoops Wednesday Thoughts: Bulldogs Fall, Aggies Roll

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:33:07 -0800

While much of the college sports world was captivated by the goings on in State College, PA, four college basketball games were being played. And one of the four teams expected to win fell at the hands of the defending MAC Tournament champs, but in hindsight it wasn't much of an "upset". Behind 19 points from Quincy Diggs the Zips beat Mississippi State 68-58 at The Hump. Simply put, Keith Dambrot's team outworked and outplayed the Bulldogs, who weren't as effective as they were on Monday night and it cost them.

"[Mississippi State] had a limited bench, and it really affected their juice level," said Dambrot. "I think we had a little more juice when it mattered. When the game got on the line and with their backup point guard being sick, they couldn't really go to their bench."

The Bulldogs were a little shorthanded on Wednesday night, but they turned the ball over 19 times and made just two of thirteen shots from beyond the arc. Dee Bost, who was outstanding in the second half of Monday's win over Eastern Kentucky, finished Wednesday's game with 13 points (2-9 FG) and four turnovers and was nowhere near as effective against Akron. Arnett Moultrie also struggled from the field, making just two of thirteen shots and scoring eight points, but he did manage to grab a game-high 15 rebounds.

And then there's Renardo Sidney, who's been quite the lightning rod throughout his time in Starkville. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds, but it is fair to question what kind of physical condition he's in. There were occasions last night where he wasn't involved in the offense and the lack of stamina was apparent, and Akron's Zeke Marshall proved to be more of a factor throughout the course of the game. Marshall played just 24 minutes before fouling out, but he contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five blocks while on the floor.

Was Akron fresher, having not played on Monday? That's a definite possibility, and something that Dambrot alluded to after the game, but that isn't the best reason for Mississippi State allowing themselves to be outworked. It's too soon to jump overboard on the Bulldogs, who have talent and will have plenty of chances throughout the season to put together an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume (it's just game two). But if anything last night's result should make people throughout the country aware the Akron will remain a player in the MAC.

Other Happenings

1. Texas A&M makes their debut and clamps down on Liberty.
Shortly before game time Texas A&M made it known that Glynn Cyprien would be acting head coach for the game against Liberty with head coach Billy Kennedy still recuperating after being diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. But what could have been a major distraction was anything but for the Aggies, who came out on fire defensively against a Liberty team that looked to be overmatched. Liberty made just four of twenty-four shots from the field in the first half (0-7 3PT) and trailed 37-14 at the break on their way to an 81-59 loss in College Station. Ray Turner led the Aggies with 20 points, and the game played out much easier than one would expect after noticing that Khris Middleton played just ten minutes. One other notable performer for the Aggies was guard Jamal Branch, who finished with six points and six assists (no turnovers) in 20 minutes of action. To say the least it was a solid debut for Texas A&M.

2. St. John's and Arizona withstand tough challenges at home.
The good news for St. John's came before tip last night as head coach Steve Lavin returned to the team following surgery for prostate cancer and his subsequent recovers, but once the game began the Red Storm found themselves in a battle. Lehigh knocked down their first five three-pointers and shot 53.6% from the field in taking a 43-33 lead into the half. C.J. McCollum scored 14 points in the half, and the Mountain Hawks did a good job of finding open gaps in the Red Storm matchup zone. But things changed after the break, albeit at a slower pace than most runs tend to happen. McCollum scored just three points in the second half and as a team Lehigh shot 32% from the field, as St. John's came back to win 78-73. God'sgift Achiuwa scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way while Maurice Harkless and Nurideen Lindsey added 15 apiece as St. John's rebounded to win.

Arizona has the same issues with youth, and while the Wildcats do have more returnees from last year's Elite 8 team than the Red Storm guys are having to adjust to new roles. That may explain the struggles of Solomon Hill through two games, and the point guard situation was something that Duquesne was able to take advantage of as the first half progressed despite a slow start. Eric Evans and Sean Johnson combined for 13 first-half points and the Dukes led 30-28 at the half, with Arizona not helping themselves with 11 turnovers. But Jordin Mayes played very well at the point in the second half, scoring 14 of his 19 points while Jesse Perry put the finishing touches on another double-double in the Wildcats' 67-59 win. Despite 20 turnovers Arizona was a plus-11 in rebounding margin and outscored Duquesne 19-9 in second half points, paving the way to their second win of the season. Both Arizona and St. John's are a work in progress right now, which should make next week's meeting an entertaining one.

3. UCF could be in serious trouble with the NCAA.
Things had been going well on the Orlando campus the last couple of seasons. George O'Leary's football program had won a Conference USA championship on the gridiron, Donnie Jones' arrival as basketball coach put some life into the basketball program and new facilities for both revenue sports put UCF on the radar of the Big East for a possible move. But after yesterday's happenings the program could be in some trouble with the NCAA. UCF received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding possible recruiting violations in football and men's basketball, and the fallout has already begun. AD Keith Tribble and wide receivers coach David Kelly have both stepped down and Jones has been suspended three games, and given the list of allegations that meeting with the Committee on Infractions won't be a fun one. You can read the allegations here (.PDF file), and given their nature, with the involvement of runners and agents, there could be some stiff penalties handed out.

Notable Performers

1. F God'sgift Achiuwa (St. John's)
21 points (6-6 FG, 9-9 FT) and eight rebounds in the Red Storm's 78-73 win over Lehigh.

2. F Ray Turner (Texas A&M)
20 points (9-11 FG) and six rebounds in the Aggies' 81-59 win over Liberty.

3. G Jordin Mayes and F Jesse Perry (Arizona)
Mayes scored 19 points while Perry posted his second double-double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the Wildcats' 67-59 win over Duquesne.

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:48:48 -0800

Tonight brings the second day of college basketball games that count with the four host teams in the 2K Sports Classic Benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer on the floor. Arizona, Mississippi State and St. John's all played games on Monday night, and tonight marks the beginning of the season for the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are expected by many to contend in the Big 12, but things haven't gone as smoothly as anyone connected to the program would have hoped.

First-year head coach Billy Kennedy was diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which has him away from the team at this time. That's resulted in associate head coach Glynn Cyprien, who was at Memphis last season, taking over as acting head coach. To say the least, the situation becomes tougher to deal with when you're learning the system at essentially the same time as the players you have to teach it to. The good news for Texas A&M is that this is an experienced group, with three returning starters and four other returnees, led by wing Khris Middleton.

Middleton led the Aggies in scoring (14.4 ppg) and was second on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) in 2010-11, and the unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection is a big reason why the Aggies were co-favorites in the Big 12's preseason poll. The 6'7" junior is a versatile player who can provide offense in a variety of ways, and with forwards such as David Lobeau, Kourtney Roberson and Ray Turner also back the Aggies should be in good shape on the boards against Liberty tonight (8PM EST, Fox Sports Southwest).

The question for A&M with regards for their hopes this season rest in the backcourt. B.J. Holmes has graduated, and it's reasonable to expect key reserve Naji Hibbert or Washington transfer Elston Turner to start alongside senior Dash Harris. But Hibbert and Harris combined to average just 9.4 points per game last season, and neither shot at least 40% from the field (Hibbert shot 37.5% while Harris made just 26.8% of his shots). Turner has the ability to knock down shots, something the Aggies will need to call on as the stakes get bigger.

Texas A&M was most successful as a committee in 2010-11, as the whole proved more valuable than the sum of their parts. Could that change with Middleton's improvement? That's more than possible but in terms of the little things, such as rebounding (rebounding margin of plus-6.3 last year), it's once again going to have to be "all hands on deck". As for the Flames, they're beginning a season that they hope provides a better finish than last season, as they dropped their final five games and fell in the Big South quarters despite being the two-seed.

Losing Evan Gordon (transferred to Arizona State) hurts but in Jesse Sanders the Flames have a Big South Player of the Year candidate, and seniors David Minaya and John Brown were both double-digit scorers in 2010-11. Forward Antwan Burrus will be key in the paint, but the number of bodies that Texas A&M can throw at Liberty could be a concern.

7 PM Lehigh at St. John's (ESPN2)
The Red Storm were almost two different teams on Monday night against William & Mary, struggling offensively in the first half but then turning up the defense to pull away 74-59. Nurideen Lindsey was the sparkplug for the Red Storm while forwards Maurice Harkless and God'sgift Achiuwa scored combined to score 34 points and grab 17 rebounds. Tonight the Johnnies could have their hands full with Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum, who averaged 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season. Gabe Knutson also returns for the Mountain Hawks, who lost to Bucknell in the Patriot League title game in March.

7 PM Akron at Mississippi State (ESPNU)
Mississippi State also played better in the second half than the first in their season opener, with Dee Bost scoring 17 of his 23 points in the Bulldogs' win over Eastern Kentucky. There's also the addition of UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie, who posted a double-double in the opener and could very well be Rick Stansbury's most reliable big man. His most talented? Renardo Sidney, but while he's got All-SEC talent is the requisite motor there? That will be a big question for Mississippi State, and they could have their hands full with the defending MAC champs. Akron was one of the many teams that took an overseas trip this summer, and in Nikola Cvetinovic the Zips have one of the best players in the MAC. They did suffer a couple personnel losses, but Keith Dambrot's team could make some noise beginning with tonight.

9 PM Duquesne at Arizona (ESPN2)
Sean Miller's Wildcats opened the season with a victory on Monday night, rebounding from an uneven first half to beat Valparaiso 73-64. But questions remain, especially in the frontcourt in spite of the double-double posted by senior forward Jesse Perry. Freshman Angelo Chol was active on both ends of the floor and may be the best of their options at center for the time being, but Kyryl Natyazhko needs to improve. Solomon Hill will be looking to bounce back from Monday as well, and Arizona could have the edge inside with the Dukes losing Bill Clark and Damian Saunders from last season's team. But the Dukes are in good shape on the perimeter thanks to the return of B.J. Monteiro and T.J. McConnell, and head coach Ron Everhart will look to play fast and force some turnovers. This may be a game that turns out to be more interesting that some people think.

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.

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Sears BracketBusters Saturday Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:55:34 -0800

Score two wins for the Colonial Athletic Association, with VCU winning at Wichita State and Drexel defending their home floor with a win over Kent State in Friday's Sears BracketBusters contests. VCU needed a pair of Joey Rodriguez free throws with eight tenths of a second remaining to win a game they nearly handed over after leading by nine at the half. Rodriguez racked up 11 assists to go along with 15 points. Bradford Burgess scored 17 to lead the Rams, and Joe Ragland scored 15 to lead the Shockers. Gregg Marshall's team shot just 39% for the game, and if not for VCU getting just eight free throws (18 for Wichita State) the margin is likely larger. As for Drexel Samme Given led five Dragons in double figures with 17 points and 15 rebounds, and defensively they limited Kent State to 35.9% shooting on the night. Two victories that give the CAA a slight bump in the computers could become more valuable as the season approaches Selection Sunday.

The crown jewel of this year's Sears BracketBusters event comes from the West Coast, where Utah State visits Saint Mary's in a game both need for their respective resumes. One could argue that the visiting Aggies (24-3, 12-1 WAC) need a win more, given their 0-2 record in games against teams in the RPI Top 50 and the high probability that this will be their last chance to erase that bagel before Selection Sunday. Saint Mary's (22-5, 10-2 WCC) can at least claim one Top 50 win (St. John's) and they also host Gonzaga in their next contest. While Gonzaga isn't as good as previous editions their presence on Saint Mary's slate outweighs any remaining games on Utah State's schedule.

Randy Bennett's Gaels have yet to lose at home this season, and in addition to the crowd their guard play has been a key reason as to why. Mickey McConnell (16.9 ppg, 6.2 apg) and Matthew Dellavedova (12.7 ppg, 5.4 apg) were crucial factors in the run to the Sweet 16 a season ago and they've had their fingerprints on a number of Saint Mary's victories this season as well. McConnell is likely the favorite at this point to win Player of the Year in the WCC, boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio near 3-to-1 while shooting 52% from the field and 47% from three. How junior Brockeith Pane (10.7 ppg, 3.3 apg) performs in this matchup will have a lot to do with the outcome, and Pane needs to play under control for forty minutes.

Inside Stew Morrill's team will have the size advantage, although Saint Mary's has some solid interior players. But in Tai Wesley (14.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) the Aggies have one of the premier forwards in the Western United States, and his partners in crime aren't too shabby either. Brady Jardine and Nate Bendall also contribute to a team that has a rebounding margin of plus-8.9 on the season. Saint Mary's with Rob Jones and Mitchell Young won't be as physical up front and they hold a rebounding edge of just plus-3.4, but they'll compete and make things tough on Utah State. If Wesley gets into early foul trouble the edge that the Aggies hold could be neutralized.

Two players to keep an eye on for the Aggies who haven't been mentioned yet: veterans Pooh Williams and Brian Green. Williams averages just under nine points per game but he's a solid defender who does many of the little things on the floor for the Aggies. Green averages 11 points per game off the bench and knocks down 46% of his shots from beyond the arc. Adding in Brady Jardine's contributions off the bench and Coach Morrill has a pair of reserves who can outperform most starters on any given night. And with the Aggies needing a solid resume win to add to their resume both will need to step up in Moraga.

Other televised games to keep an eye on include Vermont at Charleston and George Mason at Northern Iowa, with the road teams being among the hotter clubs in America. Jim Larranaga's Patriots have shown off the value of preseason trips to Europe, as their trek to Italy fostered a level of unity that was nowhere to be found last season. They've won 12 straight games with 11 of the wins by 14 points or more, and while it's tough to knock off UNI in their building Ben Jacobson's group has struggled of late in the Missouri Valley.

As for Vermont, the move by head coach Mike Lonergan to put freshman point guard into the starting lineup for defensive reasons has led to 10 straight wins. But he's in for a challenge with Andrew Goudelock being one of the best scorers in the nation. That being said, Antwaine Wiggins and the other Charleston forwards will need to contend with the tandem of Evan Fjeld and Brian Voelkel, with both likely to clean up come awards time in America East.

Iona visits Liberty with the home team possibly feeling better about their NCAA Tournament chances due to the roster turnover at Coastal Carolina, and two of the better guards around meet in Dayton with Charles Jenkins (Hofstra) and Vaughn Duggins (Wright State) on the same floor. It's always difficult to define the true value of the BracketBusters event but at the least it's one more shot at beating a solid opponent late in the season, and the games tend to provide good entertainment for that reason.

Televised Games
11 a.m. Hofstra at Wright State (ESPNU)
1 p.m. Austin Peay at Fairfield (ESPNU)
3 p.m. Iona at Liberty (ESPNU)
5 p.m. Missouri State at Valparaiso (ESPN2)
5 p.m. Vermont at College of Charleston (ESPNU)
7 p.m. George Mason at Northern Iowa (ESPN2)
9 p.m. No. 21 Utah State at Saint Mary's (ESPN2)
11 p.m. Montana at Long Beach State (ESPN2)
1 p.m. (Sunday) Cleveland State at Old Dominion (ESPN2)

Non-Televised Games
Noon Miami (Ohio) at James Madison
1:05 p.m. Morehead State at Indiana State
2 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Western Carolina
2 p.m. Canisius at Boston University
2 p.m. Manhattan at Stony Brook
2 p.m. Central Michigan at Niagara
2 p.m. Illinois State at Western Michigan
2 p.m. Northeastern at UNC Asheville
3 p.m. Bradley at Tennessee-Martin
3 p.m. Saint Peter's at Loyola-Chicago
3:05 p.m. Green Bay at Southern Illinois
4 p.m. Delaware at Rider
4 p.m. Delaware State at Tennessee State
4 p.m. Georgia State at Louisiana Tech
4 p.m. Seattle at Northern Illinois
4 p.m. VMI at Morgan State
4:30 p.m. Jacksonville State at Eastern Michigan
5 p.m. Hawaii at UC Davis
5 p.m. UC Irvine at Nevada
6 p.m. Cal State Fullerton at Idaho State
7 p.m. Eastern Illinois at Toledo
7 p.m. Appalachian State at High Point
7 p.m. Ball State at Wofford
7 p.m. Charleston Southern at UNC Wilmington
7 p.m. Creighton at Akron
7 p.m. Hartford at UMBC
7 p.m. Loyola at Towson
7 p.m. Maine at Siena
7 p.m. Milwaukee at Buffalo
7 p.m. Ohio at Winthrop
7 p.m. Radford at William & Mary
7:05 p.m. Bowling Green at Youngstown State
7:30 p.m. Davidson at Presbyterian
7:30 p.m. New Hampshire at Marist
8 p.m. Evansville at Murray State
8 p.m. Pacific at Oral Roberts
8:05 p.m. Detroit at Drake
8:30 p.m. Northern Colorado at New Mexico State
8:30 p.m. Sacramento State at Southeast Missouri State
8:30 p.m. Gardner-Webb at Tennessee Tech
9 p.m. Idaho at Montana State
10 p.m. Cal State Northridge at Eastern Washington
10 p.m. UC Riverside at Fresno State
10 p.m. Boise State at UC Santa Barbara
10 p.m. Northern Arizona at Cal Poly
10 p.m. Weber State at San Jose State

HOOPS TALK LIVE SATURDAY 11am-NOON

2009 CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Freshman Team

CHN — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:37:20 -0700

The CollegeHoops.net All-Freshman teams were voted on by staff members: Jeff Borzello, Jeff Fox, Raphielle Johnson, Kevin McNeill, Shawn Siegel, and Jon Teitel.

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Freshman of the Year:
Seth Curry - G, Liberty

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman
G - Seth Curry - Liberty
G - Gordon Hayward - Butler
G - Harouna Mutombo - Western Carolina
F - Eric Wise - Irvine
F/C - Freddy Asprilla - Florida International

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Second Team
G - Jamar Briscoe - NC Central
G - Shelvin Mack - Butler
G - Damian Lillard - Weber St
F - Jarrod Jones - Ball State
F - Julius Wells - James Madison

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Third Team
G - CJ Reed - Bethune-Cookman
G - Nick Barbour - High Point
G - RJ Evans - Holy Cross
G/F - Novar Gadson - Rider
F - Jake O'Brien - Boston University

Mid-Major players are from all leagues minus the 6 BCS conferences as well as the A-10, CUSA, MWC, MVC, WAC, and WCC.

Check back soon for CHN's End of Season Top 100 Players ranking, our final player awards of the season.

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).

Mid-Season All-Freshman Team

CHN — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:38:49 -0800

Back in October, CollegeHoops.net announced its Preseason All-Freshman team. Now that conference play has begun in earnest, here's our updated Mid-Season All-Americans, with comparisons to our earlier picks.

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Season Freshman of the Year: Greg Monroe (Georgetown).

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman

Willie Warren	Oklahoma	G	15 ppg, 2 rpg, 3 apg
Tyreke Evans	Memphis	G	17 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg
Al-Farouq Aminu	Wake Forest	F	13 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 apg
Greg Monroe	Georgetown	F/C	13 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg
Samardo Samuels	Louisville	F /C	14 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman

Courtney Fortson	Arkansas	G	15 ppg, 5 rpg, 6 apg
Jrue Holiday	UCLA	G	10 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg
Seth Curry	Liberty	G	20 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg
Mike Rosario	Rutgers	G	17 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg
Sylven Landesberg	Virginia	G/F	17 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg

Freshman of the Year Notes: Jrue Holiday & BJ Mullens were our original Co-Player of the Year projections. Holiday has been solid, while Mullens has rarely gotten substantial playing time. Amazingly though, Mullens might still be the best NBA prospect of all the big names listed below.

First Team Notes: Besides Holiday & Mullens, the other players to drop off the first team are Tennessee's Scotty Hopson & DeMar DeRozan. The Vols heralded group of newcomers has not performed near the initial expectations that were set, and Hopson did not receive a single vote in our Mid-Season survey. DeRozan has had his ups and downs, and was actually tied in 11th in the voting along with Georgia's Howard Thompkins. (Meaning he'd theoretically be on our Third Team at the moment).

Second Team Notes: Most of our preseason Second Team has now moved up to the first. Warren, Evans, Samuels, and Aminu were all Second Teamers who moved up a level. Some of the current Second Teamers, like Courtney Fortson and Seth Curry, didn't even make our Honorable Mention lists to start the season. Fortson was actually sixth in voting, meaning he just missed out on First Team status. The only prior Second Teamer to completely drop out of our list is Delvon Roe, a forward from Michigan State.

The Next Five

Unofficially, the next five players ordered by votes: Howard Thompkins (Georgia), DeMar DeRozan (USC), Gordon Hayward (Butler), Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure), Kemba Walker (UCONN)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by 12 CHN contributors: Jason Brubaker, Dan Daitchman, Evan Dorey, Jeff Fox, Raphielle Johnson, Kevin McNeill, Matthew Ryter, Shawn Siegel, Jon Teitel, Jason Tomassini, Joel Welser, and Joey Whelan.

Mid-Major Player of the Week: Jamal Barney

Joey Whelan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:58:50 -0800

Mid-Major Player of the Week

Jamal Barney – Loyola (MD)

3 Games: 27.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 spg

Jimmy Patsos may have been the one making waves for the Greyhounds earlier in the season, but Jamal Barney was the one doing it this week. The sophomore guard feasted on the three opposing defenses he faced, topping the 20-point mark in all three games. He torched NJ Tech for 40 points, getting to the line an impressive 22 times. The Baltimore native was able to help his team in other ways as well, hitting the boards hard and leading his team two a pair of conference wins.

Finalists

John Bryant – Santa Clara

2 Games: 13.5 ppg, 16.5 rpg, 1 bpg, 11-23 FG

It’s about time that one of the nation’s most underrated big men gets a little love. Bryant has had a stellar senior season, continuing his consistent scoring while posting career bests in rebounding and assists. The Broncos may be in the midst of a tough six-game skid, but it is no fault of their star center. Bryant played solidly in a loss at Gonzaga and followed that up with a season high 22 rebounds on the road at Portland.

Kenneth Faried – Morehead State

3 Games: 14 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 2 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.3 bpg, 16-30 FG

Another frontcourt player who hasn’t been getting his due is Kenneth Faried. The New Jersey native was quietly one of the nation’s top rebounders as a freshman last year and guess what, he is right back near the top of that list. Faried had a pair of double-doubles this week and put together two of his best shooting performances of the season.

Seth Curry – Liberty

Vs. VMI: 35 points, 6 rebounds, 10-15 FG, 11-11 FT, 4-6 3P FG

The younger Curry has been the most explosive scoring freshman in the country this season, and the family shooting prowess was on full display in a Liberty win over VMI. The rook had a season high 35 points and was lights out from everywhere on the floor, including his perfect showing at the charity stripe. Expect plenty more games like this as his career progresses.