LMU

Friday Tournament Predictions: Horizon, OVC, MVC, WCC

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:55:14 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking every conference tournament game over the next 2 weeks. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

ATLANTIC SUN SEMIFINALS: AT MACON, GA.

Belmont (25-7, 16-2) vs. East Tennessee State (17-13, 10-8)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: Comcast Sports. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 23 – Belmont 82-70; Feb. 18 – Belmont 80-58. RPI: Belmont 63, East Tennessee State 180. Analysis: Belmont beat the Buccaneers by a combined 34 points in two meetings this year. Can’t find a reason why the Bruins won’t blow them out again. Line: Belmont -12. Pick: Belmont 88, East Tennessee State 66.

Mercer (22-10, 13-5) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (14-16, 8-10)

Tipoff: Approx. 8:30 p.m. TV: Comcast Sports. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 2 – Mercer 76-54; Feb. 20 – Mercer 75-66. RPI: Mercer 126, Florida Gulf Coast 238. Analysis: Mercer looked better in its win over Lipscomb, but the Bears probably aren’t playing well enough yet to take them against the spread. Line: Mercer -9.5. Pick: Mercer 71, Florida Gulf Coast 67.

HORIZON LEAGUE QUARETRFINALS: AT VALPARAISO, IND.

(3) Detroit (19-13, 11-7) vs. (6) Youngstown State (16-14, 10-8)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: Horizon League Network/ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 1 – Youngstown 64-61*; Feb. 25 – Detroit 76-74*. RPI: Detroit 158, Youngstown State 166. Analysis: Detroit’s underachieving roller coaster season comes to an end. Line: Detroit -6. Pick: Youngstown State 68, Detroit 65.

(4) Milwaukee (20-12, 11-7) vs. (5) Butler (19-13, 11-7)

Tipoff: Approx. 8:30 p.m. TV: Horizon League Network/ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – Butler 54-50; Jan. 26 – Milwaukee 53-42. RPI: Milwaukee 124, Butler 112. Analysis: The Butler magic lives on – for one more day. Line: Butler -1. Pick: Butler 66, Milwaukee 61.

MISSOURI VALLEY QUARTERFINALS: AT ST. LOUIS

(1) Wichita State (26-4, 16-2) vs. (8) Indiana State (17-13, 8-10)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 15 – Wichita State 75-65*; Feb. 4 – Wichita State 71-66. RPI: Wichita State 12, Indiana State 130. Analysis: This isn’t a typical 1/8 matchup with the Sycamores finishing a game behind third place. Indiana State is closer to the team that won last year’s tournament than to the one that struggled during the middle of this season. Line: Wichita St -10. Pick: Wichita State 70, Indiana State 62.

(4) Illinois State (18-12, 9-9) vs. (5) Northern Iowa (19-12, 9-9)

Tipoff: Approx. 3:30 p.m. TV: MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 29 – Illinois State 65-61; Feb. 11 – Northern Iowa 78-63. RPI: Illinois State 125, Northern Iowa 62. Analysis: This game could go either way, so take the team with more post-season experience. Line: Northern Iowa -2. Line: Northern Iowa -2. Pick: Northern Iowa 70, Illinois State 67.

(2) Creighton (25-5, 14-4) vs. (7) Drake (16-14, 9-9)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 3 – Creighton 76-59; Jan. 25 – Creighton 77-69. RPI: Creighton 25, Drake 127. Analysis: Except for a late push against Long Beach State, the Blue Jays just aren’t playing as well as they were earlier this season. It would be tough to take them by more than a handful of points. Line: Creighton -8. Pick: Creighton 69, Drake 65.

(3) Evansville (15-14, 9-9) vs. (6) Missouri State (16-15, 9-9)

Tipoff: Approx. 9:30 p.m. TV: MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 15 – Evansville 87-82 (OT)*; Feb. 25 – Evansville 75-70 (OT). RPI: Evansville 138, Missouri State 108. Analysis: Missouri State senior Kyle Weems will find a way to shine in his final week, and the Bear defense will clamp down on Ace star Colt Ryan. Line: Missouri State -2. Pick: Missouri State 77, Evansville 70.

OHIO VALLEY SEMIFINALS: AT NASHVILLE

(1) Murray State (28-1, 15-1) vs. (4) Tennessee Tech (19-12, 9-7)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Murray State 82-74; Feb. 25 – Murray State 69-64*. RPI: Murray State 31, Tennessee Tech 151. Analysis: Tennessee Tech found a way to keep both regular-season meetings close, and Kevin Murphy and the Eagles will push the Racers again. Line: Murray St -8. Pick: Murray State 70, Tennessee Tech 64.

(2) Tennessee State (19-11, 11-5) vs. (3) Morehead State (18-14, 10-6)

Tipoff: Approx. 8 p.m. TV: ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – Tennessee State 77-72. RPI: Tennessee State 131, Morehead State 173. Analysis: With an extra day of rest, Tennessee State will pull away from the Eagles early in the second half. Line: Tennessee St -4. Pick: Tennessee State 81, Morehead State 69.

WCC QUARTERFINALS: AT LAS VEGAS

(4) Loyola Marymount (19-11, 11-5) vs. (5) San Francisco (19-12, 8-8)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – Loyola Marymount 77-76 (OT)*; Feb. 4 – Loyola Marymount 90-88. RPI: Loyola Marymount 119, San Francisco 147. Analysis: Vegas is begging you to take LMU, don't fall for it. Line: San Francisco -1.5. Pick: Loyola Marymount 78, San Francisco 75.

(3) BYU (24-7, 12-4) vs. (6) San Diego (12-17, 9-7)

Tipoff: Approx. 11 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – BYU 88-52; Jan. 16 – BYU 82-63*. RPI: BYU 50, San Diego 193. Analysis: BYU will control the boards and its defensive end en route to an easy win. Line: BYU -13. Pick: BYU 78, San Diego 55.

*Road win

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 95-62-2

Lobos Take Win and Driver's Seat: Wednesday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:49:39 -0800

Wednesday night's game between New Mexico and San Diego State was a big one for the visitors, as Steve Alford's team didn't own a single win over a Top 25 team. But also on the line was sole possession of first place in the Mountain West after UNLV fell at TCU on Tuesday night.

And the team many expected to win the conference before the season began, New Mexico, took control of the wheel ahead of their matchup with the Runnin' Rebels with a 77-67 win at Viejas Arena. Kendall Williams posted his highest point total since January 7th against North Dakota, scoring a game-high 21 points, and Drew Gordon was a handful inside as he finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

"I think Kendall Williams was probably the most important guy, but Drew Gordon was very good with the way he played," remarked SDSU head coach Steve Fisher in his postgame radio interview. "They have guys that stepped up. Whether it was guys that started or coming off the bench, they made it difficult for us."

Speaking of those reserves, the New Mexico bench outscored San Diego State's reserves 33-12 with guard Jamal Fenton providing 15 of those points. The decision-making of both he and Hugh Greenwood was going to be an important aspect of the game to keep track of, and they were solid in combining for just two turnovers (both by Greenwood).

Fenton's scoring was also welcome due to the fact that leading scorer Tony Snell was held scoreless, as he missed all four of his shots from the field. But the Lobos were able to make up for that due to their reserves, which also included Chase Adams scoring eight points in seven minutes of action.

Jamaal Franklin led the Aztecs with 16 points and ten rebounds and Tim Shelton (13 points) and James Rahon (11) also reached double figures, but Chase Tapley couldn't get going as he shot 3-for-11 from the field. As a team SDSU made just three off their fourteen three-point attempts, and when compared to the Lobos' 10-for-19 night that's a tough mountain to climb.

Next up for New Mexico is a home game against UNLV on Saturday, and a win at The Pit would make all three teams 2-2 against each other. That would in turn place more emphasis on how each of the three does against the non-contenders, and New Mexico has yet to drop one of those games. To say the least Saturday offers UNM a golden opportunity to take full control of the Mountain West race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Illinois drops a close one at home to Purdue, and it may be approacing "that time" in Champaign.
From the orange blazer donned by head coach Bruce Weber to the fact that Illinois had lost five of their last six games, Wednesday's game against Purdue dripped of desperation for the Fighting Illini. But that still wouldn't be enough for Illinois, who fell at home 67-62, dropping their sixth game out of the last seven. While the season still has games left to be played Illinois doesn't have the look of a team poised to turn things around, meaning that the chances of returning to the Big Dance are dwindling away. And in the postgame press conference the words coming from the head coach didn't sound like those of a man confident that his guys could turn things around.

"Instead of creating toughness and developing a team, I coached not to lose this year. That's really sad." To be fair Weber did also say that "it's never too late" to turn things around, and while that is the case one has to wonder if this group has the ability not just physically but mentally to do so. Illinois shot 3-for-21 from beyond the arc against Purdue, and while that didn't reach the depths of SMU's shooting (3-for-29 in a 28-point outing for their entire team) with a 7-footer like Meyers Leonard (4-7 FG, nine points, 12 rebounds) inside that's inexcusable. Until this group executes better offensively they'll continue to struggle, and the longer that happens the louder the "job security" talk gets.

2. Max Good's road warriors tighten up the WCC race with a win at #16 Saint Mary's.
Loyola Marymount may have some mystifying losses to their credit this season, there's little doubt that the Lions are the best road team in the WCC. LMU spoiled "Senior Night" for Saint Mary's as they beat the Gaels 75-60, moving to 7-1 in league road games this season. Drew Viney (17 points) and Anthony Ireland (16 points, seven assists) led the way and Jarred DuBois added 15 off the bench for LMU, who won despite allowing the Gaels to grab 16 offensive rebounds. Rob Jones led the way for SMC with 25 points and 15 rebounds but Matthew Dellavedova was quiet (ten points, six assists) and Stephen Holt was lost for the game early in the second half with a knee injury.

What this result does is drop Saint Mary's into a tie for first place with Gonzaga in the loss column, which more than opens up the possibility of the Bulldogs winning at least a share of their 12th consecutive WCC regular season title. And of course Mark Few's team is the only one to have beaten Loyola Marymount at home, as they beat the Lions 78-59 in Spokane last week. So even with the discussion of NCAA bids stopping at three (adding BYU into the discussion), LMU has the look of a team that can get hot in Las Vegas and leave with the automatic bid.

3. Miami lets a great opportunity slip away as North Carolina grabs 24 offensive rebounds in the win.
North Carolina shot just 5-for-18 from beyond the arc, and while Miami wasn't a great deal better at 8-for-23 the Hurricanes had every opportunity to take advantage of that lack of accuracy. But they couldn't, and UNC's work on the offensive glass was the big reason why. The Tar Heels grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 23 second chance points in their 73-64 victory. North Carolina was also a plus-10 in points from the foul line, as they shot 16-for-23 from the charity stripe (Miami: 6-for-9). Harrison Barnes scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds and John Henson added a double-double with 14 and 11 (with three blocks) to keep the Heels tied atop the ACC in the loss column (9-2; Duke and Florida State are both 8-2). Durand Scott led four Hurricanes in double figures with 15 points but they were unable to add another big win to their resume, and rebounding was the big reason why.

Quick Hitters

1. While beating Villanova isn't a "marquee" win by any stretch of the imagination, the fact that USF was able to take care of business is a good sign for the Bulls as they head into the stretch run. In the 65-51 win over the Wildcats, Victor Rudd Jr. scored 14 points and Anthony Collins added ten points and seven assists as USF moved to 9-4 in Big East play. The Bulls need to find a resume-building victory at some point, but to say the least this season is progress for a program that taken more than its fair share of lumps during their time in the conference.

2. In a stunning result in the MAAC, Marist beat Loyola (MD) 72-54 in Poughkeepsie as Adam Kemp finished two blocks short of a triple-double (17 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks) and three other starters scored in double figures. The Red Foxes' win also gives Iona, who won 75-62 at Rider, sole possession of first place with two games remaining on the league slate.

3. Warren Niles scored 24 points and Michael Craion 18 to help lead Oral Roberts past IPFW 75-71 in Fort Wayne, clinching the Summit League regular season crown for the Golden Eagles. ORU has won 17 of their last 18 games and will host Akron as part of the Sears BracketBusters event, and they're going to be a tough out in the conference tournament in a couple of weeks.

4. While New Mexico may have locked up a third bid for the Mountain West, thanks to both Wyoming and Colorado State that may be all the league gets come Selection Sunday. Michael Lyons knocked down six three-pointers and scored 24 points to lead Air Force past the Cowboys 58-53 in Laramie. And in Boise it was Derrick Marks who went the length of the court to score the game-winning bucket with under a second remaining to push Boise State past CSU 70-69. Given their tenuous statuses going into Wednesday, Wyoming and Colorado State may have seen their bubbles burst with these defeats.

5. Back in 2004-05 Savannah State went 0-28, and there were few who thought it possible that the Tigers would one day sit in first place in the MEAC. That day has come thanks to Delaware State's 73-63 overtime win at Norfolk State, with Tahj Tate's 25 points leading the victors. Brandon Wheeless scored 17 points to lead Norfolk State (10-3), who just like DSU (9-3) is a game behind Savannah State (9-2) in the loss column but the Tigers have two games in hand on the Spartans.

6. Neil Watson's game-tying three with less than a second remaining got Southern Miss to overtime in a key Conference USA battle with Tulsa, a game the Golden Eagles went on to win 77-69 to remain tied with Memphis atop the conference standings. Jonathan Mills scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed ten rebounds to lead Southern Miss, whose win also establishes two games of separation between themselves and Memphis and the rest of C-USA.

7. LaMarcus Reed III scored 18 points to help lead UT-Arlington back from a 15-point deficit in beating Stephen F. Austin 51-47 to remain undefeated in Southland play at 12-0. The Mavericks will take a 16-game win streak into Saturday's Sears BracketBusters matchup at Weber State, and with their three-game lead in the loss column UTA is well on their way to the Southland regular season crown.

8. Garrett Stutz knocked down all four of his three-point attempts and finished with 21 points and ten rebounds to lead #24 Wichita State past Missouri State 73-58 to clinch at least a share of the Missouri Valley crown. The Shockers have now won 13 of their last 14 games, and the defeat was of the triple-overtime variety at Drake. Gregg Marshall's team seems to be clicking just as the games become magnified in importance, which is a good thing.

9. Northwestern let a resume-building opportunity slip away as they fell 71-66 at #20 Indiana. While the win gives the Hoosiers their first 20-win season of the Tom Crean era, the visiting Wildcats dropped to 15-10 overall and 5-8 in Big Ten play. John Shurna led Northwestern with 29 points and Frew Crawford added 18, but no other Wildcat was able to reach double figures. Cody Zeller led three Indiana starters in double figures with 23 points and seven rebounds.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
33 points, six steals and five rebounds in the Pirates' 82-62 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore.

2. G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
30 points (14-18 FG), five assists and three steals in the Jackrabbits' 80-57 win over North Dakota State.

3. G Kendall Williams and F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
Williams scored 21 points (7-10 FG) and grabbed four rebounds while Gordon finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds in the Lobos' 77-67 win at #15 San Diego State.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Notable Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hitters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Notable Performances

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

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

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

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

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

#25 Wisconsin vs. #17 Indiana: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:53:28 -0800

After dropping three straight Big Ten games #25 Wisconsin (16-5, 5-3) has won four straight games, but they face quite the challenge at the Kohl Center as #17 Indiana (16-4, 4-4) visits in a pivotal Big Ten battle. The leaders in the conference (Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State) are all 6-2, meaning that the Hoosiers can ill-afford to fall three games back in the loss column if they're to remain a factor in the title race. Tom Crean's squad ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Penn State, but the Badgers have won eight straight in this series and Indiana has never won in the Kohl Center.

Clearly the focus for Indiana defensively will be senior point guard Jordan Taylor (14.1 ppg, 4.4 apg), who has turned the ball over just one time in the last three games. Taylor's shooting numbers have dropped some when compared to last season but it's also important to point out that there's no Jon Leuer or Keaton Nankivil, and this played a part in both his and the Badgers's struggles earlier in conference play. Jared Berggren (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Ryan Evans (9.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are two players Bo Ryan needs to play well on a consistent basis, and hopefully Berggren's 18 points in the win at Illinois is a step in the right direction (he'd gone five straight games without reaching double figures before that performance).

Indiana will need to defend the three if they're to have a shot at leaving Kohl with a win, because even though the Hoosiers are the superior shooting team percentage-wise the Badgers get 35.9% of their offense from the shot. In addition to the aformentioned forwards and Taylor, Wisconsin calls on guards Josh Gasser and Ben Brust from production from deep, and the number of players who can shoot from deep can be an issue for opponents. But Indiana is versatile as well, and their most important defensive player will likely draw the task of guarding Taylor.

Victor Oladipo (10.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has improved skill-wise from last season and he's also one of the Big Ten's best on-ball defenders. Indiana can call on multiple options to guard perimeter players but Oladipo is their best options. Jordan Hulls and Verdell Jones III are the other starters and the return of wing Will Sheehey has added another perimeter player capable of scoring in double figures. As a team the Hoosiers shoot 44.9% from three and assist on 53% of their made baskets, and they've been the more efficient team of the two on the offensive end of the floor. But they need to remember to throw the ball inside to freshman Cody Zeller, who has changed the dynamic of this team in his first season on campus.

Zeller (15.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) gives Indiana a reliable interior scorer, something they didn't have last season, and his presence allows Christian Watford to play more on the perimeter. Watford (12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who hit the game-winner against Kentucky back in December, is more comfortable outside of the paint but he has to avoid the tendency to sometimes drift out of the action. Rebounding numbers are similar except for the fact that Indiana opponents have grabbed an average of 11.9 offensive boards per game, and with the long rebounds that result from perimeter shots this is an area that could be of concern against Wisconsin. Indiana will need to make sure they aren't hurt in this area and also find a way to force turnovers if they're to win in Madison. But that's a task far easier said than done.

Also of note tonight is NC State visiting #7 North Carolina, with the Tar Heels playing without the injured Dexter Strickland (torn ACL) for the first time this season. Reggie Bullock moves into the starting lineup and P.J. Hairston will also see more minutes as a result, but the question for Carolina is how much of a drop will there be on the defensive end? Strickland was their best perimeter defender, and his absence could mean that Tyler Zeller and John Henson are called on more from a shot-blocking standpoint if the guards can't keep opponents out of the lane. And with the much-improved Wolfpack featuring a guard in Lorenzo Brown who is capable of doing just that, this should be an interesting matchup. If Mark Gottfried's team is to win they have to hold their own in the paint.

The NEC features a rematch of last year's tournament title game as LIU Brooklyn visits Robert Morris, and with the Blackbirds holding a two-game lead on the rest of the conference this could be the Colonials' last stand. RMU guard Velton Jones has been one of the best guards in the NEC but in order to win it will be the play of their frontcourt that is just as important. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere have been the best frontcourt tandem in the NEC for Jim Ferry's Blackbirds, and it can be argued that this duo is underrated nationally as well. Also keep an eye on Saint Mary's visiting Loyola Marymount in the WCC, as the Lions have been playing well and with a 5-2 league record a win over the Gaels would vault them right into the discussion for the regular season title (they've already won at BYU).

Florida's trip to Ole Miss has the potential to be a dangerous one as the Rebels are a tough out in Oxford, and the Horizon League battle between Butler and Milwaukee is huge in regard to that race. Cleveland State and Valparaiso are tied for first place but the Bulldogs and Panthers are part of the three-team group just a game out, and the recent play of Roosevelt Jones is one reason why Butler remains in contention. Guard Kaylon Williams leads the way for Rob Jeter's team in scoring and assists (also third on the team in rebounding), and his matchup with Ronald Nored should be fun to watch given Nored's defensive ability.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM North Carolina State at (8) North Carolina (ESPN)
7:00 PM (13) Florida at Ole Miss (ESPN2)
9:00 PM (17) Indiana at (25) Wisconsin (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (20) Saint Mary's at Loyola Marymount
9:00 PM Boston College at (21) Virginia (ESPNU)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Davidson at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Monmouth at Central Connecticut State (CPTV)
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic (FCS)
7:00 PM Campbell at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM Nebraska at Iowa (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Navy at Lehigh
7:00 PM Fresno State at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM High Point at UNC-Asheville
7:00 PM Appalachian State at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM South Dakota State at Oakland
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM VMI at Radford
7:00 PM St. Peter's at Rider (ESPN3)
7:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Wagner at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Wofford at Citadel
7:00 PM Elon at Western Carolina
7:00 PM Liberty at Winthrop
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Bryant
7:00 PM North Dakota State at IPFW
8:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM N.J.I.T. at North Dakota (FCS)
8:00 PM Furman at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM William & Mary at James Madison
8:00 PM Butler at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM South Alabama at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Troy at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Georgia Southern at Samford (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Green Bay (ESPN3)
8:05 PM South Dakota at Oral Roberts (FCS)
8:30 PM Washington at Arizona State (ROOT)
8:30 PM Arkansas State at Denver
9:00 PM Nevada at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM UMKC at Southern Utah
9:05 PM Northern Colorado at Idaho State
9:05 PM Hawaii at Utah State (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Montana at Eastern Washington
9:05 PM Chicago State at Utah Valley
10:00 PM Long Beach State at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Cal Poly at Pacific
10:00 PM Pepperdine at San Diego
10:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at UC Davis
10:00 PM San Francisco at Santa Clara (CSN CA)
10:05 PM Weber State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM San Jose State at Idaho
10:05 PM Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Northridge
10:05 PM Montana State at Portland State
10:30 PM Washington State at Arizona (FSN)
10:30 PM Utah at UCLA (FCS)
10:30 PM Colorado at USC
11:00 PM Gonzaga at Portland (ESPN2)

Thursday Recap: Vanderbilt Wins Eighth Straight Game

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:38:18 -0800

Remember the concerns late in non-conference play that Vanderbilt was destined to be one of the country's biggest busts? Don't look now but Kevin Stallings' Commodores won their eighth straight game on Thursday night, beating Alabama 69-59 in Tuscaloosa to remain tied atop the SEC with Kentucky (4-0). Alabama shot 26.5% from the field in the first half and trailed 26-19 at the half, and a 17-4 run over a five-minute stretch pushed the Vanderbilt lead out to 23 points at 58-35 with 8:12 remaining.

John Jenkins scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way for Vanderbilt, which is looking like the SEC title contender that many expected to see at the beginning of the season, and Jeffery Taylor added 17 and six boards. One reason for the turnaround was the return of center Festus Ezeli, who accounted for 12 points and ten rebounds as he outplayed Alabama's JaMychal Green (six points, eight rebounds in 31 minutes of action). Ezeli's presence, despite the fact that he's not a great shot-blocker by any stretch of the imagination, gives the other Vandy defenders a safety blanket that wasn't there when he was out of the lineup.

"Our guys are very physical in there. It's nice to have big strong bodies to throw out there," said Stallings of his frontcourt's play against Green. "I thought our front court play offensively, actually more so defensively, was the key of the game for us. Our bigs really stepped up and played well."

Vanderbilt's big men played well against the high-flying Tony Mitchell as well, as he missed all eight of his field goal attempts and failed to score a single point. Trevor Releford scored 14 points to lead Alabama but without their big men being able to get going offensively and a 48-35 deficit on the glass, it was going to be tough for Anthony Grant's team to grab the victory.

If there is a concern for Vandy to come out of the win it would have to be the turnovers, as they had difficulty dealing with the Alabama pressure late in the second half (17 turnovers for the game). Get that cleaned up and the Commodores can definitely make good on the promise many believed them to have before the season began.

"Well in the middle 30 minutes of the game it was very effective," remarked Stallings about his team's ball-handling. "The first five and last five it was not very effective at all. That's ok though. That's the second time we've had a game close like that. When you have it that far out of reach, I guess that's a good thing."

Other Notable Happenings

1. A starting lineup change lights two fires as Duke beats Wake Forest.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made the decision before the Blue Devils' game against Wake Forest to replace freshman guard Austin Rivers in the starting lineup with junior sharpshooter Andre Dawkins. And whatever the reasoning was for the move, be it for motivation or the fact that Rivers wasn't playing his best, the move worked out best for the Blue Devils in their 91-73 victory. Dawkins came out of the gates hot and finished with a team-high 21 points (7-12 3PT) while Rivers added 20 points in his most efficient offensive performance in ACC play.

Add in another 20 from Ryan Kelly and Duke simply had too much for the young Demon Deacons, but it's just as important to figure out what this means for Duke as they look to win an ACC title and a national title as well. Rivers is a phenomenal talent, but if he's not making things happen while being efficient the other weapons can suffer. Florida State will provide a stiffer test on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if Duke can build on this against an outstanding defense.

2. North Carolina gets back on track but Strickland goes down with a knee injury.
After getting their heads handed to them in Tallahassee on Saturday, North Carolina needed to bounce back with a win at Virginia Tech but with the game being in Blacksburg that was going to be a tough task. It certainly worked out that way in the first half, as the Hokies were hot from the perimeter and took a 39-34 lead into the half. What really needed to be seen was not an emphatic UNC victory but rather the Tar Heels showing the ability to respond to getting popped in the mouth, and Roy Williams' team did just that in their 82-68 win. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 27 points, scoring nine of those points during an 18-0 second half run that essentially put the game away.

Forwards John Henson (16 points, 16 rebounds) and Tyler Zeller (14 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles for North Carolina as well. But the victory wasn't without concern as shooting guard Dexter Strickland went down with a knee injury in the second half (still no report on the severity of the injury). If Carolina were to lose Strickland for an extended period of time they would be without their best perimeter defender, and it's difficult to point out who would be best capable of assuming that responsibility. Hopefully it isn't a serious injury, because this would be a big loss for North Carolina if it were..

3. Penn State knocks off Illinois in Happy Valley.
Said it before and will say it again: a lot can be learned about teams in watching how they deal with prosperity, just as a lot can be learned in watching how teams deal with adversity. That was the case for Illinois on the heels of their win over Ohio State nine days prior to their game at Penn State, and apparently that was too much time in between games for Bruce Weber's team as they fell 54-52. Tim Frazier's floater with 8.3 seconds remaining proved to be the difference but the Fighting Illini didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 14 times or shooting 34.4% from the field either.

Brandon Paul, who lit up the Buckeyes for 43 points, hit the game-tying three with 39.3 seconds to go and finished with 20 points while Meyers Leonard added 15. But the other three starters, most notably D.J. Richardson (2-for-11, six points), accounted for just ten points combined and the Illini spent way too much time on the perimeter. Twenty-two of their 49 field goal attempts were three-pointers, and Illinois scored 40.4% of their points from deep compared to 38.5% from two. Illinois is at their best when they can get things going inside of the arc, with either Leonard or Paul, Richardson and Joseph Bertrand being able to get opportunities at the rim or in the mid-range game. Penn State deserves some credit for this, but Illinois needs to be more assertive in getting the best looks for themselves if they're to remain a contender in the Big Ten.

Quick Hitters

1. While they still have seven conference games left to play, it may be time to pencil in Davidson as the Southern Conference's regular season champ. Bob McKillop's Wildcats were too much for Charleston, out-rebounding the Cougars 44-31 in the 87-69 win. Jake Cohen (29 points, 14 rebounds) led the way and De'Mon Brooks scored 15 points in 17 foul-plagued minutes. No other team in the SoCon has fewer than three league losses.

2. A big development in the Pac-12 was the play of California walk-on Robert Thurman in the Golden Bears' 69-66 win at Washington. Thurman scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench and Allen Crabbe accounted for 16 and ten rebounds. If Thurman can be a solid contributor with Richard Solomon finished for the year, Mike Montgomery's team could have enough inside to still win the conference.

3. In a matchup of 5-1 teams it was Wagner who came out on top, beating St. Francis (NY) 73-61 in Brooklyn to remain a game behind LIU Brooklyn in the NEC. Tyler Murray scored 19 points while Kenneth Ortiz and Jonathon Williams scored 11 apiece for the Seahawks, who at 15-3 are off to their best start in school history. That sets up a huge meeting with the first-place Blackbirds on Saturday afternoon.

4. Charleston Southern landed an important blow in the Big South race as they beat first-place UNC Asheville 93-88 in Asheville. Arion Harper led the Buccaneers with a career-high 28 points, Saah Nimley added 20 and Kelvin Martin was all over the box score with 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals (seventh double-double of the year).

5. For all the talk about the inconsistent (when they weren't completely healthy) nature of Loyola Marymount, fact is they're two close home defeats to Gonzaga and BYU away from being in first place in the WCC. Anthony Ireland scored 27 points in addition to five assists and five steals for the Lions, who avenged that seven-point loss to BYU with an 82-68 win in Provo.

6. One team in the Horizon League that isn't receiving much press as a contender for the league crown is Valparaiso. Bryce Drew's Crusaders moved to 6-2 in league play with a 68-49 win at Loyola (IL) on Thursday night, limiting the Ramblers to 22 first-half points. Jay Harris led the way with 18 points and five assists off the bench and three starters reached double figures. One thing that needs improvement: free throw shooting, as the Crusaders shot 3-for-8 from the charity stripe.

7. North Carolina wasn't the only team to wake up on Friday hoping for good news on the injury front. NC State was without forward C.J. Williams the final nine minutes of their 76-62 win over Boston College due to a shoulder injury, and if he's out for an extended period of time Mark Gottfried will have some shuffling to do with his rotation. That would be a tough blow for a team that's improved a great deal since last season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jake Cohen (Davidson)
29 points and 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 87-69 win over College of Charleston.

2. G Faisal Aden (Washington State)
33 points and five rebounds in the Cougars' 81-69 win over Stanford.

3. G Charlie Westbrook (South Dakota)
32 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the Coyotes' 88-78 win over IUPUI.

Thursday's Preview: #13 Michigan at #12 Indiana

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:42:04 -0800

There's just one game between Top 25 teams on the schedule tonight, and it should be a good matchup of teams looking to further cement themselves as Big Ten title contenders. #12 Indiana (13-1) is 10-0 at Assembly Hall this season, and their wins over Kentucky and Ohio State are the most impressive pair of victories that any team in America can claim.

But #13 Michigan (12-2) offers up a challenge unlike either of those contests for Tom Crean's team due to the system that John Beilein runs. Indiana is familiar with what the Wolverines like to do but that doesn't make the task any easier, as the Wolverines have adjusted well to life without Darius Morris.

A big reason why: freshman point guard Trey Burke. Burke (14.0 ppg, 5.0 apg) has done a good job of balancing his ability to score with the need to get others involved. Of course in Michigan's system up to four players on the court can handle the basketball at any given time, so this helps out some. But Burke could easily get overly aggressive and try to force things, but he hasn't done that and the Wolverines have benefitted greatily.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) is the go-to offensive option when considering pure scoring ability, but Michigan has six players averaging at least seven points per game. That will be the challenge that Indiana will have to deal with, and it's a task they haven't been faced with on many occasions this season. The Hoosiers will need to remain honest defensively not just because of that balance but also the fact that Michigan is so reliant on the three-point shot, scoring 36.5% of their points from deep (2nd in the Big Ten behind Northwestern).

Indiana's opponents have scored just 22.5% of their points from beyond the arc, and Indiana has limited teams to 31.1% shooting from three. One guard who will have a big impact on the perimeter defense for Indiana is sophomore Victor Oladipo (12.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who ranks among the best defenders in the Big Ten. One would think that he would match up with Hardaway Jr. tonight, but with guards such as Stu Douglass and Zack Novak also at Beilein's disposal all of the Indiana guards will need to be at their best defensively.

The Hoosiers have a slight edge in the frontcourt, with freshman Cody Zeller (14.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and senior Christian Watford (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg) leading the way. Zeller has been a steady offensive force inside for the Hoosiers, which has allowed Watford to play more on the perimeter in what is a more comfortable spot for him. Watford knocked down the game-winning three against Kentucky and he's been playing more confidently all season long.

Michigan counters with Evan Smotrycz (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Jordan Morgan (7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), but they need more consistent play from Morgan if they're to be a contender for a Big Ten title. Morgan's scored in double figures in just two of Michigan's last nine games but to be fair he did grab 12 rebounds in the win over Minnesota. Smotrycz has the ablity to step out and knock down perimeter shots, as he's hit 54.5% of his three-point attempts.

On the glass these two teams are about even but Indiana's been the more efficient offensive team, likely a byproduct of Michigan's reliance on the perimeter shot. Jordan Hulls and Verdell Jones III will be players that Michigan will need to account for defensively, and the fact that Indiana forces an average of 17 turnovers per game should also be a concern. The winner will have to be considered a Big Ten title contender after tonight.

Two teams that need wins in a big way will also be on display tonight, as Pittsburgh visits DePaul and UCLA hosts Arizona. Tray Woodall likely will not play for the Panthers due to injury, which place more responsibility on the shoulders of Ashton Gibbs not to mention freshman guard John Johnson. But if Nasir Robinson, Lamar Patterson and Dante Taylor can step up the Panthers should be in decent shape. The key against the Blue Demons: be smart with the basketball. Oliver Purnell's team will want to speed things up to an uncomfortable tempo, and in Cleveland Melvin they've got one of the better players in the Big East.

As for UCLA, it's tough to figure out if the Bruins have the pieces required to be a factor in the Pac-12 despite the poor nature of that conference. Joshua Smith can be a factor when he wants to be, but against Arizona's quick frontcourt the sophomore could get exposed in a big way if he isn't thoroughly invested in the action. Also of note will be the maturation of Arizona's young guards especially Nick Johnson, who would likely be the early favorite for Pac-12 Rookie if the Year honors if not for Washington's Tony Wroten.

In the CAA, George Mason visits ODU in a key matchup for both teams if they're going to contend for the regular season crown. Paul Hewitt's team is definitely talented with the likes of Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson, but for whatever reason the Patriots tend to make games far more difficult that they should be. That could be a recipe for disaster against the Monarchs, given how tough Blaine Taylor's teams can be defensively.

BYU's trip to LA to take on Loyola Marymount can be a tricky game for the Cougars simply for the fact that you never know which LMU team will show up. But it's tough to see the Lions being able to matchup up with Brandon Davies and company in the frontcourt, which could mean a long night for the home team.

There's also a big game in the Big Sky with Weber State visiting Eastern Washington. The Eagles have been one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the basketball, and Colin Chiverton and company will need to continue that if they're to beat Damian Lillard and company.

And in the MAAC two teams who hope to fit in right behind Iona and Fairfield match up in Baltimore, as Manhattan visits Loyola (MD). Steve Masiello's done a very good job with the Jaspers in his first season at the helm, but keep in mind that Marist won their two December league games last season and still finished in the bottom half of the league.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (13) Michigan at (12) Indiana (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (17) UNLV at Cal State Bakersfield
10:00 PM San Diego Christian at (25) San Diego State

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM George Mason at Old Dominion (CSN)
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Hartford
7:00 PM Fordham at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM Citadel at Furman
7:00 PM Western Carolina at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Boston University at Vermont
7:00 PM Pittsburgh at DePaul (ESPN2)
7:00 PM UIC at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Stony Brook at Binghamton
7:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Elon
7:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM Albany at UMBC
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Monmouth
7:00 PM VMI at UNC Asheville
7:00 PM Davidson at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Western Illinois at Oakland
7:00 PM High Point at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Long Island at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Canisius at Saint Peter's (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Radford at Winthrop
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Bryant
7:00 PM IUPUI at IPFW
7:05 PM Loyola (IL) at Youngstown State
7:30 PM Campbell at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Manhattan at Loyola (MD)
8:00 PM North Texas at South Alabama
8:00 PM Morehead State at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM Purdue at Penn State (BTN)
8:00 PM USF at Villanova (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Appalachian State at Samford
8:00 PM Southeast Missouri State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM Charleston at Wofford (ESPN3)
8:05 PM North Dakota State at Oral Roberts
8:05 PM Denver at Arkansas State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Jackson State
8:30 PM Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M
8:30 PM Middle Tennessee at Troy
9:00 PM Washington at Colorado (ROOT RM)
9:00 PM South Dakota State at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Washington State at Utah
9:00 PM Saint Mary's at San Diego (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Weber State at Eastern Washington
9:00 PM Pepperdine at Gonzaga (ROOT NW)
9:00 PM BYU at Loyola Marymount (BYU TV)
9:00 PM Stanford at Oregon (CSN NW)
9:00 PM Southern University at Texas Southern
9:00 PM Alabama A&M at Grambling State
9:05 PM Montana State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Fresno State at Utah State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM California at Oregon State
10:00 PM UC Irvine at Pacific
10:00 PM UC Riverside at UC Davis
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Cal Poly at Long Beach State
10:05 PM Northern Arizona at Portland State
10:30 PM Arizona State at USC
11:00 PM Arizona at UCLA (FSN)
11:00 PM Santa Clara at Portland (CSN NW)
11:05 PM Nevada at Idaho

Wednesday Recap: Tar Heels Too Potent for Texas

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:13:16 -0800

In each of North Carolina's last two games sophomore forward Harrison Barnes shot 4-for-12 from the field and scored nine points. Some may have been concerned given the fact that those performances came against Appalachian State and Nicholls State, ignoring the fact that the Tar Heels still managed to win both games by comfortable margins. Barnes is fine, as he showed in North Carolina's 82-63 win over Texas by scoring a season-high 26 points and grabbing ten rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. With an offensive rating for the night of 177.5 it's probably fair to say that this was his most efficient performance of the season to date, with the visiting Longhorns not having much of an answer for either Barnes of his teammates.

"Everyone only looks at the points, but I look at what we're doing defensively, and I really thought he was more active tonight," said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams of Barnes' performance. "If he's attacking the basket, I like that. I also like when he shoots the three-point shot. He's got a wide variety of options, and hopefully we moving forward where we can use all of them."

One of the big concerns for Rick Barnes' team was the play of their big men, as Texas doesn't have a talent the caliber of either Gary Johnson or Tristan Thompson on this year's roster. Sure enough they were handled on the glass, as North Carolina grabbed 22 offensive boards and out-rebounded texas 49-34. John Henson scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Tyler Zeller finished with eight points and 11 rebounds as UNC outscored Texas 42-26 in the paint. J'Covan Brown and Jonathan Holmes scored 16 apiece but when the other three starters combine to score just one point it doesn't matter much if they get 16 from someone off the bench like they did from Sheldon McClellan on Wednesday.

"We have got to get somebody that is going to run our team and run our offense," said Barnes. "We are starting three guards, so it's not like it should be a problem, but we are not playing with a purpose on the offensive end. We've got a long ways to go, but we've enough guys that want to do this thing and we'll get it fixed."

In the matchup of stellar point guards Kendall Marshall was far more effective than Myck Kabongo, racking up nine assist to just two turnovers while the freshman played just 15 minutes and turned the ball over four times (one assist). Texas, due to their lack of star power, has to have a group effort every night out especially when it comes to hitting the boards. They didn't get that, or North Carolina didn't allow them to do so, and the Longhorns paid for it dearly. With the number of weapons that North Carolina has, a fight that could be a bit more equitable in a couple of months didn't play out that way in Chapel Hill.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Seton Hall wins at Dayton to move to 10-1 thanks in part to Patrik Auda.
In previous seasons senior power forward Herb Pope picking up his fourth foul would be the beginning of the end for the Seton Hall Pirates. But in a sign of just how much things have changed in South Orange that was not to be, much to the detriment of the Dayton Flyers. The big reason why: Patrik Auda, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to help lead the Pirates to the 69-64 victory in their first road game of the season. The sophomore from the Czech Republic also blocked three shots on the night, and the Flyers really didn't have an answer for him defensively.

Pope finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before fouling out late while Jordan Theodore (14 points, eight assists) and Aaron Cosby (13 points) also reached double figures. Seton Hall shot 54% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc on the night as well as assisting on 19 of their 27 made baskets. Dayton hung tough due in part to their eight-point edge at the foul line but it wasn't enough to keep The Hall from moving to 10-1 on the season. With Big East play beginning next week there's reason for optimism with regards to Kevin Willard's program, and they're talented enough to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth.

2. Ole Miss falls to Middle Tennessee but the bigger deal is Murphy Holloway's ankle.
Kermit Davis' Blue Raiders were expected by many to beat Ole Miss and move to 11-2 on the season, and that they did by the final score of 68-56. Middle Tennessee outscored Ole Miss 42-29 in the second half with Raymond Cintron knocking down some huge three-pointers in scoring a team-high 18 points. But the game turned for the Rebels with 10:09 remaining, when leading scorer Murphy Holloway went down with a left ankle injury.

At that point the game was tied at 42, but Ole Miss would not score another field goal until Terrance Henry's jumper with 3:36 remaining made the score 60-50 in favor of Middle Tennessee. Freshman Jelan Kendrick is still working his way into the flow of things, and despite his talents it's clear that the Rebels need Holloway on the floor in order to be effective offensively. Holloway will undergo x-rays on Thursday, and if he's out for an extended amount of time the Rebels will be in some trouble.

3. Alabama finally gets some shots to fall as they jumped Oklahoma State early.
As ESPN color commentator Fran Fraschilla pointed out early in the Crimson Tide's 69-52 win over Oklahoma State it's not that Alabama can't shoot that's the issue. The shots simply weren't falling for Anthony Grant's team, and that changed in a hurry as the Tide raced out to a 19-4 lead with 14:26 remaining in the first half. Alabama shot 57% from the field in the first half on their way to a 40-22 halftime lead, and Trevor Releford led three starters in double figures with 19 points as the Tide played well without the injured JaMychal Green (shoulder). Freshman Trevor Lacey started in Green's place and took full advantage, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Green's expected back in the near future, and with he and Tony Mitchell up front the Tide need their guards to shoot the ball well in order to reach their full potential. Safe to say that 7-for-15 from deep is a nice step in that direction.

Quick Hitters

1. If one were to make a list of schizophrenic college basketball teams this season Loyola Marymount would without a doubt be on that list. The Lions' achievement on Wednesday: a 69-45 loss at Morgan State with the Bears picking up their second victory of the season. LMU may pull an upset or two in WCC play, but their inconsistency may doom them to the bottom half of the standings.

2. Duquesne picked up a good win as they ended George Mason's 18-game home win streak by the final score of 75-64. Sean Johnson scored 15 points while T.J. McConnell and Eric Evans scored 12 apiece. McConnell's playmaking ability helped keep the Patriots at bay as they looked to come back in the second half.

3. Despite leading by 12 points at one point in the second half Arizona State dropped to 2-6 at home, losing 68-65 to Fresno State. Kevin Olekaibe's three-pointer with 29.9 seconds remaining gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, negating a 22-point outing from Keala King.

4. Freshman Amir Garrett made his debut for St. John's, scoring three points and grabbing two rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The Red Storm had a serious fight on their hands against UT-Pan American but they did enough late to escape with the 66-61 victory. D'Angelo Harrison and God'sgift Achiuwa combined to score 43 of their 66 points.

5. Something to take out of Penn State's 74-67 win over Cornell is the play of Jermaine Marshall, who scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Patrick Chambers needs someone to be a consistent sidekick for Tim Frazier, and hopefully Marshall took a step in that direction.

6. Houston Baptist picked up a good win as they beat Santa Clara 72-71 in Houston. Tyler Russell scored 19 points and Art Bernardi added 16 for the Huskies, who watched Evan Roquemore miss a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to remain ahead.

7. No undefeated teams lost on Wednesday but unfortunately for Hartford no winless teams got off the schneid either. The Hawks dropped an 89-86 double overtime result at Marist despite 23 points and eight rebounds from Nate Sikma. Isaiah Morton led the Red Foxes with 23 points while Chavaughn Lewis added 16, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Mike Scott (Virginia)
33 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in Virginia's 83-77 win at Seattle.

2. F Wendell McKines (New Mexico State)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Aggies' 82-62 win over McNeese State.

3. G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
29 points (12-18 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the Bulldogs' 87-64 win over Central Arkansas.

College Hoops Friday Recap: Jardine Leads Orange to Win

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:00:00 -0800

To this point in the season Dion Waiters was playing more minutes per game than senior starter Scoop Jardine, as the Syracuse sophomore was playing good basketball. But Jardine displayed his value in the second half of Friday's game against Florida, scoring eight of Syracuse' nine points during a critical stretch that put the Orange in control of a game they went on to win 72-68. Jardine finished with 16 points and seven assists while Brandon Triche (20 points) and Kris Joseph (14) also finished in double figures. Guards Kenny Boynton (22 points) and Erving Walker (17) led the Way for Florida, who lost their second game of the season against a Top 5 opponent due in large part to Jardine.

"He did what he was supposed to do," said Triche of his backcourt partner's performance. "As an experienced guard he came down the stretch and knocked down shots. The biggest thing was his three steals in a row and we were able to get them in foul trouble or convert on most of them."

The question for Florida wasn't so much how well they'd shoot given the ability of their perimeter players but rather the quality of the shots they took. The Gators made nine of twenty-six shots from beyond the arc but the 20 turnovers against the Syracuse zone proved to be the bigger issue. One thing that the Orange do well defensively is essentially decide who will take the shots. Will Yeguete had multiple opportunities in the high post, which is exactly where teams want to get the ball against a zone defense, but his inability to knock down mid-range jumpers is exactly why the Orange allowed him to shoot.

It also didn't help matters that Patric Young had to deal with foul trouble, and this changed the way in which the Gators went about attacking the Syracuse zone as they no longer had a viable low post threat. Syracuse outscored Florida 17-7 at the foul line and out-rebounded them by seven (40-33), with C.J. Fair grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with his nine points. Florida's offensive efficiency was more than 25 points below their season average, showing what can happen when taking on a defense with the length of Syracuse's. But the play and leadership of Jardine, who sat in favor of Waiters in New York last week, will be a key throughout the season. If Scoop's doing what Jim Boeheim needs him to do, this is a Final Four-caliber team.

"When you are trying to win championships, like we are doing here, we are going to need guys that make sacrifices and leave egos at the door," said Jardine. "If I can do it, I've been here five years, anyone can do it and that is one of the things I have done as a leader. Coach said it and congratulated me on it but it's going to be for everybody and that's how it is."

Link: Boeheim apologizes for his words in immediate response to the Bernie Fine charges.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Vanderbilt's foul shooting costs them the game at Louisville.
It is extremely rare for a team that boasts a free throw rate of 54.5% while their opponent is down at 18.3% to lose a game, regardless of the quality of said opponent. But when you don't take advantage of that edge, as Vanderbilt did on Friday night, the door is left open. Sure enough, Vanderbilt going 14-for-24 from the foul line ultimately cost them as Louisville came back to win 62-60 in overtime. The win capped a 4-0 night for the Big East in the HTC Big East/SEC Invitational, but that news is secondary to the way in which the Commodores lost. Kevin Stallings team, which led by nine with just under nine minutes remaining, couldn't shut the door due to their offensive execution and foul shooting.

John Jenkins led the way with 27 points while Lance Goulbourne and Jeffery Taylor scored 11 apiece, but outside of those three there wasn't much production. And come crunch time Vanderbilt almost seemed as if they tensed up, failing to display the aggressive nature needed to close out tough games. It all makes you wonder just how much had changed in Nashville. The familiar line outside of the program is that things will change once Festus Ezeli returns, but is he enough to change this team's mental fortitude?

2. Rider loses their MAAC opener by 16, dropping to 1-7 on the year.
While Tommy Dempsey's team got off to a horrific start offensively against Manhattan, they trailed just 26-25 at the half thanks to 9 Jasper turnovers. But the most troubling number in the first half for the Broncs was 15, as in the number of three-pointers they attempted (making one), and that didn't improve much in the second half. Each team would make five three-pointers in the second half with Manhattan needing nine attempts to do so while Rider hoisted fourteen, and the Jaspers made 16 of 18 from the charity stripe as they pulled away for the 71-55 win.

The loss dropped the talented Broncs to 1-7 on the season, and a team thought to be right there with Loyola above the fray yet below favorites Iona and Fairfield in the MAAC looks more like a team destined to lose 20 games. Novar Gadson led three Broncs in double figures with 16 points, but the inconsistent nature of this group has been a theme all season long. Can they snap out of it before it's too late? Tough question to answer right now.

3. Washington's failure to foul sends them to an overtime loss at Nevada.
In spite of early struggles Lorenzo Romar's team had every opportunity to sew up a win at Nevada late Friday night, but the inability to act on a simple instruction opened the door for the Wolf Pack. Following a 1-for-2 trip to the foul line that gave the Huskies a 66-63 lead in the final seconds Romar instructed his team to give the foul before Deonte Burton, who was red hot in the second half and overtime, got off a shot. What happened was a half-hearted attempt at the foul by Tony Wroten Jr. far too close to shooting range, and with the foul going uncalled Burton knocked down the three to send the game into overtime.

Burton continued his work in the extra session, leading Nevada to the 76-73 win. Washington got two shots at the tie, but Darnell Gant (shot blocked) and Abdul Gaddy were the shooters instead of either C.J. Wilcox or Terrence Ross. Why was Nevada able to hang around despite their own offensive difficulties? Twenty-one Washington turnovers, with Wroten and Gaddy combining for nine of them. Given the strength (or lack thereof) of the Pac-12 this season the Huskies will likely be involved in a number of thrillers, and just how successful they are will depend on late-game execution. And judging by Friday night there's a lot of work to be done.

Quick Hitters

1. The big injury news of the day regarded Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger, who won't play tomorrow against UTPA due to back spasms that flared up against Duke on Tuesday night. How long the All-American is out remains to be seen, but this means that Deshaun Thomas and Evan Ravenel will need to step up if Sullinger is out for an extended period.

2. Next in line was Pittsburgh point guard Tray Woodall, who will miss the next month or so with groin and abdominal injuries suffered in the Panthers' win over Duquesne on Wednesday. This could mean more time at the point for Ashton Gibbs, and John Johnson and Cam Wright (who was suspended for Wednesday's game) need to step up.

3. Seton Hall put forth an impressive showing in their 81-59 win over Auburn, and the difference in this team is quite apparent. The Pirates are playing loose but smart and look as if they enjoy being on the floor and playing as a team, a testament to what Kevin Willard and his staff have done.

4. There are few teams as inconsistent as Loyola Marymount, who lost 69-61 to a Columbia that was without their best player in shooting guard Norwua Agho. While Max Good's team has beaten UCLA and Saint Louis they've also lost to Middle Tennessee and now a team expected to finish in the bottom half of the Ivy League.

5. Cameron Clark scored 18 points to lead three starters in double figures in Oklahoma's 82-53 win over Sacramento State. That balance will be something that Lon Kruger relies on with Calvin Newell deciding the transfer despite averaging 13.0 ppg on the season.

6. While they are one of the top scoring teams in the country, Iona's NCAA Tournament hopes will depend upon their ability to defend. Tim Cluess' Gaels put forth their best defensive showing of the season in a 69-57 win at Canisius, forcing 21 turnovers (turnover percentage of 35%) on the night.

7. Dion Dixon came up big for Cincinnati in the second half, scoring 16 of his 19 points to help lead the Bearcats to a 57-51 win at Georgia. With that home loss to Presbyterian hanging over the team, Mick Cronin's squad could not afford to drop this one.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Juan'Ya Green (Niagara)
The freshman guard nearly delivered a win but came up short in the Purple Eagles' 79-75 loss to Fairfield. Green finished with 35 points, six rebounds and three assists.

2. F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)
23 points, 12 rebounds and two assists in the Pirates' 81-59 win over Auburn.

3. G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
31 points (7-10 3PT), six rebounds and two assists in the Tigers' 90-56 win over Northwestern State.

College Hoops Tuesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:31:56 -0800

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is always good for a few marquee matchups throughout the two-day event, and that's definitely the case on Tuesday night as #4 Duke (7-0) heads north to take on #2 Ohio State (6-0) in Columbus. The last time Mike Krzyzewski's team was on the court in game action, Tyler Thornton knocked down a pair of huge three-pointers to beat Kansas in the title game of the Maui Invitational. The trip to Columbus offers a few challenges: their first true road game, the nation's best big man (Jared Sullinger), one of the top defensive point guards (Aaron Craft) and a win on track to become Ohio State's all-time leading scorer (William Buford). And if this wasn't enough to fire up the masses at Value City Arena, why not expect an appearance from new head football coach Urban Meyer?

However it isn't as if the Blue Devils are lacking experience in this department, with many of their key contributors looking to write their own chapter in the program's history book. Thornton ended up on the floor at the end of the Maui final due to his defensive ability; for perimeter scoring the Blue Devils rely on a three-pronged attack consisting of juniors Seth Curry (15.1 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Andre Dawkins (10.1 ppg, 44.7% 3PT), and highly-touted freshman Austin Rivers (14.4 ppg). Curry's been their most consistent shooter, knocking down 51.6% of his field goals overall and a staggering 57.1% from beyond the arc. Also possessing the trio's best assist-to-turnover ratio, Curry's been the guard entrusted with getting Duke going in their sets more times than not.

Dawkins is an outstanding perimeter shooter who can't be left alone, and it could be fair to consider Rivers to be the "wild card" in spite of the fact that he's third on the team in scoring. The question for the phenom: will be play under control and not try to force the issue? If Rivers plays under control, with his talents it becomes an unbelievable challenge to keep him contained. It will be interesting to see who Thad Matta assigns Craft to. Does the sophomore end up drawing Curry or Rivers? Craft (9.2 ppg, 5.5 apg) isn't called upon to score at the same rate as Duke's guards, but his value both defensively and as the "set-up" man for the Buckeyes' scorers makes him an incredibly valuable asset. And the chief beneficiary is the man the Duke big men have to slow down if they're to win.

Sullinger (18.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg) trimmed down some in the off-season, and as a result he's become even tougher to deal with thanks to improved stamina and quickness. For their interior defense the Blue Devils primarily call on Mason (11.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Miles (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) Plumlee, with the latter being replaced in the starting lineup recently by the more offensively-inclined Ryan Kelly (14.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg). When in a pinch caused by foul trouble Duke may call on Josh Hairston, but with the sophomore averaging just six minutes per game that's a rather unlikely scenario unless they get in serious trouble. The Plumlees have to keep Sullinger off the offensive boards, but more importantly he cannot be allowed to get the majority of his post touches with a foot in the lane. That happens, the reigning National Freshman of the Year is either scoring or going to the foul line.

Kelly will have to be just as valuable for Duke on the defensive end due to the presence of Deshaun Thomas (12.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), and the Blue Devils' third guard will need to keep Lenzell Smith Jr. (1.7 offensive rebounds/game) off of the offensive glass as well. Ohio State has nine players averaging double-digit minutes, and reserves such as Jordan Sibert and Evan Ravenel will need to be factors in their time on the floor if the Buckeyes are to utilize their superior depth. Ohio State's been the more efficient of the two teams offensively due in large part to their point distribution.

The Buckeyes score 62% of their points on two-point baskets while Duke scores 33% of their points from beyond the arc. Ohio State also assists on 66% of their baskets while Duke only assists on 46% of theirs, meaning that ball pressure will be a key for the Blue Devils if they're to win. One other stat to keep an eye on: turnover percentage. Ohio State's opponents have turned the ball over on 28% of their possessions, but outside of Florida the Buckeyes haven't played a team of this caliber to date. This will be an outstanding early-season test for both teams, as they have designs not just on conference titles but a national crown as well.

In other action Michigan visits Virginia with the Cavaliers looking to pick up a good "resume" win after a rough trip to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam a couple weeks ago. Tim Hardaway Jr. and freshman Trey Burke helped lead the Wolverines to a third-place finish in Maui, and John Beilein's team is among the toughest in the country to prepare for given their style of play. Newly-ranked Saint Louis remained in southern California after winning the 76 Classic, and while Loyola Marymount has been inconsistent the Lions do have a win at UCLA to their credit, meaning that Brian Conklin and company had better be ready to go from the start.

Cincinnati will look to rebound from their loss to Marshall, but there are more preferable coaches to encounter when needing a win than Miami (OH) head coach Charlie Coles. Illinois' trip to College Park should also be interesting to watch, if only to see how Illini big man Meyers Leonard continues to build on his play in Cancun. Maryland doesn't have much depth inside, which could lead to a big night for Leonard. And out west Arizona, with a reconfigured starting lineup thanks to their poor start (down 21-4) in a home loss to San Diego State, had better be careful as they visit New Mexico State. The Aggies have a pair of good front court players in Hamidu Rahman and Wendell McKines who can give their young front court fits if they aren't ready to go.

Top 25 Games
9:30 PM (4) Duke at (2) Ohio State (ESPN)
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at (3) Syracuse (SNY)
8:00 PM Prairie View A&M at (8) Baylor (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (15) Michigan at Virginia (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (25) Saint Louis at Loyola Marymount

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Yale at Hartford
7:00 PM Manhattan at Pennsylvania
7:00 PM East Carolina at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Texas Southern at Ball State
7:00 PM Oakland City at Butler
7:00 PM Miami (OH) at Cincinnati (FSN Ohio)
7:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Delaware State
7:00 PM Colgate at Fordham
7:00 PM High Point at Hampton
7:00 PM South Wesleyan at North Carolina Central
7:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at North Florida
7:00 PM Holy Cross at Providence
7:15 PM Northwestern vs. Georgia Tech* (ESPNU)
7:30 PM Howard at American (CSN)
7:30 PM Illinois at Maryland (ESPN)
7:30 PM Georgia State at South Carolina State
8:00 PM LSU at Houston (CBSSN)
8:00 PM North Texas at Texas (LHN)
8:00 PM Washburn at Nebraska-Omaha
8:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Northwestern State
8:00 PM Dallas Christian at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM East Tennessee State at Troy
8:05 PM Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas State
8:35 PM Alabama State at Evansville
9:00 PM Arizona at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Miami (FL) at Purdue (ESPN2)
9:15 PM Clemson at Iowa (ESPNU)
10:00 PM UTEP at Oregon (CSN-NW)
10:30 PM Lewis & Clark at Portland

College Hoops Friday Recap: Bruins Lack Energy in Loss to LMU

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:45:21 -0800

In all honesty it shouldn't come as a surprise that UCLA struggled with an in-state non-conference opponent, the very teams that most in the fan base expect the Bruins to simply roll over regardless of their level of interest. But in recent seasons it's become more of an issue as the Bruins haven't been talented enough to simply flip the switch, and there was another hard lesson to learn in the LA Sports Arena. The preseason pick to win the Pac-12 shot 40.7% from the field and made just two of fifteen from beyond the arc in a 69-58 loss to Loyola Marymount.

Ashley Hamilton scored 23 points and Anthony Ireland added 21 to lead the way for Max Good's squad, who shot 10-for-15 from deep on the night. The Lions knew what shots they wanted and they did a good job of finding them. The same can't be said of the Bruins, who by and large ignored their advantage in the paint. Reeves Nelson, a Preseason All-Pac 12 selection, somehow took just four shots in the first half. He would finish with 13 points, a number matched by David Wear and Travis Wear scored 11. Point guard Lazeric Jones shot 1-for-11 from the field, and in spite of the cold shooting the senior continued to hunt his shot on the perimeter.

"It's not what any of us expected," said David Wear. "We've got all the tools and talent on offense. We just got to be more patient."

While their defensive issues didn't help UCLA's unwillingness to work for quality shots inside ultimately cost them the game, and LMU provides a harsh lesson that should get the Bruins' attention. But this is a group that due to its potential should have been at full attention from the start. Joshua Smith played just 16 minutes and scored five points, and it's definitely debatable if he's in good enough shape to make a difference. Jerime Anderson is out due to a suspension but this is about more than simply waiting for him to get back. It's time for all involved to start making better decisions and displaying a better basketball IQ. UCLA is better than this.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Duke survives Belmont's challenge to move Mike Krzyzewski one win closer to the all-time record.
Had you done nothing other than watch the commercials leading up to Duke's game against Belmont, you would have thought that ESPNU were televising a coronation of sorts on Friday night. However Belmont, who won 30 games last season and is expected by many to duplicate that feat this year, wasn't in the mood for any kind of celebration as Coach K approaches Bob Knight's all-time wins record. In spite of a slow start from beyond the arc the Bruins challenged Duke, ultimately falling 77-76 with the Blue Devils surviving thanks in large part to Tyler Thornton, Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee. Plumlee provided 13 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while Thornton scored 10 points off the bench, and Curry scored 16 points to lead the way.

"I'm really proud of our guys, especially once the game pressure was on us," said Krzyzewski, who's now up to 901 wins. "We grew up a lot tonight. You can't practice situations like that. Good teams put you in those situations, and Belmont's a really good basketball team. But I thought overall we played really well."

Belmont provided their usual balanced effort, with Kerron Johnson leading five players in double figures with 15 points. And the efforts of Drew Hanlen and J.J. Mann, who scored 12 points apiece at the point , shouldn't be overlooked. Belmont didn't make a three-pointer in the first half (0-for-7) but they remained in the game by making 12 of 19 from two-point range and the Bruins out-rebounded the Blue Devils on the night 35-34. During the second half some of the Duke guards, especially freshman Austin Rivers, seemed to be rushed in what they were doing. That played into Belmont's hands, but a big three from Andre Dawkins late gave Duke the separation they needed. This will be a contest that both teams can look back on and take valuable lessons from, ones that will allow both teams to grow.

2. North Carolina takes care of Michigan State despite being out-rebounded.
The Carrier Classic, played on the USS Carl Vinson, took some time to get used to for both Michigan State and North Carolina. They were playing in an unfamiliar environment in front of the likes of the President and the First Lady along with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and the service men and women honored on Veteran's Day. But it was Tom Izzo's team that struck the first blow, controlling the glass early to push ahead of the preseason favorites to win the national title. Draymond Green (13 points, 18 rebounds) and company were more physical than the Tar Heels and it showed.

But as the game wore on North Carolina did a better job of playing the game at their tempo, ultimately pulling away and winning 67-55. Harrison Barnes scored 17 points and John Henson added 10 points, nine blocks and seven rebounds as his wingspan proved to be too much for the Spartan frontcourt. Michigan State shot just 30.6% from the field, and their 10% shooting from beyond the arc essentially negated a 49-34 edge on the boards. If there's one thing that the UNC coaching staff will likely point to in practice it will be the 24 offensive rebounds allowed. Shooting changes due to playing outside, but to allow that many offensive boards will be something that Roy Williams and his staff look to fix immediately.

3. Tray Woodall shows how his improved game in Pitt's blowout victory.
With Brad Wanamaker moving on, redshirt junior point guard Tray Woodall was the man Pittsburgh expected to step up his play in 2011-12. And if Woodall's play in the Panthers' 89-56 win over Albany is any indication he's well on his way to doing so. Woodall scored 25 points (9-13 FG) while also accounting for ten assists and six rebounds on the night, with the points establishing a new career-high. The Great Danes focused much of their attention on slowing down Ashton Gibbs, who added 21 points, but as the game wore on resistance proved futile. If Woodall and Gibbs can combine for this kind of play on the perimeter, the Panthers' depth will make them a very tough team to deal with in the Big East.

"We talked to Tray about his rebounding and he had six rebounds," said head coach Jamie Dixon. "That was really the most encouraging thing. He's practiced the last two days very well and I talked to him today about it. He just played really patiently and 13 shots, all good shots, all wide-open looks and just let things come to him."

4. Indiana takes care of business in impressive fashion.
Tom Crean's Indiana Hoosiers have been going through the process of rebounding after the Kelvin Sampson era, and it's taken time as the young Hoosiers learn how to win. Recent successes on the recruiting trail have added energy to the storied program, but it's also clear that the fans want to see an increase in wins as well. This group took the first step in that direction on Friday night in a 96-66 blowout of Stony Brook, a game better to be evaluated on how the Hoosiers played as opposed to the margin of victory. Freshman Cody Zeller scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists in his regular season debut, and sophomore Victor Oladipo scored 16 points as well. The Hoosiers shot 65.4% from the field on the night and assisted on 21 of their 34 made baskets, executing their offense well while limiting the Seawolves to 41.5% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers. Indiana's performance displayed a team that beginning to not only recognize what's being taught but also apply those lessons. There's a long way to go but Indiana has taken the first step in 2011-12.

Quick Thoughts

1. UConn's Jeremy Lamb (30 points) looked more than ready for the start of the season, but the same can't be said for all of his teammates. Outside of Tyler Olander the Husky big men didn't perform as well as expected, but it didn't matter much as they beat Columbia 70-57.

2. It's good to see Purdue's Robbie Hummel back on the floor. The fifth-year senior put up 21 points in the Boilermakers' 96-34 whipping of Northern Illinois. The Boilers limited NIU to 25% shooting from the field and forced 28 turnovers in the win.

3. George Mason opened the Paul Hewitt era with a thriller, outlasting Rhode Island 92-90 in overtime in Fairfax. Ryan Pearson led four Patriots in double figures with 28 points (and 12 rebounds), and URI's Jamal Wilson led all scorers with 38. Wilson entered the game with a career average of 2.7 points per game.

4. John Jenkins = Shan Foster 2.0? That's a definite possibility given the ability of both to kill opponents from beyond the arc while not scoring a whole lot inside of it. Jenkins attempted 16 three-pointers (making seven) while making just one shot inside of the arc in scoring 24 points in Vanderbilt's 74-64 win over Oregon. Jeffery Taylor added 21 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists.

5. Brockeith Pane led Utah State to a 69-64 win over in-state rival BYU with 21 points and and five assists, but he also turned the ball over six times. But the bigger issue in this contest was BYU's guard play. Brock Zylstra struggled to the tune of two points (1-4 FG) and five turnovers, and as a team the Cougars turned the ball over 20 times. Navigating life after Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery will be a work in progress to say the least.

Five Notable Performers

1. G Jamal Wilson (Rhode Island)
38 points (13-22 FG), seven rebounds and two assists in the Rams' 92-90 overtime loss at George Mason. Career average before this game: 2.7 ppg.

2. G Trae Golden (Tennessee)
29 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the Volunteers' 92-63 win over UNC Greensboro. Golden averaged just 2.9 points per game last season.

3.G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
30 points (11-17 FG), four steals, three rebounds and two assists in the Huskies' 70-57 win over Columbia.

4. G/F Nathaniel Lester (Hofstra)
33 points (9-15 FG, 12-14 FT), five rebounds and two steals in Hofstra's 89-71 win over Long Island. Lester did not play last season due to injury (medical redshirt).

5. F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
23 points (10-13 FG), 10 rebounds and five blocks in the Wildcats' 108-58 beating of Marist.