Penn State

Thursday First Round Predictions: ACC, Big Ten, SEC

Greg Mengelt — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:02:51 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking (just about) every conference tournament game over the next week, including tonight's three key championship games. Games listed in order with later rounds on top and earlier rounds at the bottom. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

ACC FIRST ROUND: AT ATLANTA

(8) Maryland (16-14, 6-10) vs. (9) Wake Forest (13-17, 4-12)

Tipoff: Noon. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – Maryland 70-64. RPI: Maryland 111, Wake Forest 169. Analysis: The ACC Tourney starts with an upset. Line: Maryland -3½. Pick: Wake Forest 60, Maryland 55.

(5) North Carolina State (20-11, 9-7) vs. (12) Boston College (9-21, 4-12)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 19 – N.C. State 76-62; Feb. 1 – N.C. State 56-51. RPI: N.C. State 52, BC 236. Analysis: The Wolfpack will pull away early for an easy win. Line: N.C. State -12. Pick: North Carolina State 73, Boston College 52.

(7) Clemson (16-14, 8-8) vs. (10) Virginia Tech (15-16, 4-12)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 4 – Virginia Tech 67-65; March 1 – Clemson 58-56. RPI: Clemson 138, Virginia Tech 119. Analysis: Remember when being .500 in the ACC meant a lock for the NCAA Tourney? Line: Clemson -2½. Pick: Clemson 64, Virginia Tech 62.

(6) Miami (18-11, 9-7) vs. (11) Georgia Tech (11-19, 4-12)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 24 – Miami 64-49*. RPI: Miami 50, Georgia Tech 183. Analysis: Strange line. Makes me think Vegas knows something the rest of us don’t. Oh, well. The Hurricanes are significantly better. Line: Miami -4. Pick: Miami 67, Georgia Tech 57.

BIG TEN FIRST ROUND: AT INDIANAPOLIS

(8) Iowa (16-15, 8-10) vs. (9) Illinois (17-14, 6-12)

Tipoff: 11:30 a.m. TV: Big Ten Network. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 26 – Illinois 65-54. RPI: Iowa 131, Illinois 77. Analysis: Not sure the Illinois players are interested in playing another game. Line: Illinois -2½. Pick: Iowa 60, Illinois 55.

(5) Indiana (24-7, 11-7) vs. (12) Penn State (12-19, 4-14)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: Big Ten Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 8 – Indiana 88-82*; Jan. 22 – Indiana 73-54. RPI: Indiana 11, Penn State 156. Analysis: The Hoosiers are playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten – if not the nation. Line: Indiana -11½. Pick: Indiana 81, Penn State 67.

(7) Northwestern (18-12, 8-10) vs. (10) Minnesota (18-13, 6-12)

Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 22 – Minnesota 75-52; Feb. 18 – Northwestern 64-53. RPI: Northwestern 41, Minnesota 89. Analysis: John Shurna and Drew Crawford will not let the Wildcats lose this game. Line: Northwestern -2½. Pick: Northwestern 68, Minnesota 62.

(6) Purdue (20-11, 10-8) vs. (11) Nebraska (12-17, 4-14)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 22 – Purdue 83-65. RPI: Purdue 41, Nebraska 140. Analysis: Purdue has won 3-of-4 and even in the loss at Indiana, the Boilermakers played pretty well for most of the game. Line: Purdue -8. Pick: Purdue 79, Nebraska 64.

SEC FIRST ROUND: AT NEW ORLEANS

(8) LSU (17-13, 7-9) vs. (9) Arkansas (18-13, 6-10)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Arkansas 69-60; Feb. 4 – LSU 71-65. RPI: LSU 84, Arkansas 92. Analysis: A strange season comes to an Arkansas. Things should start to improve next season under Mike Anderson. Line: LSU -1. Pick: LSU 73, Arkansas 68.

(5) Alabama (20-10, 9-7) vs. (12) South Carolina (10-20, 2-14)

Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 25 – South Carolina 56-54. RPI: Alabama 32, USC 185. Analysis: This game could just go a lot of different ways, depending on how interested the Tide are, but eight points is too big of a line for what should be a low-scoring game. Line: Alabama -8. Pick: Alabama 58, South Carolina 52.

(7) Mississippi (18-12, 8-8) vs. (10) Auburn (15-15, 5-11)

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Auburn 69-68 (2OT); Feb. 11 – Ole Miss 61-54. RPI: Ole Miss 51, Auburn 136. Analysis: The Rebels are back on the bubble after three straight wins, but Auburn will end the dream. Line: Ole Miss -2½. Pick: Auburn 66, Mississippi 63.

(6) Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8) vs. (11) Georgia (14-16, 5-11)

Tipoff: 10 p.m. TV: SEC Network. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 11 – Georgia 70-68 (OT)*. RPI: MSU 64, Georgia 107. Analysis: Both teams are so unpredictable that it’s hard to tell how this one’s going to go. The Bulldogs are physically superior, though. Line: MSU -5. Pick: Mississippi State 71, Georgia 65.

*Road win

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 143-108-3

Wyoming vs. #12 San Diego State: Tuesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:42:06 -0800

It's been a while since there's been the ability to say "Wyoming" and "NCAA Tournament" in the same sentence, but in the first season of Larry Shyatt's second run in Laramie the Cowboys (16-3, 2-1) have turned some heads. With first-place #12 San Diego State (17-2, 3-0) visiting, not only can the Pokes pull into a tie atop the Mountain West with a win but they can also lend the NCAA talk a little credibility with a win. Despite their gaudy record Wyoming has that albatross of a strength of schedule (268 overall, 328 non-conference per the most recent NCAA "nitty gritty" sheet) to deal with, a number that could prove costly without some marquee wins within league play.

Wyoming has four players averaging at least 9.7 points per game but their most important player could very well be Jaydee Luster, a point guard averaging just 5.8 points but leading the team with 3.6 assists per contest. Luster's improved as a floor general for the Cowboys, which has led to good things for his teammates, one of which being forward Leonard Washington (12.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg). The USC transfer was too much for Colorado State on Saturday as we punished the Rams with 32 points and 14 rebounds. Joining him in the front court is senior Adam Waddell (9.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and reserve Larry Nance Jr. (3.8 rpg, 3.5 ppg), but the Cowboys essentially break even on the glass.

That's not going to get it done against San Diego State, who still causes problems on the offensive glass despite losing their three best rebounders from a season ago. As a team the Aztecs corral 32.9% of their missed shots and out-rebound opponents by five rebounds per game, and big men Deshawn Stephens, Garrett Green and Tum Shelton lead the way on the offensive glass. The SDSU guards are also good rebounders, with Jamaal Franklin (15.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg) leading the team in rebounding while Xavier Thames (11.3 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.3 rpg) and Chase Tapley (16.6. ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg) do their part as well.

The challenge for the Wyoming guards, which in addition to Luster features Paco Cruz (12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and Luke Martinez (13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), will be to keep the SDSU guards out of the lane. Percentage-wise the Aztecs are a better three-point shooting team than Wyoming but they're also less reliant on the shot for points, scoring 56% of their points on two-point shots. If this one is close late free throw shooting could come into play and the Cowboys are one of the best in the country there, making 76.7% of their foul shots, so keep an eye on that area in addition to the rebounding numbers. Wyoming's schedule may lead some to underestimate the program's growth, but they've got a great opportunity to show just how far they've come tonight.

Tuesday's action also features a few teams looking to bounce back from disappointing weekend results, most notably Baylor (who visits Oklahoma) and both teams in the Michigan/Purdue matchup. The Bears were outworked on the glass by both Kansas and Missouri last week, and while the Sooners may not be as strong as either of those teams they've got some guys who can hurt you (Steven Pledger being one). Baylor simply has to rebound, and that doesn't mean just jump for the ball. Proper fundamentals, zone defense or not, such as boxing out need to be utilized if the Bears are to take full advantage of their height.

Michigan and Purdue fell on the road on Saturday, with the Wolverines losing at Arkansas while the Boilermakers were whipped by Michigan State. Michigan's issue was that they were cold early while the Razorbacks were red-hot, while Purdue's travel issues weren't as big a deal as the Spartans shooting 62% in the second half. USF, off to a surprising 5-2 start in the Big East, will see the schedule get tougher beginning with a trip to Milwaukee to take on #18 Marquette.

Freshman point guard Anthony Collins has been solid for the Bulls, who have had multiple guys step up and make plays, but they'll have their hands full with Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder. Also keep an eye on Tennessee's trip to Nashville to play Vanderbilt and Iowa State taking on Texas in Austin, as those both are games that will have an impact on the midsection of the SEC and Big 12 standings respectively.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (1) Kentucky at Georgia (ESPN)
8:00 PM (7) Baylor at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
8:30 PM (12) San Diego State at Wyoming (The Mtn.)
8:00 PM South Florida at (18) Marquette (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (22) Michigan at Purdue (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM UMBC at Boston University
7:00 PM Tennessee at Vanderbilt (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Akron at Ball State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Buffalo
7:00 PM South Carolina State at Hampton
7:00 PM Morehead State at Norfolk State
7:05 PM Longwood at Florida Gulf Coast
8:00 PM Western Illinois at Nebraska Omaha
8:05 PM Bradley at Southern Illinois
8:05 PM Texas-Arlington at Houston Baptist
9:00 PM Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Iowa State at Texas (LHN)
10:00 PM Seattle at UC Irvine

#3 Baylor vs. #5 Missouri: Saturday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:40:06 -0800

On the heels of their first loss of the season, #3 Baylor (17-1, 4-1) returns home to take on #5 Missouri (17-1, 4-1) in a game that features a major contrast when it comes to team strengths. Scott Drew's Bears are one of the biggest teams in college basketball while Frank Haith's Tigers are neither as big or as deep in the frontcourt. That simply means that in addition to forwards Ricardo Ratliffe (13.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Steve Moore (4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) all hands must be on deck of Missouri is to have any shot of leaving Waco with a victory. But they also enjoy an edge on the perimeter despite the improved play of Baylor's Pierre Jackson (12.2 ppg, 5.4 apg), and that's something the Tigers will look to exploit throughout the afternoon.

Missouri isn't the frenetic, full-court pressure team they were under Mike Anderson, making the move to being a tough defensive team in the half-court. The Tigers still force 15.6 turnovers per game, and with Baylor averaging 14.9 that could be an area where Missouri finds some baskets in the way of points off of turnovers. Phil Pressey (9.7 ppg, 5.9 apg), who is also the leading assist man on the team, leads the way with 2.1 steals per game and will likely match up with starting point guard A.J. Walton (4.3 ppg, 3.7 apg) defensively.

In addition to Pressey there's leading scorer Marcus Denmon (17.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Matt Pressey (8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and sixth man Michael Dixon Jr. (12.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) to be concerned with, as all can quickly turn Baylor's mistakes into points on the other end. Jackson, Walton and Brady Heslip (10.1 ppg, 47.7% 3PT) will need to take care of the basketball and makes sure they get the ball inside to the big men consistently in order to take full advantage of the edge in size. Baylor's depth in the paint could prove to be too much for Missouri if they do this.

Perry Jones III (14.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is Baylor's most talented player when considering the next level, but there are also concerns when it comes to physicality and toughness. In addition to him there's freshman Quincy Miller (12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg), another versatile forward who can step out on the perimeter as well as finish above the rim, and senior Quincy Acy (12.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is their toughest interior player. Anthony Jones and Cory Jefferson round out the rotation, and if they can get either Ratliffe or Moore into early foul trouble the size disparity becomes even more extreme.

Ratliffe is averaging 2.4 fouls committed per game while Moore commits 2.2 fouls per game, and Ratliffe's worst contest with regards to foul trouble was also their lone defeat. Ratliffe played just 14 minutes and scored two points in the Tigers' loss at Kansas State, and the Wildcats are another team that has the benefit of multiple big bodies in the paint. He and Moore will have to stay on the floor, and senior Kim English (14.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) will not only be a key factor on the glass but also an advantage for Missouri should Baylor look to go man-to-man.

That's the question for Baylor, who in all honesty isn't a good rebounding team despite their height and a rebounding margin of plus-8.2. Do they go man, which could bolster their rebounding ability or do they go with their zone and risk Missouri getting hot from deep? Baylor's opponents have rebounded 32.8% of their missed shots this season, and a big reason why is that the Bears tend to rely on their athletic ability instead of the fundamental act of boxing out. Foul trouble and turnovers will ultimately decide things in Waco, and the Bears are hoping to cement their status as a top seed with a win.

Also of note on Saturday is a matchup in the ACC between Duke and Florida State, with the visiting Seminoles playing some good basketball of late. Leonard Hamilton's team has displayed improved execution on the offensive end of the floor, something that got them in trouble earlier this season, and they'll need to continue to do so if they're to win at Cameron. Andre Dawkins and Austin Rivers both played well in the Blue Devils' win over Wake Forest but they're going to have their hands full with arguably the best defensive team in the ACC.

Surging Cincinnati is back on the road, this time taking on West Virginia ahead of their home game against top-ranked Syracuse on Monday. WVU senior forward Kevin Jones leads the Big East in both scoring and rebounding and is frontrunner for Big East Player of the Year, and the battle between he and Yancy Gates should be an entertaining duel to watch. But how will the young WVU guards perform as they face off with Cashmere Wright, Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick? How Gary Browne and Jabarie Hinds "supplement" Truck Bryant's efforts will go a long way in determining the outcome.

Michigan State hosts Purdue in an important Big Ten battle, and in forwards Draymond Green (MSU) and Robbie Hummel (Purdue) two of the conference's best players will be on display. Purdue cannot allow Green to control the game in almost a "point forward" role for the Spartans. Keith Appling and Travis Trice have improved by the game for Michigan State, but they'll have their hands full with the experienced Lewis Jackson who is healthy after being a bit banged up a short time back.

There are also big matchups at the top of the Atlantic 10 and NEC with Xavier visiting Dayton and Wagner visiting LIU Brooklyn. First place is on the line in both matchups, with the latter featuring one of the hottest teams in the country in Dan Hurley's Seahawks. Xavier/Dayton is one of the most intense rivalry games that doesn't get as much national attention as it should, and first-year head coach Archie Miller has the Flyers in position to make a run at the A-10 crown. But the Musketeers have been the standard in the conference in recent years, meaning that the road to the title goes through Cincinnati.

Also a big day in Las Vegas as New Mexico hopes to rebound from their home loss to San Diego State with a win at UNLV, but that will be far easier said than done. Anthony Marshall has played outstanding basketball of late for Dave Rice's team and slowing him down will be critical for the Lobos, and the "UCLA Transfer Bowl" should be fun as both teams rely on guys who began their collegiate careers in Westwood (UNM's Drew Gordon and UNLV's Chace Stanback and Mike Moser). Also the two remaining undefeated teams, Syracuse and Murray State, are both on the road with the Orange taking on Notre Dame (the Irish have beaten #1 nine times in their history) and the Racers at SIU-Edwardsville.

Top 25 Games
6:00 PM (1) Syracuse at Notre Dame (ESPN)
12:00 PM Alabama at (2) Kentucky (CBS)
2:00 PM (5) Missouri at (3) Baylor (ESPN)
4:00 PM Florida State at (4) Duke (ESPN)
8:00 PM (6) Ohio State at Nebraska (BTN)
4:00 PM (7) Kansas at Texas (CBS)
12:00 PM Purdue at (9) Michigan State (ESPN)
9:00 PM (10) Murray State at SIU-Edwardsville (ESPNU)
4:00 PM (11) Connecticut at Tennessee (CBS)
12:00 PM Rutgers at (12) Georgetown (ESPN3)
6:00 PM LSU at (14) Florida (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (15) Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
10:00 PM Air Force at (16) San Diego State (The Mtn.)
3:00 PM Indiana State at (18) Creighton (ESPN2)
2:00 PM (19) Michigan at Arkansas (CBS)
10:15 PM New Mexico at (20) UNLV (CBS CS)
9:00 PM (21) Louisville at Pittsburgh (ESPN)
7:00 PM (22) Marquette at Providence (ESPN3)
11:00 PM (23) Saint Mary's at Santa Clara
7:00 PM (24) Harvard at Dartmouth

NCAA Division I Games
11:00 AM Maryland at Temple (ESPN2)
12:00 PM Wake Forest at Boston College (ESPN3)
12:00 PM Wright State at Detroit (ESPN3)
1:00 PM SMU at Memphis
1:00 PM Stony Brook at Maine
1:00 PM Xavier at Dayton (ESPN2)
1:00 PM Villanova at St. John's (ESPNU)
1:30 PM South Carolina at Auburn (ESPN3)
1:30 PM Kansas State at Oklahoma State (ESPN3)
2:00 PM UCF at UAB
2:00 PM Army at American
2:00 PM Georgia State at Delaware
2:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Western Kentucky (FCS)
2:00 PM St. Francis (PA) at Fairleigh Dickinson
2:00 PM Fordham at St. Bonaventure
2:00 PM Miami (OH) at Ohio
2:00 PM Yale at Brown
2:00 PM Radford at Coastal Carolina
2:00 PM Navy at Colgate
2:00 PM Toledo at Eastern Michigan
2:00 PM Florida Atlantic at Florida International (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Butler at Loyola (IL)
2:00 PM Central Michigan at Western Michigan
2:00 PM UNC Wilmington at William & Mary
2:00 PM Texas-Pan American at NJIT
2:00 PM Belmont at USC Upstate
2:30 PM Georgia Tech at Clemson (ESPN3)
3:00 PM Cincinnati at West Virginia (ESPNU)
3:00 PM Western Carolina at Appalachian State
3:05 PM Houston Baptist at Chicago State
3:30 PM Virginia Military at Campbell
3:30 PM Central Connecticut State at Sacred Heart
3:30 PM Boise State at TCU
4:00 PM Ole Miss at Georgia (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Valparaiso at Illinois-Chicago
4:00 PM Buffalo at Bowling Green
4:00 PM Wofford at Furman
4:00 PM Oklahoma at Texas A&M (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Hofstra at James Madison
4:00 PM North Carolina Central at Coppin State
4:00 PM Northeastern at Drexel
4:00 PM Lipscomb at East Tennessee State
4:00 PM Towson at George Mason
4:00 PM Rhode Island at La Salle
4:00 PM Northwestern State at McNeese State
4:00 PM Florida A&M at Maryland-Eastern Shore
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Morgan State
4:00 PM UCLA at Oregon
4:00 PM South Carolina State at Savannah State
4:00 PM Quinnipiac at Bryant University
4:30 PM North Florida at Mercer
4:30 PM San Francisco at Portland
5:00 PM Arizona State at Utah
5:00 PM Massachusetts at Richmond (CBS SN)
5:00 PM UTSA at Texas State
5:00 PM Alabama State at Alcorn State
5:00 PM Lamar at Central Arkansas
5:00 PM Alabama A&M at Southern
5:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at St. Francis (NY)
5:00 PM Iowa State at Texas Tech
5:30 PM Winthrop at Charleston Southern
5:30 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Texas Southern
6:00 PM Arizona at Colorado (FCS)
6:00 PM Stanford at Washington
6:00 PM Kent State at Akron (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Norfolk State at Hampton
6:00 PM Marshall at Southern Miss
6:00 PM Colorado State at Wyoming
6:05 PM California at Washington State
6:30 PM Mississippi Valley State at Prairie View A&M
7:00 PM Charlotte at George Washington
7:00 PM Cornell at Columbia
7:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Pennsylvania
7:00 PM Jacksonville at Kennesaw State
7:00 PM Holy Cross at Bucknell
7:00 PM Citadel at Davidson
7:00 PM Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Elon
7:00 PM Liberty at High Point
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Monmouth
7:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Morehead State
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Nicholls State at Southeastern Louisiana
7:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at Wagner (ESPNU)
7:30 PM Charleston at Georgia Southern (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Bethune-Cookman at Delaware State
8:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Cal Poly
8:00 PM Missouri State at Bradley (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Duquesne at Saint Louis
8:00 PM Tulsa at Rice
8:00 PM East Carolina at Houston
8:00 PM Denver at North Texas
8:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM San Diego at Gonzaga
8:00 PM Grambling State at Jackson State
8:00 PM South Dakota State at North Dakota State
8:00 PM Ball State at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Brigham Young at Pepperdine
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM UTEP at Tulane
8:00 PM Old Dominion at VCU
8:05 PM Middle Tennessee at South Alabama
8:05 PM IUPUI at UMKC
8:05 PM Oakland at Oral Roberts (FCS)
8:05 PM Illinois State at Evansville (ESPN3)
8:05 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State
8:05 PM Southern Illinois at Wichita State
8:30 PM Western Illinois at South Dakota
8:30 PM Southeast Missouri State at Tennessee Tech
8:30 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Troy
9:00 PM Louisiana Tech at San Jose State
9:05 PM Northern Colorado at Montana State
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Montana
9:05 PM Northern Arizona at Idaho State
9:05 PM Portland State at Eastern Washington
9:05 PM North Dakota at Utah Valley
9:30 PM IPFW at Southern Utah
10:00 PM UC Davis at Pacific
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Fresno State at Nevada (ESPN3)
10:30 PM USC at Oregon State (FSN)
11:00 PM Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara (ESPNU)
11:05 PM Utah State at Idaho
12:00 AM New Mexico State at Hawaii

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.

Tuesday Recap: Michigan Moves Streak to Three

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:31:32 -0800

Given how reliant Michigan is on the three-point shot, many would think it highly unlikely that John Beilein's team would win a game in which they shot 6-for-21 from beyond the arc. But thanks to a late basket from Stu Douglass and some solid defense on the final possession of the game, that's exactly what happened as the Wolverines beat in-state rival Michigan 60-59 at Crisler Arena. Trey Burke scored a game-high 20 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak scored ten points apiece, but Novak's biggest contribution came on the defensive end of the floor.

Despite giving up three inches in height the senior did an outstanding job of guarding Draymond Green, with Green making three of eight shots for seven points. Green, who did grab 11 rebounds, also turned the ball over five times against a Michigan defense that held him scoreless over the final fifteen minutes of the game. Michigan State fought their way back into the game by shooting 52.4% from the field in the second half, and it didn't hurt to have a reserve in Derrick Nix score a season-high 13 points off the bench.

Brandan Kearney's three with 6:45 remaining gave the Spartans their first lead of the game at 50-49, and at that point it would have been easy for the Wolverines to fold. But they didn't, remaining within striking distance thanks in part to a switch to their 1-3-1 zone before taking the lead on Douglass' bucket that Burke assisted on with 36.5 seconds remaining. And while Michigan State did get two attempts to take the lead in the final seconds neither came without pressure from Michigan (one of which was blocked), resulting in opportunities that weren't as good as the Spartans would have hoped for.

"We really tried to completely deny Draymond the ball," said Beilein of the final sequence of the game. "You almost have to double him sometimes. We had to today, and then he passed the ball out of there. Fortunately they didn't have any success with either one."

Michigan's win means that they remain a player in the Big Ten race, which is currently led by Illinois by a game in the loss column. The Wolverines have won the last three games in the series, but while the recent run of success gives Michigan bragging rights it's just a portion of the big picture. Both teams remain contenders for the Big Ten title, meaning that the meeting in East Lansing on February 5th will be just as important in determining whether or not either team can win the league. Round one goes to Michigan.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Florida State builds on Saturday's win by whipping Maryland in Tallahassee.
On the heels of their emphatic win over North Carolina it would have been easy for Florida State to go into their game against Maryland dwelling on what happened Saturday. But Leonard Hamilton's team displayed both maturity and some offensive firepower on Tuesday night, beating the Terrapins 84-70 in their second straight excellent performance. One factor in the Seminoles' win was that they took care of the basketball, finishing the game with just nine turnovers (four in the second half). Michael Snaer led the way with 19 points while Ian Miller and Okaro White combined to score 31 points off the bench in a balanced effort for the Seminoles.

Maryland's Terrell Stoglin led all scorers with 27 points but the only other Maryland player to reach double figures was Nick Faust, and he finished with ten points. Florida State was balanced in their scoring and efficient in their execution, which led to them leading by as many as 21 points in the second half. FSU visits Duke this weekend, and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to play as they have the last two games. If so, the Seminoles have the ability to leave Durham with a win.

2. UNC Asheville extends its lead in the Big South to two games with a win over Coastal Carolina.
All six players who scored for Coastal Carolina reached double figures, with Sam McLaurin scoring 17 points to lead the way, but it wasn't enough to win at UNC Asheville due in large part to the Bulldogs' ability to get to the foul line and take advantage of those trips. Eddie Biedenbach's team attempted 33 free throws and made 31, winning 88-81 to take a two-game lead in the Big South as a result. J.P. Primm scored 23 points to lead the Bulldogs and Matt Dickey added 19 with 12 of his points coming from the foul line.

While it's well-known that this tandem is a handful, when they score a combined 20 points from the foul line Primm and Dickey are near impossible to beat. With the victory the Bulldogs took an important step towards the regular season crown, and with the champion getting to host the semifinals and title game of the Big South Tournament that's an important advantage to have. The goal for CCU now is to at the least remain two games back before the two teams meet again on Valentine's Day, and if they can get some help as well the Big South title would still be a realistic possibility.

3. Anthony Davis breaks Kentucky's single-season blocks record in the Wildcats' win over Arkansas.
In freshman Anthony Davis it's become quite apparent that Kentucky head coach John Calipari has a player that is extremely difficult for opponents to deal with. And now there's also the historical aspect of Davis' freshman campaign, as he is now the school record-holder for the most blocked shots in a season with 89 (blocking seven on Tuesday) and still counting. The blocked shots weren't Davis' sole contribution however as he scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 86-63 win.

Five players reached double figures for Kentucky, who shot 57.1% from the field and out-rebounded Arkansas 38-26. Doron Lamb scored 14 points off the bench, Terrence Jones (13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ten points, four rebounds and four assists) were both all over the stat sheet and Marquis Teague played arguably his best game in a Kentucky uniform with nine assists and four rebounds with just three turnovers. With all of their young talent Kentucky's got unlimited potential, and the fact that the Wildcats have yet to play their best basketball should concern the rest of the SEC.

Quick Hitters

1. One of the keys for getting into the NCAA Tournament is to avoid bad losses, and that's exactly what Colorado State did in their 66-55 win over Boise State. Dorian Green scored a game-high 20 points and Pierce Hornung grabbed ten rebounds off the bench as Tim Miles' team moved to 2-0 in Mountain West play.

2. Louisville, which has been hit hard by injuries this season, found out on Tuesday that forward Rakeem Buckles was done for the year with a torn ACL. Buckles, who averaged 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, injured himself in the Cardinals' loss at Marquette on Monday.

3. So Western Carolina took on Toccoa Falls on Tuesday night as they wanted to avoid having too much time off between games. The final score: 141-39. Nine Catamounts scored in double figures and two others scored nine points, and WCU also held a 62-19 edge on the boards. Things got out of hand in Cullowhee.

4. Campbell picked up a 54-51 win at Winthrop, and as a result the Camels are tied with Coastal Carolina two games behind UNC Asheville in the Big South. Eric Griffin scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half while also grabbing 11 rebounds, and the Camels outscored Winthrop 13-4 over the final 6:40 of the game.

5. Robbie Hummel scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Lewis Jackson added 14 as Purdue rebounded from a slow start to beat Iowa 75-68 in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers shot just 41.1% from the field but they out-rebounded the Hawkeyes by nine (41-32) and coverted 13 Iowa turnovers into 20 points.

6. Georgetown proved to be too much for DePaul, winning 83-75 at Allstate Arena, but the improvement that the Blue Demons have made under Oliver Purnell is definitely noticeable. Outside of Jeremiah Kelly and Krys Faber the rotation is young, meaning that as upperclassmen talented players such as Brandon Young and Cleveland Melvin will be well-equipped to improve the standing of the program within the Big East.

Three Notable Performances

1. F/C Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
27 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks in the Wildcats' 86-63 win over Arkansas.

2. G Jason Clark (Georgetown)
Career-high 31 points (11-14 FG), five rebounds and four steals in the Hoyas' 83-75 win at DePaul.

3. G Nick Barbour (High Point)
33 points (11-16 FG) and three assists, but he didn't receive much help in the Panthers' 85-66 loss at Radford.

Thursday Recap: Can Pittsburgh or Villanova Turn Things Around?

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:35:10 -0800

To understand the funk that Pittsburgh and Villanova are currently mired in, it may take this fact about the two teams they lost to on Thursday night. This is the first time as members of the Big East (since 2005-06 for both) that DePaul and USF have won conference games on the same night. Yes, allowing that to sink in underlines the gravity of the situation for both the Panthers and Wildcats, as both teams are in need of some answers at this point in time.

Pittsburgh, once again playing without point guard Tray Woodall, had their biggest issues show up on the defensive end in their 84-81 loss to the Blue Demons. DePaul scored 53 points and shot 59.4% from the floor in the second half to make their comeback, and point guard Brandon Young was near unstoppable with 26 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds with just one turnover. Pittsburgh held a 50-32 edge on the boards, but when a team makes 10 of 22 from beyond the arc as DePaul did, winning on the road becomes that much tougher.

Even with all five starters scoring in double figures (Talib Zanna led the way with 16), the Panthers were in trouble for much of the night due to the issues defensively to go along with some bad decisions late. Ashton Gibbs' decision to give the foul on Young as the sophomore was attempting what would be the game-winning layup with 17.2 seconds remaining may be the most glaring mistake, but there were issues in terms of shot selection and some costly turnovers as well.

As for Villanova the situation may be even worse, as Jay Wright's team is extremely young in key areas. And youth doesn't always have to be measured by years; lack of familiarity with a new role can be just as damning for a team and that could be the case for Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek.

Cheek now has to be a feature option for the Wildcats offensively, and while he had a key role last season Wayns is being entrusted with the task of running the show without a Corey Fisher alongside him. Other than these two and Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova is relying a lot on their youngsters, and the 74-57 loss to USF further exposed the fact that they're not ready for the Big East yet.

While Villanova was expected to be a bubble team this season, the expectations were much higher for Pittsburgh. If anything the impact of the loss of players such as Fisher and Corey Stokes (Villanova), and Brad Wanamaker, Gary McGhee and Gilbert Brown (Pittsburgh) was underestimated by those outside of the respective programs.

While many are quick to point out the fact that leagues can eat their young in conference play, it can also expose older players as well. There's still time for both teams to turn things around, but Pittsburgh and Villanova both understand that they need to do so quickly.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Indiana hangs on to beat Michigan and remain undefeated at home.
The battle between the Hoosiers and Wolverines lived up to the pregame expectations, but at the end of the contest Indiana's starting frontcourt and Victor Oladipo's defense made the difference in the 73-71 win. Christian Watford was a matchup nightmare for Michigan, scoring 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, and Cody Zeller added 18, four rebounds and two blocks. By comparison, the Michigan starting frontcourt of Jordan Morgan (12 points, nine rebounds) and Evan Smotrycz (eight points) was solid but didn't have a similar impact.

As a team the Hoosiers shot 55.1% from the field and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 62.2%, well above what Michigan allowed entering the game (47.1%). Another area in which Indiana held their own was three-point shooting. Michigan did make ten, with Stu Douglass making three, but they needed twenty-four attempts to do so while Indiana made seven of their eleven attempts.

But back to Oladipo, who was given the responsibility of defending Tim Hardaway Jr. for much of the night. Hardaway Jr. led Michigan with 19 points, but he needed 19 shot attempts to do so (0-for-7 3PT). Oladipo didn't shoot well himself (2-for-10, five points) but that didn't stop him from taking care of business on the other end. There's also the matter of what Indiana's backcourt was able to do with Michigan freshman Trey Burke, who scored ten points on 4-for-15 shooting. Indiana's offense will get the headlines in many circles, but don't ignore their effort defensively.

2. Good luck making any sense of the Pac-12 this season.
Two happenings on Thursday sum up the conference: Utah won, and so did Arizona State with just six scholarship players after having to suspend three. Yeah, it's going to be a wacky year in the Pac-12, and that's not a good thing for a league that put together a 1-24 record against RPI Top 50 teams in non-conference play. My question on Twitter was a simple one, but one without a clear answer at this point in time. With so many meager non-conference resumes it may take at least 12 league wins to be a seriously discussed at-large candidate, but who can accomplish that in this conference?

The quick responses would likely yield Arizona, California and maybe Washington, but all three went on the road and lost on Thursday. Stanford? They fell at Oregon, who owns one of the two wins for road teams in the first week-plus of conference play (at Washington State last week). Oregon State, who went 0-2 against the Washington schools last week, could also be an option given their talent. But the fact that there are so many question marks is a bad thing for the Pac-12 in terms of their prospects come Selection Sunday.

Just one team remains undefeated in conference play: Colorado, who whipped the Huskies 87-69 in Boulder. But given the way things have played out thus far, the Buffaloes will likely fall against Washington State. One-bid league? Never thought it would be a serious possibility, but that could very well be the reality if a couple of teams don't rise above the rest of the conference.

3. Penn State hands Purdue a 20-point loss for their first Big Ten win of the season.
Patrick Chambers' Nittany Lions have taken their lumps, which was expected to happen given the major personnel losses from last season's NCAA Tournament team. But they gave a serious lump to Purdue on Thursday night, leading from start to finish in a 65-45 romp in Happy Valley. As a team the Boilermakers shot just 31.9% for the game, and outside of Robbie Hummel (14 points, five rebounds) Purdue starters shot 5-for-22 on the night. Tim Frazier played well for Penn State, finishing with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds, but he wasn't the star as Billy Oliver knocked down seven of eleven three-pointers to score a game-high 21 points.

The 6'8" forward shoots 37% from beyond the arc, but this was quite the explosion for a player who had made three or more from deep in just three games this season. Purdue entered the contest with every opportunity to take care of business as a team hoping to contend for a conference title would, and they came out flat. Sometimes it takes getting drilled to remember that you can't get away with such starts.

Quick Hitters

1. No sequence summed up the night better than Louisiana-Lafayette playing the final seconds of overtime against Western Kentucky with six players on the floor. Yes, six. After nearly turning the ball over Elfrid Payton scored a layup that gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 72-70 win. According to the rules there was no way for the officials, who missed the error coming out of the timeout, to review the play and assess a technical foul (which should have been the call to begin with). There's also no way for the Sun Belt to go back and replay the final seconds, meaning that the Hilltoppers are out of luck.

2. Also in the Sun Belt, keep an eye on North Texas especially with Tony Mitchell now in the fold. Mitchell led the Mean Green to a 78-73 overtime win at South Alabama with 34 points and 16 rebounds, and if this is a harbinger of things to come this is a team that can contend to win the conference.

3. Manhattan was just seconds away from their third MAAC win, but a Dylon Cormier three from the corner gave Loyola (MD) the 61-60 win in Baltimore. Cormier was one of three Greyhounds to score 11 points while Erik Etherly added eight points, seven assists and six rebounds. George Beamon led the Jaspers with 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

4. Glen Braica's St. Francis (NY) Terriers moved to 2-1 in NEC play, beating Quinnipiac 73-72 in Brooklyn. The Terriers, who were led by Stefan Perunicic (21 points), likely won't be a contender for the league title but games like this make the difference between hosting and going on the road in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament. Good win for the Terriers.

5. Congratulations are in order for the Hartford Hawks, who picked up their first win of the season. Andres Torres scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Hawks beat New Hampshire 56-49 in West Hartford.

6. Wofford may not be one of the teams discussed as a contender in the SoCon, but the defending champs aren't in the business of conceding anything. Karl Cochran led four starters in double figures with 21 points as the Terriers beat College of Charleston 75-58 to move to 2-1 in league play. The Cougars made just 34.4% of their two-point shots on the night as Wofford did a good job of limiting their quality looks.

7. In the Big West, UCSB sent a message to Cal-State Fullerton in the form of a 77-64 win in their first home game since November 30th. Orlando Johnson scored 23 points and James Nunnally 18 as the Gauchos remained undefeated in league play while handing the Titans their first Big West loss. Fullerton will still be a factor in the race, but until further notice it's safe to say that UCSB and Long Beach State are the best bets to win the league.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
34 points and 16 rebounds in the Mean Green's 78-73 overtime win at South Alabama.

2. F Jamal Olasewere (Long Island)
29 points and 12 rebounds in the Blackbirds' 87-81 win at Sacred Heart.

3. F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)
31 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the Gaels' 78-72 win at San Diego.

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.

Who Will Win the 2011-12 Big Ten Title?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:53:18 -0800

Big Ten Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:20:30 -0800

As part of our 5-Year Ranking series, here's how the Big Ten teams stack up according to conference wins. The makeup of the Big Ten is quite different from most of the other power-conferences. The also-rans in the Big Ten have fared much better than other league also-rans, while the middle teams are much more mediocre. With one or two surprises, the final league standings will probably look pretty similar to the 5-year standings.

First Tier

1t - Ohio St - 65 wins - Neck and neck with Wiscy, thought it seems like OSU gets all the hype

1t - Wisconsin - 65 - Constantly overachieve in Big Ten play, but rarely surprise in NCAA's

3 - Purdue - 63 - For all these wins, Purdue hasn't advanced past the Sweet Sixteen

4 - Michigan St - 58 - For first time in a long time, Michigan St is officially in a rut

Second Tier

5 - Illinois - 44 - Fans have higher expectations than such mediocrity

Wannabees

6 - Michigan - 36 - It seems like slowly but surely, Michigan is headed in right direction

7 - Minnesota - 35 - Gophers yet to win a tourney game under Tubby Smith

8 - Indiana - 32 - 2007-08 seasons make this number look a lot healthier than reality

Also-Rans

9 - Penn St - 30 - Have been a 2nd class citizen for some time, but never completely dormant

10 - Iowa - 28 - No postseason trips in this 5-year stretch

11 - Northwestern - 25 - Have been competitive the last three seasons, but still not over NCAA hump

*The Big Ten adds Nebraska, who won 30 games in Big 12

Check back for the Pac-10 & SEC rankings tomorrow.

All 5-Year Rankings.

West Region Final Thoughts: What's in Store for 2011-12?

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:13:10 -0700

The final region is the West, which is where Connecticut began their run to the national title. While some of the departures in this region will steal the majority of the ink there are a number of teams who should feel good about their prospects in 2011-12. Below is a quick breakdown of each of the 16 teams.

(1) Duke: lost to Arizona in the Sweet 16
The Blue Devils were able to win 32 games in a season that saw their most talented player (Kyrie Irving) play in just 11 games, and they had senior guard Nolan Smith to thank for that. Smith took his game to another level in Irving's absence and the Blue Devils were good enough to earn a one seed without the freshman phenom. But after two wins in Charlotte they ran into a buzz saw in the second half of the Sweet 16, getting blown out by an Arizona team that many may have underestimated going into the tournament. The good news for Mike Krzyzewski and his staff is that they've got one of the best recruiting classes coming in with Quinn Cook and Austin Rivers the heir apparent in the backcourt for Irving and Smith. As for replacing Kyle Singler keep an eye on freshman small forward Mike Gbinije, the lone member of the four-player class to not be named a McDonald's All-American. 2011-12 is a big year for Mason Plumlee, arguably the one member of the frontcourt with the ability to become a lottery pick at the next level.

(2) San Diego State: lost to Connecticut in the Sweet 16
Steve Fisher's Aztecs put together the best season in school history, winning 34 games and losing to no team other than BYU before the Sweet 16 loss to UConn. But 2011-12 is setting up to be a serious rebuilding year for SDSU, with key seniors Brian Carlwell, D.J. Gay, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White all moving on. There's also the matter of what Kawhi Leonard may decide to do, and he's got quite the dilemma with a number of draft websites projecting him to be a first round pick (if not lottery). Should Leonard not return to school the keys to the Aztecs go to the likes of James Rahon and Chase Tapley not to mention Jamaal Franklin, who saw his playing time increase late in the season. Incoming recruits Deshawn Stephens and Kevin Young will likely be expected to contribute right away, but all signs point towards SDSU having a tough road back to the Big Dance in front of them.

(3) Connecticut: National Champions
Jim Calhoun's Huskies pulled off what many thought impossible, winning five games in five days to win the Big East Championship then moving on to claim the national title three weeks later. Guard Kemba Walker was the player of the month in all of college basketball, and with his number already added to the school's Ring of Honor and graduation on May 8th it's extremely difficult to expect the projected lottery pick to return. Seniors Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu move on as well, but there's a lot of talent remaining in Storrs for another run next season. Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith should all be back, and other contributors (Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Niels Giffey and Tyler Olander being three) will have the chance to increase their production as well. Add in the electric guard Ryan Boatright and the Huskies will be pretty good in 2011-12.

(4) Texas: lost to Arizona in the third round
At one point this season Rick Barnes' team looked like a serious threat to win a national title, only to falter down the stretch and end up with a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns managed to beat Oakland in the second round but late-game issues (and a quick 5-second count) did them in against Arizona. Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson, two likely lottery picks, both announced that they're returning to the 40 Acres next season and the move makes Texas an early favorite in the Big 12 as well as nationally. Dogus Balbay and Gary Johnson are the major personnel losses for Texas, and the addition of one of the nation's best recruiting classes led by point guard Myck Kabongo and shooting guard Shedon McClellan should more than make up for the losses. Texas' talent won't be questioned, but that doesn't make up for late-game and strategic issues. Solve those and Texas could wind up in New Orleans.

(5) Arizona: lost to Connecticut in the Elite Eight
Year two under Sean Miller paid major dividends for Arizona, as they won 30 games, a Pac-10 regular season title and finished one shot away from the Final Four. Arizona had just one senior (Jamelle Horne) this season but how highly they're ranked next season hinges on the decision of power forward Derrick Williams. Williams was one of the best players in America all season but may have been done in by the national reputation of the Pac-10 when it came to the All-America teams. But even if the California native chooses to go pro the Wildcats will be one of the contenders in the Pac-12 (Colorado and Utah join in July), with guards Kyle Fogg and MoMo Jones in addition to wings Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom all due back. Add in a recruiting class led by a pair of Oakland Soldiers (Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner) and it could be a very good year in Tucson. The most important newcomers, if Williams were to leave, become forwards Angelo Chol and Sidiki Johnson.

(6) Cincinnati: lost to Connecticut in the third round
After an undefeated run through their non-conference schedule and a solid beginning to Big East play Mick Cronin's Bearcats hit a rough patch heading into the month of February. But they turned things around, ultimately beating Missouri before falling to fellow Big East member and eventual national champ Connecticut in the third round. Cronin eventually received a six-year extension and while the Bearcats do have to replace six seniors (including Rashad Bishop, Larry Davis, Dion Dixon and Ibrahima Thomas) this is a team whose best play may come in 2011-12. Yancy Gates finished the season very well, and guards Sean Kilpatrick and Cashmere Wright had solid campaigns as well. The returning group in addition to a recruiting class led by Jermaine Sanders and Shaquille Thomas should mean another NCAA Tournament for Cincinnati.

(7) Temple: lost to San Diego State in the third round
Fran Dunphy's Owls finally picked up that elusive NCAA Tournament victory, beating Penn State before giving San Diego State all they wanted in the third round. And considering the injuries in the frontcourt 26 wins was a very good output for this group, but Temple will have to figure out a way to account for the graduation of Lavoy Allen next season. The perimeter could end up being the best in the Atlantic 10 next season with Juan Fernandez, Ramone Moore and Khalif Wyatt all returning and a solid freshman in Will Cummings joining the program. Up front Micheal Eric will need to build upon the progress he showed before getting hurt, and wings Rahlir Jefferson and Ramone Moore will both be called upon as well. Look for Temple to be one of the favorites in the A-10 and make a return trip to the Big Dance.

(8) Michigan: lost to Duke in the third round
John Beilein's Wolverines were a bit nervous on Selection Sunday but given their seed there wasn't much to worry about in Ann Arbor. Michigan blew out Tennessee in the second half of their matchup and if not for some issues down the stretch could have knocked off Duke for a trip to the Sweet 16. The good news for Michigan going into 2011-12: there wasn't one senior on the roster, meaning that everyone expected back will return. The hope is that Darius Morris returns as well, a possible the becomes more likely should he not hear what he wants from NBA executives. Morris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jordan Morgan are three solid pieces to build around and with seven players playing at least 14 minutes per game the Wolverines will have a number of players with experience returning. Add in two very good perimeter recruits in Carlton Brundidge and Trey Burke, and tournament appearances may go back to being routine in Ann Arbor.

(9) Tennessee: lost on Michigan in the second round
There were questions about the direction of the Tennessee program leading up to their NCAA Tournament game, with AD Mike Hamilton being a little too forward in his comments about the future of head coach Bruce Pearl days before the contest. That all led to the Volunteers getting blown out, and while Michigan played well in the second half it didn't take a rocket science to see that the Vols did not bring it from an effort standpoint. Pearl was fired and in comes Cuonzo Martin, who led Missouri State to their first-ever MVC regular season title this season. Martin has heavy roster turnover to deal with as well, most notably the decisions of Tobias Harris (likely first round) and Scotty Hopson (projected second round) to turn pro. The most important job for Martin will be to shore up the roster, with Cameron Tatum being the returning leading scorer should Harris and Hopson remain in the draft. There's a strong possibility that the Volunteers are nowhere near the bubble come Selection Sunday in 2012.

(10) Penn State: lost to Temple in the second round
Ed DeChellis' Nittany Lions made things happen at just the right time, getting all the way to the Big Ten Tournament title game before falling to Ohio State. That earned them their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade, where they lost to Temple in the final seconds. Now comes a major rebuilding job with Talor Battle, Jeff Brooks, David Jackson and Andrew Jones all graduating. Guard Tim Frazier will be the leading returning scorer, and the heavy losses underline the bigger impact of the Taran Buie suspension (he likely won't be back next year). Jermaine Marshall, Billy Oliver and Cammeron Woodyard will have the opportunity to earn minutes next season, as will four incoming recruits (led by wing Ross Travis, point guard Trey Lewis and center Pat Ackerman). Look for 2011-12 to be a tough season in Happy Valley.

(11) Missouri: lost to Cincinnati in the second round
The Tigers ended up with an 11-seed due to their Big 12 road woes, and things may become even tougher next season with Colorado and Nebraska leaving the league (Missouri didn't beat either of those teams on the road either). Add in Mike Anderson moving on to take the job at Arkansas and it could be a tough season for new head coach Frank Haith. The good news for Haith, whose hiring has been panned by many, is that the majority of this year's team will be back. Marcus Denmon, Michael Dixon Jr. and Phil Pressey return while Laurence Bowers and Kim English have declared for the NBA Draft. Neither of those two have hired an agent and there's a strong likelihood they'll be back in Columbia as well. Add in forward Ricardo Ratliffe and Mizzou should be an NCAA Tournament team in 2011-12. How far they go will ultimately depend on the improvement shown in the rebounding department.

(12) Memphis: lost to Arizona in the second round
Josh Pastner's squad went through its fair share of growing pains, something that wasn't a total shock given the overall inexperience on the floor. The Tigers were able to get going at the right time and if not for the heroics of Derrick Williams Memphis could have won an NCAA Tournament game. Joe Jackson emerged as a leader at the point while Antonio Barton turned out to be a far better talent than many expected him to be. Add in an offseason for Will Barton and the rest of the freshmen to mature both physically and mentally, and Memphis should be the clear favorite to win Conference USA. The question mark: will Wesley Witherspoon step up and be the leader this group needs? If so Memphis can do an awful lot from a national aspect, with freshman Adonis Thomas bringing an awful lot to the table skill-wise. Keep an eye on the Tigers in 2011-12.

(13) Oakland: lost to Texas in the second round
Greg Kampe's experienced Golden Grizzlies won their second straight Summit League automatic bid but despite their talent could not slow down Texas in their matchup. While Oakland loses just three seniors what that trio brought to the table leaves a large hole in the roster. Keith Benson, Will Hudson and Larry Wright all move on with Benson being a likely first round draft pick, and Ledrick Eackles has decided to transfer. But there's still talent on campus with prolific guard Reggie Hamilton due back along with Travis Bader and Drew Valentine. Incoming freshman forward Dante Williams will have the opportunity to earn minutes on the wing as well shooting guard Matt Poches. Oakland may not be the favorite to win the Summit League in October, but the Golden Grizzlies will likely be a contender.

(14) Bucknell: lost to Connecticut in the second round
The Bison, winners of the Patriot League regular season and tournament titles, went into their matchup with Connecticut confident in their ability to slow down Kemba Walker and possibly pull off the upset. But they, as well as those who went far enough to pick the upset, received a heavy dose of reality in the 81-52 loss. But that shouldn't take away from what head coach Dave Paulsen and his team accomplished, as they won 25 games (13-1 league record) and had just three seniors on the roster. Replacing G.W. Boon and Darryl Shazier will be tough however, especially the leadership provided by Shazier at the point, but it can be done. Patriot League POY Mike Muscala returns as does guard Bryson Johnson, and overall five of Bucknell's top seven scores will be back. And if guards Steven Kasper and Joshea Singleton can contribute in their first year on campus Bucknell may repeat as Patriot League champ.

(15) Northern Colorado: lost to San Diego State in the second round
B.J. Hill's Bears made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this season, winning the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles thanks in large part to conference Player of the Year Devon Beitzel. But their top three scorers were all seniors (Neal Kingman and Chris Kaba the others), and along with starter Taylor Montgomery Northern Colorado has four starter to replace going into 2011-12. The lone returning starter is Elliott Lloyd, who averaged 7.5 points per game this season. He, Emmanuel Addo and Mike Proctor will need to step up, as will a five-player recruiting class headlined by center Brendan Keane and JUCO wing Aaron Hawk-Harris. Don't look for Northern Colorado to go 13-3 in conference play again next season, but they should at the very least take part in the six-team conference tournament.

(16) Hampton: lost to Duke in the second round
Edward Joyner Jr.'s Pirates did not win the MEAC regular season title but they were able to win the conference tournament, and they didn't exactly roll over for Duke either. Two starters move on in Charles Funches and Brandon Tunnell but they were the lone seniors on a team dominated by the junior class. Kwame Morgan II and Darrion Pellum led the team in scoring and will be back, as will Christopher Tolson whose contributions came in the sixth man role this season. Danny Agbelese is the leading returning rebounder with an average of six boards per game, and if they can get him some help in dealing with the departure of Funches the Pirates likely become the preseason favorites in the MEAC. Hampton's got just one player signed right now but given the overall depth that's OK.