UTEP

Mid-Major Player of the Week: Ahmad Nivins

Joey Whelan — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:04:12 -0500

As a companion to CHN's National Player of the Week, we will be presenting a Mid-Major Player of the Week as well this season. All non-BCS players are eligible for this award. In the case that the National POY is a non-BCS player, they will be repeated here as well.

Ahmad Nivins - Saint Joseph's

3 Games: 16 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3 bpg

Sure there are plenty of guys that had better stat lines this week, but no one did it against stiffer competition than the Hawks big man in the middle. A double-double against a potential Final Four team in Texas and a strong 16 and 8 showing against a talented Alabama team in the Maui Invitational were enough to give Nivins the honors for this week. Yes, he beat up on an outmanned Indiana squad in his second game, but you can't deny the performances in his other two games. Don't be shocked to see Nivins pop up on this list several more times this year.

Just Missed Out

Josh Akognon - Cal State Fullerton

3 Games: 24.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2 apg

The Anaheim Classic turned out to be some entertaining basketball thanks in large part to the play of the undersized Akognon. He lit up stiff competition by dropping 24 points on both Wake Forest and Saint Mary's, then finished off the weekend with 26 against Charlotte. We knew the California native could score in bunches, and while he was a little trigger happy from the perimeter this week, he proved he could do it against big name programs.

Josh Heytvelt - Gonzaga

3 Games: 15 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.7 bpg

The Bulldogs announced themselves as a legitimate Final Four contender by winning the Old Spice Classic, and Heytvelt announced his return as a strong presence inside. He started slow in the tournament opener with Oklahoma State, but rebounded nicely for two fine showings versus Maryland and Tennessee. With the balanced scoring attack the ‘Zags have it is doubtful that the senior will put up huge numbers on a regular basis, but when Heytvelt is on his game, 15 and 6 should be the norm.

Stefon Jackson - UTEP

3 Games: 20.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2 spg

Highlighted by a brilliant performance against Wake Forest, Jackson may have had the best showing from anyone at the Anaheim Classic, and with the cast of characters present this weekend, that's saying something. The senior torched the Demon Deacons for 31 points, hitting 13 of his 14 attempts from the free throw line. His 17 and 10 showing against Saint Mary's shouldn't be overlooked either.

Worth Noting

A.J. Slaughter - Western Kentucky

His numbers for the week aren't anything to write home about, but any time a player scores 25 points and grabs 9 rebounds in helping his team upset a top five opponent, that is worth some ink. So with that in mind, kudos to Slaughter and the Hilltoppers for pulling the major upset over then #3 Lousiville yesterday.

College Basketball: Weekend Viewers Guide

Jason Brubaker — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:28:05 -0500

The big focus this weekend is on college football for many sports fans, with conference and national title implications hinging on a number of rivalry games.

But don't forget about hoops either. Here are a few games to keep an eye on while you're digging through those leftovers.

Saturday

7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Washington State HDNET

The championship of the Legends Classic figures to be a defensive masterpiece, with two rugged teams going head to head. Pitt is led by forwards Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, and guard Levance Fields, and they've lived up the the hype so far, combining for 49 points per game. The Cougars have leaned on freshman forward Klay Thompson and veterans Aron Baynes and Taylor Rochestie, and their calling card continuers to be defense, holding teams to 29.7% shooting thus far. However, Pitt figures to have too many weapons and too much experience, and should come out on top.

8:00 p.m. Dayton vs. #15 Marquette

Marquette may get their first test of the young season, and the first of Buzz Williams' career. Dayton has ridden high-flying forward Chris Wright and Marcus Johnson to a 5-0 start, including an overtime win over Auburn. The Eagles are still led by one of the finest guard trios in the game with Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews, who are averaging 49 points and 13 assist between them. Look for the Eagles to fly away with the win.

Sunday

5:30 p.m. #16 Georgetown vs. Maryland ESPN2

The consolation game of the Old Spice Classic pits two teams still searching for an identity. Maryland pulled a big upset in knocking off Michigan State, but then looked completely outclassed by Gonzaga in the semis. Outside of PG Greivis Vasquez, the Terps are wildly unpredictable at this point. The Hoyas have some good pieces in Dajuan Summer, Austin Freeman and talented frosh Greg Monroe, but they've lacked an offensive identity so far. However, look for Georgetown to use their talent to overwhelm the unproven Terps, and come away with the victory.

7:30 p.m. #12 Tennessee vs. #10 Gonzaga ESPN2

Could be one of the best early-season matchups in recent memory. Tennesee is long, athletic and deep, with an endless supply of wings who can attack the basket and shoot. If PG Bobby Maze plays under control, they'll be tough to beat. The Zags are also blessed with incredible depth, and are led by veterans Jeremy Pargo, Matt Bouldin, Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye. This one figures to be up-and-down the floor with plenty of highlights. Look for the Zags, with more experience, to pull out the victory and win the Old Spice Classic.

8:00 p.m. UTEP vs. #14 Arizona State ESPNU

The Sun Devils were shocked by Baylor's hot-shooting from distance, but they should have no trouble rebounding against Stefon Jackson, Randy Culpepper and the Miners. ASU guard James Harden has been spectacular, and the Devils will be poised to redeem themselves after the surprising loss to the Bears.

10:30 p.m. #24 Wake Forest vs. Baylor ESPN2

The championship of the 76 Classic should be a fun one. Wake is loaded with young talent, like sophomores James Johnson and Jeff Teague, as well as freshman stud Al-Farouq Aminu. The Bears are loaded with veteran talent, including Curtis Jerrels, Henry Dugat and Kevin Rogers, plus sharp-shooting sophomore Lacedarius Dunn. Look for Baylor to impose their will in this game, and negate Wake's size with their outside shooting and quickness. Scott Drew continues his amazing success with a victory in the 76 Classic.

GameNight: UTEP vs Saint Mary's

Blake Hofstad — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:11:49 -0500

Start: Nov 27 2008 - 2:00pm

In a potential bracketbuster, St. Mary's (3-0) takes on UTEP (2-1). While this is a pre-season tournament game, it is played in Anaheim, which should give the Gaels a distinct home court advantage. Both of these teams have been impressive so far. Although St. Mary's has yet to play an opponent of UTEP's caliber, no one has even come close to knocking them off. They are led by Patrick Mills. Mills, the only college player to represent his country in Beijing, is one of the best point guards in the nation. He shines on the defensive end, getting 3.3 steals a game, as well as the offensive end, getting 20 points and 5 assists per. The Gaels have two bangers down low in Omar Samhan and Diamon Simpson. Both average better than 10 points and 8 rebounds a game. St. Mary's can go 10 deep, and that suits their up-tempo style.

The Miners 1 loss is deceiving. It was to UNLV, a top 25 team, and they played the Rebels very close until the end. Last year there was no dispute as to who the main man was for UTEP. Stefon Jackson scored over 23 points a game, making him one of the most dangerous scorers in the country. This year, the Miners retained Jackson, but through 3 games another big time scorer has emerged. Randy Culpepper has teamed with Jackson to give UTEP two players averaging better than 20 points a game. The catalyst of this team is Julyan Stone. He scores around 10 points a game, but also gets 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals per performance. Arnett Moultrie will be the man who has to match up with Samham and Simpson down low. Moultrie is a good basketball player, and a solid performance here would be a statement game to the rest of the C-USA.

I think the Gaels have too much down low for the Miners. If Culpepper and Jackson go off for 25 each however, I don't know if St. Mary's can keep pace.

Winner: St. Mary's Margin: 1-4

Conference USA Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:59:49 -0500

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Conference Rank: 11th

10 year average: 8th

Conference USA Page

All-CUSA Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Stefon Jackson	UTEP	Sr
G	Robert Vaden	UAB	Sr
G	Tyreke Evans	Memphis	Fr
G	Jermaine Taylor	Central Florida	Sr
F	Jerome Jordan	Tulsa	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Robert Vaden High-Major All-Americans Stefon Jackson Jerome Jordan Jermaine Taylor Ben Uzoh Robert Vaden Jeremy Wise All-Freshman Team Tyreke Evans		Points: Stefon Jackson 23.6 Rebounds: Jerome Jordan 7.9 Assists: Jeremy Wise 4.2 Team: Memphis 79.9

Conference USA Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

?	Memphis**	CUSA	1	NCAA
47	UAB	CUSA	2	NCAA
68	Southern Miss	CUSA	3	NIT
75	UTEP	CUSA	4	NIT
106	Tulsa	CUSA	5
119	Marshall	CUSA	6
131	UCF	CUSA	7
137	Houston	CUSA	8
185	Tulane	CUSA	9
221	East Carolina	CUSA	10
260	SMU	CUSA	11
285	Rice	CUSA	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the CUSA?

Other CUSA Content

Head Coach Interviews

Larry Eustachy: Southern Miss

Mack McCarthy: East Carolina

Other

Rise & Fall: CUSA

Top Non-BCS Players: Vaden/Evans

Top Centers: Jerome Jordan

Conference USA on National TV

Preseason High-Major All-Americans: 08-09

CHN — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:53:48 -0400

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason High-Major All-America Team is dominated by an impressive set of senior guards who are hoping to lead their teams deep into the NCAA Tournament. VCU leader Eric Maynor, a returning 2nd Team High-Major All-American, edged out Pargo and Vaden for Player of the Year honors. Besides Maynor, other returning CHN High-Major All-Americans include Robert Vaden (1st team last year), Jeremy Pargo (3rd team), Lee Cummard (4th team), Dionte Christmas (3rd team), Stefon Jackson (4th team), and Josh Young (4th team).

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Coming up later this week is CHN's Mid-Major All-America team.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason High-Major Player of the Year: Eric Maynor (VCU)

CollegeHoops.net First Team High-Major All-America

Jeremy Pargo	Gonzaga	SR	G
Robert Vaden	UAB	SR	G
Eric Maynor	VCU	SR	G
Lee Cummard	BYU	SR	G/F
Luke Nevill	Utah	SR	C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-America

Dionte Christmas	Temple	SR	G
Stefon Jackson	UTEP	SR	G
Austin Daye	Gonzaga	SO	F
Derrick Brown	Xavier	JR	F
Ahmad Nivins	St. Joseph's	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Third Team High-Major All-America

P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	SO	G
Wink Adams	UNLV	SR	G
Josh Young	Drake	JR	G
Chris Wright	Dayton	SO	F
Jerome Jordan	Tulsa	JR	C

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention High-Major All-American

Lavoy Allen	Temple	SO	F
Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	JR	G
Jonathan Cox	Drake	SR	F
Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	JR	G
Brandon Ewing	Wyoming	SR	G
Steven Gray	Gonzaga	SO	G
Ricky Harris	UMASS	JR	G
Josh Heytvelt	Gonzaga	SR	F
Matt Janning	Northeastern	JR	G
Charles Jenkins	Hofstra	SO	G
Armon Johnson	Nevada	SO	G
Bryan Mullins	Southern Illinois	SR	G
Jonathan Tavernari	BYU	JR	F
Jermaine Taylor	UCF	SR	G
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	JR	G
Lorenzo Wade	San Diego St	SR	F
Gary Wilkinson	Utah State	SR	F
Jeremy Wise	Southern Miss	JR	G

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win Conference USA?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:14:23 -0400