College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! Pt. 3

6:01: So I'm going to switch over to another new post, this one is getting a little bit long.

6:00: Anyone else pumped to see the rematch of the 1991 first round game where Richmond upset #2 seed Syracuse?

5:59: I was pleasantly surprised by the two Baylor freshman bigs, Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones. Acy looks a little more developed offensively and is more of a post player, but Jones showed off a nice lefty stroke knocking down a three and also had a few blocks.

5:55: Why is Curtis Jerrells still on the floor? Baylor is up 34 with 2:08 left. Drew must have heard me, because he just pulled him.

5:54: If I see the Gameday commercial when Herbstreit and Howard are drawing on a sleeping Lee Corso one more time, I'm going gouge out my eye balls. ESPN just played in twice in the same commercial break.

5:42: Mamadou Diene sounds like a helluva guy. His parents died, so he sends his scholarship money back to Senegal so his brothers and sisters can buy groceries. He was named Big XII sportsman of the year. He's just the kind of guy you always want to see succeed.

5:39: Ugh, can Syracuse-Richmond start already? I'm sick of seeing Baylor smack around the Gents (Centenary's nickname is the Gentlemen .. seriously, it is) and hearing Doug Gottlieb talk. I mean, Gottlieb didn't even put Pitt in his top 25. Really Doug? And you have Notre Dame at 18? Is it because they kicked you out of school for stealing your roommate's credit cards and charging $900 to them? I hate that guy.

5:25: Kevin Rogers has made some really pretty plays tonight. He just put the ball on the floor and threw a nifty no-look pass through the paint to Acy for a dunk. If Rogers can develop some perimeter skills (handle, jumper) he could end up being a first-rounder.

5:22: David Wesley went back to Baylor to finish his degree, and while he is there he is acting as the student manager for Baylor. Some of those guards on Baylor (ahem, LaceDarius) should learn as much as they can from Wesley, who had a successful 14 year NBA career.

5:02: More on this tomorrow when I have a chance to write a full post about it, but apparently DeMarcus Cousins, the Rivals #2 recruit in the country, is ready to sign with UAB. He would easily be the biggest recruit in the history of the Blazer program. But the hold-up is that Cousins wants a clause written into his NLI that says he can leave the school if Mike Davis leaves. It makes sense. He's going there to play for Davis. If Davis isn't there, then he doesn't want to be stuck at UAB. And his high school teammate, Nick Williams, was given the run-around by Marquette when he asked out of his NLI when Tom Crean left. Anyway, more on this tomorrow, but here is a really good take on the issue from Seth Davis.

4:54: My buddy Trizzle just made a great point: what happened to Lavin's hair? The slick back look was his thing. I don't know if I like this Sandy Cohen look (an OC reference there). Anyway, we will always love Lavin here because of this.

4:52: What a first half for LaceDarius Dunn. 15 points, 6-10 shooting, 3 3's. He is known for his shooting ability, but he also made a couple really nice drives through the paint. Jerrells and and Dugat have looked good as well, making some nice moves through the lane. This is a really good group of guards that Baylor has here.

4:46: I really like this Baylor team. I think that they are a top 20 team, and should battle it out with Oklahoma and Texas for the Big XII title. They are huge, long, and athletic on their front line (although none of those four guys have much strength, Baylor plays a style that should hide that a bit). They have four excellent guards. They play a style that fits their roster about as well as anyone in the country. Doug Gottlieb, as much as I hate him, just made a really good point. He said that Baylor doesn't get the respect they deserve because they are not a name brand. I mean, you are really going to rank Baylor behind a team like Kansas? Kansas lost basically everyone, and although they do have a great incoming class, those guys are going to be very inexperienced (see their game against UMKC). Baylor is an NCAA tournament team that returns all but one player and adds two talented freshman to help fortify their front court.

Mark my words, Baylor is going to be very good this year.

4:25: Baylor's front line is so long and athletic. I expected it, but still. Kevin Rogers, Mamadou Diene, Quincy Acy, and Anthony Jones. Bears fans will see a lot of dunks this year.

4:17: Kevin Rogers is everywhere right now. Jumping passing lanes. Making steals. Blocking shots. A couple nice post moves. I like this kid's game.

4:15: Case in point - Baylor is up 15-5 five minutes in.

4:08: Baylor-Centenary. And Gottlieb is announcing. Great. One thing that has been bugging me. I understand that this is early in the season and I get that it is tough to schedule games right now (especially with the weird start times), but couldn't ESPN have put together a better schedule for this? I mean, Baylor-Centenary? The Penn-Drexel game was the 33rd st. battle, and there is at least a little rivalry and intrigue there. If Kenny George didn't have the health issues, the Liberty-Asheville game would have been George vs. Seth Curry. Again, some intrigue there. But are those really games that are going to get people other than college hoops junkies like myself in front of the TV? Probably not. And Baylor-Centenary is the worst of the bunch so far. ESPN can really turn this into something special, but they need better games.

3:44: Curry just threw up an airball. He does have 18 points, but it's on 18 shots. I don't think he is going to develop as well as his brother has. He doesn't seem as athletic, he isn't as good of a shooter, and he seems a bit smaller. If Steph is any indication, I'm sure Seth has an inch or two and some athleticism left, but all-in-all I didn't see a lot of out Seth that impressed me. I'm done with this game. Snack time, back at 4:00 for Baylor.

3:23: Primm just made an and-1 lay-up to put Asheville up 64-37. That's 27 points. Great game. on a side note, Primm now has 12 points, 7 boards, and 7 dimes. This live-blog is now going to become triple double watch.

3:14: Liberty can't hit anything. Since they have no hopes of stopping Asheville, they need to catch fire if they want to come back. It's not like they aren't getting good looks either, they are just missing. Speaking of Liberty's defense, this play just happened. The guy on the post made a player on the wing swing it to the top of the key, then called for the guy on the baseline to run of a screen a la a flex cut. He was obvious enough about it that I picked up on it watching TV. But the Flames defender didn't, and got beat for a lay-up. That is just plain bad.

3:10: Wow, I just realized how low the backboards come down in Asheville's gym. Is this a middle school gym?

2:57: Seth Curry did not have a very good half. He didn't shoot well, especially off of the dribble. He does have a good looking stroke, however, but Curry is having to run the lead guard too much. He does not look as comfortable shooting off the dribble as he does off the catch, but there were only two times in the whole half where Curry was able to spot up on the wing, catch and shoot. I know Liberty has a system they are trying to run, but I don't see them being all that successful unless they start playing more unselfishly. Too much 1-on-1, especially out of Smith. They have a ton of shooters. When you drive and draw a defender, kick it out. Trust that you teammates will knock it down.

Asheville has looked good, however. John Williams is an athlete and a high energy guy that has played very well so far. Sean Smith really broke the game open with his 14 points. He hit four three's in about a five minutes stretch to help push the lead over 20. Primm played great too. 9 point, 5 assists, 5 boards, no turnovers.

2:48: Liberty has been a real disappointment so far. Anthony Smith has played terrible. He isn't hitting jumpers. He's forcing everything to the rim. Smith is not a good decision maker. There have been a couple of possessions where he had people open (one time it was Curry) on the perimeter, but didn't make the pass. The Flames defense was basically non-existent. As we head to halftime, Liberty is down 49-30.

2:37: The action is really picking up, and both team's are jacking three's. Last eight shots overall have been three's I believe. Asheville is up 39-22. I hope Liberty comes back. I don't know if I can take more blow outs, especially with Centenary-Baylor on deck.

2:30: Liberty's three's are starting to drop as they knocked down two in a row to cut a 14 point lead down to 10. Liberty strikes me as the kind of team where no lead is safe, on either side. Since everyone on the floor for them (even 6'11" Carter McCasters) can hit from deep, when they get hot, they should be able to reel off big runs with no problem. But if they are cold, then they can have stretches like tongiht - 10 points in 12 minutes.

2:26: Williams has some hops. It looked like he was in the air for about three seconds blocking a shot.

2:24: I'm trying to figure out what defense Liberty is playing. It looks like a 2-3 zone, but they are following cutters. There was one instance where the big man switched on a pick. Whatever it is, it is not very good right now. Liberty isn't rebounding (although they do have five guards on the floor), they are allowing cutters, and allowing penetration. There have been a bunch of open looks for Asheville. The Bulldogs are all over Liberty right now. The Flames take a timeout down 20-10 after John Williams jumps a passing lane and takes it in for a big dunk. He has 8 already.

2:15: Liberty loves to attack. They get up a lot of shots and get them up quickly. For Asheville, I like their guards. JP Brimm and Donovan Jones both have made a couple nice drives and a couple nice passes.

2:09: Asheville is up 7-0 early and Seth Curry is 0-2. Make that 1-3.

2:08: The gym looks empty. I think it is because the student section is on the same side of the court as the camera. Yup, they just showed the students, and there is a decent amount there.

2:06: On cue, John Williams with a nice lefty, baby hook. I'm so smart.

2:00: Liberty and UNC Asheville will be taking the court in about five minutes. Both in the Big South, these two teams are headed in opposite directions. Liberty will compete for the Big South championship, and stars pre-season player of the year Anthony Smith and freshman Seth Curry (younger brother of you know who). UNC Asheville returns just one starter (Reid Augst). One of the guys they lost was 7'7" Kenny George, who lost part of his foot due to a staph infection. One guy to watch for Asheville, #23 John Williams. He is averaging 15 ppg thus far.

1:50: I just had a great lunch, and I'm ready to go with Liberty-UNC Asheville. Some final thoughts on Drexel-Penn. I thought both teams looked pretty good. Bruiser Flint has himself a tough, scrappy team that will be competitive in the CAA simply because they work so hard. On the other side, I thought Penn showed that they will be able to compete with Cornell, Yale, and Brown for the Ivy title. Why? Bernardini is too good to always have an off-night like he did today, Votel looks like he could be a legitimate scorin threat on the block, and Egee provides some athleticism and energy on the wing. The key to the Quakers season is going to be Rosen - can he get his teammates the ball and be a distributor?

12:16: Missed the first. Hit them both and foul. There are 3.6 seconds left. Well he missed it, but Cameron Lewis got the rebound and found Votel. Votel took a running hook from about 14 feet and airballed it. Really exciting game. Both teams played hard. Taking a break, we will beback to watch Steph Curry's little brother play when Liberty take the floor against UNC-Asheville at 2:00 PM.

12:13: Rodgers hit 1. Penn down three, and Rosen is fouled on a three. Are you kidding me???!!! What is Hawthorne doing. Rosen is fading away with a double pump three falling out of bounds. HE IS NOT MAKING THAT SHOT. Go far, far away from him. Bruiser is not going to be happy if this game goes to OT. Now the question is can the freshman hit all three?

12:09: Up five, Drexel switches every screen involving Bernardini. So when the sophomore gets it, he takes two dribbles and forces up a very tough shot (long two actually). The loose ball rebound actually landed in Bernardini's hands, and he forced up another tough lay-up, missing and fouling Neisler. Bernardini fouled out with 15 points. Not a great showing. But Neisler missed both and Egee knocked down a three in the corner. 65-63.

12:08: Missed the first, which means regardless of make or miss, you go get a quick two if you are Penn.

12:07: 4 seconds on the shot clock, and Penn gets the miss, but surprise surprise, they give up an offensive rebound to Samme Givens. 45 seconds left, Drexel has two free throws up 64-60.

12:06: By the way, that is the second time Evan Neisler had a ball go off of his hands when he had a lay-up.

12:04: Wow, did Penn just get a terrible break. With 58 seconds left, the ball went off of a Drexel player's hands and he bounced it off of Votel with 4 seconds on the shot clock. The refs reset the shot clock. And wait, they changed it back. Forget this post.

12:01: Scott Rodgers and Tramayne Hawthorne have been so tough for the Dragons today. They are both built like running backs and have gotten to the rim just about as they please. Drexel up 4 with the ball, 1:20 left. Biggest possession of the game, and Bruiser takes a time out.

11:54: Brennan Votel has been the best player on the floor today. He has 17 and 7 right now, he's been getting offensive rebounds, blocked a couple shots, and just bringing energy to the Quakers. Bernardini is forcing it now, he just took one from about 26 feet with a hand in his face that was about two feet long.

11:44: Drexel has looked pretty good today. They have absolutely shut down Bernardini this far. They are killing Penn on the offensive glass. They have really had only two problems, and both involve the Quakers zone defense - they get too passive at times and they settle for too many 3's.

11:32: Poor decision making by Penn. They finally come all the way back and tie it up on a beautiful move by Votel, then they get a turnover on the other end. The PG Rosen, who hasn't hit a field goal all year, takes a pull-up 3 in transition, misses it which leads to a fast break lay-up. Next possession Cameron Lewis threw the ball away, and Hawthorne goes the length of the court for a lay-up, and-1. Now its a 5 point game.

11:29: I swear to god, if I see one more commercial for the perfect pull-up or the perfect push-up, I'm gonna ... buy it? I mean, it was invented by a Navy Seal.

11:26: Drexel is really struggling offensively - they have 8 points in 8 minutes this half. The biggest reason? They are too passive against this zone. Penn is getting out and pressuring a lot more in the match-up zone this half, and it is taking Drexel out of their rhythm on offense. The Dragons are settling for swinging the ball on the perimeter. They aren't looking into the middle and they aren't attacking the gaps.

11:19: Bernardini is starting to wake-up. He hit a three, found Votel on a screen and roll for a lay-up, and just got a tip-in to cut the Drexel lead to 42-38. Drexel looks like they are losing focus on Bernardini. When he hit the three, he was able to slide behind a so-so screen that the defender didn't fight through, and on the tip-in, his man went for a loose ball, leaving Bernardini an open lane for a rebound.

11:07: We showed you Paul George's dunk, but here is the one Chase Budinger had against FAU. 2nd half is starting, and the biggest thing is that Penn needs to box out. As if on cue, Penn forces the Drexel center into a deep jumper as the shot clock is winding down, then gives up another o-board.

10:51: Xavier Henry picked Memphis. Like Cal needs anymore big-time recruits. Imagine if he lands John Wall too... Halftime. Drexel is up 34-27. Going to get some coffee. Too early for a beer?

10:48: This Kevin Egee kid is pretty good. He has 11 now. He's making some nice drives through the lane, he hit a three, has made some good defensive plays. He is pretty much the only guy playing well for the Quakers.

10:46: Penn is finally getting some momentum. Their defensive intensity has picked up, they hit a three, got a fast break lay-up. But as I was writing this, Drexel just got their second offensive rebound off of a missed free throw. That cannot happen.

10:41: Penn looks like they are overwhelmed with Drexel's superior athleticism. Their getting forced out of what they want to do offensively, they are getting hurt on the offensive boards, Drexel is forcing some turnovers. Drexel also looks like they were coached very well on how to beat this zone. They are moving the ball, reversing the floor, attacking gaps. I always liked Bruiser Flint. And he has a great name, Have I mentioned that?

10:34: Bernardini finally gets a look and knocks it down. Bernardini has looked a little passive thus far, but Scott Rodgers and now Tramayne Hawthorne have been playing fantastic defense, not giving him an inch to get a look. Drexel's opened up a 14 point lead now and this game is close to becoming another blow out.

10:27: Here is the dunk from Fresno's Paul George last night. I can't think of a word to correctly describe it. Maybe pterodactyl.

10:26: Penn is having a lot of trouble boxing out in this zone. Drexel is up 21-15 now, and has at least six points off of O-boards.

10:20: Penn runs some interesting sets. On defense, they switch between a match-up zone and a trapping 1-3-1 zone. Neither is working too well thus far - Drexel has 15 points through 8 minutes. On offense, they run a lot of dribble hand-offs on the perimeter looking ro "rub-off" a defender and give the guy getting the hand-off a little crease. They also play four-our, which gives their big a chance four an isolation on the block. That has been Brennan Votel, and he has six early points inside.

10:15: Pretty impressed with the fans here. Drexel has a prety packed house with a huge student contingent that is loud and into the game. 10 am and they already have their faces painted. I guess they aren't going to class today.

10:11: A lot of action so far as both teams are playing pretty well. Penn's star Tyler Bernardini (who put 26 on UNC) has been a non-factor (I don't think he's even touched the ball). Gerald Colds has looked explosive. Drexel is moving the ball well against the Penn Match-up zone, but they are settling for 3's and they have thrown up some ugly ones. 9-5 at the first TV timeout.

10:03: Guess who's back!!! Yup, its on again. Day #2. We're starting out with Drexel and Penn in a Big 5 battle. Drexel is coached by Bruiser Flint, the old UMass coach. Always loved his name.