Monday Morning Shootaround

The biggest game of the day on Sunday was clearly Boston College going into Chapel Hill and getting a win against UNC. The final score was 85-78, but for the most part it wasn't even that close in the second half. BC did an amazing job the entire game of limiting the opportunities that UNC got to run their break. The Tar Heel fast break is truly unbelievable, which they proved when they started scoring in transition off of made shots.

So how was BC able to slow down the Heels? It was simple - they got a lot of offensive rebounds and they didn't turn the ball over. The two easiest times to pick up transition baskets are off of defensive rebounds and off of turnovers. BC only turned the ball over 10 times (and a number of those were "good" turnovers, meaning that the Eagles simply threw the ball out of bounds or picked up a five second violation, which forces UNC to inbound the ball), they shot 46% from the field, and they gathered 14 offensive rebounds. UNC is no where near as good in the half court as they are when they score in transition, which is why it was so important for BC to limit their fast break opportunities and force the Heels to go against a set defense as much as possible.

The Heels also could not hit a shot down the stretch. In the second half, they shot just 29% from the floor (38% for the game). They were 5-12 from the free throw line in the final three minutes, and in that time missed six or seven open three's, including three in the span of about 15 seconds on one possession. BC, who took a six point lead into halftime, was up 78-63 when the Heels went on a 15-4 run, cutting the lead to 82-78 with under a minute left. Between the missed free throws and the missed three's, UNC cost themselves a chance to complete the comeback.

If you don't know the name Tyrese Rice by now, be sure to tune in to at least one BC game this season because he is one of the most fun players in the country to watch. He hit a number of tough shots (my favorite was a move he made in the first half when Danny Green got switched on to him - at the end of the shot clock, he crossed over from right to left, leading directly into a step back jumper which he hit in Green's face, and proceeded to jaw at Green the entire way down the floor) as he finished the game with 25 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards. But it was more than just the stats he put up. Rice scored nine of BC's last 11 points (and had the assist on the other bucket), including hitting 7-8 free throws the help hold UNC at bay. Rice has always been known as a scorer, but he showed a great deal of leadership and composure in the second half.

BC also got outstanding performances from Rakim Sanders and Reggie Jackson. Sanders finished the game with 22 points, 6 boards, and 7 steals and Jackson added 17 off the bench. But you cannot underestimate how well center Josh Southern (as well as the rest of the Eagles front line, for that matter) played before fouling out. He only had 4 points and 5 boards, but he frustrated Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson all night. Hansbrough still got his (21 and 9), but was just 6-15 from the floor and 9-12 from the line, and never really seemed to get into a rhythm. Thompson, who came in averaging 14 and 7, finished with just 5 and 5.

Cal 81, Arizona State 71: This was the first time I had the chance to see Cal play, and they are one of the most entertaining teams that I have seen this year. It was on display tonight as Cal used hot shooting and great ball movement against the ASU zone to upset the Sun Devils. Cal set the tone early, as they knocked down five of their first seven three's and used a 16-0 run to build an early 12 point lead. The Sun Devils came back to tie it up at the half, and briefly led during the second half, but this was the Bears game.

They were led by Jerome Randle, a listed-at-5'10" (but looks closer to 5'7") and lighting quick PG. Randle finished with 26 points and 10 assists (both career highs). He hit three three-balls early on to help Cal build their lead, but during the second half he made the biggest shot of the game. Arizona State had widdled an eight point lead down to two with just over two minutes left in the game. A miscommunication on defense left Randle open from about 25 feet (which is well within his range), and Randle hit it and got fouled, sending the lead back up to six and all but doing in the Sun Devils.

This was a bad match-up for Arizona State. They play a match-up zone, which is tough when you play a team like Cal, who shoots over 50% from deep on the season (yes, that is true). Cal also moved the ball around really well, which got the ASU defense moving. One of the most impressive things about this Cal team is that they didn't settle for three's. Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson, two of the team's best shooters, attacked the gaps of the zone - making pull-ups, floaters, and getting all the way to the rim - at time passing up open three's to do so.

Mike Montogomery has a seven-footer on this Cal team named Jordan Wilkes. If this kid can develop into a defender, a rebounder, and an option for a dump-off on penetration, then Cal is going to sneak up on a lot of people this year.

For Arizona State, it was business as usual. Play a zone defense, use a lot of clock on offense, and if everything breaks down, give the ball to James Harden with 10 seconds on the shot clock. Harden had 26 and 8 rebounds, while Jeff Pendergraph and Rihard Kuksiks both went for 16. But the Sun Devils only got 13 points out of the rest of their team. If these guys want to compete for the Pac 10 title, they are going to need the likes of Derek Glasser, Ty Abbott, and Eric Boateng to step up and be threats offensively.

Louisville 74, Kentucky 71: Edgar Sosa finally looked the Edgar Sosa we knew from his freshman year. Coming off of his two worst performances in college (he combined for 2 points, 1 assist, and 4 turnovers against UAB and UNLV), Sosa exploded for 18 points, including a 25 footer with 2.8 seconds left that gave Louisville the win.

The shot he hit was much more important to Louisville than simply winning a basketball game. Sosa is a talented player, he just seems to have lost his confidence. If he can turn back into the Edgar Sosa from his freshman season, he becomes the missing piece for this Louisville team. You think that shot is going to boost his confidence a little?

But there is more. Louisville-Kentucky is as fierce a rivalry as there is in college basketball. Louisville has been struggling all season long. On numerous different occasions it seemed as if they had locked up this win. Kentucky had come back from an eight point deficit in the first half, and took a 43-42 lead with 17:14 left. Louisville responded by going on a 15-2 run, opening up their biggest lead of the game. Kentucky started chipping away, but Louisville pushed the lead back to 11 with under nine minutes left. Kentucky came back again, cutting it to 66-64 with just under three minutes left, but Louisville knocked down five straight free throws to take a 71-64 lead with under a minute left (here is a video of the end of the game - I'm not going to embed it as it is about 10 minutes long).

That is when it all started to fall apart. First, Louisville fouled Jodie Meeks as he was shooting a three (he hit all three). Then, after the ball was kicked out of bounds, Earl Clark had his inbounds pass tipped by Patrick Patterson, who found Meeks for a lay-up. Clark then threw away the next inbounds pass, Meeks picked up the loose ball, and got fouled, tying up the game with the two free throws. If the Cardinals had lost this game after blowing a 12 point lead, an 11 point lead, and a 7 point lead with less than a minute left, I don't think their season could have recovered from it.

The rest of the action from Sunday:

• Duke 69, Virginia Tech 44: The Blue Devils were in charge of this one throughout as they jumped on the Hokies with an 11-0 run out of the gates. Tech got it down to four points at 39-35 with 17:00 left in the game, but Duke turned up its defense, outscoring the Hokies 30-9 the rest of the way. Kyle Singler led the Devils with 19, 8 boards, and 7 dimes and Gerald Henderson added 15 and 8 boards. Malcolm Delaney led the Hokies with 12. A side note about Duke: this Duke team as a reputation of being a bunch of softies that stand outside and jack up three's, but they are turning into one of the toughest defensive teams in the country. They aren't afraid to get out and defend 50-60 feet from the basket, and it makes it very difficult for their opponent's to get into an offense because they have to start it out so high.
  
• UCLA 83, Oregon 74: The Ducks were down 11 at halftime, but cut the lead to three multiple times in the second half. After a Tajuan Porter three made it 64-60 with just over six minutes left, UCLA went on an 8-0 capped by a Darren Collison three-point play with just under three minutes to go.The Bruins were on fire all night, finishing the game 13-22 from deep (8-10 in the first half). Collison led UCLA with 22 and 9 assists and Josh Shipp added 17, including four second half three's to help hold off Oregon. Porter led the Ducks with 24.
• Michigan 74, Illinois 64: In the battle of the resurgent programs (both teams set school-records for losses last season), the Wolverines put five guys in double figures, led by 16, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 3 steals from Manny Harris. Michigan did it with defense as they outscored the Illini by 11 in the second half and held them to 32% shooting after they shot 59% in the opening half. With the game tied at 62 and six minutes left on the clock, Michigan would hold Illinois to just one more basket as they finished the game on a 12-2 run. Demetri McCamey led Illinois with 11 and 10 dimes.
• Marquette 84, Cincinnati 50: Jerel McNeal had 26 points and knocked down seven three's as Marquette cruised.
• Siena 65, St. Peter's 52: The Saints may have struggled a bit during their national games, but they are still the class of the MAAC as they are now sitting atop the standings at 4-0.
• Portland State 92, Northern Arizona 91 4OT: Yup, this one went to four overtimes. Portland State was down by 16 at halftime and never led in regulation, but forced OT when Dominc Waters (who finished with 41) hit a lay-up in the lane to tie it at 57. Cameron Jones of NAU hit two free throws to send it to a second OT tied at 64. NAU's Zarko Comagic hit a three to send it to a third OT at 75 all, and Jones forced the fourth OT with a floater at the buzzer that made the score 84-84. Josh Wilson, who led NAU with 25, hit a three with 13 seconds left to give the Lumberjacks a 91-90 lead, but Waters was fouled and hit both free throws at the other end for the win.
• Oregon State 62, USC 58 OT: The Beavers got their first Pac 10 win since Feb. 22nd of 2007 (yes, they went 0-18 last year) as they knocked off USC in Corvallis. Sound familiar? Roeland Schaftenaar, who finished the game with 18 points, 7 boards, and 6 assists, hit a three to force overtime after the Beavers were down by 15 in the second half. The Trojans were led by 15 from Taj Gibson.
• Stanford 76, Arizona 60: The Cardinal got 19 and 12 from Landry Fields as they bounced back from the whooping they got from Arizona State on Friday. Chase Budinger once again struggled, going 4-11 for just 12 points. In his last four games, he is averaging just 10.5 ppg while shooting 12-50 from the floor (24%).