Sunday Roundup

First things first - let's talk about the big game of the day. At 8:00 tonight, UNC will be heading to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. Wake is playing as well as anyone in the country right now, coming into this game with a 13-0 record (one of just three unbeatens left). UNC, on the other hand, is fresh off of a loss to BC in their ACC opener.

It has been a while since Wake was relevant on a national level, and clearly the schedule makers did not exactly expect the Deacs to be this good this soon. Not only is the game being played very early in the season (this is actually Wake's ACC opener), it is on a Sunday night after playoff football and it is being aired on Comcast and Fox Sports. Don't expect Dickie V to be on the sidelines for this one.

That said, we are going to learn a lot from this game. Everyone knows about Duke, and everyone knows about UNC. As is true just about every season, they are the two favorites for the ACC crown. But both Wake and fellow unbeaten Clemson have emerged as dark horses in the league, although both teams still have a lot to prove to the nation (Clemson and Wake are undefeated, but ranked behind Duke and UNC, who both have one loss). Of the two, Wake has been a little more impressive, with wins over Baylor and at BYU (which is a much better win than you think - BYU had won 53 straight at home prior to Wake Forest, and they pack 22,000 screaming mormons into their home gym).

I love this Wake Forest team. There is an argument to be made for Jeff Teague as the best guard in america. James Johnson is one of the most underrated players in the country. Their front line is loaded, with a seemingly never ending string of big, athletic players. LD Williams is one of the best defenders in the ACC.

But I am just not sold on Wake as a top five team yet. I hate to be stereotypical and drop cliches, but the Demon Deacons don't have "it". I don't even know how to define "it". I'll put it like this: I'm not yet convinced that Wake can win a big game. They have a ton of talent, they are balanced, they are well coached, they have good guard play and great size. On paper, they have it all. But there is a mindset of teams that are championship caliber teams. They go into games and you expect them to win. If they are down, you expect them to make a come back. If they are up, you expect them to make a run to put it away.

The best example I can give you is the Yankees and the Red Sox. Prior to 2004, when you watched a Yankees-Red Sox game and the Sox got the lead, everyone (even Red Sox fans) would be thinking "how are they going to blow this one?". You just knew that the Yankees were going to make a come back, and you expected it to happen.

The Yankees had "it". The Red Sox didn't. I'm not saying that Wake doesn't have what it takes to knock off UNC, I'm just saying I have yet to see it from them. But like the Sox did in 2004, Wake has a chance to prove me wrong by picking up a win tonight.

So what does Wake need to do to knock off the Heels? Besides the obvious - shoot well and slow the Heels break, well, that's actually what they need to do. Wake likes to get out and run the floor as well, but they need to keep this game from turning into a track meet. No one in the country, maybe no team ever, could keep up with this Tar Heels squad.

So the question of the day is how does Wake play their style without allowing the game to turn into a track meet? For one thing, they only run when it is to their advantage. For example, if Teague grabs a long rebound and has a 2-on-1 break, then run. But if Carolina has three guys back on defense Wake has no numbers, than they need to pull the ball out and run their offense. UNC does a lot of things well, but they are not great in the half court, especially on defense.

Wake also needs to limit the numbers of chances UNC has to run. That is what BC did. The best chance you have for a fast break is off of a live-play turnover (i.e. jump a passing lane, rip a cross over, not a travel or three second call) or a defensive rebound. BC only turned the ball over 10 times (and just five of those were steals) and shot very well from the floor. Wake will need to do the same.

But UNC-Wake isn't the only good game on tomorrow:

• 1:30 PM: Wisconsin (12-3, 3-0) @ Purdue (11-4, 0-2): Purdue is just not the team everyone expected them to be right now. They are battling injuries (Robbie Hummel and Chris Kramer both missed the Penn State game) and struggling to score. Wisconsin is doing what they always do - slide under the radar during non-conference play, then come in and dominate the Big Ten. Purdue really needs this win. The conference is much better than people expected (I'd say they are right up there with the ACC in terms of the second best in the country), and the Boilermakers might not be able to recover is they start out in a 0-3 hole. This game is going to end up being as stereotypical a Big Ten game as there is - slow, grind it out pace with two very good defensive teams. If Hummel and Kramer play, I think Purdue gets it done at home.
• 3:30 PM: Penn State (13-3, 2-1) @ Minnesota (14-1, 2-1): Some of the questions about whether or not the Nittany Lions were for real were answered when the beat Purdue (albeit an undermanned Purdue squad) their last time out. But the Gophers are really good this year, especially on the defensive end. They play three different defenses, and play them all very well. When a team can throw multiple looks at you defensively, you are going to need a really good leader and floor general at the point. Talor Battle is a heckuva player, but he is not a true PG as much as a playmaker, if that makes sense.
• 10:30 PM: UCLA (12-2, 2-0) @ USC (10-4, 1-1): The Pac-10 is better than a lot of people think, and it doesn't look like USC is going to be one of the top teams. I don't see any way the Trojans end up being better than Arizona State or UCLA, and I would even rank them below Cal and Washington right now. It's not that they aren't talented or that they don't have many good players. In fact, they may be as good as ASU or UCLA on paper with guys like Taj Gibson, Dwight Lewis, Demar Derozan, Daniel Hackett, and Marcus Johnson. Yes, they have had to deal with some eligibility and injury issues this season, but their roster was pretty much intact (minus Leonard Washington - ankle sprain) when they blew a 15 point lead and lost to Oregon State. The biggest issue with USC right now is that they don't have a leader. Who on the Trojans roster would you have faith in to go get you a basket when you really need one? Dwight Lewis is mostly a jump shooter. Demar Derozan isn't ready. Daniel Hackett? Taj Gibson? I don't have too much faith in them yet. I'm sure Tim Floyd will have these guys playing better by the end of the season, but right now I just don't see this team making much noise in the Pac-10. Hopefully, a home game against rival UCLA gets the going.
  

The rest of today's games:

• 11:30 AM: Iowa (11-5, 1-2) @ Michigan (12-3, 2-1): I know that it was against Indiana and the Wolverines never should have been down that much, but they showed a lot of heart and toughness coming back from a 20 second half deficit. Iowa looks decent this year as they have come close to beating Ohio State and Minnesota.
• 12:00 PM: St. John's (10-4, 1-1) @ Pitt (14-0, 2-0)
• 1:00 PM: Xavier (12-2, 1-0) @ Fordham (2-11, 0-1)
• 1:30 PM: LSU (12-2) @ Alabama (10-4)
• 4:00 PM: Siena (11-5, 5-0) @ Manhattan (9-6, 3-2)
• 10:00 PM: St. Mary's (14-1, 1-0) @ San Francisco (8-8, 0-1)
  

Now let's get into what happened yesterday. I love Saturday's. There are a ton of games on for me to watch, but the problem is they best games always seem to overlap (that will happen when you need to get 135 games in over the course of 12 hours). Today, I made all the wrong decisions. For example, I watch Marquette-West Virginia and recorded Kansas-Michigan State, both blow outs by the end, instead of Louisville-Villanova, which was down to the wire. Seeing as the NFL playoffs were on, and I have a roomate that is a football fan, those games were on TV. Instead of TiVoing the Cal-Washington 3OT thriller, I TiVoed UConn beating Cinci in what was yet another underwhelming display by the Huskies. Great decision making on my part.

Anyway, let's get to Saturday's scores, starting with the Big East:

• Marquette 75, West Virginia 53: This game was actually much closer than the final score indicates as West Virginia led at the half and was down just three with eight minutes to go. Marquette out scored the Mountaineers 24-5 from that point on. I know I will probably be saying this a lot this year, but this game epitomized Big East basketball. Physical play. Battles in the paint. Bodies on the floor. No whistles. Big East basketball is a man's game, and never has that been more evident than this season.
  
  West Virginia came out in an interesting defense. I guess it was technically a match-up zone, but essentially what WVU did was to switch every single exchange. If Jerel McNeal got a screen set for him off the ball on the wing, they would switch. If Wesley Matthews happened to run by Dominic James, they would switch. It worked for a while, as Marquette was cold early on. Especially Jerel McNeal. Apparently, he is playing with an injured finger, and tonight he wore a sleeve on it (think AI's elbow sleeve, except for your finger). He had trouble shooting with it one, but started knocking down jumper after jumper once he took it off. McNeal finished with a typical night - 26 points, 7 boards, and 3 steals.
  
  Marquette does a really great job on the glass for a team with size issues inside. WVU is an excellent offensive rebounding team, with a bunch of long, athletic guys that attack the glass. The Mountaineers were outrebounded by the Golden Eages 34-32 and WVU only got 13 offensive rebounds. McNeal, Matthews, and Lazar Hayward really go after rebounds hard, which more than makes up for their relative lack of height.
• Louisville 61, Villanova 60: The Cardinals blew an 11 point second half lead, but still managed to hang on and win in Philly. I am not that impressed with either of these two teams. Edgar Sosa struggled again tonight, going for just 7 points on 3-9 shooting, which means that Louisville is still an incomplete team. Villanova just simply is not as good as people are giving them credit for. Top 20 in the country? What have they done to deserve that ranking?
  
  The last minute of this game proved that fact, as Louisville hung on because they were able to screw up less. You know about there are games where people say "they only won because they were able to have the ball last". Louisville won this game because Villanova had the ball last. Down by one with under a minute left, Antonio Pena got an offensive rebound and drew a foul. Pena only hit 1-2 for a tie. On the next possession, the Wildcats came out in a soft, trapping press, and Sosa decided to try and throw a tough 40 foot pass to the other side of the court that he airmailed and sent into the Louisville bench. Villanova's Dante Cunningham would eventually draw a foul, where he hit one of two free throws. Louisville got a running lay-up from Terrence Williams on their next possession to take a 61-60 lead, but Williams over ran a pass in the front court (as Louisville decided to press) and Villanova ended up with a 2-on-1 break. Pena was fouled again, but this time he missed both free throws. Earl Clark knocked the second one out of bounds, meaning that 'Nova had the ball under their own basket with 4.0 seconds left. They ran a pretty screen-the-screener play, and it ended up with Cunningham missing a contested, but very makeable, lay-up and Reggie Redding and Dwayne Anderson both missed tips as time expired.
  
  Not exactly the most well-played final minute. Williams finished with 10 points, 14 boards, 6 assists, and 2 steals while Clark added 16 and 11 boards. Cunningham led 'Nova with 21 and 5 boards while Pena had 14 and 8.
• UConn 81, Cinci 72: The Huskies overcame some early foul trouble and eventually held on to beat the Bearcats in Cincinnati. UConn, for the most part, was able to keep Cinci from getting easy buckets by not allowing offensive rebounds and by protecting the ball. UConn was a very efficient team offensively, shooting 58% from the floor, and racking up 18 assists (on 29 field goals) to just 10 turnovers. It was especially important on a night that UConn's defense looked far from menacing. They gave up a lot of open looks from deep (although, how often is Cinci going to shoot 7-15 from beyond the arc) and could never put Cinci away.
  
  UConn has not played a complete game yet. Yesterday, AJ Price finally broke out of his slump, going for 22 points (on 8-12 from the floor, 5-8 from three) and 5 assists. He also stepped up and hit two huge three's late in the first half that gave UConn the lead heading into the break. But yesterday, Hasheem Thabeet failed to show up. Granted, Cinci is a big team, but how can a 7'3" center that some people have on all-american lists end up with just 3 boards in 29 minutes? That cannot happen. It's one thing if he is holding a box out on a guy like DeJuan Blair, waiting for wings to swoop in and grab a board, but I don't think Thabeet ever boxes anyone out. One of his biggest problems right now is that he has a tendency to go to hard for a block. It happens a lot when he comes from help side, and he will miss the block, leaving his man wide open for a put back.
  
  The good news from this game for the Huskies is that they looked good against Cinci's zone defense, moving the ball around and getting it to Jeff Adrien at the high post. Adrien finished with 13 points, 12 boards, and 3 assists. Deonta Vaughn had 19 points and 6 assists for Cinci.
• Georgetown 82, Providence 75: The Friars were up for a good part of the first half, but struggled during the second half as the Hoyas defense really locked down. Georgetown went on a 15-0 run over six minutes, which turned a 44-40 deficit into a 55-44 lead. The most impressive part of the run was that they did it with three freshman and two sophomores on the floor - DaJuan Summers had picked up his fourth foul earlier in the second half. Greg Monroe had the kind of game that makes scout dream about this kid's potential. He finished with 13 points, 11 boards, 8 assists, and 5 steals.
• Syracuse 82, Rutgers 66: Paul Harris had 26 points on 11-13 shooting, while Jonny Flynn added 15 points, 10 in the second half when the Orange pulled away, which included this dunk:
  
  
  
  I think Flynn got away with a charge.
• Notre Dame 88, Seton Hall 79: Luke Harangody had 30 points and 16 boards, Kyle McAlarney hit four three's en route to 18 points, and Tory Jackson added 18, 7 boards, and 8 dimes as the Irish were able to hang on against the Pirates at home. Things could have been different if Notre Dame didn't shut down Jeremy Hazell, who finished just 3-12 with 12 points.
  
• South Florida 80, DePaul 58: Well, there is one less winless team in the Big East now.
  

Big Ten:

• Michigan State 75, Kansas 62: The Jayhawk youth showed against an aggressive, tough Michigan State team. Sherron Collins went for 25 and Cole Aldrich had 14, 11, and 3 blocks, but Kansas got basically nothing from the rest of their team. Kalin Lucas is turning into one of the best point guards in the country. He finished this one with 22 points while consistently pushing the ball up the floor. The Spartans broke this one open with a 31-7 surge during the last ten plus minutes of the first half.
  
• Illinois 76, Indiana 45: Trent Meachem led the Illini with 21 points on seven three's in a game that was never close.

SEC:

• Tennessee 86, Georgia 77: A pretty unimpressive win for Tennessee considering they just blew a big lead in their last game (against Gonzaga) and they are more than likely going to drop out of the top 25, leaving the SEC without a ranked team. You have to tip your cap to Tyler Smith, however. Smith hurt his knee late in the Gonzaga game (it looked really bad at the time), but returned to finish out that one. He had spent the two days prior to the Georgia game on crutches, but somehow managed to convince Bruce Pearl he was healthy enough to play. And he sure was, as Smith finished with 24 points and 11 boards. Tennessee needed every point as they trailed by as much as 10 in the second half.
  
• Mississippi State 70, Arkansas 56: Someone please explain this one to me. Arkansas knocks off Oklahoma and Texas at home, but then loses to Mississippi State by 14 at home not a week later? Arkansas was up 41-37 when the Rebels went on a 13-0 run, and never looked back. Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh, who both played so well versus Texas, never got it going. They combined to go 6-29 from the floor for nine points while shooting 0-12 from deep. You're not going to win many games getting that kind of performance from your starting backcourt.
  
• Kentucky 70, Vanderbilt 60: Vandy was playing without center AJ Ogilvy (foot sprain), but still managed to keep it relatively close as both Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson had off nights. Meeks finished with 21 points on just 5-16 shooting, while Patterson (was was dealing with foul problems all night) had just 11 points and one rebound. I'm not sure what it is with Patterson this year, maybe he is pouty because he isn't getting as many touches or as much press as he did as a frosh, but there are times when it someones seems like he just isn't trying. How else can you possibly explain a 6'9", all-conference center can go against a team like Vandy (playing without their star center) and get just a single rebound.
  
• Florida 78, Ole Miss 68: The Gators went up by 20 in the first half, and although the Rebels got it down to seven at one point, they never really threated. Nick Calathes led Florida with 19 points, 8 dimes, 7 boards, and 4 steals while Walter Hodge added 16 points.
• South Carolina 68, Auburn 56: Good teams win games even when their best players struggle (right, Arkansas?). Devan Downey scored just nine points on 4-14 shooting, but the Gamecocks got 27 points out of Zam (that's his name - Zam?) Frederick and blew the game open with a 21-4 run to open the second half.
  

ACC:

• Duke 66, Florida State 58: I don't think there is a team in the country that plays better, more aggressive half court defense than Duke. They get out and pressure the ball and they switch all screens and exchanges on the perimeter, which makes it so difficult to get into an offense. It forces you to play 1-on-1 basketball and take tough shots at the end of the shot clock, which isn't exactly ideal offense. Their defense was as impressive as it has been all season in the first half against Florida State, holding the Seminoles to just 14 points. Duke got it going early in the second half, and completed what eventually ended up being a 41-11 run and taking a 46-21 lead. Gerald Henderson was a huge part of that. The 6'4" swing man has the ability to do so much on a basketball court, the question always is whether or not he actually decides to play. He did yesterday, as he finished with 25 points on 9-14 shooting.
  
  It wasn't just that Henderson was making shots, its that he was making baskets that Duke really needed. FSU made a comeback in the second half. Their defense really started to pick up, and once they get hot from the field, they made a run. The lead was right around ten, and Henderson was isolated on three or four possessions and was able to get Duke a big basket each time that took some of the air out of the Seminole's sails. Asking him to play like he did tonight every game is a bit much, but if he is able to provide Duke with another legitimate scoring threat, especially one that is able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim, it makes Duke so much better.
• Clemson 63, NC State 51: The Tigers used a 24-10 run in the second half to break open a close game. Clemson's defense was too much for the NC State backcourt, as the Wolfpack turned the ball over 18 times. Offensively, the story of the game was Trevor Booker, who finished with 23 points, 6 boards, and 6 blocks.
• Miami FL 77, Boston College 71: Its official. It was a miracle that BC knocked off UNC. The Hurricanes got a balanced effort with five guys scoring in double figures as they "upset" the Eagles. The game was basically decided when Tyrese Rice got called for a charge on a very close play with BC down three points and less than a minute left.
• Maryland 68, Georgia Tech 61: The Terps came back from 10 down in the second half, thanks in large part to some turnover issues with the Yellow Jackets. Tech finished the game with 28 turnovers, which allowed Maryland, who shot 32% from the floor and was outrebounded by 10, to pull out the win.
• Virginia Tech 78, Virginia 75: The Hokies got 29 points from AD Vassallo and 24 from Malcolm Delaney as they built a 15 point second half lead. UVA got four three's in five minutes from Mustapha Farrakhan and cut it to a two point lead at one point, but Vassallo hit a jumper on the next possession to seal it.

Big XII:

• Oklahoma 61, Kansas State 53: The Sooners got 29 points and 15 boards from Blake Griffin as they pulled one out in a tough, conference road game. Oklahoma broke the game open when they switch to a 1-3-1 zone near the end of the first half. It forced seven straight turnovers, and the Sooners went on a 10-0 run.
• Texas 75, Iowa State 67: AJ Abrams continued to struggle with his shot (2-10, 8 points), but Damion James and Gary Johnson both chipped in with 19 and 17 points, respectively. The Cyclones got 20 and 13 from Craig Brackins.
• Baylor 73, Texas Tech 61: LaceDarius Dunn scored 20 points and hit five three's, but it was the 11 straight he scored midway through the second half that broke the game open. Kevin Rogers had 14 and 14 for the Bears.
• Nebraska 56, Missouri 51: The Huskers blew an 18 point lead, but they were able to hang on down the stretch. Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll both went scoreless in a first half that saw 12 Tigers turnovers. After tying the game at 51, the Huskers Sek Henry hit a lay-up with 1:12 left to give Nebraska the lead for good.
• Oklahoma State 72, Texas A&M 61: After nearly squandering a 16 point lead in the first half, the Cowboys used a 10-0 run to take a 17 point lead during the second half. Marshall Moses, a sophomore that rarely sees minutes, had 15 and 13 for OSU.
  

Pac-10:

• Arizona State 76, Oregon 58: James Harden had 19 and Derek Glasser added 15 and a career-high 11 assists as the Sun Devils knocked off the Ducks.
• Arizona 64, Oregon State 47: Oregon State had just cut the lad to 55-47 with over two minutes remaining, but head coach Craig Robinson picked up two tech's and got tossed, and Chase Budinger hit four straight free throws which all but iced the game. Budinger finished with 24, while Jordan Hill added 15 and 11.
• Washington State 55, Stanford 54: Taylor Rochestie hit a runner with 17 seconds left as Wazzu came back from 11 down against Stanford to pick up a win at home.
• Cal 88, Washington 85 3OT: The game of the night, which I didn't get to watch. Patrick Christopher had 27 and 11 boards, Jerome Randle had 23 before fouling out, and Theo Robertson had a three point play that put Cal ahead 86-85, which (if you can believe it) was their first lead since 1-0. Cal had to rally at the end of each overtime period. Man, I wish I had TiVoed this.
  

The rest of the night's action:

• VCU 68, Hofstra 60
• UMass 75, Dayton 62
• VMI 103, Coastal Carolina 102
• Butler 54, Detroit 50: Matt Howard scored 11 of his 15 in the second half and grabbed a huge rebound with about a second left (hitting two free throws to ice it) as Butler hung on against hufe underdog Detroit.
• George Mason 61, Old Dominion 53
• St. Joe's 92, Rhode Island 86: Ahmad Nivins had 28 and 20 for St. Joe's as they were able to hang on after blowing a 17 point halftime lead.
• BYU 86, Colorado State 60
• San Diego State 72, Utah 63
• Memphis 73, UCF 66
• TCU 80, UNLV 73
• Indiana State 75, Illinois State 70 OT: So much for Illinois State being for real. The Sycamores are now 4-12 on the year.
• Davidson 84, Citadel 69
• Houston 75, UAB 56
• Gonzaga 67, Portland 50
• Creighton 73, Bradley 64: Bradley's first loss in the MVC.
• Utah State 77, New Mexico State 67