Monday's Shootaround: Miami and Villanova win Tourney's, Purdue and Tennessee advance to Finals

Villanova 79, Ole Miss 67: Villanova knocked off Ole Miss to win the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic. A dogfight throughout, the Wildcats started to pull away midway through the second half. It was an issue of effort from the Rebels, it was an issue of execution. The best teams in the country run their sets, get good shots, and score against even the toughest defenses. Ole Miss struggled with that at times.

The biggest surprise of this young season may be Villanova's Antonio Pena. Pena notched his third triple double double (h/t Kosi) of the season last night, coming up with 17 points and 16 rebounds (6 offensive) while going 8-13 from the field. With Mouphtaou Yarou and Isaiah Armwood looking largely unreliable right now, Pena (who is averaging 12.2 ppg and 11.0 rpg) turning into a force on the block would be a huge development for the Wildcats. The difference in this game was Pena (and Taylor King, who had 11 boards) controlling the glass.

Villanova won the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic.
(photo credit: AP)

The Rebels are going to be good, however. Their back court of Chris Warren and Terrico White is as good as anyone in the south this side of Kentucky. As their bigs develop and this team continues to gel (remember, White and Murphy Holloway are sophomores, and Warren and Eniel Polynice missed last season with injuries), we may be talking about the best team in the SEC West.

One other note - Scottie Reynolds still looks a bit out of sync. He isn't making great decisions, he is over dribbling, and his jumper just isn't right quite yet. He did score 21 points last night, which should tell you how highly regarded this kid is.


Miami 85, South Carolina 70: South Carolina came out playing well, jumping to a 13-4 lead early on as Miami kept turning the ball over against the Gamecock pressure. But once guys like Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott starting attacking that pressure, it opened up quite a bit for the Gamecocks on the offensive end. Dwayne Collins was a monster in the paint, finishing with 17 points and 15 boards, while James Dews torched USC with open jumpers and easy lay-ups to the tune of 22 points on 8-11 shooting.

Miami looked like a team that could make some noise in the ACC if they can solve their turnover woes. Part of the issue is inexperience, but a bigger issue is the lack of a true point guard. Durand Scott and James Dews are both better off the ball, and Malcolm Grant is a score first point guard. That said, with those three in the back court, and a front line of Collins, DeQuan Jones, and Cyrus McGowan, the Canes have a nice group this year.

Hopefully, Dominique Archie's season isn't over.
(photo credit: The State)

For South Carolina, Devon Downey looked great, scoring 20 points, while Brandis Baley-Ross and Ramon Galloway combined for 26 points on 7-16 shooting from deep. But the news coming out of Charleston was that Dominique Archie landed awkwardly on a breakaway dunk, having to be helped off the court. He was later seen on the bench with crutches and a knee brace. I'm not exactly a knee expert, but I know when a knee injury looks bad, and this one looks bad. No word yet on the injury.


Kansas State 83, Dayton 75: Kansas State got 26 points from Jacob Pullen and 21 from Denis Clemente as the Wildcats knocked off the Flyers. The play of the two guards was so important for the Wildcats, as they did not get much in the way of offense from the rest of their line-up.

The biggest issue for Dayton was their inability to slow down Pullen and Clemente. Dayton is not a great offensive team, and when they are playing someone who can compete on the glass with them, the key to their team becomes defense - can they hold the team to a low enough score to win. As Kansas State constantly got into the paint, drawing fouls and hitting free throws, they were able to take down Dayton.

A perfect example. After being down 15 points midway through the second half, Dayton cut the lead to 58-54 on a big Chris Wright tip-dunk. At the other end, however, a defensive breakdown in the Dayton zone left Pullen wide open for a three from the corner to answer. Chris Johnson responded with a three at the other end to keep it at four, but Kansas State scored on their next four possessions, going on a 8-2 run. While Dayton made a few more surges, they wasted away their most promising threat.


Purdue 85, St. Joe's 60: It took a while for the Boilermakers to wake up, but once they did, St. Joe's didn't know what hit them. Up 18-9 midway through the first half, Purdue would outscore St. Joe's 45-14 over the next 18 minutes of game time. That includes a 23-3 run in the opening eight minutes of the second half. The offense came from all over, but it was JaJuan Johnson who was the star tonight, as he posted 18 points and 10 boards in the win. Ryne Smith and MArk Wohlford combined for 26 points and 5-8 shooting from deep off the bench.


Tennessee 57, DePaul 53: I think the key to beating Tennessee is obvious - don't turn the ball over and give the Vols easy baskets, instead take your time offensively, get a good shot, and make sure you get back and set your defense. Tennessee has basically the same roster as last season, and while they are no doubt more mature and better players with an increased level of experience, they are still going to have the same problems as they did last year in the half court.

Tennessee was ahead for much of this game, opening up a 10 point lead early in the second half, but DePaul hung around as Tennessee was never able to put a run on them. Tyler Smith, who led the Vols with 14 points and 9 boards, hit two free throws with 13 seconds left for the win.


Other notable scores:

• Michigan State 90, Valpo 60: Chris Allen had 22 points, and Delvon Roe added 10 points and 17 boards as the Spartans helped Tom Izzo tie Jud Heathcoate's MSU win record.
• Georgia Tech 85, Boston U. 67: Georgia Tech got 22 points on 10-12 shooting from Zach Peacock as the Yellow Jackets blew this game open with a 16-1 run midway through the second half. Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors both had double-doubles, combining for 31 points and 24 boards.
• Louisville 90, Morgan State 81: The Cardinals got 23 points and 12 boards from Samardo Samuels as they pounded the ball inside against the smaller Bears. Louisville took just 12 threes (compared to 68 during their first two games) while holding Morgan State's Reggie Holmes to 9 points on 4-12 shooting in 16 minutes (averaging 25.3 ppg coming it).
• Penn State 59, Davidson 57: After Penn State lost to two mid-major programs, they finally put together a win against Davidson. Jeff Brooks had 12 to lead the Nittany Lions. Brendan McKillop missed a jumper in the final seconds that would have tied it.
  
• George Mason 69, Indiana 66: Cam Long scored 18 points, including the game-winning three with six seconds left. It may just be Indiana, but the win is still important for the CAA's conference RPI.
• La Salle 61, Tulane 59: Rodney Green hit four free throws down the stretch as the Explorers held off Tulane.
• Iowa State 96, Mississippi Valley State 55: Craig Brackins had 28 and 12 boards while Marqus Gilstrap added 21 in the win for the Cyclones.
• Missouri 100, Texas Pan-American 44: Kim English led the Tigers with 25 points in the rout.
• Creighton 80, Arkansas-Little Rock 65: P'Allen Stinnet led five Bluejays in double figures as Creighton used a 15-2 run to open the second half to win it.
• South Florida 74, UNC-Wilmington 66: Dominique Jones had 28 points to lead the Bulls, who used an 11-1 run to open up a 37-32 halftime lead. They never trailed after the break.
• Vermont 77, Rutgers 71: Vermont picks up a win over a Big East team in the Legends Classic as Evan Fields scores 19 points and Marqus Blakely added 17 points, 9 boards, five blocks, and four steals. Too bad Rutgers automatically makes the semi-finals of the Legends Classic.
• Austin Peay 69, Niagara 67: The Purple Eagles went cold after opening the game with seven threes in six minutes and building a 21-4 lead. Marcel Williams hit the game-winning jumper with 3.5 seconds left.
  
• Notre Dame 91, Liberty 72: Luke Harangody has 32 and 12 boards in the win.
• NC State 60, Auburn 58: Tracy Smith scored with 1.3 seconds left to give NC State and the ACC a nice win over an SEC school.