1/16 - Blogging away your Saturday

We did this quite a bit last season, and given the multitude of great games on during the day today, we figured now was as good a time as any to bring it back.

So come by, leave a comment, tell a friend, and lets all enjoy some Saturday hoops.

Today's games:

• 11:00 am: Dayton @ Xavier
• 12:00 pm: Clemson @ NC State
• 12:00 pm: Louisville @ Pitt
• 12:00 pm: Syracuse @ West Virginia
  
• 1:00 pm: Missouri @ Oklahoma
• 1:30 pm: Ole Miss @ Tennessee
• 1:45 pm: Texas Tech @ Kansas
• 2:00 pm: Georgia Tech @ UNC
• 2:00 pm: UMass @ Temple
• 2:30 pm: Cal @ Washington
• 3:00 pm: Georgia @ Mississippi State
• 3:30 pm: Illinois @ Michigan State
• 3:30 pm: New Mexico @ Wyoming
• 4:00 pm: Kentucky @ Auburn
• 4:00 pm: Kansas State @ Colorado
• 4:00 pm: Maryland @ Boston College
• 4:00 pm: Oklahoma State @ Baylor
• 4:00 pm: Notre Dame @ Cincinnati
• 4:30 pm: Arizona @ Oregon
• 5:30 pm: Purdue @ Northwestern
• 6:00 pm: Virginia Tech @ Florida State
• 6:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Texas
• 6:00 pm: Colorado State @ BYU
• 8:00 pm: Wisconsin @ Ohio State
• 8:00 pm: Miami FL @ Virginia
• 8:05 pm: Indiana State @ Northern Iowa
• 9:00 pm: Gonzaga @ San Diego
• 10:00 pm: TCU @ SDSU
• 10:00 pm: Utah @ UNLV
• 10:30 pm: Portland @ St. Mary's
  

Hit the jump to follow along:

12:10 pm: Exciting first half out in Cincinnati as Xavier headed into halftime down three to Dayton. Chris Wright and Jordan Crawford are both in foul trouble, but Dayton has been much more physical and quicker to loose balls than the Muskies. But X is getting to the foul line (18-19) and got a big half from Dante Jackson (11 pts) to stay in it.

12:20 pm: Gary Parrish is reporting that Bruce Pearl will reinstate Cam Tatum and Melvin Goins on Sunday, and they could be eligible to play Tuesday against Alabama. Both players passed drug tests after the arrests. Brian Williams will remain suspended.

12:24 pm: Calling the Syracuse West Virginia game ugly doesn't do it justice. Cuse has 7 turnovers in 11 minutes, and West Virginia is shooting 5-20 from the floor. No flow in this game, which is going to be an advantage for the Mountaineers.

12:31 pm: This kid Fabrizius can really shoot it. I've watched maybe 4-5 Dayton games and in each one he's knocked down a number of big shots.

12:37 pm: Dante Jackson just knocked down his fifth three of the game. He has a career-high 19 points, as Xavier has taken a 55-51 lead. But the Muskies really need to start rebounding better.

12:45 pm: Ashton Gibbs is such a smooth player. But Pitt is going to need to slow down Samardo Samuels. He has 10 points (on 9 shots, as the Cards are looking to get the ball into him much more) at the under four timeout. Pitt and Ville are tied at 25.

12:50 pm: Truck Bryant with a big three at the end of the first half to cut the lead to 26-25. WVU has been sloppy in the first half, shooting under 30% from the field. But they have gotten 9 offensive rebounds and have forced Syracuse to turn the ball over 12 times, which has made up for the fact that the Orange are shooting over 60% from the floor.

12:53 pm: Xavier is now up 67-61 with 5:00 left in the game, but the Muskies have missed back-to-back layups off of turnovers that could have all but put this game away. Jordan Crawford has hit a couple key shots down the stretch.

12:55 pm: Clemson looks like they may be for real, as they went into Raleigh and put it on the Wolfpack in the first half. Trevor Booker has 13 points, and the Tigers are leading NC State 43-24.

1:08 pm: That's ironic - one of the officials in this Xavier-Dayton game, which has been bogged down by clock issues in the last four minutes also worked the Xavier-Butler game.

1:11 pm: This win is much more important for Xavier than the loss is detrimental to the Flyers. ... Terrible decision to foul Holloway right there. There's 1:52 left in the game, you're only down six, and you foul someone that shoots 90% from the line?

1:13 pm: Of course, Holloway misses a free throw.

1:19 pm: At the under 16 timeout, West Virginia has gone on a 15-4 run spanning both halves and taking a 35-32 lead. The difference? They came out shooting much better early.

1:21 pm: A three form Kyle Kuric put the Cardinals up 43-37 with 14 minutes left against Pitt. If the Panthers, after the start they had to Big East play on the road, lose at home it will be one of the more shocking developments in the Big East this season.

1:23 pm: Jordan Crawford has struggled tonight, but he's hit three or four HUGE shots down the stretch as Xavier is going to beat Dayton at home.

1:28 pm: Wes Johnson is dealing with the flu right now, and its showing in his game. With just 13 minutes left, Wes has only attempted 5 shots, has 6 points and just 3 boards. Syracuse needs him to be a star, not just offensively, but on the defensive end as well. Steals, blocks, shots altered. When he is playing well on that end the Orange are so much better.

1:29 pm: Similar note: Andy Rautins is not a star. He's probably not going to make the NBA or any all-Big East teams. But there aren't that many two-guards I'd rather have on my team than Rautins. He's a dead-eye shooter. He is an excellent defender. He can pass. He's smart. And he hits big shots.

1:33 pm: Syracuse uses a 10-0 run to retake the lead at the the 11 minute mark, which is impressive considering that I would have a tough time telling you anyone on Syracuse that is playing well today.

1:40 pm: We're destined for two great ending in the Big East. 6:44 left in Pitt, and Ville is up 56-54. 9:02 left in Morgantown, and the Cuse are winning 46-44.

1:50 pm: Preston Knowles has been fantastic in the second half against Pitt. He is 4-6 from three and has 18 points. Perhaps more impressive is the job he has helped do defensively against Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs, who many believe is the most improved player in the country, has just 10 points on 3-9 shooting. Brad Wanamaker has only take three shots. So how is Pitt staying in this thing? Nasir Robinson, who has 22 and 9 boards.

1:52 pm: Great finish by Triche, and the foul! With the free throw, Syracuse would go up 60-51 with four minutes left. Triche also made a couple big plays earlier - the steal and layup that cut the lead to 42-41, the three that he hit to put the Cuse up 46-42. He started this game off horribly, but is playing great down the stretch.

2:00 pm: Samardo Samuels finishes a jump hook, and now as 23 points as the Cardinals have taken a 66-60 lead with under two minutes left.

2:07 pm: Clemson was up by as much as 20 on NC State, but with 1:20 left in the game the Wolfpack are down just 71-70.

2:10 pm: Brad Wanamaker hit a three with 1:16 left, and after an Edgar Sosa free throw put the Louisville lead back to 69-67. Ashton Gibbs had a three pointer blocked, and on the ensuing inbounds Wanamaker was fouled, and hit both free throws. Sosa hit the front of the rim on a prayer form 60 feet. Overtime.

2:16 pm: Huge three pointer from Gibbs puts Pitt up in the OT, and after Knowles misses a tough lay-up in the paint, Dixon hits a step-back to make it a five point game.

Early Game Wrap:

• Syracuse went into Morgantown and knocked off West Virginia 72-71. The Orange, and specifically Brandon Triche, overcame a number of early turnovers, and Triche made all the plays down the stretch as the Orange survived some shaky late free shooting to win. Triche had 16 points to help overcome the lack of production from Wes Johnson, who is dealing with the flu. The Orange improve to 4-1 in the league, while West Virginia's loss dropped the Mountainees to 4-2 in the league and likely means that they will not win the league.
• Pitt got 26 points and 10 boards out of Nasir Robinson, and five points in the final minute (including two free throws with 1.9 seconds left) from Brad Wanamaker to force overtime. In the extra period, Jermaine Dixon and Ashton Gibbs both hit jumpers as Pitt opened up a five point lead and hung on. With 16 seconds left and down three with a chance to tie the game, Louisville settled for an off-balance three from Jared Swopshire. The Panthers won 82-77.
  
• Jordan Crawford hit every big shot down the stretch, finishing with 14 points as Xavier hung on after a poor start in the first half to beat Dayton in an A-10 battle. Xavier desperatley needed this win after losing a number of games against big time opponents early in the season. Dante Jackson had a career-high 19 points.
• Clemson was up by 20 in the first half, but NC State as able to handle the Tiger's press in the second half, cutting the lead to one in the final minute. After two Clemson free throws, NC State had two decent looks at a three to tie it in the final 10 seconds, but missed both.

2:58 pm: UNC played terribly in the first half, getting blitzed by Ga Tech's pressure and looking unprepared for how athletic the Yellow Jackets are. But they woke up a bit down the stretch, and while Tech was still getting the breaks (DeAndre Bell dribbled a ball of his foot that turned into a perfect kick out for a three, for example), UNC was able to cut the lead to 42-28 as the half. So why were the UNC fans booing at the end of the half? Hopefully, it was at the refs, who missed a blatant elbow from Gani Lawal.

3:01 pm: Tennessee was down 15-4 early, but has come back against Ole Miss, getting to within two. But Chris Warren is on fire (as I write this he just buried his fourth three), and the Rebels are getting some points in transition. Tennessee is getting an excellent performance out of Wayne Chism, who has 12 points and 8 boards with 16 minutes left.

3:05 pm: Oklahoma got off to a slow start, but with under a minute left the Sooners have a 61-59 lead. Looking like a fantastic finish in Norman is in order.

3:05 pm: Warren airballs a three with 29.2 seconds left, but the ball caroms out of bounds off of Missouri, and Warren hits two free throws to make it four. Tiller answers with a layup. 63-61, 21.8 left.

3:11 pm: Tough call at the end for Mizzou. JT Tiller was called for a travel, but it was very close to being a foul as he was knocked over. Warren hit two free throws, and Mizzou missed two shots at the end.

3:13 pm: Georgia Tech is, well, the score is 48-29. The Yellow Jackets are quicker, tougher, and simply better in all aspects of this game right now. This one is a good ole fashion seal-clubbing.

3:19 pm: Haven't mentioned it yet because it is a whooping, but Kansas is wiping the floor with Texas Tech, up 20 in the second half. Marcus Morris has 16 points.

3:21 pm: Temple and Butler both are taking care of business with big, comfortable leads in the second half of league games.

3:25 pm: Back-to-back dunks on breakways by Tennessee cuts Ole Miss lead to 52-46. The Rebels need better possessions offensively; both dunks came off of turnovers.

3:30 pm: Regardless of who ends up winning this Ole Miss-Tennessee game, I've come away pretty impressed with both teams. Tennessee, as they have the last three games, is playing hard and with a ton of heart, but the combination of Chris Warren-Terrico White-Eniel Polynice might be the single-most underrated back court in the country. As I write this, a three from Wayne Chism cuts the lead to 54-49. 17 for Chism.

3:32 pm: UNC is making their run. At the 15 minute mark of the second half, they have cut the Tech lead down to 52-44. The biggest difference? Turnovers. They don't have any this half. But UNC will need to slow down Iman Shumpert, who already has 21 points and 5 assists.

3:33 pm: Tennessee hit three straight threes in an 13-2 run to take a 55-54 lead, their first of the game, with under five minutes left. Wayne Chism hit two threes and has 20 points.

3:36 pm: Great point by Len Elmore in the UNC game. He was talking about the difference between a pass from Larry Drew (a turnover thrown behind Henson) and one from Shumpert (a pass on the money for a dunk by Derrick Favors). People don't realize just how important the pass is when setting up a shot. Hit some cutting in stride, and they will have their steps lined up for a dunk. Hit a shooter in the shooting pocket with his feet set, and he shoots in rhythm with balance. Make him move, force him to reset his feet, and it is a much tougher shot. Good passers get the ball to the open man. Great passers hit the open man with an accurate pass.

3:47 pm: After an Ole Miss bucket ties, Chris Warren strips the ball from JP Prince and Ole Miss calls timeout with 12.4 seconds left. He misses a tough, contested three and we're headed to overtime. Back in Chapel Hill, UNC has cut the Tech lead down to four as the Heels have caught fire and gone on a 12-0 run.

3:53 pm: UNC was dow three with the ball, but a Drew turnover led to a Shumpert dunk. Great heart in the comeback to make this game interesting. Interested to see if they have the leadership to make it all the way back. 63-58, 6:24 left.

3:56 pm: Great defensive play by one of the Wears, forcing a stop to give UNC the ball back, down four. The Heels are still having problems with Tech's pressure, but now they are attacking the pressure, and it is giving them some open looks when they break it.

3:57 pm: Still tied out in Knoxville.

3:58 pm: Something I never thought I'd write: "Josh Bone with a three to give Tennessee the lead on OT."

3:59 pm: OOOHHHH!! Terrico White answers with a three and the foul. Completes the four point play to give the Rebels the 65-64 lead.

4:00 pm: And UNC has the lead!!! Will Graves, who has been sensational today, hits a three and the Heels are up 64-63. That's two huge threes made in the span of about 15 seconds.

4:04 pm: Chris Warren had two turnovers in the final minutes, and Tennessee hit their free throws in the win. But in a surprise, UNC has come all the way back against Georgia Tech, and we have a dogfight down the stretch as there have been six lead changes in the last five minutes of real time. Will Graves, after breaking up a 2-on-1, hit a 23 footer to give UNC the 69-67 lead. He has 22 in the second half.

4:13 pm: Larry Drew had a lay-up rim out, and Tech was able to run time off the clock. DeAndre Bell to the line, up 72-71 with 3.4 seconds left.

4:20 pm: Will Graves missed a tough three at the buzzer that would have won it.

4:47 pm: Opening the second half of play, Michigan State is up seven against Illinois, mainly on the strength of a late run sparked by their defense. The Spartan back court has not been great - combined, their four guards have 13 points.

Early Afternoon Games Wrap

• UNC was down by 20 early against Ga Tech, but came all the way back in the second half, in large part due to the play of Will Graves, who had 22 points in the second half and hit two threes that gave the Heels the lead. But the Yellow Jackets were too much down the stretch of a game as entertaining as any in the last five minutes. They forced Drew to miss a tough layup, then after a free throw Graves missed a desperation three.
  
• Chris Warren struggled down the stretch for Ole Miss, forcing a tough three with time on the clock in regulation, then turning the ball over twice in the final 30 seconds as the Rebels lost 71-69. Exciting overtime, however, as walk-on Josh Bone drilled a three to give the Vols the lead, but Terrico White answered with a four-point play before Wayne Chism, who went for 26 and 12, hit six free throws down the stretch for the win.
• Kansas was led by 20 points and 8 boards form Marcus Morris in an 89-63 waxing of Texas Tech.
• Washington moved ot 3-3 in the Pac-10 with a big 15 point win over Cal at home. Quincy Pondexter scored 25 points to lead the Huskies Patrick Christopher had 28 points.
  
• Matt Howard led Butler with 22 points in by far his best game of the season in a blow out win over Youngstown State.
• Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez combined for 44 points and 11-16 shooting from deep as Temple beat UMass.
• Marshon Powell scored 18 points, Rotnei Clarke 17, and Courtney Fortson added 10 assists as the Razorbacks picked up a big home win against Alabama. Arkansas is going to be a factor in the Big XII, and I bet they pick up some wins against tournament teams.
• Iowa beat Penn State, meaning the Nittany Lions are now the only winless team in the Big Ten.
• Keith Cothran scored 26 points to lead URI to a win over Fordham.
  

5:04 pm: Mississippi State has come from 13 down late to take a 72-69 lead late against Georgia. Varnado had a big block in the paint with Georgia down 70-69.

5:06 pm: Halftime scores: Maryland up 38-28 on BC, Notre Dame is beating Cinci 32-25, and New Mexico up just two at Wyoming with eight minutes left.

5:09 pm: Ware has a three go in-and-out at the buzzer, and the Bulldogs hold on to beat Georgia 72-69. Varnado had 14, 11, and 5 blocks.

5:21 pm: Notre Dame weathered a 12-3 run by Cinci to open the second half, retaking the lead as we head into the under 16 timeout. Deonta Vaughn knocked down a couple threes in the run. Cinci really needs him to be good if they actually want to make the tournament.

5:24 pm: When Maryland is getting production from the rest of their line-up, they are going to be tough to beat. Up 53-34 against BC, and Greivis Vasquez has 11 points and 8 assists.

5:33 pm: Notre Dame is winning on the road because of how well they have competed on the defensive glass. Cinci is one of the best rebounding teams in the country and severely outclasses ND in size, strength, and athleticism. Only 9 offensive boards for Cinci in 30 minutes. As I wrote this, the Bearcats retook the lead on a strong lefty jump hook by Yancy Gates.

5:35 pm: Baylor is holding on against Oklahoma State. A three by Anthony Jones opens up a 61-55 lead with 8:41 left. I know the Bears just lost at Colorado, but this Baylor club still looks like a tournament team to me. Size, length, athleticism, and a very good back court with LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter.

5:37 pm: One reason that Baylor may be so successful this season is their run through the NIT last season. And not necessarily because they learned how to win, or developed a killer instinct, but because it allowed them an extra month of practices with a purpose.

5:39 pm: And a Tweety Carter three opens up an 11 point lead for Baylor with six minutes left. We'll check back in with this game, but for now its time to shut this one off.

5:41 pm: Eventually, Kentucky is going to get burned if they continue to play to the level of their opponents. With nine minutes left, the Wildcats are up just 60-57 at Auburn. And a three ties it!!! Auburn was down 19 in the first half. I have a feeling that the 10 threes they have hit have played a big role in that comeback.

5:51 pm: Kentucky is pounding the ball inside right now, and has scored on three of their last four possessions, opening up a 66-62 lead. Biggest problem for UK right now is Wall and Bledsoe - Cal needs to convince them that wild, 1-on-2 drives to the rim are not their best option offensively right now.

5:53 pm: Notre Dame has reclaimed the lead against Cincinnati, locking up defensively. Tim Abromaitis, a 92% free throw shooter, and missed 3-4 in the last two minutes. 56-55 Notre Dame.

5:57 pm: Klay Thompson scored 17 first half points as Wazzu is up 20 at the half against Stanford.

5:58 pm: Luke Harangody misses a tough fadeaway three with a minute left down one. Not a good shot by the all-american. Cinci ball, 1:05 on the block, up 57-56.

5:59 pm: Wow, what a move by John Wall. Splits a double team, splits a player from each side coming to help, and hits an acrobatic up and under layup to put UK up 70-64 with 1:44 left.

6:00 pm: After a Cinci free throw, Tory Jackson misses a layup that would have tied the game, but it is knocked out by Cinci. 37 seconds left, 58-56 Cinci.

6:04 pm: After Ben Hansbrough hit a 12 foot pullup to tie the game with 22 seconds left, Yancy Gates tipped in his own miss with 2.4 seconds left for the win.

6:04 pm: After a missed Eric Bledsoe three, Patrick Patterson lost the rebounds out of bounds. Auburn has the ball, down three.

6:09 pm: Kentucky hangs on for an ugly win on the road. If I'm a Kentucky fan, I don't think I'm comfortable with the Wildcats playing this way. Eventually, playing to the level of their opponents is going to bite them in the ass. Still not convinced we've seen the Wildcats best for 40 minutes yet.

6:36 pm: Texas A&M up early on Texas as the Horns look stagnant offensively. FSU took a 15-5 lead early on Va Tech, but a couple of transition baskets brought the Hokies back. Purdue heads into the break down 26-25 against Northwestern. Robbie Hummel left at the under four timeout with a cut under his right eye.

6:45 pm: With a great roll off of a screen, Holmes finds Walkup for a dunk, and A&M takes an 11 point lead against Texas. The Horns have looked down right bad offensively in the first 15 minutes, and their defense hasn't been much better. They aren't pressuring the ball, and they aren't moving along the back line. Simply put - the Horns haven't come to play yet.

6:56 pm: Great first half performance by the Aggies. They head into the break up 36-27 and have been the tougher team in the paint, something you aren't going to hear too often this season. Not sure anyone on the floor is playing better than Nathan Walkup, who has 10 points and six boards, including a big three to answer one hit by Avery Bradley.

7:26 pm: Texas has come out much more aggressive in the second half, especially Damion James, who has scored the at six points for the Horns. Momentum seems to be swinging to Texas, who just cut the lead to five on a tip-in by J'Covan Brown. Out in Chicago, Northwestern and Purdue are locked in a nail-biter, as the Wildcats are currently sitting with a 54-53 lead.

7:33 pm: Damion James has officially taken over. He's gotten 12 in the last four minutes and Texas has cut the lead to 48-46.

7:39 pm: Northwestern has pulled away from Purdue, and it now looks like the Boilermakers are going to lose their third straight in the Big Ten. With 1:07 left, they are down 64-57.

7:53 pm: Malcolm Delaney and Dorenzo Hudson, have led the Hokies back, combining for 30 fo their 42 points. 46-42 with seven minutes left.

7:54 pm: Texas has finally tied this thing up, and after a turnover by Sloan, Texas has a chance to take their first lead of the game.

8:16 pm: Crazy finish to regulation in Texas. Gary Johnson steals the ball from Donald Sloan, but both Bradley and Wangmene missed layups before the buzzer sounded. James starts OT by giving Texas their first lead of the game.

8:40 pm: Brian Davis fouls out after receiving a technical for a little shove of Gary Johnson. Not a fan at all of the call. Fantastic finish in overtime. David Loubeau gave A&M the lead with a tip-dunk over Damion James, who responded by drilling a three to give the Horns the lead back. After Balbay hit 1-2 from the line, James blocked a potential game-tying three and the Horns hung on to win.

That's it for today. Thanks for following along!