The Emery Board: Week 13

College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March. BYU's senior guard Jackson Emery, has made the bold prediction that his team, a Cougar squad that finished with a 27-4 record last season, will in fact go undefeated this season.

We have decided that, in honor of Emery's swagger, we will keep a watch on the BYU Cougar's schedule, see if they can walk-the-walk. We will also keep tabs on any other undefeated teams who try to make a run at the perfect season.

Week 11:
I must be the only one who actually took Jackson Emery seriously, because he's said only two things to the press this season, and has been wrong about both of them. I am still waiting to hear him reshuffle his predicition and proclaim that BYU will win the Mountain West Conference Tournament. But that actually is something they could accomplish, unlike his other two statements.

After suffering their second loss of the season, The Cougars bounced back with two victories, a seven point road win at Wyoming and a 14-point win against UNLV at home. Against Wyoming, Jimmer Fredette had an off night yet still managed to score 26 points, including a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. Against UNLV Fredette overcame more smacktalk from Tre'von Willis and finished with 29 points which made him the all-time leading scorer in Mountain West Conference history. The previous record was held by San Diego State's Brandon Heath with 2,189. For his efforts last week, Fredette received his 14th career MWC Player of the Week award, which is also a conference record. Of his 14 PoW awards, seven have come this season.

But this post isn't just about Fredette. This team continues to play well together and looks like a legitimate threat to make it to at least the Sweet-16 this season. Jackson Emery continues to be under-appreciated. he is a steady 3-point shooter and is the team leader in steals and assists. I've been really impressed lately with the play of big-man Brandon Davies. He only had four points against UNLV but was plagued with foul trouble much of the game. He has shown a nice ouch around the basket and provides the Cougars with a solid interior presence.

The Cougars take on Air Force on the road and cap off rivalry week against Utah. Neither of these games should be a real test for BYU, but they certainly don't want to overlook either team.

Next Game: 2/9 at Air Force
Next Possible Loss: 2/26 at San Diego State


Undefeated Teams

No. 1 Ohio State: 24-0 (11-0)
Last Win: 82-69 at No. 20 Minnesota
Next Game: 2/12 at No. 14 Wisconsin
Next Potential Loss: 2/12 at No. 14 Wisconsin

The Buckeyes are firing on all cylinders at the right moment because they begin their toughest stretch of conference play this week. They have to travel to the Kohl Center to take of Wisconsin, then play a collapsing Michigan State squad, then travel to Purdue, followed up with a home game against Illinois. It's entirely possible that tOSU beats all four of these teams, but it is in this stretch of games that they are most likely to suffer their first defeat.


Undefeated Conference Teams
Since only one team in the entire country has yet to lose a game, why not take a look at the small group of teams that have yet to lose a game against their conference foes? Plus it gives me something to track for the next couple of weeks.

Coastal Carolina: 22-2 (13-0 in Big South)
Next Game: 2/10 at Presbyterian (10-15,4-9)
Next Potential Loss: None

The Chanticleers have not lost since the Charleston Classic, when they were defeated by Georgetown 810-61. That was 20 games ago. It doesn't look like any team in the Big South will come close to Coastal Carolina. They already defeated the second best team, Liberty, twice, and went on the road for four straight games and won them all. Barring a shocking upset in the conference tournament, this team will be dancing.


Princeton: 16-4 (4-0 in Ivy League)
Next Game: 2/8 vs. Penn (9-9, 3-1)
Next Potential Loss: 2/8 vs. Penn (9-9, 3-1)

The Tigers we the pre-season favorites in the Ivy league, but up until this past week, it was Harvard that was looking like the Ivy league team most likely to make the NCAA tournament. Princeton defeated Harvard 65-61 on Friday to claim the top spot in the league. They followed that up with a 15-point win over Dartmouth. But Princeton now has to face Penn, who just lost their first conference game, to Harvard, in a 2OT thriller. If Princeton can defeat Penn, they will set themselves up well to pick up the automatic bid.


No. 21 Utah State: 22-2 (11-0 in Western Athletic Conference)
Next Game: 2/9 at Idaho (13-10, 6-5)
Next Potential Loss: 2/19 at No. 23 St. Mary's (BracketBusters)

Like Coastal Carolina, the Aggies have not lost since they played Georgetown some 17 games ago. They have rolled thru conference play and are 4.5 games in front of the second-place team. Utah State is home to the best home court advantages in the country and will not lose a conference game this season. They will travel to Moraga, CA to face St. Mary's in the marquee BracketBusters game.


The Bottom of the Barrel:

It would be rude of us to include the "have's" and but not the "have-not's". After all, planetary balance is very essential. For every team that hasn't lost a game, there has to be a team still fighting for their first win.



Centenary: 0-25 (0-13)
Next Game: 2/10 at Southern Utah (7-16, 3-9)
First Potential Win: 2/10 at Southern Utah (7-16, 3-9)

The Gentleman only have five more chances to claim their first victory of the year. Unfortunately they only stand a chance of doing so in one of these games. I just don't think they will get a win this season.

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The Emery Board: Week 12

College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March. BYU's senior guard Jackson Emery, has made the bold prediction that his team, a Cougar squad that finished with a 27-4 record last season, will in fact go undefeated this season.

We have decided that, in honor of Emery's swagger, we will keep a watch on the BYU Cougar's schedule, see if they can walk-the-walk. We will also keep tabs on any other undefeated teams who try to make a run at the perfect season.

Week 11:
You know, it's kinda funny. We've been so enamored with the recent explosion of JimmerJam2011 that we lost sight of what the Emery Board was all out: playfully ripping Jackson Emery. If you recall, after BYU's first loss of the season, a head-scratcher to UCLA in Anaheim, Emery clarified that although they had lost, he still thought they could go the rest of the season without losing another game.

Well, I guess Mr. Emery forgot to remind his teams of his statements following their emotional home victory against SDSU on Wednesday. Because going into The Pit for a conference match-up against a team desperate for a signature win is not an easy thing to do. The Cougars played well, but new Mexico played better. BYU got only 9 points from their bench, all from Charles Abouo, and while Jimmer did drop 32, he did so on 12-26 shooting.

As for Mr. Emery, he had a somewhat-cold week. In the last two games, he has shot a combined 3-for-15, including 2-for-12 from behind the arc, and recorded only a mere five assists.

Things don't get much easier for the Cougars from here on out. They travel to Wyoming on Wednesday then host UNLV on Saturday night. Yes Wyoming is only 1-6 in the conference but that one win came at home against the same New Mexico squad that just beat BYU.

Next Game: 2/2 at Wyoming
Next Possible Loss: 2/26 at San Diego State


Undefeated Teams

No. 1 Ohio State: 22-0 (9-0)
Last Win: 58-57 at Northwestern
Next Game: 2/3 vs. Michigan
Next Potential Loss: 2/6 at No.18 Minnesota

"There can be only ONE!". Well no not really, but there's only one undefeated team left in the country, and it's tOSU. The Buckeyes' other sensational freshman, Aaron Craft had a big week, scoring a combined 24-points on 9-for-17 shooting and dished out nine assists in Ohio State's two wins. This team is loaded with talent from top to bottom, has experience, size, great coaching, and well, pretty much everything a team needs to win six consecutive games in March. The Buckeyes have shown they can win close games on the road, and can win games in which the opponents force them to play a different style of basketball. And to think I just wrote an entire paragraph about tOSU and didn't even mention Jared Sullinger. That's how good the Buckeyes are.


Drop-Outs

No. 6 San Diego State: 21-1 (6-1)
First Loss: 59-71 at No.9 BYU

"They have been weighed, they have been measured, and they have been found wanting." Or you could just say they lost a hard-fought game on the road in one of the toughest arenas to play at in the entire country. But on the plus side, Kawhi Leonard was battling flu-like symptoms prior to the game and still had a large night. Circle Saturday the 26th on your calenders, because that's when the SDSU fans get to return the favor to BYU.


The Bottom of the Barrel:

It would be rude of us to include the "have's" and but not the "have-not's". After all, planetary balance is very essential. For every team that hasn't lost a game, there has to be a team still fighting for their first win.



Centenary: 0-23 (0-3)
Next Game: 2/3 vs. North Dakota State (10-11, 5-6)
First Potential Win: 2/10 at Southern Utah (6-15, 3-6)

Another week, and another couple of losses for the Gentlemen. They capped-off a four-game road trip by getting smacked by Summit League leaders Oakland 100-70, and finally get a chance to play in front of their home crowd, if they have one. With only seven games left, it's looking less and less likely that they will get that elusive-W.





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The Emery Board: Week 10

College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March. BYU's senior guard Jackson Emery, has made the bold prediction that his team, a Cougar squad that finished with a 27-4 record last season, will in fact go undefeated this season.

We have decided that, in honor of Emery's swagger, we will keep a watch on the BYU Cougar's schedule, see if they can walk-the-walk. We will also keep tabs on any other undefeated teams who try to make a run at the perfect season.


Week 10:
BYU had a relatively light week, with just one game since last Monday. However, in that game, a 104-79 throttling of rivals Utah, Jimmer Fredette went bananas. And when i mean bananas, I mean, like b-a-n-a-n-a-s, bananas. The dude dropped 32 points in the first half, including a half-court buzzer-beater.



At the half, Utah's entire team had scored just ten more points than Fredette. He scored 15 points in the second half for a grand total of 47-points. The Cougars have two games this week, home against TCU tonight, then a road game on Saturday at Colorado State. But almost everybody in the country has circled January 26th. That's the date when the undefeated, No. 5 Aztecs of SDSU travel to the Marriott Center to face the No. 9 Cougars in arguably the biggest game of the season west of the Mississippi River.

Next Game: 1/18 vs. TCU
Next Potential Loss: 1/26 vs. No. 6 SDSU

Other Undefeated Teams

No. 1 Ohio State: 18-0
Last Win: 69-66 vs. Penn State
Next Game: 1/19 vs. Iowa
Next Potential Loss: 1/22 at Illinois

The Buckeyes claim the top spot in the rankings due to Duke's loss at Florida State. Ohio State had a tough week, squeaking past two inferior opponents. They went on the road and beat Michigan by just four and followed it up with a three-point-win at home against Penn State. Jared Sullinger provided the game-winning basket against Penn State after scoring just 12-points in the Michigan game. They get Iowa at home before playing back-to-back games against ranked opponents (at #22 Illinois, vs. #13 Purdue).


No. 2 Kansas: 17-0
Last Win: 63-60 vs. Nebraska
Next Game: 1/17 at Baylor
Next Potential Loss: 1/17 at Baylor

Just like tOSU, Kansas had a difficult week in conference play but ultimately won both the games, a five-point win at Iowa State and a three-point win against a scrappy Nebraska squad. But the next two weeks may be the toughest stretch of games for the Jayhawks all season. They play at Baylor tonight, then host No. 11 Texas five days later, followed up by a trip to Colorado to face the current Big-12 leaders. They cap off January with "The Sunflower State Showdown" against No. 24 Kansas State. I'd be very shocked if Kansas is still undefeated when we enter February.


No. 5 Syracuse: 18-0
Last Win: 67-52 vs. Cincinnati
Next Game: 1/17 at Pittsburgh
Next Potential Loss: 1/17 at Pittsburgh

Jim Boeheim's bunch put together solid week of play, blowing out two teams (St. John's and Cincinnati) that were on hot-streaks. The Orange play their biggest game of the year tonight when they travel to Pittsburgh in the marquee game of the Big East season thus far. Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine have been playing great, but the Orange have back-to-back games against elite Big East teams in Pitt and Villanova. I don't think Syracuse will be undefeated for much longer.

No. 7 San Diego State: 18-0
Last Win: 87-77 at New Mexico
Next Game: 1/19 vs. Air Force
Next Potential Loss: 1/26 at BYU

It was a big week for the Aztecs, as they knocked off two solid MWC opponents in UNLV and New Mexico. The win against new Mexcico was especially impressive considering it was on the road at The Pit. SDSU has two tough games coming up as they face a better-than-advertised Air Force team, then the MWC showdown of the year against No. 9 BYU. I think the Aztecs could end up being the last remaining unbeaten team.

Drop-Outs

No. 1 Duke: 16-1
First Loss:66-61 at Florida State

I had a hunch that Florida State's stout defense might give Duke fits, and that's exactly what happened. They Blue Devils got little-to-no productive from their frontcourt and had trouble hitting their shots. But don;t write off the Dukies just yet. When they play well, I think they are the best team in the country.

The Bottom of the Barrel:

It would be rude of us to include the "have's" and but not the "have-not's". After all, planetary balance is very essential. For every team that hasn't lost a game, there has to be a team still fighting for their first win.



Centenary: 0-19
Next Game: 1/19 at Louisiana-Lafayette (3-14)
First Potential Win: 1/19 at Louisiana-Lafayette (3-14)

Poor poor Centenary. Last week there were four winless teams, and now, just one. It's very possible that the Gentlemen don;t win a single game this season, something that hasn't been done since N.J.I.T did it back in 2008.

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The B.I.A.H Not-Top-10 Rankings

Every week, writers, publications, media outlets and bloggers issue their Top-25 rankings for the week. A majority of the time, everybody has virtually same opinion of all the teams.

If you want to find this week's top-25 rankings, you've come to the wrong place. Here you will find our rankings for the 10 worst team performances in the NCAA. This list isn't just home to the winless mid-major bottom-feeders. No, here you will find the biggest underachievers, slumpers and teams in a funk, the worst weekly performers, and the teams that just plain suck. Now there will be teams on this list that are better than teams not on this list. But come on people, we are trying to be creative, just work with us.

The B.I.A.H Not-Top-10 Rankings

1. Georgetown Hoyas
Record: 12-5 (1-4)

They've lost four out of five, and the one win was an underwhelming 11-point win at home against DePaul. The Hoyas aren't rebounding, aren't playing aggressive defense, and aren't making good decisions. They are forcing turnovers, missing foul shots, not executing on offense and seem to lack desire and leadership. They still have 13 more Big East games left, so they have time to correct the problems, or they could continue to implode.


Our very-own Rob Dauster made an excellent point about the leadership on this team. When the current seniors were freshman, they won the Big East before getting bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament. During their sophomore seasons, they started 10-1 before staging an epic implosion which included Chris Wright punching Jessie Sapp in the face in a locker room confrontation after a loss at Duke. Last season, their junior year, they rallied to make the Big East tournament finals before losing to the Ohio Bearcats in the first round. How are the seniors supposed to lead if they have never been exposed to leadership before?


2. Memphis Tigers
Record: 12-4 (1-1)

Losers of three out of their last six, the Tigers seem to be falling apart at the seams. They suffered their first "bad loss" to SMU on Wednesday, but they haven't had a "good win" since early December. Young Josh Pastner has his hands full trying to coach up a young team and keep his kids in line. He has already dismissed Jelan Kendrick, had Angel Garcia leave to pursue a pro career, and just recently suspended Welsey Witherspoon indefinitely.


3. Kansas State Wildcats
Record: 12-5 (0-2)

The preseason favorites to win the Big-12 are currently 0-2 in conference play. Has Frank Martin lost his team? It certainly looks that way.


Jacob Pullen, the lovable scamp who took the country by storm last season with his inspired play and manly beard, has turned into a stubborn zealot. He's committed NCAA violations, called out fake K-State fans, and even said that if they make the N.I.T., he won't be playing. He may be having the most disappointing season of anybody in the country.


4. St. Louis
Record: 5-11 (0-3)

You really hate to see a team like St. Louis struggle this much, especially given the circumstances. Their head coach is out for three games with a leg infection due to a cut he sustained during a sideline collision last week. On top of that, the Billikens are on a six-game losing streak and haven't seen a W since before Christmas. From a statistics standpoint, they are just as bad. they rank 337th in rebounding and 317th in total points, plus their leading scorer averages less than 10-ppg.


5. The SEC West

I can't figure out the SEC at all. The East is anybodies to win, and nobody should be allowed to win the West. Think about it, Alabama and LSU are both tied for the lead in the West with 2-0 records. The same Alabama team that has lost to Providence, Seton Hall, Iowa and St. Peter's. LSU might even be worse. They have losses to Nicholls State, Coastal Carolina, Rice, Virginia, Memphis, and a 20-point blunder against North Texas. Yet somehow both these teams are 2-0. Arkansas and Mississippi State sit at 1-1, and we all are aware of MSU's problems. Ole Miss is 0-2, along with Auburn, arguably one of the worst BCS-conference teams in the country. It really is the Wild wild SEC West.


6. Indiana
Record: 9-8 (0-4)

They started off on a six-game winning streak. Then came a 3-2 stretch of play. But that was followed up by a current seven-game losing streak, including losses to a underwhelming Northern Iowa squad and Penn State. Indiana's last win against a remotely-credible opponent was way back in November, and that was against 8-8 Evansville. There's no doubt that Tom Crean can recruit, but he's certainly having some trouble coaching up his guys. Oh yeah, plus there was this little doozy:




7. Oregon
Record: 8-9 (1-4)

I am writing off their win against USC last night because it was the first game in their new arena, so the atmosphere was in their favor. but I mean, did you look at their new arena? It's ugly. It's hideous. it's down-right awful. It's so bad that even Oregon's uniforms for the National Championship were easier on the eyes than the new Matt Court.


The six-point win over USC was their first victory in seven games, and their first win since before Christmas. Oregon is bad, and so are their new digs. I mean, do you see a midcourt line? Neither do I.


8. Providence
Record: 11-7 (0-5)

There was so much promise for this Friars team heading into Big East play. They were 11-2, determined who their key players and role players were, and even looked not-that-bad in their two suspect losses. They even played well in their first conference game against Syracuse (a 81-74 road loss). But since then, they've lost four more, including a 13-nlowout at the hands of Rutgers and a 30-point drubbing by West Virginia. The Friars know how to score the basketball, but their defense is down-right awful. They are giving up an average of roughly 71-ppg.


9. Seton Hall
Record: 8-9 (2-3)

They've lost five of their last seven, and despite getting Jeremy Hazell back and beating DePaul by 11, Seton Hall is not the team some predicted to earn an at-large bid to the Big Dance. Get this, against Syracuse the Pirates shot 11% from behind the arc. Jordan Theodore and Fuquan Edwin combined for 1-15 from long distance. That's an ugly stat.


10. Centenary
Record: 0-17 (0-5)

Poor Centenary. With Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alcorn State and UNC-Greensboro all tallying their first W's of the season this week, the Gentlemen remain the only winless team in D-I hoops. The team is transitioning back to D-III so any scholarship players they had probably transferred. It is entirely possible that Centenary doesn't win a single game this season, becoming the first team to do so since New Jersey Tech did it in 2008.


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And then there was one...

Our Emery Board series is getting smaller seemingly by the day.

On Monday, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State joined the ranks of the, well, non-winless while Duke suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, it was UNC-Greensboro's turn.

The Spartans were 0-15 on the season and 0-5 in conference play heading into last night's game against Appalachian State, a team that has already knocked off Tulsa this year. They then proceeded to dig themselves a 41-28 hole at the half.

But the Spartans started out the second half with a 15-3 run as a Brian Cole three cut the App State lead to 44-43. With 8:13 left in the game, Brandon Evans scored on a lay in to give the Spartan's their first lead since five minutes into the game. UNCG was able to push that lead to five points with 3:23 left.

In fact, the Mountaineers got close enough that Omar Carter's missed layup with eight seconds left in the game would have given them the lead.

But Carter missed and the Spartans hung on to win.

It was their first win of the season.

It also leaves Centenary as the only school in D-I hoops left without a win, and I feel bad even making light of it. Centenary is going to D-III next season. Their roster is currently made up with a lot of players that were brought in to play at the D-III level, not D-I. I would not be surprised if they did not win a game all season.

I'll tell you this -- I'll be rooting for them. I bleed Centenary Gentlemen Maroon and White.
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