We aren't strangers to college hoopers trying their luck with hip-hop around these parts.
Tennessee Swiperboy, aka Renaldo Wooldridge, is a favorite at BIAH HQ. Myck Kabongo has an "album" coming out this spring. Jimmer Fredette's brother was afraid to use his last name to try and launch his rap career, although this performance at Dyckman Park wasn't well-recepted. And of course, who can forget, Lil' Romeo.
We have a new group to add to that list: Charlotte duo DG, aka Derrio Green, and @mamba_00, aka Javarris Barnett:
That cypher is from Charlotte's Midnight Madness. And, frankly, its not horrific. I actually thought there were some solid lines in there, and I legitimately laughed out loud when Barnett said "let me take off the sunglasses" and flipped his glasses up. Green clearly needs to work on his flow while Barnett is not exactly a wordsmith -- and his ad-libs are pretty annoying -- but I liked it.
"Niners final record. Thir-tee-Oh."
Word. That ish kray. We outchea.
And if you're wondering, the white guy "hosting" the cypher is Colby Lewis, the older brother of Tyler, a top 100 point guard in the Class of 2012 that's headed to NC State.
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Charlotte's 4.9 cypher is "last name Major" |
Monday, January 3, 2011
1/3 - College Hoops Week in Review: Happy New Year! |
This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
Game of the Week: Dayton 76, New Mexico 73 OT
In a game that featured far more than its share of big time dunks, New Mexico jumped out to an early 33-21 lead in Dayton. Dayton chipped away at the lead, eventually cutting it to six points heading into halftime on a three from Chris Johnson. New Mexico started the second half off ice cold, eventually tying the game for the first time since it was 0-0 on a thunderous tip dunk from Chris Wright.
After a bucket by the Lobos, Matt Kavanaugh gave Dayton their first lead with an and-one finish off of a pass from Juwan Staten. Dayton would eventually open a 64-58 lead with 3:54 left in regulation, but the Lobos scored six straight points -- the last four on back-to-back jumpers by Kendall Williams -- as they forced overtime.
Dayton took a three point lead late in the first OT, but after a free throw and a stop for the Lobos, Dairese Gary scored with 36 seconds left to force the second overtime. In the second extra frame, Paul Williams hit a three on the first possession. Two Chris Wright free throws extended the lead. New Mexico didn't score a field goal in the second overtime and went 2-6 from the foul line. With with three seconds left they were down 76-73 with Williams at the line. He missed the second intentionally and the ball came right back to him, but his game-tying three came up short.
Christian Laettner 2.0: This finish has to be mentioned. After Richmond choked down the stretch, missing seven of eight free throws in the final 2:58, they still found themselves up 61-60 on Bucknell with 1.7 seconds left. Bucknell had the ball under the Spider's basket. They needed a miracle, and they got one:
Player of the Week: E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
Its not necessarily a surprise that Purdue has gotten off to a 2-0 start to the Big Ten season. This is, in fact, a top 15 team that has two all-americans on the roster. What was a bit of a surprise, however, was the manner in which Purdue got off to their 2-0 start. On Tuesday, the Boilermakers went into Ann Arbor and obliterated the Wolverines, 80-57. And on New Year's Eve, when John Shurna and Northwestern came to town, Purdue looked terrific once again, winning 82-69 in a game that wasn't really in doubt for much of the second half.
Moore was the star for Purdue this week. Against Michigan, he had 21 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block while also helping to hold Darius Morris, the Wolverine's star that is averaging 15 points and 7 assists, to just 3-14 shooting. He was even better against Northwestern, hitting five threes in the first six minutes and finishing with 31 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and another block. Oh, and John Shurna, the leading scorer in the Big Ten, finished with just 11 points.
Moore wasn't alone this week -- JaJuan Johnson averaged 20.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg while Ryne Smith added 15.0 ppg. When the Boilermakers are getting that kind of production, they are going to be a tough team to beat. But Moore, however, was the star.
The All-they-were-good-too team:
Team of the Week: Oregon State Beavers
Its been an up-and-down season for Oregon State. Well, actually, that's not exactly correct. Coming into the Pac-10's first weekend, it had been mostly a down season for the Beavers. They were 5-6 on the season with five fairly embarrassing losses -- Texas Southern, Utah Valley State, and George Washington all beat OSU in Gill Coliseum while they lost to Colorado, Seattle, and Montana on the road. If it wasn't for the pathetic seasons being had by Wake Forest and Auburn, Oregon State likely would have been referred to as the worst major college team in the country.
It was moronic to think that the Beavers would have a chance to make any kind of noise in the Pac-10, but all of that changed on New Year's Eve's Eve, when the Beavers smacked Arizona State 80-58. Granted, the Sun Devils were playing without Trent Lockett, their leading scorer, but the score looks all the more legitimate after Sunday's 76-75 win over Arizona, a team many believed to be the second best in the Pac-10. More interesting, however, is the fact that Oregon State won without playing well. They shot 42.4% from the field and 2-15 from three. They were bailed out by the Wildcat's penchant for fouling (32 free throws for the Beavers) and inability to hit their own foul shots (13-24).
So one week into conference play, and Oregon State is sitting atop the conference at 2-0. The scarier thing is that in watching the Beavers play, this doesn't look like a fluke. Jared Cunningham is a terrific athlete and defender that is starting to come into his own offensively. Joe Burton is a solid post player that is active and has quick feet. Calvin Haynes and Omari Johnson are seniors playing for a trip to the NCAA Tournament. We all know the story of Roberto Nelson. I don't want to get ahead of myself because this team has, in fact, lost to Utah Valley State at home. But I wouldn't be that surprised if the Beavers hung around in the Pac-10 this season.
Teams that deserve a shout out:
St. John's: The Beavers weren't the only team that surprised some folks with a 2-0 start to conference play. The Johnnies, coming off of losses to Fordham and St. Bonaventure, looked like they were going to fade slowly into the back ground like so many St. John's team before them. But believe it or not, St. John's swept their Big East schedule this week, and more impressive still is the fact that won both games on the road. Against West Virginia, the Johnnies pounded away at the Mountaineers inside while against Providence it was 21 point from Dwight Hardy and a clutch three ball by Paris Horne that won the game. Perhaps we will get a real feel for the Red Storm after tonight's game against Georgetown in Madison Square Garden.
Vanderbilt: After Kentucky's emphatic win over Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center, its tough to argue against the Wildcats being the favorite to win the SEC. Having said that, with Tennessee's struggles, it appears as if Vanderbilt may just be the second best team in the conference. This week, Vandy knocked off a solid Marquette team at home 77-76 on a layup from Andre Walker with 4.1 seconds left despite a 4-21 shooting performance from John Jenkins. On Sunday, they ran Davidson, a SoCon contender, out of the gym 80-52.
Charlotte: Since Shamari Spears was kicked off the team, the 49ers have been a different group. Namely, they have been winning games. Four in a row to be exact, starting with their 49-48 upset of then-No. 7 Tennessee and ending with Sunday's 86-83 2OT win over Georgia Tech. Charlotte is now 8-6 on the season and peaking just in time for conference play, which starts with a Wednesday trip to Richmond.
Dayton: I had all but written the Flyers off. That's what a 68-34 loss to Cincinnati and a loss to East Tennessee State will do to you. But after beating George Mason and New Mexico this week -- and winning at Seton Hall last week -- while trailing by double figures in all three games is impressive. Dayton is now 12-3 on the season and, like Charlotte, peaking at the right now.
Iowa State: Did anyone expect the Cyclones to be 12-2 heading into the New Year? I certainly didn't. And while Fred Hoiberg's group hasn't exactly played a murderer's row of opponents, they did go to Charlottesville and knock off UVa this week. The record needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but at the least this is a nice confidence booster for fans of the Cyclone program.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats still haven't played anyone of note, but they can now add a 2-0 start in the Big East to their 14-0 start to the season.
Portland: Would you believe me if I told you that Portland might have the best chance at earning at at-large bid out of the WCC? They have the best RPI in the league, none of their three losses are bad losses, they've won at Montana and at Denver while beating Boise State, Nevada, and Utah in their last three games. Ok, maybe I wouldn't even believe that, but keep an eye on the Pilots. On Saturday, they head to Gonzaga to open WCC play.
Matchups of the Week:
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Basketball is played 5-on-5. Apparently Bobby Lutz missed that memo |
Last night, Charlotte was playing for their tournament lives.
The 49ers looked to be close to a lock to the tournament a month ago, but after losing six of their last seven games to close the regular season, Charlotte was playing an absolute must-win game against UMass in the opening round of the A-10 tournament.
The same inconsistent Charlotte team showed up. The 49ers used a 14-5 run to open up a 51-47 lead and seemed to be on the brink of pulling away from the Minutemen. But Charlotte proceeded to go ice cold from the field, missing five straight shots and turning the ball over three times over a five minute stretch that saw UMass take a 54-51 lead on a Terrell Vinson jumper with 56 seconds left.
Ricky Harris scored 24 points as UMass knocked off Charlotte in the A-10's first round last night.
(photo credit: ESPN)
Bobby Lutz called a timeout, drew up a play, and sent his team on the court with a chance to tie up the game.
What happened next?
Charlotte got a technical foul. For having six players on the floor.
"You would think a guy with three undergraduate and two graduate degrees could count to five," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "It ultimately comes to me."
"That was big," Harris told reporters after the game. "Usually those kind of mental mistakes happen on us, but it was them this time."
Talk about a microcosm of your season. For a team that was so successful early on in the season -- the 49ers beat Louisville by 22 on the road, they beat Temple, they won at Richmond -- to end the year losing seven of eight and missing the tournament, it only seems fitting that their season would end this way.
Want to add insult to injury?
Ricky Harris knocked down both technical free throws. Two seconds after that, Gokhan Sirin hit a three that would have tied the game had no technical been called. Charlotte was never able to get a shot off with a chance to tie.
Talk about your all-time brain farts.
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Thursday, February 11, 2010
The team to watch in the A-10 isn't necessarily on the bubble |
There has been a lot of talk over the last few weeks about the Atlantic 10 conference and the possibility of six teams from the league making the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier, Richmond, Charlotte, Dayton, Rhode Island, and Temple all could be dancing come Selection Sunday. That said, they each have some work left to do (some more than others) to lock up a bid. While it is much more likely that four or five teams end up making the dance, its not out of the realm of possibility that things break right and all six get a bid. (By things breaking right, I mean teams like Louisville getting smoked by teams like St. John's.)
That list does not include one of the most important teams in the A-10 race.
There are seven teams within one game of first place in the loss column in the A-10. The six listed above, and St. Louis.
St. Louis is 16-8 overall and 6-3 in the A-10. But their most important record is their 12-1 mark at home, which includes wins over Richmond and Nebraska.
You see, the Billikens could end up being the team that decides the league championship, and maybe even determines some tournament destinies, almost by default. They play seven more games this season. Five of them come against the six teams sitting above them in the standings, with four of those games coming at home - Dayton, Rhode Island, Xavier, and Temple while traveling to play Dayton to close the season.
Could a win over URI or Dayton keep the Rams or the Flyers out of the tournament?
Another note on the A-10 - I know that Charlotte was blown out by Dayton last night. I also know that Richmond won at Rhode Island last night. But it is still way, way too early to claim that Richmond is a lock, or that Charlotte may have cost themselves a bid.
Richmond closes the season at Xavier, at home for Dayton, and at Charlotte over the span of seven days. Charlotte still has to play Xavier, at Rhode Island, and at home for Charlotte.
That's a lot of basketball to be played against some good competition.
You don't think Richmond could lose all three of those games, fall into sixth in the A-10, and lose in the first round of the conference tournament?
You don't think Charlotte could win five or six games down the stretch and win the A-10 regular season outright?
If the tournament were to start today, Richmond would be in, and Charlotte would be one of the last few teams to be decided upon.
Beyond that, there's not much you can say.
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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Atlantic 10 bubble breakdown |
The three best conferences outside the big six are as unpredictable as ever. Unpredictability in sports means excitement, and when you are dealing with conferences where 40% of the league has a real shot at winning the regular season title and/or earning a trip to the dance, you will rarely come across a more unpredictable situation.
Haven't had a chance to watch much A-10 hoops this season? Don't get the Mountain West's channel? Stopped caring about C-USA when Coach Cal left?
Don't worry. We're here to help you parse through it all. Be sure to check back in the next few days as we help you sort out the best leagues outside of the Big Six.
Mountain West bubble breakdown
ATLANTIC 10
Standings (strictly teams that are within reach of the bubble)
- 1. Xavier 15-6, 7-1
- 2. Temple 18-4, 6-1
- 3. Charlotte 16-5, 6-1
- 4. Rhode Island 17-3, 5-2
- 5. Richmond 16-6, 5-2
- 6. Dayton 15-6, 4-3
Despite the Owls loss to Charlotte last Wednesday, the Owls still seem to be the favorite to win this league, and its not necessarily because of their talent level. That's not to say that Temple isn't a talented team. Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez form an excellent 1-2 scoring punch on the perimeter. Fernandez is a better shooter and Brooks is more adept at driving to the basket and mixing it up in the paint, but in the end both are simply good, smart basketball players. Lavoy Allen is a quality big man that can rebound the ball. Luis Guzman is an experienced leader at the point.
Ryan Brooks has been Temple's leading scorer this season.(photo credit: ESPN)
But, like I said, Temple doesn't win because of their talent level. They win because they play defense. On the year, Fran Dunphy's crew has allowed just 56.9 ppg to their opponents, and only four teams have hung 70 points on their disciplined man-to-man defense - Western Michigan, Xavier, Charlotte, and Kansas. And if it wasn't for the "concussion-like symptoms" Juan Fernandez was experiencing and Lavoy Allen's foul trouble, the Owls may not have blown a ten point lead to Charlotte.
The biggest reason Temple is the favorite in the A-10? Their schedule. While the Owls will play five of their remaining nine games on the road, only one of those five roadies (Richmond) comes against a team in the top six of the A-10. Overall, they only play three more games against the top six of the league, and avoid Xavier and Charlotte. With that schedule and their ability to defend, Temple has the best shot of bringing home the league title, especially since they own the tie-breaker with Xavier
And if they lose: Xavier
The Musketeers probably are the next best team in the league. This was supposed to be a down year for the Muskies, as the likes of Derrick Brown, BJ Raymond, and CJ Anderson all moved on from X. Early in the season, Xavier looked like they were going to fulfill those expectations as they lost to Marquette, Baylor, Kansas State, Butler, and Wake Forest in the span of 11 games. But as the season has progressed, those losses began to not look so bad. All five teams are in the top 34 according to Kenpom, and with the exception of Marquette (51st), all are also in the top 25 of the RPI. Now consider that all five games were on the road or at the Old Spice Classic, and maybe the writing was on the wall for Xavier's start in league play.
Jordan Crawford could end up being A-10 player of the year.(photo credit: ESPN)
Clearly, the brightest star for Xavier has been Jordan Crawford, the A-10's leading scorer. Crawford has a penchant for gunning, but he has also shown the backbone to take, and make, some tough shots down the stretch. And while Crawford's back court mates -- Terrell Holloway, Mark Lyons, Brad Redord, Dante Jackson -- all play their role capably, perhaps the biggest reason for Xavier's potential success in the league are their biggest players. Jason Love has become an excellent center, providing a scoring threat in the post, grabbing rebounds, and blocking some shots. Alongside Love is the athletic Jamel McLean and 7 foot Kenny Frease, both of whom have developed quite nicely this season.
Xavier's biggest issue is their non-conference resume, as an overtime win over Cincinnati is their only notable accomplishment. But the Muskies are not done with their non-conference schedule, as they still have to travel to Florida.
Who's Dancing?: As has been the case in year's past, the biggest problem surrounding the A-10 getting four or five bids to the dance is that the top of their conference ends up beating up on one another. There are only so many games that can help boost a profile for these teams, and they can't all win them all ... because they are against each other. So while there are going to be five, maybe six, teams when it is all said and done that merit consideration, my bet is that three, maybe four, of those teams actually get in.
- Temple: 18-4, 6-1; RPI: 16; Kenpom: 32; SOS: 32; vs. RPI top-50: 4-3; vs. RPI top-100: 6-4; Best wins: Villanova, Siena, @ URI; Bad losses: none
Temple is all but a lock to get in. Their computer numbers are great, they have some good wins, they have no bad losses, and their schedule has been tough. The question is where they will get seeded. Temple plays three games against the other top six teams in the league. If they can go 8-1 or 7-2 down the stretch, winning the A-10, I think they have a shot at a top four seed. The A-10 is that strong. They might be able to move up another line if they can win the A-10 tournament as well. - Xavier: 15-6, 7-1; RPI: 21; Kenpom: 19; SOS: 10; vs. RPI top-50: 4-5; vs. RPI top-100: 5-6; Best wins: Cincinnati, Rhode Island; Bad losses: Marquette
Xavier is in the same boat as Temple. They should be all but a lock barring a collapse. This difference is that they don't have the non-conference resume that Temple as. Xavier didn't get a win against a Villanova. Xavier has a tough schedule the rest of the way, playing six of their final nine games on the road, including trips to Dayton, to Charlotte, and a non-conference game at Florida. X probably should win at least one of those three roads contests and clean up against the rest of their schedule if they want to feel safe. If Xavier can win the A-10 regular season, they are probably looking at around a five or six seed, which may get bumped up to a four seed if they can win the A-10 tournament as well. - Charlotte: 16-5, 6-1; RPI: 42; Kenpom: 79; SOS: 99; vs. RPI top-50: 3-5; vs. RPI top-100: 3-5; Best wins: Temple, @ Louisville, @ Richmond; Bad losses: By 42 to Duke, by 33 to Old Dominion, by 17 to Tennessee
Charlotte is in by far the worst shape of the three one-loss A-10 teams. They played eight games against teams with an RPI of 200 or worse (three against 300 or worse), and while they did play, and win, some games against good competition - beating Louisville on the road by 22 is impressive regardless of who was injured for the Cardinals - they also have to account for embarrassing losses to Duke and Old Dominion. Charlotte is probably in if the tournament started today, but they will want to win at least one, preferably two, of their four games against teams in the top six of the league (@ Dayton, Xavier, @ URI, Richmond). Of course, if they win the A-10, than they are going to be going to the dance. - Rhode Island: 17-3, 5-2; RPI: 12; Kenpom: 66; SOS: 45; vs. RPI top-50: 2-2; vs. RPI top-100: 6-3; Best wins: Oklahoma State, @ Dayton; Bad losses: @ VCU
Rhode Island definitely as the look of a team that belongs in the NCAA Tournament, and they have the computer profile as well. They have no losses outside of the top 100, and some of their wins have fallen out of the top 50 as teams like Northeastern, Boston College, and even VCU have lost a few games of late. Simply put, Rhody has done everything that they can with the schedule they had to earn themselves a bid to the dance, but they don't have much room for error. They have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way, getting Richmond and Charlotte at home and heading to Temple. If they can take care of business against the Spiders and the 49ers, and avoid tripping up against a team like La Salle, the Rams should be ok. - Richmond: 16-6, 5-2; RPI: 38; Kenpom: 68; SOS: 67; vs. RPI top-50: 2-2; vs. RPI top-100: 4-5; Best wins: Missouri, Old Dominion, Florida; Bad losses: @ St. Louis
Richmond is in an interesting spot. They scheduled tough, and picked up some good wins, in the non-conference, but they could end up being hurt as some of their losses (William & Mary, South Carolina, VCU) begin to look worse as those teams struggle. The Spiders have a couple good non-conference wins, but have lost to Charlotte at home already and dropped an ugly one to St. Louis. The good news for Richmond is that they play each of the other five teams in the top six of the league one more time before the season is done. Richmond is going to earn or lose their bid in their last three games - at Xavier, Dayton, at Charlotte. - Dayton: 15-6, 4-3; RPI: 40; Kenpom: 50; SOS: 40; vs. RPI top-50: 2-5; vs. RPI top-100: 2-5; Best wins: Georgia Tech, Old Dominion; Bad losses: @ St. Joe's
Hard to believe that the preseason favorite is currently sitting in sixth place. As of today, Dayton is probably out of the tournament. They don't have enough quality wins, they have that ugly loss to St. Joe's, and they simply haven't played enough top tier competition. The Flyers are really going to have to do some work over their final nine games. They get Xavier and Charlotte at home, but they must travel to Richmond and Temple. I have a feeling that, at the end of the season, Dayton is going to need a good performance in the A-10 tournament in order to earn themselves a trip to the dance.
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Monday, February 1, 2010
2/1 - College Hoops Week in Review: Devan Downey and Charlotte take home the honors |
What we learned this week
Big XII: Kansas knocked off Kansas State in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, giving them a two game lead in the Big XII standings and setting the Jayhawks apart as the clear favorite to win the conference's regular season title. What's unclear is how the Big XII is going to shake out behind them. Consensus seems to be that Texas is the second best team, but the Longhorns were beaten by both Baylor and Kansas State.
Baylor finally got a big win in beating Texas.(photo credit: Houston Chronicle)
Baylor has looked like they could possibly slide into that second spot, beating Texas on Saturday and dropping nail-biters to Kansas and Kansas State, but the Bears also have a loss to Colorado this season. After watching K-State beat Texas at home, Baylor on the road, and take the Jayhawks to overtime, an argument could be made for the Wildcats as the second best team, but they have lost games to OK State and Missouri as well.
Speaking of OK State and Mizzou, the Tigers drubbed the Cowboys despite 31 points from James Anderson while forcing 24 turnovers and hitting 17 threes. But the game was played in Columbia, MO, where the Tigers are as good as anyone in the country. Once they collect a more impressive road win than Texas Tech in the league, I think we can start to consider them a real contender. They probably won't get that chance until Feb. 13th at Baylor.
Big Ten: Michigan State knocked off Northwestern, improving to 9-0 in the Big Ten and taking a three game lead with just nine games left in league play. The loss drops Northwestern to 3-6 in the Big Ten, good for ninth place in the league. But keep in mind, only one of the Wildcat's six league losses has come to a team outside of the top five (at Minnesota), and they also have beaten Purdue and Illinois. In their last nine games, only one comes against a top five team (Wisconsin). Don't count the Wildcats out of the dance just yet.
It may be time to count out Minnesota, however. The Gophers were drubbed at Ohio State, dropping them to 4-5 in the league, and are currently playing without three guys expected to provide big minutes - Al Nolen, Royce White, and Trevor Mbakwe.
Like the Big XII, the excitement in the Big Ten is going to come from the race for second place, where there is currently a four-way tie at 6-3 between Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Illinois, who survived Indiana at home with a Demetri McCamey buzzer beater, has the toughest schedule down the stretch, as they get Ohio State and Wisconsin twice, have to go to Purdue, and get Michigan State at home. The Illini will have their work cut out for them if they want to get to second place, but the bright side is that it will give them plenty of opportunities to boost their tournament profile. Ohio State probably has the easiest road, as they only play Illinois twice, get Purdue at home, and head to East Lansing while also playing Penn State twice and Iowa once.
ACC: The ACC is a full-blown disaster right now. No team has fewer than two losses. UNC is 2-4 in league play. Duke, who sits atop the league at 5-2, just got drilled by Georgetown on Saturday, only two weeks after they were embarrassed by NC State on the road. The two teams in second place at Maryland and Virginia. Virginia smacked UNC in Chapel Hill on Sunday night while Maryland, who had been playing as well as any team on the east coast, committed 26 turnovers and gave up 20 offensive rebounds in a loss at Clemson.
Clemson may actually be a team that belongs in the conversation for the ACC title, but they have been playing without the services of Demontez Stitt, their starting point guard, and have suffered, losing three straight before rebounding to beat Maryland. The same could be said for Georgia Tech, who's frontline (Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, Zach Peacock) is as scary as any in the country. But that is contingent on the ability of Iman Shumpert to develop a modicum of consistency. Tech also needs to pick up a win on the road. Beating UNC in Chapel Hill isn't that impressive right now.
Could the answer be Wake or Florida State? The Seminoles went into BC and picked up a win on Saturday, something that Clemson wasn't able to do on Tuesday. Wake, on the other hand, was drilled by Duke and Georgia Tech on the road and lost to Miami in Miami. Like I said with Tech, beating UNC on the road isn't that impressive. Win a league game away from home, and you can become a contender.
Big East: West Virginia and Syracuse both picked up comeback wins on Saturday, as the Mountaineers beat Louisville and the Orange knocked off DePaul despite trailing by 18 points. The Cuse are still half a game back of Villanova in the Big East standings, but the Wildcats will have a treacherous month of February, as they travel to Pitt, Georgetown, Syracuse, and West Virginia this month.
Pitt has seemingly come back down to earth after a phenomenal start to the Big East season. On Sunday, they lost to South Florida on the road, the third time in four games they've lost. They Panthers have a tough couple of weeks, playing West Virginia twice before heading to Marquette and hosting Villanova, but they end with four games against the bottom of the league. Given what they have already done in conference, the Panthers should be able to earn a bid as long as they don't collapse down the stretch and beat the teams they are supposed to beat. That said, winning a game or two against Villanova and West Virginia could really help where the Panthers end up being seeded.
Dominique Jones has been unreal the last two weeks.(photo credit: WaPo)
Georgetown embarrassed Duke on Saturday, and as good as the looked, keep in mind that they made Syracuse look just as good in blowing a 14-0 lead on Monday night. The Hoyas aren't as good as they were on Saturday, but they sure aren't as bad as they were on Monday night.
Louisville, UConn, and Marquette are all in a bit of the same situation. None of the three has an impressive record, and none of the three has won many impressive games. That said, all three teams have a number of very close losses. Louisville has had the worst luck of late, blowing a 10 point lead before getting jobbed by the refs on Saturday, just a week after tough calls helped decide games against Seton Hall and Pitt. Marquette's win over UConn on Saturday was as important as any outcome over the weekend. Marquette has been the biggest hard luck loser of the year. Of their eight losses, five are by one or two points, and only one is by more than five, a nine point losses at Wisconsin. At some point, it has to be about confidence for this team, and beating UConn is a close game (especially after the Huskies came back from down 10, taking the lead on a late three) has to be a confidence booster.
One last Big East note - I've been saying all season watch out for South Florida and Dominique Jones. Over his last three games, Jones is averaging 37.0 ppg in three Bulls wins, including a 37 point performance in a win over Pitt. USF plays their next three on the road, starting with Georgetown on Wednesday, and I doubt anyone wants to play this team right now.
SEC: Kentucky reasserted their dominance on Saturday with a beat down of Vanderbilt, putting the Wildcats and the Commodores in a tie for first place in the SEC East. As much publicity as John Wall has gotten all season, the best player for the Wildcats right now is DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is unstoppable in the paint, and as long as UK is able to get him touches early and often, the Wildcats are going to win a lot of games.
Vanderbilt shouldn't hang their heads, however. This is a good basketball team that had just knocked off Tennessee in Knoxville (they are the only team all season to have to travel to Knoxville and Lexington back to back) and ran into Kentucky at the worst possible time.
Tennessee bounced back in a big way with a nice win over Florida at home. The Vols had lost two straight, and needed to pick up this win in order to stay within a game of first place in the league. Scotty Hopson is developing into one heckuva player for Bruce Pearl. Florida, on the other hand, looked very good again. Prior to this game, they had won four straight. Keep in mind during the tournament, there may be no one int he country that hits more big shots than Chandler Parsons. He tied the game with a minute left with a bucket, then after two free throws gave Florida the lead again with a three with 30 seconds left. Speaking of clutch, Devan Downey hit a layup with 50 seconds left to cap a comeback win over Georgia for South Carolina. He finished with 33 points, including 12 of the final 24 for the Gamecocks. More on him later.
Just like with South Florida, I've been saying all season that Arkansas is going to be a pain for teams in the SEC. They proved it this week, as they knocked off both Ole Miss on Saturday and Mississippi State on Tuesday. Few will forget Courtney Fortson's 33 point second half on Tuesday against Ole Miss. All of a sudden, the Razorbacks are 3-3 in the SEC.
Pac-10: Don't look now, but Sean Miller's Wildcats are maturing all of a sudden. They've won four straight games, including a 76-72 win over Cal on Sunday to give the Wildcats a share of first place in the Pac-10. Zona is almost assuredly going to need to win the Pac-10 tourney to keep their streak of trips to the NCAA's alive, but is that really all that far-fetched? Nic Wise has been Devan Downey east, as he scored 30 including the final four points against Cal to clinch the win. Zona goes to Washington and Washington State next.
Cal, despite the loss to Arizona, still may be in line to earn an at-large bid if they can play their way to 13-5 or 14-4 in the league. They played a tough non-conference schedule, and did so playing without two key contributors, one of whom is back - Theo Robertson, who scored 27 points against Arizona.
Arizona State, who beat Stanford on Saturday to snap a two game losing skid, and UCLA, who lost as Oregon in OT before beating Oregon State on Saturday, are both a game back in the league standings.
Other conferences
- Charlotte's win over Temple on Wednesday set up a logjam atop the A-10 standings. Xavier is in first at 7-1, while Temple and Charlotte are sitting at 6-1 with Richmond and Rhode Island a game back and Dayton only two behind.
- C-USA looks like it is going to be a three-team race between UAB, UTEP, and Tulsa, all of whom at 6-1 in the league. Memphis lost to SMU on Saturday, dropping them to 5-2 in the league. UTEP beat UAB in 2OT on Saturday as well in a huge game that kept the C-USA race tight.
- Gonzaga lost an overtime matchup with lowly San Francisco on Saturday night, which dropped the Zags into a first place tie with St. Mary's. The Zags have a tough stretch coming up, playing Portland at home before flying to Memphis to take on the Tigers. They then come back for their second matchup with St. Mary's, which will be an enormous game. Not only may it decide the WCC champ, but it could determine whether or not St. Mary's makes the dance with an at-large bid.
- BYU, New Mexico, and San Diego State all won this weekend, while UNLV doesn't play until Wednesday. The Cougars still hold half game lead over UNM, a full game of UNLV, and two games over SDSU. That said, there is still a lot of movement to be made in the MWC, as we are about to start the second time through the league.
- George Mason's win at James Madison, coupled with Northeastern's win over Old Dominion on Saturday, means that the Patriots are now in sole possession of first in the CAA. Northeastern and ODU are just a game back.
- Northern Iowa hung on to beat Missouri State on the road on Saturday, keeping them two games ahead in the MVC race. Their only league loss came to Wichita State, who they get at home on Wednesday.
- Louisiana Tech lost to New Mexico State, setting up a three-way tie atop the WAC between LT, NMSU, and Utah State. Nevada is just a game out of first place as well.
- Cornell smacked Harvard by 36 points. I think its safe to say the Big Red are the favorites in the Ivy.
CO-GAMES OF THE WEEK: Tennessee 61, Florida 60; Kansas 81, Kansas State 79 OT
Tennessee ending Florida's four game winning streak was a wildly entertaining game, no doubt about it. But there were plenty of wildly entertaining games this week. Why the love?
Two words: Gus. Johnson. Just listen:
Kansas beat Kansas State in one of the best games I have seen in a long time. I doubt that any team in the country will be faced with a tougher place to play on the road than what Kansas had to deal with in beating the Wildcats. I don't even know where to start talking about it. So many big shots were hit, so many greats plays were made, but the one thing that stands out in my mind is the play of Sherron Collins. Collins was dealing with back spasms all night long, even having to be helped off the floor late in regulation when his back locked up. And while he managed just a pedestrian (for him) 16 points and 4 assists, the number of big shots he hit was mind-boggling. None was bigger, however, than the driving layup he hit with 13 seconds left on the clock in overtime, drawing the foul as well. That bucket opened up a 79-76 lead, and after Kansas rebounded his missed free throw, the game was all but wrapped up.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Devan Downey, South Carolina
I feel like I shouldn't have to explain to you why Downey gets the nod as the player of the week. His performance on Tuesday alone probably would have been good enough. For those that don't remember that far back, Downey went for 30 against then No. 1 Kentucky, hitting a number of tough, clutch buckets down the stretch as the Gamecocks landed a memorable upset of the Wildcats.
Devan Downey beat Georgia and Kentucky this week.(photo credit: WaPo)
But that wasn't all Downey did this week. On Saturday afternoon, the diminutive point guard scored a cool 33 points as South Carolina came from behind to beat Georgia at home. Down 63-54 with 9:32 left on the clock, Downey would score 12 of South Carolina's final 24 points (and nine of the last 11), including a layup with 50 seconds left that gave the Gamecocks a 78-77 lead and the win.
All told, in the two game last week, Downey averaged 31.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg, and had just three turnovers in 74 minutes. But to be fair, that shouldn't be considered all that impressive. Why? Because in seven SEC games, Downey is averaging 31.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, and 3.2 spg. Now that is impressive.
They were good too:
- Dominique Jones, South Florida: Believe it or not, the Bulls are on a three game winning streak in the Big East, and Jones in the biggest reason why. USF knocked off Seton Hall and Pitt this week, and in the two games Jones avraged 32.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg. He may have take POY honors if his 46 points, 10 rebound, 8 assist performance against Providence counted towards this week.
- Derrio Green, Charlotte: Green was monumental in a potential season-defining week for the 49ers. He scored 26 points to lead a comeback win over Temple on Wednesday, before going for 34 as Charlotte took out UMass on the road on Saturday.
- Jimmer Fredette, BYU: The Cougars may have only gone 1-1 this week, but Fredette was beyond fantastic. He had 27 points and 7 assists in a close loss at New Mexico before pouring in 36 points in a win over rival Utah.
- Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia: Butler averaged just 20.5 ppg for the week, but it was his 27-point performance, including the eventual game-winning jumper, against Louisville on Saturday that got him the recognition.
- Quincy Pondexter, Washington: In two games this week, both wins, Pondexter averaged 28.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and shot 19-29 from the floor.
- Vlad Moldoveanu, American: I'll throw some love to the Patriot League. American has won seven games this year, but they are currently on a three game winning streak. Last week, Moldoveanue averaged 29.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg, including a 37 point, 9 board performance in a win over Navy.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Charlotte 49ers
The 49ers threw themselves, and everyone else in the A-10, a bone when they took down Temple on Wednesday night. It was an impressive win for Charlotte, as they trailed for most of the game before putting together a late 13-2 run to gain the lead. As we mentioned above, Derrio Green scored 26 points in the win.
Derrio Green was fantastic as Charlotte moved into contention for the A-10 title.(photo credit: Charlotte Observer)
Charlotte would also go on to beat UMass on the road on Saturday afternoon, setting up a logjam at the top of the league. Xavier is sitting as 7-1 with Charlotte and Temple right behind them at 6-1. Richmond and Rhode Island are both a game behind that at 5-2, while Dayton is still in the mix at 4-3. If Charlotte proved anything against Temple, its that they are without a doubt a player in this league race.
They were good too
- Kansas: The Jayhawks knocked off Missouri at home before going into Manhattan and picking up a win against a tough Kansas State team. Combine that with a Texas loss to Baylor, and the Jayhawks are sitting pretty with a two-game lead in the Big XII.
- Rhode Island: Rhody beat Dayton before picking up a nice win over GW to remain in the hunt for the A-10 crown.
- New Mexico: The Lobos stayed within a game of first place in the MWC by knocking off BYU and ending their 15 games winning streak. UNM kept the momentum going by beating TCU on Saturday.
- South Florida: Three wins for the Bulls? They knocked off Seton Hall in OT and Pitt at home this week.
- Arizona: We mentioned it earleir, but the Wildcats are now 6-3 and in first place in the Pac-10 as they have now won four straight, including a blowout of Stanford and a thrilling win over Cal this week.
- Arkansas: The Razorbacks knocked off the two favorites in the SEC West with wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
- UTEP: How about the Miners. After beating Tulane on Wednesday, UTEP picked up a huge 2OT win over UAB on the strength of 20 points and 13 boards from Derrick Caracter.
MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK
- 2/2 - 7:00 pm: Ole Miss @ Kentucky
- 2/2 - 9:00 pm: Michigan State @ Wisconsin
- 2/3 - 7:00 pm: Pitt @ West Virginia
- 2/3 - 7:00 pm: William & Mary @ ODU
- 2/3 - 8:00 pm: Memphis @ UAB
- 2/3 - 8:00 pm: Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt
- 2/3 - 8:05 pm: Wichita State @ Northern Iowa
- 2/4 - 7:00 pm: Georgia Tech @ Duke
- 2/4 - 9:00 pm: Maryland @ Florida State
- 2/4 - 11:00 pm: Portland @ Gonzaga
- 2/6 - 12:00 pm: Villanova @ Georgetown
- 2/6 - 12:00 pm: Xavier @ Dayton
- 2/6 - 1:30 pm: Mississippi State @ Florida
- 2/6 - 2:00 pm: Temple @ Richmond
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Wisconsin @ Michigan
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Texas @ Oklahoma
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Gonzaga @ Memphis
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Baylor
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Clemson @ Virginia Tech
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: BYU @ UNLV
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: ODU @ VCU
- 2/6 - 4:00 pm: Cal @ UCLA
- 2/6 - 6:00 pm: SDSU @ New Mexico
- 2/6 - 9:00 pm: Michigan State @ Illinois
- 2/6 - 10:00 pm: UTEP @ Tulsa
Continue reading...
Monday, January 4, 2010
A college hoops WTF? |
In any given season, there are numerous final scores that leave me scratching my head. Whether it is a mammoth upset or an unexpected blowout, this uncertainty is what makes college basketball, and sports in general, so intriguing to watch.
As the saying goes, anything can happen.
If sports were that easy to predict, your neighborhood bookie would be out of a job.
This season, there has been a few games that have really made me too a double take.
Take last month's Old Dominion-Charlotte game, played at Old Dominion. Charlotte was 10-1 heading into the game, which included a 22 point win on the road at Louisville. ODU was just 8-4, but proceeded to whip the 49ers by 33 points.
So the Monarchs are 55 points better than Louisville, right?
It gets even more confusing when you take into account Saturday's George Mason-Old Dominion game, which took place at Mason in the Patriot Center. Old Dominion was coming off of the Charlotte win, a win at Georgetown, and a win over Duquesne at home, while Mason was fresh off of a 27 point smack down at the hands of Radford of the Big South conference.
What happened?
George Mason won by 16 points.
Does that mean that Mason is 20 points better than Georgetown? One step further, and it makes the Patriots are a whopping 71 points better than Louisville, right?
There are too many examples of results like this to count, but this is just one that happened to grab my attention.
What does it mean?
Well, nothing really. At least nothing we don't already know.
It just goes to show you that in college hoops, no one ever really knows.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Charlie Coley may be my new favorite dunker |
This is from UNC-Charlotte's midnight madness. It's not so much the dunk as the pass that is so impressive here, but wow is this creative.
Here are two videos from Coley dunking at last year's midnight madness.
Look where he takes off from here...
Oh, he dunked in games too. This is against Davidson.
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