Did Ed DeChellis land his point guard of the future?

Penn State lost their two point guards this season.

Talor Battle, one of the best players in the history of the school, has graduated after what felt like a 10 year career. His half-brother, freshman Taran Buie, is gone as well due to a number of disciplinary problems he had at school.

But over the weekend, Ed DeChellis landed his point guard of the future, assuming he is able to keep his job until the 2012-2013 season. Juwan Staten, a 5'11" point guard that averaged 8.5 ppg and 5.4 apg for Dayton this past season, picked the Nittany Lions as his transfer destination, over the likes of Louisville. Staten is a former-top 50 recruit and played on the same All-Ohio Red AAU team that produced Aaron Craft, Jared Sullinger, and Adreian Payne.

The year off may be beneficial for Staten. He's clearly a terrific playmaker -- averaging 5.4 apg as a freshman on a team that struggled to score points is impressive -- and is able to finish around (and above) the rim, but Staten is far from a good shooter. He shot just 38.8% from the floor this past season and was 4-26 from beyond the arc. If he can take this year off and improve his shooting, he has a chance to be a very good player in the Big Ten.

That said, there seem to be some off the court issues with Staten.

There were some chemistry issues between Staten and his upper-classmen teammates. It was bad enough that after Staten had made his decision to transfer, when Archie Miller -- the new Dayton head coach -- offered to allowed Staten to change his mind, the rest of the Flyer team advised against it.

Staten may be a me-first player, but he is also one of the most heralded players that DeChellis has brought into the Penn State program.

At this point, it is worth the risk.
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Dayton beats Xavier, bubble teams worry, I quote Bill Pidto

In the immortal words of Bill Pidto, the Atlantic 10 is a developing situation

Dayton finally decided they wanted to play like the Dayton we've all expected to see for the past two seasons, jumping out to a 21-3 lead on No. 1 seed Xavier in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. The Flyers were up 54-37 before Xavier went on a 30-12 run to take a 67-66 lead with 25 seconds left.

But Luke Fabrizius was the hero, hitting two free throws with six seconds on the clock before Tu Holloway had a three at the buzzer rim out, as the Flyers handed to Musketeers just their second Atlantic 10 loss of the season and advanced to the Atlantic 10 semifinals, where they will play the winner of St. Joe's and Duquesne.

Bubble teams beware.

Regardless of what happens, there will be at least one team playing for the Atlantic 10's autobid with no shot whatsoever of earning an at-large.

Temple and Richmond are still alive in the bottom of the bracket, so assuming a bid will be stolen is premature.

But Dayton is as talented as any team in the conference and Duquesne started out A-10 play 7-0. Both of those teams are capable of winning the conference title.

And if that happens, its just one more spot on the bubble that will be taken.

So if you are a fan of a bubble team, you better get your Temple pom-poms out.
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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:

• G: Nolan Smith, Duke: In Duke's first game without Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith tried to fill the void at the point, finishing with just 2 points but 10 assists. Since then, Coach K has asked Smith to be more of a scorer, and he has obliged, getting at least 22 points in the last four games. This week, he averaged 27.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 7.0 apg in wins over UNC-Greensboro and Miami FL.
• G: Demetri McCamey, Illinois: McCamey led the Illini to a 2-0 week to open the Big Ten season, knocking off Iowa and Wisconsin. He averaged 20.5 ppg and 8.5 apg in the two wins, needing just 18 shots to score his 41 points.
• G: Corey Stokes, Villanova: Stokes has arguably been Villanova's best back court player this season, as he is the team's leading scorer. He showed why this week, as he went for 24 points and 23 points in wins over Temple and Rutgers, respectively.
• F: Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Washington: MBA, as we like to call him, was terrific as the Huskies went on their LA road trip and swept USC and UCLA. He averaged 19.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg in the two games.
  
• C: Josh Harrellson, Kentucky: In what was arguably Kentucky's biggest game of the season, the man known as 'Jorts' made a lot of people momentarily forget all about Enes Kanter by going for 23 points and 14 boards in a win over Louisville.
• Bench: Kris Joseph, Syracuse; Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly, Kansas State; Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt; Marcus Jordan, UCF

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:

• 1/3 - 7:00 pm: Georgetown @ St. John's
• 1/3 - 7:30 pm: Michigan State @ Northwestern
• 1/4 - 7:00 pm: UConn @ Notre Dame
• 1/5 - 7:00 pm: Drexel @ VCU
  
• 1/5 - 9:00 pm: Memphis @ Tennessee
  
• 1/5 - 10:00 pm: BYU @ UNLV
• 1/6 - 9:00 pm: Northwestern @ Illinois
• 1/6 - 7:00 pm: Xavier @ Cincinnati
• 1/7 - 7:00 pm: Cleveland State @ Butler
• 1/8 - 11:00 am: West Virginia @ Georgetown
• 1/8 - 12:00 pm: Austin Peay @ Murray State
  
• 1/8 - 3:30 pm: UConn @ Texas
• 1/8 - 8:30 pm: Portland @ Gonzaga
• 1/9 - Minnesota @ Ohio State
• 1/9 - 12:00 pm: Cincinnati @ Villanova
  
• 1/9 - 8:00 pm: Maryland @ Duke
  

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POSTERIZED: The Dayton High-Flyers

Just because there were not a bunch of top-quality games this weekend doesn't mean there were some top-quality plays and highlights. Dayton and New Mexico played in the game of the weekend, with the Flyers winning in double-OT 76-73.

But what people are going to remember about this game were the two monsterous dunks thrown down by Chris "Top Flight" Wright and Juwan Staten.

Wright is widely considered as one of the best dunkers in the country, and this nasty tip-dunk is evidence why.



Wright's dunk was pretty filthy, but it may not have even been the best dunk of the game. I think that award goes to Juwan Staten.
(at the 1:57 mark)




The dunk is slow-mo




Were these dunks better than the previous entries

POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas


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2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 45-41

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country.

For a complete listing of our season previews, click here.

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.


45. Virginia Commonwealth

• Last Season: 27-9, 11-7 (CAA)


• Head Coach: Shaka Smart


• Key Losses: Larry Sanders, Jay Gavin, TJ Gwynn


• New Additions: Juvonte Reddic, Rob Brandenburg, Heath Houston, DJ Haley, Reco McCarter


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Joey Rodriguez, Sr.
• G: Ed Nixon, Sr.
• G: Bradford Burgess, Jr.
  
• F: Juvonte Reddic, Fr.
  
• C: Jamie Skeen, Sr.
• Bench: Brandon Rozzell, Sr.; Darius Theus, So.; Toby Veal, Jr.; Heath Houston, Fr.
  

• Outlook: How long until VCU starts getting mentioned in the same breath as the Xavier's and the Gonzaga's of the world? The past two seasons, they have sent a player to the first round of the NBA Draft. Their last two coaches have ended up at Oklahoma and Alabama. Last season, they won 27 games despite losing seven conference games by five points or fewer, two of which came in over time. Despite all of that, the Rams will once again be a favorite to win the CAA. It will start with point guard Joey Rodriguez, who is one of the most underrated players in the country. Last year, he averaged 12.9 ppg and 5.8 apg, admirably replacing Eric Maynor. Joining him in the back court will be 6'2" senior Brandon Rozzell and 6'6" junior Bradford Burgess. Senior Ed Nixon is one of the toughest defenders in the CAA, giving VCU arguably the best back court in the conference. Darius Theus and a couple of freshmen -- Rob Brandenburg and Reco McCarter -- should also see time in the back court. Up front, its going to be tough to replace a talent like Larry Sanders, but there are some pieces there. Senior Jamie Skeen is a tough, experienced senior, and junior Toby Veal -- who originally enrolled at Colorado -- should also step in and contribute significant minutes. After that, there is a lot of inexperience -- three freshmen and a redshirt sophomore that played in just nine games -- up front, but plenty of potential. Juvonte Reddic is probably Smart's best recruit, an explosive athlete that should be an impact freshman. 7'0" DJ Haley was a late, under-the-radar signee that could develop like Sanders. Heath Houston originally signed with Auburn before Jeff Lebo resigned. VCU will, once again, be a very tough out.

44. Dayton

• Last Season: 25-12, 8-8 (A-10)


• Head Coach: Brian Gregory
  


• Key Losses: Marcus Johnson, London Warren, Rob Lowery, Mickey Perry, Kurt Huelsman
  


• New Additions: Juwan Staten, Brandon Spearman, Devin Oliver, Ralph Hill, Mitch Asmus
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Juwan Staten, Fr.
• G: Paul Williams, Jr.
• F: Chris Johnson, Jr.
  
• F: Chris Wright, Sr.
  
• C: Devin Searcy, Sr.
• Bench: Luke Fabrizius, Jr.; Brandon Spearman, Fr.; Josh Benson, So.
  

• Outlook: The Flyers had a disappointing finish to what seemed to be such a promising season. With all five starters returning and seven seniors on a roster with quite a bit of talent, most analysts predicted Dayton to win the Atlantic 10. But the Flyers, who ended up finishing seventh in the A-10, could never quite figure out how to execute down the stretch of games, as all 12 of their losses were by less than eight points. This year, Dayton essentially loses their entire back court as Mickey Perry, London Warren, Rob Lowery, and Marcus Johnson all graduate. Brian Gregory does have some talented perimeter players coming in -- headlined by four-star point guard Juwan Staten and two-guard Brandon Spearman -- but, as is the norm with freshmen, it may take time before they are ready to contribute significantly. Dayton did catch a break when Chris Wright made the decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft. A super athletic combo-forward, Wright was the Flyers leading scorer and rebounder last season, but he didn't quite develop into the star that many believed he would. Chris Johnson, Dayton's second leading scorer and another big wing, also returns, as does Paul Williams, who may sneak into the starting line-up this year. Inside, Kurt Huelsman, who started every game in his Dayton career, graduates, but the rest of the front court is back. Sharpshooting Luke Fabrizius, Devin Searcy, and sophomores Matt Kavanaugh and Josh Benson will likely all see minutes. I expect Searcy and Benson, in particular, to have good years. This Dayton squad lost quite a bit of talent, but they were a deep team the last few years. There are still good players on this roster, and while they may not be the favorite in the league, they will compete for an NCAA Tournament spot.

43. Notre Dame

• Last Season: 23-12, 10-8 (Big East)


• Head Coach: Mike Brey
  


• Key Losses: Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson, Jonathon Peoples
  


• New Additions: Eric Atkins, Jerian Grant, Alex Dragicevich
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Eric Atkins, Fr.
• G: Ben Hansbrough, Sr.
• F: Tim Abromaitis, Jr.
  
• F: Scott Martin, Jr.
  
• F: Carleton Scott, Sr.
• Bench: Tyrone Nash, Sr.; Jerian Grant, Fr.; Jack Cooley, So.
  

• Outlook: The Fighting Irish have their work cut out for them this season, as they will be losing Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson. Mike Brey's club will count heavily on their front line, which is headlined by last season's second-leading scorer Tim Abromaitis. Abromaitis is a 6'8" sharpshooting forward, but he'll need to continue to develop the ability to create his own shot. Scott Martin, a Purdue transfer who tore his acl before the season started, will be back after sitting out the past two years. One guy I expect to have a big season is Carleton Scott, a senior that nearly left the program before finding a groove as he moved into the starting lineup when Gody got injured. Ty Nash, a scrappy, 6'7" power forward, and Jack Cooley, a 6'10" Gody lookalike, complete the front line rotation. In the back court, its going to be Ben Hansbrough and a lot of inexperience. Tyler's younger brother is a good player, a combo guard that can score, create, and defend, but he's not a true point guard. After Hansbrough, the Irish return just 30 games games with Joey Brooks and Tom Kopko combined, but add three freshman -- including Eric Atkins, a four-star point guard that could slide right into the starter's role, and Jerian Grant -- to the mix. Notre Dame made a run to the NCAA Tournament last season by changing their style, slowing the pace, and becoming a defensively oriented group. With a line-up that is bigger at most positions than the Irish are used to, don't be surprised if the Irish do more of the same next season.

42. Seton Hall

• Last Season: 19-13, 9-9 (Big East)


• Head Coach: Kevin Willard


• Key Losses: Eugene Harvey, Robert Mitchell, John Garcia


• New Additions: Fuquan Edwin, Anali Okoloji, Patrik Auda, Aaron Geramipoor, Reco McCarter


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Jordan Theodore, Jr.
• G: Jeremy Hazell, Sr.
• F: Eniel Polynice, Sr.
  
• F: Jeff Robinson, Sr.
  
• C: Herb Pope, Jr.
• Bench: Keon Lawrence, Sr.; Ferrakhon Hall, So.; Jamel Jackson, Sr.; Fuquan Edwin, Fr.
  

• Outlook: Seton Hall is the x-factor in the Big East this season. For starters, they got rid of Bobby Gonzalez, replacing him with Kevin Willard from Iona, while returning most of their roster. Jeremy Hazell, one of the best scorers in the country when he is making good decision with the bal, returns for his senior season. He'll play along side Jordan Theodore, an underrated point guard who will get a chance to be the lead guard with Eugene Harvey's graduation. Keon Lawrence (a talented but enigmatic Missouri transfer), Jamel Jackson (a streaky shooter who hit 12 threes in a game last season), and freshman Fuquan Edwin should all see minutes. Eniel Polynice, an Ole Miss transfer, will be eligible immediately and could sneak into the Pirate starting line up. At 6'5", Polynice is more of a defender, a slasher, and a creator and should really complement Hazell well. Up front, Seton Hall has quite a bit of talent as well. Herb Pope is a double-double machine when healthy (if you remember, he had that scary incident when he collapsed back in April). Jeff Robinson also returns after pulling his name out of the draft. Those two can matchup with most front lines in the Big East, but Willard will need to develop some kind of bench between sophomore Ferrakhon Hall and four freshmen. If Pope returns to himself, Seton Hall has all the pieces they need to make a run at a spot in the top four of the league. The question is whether new head coach Kevin Willard can fit all those pieces together. Hazell doesn't understand the concept of team basketball or what a good shot is. Pope was ejected from the NIT last year for punching a Texas Tech player below the belt. Four players have transferred in from different colleges. This is a talented group, but if there is no chemistry, it could be another disappointing season.

41. Wichita State

• Last Season: 25-10, 12-6 (MVC)


• Head Coach: Gregg Marshall


• Key Losses: Clevin Hannah


• New Additions: Trey Jones, Randall Vautravers


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Joe Ragland, Jr.
• G: Toure' Murry, Jr.
• G: Graham Hatch, Sr.
  
• F: JT Durley, Sr.
  
• C: Garrett Stutz, Jr.
• Bench: Gabe Blair, Sr.; David Kyles, Jr.; Demetric Williams, So.; Aaron Ellis, Sr.
  

• Outlook: The Shockers look like they will be the early favorite to win the Missouri Valley. They only lose one senior and bring back a roster loaded with talent, size, and experience. In the Missouri Valley, it tends to be the front court that determines who wins the league, and Wichita State has one of, if not the best. Senior JT Durley is probably the Shockers most dangerous scorer in the front court, and if seven-foot junior Garrett Stutz can regain the form he had late in the season, he'll be force inside as well. Aaron Ellis and Gabe Blair are athletic live-bodies that will provide defense and rebounding, while redshirt freshman Jerome Hamilton and seven-foot sophomore Ehimen Orukpe could also see minutes. The biggest question for the Shockers is going to be how they replace point guard Clevin Hannah, their best scorer and the leader of this club the past two seasons. Sophomore Demetric Williams got better as the season progressed, and JuCo transfer Joe Ragland should also fight for minutes at the point. The guy that Gregg Marshall will be looking for more consistency out of will be two-guard Toure' Murry. A tough defender, Murry is a bit streaky on the offensive end, although he is capable of going for 20. Senior Graham Hatch is a glue guy through and through that can also knock down a three, while junior David Kyles will see a bigger role this year as well. The Shockers will, once again, be a tough defensive team with a lot of size on the inside. The Valley is always tough and full of close, competitive, physical basketball games. If Wichita State can figure out how to win some of those on the road -- which they didn't do last season -- this looks like a team that could win the league.

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Chris Wright must be reading BIAH

Earlier today, the NCAA released the list of the 80 players that had declared early for the NBA Draft. The list wasn't a day old before Dayton's Chris Wright heeded our advice.

This afternoon, Wright announced his intentions to return to Dayton:

I have decided to return to UD for my senior season and have pulled my name out of this year’s NBA draft. When I announced I was investigating the draft, I said my three main goals as a Dayton Flyer were to graduate, to raise the national profile of our program, and to put myself in position to play at the highest level. I'm excited about accomplishing these three goals.

Going through this process was a learning experience for me and I really appreciate the advice I received. I also want to thank my family and coach Gregory for the support and guidance they gave me as I came to this decision. I love the University of Dayton and where our program is headed. I can't wait for next year.

For our thoughts on what a return would mean for Wright as a player, read here.

The bigger question is what it means for the Flyers as a team.

With Wright returning, Dayton now brings back their top two scorers -- Wright and Chris Johnson, a talented wing that averaged 12 and 7 while shooting 35% from three -- as well as their head coach Brian Gregory, who spurned offers form a couple high-major programs.

But the Flyers are not a team that thrives on scoring to win. Their style of play is best described as a street fight -- they are going to fly around defensively, playing tough, physical man-to-man defense. And with the seven seniors that graduate this year (which includes back court players Rob Lowery, London Warren, Mickey Perry, and Marcus Johnson), the Flyers lose much of the depth, and a number of the defenders, that allowed them to play that style.

Its not all bad. Gregory is bringing in five recruits, of which all five can play on the perimeter. Two of those recruits -- Juwan Staten and Brandon Spearlman -- were sought after by a number of high majors. Staten is the best of the bunch. He's a true point guard, a good decision maker that can use the bounce the create and score and is a willing and able defender. He also excels getting out in transition. He should be a good fit for this Dayton team.

Dayton returns quite a bit of size, as Luke Fabrizius, Josh Benson, and Matt Kavanaugh all return. Kavanaugh and Benson were both freshmen this season and saw limited playing time, while Fabrizius was a sophomore that averaged just 9.4 mpg in the 25 games he saw action. While that young and inexperienced front line struggled to see consistent minutes, there is some potential there. Fabrizius is probably the best shooter on the Dayton roster, and Kavanaugh and, to a lesser degree, Benson were both fairly highly-regarded recruits.

But clearly, the biggest piece of news the Flyers got, or will get, this offseason is the return of Chris Wright.

Without him, they are a team that might be looking at their second straight NIT. With him, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Flyers make a run at both an A-10 title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
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Dayton loses to a jet-lagged St. Louis team

On Friday, we wrote about the St. Louis Billikens.

Specifically, we gave fair warning to all A-10 tourney hopefuls that Chaifetz Arena is a tough place to play. Unfortunately, Dayton fans forgot to pass on the message as St. Louis upset the Flyers at home in a 2OT thriller.

The theme of the night for Dayton was blown chances. The Flyers were up 15 points in the first half and blew that lead. They were up eight points with two minutes left in regulation. They missed two front ends in the final 45 seconds. Up three in the final seconds of regulation, Dayton chose not to foul St. Louis, instead allowing Kwamain Mitchell to bank in a 28 footer. The Flyers had the ball with the game tied at the end of the first overtime, and turned it over by throwing the ball out of bounds.

After Cody Ellis hit a three with 37 seconds left in the second overtime to break a 63-all tie, St. Louis all but had this thing won.

While the loss is far from season-ending for the Flyers -- they still will have a shot to beat Temple, Richmond, and St. Louis again -- it definitely makes the tournament road that much more difficult for the Flyers. Dayton is just 4-5 against the RPI top 50, and now has two bad losses on the road in league play.

That said, the Flyers don't have much of a complaint about a difficult road after the trip that St. Louis just returned from.

You see, the Billikens had the Philly leg of their road season last week, playing La Salle on the 6th and St. Joe's on the 9th. The problem? That just so happened to coincide with the back-to-back blizzards that obliterated the east coast.

In order to ensure that they made it to Philly in time, the Billikens arrived early on February 5th, a Friday. They didn't get back to St. Louis until the morning of the 12th.

That's a week of class time that St. Louis' kids missed.

"I would rather have lost both games," said Majerus, who earlier this season said the Missouri Valley Conference would be a better fit for SLU. "Nothing means more to me than the academic success of our players. We have compromised our players' academic success and we have put them behind a big 8-ball. Even if it was the best of weather, we're missing an entire week of school."

You want to know how long they were in Philly?

"At the end, I didn't even want to see a hoagie," coach Rick Majerus said.

Yeah, that was a long time.
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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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Games outside the Big Six will have a lot of influence on Saturday

There are 148 games to be played on Saturday.

21 of them involve top 25 teams.

Seven of them involved top ten teams. One of those games features two top ten teams.

And while you will want to keep an eye on all of them, the most important and intriguing games of the day don't take place in the major conferences. They will be played in the MWC, in the A-10, and in C-USA.

Like its been for the last few years, the bubble is weak this season. The difference this year is that with the Pac-10 being down, the SEC West approaching Pac-10 territory, and the middle of the Big East looking weaker by the loss, the number of bids available for mid-major schools is higher than usual, and certainly will be more than the four at-larges they received last season.

Its to the point that there is a real possibility more than one of the aforementioned leagues could get four (or more) teams in. The results from Saturday may go along way towards deciding who celebrates on Selection Sunday and who is banished to the dead man walking tournament NIT.


Conference USA: There are only four teams that really have a chance of still getting an at-large bid this year - Memphis, UTEP, Tulsa, and UAB.

3:00 pm: UAB @ Rice: UAB probably has the best non-conference resume in the league, as they picked up wins over Cincinnati, Butler, and Georgia as well as winning at Kent State and surprising Arkansas. But the Blazers have lost their last two games, with both coming to teams they are currently competing with for the C-USA title and the at-large bids. The Blazers cannot afford to lose three games in a row, especially when the third is against cellar dweller Rice, even in it is on the road.

4:00 pm: Gonzaga @ Memphis: Gonzaga could use this win, but Memphis needs this win. They are 16-6 on the season, but their RPI is sitting at an unimpressive 68th and they have two losses to teams with RPI's around the 200's (UMass and SMU). Their best win came against UAB at home, and after that ... Oakland? Marshall? There is not much on this resume, and Gonzaga is a team in the RPI top 30. A loss here would come very close to ensuring the Tigers need to win the C-USA tournament.

10:00 pm: Tulsa @ UTEP: The Golden Hurricane and the Miners are currently sitting in a tie for first place in the league, which gives this game even more meaning. Tulsa is in pretty bad shape in terms on an at-large bid. They do have a 21 point win over Oklahoma State, but they've only played four other games against teams with top 100 RPI's, with their lone win coming against Marshall on Wednesday. UTEP is in a similar situation, and while their RPI is a bit lower than Tulsa's (72nd vs. 55th), they have some nice wins. They won at Memphis, at UAB, and at New Mexico State as well as picking up a neutral court win over Oklahoma.


Atlantic-10

12:00 pm: Xavier @ Dayton: The Muskies are all but in at this point. They have no bad losses (the worst loss is a neutral court loss to Marquette, who is not as bad as their 61st RPI indicates) and own a win over Cincinnati, Charlotte, Dayton, and Rhode Island. Xavier is 23rd in the RPI right now, and barring a collapse, a team with that RPI is not going to miss the tournament. Dayton, on the other hand, has some work to do. Wins over Old Dominion and Georgia Tech are nice, but with an RPI in the low 30's, they can't afford a swoon. A loss to Xavier, who has already beaten Dayton this year, would drop the Flyers to 4-4 in the league. Can the A-10 really send a team that ends up in fifth or sixth? Its too early to call it a must win, but its a we-really-need-this win.

2:00 pm: Temple @ Richmond: The Owls are basically in. A win over Villanova and no glaring losses will do that for you. But Richmond has some work to do. They've put together some nice wins (Mississippi State, Missouri, Old Dominion, Florida), but they've lost a couple games they could have won (South Carolina, William & Mary, VCU). Richmond doesn't have a great win, and still plays each of the other top six A-10 teams. They will have their chances to improve their resume, but they need to win those games in order to actually improve it.


Mountain West: The great thing about the MWC this weekend is that the four teams with a shot at an at-large bid play each other. If you get the Mountain station, tune in. Or at least TiVo it.

4:00 pm: BYU @ UNLV: BYU is in, and may actually be the best team out west. UNLV, however, still needs to pad their resume a bit. They did beat Louisville and Arizona out of conference, but those wins are not as impressive today as they would have been five years ago. They have also picked up a couple quality wins in conference play (at New Mexico, SDSU), but they probably need to do more. UNLV will make or break their bid in the next three games, as they play BYU, UNM, and SDSU in the next eight days.

6:00 pm: SDSU @ New Mexico: New Mexico ensured their bid by taking care of business out of conference (wins over Cal, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Dayton) and beating BYU last week. SDSU is in a much more dire situation. They do own a win over New Mexico already, but their only other win of significance is against Arizona. The Aztecs will get some chances to secure a bid, and this is by no means a make-or-break game, especially considering this game is played at the Pit and SDSU has already beaten UNM. But it is safe to say that SDSU really needs this game.
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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
  

Favorite: Temple

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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Saturday's Shootaround: Western Kentucky scores a big win

Western Kentucky 76, Vanderbilt 69: AJ Slaughter scored 27 points as WKU led for much of the second half in the second game of the Sun Belt Classic. The Commodores has gotten off to a difficult start this season, dropping to 6-3 on the year. We were considered about how te Hilltoppers would handle Vanderbilt center AJ Ogilvy, and well, it didn't up being that big of an issue as Ogivly played just 15 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing just 1 rebound as he came off the bench. Vanderbilt, who was led by 21 and 9 boards from Jeffery Taylor, is dealing with some chemistry and effort issues right now. Many thought this team would compete in the SEC East, but as of now that looks like a silly prediction.

Jeremy Evans put Andre Walker on a poster last night.
(photo credit: Bowling Green Daily News)

Iowa State 81, Iowa 71: Craig Brackins tied a seasno-high with 28 points, including 20 in the first half, and Marquis Gilstrap added 13 and 10 as the Cyclones shot 58% from the floor and committed just 9 turnovers.

Tennessee 75, Middle Tennessee State 54: The Vols played a sloppy game, but 17 points from JP Prince helped them overcome a game where Scotty Hopson had just 1 points and Tyler Smith missed the last 10 minutes with a sprained ankle.

Dayton 58, Old Dominion 50: Chris Wright overcame seven first half turnovers to finished with 16 points and 12 boards as Dayton won their fifth straight game. Dayton finally opened up a 42-37 lead midway through the second half, and ODU would never get closer.

USC 59, Idaho State 53: The Trojans jumped out to a 25-6 lead, but Idaho State's pressure took over the game as USC couldn't keep from turning the ball over. After finally giving up the lead with seven minutes to go, USC finished the game on a 21-13 surge to seal the win. Dwight Lewis had 19 and Alex Stephenson 16 and 12 boards to lead USC.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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


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


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

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


Other notable scores:

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

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No. 14: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Dayton Flyers

2008-2009 Record: 27-8, 11-5 A-10 (t-2nd)

Key Losses: Charles Little (8.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg)

Key Returners: Chris Wright (13.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Marcus Johnson (11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg), London Warren (4.1 ppg, 4.4 apg), Rob Lowery (7.5 ppg, 3.4 apg)

Newcomers: Matt Kavanaugh, Josh Benson

Chris "Top Flyght" Wright returning to school is a major reason why Dayton is going to be a top 25 team this season.
(photo credit: Kansan)

Dayton may have been the deepest team in the country last season, as 12 guys averaged between 8.8 and 28.3 minutes per game. It should be more of the same next year, as 10 of those 12 return.

Dayton hangs their hat on defensive toughness and the ability to rebound, especially on the offensive end (the stats say it all - they averaged almost 14 offensive boards per game while holding their opponents the 39.7% shooting and 61.4 ppg). Its their system, its how they win, and there are few teams in the country that are tougher than this team.

It is difficult to name a leader for this team. Junior Chris Wright is clearly the kid with the most potential. At 6'8", 226 lb, Wright has earned the moniker "Top Flyght" because of the thuderous dunks his 39.5" vertical allows him to throw down. He probably made the right decision returning to school as he still relies too much on his tools, but as his mid-range game and his passing ability (he had 33 assists and 84 turnovers last year) continue to improve, don't be surprised if Wright wins the A-10 player of the year award.

But he may not even be the most valuable player on this team. Marcus Johnson, the second leading scorer and team leader in minutes and threes last season, is also the teams best defender. He would routinely guard an opponent's best scorer last season. What about London Warren? While he won't score all that much, Warren is the guy that makes this team go on both ends. He harasses the opposing point guard of the defensive end, but his passing and decision making (4.4 apg, 1.9 t/o's) helps keep the Dayton offense running smoothly. Then there is Rob Lowery. Lowery was Dayton's sixth man and spark plug off the bench last season, playing the role of back up point guard. But Lowery tore his patellar tendon with 10 games left in the year (he should be ready to go by January). With Lowery, Dayton was 23-2. Without him, they went 5-5.

There are two other back court players on the Flyers that should see time. One is Mickey Perry. A 6'2" senior, Perry was another guy that provided offense off the bench for Brian Gregory. The other is 6'4" sophomore Paul Williams. Williams played limited minutes as a freshman, but showed some promise as a player in this system.

The point you should take regarding the Flyers are truly a team - they are balanced, they are deep, they play together, and they each play the role they are assigned. If there is a question mark this year, it is who is going to take the place of Charles Little up front. There are quite a few options as well. For starters, Gregory could go smaller, sliding Wright to the four spot and putting 6'6" sophomore Chris Johnson in the starting line-up. Johnson is more of a perimeter player than a post due to his slender frame and shooting ability, but he was second on the team in rebounding last year at 5.2 per (2.1 on the offensive end).

But the Flyers also have the personnel to go big this year. Starting at center is 6'10" Kurt Huelsman. Huelsman isn't a great scorer, but he will get you some rebounds, block some shots, and basically just take up a lot of space on the interior. There are a myriad of options to play the four. Luke Fabrizius is a 6'9" sophomore forward who can shoot the lights out from three, but is not as big inside as some of the other guys on the team. Devin Searcy, a 6'10" junior, is a stronger presence defensively and on the glass, but he doesn't bring much to the table offensively. 6'9" Josh Benson was a highly touted freshman last season, but he is coming off of a torn rotator cuff that forced him to redshirt last year. Matt Kavanaugh is this season's talented freshman, a 6'9" monster that is physically ready to play at this level.

Outlook: This is Dayton's year. They lose seven seniors after the season, and likely will see Wright bolt for the league. With Xavier down this season, Dayton is the favorite to win the A-10, and should have the horses to make a run to the Sweet 16. They get a good early test with Georgia Tech and Derrick Favors in Puerto Rico, and if Rob Lowery comes back at 100%, I don't think 30 wins and a top four seed is out of the question.
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College Basketball Week In Review: Life on the Bubble

With just a week left in the regular season for most teams, let's take a look at who can help themselves the most over these next seven days:

• Virginia Tech 17-11, 7-7, 59 (RPI), 36 (SOS): The Hokies have been the most snakebitten team in the country this season (more on this later today), but still have a chance to reach the dance because they play UNC (home) and Florida State (away) to close out the season. They may need to win both if they want to lock up a bid.
• Maryland 18-10, 7-7, 58, 22: The Terps have a couple really nice wins (@ UNC, Michigan State), but a terrible loss (Morgan State) and a 2-5 road record. While a win at UVA helps bolster the road record, they may need to beat Wake Forest at home if they want a chance to dance.

• Providence 17-11, 10-7, 71, 38: The Friars have one game left on their schedule - at Villanova. At this point, they probably need to win that game for a shot at making the dance. If they lose, the committee can easily turn down a 12 loss team, but can they reject a team that went 11-7 in the Big East this year, with a win over Pitt and a win at Villanova?
• The Middle of the Big Ten: Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan State are dancing, but there are five teams within a game and a half of each other in the Big Ten standings that still can end up in the field of 65:
  
  - Wisconsin (18-10, 9-7, 32, 5): @ Minnesota, Indiana
  - Penn State (20-9, 9-7, 64, 92): Illinois, @ Iowa
  - Minnesota (20-8, 8-8, 37, 47): Wisconsin, Michigan
  - Ohio State (18-9, 8-8, 41, 24): @ Iowa, Northwestern
  - Michigan (17-12, 8-9, 47, 10): @ Minnesota
  
  Penn State and Ohio State probably need to win out to reach the dance (Penn State needs the wins, Ohio State can't afford the losses). Depending on how the games play out, two of Michigan/Minnesota/Wisconsin should be dancing as well.
• Oklahoma State 19-9, 8-6, 31, 13: See below.
• Florida 21-8, 8-6, 42, 93; Kentucky 18-10, 8-6, 66, 64: The Gators go to Mississippi State on Wednesday and the Wildcats get Georgia at home. Assuming both teams win those games (far from a sure thing, especially for Florida, who is 2-6 in true road games), on Saturday Kentucky heads to Gainesville in what will most likely be a play-in game. Does a 9-7 SEC team go dancing?
• Dayton 24-5, 10-4, 27, 105: Dayton has a great record and a great RPI, but probably needs to sweep this week (@ Xavier, Duquense) if they want to ensure an at-large bid. The wins against Marquette and Xavier are nice, but an SOS in the 100's and losses to St. Louis (113), UMass (162), and Charlotte (183) are not good.
  

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sherron Collins, Kansas Jayhawks
Much has been written about how young the Jayhawks are this year and how much they lost to graduation/NBA paychecks after winning the national title. But come March of 2009, the Baby Jayhawks are now all alone in first place in the Big XII, needing only to win at Texas Tech and to beat Texas at home to lock up a fifth straight conference title. This past week was huge, as KU knocked off both Oklahoma and Missouri. And as has been the case all season long, Sherron Collins was the best player on the floor for KU. Against Oklahoma, Collins shook off a bit of a slow start as he knocked down three huge three's late in the game, which helped to hold off a 20 point rally by the Blake Griffin-less Sooners. On Sunday, Collins scored 25 points and had 6 assists as Kansas jumped all over Mizzou early, winning the battle for first place 90-65. All told, Collins averaged 25.5 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 3.5 rpg, while shooting 50% from the field, 14-18 from the line, and 9-14 from deep.

Sherron Collins was on fire in two games last week.
(photo credit: Orlin Wagner/AP)

TEAMS OF THE WEEK:
Oklahoma State and LSU
OK State was not expected to be much of anything this year, especially not after their only legitimate post threat, Ibrahima Thomas, was kicked off of the team early in the season. Things looked bleak as the Cowboys lost six of eight early in the conference season, but they have responded admirably by winning five in a row, including two games this week - at Colorado and at home against Texas. The win against Texas was the most important win of the season, as it finally gave OK State a marquee win. The Cowboys are far from a lock at this point despite their very strong computer profile (31 RPI, 13 SOS), mainly because they haven't had all that much success against a very tough schedule (3-8 vs. top 50, 7-9 vs. top 100). But they still have games against Kansas State and Oklahoma. Winning one of those should get the Cowboys in, while winning both would guarantee a trip to the dance. For the week, the vastly underrated James Anderson led the Cowboys with 23 ppg, including a 30 and 10 board performance against Colorado. Marshall Moses averaged 11.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg this week.

LSU is leading the SEC with an impressive 25-4 record, 13-1 in the league. But they are far from getting the credit that record would deserve for two reasons: the general consensus is that the SEC is down quite a bit this year; but more so it is the fact that LSU has not been all that impressive on the road. They lost their first three games away from Baton Rouge (Texas A&M on a neutral court, at Utah by 30, and at Alabama). They have been much better on the road of late, winning, amongst others, at Tennessee, at Mississippi State, and at Arkansas (who, if you remember, beat Texas and Oklahoma in Fayetteville). If that still wasn't enough to convince you that LSU is for real this year, then maybe this week did. Not only did they beat Florida, but they won in Rupp, coming back from a ten point deficit to beat the Wildcats on a Tasmin Mitchell three pointer with less than 10 seconds left. The bottom-line, for me anyway, is that LSU passes the smell test - watching them play (I saw most of the two games this week, the first two I have seen the Tigers play this year, thank you very much Raycom Sports), they look like a team deserving of a top four seed.

Marcus Thornton hit five three's in a row in the first half against Florida
en route to 32 points in the Tiger's win.
(photo credit: Bill Feig/AP)

Marcus Thornton, when he is a hot, can put up points with the best of them (he averaged 27.5 ppg on the week). Garrett Temple ranks up there with Chris Kramer, Jerel McNeal, and Travis Walton as the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Tasmin Mitchell is a load on the block. Chris Johnson is an excellent shot blocker that will be a lottery pick once he can put on some muscle. Bo Spencer has turned into a good point guard that can protect the ball, make plays on both ends, and knock down a jump shot for you. The biggest problem? That is it for the Tigers. They might as well go just five deep, because there is not too much on their bench. They end with Vanderbilt and Auburn. If they win both, they will be 15-1 in the SEC. The league may be down this year, but 15-1 in any conference is impressive.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
3/3 - Florida State @ Duke: Duke tends to struggle against bigger, more athletic teams. What is FSU? Bigger, and more athletic than just about every team in the country.

3/4 - Marquette @ Pitt: Marquette was at a serious disadvantage size wise before they had to replace 5'11" Dominic James with 5'7" Mo Acker.

3/4 - Oklahoma @ Missouri: ESPN really blew this one. Two clashes of top ten teams on a Wednesday night, and neither lands on the worldwide leader (Pitt-Marquette is ESPN 2, while Oklahoma-Mizzou is not even on the family of networks).

3/5 - Dayton @ Xavier: Xavier looks to get revenge after Dayton smacked X in Dayton back in January.

3/6 - The WCC and CAA tournaments start on Friday.

The last weekend of the regular season ends with an absolutely fantastic line-up of games, headlined by UConn heading to Pitt to play for the Big East crown, while UNC hosts Duke for the ACC title. More on this weekend's games on Friday. Continue reading...