College Hoops Week in Review: Florida State and Brandon Paul were the obvious picks

The #BIAHRoadTrip will be cutting into our national coverage a bit, so the Week in Review's will be limited over these three weeks.

Player of the Week: Brandon Paul, Illinois

This was a relatively easy choice. Paul played a single game this week, and in that game, he had arguably the single most dominant individual performance of the season. He scored 43 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots. He shot 11-15 from the floor -- the first time in 16 years that someone scored as many as 43 points while taking as few as 15 shots -- and 8-10 from three. He scored 15 points in the last three minutes of the game, including a pair of ridiculously tough threes to keep Illinois in the lead. The latter came from about 22 feet with Aaron Craft's hand literally in his face.
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11/14 Monday's Pregame Beat: Who's ready for a College Hoops Marathon?

We've already previewed the games in the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon here, so we aren't including those games in this post.

Game of the Night: 7:00 pm: UCF @ No. 24 Florida State

Central Florida is one of the three teams in Conference USA that will be fighting for the second spot in the league behind Memphis. The Golden Knights may be the biggest enigma of the three. UCF won their first 14 games of the season in 2010-2011, but proceeded to lose their next eight after that. They return the majority of their roster from that team -- as well as adding three impact transfers and a couple of talented freshmen -- but the question is which group was the real UCF, the team that climbed into the top 20 or the team that finished below .500 in C-USA?

The other issue for UCF? Suspensions. The Jordan brothers and AJ Rompza were all held out of the exhibitions, while Donnie Jones has been suspended for the first three games of the seaosn. The players that are left are going to have their work cut out for them against the Seminoles. FSU is a tough defensive club with a monstrous front line. Losing Ian Miller will hurt, but if Michael Snaer can prove that he's become a consistent perimeter scoring threat, then the Seminoles may roll.


Who's getting upset?: Notre Dame

The Irish will be hosting Detroit at 9:00 tonight short-handed. Tim Abromaitis, the star of this Notre Dame team, is suspended for the first four games of the season as the result of two exhibition games that he played in as a redshirt sophomore. Eric Atkins had 27 points, six assists and four rebounds as the Irish rolled over Mississippi Valley State, but he won't be the best point guard on the floor. Detroit's sophomore point guard Ray McCallum is one of the most talented players at his position in the country -- he's with Detroit because his father is the head coach. Detroit will be short-handed as well, as Eli Holman is still out as the result of an arrest in September.


Mid-Major matchup of the night: 10:00 pm: Nevada @ UNLV

I know, I know, neither of these schools are really mid-majors, but since there isn't much else on the schedule tonight, we're making an exception. Nevada was a team expected to contend for the WAC title, but they were smoked by Missouri State in their opener, losing by 22 at home. UNLV is a favorite in the MWC, but they have looked anything but dominating throughout their exhibition schedule. The Wolfpack will need a big game out of Deonte Burton, who is likely going to get matched up with Anthony Marshall, one of the best defenders in the country. This will be our first real chance to see how effective Mike Moser is in Dave Rice's system.


Be sure to keep an eye on...:

- 7:30 pm: Providence @ Fairfield: Ed Cooley used to coach Fairfield. Now he coaches Providence. Fairfield is in the MAAC. Providence is in the Big East. And Fairfield is favored. Go figure. From a personnel perspective, the most interesting matchup is going to be between Vincent Council and Derek Needham at the point.

- 8:00 pm: Oakland @ No. 15 Alabama: Alabama is one of the best teams in the SEC, led by the talented front line of JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell, but Oakland is a scrappy team that will be able to compete even with the graduation of Keith Benson. The Grizzlies have a very talented point guard in Reggie Hamilton.

- 8:00 pm: South Dakota State @ Minnesota: Minnesota is a big and athletic team, with a talented front line and quality perimeter players. What they lack is a point guard, which just so happens to be where the Jackrabbits strength lies. Nate Wolters had 32 points, 11 assists and 0 turnovers in the opener.

- 10:00 pm: Portland @ Washington: Portland is a bit of a sleeper in the WCC, led by Nemanja Mitrovic, who is the next Pilot star on the perimeter. Washington is 2-0 heading into this game, but they haven't been all that impressive. Terrence Ross has yet to show the kind of ability that made him a candidate to be a breakout star.


The rest of the Top 25:

- 7:30 pm: Wagner @ No. 4 UConn
- 7:00 pm: Manhattan @ No. 5 Syracuse
- 8:30 pm: Towson @ No. 17 Michigan
- 7:00 pm: Norfolk State @ No. 19 Marquette
- 8:00 pm: Mercer @ No. 25 Missouri

Other notable games:

- 7:00 pm: UNC Greensboro @ Georgetown
- 7:00 pm: Temple @ Penn
- 7:00 pm: Long Island @ Old Dominion
- 7:00 pm: Monmouth @ Virginia Tech
- 7:30 pm: High Point @ Purdue
- 8:00 pm: Grambling State @ Ole Miss
- 8:00 pm: Loyola (IL) @ Kansas State
- 8:15 pm: Richmond @ Davidson
- 9:30 pm: Florida International @ George Mason
- 10:30 pm: Nebraska @ USC
- 11:00 pm: Fresno State @ Stanford
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Hoops Housekeeping: DeQuan Jones, Ian Miller, David Foster out for extended periods

There was only one basketball player that was named in Yahoo's explosive report about Nevan Shapiro and the improper benefits that he provided University of Miami athletes.

DeQuan Jones.


If you've forgotten, Shapiro alleged that a member of Jones' family had asked an assistant coach for $10,000 to ensure that the player, a top 25 recruit in the Class of 2008, would follow through on his commitment. On Thursday, Miami announced that Jones, a 6'7" senior that has never lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school, will not play this season as the university continues their joint investigation into Yahoo's allegations.

This is another blow for a Hurricane team that was expected to contend for third place in the ACC this season. Over the summer, potential all-ACC center Reggie Johnson tore his meniscus and will be out until at least December recovering from surgery. Julian Gamble, the 'Canes next best big man, tore his ACL in September and will be out for the season. With Jones now out as well, Jim Larranaga is going to have to rely even more on his starting back court of Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant.


Ian Miller to miss the semester: According to Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports, Florida State sophomore point guard Ian Miller -- who sat out both of the Seminole's exhibition games -- will sit out the first semester of this season. He'll be eligible to return to the team in December. Losing Miller is a big blow to Florida State, a team that is completely devoid of offensive creativity and explosiveness this year. Miller came into the program with the reputation of being a capable creator, but he struggled to find a rhythm playing behind Derwin Kitchen last season. It will be interesting to see if he is able to work his way back into the lineup when he returns; he's an important piece for Leonard Hamilton's team.


Reeves Nelson has a bum ankle: Something to keep an eye on out west -- Reeves Nelson injured his ankle on Tuesday, but its not a sprain. According to Ben Howland, he changed his shoes and is having an issue with a part of his foot that he feels is giving out on him. He also said the injury "could be serious", which is not a good sign for Nelson. The good news? UCLA has enough front court depth that Howland can afford to sit Nelson against Loyola Marymount in the opener.


Roger Franklin cleared: North Texas already was considered one of the mid-major powers, but they just got even better. Roger Franklin, a transfer from Oklahoma State, was cleared to become immediately eligible to play for the Mean Green. He'll be teaming with Tony Mitchell, who was expected to be an impact freshman at Missouri and played on the USA's U-19 team this summer, and Justin Patton, an all-conference performer at Grambling, as UNT's impact newcomers.


Trey Burke to start: The biggest question mark for Michigan heading into this season is at the point guard spot. With Darius Morris entering the NBA Draft a year earlier than expected, the Wolverines were left with a freshman point guard and a senior off-guard to battle over the starting spot in the back court. It looks as if the freshman won out, as John Beilein announced that Trey Burke will be the starter and Stu Douglass will come off the bench. Burke played basketball with Jared Sullinger in high school.


Utah is in big, big trouble this season: The Utes lost eight players from the program after Larry Krystowiak was named the new head coach in the spring, which means that Utah will not only be heading into a new conference with a new head coach, but they'll be doing it with what nearly amounts to a new roster. Thing got worse last week. Not only did Utah lose to Adams State in an exhibition, they lost guard Chris Hines for 2-4 weeks with a rib injury and center David Foster -- a 7'3", shot-blocking machine that won the 2010 MWC defensive player of the year award -- to a foot injury that will require surgery. Its going to be a long year for the Utes.


JJ Moore suspended: Pitt's sophomore wing JJ Moore was suspended for the first game of the season against Albany. Moore participated in an unauthorized summer league (because, you know, we want to limit how much basketball a basketball player can play in the summer) which led to the suspension. It shouldn't affect his status with the team too much; Moore will still be battling Lamar Patterson for the right to replace Gilbert Brown as a Pitt's starter at the three.


Steven Pledger to miss a game: Pledger suffered the same fate as Moore, getting suspended for the first game of the season against Idaho State for playing in an unauthorized summer league. Pledger is the second-leading returning scorer for the Sooners. How did Pledger get caught? A compliance official saw a tweet from Pledger about playing in the game and self-reported the violation.


Chrishawn Hopkins is back: Hopkins has quite a bit of hype heading into the season, but he missed both of Butler's exhibitions has he battled a concussion. The good news? He's back on the court and should be ready to go in Butler's opener.


Quick hitters:

- Siena's Rakeem Brookins' will miss the season due to persistent back problems.

- Ken Holdman, a senior point guard and a defensive stopper for Oral Roberts, will miss the season after tearing his acl.
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2011-2012 Season Preview: What's the opposite of a "sleeper"?

Last week, we gave you a list of teams that we believed are primed to have a season that will be better than we expect. But for every team that exceeds expectations, there is a team that fails to live up to the hype. Every season there is at least one team in each conference that underwhelms, disappoints, implodes or regresses. We are here to take a look at the teams we think will do just that this season.

But first, please note that we aren't hating on any of the teams here. We are simply trying to project a teams lack of success based on conference strength, lack of experience, lack of roster depth and so on. We are just trying to do our jobs. After all, not every team can go undefeated, and we aren't here to hand out "participation trophies" to all 346 teams.

Atlantic Coast Conference: Florida State
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The only thing working for this team is that the ACC is very thin outside of Tobacco Road. True, they do have Michael Snaer, and talented wing who has flown under the radar for a long time. But who else will step up? Who do they have to replace Chris Singleton? Okaro White should see an increase in production, but who do they have after that? Their back court is weak and their front court is thin. There really isn't anything about this team that makes me think they will be better than nine other teams.


Atlantic-10: Richmond
Preseason Ranking: 5th Place
Where we ranked them: 8th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
After Xavier and Temple, the rest of the A-10 is a jumbled mess. So it is hard to picked a team that will underwhelm this year. But based on all the losses to the Chris Mooney's program, it is hard to see this team being too successful. Outside of Darien Brothers and Darius Garrett, this team doesn't have a terrible amount of talent. With teams like Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure's and George Washington set to breakout this season, Richmond looks like a team that will regress.


Big East: West Virginia
Preseason Ranking: 7th Place
Where we ranked them: 10th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
This one is pretty easy. 1) They play is a 16-team mega-super-conference. 2) They return only three players from last years squad. 3) Eight freshman will suit up this season. 4) They lost their first exhibition game of the season, to Northern Kentucky (DII). West Virginia is going to be good eventually, just not right now. But the thing is, they could be even worse than expected.


Big-Ten: Purdue
Preseason Ranking: The Big-Ten does not release a preseason poll
Where we ranked them: 6th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
What exactly do we know about Purdue? Sure, they have Robbie Hummel, but it's been a long time since he's played competitive basketball. Outside of Hummel, Purdue is full of question-marks. Who is going to be their front-court presence? Will Lewis Jackson finally start to produce? What about their depth? Luckily for the Boilermakers, the bottom of the Big-Ten is pretty dreadful, so a 6th-8th place finish is probably a reasonable expectation;.


Big-XII: Kansas
Preseason Ranking: 1st Place (Tie)
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
If Kansas finishes anywhere in the top three in the conference, Bill Self should win Big-XII Coach of the Year honors. This team has almost no depth whatsoever, and the guys who were supposed to be leaders, Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor, got suspended by coach Self two weeks ago for violating team rules. If teams can properly game plan to shutdown Thomas Robinson, it will be very difficult for the Jayhawks to win a lot of games.


Colonial Athletic Association: James Madison
Preseason Ranking: 5th Place
Where we ranked them: 4th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
It's not like JMU is expected to do great things this season, but due to Denzel Bowles' graduation and Devon Moore's eligibility issue, the Dukes could be in for a long season. They do have Rayshawn Goins and Julius Wells up front, but the CAA should feature a handful of teams with talented front courts. The lack of a solid back court is going to hurt the Dukes.


Conference-USA: Central Florida
Preseason Ranking: C-USA does not conduct a preseason poll
Where we ranked them: 4th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
This team should be good, I think. At least I want to think that they will be. But then I remember about last season's epic collapse, and the fact that they're, well, Central Florida. This team is like a drug addiction. The highs are great, and the lows are absolutely miserable. That's how the 2011-2012 season will play out. Plus, @DanWolken won't stop chirping about UCF, and he's rarely wrong. I think.


Horizon League: Detroit
Preseason Ranking: 2nd Place
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
When Eli Holman left the program two months ago, it was a huge blow to the Detroit program. He was the guy that would put them over the edge this year. Ray McCallum may be the team's star, but Holman was their top front court producer, averaging nearly a double-double per game. In a mid-major conference like the Horizon League, having an elite big-man can put a team over the edge. The Titans won't be terrible this season, they'll be somewhere around the top four or five. But without Holman up front, they will struggle to assert themselves as legitimate contenders for the Horizon League crown


Missouri Valley Conference: Creighton
Preseason Ranking: 1st Place
Where we ranked them: 1st Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
OK, OK, just hear me out. I don't doubt that this team is the best in the MVC, but, like, who is going to play defense this year? Last season they ranked 187th in the conutry in defensive efficiency. Sure, they have more talent than any other team in the conference, but with the expectations that are being placed on them this season, anything less than a perfect conference record would have to be considered a disappointment.


Mountain West Conference: UNLV
Preseason Ranking: 2nd
Where we ranked them: 2nd
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Mountain West is going to stink this season, and since UNLV will be good, but not nearly as good as New Mexico, I have to list the Runnin' Rebels here. Teams like SDSU and Colorado State aren't expected to do anything special, so it's impossible for them to fail. UNLV doesn't have anything to gain, other than winning a really sub-par conference.


Pac-12: Arizona
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 1st Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
Unless you're John Calipari, it's rather difficult to ask freshman to carry the bulk of the workload for a top-level BCS-conference program, and that's exactly what Sean Miller is going to have to do this season. With Derrick Williams gone to the NBA Lockout, MoMo Jones gone to Iona, and Kevin Parrom still recovering from bullet wounds, the Wildcats are going to need a lot of production from their standout freshman class. But the Pac-12 will be much better than in recent seasons, and it just seems like a tall order for this squad. Plus, they lost an exhibition game to Seattle-Pacific. That doesn't exactly help their cause.


Southeastern Conference: Vanderbilt
Preseason Ranking: 2nd Place
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Commodores lack that killer instinct that great teams need to possess. Last season, they were 1-5 in games decided by three points or less and and seven losses were by four points or less or in overtime. Factor in the back-to-back first round exits in the NCAA Tournament, and the injury to Festus Ezeli, and you have a team primed to disappoint. This team has serious talent, and have a bunch of experienced players. But the problem is that none of these experienced players have any experience winning close games. You kinda have to be able to do that if you want to keep playing games late into March.


Western Athletic Conference: Utah State
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Aggies have had a stranglehold on the WAC for the last couple of seasons, but their grip could start to loosen this season. While they do return Brockeith Payne, one of the conference's top players, Utah State lost a lot of veteran leadership and front court production. Gone is Taj Wesley, their All-Conference center, Brian Green, their crafty distributor and key contributors like Nate Bendall, Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams. Even with guys like Payne and forward Brady Jardine, this team has to find out what they have rather quickly.


West Coast Conference: BYU
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
They don't have Jimmer Fredette anymore, do they? Jimmer put this team over the top. Sure, they have a solid crop of experienced players in Brandon Davies, Noah Hartsock, Chris Collinsworth and Charles Abouo, but without Jimmer, this team simply wont be the same. This season could turn out to be a huge wake-up call for the Cougars.


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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 22 Florida State Seminoles

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. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.

Last Season: 23-11, 11-5 (3rd ACC), lost to VCU in the Sweet 16

Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton

Key Losses: Chris Singleton, Derwin Kitchen

Newcomers: Antwan Space, Terry Whisnant, Kiel Turpin, Jeff Peterson

Projected Lineup:

- G: Jeff Peterson, Sr.
- G: Michael Snaer, Jr.
- F: Deividas Dulkys, Sr.
- F: Okaro White, So.
- C: Bernard James, Sr.
- Bench: Luke Loucks, Sr.; Xavier Gibson, Sr.; Jon Kreft, Sr.; Ian Miller, So.; Terrence Shannon, Jr.; Antwan Space, Fr.; Terry Whisnant, Fr.


Outlook: For the first time in his tenure as Florida State head coach, Leonard Hamilton won a game in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Seminoles won two games, advancing to the Sweet 16. And if it wasn't for some questionable decision making by Derwin Kitchen at the end of regulation and on the final possession of overtime, Hamilton's club would have gone even farther. This wasn't necessarily a one-year flash in the pan, either -- Florida State has won 10 ACC games and 20 games overall the past three seasons, making the NCAA Tournament all three years. Duke is the only other ACC program that can make that claim. That's good company to keep.

The test for Hamilton's program is what happens this season. Not only does he loses Chris Singleton -- the Seminole's leading scorer and the best defender in the country last season, a player that Florida State built their vaunted defense around -- but Derwin Kitchen finally exhausted his eligibility as well. That means that Hamilton will be heading into this season without the only two guys who could score from one of the worst offensive attacks in the high-major ranks.

Florida State's strength is going to be in the front court. Bernard James -- a 26 year old senior who did multiple tours in Iraq as a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force -- will be the anchor along the front line. James, a JuCo transfer last season, took a while to really acclimate to playing this high of a level of basketball, but he became a capable scoring option and a quality shot-blocking and rebounding presence by the end of the season. In March, he averaged 11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.0 bpg while shooting 70.3% (26-of-37) from the floor.

He is far from alone along the front line, as the Seminoles will go at least five deep. Sophomore Okaro White would be my pick to start alongside James. White is probably the most talented offensive option, even showing that he can step out and knock down a three, but he is also a good offensive rebounder and may be able to slide over and play the three if Hamilton wants to go big. Xavier Gibson and Jon Kreft are both centers that will see significant minutes. Gibson may start some games if Hamilton goes big. He was an important piece as a junior -- he's the second-best shot-blocker on the roster -- before a nasty fall in a game left him with a sprained mcl and a broken hand. Kreft's story is interesting, as he finally got himself eligible in December, which came after most of the other members of the high school Class of 2006 have graduated. Junior Terrence Shannon will also be in the front court rotation.

With the system that Hamilton runs, it almost doesn't matter who is actually on the court out of this front court quintet. Florida State is so defensive-minded that their role will be, essentially, to be big. Florida State plays physical on the perimeter, all-but daring their opponents to put the ball on the floor and try to finish around the rim. The Seminoles weren't the most efficient defensive team in the country because they were great at forcing turnovers or overwhelming their opponents on the defensive glass. But they were great at forcing teams to miss shots. Their perimeter players knew if they crowded their man and forced a drive or a challenged jumper that no one was scoring in the paint.


Even with the loss of Chris Singleton, Florida State will still be an elite defensive team next season. Their biggest issue is going to be finding someone -- anyone -- that can score. The crux of that pressure will likely fall onto the shoulders of Michael Snaer. Snaer was one of the best recruits to ever pick Florida State, but he has yet to find any kind of consistency with the Seminoles. One of the issues is that Snaer tends to fall in love with the three-ball. He has the range to hit that shot, but he's too athletic to be settling for jumpers when he can get to the rim.

Snaer and Deividas Dulkys are probably the Seminole's best perimeter defenders that return. Offensively, Dulkys does some things well, but he needs to become more of a consistent spot-up shooter. The same can be said for Luke Loucks. In fact, one of the keys to Florida State's season is finding some one that can be a zone-buster, a player that is a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest and prevent them from packing a zone into the paint. Both of Hamilton's perimeter recruits -- Antwan Space and Terry Whisnant -- have a reputation as good shooters, which will definitely help.

The other key offensively is at the point. Ian Miller had some hype coming in as a freshman but failed to live up to it. He'll be battling for minutes with Jeff Peterson, who will become the first player to ever play in the Big Ten, the SEC and the ACC -- he transferred to Arkansas after two years at Iowa, earning his degree in the process and transferring to FSU without penalty for a grad year. Peterson started at both schools, but also lost a lot at both schools. One of these two will have to be able to break down a defense and create a scoring opportunity -- whether it is an open look on the perimeter for a teammate, a dump-off to a big man or their own good look at the rim. That is a must. Without it, Florida State's offense may just end up being too abysmal for their defense.

The Seminoles should once again compete for the third-spot in the ACC, but just how good they end up being on a national scale is going to depend upon how well their perimeter guys develop offensively.
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NBA Draft Profiles: Chris Singleton, Florida State

Bjorn Zetterberg of SwishScout.com will be helping us out with all of our NBA Draft Profiles this year. You can follow him on twitter @swishscout.

To browse through the latest prospect profiles, click here. To see a complete list of the players we have profiled, click here.

Stats: 13.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 1.5 spg, 1.2 apg, 2.2 t/o's, 36.8% 3PT

Age: 21, junior

Size:

• Listed: 6'9", 230 lb
• Official: 6'7.75" (no shoes), 6'9" (with shoes), 7'1" (wingspan), 8'7.5" (reach), 230 lb

Strengths: Defense, defense, defense. Singleton may very well be the best all around defensive player in this draft class. He's a legitimate 6'9" in shoes with a wingspan of over seven feet. He's a terrific athlete, with lateral quickness and explosiveness, which means that he will be able to defend multiple positions at the next level. His length and anticipation make him a terror in the passing lanes and a shot blocking presence around the rim. Singleton also rebounds the ball well. On the defensive end of the floor, there is not much that Singleton isn't capable of doing. He's not quite the athlete that Josh Smith is, but he has the potential to be the same kind of defensive playmaker.

Weaknesses: Offense, offense, offense. Right now, Singleton cannot do anything at the NBA level on the offensive end of the floor. His most dangerous weapon on this end is probably his jump shot right now. He's an above average standstill shooter, a guy that can spread the floor with his ability to hit an NBA three ball. That jumper deteriorates, however, when he is forced to shoot off the dribble. Singleton takes far too many pull-up jumpers, as well. With his size, length, and athleticism, he should be getting to the rim and finishing with authority, but for whatever reason he hasn't shown that ability at Florida State. Singleton has shown a better post game this year, taking advantage of his size at the three. That is something that should prove to be a weapon for him at the next level.

Comparisons:

• Best Case Scenario: Josh Smith or Trevor Ariza. This depends on how well Singleton's offensive arsenal comes around. Can he eventually be a 15-18 ppg scorer in the NBA? He has the physical tools to do so.


• Worst Case Scenario: James Posey. Posey has made a career out of being a very capable standstill three point shooter and a lock down defender at the other end of the court. Right now, Singleton is capable of making an NBA roster and doing just that.

Outlook: Singleton is going to be able to defend at the next level. There is almost no question about that. He's got everything a player needs to be a versatile, lockdown defender, and that defense will be enough to help him find a roster spot. But just how good Singleton ends up being will be determined by how well he develops on the offensive end of the floor. He never proved to be a go-to offensive threat at Florida State, although he did deal with a broken foot that caused him to miss two months as a junior. He likely won't ever turn into a big-time, go-to scorer. He's just not wired that way, which is fine. He doesn't need to be. What he does need to be able to do is be a complimentary scorer, the kind of guy that can knock down an open three pointer, create against a close out, and score in the post when he has a mismatch. If he can do that -- becoming a 10-12 ppg scorer that shoots 40% from deep -- he will have a long career in the NBA.

Draft Range: Late Lottery to Mid 1st Round

And the experts say...

• Chad Ford: "The question for Singleton has always been: Can he score enough to make him a lottery pick? Singleton averaged just 13 ppg as a junior and shot just 43 percent from the field. Florida State's inept, grind it out offense can be blamed for some of his woes. The last two summers Singleton looked much better at the summer camps than he did for the Seminoles. But some of it is on Singleton. While he's improved in virtually every aspect of his game offensively, he still needs to be more consistent."


• Draft Express: "With his terrific size, length, lateral quickness and intensity, Singleton puts tremendous pressure on the ball and is an absolute menace in passing lanes. He gets his team tons of extra possessions every game with his ability to collect rebounds, blocks and steals, and is the type of player who would have no problem guarding multiple positions at the NBA level —be it face-up 4's, shot-creating wings, back-to-the-basket forwards, or even switching out onto quicker guards on the perimeter (if that's how his coach elects to defend the pick-and-roll). This type of versatility makes him extremely attractive in today's NBA."


• Swish Scout: "Gifted defensive playmaker who can be a shutdown NBA defender with his instincts and versatility to guard multiple positions. Singleton doesn’t have great offensive skills, but makes due with his transitional finishes and spotty jumper."

Highlights:


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VCU celebrates after beating Florida State

I'm not going to lie, I love this video of the Rams celebrating their trip to the Elite 8. Watch to the end. The part in the locker is awesome.



The best part?

As Shaka Flocka Flame Smart is counting down the leagues that VCU has beaten, the team replies to each league with "swag".

That's pretty swaggy.
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VCU wins thanks to Shaka Smart and Derwin Kitchen

Shaka Smart has earned himself quite a bit of money in this NCAA Tournament. Tonight's 72-71 overtime win over Florida State only solidified that fact.

VCU and Florida State are two teams with very differing and fairly unique styles of play.

VCU is loaded with talented perimeter players, and they take advantage of it by spreading the floor, attacking gaps, and trying to create open looks from three. Florida State, on the other hand, has a ton of size up front, relies on their ability to defend, and goes after the offensive glass.

And, frankly, both teams were able to play their style.


VCU made half of their field goals from beyond the arc, going 12-26 from deep, while dishing out 18 assists. Their streaky shooting from beyond the arc allowed them to consistently put pressure on the Seminoles, threatening to pull away a number of times. But Florida State's size advantage inside and dominance on the glass kept VCU from extending that lead. FSU finished the game with 18 more field goal attempts than the Rams. They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, notching a 45.7% OR and allowing VCU just a 21.2% OR, and finished with 20 second chance points.

It was a battle of wills and a battle of styles, and in the end, it was a draw?

Essentially.

Not only did the game go to overtime, but in the overtime the game was decided by two possessions with just 7.9 seconds left on the clock. It was decided by late-game execution and coaching.

And Derwin Kitchen.

At the end of regulation, after Chris Singleton drilled a long three to tie the game, Shaka Smart drew up a terrific out of bounds play that got Brad Burgess the ball at the top of the key. He beat Singleton off the dribble, but was met by Bernard James at the rim. James blocked the shot, and Kitchen brought the ball up. Leonard Hamilton didn't call a timeout -- it hindsight, that decision looks very costly -- and Kitchen dribbled out the final 15 seconds, not getting a shot off.

Overtime.

In the extra frame, after Joey Rodriguez missed two free throws with the score 70-69 VCU, Chris Singleton made a fantastic move along the baseline to put FSU ahead. After Joey Rodriguez had his shot get blocked out of bounds with 7.9 seconds left, it set up this finish:



Not only did Kitchen once again dribble out too much clock and waste a chance to win the game at the buzzer, he blew the defensive assignment that allowed Burgess to get the game-winning layup.

Tough way for the senior point guard to end his career.

But it was a great for Shaka Flocka Flame Smart. Thanks to his team's execution late in the game, he may have just added another year or two to the contract he's going to get.
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Florida State upsets No. 1 Duke

Believe it or not, Boston College is now sitting all alone in first place in the ACC.

Why?

Because for the third time in the past nine years, No. 1 Duke went into Tallahassee and left with a loss, this time falling 66-61 to Seminoles.

It was bound to happen eventually. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said it repeatedly, but since Kyrie Irving's injury, the Blue Devils have been a very good basketball team, but not a great one. It is not possible to argue that Irving's absence has hurt the Blue Devils. When he went down against Butler, Irving was averaging 17.4 ppg and 5.1 apg. He wasn't just the best player on the team or the best freshman in the country, but there were many that believed he was on the short list for National Player of the Year contenders.

It doesn't matter who is on your roster, a talent like that going down will have a negative effect.


That said, I still stand by what I wrote in this post. Not having Irving in the lineup is not the biggest issue that Duke is facing right now.

Their front court is.

People tend to forget that with Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, and Kyle Singler last year, the MVP of that group was Brian Zoubek. He provided the Blue Devils with a big, tough, physical presence inside. He wasn't a big-time scorer, but he was the best offensive rebounder in the country, he blocked shots, and he made life tough for an opposing team's big man.

Duke wasn't considered a real contender to win the national title until Zoubek came on in ACC play.

The Blue Devils don't have that presence this season.

Florida State is as big and athletic as any team in the country. Their size was a huge reason why Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and Josh Hairston finished a combined 2-8 from the field for just six points while taking just two free throws and grabbing 19 rebounds. That rebounding figure is skewed; Mason Plumlee had 14 by himself.

That size in the paint and the lack of any kind of post threat turned Duke into the jump shooting team's that became notorious for fizzling out of the NCAA Tournament earlier than expected. Duke shot 35 -- 35! -- three pointers last night, making only 11. They shot a putrid 8-26 from inside the arc, which, needless to say, is well below their season average.

Would Irving have made a difference?

Quite possibly. He's a better penetrator than Smith, and even if he wasn't able to finish around the rim, at the very least Duke probably would have gotten a couple more easy looks around the basket and open threes. But Florida State's defense is legit, and even the most diehard Dukie has to admit that there is the possibility that Derwin Kitchen, Michael Snaer, and the rest of the Seminole's perimeter defenders would have been able to slow down Irving the way they held Smith to 6-17 shooting and Seth Curry and Andrew Dawkins to a miserable 5-20 performance, including 2-14 from deep.

As big as FSU's front line is, they don't really have a low block scorer on their roster. The only two times that Duke has faced a team with that kind of player, they've gotten burned. Miami's Reggie Johnson has 22 points and nine rebounds in 23 foul-plagued minutes. Jordan Williams had 23 points and 13 boards on Sunday as Maryland very nearly went into Cameron and knocked off the Blue Devils.

What happens when Duke faces a team like Ohio State, with the best low post player in the country in Jared Sullinger surrounded by quality, veteran perimeter players? Or Kansas, who can run the Morrii and Thomas Robinson out there with a bevy of talented wings? San Diego State? Texas? Washington? Minnesota?

The injury to Kyrie Irving hurt this team.

The loss of Brian Zoubek hurt more.

• I cannot write a post on Florida State's upset of Duke without talking about the Seminoles. Its ironic, when you think about it, that the Seminoles have now beaten the No. 1 team in the country just over a week after losing to Auburn, the worst BCS team in the country.
  
  How does that happen?
  
  Its simple -- Florida State is atrocious offensively. Their defense, however, is absolutely outstanding. It will keep them in the game against anyone in the country this season. When they get performances like they did tonight on the offensive end -- Derwin Kitchen played the best game of his college career, going for 22 points on 9-13 shooting and adding 10 boards while Chris Singleton had 18 points and made some huge foul shots late -- they are a good basketball team. When they don't, they aren't.
  
  Ask Auburn. Or Duke, for that matter.
  

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

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

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

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

1. Mississippi State
Record: 8-6
Evidence: On the brink of anarchy


This is a no-brainer. If they had done things correctly, MSU probably could have gotten Sidney vs. Bailey on the televised portion of UFC 125:Resolution. Seriously, things could not be worse in Starkville if they tried. Rick Stansbury has decided to keep the biggest headcase in college basketball yet remove a senior co-captain from the program. The Fightin' Bulldogs have lost four of their last five, and while the SEC West is abysmal, things don't look good at all.


2. Butler
Record: 10-5
Evidence: 24-point loss to UW-Milwaukee

The loss to UW-Milwaukee was their first in five games, but there is no reason the back-to-back Horizon League champs should be losing to a middle-of-the-pack team by 24. What's worse is the marquee match-up this weekend between first-place Cleveland State and the Bulldogs has lost some of it's luster. This game was going to be a possible preview of the conference championship, but now it looks like Cleveland State is in a league of it's own, despite not even playing Butler yet. If Butler wants to make it back to the NCAA tournament, they will probably have to do it by getting an at-large bid, and I don't see that happening.


3. UMass
Record: 8-5
Evidence: Patheticism (if that's a word)

Where to start, where to start? Well, first, it's entirely possible that UMass is the worst team in the A-10. Look past their eight wins and look directly at their five losses. A five-point loss to Boston College (who has lost to Harvard and Yale), a 12-point loss to Maine, a 25-point loss to Seton Hall, a six-point loss to UCF (their only "good" loss), and get this, a 29-POINT LOSS TO CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE. I feel sick just writing that. I don't care if they have eight wins. UMass is ranked 266th in FG% and doesn't have a single good win.


4. Memphis
Record: 11-3
Evidence: "They are who we thought they were"

Well, "they are who I thought they were". I never believed Memphis was a top-25 team. All you had to do was look at their results after five games. They would blow out the "little sisters of the poor" but would struggle to put away BCS-conference bottom-feeders like Miami and LSU. Once they faced real competition (see: Georgetown, Kansas, Tennessee) it became apparent that this team was nothing more then a couple of freak athletes.


Hell, they even struggled to put away middling mid-majors like Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tennessee State. In the past week, Josh Pastner recieved his first technical foul of the season and the Tigers got into a slight tussle with Tennessee State. Throw in the Jelan kendrick dismissal and Angel Garcia's departure and things look real ugly for the Tigers, especially considering how good C-USA is looking this year.


5.Georgetown
Record: 12-3
Evidence: Struggling "Run-DMV", Decline of "Big-man U."

It pains me to do this, it really does, but there is no denying that the Hoyas are struggling as of late. It seems like not too long ago people were pegging them as favorites to win the Big East. But even after watching their first game of the season against ODU, it was evident that this team will live by the three and die by the three, and in more than just one way.


If the Hoyas have the hot-hand, they are tough to beat, but when teams play suffocating defense and don't allow the Hoyas to get open looks (see Temple, Notre Dame, St. John's) the Hoyas are very beatable. The "Run-DMV" trio of Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark has been mediocre at best in the past couple of games. They need all three of them to have big games in order to stay competitive in the Big East. Plus the Hoyas frontcourt is pretty bad. Julian Vaughn can't stay out of foul trouble, and while Henry Simms has improved, he is still nowhere near being a Big-East caliber big-man. If they don't get things going soon, we could see them crash-and-burn just like they did two years ago.


6. West Coast Point Guards
Evidence: Drug arrests, injuries and transfers

It has been a tough week for point guards out west. First we had Washington State's Reggie Moore getting arrested for a marijuana possesion charge he got in December. Then California freshman guard Gary Franklin decided he wanted to transfer after seeing his minutes diminish, and finally, Washington's Abdul Gaddy, the conference's leader in assist-to-turnover ratio tore his ACl and will be out for the season. If I was a guard out west, I'd stay home for the rest of the week.


7. Georgia Tech
Record: 7-6
Evidence: Another bad ACC team

The bottom-half of the ACC might as well be called the SEC West. Georgia Tech is making their case for being one of the worst BCS-conference teams in the country. It's hard to be worse than Wake Forest, but the Yellow Jackets are certainly making a case for themselves. We all know about their early-season loss to Kennesaw State, but Tech also has losses to a not-so-good Siena team as well as Charlotte. In the Charlotte game, they blew a 16-point first-half lead and eventually lost in overtime to a much inferior squad. Methinks Paul Hewitt is on his last legs down in Hot-lanta.


8. Florida State
Record: 11-4
Evidence: Losses to Butler and Auburn

As we mentioned earlier, Butler is not in a good place right now. Yet Florida State still found a way to lose to them. Yes, FSU did follow it up with a win against Baylor, but you have to be blind to not see that Baylor was overrated. But the big blow to the Seminoles came earlier this week when they lost to Auburn, who is arguably the worst team in any BCS-conference. Did I mention that the Seminoles have virtually no offense whatsoever? The ACC might be bad, but if you can't score points, winning games will be tough, even if your conference is crappy.


9. Mt. St. Marys
Record: 4-12
Evidence: Ineptitude, 9-game losing streak, scored 34-points against Virginia Tech

I had a chance to watch a practice at The Mount earlier in the fall, and it honestly looked like an intramural squad. The Mountaineers went nine games without finding a W, and during the stretch had games in which they scored 53, 42, 47, and 34 points. That's terrible regardless of the quality of your team.


10. Toledo
Record: 3-11
Evidence: One quality win and a bunch of ugly, smelly losses

The Rockets didn't get a win til damn-near Christmas, and they still needed an extra session to defeat Valparasio. Their other wins are against Florida Gulf Coast and some school called Indiana Northwest. But what's worse is that they have scored under 50-points five times this season, including a 41-point output against a sub-par Alabama squad. In that game, Toledo went scoreless for seven minutes to start the second half and wound up losing by more than their total output, 83-41. Continue reading...

Tuesday's Shootaround: Georgetown, Florida State, and Butler all go down

St. John's 61, No. 13 Georgetown 58: See here and here.

Auburn 65, Florida State 60: See here.

No. 19 Michigan State 65, Northwestern 62: This is a good Northwestern team. They proved that tonight, competing with -- and nearly completing a 13 point comeback in the final 3:51 -- a far more athletic and talented Michigan State team despite shooting just 31.6% from the floor and getting 11 points (and just one field goal) from Big Ten leading scorer John Shurna, who is battling an ankle injury.

The Wildcats had a furious rally sparked by Juice Thompson late in the game, but a missed box out (Draymond Green put back a missed free throw with 12 seconds left) and a poorly designed in bounds play (the Wildcats ended up shooting a two at the buzzer down three) cost them late. It was a moral victory for the Wildcats, but for a program trying to erase a history of moral victories with their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, nothing less than a win on the scoreboard will do. Northwestern, who is now 0-2 in the league, has to turn around and head to Illinois on Thursday.

Milwaukee 76, Butler 52: So much for Butler being back. Kaylon Williams had 10 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists as the Panthers lit up the Bulldogs. Shelvin Mack had three points and shot just 1-7 from the floor as the Bulldogs allowed Milwaukee to hit 11 threes and shoot 55.3% from the floor.

No. 11 Kentucky 86, Penn 62: Tyler Bernardini was hot early, scoring 16 points in the first 16 minutes as the Quakers opened up a 31-19 lead in the first half. For the final 24 minutes, Kentucky, well, played like Kentucky is supposed against an Ivy League team. Brandon Knight had 22 points while Josh Harrellson added 12 points and 11 boards.

No. 16 Texas A&M 66, Nicholls State 55: The win wasn't as impressive as the defensive job the Aggies did on Anatoly Bose, who had just six points on 1-12 shooting.

No. 17 Kansas State 92, Savannah State 61: Jacob Pullen had 24 points and 5 assists, including a 7-8 shooting performance in the first half (three threes), as the Wildcats rolled. Wally Judge continued his hot play, finishing with 13 points and 14 boards.

Florida 84, Rhode Island 59: For the second straight game, the Gators put together an impressive performance as they rolled over the Rams just four days after they went into Xavier and knocked off the Musketeers. Can I get any consistency out of the SEC this season? Please?

Iowa State 72, Northern Illinois 63: The Cyclones won again, this time doing so with a six man rotation as Scott Christopherson and Jordan Railey were both out of action.

CAA play starts: Old Dominion picked up their first league win of the season with a 51-47 win over Towson and George Mason improved to 2-0 with a win over Delaware, but favorites Drexel (a 75-69 loss to Hofstra) and VCU (a 76-66 loss at Georgia State) had disappointing nights.

Other Notable Games:

• Central Connecticut 92, UMass 63
• Siena 73, Iona 67
• Oklahoma State 79, Texas-San Antonio 63
• Nebraska 77, North Dakota 46
• Oklahoma 73, UMES 49
• Alabama 83, Toledo 41
  

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Five teams hope to get their questions answered in the Diamond Head Classic

The best part about the early season tournaments is that they allow us to get a feel for some of the best teams in the country against real competition.

For these five participants in the Diamond Head Classic, which kicks off at 3:00 pm this afternoon, the Christmas version of the Maui Invitational is a chance to answer some legitimate concerns:

Baylor: The Bears lost to Gonzaga on Saturday in their first loss away from Waco, TX, this season. It also happens to be the only game that Baylor has played away from Waco as well as their only game against real competition unless you consider Arizona State to be real competition. We know about the talent on this team -- from LaceDarius Dunn's golden jump shot to the length of guys like Perry Jones and Quincy Acy -- but if Baylor is truly going to be a contender for things like the Big XII title and the Final Four, they need to prove that they can win away from home.

Butler: The Bulldogs, much like last season, have plenty of doubters in regards to their ability to play against high-major competition. That's what happens when Gordon Hayward graduates and your team struggles against the only three tournament teams on your schedule. We know about how good Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard are, and some of Brad Steven's younger guys have played better in recent weeks. But this is still a team that needs to prove it can hang with the big boys. They should have an opportunity to do just that should they get by Utah in the first round.

Florida State: Florida State could very well be the bet defensive team in the country this season. They have size, they have length, they are athletic, and they have Chris Singleton, who is the best defender in the country. But the Noles can't score. I don't mean they have trouble scoring, I mean that when their offense looks the way that Kansas State's has the last two games, Florida State has played well. Personally, I'll be looking to see how Deividas Dulkys performs this week. He's the Noles second leading scorer right now and could end up being the missing piece.

Mississippi State: The questions the Bulldog's have are not going to be answered this week. Dee Bost doesn't return until the New Year. Renardo Sidney, who has been suspended for today's game against Washington State, is enough of a head case that his true impact on this team will not be known for some time. The question we are all waiting to find out is if this is truly a team that can compete for the top spot in the SEC West (which isn't saying much) and potentially a tournament berth. Don't expect any answers this week.

Washington State: Are the Cougars for real this year? Klay Thompson certainly is, as he has seemingly improved his all-around game to become more than strictly a jump shooter. But what about Faisal Aden? Can he keep this scoring rate up? Is Reggie Moore healthy? Will DeAngelo Casto ever develop into his potential? Does Wazzu really have some front court depth this season? This is an intriguing team, and should they beat Mississippi State today, they will be playing three games in four days against tournament caliber competition. Personally, I'm excited to finally try and get a read on this team.



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2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 35-31

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.


35. Florida State

• Last Season: 22-10, 10-6
  


• Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton
  


• Key Losses: Solomon Alabi, Ryan Reid, Jordan DeMercy
  


• New Additions: Jon Kreft, Bernard James, Okaro White, Ian Miller
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Derwin Kitchen, Sr.
  
• G: Michael Snaer, So.
  
• F: Chris Singleton, Jr.
  
• F: Bernard James, Jr.
  
• C: Xavier Gibson, Jr.
  
• Bench: Deividas Dulkys, Jr.; Luke Loucks, Jr.; Ian Miller, Fr.; Okaro White, Fr.; Jon Kreft, Jr.
  

• Outlook: Florida State's biggest issue last season was their ability on the offensive end; simply put, they couldn't score. With the exception of incoming freshman Ian Miller, a four star point guard out of Charlotte, this is going to be the same group. The two best players on the Seminoles roster are Chris Singleton and Michael Snaer. Both are tremendous athletes -- Snaer is more of a guard, while Singleton is a combo-forward -- with a ton of upside, but offensively they were limited skillwise last season. One of those two is going to need to develop into a legitimate threat with the ball. Derwin Kitchen might be the best creator for Leonard Hamilton's club, but he turns 25 during the season. Rounding out the perimeter will be juniors Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys. While the Seminoles struggled offensively, they were a tough, physical defensive team with guys like Snaer and Singleton setting the tone on the perimeter. Florida State lost both of their starting front court players -- Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid -- but should still have enough size this season. 6'11" junior Xavier Gibson is the only rotational big man back from last season, but Hamilton brings in plenty on big men. Okaro White is a 6'8", top 100 forward. Jon Kreft, who initially signed with Florida State in 2006 but has had his share of troubles getting into the school, is a seven-footer and former five-star recruit that will finally get eligible this year. Bernard James is a 6'10" JuCo all-american that spent six years abroad in the Air Force. Those three should be able to offset the loss of Reid and Alabi inside, and if Snaer or Singleton can become the star they seemed destined to be, the 'Noles will be dancing once again.
  

34. West Virginia

• Last Season: 31-7, 13-5 (Big East)
  


• Head Coach: Bobby Huggins
  


• Key Losses: Devin Ebanks, Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith
  


• New Additions: Noah Cottrill, Kevin Noreen
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Joe Mazzulla, Sr.
  
• G: Truck Bryant, Jr.
  
• F: John Flowers, Sr.
  
• F: Kevin Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Deniz Kilicli, So.
  
• Bench: Noah Cottrill, Fr.; Casey Mitchell, Sr.; Kevin Noreen, Fr.; Dalton Pepper, So.; Danny Jennings, So.; Cam Thoroughman, Sr.
  

• Outlook: Expect the Mountaineers to have a bit of a different makeup next season. Three of the five players from their all small forward line-up are gone -- Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith, and Devin Ebanks. Whereas the 'Eers were seemingly short of point guards last season, they will be flush this year. Joe Mazzulla may never be a real shooting threat again, but he is a bulldog and a true leader, and his ailing shoulder should be as healthy as it ever will be. Truck Bryant, who dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies after a good freshman year, is also back. Noah Cottrill, one of the better point guard recruits in the class of 2010, is built in the same mold but should immediately be the best shooter of the three. The interesting question for Bob Huggins is going to be what happens on the perimeter. Casey Mitchell (who is currently suspended from the team) and Dalton Pepper were both touted as shooters and scorers coming into Morgantown, but neither really lived up to the hype last season. The front court will be fine for WVU. Kevin Jones is a star-in-the-waiting at the power forward spot, while Deniz Kilicli should fare much better this season without having to serve a 20 game suspension. With guys like John Flowers, Cam Thoroughman, Danny Jennings, and freshman Kevin Noreen -- who may end up being the best scorer of the bunch -- Huggy Bear has plenty of options up front. WVU lost a lot of talent. Its going to be tough to replace that scoring, defensive versatility, and offensive rebounding ability. WVU will look a bit different, but they should still be good enough to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
  

33. St. Mary's

• Last Season: 28-6, 11-3
  


• Head Coach: Randy Bennett
  


• Key Losses: Omar Samhan, Ben Allen, Wayne Hunter
  


• New Additions: Stephen Holt, Brad Waldow, Kenton Walker, Rob Jones
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Mickey McConnell, Sr.
  
• G: Matthew Dellavedova, So.
  
• F: Clint Steindl, Jr.
  
• F: Rob Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Kenton Walker, Jr.
  
• Bench: Jorden Page, So.; Tim Harris, Fr.; Stephen Holt, Fr.; Mitchell Young, So.
  

• Outlook: The Gaels will be a much different team this season than the one that had the school's most successful season in history -- which included a run to the Sweet 16 -- mostly due to the fact that they lose their starting front court, particularly Omar Samham. The strength on this year's team will be on the perimeter. Scrappy sophomore Matthew Dellevadova, who came into Moraga with a lot of hype and didn't disappoint, has a chance to develop into a star this season. Sharpshooting point guard Mickey McConnell is back as well, and will once again be relied upon quite heavily to orchestrate Randy Bennett's offense. Redshirt freshman Tim Harris, whose season was cut to one game with a hamstring tear, will see heavy minutes, as will Stephen Holt, a freshman point guard that is one of Bennett's most heralded recruits. 6' sophomore Jorden Page and 6'7" junior Clint Steindl will also play heavily into Bennett's perimeter rotation, and Beau Levesque could see minutes as well. The front court is a different story. Rob Jones, a tough, rugged 6'6" forward and transfer from San Diego, will likely see time at both forward spots. He should be a key contributor for this team after averaging 9 points and 6 boards in two seasons at San Diego. 6'9" Creighton transfer Kenton Walker may end up starting for the Gaels at center this season. Three bigs return -- Mitchell Young, Phil Benson, and Tim Williams. Young was the only one that got consistent minutes last season for the Gaels, but with the void left by Samhan and Ben Allen, all three of these players will be counted on to produce inside. The Gaels are not as good as last year's team, but this is still a squad that will compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and, if things break right, could give Gonzaga a run for the league title.
  

32. Temple

• Last Season: 29-6, 14-2 (A-10)
  


• Head Coach: Fran Dunphy
  


• Key Losses: Ryan Brooks, Luis Guzman
  


• New Additions: Anthony Lee, Aaron Brown, Jimmy McDonnell
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Juan Fernandez, Sr.
  
• G: Ramone Moore, Jr.
  
• G: Rahlir Jefferson, So.
  
• F: Lavoy Allen, Sr.
  
• F: Michael Eric, Jr.
  
• Bench: Craig Williams, Sr.; Scootie Randall, Jr.; TJ DiLeo, So.
  

• Outlook: The Owls had a fantastic regular season, using a stifling defense to win both the A-10 regular season and tournament title, only to once again flame out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While Temple loses leading scorer Ryan Brooks, they should still have more than enough weapons to compete for the league title. Junior sharpshooter Juan Fernandez is back and should be expected to have a bump in production as he becomes the centerpiece of Fran Dunphy's perimeter attack. Big man Lavoy Allen, who flirted with the NBA Draft, also returns after averaging a double-double last season. Combine those two with talented junior Ramone Moore, who won the A-10 sixth man of the year award, and the Owls once again have a solid core. Michael Eric, a 6'11" Nigerian junior, has shown some promise and could develop into a nice sidekick for Allen, while sophomore Rahlir Jefferson is a talented swingman that seems to be a nice fit for Dunphy's defensive style. Temple was not all that deep last season, especially towards the end of the year as Craig Williams, Scootie Randall, and TJ DiLeo, who should slide into the starting point guard role, really saw their minutes shrink. With two starters -- Brooks and Luis Guzman -- that combined for 68 minutes a game gone, Dunphy is going to have to find minutes somewhere, and it seems as if those three, plus incoming freshmen Aaron Brown and Anthony Lee, will be the ones competing for that time. Temple is always going to be competitive with their defensive ability, but there were times when this team struggled to score last season. With Brooks gone, that could become more of an issue. I think Temple will be a tournament team and a contender for the A-10 title, but they need depth, another scoring option, and a point guard to develop for that to happen.
  

31. NC State

• Last Season: 20-16, 5-11 (ACC)
  


• Head Coach: Sidney Lowe
  


• Key Losses: Dennis Horner, Farnold Degand, Julius Mays
  


• New Additions: CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Javier Gonzalez, Sr.
  
• G: CJ Williams, Jr.
  
• G: Scott Wood, So.
  
• F: CJ Leslie, Fr.
  
• F: Tracy Smith, Sr.
  
• Bench: Lorenzo Brown, Fr.; Ryan Harrow, Fr.; Richard Howell, So.; Jordan Vandenburg, So.
  

• Outlook: It seems that Wolfpack fans that have been patient with Sidney Lowe's tenure will finally be rewarded this year, as NC State looks to have a team that can make a run at a tournament bid. Its starts up front, where the Pack got some great news when Tracy Smith, who led the team in scoring and rebounding as a junior, withdrew from the NBA Draft and decided to return for his senior season. The news got better when Lowe scored a recruiting upset, landing 6'9" Raliegh native CJ Leslie, a top 20 recruit with a ton of length and athleticism with a still-developing post game. With Richard Howell and 7'0" sophomore Jordan Vandenburg also returning, the Wolfpack have a very good front line. Lowe will also have a nice combination of experience and young talent in his back court. Javier Gonzalez, who started at the point last season, will be back for his senior season. 6'7" shooter Scott Wood also returns, as does CJ Williams, a 6'6" swingman who started 16 games as a sophomore. Freshmen guards Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow were both heralded recruits. Harrow is more of a point guard, while Brown is more of a combo guard, but both should be impact players in the ACC. This is the most talented, and probably the deepest, team Lowe has had at NC State. It will be a disappointment if he cannot lead this group to the NCAA Tournament.

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Monday's Shootaround: Florida State and Wake Forest start ACC play off with the win

Florida State 66, Georgia Tech 59 OT: Everyone knows about the size of the Georgia Tech front line, but Florida State proved on Sunday that they have a pretty good group of their own. Ryan Reid scored a team high 17 points, and he and Solomon Alabi (9 points, 12 boards, 4 blocks) combined keep Derrick Favors (8 points, 12 boards - the first time he hasn't scored in double figures) and Gani Lawal (4 points, 4 boards) in check. Zack Peacock, who led the Jackets with 17 off the bench, hit a 17 footer to force the overtime, then started off the OT with a three. But Reid would spark a 12-2 run, which included a short jumper by Chris Singleton with a minute left to give FSU a 61-59 lead with just over a minute left.

Wake Forest 67, NC State 59: Al-Farouq Aminu went for 18 points and 13 boards as the Demon Deacons opened up the ACC season with a win. Wake took control midway through the first half and led the rest of the way. NC State cut the lead to 42-38, but Wake responded with a 13-4 run. Ish Smith had 10 points, 7 assists, and 4 boards.

UConn 60, UCF 51: UConn played one of their worst halves of the season as they headed into halftime down 25-20 and found themselves down 31-22 before Stanley Robinson took over in the second half, scoring 23 points as the Huskies asserted their dominance on the Knights. As you should expect with a disappointing performance from UConn, the were outrebounded 36-34 and only grabbed 9 offensive rebounds against the smaller Knights. Ater Majok, the 6'11" Sudanese freshman, had just 1 point and 3 boards in 16 minutes.

Cornell 91, Davidson 88 OT: Ryan Wittman was 7-16 from deep and scored 29 points, but none was bigger than the 30 footer he hit at the buzzer of overtime to give the Big Red the win. Louis Dale hit a runner in the lane with 0.7 seconds left to force the overtime.

St. John's 72, Hofstra 60: Charles Jenkins, who finished with 24 points for Hofstra, scored with six minutes to go to give the Pride a 59-54 lead. But Hofstra would only scored 1 point the rest of the game, as DJ Kennedy scored 10 of his 19 points as the Johnnies went on a game-ending 18-1 run. Cornell and St. John's will play for in the championship game of the Holiday Festival at MSG.

Iowa State 87, Bradley 68: Marquis Gilstrap scored 25 points and Craig Brackins went for 16 points and 12 boards as the Cyclones used a 26-4 midway through the first half to open up a 44-19 first half lead.

Boston College 72, Bryant 46: Joe Trapani had 21 points and 10 boards and Corey Raji added 20 as BC beat winless Bryant.

Baylor 94, UT-Arlington 63: Epke Udoh had 22 points, 16 boards, and 9 blocks and Tweety Carter added 12 points and 10 assists.

South Florida 69, San Diego 60: Mike Mercer scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures and sparked a 6-0 run that broke open a 51-51 game late in the second half.

Sunday's Best:

• Baylor's Epke Udoh was a block away from a triple-double with 22 points, 16 boards, and 9 blocks.
• Jawan Carter had 26 points, 6 boards, 4 assist, and 4 steals to lead Delaware to a win over Vermont.
• Gilberto Clavell scored 34 points on 14-17 shooting to help lead Sam Houston State to a 107-89 win over Auburn.
• Vincent Simpson had 31 points and 5 assists, but Hampton still lost to Towson.
• For the second game in a row, Tristan Thompson scored 20+ points for North Texas, going for 27 in a loss to Southeastern Louisiana.
  

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Morning Shootaround: West Virginia, Florida State with the 76, Old Spice Classics

Old Spice Classic

• Florida State 57, Marquette 56: Great game in the final, as FSU came back from a 40-24 second half deficit to pick up the win. The Seminoles really turned up their defensive pressure during the second half, using a 15-4 run to get the lead down to 44-39. FSU kept creeping closer in this one before finally taking a 53-52 lead on a Derwin Kitchen three. It was their first lead since 2-0. Mo Acker responded by coming off of a ball screen and getting to the rim for a lay-up. At the other end, the Noles threw the ball in to Solomon Alabi, who hadn't finished a post move all night, used a powerful righty jump hook to take the lead back.
  
  
  Florida State won the Old Spice Classic on a couple post moves from Solomon Alabi.
  (photo credit: TBO)
  
  
  Lazar Hayward gave Marquette its last lead of the night at 56-55 on a 17 foot jumper from the top of the key, but on the next possession the Noles threw the ball back in to Alabi. Alabi, who had tried about six right-handed jump hooks while only making the one, gave a little fake to the left, then hit a turn around over his right should to give Florida State the win. Darius Johnson-Odom threw away a pass with 2.9 seconds to cement things. Chris Singleton, who was named Tourney MVP, had 18 points and 10 boards. Hayward had 19 points for the Golden Eagles, who were done in by poor free throw shooting (Jimmy Butlers was 4-12 on the night, missing four straight big ones late).

• Alabama 68, Michigan 66: Alabama played great defensively, holding the Wolverines to just 38% shooting and 6-25 from deep. But it was the play of JaMychal Green inside that really helped the Crimson Tide to overcome another sterling performance from Manny Harris (26, 10 boards, 4 assists). Green had 20 points and 7 boards, which included a tip-dunk with five seconds left to break a 66-66 tie. At the other end, freshman Darius Morris went coast-to-coast but had his shot thrown into the stands by Green to seal the win. Mikhail Torrance had 11 points, 8 assists, and 6 boards for the Tide.
• Baylor 69, Xavier 64: Tweety Carter had 27 points and six assists to lead the Bears to a win in the fifth place game. Carter's sixth three gave Baylor a 61-57 lead late in the second half, and the Bears sealed the game by hitting eight straight free throws. Epke Udoh, the Michigan State transfer, had 15 points, 9 boards, and 6 blocks, looking like he could one day be a star in the Big XII. Jordan Crawford played two horrible games down in Orlando, both Musketeer losses. Last night, Crawford was just 6-19 from the floor.
• Iona 63, Creighton 55: Tied at 47, Iona went on a 10-1 spurt to build a 57-48 with just four minutes left. Kenny Lawson Jr had 18 points to lead the Gaels, while Kyle Smith added 14 points. Iona had a very strong showing in Orlando, almost knocking off Florida State and taking Baylor to OT before losing. They should be more than competitive in the MAAC this season.
  

76 Classic

• West Virginia 84, Portland 66: The Pilots dream run came to an end on Sunday as they were just too small to deal with the Mountaineers inside. WVU pounded the offensive glass in the first half and used a stretch of four straight three pointers to open up a lead that swelled to as much as 22. Da'Sean Butler had 26 and 6 boards to lead the Mountaineers while Kevin Jones added 17 and 6 boards. Portland just could never find the range offensively as they went 5-24 from deep and struggled in the half court against WU's strong, athletic, and aggressive perimeter defense.

West Virginia was too physical inside for Portland.
(photo credit: AP)

• Clemson 70, Butler 69: In what may have been the game of the night, Clemson rallied from a 12 points deficit to hand Butler their second loss of the tournament. The Tigers made their run when they dropped back from their full court press into a trapping half court defense. Down 67-62, Clemson hit back-to-back three to take the lead, the second of which was made by Andre Young from deep in the corner with just 1:32 to play. A Matt Howard tip-in gave Butler the lead back, and after both teams missed a shot, Demontez Stitt penetrated and drew a foul with 3.3 seconds left, hitting both free throws. His 19 points led the Tigers. Trevor Booker blocked a Shelvin Mack three pointer and then broke up the ensuing in bounds to seal the game. He finished with 12 points and 12 boards and Willie Veasley did an excellent job on him defensively. Mack finished the game with 15, 8 boards, and 4 assists, while Gordon Hayward had 20 and 12 boards for the Bulldogs.
• Texas A&M 66, Minnesota 65: Down 66-59 late, the Aggies nearly blew this one as they missed six straight free throws late. First Paul Carter scored an acrobatic and-1 lay-in, then Al Nolen added a lay-up of his own. With under 30 seconds left, the Gophers forced a turnover and Carter drew another foul. After hitting his first free throw, Carter missed the second and the Aggies were able to hold on for the win. Derrick Roland led the way with 19 for the Aggies, while Colton Iverson had 14 and 12 boards to pace the Gophers.
  
• Long Beach State 79, UCLA 68: The Bruins are in serious trouble this year. They went 0-3 in this tournament, and are now just 2-4 on the year with all four losses coming to mid-major opponents. UCLA simply does not have the talent this season despite having a number of top 50 recruits the past two years. TJ Robinson had 25 and 13 to lead the 49ers.
  

UNC 70, Nevada 63: The Tar Heels came up big down the stretch to win their first close game of the season. Down 64-62 with just over seven minutes left, the Heels went on a 12-3 run to open up a seven point lead and hit their free throws down the stretch. Once again, UNC flexed their muscles inside. Deon Thompson had a career high 23 points while Ed Davis added 16 points, 15 boards, and 2 big blocks late. Larry Drew and 12 points, 10 assists, and just one turnover in the win. Armon Johnson had 20 for the Wolfpack, while Luke Babbitt added 15 points and 11 boards, but was just 5-18 from the field.

Washington 63, Montana 59: Venoy Overton knocked down two late free throws, and then blocked what would have been a game-tying three as U-Dub held on against a pesky Grizzlies team. Isaiah Thomas had 13 despite going 1-9 from the floor for the Huskies, who were down 12 and shooting just 31% from the field before making their comeback.

Other notable scores:

• Texas 77, Rice 59: The Owls just had no answer inside for Dexter Pittman, who finished the day with 21 points on 7-8 shooting. Rice made a run in the second half, but the Horns were just too big inside.
• Cal 81, Princeton 60: Jamal Boykin had 22 points and 7 boards while Jerome Randle went for 22 and 9 dimes as the Bears battled injuries and illnesses Sunday.
• Duquesne 71, Radford 63: BJ Monteiro had 21 points while Damian Saunders added 14 points, 16 boards, 6 blocks, 4 steals, and 3 assists as the Dukes hung on to the Radford.
• NC State 69, New Orleans 52: Tracy Smith went for 20 points and 8 boards in the Wolfpack win.
• Cornell 61, Drexel 54: Ryan Wittman had 18 points and Jeff Foote added 15 as the Big Red extended their winning streak to three games.
• South Alabama 74, Arkansas 61: Already depleted due to suspension, the Razorbacks played without Michael Washington, who aggravated a back injury in warm-ups, taking their fourth loss of the year. Arkansas hit just six field goals in the second half.
  
• Ole Miss 73, Texas A&M-CC 58: Terrico White and Chris Warren each scored 19 points in the win.
• Nebraska 51, USC 48: Eshaunte Jones hit a three with just 11.7 seconds left, and Marcus Johnson air-balled a three at the end of the game as the Pac-10 lost another game to a major conference team.
• Stanford 83, Portland State 64: Landry Fields scored 25 points to lead the Cardinal to a win over the Vikings.
  

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