"Jimmer Range" was a commonly used term during the 2010-2011 season.
Its because The Mormon Moneymaker hit shots from here. And here. And, well, just watch this.
Fredette decided to show off his range to a bunch of kids at his basketball camp, and in the process he made this look like a rhythm jumpshot:
I, regrettably, count myself among the people that got sick of the over-coverage of Jimmer Fredette's season. Once Sportscenter got ahold of him, getting "Jimmer'd" was no longer an inside joke for us college basketball junkies.
But looking back through those videos -- watching the highlights of the 39 points he dropped on UNLV and the 43 points he put on SDSU and the ridiculously deep threes he hit all year long -- brought me back to just how entertaining this kid was to watch. All season. Even after Scott Van Pelt (bless his heart, he's a college hoops diehard and by far my favorite ESPN personality) turned Jimmer from a niche-sport secret to a nationwide sensation.
I can't help but think that the Mormon jokes and Brett Favre-level media crush made us take a once-in-a-generation player for granted.
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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Jimmer Range is deeper than we thought |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Jimmer is featured on Lil Wayne's newest mixtape |
Back in November, Jimmer Fredette was nothing but a white boy with a filthy jumper, a flashy crossover, and a name that you remember even if you didn't know that he was a preseason all-american.
Fast forward eight months, and The Mormon Moneymaker is everywhere. He went from a college hoops cult icon to the nation's most explosive scorer, a must-see attraction that sold out arenas. He won an ESPY, his name became standard verbiage (You Got Jimmer'd!!!), and he even had a horse named after him.
But it wasn't until today that Jimmer officially hit the mainstream. You see, today Lil Wayne dropped his "Sorry 4 The Wait" mixtape. On the track Sure Thing, Weezy throws in a line about The Jimmer:
"I got a chopper in the trimmer, shootin' like Jimmer."
This?
This is the definition of irony.
Lil Wayne is describing his "chopper" -- which is a gun for those that aren't fluent in hip-hop -- by saying it shoots like Jimmer, a Mormon who spent the past four years living according to BYU's Honor Code, which won't allow him to have premarital sex or drink caffeine, much less "have a chopper in the trimmer".
Anyway, here's the song. The money quote is about :45 in. (Yeah, the lyrics in that song are very NSFW.)
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
NBA Draft Profiles: Jimmer Fredette, BYU |
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: 28.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 3.5 t/o's, 39.6% 3PT
Age: 22, senior
Size:
- Listed: 6'2", 195 lb
- Official: 6'0.75" (no shoes), 6'2.25" (with shoes), 6'4.5" (wingspan), 8'0.5" (reach), 196 lb
Strengths: Everyone in the country knows what Jimmer Fredette's strengths are. Without a doubt, he was the best scorer in all of college basketball this past season. He is an unbelievable three point shooter, with range out to about 32 feet. He can hit three's and mid-range jumpers as a standstill shooter, off the dribble, off of a curl, and off of a ball-screen, and can do so even if his defender plays him perfectly and contests the shot hard. Fredette also has an ankle breaking handle, routinely making very good defenders look silly with his crossover. While his jumpshot is his bread and butter, Fredette is also adept and getting into the paint. He's not a big time leaper, but he's an incredibly crafty finisher, using a wicked array of floaters and scoop shots to avoid being blocked. Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Fredtte's game is his passing ability. He was the focal point of BYU's offense the past two seasons, but he has proven to be a capable and willing passer when need be.
Weaknesses: The biggest question mark with Fredette is his ability to defend. The last two seasons, he hasn't just been a question mark on the defensive end of the floor, he hasn't even shown any interest in performing at that end. He's rarely got his knees bent in a defensive stance -- especially when he is playing off the ball -- and he shows little to no interest or effort in getting through screens. Making is defensive effort all the more perplexing is that Fredette tested out as one of the quickest and strongest guards in this draft class, which makes one believe that his performance on the defensive end was the result of a questionable desire to be a quality defender more than an inability to stop his man. A lack of toughness is a term that you will see often in scouting reports involving Fredette. Offensively, he doesn't have many question marks, but the biggest is how well he is going to be able to finish at the next level. Will the trickery of his shots around the rim work against bigger and better front courts?
Comparisons:
- Best Case Scenario: Somewhere between Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. Both Nash and Curry lack the kind of athletic explosiveness that you see point guards like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Derrick Rose, but they make up for it with an incredibly high basketball IQ and a craftiness and understanding of changing speeds. Like Nash and Curry, Fredette is a lights-out shooter with deep range but also a will and capable creator off the dribble.
- Worst Case Scenario: Eddie House. If all else fails, Fredette is always going to have his jump shot. He is the kind of player that is hot the second he steps on the court. He is capable of scoring points in a hurry, and hitting three or four -- or more -- jumpers in a row. There is always going to be a place for him in the NBA as a guy that can come in and be a spark on the offensive end of the floor.
Fredette's success at the next level may depend on finding the right system. If he can land with someone like Golden State or Pheonix or New York, a team that likes to get up and down the floor and doesn't mind quick, deep jump shots, he should be fine. If he ends up with a team that values every defensive possession, he could end up getting buried on the bench and out of the rotation. Whatever the case may be, Fredette is going to be a very, very interesting player to follow during his career.
Draft Range: Late Lottery to Mid 1st Round
And the experts say...
- Chad Ford: "There's no player in the draft who can divide NBA scouts the way Fredette does. Some see his toughness, shooting ability and basketball IQ and are convinced he'll find a way to be a serious NBA player -- either a point guard like Steve Nash or a big-time shooter like Ben Gordon or Stephen Curry. Others see an undersized 2-guard who lacks lateral quickness and doesn't have a position. They scream Adam Morrison at worst, Eddie House at best. Fredette has been awesome on the big stage in the past. If he can take an undermanned BYU team deep, he's probably a lottery pick."
- Draft Express: "One of the reasons Fredette has become such a popular figure with fans and NBA scouts alike is the way he carries himself on the floor. Never one to pump his chest, despite the incredible manner in which he produces, he lets his play on the court speak for itself. Incredibly poised and humble, he's a true competitor who plays with a self-confidence that borders on cockiness. Even if his physical attributes don't like ideal, and there are few successful players in the NBA in his mold, there is clearly something special about Fredette that sets him apart. We've learned not to bet against players like this in the past. As the ground-swirl of excitement grows, and with it his draft stock, so do the expectations about what type of career he'll need to have to be labeled a success."
- Swish Scout: "Crafty scorer who has a text book, quick release jumper and unlimited shooting range from literally anywhere on the floor. Questions about Fredette’s effectiveness in the NBA come from being undersized, limited athletically, and his below average perimeter defense, but he should be able to play a role for a team in the league off the bench."
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Monday, April 25, 2011
Jimmer Fredette is making a movie |
I'm of the opinion that college athletes should be paid. The details of how that can be accomplished in a fair and equal manner is another post for another day, but yes, I believe that the stars of college basketball and college football should receive some kind of monetary compensation beyond a scholarship.
That said, the most convincing argument that I have heard against paying players is the amount of attention and free publicity that these kids get during their collegiate days. Its probably fair to say that few prospects would be signing seven figure endorsement deals without the exposure they get from playing in college.*
*(I'd respond with "why not allow them to sign those deals in college and get paid their market value?", but again -- different post, different day.)
Jimmer Fredette has been doing just that. The former BYU standout became a national sensation this season, and now that his collegiate career is finished, he's starting to cash in on that fame. It started with selling posters, but The Jimmer is taking it a step further: he's signed a deal with a production company to chronicle his transition from a student-athlete to NBA player.
From SportsBusinessDaily:Fredette committed to allow Tupelo-Honey to shoot more than 100 hours of footage over 30 days. The New York-based production company plans to sell online and mobile vignettes and packaged 30-minute TV shows.
Obviously, there would be no interest (ahem, money) in making a documentary about Fredette if he didn't play college hoops this past season.
No programming has been sold yet, but Tupelo-Honey President Cary Glotzer said he’s already been having discussions and plans to sell footage to several outlets.
Glotzer plans to produce daily two- to four-minute webisodes, a daily video blog and weekly recap features. After the 30 days, Tupelo-Honey will produce a long-form documentary for a TV channel or theatrical release.
He also plans to sell sponsorship around the video content, and said some brands already are showing interest.
But couldn't he have made more money if he had been able to market himself during the season, when his face was on Sportscenter every morning? He was a topic of discussion around every water cooler and sports bar in the country during the winter. Now its the spring, and The Jimmer is back to being Jimmer Fredette, the cult hero of the college basketball blogosphere.
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10 Things I won't miss about the 2010-2011 Season |
The 2010-2011 is long gone, and there is no getting it back. We now have to wait roughly 175 days until sanctioned college basketball begins again. Some of us will fill the void it by projecting next season's field of 68 or the top recruits in the class of 2013. But for us, at least at the current moment, it's high time we start reflecting on what made the past season both special and frustrating.
First up, the top-ten things that we won't miss about the 2010-20112 season. We laud college basketball as the greatest sport on the planet, which it most certainly is. But that doesn't mean it doesn't come with baggage. In order to get the good, you have to deal with some of the bad that goes along with it.
Now, some of these things may return next season, but the next few months will provide some sanctity for our tortured ears and eyes.
The Top 10 Things I Won't Miss About the 2010-2011 Season:
10. The Kansas State Catastrophe
With every day that passed, a new issue arose in "The Little Apple".
Let's see, where to begin.
Well, before the season even began, Dominique Sutton decided to transfer.
But things really went south once the season actually started. (Try to follow along, there's about to be a lot of news thrown at you)
Curtis Kelly was benched early in the season for not living up to the program's standards, then was suspended for receiving illegal benefits, a.k.a he got free swag from a clothing store. Even after those two incidents, he reportedly violated the school's student-athlete honor code. You really have to make an effort to get in trouble that much.
Wally Judge sat out due to personal problems for a few games then sparked controversy for his in-game salute to the Pinstripe Bowl controversy. FIU-transfer Freddy Asprilla left the program, reportedly because he couldn't "handle it". First it was reported that he was going to play pro ball in Europe in order to raise money for his ill mother. Then it was reported that he would be transferring to Canisius.
Jacob Pullen lashed out at fans on twitter, said he wouldn't play in the N.I.T. and was also suspended for receiving illegal benefits. When you add in Frank Martin's ever-colorful demeanor both on and off the court, the Wildcats were almost always in the news. It was good to see K-State turn things around at the end of the season, because we respect Jacob Pullen far too much to wish any of that upon him.
But seriously, that's just way too much news on one team for us to cover.
9. Wiz Khalifa/YouTube Remixes
Who doesn't love hip-hop? If you love hip-hop, like us, then you probably love remixes. I mean, who doesn't?
Wiz Khalifa absolutely blew up in late 2010/early 2011, in large part to his single "Black and Yellow". Listen, I really liked the song, and I still think it's good, even after the unnecessary radio overkill.
But what really tested my limits was the endless, countless college remixes in which some "budding" artist (and I use that term loosely) replaced "Black and Yellow" with the colors of his school. A few of the remixes weren't THAT bad, but some of them were flat-out dreadful.
Listen, if your school colors don't rhyme with "Black and Yellow", you shouldn't make a remix of the song.
End of Story.
Here are some of the examples of people who didn't get the memo.
(The following list is just a small sample size. There are plenty of more out there. But I couldn't bring myself to listening to one remix an infinite number of times)
Alabama - White and Crimson
Central Florida - Black and Gold
Georgetown - Blue and Gray
Kansas - Red and Blue KU
Oklahoma - Boomer Sooner
South Carolina - Black and Garnet
Syracuse - Orange and White
Tennessee - Orange White
UConn - Kemba Walker
VCU - Black and Gold, Black and Yellow
There were a few exceptions to this rule. But it just so happens that these exceptions didn't use Wiz Khalifa's song. Indiana student's put together a solid one, made all the better by featuring some rather attractive co-eds. The Gaels of St. Mary's were repp'd well by "Gaels Gone Wild" which featured a pretty solid beat and a well-produced music video.
Again, these were more "exception" than they were "rules".
This Duke rap however, was no exception. It's awful, and it's not even a Wiz Khalifa remix.
Listen, I'm all for fan-creativity. But a line needs to be drawn. You need to know when enough is enough.
If "Black and Yellow" is still catchy in 2012, or if crappy remixes are still being made, I may have to double-Van Gogh myself.
8. RCN not getting the Big-Ten Network
The B.I.A.H HQ is fully equipped with what-we-were-made-to-believe is the most comprehensive sport-package available from RCN, our trusty television service providers.
It's true, we don't get The Mountain, and we only get a limited number of FSN-West games, but with the innovations in pirated Internet streaming, adjustments for the most part could be made. That is, of course, with the exception of the Big-Ten Network.
All the Google searching in the world couldn't help us find a good stream of the Big-Ten Network, and RCN was not able to help us with explaining why we didn't get The BTN and how we could get it. Now with 374 teams in D-1 hoops, there were almost always a game or two on TV, and with ESPN3 and online streaming, we could almost always watch the games we wanted to see.
At this point, you are probably wondering, "Why do you care if you don't get The BTN?"
I have but one simple answer: GUS JOHNSON.
Sure, Gus-Jeezy is on CBS every week or so after the NFL season concludes. But you have to understand our frustration if the man is providing the public with the sounds of his golden pipes on a weekly basis and we aren't able to listen to him do so. I mean, we did fine with limited coverage of the Big-Ten Network, but everybody could use more Gus Johnson in their daily lives. I know I could.
Do you know how many times I had to listen to Steve Lappas and Sean Farnham? More than I ever cared too. You know how many times I listened to Gus-Jeezy? Not nearly enough. So, RCN, it's your move. Time to step your game up for next season.
7. Bruce Pearl's lack of decision-making skills
Have you ever watched somebody from afar try to pick their nose and eat what they find?
They look around to see if anybody is watching, dig in, pause, look around again, double check, and sneak in the nasal treat, all while you are watching, going "Ahh man, no, don't do it" and "Oh man, he's totally going to do it.....ewwww".
That's kinda like how I will remember Bruce Pearl's final 14 months at Tennessee. He broke a rule, which is fine I guess, everybody isn't perfect. You can't look at me with a straight face and say you have never picked your nose. You'd be lying if you did. But instead of just admitting he was wrong, or flicking the booger away, he decided to see if he could get away with it. But once you do something for the first time, and like it, you are bound to do it again, and that's what Pearl did.
He didn't just break one rule, he broke numerous rules. You know the NCAA was sitting there knowing what he was doing, and just waiting for him to either come clean or continue to dig at his nose. And that's just what he did.
Even in as late as March, Pearl committed an NCAA violation, and it eventually cost him his job.
I know this analogy has been pretty bizarre but hopefully you get the idea.
I will miss Pearl's bravado, but I won't miss his lack of judgement.
6. Twitter Misuse
If it was not for my involvement in sports media, I would never EVER use twitter.
I believe it is a valuable resource for people in marketing, promotions, and public relations. But unfortunately, twitter is over-run by classless fans, athletes who can't spell, people who try to communicate with celebrities and college students who are unaware of twitter's functionality.
Sure, I guess twitter can be used to express your opinions, feelings and frustrations. But it seems like a majority of the D-I college basketball players are unaware that when they tweet something, it's likely to be re-tweeted by thousands of people. Every tweet they send out is eventually seen by TV analysts, national writers, head coaches, and athletic directors.
I'm aware that twitter only provides 140 characters for each thought. But would it kill you to use correct spelling? Oh and by the way, don't try to pull this "my account got hacked" stunt. That doesn't happen. Even if it does, how come people's accounts only get hacked when they say something controversial?
But the athletes are not the only ones to blame. Have you ever seen some of the things people have tweeted at Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas or Terrence Jones? I understand that fans get frustrated. Hell, I do. But I also realize that these athletes are kids working their asses off to represent their school.
Twitter isn't going anywhere, and we will likely see the same type of shenanigans next season. But hopefully fans and players decide to ease up during the off-season.
Do it for the sake of my sanity.
5. JimmerMania
Don't get me wrong, I love watching Fredette play. Every time he brought the ball over half court, I would urge him through my TV to "make it rain" from 40 feet. The kid is polite, full of swagger and has a nice, attractive Mormon girlfriend.
But I liked Jimmer when he was our little secret. I liked it when only the basketball media would drool over his circus shots and his Mormon-moxie. I liked it when "You Got Jimmer'd" was in it's infancy, before he became a regular on every "talking heads" sports show across the country.
I guess I'm taking the indy-hipster-emo-jam band music approach. You know, like when an unknown band that you love suddenly blows up and becomes famous. Once the band becomes mainstream, the longtime supporters decide the music isn't good anymore.
Well, I don't think Jimmer "sold out", but I certainly could have done without the music videos, parodies, and letters to the editor.
For us uncoordinated, unathletic white kids, Jimmer was our hero, our cult-icon. But then the media had to go all ga-ga over him and ruin the special bond we had.
While I will miss watching Fredette launch shots from the souvenir booth, I won't miss the mass hysteria that he produced.
4. Renardo Sidney
There aren't many things more compelling than watching two guys try to punch each other unconscious.
I love fights: schoolyard fights, locker room brawls, donnybrooks, melees, bench-clearing brawls, cages fights, slobber-knockers, street fights, cat fights, pretty much all fights with the exception of boxing matches.
But despite all of this, I found the Renardo Sidney vs. Elgin Bailey bleacher brawl to be somewhat un-nerving.
This wasn't Sidney's first mistake, and while he wasn't the instigator of the fight, he should have known better. Up until December 24th, 2010, Sidney had played in a grand total of two college games. Yet I was forced to read and hear about his attitude problems, weight issues and NCAA violations.
Once he actually started to play, he showed actually showed some signs of promise. He even proved some doubters wrong by deciding to return to Starkville for his junior year.
But for all the buzz around this kid, nothing he accomplished last season made up for the fact that he was the biggest headache in college basketball for a good 12 months.
Seriously, I've never met the guy, and I already hate him.
3. Rule 9, Article 13, Sections 1-3
The elbow rule. Hands-down the most stupid thing done to college basketball since, well, ever.
Coaches and camp counsellors have been teaching rebounding fundamentals since the beginning of time. You can't just decide to implement a rule that would change the way basketball is played right before the season starts. Rules like this need implementation, regulation and most importantly, education. All we got was a graphic during Marathon-Madness and some re-hashing during in-studio halftime reports.
I understand that it was a safety concern, but again, swinging your elbows to clear out space has been part of the game for so long, it's hard to tell gifted athletes to just stop doing what they are doing.
Even if they had decided to make it a rule, which they did, why make it a "flagrant two with possession"? The rebounder is only doing what he has been taught over and over and over again. If anything, the NCAA should just fine players for flagrant contact (Oh wait, I forgot, players don't get paid).
I hope to God the NCAA does some serious thinking during the off-season. This rule needs to go back to whatever dark crevice it came from and should stay there for all eternity.
2. UPS Logistics Commercial
Companies use many advertising tactics in order to make their commercials and marketing campaigns stick. Fresh slogans, celebrity endorsements, even catchy jingles. Some work, others don't.
UPS clearly forgot to schedule any focus groups and must have ignored all feedback and viewer response, because the "logistics commercial" they marched out for the 2010-2011 season had the most annoying, brain-numbing jingle I havee ever listened too.
I never liked the song "That's Amore". So why on Earth would I enjoy that same tune describing the benefits of logistics?
I don't know a god-damn thing about logistics. I've been made to believe that it has something to do with making sure small businesses save money on shipping and handling fees.
Even the overly-repetitive "NAPA know-how" commercial seemed pleasant compared to the "logistics commercial". I know we weren't the only ones who frequently used ESPN3.com and their wonderful replay streams of college basketball games. But did ESPN3 really have to choose the "logistics commercial" as the only advertisement to use over-and-over again?
It got so bad that @ballinisahabit quickly muted his computer or television every time this disaster-of-a-jingle would come on. If you every wanted to add just a bit of misery into his day, tweeting a link of the commercial to @ballinisahabit would do the trick.
1. Jimmy's Jet
Not every production idea or programming segment is a hit, I get that. For every "Pardon the Interruption" there is a "Steve A. Smith Show".
But the "Jimmy's Jet" segment during ESPN-televised games was by far the worst in-game segment I have ever seen, bar-none.
Did not a single programming director realize how corny it was? Did nobody ever wonder to ask if people enjoyed it? How many executives OK'd this idea? I really feel like somebody should have been fired for allowing this to run week after week after week.
True, it was only a 30-60sec segment, but man, those seconds were rather brutal. Just give me a standard-issue Bubble Watch. I don't need aww-shucks-Jimmy Dykes using airplane analogies and foolish graphics to tell me who is on the bubble and who isn't.
I would have paid to see a camera-shot of Brad Nessler's reaction during those segments.
Jimmy Dykes is OK at his job (although if you check any SEC message board, you will realize many fans don't share my sentiments). His southern accent gets on my nerves sometimes, and sure, he has an over-abundance of unnecessary catch-phrases, but ussually he does adequate work.
But this "Jimmy's Jet" thing has to go.
Take it from me, the broadcast production major still toiling in the Internet ranks, "Jimmy's Jet" doesn't work. It never worked, and if I see it again, I may have to do something drastic.
Somebody call Amilia Earhardt, we have another mission for her.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
No more class for The Jimmer |
Generally speaking, we like to complain when a college basketball star stops going to class when his season finishes and he prepares for the NBA Draft and his upcoming professional career.
Not so with Jimmer Fredette.
In fact, its the other way around. Jimmer would like to attend classes, but BYU has asked him not to. He's too popular. His presence disrupts class, as he routinely gets mobbed anywhere he goes on campus, or in Provo for that matter, but autograph seekers and fans looking for a photo.
"It was getting too disruptive," said Al Fredette, Jimmer's father, told the Glen Falls Post-Star. "He can't go anywhere in Provo without being recognized."
"I asked him what he does on campus when he goes out," said Al. "He said he wears a hoodie and tries not to make eye contact."
Fredette will, of course, be finishing up his course work. He'll just be doing it online.
Its the price you pay for fame and success in the sporting world. But hey, how many of us would have loved to have been asked not to attend those three hour lectures senior year?
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
VIDEO: Jimmer's 52 points |
Well, Jimmer Fredette did it again.
Without Brandon Davies, going against a New Mexico team playing with their season on the line, Fredette went ham in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, scoring 33 points in the first half and finishing with 52 on the game.
It really was an incredible performance.
But its not necessarily a good sign for BYU.
Fredette took 54% of BYU's shots last night. Throw in the four assists that he had, and the Jimmer accounted for 26 of BYU's 34 field goals. This coming on a team that got all of 21 minutes and a single point from their bench. It was an incredible performance. But its not the kind of performance that is going to be replicated night in and night out. One-man teams with six-man rotations are not generally a safe bet to make.
The Cougars advance to face San Diego State for the third time this season as the Aztecs knocked off UNLV thanks to a game-winning floater from DJ Gay:
SDSU has a ton of size up front, and without Brandon Davies in the lineup, BYU will be at a severe disadvantage. With Kawhi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas, and Billy White on the floor at the same time, the Aztecs attack the glass as well as anyone in the conference.
If the Cougars do happen to pull out a win, there is still a chance they would be able to earn a No. 1 seed. A three game sweep of San Diego State, with the third game coming without Davies, is pretty impressive.
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The Real March Madness: Day 11 |
Everyone loves the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Four straight days jam-packed with 12 hours of do-or-die college hoops is more than most people can handle.
But for junkies like us, the next 13 days are just as good, for it is when the true Madness takes place. Over the course of these two weeks, we whittle some 347 teams down to 30 conference champions (the Ivy doesn't have a tournament). Auto-bids will be won. Bubbles will be burst. Buzzers will be beaten. And most importantly, a 68 team bracket will be made.
For a comprehensive listing off all the conference tournaments, follow this link or click the "Complete Conference Tournament Schedules" page at the top of the screen. To become more acquainted with the teams that have already sealed up auto-bids, follow this link.
Here is what happened on Friday:
Kemba Walker had the most vicious buzzer-beater you will ever seen, Colorado got off the bubble, and a few teams got their bubbles busted.
Game of the Day: North Carolina 61, Miami (Fl) 59
North Carolina played so poorly in the first half that head coach Roy Williams yanked all five starters in favor of walk-ons. The Tar Heels had committed 14 first half turnovers and scored only two field goals in the first four minutes. But the starters eventually found their game and battled back. Miami led by 19 points with 9:56 remaining in the game, but Carolina closed the game on a 27-6 run. The Tar Heels' only lead came when there was no time remaining on the clock, which was a result of this great finish:
They were good too
- UConn 76, Syracuse 71 OT
This was the first time these teams have played in the Big East tournament since the six-overtime game in 2009, UConn and Syracuse picked up where they left off. Kemba Walker scored 33 points, and filled the stat sheet with 12 rebounds, 5 assists and six steals to lead the Huskies to their fourth win in four days. Scoop Jardine had 20 points to lead the Orange, including a pair of 3-pointers at the end of regulation to bring Syracuse back from the dead, and force overtime. Alex Oriakhi was dominant down low for for the huskies and reserve forward Tyler Olander had a career-night. Follow the link to read more about the magic that took place at the Garden on Friday night
Team of the Day: St. Joseph's Hawks
The Hawks pulled off the upset of the night, defeating No. 3 Duquesne in overtime of the Atlantic-10 quarterfinals. They won just four games during conference-play, but have now strung together three straight wins, two coming in the post-season. Duquesne rallied from an eight point deficit with seven minutes to play. For the final five minutes of regulation, it was a back-and-forth battle. Ronald Roberts scored on a slam-dunk with 1.5 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In the extra frame, the Hawks scored five quick points and kept the Dukes at bay. Sophomore guard Carlton Jones led the Hawks with a career-high 28 points.
They were good too
- Clemson Tigers
The Tigers win the award for "Most impressive victory in a must-win situation". Clemson destroyed fellow bubble-dweller Boston College 70-47 in the ACC quarterfinals. Boston College was never allowed to make this a competitive game. The Tigers never trailed and in the second half had a double-digit lead for all but about 2 minutes. Their longest scoring drought was just under 50 seconds. Demontez Stitt led the way with 20 points, 8 rebound and 4 assists. The Tigers now must face No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC semifinals.
Co-Player of the Day: Kemba Walker, UConn
"...Most valuable player in America, bar-none. You cannot question it." That's what Jim Calhoun had to say about his superstar guard after UConn's 76-71 overtime game in the Big East semifinals. UConn has now won four games in four days. In those four games, Walker has played 157 of 165 minutes and has scored 111 points. The 111 points has broken the previous Big East tournament record, the 84 set by Eric Devendorf in 2008. But Walker didn't just score points last night. He grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out five assists and had six steals. He didn't hit a game-winning buzzer-beater, but he did just about everything else.
Co-Player of the Day Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Imagine if a team had two players of Jimmer Fredette's caliber. Then imagine those two Jimmers merging into one, forming a super-mega-Jimmer. Sounds a bit ridiculous, right? Well, that's essentially what happened last night in Las Vegas.
BYU had lost four straight games against New Mexico, and it was clear that Fredette wasn't going to let it happen again. Jimmer scored a career-high (and tournament-record) 52 points on 22-37 (59%) shooting, including 7-14 (50%) from behind the arc. His 52 points accounted for 59% of his of his team's overall output.
Consider this: by halftime Fredette had scored 33 points, the same amount of points it took Wisconsin an entire game to score. In fact, Fredette outscored seven D-I programs last night. Jimmer may actually get an at-large bid all by himself.
They were good too
- Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
The senior leader rolled his ankle in the Spartans first round game against Iowa, and his availability for last night's game was uncertain. Not only did he play, he dominated. The guard scored a career-high 30 points in the Spartans must-win game over No. 2 Purdue, 74-56. He was8-15 from the field including 4-6 from behind the arc.
Bubble Banter
- Alabama beat fellow bubble-sitter Georgia in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. You would think this would have solidified Alabama's tournament status, right? Well their work isn't done. If they can beat Kentucky in the SEC semifinals, then the committee will have no choice but to let them in.
- The last thing Boston College needed was to suffer a 23-point defeat to another bubble team, and that's exactly what they did. The 70-47 loss to Clemson will likely burst the Eagles' bubble.
- Beating Boston College was big. But beating them convincingly was even bigger. Clemson is right there on the cusp of a bid, and unlike Boston College, they still have a chance to improve their status.
- Colorado got out to a big lead, then blew it, then got down big, then fought back, but ended up running out of time. But despite the 90-83, the Buffs should end up in the Big Dance.
- Georgia needed to beat Alabama and they didn't. But losing is overtime isn't as bad as it could have been. But now they are forced to sit and wait, and that's not what they wanted to do. They are looking like part of the "last four out" right now.
- Illinois needed to beat Michigan, and they didn't. I'm not sure if their bubble is completely busted or if they still may have an outside chance. but nonetheless, it's not up to them any more.
- No team has improved their bubble status in the past month as well as Michigan has. With the win over Illinois yesterday, it is likely that Michigan will get a bid come Sunday.
- Did you really think Michigan State would fold and force the committee to leave them out of the tournament for the first time in decades? The Spartans punched their dance ticket last night by throttling No. 2 Purdue 74-56.
- The good news for Penn State is that they won the game. The bad news is that the final score was 36-33. For now Penn State just needs to continue winning.
- USC was on the wrong side of the bubble entering last night's semifinal game against Arizona. Without the services of their head coach, the Trojans put up a valiant effort but ultimately lost, ending any hopes they had of making the tournament.
- Virginia Tech is in a sticky situation. Yes, they did get the win they needed, beating Florida State in the ACC quarterfinals, but the game was decided by a razor-thin overturned video-review. But with the win, they get to continue playing, and they face a Duke team may not have their best player. For the Hokies, it's simple: win, and you're in.
Friday Results
Patriot League Finals
#1 Bucknell 72, #6 Lafayette 57
Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
#1 North Carolina 61, #9 Miami 59
#4 Clemson 70, #5 Boston College 47
#2 Duke 87, #7 Maryland 71
#6 Virginia Tech 52, #3 Florida State 51
Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
#9 Dayton 68, #1 Xavier 67
#12 St. Joseph's 93, #4 Duquesne 90 OT
#2 Temple 96, #10 La Salle 76
#3 Richmond 55, #6 Rhode Island 44
Big East Conference Tournament Semifinals
#9 UConn 76, #4 Syracuse 71
#3 Louisville 83, #2 Notre Dame 77 OT
Big Ten Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
#1 Ohio State 67, #8 Northwestern 61 OT
#4 Michigan 60, #5 Illinois 55
#7 Michigan State 74 #2 Purdue 56
#6 Penn State 36, #3 Wisconsin 33
Big-12 Conference Tournament Semifinals
#1 Kansas 90 #5 Colorado 83
#2 Texas 70, #3 Texas A&M 58
Big West Conference Tournament Semifinals
#1 Long Beach State 74, #7 UC-Riverside 63
#5 UC-Santa Barbara 83, #3 CS-Northridge 63
Conference-USA Tournament Semifinals
#4 Memphis 76 #8 East Carolina 56
#3 UTEP 66, #2 Tulsa 54
Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifnals
#6 Akron 79, #2 Western Michigan 68
#1 Kent State 79, #4 Ball State 68
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals
#4 Morgan State 61, #1 Bethune-Cookman 48
#2 Hampton 85, #6 Norfolk State 61
Mountain West Conference Tournament Semifinals
#1 BYU 87, #5 New Mexico 76
#2 San Diego State 74, #3 UNLV 72
Pac-10 Conference Tournament Semifinals
#1 Arizona 67, #4 USC 62
#3 Washington 69, #7 Oregon 51
Southeast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
#1W Alabama 65, #4E Georgia 59
#2E Kentucky 75, #3W Ole Miss 66
#1E Florida 85, #5E Tennessee 74
#3E Vanderbilt 87, #2W Mississippi State 81
Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals
#6 Grambling State 81, #2 Jackson State 75 OT
#4 Alabama State 73, #1 Texas Southern 66
Western Ahtletic Conference Tournament Semifinals
#1 Utah State 58, #8 San Jose State 54
#2 Boise State 81, #3 New Mexico State 63
Saturday Slate of Games
America East Conference Tournament
Finals (at higher seed)
2:02 pm: #5 Stony Brook at #2 Boston
Big East Conference Tournament
Finals (New York City, NY)
9:00PM - ESPN - #3 Louisville vs. #9 UConn
Big-12 Conference Tournament
Finals (Kansas City, MO)
6:00PM - ESPN - #1 Kansas vs. #2 Texas
Big West Conference Tournament
Finals (Anaheim, CA)
8:00PM - ESPN2 - #1 Long Beach State vs. UC-Santa Barbara
Conference-USA Tournament
Finals (El Paso, TX)
12:30 PM - CBS - #3 UTEP vs. #4 Memphis
Mid-American Conference Tournament
Finals (Cleveland, OH)
6:00PM - ESPN2 - #1 Kent State vs. #6 Akron
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournnament
Finals (Winston-Salem, NC)
2:00PM - ESPN2 - #2 Hampton vs. #4 Morgan State
Mountain West Conference Tournament
Finals (Las Vegas, NV)
10:00PM - VERSUS - #1 BYU vs. #2 San Diego State
Pac-10 Conference Tournament
Finals (Los Angeles, CA)
9:00PM - CBS - #1 Arizona vs. #3 Washington
Southland Conference Tournament
Finals (Katy, TX)
5:00PM - ESPN2 - #1 McNeese State #7 Texas-San Antonio
Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament
Finals (Garland, TX)
8:30PM - ESPNU - #4 Alabama State vs. #6 Grambling State
WAC Tournament
Finals (Las Vegas, NV)
12:00PM - ESPN - #1 Utah State vs. #2 Boise State
ACC Tournament
Semifinals (Greensboro, NC)
1:00PM - #1 North Carolina vs. #4 Clemson
3:30PM - #2 Duke vs. #6 Virginia Tech
Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament
Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
1:00PM - #9 Dayton vs. #12 St. Joseph's
3:30PM - #2 Temple vs. #3 Richmond
Big Ten Conference Tournament
Semifinals (indianapoli, IN)
1:40PM - #1 Ohio State vs. #4 Michigan
4:00PM - #7 Michigan State vs. #8 Penn State
Southeast Conference Tournament
Semifinals (Atlanta, GA)
1:00PM - #1W Alabama vs.#2E Kentucky
3:30PM - #1E Florida vs. #3E Vanderbilt
Continue reading...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Teach me how to Jimmer |
The craze ain't over yet.
First, it was BYU fans going ham poor Michelle Peralta's facebook page. Then it was the "You've Been Jimmered" remix to Bon Jovi's "Wanted: Dead or Alive". Finally, we got the Court Intruder song, the Jimmer remix to the Bed Intruder.
And now?
Jimmer's doing the Dougie.
We linked the song up in the Dump yesterday, but we didn't see the youtube video until Matt Jones found it this afternoon. It was good enough that it deserved its own post.
Continue reading...
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Court Intruder song |
Jimmer mania seemingly won't hit its peak.
Last week, it was a letter to the editor of the BYU student newspaper that spawned the most epic of facebook comment threads. This week, we get the Jimmer remix to last year's internet sensation, the Bed Intruder song, called the Court Intruder.
That's pretty impressive.
And quite the way to start off your morning, don't you think?
Continue reading...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Don't mess with The Jimmer |
I saw the letter to the editor last night.
I saw it was written by Michelle Peralta. I googled Michelle Peralta. I searched for her on facebook (to no avail, damn you privacy settings). I even found another angry letter she wrote to the Universe, BYU's student run paper.
It only made sense that once BYU students came across the letter, they would unleash on poor Michelle Peralta. You see, she made the mistake of posting her thoughts on facebook, and once the folks over at CougarBoard.com figured out who she was, it was all over for her facebook page.
Take a peak at the comment section of her post. The best part about it? It may be some 700-800 comments long, but its not vulgar. Its not full of hate. Its not threatening. Its good-natured, friendly ribbing full of references to Chuck Norris quotes, the most interesting man in the world commercials, and Mormon scripture that I don't quite understand.
But most of all, its hilarious. JimmerPOY.com pulled some of the best.
And it gets better. The BYU student section offered Michelle and her husband Oswaldo free season passes to the BYU basketball games:
Goddamn, I love the internet.
Continue reading...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Jimmer's not a cult icon anymore |
Joseph Smith, Jr., founded the Latter Day Saints movement, but right now I think even the father of the Mormon Church is the second most popular man in Utah.
Before he popped off for 43 points in a 71-58 win over San Diego State on Wednesday night that gave BYU sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference while handing the Aztecs their first loss of the season, Jimmer Fredette was revered by BYU fans. He had developed quite the cult following from hoops fans nationwide before he spent this week with his face plastered on ESPN
And after this performance, which was on CBS College Sports, not ESPN?
Fredette is a legend, a player whose devoted following grows every time he goes for 40 (which has been three times in his last four games).
Don't believe me? Take a peek at this picture that came across my twitter feed tonight:
Kevin Durant, who had 47 points and 18 rebounds himself tonight, tweeted "Jimmer Fredette is the best scorer in the world!!" John Wall said that "Jimmer Fredette is cold." Derrick Williams, the Arizona forward who has been on the receiving end of a 49 and 33 point game from Jimmer, tweeted that "the only way your stopping Jimmer is when the game ends." Fredette led off Sportscenter. Again.
Jimmer isn't just a basketball player. He's a celebrity. He's Justin Bieber. Hell, he doesn't even need a last name anymore. Look at what he did to my twitter feed last night:
And that's just a tiniest of tiny samples, and it just so happened to come after Jimmer buried another 25 footer, this time at the end of a shot clock with DJ Gay playing defense about as well as anyone has on him this season. Imagine that kind of twitter traffic last for well over two hours, and that's not including the flood of tweets in the hours leading up to the game.
What makes Jimmer so popular?
Well, for starters, he doesn't look like he should be a good athlete, let alone a good basketball player. He's a stocky, 6'1" white kid with floppy hair and an awkward gait. He's capable of storybook scoring feats on some of the best teams in the country, has in the gym range whether he's guarded or unguarded, and has the ability to make a defender look this silly:
The fact that Jimmer is this popular is a bit confounding. Whenever someone puts out a most-hated players list, the top tends to be populated with players of a paler complexion. JJ Redick was despised outside of Durham, NC. Tyler Hansbrough had more fans outside of the Tar Heel faithful, but he wasn't exactly winning popularity contests with the fans. Adam Morrison was ridiculed for his hair and his tears after losing to UCLA in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. I still see jokes on twitter from time to time regarding Greg Paulus and Eric Devendorf.
Maybe its because Fredette has such an endearing personality. Maybe its because he has the stones to pull from anywhere on the court at any given time. Maybe its because of his religious faith and the fact that the country knows he's getting less tail on campus than your run of the mill college hoops blogger.
I don't have an answer for it. But I also don't want to question it.
We should all just simply enjoy the ride.
The Jimmer Show rolls on.
Continue reading...
Monday, January 24, 2011
An attempt at explaining Jimmer's home and away splits |
Jimmer Fredette went bananas. Again.
At Colorado State on Saturday night, the Mormon Moneymaker went for 42 points on 11-24 shooting (4-9 from three), his second 40 point performance in the span of eleven days. He was 16-17 from the free throw line and finished with four assists and just two turnovers.
None of that is atypical. Well, for Jimmer anyway.
What is atypical is that Fredette appears to be a better player on the road than he does at home. Fredette has played six true road games this season, including when he dropped 34 on Buffalo, 39 on UNLV, 47 on Utah, and Saturday's 42 points at Colorado State. Those are his four highest scoring outputs of the season. His career high of 49 points came last season at Arizona. Take a look at his splits:
(*The neutral site games came in Glen Falls, NY, Fredette's hometown, when the Cougars played Vermont and in Anaheim to take on UCLA, who handed BYU their only loss. They also played St. Mary's and South Florida in Cancun. I'm counting the games against Arizona and Hawaii in the Energy Solutions Center as home games because they don't require any travel.)
There are the stats, but did you really need them to tell you that Jimmer has been much better on the road than at home this season?
I think I have a solution to why that is the case.
BYU's opponents on the road have an average ranking in Kenpom's database of 106.5. For neutral courts, the average ranking is 80, bolstered heavily by St. Mary's, who is currently 19th. For home games, that number is 157.2, which is actually skewed up a bit considering that BYU's game against Fresno Pacific isn't factored in. (They are not Division I and therefore left out of Kenpom's rankings.)
Now consider this: two of Jimmer's road games came against Weber State and Utah, both of which are heated in-state rivalries. (Ed. Note: Outside of Kentucky, Utah may have the most rabid basketball fan base in the country. The traffic I get from the state backs that up.) His best non-road game came against Arizona, when he had 33 points in a blowout of the Wildcats.
Maybe Jimmer isn't simply better on the road.
Maybe he just steps his game up to another level when the competition warrants.
That's a scary thought.
And if you weren't already jacked up for Wednesday's marquee matchup against fellow MWC heavyweight San Diego State, that should help.
Before I get to a sick video of Jimmer's in-the-gym range, I wanted to get a couple of quick thoughts on the record of Fredette's prospects as a pro. Its a topic that is likely going to spur quite a bit of debate once the season ends and NBA Draft talk dominates the discussion.
The biggest red flag when it comes to Fredette is on the defensive end of the floor. Simply put, he's not a very good defender. He's not all that quick laterally and he doesn't have the length or athleticism to make up for it. There are also times when he looks like he takes possessions off on that end of the floor, but that is likely due to BYU's reliance on him offensively. You don't want a guy whose offense center around his jump shot to have tired legs when he is playing 38 minutes against quality competition.
There are also some question marks to his game offensively, namely how well he can finish around the rim against bigger, stronger, and more athletic NBA front court players. He also doesn't have much of a left hand right now, as he only really goes left to keep his defenders honest.
That said, Jimmer is so good at what he does on the offensive end of the floor that he may be able to be effective even with those limitations. Obviously, he has unbelievable range and the ability to get his shot off even when he is being crowded. He is capable of dribbling full speed in one direction, stopping on a dime and elevating from 25 feet. It looks a bit funky when he does it, but the results speak for themselves. He's got a nice handle and understands how to use fakes and dribbles moves to keep his defender off balance. When you have to guard him 25 feet from the basket, it just creates more space for him to get by his defender.
At this level, Jimmer is able to finish around the rim because he is so crafty with the scoops and floaters he has in his arsenal. He's also got incredible agility and balance in the paint. He's able to slide between defenders and get off a good shot even if he is moving at awkward angles.
Its also promising that he shows the ability to run the point. He generates quite a few assists for a guy with such a high volume of shots and he rarely turns it over despite having the ball in his hands for so much time.
The best comparison I can think of right now is Stephen Curry. Steph had his doubters when he left Davidson, but he's proven himself to be a quality player, averaging 17.9 ppg and 5.9 apg in a season and a half as a pro. If Fredette lands in the right system, he should be able to succeed at the next level. Don't forget, BYU is probably lucky that the draft deadline was moved up. The Knicks came close to offering him a second round guarantee where Landry Fields and Andy Rautins were picked.
Continue reading...
The Emery Board: Week 11 |
College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March. BYU's senior guard Jackson Emery, has made the bold prediction that his team, a Cougar squad that finished with a 27-4 record last season, will in fact go undefeated this season.
We have decided that, in honor of Emery's swagger, we will keep a watch on the BYU Cougar's schedule, see if they can walk-the-walk. We will also keep tabs on any other undefeated teams who try to make a run at the perfect season.
Week 11:
Jimmer Fredette continued on his path of swag-destruction, this time dropping 42-large on Colorado State. Jimmer continues to keep his name in the discussion for National Player of the Year. How can you not vote for him when he hits shots like these:
The Cougars got past the trap game and now face SDSU in the Mountain West game of the year on Thursday. Will Jimmer be able to drop 30? I'm not sure, but I bet a lot of people will tune in to find out.
Next Game: 1/26 vs. No.5 SDSU
Next Potential Loss: 1/26 vs. No.5 SDSU
Other Undefeated Teams
No. 1 Ohio State: 20-0 (7-0)
Last Win: 73-68 at No.22 Illinois
Next Game: 1/25 vs. No.13 Purdue
Next Potential Loss: 1/25 vs. No.13 Purdue
Can anybody stop Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes? I'm not sure anybody in the Big-10 can. The Buckeyes' next game is against Purdue, and the match-up between Sullinger and Ja'Juan Johnson is going to be the key to victory for both teams. If tOSU can win, it's likey that they stay undefeated until mid-February, when they hit their toughest stretch of the season (at No.19 Minnesota, at No.17 Wisconsin, vs. No.18 Michigan State, vs. No.22 Illinois).
No. 6 San Diego State: 20-0 (5-0)
Last Win: 68-55 vs. Air Force
Next Game: 1/26 at No.9 BYU
Next Potential Loss: 1/26 at No.9 BYU
I think it's safe to say that nobody, not even die-hard Aztec fans thought they would be undefeated at this point in the season. But the 20 wins they have amassed doesn't matter anymore because they have their biggest game of the season on thursday, when they travel to the Marriott Center to take on BYU, in that marquee game-of-the-week. The question on everybody's minds is: how can they shut down Jimmer Fredette? I'm not sure you can shut him down. Your best bet is to try and contain him, and the Aztecs have a couple of different guys they can put on Fredette. This game is of must-watch status.
Drop-Outs
No. 2 Kansas: 17-0
first loss: 63-74 vs. No.11 Texas
Kansas lost their first home game in 69 tries against a hot Texas team. The Jayhawks got out to a quick lead, but were couldn't keep up with the Longhorns in the second half. I still think Kansas is a top-5 team, but they have shown the inability to put teams away.
No. 5 Syracuse: 18-2
First loss: 66-74 at No.4 Pitt, 72-83 vs. No.7 Villanova
Inconsistency is Syracuse's biggest problem, and was made evident in the 19-0 run, then 17-0 run that occurred in the game against Pitt. Well the same thing happened against 'Nova. Syracuse needs to find consistency in order to be considered a Final Four team. They are still a Big East contender, but that list changes virtually every week.
The Bottom of the Barrel:
It would be rude of us to include the "have's" and but not the "have-not's". After all, planetary balance is very essential. For every team that hasn't lost a game, there has to be a team still fighting for their first win.
Centenary: 0-21 (0-9)
Next Game: 1/27 at IPFW (1-7, 6-3)
First Potential Win: 2/10 at Southern Utah (6-13, 3-6)
Centenary continues to lose games and it doesn't look like it s going to change any time soon. Their bet chance will come on February 10th when they face a Southern Utah team that already beat them 88-75. Don't be surprised if Centenary doesn't win a single game this season.
Continue reading...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday's Shootaround: Wild night in the SEC, and Jimmer hits a bomb |
This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
Tennessee 59, Georgia 57: See here.
Alabama 68, No. 12 Kentucky 66: See here.
No. 22 Illinois 71, No. 18 Michigan State 62: See here.
No. 9 BYU 83, TCU 67: Jimmer Fredette had a measly 21 points on 6-16 shooting to go along with five assists as the Cougars ran over the Horned Frogs. In fact, on this night, Jimmer was overshadowed by Jackson Emery, who had 17 points and was honored for breaking Danny Ainge's 30 year old steals record. But that doesn't mean the Jimmer Shot disappointed. He made this shot:
Don't believe me? Watch:
Umm, yeah. That's deep. His comment on it? "I take pride in being able to shoot from anywhere and if they're not going to guard me, I'm going to take that shot." Love this kid.
No. 23 Georgetown 80, Seton Hall 75: The Hoyas opened up a ten point second half lead and looked like they were getting ready to run away with this one, but Seton Hall had other plans. They went on a 19-2 run to take a 52-45 lead. Georgetown, led by Austin Freeman, who had 28 points, slowly chipped away, using a late 7-0 run, capped by a free throw from Chris Wright, to give them a 74-73 lead. The Hoyas hit their free throws late and hung on.
Its a shame Jeremy Hazell is only returning now. He's not quite in game shape yet -- finishing with 15 points on just 5-16 shooting -- but had he been 100% SHU probably would have own this game. Jeff Robinson had 21 points, Herb Pope had 16 points and nine boards before fouling out, and Jordan Theodore added 17 points and six assists with zero turnovers.
Nebraska 79, Colorado 67: You had to figure Colorado was going to come back to earth, but this loss is strange. I know the Cornhuskers have been a tough out in Big XII play, but the Buffs beat Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Missouri coming into this one.
UNC 75, Clemson 65: The Tar Heels kept their perfect record against Clemson at home alive, winning for the 55th consecutive time, thanks to a late dry spell from the Tigers. Clemson had fought back to tie the game at 63 with 7:45 left, but managed just two points the rest of the way. Of note: Kendall Marshall started over Larry Drew. He had five points, five assists, and three turnovers in 22 minutes. Drew had eight points, four boards, and four steals in 23 minutes.
Northwestern 74, Michigan 60: The Wildcats got another win they needed to have thanks to 24 points from John Shurna and 10-24 shooting from three. Northwestern is basically in a spot where they cannot lose to a team at the bottom of the Big Ten. They also need to notch a couple of wins against the top of the league if they truly want a shot at the NCAA Tournament.
Marquette 94, DePaul 64: Darius Johnson-Odom and Jimmy Butler both had 20 to pace the Golden Eagles.
Continue reading...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A Jimmer Spectaular |
If you were perusing the interwebs last night, you probably heard the buzz that Jimmer Fredette dropped 32 points in the first half against Utah. "The Mormon Moneymaker" finished with 47 points and was pulled out with roughly two minutes remaining, unable to break the half-century mark.
This is not the first time Fredette has put on a show. In fact, just last week he dropped 39 on UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center, which included a a series of parking-lot treys.
I could sit here and post all the remarkable Jimmer Fredette highlight videos, but that would take me forever. Instead, I give you just one.
Enjoy.
Continue reading...
Wednesday's Shootaround: Jimmer goes crazy, Penn State wins again, and Florida and Michigan State survive in overtime |
This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
No. 10 BYU 104, Utah 79: I already wrote about Jimmer Fredette's incredible performance, so I'm not going to delve further into that. Simply put, he was incredible. Again. And he did this:
That gave him 32 points. In the first half! He finished with 47.
But there were a couple things about the game that concerned me.
I know that the Cougars were missing Chris Collinsworth, but it is still a bit worrisome how little production BYU got from their bench on Tuesday night. Despite the game being a 25 point blowout, four of BYU's starters played 35 minutes. The only starter that didn't was Brandon Davies, who spent the majority of the game in foul trouble.
While its a nice sign to see four other guys reach double figures when you have a player go for 47, its not not necessarily a good sign to see your bench provide just two points on 1-5 shooting, especially when the game is decided by 25 points.
That said, for the second time in three games, the guy that really was responsible for the run that put the game out of reach was Jackson Emery, who had 16 points in a 25-6 run that turned a seven point lead into a 26 point lead. He did the same thing to UNLV.
No. 24 Michigan State 64, No. 21 Wisconsin 61 OT: See here.
One other thought on this game: where was Jon Leuer? He disappeared in the second half and in overtime and had a critical turnover during Michigan State's comeback. Jordan Taylor and Keaton Nankivil were the guys involved in all of Wisconsin's key possessions late. And this is supposed to be Wisconsin's all-american?
Penn State 57, No. 16 Illinois: For the second straight game, the Nittany Lions knocked off a ranked opponents at home. Talor Battle had 26 points and three assists, but it was a put-back dunk by Andrew Jones with 1.0 seconds left off of a Battle miss that was the deciding bucket. Battle also outplayed Demetri McCamey by a wide margin, as the Illinois senior had just 10 points, five assists, and five turnovers.
No. 15 Kentucky 78, Auburn 54: See here.
Florida 81, Tennessee 75 OT: The Gators picked up a nice win on the road against a reeling Tennessee team. The Gators, who held a two-possession lead for much of the second half, were unable to put Tennessee away in overtime and needed a block from Alex Tyus, who had 18 points on the night, on a Brain Williams shot with five seconds left to prevent a loss in regulation. In overtime, Kenny Boynton hit two huge threes and two clutch free throws. Erving Walker was terrific for much of the second half, finishing with 15 points and four assists, while Chandler Parsons added 16 points and six boards.
No. 9 UConn 67, Rutgers 53: Kemba Walker had just 18 points against the Scarlett Knights, but once again the UConn supporting cast stepped up. Alex Oriakhi showed off a nice array of post moves and dominated the paint for the second straight game, finishing with 17 points, 12 boards, and four blocks. Shabazz Napier only scored four points, but he had seven assists and three steals playing more minutes as UConn's primary ball handler. Roscoe Smith, Donnell Beverly, and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel also had strong games.
Boston College 75, NC State 66: Reggie Jackson was terrific, scoring 29 points to go along with five boards and six assists, but it was back-to-back threes by Biko Paris and Corey Raji that that turned a 60-57 deficit into a 63-60 lead. Boston College would go on to outscore the wolfpack, who got 18 points from Tracy Smith, 18-6 over the final four minutes.
No. 14 Texas 83, Texas Tech 52: The Longhorns got 20 points from Tristan Thompson, 16 points from Jordan Hamilton, and 15 points from Cory Joseph as they throttled the Red Raiders in Lubbock.
Baylor 74, Oklahoma 61: Perry Jones has seemed to right the ship after struggling against Florida State and Texas Southern. In his last three games, he is averaging 20.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg after going for 25 points and seven boards Tuesday. The Bears, however, struggled to put away Oklahoma.
Northern Illinois 71, Eastern Michigan 69: Xavier Silas scored 31 points, hitting 11-14 from the field and 6-6 from three, as he continues to keep in his name in the scoring race with Walker and Fredette.
Continue reading...
Monday, January 10, 2011
1/10 - College Hoops Week in Review: Aaaand we're going to overtiiiiime |
Game of the Week: UConn 82, Texas 81 OT
With all due respect to Georgetown and Missouri, I think we have a new favorite for Game of the Year. This one was wild. Kemba Walker didn't score until there was 2:32 left in the first half. He had just five points at the break, but despite that the Huskies were only down 37-32 at intermission. Walker was still cold in the second half, but Texas couldn't put the Huskies away. Down 48-41 with with 15 minutes left, UConn went on a 27-11 run sparked by Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith. Once again, UConn did it without much help from Walker, who had five points during that stretch.
Texas had an answer, however. Tristan Thompson sparked a 12-2 run with six points, and with 1:33 left in the game, a short jumper by J'Covan Brown gave Texas the lead. (The Longhorns would have been ahead earlier if it wasn't for this blunder by Jordan Hamilton, which wasn't even the dumbest play of the game.) At the other end, Walker came through in the clutch -- something that would become a familiar theme here -- with a gorgeous, and-one, reverse layup to put UConn up 73-71. After two J'Covan Brown free throws and a missed Walker jumper, Texas had a chance to win it it in regulation. Johnson had his shot blocked with 14 seconds left. Smith gathered the ball and threw it 85 feet at the basket with 10 seconds left in the game.
Texas had another shot to win it, but Brown missed a short jumper in the lane. In overtime, UConn took the lead on three separate occasions, the third of which was a 40 foot prayer by Kemba Walker to beat the shot clock. Texas had an answer every time, and after Walker's 40 footer, Cory Joseph and Hamilton both knocked down midrange jumpers to give Texas the lead with under a minute left. After both teams had empty possessions, UConn ended up with the ball with time winding down, setting up these heroics from Walker:
Triple Overtimes: We had three of them this weekend. Believe it or not, both St. Bonaventure and Ohio -- who played a four overtime game earlier in the season -- were involved in one.
Player of the Week: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
BYU went 2-0 this week, beating UNLV and a better-than-expected Air Force team to start MWC play. Against UNLV, Fredette had one of the most dominant individual performances of the season. BYU was down 25-15 with under six minutes to go in the first half when Fredette finally caught fire, sparking a 37-13 run over a 12 minutes span. When the run started, Fredette was just 1-7 from the floor and 0-3 from three with three points. By the time the night was over, Fredette had 39 points on 12-25 shooting and 7-13 from three and BYU had won 89-77 in a game that wasn't that close. You want a sense of how hot Fredette was? Check out where he hit this three from:
That kid of game had to feel very good for Fredette considering some of the comments made by Tre'Von Willis during the week. It is because of performances like the one he had against UNLV that when Fredette had 22 points against Air Force it seems pedestrian. Think about that for a second. You can legitimately say that Air Force played well because they "held" Fredette to 22 points.
The All-they-were-good-too team
Team of the Week: Missouri State Bears
After a 3-0 week in the Valley, Missouri State is now sitting all alone atop the MVC standings at 5-0. Making that record all the more impressive is that the Bears have already made their three toughest road trips of the season, going to Northern Iowa, Creighton, and Wichita State (the latter two both coming this past week and both now sitting at 4-1 in the league) and coming out with wins. The Bears likely won't be getting an at-large bid this season -- not with a non-conference schedule that features losses to Tennessee, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State and their best non-conference win coming against Oral Roberts -- but that doesn't mean this isn't a good basketball team. Anyone that can go into Northern Iowa, Creighton, and Wichita State in the span of 10 days and come out unscathed is a good basketball team. Kyle Weems (14.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Jermaine Mallet (10.3 ppg) led the way this week.
Teams that deserve a shoutout
Matchups of the Week
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