Field set for the 2012 Maui Invitational?

It appears that the field for the 2012 Maui Invitational has been decided upon.

Based on a tweet from Jeff Goodman last week, it appears that North Carolina, Texas, and Butler will headline an event that also includes Marquette, Illinois, Mississippi State, USC, and host Chaminade. The 2012 event (which will occur during the 2012-2013 season) will not have the same brand-name notoriety as this year's Maui Invitational -- which features five former national champions and three blue-blooded programs -- but it should be exciting nonetheless.

For most of the country, it will the first time we get to see new-look UNC, who most expect will lose quite a bit of talent to the 2012 NBA Draft. How will Roy Wiliams' club handle the expected losses of Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and fellow early entrants? The tournament will also be another chance for Butler to make a statement on national TV early in the season. This season is expected to be the rebuilding year for the Bulldogs, with their core of Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, and Gordon Hayward all now gone. Will they be a factor on a national scale come 2012?

There are other intriguing story lines. USC's rebuilding process should be complete by then. Texas and Illinois -- two teams that struggle as much as any school with their recruiting success -- may have to be rebuilt by then. Marquette thought it a good idea to bring the pasty Buzz Williams to the beach.

What I'm looking forward to the most, however, will be Renardo Sidney's triumphant return to Hawaii.
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The 2011 Maui Invitational field is released; tournament "expanded"

The 2011 field for the Maui Invitational is pretty loaded. It features five former national champions -- Duke, Georgetown, UCLA, Michigan, and Kansas -- as well as Memphis, Tennessee, and, as always, Chaminade.

With that tournament well over a year away, its tough to predict just how good it is going to be, but we'll take a shot anyway. Duke should once again be a top ten team even if Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee head to the league. The same can be said for Kansas and Josh Selby as well as Memphis and their crop of freshmen. Its a safe bet that Tennessee and Georgetown will be in the top 25, and no one will be surprised if Ben Howland has he UCLA team relevant nationally within a year's time. Michigan is the question mark, but remember what John Beilein did with his West Virginia team's that were full of question marks?

Steven Gray and Matt Bouldin after winning the 2009 Maui.
(photo credit: B/R)

I don't think its an exaggeration to say that the 2011 Maui Invitational will have three top ten teams, two more top 25 teams, and a sixth team that makes the tournament. That's a pretty loaded field.

As far as I can tell based on a (very) quick perusal of the past Maui fields, the group in 2005 was the best yet. UConn was a one seed and made the Elite Eight. Adam Morrison and Gonzaga earned a three seed and a trip to the Sweet 16. Kansas was a four, Michigan State a six, and Arizona and Arkansas were eight seeds. Maryland was an NIT team.

Not only is the 2011 field better, it is going to look different. Actually, no, its not. But there are going to be guaranteed games played in the continental United States. I'll let the AP explain:

Starting with 2011, the tournament will be played in three parts. The opening games will be played at the seven Maui-bound schools with three of the four mainland teams playing two games and the other playing one. The four mainland teams will play two doubleheaders at one of those schools on Nov. 19-20. The championship round will remain the same at the Lahaina Civic Center with all 12 games shown on one of the ESPN networks.

In other words, the seven "Maui-bound" teams -- aka the good teams -- will get a couple of early season tune-ups at home. The four "mainland" teams -- aka the early season tune-ups -- will then play a couple of games before the real tournament starts out in Maui.

So there really won't be a difference in the Maui Invitational itself, there are just going to be more games played under the "Maui Invitational" umbrella. Think about it like this -- Sportscenter didn't change when ESPN added ESPN 3, did it?

This year's Maui is pretty deep as well. Michigan State, Kentucky, Washington, UConn, and Wichita State all have, at the least, a realistic shot of making the NCAA Tournament, while Oklahoma, Virginia, and Chaminade round out the field.

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Turkey Day Round-up

This is all you are getting from us today, as we will be enjoying our turkey. Be sure to check back tomorrow, as we will have a full recap of the first round action from the 76 and Old Spice Classic's before heading back to Madison Square Garden to see the finals of the Preseason NIT.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Preseason NIT: UConn beat LSU 81-55 and Duke held on against Arizona State 64-53. See the write-ups here and here.

Maui Invitational

• Gonzaga 61, Cincinnati 59: Gonzaga always seems to be in a dogfight every game they play in the Maui. If you like tough, defensive basketball, then you were in heaven yesterday as the Zags won the Maui title over Cinci. Gonzaga fought back from a 10 point deficit midway through the 2nd half, eventually tying the game at 47. The teams traded hoops over the final few minutes before the Bulldogs found themselves down 55-53 with under 30 seconds left. But Steven Gray, who was named co-tournament MVP with Matt Bouldin, found Robert Sacre for a short jumper to tie things up. At the other end, Sacre broke up an alley-oop (on what could have been called a foul) from Lance Stephenson to Yancy Gates.
  
  In the OT, the two teams traded free throws before a Robert Sacre dunk gave Gonzaga a 59-57 lead. After two Gonzaga free throws surrounded a Yancy Gates dunk, Cashmere Wright missed a shot and Elias Harris gathered the rebound to end an exciting game. Some personnel notes: Lance Stephenson really has some impressive 1-on-1 moves, and is going to score a lot of points this season; Matt Bouldin struggled against the bigger, stronger, more athletic Cinci guards, but he still managed double digit rebounds and played some tough defense; Yancy Gates needs to realize he isn't a jump shooter and focus on hitting the glass.
• Wisconsin 78, Maryland 69: The Badgers got down 7-0 early in the game, but they responded with a 16-2 run to take a 16-9 lead they would not relinquish. Maryland got within 51-48, but a 14-5 spurt opened a a 65-53 lead, and the Terps never threatened again. Brian Bohannon had 20 points on 4-5 shooting from deep as the Badgers knocked down 10 threes on the day. Jon Leuer had 16 for Wisconsin, while Greivis Vasquez found his shooting stroke a little bit, going for 18 on 6-13 from the floor.
• Vanderbilt 84, Arizona 72: The Commodores shot 69% in the second half as they turned a five point deficit into a 12 point win. AJ Ogilvy had 20 points and 7 boards for Vandy, and Jermaine Beal added 18 and 5 dimes. Solomon Hill led Arizona with 17, while Nic Wise was held to just nine.
• Colorado 73, Chaminade 58: Colorado needed a late 13-2 run to hold off a pesky Chaminade team.

Kentucky 73, Stanford 65 OT: So apparently John Wall is clutch. Not two weeks after he buried a game-winner against Miami OH, Wall hit a 10 foot fadeaway to tie the game with 30 seconds left before knocking down two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to force OT. Wall finished with 23 points and 5 assists, but there are some serious issues with this UK team. Eric Bledsoe turns the ball over too much. DeMarcus Cousins is lazy, and will need to really improve his attitude if he is going to be as good as advertised. Darnell Dodson is in Cal's doghouse, apparently for violating team rules. But the biggest issue is that this group is not very good defensively, and that they are way too selfish on the offensive end of the floor. Until they buy into Coach Cal's system, UK fans are going to have quite a bit of stress this season.

San Diego 76, Oklahoma 64: Brandon Johnson scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half, and when he was slowed by a hammy in the second half, the rest of the Toreros picked up the slack. A 13-4 run early in the half pushed a six point halftime lead to 50-35, and the Toreros eventually extended that to as much as 23. It was the second loss in five days for Oklahoma, who played at VCU, 4,000 miles from Anchorage, on Saturday. Willie Warren has 30 for Oklahoma, but most game after the game was decided. The biggest issue for Oklahoma right now is interior play. They are bigger than San Diego, but were outrebounded by 42-31.

Kansas 89, Oakland 59: Xavier Henry had 19 points, including three thunderous alley-oops, while Marcus Morris added 19 and 11 boards as Kansas ran away with their 44th straight home win, the best streak in the country. More impressive was that Kansas beat a good Oakland team picked to win the Summit by 30 when Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, the resident all-americans, combined for just 13 points.

Other notable scores:

• Miami 77, Florida-Gulf Coast 58: DeQuan Jones led three scorers in double figures with a career-high 16 points to lead the Canes, who are now 6-0.
• Washington State 87, Alaska Anchorage 68: 25 points from Klay Thompson led the Cougars to the win in the Great Alaska Shootout's first round.
• BU 69, Northeastern 64 OT: Corey Lowe scored 18 for the Terriers, including a jumper with 23 seconds left to force OT, where Jame O'Brien gave BU the lead for good with a jumper with 51 seconds left.
• Virginia 76, Cleveland State 65: Virginia got 20 points from Sylvan Landesberg and 18 from Will Sherrill, including 15 in the second half, as the Cavs over came a 10 point halftime deficit.
• South Florida 76, Kent State 54: Jarrid Famous and Gus Gilchrist combined for 35 points and 15 boards as the Bulls improved to 5-1.
• Pacific 71, San Diego State 63: Terrell Smith had 16 points and 5 assists as Pacific improved to 5-0 on the season.

Today's games - a lot of great tournament action today:

Old Spice Classic

• 12:00 pm: Creighton vs. Michigan
• 2:30 pm: Xavier vs. Marquette
• 6:30 pm: Alabama vs. Baylor
• 9:00 pm: Florida State vs. Iona

76 Classic

• 2:00 pm: Long Beach State vs. West Virginia
• 4:30 pm: Texas A&M vs. Clemson
• 8:30 pm: Minnesota vs. Butler
• 11:00 pm: UCLA vs. Portland

11:30 pm: Houston vs. Oklahoma in Anchorage
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Wednesday's Pregame Beat

Just a quick PB today, as I'm currently sitting on a train en route for NYC. Reminder: head over to Rush the Court tonight as BIAH will be hosting a live-chat from Press Row for the Preseason NIT games tonight.

Preseason NIT

• 7:00 pm: LSU vs. UConn: There are some really good match-ups on the perimeter in this one, as Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson will be going up against Bo Spencer and Tasmin Mitchell. This game is going to be determined by the front court: who is going to step up?
• 9:30 pm: ASU vs. Duke: Former Dookie Eric Boateng has been playing some great basketball early this season, but he is going to have his hands full with the Blue Devils front line. Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer are playing like the best backcourt in the country right now. How long can that keep up?

Maui Invitation

• 2:00 pm: Colorado vs. Chaminade: 7th place game. Worth watching because Cory Higgins of the Buffaloes is a future pro.
• 4:30 pm: Maryland vs. Wisconsin: The Terps struggled with the physicality of the Bearcats inside, and while Wisconsin doesn't have the bigs that the Bearcats do, they are still a team that survives on their size and strength. Maryland will have to answer questions all season about whether or not they can handle a physical team inside, and it won't bode well for the Terps if they have a poor showing against the Badgers. Also of note: will Greivis Vasquez show up tonight?
• 7:00 pm: Arizona vs. Vanderbilt: Arizona's youth struggled with the defensive pressure of Wisconsin, but seemed more comfortable playing Colorado. Vandy has not played a tough brand of basketball early this year, but the Wildcats don't have an answer inside for AJ Ogilvy. The Wildcat freshman have looked solid, but if Zona is to win, it will be due to a great performance from Nic Wise.
• 9:30: Gonzaga vs. Cincinnati: Game of the night. These two teams match-up so well. Quick, penetrating point guards. Two big-time scorers on the wings. Big, strong, tough kids inside. I think Cinci pulls this one out. As enamored as I am with Elias Harris and Matt Bouldin, I just think that Yancy Gates is too much for Robert Sacre to handle.

Other notable games tonight:

• 6:00 pm: Sacred Heart @ Penn State
• 7:00 pm: High Point @ Auburn
• 7:00 pm: Virginia vs Cleveland State
• 7:00 pm: Kent State @ South Florida
• 7:30 pm: Florida-Gulf Coast @ Miami FL
• 8:00 pm: Oakland @ Kansas
• 9:30 pm: Stanford vs. Kentucky
• 11:30 pm: Washington State vs. Alaska-Anchorage in the Great Alaska Shootout
• 1:45 am: Oklahoma vs. San Diego in the Great Alaska Shootout

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Wednesday's Shootaround: Evan Turner posts another triple-double, while Gonzaga and Cinci advance to the Maui finals

Maui Invitational:

• Cincinnati 69, Maryland 57: The Terps just had no answer for the inside play of Cincinnati. Yancy Gates had 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Deonta Vaughn added 16 points and 5 assists, but it was a 14-0 run, turning a 14-11 deficit into a 25-14 Bearcat lead, that was the difference in this game. The Terps never recovered. Cincinnati is back to the Bearcat teams we all remember - big and physical, they have a roster full of guys that are going to defend all over the court (Maryland shot 31.7% from the floor, Vasquez was just 5-17) and crash the boards hard (won the rebounding battle 47-32, had 15 offensive). Once Deonta Vaughn and Lance Stephenson really get going offensively, this is going to be a tough Cinci team to beat.

• Gonzaga 74, Wisconsin 61: The Zags had a much easier go of it offensively against the Badgers than Arizona did the night before. Wisconsin out-physicaled the Wildcats, forcing them out of the comfort zone offensively. But Gonzaga, in stark contrast to last year's group, is not going to be pushed around this season. The experienced Zags were able to run their sets and routinely get good looks at the rim. Matt Bouldin led four players in double figures with 18 points and 5 assists. One player to keep an eye on this season is Elias Harris. He is strong, athletic, and a tough rebounder, but the 20 year old freshman has also showed some ability to play on the perimeter. He could end up being a pro.
  
• Arizona 91, Colorado 87 OT: Nic Wise scored 30 points for the Wildcats, including eight straight at the end of regulation to put Zona up 80-72 with 52 seconds left. But Cory Higgins assisted on a three, and after getting a stop he buried his own three. The Buffaloes then forced a quick turnover, and Solomon Hill fouled Higgins, who hit both free throws to tie the game. But Wise was too much in OT, as he scored on back-to-back possessions to erase an 85-82 lead and give Zona a lead they would never relinquish. Higgins has really lived up to the hype he had coming into the season, as he went for 28 points. Jamelle Horne added 17 points, 8 boards, and 7 blocks while Brendan Lavender and Derrick Williams added 16 and 11, respectively.
• Vanderbilt 68, Chaminade 41: Vandy used a 24-0 run to break open a close game against DII Chaminade. John Jenkins led the Commodores with 14 points.
  

CBE Classic

• Texas 78, Pitt 62: Texas looked like they were in trouble for a while, as Pitt used an 11-0 run to take a 34-32 lead at the half. After playing back and forth basketball for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Texas finally pulled away with a 14-3 run late in the second half. In the end, Texas was just too talented offensively for the Panthers, who had not given up more than 60 points this season. The big spark during the run was freshman Jordan Hamilton, who can clearly score from the perimeter, but may need to be a bit more judicious in his shot selection. Damion James had 20 points and 9 boards to lead the Horns. The win was costly for Texas, however, as starting guard Varez Ward landed in a heap during warm-ups and was carted off the floor.
• Wichita State 74, Iowa 57: How bad are the Hawkeyes? They are now 1-4 on the season after getting run off the court by Wichita State. Garrett Stutz and Toure Murry both had 18 to lead the Shockers.
  

Cancun Challenge

• Kentucky 73, Cleveland State 49: The Wildcats got 15 points and 6 assists from John Wall, but like Texas, this could be a costly win for the Wildcats a Patrick Patterson went out early in the second half with an ankle injury. No word yet on its severity.
  
• Stanford 57, Virginia 52: Landry Fields had 25 points and 13 boards as the Cardinal knocked off the Cavs for the right to play UK in the finals.
  

Ohio State 84, Lipscomb 64: Evan Turner got off to a slow start, at one point having no points, four turnovers, and just two assists in the first half. But as the Buckeyes heated up, so did Turner, who finished the game with 16 points, 10 boards, and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the season (he also had a game in NYC where he had a triple-double with 10 turnovers). David Lighty also added a career-high 22 points for OSU, who are now 4-1 on the season. Up just 28-27 near the end of the first half, the Buckeyes used a 12-0 run spanning both halves to break the game open.

Syracuse 88, Cornell 73: Cornell used some hot three-point shooting in the first half to hang around (9-19, Chris Wroblewski was 5-6), but a 17-5 spurt to open the second half, combined with an improved focus on the defensive end (Cornell was just 4-18 from deep in the second half), helped Syracuse run away with this one. Brandon Triche scored a career-high 21 points, including six in the decisive run, while Rautins added 18 points and Wes Johnson chipped in with 15 and 10. While this wasn't as impressive a win as the Orange had against Cal or UNC in NYC, Cornell is an experienced team that has played in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

West Virginia 69, Citadel 50: The Mountaineers got up double digits early in the first seven minutes, but some hot shooting by the Citadel combined with smart use of the shot clock offensively kept this from becoming a blow out. John Flowers, who missed most of the Mountaineer's first game with a foot injury, came off the bench to score 13 points while Joe Mazzulla, who sat out the first game while still dealing with a shoulder issue, played 15 minutes off the bench, notching six assists. Devin Ebanks did not play, however, and WVU struggled a bit offensively as a result. He will be traveling with WVU to Anaheim for the 76 Classic, but there is no word yet on whether he will actually play. Da'Sean Butler was held to just nine points on the night.

Morgan State 97, Arkansas 94: Morgan State is not a bad team, that said, Arkansas is an SEC that had visions of making the NCAA tournament this season. They absolutely should not be losing a game like this, especially when they have Rotnei Clarke and Michael Washington in uniform. Yes, I know this team is dealing with suspensions and off the court issues, but can that really ban excuse? Don't you think that's a sign that there is something fundamentally flawed with John Pelphrey's program? Reggie Holmes had 34 points in the win.

Seattle 77, Utah 74: Cameron Dollar has something pretty impressive going in Seattle. After beating Weber State and Fresno State, he took the Redhawks into Utah and came out with a win. Charles Garcia had 24 and 8 in the win. Oh yeah, this is Seattle's first season in DI.

Other notable scores:

• Illinois 78, Wofford 64: After beating Georgia and barely losing to Pitt, Wofford gave the Illini all they could handle in the Las Vegas Invitational (isn't that an AAU tournament?). Demetri McCamey's 21 and 4 dimes combined with an 8-0 run to break a 50-50 tie was the difference.
• Cal 79, Jacksonville 47: Patrick Christopher broke out of his shooting slump to go for 23 points, including 4-6 from deep, as the Bears rebounded from a poor performance in NYC.
• Florida 68, Florida State 52: The Gators jumped out to a 20 point first half lead, and while the Noles were able to get it all the way back down to five midway through the second half, they just ran out of gas. Florida responded with a 12-0 run to put the game away.
• Providence 106, Vermont 64: Sometimes there are scores you simply cannot explain. After beating Rutgers, UVM loses by 42 to a Providence team picked at the bottom of the Big East? The Friars had 15 threes, which might have aided in the blowout.

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Tuesday's Pregame Beat

Maui Invitational

• 1:30 pm: Vanderbilt vs. Chaminade: Every once in a while, the Silver Swords pull off an upset in this tournament. Is today the day?
• 4:00 pm: Colorado vs. Arizona: Both the Buffaloes and the Wildcats lost tough first round games. It will be interesting to see if the young Wildcats will be disciplined enough to handle playing against a princeton style offense. Good guard match-up in this one as well - Nic Wise against Cory Higgins.
• 7:00 pm: Maryland vs. Cincinnati: The first real test for the Terps. Greivis Vasquez has not been playing well in the season's first four games, and Maryland is going to need him to show up against the Bearcats. The biggest issue Maryland is going to have is on the glass. Will they be able to keep Cinci from getting second chance oppotunities?
• 9:30 pm: Wisconsin vs. Gonzaga: Interesting match-up here. Gonzaga is a good offensive team this season as they are getting balanced production throughout their line-up. But Wisconsin is always one of the best defensive teams in the country. Will the Zags young guys be able to handle the defensive pressure?
  

CBE Classic

• 7:30 pm: Iowa vs. Wichita State: If anyone has ever needed a win, it is Iowa. But a Wichita State upset would look good for the MVC as it is a win over a power conference team.
  
• 10:00 pm: Texas vs. Pitt: As we mentioned, Texas is one of the biggest teams in the country. After losing so much talent last season, Pitt doesn't have the horses inside to battle with the Longhorns. If the Panthers want to pull off the upset, they are going to need to pressure the inexperienced Texas back court and force turnovers.

Cancun Challenge

• 4:30 pm: Cleveland State vs. Kentucky: Cleveland State lost quite a bit off talent off of their second round tournament team, and while they might have enough talent to compete in the Horizon League, they shouldn't have the horses to compete with Kentucky. That said, Kentucky has struggled with some lesser opponents this year. Will the freshman be distracted by being in Cancun?
• 7:00 pm: Virginia vs. Stanford: The bottom of the ACC vs. the bottom of the Pac-10. The Pac-10 really needs this win. This one is worth it to watch because of Landry Fields of Stanford and Sylvan Landesberg of Virginia.
  

Other notable games

• 7:00 pm: Citadel @ West Virginia: Will Devin Ebanks and Joe Mazzulla play?
• 7:00 pm: Florida State @ Florida
• 7:00 pm: St. Francis @ Georgia
• 7:00 pm: Vermont @ Providence
• 7:00 pm: Delaware @ Siena
  
• 7:00 pm: Cornell @ Syracuse
• 7:00 pm: Lipscomb @ Ohio State
• 7:30 pm: Kennesaw State @ Notre Dame
• 7:30 pm: Winston-Salem @ Wake Forest
• 7:30 pm: Ball State @ Temple
• 8:00 pm: Morgan State @ Arkansas
• 8:00 pm: Tennessee State @ Iowa State
• 8:00 pm: Indiana State @ Western Kentucky
• 8:00 pm: Chattanooga @ Missouri
• 8:00 pm: Prairie View @ Oklahoma State
• 8:00 pm: Loyola Marymount @ Tulsa
• 8:00 pm: South Dakota @ Marquette
• 8:00 pm: Central Arkansas @ Memphis
• 9:00 pm: Southern @ BYU
• 9:00 pm: Seattle @ Utah
  
• 9:45 pm: Wofford @ Illinois
• 10:30 pm: Jacksonville @ Cal
  

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Tuesday's Shootaround: Purdue wins a dogfight, Cinci knocks off Vandy, and the Pac-10 struggles some more

Purdue 73, Tennessee 72: The Boilermakers won a great game in the finals of the Paradise Jam as Wayne Chism, who had 24 points and 6 boards, missed a wide-open three from the top of the key as time expired. E'Twuan Moore had 22 to lead the Boilermakers. A back-and-forth game throughout, Purdue used a 8-0 sparked by Moore to take a 64-59 lead, eventually pushing it to 72-66 with 2:13 left. But Tennessee would get back into it by getting a couple stops, a couple easy baskets, and catching a break as Purdue missed three of four free throws, setting up the final possession.

Tennessee's final shot was a bit questionable. Sure, Chism can knock down a three, but is that really the shot you want when you are down one point on the final possession? And why doesn't Tyler Smith touch the ball on the final possession? This poor decision making is just one example of why people don't have a ton of faith in this Tennessee team.

E'Twuan Moore scored 22 points to lead Purdue.
(photo credit: AP/Brennan Linsley)

As I said, this was a dogfight between two teams that rely on their defense. Where the Vols use a full court press to try and force turnovers, the Boilermakers play an extended man-to-man defense in the half court. It really was a pleasure watching the contrast of styles, as both teams left everything they had on the floor.

Purdue really battled foul trouble in the first half, which resulted in Robbie Hummell having to play some time at the five spot. It also forced a lot of minutes to be played by Barlow, who was helping to fill in for the injured Lewis Jackson. Barlow, who is not a point guard, played a valiant 16 minutes, with a couple of really pretty assists while playing excellent defense on Bobby Maze and Melvin Goins.


Maui Invitational:

• Gonzaga 76, Colorado 72: The Zags found themselves down 36-21 midway through the first half of this one as the Buffaloes caught fire from beyond the arc in the first half, hitting seven of their first nine from deep. But the second half was a different story as Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray, who combined for 48 points, took this game over. Gray had 27 points on the night but it was Bouldin who took this thing over. He finished with 21 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists, but down the stretch he made so many big baskets and free throws while protecting the ball and setting up teammates. He proved last night why I think he is one of the best guards in the country. Cory Higgins had 19 points for Colorado.
• Cincinnati 67, Vanderbilt 58: Well, at least you saw what this Cinci team is going to be. They are not the most talented team, and far from the prettiest. What the Bearcats are going to do is wear you out with tough, physical defense while crashing the glass on the offensive end (they had three tip dunks yesterday). And with talents like Deonta Vaughn, Lance Stephenson, and Cashmere Wright on the perimeter, Cincinnati is going to be able to score enough to win quite a few games. Vandy looked unimpressive. Jeff Taylor is still not much more than an athlete, AJ Ogilvy is soft and gets pushed around by more physical big men, and the Commodores just looked lost offensively. They were just 14-51 from the field (27.5%) and had only five assists. John Jenkins, their freshman shooter, looks like he will be a star, however, once Vandy figures out how to use him more effectively.
• Maryland 79, Chaminade 51: Greivis Vasquez struggled once again, finishing with just 6 points on 2-7 shooting, but Sean Mosley and Eric Hayes picked up the slack. Mosley had 19 points and 8 boards, while Hayes aded 12 and 5 assists. The Terps advance to face Cinci.
• Wisconsin 65, Arizona 61: Trevon Hughes led the Badgers with 24 points, 7 boards, 5 steals, and 3 assists as the Badgers held on against a young Arizona team. Wisconsin was up 31-23 at the half, but the Cats were able to battle back and tie the game at 55. After two Hughes free throws with 2 minutes left, Keaton Nankivil had two dunks sandwiched around a Jamelle Horne three pointer. Arizona would come away empty on their next possession, and the Badgers made four of six free throws down the stretch to ice it. Nic Wise had 13 points, but was just 3-12 from the field. Freshman Derrick Williams scored 25 points, but could have had more as he was just 13-21 from the line.
  

Paradise Jam

• Northern Iowa 81, Boston College 69: Kwadzo Ahlegbe scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half as the Panthers outscored the Eagles 43-28 after halftime. On the night, the Panthers were 35-54 from the floor, shooting 65%. Ahlegbe was 14-17.
  
• DePaul 58, St. Joe's 51: The Blue Demons played without big man Mac Kowshal, their leading scorer and rebounder, but still managed to beat St. Joe's while holding their fourth straight opponent under 60 points. Will Walker had 25 points and 7 boards.
  

CBE Classic

• Texas 85, Iowa 60: The Hawkeyes scored the first basket of the second half, taking a 41-38 lead, but managed just 19 points the rest of the way. The Longhorns would go on a 16-0 run and never look back. Freshman Jordan Hamilton had 16 points to lead five players in double figures.
• Pitt 68, Wichita State 55: Travon Woodall had 19 points, 6 boards,and 5 assists as the Panthers held the Shockers to 37% shooting while forcing 24 turnovers.
  

Other notable games

• Louisville 80, Appalachian State 53: Up 39-30 at halftime, Louisville used a 17-7 run to open up a 68-44 lead midway through the second half. Samardo Samuels led the Cardinals with 16 points as they won their third game in ust over 48 hours.
• North Carolina 93, Gardner-Webb 72: Deon Thompson led the Heels with 22 points and 10 boards while Ed Davis added 15 and 13. Roy Williams spent much of the game experimenting with different line-ups, trying out Dexter Strickland and Larry Drew in the back court together.
• Clemson 102, Winthrop 66: Trevor Booker had 15 and 11 to lead six Tigers in double figures as Clemson own their 30th straight November game.
  
• Virginia Tech 71, Campbell 60: Malcolm Delaney had 15 points and 5 assists shaking off a poor shooting night while JT Thompson added 17 as Tech pulled away down the stretch.
• VCU 63, Hampton 52: Bradford Burgess had 18 and 10 to lead the Rams to a win in their first game since the Oklahoma upset.
• Western Kentucky 68, Cal St Northridge 67: Anthony Sally hit 1-2 free throws with 4.7 seconds left as WKU didn't take their first lead in the second half until there was a minute left.
• St. Mary's 92, Cal Poly 67: Omar Samhan had 33 points and 12 boards to lead the Gaels to another big win.
• Montana 68, Oregon 55: For the second time this week, Oregon lost to a mid-major as the Grizzlies dominated the second half. The only time it was close was after a 9-1 run by the Ducks, but Montana responded by scoring the next eight points.
  
• UCLA 71, Pepperdine 52: Drew Gordon had 18 points and 9 boards, Michael Roll added 17, and Malcolm Lee scored 13 points as the Bruins used a 16-4 second half run to beat the Waves.
  

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Monday's Pregame Beat: The Maui Invitational kicks off

The Maui Invitational's first day highlights a good slate of games:

• 3 pm: Colorado vs. Gonzaga: The Zags are no doubt going to climb into the top 25 after an impressive showing against Michigan State in the Breslin Center. Colorado does not have the talent on their roster that Gonzaga does, especially in the front court, but keep an eye on Cory Higgins, a 6'5" junior averaging 23.3 ppg. It should be a pleasure to watch him go up against Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray.


• 5:30 pm: Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt: Let's talk sleepers. Vandy, in the SEC, and Cinci, in the Big East, were both considered sleepers to make a run in their respective leagues. There will be plenty of size and athleticism on both rosters tonight, but the difference maker is going to be AJ Ogivly. The Commodores struggled against St. Mary's last week as Ogilvy was dominated by Omar Samhan. Do the Bearcats have anyone that can stop him?

• 9:30 pm: Maryland vs. Chaminade: Landon Milbourne, Eric Hayes, and Sean Mosley have been playing some great basketball, but when will Greivis Vasquez get it going offensively? Maybe the DII Silver Swords are just what he needed to get it going.
  


• 12 am: Arizona vs. Wisconsin: Two traditional powers will go head-to-head in what is a rebuilding year for both groups. It will be interesting to not only see the Arizona team loaded with freshman play for the first time, but to see how they handle playing a team as disciplined offensively and tough defensively as the Badgers are.
  

The first round of the CBE Classic is also happening tonight:

• 7:30 pm: Wichita State vs. Pitt: Pitt is down two starters, as Jermaine Dixon as still not returned from a foot injury and Gilbert Brown is suspended until the end of the first semester. Look for Wichita State to give the Panthers, who have struggled this season, a tough game out in Kansas City.
  


• 10 pm: Texas vs. Iowa: Todd Lickliter will have his work cut out for him tonight. Iowa has struggled this season, losing to Texas-San Antonio and Duquesne. Texas, on the other hand, is one of the most talented teams in the country and has steam rolled every one in their path.

9:30 pm: Tennessee vs. Purdue: Best match-up of the day, and maybe the best match-up of the season to this point, as the Vols take on the Boilermakers in the Paradise Jam finals. Tennessee, despite their struggles against DePaul yesterday, have been really impressive early on this season as they have really ratcheted up their pressure and the tempo they play at. Purdue, on the other hand, is one of the best in the country when it comes to tough defense and grind it out basketball. The two keys to the game - Tennessee's athelticism vs. Purdue's strength and toughness, and Purdue vs. the Vol's press without point guard Lewis Jackson.

Other notable games:

• 3:30 pm: Northern Iowa vs. Boston College
  
• 7:00 pm: Appalachian State @ Louisville
• 7:00 pm: Virginia Tech @ Campbell
• 7:00 pm: VCU @ Hampton
• 7:00 pm: DePaul vs. St. Joe's
  
• 7:30 pm: Gardner-Webb @ UNC
• 7:30 pm: Winthrop @ Clemson
• 8:00 pm: CS Northridge @ Western Kentucky
• 10:05 pn: Cal Poly @ St. Mary's
• 10:05 pm: Montana @ Oregon
• 11:00 pm: Pepperdine @ UCLA
  

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