Illinois gets a big win, but Michigan State suffers a bigger loss?

Illinois got the win they so desperately needed.

Coming into Tuesday night's game against Michigan State, the Illini had lost three games in a row since their win over Ohio State. Two of those losses came against Minnesota and Penn State on the road. Sitting squarely on the bubble with a back-loaded league schedule -- six of their final ten games were against ranked teams and four of those games are on the road -- it should be quite obvious just how badly Illinois needed to beat the Spartans.
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Michigan State survives Indiana

Think about this for a second: No. 15 Indiana lost to No. 17 Michigan State 80-65 at the Breslin Center on Wednesday night.

Beyond the fact that the game got away from the Hoosiers down the stretch and that it was their first loss of the season, there isn't much about the final that is really noteworthy.

But what if I were to tell you that during a 10 minute stretch that spanned both halves, Indiana outscored Michigan State 25-2? Because that happened. Michigan State opened the game on a 34-16 surge, taking what appeared to be a commanding lead on a Keith Appling three at the 5:11 mark of the first half. Indiana caught fire, however, hitting three consecutive threes to spark the 25-2 run that was capped by a gorgeous, spinning layup from Victor Oladipo in transition with 15:02 left in the game.
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Tom Izzo says MSU will get better, wouldn't change schedule

NEW YORK - Tom Izzo has never been one to back down from an early season challenge.

While most programs are scheduling cupcakes and tune-ups to begin the season, Izzo has taken his Michigan State team and put them on the floor in the two biggest games of the season thus far. Last Friday, he lost to North Carolina 67-55 at the Carrier Classic, the most-watched college basketball game since North Carolina played Duke in March of 2006 that counted President Obama as a member of the crowd. Last night, his Spartan team became the answer to a trivia question, going down in infamy as the team on the losing end of Coach K's record-setting, 903 victory, 74-69.

For those keeping score at home, that means that the entire college basketball watching world has now seen the Spartans get smacked by two of the top six teams in the country in the season's first ten days.


And while the outcomes of the games wasn't ideal, Izzo wouldn't go back and change this season's schedule.

"I'd sign up for the same schedule tomorrow," Izzo said in the bowels of a newly renovated Madison Square Garden after the game Tuesday night. "We're going to be a better basketball team in one week, in two weeks, in three weeks because we knuckled down and played these games."

Izzo finds himself in a bit of a unique situation this season. Michigan State is recognized as one of the top basketball programs in the country, and rightfully so. That's what six Final Four trips and a national title in the span of 13 years earns you. But Izzo doesn't have a powerhouse on his hands this season. This year, the Spartans are the scrappy underdogs, the team with players that are learning new roles and relying on effort and hard work to remain competitive.

Michigan State does not have a roster full of McDonald's all-americans and future first-round picks this season. They have a team that will be successful when they defend and they battle on the glass, but in order for the wins to come, the Spartans need to eliminate the mistakes offensively.

Derrick Nix cannot miss three or four point blank layups like he did against Mason Plumlee on Tuesday night. Travis Trice cannot commit four turnovers without an assist if he's going to be playing the point.

More importantly, Draymond Green has to be better offensively. Against Duke, he finish 4-15 from the floor with five turnovers and just two assists. More importantly, he had just one offensive rebound after grabbing seven against North Carolina. Green forced the issue too much. He's the best player that Michigan State has, but he's at his best when he's facilitating the offense, not playing as the Spartan's go-to scorer.

That role has to fall at the feet of Keith Appling, who finally looked like the dominant scorer everyone expected him to be in the final eight minutes of the game. He finished with 22 points on 8-10 shooting from the field, getting to the rim with ease late in the game. The Spartans need Appling to provide that offensive aggressiveness for 40 minutes, not at the end of the game when the outcome has been decided.

"We're going to get better," Izzo said.

And he's right. Everyone that has watched this team will agree. Its built in the mold of the an early-2000's Tom Izzo team, and there may not be a elite coach out there that is better in the role of the underdog than him. But with so many players taking over new roles this year, its going to take time.

"I'm trying to build a team for the year," he said, "not just for one or two games."
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Thoughts on UNC, Michigan State and the Carrier Classic

There is plenty to take out of North Carolina's 67-55 win over Michigan State on Friday night.

But the details of the game come secondary to the experience of the event. And I was a good 3,000 miles away from the USS Carl Vinson, watching the game couchside in my drafty apartment instead of courtside in the Coronado, California.

I mean, we got President Obama to come to a mid-November basketball game that included an unranked team! Granted, it took playing the game outdoors on an aircraft carrier to commemorate Veteran's Day, but the setting just made the game that much more incredible. There was legitimate concern about the game being rained out. Harrison Barnes voiced concern over the sun being in his eyes while he played. The court became slippery when the sun went down and the temperature dropped because of the condensation that formed.


And of course, there was the wind. Because, as Sidney Dean so memorably told us, out there on a boat, the wind can push the ball to the left or the right 6-8 inches.

Everything about the game and the setting was so perfect and so cool and tastefully done. The focus, of course, eventually ended up on the game, but the fact that ESPN was willing to broadcast 40 minutes worth of pregame ceremonies -- which included a speech from Obama and a delay in the first half for the Retiring of the Evening Colors -- was a nice touch that ensured there was plenty of emphasis on the real stars of the night: our veterans.

But there was an actual basketball game played, and seeing as this is a college basketball blog, it would probably make some sense to discuss it.

It would be silly to read too much into the results of Friday night. Not only was this the first game of the season, but it played on an outdoor court in front of the smallest, but easily the most important, crowd that either team will face this season. As such, I think we can reserve judgement on the shooting troubles -- particularly Michigan State's -- and the turnover issues that both teams had.

That said, there are a couple of things that we can take away from this game:


- North Carolina needs to find a way to get tougher inside. John Henson and Tyler Zeller can both do a lot of different things on a basketball court, but those two are approaching 14 feet of front court player and combined, may not crack 450 lb. It showed against Michigan State. While Henson managed to chalk up nine blocked shots, he finished with just seven boards in 31 minutes. Zeller only had six. In the meantime, the Spartans grabbed 24 offensive rebounds (48% OR) and, at times, physically overwhelmed UNC inside. If the Spartans didn't shoot so horribly, the Tar Heels would have been in some trouble. James McAdoo may eventually be the answer for UNC, as he's built like a tight end, but he's clearly still learning how to put his physical tools to use.

- Kendall Marshall threw some absolutely gorgeous passes tonight, and not all of them led to an assist. There are not many players in the country that are as good as he is as taking an outlet pass and, without using a dribble, passing ahead and hitting a streaking wing in stride. Some of the passes he threw were strikes, fitting the ball in an impossible window. The problem with taking some risks like that, however, is that those passes aren't always successful. Marshall finished the game with five turnovers. As much as I love when the difficult pass is thrown perfectly, the easy pass is usually the right pass.

- Michigan State is going to be just fine this season. While there is not the level on talent on this roster that there has been in recent years, this group is perfect for Tom Izzo. I've been saying it all preseason. They are physical defensively and they attack the glass on both ends of the floor. Yes, they had their issues offensively, but with so many new players this year -- and with so many returners playing new roles -- its understandable they would struggle. Keith Appling is in his first season as the starting point guard. Brandon Wood is playing his first season in the Big Ten. Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix are no longer part-time role players. Playing the No. 1 team on national television in front of the President is not exactly a pressure-free start to the year.

- I expect more out of Draymond Green. While the work he did on the back boards was thorough and he played admirably on the defensive end against a bigger and more athletic front line, his decision making offensively was fairly questionable. And I'm not just talking about late in the game, when he had to force things as the Spartans scrambled to try and mount a comeback. Even early in the game, there were times he forced the issue, took ill-advised shots (did he really think he could get off a turnaround jumper against John Henson on the block?) and turned the ball over. Again, tough conditions so I'll reserve judgement, but that will be something to keep an eye on. If Green is the star and the go-to player on this team, is he still going to be able to play within himself?
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Delvon Roe to star in a movie about college hoops and recruiting

For nearly four years -- since Dec. 6th of 2007, the middle of his senior year in high school -- Michigan State's Delvon Roe has been battling knee problems, and it finally got to be too much for him.

Last Thursday at a press conference, Roe announced his decision to retire from the game. As Jeff Goodman laid out the following morning, this was a decision that came about because, for Roe, basketball simply wasn't fun anymore. His knees weren't getting any better, and after dealing with an ankle injury this offseason, playing a full season was just too much when Roe wasn't even at 100% heading into October and the start of practice.

But Roe is so much more than just a basketball player. Anyone that saw the outpouring of tweets and well-wishes that Roe received when he made this announcement will agree. As he told Goodman: "A lot of people think it's a sad day. It is to an extent, but at the same time, I think my life is only beginning."


On Sunday, Roe confirmed on twitter something that he wouldn't confirm with Goodman -- that his experiences as a blue-chip recruit will not go to waste. Roe will be starring in a feature film called "Gametime". Here's IMDB's description:

""Gametime" explores the dark side of major college basketball; a world of big money, ego and hypocrisy, revealed through the innocent eyes of the two top recruits in the country, best friends Malik and John. We follow them through a recruiting process full of sex, booze, and money, onto their respective college teams lead by narcissistic coaches, meet their passionate, troubled, and hilarious teammates, and watch them fight their way to the pinnacle of the college game... the Final Four, a multi-billion dollar feeding frenzy for the agents, the media, the NCAA... everyone associated with the game except the players. On the eve of the final game, Malik and John hatch a plan to even the score."

"He Got Game" is one of my favorite movies of all-time -- my mind is still blown that so many coaches blatantly violated NCAA rules by talking about Jesus Shuttlesworth on Sportscenter -- and while there is little doubt that Spike Lee and Denzel Washington had quite a bit to do with that, "Gametime" still looks like the kind of movie that every hoops fan will have to check out.

This won't be Roe's first time on the big screen, either. He has a role in the movie "AWOL", which is supposed to come out at some point next year.

Looks like Roe is right. His life is only just beginning.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 35-31

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.


35. Illinois Fighting Illini:

Last Season: 20-14, 9-9 (Big Ten)

Head Coach: Bruce Weber

Key Losses: Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, Jereme Richmond, Bill Cole

New Additions: Nnanna Egwu, Tracy Abrams, Mike Shaw, Mychael Henry, Devin Langford, Ibrahima Djimde, Sam Maniscalco, Jereme Richmond?

Projected Lineup:

- G: Sam Maniscalco, Sr.
- G: Brandon Paul, Jr.
- G: DJ Richardson, Jr.
- F: Tyler Griffey, Jr.
- C: Meyers Leonard, So.
- Bench: Crandall Head, So.; Tracy Abrams, Fr.; Mike Shaw, Fr.; Myke Henry, Fr.; Devin Langford, Fr.



Outlook: Illinois is in an interesting position this season. On the one hand, they are losing four starters and a key reserve. On the other hand, they are losing Demetri McCamey and Jereme Richmond, two talented head cases that may end up being an addition by subtraction. So while Bruce Weber's team is losing 56.5 percent of their minutes and 59.2 pecent of their scoring, the team chemistry -- which is so valuable and so underrated -- stands to increase without the fights Richmond may or may not have been involved in and the professional career McCamey may or may not have been preparing for. So what's left? Its going to start on the perimeter for the Illini. Juniors DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul should become the first and second options with the ball-dominating McCamey gone. Bradley transfer Sam Maniscalco -- who is legit -- should slide into the point guard role for a year while freshman Tracy Abrams gets used to the Big Ten. Sophomore Meyers Leonard should be able to provide some solid interior defense and rebounding if he can keep his fouls down while Tyler Griffey gives Weber a face-up four with a dangerous jump shot. Throw in a couple youngsters off the bench -- Crandall Head, Joseph Bertrand, Mike Shaw, Myke Henry, Devin Langford, Nnanna Egwu -- and Illinois has a bright future.


34. Washington Huskies:

Last Season: 24-11, 11-7 (Pac-10)

Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar

Key Losses: Isaiah Thomas, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Justin Holiday, Venoy Overton

New Additions: Tony Wroten Jr, Shawn Kemp Jr, Hikeem Stewart, Jernard Jarreau, Martin Breunig, Andrew Andrews

Projected Lineup:

- G: Abdul Gaddy, Jr.
- G: Tony Wroten Jr, Fr.
- F: Terrence Ross, So.
- F: Darnell Gant, Sr.
- C: Aziz N'Diaye, Jr.
- Bench: CJ Wilcox, So.; Scott Suggs, Sr.; Shawn Kemp Jr, Fr.; Hikeem Stewart, Fr.; Jernard Jarreau, Fr.


Outlook: Washington is going to have a lot of important pieces to replace next season. Its starts with the most obvious -- Isaiah Thomas -- but with Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Justin Holiday and Venoy Overton also graduating, Lorenzo Romar is going to have quite a few minutes to replace. He certainly will have talent at his disposal, however, especially on the perimeter. It starts with Abdul Gaddy, who should be healthy after tearing his acl a third of the way through last season, and stud point guard recruit Tony Wroten Jr, who is the kind of playmaker that can fill the role Thomas vacated. CJ Wilcox and Scott Suggs should be able to provide an offensive pop off the bench. The x-factor, however, will be Terrence Ross. The sophomore wing has had quite a bit of hype throughout the off-season and could end up being a first-team all-conference performer if he lives up to those expectations. The front court will be a bit of a question mark. Aziz N'Diaye is seven-foot shotblocker, but he doesn't provide much offensive pop. Darnell Gant can stretch the floor with his ability to shoot, but he's not much of a banger. Four freshmen -- Shawn Kemp Jr, Desmond Simmons, Martin Breunig and Jernard Jarreau -- will be competing for front court bench minutes, and Washington is going to need one or two of that group to become impact contributors.


33. Michigan State Spartans:

Last Season: 19-15, 9-9 (Big Ten)

Head Coach: Tom Izzo

Key Losses: Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, Garrick Sherman, Korie Lucious, Mike Kebler

New Additions: Branden Dawson, Brandon Kearney, Travis Trice, Brandon Wood

Projected Lineup:

- G: Keith Appling, So.
- G: Brandon Wood, Sr.
- F: Branden Dawson, Fr.
- F: Draymond Green, Sr.
- C: Delvon Roe, Sr.
- Bench: Adreian Payne, So.; Derrick Nix, Jr.; Austin Thornton, Sr.; Brandon Kearney, Fr.; Russell Byrd, Fr.


Outlook: Last season was, frankly, a disaster for the Spartans. After being picked as a consensus top five team heading into the season, Michigan State never found that rhythm. There were chemistry issues, Kalin Lucas couldn't get healthy, Durrell Summers couldn't get a shot to fall and Michigan State found themselves knocked out in the first round of the tournament after failing to crack the 20 win barrier. Next season will be an interesting mix. The strength of this group will be the front court. Draymond Green and Delvon Roe (Ed. Note: Only hours after we posted this, news of Roe announced his retirement) are senior leaders that have been through quite a few battles in their careers. Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix both have some question marks -- Payne needs Nix to donate him about 30 pounds, among other things -- but if they can put it together, both have the potential to be impact players in the Big Ten this year. Freshman small forward Branden Dawson has drawn comparisons to Raymar Morgan and should fit well with this team. The back court is a bigger question. Sophomore Keith Appling is going to be asked to take over a much more prominent role while senior Valpo transfer -- who, like Maniscalco at Illinois, is legit -- will be counted on to provide some back court experience. Austin Thornton will see minutes, as will Brandon Kearney and Russell Byrd (if he can get healthy), but the only natural point guard on the roster is freshman Travis Trice. Tom Izzo is going to need to turn this group into an old-school, beat-em-up Spartan team.


32. Wichita State Shockers:

Last Season: 29-8, 14-4 (MVC)

Head Coach: Gregg Marshall

Key Losses: JT Durley, Graham Hatch, Gabe Blair, Aaron Ellis

New Additions: Jake White, Evan Wessel, Tekele Cotton, Ron Baker, Carl Hall, Ede Egharevba

Projected Lineup:

- G: Joe Ragland, Sr.
- G: David Kyles, Sr.
- F: Toure' Murry, Sr.
- F: Ben Smith, Sr.
- C: Garrett Stutz, Sr.
- Bench: Carl Hall, Jr.; Demetric Williams, Jr.; Jake White, Fr.


Outlook: The Shockers had some rough luck during the regular season, taking a couple of tough losses that cost them the MVC regular season title and a trip to the tournament. That said, they did make a run to the NIT championship. Wichita State should be able to compete for an MVC title this season based on their back court alone. Its headlined by a trio of talented and unselfish seniors that buy into what Gregg Marshall is selling. Joe Ragland is the point guard, David Kyles is the shooter, and Toure' Murry is the play-maker and the slasher. All three are capable of producing big games, but they also all understand their role within the team. Junior Demetric Williams showed flashes of promise last season, but he will be battling for bench minutes with freshmen Evan Wessel and Tekele Cotton. Where the Shockers have question marks is along their front line. Garrett Stutz, their seven-foot senior center, returns. He is going to need to increase his productivity to make up for JT Durley's scoring and Gabe Blair's rebounding and physicality inside. The undersized Ben Smith will be back, although he tends to spend more on his time on the perimeter. Beyond that, Marshall is going to have a lot of fresh faces manning the paint, but the most interesting are two newcomers. Jake White is a face-up four that had some legitimate high-major interest and Carl Hall is a JuCo transfer that has some hype coming into the program.


31. UNLV Runnin' Rebels:

Last Season: 24-9, 11-5 (MWC)

Head Coach: Dave Rice

Key Losses: Tre'Von Willis, Derrick Jasper, Lon Kruger

New Additions: Mike Moser, Dave Rice

Projected Lineup:

- G: Oscar Bellfield, Sr.
- G: Anthony Marshall, Jr.
- G: Justin Hawkins, Jr.
- F: Chace Stanback, Sr.
- C: Quintrel Thomas, Jr.
- Bench: Mike Moser, So.; Carlos Lopez, So.; Kendall Wallace, Sr., Brice Massamba, Sr.; Reggie Smith, So.


Outlook: UNLV is going to be going through a regime change as the Mountain West goes through a membership change, but there is plenty of talent on this roster to compete with New Mexico in the two-horse race to win the MWC. Oscar Bellfield and Anthony Marshall are going to share ball-handling and playmaking duties. Bellfield is a better shooter and creator than Marshall, but Marshall is the kind of player coaches love. He does seemingly everything well and can be a lock-down defensive presence. Defensive stopper Justin Hawkins and three-point sniper Kendall Wallace, who is coming off of an acl tear, will both be back as well. Don't be surprised is Marquette transfer Reggie Smith works his way into the lineup when he gets eligible in December. Up front, Rice figures to continue the three-man rotation that Kruger had last season. Quintrel Thomas, Brice Massamba and Carlos Lopez are all big and strong and do enough well to get on the court but don't do enough to earn a permanent starting spot. UCLA transfer Mike Moser will also see time in the front court, which would allow Chace Stanback to slide over and play some three. The x-factor is going to be Stanback. With much of the MWC's star power gone from last season, he has a real shot at being the Player of the Year in the conference. A 6'8" wing, he can do a lot of different things on the floor -- shoot from deep, score, rebound, defend multiple positions -- but is he ready to become "the man"? Will he take that next step towards being a star? If he does, UNLV has a very good chance of winning the MWC.


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Looking Back: Re-ranking the 2003 recruiting classes

Last summer, we ran a series called Looking Back where we went through past recruiting classes to see how the players from those classes developed.

Why?

Well, for starters, it was a fun and interesting thing to do. You're not interested in the fact that Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green were once considered the best high school basketball players in the country? Its also an interesting way to keep fans from getting too excited when a top 25 recruit pledges to their school. Projecting the long-term ability of 17 year old hoopers is an inexact science, and never is that more evident than when you look back at past recruiting rankings.

This summer, we are going to go back through the Team Rankings. In other words, we want to see if the team that the pundits said had the best recruiting class really did have the best recruiting class. The science here will be a bit inexact. For starters, its tough to find consistent rankings. Rivals has them dating back to 2003, Scout to 2005, and ESPN to 2007. Its also tough to determine exactly what players had what effect on a given season. Did UConn's 2007 recruiting class -- which featured Donnell Beverly and, well, Donnell Beverly -- really have much influence on the 2011 national title?

For our purposes, we will be looking at the success that each member of each program's recruiting class had individually in college as well as the success that the team at while those players were member of the program. Like I said, it will be inexact, but inexact science makes for better arguments. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section.

Re-ranking the the 2003 recruiting classes:


1. UConn (Scout: 9, Rivals: 14): Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Ryan Thompson

The Huskies were the clear winner of the 2003 recruiting class. Boone, Villanueva, and Williams all played key roles for the 2004 UConn team that won the Big East and NCAA Tournament titles. They became stars on the 2005 team that won a share of the Big East regular season title. Villanueva left school after his sophomore year, becoming the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, while Boone and Williams returned for their junior seasons. UConn again won a share of the Big East regular season title, but lost to George Mason in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. Williams and Boone left school after their junior years and ended up getting picked in the first round of the draft.


2. Gonzaga (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Adam Morrison, Derek Raivio

We all know about Adam Morrison. The kid that no one wanted managed to contribute to one of the most talented teams that Mark Few has fielded in Spokane as a freshman before becoming the 'Zag's go-to player as a sophomore and the co-national player of the year with JJ Redick as a junior. Morrison would eventually become the third pick in the NBA Draft. Derek Raivio didn't have quite as immediate individual success, but he played a key role on three teams before leading the transition -- and winning the 2007 WCC player of the year award in the process -- from the Adam Morrison era to the Matt Bouldin era. Gonzaga was 40-2 in WCC play in the three years Raivio and Morrison were both in the program, and Raivio was a member of four straight outright champions, winning both the WCC regular season and tournament titles every season. The only year Gonzaga made it out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament was in 2006, when they blew a 17 point lead to UCLA.


3. Wake Forest (Scout: 22, Rivals: 16): Chris Paul, Kyle Visser, Jeremy Ingram, Todd Hendley

Chris Paul. Enough said. Paul -- who ranked third behind Shannon Brown and Drew Lavender for point guard -- was as good in college as he has been since he entered the NBA. In his two seasons, Paul led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the Sweet 16 as a freshman, and a second place finish in the ACC regular season as a sophomore. He also managed to win national freshman of the year honors and was a consensus first-team all-american as a sophomore before becoming the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. The only other impact player from this class was Kyle Visser, who played a role for three years before becoming a third-team all-acc selection as a senior after averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg.


4. Oklahoma State (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): John Lucas III*, Marcus Dove, David Monds, Tremaine Fuqua

(*The inclusion of John Lucas III deserves an asterisk. He was originally in the class of 2001, but he transferred to Oklahoma State from Baylor after the death of Patrick Dennehy and the resulting scandal.)

In their first season, this group had the best season in recent Cowboy history. They won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four before losing to Georgia Tech. John Lucas III became a star on a team that already included Tony Allen and the Graham twins, while Fuqua and Monds were role players. In 2005, Lucas led the Cowboys to another Big 12 Tournament title and OSU's second straight two seed before bowing out in the Sweet 16. Lucas graduated in 2005, and for the next three seasons, Dove (who red-shirted in 2004) and Monds were role players and starters on three straight NIT teams.


5. Pitt (Scout: 21, Rivals: 9): Aaron Gray, Chris Taft, Dante Milligan, Antonio Graves

Jamie Dixon's first recruiting class at Pitt spawned two eventual second-round picks. Chris Taft was the player with the most immediate impact. He was a starter from day one, averaging double-figures as a freshman on a Panther team that won the Big East regular season title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Taft left school after his sophomore season, getting scooped up in the second round of the 2005 Draft. Taft's departure opened up space for Gray, who became a double-double machine his last two years, anchoring a Panther squad that finished second in the Big East and made the Sweet 16 in 2007. Gray was picked in the second round in 2007. Graves was a typical Pitt guard -- contributed for four years, a starter his last two.


6. Florida (Scout: 16, Rivals: 12): Chris Richard, Lee Humphrey, Mohamed Abukar

Florida's 2003 is easily the most interesting to discuss and probably the most controversial in these rankings. None of the three players ever really advanced beyond being a role-player. Abukar transferred as a sophomore to SDSU (where he was all-MWC), but Richard and Humphrey stayed where they became members of three straight SEC Tournament title winners, the 2007 SEC regular season champ, and, most importantly, the 2006 and 2007 national champions. Humphrey started and shot a bunch of threes during the two title runs, while Richard played impressively enough in his limited minutes off the bench to spelling Joakim Noah and Al Horford that he became a second round pick.



7. Syracuse (Scout: 6, Rivals: 7): Louie McCroskey, Terrence Roberts, Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins

The year before these four arrived on campus, the Orange rode the coattails of freshman Carmelo Anthony to the 2003 NCAA title. But none of these four freshmen were as lucky, as all four were at the back-end of a short Jim Boeheim rotation, one freshmen rarely crack. The 2004 NCAA Tournament was the only year that this group made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As sophomores, all four were still coming off the bench but all four had seen their roles increase. The Orange won the 2005 Big East Tournament, but lost to Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As juniors, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, and Darryl Watkins all became starters, but if it wasn't for the heroics of Gerry McNamara in leading the Orange to a second-straight Big East tournament title, Syracuse (who went 7-9 in the Big East) would have missed the NCAA Tournament. McCroskey transferred to Marist as a senior while Nichols became an 18.9 ppg and an all-Big East first team selection, but the Orange went to the NIT despite finishing 10-6 in Big East play.


8. Maryland (Scout: 3, Rivals: 3): Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones, Will Bowers, Hassan Fofana

As freshmen, Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, and Mike Jones all played key roles for a Maryland that ran through the ACC Tournament and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite finishing just 7-9 in ACC play. The Terps went to back-to-back NIT's the next two seasons before returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, where they beat Davidson but lost to Butler in the second round. Ibekwe, Strawberry, and Jones all developed together. As sophomores and juniors, their roles expanded before becoming starters, and in Strawberry's case a star, as seniors.


9. Wisconsin (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Brian Butch, Kammron Taylor, Zach Morley

The Badgers just barely get the nod over the Spartans. Kammron Taylor was the only typical recruit in this class for Bo Ryan. A seldom-used back-up to Devin Harris as a freshman, Taylor became the No. 2 option for the Badgers behind Alando Tucker as a junior and senior. Morley was a JuCo transfer that played valuable front court minutes in his two seasons, including the 2005 Elite 8 run. Butch was the most interesting recruit. A top ten player coming out of high school, he redshirted a season in 2004, something you don't see very often in hoops. Butch played a role as a redshirt freshman, slowly developing into the third option as a junior and the focal point as a senior, when he led the Badgers to Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.


10. Michigan State (Scout: 5, Rivals: 13): Brandon Cotton, Shannon Brown, Drew Naymick

Brandon Cotton, a McDonald's all-american, last all of three games with the Spartans before transferring to Detroit. Drew Naymick never became more than a limited role-player in his five seasons in East Lansing. Shannon Brown, as you know, ended up going in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft after becoming a second-team all-Big Ten pick. Brown played a supporting role for the 2005 Michigan State team that made the Final Four.



11. LSU (Scout: 2, Rivals: 4): Brandon Bass, Tack Minor, Darnell Lazare, Regis Koundjia, Robert Neltner

12. Oregon (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Aaron Brooks, Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer

13. Florida State (Scout: 1, Rivals: 1): Von Wafer, Alexander Johnson, Diego Romero, Antonio Griffin

14. Arkansas (Scout: 10, Rivals: 5): Ronnie Brewer, Olu Famutimi, Anthony Gray, Vincent Hunter, Darian Townes

15. Louisiana Tech (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Paul Millsap, Donnell Allick, Solomon Brown, Fred Marshall, JueMichael Young


The most disappointing classes:

- Kansas (Scout: 4, Rivals: 8): The Jayhawks brought in a six man recruiting class, but only two of the six players finished their career in a Kansas uniform. David Padgett transferred to Louisville, where he became a fixture for a very good Cardinals team. JR Giddens left Lawrence under some duress, transferring to New Mexico where he eventually became a first round pick of the Celtics. Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal to play with his brother. Nick Bahe finished his career with Creighton. Only Rodrick Stewart and Jeremy Case, neither of whom were stars, graduated a Jayhawk.

- Oklahoma (Scout: 14, Rivals: 2): The only player from Oklahoma's vaunted six-man recruiting class in 2003 that played their entire career in Norman was Longar Longar, and that was after he spent a year at a prep school. Drew Lavender started as a freshman but transferred to Xavier after his sophomore season. Brandon Faust transferred to Southeast Missouri, Lawrence McKenzie transferred back to Minnesota, and Jimmy Tobias went to a JuCo after one season and finished his career with Georgia Southern. Jaison Williams spent two years in a limited-role off the bench after transferring in from a JuCo.

- Mississippi State (Scout: 13, Rivals: 20): The Bulldogs 2003 recruiting class is one example of why I don't want to see the NBA allow players to go straight to the NBA again. Neither Jackie Butler nor Travis Outlaw ever made it to Starkville, which set MSU's class off on the wrong foot. Gary Ervin never really found a home with the Bulldogs, transferring after his sophomore year to Arkansas. Bill Begley finished his career at Nicholls State. There were some successful recruits in this class, however. Dietric Slater became a solid role player as a junior and senior. Iowa State transfer Shane Power averaged double figures in his two seasons in Starkville, although he was technically part of the 2002 class. And then there is Lawrence Roberts, who, like John Lucas III at Oklahoma State, transferred out of Baylor due to the scandal.
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Draymond Green is going to miss Kalin Lucas

Today's 78-76 loss to UCLA was a microcosm of Michigan State's season.

The Spartans dug themselves an enormous hole, finding themselves down 64-41 with just 8:30 left in the game, but as they turned their defense up, the points started to come. For a while, it looked like it was going to be another case of Tom Izzo wielding his NCAA Tournament wand, but the comeback fell short when Kalin Lucas traveled trying to get off a potentially game-winning heave.

Therein lies the NCAA Tournament's ultimate juxtaposition.

Amid the choas and excitement of the upsets and buzzer beaters that envelope the first few days, we get the untimely end of the careers of some of the sports most notable names.

And I'm not just talking about the freshmen that already have one foot in the NBA Draft's early entry pool.

I'm talking about players like Kalin Lucas.


The 2009 Big Ten player of the year was never able to recapture the magic of his sophomore season, which ended when his Spartans ran into the buzzsaw that was Tyler Hansbrough's North Carolina Tar Heels. As a junior, Lucas had an up and down season come to an end in the second round when he ruptured his achilles tendon against Maryland. Lucas never seemed to fully heel from that injury this season, as he looked a step slow and lacking the explosiveness that made him so good.

Its a shame to see such a terrific player go out in such an anti-climatic, disappointing way.

And I could probably write 1,000 words on it. But nothing that I write would be able to compare to what Draymond Green said about Lucas in the post game press conference. (If anyone has the video, please pass it along. I couldn't find it and I'm writing this at 4:00 am.)

A clearly distraught Lucas couldn't answer a question about what was going through his head during such a tough shooting night, so Green stepped in:

I know it had to be rough for him. I mean, I'm just going to answer from my perspective. I feel like he had a great career, and he hasn't had many games where he just couldn't get anything to fall. You know, they did a great job defensively on him. They pretty much keyed on him the whole entire defense, and he did a great job of still getting everybody else involved. He still had five assists and he did some great things for us and got me some open shots. It hurts me. You know, I'm a big fan of my guys reaching milestones, and the loss hurts me, but I think I'm kind of hurting because he came up four points short of 2,000. And for everything he did for this program, you know, I get to come back for another year so I can be sad about the loss later. I think I'm hurting more about him not getting them four points.

Later on, when Lucas finished answering a question about reflecting on his career, Green again jumped in:

Can I add something? I just want to add something to it. In the locker room, I think playing with Kalin has made me a much better player, just his heart, everything about him. I think when I came in as a freshman, nobody expected me to be nothing. He was one of the guys telling me, just keep on going hard, and one day he's like, just keep going hard and you're going to start feeling it. It's going to start to feel like high school all over again. You're going to do what you want to do out there on the court, and it's just going to feel like high school all over again. I think that was one of the reasons -- my freshman year things didn't go right for me. I didn't play as much as I wanted to at the beginning and things was just rocky. But he was one of the guys that just stayed there with him being one of the leaders of our team at that point. It's been great to play with him. Like I say, he's made me a better player, and I've been -- the last couple years a lot of people has labeled me as a winner, but along with that winning, he's done a lot of it for me just helping me out and pulling this team along. And like I said to him in the locker room, I want to thank him for all the great times he gave me here as a player.

I don't need to add much to that.

Its straight from the horse's mouth.

So if you are going to criticize Lucas for a subpar senior season, keep those quotes in mind. Remember the kind of effect he had on his teammates.
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Previewing the Madness: The Big Ten

The Big Ten is arguably the most disappointing conference in the country.

Its not because of anything Ohio State, Purdue, or Wisconsin did this season. The Buckeyes were thought to be a top five team coming into the season, and they may actually be better than most thought they could be. Purdue's terrific season is only marred by the thought of just how good this team would be if they still had Robbie Hummel. Wisconsin, as they do every season, proved why you should never, ever count them out, not when Bo Ryan and his efficient style are at the helm.

The disappointment lies with Michigan State, who went from a national title favorite in the preseason to the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. It lies with Illinois, a Final Four sleeper that couldn't find any toughness inside or consistency out of Demetri McCamey. It lies with Minnesota, whose problems at the point cost this team the chance at a storybook season.

If anything, the theme of this tournament is redemption. There are four legitimate bubble teams in the league. Will anyone get in?

Where: Indianapolis, IN

When: March 10th-13th

Final: March 13th,


Favorite: Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes are the best team in the country. Its as simple as that. By now, you all know why. Jared Sullinger is the most dominant force in college basketball on the block, not just because of how he scores or rebounds, but because of how the Ohio State offense works through him. Aaron Craft has silenced all doubters with his terrific floor game and lock down defensive ability. Jon Diebler, David Lighter, and William Buford all play their role to perfection, and are all capable of exploding for 25 points when the moment calls. DeShaun Thomas and Dallas Lauderdale both understand and embrace their roles. Well coached. Talented. Tough defensively. Efficient offensively. To quote Jay-Z, what more can I say?

• Other Contenders: Purdue and Wisconsin are the other two contenders, although I would say that the Badgers have the better chance at winning. Why? Michigan State. The Boilermakers, who are led by Big Ten player of the year JaJuan Johnson, get the Spartans in the second round of the tournament if MSU can take care of Iowa. As much as Izzo's crew has struggled this season, this is still a talented group whose core has been to back-to-back Final Fours.
  
  Wisconsin has a much easier draw, playing Penn State or Indiana in their first game. I love the Badgers this season. They are the epitome of efficiency, led by Jordan Taylor, who is having arguably the most underrated season in the history of college basketball. They matchup well with Purdue, but as the 93-65 drubbing that Ohio State put on the Badgers in the season finale illustrates, Wisconsin does not have the same ceiling as the Buckeyes.

Sleeper: Penn State Nittany Lions

I refuse to refer to Illinois or Michigan State as sleepers out of principal, but even if I didn't, the Nittany Lions would be my pick in this conference. For starters, they have Talor Battle, who may be the best player in the country you have never seen play. They also have Jeff Brooks, who has developed into a solid secondary scoring option this season. Most importantly, however, PSU has won big games. They beat Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and swept Minnesota.

• Deeper Sleepers: Michigan was playing as well as anyone in the conference at the end of the regular season, winning eight of their last 11 games to play their way onto the bubble. The Wolverines have a talented and productive point guard in Darius Morris as well as one of the hottest freshman in the country in Tim Hardaway Jr.

Players to Watch: The Big Ten isn't short on talent, especially at the top of the league. Since those guys are household names by now, we are going to focus of the bottom of the league.

• John Shurna, Northwestern: Shurna had what was destined to be a great season absolutely derailed by ankle injuries and a concussion. But this kid can really play and is a perfect fit for the Wildcat's system. He's a lanky, 6'6" small forward with a deadly perimeter stroke that was averaging 24 ppg before rolling his ankle.
  
• Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota: Its a shame that the Golden Gophers lost all their point guards, but Mbakwe is not getting lost in the shuffle. At 6'8", 240 pounds, he's a rebounding machine that dunks as hard as anyone in the league. Think Quincy Acy after spending three months training for the NFL combine.
• Melsahn Besabe, Iowa: Besabe has become a nightly double-double threat in Big Ten play, putting up impressive numbers against quality competition, including a 22 point, 13 board, six block night against Ohio State.
  

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POSTERIZED: Durrell Summers does the "Jumpman"

Here is how you know Michigan State has had a truely terrible season: It's taken four months to see a Durrell Summers posterization.

Summers is one of the most athletic players in the country, and has made a career out of showing up on highlight reels.

I'm sure this dunk will find it's way to a highlight reel too



That kinda looks Jordan-esque doesn't it?

But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Phillip McDonald, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Kyle Kuric, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Anthony Nelson, Niagara
POSTERIZED - Cory Joseph, Texas
POSTERIZED - Will Sheehey, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Tom Pritchard, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - John Holland, Boston
POSTERIZED - Keith Gabriel, VMI
POSTERIZED - Travis McKie, Wake Forest
POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - Justin Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
POSTERIZED - Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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What is going on in the Big Ten?

Indiana has become the spoiler in the Big Ten.

Last week, it was a 52-49 upset of Illinois at home. Then after nearly knocking off Michigan State on the road in overtime, the Hoosiers held off a furious rally by the Gophers to beat Minnesota 60-57.

Making this run all the more impressive is that Indiana is going it without four players that were expected to start in the preseason.

Christian Watford is out after having surgery on his broken hand. Maurice Creek is out after fracturing his left patella. Guy-Marc Michel was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. And Verdell Jones came off the bench to see his first action in three games due to a sore knee.


I think we can officially forget about all that talk of Tom Crean being on the hot seat. He has this team playing hard, playing smart, and competing in the Big Ten. Imagine what will happen when he starts putting better talent on the floor.

At the other end of the spectrum in Michigan State.

The Spartans suffered what may be the worst loss in the Tom Izzo era on Wednesday night. The Spartans went into Iowa City and were utterly embarrassed by a bad Iowa team.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to leads of 15-2 and 30-8 before coasting to their second Big Ten win this season.

Can anyone figure out what is wrong with the Spartans? This is no longer an on-the-court issue, in my opinion. Say what you will about this team's talent level, there is no way that Iowa is 20 points better. Not a chance.

Think about this -- Michigan State has lost five of their last eight games. The three wins in that stretch all came in overtime, and their last win before this downward spiral was a three point win against Northwestern that was preserved thanks to a missed box out on the front end of a one-and-one by the Wildcats.

The Spartans are four possessions away from being in the midst of a nine game losing streak.

But hey, at least Izzo should look at the bright side.

The Cavs have lost 22 straight games and 32 of their last 33.

I guess that's the lesser of two evils, right?
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B.I.A.H Not-Top-Ten Rankings

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

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

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

1. Syracuse Orange
Record: 18-3 (5-3)

Suffering back-to-back losses in the Big East is not all that bad, especially when both losses are to top-10 teams. But a team follows up those two losses with a 22-point drubbing AT HOME to a team like Seton hall, then they deserve to get slammed. What happened to that raucous Carrier Dome atmosphere that was present for the Villanova game? Fans started leaving the Seton Hall game with nine minutes to go in the second half.


This team was supposed to be a real threat to win it all this year. But I guess we shouldn't forget that this is also the team that went to Pittsburgh and promptly got down 19-0 before the first TV timeout. With games against Marquette and UConn on the horizon, the Orange need to get out of this funk quickly or else they could slip-n-slide right into the middle of the Big East pack.


2. Michigan State Spartans
Record; 12-8 (4-4)

What on Earth is going on in East Lansing? First, Chris Allen was removed from the program before the season started, then Korie Lucious got a DUI. After that, it was reported that two players raped a MSU student in her dorm room. On top of that, Tom Izzo was suspended one game for a minor recruiting violation. All of that took place before Big-Ten play started, and when it did, the wheels were already off the bus.


Tom Izzo benched Durrell Summers due to lack on enthusiasm. They've lost four of their last six, including losses to Penn State and Michigan. last week, Korie Lucious was suspended for the rest of the season. We are all aware that you can't doubt Tom Izzo's squad come March Madness time. But what if they don't even make it to the tournament?


3. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Record: 13-8 (3-3)

For the second time this season, the 'Zags have lost three games in-a-row. For what must be the first time in at least a decade, the 'Zags have lost three league games in a row. Last night they lost to St. Mary's on a buzzer-beater, but that followed up back-to-back losses at Santa Clara (75-81) and at San Francisco (91-96 OT). Elias Harris was supposed to have a breakout season worthy of a guaranteed lottery pick, but so far he's been hampered by injuries and is averaging just 12.5-ppg and 5.6-rpg. It looks like Gonzaga's NCAA tournament streak may be in jeopardy because they have almost no shot of getting an at-large bid, and well, at 3-3 in league play, it doesn't look like they will get the automatic bid either.


4. West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 13-6 (4-3)

Ten days ago they were the hottest team in the country. Ten days later, they have nine scholarship athletes, and suspended their best scorer for the second time this season. They've lost to Marshall (down 47-23 at the half) and to Louisville. During their lone win in that time frame, their back-up forward Danny Jennings got up off the bench and walked out of the game, something I don't think I've ever seen or heard about before in my life. A couple days later Casey Mitchell was suspended indefinitely for breaking team rules.


Bob Huggins is constantly dealing with player personnel issues with this squad. Regardless of how good they might play during some games, this team has some serious problems.


5. Towson Tigers
Record: 4-16 (0-10)

For a team that's played ten conference games already, they have the worst record in the country. They've lost ten in-a-row, and that streak feature losses by 31 and 26. Their most recent loss, the 26-point blowout at George Mason came under much scrutiny. Towson University was unable to make their Wednesday night game at George Mason, who's campus is just two hours away. Poor planning of snow travel caused the game to be pushed back to Thursday afternoon at 4:00PM, and the university received a public reprimand from the conference for their lack of preparation. The team was dealt a 26-point loss to boot.


6. Central Florida Knights
Record: 14-5 (1-5)

UCF's 14-game winning-streak at the beginning of the season wasn't just a product of an easy non-con schedule. They beat a couple good teams in that stretch and were primed for a breakout year in the Conference-USA. That's why it's so hard for me to understand how this team has lost five games in-a-row. Yes, they've had to play the top teams in the league, but they led us to believe they were capable of winning those games. In their last game, a 15-point loss at Memphis, the Knights got down by as many as 25-points and never led in the ballgame. Their next four games are against UAB, at UTEP, at ECU, and against Memphis. It's very possible UCF is 1-9 in C-USA play by Valentines Day.


7. Arizona State Sun Devils
Record: 9-11 (1-7)

I don't think people realize Arizona State is as bad as they are. Well, maybe they aren't BAD per se, but they sure do lose a lot. They've lost four in-a-row and six of their last seven. None of their recent losses have been too catastrophic, but they can't score (ranked 287th in the country) and can't rebound (299th), and like I said, have lost seven games in the Pac-10, and that's pretty bad. In fact, I'm having trouble figuring out what their "best win" is. Herb Sendek's seat is getting hot, and I don't think a lot of people realize that yet.


8. Iowa Hawkeyes
Record: 8-12 (1-7)

Want to get an idea of how bad this team is? They lost to Wake Forest. BOOM. But seriously, this team hasn't won since before Christmas, and has lost their last five games by an average of 19.6-ppg. It's entirely possible that this team doesn't win another conference game this season. Oh wait, nevermind, they still have to play Michigan State twice.


9. North Texas Mean Green
Record: 16-5 (5-3)

Maybe it's my fault for being so high on the Mean Green bandwagon. I was sure this team could roll through the Sun Belt Conference with maybe only one or two losses. As of now they are 5-3, and their last two losses have come against teams with a combined total of ten wins. With the Denver Pioneers off to a quick start at 6-0, and a match-up with them tomorrow, the Mean Green can ill-afford to play at the level of mediocrity that they are now.


10. East Carolina Student Section

Listen, I'm all for getting under the skin of the opposing team. I have no problem with profanity-laced insults and borderline-hurtful signs and chants towards players. I was a soccer hooligan for four years in college and believe that it is the responsibility of the student section to get inside the opposing players heads and take them out of their game, even if that means getting personal. But regardless of how rowdy and insulting you get, you must respect your elders. Coaches and parents are the type of people you do not insult or disrespect. But apparently the ECU student section didn't get memo during their team's home game against Southern Mississippi.


The Golden Eagles head coach, Larry Eustachy battled alcoholism for a long portion of his early career and was eventually fired from Iowa State when photos were leaked of him partying it up with college students back in 2003. The Pirate fans were mocking Eustachy the entire game, which his team won 84-77. The coach hasn't had a drink in almost seven years and the students were still getting on him. Listen kids, would you say that to a professor? How about one of your friend's parents? Go after a player who got a DUI or someone who failed English Lit. but show some respect for the elders.



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Michigan State need only look around the country to see the season isn't over ... yet

By now, you've surely heard -- Korie Lucious has been suspended for the remainder of the season by Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State announced the suspension late Tuesday night in a statement.

"Unfortunately, Korie Lucious displayed conduct detrimental to the program," Izzo said in the statement. "My focus is on this team for the remainder of the season."

"I didn't live up to the standards of the program," Lucious said. "Unfortunately, I let my teammates, my coaches, and myself down, and wish them the best for the rest of the season." Lucious also tweeted "Man did I really mess up this time...off 2 the gym I go!"

First, the specifics. The way that the suspension was worded -- the "remainder of the season" -- implies that Lucious could potentially return to the team next season if he can repay his debt to Izzo and the team. We all know how that worked out with Chris Allen this summer, who is now at Iowa State.

I'm not going to speculate on what it is that Lucious did, but if you remember, he was suspended for a game and an exhibition at the beginning of the season as a punishment for getting a DUI over the summer.

What does this mean for the Spartans? In terms of personnel, it means that Kalin Lucas will not be back to handling the point guard duties full-time with freshman Keith Appling providing him help in the back court. Lucious was struggling this season, but anyone that watched last year's tournament knows the kind of playmaking and clutch shooting this kid is capable of.

Michigan State has had their issues this season, both with their behavior off the court and their play on it. They are just 12-7 on the season and 4-3 in Big Ten play, losing just about every important game on their schedule.

But don't throw the season away yet, Spartan fans.

Memphis had Wesley Witherspoon get suspended for behavioral issues, and the Tigers have responded with three straight wins, including at Southern Miss and at UAB. Washington lost point guard Abdul Gaddy for the season, but with the ball in his hands and the team relying on his playmaking ability, Isaiah Thomas saw his season turnaround. He's now playing as well as any point guard in the country.

Can the same happen to the Spartans? I guess I should say again; if you remember, they rallied when Kalin Lucas went out with his achilles injury and made a run to the Final Four last season.

I've been expecting a turnaround from this team for a while. In hindsight, heaping this much expectation on Michigan State may have been unfair. They were a borderline top 20 team most of last season and made a fluke run to the Final Four without beating anyone higher than a four seed. This season, we expected Lucas to immediately be 100% despite the severity of his injury and counted on the consistently inconsistent Durrell Summers to put it all together.

That said, there is talent on this team. They have a legendary head coach.

Maybe this shake up was just the wake up call his team needed.

Then again, maybe the Spartans are already too far gone.

Me?

I'm still not ready to bet against the Spartans, but I would recommend you start hedging anything you bet on the Spartans.
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1/10 - College Hoops Week in Review: Louisville makes a comeback, Khris Middleton is clutch

Game of the Week: Louisville 71, Marquette 70

This game was over. Marquette was up 65-47 with jut 5:45 left on the clock. After beating Notre Dame by 22 at home, it looked like the Golden Eagles were finally putting together a string of impressive victories. And then Preston Knowles woke up.

Louisville's leading scorer had just two points in the first half. In the final 5:45, he had 12 points on four threes and added two assists as the Cardinals came storming back. After a Knowles three made the score 65-62, Jaw Crowder snapped the 15-0 run with a bucket at the other end. Knowles hit another three on the ensuing possession, but again Marquette had an answer, this time in the form of a Dwight Buycks bucket.


Louisville would get Marquette's lead down to 70-69 after four Terrence Jennings free throws surrounding one from Junior Cadougan, but 16 seconds left, Dwight Buycks challenged Jennings on a layup at the rim with the shot clock turned off. He was blocked, Louisville got the ball back, and it set up this ending:



Also deserving a mention:

• Texas A&M 91, Missouri 89 OT: Once again, Missouri was involved in a a great game with an exciting finish. Both teams blew double digit leads in regulation, with the Tigers making a late run sparked by Phil Pressey and Ricardo Ratliffe to take a four point lead late. A&M answered, and the two sides proceeded to trade big shot after big shot for the rest of regulation and throughout overtime. In the extra frame, Khris Middleton -- who had 11 of his 28 points in overtime and forced the OT with two free throws with 14 seconds left -- stole the ball from Marcus Denmon with 40 seconds left and scored the go-ahead layup.
  

• Portland 79, Loyola Marymount 78 2OT: This game was wild. Portland was up seven early, trailed by ten late in the first half, opened up their own ten point lead in the second half, and was still leading by seven with less than three minutes left on the clock. But LMU would go on a 9-0 run to take a 60-58 lead with five seconds left before Jared Stohl drew a foul and hit both free throws to force OT. In the first overtime, Luke Sikma answered an Anthony Ireland three with a jump hook to put Portland up 66-65, but Edgar Garibay hit one of two free throws to force the second OT. In that second overtime, Portland pulled away and opened a five point lead, but the Lions fought back and even had a good look at a three from Drew Viney that would have given them the lead. He missed, and Portland held on for a tough win.
  

Player of the Week: Draymond Green, Michigan State

For the first time seemingly all season long, Green played like we expected him too. Is it any surprise that the Spartans went 2-0 this week? Against Wisconsin, Green finished with 26 points, nine boards, and four assists, making seemingly every big play down the stretch. In a win over Northwestern, Grene had 16 points, eight boards, and two assists. He got an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and hit two free throws to force overtime. He jumped a passing lane and had a dunk in the extra frame with MSU down three. He found Keith Appling for the go-ahead three pointer. Green was attacking the basket, he was hitting the offensive glass, and he was making plays for his teammates. When he plays like this, he make the Spartans a much better team.


All they-were-good-too-team:

• G: Jimmer Fredette, BYU: Fredette had 47 points and six assists in the Cougars only game this week, beating rival Utah on the road.
  
• G: Derwin Kitchen, Florida State: Kitchen averaged 16.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg in a 2-0 week for the Seminoles, including 22 points and 10 boards on 9-13 shooting in an upset of then-No. 1 duke.
  
• F: Khris Middleton, Texas A&M: Middleton had 28 points in an overtime win over Missouri. He tied the game with 14 seconds left in regulation, then scored 11 points in overtime, making big shot after big shot, to lead the Aggies to a win.
  
• F: Aaron Brackett, UNC-Greensboro: Bracket had a career-high 28 points and a career-high 15 boards (in fact, the 15 rebounds were more than his career high in scoring coming in) as the Spartans won their first game of the season at conference favorite Appalachian State despite trailing by 15 points.
• F: Kawhi Leonard, SDSU: Leonard averaged 17.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg, and 4.0 apg as the Aztecs beat UNLV and New Mexico.
  
• C: Mike Muscala, Bucknell: Muscala averaged 28.0 ppg and 11.5 rpg in two games this week as Bucknell gave American and Holy Cross their first Patriot League losses. The Bison are currently sitting alone atop the conference standings at 3-0.
  
• Bench: Mickey McConnell, St. Mary's (18.5 ppg, 8.5 apg); John Flowers, West Virginia (19.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.5 spg, 2.5 bpg); Isaiah Thomas, Washington (27 points, 13 assists in win over Cal); Kyle Weems, Missouri State (20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg); Derrick Williams, Arizona (31 points, 10 boards vs. Arizona State); DJ Gay, San Diego State (30 points, 7-11 3PT vs. New Mexico); Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota (26 points vs. Purdue); Diante Garrett, Iowa State (21.5 ppg, 8.0 apg); Gary Flowers, Southern Mississippi (20.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.5 bpg)
  

Team of the Week: Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies were an after thought in the preseason. They were losing so much senior leadership and scoring, few expected them to be in the thick of the Big XII race come mid-January, but that they are thanks to a 2-0 week. A&M beat Oklahoma State by 23 on Wednesday, and then on Saturday the Aggies knocked off Missouri in overtime to improve to 3-0 in Big XII play. We'll have a better feel for just how good A&M is after the next ten days -- when they play Texas twice and Kansas State once -- but it is time to start discussing this team as a legitimate conference title contender. After those three games, A&M only has one more game against a ranked opponent (Kansas in February) and they only play Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State once each.


Deserving of a shoutout:

San Diego State: Can we finally call the Aztecs legit? They may not be as good as Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, or Syracuse, but this is a team that truly deserves to be in the conversation for best of the rest. This week, they went 2-0 against fellow MWC contenders, beating UNLV at home and then manhandling New Mexico on the road.

Florida State: The Seminoles have a legitimate chance to be the second place team in the ACC. After beating No. 1 Duke and NC State this week, FSU is tied for first in the conference at 3-1. The Noles are going to be an inconsistent team all year long -- when they are hitting offensively, you'll get performances like this week; when they aren't, they lose to Auburn.

West Virginia: The 'Eers had quite a good week this week. They smoked Providence at home on Thursday before No. 8 Purdue came to town. WVU got a number of late, clutch buckets from John Flowers and Kevin Jones as they were able to land a marquee win they really needed on their resume. WVU had now won four in a row and seems to finally have gotten their season on track.

Minnesota: The Golden Gophers had a terrific week, as they evened up their record in the Big Ten with wins over Purdue and Iowa. All three of Minnesota's losses have come on the road to top 25 opponents -- Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin. The top of the Big Ten is loaded, which means that Minnesota is going to need more wins like the one they got against Wisconsin if they are going to make a run at the top of the league.

Michigan State: Are the Spartans finally turning that corner? This week, they picked up a couple of nice wins in overtime, beating both Wisconsin and Northwestern at home in overtime. It was a turnaround the Spartans needed, as they were coming off of a loss to Penn State last Saturday.

Colorado: This Buffalo team is looking more and more like a team we are going to have to keep an eye on all season long. They are now 3-0 in the Big XII with wins against Kansas State and Oklahoma State this week.

Valpo: After a weekend that featured four games between the top four teams in the Horizon, Valpo came out 2-0 and in sole possession of first place in the conference after winning on the road at Wright State and Detroit. The Crusaders also own a win over Cleveland State this season. For the first time is seemingly forever, it looks like the Horizon has more contenders than just Butler.

Belmont: The Bruins are playing at historic levels right now. They are 7-0 in the Atlantic Sun, and they are currently beating their opponent's by an average of 28.8 ppg. By comparison, UNLV beat their opponents by an average of 29.6 ppg in 1990-1991. This week, they beat Lipscomb and Campell by a combined 71 points, holding Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic seven points and five boards.

Duquesne: After sweeping St. Louis and Duquesne this week, the Dukes are currently sitting tied for first a top the A-10 with Xavier and George Washington. They've now won six games in a row.

Matchups of the Week

• 1/17 - 3:30 pm: Villanova @ UConn
• 1/17 - 5:30 pm: Kansas State @ Missouri
• 1/17 - 7:30 pm: Syracuse @ Pitt
• 1/17 - 9:30 pm: Kansas @ Baylor
• 1/18 - 7:00 pm: Michigan State @ Illinois
• 1/18 - 7:00 pm: Tennessee @ Georgia
• 1/19 - 7:00 pm: Memphis @ Southern Miss
  
• 1/19 - 9:00 pm: Texas @ Texas A&M
• 1/20 - 10:00 pm: Arizona @ Washington
• 1/22 - 12:00 pm: Ohio State @ Illinois
• 1/22 - 12:00 pm: Villanova @ Syracuse
• 1/22 - 2:00 pm: Tennessee @ UConn
• 1/22 - 2:00 pm: Kansas State @ Texas A&M
• 1/22 - 3:00 pm: Temple @ Xavier
  
• 1/22 - 4:00 pm: Texas @ Kansas
• 1/22 - 9:00 pm: Michigan State @ Purdue
  

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