POSTERIZED: Anthony Nelson throws up and throws down

Niagara's Anthony Nelson had himself one helluva Sunday.

I'm not sure if it was because of nerves, or if he had a bad pregame meal, but just minutes into the Purple Eagle's game against Marist, Nelson asked off of the floor so he could burry his head in a trashcan and "relieve" himself of that pregame meal.

What followed that made the history books.

Nelson logged 10 points, 10 rebounds and 14 steals en route to the first triple-double in Niagara history and helped to snap the Purple Eagles seven game Losing streak.

But what won't make the history books, is the ridiculous poster-dunk that he had in the second half.



It's good thing Nelson "relieved" himself and got his legs back, because he certainly needed them.


But was it as good as one of these?:

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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Cornell and Siena losing completes Friday's craziness

The Pitt-West Virginia game wasn't the only bit of craziness from Friday night.

You see, Cornell lost their first game of the year in the Ivy League.

By 15 points.

To Penn.

That's right, Penn. The team that came into the game with three wins on the season. The team that fired their coach midway through December. The team that didn't pick up a win in the 2009-2010 season until it was actually 2010.

Penn got 24 points from Sam Eggleston and 22 from Zach Rosen as they used a 15-0 run to open up the second half. Cornell, who looked frustrated throughout most of the game, never was able to recover from that deficit.

This is a huge loss for Cornell. They are now in second place in the Ivy and half to face league leader Princeton on the road today. In fact, five of their last seven games in conference play are on the road, which includes a trip up to Harvard. Big Red fans shouldn't be so sure about their teams chances of making the tournament. As we all know, the Ivy doesn't have a tournament; their auto-bid goes to the regular season champ.

But that isn't all.

Siena had their 15 game winning streak, the longest in the nation, and their perfect 14-0 record in the MAAC snapped on the road at Niagara last night as well. The Purple Eagles forced 16 turnovers, and used a 21-3 run midway through the second half to pull away.

Siena has already clinched their league title, but this loss is significant because now the Saints have no margin for error when it comes to earning a trip to the dance. They whiffed against all their major out of conference opponents, meaning that the only way they had a chance at an at-large bid was if they went unbeaten through the league.

That didn't happen thanks to Niagara.

Which means Siena is probably going to have to win the MAAC tournament if they want to make the big dance.

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Top 10 (plus one) Sleeper Teams

In 2007-2008, Michigan won 10 games in John Beilein's first season at the helm. But last year, the Wolverines improved by 12 wins, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Likewise, LSU was just 13-18 and 6-10 in the weak SEC West two seasons ago. But in Trent Johnson's first season, the Tigers went 27-8 en route to an SEC regular season title and a trip to the second round of the tournament.

Each and every season, there are teams that seemingly come out of nowhere to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Who will be this season's sleepers? (Ed. Note: We are only considering teams not listed here as potential sleepers.)

Boston College: Yes, the Eagles did win 22 games last season, earning a seven seed in the Big Dance. But they also lost Tyrese Rice, their best player and leading scorer. But don't be fooled, the Eagles return a ton of talent. Joe Trapani is a fundamentally sound combo forward that will impress a lot of people this year, and Rakim Sanders is a mega-athlete that has the ability to be an all-league player. Throw Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson in the mix, and the Eagles should have no problem replacing the scoring they lost with Rice. If someone can step up and replace Rice's playmaking ability, BC should make a second consecutive trip to the dance.

Rakim Sanders will be one of the best players in the ACC this year.
(photo credit: Hoops Report)

Seton Hall: The Pirates return their top four scorers from last season, including arguably the best scorer in the Big East in Jeremy Hazell. Robert Mitchell and Eugene Harvery also return on the perimeter, as does big man John Garcia. But the key to the Pirates season will be the addition of three transfers - Keon Lawrence, Herb Pope, and Jamel Jackson. Bobby Gonzalez has a team that will be able to score with anyone in the country, the question is going to be will they be able to defend well enough to win some more games?

Texas A&M: Losing Josh Carter and Chinemolu Elonu will hurt, but the Aggies do return three starters and their best scorer off the bench. Seniors Donald Sloan and Brian Davis seem like they have been around forever, but they are quality experienced players that are primed to lead this team. Add to the mix four top 150 recruits, and Texas A&M has the horses to be a player in the Big XII.

Kansas State: K-State won 22 games last year, but missed out on the dance due to too few quality wins. They return one of the best starting back courts in the conference with Jacob Pullen and the electric Denis Clemente, which is good enough to win quite a few games on their own. Add to that getting a stellar incoming class, including UConn transfer Curtis Kelly and freshman Wally Judge, the Wildcats are going to have a lot of talent on their roster. There will be some inexperience, but this is a team that no one will want to play late in the season.

Denis Clemente will be one of the most dynamic scorers in the country.
(photo credit: Bleacher Report)

Oregon State: The Beavers surprised a lot of people by winning seven games last year in the Pac-10. When seven wins is a surprise, that should tell you about the state of basketball in Corvallis. The best news? Obama's brother-in-law, head coach Craig Robinson, returns seven of his top eight scorers and brings in a good recruiting class, headlined by Roberto Nelson. The Pac-10 may be down this season, but the Beavers have enough talent that they can compete for the third spot behind Cal and Washington. If Nelson can live up to the hype, he will combine with Calvin Haynes and Roeland Schaftenaar to form one of the best inside-outside combos out west.

Niagara: People are going to be talking about Siena coming out of the MAAC, but don't count out the Purple Eagles. This is a team that won 26 games last year (14 in the MAAC, including a split with Siena) and returns four of their five starters from a season ago. With a couple talented freshman joining the fray, Niagara will have the talent to win the league and earn a trip to the NCAA's. Be sure to mark Jan. 9th and Feb. 12th on your calenders - you won't want to miss the Niagara-Siena games this year.

BYU: True, the Cougars lose Lee Cummard, who was one of the best players out west last season. But they also return Jonathan Tavernari and Jimmer Fredette, which will be the best 1-2 in the MWC this season. All told, BYU returns four starters and six of their top seven players. The MWC is consistently one of the best basketball leagues outside of the BCS conferences, and BYU should be the cream of the crop this season.

Jimmer Fredette is a name you are going to hear a lot this season.
(photo credit: Utah Daily Herald)

Oakland: The Golden Grizzlies have two of the keys you need to be dangerous come tourney time - and excellent point guard in Johnathon Jones and a post presence in 6'11" Keith Benson. Losing the perimeter shooting of Erik Kangas is going to hurt, but expect sophomores Drew Maynard and Blake Cushingberry to more than make up for it.

Idaho: Harold Arceneaux. Stephen Curry. All you need in the NCAA Tournament is one unstoppable player and a mid-major has a chance to spring an upset. This year, that player may very well be Idaho's Mac Hopson. As a junior, Hopson averaged a stellar 16.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, and 5.0 rpg. Idaho will need some role players to step up around him to get there, but if the Vandals get into the dance, no coach is going to enjoy game-planning for this kid.

La Salle: Rodney Green could very well be the guy that steals the A-10 player of the year award from away from front runners Jordan Crawford and Chris Wright. Green is a talented scorer and play maker, but he is far from the only player that the Explorers bring back. Kimani Barrett and Ruben Guillandeaux will help carry the back court load, while Yves Mekongo Mbala will pick up the slack inside for the departed Vernon Goodridge. And remember, John Giannini landed Aaric Murray, a 6'10", 250 lb center that most recruitniks believed was top 10 at his position in the class of '09.

Rodney Green may be the best player in the A-10.
(photo credit: Atlantic 10)

Portland: Gonzaga and St.Mary's have had a strangle hold on the top two spots in the West Coast Conference over the past decade. But Eric Reveno brings back a veteran group that many believe could win the WCC this year. The Pilots will be led by 6'5" Nik Raivio, a strong scoring guard that averaged 16.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Add into the mix sharp shooter Jared Stohl (45.6% 3's) and point guard TJ Campbell, and Portland has a roster loaded with shooters. If this team gets hot, they will be able to run with just about anyone in the country.

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