POSTERIZED: The lowdown throwdown

NC-State is a program headed in the right directon. If the Wolfpack are to continue to improve off a successful first season under Mark Gottfried, it will be in large part to the efforts of superstar C.J. Leslie.

In the first round of the ACC Tournament, Leslie showed why he is going to be that guy.



Who doesn't love a good baseline reverse jam. I feel like I haven't seen one of these since I threw away all my mid-90s NBA Dunks and Basketball Bloopers VHS tapes.

But was it as good as these?

Rondey Williams, Minnesota vs. Nebraska, 3/3
Isaiah Sykes, Central Florida vs. Memphis, 2/28
Brandon Mitchell, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2/28
John Henson, North Carolina vs. Virginia, 2/25
C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's vs. Temple, 2/25
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, 2/25
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. UConn, 2/25
Weekend Recap, 2/18
Tony Wroten Jr./Aziz N'Diaye, Washington vs. Arizona, 2/18
Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson vs. Wichita State, 2/18
Darius Miller, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss, 2/18
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. Ohio State, 2/16
Darrion Pellom, Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore 2/15 (DotY Candidate)
Trency Jackson, Northwest Florida vs. Chipola, 2/15
Kwame Alexander, Cal St. San Bernadino, 2/12
Tahj Tate, Delaware State vs. Coppin State, 2/11
Weekend Recap, 2/10 - 2/12
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech, 2/9
Joshea Singleton, Bucknell vs. Colgate, 2/8
Kelsey Barlow, Purdue vs. Ohio State, 2/7
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 2/7
Roscoe Smith, UConn vs. Louisville, 2/7
Weekend Recap, 2/2 - 2/5
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State vs. TCU, 2/4
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse vs. St. John's, 2/4
Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26 Continue reading...

Tom Gugliotta, yes THAT Tom Gugliotta, got ejected from a game he had no involvement in

Every so often a fan gets a bit too out-of-hand at a sporting event and has to be removed from the premises.

We've all seen it before, whether on TV or in-person. It's just part of the sports culture.

But have you ever seen a former-NBA All-Star and a former college point guard get ejected from a college basketball game...by the referee

I sure haven't.

When I was informed that Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani, both former-North Carolina State players, were ejected from today's NC-State vs. Florida State game, I figured that they were assistant coaches who had drawn the ire of the referees.

The only problem is that neither Gugliotta or Corchiani are members of the NC-State coaching staff.

Just peep the video.



I don't know what either of them did, but referee Karl Hess certainly didn't like it.

I hope Hess had a good reason, because the last thing a school like NC-State needs is one of their highly-visible alumni to be upset with the athletic program. After the week NC-State has had, the last thing they need is a viral video featuring two of their more recognizable alums.

But more to the point, "Googs" was in NBA Jam for Christ sake! How are you gonna do him like that?

(H/T CBS Eye on CBball)

Continue reading...

Where does Lorenzo Charles' dunk stand?

The college basketball world was rocked on Monday when news broke that Lorenzo Charles, the hero of the 1983 National Championship game, was killed in a bus accident in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Charles, 47, etched his place in the annals of college basketball history when he dunked home a Derek Wittenberg 3-pointer as time expired, to give Jim Valvano's North Carolina State Wolfpack the victory over the Houston Cougars.

You have all seen the video. You all have seen the aftermath, Jim Valvano running around the court, arms flailing, looking for somebody, anybody, to hug. The video is a staple of any good college basketball highlight video. Charles moment captured the two things college basketball fans love the most: dunks and buzzer-beaters. It is one of the quintessential March Madness moments.

I watched this video close to 15 times last night. And it got me to thinkin': Where does this dunk rank amongst the all-time best in college basketball?

As an expert in college basketball dunks and slams, I believe it's one of the top-2, with "Send It In Jerome" taking No. 1.

But it's a great debate. Is it top-5? has to be, right?

Is it top-3? which two are better?

Is it the most memorable dunk of all-time? The only other dunk that can hold weight is "Send It In Jerome".

What say you college basketball fans?

"...With The Dunk"



"Send It In Jerome"





R.I.P Lorenzo Charles (November 25, 1963 – June 27, 2011)

Continue reading...

College Basketball Week in Review: You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea

What We Learned This Week: College hoops is a fickle beast. Just when you think you are starting to get a handle on how the season is shaping up, there ends up being a week like this one. You'll see what I'm talking about...

-What We Thought: UNC had a legitimate shot at going through the season undefeated.
-What Happened This Week: The Heels lost at home to BC, the team picked 11th out of 12 in the ACC.

-What We Thought: UConn was a national title contender.
-What Happened This Week: The Huskies got smoked by Georgetown at home.

-What We Thought: After beating UConn, Georgetown was a favorite to win the Big East.
-What Happened This Week: The Hoyas got smoked by Pitt at home.

-What We Thought: The Big East was not only the deepest conference, but the toughest conference at the top.
-What Happened This Week: (ED. Note: This was written before the polls were released) Going by who lost and who won, the ACC may end up with three of the top four teams.

-What We Thought: The Big XII was much better than the SEC this year.
-What Happened This Week: Arkansas whooped up on Oklahoma in Fayetteville while South Carolina beat Baylor on the road.

-What We Thought: Illinois State was undefeated, but their fluffer-nutter soft schedule would catch up to them in MVC play.
-What Happened This Week: The Redbirds started out 3-0 in the league, including blowouts of Evansville and Creighton.

-What We Thought: You can't upset a ranked team without your best player in uniform.
-What Happened This Week: St. John's beat Notre Dame without Anthony Mason Jr. and UNLV beat Louisville without Wink Adams.

-What We Thought: USC and Arizona were good; Stanford and Oregon State weren't.
-What Happened This Week: Oregon State beat USC after being down 15 in the second half, and Stanford beat Arizona by 18.

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Florida 68, NC State 66
The Wolfpack were up double digits in the first half as Sidney Lowe's team was able to control the pace of the game. But in the second half, the Gators amped up their pressure, trapping NC State's guards all over the court. Florida eventually closed the gap in the second half as Nick Calathes took the game over. He scored 24 points in the second half as no one on NC State could find a way to slow him down, either on the break (where he was sensational) or in the half court.

With four minutes to go in the game, Florida finally took the lead 59-58 as Nick Calathes knocked down a three. The two teams traded baskets for the next few possessions before Dan Werner found Calathes on a back door cut, which Calathes finished with a nifty reverse lay-up, giving Florida a 65-64 lead with just under a minute left. At the other end, Brandon Costner (who finished with 24 points) had his shot blocked by Alex Tyus, but it was called a goal tend, putting NC State back up. On the next possession, Billy Donavon isolated Calathes up top, and Calathes showed off some of his handle as he faked a stepback jumper, crossed over from left to right, and hit a mid-range jumper to give Florida the lead with 11 seconds left. NC State would eventually turn the ball over, giving the Gators the win.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Rice was fantastic in a 2-0 week for BC, which included an upset of North Carolina. He had 25 points on 7-13 shooting, 8 assists, and 5 boards in the victory over UNC, which came four days after he went for 18 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals against Sacred Heart. Rice is having his best season as a collegian, although he isn't necessarily putting up his best numbers. His scoring this year is down from 21.0 ppg to 16.7 ppg, but everything else has improved. He is averaging 6.4 apg while cutting down his turnovers. He is shooting as well as he has in his career. But most importantly, this BC team is better than it has been in recent years. Don't look now, but the Eagles are now 13-2 with wins over UNC, Providence, UAB, and St. John's.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Cal Bears
The Bears thrust themselves into the conversation in the Pac 10 by sweeping the Arizona schools at home this weekend. Patrick Christopher had 23 points to lead the Bears in the win over Arizona on Friday night, and he had 20 against Arizona State on Sunday. Jerome Randle posted career highs of 26 points and 10 assists in the win against ASU. Cal was 11-2 coming into Pac-10 play, and they had a couple solid wins on their resume (@ Utah, @ UNLV). The reason this team is going to be dangerous is because of how well they shoot the ball. Randle shoots it at 56%, Christopher just a shade under 40%, and Theo Robertson is knocking them down at an astounding 62% clip. this team also moves the ball very well and attacks gaps, which means they are likely to get a lot of good looks. If Jordan Wilkes, a seven-footer, can develop into a rebounder, defender, and an option when someone penetrates, this Cal team could make a run at the Pac 10 crown.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
1/5 - Georgetown @ Notre Dame: Get used to seeing a lot of Big East games listed here from this point forward.

1/6 - UConn @ West Virginia: Stanley Robinson and Devin Ebanks combine for about 15 feet of wingspan.

1/6 - Ohio State @ Michigan State: OSU could really use a confidence booster after struggling against Iowa and losing to Minnesota.

1/6 - Illinois State @ Bradley: 1st place in the Valley is on the line.

1/7 - Gonzaga @ Tennessee: This match-up has really lost some of its luster with how these two teams are playing.

1/7 - Davidson @ Duke: Steph Curry in Cameron Indoor?

1/10 - Louisville @ Villanova: Both teams really need a signature win on their resume.

1/10 - Kansas @ Michigan State: It will be tough for the Kansas freshman to match the Spartan's toughness.

1/10 - West Virginia @ Marquette: What did I say about a lot of Big East games?

1/11 - North Carolina @ Wake Forest: Explain to me how this game isn't on national television? I'm guessing that means we will barely see any coverage of it on ESPN, right? Continue reading...

Sunday Roundup

Thank you TiVo for being invented. After attending the Pitt-Georgetown game, I was able to catch three more games on TV due to that wonderful little tool known as DVR.

Kansas 92, Tennessee 85: The first game I watched was Kansas hosting Tennessee. Kansas jumped out to a 25-9 lead and never looked back as the Jayhawks knocked off the Volunteers. The Jayhawks did just about whatever they wanted to on the offensive end. Tennessee tried multiple defenses (man-to-man, zone, pressure) and none of them slowed down Kansas. More than anything, Kansas was able to build their lead because Tennessee had terrible possessions on the offensive end. They were taking quick, contested three's and forcing penetration. The long rebounds allowed Sherron Collins to get out and run the floor. Collins played like an all-american yesterday as he finished with 26 points and 9 assists. There were three of four times were he took a rebound or an outlet pass and dribbled through the entire Tennessee team en route to a lay-up on the other end.

It was mind-boggling how poorly Tennessee played defensively. The first seven shots Kansas made were either wide open lay-ups or dunks, and that continued through out the game. When a team is getting a lot of dunks, it usually is a result of defensive breakdowns, either blowing an assignment in the half court or losing track of someone in the full court. For Tennessee, the biggest issue they were having was against the pick-and-roll Kansas was running. Collins was coming off of a high screen (beyond the three point line) at the top of the key which was set by one of the Morris twins. Not only were Collins and the Morris twins each effective scoring options out of this screen, it also opened up space for Cole Aldrich inside. Let me explain: at least twice that I can remember, both defenders involved in the screen went at Collins, the ball handler. He would find the Morris (I seriously have a hard time telling them apart, although I think in both instances it was Marcus) twin around the foul line wide open, which set up a 2-on-1 situation with Morris and Aldrich going up against the guy guarding Aldrich, both times ending with Aldrich finishing an oop with a dunk.

Speaking of Aldrich, he was outstanding. The big fella finished with 22 points, 10 boards, and 6 blocks, although I don't think a single one of his points came on a post move. Another example of the lack of focus for Tennessee defensively was that they left Aldrich, who is known as a very good perimeter shooter, open from about 17 feet straight away three or four times, with Aldrich knocking down the shot every time. Other than that, I think every single one of his baskets was him finishing off a play with a dunk.

This win was very important for Kansas, as they have finally beaten a 'name' opponent after losing to Syracuse, UMass, and Arizona. Kansas is really young and inexperienced, which means that they are going to get a lot better as the season progresses. But right now, they need performances like this from Collins and Aldrich to be successful.

The two bright spots for Tennessee were Tyler Smith (21 points, 9 boards, 3 assists) and Wayne Chism (17 points, 8 boards, 6 blocks). One thing of note about Chism - he is a horrendous decision-maker. Case in point: Tennessee had just cut the lead to eight points with under four minutes to go when Chism, who had knocked down a three two possessions earlier, got the ball on the first pass on the wing. He made a few pump fakes, then fired up a contested three that bricked, leading to a Kansas fast break and lay-up that all but sealed it.

Florida 68, NC State 66: The Gators were down 10 at halftime, but Nick Calathes had an amazing second half scoring 24 of his 32 points to lead the Gators back. Is there anyone else is the country (save maybe Ty Lawson) better at leading a fast break than Calathes? Over and over again, he beat NC State down the floor, finishing numerous run outs himself while also consistently setting up his teammates.

Florida looked flat in the first half. NC State plays a much slower style than Florida wants too, mainly because NC State has some really good big men and not as many good guards. NC State won the battle of styles in the first half, but Billy Donovan turned up the pressure in the second half. Florida used a very effective full court trapping defense to wreak havoc on the NC State guards, which forced a bunch of turnovers and got Florida quite a few easy baskets. The Wolfpack eventually figured out the press and began attacking it, which got them quite a few easy buckets as well, but the press succeeded in increasing the tempo of the game to a pace that Florida likes to play at.

This was also the most exciting game of the day. The teams traded baskets for the last four minutes of the game before Alex Tyus was called for goaltending (a questionable call) on a Brandon Costner jump hook with 28 seconds left which gave NC State a one point lead. But at the other end Calathes got NC State big man Ben McCauley switched onto him, and showed off a little bit of his street ball handle as he shook the Wolfpack center and got himself free for a jumper, which he hit with 11 seconds left. Farnold Negand turned the ball over on the next possession and Calathes hit a free throw for the final margin.

It was the first time I got to see NC State play this year, and it is too bad that they don't have much guard play because their front line is fantastic. McCauley is an excellent back-to-the-basket post scorer. He is patient on the block, reads double teams well, and showed off a couple of nifty moves during this one. They also have Brandon Costner, who Gus Johnson and Greg Anthony kept comparing to Michael Beasley. Similar skill sets, except Costner is no where near the talent that Beasley was (and I'm saying this after watching him score 24 points). Yes, he can put the ball in the basket a variety of ways (he knocked down two three's, scored from the post, and went to the rim off the bounce), but he finished the game with just one board, one assist, and five turnovers. They also have a kid named Tracy Smith, who is one of the most productive scorers in the country - he averages 9.7 ppg in just 12.9 mpg (over 30 pp/40).

But as I said, they have a very limited back court. Negand and Julius Mays, the two point guards that play, both are very average players. Courtney Fells, who starts at the two, is more of a small forward and slasher than a ball handler. Any team that plays some sort of pressure defense against NC State is going to give them trouble.

Minnesota 68, Ohio State 59: Before I talk about Minnesota, let me just say a couple quick things about Ohio State. They cannot score the ball right now. I think they are going to miss David Lighty even more than I thought. Who can create on this team? Jon Diebler is a shooter and can't do much more than get an open look for himself. Jeremie Simmons is a freshman point guard that has shown some promise, but is not the answer right now. Evan Turner is a slasher than scores on drives to the rim and on mid-range pull-ups, and while he is very good at that, he can't really create for anyone else. William Buford is a freshman that will be Evan Turner in a year or two. BJ Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale? Don't ask for more than a blocked shot or a tip dunk.

To be fair, Mullens showed some serious potential in this game, on one play specifically. He was being three-quartered in the post (meaning the defender was playing halfway between fronting and playing behind Mullens), and caught a lob entry pass on the right block. When he caught the ball, he faked back to the middle before he spun to his right (to the baseline), took one dribble, and finished from behind the basket with his right hand on a reverse lay-up while drawing the foul. The problem is that while he looked like an NBA center on that play, he is so inconsistent the rest of the time. I'm not sold on Mullens being a great pro just yet (think Spencer Hawes), but I think if he stays in school for two more years, he will be an all-american.

Even when David Lighty returns, he is another guy that can create for himself, but struggles to create for others. Unless someone like Simmons steps up, I see Ohio State being mediocre simply because they are going to have some serious problems putting points on the board.

Now to the Gophers. I finally got to see this team play, and I was very impressed. The biggest thing to note about them is that Minnesota truly is a team. They move the ball very well on offense, which was very important against OSU's zone. They go 10 deep, and each players 1-10 is a threat offensively. But what makes them so good this year is their defense. Yesterday, Tubby Smith seamlessly switched his team between man-to-man, zone, and a press. And to be honest, I am having a tough time deciding which they play the best (the zone was the most effective against the Buckeyes).

The biggest difference in this game came on the boards. Minnesota pretty much coasted to a 12-0 record at the start of Big Ten play, but Michigan State went into the Barn and, for lack of a better term, punched them in the mouth. The Spartans out hustled and out worked Minnesota, especially on the boards, which is a terrible thing for a team that relies on their defense. Against Ohio State, Minnesota looked like a different team. The Gopher's have a young and relatively inexperienced roster, especially if you are talking about having success in the Big Ten, so it seems like they just didn't understand how hard you have to play to win against big time teams. Tubby Smith has a national title, and he understands how a conference championship caliber team needs to play. According to the announcer's on the Big Ten Network, he ran his team through some very difficult practices in between the two games, and the difference showed.

This was a huge win for the Gophers (crazy stat of the day: this was the first time these two teams played when both were ranked since 1972). The Big Ten is going to be tough this year, especially on the road, and it would have been disatrous to the Gophers title hopes if they had started conference play out 0-2 with two home games. They broke the game open with a 19-2 run midway through the first half when the Gophers switched from man to a 2-3 zone. The Buckeyes could not figure it out, and the Gophers found their shooting stroke as they turned a 22-15 deficit into a 34-24 halftime lead.

The player of the game was Damian Johnson. He is just the third leading scorer, but he may be the most valuable player for the Gophers. He is athletic, he can defend, but he is also a threat on the offensive end, not only to score but as a passer as well (second on the team in assists). Against Ohio State, Johnson finished with 12 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.

Outside of the four games above, there were four Big East conference games, two Big Ten conference games, and one Pac-10 conference game played.

Big East:

• St. John's 71, Notre Dame 65: St. John's got a great defensive performance out of Paris Horne, who held Kyle McAlarney to 10 points on 4-12 shooting and 1-5 from deep (he also added 14 points of his own), as the Johnnies upset the Irish in MSG. Luke Harangody had 28 and 14 for ND, but they could not overcome their poor shooting night. The Irish average almost 10 3's per game, shooting over 40%, but yesterday they shot just 4-17. DJ Kennedy led the Red Storm with 20, 10 boards, and 4 dimes, while Justin Burrell added 18 and 6 boards.
• UConn 80, Rutgers 49: The Huskies held the Scarlett Knights to just 49 points one game after they scored 43 in the first half against Pitt. UConn had five players reach double figures, led by 15 and 8 from Hasheem Thabeet. Of note: Jim Calhoun sat out the second half with shingles.
• West Virginia 92, Seton Hall 66: West Virginia took control of this game early, keeping the lead at double digits for most of the second half before a 12-2 run late sealed it. The Mountaineers had six players reach double figures, but were led by 18, 9 boards, and 5 assists from Da'Sean Butler. Jeremy Hazell finished with 29 to lead all scorers.
• Providence 62, DePaul 54: The Friars took an early 9-2 lead and pushed it to as much as 12 points. A Mac Koshwal lay-up cut the lead to one, but PC responded with an 11-2 run over the next five minutes, which was capped by a Jeff Xavier three. Weyinmi Efejuku led Providence with 18 points while Geoff McDermott added a double double (13 and 10). The Friars are now 2-0 in Big East play.
  

Big Ten:

• Wisconsin 65, Penn State 61: Wisconsin got 23 points from Marcus Landry as they hung on against Penn State to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions went on a 9-0 run midway through the second half to take a one point lead, but they could never create any separation. Wisconsin took the lead for good at 57-54 on a Trevon Hughes three pointer. PSU was able to hang around despite leading scorer Talor Battle struggling throughout the game (6 points, 2-11) mainly due to the hot shooting of Stanley Pringle (26 points, 10-18 from the field, 4-6 from deep).
• Iowa 65, Indiana 60: Iowa got 22 and 11 boards form Cyrus Tate as the Hawkeyes beat the Hoosiers in Tom Crean's Big Ten debut. Indiana cut the lead to 62-60 with 22 seconds left, but two Iowa free throws and a steal sealed the win.

Pac 10:

• Washington 68, Washington State 48: The Huskies got 19 points from Isaiah Thomas and used a 9-0 at the start of the second half to break open a tie game. The win broke a seven game losing streak for UW against Wazzu.
  

The rest of the action from Saturday:

• Missouri 83, Georgia 76: The Tigers scored 30 points off of 23 Georgia turnovers en route to their best start in ten years. Mizzou's press just ended up being too much for the Bulldogs. Missouri used a 26-10 burst early in the second half to turn a one point deficit into a 71-56 lead. All five Mizzou starters reached double figures, led by 17 from DeMarre Carroll and Zaire Taylor. Terrence Woodbury led Georgia with 27.
• Miami FL 76, North Carolina Central 42
• Oklahoma 93, Coppin State 62
• Xavier 84, Virginia 70: The Musketeers missed their first nine shots, but they went on a 19-0 run to break open a close game. BJ Raymond scored 24 points to lead Xavier, while freshman Sylvan Landesberg had 25 for the Cavs.
• Davidson 76, Samford 55: Steph Curry had 21 and 8 dimes while shooting 5-6 from three as the Wildcats cruised to 3-0 mark in the Southern Conference.
  
• Kansas State 83, Idaho State 57
• UAB 63, Savannah State 37
• Mississippi 53, Nicholls State 41
• Oklahoma State 122, Northwestern State 73
• Alabama 88, Georgia Tech 77: Ronald Steele had 23 and 10 dimes and Alonzo Gee added 15 and 18 boards as Alabama raced out to a lead as big as 30. Tech was able to rally in the last ten minutes, but the closest they would get was the final score.
  
• Florida State 69, Texas A&M-CC 48
• Maryland 85, Charlotte 75: The Terps were down by as much as 11 in the first half, but a 16-0 run midway through the second half broke open a tie game. Greivis Vazquez had 27 points in the win.
• Clemson 79, East Carolina 66: The Pirates had cut a 16 point first half lead down to seven at 51-44, but Jerai Grant (who finished with 14 points, 6 boards and 2 blocks) spraked a 12-4 run with 7 points as Clemson put the game out of reach.
• Utah 91, Wyoming 67: Luke Nevill had 29 and 13 as the Utes won the MWC opener for both teams.
• Mississippi State 82, Houston 65
• Delaware 81, VCU 79
• Vanderbilt 78, UMass 48
• George Mason 101, UNC-Wilmington 60
• Winthrop 59, Liberty 57: Seth Curry had 18 points, but Liberty dropped to 1-2 in the Big South as Winthrop won for the first time in 10 games and just the second time all season.
• Iowa State 91, SIU Edwardsville 55
• Western Kentucky 79, Arkansas-Little Rock 47
• LSU 90, Southeastern Louisiana 61
• Memphis 108, Lamar 75
• Wake Forest 94, BYU 87: Jeff Teague had 30 and James Johnson added 22 and 15 as the Demon Deacons overcame an eight point second half deficit to end BYU's 53 game home winning streak. James Johnson tipped in a miss to break an 85-85 tie with 1:30 left, and after a Jonathan Taverneri miss, LD Williams was fouled. Wake would proceed to hit 6-8 free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Jimmer Fredette had 23 and 9 assists to lead BYU, while Taverneri added 18 and 9 boards and Lee Cummard had 17 and 8 rebounds.
• Illinois State 86, Creighton 64: The Redbirds were up just four at halftime, but blew the Bluejays out of the water in the second half. Illinois State is still undefeated on the season, and after knocking off Evansville and now Creighton by large margins in their last two games, it seems as if that undefeated record may hold a little more credibility. Osiris Eldridge led ISU with 20 and 9 boards.
• Bradley 63, Missouri State 57: The Braves improve to 3-0 in the MVC with the win, setting up a showdown for first place in the league with Illinois State on Tuesday.
• Butler 75, Valparaiso 62
• Texas A&M 57, McNeese State 52
• UNLV 60, New Mexico 58: Tre'Von Willis scored 15 points, including six straight in an 8-1 run that took a 52-50 deficit and gave the Rebels the lead for good in the MWC opener for both teams. Wink Adams, who missed the game against Louisville, came off the bench and played 18 minutes, but was largely ineffective (0 points, 0-6 from the field).
  

Sunday's action:

• 12:00 PM: Illinois (13-1, 1-0) @ Michigan (10-3, 0-1): Big game for Michigan as they don't want to drop their first two conference games, both of which were at home.
• 2:00 PM: Cincinnati (10-3) @ Marquette (12-2, 1-0): Cinci has a shot in this one. They have a big front line and crash the glass hard while Marquette is a guard oriented team. That said, I don't see how Cinci will be able to stop the Marquette guards.
• 4:30 PM: Kentucky (11-3) @ Louisville (8-3): This is the kind of rivalry game where you can throw the records out. It just so happens these teams are pretty even this season. It should be fun to watch Jodie Meeks, Perry Stevenson, and Patrick Patterson go up against Samardo Samuels, Terrence Williams, and Earl Clark. It should also be pretty painful to see Michael Turner and DeAndre Liggins go up against the Louisville backcourt.
• 5:30 PM: Boston College (12-2) @ North Carolina (13-0): Tyrese Rice had 46 last year against UNC.
  
• 7:45 PM: Virginia Tech (9-4) @ Duke (11-1)
  

There are four Pac-10 games taking place today:

• 3:30 PM: UCLA (11-2, 1-0) @ Oregon (6-7, 0-1)
• 5:30 PM: USC (10-3, 1-0) @ Oregon State (5-6, 0-1)
• 8:00 PM: Arizona State (12-1, 1-0) @ Cal (12-2, 1-0): Cal may be the biggest surprise in the Pac 10 this year. Not too many people could have predicted this start, especially after the Bears lost Ryan Anderson and DeVon Hardin. Jerome Randle and James Harden are two of the best scorers out west.
  
• 10:00 PM: Arizona (9-4, 0-1) @ Stanford (10-1, 0-1): Stanford started out the season 10-0, but lost by 30 to Arizona State.
  

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