POSTERIZED: Welcome to the Markel Brown Show

With Alabama's Tony Mitchell on the shelf due to an indefinite suspension, the floor is open for somebody to take over as "Human Highlight Reel".

Oklahoma State' Markel Brown seems to be the right guy to fill that void. He's thrown down monster jams in the past, and his three-dunk performance against Iowa State only furthers his case.



OK-State may not be the best team in the country, hell, they may not be a Tournament team. But they sure are fun to watch.



But was it as good as these?

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 (DotY Candidate)
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...

POSTERIZED: Markel "Bad News" Brown

What is there to say about Oklahoma State's Markel Brown? The dude can fly. This is his #POSTERIZED series, and frankly, his most impressive.

The 'Pokes got a stunning 79-72 win against No.2 Missouri at the Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night. While it was LeBryan Nash who had the best performance of the night, Brown provided the highlight of the night.

In fact, he had two SPECTACU-LARGE slams (Still tyring to get footage of the first one), and the second one could very well end up being Dunk of the Year.

No joke.





But why on Earth does Brown get T'd up? This was one of the worst calls I've seen in a while. I didn't realize that looking at people was illegal.

In a sense, this was the oh-so-rare "walk-off" slam-dunk. Sure, it wasn't a game-winning dunk, but since it was his second technical foul, he literally "walked off" the court right after the dunk.


But was it as good as these?

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...

#BIAHRoadTrip The Diary Part-XIII: The Tulsa Double-Header

1:45 PM Day 18
Somewhere on US-169 East
Oklahoma/Kansas Border
Total Miles: 2638

Road Trip Part-I
Road Trip Part-II
Road Trip Part-III
Road Trip Part-IV
Road Trip Part-V
Road Trip Part-VI
Road Trip Part-VII
Road Trip Part-VIII
Road Trip Part-IX
Road Trip Part-X
Road Trip Part-XI
Road Trip Part-XII

This post is brought to you by the Hilton Garden Inn Tulsa South in Tulsa, OK.


(Troy Speaking)

Rob has already gone in to detail about our experience in Joplin, MO but I have to share my thoughts on this experience as well.

I've been fortunate enough in my life that I haven't had to deal with much tragedy. A loss in the family here or there, but other than that, I've been pretty lucky. I'm sure that many of you are in the same boat.



But what we witnessed in Joplin, was one of the most surreal things I've ever seen.

Anytime you think your life sucks, or if you have a bad day, have a look at this video, and tell me that you have it bad.



You don't.

Again, I'll let Rob paint the picture, but here's a recap from my perspective.

While we were in town, we helped three construction workers build the foundation and flooring for a house in town that had been purchased by the local church community.

Two of the guys had their houses destroyed in the tornadoes, but you wouldn't have been able to tell through conversation. Matt McGee, the Joplin Habitat for Humanity team leader, was honestly one of the nicest, funniest guys I've met on this entire trip. His positive energy exemplified the type of people that make up the Joplin community.

My construction experience is thin. I've done a bunch of landscaping, but the carpentry gene in my family is non-existent. I was asked to leave a woodworking class at camp once because my carpentry skills were so poor.

Therefore, I stayed away from operating any of the heavy machinery during the day, but Rob, who had boasted his vast construction experience before hand, tried his hand at the circular saw.

It got stuck on the first try.

If that wasn't enough, he struggled to operate the rather simple caulk-gun. The others were handing it with ease, but Rob could not seem to get the caulk out of the tube and lay it down on the floor beams in a straight line.

I wouldn't trust this guy to build a LEGO house, let alone a real one.

For lunch, per the recommendation of one of the guys, we went to Hackett Hot Wings, which was voted "Best Wings" in 417 Magazine.

It certainly lived up the hype.

Overall, this was one of the most uplifting experiences of my entire life. I wanted to stay longer. I wanted to do more. And if you know anything about me at all, you know I'm not usually like this.

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We left Joplin in the mid-afternoon and headed directly to Tulsa, OK.

I was interested to see what Tulsa was like because surprisingly enough, I almost moved there in January of 2010. Seven months after I graduated from college, I was offered a video production internship for the Tulsa Drillers (Rockies AAA-affiliate) for the entire season.

If I had taken that job, I am certain we would not be where we are right now. Rob would still be writing about basketball, but I'm not sure in what capacity. Don't get me wrong, he's a phenomenal writer, one of the best in the industry. But, well, I'm the one who steers the ship. (I think.)

Luckily for B.I.A.H., the recession struck and the organization told me a week before I was suppose to leave that they could not afford to provide the housing and stipend they promised me. As a recent college grad, I didn't have the funds to move across country, pay rent and work for crackers.

In hindsight, I still should have taken the job.The Drillers are a top-tier Triple-A organization with state-of-the-art facilities.

Listen, I'm so proud of what Rob and I have been able to accomplish, but, well, here we are, 24 months later, and we still struggle to get past the "blogger" label.

But well, here's to hoping that "everything happens for a reason".

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When we got to Tulsa, we rolled up to our destination, the Hilton Garden Inn South which was no more than ten minutes from downtown Tulsa. Of all the hotels that we've stayed at, the beds at the Hilton Garden Inn were by far the most comfortable. Once Rob hit the mattress, I don't think he ever got up again.

Another perk was the plethora of power outlets available in the room. This might not be a big deal for a lot of people, but for us media-types, it was HUGE. For one reason or another, hotel rooms usually have only one or two power outlets in the whole room. But not the Hilton Garden Inn. This made the process of charging our devices much easier. It's just one of those "little things" that can make a difference to some people.

Did I mention that each room had a refrigerator (first one of the trip) and and a kitchenette?

We grabbed burgers from the restaurant in the lobby, and they were pretty damn good, and not just for "hotel standards" either. We've had our fair share of burgers on this trip, and these were some of the best.

Oh, and in the morning, the hotel has an omelet bar. Trust me, it's as cool as it sounds.

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The first game of our Saturday double-header was Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State in Stillwater, OK. As mentioned, we were staying in Tulsa, so we had to drive 80 miles due west for the 1:00PM game.

The drive was actually kinda cool. Rob was buried in his laptop the entire drive, so it was essentially just me and the open (and we're talking OPEN) road. Central Oklahoma is remarkably pretty, which is surprising, considering I spent my entire life in a Atlantic coast metropolis.

But there was one part of the drive that wasn't pretty.

The tolls.

Tolls have been kicking our ass on the trip. Every toll we've encountered has been totally different than the tolls we are used to.

These tolls were actually the standard "giant bucket" tolls both of us are used to. The only problem was that neither of us had any coins, and none of the tolls were human-operated.

Well, that's false. We did have coins, but we had to use them all at the first toll.

That right there is four dollars worth of nickels and dimes. Does anyone else find it odd that a toll would require drivers to pay four dollars in COINS? These tolls asked for large dollar amounts, coins only, and did not provide credit card machines (Like Chicago did) or toll-people.

Nonetheless, I'll be receiving at least two tickets from the Oklahoma highway authority in the near future.

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The Oklahoma State vs. K-State game was what we expected. A sloppy, mostly one-sided affair. The officiating was some of the worst we've ever seen, and the fans spent much of the game going after the referees.

Gallagher-Iba Arena is a great place, and I can't imagine what it was like back in 2007 when the 'Pokes went to 3OT with Kevin Durant and the Longhorns. But Cowboys are just not very good now.

The arena was probably 70% full, and Rob projected that 30% of the crowd was made up of K-State fans.

I would like to spend a quick second to mention how inhospitable the parking/ticket/security people were at Oklahoma State.

They were down-right hostile. Maybe they do things different in the Midwest, but well, this wasn't our first rodeo. When we drove up to the parking lot, hoping to ask for directions to the media direction, we could see the disgruntled worker mouth "What the **** do these ******** want?" right at us.

The lady at the arena entrance was just as rude. Rob went to point out his name on the sign-in sheet, and she tried to brush his hand back while giving him a stern glare.

Yeeesh. I guess we're not wanted around these parts.

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I was expecting a good atmosphere for the nightcap of our doubleheader. After all, Oakland and Oral Roberts have been the two most dominate Summit League teams for the past decade.

But I'd be lying if I said I expected to see a game that had a post-season feel to it. But that's exactly what happened.

I've been to many sporting events, some big, some small, some important, some irrelevant. But this game was arguably the most well-executed event I've ever been to.

From the student section to the media timeouts; from the on-court performance to the band. Anything and everything in between. It was well-executed by the players, fans and Oral Roberts staff.

It wasn't the loudest arena we've been to, nor was there a moment of unbridled madness. But from start to finish, it was electric.

The student section was on-point the entire game. They were loud, creative, and cohesive. The band opened with Alice in Chains "Man in the Box", and even threw in some Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Even the media timeouts were electric. After the first three media timeouts, I felt like I was on an episode of "Double Dare". There was a "rubber chicken toss" a "big pants race", and even "giant crowd volleyball".



There was absolutely nothing "mid-major" about the game production at the Mabee Center. Even Oral Roberts head coach Scott Sutton was impressed. he remarked that Saturday night's game against Oakland was the loudest, intense crowd he's seen at the Mabee Center in 15 years. Coach Sutton wasn't the only one felt that way. The reporters in the press conference couldn't stop talking about the game atmosphere. The media Relations office felt the same way. I knew that we were in for a treat, but I had no idea that we were going to be in the house for a "best ever".

Oh, and Dominique Morrison signed a poster for me. #Swag.

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We are now on our way to Lawrence, KS to experience the Phog Allen Field House. On Monday night, we will be in the house to see the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Texas A&M. The Aggies are the only team we will see twice on this trip. When we scheduled this trip, that seemed like a good idea. Not anymore.

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK baby.

Continue reading...

Pics/Vids: Game 10 - Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State

Saturday, January 21st
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State University
Kansas State 66, Oklahoma State 58

Game 9 - Missouri State vs. Creighton
Game 8 - Missouri vs. Texas A&M
Game 7 - Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
Game 6 - Marquette vs. Pittsburgh
Game 5 - Butler vs. Cleveland State
Game 4 - Indiana vs. Minnesota
Game 3 - Xavier vs. Duquesne
Game 2 - Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Game 1 - Belmont vs. Lipscomb

I apologize for the lack of content in this post. We ran into a technical difficulty upon our arrival in Stillwater. But nonetheless, we got some good shots of the game and environment.
Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: "Downtown" Markel Brown

Markel Brown must love the N.I.T. I have no idea why anybody would love the N.I.T., but Brown now has two POSTERIZED appearances, and both of them have occured in the N.I.T.

Last season Brown threw down a mean-mugging in the post-season N.I.T. against Harvard in the quarterfinals.

This season, he took his talents to Madison Square Garden and left his mark at the "World's Most Famous Arena".



It's a shame that there was literally nobody there to see it, but yes, it did happen.

But was it as good as these?

Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24/11
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
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...

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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POSTERIZED: They bring it in the N.I.T. too Vol. II

I know you are all probably knee deep in March Madness action right now, but a good dunk is perfect for any occasion.

We give the N.I.T. a lot of crap. But I think we can all agree that the first round of the N.I.T. was probably better than "The First Four".

I mean, how many poster-dunks did "The First Four" produce?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Meanwhile, the N.I.T. has given us two solid posterizations, including this nice one-handed slam from Oklahoma State's Markel Brown:



After all, a posterization is great no matter what the circumstances.

But was it as good as one of these?:
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Darrell Williams had an eventful day

You may not have known who Darrell Williams was coming into the season -- or even coming into this week.

A JuCo transfer from Chicago, Williams is averaging 7.1 ppg and 7.3 rpg coming off the bench for Oklahoma State. Today, he was named the Big XII's newcomer of the week after averaging 16.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg as the Cowboys kept themselves in the bubble conversation with wins over Missouri and Oklahoma.

But that isn't why Williams' name will be in the headlines today. From The Oklahoman:

Oklahoma State basketball player Darrell Williams has been charged in Payne County district court with three counts of rape by instrumentation and one count of sexual battery.

The charges relate to an incident occurring Dec. 13 in Stillwater and finally shed light on an investigation that had been hovering over the program for nearly two months, since word of the assault first emerged.

That sounds less than pleasant.

Two other men were also charged, but neither of them were basketball players. Six other players were interviewed regarding the December 13th incident. There is not much information out there right now (we will update when more news comes out), but from what I can gather, two women were assaulted at a private residence. Stillwater cops have been investigating the incident since an anonymous letter was sent in claiming a sexual assault at the party.

Williams has apparently not been arrested, but will be arraigned this afternoon.
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Matt Pilgrim can't stay out of trouble

The great thing about twitter is that is can put you in contact with anyone. Anywhere.

Eventually, athletes are going to realize this. When that time comes, maybe they will stop sending idiotic tweets.

The latest twi-ffender is Oklahoma State forward Matt Pilgrim, who hasn't exactly kept his nose clean during the offseason. Over the summer, Pilgrim had an emergency protective order filed against by a woman that had accused him of rape, and he was only allowed back onto the team on November 1st after being suspended for the first two weeks of practice by Travis Ford for a lack of dedication.


First some background. On Monday night, an OSU student was shot in the leg during a robbery attempt (Ed. Note: Not to make light of the situation, but you need to go here and scroll down to the last paragraph. I'd say the victim has a pretty fantastic outlook on life.) and took off towards campus. The school locked down the dorms and the Greek houses. When Pilgrim got word of this, he fired off a couple of tweets that offended some of his followers:

To read the rest of this post, head over to Beyond the Arc.
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Oklahoma State forward Matt Pilgrim has been indefinitely suspended

For the second time during the offseason, Oklahoma State's Matt Pilgrim has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The Cowboys had their "Homecoming & Hoops" exhibition game on Friday night, but Pilgrim was held out of the event by head coach Travis Ford. He's suspended indefinitely and according to John Helsey of NewsOK.com, that "indefinite" could end up being a significant amount of time.

Pilgrim is a college basketball nomad, playing one season at Hampton and then spending a redshirt year at Kentucky before making his way to Stillwater. Clearly, commitment has not been his strong suit. Helsey speculates that Pilgrim, who became the starter midway through last season, has been suspended for that very reason.

Pilgrim's return likely comes down to how bad he wants to be a Cowboy. How bad he wants to practice and play and do everything it takes to be part of a team that features too many young influential pieces to accommodate anyone who is not all in.

And if it's anything less than all in, the Cowboys will probably move on. And that's too bad for OSU, considering Pilgrim's freak athletic skills would come in handy.

One thing that is clear, however, is that his suspension does not have anything to do with the emergency protective order that was filed against Pilgrim over the summer after a woman accused him of rape.

If he is indeed gone, losing Pilgrim is a major loss for Oklahoma State. They already have to deal with James Anderson's early departure to the NBA, and after Pilgrim, Marshall Moses is the only returning front court player.

Here's to hoping that Pilgrim is able to work through whatever issues he's dealing with and return to the Cowboy team.
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Quincy Miller, Deuce Bello, and LeBryan Nash all headed to the Big XII

Scott Drew struck gold on the recruiting trail once again.

First it was Perry Jones, a top five recruit in the class of 2010 that is currently at Baylor preparing for his freshman season. Then over the summer came the commitment from Isaiah Austin, a versatile seven-footer that will likely end up somewhere in the top 10 in the class of 2012 when it is all said and done.

This afternoon, it was Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello. Miller, a Chicago native that plays his high school and AAU ball in North Carolina, is a 6'9" small forward and the No. 4 player in our consensus recruiting rankings. Bello, Miller's high school and AAU teammate and the consensus No. 38 recruit, is a two-guard with out-of-this-world athleticism that confirmed the recruiting world's worst kept secret that these two would be attending college together.

I guess its here that I should mention that Miller and Bello played for the D-One Sports AAU program, the same program that produced John Wall. D-One Sports is run by Brian Clifton, who is the brother of Dwon Clifton. If you remember, Dwon Clifton is who Scott Drew hired to try and woo Wall into becoming a Bear.

The Bears weren't the only Big XII team to receive good news today. LeBryan Nash, the consensus No. 8 player in the country, is a 6'7" combo forward that's built like a tight end and may be the most impressive athletic specimen in the class. His decision came down to Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Baylor and ... well ... the picture says it all:




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Rankings the Big Mondays

I'll be honest.

I love Big Monday. Maybe its because I grew up in Big East country. Maybe its because I have an awkward love for color commentary of Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery. Maybe its because I am the only person in the country that thinks Brent Musberger and Bobby Knight are entertaining as announcers. Maybe its because something needs to fill the void of Monday Night Football.

Or maybe its because I simply adore starting off my week with two big-time matchups, which just so happen to be the only games of significance each and every Monday. If you can't get excited for Big Monday, then we can't be friends anymore. Sorry. The door's over there.

I have a point to all of this (I swear).

On Thursday, the Big East released their Big Monday schedule. The Big XII announced their portion back in July, which means that I now know exactly how I will be spending each and every Monday in January and February.



Hit the jump to see our rankings of which Big Mondays we are looking forward to the most:

(Ed. Note: We aren't including the first three weeks in our rankings. If we were, they would be at the bottom. Two games are always better than one.)

1. January 17th: Villanova @ UConn; Kansas State @ Missouri; Syracuse @ Pitt; Kansas @ Baylor

I mean, isn't this obvious? The 17th is Martin Luther King, Jr., day, and what better way to celebrate your Monday off from work than eight solid hours of Big East and Big XII hoops? The day tips at 3:30pm (all times EST) with Villanova heading to UConn. Now, the Huskies are going to be down this season, but they still have Kemba Walker who will need to have a big game against Villanova's loaded back court. The good news for UConn is that the game will, in fact, be played at Gampel Pavilion, their on-campus arena, as opposed to the Hartford Civic Center. The other MLK Day Big East game will be one of the best of the season. Pitt and Syracuse, along with Villanova, are the favorites to finish atop the conference, and its by a pretty wide margin. There is a lot to like about this game, but the matchup that intrigues me the most will be Pitt's sophomore big man Dante Taylor going up against stud Syracuse freshman Fab Melo. I get the feeling NBA scouts will like that as well.

UConn beat Nova in Philly last year.
(photo credit: Stamford Advocate)

On the Big XII side, the games will be just as entertaining. The first game pits Kansas State and Mizzou, two of the more exciting teams to watch in this league. Kansas State has a ton of size and length along their front line, but their back court is relatively inexperienced after all-american Jacob Pullen. That's not ideal considering the Tiger's 40 minutes of hell defense. Mizzou is deep, especially in the back court, with a lot athletes that really can get after it defensively. It may not be the prettiest game to watch, but it will be exciting. The night ends with Kansas heading to Waco, TX, to take on Baylor. Both the Bears and the Jayhawks have potential all-americans on their roster in LaceDarius Dunn and Marcus Morris. But they also boast two of the most-hyped recruits in the country in Josh Selby and Perry Jones.


2. February 14th: West Virginia @ Syracuse; Kansas @ Kansas State

It may be Valentine's Day, but love is rarely in the air when Kansas and Kansas State get together. The atmosphere is always fantastic when the Jayhawks enter the Octagon of Doom, and this season should be no different. Marcus Morris will have his hands full with the Wildcat front line, but the matchup that everyone will want to see is freshman phenom Josh Selby going up against senior and all-american Jacob Pullen.

Jacob Pullen and the Wildcats have a great home court.
(photo credit: USA Today)

In the early game, Bob Huggins will bring his West Virginia Mountaineers to the Carrier Dome to take on Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orange. The Orange are definitely the more talented team, with guys like Kris Joseph and Fab Melo looking like potential first round picks, but the Mountaineers are a scrappy bunch led by senior Joe Mazzulla. With Kevin Jones and Deniz Kilicli seemingly primed for big years inside, it should surprise no one if WVU gives Syracuse a game.


3. February 7th: Pitt @ West Virginia; Missouri @ Kansas

Rivalry games are what it is all about in college hoops, and these two rivalries are about as entertaining as it gets. West Virginia fans are notoriously rowdy, and the last time the Panthers came to visit, it ended with a Pitt assistant coach being hit by a coin thrown from the stands. With both teams once again loaded with physical, tough basketball players, I wouldn't be surprised if this year's installment of the Backyard Brawl ended up in an actual brawl.

Marcus Morris and Kim English will be two of the best players in the Big XII next year.
(photo credit: Statsheet)

You know a rivalry is good when it has its own nickname. Pitt-WVU is the Backyard Brawl, while Kansas-Missouri games are known as the Border War. This year, the Tigers will be traveling to the Phog to take on a very good Jayhawk team. Kansas will be playing with a freshman point guard in Josh Selby, which is never ideal when you are facing the kind of pressure that Mizzou puts on for 40 minutes.


4. February 21st: Syracuse @ Villanova; Oklahoma State @ Kansas

A late February game between two of the favorites to win a conference? Yes please! The outcome of this Syracuse and Villanova game will, in all likelihood, have a major impact on the top of the Big East standings. Villanova may not have answers for Kris Joseph or Fab Melo, but can the Orange zone contain the Wildcat's tremendous back court?

Oklahoma State travels to Kansas in the night cap. The Cowboys lost their star James Anderson to the NBA this offseason and return a young roster. Okie State does have a couple of solid post players and some young talent in their back court, but winning in the Phog is never an easy task.


5. February 28th: Villanova @ Notre Dame; Kansas State @ Texas

Texas lost quite a bit of talent, but with freshmen Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson coming in, and Jordan Hamilton returning, there's reason to believe this Texas team could make a run at a Big XII title. Kansas State is likely a top ten team this season, which means that if the Longhorns get a couple of breaks this year, this game could end up being a fantastic way to end the Big Monday season.

Notre Dame lost a bunch of talent as well, as Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson graduated. But with guys like Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis, and Carleton Scott returning, as well as a healthy Scott Martin being added to the rotation, this Irish team may sneak up on some people. But if Villanova is in the mix for a Big East title at this point in the year, will the Irish be able to compete with a determined Villanova team?


6. January 24th: Notre Dame @ Pitt; Baylor @ Kansas State

There's an argument to be made that Jacob Pullen and LaceDarius Dunn at the two best guards in the country. Would I make that argument? Not necessarily, but I would argue that watching those two go back and forth in a game with as much size, length, and athleticism as there is on both sides of the ball in this game will be immensely entertaining.

If Notre Dame continues to play the way they did down the stretch last season, then this matchup with Pitt might struggle to hit the 50's. If Notre Dame decides to try and take more advantage of some of the offensive talent they have on their roster, it may end up being a higher-scoring affair. But will Notre Dame then be able to compete with a very good Pitt team?


7. January 31st: Louisville @ Georgetown; Texas @ Texas A&M

Both of these games are quite similar. Georgetown loses Greg Monroe, but they return a talented and experienced back court that could end up being one of the best in the country. Its part of the reason they are considered one of the four best teams in the conference. Louisville, on the other hand, lost quite a bit of senior leadership and will head into this season with a younger group of kids.

As we mentioned, Texas lost some talent, but has a solid core of young guys that will lead them. The 'Horns, like Georgetown, should be considered one of the top four or five teams in their league, while the Aggies will have lost a lot of their senior leadership.
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The state of Oklahoma could lose quite a few players to the Draft

No matter the program, eventually early entry into the NBA Draft is going to catch up to you.

This week, its the Oklahoma schools catching the brunt of it.

First, Oklahoma State's James Anderson announced he was going pro. Its probably the correct decision for Anderson, this year's Big XII player of the year, to make. He's expected to go somewhere in the first round, maybe even as high as top 20, and is probably the second best shooting guard prospect on the board.

How good is Anderson going to be? Well, that's another question. There is no doubt he can score -- he averaged almost 23 ppg and anyone that saw him get hot an go for 25 in a half was likely convinced. Anderson's issue isn't the ability to score -- or, more specifically, shoot -- its the ability to get to the rim and to defend. Anderson goes almost exclusively left when he puts the ball on the floor, and he is a smooth, if not a bit underathletic, when getting to the rim. Defensively, he had a lot of question marks coming into this season, and he didn't exactly answer those.

Still, this is a relatively weak year for wing prospects, and Anderson is one of the best.

Everyone -- including Travis Ford -- probably expected Anderson to go pro at the end of the season. The same can't be said for some of Jeff Capel's guys.

Let's start with Tommy Mason-Griffin. TMG reportedly packed up his bags and left Oklahoma prior to Spring Break with no intention of returning to Norman, and it looks as if he is headed to the league. A 5'10" point that isn't overly athletic or quick, doesn't like being coached, can't get to or finish around the rim, and likes to shoot 30 footers doesn't exactly scream potential, which makes one wonder what exactly he is thinking?

TMG had a pretty nice set up at Oklahoma. If he had decided to come back, it would have been his team from the start of the season, and I'm willing to bet that the 14 point and 5 assist averages he posted could have been improved upon.

Why?

Because it seems very unlikely that either Willie Warren or Tiny Gallon will be returning. Reports surfaced late in the season that Gallon had received a bunch of money from an agent, and right before the NCAA Tournament started, new trickled out (from TMZ Sports, nonetheless) that it was actually $3,000 that he had given. Gallon had already said he was going to be returning to Norman for his sophomore season, but that was prior to the TMZ report coming out.

He may not have a choice anymore.

Warren seems all but a given to go. People were a bit inquisitive last year when he decided to return to school as he was projected to as high as a lottery pick. And this year, Warren did a whole lot of nothin', and, frankly, probably hurt his draft stock in the process. He was suspended early in the season by Jeff Capel -- apparently over leadership issues -- and spent the rest of his season battling inconsistency and focus before his season finally succumbed to a bum ankle and a bout of mono.

That said, Warren has quite a skill. He can score, he can shoot, he can finish with authority, and he can play either guard spot. If he can prove to scouts that he actually is not a head case, Warren should be a mid-first rounder.

Whatever happens, it looks like Jeff Capel will have his work cut out for him next season.
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2/22 - College Hoops Week in Review: Not all bubbles are bursting

What we learned this week: While most of the talk this week is going to be about teams playing themselves off of the bubble, it is worth noting that not everyone is doing so. Here are just a few of the teams playing themselves into the tournament:

• Oklahoma State Cowboys: As of today, the Pokes are probably going to be considered a tournament team as they went 2-0 this week and have three straight wins overall. The Pokes have three wins over RPI top 25 teams (at K-State, Texas A&M, Baylor) and nothing too disastrous in the loss column. The issue for OK-State is their remaining schedule - at Texas, Kansas, at Texas A&M, Nebraska. If they beat Nebraska and split against the Texas school, they should be in.

• Florida Gators: Prior to this week, the Gators had lost two straight games, falling at South Carolina before getting beat by Xavier at home. They rebounded this week with wins against Auburn and at Ole Miss, putting themselves in good position for the stretch run. Like the Pokes, Florida as a loaded schedule down the stretch - Tennessee, at Georgia, Vandy, at Kentucky. They probably need to win two of those games to feel comfortable heading into the SEC Tournament.


• Maryland Terrapins: The Terps probably should feel very good about their chances to earn a bid right now. They are 19-7 overall and 9-3 in the ACC, good for second place. With four games left on their schedule, Maryland should be ok so long as they don't lose out. Two wins, whether they come during the regular season or the ACC Tournament, will be enough for a bid. Maryland's biggest negative right now is a lack of great wins - none of their three top 50 wins are top 25.
  


• Louisville Cardinals: Louisville should have felt good about their chances to make the dance after beating Syracuse last Sunday. But with a lack of depth in their resume, the 'Ville needed to keep winning. While neither of them were pretty - they needed two OT's to beat Notre Dame without Harangody and only beat DePaul by nine - Louisville needed those wins as the last four games on their schedule are rough. If they can win two against Georgetown, at UConn, at Marquette, and Syracuse, they will get in. One win, and they are going to need to do some damage in the Big East tournament.


• UTEP Miners: UTEP is still a ways from an at-large bid, simply because they just don't have quality wins. They have just one top 50 win and have only played three top 50 games, which is part of the reason their RPI is so low. But the Miners have been on a tear lately, winning 10 straight games, including Saturday's W over Tulsa. UTEP can afford, at the most, just one more loss this season, although that could mean trouble if they also lose early in the C-USA tournament.


• UConn Huskies: UConn's win over Villanova put them in a good spot for getting a bid - win out, and you'll be in. Granted, that's easier said than done, but its necessary. There are five teams tied for eighth in the Big East at 6-8. After getting WVU and Louisville at home, UConn has to travel to Notre Dame and South Florida, two other 6-8 teams with the same winning-out-hopes that UConn has. If the Huskies win out and pick up a game in the Big East, they should be dancing.


• Marquette Golden Eagles: Marquette lost at Pitt on Thursday, which was costly but as you know there is no shame in losing at the Peterson Events Center. The Golden Eagles did pick up a huge bubble win over Cincinnati on the road on Sunday, however.


• Virginia Tech Hokies: Like Marquette, Virginia Tech lost a game on the road this week - to Duke - but it didn't hurt them. The game that mattered was Tech's win over Wake Forest, a win that put the Hokies into the tournament, at least for now.
  


• Minnesota Golden Gophers: With wins over Wisconsin and Indiana this week, Minnesota put themselves back into the conversation for a bid. They need to win out, as the Gophers overall resume lacks enough oomph up top with the losses the Gopher's have. That's not impossible, even with the roster issues Minnesota has had. A bit of team bonding - everyone shaving their head to support a teammate's sister that has cancer - could be the spark to a great finish to the season.


• San Diego State Aztecs: After beating TCU and Utah this week, the Aztecs are officially back in the thick of the bubble. But with just three games left - two bottom feeders in the MWC and at BYU - it is unlikely that SDSU will significantly improve their profile. A trip to the MWC finals will be needed if BYU wins.


• Utah State Aggies: The Aggies picked up two big wins this week, beating Louisiana Tech and Wichita State at home. USU has a very good RPI, and after dropping roadies to NMSU and La Tech to open WAC play, the Aggies have won 12 straight. If they don't win the WAC Tournament, it will be interesting to see where the Aggies end up. Their win over BYU will probably be very important.
  

GAME OF THE WEEK: Maryland 76, Georgia Tech 74

What a finish out in College Park on Saturday afternoon. After a sluggish start, especially on the defensive glass, Maryland seemingly took control against Tech towards the end of the first half and early in the second half. But as Greivis Vasquez struggled with his shot, the Yellow Jackets made a run, outscoring Maryland 12-2 over a four minutes stretch as the Terps simply couldn't get a stop to go up 65-60 with 4:59 left.

The Terps wouldn't go away, as Eric Hayes would score five straight points to give them a 71-68 leadwith 1:24 on the clock. Derrick Favors would answer with a tip-in 30 seconds later, setting up a furious final minute. After Dino Gregory missed a lay-up, Georgia Tech called a time out, isolating DeAndre Bell, who drove to the rim and scored. But at the other end, Vasquez drove down the middle and hit a floater to take the lead back at 73-72. The rest, well, I'll let youtube explain it:



Vasquez struggled a bit in this one, finished with 18 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards, but hitting just 5-16 from the floor. Derrick Favors made NBA scouts drool as he went for 21 points and 18 boards, nine offensive.

Maryland is now in second place in the ACC, but they have a fatal flaw - a lack of an interior presence. A week after Brian Zoubek torched them inside, Favors overmatched Jordan Williams and Gregory (who, to their credit, put up an admirable fight).


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: James Anderson, Oklahoma State

Anderson may end up winning Big XII player of the year this year, and performances like the one he had against Baylor on Saturday is why. Anderson went for 31 points and 12 boards, his third double-double of the season, as the Pokes knocked off Baylor at home to solidify, for now, an at-large berth.

James Anderson had 31 and 12 in a win over Baylor.
(photo credit: Austin American-Statesmen)

Anderson also had 20 points and 8 boards on Wednesday against Iowa State. For the week, he averaged 26.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and shot 50% from the floor and 9-15 from three. If OK State is to make the tournament, they are going to need more of those performances from Anderson. Their next three games are at Texas, home against Kansas, and at Texas A&M.

They were good too

• Greivis Vasquez, Maryland: Vasquez was fantastic in three games this week as the Terps went undefeated and remained just a game back in the loss column from Duke. In wins over Georgia Tech, Virginia, and NC State, Vasquez averaged 24.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 6.3 apg. He may have had his best game of the season against UVa on Monday, going for 30 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists with no turnovers and 12-19 shooting.
• Randy Culpepper, UTEP: Fresh off of a 45 point game last Saturday, Culpepper went for 29 points as the Miners extended their winning streak to 10 games with a win at Tulsa. UTEP has an easy finish to the C-USA season, and are firmly in the driver's seat as we hit the stretch run in C-USA.
• Ali Faroukmanesh, Northern Iowa: With Jordan Eglseder suspended, someone was going to have to step up for UNI if they were to beat Creighton and Old Dominion, and Faroukmanesh was that guy. He had 17 in the win over Creighton, then dropped 23 on Friday night as the Panthers knocked off Old Dominion.
• Kemba Walker, UConn: Kemba averaged 22.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg as the Huskies went 2-0 this week, keeping their tourney hopes alive. The big win came Monday night, as UConn went into Philly and knocked off Villanova. Walker had 29 points and 9 boards in that game, outplaying everyone in Nova's vaunted backcourt.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers extended their winning streak to nine games this week by knocking off both Illinois and Ohio State. They were both big wins, as the Illini and the Buckeyes are two of the five teams battling for the Big Ten title. Purdue has now swept Illinois and split with Ohio State.

But that was far from the only good news Purdue got this week. On Sunday, that same Ohio State team went into East Lansing and knocked off Michigan State, which put Purdue in the driver's seat for the Big Ten title. They are all alone in first place with four games left, sitting a game in front of both Michigan State and Ohio State in the loss column.

Will Purdue be a #1 seed?
(photo credit: NBC Sports)

That wasn't all. Villanova also lost on Sunday, which means that Purdue is probably sitting as the fourth No. 1 seed if they season were to end today. Not a bad way to finish the week.

They were good too

• Kentucky Wildcats: Its too bad that Purdue had the week they did, because Kentucky was as deserving as anyone to win team of the week this past week. On Tuesday, Kentucky went into Starkville and knocked off Mississippi State in overtime despite being down 67-60 with three minutes left. Then on Saturday, Kentucky picked up their best win of the season, as they went into Nashville and took down a scrappy Vanderbilt team despite, once again, trailing late in the game. For those scoring at home, that's two comeback wins against tough teams on the road in conference play. For some, that was enough to officially make them a believer.
• Pitt Panthers: Pitt had a bit of a swoon midway through the season as they lost four of five games, but the Panthers have responded, as they have now won five straight, including two this week. Pitt picked up a win at Marquette on Thursday before knocking off Villanova at home on Sunday. The Panthers are currently tied with West Virginia for third in the league, but with their relatively easy schedule down the stretch combined with the difficult schedules of Villanova and WVU, don't be surprised if Pitt finishes second in the Big East.
  
• Maryland Terrapins: Once you get past the holiday tournaments, it is very rare to see a team play three games in a week, let alone four in eight days. But that's exactly when Maryland did, and they won all three this week, culminating in a thriller with two buzzer beaters to beat Georgia Tech. Maryland is once again all alone in second place in the ACC.
• Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys picked up two big wins this week, beating Iowa State on the road and knocking off Baylor at home, as they now seem to be in good position to earn the Big XII's seventh bid.
• Florida Gators: Florida, like OK State, picked up two big wins this week, including a nailbiter at Ole Miss, as they shored up their tourney hopes.
• Cornell Big Red: Cornell went 2-0 this week, picking up a big win at Harvard, which combined with Princeton's loss to Penn but Cornell in a commanding spot in the Ivy. If they beat Princeton on Friday, the race for the Ivy League's auto bid is all but over.
  

MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK

• 2/23 - 9:00 pm: Tennessee @ Florida
• 2/24 - 6:30 pm: Dayton @ Temple
• 2/24 - 9:00 pm: San Diego State @ BYU
• 2/24 - 9:00 pm: Texas A&M @ Baylor
• 2/24 - 9:00 pm: Oklahoma State @ Texas
• 2/26 - 12:00 pm: Kentucky @ Tennessee
• 2/26 - 2:00 pm: Texas @ Texas A&M
  
• 2/26 - 4:00 pm: Kansas @ Oklahoma State
• 2/26 - 4:00 pm: New Mexico @ BYU
• 2/26 - 4:00 pm: Maryland @ Virginia Tech
  
• 2/26 - 8:00 pm: Missouri @ Kansas State
  
• 2/26 - 9:00 pm: Villanova @ Syracuse
• 2/27 - 1:00 pm: Richmond @ Xavier
  
• 2/27 - 4:00 pm: Michigan State @ Purdue
  

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