Friday's Shootaround: Murray State and St. Mary's lose

Gonzaga 73, No. 13 St. Mary's 59: See here.

Tennessee State 72, No. 7 Murray State 68: See here.

No. 22 Wisconsin 68, Minnesota 61 OT: In one of the stranger games you are going to see this season, Minnesota whiffed on a golden opportunity to land a marquee win heading into the season's crucial stretch. The Golden Gophers were down 13 point midway through the second half, but managed to hold Wisconsin scoreless over a seven and a half minute stretch to close out regulation. The problem? Minnesota was only able to muster 10 points during that stretch, eventually heading to overtime after Tubby Smith's club missed two shots in the game's final seconds that would have sent Wisconsin back to Madison with their fifth loss of Big Ten play.
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Tuesday's Shootaround: Missouri survives, Jamil Wilson shines

No. 23 Louisville 80, UConn 59: See here.

No. 4 Missouri 71, Oklahoma 68: This was the epitome of a trap game for the Tigers. They were coming off of an emotional win over Kansas at home -- one that forced Frank Haith to set a 2am curfew -- and have a date with Baylor on the books for Saturday. And in between? A Monday night trip to Norman, OK, for a game that wasn't even high enough profile to get put on ESPN's Big Monday.
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Friday's Shootaround: Pac-12 excitement, St. Mary's pulls ahead

No. 9 Murray State 81, SEMO 73: See here.

The Pac-12: Since the Pac-12 has such a terrible TV and I spent the last three weeks on the road, tonight was the first night that I have actually been able to sit down and watch some Pac-12 basketball. It also happened to be arguably the best night of Pac-12 basketball this season. I think I'm spoiled.

- Washington 71, UCLA 69: Washington overcame a late 10 point deficit as Terrence Ross scored 10 of UW's final 12 points down the stretch to knock off UCLA and move into sole possession of first place in the Pac-12. Perhaps more importantly, Washington was able to make their run while Tony Wroten was stuck on the bench. Wahsington's talented freshman came up lame midway through the second half, turning him into a liability on defense and hampering his explosiveness offensively.
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Thursday's Shootaround: SDSU survives, Southern Miss takes control of CUSA

No. 14 Georgetown 58, UConn 44: See here.

No. 12 San Diego State 58, Boise State 56: On Saturday afternoon, San Diego State was drilled by Colorado State, losing by 17 in a game that was never much in doubt after the first 10 minutes. On Wednesday, the Aztecs did everything they could to try and earn their second straight upset loss. They shot just 31.3% from the floor. They went just 3-19 from three. They got behind by as much as 12 points in the second half. And after using a 22-3 run to take a seven point lead with six minutes left, the Aztecs nearly blew it. On the game's final possession, Boise State, who was only down two after Chase Tapley missed a free throw, somehow managed to find a wide-open Thomas Bropleh, but his three was off the mark.

That's called escaping.
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Wednesday's Shootaround: Big wins for bubble teams

Illinois 42, No. 10 Michigan State 41: We went fairly in depth on this game last night, but there was one stat that I forgot to get to in that post. This game was the Illini's second biggest win on the season. The biggest was their upset of Ohio State in Assembly Hall. In that game, Brandon Paul scored 43 points. Against Michigan State, the entire Illinois team scored 42. Think about that.

Iowa State 72, Kansas State 70: The Cyclones picked up another huge win at home as they rallied from 14 points down in the second half to complete their sweep of the Kansas schools. White led all scorers with 22 points while also added eight boards, four assists, three blocks and two steals. More importantly, however, White hit the game-winning shot with just 1.8 seconds left on the clock:
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Tuesday's Shootaround: Missouri survives, Pitt wins again

No. 4 Missouri 67, Texas 66: I've said this before and I truly believe it -- the sign of a good team is that they can go on the road, play poorly and still come away with a win. That's exactly what Missouri did on Monday night. They didn't shoot all that well, they made poor decisions down the stretch and they blew a 10 point lead with four minutes left in the game. And they still won.

They can thank Michael Dixon for that. The nation's second-best sparkplug (sorry, Mike, Dion Waiters still has you beat right now) finished with 21 points, hitting his first eight shots from the floor and closing out the game on a driving, left-handed layup with 31 seconds left in the game after Texas had gone on a 13-2 run to take a 66-65 lead. He doesn't look all that smooth when he's dribbling and his jump shot is far from what you would call textbook, but he simply gets it done. Its such a weapon for Frank Haith to be able to bring in a scorer that is that potent off the bench.
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Friday's Shootaround: Wisconsin picks up a big win, at home?

No. 25 Wisconsin 57, No. 17 Indiana 50: Its really unfair to judge Indiana too heavily on what happened in the Kohl Center on Thursday night. You don't win on the road in the Big Ten this season, and while the Badgers have struggled early on in the season in their own building, this is still Wisconsin. The final difference ended up being seven points, but this was a one possession game until the final minute. That, frankly, is not a bad performance by any stretch and it shouldn't really change any opinion that you currently have of Indiana.

What this win should tell you is that the Badgers may actually be closer to the team that we thought they were early in the season. This is a different group that last year, when the Badgers couldn't stop anyone and flourished thanks to an offense that was as potent as anyone in the country. Without Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, Bo Ryan's club simply isn't the same team on that end of the floor. What they are is a group that can absolutely lock down defensively. They don't need to score to win. Case in point -- the Badgers shot 39.6% from the floor and 4-17 from three in this one.
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Tuesday's Shootaround: Syracuse and Kansas win, Iona blows another lead

No. 4 Syracuse 60, Cincinnati 53: Coming off of an embarrassing, 76-67 loss to Notre Dame -- a loss that was no where near as close as the final score indicates -- Syracuse was looking to make a statement on Monday night. People have begun to speculate that the Bearcats may actually be the second best team in the Big East, and while that may end up proving to be true in the long run, the Orange made a statement on Monday night as they went into Fifth Third Arena and left with a win.

There were a few things to take note of in this game. For starters, it was nice to see Kris Joseph go into take over mode for a while. I'm not one of those people that harps on the fact that they don't have a go-to player (I think they do, but that's another post for another time), but I do believe that if they are going to make a run to the Final Four, they need Joseph to be more assertive offensively. His combination of size, athleticism and slashing ability makes him a difficult cover for anyone, and he showed that tonight as he finished with 17 points on 8-11 shooting from the floor. Scoop Jardine also deserves credit as he finished with 13 points and six assists without turning the ball over.
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Friday's Shootaround: UNC bounces back and Illinois falls back

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No. 8 North Carolina 82, Virginia Tech 68: There was a lot of good and a lot of bad to take out of the Tar Heel's 14 point win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

The good? After allowing the Hokies to hang around for far to long in the first 24 minutes or so, UNC turned it on in a big way. They used a 19-0 run that they extended into a 31-5 surge to turn a 44-36 deficit into a 67-49 lead. After their debacle at Florida State last weekend, the Heels needed to make a statement in this game. Virginia Tech borders on awful this season, and while Seth Greenberg's teams are always tough at home, UNC needed to come out and show the country that they are not the team that was beaten into submission -- both literally and figuratively -- in Tallahassee.
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Tuesday’s Shootaround: Kansas makes a statement, Syracuse rolls

No. 1 Syracuse 71, Pitt 63: Dion Waiters scored 16 points and Scoop Jardine added 12 points and 10 assists as the Orange finally landed a win against the Panthers. It was the first time that anyone on the Syracuse roster has beaten Pitt. The irony in that? The loss is another step in the right direction for the Panthers, who fall to 0-6 in the Big East after suffering their seventh straight loss.

Pitt's last two games have been a five point loss at Marquette and an eight point loss at Syracuse. Close losses on the road against good teams happen. This isn't the same team that loss to DePaul or that was beaten by 23 at home by Rutgers. The Panthers are competing. The next step? Actually pulling out a win.
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Friday's Shootaround: Indiana get upset, Duke survives and St. Mary's rolls

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Minnesota 77, No. 9 Indiana 74: See here.

No. 6 Duke 61, No. 17 Virginia 58: Virginia may have lost this game, but the Cavs proved their mettle to the people that still didn't believe that Tony Bennett's team is a real threat, not just in the ACC but on a national scale. UVa doesn't put up flashy offensive numbers and they don't spend much time on Sportscenter's top ten with highlight reel dunks, but this is a group that competes as well as anyone in the country with the nation's best teams.

As of today, Mike Scott is probably the player of the year in the ACC -- and he proved it tonight as he scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half to help the Cavs take a 32-28 lead into the break -- but only college basketball's die-hards knew who he was. While Scott provides Bennett with a potent scoring punch, its the stout defense that the Cavs play, packing in their defense and daring opponents to beat them with contested perimeter jumpers, that make them so tough.
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Thursday's Shootaround: A-10 and CUSA get wild, Mizzou impresses

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No. 9 Missouri 76, Iowa State 69: Here's a hypothetical for you: Missouri gets six points on 1-5 shooting from Marcus Denmon and shoot just 5-21 from three in a game at Iowa State where the Cyclones shoot 12-23 from beyond the arc. Who you got? I certainly wouldn't pick the Tigers. And I would have been wrong. Should I mention that two of the seven players that Missouri uses fouled out?

We can debate whether or not Iowa State is any good this season, but we cannot debate the fact that they started off Big 12 play with impressive wins over both Texas and Texas A&M. We also cannot debate the fact that Missouri had some serious issues on the road last season, ones that didn't appear to be answered when they were overwhelmed by Kansas State in Manhattan on Saturday. That's why this win is important. Missouri clearly did not play their best game. They had their depth tested by foul trouble, they had their star player struggling to get involved offensively and they shot under 25% from beyond the arc.

And they still won on the road. That means something.
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Wednesday's Shootaround: Brandon Paul, Baylor and the different directions of Seton Hall and Louisville

No. 4 Baylor 75, No. 18 Kansas State 73: See here

Illinois 79, No. 5 Ohio State 74: See here

Providence 90, No. 15 Louisville 59: This was just embarrassing for the Cardinals. There really is no other way to put it. Kadeem Betts and Bryce Cotton both scored 27 points as Providence absolutely steamrolled Louisville, taking a 19 point lead into the break and absolutely man handling the Cardinals in the second half. This was more than an off-night for Louisville. They quit, plain and simple.

I don't know if there is a quick fix here. I don't want to call this a doomsday scenario, because I've been on the wrong end of a blowout during a losing streak and it is absolutely no fun to be out there getting embarrassed. And mine didn't come on ESPN. But its quite obvious that Louisville has issues they need to work out. We all know about their offensive issues, but this was supposed to be a team that would be able to hang around with people because of their defensive prowess.

And now they gave up 90 to Providence.

Peyton Siva was the absolute worst. He finished with two points and one assists before fouling out in just 19 minutes on the floor. Russ Smith wasn't much better. He was just 1-4 from the floor and had a fairly heated discussion with Rick Pitino towards the end of the bench late in the second half. I don't have any answers here. It doesn't look like Pitino does either.


Seton Hall 94, DePaul 73: The Pirates are slowly but surely winning over converts. Its pretty easy when they get performances like this out of their stars. Jordan Theodore had 26 points and 11 assists, Fuquan Edwin added a career high 28 points and Herb Pope chipped in with a pedestrian 11 points and 13 boards.

Granted, this performance came against DePaul, but Seton Hall just looked so dominant offensively its hard not to get excited about this win. They legitimately have three go-to players on their roster right now, one of whom (Edwin) is one of the best defenders in the country. I still want to see them do something impressive on the road -- beating a struggling UConn team and getting obliterated by Syracuse keeps canceling each other out in my mind -- before I say this group has a chance to finish second in a wide open league race, but they certainly have to be mentioned in any conversation about Big East challengers.


Florida State 63, Virginia Tech 59: The Seminoles got 18 points and 15 boards out of Bernard James while Ian Miller added 15 points as Florida State was able to hang on against as the Hokies made a comeback down the stretch. Erick Green finished with 21 points, but he missed a runner in the lane that could have tied the game. This was a win that FSU really needed, and they've avoided falling to 1-1 in league play by stealing a game on the road against a fellow bubble team.

No. 21 Creighton 63, Northern Iowa 60: The Panthers put Adam Koch, who is two inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than Doug McDermott, on the Bluejay's all-american, and it worked. McDermott was averaging 25.2 ppg and coming off of a 44 point performance and he finished with just 14 points, eight boards and four assists. But UNI had no answer for Antoine Young, who went for 21 points and hit a key three in the second half, or Grant Gibbs, who has been a terrific leader for the Bluejays and made a number of big, big buckets down the stretch.

The rest of the top 25:

No. 3 UNC 73, Miami FL 56: Tyler Zeller led four players in double figures with 16 points as the Heels knocked off Miami despite shooting just 2-16 from deep.

No. 7 Michigan State 95, Iowa 61: Draymond Green's line -- 22 points, nine boards, five assists and three steals. Just another day at the office. Oh, and Fran McCaffrey channelled his inner Bobby Knight.

No. 19 Florida 70, Georgia 48: Brad Beal snapped out of a bit of a funk, finishing with 17 points and ten boards while shooting 4-6 from three.

No. 22 San Diego State 73, Chicago State 65: I am going to go ahead and chalk this performance up to SDSU looking ahead to their matchup with UNLV. Because that's the only way to explain this kind of performance against a winless team, right?

No. 25 Harvard 70, Monmouth 61: Keith Wright had 18 points and 15 boards as the Crimson won on the road against Monmouth. They never trailed, but this win was a lot closer than anyone expected.


Other notable scores:

- Notre Dame 60, South Florida 49
- La Salle 68, Penn 57
- Indiana State 80, Evansville 78
- Missouri State 77, Southern Illinois 65
- Vanderbilt 67, South Carolina 57


Top performers

Brandon Paul, Illinois: Duh.

Jordan Theodore and Fuquan Edwin, Seton Hall: Edwin had 24 of his 28 points in the first half and Theodore added 26 points and 11 assists.

CJ Wilcox, Washington: Wilcox finished with 25 points and five boards as the Huskies knocked off Seattle 91-83.

Taylor Brown, Bradley: Brown's 28 points and 12 boards weren't enough for the Braves to be able to knock off Drake. They lost 82-74.

Bernard James, Florida State: A man amongst boys. Literally. He finished with 18 points, 15 boards and three blocks.

Providence: How about these lines: Kadeem Betts had 27 points and 10 boards, Bryce Cotton had 27 points on 6-7 shooting from the field (5-5 from three) and Vincent Council had 15 points, 14 assists and eight boards. Continue reading...

Tuesday's Shootaround: UConn, Cincy get much needed wins

This post is sponsored by the Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University.

No. 16 UConn 64, West Virginia 57: For the first time all season long, UConn looked like the team that all the pundits thought could be a national title contender. The Huskies were coming off of an atrocious trip through New Jersey, where they lost on the road against both Seton Hall and Rutgers, and had to deal with some quotes from Shabazz Napier that made it look like the UConn team was on the brink on implosion.

With 11 minutes left in the game, it looked like UConn was going to be in major trouble. They were down 46-36 to the Mountaineers and were dealing with the same issues that had been plaguing them all season long. They weren't getting stops, they weren't ending possessions with a defensive rebound and their offense looked about as sophisticated as a mediocre high school program's JV team. But the Husky defense woke up at the same time as Andre Drummond decided to take over. UConn's talented freshman finished with 20 points, 11 boards and three blocks while Jeremy Lamb went for 25 as the two combined to spark the Huskies to a game-changing 15-2 run that turned into a 28-14 surge over the final 11 minutes.
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Wednesday's Shootaround: Kentucky survives, Missouri rolls, and 10 triples in a game?

Seton Hall 75, No. 8 UConn 63: See here

No. 11 Michigan State 63, No. 19 Wisconsin 60: See here

No. 2 Kentucky 73, Arkansas-Little Rock 51: Why is this score notable in any way? Because UALR, who is 5-11 and was missing their best player for this game, was up 30-27 at the half. Kentucky eventually woke up and put the Trojans away, but the fact that Kentucky slept for a half of basketball is noteworthy. Yes, this is a textbook letdown game -- rivalry games against Louisville on New Year's Eve, SEC play kicking off on Saturday -- but what happens if this kind of "let down" game happens against, say, LSU?
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Tuesday's Shootaround: Baylor wins, UVA survives, Bobby Mo and their 31 turnovers

No. 5 Baylor 61, Texas A&M 52: Given the way that the Aggies started this game -- by digging themselves a 28-11 hole late in the first half -- the way the game ended up wasn't terrible. A nine point loss of the road to a top five team in the country is hardly a loss to be embarrassed by.

The issues that A&M has have nothing to do with the effort they give or the defense they play or the size they have on the interior. The Aggies are going to be nothing more than mediocre until they find a way to be able to consistently score points. Against Baylor, A&M shot a whopping 28.6% from the floor. They were 7-25 from three. They had all of nine assists to go along with their 13 turnovers. Khris Middleton, who is supposed to be Billy Kennedy's best offensive weapon, was 4-17 from the floor.
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Friday's Shootaround: Florida upset while Vandy, St. Mary's, Washington roll

Rutgers 85, No. 10 Florida 83 2OT: See here

Vanderbilt 74, No. 13 Marquette 57: This is what Vanderbilt needed. This is the kind of performance that we had been calling for. The talent on their roster in undeniable. How that talent manifests itself on the court is a different story, and the only evidence that we had this season was that Vanderbilt a) couldn't win close games and b) Vanderbilt struggled against teams that were more physical.

Against Marquette on Thursday night, Vanderbilt used a 35-8 run to open the game while simultaneously putting the game out of reach. It was complete and utter domination from the tip. Vanderbilt's defense was stifling -- Marquette made just two of their first 21 shots -- and their offensive attack was balanced and potent. They hit threes, they scored in transition, they had second chance points, they got post touches. Like I said, it was total domination.
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Thursday's Shootaround: Two undefeateds lose, Creighton upset

No. 12 Georgetown 71, No. 4 Louisville 68: See here

No. 17 Michigan State 80, No. 15 Indiana 65: See here

Missouri State 77, No. 19 Creighton 65: See here

No. 7 Baylor 54, No. 14 Mississippi State 52: I'm torn about how I should interpret this game. The talent level on both teams was evident. Baylor is certainly good enough to make it all the way to New Orleans, especially if Scott Drew can ever figure out how to bring out the mean side of Perry Jones III. The amount of size and athleticism Drew has at his disposal is simply staggering. But Mississippi State has quite a bit of talent themselves, enough that I think they can end up being the second best team in the SEC.
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Tuesday's Shootaround: Two upsets and a buzzer-beater

Davidson 80, No. 11 Kansas 74: See here.

LSU 67, No. 10 Marquette 59: See here.

Southern Miss 64, Arizona State 61: The Golden Eagles did everything they could to hand this game to Arizona State.

USM dug themselves a 30-21 hole in the first half by missing seemingly every shot they took. After battling back to take the lead, they got Torye Pelham -- who had nine offensive rebounds in the game -- ejected for fighting with Ruslan Pateev. Then after rebounding to build up a double-digit lead with just 1:33 left on the clock, USM decided to miss free throws and turn the ball over, allowing Arizona State to tie the game with 5.0 seconds left. Luckily, Darnell Dodson was there to bail them out:
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Wednesday's Shootaround: Belmont's loss, Jordan Taylor's big shot

Middle Tennessee State 65, Belmont 62: For the second time this season, the Blue Raiders and the Bruins played a thriller in Murfreesboro, but this time MTSU got revenge on Belmont for a 87-84 double overtime loss. MTSU blew a 43-30 second half lead, allowing Belmont to use a 29-11 surge to take a 59-54 lead. But MTSU rallied, taking a 63-62 lead with just 1:34 left on the clock and locking up defensively down the stretch. The Blue Raiders would go just 2-6 from the foul line down the stretch (they were 11-24 on the game), but they blocked a three-point attempt on consecutive possessions to hold on to the lead.

The loss may have ended any hope that Belmont has of earning themselves an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Atlantic Sun is always a solid conference, but there isn't anyone in this league that can really be considered a quality win. In fact, the only "good" wins that Belmont has left on their schedule is a home-and-home with Marshall. Convincing the NCAA Tournament committee that two wins over Marshall and a close loss to Duke in the first game of the season is worthy of an at-large bid will be a tough task. Personally, I still think that if they win out and make the final of the A-Sun Tournament, they will have a shot.

MTSU may actually have a better shot at earning an at-large bid if they can put together a couple more wins. In addition to the wins they already have at LMU, UCLA and now Belmont, the Blue Raiders still have to travel to Ole Miss, Denver and Vanderbilt. Win those three games and who knows, it just might be enough.

No. 15 Wiscosin 60, Milwaukee 54: Jordan Taylor still isn't right offensively, but the all-american came through in the clutch again. He finished just 5-14 from the field for 14 points, but with the Badgers up by three with under a minute left and the Panthers surging back into the game, Taylor buried a deep three from the top of the key to all-but lock up the win. Ben Brust -- who was 7-7 from three against Wisconsin -- finished just 1-9 from the floor, but Jared Berggren and Ryan Evans went for 17 and 16 points, respectively.

No. 18 Mississippi State 75, Florida Atlantic 68: A depleted Bulldogs almost got beaten by Florida Atlantic for the second straight season. Playing without Arnett Moultrie (knee tendonitis) and Brian Bryant (suspension), MSU blew a ten point halftime lead, allowing the Owls to take the lead for a stretch in the second half. But Dee Bost and Rodney Hood took over. Bost had 22 points while Hood added 19 and 10 boards.

Wyoming 58, UC-Irvine 48: I think its safe to say that Larry Shyatt's tenure at Wyoming has started off well. After riding a career-high 18 points from JayDee Luster to a win over UC-Irvine, the Cowboys have improved to 10-1, matching their win total from a season ago. While the competition has been, frankly, uninspiring, Wyoming does own a win at Colorado. And at this point, a win is a win for this program.

Oregon State 95, UIC 53: UIC was in trouble from the get-go. Roberto Nelson scored 21 points and Jared Cunningham bounced back from an 0-9 performance in a loss to Idaho with 16 points and five steals as the Beavers rolled.

No. 18 Michigan 63, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 50: Michigan used a 19-0 run in the first half to open up a 32-8 lead and head into the break up 37-17. They pushed that lead to 25 during the second half, but with 13 of their 19 turnovers coming after the break, the Wolverines allowed UAPB to make the final respectable.


Other notable games:

- Drexel 71, Niagara 58
- Minnesota 76, Central Michigan 56
- Texas 93, Nicholls State 40
- South Carolina 66, Presbyterian 58
- UCF 77, NC A&T 65
- Villanova 68, Boston U. 43


Top performers:

Jaylen Bond, Texas: The freshman big man with fro 18 points and 12 boards (eight offensive) as the Longhorns blew out Nicholls State by 53 points.

Chris Fouch, Drexel: Fouch had 24 points and knocked down six threes as the Dragons knocked off Niagara.

Marcus Jordan, UCF: Jordan went for 28 points on 8-17 shooting as the Golden Knights knocked off NC A&T.

Laval Lucas-Perry and Drew Valentine, Oakland: Lucas-Perry went for 23 points, eight boards and five assists and Valentine added 20 points and 15 boards as the Grizzlies knocked off Rochester.
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