Week in Review: Mike Moser shines, Notre Dame appears

Player of the Week: Mike Moser, UNLV

The UNLV transfer has been one of the nation's most surprising stars this season, and this week he once again showed why he is such a dangerous and versatile threat. In two games this week, Moser averaged 22.5 ppg, 16.5 rpg and 2.5 spg while shooting 15-29 from the floor and 5-13 from three. I think its safe to say that UNLV wouldn't currently be sitting in a tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference had Moser done any less; the Rebels were 2-0 this week with both wins coming in overtime. Moser played 72 of the available 90 minutes.
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POSTERIZED: Karam Mashour w/ the Bakersfield Jam

I'll be short and sweet with this one.

This was an awesome dunk. UNLV's Karam Mashour scored only one basket in the Runnin' Rebels 32-point victory over Cal State-Bakersfield.

But he certainly made sure people remembered it.



Yup, the bench loved it.

But was it as good as these?

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




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Thursday's Shootaround: UNLV, Creighton highlight a great night in hoops

No. 20 UNLV 94, UC-Santa Barbara 88 2OT: This game had about as wild of a finish as you'll see in a basketball game. After Mike Moser hit his sixth and final three of the game, UNLV took a ten point lead with just two minutes left in the game. But thanks to a series of turnovers and missed free throws from UNLV and a little bit of luck for the Gauchos down the stretch, UCSB was able to force overtime. Down three with just two seconds left on the clock, Orlando Johnson -- who finished with 36 points -- was fouled by UNLV. He made the first and missed the second, but 7'3" Greg Somogyi got the loose ball and scored on the putback (see the 30 second mark).





There was a bit of controversy that the game even got to that point. Joe Nunnally was called for a charge on a dunk that would have given the Gauchos a one point lead with a free throw coming. In the first overtime, UCSB hit back-to-back threes to take a three point lead. After Bellfield tied the game with 40 seconds on the clock with a three of his own, Nunnally was fouled shooting a three with 13 seconds left. At the other end of the floor, however, Chace Stanback hit a fadeaway three-pointer -- that was described by Moser as "a beauty. I almost cried watching that ball go in" -- that sent the game into a second overtime, where UNLV pulled away down the stretch to win it.

Mike Moser was unbelievable. He finished with 34 points (25 of which came after halftime), 10 boards and three assists, carrying the Rebels in the second half. It was Moser's sixth double-double of the season and easily his most impressive scoring output. But the most important part of Moser's game tonight was the six threes he hit. He came into the game shooting just 2-17 from beyond the arc, which was the only weakness in his game.

Also of note: both of the up-three, late-game strategies failed here. UNLV fouled, and UCSB got an offensive rebound. UCSB opted to play straight up, and UNLV hit a tough three.


ACC/Big Ten Challenge Day 2: After going 6-0 on Day 1 and winning the first two games of the night, I missed on three of the last four games. 9-3 ain't bad, though.

No. 5 North Carolina 60, No. 7 Wisconsin 57: See here.

Indiana 86, North Carolina State 75: This was an important win for the Hoosiers. They went on the road and knocked off a good-if-not-great Wolfpack team in front of a national audience, and did so while getting impressive performances out of Jordy Hulls, Cody Zeller and Christian Watford. But if you are a Hoosier fan, don't take this win to mean that Indiana is going to compete for the Big Ten title. They can score, that's for sure. And Indiana has a shot to make the NCAA Tournament. But right now they aren't good enough defensively or physical enough in the paint to be anything more than in the same hodge-podge that Michigan State, Purdue and Illinois currently find themselves in.


Michigan State 65, Florida State 49: Tom Izzo finally got some scoring from their perimeter, as Keith Appling went for 24 points and Brandon Wood added 16, 10 boards and five assists. That's a good sign. For Florida State, there aren't many good signs. This team still cannot score.

Minnesota 58, Virginia Tech 55: Ugly loss for Virginia Tech, who lost to a Minnesota team that was missing Ralph Sampson and Trevor Mbakwe. If the Hokies have any hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, losing games like this aren't going to help. The game was lost when, down one with 8.5 seconds left, Virginia Tech threw an inbounds pass that bounced off of Robert Brown's hands and into the back court for a turnover.

Wake Forest 55, Nebraska 53: The Demon Deacons picked up a road win against Nebraska, and while Nebraska is still Nebraska, a road win for Wake Forest is not easy to come by these days. CJ Harris won it with a wide-open layup that came off some atrocious pick-and-roll defense.

Penn State 62, Boston College 54: Tim Frazier had 22 points and five assists. He was on my FanDuel fantasy team. That's all I got from this mess.


The rest of the top 25:

No. 14 Kansas 77, Florida Atlantic 54: This is the same Kansas team, just on the mainland now. Thomas Robinson had 19 points, 17 boards and four blocks, but shot 4-13 from the floor. Tyshawn Taylor had 18 points and four assists, but Elijah Johnson? He went scoreless and had seven of the Jayhawk's 17 turnovers.

No. 17 Pitt 80, Duquesne 69: Dante Taylor returned to the Panther lineup to score 15 points and 11 boards as Pitt pulled away from Duquesne in the second half.

No. 18 Gonzaga 73, Notre Dame 53: It is going to be a long, long season in South Bend without Tim Abromaitis. The Irish simply don't have anyone that can score. David Stockton had 15 points and three assists off the bench while Elias Harris went for 11 points, 15 boards and four assists.

No. 22 Creighton 85, San Diego State 83: See here.


George Mason 61, Bucknell 57: The Patriots, believe it or not, actually out-executed the Bison down the stretch. Ryan Pearson led the way with 16 points as George Mason picked up a much needed win against Patriot favorite Bucknell.

Denver 67, Utah State 54: Can we call the Pioneers for real yet? I know that the Aggies were without Brady Jardine, but behind 15 points each from Chris Udofia and Rob Lewis, Denver became the first team since Feb. 21st, 2009, to win at the Spectrum in Logan.

Elizabeth City State 69, Norfolk State 57: Yes, that's the same Norfolk State that almost beat Marquette.

St. Joe's 62, Drexel 49: The Hawks knocked off Drexel, dropping the Dragons to 2-3 on the season. More impressive? They did it with Carl Jones and Langston Galloway both having off nights. CJ Aiken, however, went for 13 points and nine blocks.

Brown 65, URI 56: Jim Baron benched his starters trying to light a spark under this team, but nothing. Rhody dropped to 1-6 on the year as they lost to an Ivy also-ran.

Northern Iowa 69, Iowa State 62: Anthony James had 17 points and five boards to lead the Panthers to an impressive win over the Cyclones in Ames. UNI also has a win over Old Dominion on the road.


Other notable games:

- Ohio 70, Marshall 68
- Colorado State 65, Colorado 64
- Oral Roberts 68, Missouri State 63
- South Alabama 55, UAB 47
- Washington State 69, Grambling 37
- Boise State 108, Drake 64
- New Mexico 65, Idaho State 41
- BYU 87, Northern Arizona 52
- USC 56, UC Riverside 35


Top performers:

Keith Appling, Michigan State: Appling had 24 points and seven boards, providing a perimeter punch for the Spartans as they knocked off Florida State.

Orlando Johnson, UC-Santa Barbara: As impressive as Mike Moser's 34 points and 10 boards were, Orlando Johnson may have been better, finishing with 36 points and 10 boards as the Gauchos forced UNLV to double-overtime.

Alfonzo McKinnie, Eastern Illinois: McKinnie had 24 points and 14 boards as EIU knocked off Maine in overtime.

Doug McDermott, Creighton: McDermott played like an all-american, going for 25 points and 12 boards as the Bluejays came from behind twice to knock off San Diego State.

LeBryan Nash, Oklahoma State: The talented freshman had 21 points after playing just 11 minutes the day after Thanksgiving, leading the Cowboys to a win over a talented-but-underperforming Tulsa team.
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POSTERIZED: Anthony Marshall is a man

There's a reason that I put Anthony Marshall on my all-BIAH team.

And I'll be honest when I tell you its not because I thought he would be able to dunk on the entire North Carolina team.

Before we get to the video, there's a point I have to make -- this one possession is a perfect example of what's wrong with the Tar Heels. Kendall Marshall gets hung up on a mediocre ball-screen, Tyler Zeller is incredibly out of position playing pick-and-roll defense and Dexter Strickland and John Henson are about two steps late in help side defense:



If they don't tighten up that defense, Kentucky is going to have a dozen #POSTERIZED's on Saturday.

But was it as good as these?

Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25/11
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

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UNLV upsets No. 1 UNC: A few quick thoughts

And No. 1 goes down.

North Carolina went into Orleans Arena and got dropped by a hot-shooting UNLV team, 90-80. The Runnin' Rebels shot 13-32 from three point range and made a number of big plays down the stretch -- momentum killing threes, key defensive stops, seemingly every loose ball. Since its late on a Saturday night and I don't have the energy to make this into a well-written, flowing post, we get ... BULLET POINTS!


- Mike Moser's addition to the Rebels might be even greater than we thought. He had 16 points, 17 boards and six assists playing against one of the best front lines in the country. His ability to hit the glass and stretch the floor offensively makes UNLV's offense that much more dangerous.

- Kendall Marshall cannot guard anyone. He's incredible at getting his teammates open looks, but he was absolutely torched by Oscar Bellfield tonight. Bellfield finished with 18 points and nine assists, getting into the paint at will and creating wide open threes for his teammates.

- North Carolina looked flustered when they got down in the second half. They did not respond well to the 14-0 run UNLV went on at the start of the second half. Part of the reason was that UNC was forced to become a half-court team; with UNLV hitting shot after shot, the Heels could not get out and run -- the best way to slow down a fast breaking team is to score. But UNC also made some really bad decisions in the half-court. They forced some shots, they missed some free throws and, frankly, they looked rushed and overwhelmed.

- UNLV wasn't much better down the stretch. They dodged a couple of bullets by getting lucky bounces off the offensive glass down the stretch. There were four or five possessions in the closing minutes where the Rebels fired away on threes way too early in the shot clock. When you are up by ten on the No. 1 team in the country with three minutes left -- particularly when that team is known for their ability to score in bunches -- quick threes are not the smartest way to try and protect the lead.

- You think UNC is worried about Wisconsin on Wednesday and Kentucky next Saturday now?

- Its very, very easy to pick-nits about how this game was played. But the bottom line is this: UNC did not play their best game, but a (large?) part of their struggles can be credited to the play of UNLV. The Rebels threw the first punch in both halves and had enough juice to hang on and win.

I'll have more on this tomorrow and Monday after I get a chance to a) rewatch the game and b) think about this without leftover tryptophan running through my veins.

(Image via bubbaprog. Great to have you back grabbing college hoops screenshots, Tim!
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2011-2012 Season Preview: What's the opposite of a "sleeper"?

Last week, we gave you a list of teams that we believed are primed to have a season that will be better than we expect. But for every team that exceeds expectations, there is a team that fails to live up to the hype. Every season there is at least one team in each conference that underwhelms, disappoints, implodes or regresses. We are here to take a look at the teams we think will do just that this season.

But first, please note that we aren't hating on any of the teams here. We are simply trying to project a teams lack of success based on conference strength, lack of experience, lack of roster depth and so on. We are just trying to do our jobs. After all, not every team can go undefeated, and we aren't here to hand out "participation trophies" to all 346 teams.

Atlantic Coast Conference: Florida State
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The only thing working for this team is that the ACC is very thin outside of Tobacco Road. True, they do have Michael Snaer, and talented wing who has flown under the radar for a long time. But who else will step up? Who do they have to replace Chris Singleton? Okaro White should see an increase in production, but who do they have after that? Their back court is weak and their front court is thin. There really isn't anything about this team that makes me think they will be better than nine other teams.


Atlantic-10: Richmond
Preseason Ranking: 5th Place
Where we ranked them: 8th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
After Xavier and Temple, the rest of the A-10 is a jumbled mess. So it is hard to picked a team that will underwhelm this year. But based on all the losses to the Chris Mooney's program, it is hard to see this team being too successful. Outside of Darien Brothers and Darius Garrett, this team doesn't have a terrible amount of talent. With teams like Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure's and George Washington set to breakout this season, Richmond looks like a team that will regress.


Big East: West Virginia
Preseason Ranking: 7th Place
Where we ranked them: 10th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
This one is pretty easy. 1) They play is a 16-team mega-super-conference. 2) They return only three players from last years squad. 3) Eight freshman will suit up this season. 4) They lost their first exhibition game of the season, to Northern Kentucky (DII). West Virginia is going to be good eventually, just not right now. But the thing is, they could be even worse than expected.


Big-Ten: Purdue
Preseason Ranking: The Big-Ten does not release a preseason poll
Where we ranked them: 6th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
What exactly do we know about Purdue? Sure, they have Robbie Hummel, but it's been a long time since he's played competitive basketball. Outside of Hummel, Purdue is full of question-marks. Who is going to be their front-court presence? Will Lewis Jackson finally start to produce? What about their depth? Luckily for the Boilermakers, the bottom of the Big-Ten is pretty dreadful, so a 6th-8th place finish is probably a reasonable expectation;.


Big-XII: Kansas
Preseason Ranking: 1st Place (Tie)
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
If Kansas finishes anywhere in the top three in the conference, Bill Self should win Big-XII Coach of the Year honors. This team has almost no depth whatsoever, and the guys who were supposed to be leaders, Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor, got suspended by coach Self two weeks ago for violating team rules. If teams can properly game plan to shutdown Thomas Robinson, it will be very difficult for the Jayhawks to win a lot of games.


Colonial Athletic Association: James Madison
Preseason Ranking: 5th Place
Where we ranked them: 4th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
It's not like JMU is expected to do great things this season, but due to Denzel Bowles' graduation and Devon Moore's eligibility issue, the Dukes could be in for a long season. They do have Rayshawn Goins and Julius Wells up front, but the CAA should feature a handful of teams with talented front courts. The lack of a solid back court is going to hurt the Dukes.


Conference-USA: Central Florida
Preseason Ranking: C-USA does not conduct a preseason poll
Where we ranked them: 4th Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
This team should be good, I think. At least I want to think that they will be. But then I remember about last season's epic collapse, and the fact that they're, well, Central Florida. This team is like a drug addiction. The highs are great, and the lows are absolutely miserable. That's how the 2011-2012 season will play out. Plus, @DanWolken won't stop chirping about UCF, and he's rarely wrong. I think.


Horizon League: Detroit
Preseason Ranking: 2nd Place
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
When Eli Holman left the program two months ago, it was a huge blow to the Detroit program. He was the guy that would put them over the edge this year. Ray McCallum may be the team's star, but Holman was their top front court producer, averaging nearly a double-double per game. In a mid-major conference like the Horizon League, having an elite big-man can put a team over the edge. The Titans won't be terrible this season, they'll be somewhere around the top four or five. But without Holman up front, they will struggle to assert themselves as legitimate contenders for the Horizon League crown


Missouri Valley Conference: Creighton
Preseason Ranking: 1st Place
Where we ranked them: 1st Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
OK, OK, just hear me out. I don't doubt that this team is the best in the MVC, but, like, who is going to play defense this year? Last season they ranked 187th in the conutry in defensive efficiency. Sure, they have more talent than any other team in the conference, but with the expectations that are being placed on them this season, anything less than a perfect conference record would have to be considered a disappointment.


Mountain West Conference: UNLV
Preseason Ranking: 2nd
Where we ranked them: 2nd
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Mountain West is going to stink this season, and since UNLV will be good, but not nearly as good as New Mexico, I have to list the Runnin' Rebels here. Teams like SDSU and Colorado State aren't expected to do anything special, so it's impossible for them to fail. UNLV doesn't have anything to gain, other than winning a really sub-par conference.


Pac-12: Arizona
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 1st Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
Unless you're John Calipari, it's rather difficult to ask freshman to carry the bulk of the workload for a top-level BCS-conference program, and that's exactly what Sean Miller is going to have to do this season. With Derrick Williams gone to the NBA Lockout, MoMo Jones gone to Iona, and Kevin Parrom still recovering from bullet wounds, the Wildcats are going to need a lot of production from their standout freshman class. But the Pac-12 will be much better than in recent seasons, and it just seems like a tall order for this squad. Plus, they lost an exhibition game to Seattle-Pacific. That doesn't exactly help their cause.


Southeastern Conference: Vanderbilt
Preseason Ranking: 2nd Place
Where we ranked them: 2nd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Commodores lack that killer instinct that great teams need to possess. Last season, they were 1-5 in games decided by three points or less and and seven losses were by four points or less or in overtime. Factor in the back-to-back first round exits in the NCAA Tournament, and the injury to Festus Ezeli, and you have a team primed to disappoint. This team has serious talent, and have a bunch of experienced players. But the problem is that none of these experienced players have any experience winning close games. You kinda have to be able to do that if you want to keep playing games late into March.


Western Athletic Conference: Utah State
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
The Aggies have had a stranglehold on the WAC for the last couple of seasons, but their grip could start to loosen this season. While they do return Brockeith Payne, one of the conference's top players, Utah State lost a lot of veteran leadership and front court production. Gone is Taj Wesley, their All-Conference center, Brian Green, their crafty distributor and key contributors like Nate Bendall, Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams. Even with guys like Payne and forward Brady Jardine, this team has to find out what they have rather quickly.


West Coast Conference: BYU
Preseason Ranking: 3rd Place
Where we ranked them: 3rd Place
Why we think they won't do as well as expected:
They don't have Jimmer Fredette anymore, do they? Jimmer put this team over the top. Sure, they have a solid crop of experienced players in Brandon Davies, Noah Hartsock, Chris Collinsworth and Charles Abouo, but without Jimmer, this team simply wont be the same. This season could turn out to be a huge wake-up call for the Cougars.


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Mike Moser will be the x-factor for UNLV

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

There is a fair amount of hype for UNLV's basketball team heading into this season, and deservedly so.

The Rebels bring back all but two of their rotation players to a team that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Potential MWC POY Chace Stanback returns for his senior year, as does a litany of back court options and three legitimate contenders to start at the center spot.

The x-factor on this team, however, is going to be Mike Moser, a UCLA transfer that is finally getting eligible this season. He sat out last year per NCAA transfer rules, but the UNLV faithful got their first glance at Moser over the weekend, and he certainly didn't disappoint:

[Moser] scored a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds Sunday night, as he led the Black squad to a 46-39 victory over the White team at the Mack.

[...]

"I think last year was kind of like a little teaser, showing a little of what I can do," he said. "(This year) I just tried to come out, have fun with the guys, share the ball, show that we can mesh together.

"We're really good as a team. There's no one great individual. I think that's going to help us a lot this year."

UNLV has already made it clear that they want to be a running team this season. With the amount of back court talent this club has on its roster, it only makes sense for them to want to play at a faster pace. Keep in mind, their new head coach -- Dave Rice -- was the guy in charge of the offensive attack at BYU the past six years. He knows what he's doing.

What makes Moser so important is his versatility. He's 6'9", which means that he has the length and the size to go into the paint and exchange elbows with some of the best power forwards in the country. On the offensive end, however, he has some impressive perimeter skills. He can knock down a three and score off the dribble. His presence at the power forward spot will be a matchup problem for opponents in the half court, to say nothing of Moser's ability to beat an opponent's big man down the court.

If Moser can continue to pay the way he did in UNLV's weekend scrimmage, the Rebels have an even better chance at bringing home the MWC title.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 35-31

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


35. Illinois Fighting Illini:

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

Head Coach: Bruce Weber

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

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

Projected Lineup:

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



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


34. Washington Huskies:

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

Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar

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

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

Projected Lineup:

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


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


33. Michigan State Spartans:

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

Head Coach: Tom Izzo

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

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

Projected Lineup:

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


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


32. Wichita State Shockers:

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

Head Coach: Gregg Marshall

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

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

Projected Lineup:

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


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


31. UNLV Runnin' Rebels:

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

Head Coach: Dave Rice

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

New Additions: Mike Moser, Dave Rice

Projected Lineup:

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


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


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Chace Stanback's arrest may end up being a good thing for him

The punishment for UNLV's Chace Stanback has finally been decided upon.

With a court date originally scheduled for the middle of the season, Stanback opted to avoid that nuisance and plead guilty to driving under the influence of marijuana. He'll get a 30 day suspended sentence, one he won't have to serve if he completes 40 hours of community service and pays a $585 fine by March 8th.

Stanback also got some closure in regards to his standing with the basketball team on Thursday, as UNLV head coach Dave Rice came to the decision that the 6'8" forward and potential Mountain West Player of the Year would be suspended for one game.

"Chace is a quality person who has had an outstanding track record in three-plus years at UNLV," first-year coach Dave Rice said in a statement. "That said, he made a bad decision that negatively impacted our program. We can't have that."

"I think it's really important for this day to come prior to the season. Going into the season, we could know what we were looking at, and he’s a really important member of our team, we're expecting big things from him. Had (his court date) stayed at Dec. 1, we would have dealt with it, but I think it’s important going into the season to have as few variables as we possibly can."

This is the correct decision from Rice.

This is a first offense from Stanback. He had a clean track record prior to the May 13th incident, he claimed responsibility and made no excuses about what happened, and he's already proven that he is changing the way that he carries himself. Stanback learned his lesson, and it didn't take the court system of a one game suspension to make that happen. In fact, Stanback's renewed focus on the game of basketball may be the best thing that has ever happened to him as a player.

Words like DUI and marijuana and arrest are not one that a head coach wants to hear, especially when they are all associated with a key player on your new team.

But this arrest may end up being a blessing in disguise.
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Jimmer Fredette's success is paying dividends for UNLV?

Of all the coaching changes that have happened since the 2011 Coaching Carousel kicked off back in February, perhaps the most interesting was UNLV's new hire.

Then-BYU assistant Dave Rice was brought back to the Sin City to take over for the departed-Lon Kruger. Rice has all kinds of ties to Vegas -- he was a member of the Runnin' Rebels of the early '90's that dominated college hoops, teammates with the likes of Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony. His brother, Grant Rice, is the head coach of Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman high school, who counts 2012 studs Shabazz Muhammad (the No. 1 player in our Consensus Recruiting Rankings) and Ben Carter.

With the amount of talent currently in the Vegas area in the class of 2012, Rice's pitch for his first recruiting class is fairly easy -- come play ball in your backyard in front of your friends and family as we bring UNLV back into the national spotlight.

But that's not it.


You see, Rice was the offensive mastermind for the Cougars the past few seasons. He was the guy that decided on their offensive schemes, which means that he was the coach in charge of turning Jimmer Fredette from an under-recruited kid from upstate New York into an all-american as a junior and a national sensation as a senior; a kid that averaged 28.9 ppg and was given free reign to shoot whenever -- and from wherever -- he desired.

And as Ryan Greene (who penned a terrific piece for the Las Vegas Sun about a day in the life of recruiting with Rice) details, The Jimmer's success is helping Rice on the recruiting trail:

Now, as a first-time head coach, he's determined to bring that uptempo style with him to the desert. And once he identifies the players he believes fit it best, Jimmer Fredette's success story is one that he can pitch that will grab the attention of the high school players he's currently recruiting. It's a relevant trick he'll likely be able to pull out of his bag for many years to come.

"Jimmer deserves the bulk of the credit for what he became, but the reality is he had a lot of help from our staff," he said. "And so I think the thing that really speaks volumes is that he came to us as a good player, but did not come to us as a finished product. So, I think the fact that I can actually speak with credibility in terms of our role in helping him develop and the freedom we gave him and what that did for him.

[...]

"He compared me to Jimmer Fredette a lot," Katin Reinhardt said. "How he let him play is how he'll let me play. That freedom, being able to do that stuff, that's what I look at. Look where Jimmer got. He went to the NBA as a lottery pick. So if you could get that kind of coach to be behind you 100 percent, that's everything you could ask for."

That is a terrific chip for Rice to hold as a recruiter.

He took a kid that was essentially passed over as a high-major prospect coming out of high school and turned him into the national player of the year as a senior and a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. There isn't a single player that will be recruited by UNLV that isn't dreaming of one day becoming a star on the college level and playing in the NBA.

If Rice is able to turn a kid that was an afterthought in high school to an NBA player as a senior, what will he be able to do with a player that every school in the country wants? Continue reading...

Chace Stanback popped for suspicion of DUI

Dave Rice hasn't been been at the helm of the UNLV basketball team for two months and he is already being forced to determine his behavioral policies.

Chace Stanback, the Rebels leading returning scorer and rebounder at 13.0 ppg and 5.9 rpg, was arrested early Friday morning for speeding, failing to show proof of insurance, and (the big one) suspicion of drunken driving. Ryan Greene has the deets:

According to Metro Police spokesman Jay Rivera, the stop came at 2:23 a.m. at the intersection of Colby Ave. and Swenson St. — in the shadows of the Thomas & Mack Center and just a few blocks from his off-campus residence near Swenson and Flamingo. Stanback was pulled over for speeding, and also failed to provide proof of insurance.

Stanback is out of custody and scheduled to appear in court to face charges on Aug. 11.

If you remember, last summer Tre'Von Willis was arrested on a charge of domestic violence, but he only missed one game (and two exhibitions), a decision that was heavily criticized. I'm sure Rice is thrilled to have his disciplinary tactics tested this early in his tenure.
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Previewing the Madness: The Mountain West (Sponsored Post)

The Mountain West probably won't be getting the four bids we all expected them to get coming into the season, but that doesn't mean that this wasn't one of the toughest leagues in the country.

The MWC boasts two of the top ten teams in the country. BYU and SDSU shared the regular season crown, but that was mostly a result of Brandon Davies getting suspended by the school due to Honor Code violations. The Cougars, led by The Jimmer, knocked off the Aztecs twice this season.

While those two are the face of the league, they are far from the only talent. UNLV is a tournament team once again, paced by an excellent defensive back court. Colorado State probably has the most dynamic front court in the conference with Andy Ogide and Travis Franklin. And then there is New Mexico, who has struggled this season with all of their new additions and a banged up Dairese Gary, but with the way Drew Gordon has been playing of late, this Lobo team is absolutely a threat to make a run in Vegas.

Where: Las Vegas

When: March 9th-12th

Final: March 12, 7:00 pm, Versus


Favorite: San Diego State

I know that they lost to BYU twice. I know that. But I am also a huge fan of the San Diego State front court. Kawhi Leonard is the perfect small forward for this roster -- a slasher and terrific rebounder that has added some perimeter skills this season -- anchoring a talented front line that also features Malcolm Thomas and Billy White. On the perimeter, DJ Gay has turned into very good possession point guard that doesn't turn the ball over and can really shoot it from the perimeter. With James Rahon and Chase Tapley providing some scoring balance, its no wonder this team has climbed into the top ten.

• Other Contenders: BYU has to be considered a contender as long as they have Jimmer Fredette on their roster. The Jimmer has struggled a bit with his shot and turnovers down the stretch, but he is still the most potent scoring machine in the country. With Davies out, Jackson Emery and Charles Abouo are going to need to absorb some of the scoring load while guys like Noah Hartsock and Stephen Rogers are going to need to up their physicality inside.
  

Sleeper: UNLV

Its tough to call the Runnin' Rebels a sleeper, but they have to be as they are no where near the level of BYU or SDSU. The issue with this team is on the offensive end of the floor. As many talented players as Lon Kruger has amassed, this team lacks a certain creativity with the ball. UNLV can defend and force turnovers with the best of them, but they get far too many tough looks on that end. Tre'Von Willis is the name you will know, but Anthony Marshall is the glue to this team in the way that David Lighty is Ohio States glue. Also keep in mind, this tournament will be played at the Thomas and Mack Center, UNLV's home floor.

• Deeper Sleepers: Colorado State is talented and has two big time scorers in their front court. There are some red flags on this team, but if both Ogide and Franklin both find a rhythm this week, the Rams will be a tough out. As will New Mexico, who has underachieved this season. But that doesn't change the fact that these Lobos have all-conference caliber talents in Gary and Gordon.
  

Players to Watch:

• Anthony Marshall, UNLV: Marshall can do everything. He's the teams best on the ball defender, he can create with the bounce, and he is a tremendous athlete.
  
• Will Clybrun, Utah: This one of tough, but Clyburn is a heck of a player. He is the second-leading scorer in the conference and the third-leading rebounder.
  

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

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

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

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

1. Wake Forest
Record: 7-12 (0-4)
They are 0-4 in ACC play and are losing by an average of 26-points in those contests. In their last outing, a 35-point loss to Georgia Tech, the Demon Deacons managed to score only 39-points. They have also lost 9 out of their last 11 games. Their next contest is against Duke. Can you say "seal-clubbing"?


I really can't emphasize just how bad this team is. I'd bet my lunch money that the Deacs don't win a single ACC game this season. That's saying a lot, because after all, the ACC is pretty bad.


2. DePaul
Record: 6-12 (0-6)

I hope Oliver Purnell doesn't mind losing, because, well DePaul figures to do allot of that in the Big East conference. in fact, all they do in conference play is lose. They have yet to win a Big East game, and other than a 2-point scare they game West Virginia, they haven't been close to getting a W. Their last game against Marquette ended in a 35-point shellacking. The lone bright spot for the Blue Demons is freshman Cleveland Melvin. He is leading the team with 14-ppg, and is likely a lock for the Big East all-freshman team. Other than that, DePaul is DePaulful.


3. Texas Tech
Record: 8-11 (0-4)

Texas Tech is losing to Big-12 competition by an average of 21.5-ppg. In fact, in back-to-back games, against Texas and Kansas State, they lost by a combined 65-points, which is more than the Red Raiders scored in either of those contests. Plus, their most recent loss came to Oklahoma, the other Big-12 team battling for BCS-Conference suckitude.


It's kind of a shame they are this bad, because Mike Singletary and John Roberson are tremendous players, but it just so happens the rest of their team blows.


4. UNLV
Record: 14-5 (2-3)

Hey, remember that time UNLV was 9-0 and surging up the rankings on their way to legitimacy? Yeah, seems like eons ago, doesn't it? Since the beginning of the new calender year, The Runnin' Rebels are 2-3, lost to Colorado State at home by 15, and don't have back-to-back wins since before Christmas. UNLV was once considered a contender to win the MWC, but with the way BYU and SDSU are playing right now, UNLV looks more like pretenders.


5. Kansas State
Record: 13-6 (1-3)

I think it's safe to say that K-State is the biggest disappointment of the season thus far. They've got issues everywhere, on and off the court. Jacob Pullen went from budding superstar at the beginning of the season to full-fledged stubborn prima donna. The Wildcats haven't won back-to-back games since the beginning on January, when they beat North Florida and Savannah State. In fact, K-State has losses to UNLV (another Not-Top-10-Team), Florida (who beat Auburn by FIVE), Oklahoma State by 14, Colorado by 8 and Missouri by 16. Frank Martin must be losing his mind.


6. Central Florida
Record: 14-3 (1-3)


No team in the country has had a bigger reality check than the Knights of UCF. They completed their non-con schedule without a blemish, and reached as high as No. 21 in the national rankings. But since C-USA play started, they are just 1-3 and have dropped their last three games. In the 14 games UCF has won, Marcus Jordan is averaging 17-ppg, and in the three games they have lost, he is only averaging 13-ppg. Conference-USA is better than people expected, so UCF cannot afford to slip up any more than they already have.


7. Bradley
Record: 6-13 (0-8)

The Braves have only two wins since Thanksgiving. They are yet to defeat a conference opponent are ranked 270th or higher in the four major statistical categories. They will get a chance to finally get a conference win, when they host Illinois State, the MVC's other winless team, on January 26th. Remember, when your thinking about how bad your day is, there is somebody out there covering this basketball team for a living



8. Drexel
Record: 11-6 (3-4)

Ok, listen, Drexel isn't a bad team. They aren't particularly great, but they certainly aren't bad. Bruiser Flint is a good coach and they have some quality wins (Rider, at Louisville, Old Dominion). But it seems like every season, the Dragons get tossed-n-turned in CAA play. The Dragons are 2-3 since the start of 2011, and, although two of the losses were to the top two teams in the league (Hofstra, VCU), they also have a 24-point loss to evenly-matched George Mason and a unforgivable 14-point loss at William & Mary. Hopefully the Dragons can get back to their winning ways with upcoming games against Northeastern and Georgia State .


9. Quinnipiac
Record: 12-6 (4-3)

The Bobcats make the list because of one thing: An injured Justin Rutty. The forward is a two-time NEC first-teamer and was last season's conference PoY. Since Rutty went out with an injured elbow on January 10th, the Bobcats have gone 1-3 and all of the losses have come against sub-.500 teams. The Bobcats are ranked 2nd in the country in rebounding, but that was due in large part to Rutty's 9.6-rpg. Just like Drexel, I'm not saying Quinnipiac is bad. But I am certainly saying that they are struggling, bad.


10. Christian Standhardinger

I imagine you've heard about this guy by now. The 6'8 German import was going to transfer from Nebraska because of a lack of playing time, and was planning on transferring to LaSalle. The only problem is that Christian tried to "shack-up" with a coed in a local park and was busted for public indecency. LaSalle found out and now he won't be transferring. OK, listen: You're not in Germany anymore. I know Germany (and all of Europe for that matter) is a pretty liberal place when it comes to sex, but unfortunately, you're in Nebraska, which is practically the polar-opposite of Germany. Listen, I went to Central Europe for a month back in school. But I made sure I knew my surroundings. I did my best to not look, act, or do anything remotely American.


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Wednesday's Pregame Beat: The MWC and a Tennessean rivalry highlight the night

10:00 pm: No. 14 BYU @ UNLV: Now this is what conference opener's are all about. This isn't just a good conference rivalry, either. This is about as good as it gets in terms of early January hoops. BYU is led by all-american guard Jimmer Fredette, an offensive juggernaut all by himself that has developed a cult-like following around the country in part because of his Mormon faith and in part because of his 24 ppg scoring average. (Me? Its the name that got me. It sounds like a brand of beef jerky.)

But Fredette has never won in five tries at the Thomas & Mack Center. In fact, Fredette is just 1-4 against UNLV the past two seasons, and his numbers have been far from pretty:

In those five games, he's averaged just 18 points per outing, shooting 32.4 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from deep and has recorded 15 assists compared to 14 turnovers.

Where BYU is, in large part, a one man team, UNLV is more balanced. Tre'Von Willis, Chace Stanback, Anthony Marshall, and Oscar Bellfield all are capable of carrying this team for stretches, but lacking interior play is what has been hurting Lon Kruger's club of late.

9:00 pm: No. 22 Memphis @ Tennessee: See here.

7:00 pm: UAB @ No. 1 Duke: UAB may not have a shot at winning this game, but check out this article by Dana O'Neil on Blazer point guard Aaron Johnson, the nation's leader in assists, and try not to root for them.

7:00 pm: Charlotte @ Richmond: This will be one of the more intriguing early A-10 matchups. Richmond, after knocking off Purdue, has struggled. They have lost to Old Dominion, Iona, and Bucknell. Charlotte, on the other hand, has one four in a row since Shamari Spears was booted off of the team, including against Tennessee and at Georgia Tech.

7:00 pm: Marshall @ No. 18 UCF: Donnie Jones makes his triumphant return to Marshall, the program he left for UCF this spring. Jones is a West Virginia native and his entire family is made up of Marshall fans.

CAA Action: The two most intriguing games tonight -- undefeateds George Mason and Hofstra, led by Charles Jenkins, square off while VCU and Drexel, two of the league's favorites that are both now 1-1 right now, try to avoid an 0-2 start to the season.

Other Notable Games:

• 8:00 pm: UMKC @ No. 3 Kansas
• 7:30 pm: No. 6 San Diego State @ TCU
• 8:00 pm: North Alabama @ No. 8 Missouri
• 6:30 pm: No. 10 Purdue @ Penn State
• 7:00 pm: Seton Hall @ No. 23 Louisville
• 7:00 pm: Harvard @ Boston College
• 7:00 pm: NC State @ Elon
• 7:00 pm: Temple @ Fordham
• 7:30 pm: Marquette @ Rutgers
• 8:00 pm: Dayton @ St. Louis
• 8:00 pm: Ole Miss @ SMU
• 8:30 pm: Michigan @ Wisconsin
• 9:00 pm: Houston @ Southern Miss
  

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The suspension of Pullen and Kelly highlights a bigger issue

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

Just minutes before the tip between Kansas State and UNLV at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, word came down that Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly were both to be suspended. Pullen got three games, including Tuesday night's tip, while the length of Kelly's suspension has yet to be determined. Its the second time this season that Kelly has been suspended from the team.

The cause of the suspension revolves around the purchase of clothing at a department store. Apparently, Pullen and Kelly received clothing at a discount price from a woman that works at the store.

"These young men have worked hard to represent themselves and Kansas State in a positive manner," KSU coach Frank Martin said in a brief statement. "Having said that, they made a mistake in judgment and have to pay a price."


Tonight it cost them. Kansas State lost 63-59 to the Rebels in a game where the Wildcats simply could never find any kind of rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that losing the best two offensive weapons on a team that doesn't have many of them could yield some ugly results.

And it did. K-State turned the ball over 22 times. They shot 3-12 from three and 14-26 from the line. The 40.4% they shot from the field is much better than one would assume they shot after watching that team try to execute in the half court. And despite all of that, the Wildcats only lost to a good UNLV team by four points.

That should give you an idea of the talent level of this Kansas State team.

The problem is leadership.

The problem is the example being set by the guys that are supposed to be leaders on this team.

"I don't want to hear anything else about leadership about anyone other than the guys on the basketball court," Martin said in a fiery press conference after the loss. "I do not want you to refer any questions again about anybody who was not dressed and in uniform here today."

"Until this team doesn't find that character and that leadership, we're going to continue to flounder around."

There is no way to sugarcoat it -- Pullen and Kelly knew what they were doing was wrong. Its not that they should have known better, its that they did know better and did not care. These players are schooled time and time again about the dangers of accepting gifts. They know how serious the NCAA takes this kind of thing, even if it was as innocent as a female cashier hooking up the two of them one time because she knew who they were and wanted them to like her.

Hey, I was once a broke college student myself. I certainly wouldn't have turned down an offer of a discount on anything, and I probably still wouldn't today. But I also didn't have a basketball scholarship and, potentially, a basketball career that could be put into jeopardy by accepting such an offer.

The lack of leadership was evident on the court the past two games. It was evident every time Pullen struggled to find an open look against Florida on Saturday. It was evident every time Martavious Irving or Nick Russell or Rodney McGruder dribbled into a turnover on Tuesday. It was evident when K-State had no one capable of stepping up and making a big shot.

Denis Clemente may not have been a more talented back court player than Pullen. But he was a better leader. A more natural point guard.

And if this season has proven anything, a more valuable piece to K-State last season than we originally thought.
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Tre'Von Willis will miss a second game

Turns out Tre'Von Willis is going to have his suspension doubled.

Over the summer, UNLV's star guard was arrested for allegedly choking a female acquaintance. After pleading out to a lesser charge, Willis was hit with a one game suspension by UNLV head coach Lon Kruger.

This drew the ire of the blogosphere, as you might imagine.

The rest of this post can be found at Beyond the Arc.

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The UNLV documentary promises to be awesome

File this under "things I must watch."

On the night before the NCAA Tournament starts, HBO will be airing a documentary on the UNLV Runnin' Rebels program under the watch of Jerry Tarkanian. Tark was in Vegas for 18 years, building a program that, in the early 90's, was one of the most exciting teams, at any level, to watch in the history of basketball.

From their emailed press release:
To read the rest of this article, head over to Beyond the Arc.

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2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 40-36

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country.

For a complete listing of our season previews, click here.

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.


40. Old Dominion

• Last Season: 27-9, 15-3 (CAA)
  


• Head Coach: Blaine Taylor
  


• Key Losses: Gerald Lee, Marsharee Neely
  


• New Additions: Dimitri Batten, Richard Ross
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Darius James, Sr.
  
• G: Kent Bazemore, Jr.
  
• F: Ben Finney, Sr.
  
• F: Keyon Carter, Sr.
  
• C: Frank Hassell, Sr.
  
• Bench: Trian Iliadis, Jr.; Dimitri Batten, Fr.; Richard Ross, Fr.; Chris Cooper, Jr.; Marquel de Lancey, Jr.
  

• Outlook: You knew what you were going to get when you played the Monarchs last year -- a big, physical team that wins by beating you up defensively and on the glass. With six of their eight rotational players returning, its tough to envision ODU being much different this season. Obviously, the big change is going to be on the offensive end, where they won't be able to rely on the talents of Gerald Lee. While his presence in the post will obviously be missed, ODU brings back five guys that averaged between 7.0 ppg and 9.2 ppg. On a team that is built around teamwork and executing sets, I don't envision this being a huge problem. Up front, 6'5" Ben Finney and 6'9" Frank Hassell, the team's two most rugged players, are both back. Keyon Carter, a part-time starter last season, should slide into the starting spot vacated by Lee, while Chris Cooper, Nick Wright, and freshmen Richard Ross and Anton Larsen should provide more than enough depth. The back court could be the key to how good this team ends up being. Junior Kent Bazemore could be primed for a break out season. A versatile 6'5" wing, Bazemore led the team in steals and assists while averaging 8.4 ppg. He was also the team's shut down defender. Senior Darius James looks capable of becoming a reliable starting point guard, while freshman Dimitri Batten was a three-star recruit and should have an immediate impact. ODU will once against bang and scrap their way to the top of the CAA, and could even compete for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
  

39. Marquette

• Last Season: 22-12, 11-7 (Big East)
  


• Head Coach: Buzz Williams
  


• Key Losses: Lazar Hayward, David Cubillan, Mo Acker
  


• New Additions: Vander Blue, Reggie Smith, Jamail Jones, Jae Crowder, Davante Gardner
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Junior Cadougan, So.
  
• G: Darius Johnson-Odon, Jr.
  
• G: Vander Blue, Fr.
  
• F: Jae Crowder, Jr.
  
• F: Jimmy Butler, Sr.
  
• Bench: Chris Otule, So.; Joseph Fulce, Sr.; Jamail Jones, Fr.; Dwight Buycks, Sr.; Reggie Smith, Fr.

• Outlook: Don't be surprised if you see predictions that the Golden Eagles will be down next season. Yes, they lost Lazar Hayward. Yes, Mo Acker and David Cubillan graduated. But, as we should come to expect from the Golden Eagles these days, Marquette may just have the best back court in the conference come season's end. Darius Johnson-Odom is one of the best shooters in the country, and this season will have more of an opportunity to showcase his all-around game. I'm one of many expecting a big year out of DJO. Joining him will be Junior Cadougan, a bulldog at the point and should be much improved now that he is healthy, and Vander Blue, a consensus top 40 recruit that is athletic, attacks the rim, and plays a tough, aggressive brand of basketball. Marquette's backcourt also returns the streaky Dwight Buycks and adds freshman Reggie Smith. The Golden Eagles are going to be thin up front again as well. Jimmy Butler should continue to develop and become one of the better forwards in the Big East. If he can improve his perimeter stroke, he should be able to fill in the void left by Lazar Hayward. Jae Crowder, the national JuCo player of the year, is another guy cut from that same cloth that should be an immediate impact player for Buzz Williams. Freshman Jamail Smith, who is more of a wing, will see some time at the forward spot as well. Chris Otule, who is back from a broken foot, and Joseph Fulce round out the front court rotation. Marquette isn't loaded with upperclassmen, but this is a team with a lot of experience, especially when it comes to close games. They didn't lose by double figures until the semis of the Big East Tournament, and should once again personify the scrappiness of their head coach.
  

38. Arizona

• Last Season: 16-15, 10-8
  


• Head Coach: Sean Miller
  


• Key Losses: Nic Wise
  


• New Additions: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes, Jesse Perry
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: MoMo Jones, So.
  
• G: Kyle Fogg, Jr.
  
• F: Solomon Hill, So.
  
• F: Jamelle Horne, Sr.
  
• F: Derrick Williams, So.
  
• Bench: Brendan Lavender, Jr.; Kevin Parrom, So.; Kryrl Natyazhko, So.; Daniel Bejarano, Fr.; Jordin Mayes, Fr.
  

• Outlook: In a wide open Pac-10, the Wildcats certainly have the talent necessary to make a run at the league title even with the loss of Nic Wise. The problem is that the majority of that talent is going to be freshmen and sophomores. Derrick Williams should be one of the best sophomores in the country, and will be even more productive as his post game develops. Senior Jamelle Horne isn't the brightest, but he does have some talent and his ability to spread the floor will help create space for Williams inside. Solomon Hill, Kryrl Natyazhko, and Kevin Parrom are all sophomores, and their development this season will go a long way towards determining how good Arizona will be this season. Perhaps the most pressure, however, is going to fall on Lamont "MoMo" Jones. Arizona is known as Point Guard U for good reason, and MoMo is the one that will be taking the reins this season. MoMo showed some promise as a scorer last season, but he will be counted on to be a leader and a distributor this year. Joining him in the back court will be junior Kyle Fogg, who has proven to be a solid scorer and shooter, along with junior Brandon Lavender and freshmen Daniel Bejarano and Jordin Mayes. The Pac-10 is difficult to predict, Arizona even more so with their youth. This team could put it all together and make a run to the league title, or they could suffer from inexperience and finish below .500 in the league. Neither would surprise me, but the former seems much more likely than the latter.
  

37. UNLV

• Last Season: 25-9, 11-5 (MWC)
  


• Head Coach: Lon Kruger
  


• Key Losses: Darris Santee, Matt Shaw
  


• New Additions: Carlos Lopez, Quintrell Thomas, Karam Mashour
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Oscar Bellfield, Jr.
  
• G: Tre'Von Willis, Sr.
  
• G: Chace Stanback, Jr.
  
• F: Derrick Jasper, Jr.
  
• F: Quintrell Thomas, So.
  
• Bench: Anthony Marshall, So.; Justin Hawkins, So.; Brice Massamba, Jr.; Karam Mashour, Fr.; Carlos Lopez, Fr.
  

• Outlook:UNLV's season was seemingly in jeopardy over the summer when Tre'Von Willis was accused of assaulting and choking a woman at an off-campus apartment. But last month, Willis plead out to reduced charges and got handed a one (non-exhibition) game suspension, meaning that UNLV's leading scorer -- and the most dangerous offensive weapon in the MWC not named Jimmer -- will play for Lon Kruger this season. Willis was far and away the best scorer on the UNLV roster last season, but that doesn't mean there isn't talent here. Chace Stanback should be counted on to develop a more predominant scoring role, while point guard Oscar Bellfield and wing Derrick Jasper -- who should be fully healthy -- are both talented enough to improve on their numbers from a year ago. Don't be surprised if sophomore Anthony Marshall has a big year, while freshman Karam Mashour should also see some minutes. With the notable exception of Kendall Wallace, who tore his acl, the Rebel's entire back court returns. The issue for UNLV will be in the front court. Darris Santee graduates and Matt Shaw was kicked out of the program. Brice Massamba does return, and redshirt freshman Carlos Lopez will be eligible. The key, however, may end up being Kansas transfer Quintrell Thomas, who gets eligible this year. Thomas was a top 100 power forward out of St. Patrick in New Jersey, and should provide the Rebels with some much needed muscle inside. Even without Willis, this is a team that plays a similar style to last season, spreading the floor and allowing their talented perimeter players to make things happen.

36. Mississippi State

• Last Season: 24-12, 9-7 (SEC)
  


• Head Coach: Rick Stansbury
  


• Key Losses: Jarvis Varnado, Phil Turner, Barry Stewart, Romero Osby
  


• New Additions: Renardo Sidney, Shaun Smith, Jalen Steele, Brian Bryant
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Dee Bost, Jr.
  
• G: Riley Benock, Sr.
  
• F: Ravern Johnson, Sr.
• F: Kodi Augustus, Jr.
  
• C: Renardo Sidney, Fr.
  
• Bench: Shaun Smith, Fr.; Wendell Lewis, So.; John Riek, So.; Twany Beckham, So.
  

• Outlook: The Bulldogs have a real chance at being a tournament team this year, as the 2010-2011 roster listed on their is talented. The problem? There are major question marks regarding three valuable pieces. Point guard Dee Bost will not be eligible until the start of SEC play (although its an easy argument that Rick Stansbury caught a huge break with Bost even being allowed to play this season). Renardo Sidney has already sat out an entire season, and still has nine games to sit out this season, which is not a good thing for someone that has struggled with weight problems in the past. John Riek was, at one time, considered the best recruit in the country, but after numerous knee surgeries he is a shell of his former self. Having said all that, Bost is one of the most talented point guards in the SEC, and if he can improve decision-making he is an all-conference caliber player. Word out of Starkville is that Sidney has, in fact, dedicated himself to getting in shape, and if so he will be a serious weapon for the Bulldogs. There some help as well. Ravern Johnson is a lanky, 6'7" wing with a deadly jump shot. Kodi Augustus is a live-bodied power forward that can be a weapon when his head is in the game. Rick Stansbury is going to have to develop a bench, which is easier said than done, but playing nine games without Sidney and the entirety of the non-conference schedule without Bost will force some of Stansbury's inexperienced guys to play a larger role. And when you consider the massive road trip this team takes in December -- Virginia Tech in the Bahamas on the 18th, the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu the 22nd-25th, and St. Mary's in Vegas the 29th -- this team should be tested come SEC play. The NCAA Tournament is a very real possibility.
  

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