Wake Forest's latest setback: JT Terrell leaves school

Its going to be a while before Wake Forest improves on their 8-24 record from last season.

Four times since Jeff Bzdelik took over for Dino Gaudio 18 months ago, a player has left the program or been suspended by the university. Only one of those decisions was optional. Tony Woods was booted off the team last April after assaulting his girlfriend. Ari Stewart announced his decision to transfer to USC back in April of this year. Melvin Tabb was suspended in July and eventually kicked out of the school in August stemming from a June incident that resulted in a number of charges, including breaking and entering and fraud. And then there is Ty Walker, who was suspended by the university indefinitely on July 11th and will not be eligible to play in games until Dec. 10th.

Throw in the alleged rape during the Demon Deacon's 2009 NCAA Tournament trip that a former Wake Forest student spoke about on the Today Show, and I think its safe to say there hasn't been any positive news about the Demon Deacons in Bzdelik's short tenure.


On Monday, it got worse.

JT Terrell, the team's second-leading scorer as a freshman last season, has decided to leave the university following a 3:00 am arrest on Saturday morning for DWI. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Terrell -- who is only 19 -- was found passed out behind the wheel of his car with the engine running. His BAC was 0.09, which is above the legal limit of 0.08 in North Carolina. Terrell also has a pending charge from a different county for being in possession of a malt beverage.

"At approximately 3:00 a.m. (Saturday) morning, J.T. Terrell was arrested by the Winston-Salem Police Department and charged with driving while impaired," said Terrell's attorney, Mike Grace, in a statement. "Due to circumstances surrounding his arrest, along with other recent indicators, it is obvious to J.T. and his family that J.T. suffers from a serious medical condition which requires immediate attention."

"He's just going through a difficult time,'' Grace said. "He's got to step back and get some personal issues addressed and get himself back into basketball and school a little later on. He's smart enough to know he's got to get it taken care of."

That's an impressive run of trouble-making, and it will make some folks question just how much control Bzdelik has over the program. I see it differently, however. It makes me wonder what, exactly, Dino Gaudio was fired for. Did he lose his job because of disappointing NCAA Tournament performances, or did he get fired -- after back-to-back tournament appearances, mind you -- because he allowed his players to run amok?

Before you rip Bzdelik, keep in mind that the players that have gotten in trouble on his watch have had stern consequences. They aren't with the program anymore. Also keep in mind that these aren't "his players"; its the group that he inherited from Gaudio.

Isn't it possible that Bzdelik is simply cleaning house, trying to get rid of the players that aren't taking basketball seriously and don't appreciate the opportunity given to them?
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Looking Back: Re-ranking the 2003 recruiting classes

Last summer, we ran a series called Looking Back where we went through past recruiting classes to see how the players from those classes developed.

Why?

Well, for starters, it was a fun and interesting thing to do. You're not interested in the fact that Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green were once considered the best high school basketball players in the country? Its also an interesting way to keep fans from getting too excited when a top 25 recruit pledges to their school. Projecting the long-term ability of 17 year old hoopers is an inexact science, and never is that more evident than when you look back at past recruiting rankings.

This summer, we are going to go back through the Team Rankings. In other words, we want to see if the team that the pundits said had the best recruiting class really did have the best recruiting class. The science here will be a bit inexact. For starters, its tough to find consistent rankings. Rivals has them dating back to 2003, Scout to 2005, and ESPN to 2007. Its also tough to determine exactly what players had what effect on a given season. Did UConn's 2007 recruiting class -- which featured Donnell Beverly and, well, Donnell Beverly -- really have much influence on the 2011 national title?

For our purposes, we will be looking at the success that each member of each program's recruiting class had individually in college as well as the success that the team at while those players were member of the program. Like I said, it will be inexact, but inexact science makes for better arguments. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section.

Re-ranking the the 2003 recruiting classes:


1. UConn (Scout: 9, Rivals: 14): Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Ryan Thompson

The Huskies were the clear winner of the 2003 recruiting class. Boone, Villanueva, and Williams all played key roles for the 2004 UConn team that won the Big East and NCAA Tournament titles. They became stars on the 2005 team that won a share of the Big East regular season title. Villanueva left school after his sophomore year, becoming the seventh pick in the NBA Draft, while Boone and Williams returned for their junior seasons. UConn again won a share of the Big East regular season title, but lost to George Mason in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament in one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. Williams and Boone left school after their junior years and ended up getting picked in the first round of the draft.


2. Gonzaga (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Adam Morrison, Derek Raivio

We all know about Adam Morrison. The kid that no one wanted managed to contribute to one of the most talented teams that Mark Few has fielded in Spokane as a freshman before becoming the 'Zag's go-to player as a sophomore and the co-national player of the year with JJ Redick as a junior. Morrison would eventually become the third pick in the NBA Draft. Derek Raivio didn't have quite as immediate individual success, but he played a key role on three teams before leading the transition -- and winning the 2007 WCC player of the year award in the process -- from the Adam Morrison era to the Matt Bouldin era. Gonzaga was 40-2 in WCC play in the three years Raivio and Morrison were both in the program, and Raivio was a member of four straight outright champions, winning both the WCC regular season and tournament titles every season. The only year Gonzaga made it out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament was in 2006, when they blew a 17 point lead to UCLA.


3. Wake Forest (Scout: 22, Rivals: 16): Chris Paul, Kyle Visser, Jeremy Ingram, Todd Hendley

Chris Paul. Enough said. Paul -- who ranked third behind Shannon Brown and Drew Lavender for point guard -- was as good in college as he has been since he entered the NBA. In his two seasons, Paul led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the Sweet 16 as a freshman, and a second place finish in the ACC regular season as a sophomore. He also managed to win national freshman of the year honors and was a consensus first-team all-american as a sophomore before becoming the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. The only other impact player from this class was Kyle Visser, who played a role for three years before becoming a third-team all-acc selection as a senior after averaging 17.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg.


4. Oklahoma State (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): John Lucas III*, Marcus Dove, David Monds, Tremaine Fuqua

(*The inclusion of John Lucas III deserves an asterisk. He was originally in the class of 2001, but he transferred to Oklahoma State from Baylor after the death of Patrick Dennehy and the resulting scandal.)

In their first season, this group had the best season in recent Cowboy history. They won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four before losing to Georgia Tech. John Lucas III became a star on a team that already included Tony Allen and the Graham twins, while Fuqua and Monds were role players. In 2005, Lucas led the Cowboys to another Big 12 Tournament title and OSU's second straight two seed before bowing out in the Sweet 16. Lucas graduated in 2005, and for the next three seasons, Dove (who red-shirted in 2004) and Monds were role players and starters on three straight NIT teams.


5. Pitt (Scout: 21, Rivals: 9): Aaron Gray, Chris Taft, Dante Milligan, Antonio Graves

Jamie Dixon's first recruiting class at Pitt spawned two eventual second-round picks. Chris Taft was the player with the most immediate impact. He was a starter from day one, averaging double-figures as a freshman on a Panther team that won the Big East regular season title and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Taft left school after his sophomore season, getting scooped up in the second round of the 2005 Draft. Taft's departure opened up space for Gray, who became a double-double machine his last two years, anchoring a Panther squad that finished second in the Big East and made the Sweet 16 in 2007. Gray was picked in the second round in 2007. Graves was a typical Pitt guard -- contributed for four years, a starter his last two.


6. Florida (Scout: 16, Rivals: 12): Chris Richard, Lee Humphrey, Mohamed Abukar

Florida's 2003 is easily the most interesting to discuss and probably the most controversial in these rankings. None of the three players ever really advanced beyond being a role-player. Abukar transferred as a sophomore to SDSU (where he was all-MWC), but Richard and Humphrey stayed where they became members of three straight SEC Tournament title winners, the 2007 SEC regular season champ, and, most importantly, the 2006 and 2007 national champions. Humphrey started and shot a bunch of threes during the two title runs, while Richard played impressively enough in his limited minutes off the bench to spelling Joakim Noah and Al Horford that he became a second round pick.



7. Syracuse (Scout: 6, Rivals: 7): Louie McCroskey, Terrence Roberts, Demetris Nichols, Darryl Watkins

The year before these four arrived on campus, the Orange rode the coattails of freshman Carmelo Anthony to the 2003 NCAA title. But none of these four freshmen were as lucky, as all four were at the back-end of a short Jim Boeheim rotation, one freshmen rarely crack. The 2004 NCAA Tournament was the only year that this group made it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As sophomores, all four were still coming off the bench but all four had seen their roles increase. The Orange won the 2005 Big East Tournament, but lost to Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As juniors, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, and Darryl Watkins all became starters, but if it wasn't for the heroics of Gerry McNamara in leading the Orange to a second-straight Big East tournament title, Syracuse (who went 7-9 in the Big East) would have missed the NCAA Tournament. McCroskey transferred to Marist as a senior while Nichols became an 18.9 ppg and an all-Big East first team selection, but the Orange went to the NIT despite finishing 10-6 in Big East play.


8. Maryland (Scout: 3, Rivals: 3): Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, Mike Jones, Will Bowers, Hassan Fofana

As freshmen, Ekene Ibekwe, DJ Strawberry, and Mike Jones all played key roles for a Maryland that ran through the ACC Tournament and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite finishing just 7-9 in ACC play. The Terps went to back-to-back NIT's the next two seasons before returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2007, where they beat Davidson but lost to Butler in the second round. Ibekwe, Strawberry, and Jones all developed together. As sophomores and juniors, their roles expanded before becoming starters, and in Strawberry's case a star, as seniors.


9. Wisconsin (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Brian Butch, Kammron Taylor, Zach Morley

The Badgers just barely get the nod over the Spartans. Kammron Taylor was the only typical recruit in this class for Bo Ryan. A seldom-used back-up to Devin Harris as a freshman, Taylor became the No. 2 option for the Badgers behind Alando Tucker as a junior and senior. Morley was a JuCo transfer that played valuable front court minutes in his two seasons, including the 2005 Elite 8 run. Butch was the most interesting recruit. A top ten player coming out of high school, he redshirted a season in 2004, something you don't see very often in hoops. Butch played a role as a redshirt freshman, slowly developing into the third option as a junior and the focal point as a senior, when he led the Badgers to Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.


10. Michigan State (Scout: 5, Rivals: 13): Brandon Cotton, Shannon Brown, Drew Naymick

Brandon Cotton, a McDonald's all-american, last all of three games with the Spartans before transferring to Detroit. Drew Naymick never became more than a limited role-player in his five seasons in East Lansing. Shannon Brown, as you know, ended up going in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft after becoming a second-team all-Big Ten pick. Brown played a supporting role for the 2005 Michigan State team that made the Final Four.



11. LSU (Scout: 2, Rivals: 4): Brandon Bass, Tack Minor, Darnell Lazare, Regis Koundjia, Robert Neltner

12. Oregon (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Aaron Brooks, Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer

13. Florida State (Scout: 1, Rivals: 1): Von Wafer, Alexander Johnson, Diego Romero, Antonio Griffin

14. Arkansas (Scout: 10, Rivals: 5): Ronnie Brewer, Olu Famutimi, Anthony Gray, Vincent Hunter, Darian Townes

15. Louisiana Tech (Scout: N/R, Rivals: N/R): Paul Millsap, Donnell Allick, Solomon Brown, Fred Marshall, JueMichael Young


The most disappointing classes:

- Kansas (Scout: 4, Rivals: 8): The Jayhawks brought in a six man recruiting class, but only two of the six players finished their career in a Kansas uniform. David Padgett transferred to Louisville, where he became a fixture for a very good Cardinals team. JR Giddens left Lawrence under some duress, transferring to New Mexico where he eventually became a first round pick of the Celtics. Omar Wilkes transferred to Cal to play with his brother. Nick Bahe finished his career with Creighton. Only Rodrick Stewart and Jeremy Case, neither of whom were stars, graduated a Jayhawk.

- Oklahoma (Scout: 14, Rivals: 2): The only player from Oklahoma's vaunted six-man recruiting class in 2003 that played their entire career in Norman was Longar Longar, and that was after he spent a year at a prep school. Drew Lavender started as a freshman but transferred to Xavier after his sophomore season. Brandon Faust transferred to Southeast Missouri, Lawrence McKenzie transferred back to Minnesota, and Jimmy Tobias went to a JuCo after one season and finished his career with Georgia Southern. Jaison Williams spent two years in a limited-role off the bench after transferring in from a JuCo.

- Mississippi State (Scout: 13, Rivals: 20): The Bulldogs 2003 recruiting class is one example of why I don't want to see the NBA allow players to go straight to the NBA again. Neither Jackie Butler nor Travis Outlaw ever made it to Starkville, which set MSU's class off on the wrong foot. Gary Ervin never really found a home with the Bulldogs, transferring after his sophomore year to Arkansas. Bill Begley finished his career at Nicholls State. There were some successful recruits in this class, however. Dietric Slater became a solid role player as a junior and senior. Iowa State transfer Shane Power averaged double figures in his two seasons in Starkville, although he was technically part of the 2002 class. And then there is Lawrence Roberts, who, like John Lucas III at Oklahoma State, transferred out of Baylor due to the scandal.
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UPDATE: Today Show to feature a girl accusing former Wake Forest players of rape w/ VIDEO

UPDATE: According to a report from the Winston-Salem Journal, the players involved were Gary Clark and Jeff Teague. The student in question traveled with the basketball team to Miami for the NCAA Tournament games. In the hotel, she ran into Teague in the hallway. From the WSJ:

According to the report, the student told investigators that on the morning of March 21 she was heading back to her hotel room when she ran into Teague, who was sitting in the hallway. They talked and Clark joined them, the report said. Clark and Teague asked her questions about performing oral sex, and she told Teague that she liked him, the report said.

Teague asked her if she wanted to go to his hotel room with them, and they did, the report said. Clark and the student went into the bathroom, and Teague closed the door and stayed outside, the report said.

The student said that Clark dropped his pants and asked her to touch his penis. She refused, then Clark asked her to perform oral sex on him, the report said. The student told investigators that she did perform oral sex on Clark because she felt she had no choice, according to the report.

Afterward, Teague walked her back to her hotel room and asked her what happened. When she told him, Teague hugged her, kissed her on the neck and left.

She didn't file the charges until two days later when the team returned to the Wake Forest campus. Miami police investigated the incident, but declined to press charges because "there was no physical evidence and corroborating witnesses, the student didn’t report the allegations immediately to police, and Clark denied the allegations."

UPDATE II: Blogger So Dear has posted a letter that was apparently sent by the parents of the girl that was assaulted:

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According to the good folks at the blog Blogger So Dear, a Wake Forest student will be appearing on the Today Show on Thursday to discuss being raped by two members of the Wake Forest basketball team back in 2009.


The assault allegedly occurred the night before Wake Forest opened up the 2009 NCAA Tournament with a loss to No. 13 seed Cleveland State, 84-69. It was the end to a roller coaster of a season for the Demon Deacons. Led by future first round picks Jeff Teague, James Johnson, and Al-Farouq Aminu (along with another future NBA player in Ishmael Smith), Wake had climbed all the way up to No. 1 in the nation. But after struggling down the stretch of the season, the team was knocked out in the first round of both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

It is difficult to speculate whether or not this attack had anything to do with the early exit. The team had been tumbling for a couple of months before the tournament had started. The loss was an upset -- and the beat down that Wake received was unexpected -- but it was far from a shocking result.

There isn't much else out there about what happened as of now. We'll update this story as more news comes out.

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UPDATE III: Here is the much-anticipated report from from The Today Show which aired Thursday morning. We will provide more news and notes as the analyses continue to roll in.




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POSTERIZED: Wake' s Travis McKie demonizes Assane Sene

Wake Forest is probably the worst BCS-conference team in the country. But you know what, they got their first conference win of the season tonight, beating Virginia 76-71. And man was there one-helluva-poster-dunk in the second half.

Just because a team sucks doesn't mean they don't have players who can't throw it down.

They have Travis McKie, and man can that guy dunk.



A note to Assane Sene: You are not Dikembe Mutumbo. Just get out of the way.

We have to give a shout out to @theMikanDrill for giving us the 4-1-1 on this dunk, as well as @BubbProg as usual. The man is always first on the scene.

But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - Justin Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Hollis Thompson, Georgetown
POSTERIZED - Darnell Wilks, Cincinnati
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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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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Wake Forest loses their point guard, then loses to Stetson

It was a rough night for Wake Forest..

They lost to Stetson, 89-79, in a game that the Hatters controlled for much of the second half. They were up by as much as 19 at one point. In the history of Wake Forest basketball, Jeff Bzdelik became just the second coach to lose his opener. The game was in Winston-Salem. ACC teams losing at home to Atlantic Sun schools is not a good thing.

Can it get worse?

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

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Update on Tony Woods

Despite many reports to the contrary, Tony Woods to Louisville is not yet a done deal.

Jeff Borzello was the first to post it, and ESPN's Andy Katz followed up yesterday with even more details. Apparently, Woods and Rick Pitino have mutual interest, but Pitino is in the process of determining whether or not Woods is worth the risk.

And the risk is significant. As if Pitino didn't already do enough damage to his credibility this summer with the Karen Sypher fiasco, he also will be playing this season incredibly shorthanded -- a number of recruits couldn't get eligible to play, while he lost quite a bit of talent to the NBA and graduation. It doesn't take a genius to point out that this move stinks of desperation on Pitino's part.

Wile Woods' AAU coach has been backing him from the instant this news leaked out, Katz dug up some disturbing details. For starters, Woods didn't necessarily leave Wake on his own accord. He was dismissed by the School's Student Ethics and Honor committee asking for a release only after that ruling came down. A big part of the reason he was forced to leave was that this was apparently not the first time there has been an issue between Woods and his girlfriend.

It still seems very likely Woods ends up playing for Pitino -- the Cardinals are far from the only team showing interest -- but it is not yet a done deal.

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Tony Woods is headed to Louisville

Last week, news broke that Tony Woods, who left the Wake Forest program after assaulting his girlfriend and the mother of his one year old child, was visiting Louisville this weekend.

Apparently he liked the trip.

Multiple outlets (we saw it at Zagsblog first) are reporting that Woods has committed to Louisville and will be transferring to the school at the end of this semester. Woods can't sign a letter of intent and he is certainly free to visit anywhere else he pleases, but as of now it appears that Rick Pitino has landed the 6'11" center.

Since Woods cannot transfer until the end of this semester, he will have to sit out a full year starting in December of 2010, meaning that he will be eligible to play for the Cardinals after the first semester of the 2011-2012 season and will have a full season of eligibility in 2012-2013.

There was quite a bit of interest in Woods once he decided to leave Wake, which Mike DeCourcey believes is a result of the lack of quality big men in the class of 2011.

It will be interesting to see the reaction that this decision draws from the media around the country. Woods is far from the only player that has had the slate essentially wiped clean this offseason after being accused of a serious crime. Tre'Von Willis, LaceDarius Dunn, the two players from Michigan State. The list goes on.

Eventually, someone is going to rail on these schools for letting these kids off without much in the way of repercussions. (It won't be me, at least not while I'm trying to roll out these previews.)
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Tony Woods set to visit Louisville

Once the news became official that Tony Woods was leaving Wake Forest, the obvious question became where he would end up. A guilty plea to assault or not, Woods is a 6'11" center with enough potential that he was once considered a top 20 recruit.

Plenty of coaches will be willing to open their doors to provide a talent like that a second chance.

According to Jeff Goodman, Louisville will be getting the first crack at landing Woods, while a number of other big time programs have inquired about him:

Woods' former summer coach, Norman Parker of the Georgia Stars, told FOXSports.com that Woods is expected to take an official visit to Rick Pitino's program.

"He'll go this weekend," Parker said.

Parker also said that Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgetown, Auburn, Xavier, Cincinnati – among others – have reached out to both him and Woods' mother in an attempt to recruit the junior.

"I've literally gotten about 30 calls about him," Parker said. "I've been bombarded. He's a good kid who made a mistake and is sorry. He knows he had a good opportunity with Coach (Jeff) Bzdelik and made a mistake."

There is also, apparently, a slight chance that Woods would be allowed back at Wake Forest, although Parker told Goodman that is unlikely.

Since it is currently the middle of the fall semester, Woods will not be allowed to enroll anywhere until the spring semester, meaning he will not be eligible to play until December of 2011 should he end up at a different school.

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Tony Woods and Wake Forest say their goodbyes

Tony Woods was slated to start for the Demon Deacons at center, but after assaulting his girlfriend (who ended up with a fractured spine) and subsequently pleading guilty to one misdemeanor charge, Woods and Wake Forest have parted ways.

Woods requested and was granted his release from the Demon Deacon's program on Monday, which seems to be a polite way of saying that Wake Forest gave Woods the boot.

"We wish Tony the best of luck in all his future endeavors," head coach Jeff Bzdelik said in a statement. "Tony and I met a number of times and we felt this was the best course of action for him."

Tony Woods has played his last game at Wake Forest.
(photo credit: BIAH)

Wake Forest didn't really have a choice here. Woods pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend to the point that she fractured her spine in front of their eight month old child and both of their mothers. The move is all the more commendable considering how valuable Woods would have been to Wake this season. Woods is a 6'11", 255 lb center and a former top 20 recruit that would have anchored the front line.

Bzdelik will have three heralded freshmen and two (unproven) juniors -- Ty Walker and Georgetown transfer Nikita Mescheriakov -- at his disposal, meaning there is still talent in his front court.

There are a few interesting plot lines to come out of this mess:

• UNLV's Tre'Von Willis was suspended, essentially, for one game for allegedly choking a female acquaintance. LaceDarius Dunn has been indefinitely suspended from Baylor -- including from classes -- and is still awaiting a punishment to be handed down. Will Baylor drop the hammer on Dunn, whose girlfriend is claiming his assault was accidental, or will they follow the lead of UNLV, who took Willis' statement at face value?


• What schools are going to pursue Woods for a transfer? Like I said, he is a 6'11" center that has two years of ACC experience and was a top 20 recruit coming out of high school. Those don't grow on trees.


• Wake Forest's vaunted class of 2008 turned out to be a disappointment. Obviously, Woods has left the school after two underwhelming seasons. Ty Walker, another top 20 recruit, has played in a grand total of 19 games in two seasons in Winston-Salem. As good as Al-Farouq Aminu was, the two teams he played on both collapsed down the stretch. He won one game in postseason play in those two years.
  

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Tony Woods gets off easy in court

The legal results are in for Tony Woods.

Less than a month after Woods assaulted his girlfriend, which resulted in a fracture in the young woman's spine, the 6'11" junior appeared in court. Woods, who is scheduled to be Wake Forest's starting center, plead guilty to one misdemeanor (he was charged with three, carrying the potential for 20 years in prison) and received a 60 day suspended sentence, he must perform 100 hours of community service, and is required to go through an anger management course.

Tony Woods got off easy legally. What will Wake Forest do?
(photo credit: Washington Post)

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

Woods and [Courtney Lorel] Barbour were in the bedroom with their 8-month-old son when they started arguing, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Martin said. The mothers of Barbour and Woods were both in the living room at the time. Woods picked up his son and began to leave. Barbour tried to get the child back but Woods turned around and kicked her and pushed her away, Martin said. Barbour's mother told authorities that Woods had drawn back his fist as if to hit her again but didn't, Martin said.

The punishment seems light, but there may be a couple of explanations. Barbour told Martin that her injury could have occurred when she fell out of a bed a few days before the incident. She also told prosecutors that she didn't want Woods punished, she wanted him to be forced to get counseling and anger management. That could explain why the punishment Woods received was so light.

That said, it will be interesting to see what Jeff Bzdelik does to punish Woods. Tre'Von Willis went through a similar situation this summer, and he received a similar punishment. Willis was given, essentially, a one game suspension by head coach Lon Kruger, a punishment that was widely criticized.

What will Bzdelik do?

Fracturing a woman's spine is a serious, especially when done in the presence of the victim's mother, the attacker's mother, and the child of the victim and the attacker. But Woods is also the only big man on the Demon Deacon's roster with any kind of experience.

No doubt he is a very important piece to Wake's puzzle.

But teaching a lesson here may be even more important.
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Wake Forest's Tony Woods arrested after fracturing a woman's spine

Tony Woods is slated to be the starting center for what could be a very good Wake Forest team.

But the 6'11", 20 year old junior may be facing a change of plans pending the outcome of an investigation into his Labor Day activities.

According to a report from WXII, Woods has been arrested:

[He] was arrested and charged Monday with three crimes: assault while inflicting serious injury, assault on a female and assault while inflicting serious injuries with a minor present.

Arrest warrants show that Woods kicked and pushed a woman who he lives with in the presence of his one-year-old child. The woman suffered a fractured spine, the warrant says.

According to the warrant, Woods hadn't been drinking when the incident happened.

Tony Woods was arrested over Labor Day weekend.
(photo credit: Eastbay)

This is bad news for all involved. For starters, Woods -- if found guilty -- should be punished harshly by Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelikz. Not only did he hit a woman, he hit a woman hard enough to fracture her spine, and he did it in front of his one-year old child. That is, in a word, inexcusable.

If Woods does miss some time, it is a huge blow to the Demon Deacons team. Over the last two years, Wake has lost much of their front court. Woods, who has played fairly limited minutes in his career, is by far the most experienced front court player on the roster. Ty Walker is a junior that has barely seen the court, while Carson Desrosiers, Travis McKie, and Melvin Tabb are freshmen.

"We are still in the process of gathering facts regarding this incident," Wake Forest Athletics Director Ron Wellman said. "We will cooperate with the campus and local authorities as they investigate this incident. Wake Forest University and the athletics department have policies and protocols regarding these matters and those will be followed."

Jeff Bzdelik is currently out of town recruiting.

Woods isn't even the most well-known college hoopster that has been charged with domestic violence this offseason. UNLV's Tre'Von Willis is facing similar charges stemming from an incident back in June.

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Jeff Bzdelik keep Wake Forest's recruiting class intact

When Jeff Bzdelik was hired at Wake Forest last week, there was a some backlash over the fact that he would not be bringing his coaching staff from Colorado with him, instead choosing to keep Rusty LaRue and Jeff Battle on as assistants.

Maybe now we know why.

With Ishmael Smith and Chas McFarland graduating and Al-Farouq Aminu off to the NBA Draft, the key to immediate success for Bzdelik was going to be retaining as much of the Demon Deacon's talented 2010 freshman class as possible. Wake Forest returns just five scholarship players -- as well as adding Georgetown transfer Nikita Meshcharakou (whose last named was spelled Mescheriakov at Georgetown).

A week into his tenure, Jeff Bzdelik has gotten an A+ for his job at Wake.
(photo credit: Blog.Taragana)

Over the weekend, Bzdelik and his staff met with all five of the Wake Forest recruits in the span of 36 hours, and all five decided to honor their commitments to the Winston-Salem school. It was an impressive bit of recruiting by Bzdelik, and no doubt was aided by LaRue and Bennett remaining on the staff.

Wake Forest may end up being a sleeper team in the ACC next season despite losing three first round draft picks the last two seasons.

Ari Stewart and CJ Harris were both pleasant surprises as freshman, and will now become the focal point of the Demon Deacon offense. Big men Tony Woods, who showed flashes of promise while playing behind a talented front line the last two years, and Ty Walker, a top 20 recruit with loads of potential, both return for their junior years as well. Senior Gary Clark, who averaged 7.6 ppg as a sophomore before seeing his minutes dwindle last year, also returns.

Now add to the mix a top ten recruiting class -- SF Travis McKie, C Carson Desrosiers, PF Melvin Tabb, and SG JT Terrell are all four-star, top 100 recruits, while PG Tony Chenault is a three-star recruit -- and what you are left with is a team with a lot of pieces looking to be put together.

Now, Wake won't have a lot of experience on this roster. But with a new head coach that runs a much different system than Dino Gaudio -- Bzdelik runs a Princeton-style offense -- maybe its better to have a fresh canvas, so to speak.

And seeing as no one on this roster is a potential early entrant, the future is looking bright for Wake Forest.

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Wake Forest fires Dino Gaudio

Despite making two straight NCAA Tournaments and winning 61 games in a three year stretch, Dino Gaudio was let go by Wake Forest on Wednesday. According to Wake Forest AD Ron Wellman, it was due to a lack of postseason success.

And its true, Gaudio hasn't had much. He's lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament all three years, and has just one tournament win, beating Texas in this year's first round.

A postseason record of 1-5 is borderline unacceptable when you have three first round picks coming through the program in that period. It probably shouldn't surprise anyone, either. Gaudio had just a 68-124 record at Loyola MD and Arny in the late 90's and early aughts.

The question many have asked is why now?

As Oregon, DePaul, and UNC-Wilmington have taught us, its not always a good idea to fire your coach wen you don't have a back-up plan in place. DePaul swung and missed a number of times before finally settling on Oliver Purnell, a man with less postseason success than Gaudio. Oregon has taken a swing at just about every DI coach in the country, and still cannot find anyone to pocket Phil Knight's millions.

But Wake Forest may have a plan.

There are currently three major conference jobs available -- Oregon, Clemson, and Wake Forest -- and one young buck that everyone is sure to be chasing, the one and only Brad Stevens. As I said, Oregon can throw a ton of money at Stevens -- a life-changing amount of money -- and it will be hard to turn down. But Stevens is 33 years old, he is going to have these offers for a long time, and Oregon isn't a "destination" job, it is a place you go before heading to one of the blue bloods. The same thing with Clemson. Its not really a basketball school and it wouldn't pay as much as Oregon. Would Stevens, an Indiana kid, be able to recruit at those two schools?

Wake Forest is the program with the most prestige of the three. Between Tim Duncan and Chris Paul and a couple ACC titles, the Demon Deacons are much more closely associated with basketball than either Clemson or Oregon. And Wake Forest has a good recruiting class joining a solid, young core group of kids still in Winston-Salem.

I'm willing to bet those kids stay with Wake if they can get Stevens.

Will they be able to get Stevens?

That is a whole different question. Personally, I think he stays at Butler.

How may coaches would kill to be in Stevens position? He's 33, he is returning a top five team at a mid-major school, and he can have his pick of a number of openings, all offering him millions.

A win either way.

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Al-Farouq Aminu to go pro

Al-Farouq Aminu has decided to go pro and will hire an agent, ending his collegiate career. Its a good decision, as Aminu is likely going to end up somewhere in the top 10-15 picks.

Aminu is a physical specimen, a perfect fit for the NBA's trend towards combo-forwards. He's 6'8" and athletic with a long wingspan and the ability to defend inside and on the perimeter. Aminu is at his best right now when he can allow his athleticism to take over -- crashing to offensive glass and getting out on a wing in transition -- and playing as a face-up four. He jumper and ball skills need some serious work, but keep in mind he is just 19 years old.

For the second straight season, Wake Forest is losing players to early entry.

Last year, it was sophomores James Johnson (16th pick) and Jeff Teague (19th pick) that went pro early. There also a chance that guys like Ishmael Smith and Chas McFarland this year, and Tony Woods and David Weaver down the road, end up getting drafted.

My question?

How can Wake Forest struggle as much as they do with this much talent?

Clearly, the Demon Deacons were the better team last season, at one point reaching No. 1 in the country. But that Wake Forest team lost five of nine at one point, finishing with an 11-5 ACC record before losing in the opening round of both the ACC and the NCAA tournament. That's quite the collapse.

This season, Wake climbed to within a half game of the ACC lead before losing four of five to end the regular season and getting blown out by Miami FL in the opening round of the conference tournament. They followed that up with a 30 point second round loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.

All told, Dino Gaudio won just a single tournament game in two years with at least three first round picks on the roster. Both season's his teams collapsed late. What does that tell you about Gaudio? His teams do exceed expectations early in the season, but flameouts at the end of the year are not the way to get a contract renewed.

I like Gaudio. He seems like a good guy. I think it is also pretty obvious the guy can recruit. But if he wants to keep that job, he needs to start winning in the postseason.

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Monday's Shootaround: Florida State and Wake Forest start ACC play off with the win

Florida State 66, Georgia Tech 59 OT: Everyone knows about the size of the Georgia Tech front line, but Florida State proved on Sunday that they have a pretty good group of their own. Ryan Reid scored a team high 17 points, and he and Solomon Alabi (9 points, 12 boards, 4 blocks) combined keep Derrick Favors (8 points, 12 boards - the first time he hasn't scored in double figures) and Gani Lawal (4 points, 4 boards) in check. Zack Peacock, who led the Jackets with 17 off the bench, hit a 17 footer to force the overtime, then started off the OT with a three. But Reid would spark a 12-2 run, which included a short jumper by Chris Singleton with a minute left to give FSU a 61-59 lead with just over a minute left.

Wake Forest 67, NC State 59: Al-Farouq Aminu went for 18 points and 13 boards as the Demon Deacons opened up the ACC season with a win. Wake took control midway through the first half and led the rest of the way. NC State cut the lead to 42-38, but Wake responded with a 13-4 run. Ish Smith had 10 points, 7 assists, and 4 boards.

UConn 60, UCF 51: UConn played one of their worst halves of the season as they headed into halftime down 25-20 and found themselves down 31-22 before Stanley Robinson took over in the second half, scoring 23 points as the Huskies asserted their dominance on the Knights. As you should expect with a disappointing performance from UConn, the were outrebounded 36-34 and only grabbed 9 offensive rebounds against the smaller Knights. Ater Majok, the 6'11" Sudanese freshman, had just 1 point and 3 boards in 16 minutes.

Cornell 91, Davidson 88 OT: Ryan Wittman was 7-16 from deep and scored 29 points, but none was bigger than the 30 footer he hit at the buzzer of overtime to give the Big Red the win. Louis Dale hit a runner in the lane with 0.7 seconds left to force the overtime.

St. John's 72, Hofstra 60: Charles Jenkins, who finished with 24 points for Hofstra, scored with six minutes to go to give the Pride a 59-54 lead. But Hofstra would only scored 1 point the rest of the game, as DJ Kennedy scored 10 of his 19 points as the Johnnies went on a game-ending 18-1 run. Cornell and St. John's will play for in the championship game of the Holiday Festival at MSG.

Iowa State 87, Bradley 68: Marquis Gilstrap scored 25 points and Craig Brackins went for 16 points and 12 boards as the Cyclones used a 26-4 midway through the first half to open up a 44-19 first half lead.

Boston College 72, Bryant 46: Joe Trapani had 21 points and 10 boards and Corey Raji added 20 as BC beat winless Bryant.

Baylor 94, UT-Arlington 63: Epke Udoh had 22 points, 16 boards, and 9 blocks and Tweety Carter added 12 points and 10 assists.

South Florida 69, San Diego 60: Mike Mercer scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures and sparked a 6-0 run that broke open a 51-51 game late in the second half.

Sunday's Best:

• Baylor's Epke Udoh was a block away from a triple-double with 22 points, 16 boards, and 9 blocks.
• Jawan Carter had 26 points, 6 boards, 4 assist, and 4 steals to lead Delaware to a win over Vermont.
• Gilberto Clavell scored 34 points on 14-17 shooting to help lead Sam Houston State to a 107-89 win over Auburn.
• Vincent Simpson had 31 points and 5 assists, but Hampton still lost to Towson.
• For the second game in a row, Tristan Thompson scored 20+ points for North Texas, going for 27 in a loss to Southeastern Louisiana.
  

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The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 16

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 10:


2005: Wake Forest vs. West Virginia: West Virginia's 2005 team was a typical John Beilein team - shooters at every position on the floor at the cost of quality interior play. Wake Forest exposed this in the second round of the 2005 tournament, as Eric Williams controlled the first half en route to a 40-27 Wake Forest lead at the half.

In the second half, however, the Mountaineers stopped settling for jumpers as much, instead putting the ball on the floor and getting to the paint. West Virginia would complete their comeback on a Tyrone Sally tip-in with 1:07 left that gave WVU a 73-72 lead. West Virgina would hit 4-6 from the line down the stretch, but Taron Downey hit a three with 18 seconds left that tied the game and forced the first overtime.

The first OT was as fast as you are going to see basketball played. West Virginia held the lead for much of the period, but after two Mike Gansey free throws, Downey again hit a three, this time with 6 seconds left, forcing the second overtime. West Virginia controlled the second OT, using a 10-3 run at the start of the half, capped by a Kevin Pittsnoggle three pointer which gave the Mountaineers a 103-96 lead. Wake Forest would not get closer than four the rest of the way.


Mike Gansey was the star on this night, as he scored 19 of his 29 points in the overtimes.


Juan Dixon, Maryland: Replacing Steve Francis was not an enviable task, but Dixon proved to be more than up to the challenge. Playing three seasons as Maryland's go-to scorer and leader, Dixon twice led Maryland to the Final Four, winning the 2002 national title in his final game as a Terp.

As a senior, Dixon carried Maryland as he averaged 20.4 ppg, but his best performances came in the biggest moments. He averaged almost 26 ppg in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, hitting so many big shots. He hit a three to tie the Elite 8 game against UConn at 77, a shot that sparked a decisive 16-5 run. His bucket against Kansas ended a big Jayhawk, giving Maryland a seven point lead with just over a minute left. In the title game, a three midway through the second half gave Maryland their final lead at 45-44.

Dixon overcame a lot in his life as he became a top 10 player of the decade.
(photo credit: SI)

Dixon was named ACC Player of the Year as a senior and had his number retired by the Terps. Rightfully so, as he is their career leader in points scored, threes, and steals.


2008 Kansas Jayhawks: If you want an idea about how good Kansas was during the 2007-2008 season, think about this - Sherron Collins came off the bench and Cole Aldrich barely played. With that kind of talent buried on the bench, you would figure the Jayhawks top six players would be pretty good; and they were. Five players - Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson, and Darrell Arthur - would be picked in the 2008 NBA Draft.


More impressive than the talent on this team was their ability to play together. As the 2006 UConn Huskies taught us, talent doesn't always blend. Here, it did. The Jayhawks went 37-3 on the season, winning a share of the Big XII regular season crown, the Big XII tournament, and eventually the 2008 national title.


No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.

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Saturday's Shootaround

Before today's games, lets get you caught up on what happened last night:

• Michigan State 72, Wofford 60: Michigan State struggled against Wofford, but Raymar Morgan, who finished with 19 points and 11 boards, led four players in double figures.
• Florida 85, Jacksonville 67: The Gators got 33 points from Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton as they hit 12 threes in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.
• Texas A&M 74, Akron 62: The Aggies jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead, and stayed ahead the rest of the game. Akron got it down to single digits for much of the second half, but the Aggies, bolstered by 17 points from Donald Sloan, hung on for the win.
• Pitt 47, New Hampshire 32: Ashton Gibbs and Bran Wanamaker scored all but five of the Panther's points in one of the ugliest games in college basketball history. The score was 15-7 at the half.
• Xavier 77, Kent State 61: Jordan Crawford scored 21 points and the Musketeers used a 13-3 run midway through the second half to pull away from the Golden Flashes.
  

THE DAY'S BEST GAMES

12:30 pm: Kentucky @ UNC: One of the best match-ups of the young season. Both UNC and Kentucky are young teams that still have quite a few question marks. The Tar Heels answered some of those questions on Tuesday with their win over Michigan State, but Kentucky has yet to win a game against a power conference team (and no, Stanford doesn't count because they play in the Pac-10).

There are so many interesting story lines in this game. How will Kentucky's young, but talented, front court match-up against the big bodies of UNC? Will the Wildcats play well enough defensively to take Heels out of their rhythm, both in a half court set and in transition? To me, I see the key to this game being the match-up between Larry Drew and John Wall. Can Drew keep Wall under control while being as effective as he was against MSU?

3:30 pm: St. John's @ Duke: St. John's gets their first real test of the season The Johnnies are much improved over last season, but winning in Cameron is a much different story than winning at Temple. Duke is coming off of a loss to Wisconsin and is going to be ready to play. I'm not sure St. John's has the size inside to handle Duke, which makes the play of Sean Evans and Justin Burrell critical. If you haven't seen DJ Kennedy play yet this season, you're in for a treat. Am I the only one hoping to see him matched up with Singler?

5:30 pm: Wake Forest @ Gonzaga: Gonzaga is coming of a nice comeback win over previously undefeated Washington State, while Wake Forest was outclassed in the second half against Purdue in their last game. Wake is a very big team this season with three seven footers that play, but Gonzaga has their own talented front line. Two match-ups I look forward to watching in this one - Demetri Goodson and Ishmael Smith at the point, and Al-Farouq Aminu matching up with Matt Bouldin.


BEST OF THE REST:

3:00 pm: NC State @ Marquette: Marquette has been one of the more surprising teams this season after making a run through the Old Spice Classic. Can the Wolfpack bigs stay with Lazar Hayward and Jimm Butler playing on the perimeter?

4:00 pm: DePaul @ Vanderbilt: DePaul is one of the best defensive teams in the country in the early season, and Will Walker has been excellent, but can the Blue Demons handle AJ Ogilvy inside with Mac Kowshal injured?

5:00 pm: Oregon @ Missouri: Mizzou is at their best when they are pressing, forcing turnover and getting easy baskets off of it. But Oregon has a pretty solid back court with TaJuan Porter, LeKendric Longmire, and Teondre Williams. Michael Dunigan is back for the Ducks.

6:00 pm: USC @ Georgia Tech: An undermanned USC team played valiantly against a Texas team with a big front line. Georgia Tech's frontline isn't quite as big as Texas, but Gani Lawal nd Derrick Favors may be more talented. The issue for the Trojans will be if they can slow down Iman Shumpert and Mfon Udofia in the back court.

9:00 pm: Washington State @ Kansas State: Kansas State may not have an answer for Klay Thompson, but K-State is a much more balanced team than Wazzu.

11:00 pm: Iowa State @ Cal: The Bears have been disappointing this season as Harper Kamp and Theo Robertson have been out. Does Cal have someone that can match-up with Craig Brackins? I don't think they do.

Other notable games:

• 12:00 pm: Eastern Michigan @ Ohio State
• 12:00 pm: VCU @ William & Mary
  
• 1:00 pm: Southern Miss @ Ole Miss
• 1:00 pm: Providence @ Rhode Island
• 1:00 pm: Grambling State @ Wisconsin
• 2:00 pm: St. Bonaventure @ Mississippi State
• 2:00 pm: Lehigh @ Dayton
• 3:30 pm: Brown @ Minnesota
• 4:00 pm: Penn State @ Temple
• 4:00 pm: Northeastern @ Drexel
• 4:00 pm: American @ Georgetown
• 5:00 pm: Buffalo @ Purdue
• 6:00 pm: San Francisco @ BYU
• 7:00 pm: Charlotte @ Louisville
• 7:00 pm: Maine @ Syracuse
• 7:00 pm: Valpo @ Butler
• 7:30 pm: Boise State @ Illinois
• 7:30 pm: Albany @ Siena
• 8:00 pm: Arkansas State @ Memphis
• 8:30 pm: Morehead State @ Murray State
• 9:00 pm: New Mexico State @ New Mexico
• 9:00 pm: Idaho State @ Utah
• 9:05 pm: St. Mary's @ Utah State
• 10:00 pm: UNLV @ Santa Clara

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2009-2010 Team Preview: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2008-2009 Record: 24-7, 11-5 ACC (t-2nd)

Key Losses: Jeff Teague (18.8 ppg, 3.3 apg, 3.5 rpg), James Johnson (15.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.4 spg)

Key Returners: Al-Farouq Aminu (12.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg), Chas McFarland (8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg), LD Williams (8.0 ppg)

Newcomers: Ari Stewart, Konner Tucker, CJ Harris

Wake Forest caught a break when Al-Farouq Aminu decided to return to school.
(photo credit: Slam)

Wake Forest lost Jeff Teague and James Johnson to the NBA after their sophomore season's, but that doesn't mean that the Demon Deacon's off-season was a bust. Dino Gaudio caught a huge break when Al-Farouq Aminu, who many believed could have been a lottery pick this past season, decided to return for his sophomore campaign.

Aminu has a shot to be a special player for Wake. Combining excellent athleticism, body control, length, and a ton of energy, Aminu's potential leaves NBA scouts drooling. The problem is that Aminu is still too dependent on his tools. Last season he excelled when he was able to use his athleticism to his advantage - getting out and running the floor, crashing the offensive glass, or cutting to the rim, but when he was forced into half-court isolation situations, he was much less effective. The biggest problem is Aminu is stuck between being a power forward and small forward. He has the quickness to play on the perimeter on both ends of the floor, but unless his jumper, his handle, and his decision making and understanding of the game improves he will have to play the four. To be honest, he reminds me a bit of where James Johnson was after his freshman season (although Johnson who was two years older at the time, was probably a bit more advanced). With Teague and Johnson gone, Wake's season will depend on how well Aminu develops.

Wake will once again have one of the better front lines in the ACC. In addition to Aminu, the Demon Deacons return four guys standings 6'11" or taller. The best of the group is Chas McFarland. A starter the past two seasons, McFarland's role on the offensive end will expand this season. The seven footer has always had a really nice touch in the paint, with range out to the three-point line. His post moves are decent, and he is about what you would expect from an average seven-footer on the glass and blocking shots. The biggest issue McFarland has is decision-making and ability to pass out of the post - he turned the ball over almost two times per game last season despite playing just over 20 minutes per. If he is going to see his offensive workload increase, he needs to cut down on his mistakes.

The other three bigs are senior David Weaver and sophomores Ty Walker and Tony Woods. Woods and Weaver are the two that will probably see the most playing time. They are both essentially the same player - big, strong kids that will grab a few rebounds, block a few shots, dunk the ball when they are near the rim, and provide Gaudio with a lot of muscle up front. Walker has the most upside of the three, as he is athletic and very long, even for someone listed at 7'0". An excellent shot blocker, Walker was not strong enough to handle the physicality of major college basketball as a freshman. If he puts on some strength, he could become an excellent defensive presence at this level.

Perhaps the most important player for the Demon Deacons this year will be Ishmael Smith. Ish had an excellent freshman season, but over the last two years has seen his numbers tail off with Teague on the team. Now that he is a senior, Smith will have the ball in his hands a majority of the time. Looking at this roster, the Demon Deacons don't have a ton of guys that can create their own shots. Smith averaged 6.0 apg as a freshman, and Gaudio is going to count on his ability to create shots for his teammates, be it on the break or in the half court. Joining Smith in the starting back court will be LD Williams. Williams' role on this Demon Deacons team is as a hustler and a defender. There are not many players in the country with the overall athletic profile that Williams has, which makes him an excellent defender and a terror on the break.

Gaudio will add two freshman to the mix this season. The most highly touted recruit is Ari Stewart. Stewart, a 6'7" small forward that loves to run the floor and can jump out of the gym, will excel in the open court for Gaudio. Stewart's another guy that is still relies a bit too much on his tools, but he is more of a wing than Aminu as he has range out to the three-point line. CJ Harris is the other recruit. Harris is a lead guard, but it will be intriguing to see where Gaudio plays him as a freshman. Harris is a heady player with a high basketball IQ that gets praised for his leadership abilities and unselfishness. But he is also an excellent scorer and much less of a play maker than a guy like Ish Smith. Harris could be the next in the line of scoring point guards from Wake (Randolph Childress, Justin Gray, Taron Downey, Jeff Teague)?

One of Wake's biggest weaknesses last season was their lack of a consistent perimeter shooter. As a result, defenses were able to slough off their man, clogging the lane at times. Two guys - junior Gary Clark and sophomore JuCo transfer Konner Tucker - have the potential to fill that role.

Outlook: I like this Wake Forest team. They have a number of athletes playing different positions, a lot of size on the inside, and an underrated senior point guard. The problem is that unless Aminu realizes his potential this season, Wake is going to be without a go-to scorer. While they will no doubt be a tough defensive team and a pleasure to watch on the break, if you can slow them down I'm not sure they are going to be able to score in the half court. If Aminu can become that go-to scorer and Smith can regain the form he showed as a freshman, Wake could be a top 25 team. If not, they might be an NIT team. I'd lean toward the former, with Wake racking up 20 wins and a 10 seed come March.
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James Johnson of Wake Forest enters the NBA Draft

Wake Forest sophomore forward James Johnson will put his name into the draft, and more than likely will sign with an agent (he is 22 years old). This is not a terrible decision at all. Johnson has an NBA body, NBA athleticism, and the skill set that could make him an intriguing combo forward. He could even end up sneaking into the back end of the lottery.

The biggest question now becomes Wake Forest. Many expect that they are also going to lose Al-Farouq Aminu and Jeff Teague to the draft as well. If that were to happen, it could be a long season for Dino Gaudio and company in Winston-Salem. Continue reading...