Wednesday, January 11th
Cintas Center, Xavier University
Xavier 78, Duquesne 50
Game 2 - Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Game 1 - Belmont vs. Lipscomb
(Rob enters the Cintas Center along with @RickBroering of Scout.com)
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Showing posts with label Xavier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xavier. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Pics/Vids: Game 3 - Xavier vs. Duquesne |
#BIAHRoadTrip The Diary, Part VII: We made it to Xavier despite getting lost ... a lot |
5:15 pm Day 8
The road
Somewhere in Indiana
Total Miles: 1202
Road Trip Part-I
Road Trip Part-II
Road Trip Part-III
Road Trip Part-IV
Road Trip Part-V
Road Trip Part-VI
This post is sponsored by the Fairfield Inn Bloomington.
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A last belated thank you to the Hampton Inn & Suites Cincy Uptown. They had coffee at the entrance. All day. Every day. For a certified caffeine addict, that was a blessing you cannot imagine.
When we left you last, we were heading over to the Cintas Center to check out Xavier taking on Duquesne. Unfortunately, the game wasn't great. Xavier got their swagger back and managed to smother TJ McConnell, a player we both were looking forward to seeing play live, into oblivion.
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Xavier: "I guess I got my swagger back". Truth? |
You can find the rest of the features from the #BIAHRoadTrip here.
This post is sponsored by the Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati Uptown/University.
CINCINNATI, OH - No team in the country has faced more scrutiny over the last month than Xavier has, and its all due to 9.4 seconds that everyone in Cincinnati wishes they could take back.
The Crosstown Punchout.
While the Bearcats used the fallout from the Brawl Seen 'Round the World to discover that they were able to effectively play small-ball, Xavier struggled. Despite having their full roster available after just four games -- and their talented back court back in the fold after just two -- the Musketeers entered Atlantic 10 play having lost four of five and promptly dropped their league opener to La Salle in ugly fashion, needing a late rally to make the final score look closer than the game was.
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POSTERIZED: Dez Wells knew we were in the house |
On Wednesday night, the #BIAHroadtrip made a stop at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH to watch Xavier play Duquesne in a early-season A-10 battle. The Musketeers swarmed the Dukes form the get-go and cruised to victory 78-50.
I'm not sure what was more impressive, Xavier's suffocating team defense, or the one-man aerial assault put on display by freshman Dez Wells.
The athletic forward had six, COUNT 'EM, six massive dunks, and if I hadn't been sitting courtside, I may have thought I was watching "Mr. DVR" tony Mitchell take flight.
But seriously, Wells did the damn thing.
I'm not sure which dunk was the most impressive, because, well, they were all really impressive. Look at his second dunk, he grabs the ball about three feet away from the basket.
One of the things we wanted to accomplish while on our #BIAHroadtrip was to see three legitimate #POSTERIZED dunks in-person. We would have 13 games to accomplish this feat. Little did I know that one person in one game would cross this objective off the list.
No disrespect to Tony Mitchell, but Wells may have just put on the best single-game dunk performance of the year. Seeing a massive dunk on TV is one thing, but seeing one take place 15 feet from you is another thing. Imagine that it happens six times over. It was amazing, absolutely amazing.
But it's ironic that Wells is becoming a human highlight reel because like "Mr. DVR", he also wear the No.5 jersey.
But was it as good as these?
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Monday, December 12, 2011
Xavier should take PR advice from Cincinnati |
Cincinnati has handled the aftermath of the Crosstown Knockout about as well as you could possibly imagine.
Mick Cronin hid his players in the locker room while he made a strong statement to the media about the future of the program. After levying the suspensions on Sunday, he brought both Yancy Gates and Cheikh Mbodj up in front of the cameras and the reporters to apologize -- without reading off of a statement -- for their actions. It seems like he's done an adequate job of driving home his point that his players are going to understand just how valuable it is to have the privilege of being a scholarship basketball player; Gates, the guy that was tough enough to throw a sucker-punch that dropped Kenny Frease, was in tears as he apologized:
“My actions were just not what I’m about as a person, as an athlete. I’m sorry for the embarrassment I put on myself, the University of Cincinnati and the city of Cincinnati.”
Not choked up. Not sniffling. He cried. 
"I don't know about the environment. I can take responsibility for my actions," Gates said. "I should have grabbed the freshmen instead of going out there throwing punches. Some people are going to say it's fair, some people are going to say it's unfair. That’s not up for me to decide. All I can do is take my punishment."
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the only mistake that Cronin has made is that he may have come out too strong after the game. He got our hopes up. We were expecting blood. And when all we got was a pair of six game suspensions, we went nuts and some very good writers landed blows that were just as powerful as a right hook from Yancy Gates.
Xavier, on the other hand, did not.
Dezmine Wells sparked the melee when he shoved Ge'Lawn Guyn with 9.4 seconds left, but we were only in this situation because Tu Holloway decided to yell the Cincinnati bench that "this is my city". Then he decided to spout off in the press conference as well, calling his team "gangstas" -- which, ironically, is what every racist white person that witnessed the fight was calling him as well -- and saying that they "zipped 'em up". You know, as in Xavier put Cincinnati in body bags.
Mark Lyons was up there as well, talking about how retaliation and not allowing someone to put a hand in your face, specifically referring to Yancy Gates. The irony there is that, if you watch the entire fight, Lyons -- who threw a couple of haymakers at one player on Cincinnati's bench -- is the only guy that actually settles down Gates, patting him on the chest after getting in his face.
In case you didn't realize it before hand, but putting two young men -- or, rather, old kids -- in front of the national media in the internet age while the testosterone of a full-blown brawl still flowing through their veins is a bad idea. Of course they said something stupid. Obviously they didn't show any remorse. You could see it coming a mile away.
And while their apologies the next day seemed genuine, it shouldn't be surprising that they couldn't control themselves with the media. The guy that recruited them to Xavier, coached the seniors for a year and was the head of the program before Chris Mack took the job couldn't either. From the Arizona Daily Star:
Sean Miller said he was not surprised Saturday's Xavier-Cincinnati intra-city rivalry game featured a brawl that resulted in eight player suspensions.
"Happens every game. I'm proud of those guys, I really am," Miller said of Xavier, his former team. "I would fully expect there to be a fight."
There's more:
"If Cincinnati tries to do what they did (Saturday) they're going to get a fight," Miller said after UA beat Clemson on Saturday. "So I'm proud of those guys."
[...]
"They have a chance to win it all," Miller said. "It's just such a great story. I'm really proud of those guys and I watch them any time that I can. No one's going to bully those guys."
Sean, buddy, what the hell are you doing?
I know that you still love Xavier and you have a bond with the people in the program, but do you really need to come out and say it publicly? That's the kind of conversation you save for the fifth round at your local bar sitting at a table full of your drinking buddies.
Honestly, I don't have a problem with what he said. I know how heated the Xavier-Cincinnati rivalry is, and I know that when you're dealing with a bunch of fiery and competitive kids, you run the risk of this happening. Sean clearly knows it too. And given his history, I don't expect him to pick sides. But the quotes he gave can easily be twisted. He can easily be criticized. And even with the understanding that he was asked about it and that we don't know the context of what he said, it just makes him look bad.
Is it any surprise that a program couldn't control what their players said to the press when the guy that mentored their current head coach and recruited the upperclassmen couldn't control what he said 2,000 miles away?
"No comment."
"Its bad for the sport."
"I hope no one is hurt badly."
Its that easy, Sean.
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The Emery Board |
This weekly column is in honor of BYU's Jackson Emery, who, for two straight seasons, claimed his squad would go undefeated and win the National Championship.
College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-1976. The closest we have seen since then was a Jameer Nelson-led St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in the 2003-2004 season before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. Every season a team flirts with the notion of an undefeated season, but every season that notion slowly fades as January turns to February and February turns to March.
The Emery Board: 3rd Edition
After a roller-coaster weekend, we are left with just nine undefeated teams. Indiana remains undefeated thanks to a game-winning three point buzzer-beater by Christian Watford. Murray State stayed in the mix with a strong road victory at Memphis. Plus, there was the Crosstown Brawl. How does that effect Xavier's unbeaten record?
No.1 Syracuse (10-0)
Next game: 12/17 at North Carolina State (6-3)
First realistic loss: 12/17 at North Carolina State (6-3)
The Orange have looked down-right impressive this season. Fab Melo has improved by leaps and bounds, and the Orange sport one of the deepest benches in the country. Plus, all the distractions with the Bernie Fine investigation have yet to rattle this bunch. But they've also yet to play a true road game, and will receive a stern test from North Carolina State this Saturday.
No.4 Louisville (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Memphis (5-3)
First realistic loss: 12/17 vs. Memphis (5-3)
The Cardinals rolled through IUPUI and FDU this past week, and have a tough non-conference game against Memphis on the horizon. Gorgui Deing has been very impressive this year, and Kyle Kuric continues to improve as one of the leaders of this team. And remember, this team continues to fight the injury bug. With games against Georgetown and Kentucky down the road, it's unlikely they will stay undefeated for long, but this team should be considered a real threat to contend for a Final-Four bid.
No.7 Baylor (7-0)
Next game: 12/14 vs. Bethune-Cookman (3-4)
First realistic loss: 12/23 vs. West Virginia (6-2)
The Bears didn't play last week, and don't face any real competition until 12/22 when they play Saint Mary's. But that starts a tough stretch against quality teams, with West Virginia, Mississippi State and Texas A&M to follow. Guard-play and coaching will continue to be the team's question-marks. Can Pierre Jackson and A.J Walton get it done? And can Scott Drew actually coach this team up during late game situations? We should have some answers once 2012 rolls around.
No.8 Missouri (9-0)
Next game: 12/15 vs. Kennesaw State (2-5)
First realistic loss: 12/22 vs. No.19 Illinois (10-0)
This team continues to impress. The Tigers have yet to score less than 80 points in a game, and while rebounding will continue to be a question, the team's chemistry and efficiency will get them by. Phil Pressey is emerging as one of the best guards in the country, and if Kim English can continue to shoot well from outside, teams will have serious match-up problems. This team has rallied behind Frank Haith, and the results thus far have been tremendous. Illinois' seven-footer Meyers Leonard will provide Missouri with a tough match-up, but if the Tigers can defeat the Illini, it's likely they remain undefeated heading into the new year.
No.9 Xavier (8-0)
Next game: 12/18 vs. Oral Roberts (6-3)
First realistic loss: 12/18 vs. Oral Roberts (6-3)
If you spent your weekend under a rock, you might be confused as to why Oral Roberts has a chance to beat an undefeated, top-10 team. But due to the Crosstown Brawl, Xavier will be without their three best players for this game. While the length of suspensions are down-right embarrassing, this team is scary-good when they have all their horses on the court. After Oral Roberts, they play Long Beach State and Gonzaga. I have to imagine Xavier will lose one of the next three games. If not, then we have to start considering this team as a legitimate Final-Four contender.
No.11 Marquette (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Northern Colorado (3-5)
First realistic loss: 12/29 vs. No.25 Vanderbilt (6-3)
The Golden Eagles may be the most entertaining team in the country. They have a variety of weapons and role players, and one of the most talented coaches in the country. But injuries have started to pile up in the past week. Center Chris Otule will miss significant time with an ACL injury. Plus, freshman Juan Anderson injured his shoulder during practice and sophomore Jamil Wilson sprained his ankle late in the week. Marquette has a tough stretch of games towards the end of the month, and probably will suffer a defeat before January first. Nonetheless, this team is really talented and should be considered a legitimate Final-Four contender.
No.19 Illinois (10-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. UNLV (9-2)
First realistic loss: 12/17 vs. UNLV (9-2)
Did any of us expect Illinois to be undefeated at this point in the season? If your answer is no, you're clearly lying. Center Meyers Leonard has been playing inspired basketball as of late, and transfer Sam Maniscalco has stepped up as well. This is a much different team than last year. The departures of Demetri McCamey and Jereme Richmond have made this team more cohesive and while they aren't uber-talented, they are a rough, tough team that will be a difficult out.
No.20 Indiana (9-0)
Next game: 12/17 vs. Notre Dame (7-4)
First realistic loss: 12/28 at Michigan State (8-2)
Christian Watford's buzzer-beating, game-winning three pointer against Kentucky has been the signature moment of the season. Indiana came into the contest undefeated but untested, and with the victory, Tom Crean got a career-defining win. This team has a superstar center in Cody Zeller, some big-time athletes in Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo, and a bunch of veteran leadership. A let down will come at some point, but for now, this team should be given all the praise in the world.
Murray State (9-0)
Next game: 12/15 vs. Lipscomb (6-5)
First realistic loss: 12/30 at Eastern Illinois (6-3)
The Racers passed their first real test of the season, a road victory over Memphis. With all their tough non-conference games out of the way, the Racers have set themselves up to make a run at finishing the season undefeated. That might sound ridiculous, but no team in the Ohio Valley Conference is as talented as them, and if they can avoid a significant letdown, going undefeated isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Bottom of the Barrel
Binghamton (0-7)
Next game: 12/17 at Hofstra (3-7)
First real chance to win: 1/5 vs. Stony Brook (3-5)
Chicago State (0-9)
Next game: 12/14 at Wichita State (7-2)
First real chance to win: 12/17 at Loyola (IL) (2-7)
Grambling State (0-6)
Next game: 12/18 at Texas Tech (4-4)
First real chance to win: 1/3 vs. Alabama State (2-6)
Hartford (0-10)
Next game: 1221 at Marist (4/5)
First real chance to win: 1/15 at Binghamton (0-7)
Morgan State (0-7)
Next game: 12/14 at UMBC (1-7)
First real chance to win: 12/14 at UMBC (1-7)
Northern Illinois (0-8)
Next game: 12/14 vs. DePaul (6-3)
First real chance to win: 12/17 vs. Southern Illinois (1-5)
Towson (0-9)
Next game: 12/14 at Coppin State (3-5)
First real chance to win: 12/14 at Coppin State (3-5)
Continue reading...
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Mick Cronin looked as bad today as he looked good yesterday |
Mick Cronin won yesterday.
In the face of an embarrassing and brutal brawl that left Xavier's Kenny Frease bloodied and was played on loop on Sportscenter all night, Cronin made a strong, strong statement after the game.
"My players don’t act the right way they will never play another game at Cincinnati," Cronin said. "Right now, I just told my guys, I will meet with my AD and my president and I’m going to decide who is on the team going forward. That is what the University of Cincinnati is about. Period."
"I’ve never been this embarrassed. I’m hoping President Williams doesn’t ask me to resign after that. We represent an institution of higher learning, it’s way more important than basketball games. Whoever puts that jersey back on – I made everybody take their jersey off and they will not put it on again until they have a full understanding of where they go to school and what the university stands for and how lucky they are to even be there, let alone have a scholarship, because there’s a whole lot of kids that can’t pay for college. And don’t get to go to school. My mom didn’t get to go to UC, she grew up on campus. They couldn’t afford it."
"They are all sitting in there with no jersey on. Some of them I physically took them off."
He said plenty more.
All good. Great, in fact. The only problem is that he didn't back those words up.
Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj and Octavious Ellis were all suspended for six games by Cronin. Ge'Lawn Guyn got a one-game suspension. Gates and Mbodj make up the starting front court for the Bearcats. They'll miss one Big East game.
Think about that. Gates punched two Xavier players in the face. One of them was a sucker punch that bloodied Frease's face and forced his eye to swell to the point that he couldn't open it. After Frease dropped to the ground when Gates punched him, Mbodj stomped on the back of his head. Literally. Stomped on a defenseless player's head after his teammate sucker-punched him.
And they'll miss a single Big East game.
Mick, with all due respect, that's utterly hypocritical. We all saw the fight. We all saw your statement in the press conference. By allowing the players that reignited the Bearcat nicknames of old -- Sincinnati, Concinnati -- to remain on your team, you look spineless. You look no different that any other coach, strictly concerned with your team's win-loss record.
Now let me be clear -- I'm not as appalled by this fight as the rest of the media. This is the most heated rivalry in the country. There is no love lost between these two programs. Every season, this game has a handful of dust-ups and technicals and plenty of jawing and posturing. That's what makes the games so much fun to watch. A fight like that has always been a risk. That kind of blow-up comes with the territory when you play a game like this. Its unacceptable, but its an occupational hazard, so to speak.
And Cronin's effort to get his players out into the community to try and explain to the younger fans that were watching the game why their actions were wrong is a good move. I'm sure that there are people in the community and members of the Bearcat fanbase that were turned off by this brawl. Cincinnati's roster is made up of young, muscle-bound black men covered in tattoos. It would be really easy for them to write these players off as "thugs". By getting the team out to apologize, he personalizes the situation.
He lets the fans see that the players on his roster are kids that made a really, really dumb decision.
But the bottom line is this: six games probably isn't enough given the behavior of his players yesterday. When combined with the comments that he made after the game, suspending these players for a single Big East game makes him seem spineless and solely concerned about winning.
All the credit he earned from a PR standpoint with his postgame comments yesterday he lost when these suspensions were announced.
"My players don’t act the right way they will never play another game at Cincinnati."
Your words, not mine, Mick.
Continue reading...
Saturday, December 10, 2011
VIDEO: Xavier-Cincinnati ends in a brawl |
Ugly ending to an ugly game.
With 9.4 seconds left on the clock, No. 8 Xavier was up 76-53 on Cincinnati in the Crosstown Shootout. As always, this was an intense game with plenty of squawking going on between the two teams. But Ge'Lawn Guyn got in Tu Holloway's, Dez Wells shoved Guyn and, well, all hell broke loose:
Yancy Gates sucker-punched Kenny Frease, opening up a cut on his cheek. Frease then got the back of his head stomped by Cheikh Mbodj. While all that is happening, Mark Lyons and Dez Wells are throwing haymakers at a couple of Cincinnati players in the corner of the court.
In my opinion, the two players that deserve the most blame for this fight are Wells and Gates. Wells pushing Guyn the way he did sparked it, and Gates firing a chest pass at Wells and then punching Frease escalated what was simply benches clearing into a full-on brawl. There are going to be a lot of suspensions coming out of this game between the punches that were thrown and the players that left the bench. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a couple of arrests that came out of it.
But why are we surprised this happened?
This is one of the most heated rivalries in the country. Every season, when this game is played, there is some pushing and shoving. That's what makes it attending the Crosstown Shootout a college basketball bucket list game. When there is this much emotion involved in a game between two teams as physical as Xavier and Cincinnati are, these things will happen.
Its not pretty, its an embarrassment. Its utterly and completely unacceptable. But it comes with the territory. Its hypocritical for us to hype up how enthralling a rivalry like this -- heated, physical, emotional -- is to watch and then destroy these kids when their emotions bubble over.
That said, there have to be serious ramifications from this fight. There will be quite a few players suspended for a number of games. I wouldn't be surprised, based Mick Cronin's comments after the game, if Yancy Gates was no longer a member of the Cincinnati team. And depending on how many games and how many players are suspended, this could have an exetended negative impact on Xavier's season.
I have a feeling we will be talking about this fight for a long time.
Continue reading...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Stop me if you've heard this before: Tu comes thru in the clutch |
There isn't a player in the country that I want taking a big shot over Tu Holloway.
Not a single one. And if you disagree with me, than you haven't been paying attention.
On Saturday afternoon, Holloway hit three straight three pointers and two free throws in the final two minutes as Xavier stormed back from a 19 point deficit with less than ten minutes left to knock off Purdue 66-63 at the Cintas Center on Saturday afternoon. Holloway finished with 21 points, meaning that he did more damage in the final two minutes than he did in the first 38 against the Boilermakers.
Purdue was in complete control of this game. They held Xavier to 22 first half points, forcing 18 turnovers in the process and putting forth the kind of defensive effort that we have come to expect from a Matt Painter-coached team. That surge continued early in the second half, culminating in a Ryne Smith three that put Purdue up 55-36 at the ten minute mark.
But that is when things started to change. Xavier used a 13-4 run to cut the lead to ten with six minutes left when the Musketeers got their biggest spark -- a cramping Robbie Hummel.
With Hummel rendered ineffective -- the images of him lying prone on the sideline with tears in his eyes from the amount of pain that he was in from "full-body cramps" were gut-wrenching -- Xavier took over. Holloway hit two free throws, Andre Walker hit a layup and Kenny Frease knocked down two free throws as Xavier got within five.
And then it was time for Holloway to shine.
He hit threes on three straight possessions, the second giving Xavier their first lead since 2-0 and the third breaking a 61-all tie with 45 seconds left. After the two teams traded free throws, Purdue missed two pretty good looks at a three to tie as time expired.
This game comes of the heels of Holloway knocking down back-to-back threes -- in a game that he was shooting 4-18 from the floor before the final minutes -- in overtime after Xavier came back from 10 down to beat Vanderbilt on the road.
Like I said, if this is a surprise to you, than you haven't been paying attention. He's been doing this since his name was still Terrell. In the first game of his college career, Holloway hit ten straight free throws down the stretch to knock off Missouri. And what about the big shots that he hit against Kansas State in the best game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament?
With the game on the line, no one in the country is better than Tu.
What We Learned
Purdue:
- The Boilermakers are still capable of playing the kind of defense that made them one of the best teams in the country the last three years. The way the end played out was disappointing -- and partly caused by the body of Robbie Hummel failing him yet again -- but for thirty minutes, the Boilermakers beat down Xavier on their own floor. That's worth something.
- The defense may be there, but Purdue is still missing something on the offensive end of the floor. Right now, Lewis Jackson is their secondary offensive option, and while I've been a fan of Jackson throughout his career, if he is your No. 2 option offensively, your team is in trouble. He can penetrate and he can create, but his poor jump shooting ability limits his offensive prowess. Someone needs to step up and become a bigger offensive threat. Kelsey Barlow, Terone Johnson, Anthony Johnson, anyone really.
Xavier:
- Xavier is more than just Tu Holloway. Mark Lyons finished with 14 points on eight shots. Kenny Frease and Andre Walker both added 10 points. Dezmine Wells, Brad Redford, Travis Taylor. Chris Mack has a number of weapons at his disposal.
- When they don't turn the ball over, Xavier has the ability to be a dangerous offensive team. The shot 53.7% from the floor. They hit six threes. They got to the line 27 times and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. And while their 1.08 PPP number isn't all that impressive, the 1.69 PPP that they posted on possessions in which they didn't actually turn the ball over gives you an idea of what they can do.
- There really isn't a huge difference between Xavier and Vanderbilt or Xavier and Purdue in terms of talent. The difference is in how they execute in crunch time. Vanderbilt doesn't have a closer, Xavier does. Purdue usually has Robbie Hummel, but they didn't on Saturday. A player that can hit tough shots in big moments is the difference-maker when it comes to teams that have essentially equal levels of talent.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday's Shootaround: Xavier wins a big one on the road, St. Mary's knocks off Weber State |
No. 11 Xavier 82, No. 19 Vanderbilt 70: See here.
That link is to what we've written on Vanderbilt coming out of this game, but Xavier's back court needs to get recognition after their performance on Monday night. Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons are, simply put, as good as any duo in the country. Yes, I know they struggled for most of the game against a fairly pedestrian Vanderbilt defense. But those struggles disappeared when Xavier needed a bucket. Lyons hit five of his last ten shots of the game, sparked the game-changing, 10-0 that erased the lead that the Commodores had built up and then made the coast-to-coast drive and spinning lay-up that sent the game into overtime. 
Holloway was even bigger. After failing to find any kind of rhythm for the majority of the game, the senior hit two daggers on back to back possessions to push Xavier's overtime lead from two to eight. The best players make the biggest plays in crunch-time, whether or not they have played well during the game. Lyons and Holloway did just that, and they did it to beat a top 20 team on the road. That's impressive.
No. 6 Louisville 79, Long Beach State 66: Louisville got 18 points from Chris Smith and jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the first half, hanging on to beat a scrappy LBSU team. Louisville hasn't been running as much as we've expected early in the season as Rick Pitino deals with depth issues stemming from his team's injuries, but the Cardinals looked like the Louisville team we all expected on Monday night.
For the 49ers, this is their third loss after knocking off Pitt on the road, as they dropped close decisions to San Diego State and Montana. That shouldn't diminish how good this team can be, but unless they string together a couple of wins against some of their big-name non-conference competition, this is a team that is going to have to earn an automatic berth if they want to go dancing.
St. Mary's 87, Weber State 70: The Gaels got 25 points and 11 assists from Matthew Dellavedova and 24 points and 12 boards from Rob Jones as they used a huge second half to knock off Weber State. The Gaels scored 56 points in the second period and shot 69% from the floor as they managed to outlast Damian Lillard, who was on fire. Lillard finished with 36 points, including 21 straight in the second half to get the Wildcats within six with seven minutes left, but St. Mary's responded with a 14-2 run to put the game away. Kenton Walker added 14 and 11 off the bench for St. Mary's.
Oakland 89, Tennessee 81: On the night that they retired Keith Benson's jersey, Reggie Hamilton did his best to make Grizzly fans forget their standout big man. Hamilton went for 35 points to lead five Grizzlies in double figures as Oakland notched their second consecutive win against the Vols.
UCLA 62, Pepperdine 39: UCLA finally earned their first Division I win of the season as they got 14 points from Laz Jones and held the Waves to just 11 first half points. Perhaps the most notable part of this win? Playing in an arena 17 miles from their campus, UCLA had just 34 students show up to watch the game.
The rest of the top 25:
No. 9 Florida 96, Stetson 70: The Gators were led by 22 points, 10 boards, three blocks and three assists from freshman Brad Beal as Billy Donovan notched his 450th win as a head coach.
No. 16 Marquette 88, Jacksonville 56: Jae Crowder had 27 points, Darius Johnson-Odom had 19 and Vander Blue added seven assists, nine boards and four steals as the Golden Eagles improved to 6-0 on the season.
No. 21 Memphis 70, Jackson State 45: Joe Jackson had 15 points and Chris Crawford added 14, but Memphis struggled through the first 25 minutes before finally turning on the after burners and running Jackson State out of Fed Ex Forum.
No. 23 Cal 73, McNeese State 57: Jorge Gutierrez had 26 points and five assists as Cal sloughed off a poor first half.
Other notable games:
- Georgetown 81, IUPUI 58
- Iona 100, Long Island 84
- West Virginia 77, Akron 56
- Colorado 70, Georgia 68
- Stanford 79, Pacific 37
Top performers
Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones, St. Mary's: Dellavedova had 25 points and 11 assists and Rob Jones added 24 points and 12 boards to overcome a 36 point performance by Damian Lillard.
Michael Glover and Scott Machado, Iona: Glover went for 28 points and 14 boards while Scott Machado continued to stake his claim as the best passer in the country, notching 10 assists to go along with his 14 points.
Reggie Hamilton, Oakland: Hamilton had 35 points and six boards as Oakland knocked off Tennessee for the second straight season.
Continue reading...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday's Pregame Beat: Xavier vs. Vandy, Louisville on upset watch? |
Game of the night: 7:00 pm: No. 11 Xavier @ No. 19 Vanderbilt
It may be late November, but there is a surprising amount of good hoops on tonight. It starts with the Musketeers and the Commodores tonight. Vanderbilt will be playing the host, but Xavier has been more impressive this season.
It is going to be interesting to see how Xavier matches up with Vanderbilt defensively. Dez Wells is the best athletes on the team and, generally speaking, will be the best defensive weapon on the perimeter. But he is going to have to matchup with Jeff Taylor because neither Mark Lyons or Tu Holloway have the size to battle with Taylor. That is going to put the pressure on Chris Mack's two best scorers on the defensive end as they take turns trying to slow down Vandy's John Jenkins. Kevin Stallings loves to run Jenkins off of screens and defending that takes away the legs of an opponent. Jared Cunningham had just nine points when he was tasked with chasing Jenkins around for 40 minutes.
For Vanderbilt, it will be interesting to see if-- not how -- they are able to slow down Xavier's back court. Tu Holloway is one of the best point guards in the country, but his scoring load has been diminished this season as Lyons has become a more dangerous and consistent scorer. Jenkins and Brand Tinsley are not known for their defensive prowess.
Who's getting upset?: No. 6 Louisville
I'm a big fan of the Cardinals, I really am. But I think that Long Beach State -- who they tip off against at 7:00 tonight -- is a very good matchup. For those that have trouble following these things -- like me -- Louisville will have Peyton Siva tonight, but they will be without Rakeem Buckles and Stephen Van Treese, who are both dealing with knee injuries. What intrigues me about LBSU is their ability to play in the full court, the talent they have on their perimeter and the number of threats they have from three point range. The 49ers matchup very well against Louisville's press and zone. Ask Pitt what happens when this team gets rolling.
Mid-major matchup of the night: 10:30 pm: Weber State @ St. Mary's
In an event titled the "Shamrock Office Solutions Classic" -- umm, ok -- we'll get a matchup of two of the best teams out west. If you like guard play, you'll want to tune in for this. Weber State is lead by Damian Lillard -- a dynamic, 6'2" scoring guard -- and his sharp-shooting counterpart Scott Bamforth. The Gaels back court is anchored by Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Holt and Jorden Page. This will be a big game for St. Mary's, as they just lost to Denver on the road. That's not a good look for a team that will be fighting for an at-large berth come March.
For what its worth, this game is a return for the game that Weber State scheduled against St. Mary's late last season.
Be sure to keep an eye on:
- 7:00 pm: Akron @ West Virginia: Akron is a quality team out of the MAC. West Virginia already lost to a quality team out of the MAC in Kent State. The Zips have also already notched a quality, non-conference win by beating Mississippi State. If you are into the NBA, keep an eye on Akron center Zeke Marshall.
- 9:00 pm: Oakland @ Tennessee: This will be a good gauge for Tennessee. They competed out in Maui in their first two tests of the season, but they lost to both Duke and Memphis. Oakland is not quite as good as they were last season, but this is still a quality mid-major team.
- 11:00 pm: Pepperdine @ UCLA: Can UCLA finally get their first Division I win of the season?
The rest of the top 25:
7:00 pm: Stetson @ No. 9 Florida: We'll get another look at Florida without Erik Murphy. They'll need all the work they can get without him.
8:00 pm: Jacksonville @ No. 16 Marquette: Marquette looked terrific in their first four games of the season, but they struggled against Norfolk State. Which Marquette team shows up tonight?
8:00 pm: Jackson State @ No. 21 Memphis: After struggling through Maui, the Tigers need to make a statement.
10:30 pm: McNeese State @ No. 23 Cal: We are still waiting to see the real Cal Bears. Was it the team that lost by 39 to Missouri or the one that beat a good Denver team by 21?
Other notables games:
- 7:00 pm: IUPUI @ Georgetown
- 7:00 pm: Long Island @ Iona
- 10:00 pm: Pacific @ Stanford
Continue reading...
Saturday, November 12, 2011
POSTERIZED: Dezmine Wells' left arm makes us forget about Tu Holloway |
When we talk Xavier, we talk Tu Holloway, right?
Well Holloway didn't play against Morgan State, and we hardly noticed. Why?
Because Dezmine Wells was doing getting his "Skywalker" on with a CRAZY one-handed alley-oop finish from Mark Lyons:
No Tu Holloway. No Problem.
But was it as good as these?
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
Continue reading...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: No. 19 Xavier Musketeers |
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.
Last Season: 24-8, 15-1 (1st Atlantic 10), lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Marquette
Head Coach: Chris Mack
Key Losses: Jamel McLean, Dante Jackson, Jay Canty
Newcomers: Dezmine Wells, Andre Walker, Travis Taylor, Justin Martin, Dee Davis
Projected Lineup:
- G: Tu Holloway, Sr.
- G: Mark Lyons, Jr.
- F: Andre Walker, Sr.
- F: Travis Taylor, Jr.
- C: Kenny Frease, Sr.
- Bench: Dezmine Wells, Fr.; Justin Martin, Fr.; Brad Redford, Jr.; Dee Davis, Fr.; Griffin McKenzie, So.
Outlook: Early on in 2010-2011, it looked like Xavier was going to be headed for a long season. Sniper Brad Redford (torn acl) and lauded newcomer Justin Martin (poor grades) were both lost for the year before the season started, leaving the Muskies painfully thin on the perimeter. Xavier went 8-5 during non-conference play, getting taken to overtime by IPFW and Wofford and ending the preseason with a 20 point shellacking from Crosstown Shootout rival Cincinnati. Once A-10 play started, however, Xavier became a different team. Dante Jackson and Mark Lyons finally found a rhythm, Kenny Frease slowly gained confidence in the post and the Musketeers managed to reel off 15 wins in 16 league games, sneaking their way into the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier loses a couple key pieces in Dante Jackson and Jamel McLean. Jackson was a dangerous three-point threat and a tenacious defender, while McLean was one of the best athletes in the conference and a nightmare to try and box out. Replacing the experience, leadership and toughness those two brought to the table will not be an easy thing for Xavier to do.
The good news is that they do have the pieces in place to do so. We'll start with the obvious -- Tu Holloway. If it weren't for a guy named Jordan Taylor at Wisconsin, Holloway would probably be considered the best point guard in the country. He's also one of the most clutch players in the country; there may not be five players in the country that I would want at the foul line in the final minute more than him. He carried Xavier for long stretches of the season in 2010-2011 and, up until a five point performance in the opening round loss of the NCAA Tournament, was one of just three players (along with Nolan Smith and Norris Cole) to average 20 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg. Holloway is a terrific creator with the ball in his hands, thriving as a pick-and-roll point guard, but the danger is that sometimes he becomes too much of a dribbler. With the amount of talent that Holloway will have around him this season, it will be important that he embraces the role of facilitator just as much as he does lead-scorer.
Joining Holloway in the back court will be Mark Lyons, who really has a chance to become a big-time player as a junior. Lyons is more of a slasher than a point guard, but he's capable of handling the ball and creating shots for his teammates. Late in the season Lyons started to find more consistency with his jumper and had some big games, but where he can get into trouble is when he falls in love with shooting and forgets about putting the ball on the floor. With more quality jump shooters on the roster this year, Lyons should be able to focus on getting to the rim, which is his strong-suit. One of those shooters will be the guy that spells Lyons -- Brad Redford. Redford, a junior, should be back to 100%. When he is, he's one of the most dangerous shooters in the country.
Kenny Frease will be the guy that holds down the center position. Finally a starter last season, it took Frease a while to really find his rhythm in the paint. But once he did, he turned into one of the best big men in the Atlantic 10, posting some big games as a junior. A large part of that success was due to Frease finally getting into good enough condition that he can play extended minutes. I'd expect sophomore Griffin McKenzie to see minutes giving Frease a blow. McKenzie was a fairly well-regarded recruit and Cincinnati native, but he was assaulted prior to the season starting and it took him awhile to get back into the mix. McKenzie is a big-body, but he also has a soft touch on his jumper.
Where this Xavier team gets dangerous is at the forward spots, where they will be loaded heading into the season. At the small forward spot, it figures to be two freshmen that will battle it out for minutes. True freshman Dezmine Wells appears to be the perfect fit for the Xavier program. A solidly-built and extremely athletic (he's been described to be as a "freak") 6'4" wing, Wells plays the game like a football player. He's a terrific on-ball defender, he attacks the basket off the dribble and he cleans the glass. Redshirt freshman Justin Martin plays a different style. He's more of a jump-shooter, but his 6'7" frame allows him to play the three. With Holloway at the point, its feasible that these two could share the court.
The power forward spot will be the toughest spot to get minutes this season for Xavier as two transfers -- Andre Walker from Vanderbilt and Travis Taylor from Monmouth -- and one junior -- Jeff Robinson -- will be competing for time. Walker is the most versatile of the three, as he can play either forward spot. He's a tough defender and a kid that started as a sophomore at Vanderbilt. Taylor is probably the best rebounder of the group and the most likely to fill the void left by McLean, at least early in the season. Robinson is an x-factor. There is no denying his ability, as he's a long and athletic 6'9" forward. He went for 22 points when he got a chance to start against La Salle, including this dunk, but he needs to be more consistent in his effort. Can he embrace the roll of spark-plug off the bench?
There is no question that this Xavier team has talent, but my concern is that there may actually be too much talent. There are so many moving pieces on this roster and so many players deserving of extended minutes that head coach Chris Mack could end up forcing upper-classmen to ride the bench for freshmen that are more talented. Will he be able to manage their egos? Will guys that expect or want to be 10-15 ppg scorers be able to replicate the glue-guy performances of Dante Jackson and Jamel McLean? If all the pieces end up coming together and Tu Holloway plays like we expect him to, this ranking may end up looking silly at the end of the season.
Continue reading...
Friday, March 11, 2011
Dayton beats Xavier, bubble teams worry, I quote Bill Pidto |
In the immortal words of Bill Pidto, the Atlantic 10 is a developing situation
Dayton finally decided they wanted to play like the Dayton we've all expected to see for the past two seasons, jumping out to a 21-3 lead on No. 1 seed Xavier in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. The Flyers were up 54-37 before Xavier went on a 30-12 run to take a 67-66 lead with 25 seconds left.
But Luke Fabrizius was the hero, hitting two free throws with six seconds on the clock before Tu Holloway had a three at the buzzer rim out, as the Flyers handed to Musketeers just their second Atlantic 10 loss of the season and advanced to the Atlantic 10 semifinals, where they will play the winner of St. Joe's and Duquesne.
Bubble teams beware.
Regardless of what happens, there will be at least one team playing for the Atlantic 10's autobid with no shot whatsoever of earning an at-large.
Temple and Richmond are still alive in the bottom of the bracket, so assuming a bid will be stolen is premature.
But Dayton is as talented as any team in the conference and Duquesne started out A-10 play 7-0. Both of those teams are capable of winning the conference title.
And if that happens, its just one more spot on the bubble that will be taken.
So if you are a fan of a bubble team, you better get your Temple pom-poms out.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
POSTERIZED: Jeff Robinson takes big steps |
You know what the most impressive part about this dunk is for me?
It not that Xavier's Jeff Robinson delivered a powerful facial. No, its that he was able to get up high enough to throw down a dunk like that on a defender despite not using a dribble while taking just two steps from the three point line.
That's a lot of ground to cover, and having the athletic ability to get that kind of vertical explosion when taking such long strides is insane:
La Salle sophomore Devon White shouldn't be ashamed, however. That dunk wasn't near as embarrassing as the thorough pistol-whipping that Xavier hit the Explorers with. X won by 38 points, was up 36-6 10 minutes into the game, and played their walk-ons in the first half.
Ouch.
(H/T to @bleibforth and @xavierexaminer for the heads up.)
But was it as good as one of these?:
POSTERIZED - Nyika Williams
POSTERIZED - Jawanza Poland, South Florida
POSTERIZED - Brady Jardine, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Asheville
POSTERIZED - Peyton Siva, Louisville
POSTERIZED - E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
POSTERIZED - DJ Newbill, Southern Mississippi
POSTERIZED - Scotty Hopson, Tennessee
POSTERIZED - Justin Brownlee, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Tyrone Johnson
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Ross, Washington
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Andre Roberson, Colorado
POSTERIZED - Durrell Summers, Michigan State
POSTERIZED - Phillip McDonald, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Kyle Kuric, Louisville
POSTERIZED - Anthony Nelson, Niagara
POSTERIZED - Cory Joseph, Texas
POSTERIZED - Will Sheehey, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Tom Pritchard, Indiana
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - John Holland, Boston
POSTERIZED - Keith Gabriel, VMI
POSTERIZED - Travis McKie, Wake Forest
POSTERIZED - Jefferson Mason, Minnesota State (D-II)
POSTERIZED - Tyler Johnson, Fresno State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Asheville
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-Asheville
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
Continue reading...
Monday, February 14, 2011
2/14 - College Hoops Week in Review: I hope you didn't forget Valentine's Day |
Game of the Week: Wisconsin 71, Ohio State 67
Jordan Taylor provided us with the most exciting 13 minutes of basketball this season on Saturday. With Wisconsin down 47-32 after Ohio State went on a 21-6 run, the no-longer-underrated Taylor caught fire. He scored on a tough drive. Two possessions later, he knocked down a three to get the lead to ten. On Wisconsin’s next possession, he buried another three to cut Ohio State’s lead to seven. After two Mike Bruesewitz free throws and another jumper from Taylor, the Badger’s point guard found freshman John Gasser for a three that tied the game with 9:46 left.
All told, the nation's slowest team had erased a 15 point deficit on the nation's No. 1 team in 3:30. Aaron Craft did his best to keep Ohio State in the lead, scoring six of the Buckeye's next eight points as they opened up a four point lead, but Taylor had the answer. He hit a three, found Mike Bruesewitz for a three, and found Keaton Nankivil for a jumper to put Wisconsin ahead, then he capped the run with a three pointer of his own with 5:34 left in the game as the Badgers went up 60-55.
Taylor finished with 27 points and seven assists, accounting for all but six points and three assists in the final 13 minutes of the game. The court was stormed, Ohio State suffered their first loss of the season, and Taylor was Rudy'd.
Florida 61, Tennessee 60: It seems like every game played in the SEC East is a close game with an exciting finish. Florida, however, has proven to be the best in the conference at winning those close games, which is why they are currently sitting at 9-2 in the league with a two game lead. In this one, the Gators overcame a 35-29 half time deficit, winning on a tough, driving layup by Erving Walker with 14 seconds left.
Duke 79, UNC 73: Like the Wisconsin-Ohio State game, Duke-UNC didn't have a great finish, but it was quite entertaining nonetheless. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 43-27 lead in the first half, but Duke led an entertaining rally in the second half, as Seth Curry and Nolan Smith combined for 40 points after the break.
Wild finishes:
Players of the Week: I don't generally like giving out ties with the Weekly Awards, but four players this week gave such impressive performances, I really had no choice:
Norris Cole, Cleveland State: Cole had the line of the year so far this season, going for 41 points, 20 boards, nine assists, and three steal in a win over Youngstown State. The only other player in the last 15 years to have a 40-20 games was Blake Griffin, who had 40 points and 23 boards against Texas Tech. In a loss on Monday, Cole added 27 points, six assists, and seven boards.
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt: Jenkins was terrific in Vandy's two big wins over Alabama and Kentucky. On Tuesday against the Crimson Tide, he finished with 20 points on 5-11 shooting, but his better performance came on Saturday. With Jeff Taylor struggling, Jenkins picked up the slack, going for a career-high 32 points on 11-17 shooting while hitting six threes, many of them closely contested.
Nolan Smith, Duke: Smith has been a catalyst for the Blue Devils all season long, but never was that more evident than this week. He sparked Duke in the second half of their 81-71 road win over Miami on Sunday, finishing with 18 points and five assists despite sitting out a long stretch of the first half after being poked in the eye. On Wednesday, he scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half as Duke rallied from 16 down to knock off North Carolina.
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin: We've already talked plenty about Taylor's play against Ohio State, both in this post and from the write-ups on Saturday. Taylor averaged 21.5 ppg and 7.5 apg in two wins this week, including 21 points and four assists during Wisconsin's comeback from 15 points down in the last 13 minutes against Ohio State.
The all-they-were-good-too team:
Team of the Week: Xavier Musketeers
The Muskies did a lot this week. They took over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. They put themselves into prime position for an at-large berth. And they did it by winning on the road despite not getting great performances out of Tu Holloway.
On Tuesday, X went into Athens and knocked off Georgia 65-57. Holloway led four players in double figures with 18 points, but he didn't score until there were five minutes gone in the second half. Instead, it was the play of Mark Lyons and Dante Jackson that kept Xavier in it until Holloway was able to take the game over. On Sunday, Xavier got 20 from Holloway, 19 out of Dante Jackson, and 12 points and 12 boards from Kenny Frease as they went into Pittsburgh and knocked off Duquesne, who they were tied for first place in the conference with.
Xavier still has some work to do this season. A couple of ugly early losses on their resume hurt, and the Muskies have shown they are plenty capable of losing to a team like Charlotte in league play. But it seems as if Xavier is, once again, peaking at the right time. Give credit where credit is due -- this coaching job by Chris Mack, overcoming the injuries and ineligibilities that he has had to deal with, is as good as any in the country.
Also impressive this week:
Matchups of the Week:
Continue reading...
Monday, January 31, 2011
1/31 - College Hoops Week in Review: Louisville, Georgetown, and New Mexico make moves |
Game of the Week: Louisville 79, UConn 78 2OT
Louisville doesn't have any one star, but Peyton Siva sure looked like he is primed to be one down the stretch against the Huskies. Louisville trailed for much of the second half, getting down by as much as nine points midway through the half. But Siva sparked a 14-3 run with an and-one bucket in the paint and capped it with two free throws that gave the Cardinals a 57-55 lead. UConn would score four straight points, but Siva broke down UConn's defense -- something that would become a common theme -- and score another tough bucket in the paint with 30 seconds left to tie the game. Kemba Walker got a decent look at a jumper on the baseline, but he missed and the game headed to overtime.
In that first OT, Preston Knowles scored Louisville's first five points, but a Shabazz Napier three and four UConn free throws gave the Huskies a 68-64 lead. After Mike Marra hit a three and Napier went 1-2 from the line, Siva again broke down the UConn defense, tying the game with a dunk in traffic. Walker had two defenders run at him and gave the ball up to Jeremy Lamb, who missed a three point floater that would have won the game.
In the second overtime, back to back threes gave the Cardinals a six point lead, and while UConn made a push, it was two driving hoops from Siva that ended being the difference. Why? Because Louisville missed three straight free throws down the stretch that nearly cost them the game. But with the score 79-78 and eight seconds left, UConn took six seconds to get the ball in Kemba's hands. He was forced to take a 35 foot three for the win that bounced off the rim. With the win, the Cardinals moved into sole possession of second place in the Big East.
Florida 104, Georgia 91 2OT: In a back and forth game down in Athens, the Gators rallied from a nine point first half deficit to take a lead late in the second half. But Georgia made a run, and thanks to two missed free throws by Erving Walker, Georgia was able to force overtime on a tip-in by Trey Thompkins at the buzzer:
After an exciting overtime period, Florida was able to force a second overtime period thanks to this 30 footer from Erving Walker:
In the second overtime, Chandler Parsons got hot and the Gators eventually won by 13 points, but the best moment of the game had nothing to with basketballs.
Utah State 89, Hawaii 84 2OT: The Aggies won their 15th straight game and moved to 9-0 in the WAC, but it wasn't easy. Hawaii was down by as much as 10 points in the second half, but Zane Johnson and Jeremiah Ostrowski sparked a come back. Bill Amis eventually gave the Rainbows the lead at 61-60. The two teams would trade baskets before Brian Green, who had a team-high 22 points, hit a tough pull up jumper to force the first overtime. Hawaii again had a late lead in the first OT, but Green once again tied the game with a 28 foot three. In the second OT, USU jumped out to an early lead, but after Johnson hit a three to cut the lead to 80-79, the Aggies hit their free throws down the stretch to win the game.
Half-court buzzer beaters: Is it just me, or does it seem like there are more buzzer beaters than usual this season. Weber State handed Northern Colorado their first loss of the Big Sky season on this 45 footer from Scott Bamforth:
Not to be outdone, freshman Michael Alvarado of Manhattan banked in a 55 footer to beat Marist:
Player of the Week: Peyton Siva, Louisville
Siva didn't put up the greatest numbers this week -- in two Louisville wins, he averaged 17.5 ppg and 5.0 apg -- but when his points came were much more important than the total number that he scored. Against West Virginia, he helped spark a comeback from an 11 point second half deficit, sealing the win with a tough, up-and-under layup off the glass.
As we already mentioned, Siva was unstoppable in the final minutes against UConn, dissecting the Huskie's defense for four huge buckets late in the game. The knock of Louisville all season long has been that they don't have a star, that they don't have a go-to player that they can give the ball to down the stretch. After this performance from Siva, it appears the Cardinals now have two.
Preston Knowles has hit a number of big shots in his career. He also sparked Louisville's comeback from 18 points down against Marquette. Combine his shot making with Siva's play making ability, and the Cardinals back starts to look much more dangerous.
The All-the-were-good-too team (This was hard to do. There were a lot of terrific performances by back court players):
Team of the Week: Georgetown Hoyas
Three weeks ago, I said I was almost ready to write off the Hoyas. Its a good thing I put an "almost" in that sentence, because the Hoyas have proved that their season is anything but finished. Georgetown had two impressive wins this week. On Wednesday, they smacked a St. John's team by 25 that would go on to do the same thing to Duke on Sunday. Then on Saturday, the Hoyas went into Philly and knocked off Villanova 69-66. Chris Wright is still struggling (he didn't score a single point against Villanova) but thanks to Austin Freeman's resurgence (he had 30 at Villanova), Jason Clark's excellent all-around play, and Hollis Thompson's move to sixth man, the Hoyas are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
Its perfect timing. Georgetown is now 5-4 in the Big East, but with Villanova and Syracuse both coming back to earth and the question marks surrounding Louisville, Notre Dame, and UConn, there really only seems to be one dominant team in the Big East. Georgetown is still very much in the thick of the race for a top four seed in the Big East and a double bye in the conference tournament next month.
Teams deserving a shout out: This week was one of the crazier weeks I've ever experienced as a college hoops fan. Teams ranked in the top 25 went a preposterous 22-20 this week. Included in that record was this weekend, where 13 of the top 25 teams in the country picked up a loss. That doesn't mean that the past week was forgettable for everyone, however:
New Mexico: The Lobos picked up two huge wins this week, knocking off both TCU and BYU at the Pit. The BYU win was incredibly important, as it gives Steve Alford's club a win to hang their tournament resume on. New Mexico has plenty of talent on their roster, but seeing as this is a relatively new team -- they lost Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez last season and added three freshmen this season and Drew Gordon in December -- it looks as if it has taken a while for this team to gel. New Mexico has the pieces to be capable of a run down the stretch of the season. Hopefully, knocking off the Cougars is the spark they needed.
Louisville: As we mentioned, Peyton Siva's performance in the clutch this week was impressive. The Cardinals picked up two huge wins over teams in the upper half of the Big East and now sit alone in second place in the conference. Keep in mind, the Cardinals are doing all of this without Raheem Buckles. Or Jared Swopshire, for that matter.
Texas: All of a sudden, the Longhorns look like one of the four or five best teams in the country. This week, they picked up a tough win at Oklahoma State on the night the Cowboys honored the ten year anniversary of the plane crash that killed ten members of their team before they demolished Missouri at home. The final of that 71-58 win against Missouri doesn't do the Longhorn's dominance justice, either. If they hadn't shot 16-34 from the free throw line, it would have been a 25 point win.
Xavier: This wasn't supposed to be Xavier's year. With the injuries and eligibility issues they have had this season, it was supposed to be Temple and Richmond that rose to the top of the Atlantic 10. But after a 23 point beatdown of the Spiders in Richmond on Saturday, the Muskies are now sitting at 7-0 in league play and well on their way to another conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid. Chris Mack better have his name near the top of every Coach of the Year list.
Penn State: Believe it or not, the Nittany Lions are now officially on the bubble, which is impressive considering this is a team that few thought was capable of competing in the Big Ten this season. Well, compete they have, as the Bryce Jordan Center has become the conference's best home court advantage. With wins over Illinois and Michigan State at home already, Talor Battle scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half as Penn State rallied from a nine point halftime deficit to knock off Wisconsin. Penn State has a brutal finish to the season -- @ Illinois, Michigan, @ Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, @ Wisconsin, @ Northwestern, Ohio State, @ Minnesota -- but if they can piece together a .500 record in that stretch, the bubble is weak enough that this group could very well sneak into the Big Dance.
Kansas: Kansas won at Colorado and at home against Kansas State this week, which wouldn't be all that impressive if they didn't have a midweek trip to Washington DC for the funeral of Thomas Robinson's mother. Kansas has as much talent in the world, and with this added motivation and support, the Jayhawks are a scary team this season. It should be noted that in the win over Kansas State, Robinson had 17 points and nine boards.
Washington State: The Cougars have fallen down to fourth in the Pac-10 standings, but that doesn't mean this is a team that you can write off just yet. They proved that fact with an 87-80 win over Washington on Sunday night. When Klay Thompson, Faisal Aden, and Reggie Moore are all playing well, Wazzu is not a team that you want to be playing.
VCU: The Commodores moved into sole possession of first place in the CAA with a 3-0 week, which included a statement win over Hofstra. I saw this team play at the Preseason NIT in November, and I said then that they looked like a group capable of winning a game or two in the NCAA Tournament. They are balanced, they have a ton of shooters, and they have a high-major post presence in Jamie Skeen.
Northern Iowa: The Panthers have now won seven straight games in the Valley, capping off that streak with a hard fought, 61-60 win over Missouri State on the road. The Panthers are the hottest team in the conference, sit just a game back of both the Bears and Wichita State, and own road wins over both the teams they trail in league play.
Morehead State: The Ohio Valley may not be the two team race we all expected it to be as five teams are within a game of first place. But thanks to a 2-0 week against two of those five teams, the Eagles find themselves just a game behind Austin Peay and Murray State in the loss column.
Seton Hall: I want the Pirates to be successful this season. We all talk about how devastating this season has been for Thomas Robinson, but no one mentions that the Pirates are a misplaced defibrillator and a poorly aimed bullet away from losing their two best players, Herb Pope and Jeremy Hazell. This past week, the Pirates started their season in the right direction, beating Syracuse by 22 points in the Dome and knocking off Providence.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma: Neither Texas Tech nor Oklahoma will be fighting for an at-large bid this season, but it appears both teams are fighting to keep their coaches employed. Both the Red Raiders and the Sooners are on three game winning streaks right now.
Matchups of the Week:
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