Wednesday was a quiet night on the College Hoops front. Good thing too, as I (and I'm assuming of my fellow junkies) needed some time to recover from the two-day hoops bender I went on. Onto the games.
Three ranked teams in action last night, three wins.
Best of the night:
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Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday Morning Shootaround |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Best Dunks from the Tip-Off Marathon |
Or at least the ones we saw that have made it to youtube. First, Blake Griffin with a huge tomahawk through the lane. He had four or five youtube worthy dunks in the two games Oklahoma played during the marathon, but given the authority he threw these down with and the timing in the game (capping a huge run by OU to push the lead to 21), the two in this video were probably the best.
How not to throw an alley-oop followed by how to throw an alley-opp.
Chase Budinger puts down a one-handed facial on some poor dude from Florida Atlantic. Mike Jarvis should have put in the scouting report "don't try to jump with this guy".
Easily the best dunk I've seen in a while. Remember the name Paul George. He'll be on Sportscenter a lot.
BONUS DUNK. Dave Diakite of Central Florida. Not during the Tip-Off Marathon, but this is dirty.
Wednesday Lay-up Lines |
A relatively quiet night tonight, as only three ranked teams are in action. Here are all the games that you should keep an eye on:
- 7:00 PM: Michigan State @ IPFW - Not sure why the Spartans are playing at a Summit League school. Doesn't the MSU athletic department have enough money to throw their way to get them to come to East Lansing?
- 7:00 PM: Niagara @ Villanova
- 7:00 PM: UNC-Wilmington @ Wake Forest
- 7:00 PM: South Florida @ Virginia - The worst team in the ACC plays the worst team in the Big East for conference inferiority.
- 8:00 PM: Mercer @ Auburn - Time to see if Mercer if for real.
- 9:00 PM: Florida A&M @ Alabama - The Tide really need a win after losing the Mercer at home.
Wednesday Morning Shootaround |
Once again, this is going to be a bit brief as one blogger can only take so much. Here are the scores you need to know about, and what (if anything) you need to know:
- Tennessee 91, UT-Martin 64 - Bobby Maze has been very good so far for the Vols, averaging 8 ppg and 8.5 apg with just 3 t/o's on the year in a 2-0 start.
- Purdue 78, Loyola 46
- Texas 76, Tulane 51
- Wisconsin 88, SIU Edwardsville 58
- USC 73, New Mexico St. 60 - Taj Gibson had 22 and 10, both career highs, but USC needed a late spurt to put away a tough NMSU team.
- Gonzaga 80, Idaho 46
- Kansas 85, Florida Gulf Coast 45
- UNC 77, Kentucky 58 - UNC jumped all over Kentucky early, racing out to a 25-6 lead. UNC's defense looked very tough, especially early, although a lot of that was the inexperience in the Kentucky back court. The Wildcats really need someone to emerge as a reliable ball handler against pressure - they have 53 turnovers through two games. UNC's front line behind Hansbrough has looked great in their three games. Tonight, Deon Thompson had 20 and 9 and Ed Davis added 9 and 10.
- Oklahoma 82, Davidson 78 - Steph Curry had 44 and Blake Griffin had 25 and 21. For more, go to the live-blog transcript here.
- Indiana 60, IUPUI 57 - Indiana is now 2-0. Tom Pritchard (who the..?) had 19 and 10.
- Syracuse 76, Richmond 71; Baylor 90, Centenary 55 - Read the live-blog.
- San Diego 65, Nevada 51 - I have a feeling this game could carry weight on the bubble. Rob Jones had 23 for San Diego, who held Luke Babbitt to 3.
- Washington 78, Cleveland State 63 - Jon Brockman had 23 and 13 as the Huskies picked up a win against a good CSU team.
- UAB 72, Arizona 71 - Crazy ending. Arizona was down 47-33 early in the second half and nine with 5:00 to go, but came all the way back to tie it on a Josh Fogg putback with 25 seconds left. Zona got the ball back, but Jamelle Horne committed an intentional foul with .8 seconds on the clock. Paul Delaney hit 1 of 2 free throws to win the game. Horne didn't realize how little time was left and thought Delaney had an easy lay-up that would have won it. Budinger had 27 for Arizona, Hill had 13 points and 22 boards, while Vaden led the Blazers with 20.
- Arizona State 59, SDSU 52 - The Sun Devils were down 15-2 early but came backk to win behind 18 points (but 6 turnovers) from James Harden.
- JP Primm, UNC-Asheville - The freshman had 21, 7, and 7 in his debut, which just so happened to be on national TV.
- Tyrese Rice, BC - Rice had 28, 9 dimes, and 5 boards as he led the Eagles to a win over St. John's and a trip to the Garden for the Pre-season NIT Final Four.
- DeAndre Hall, Texas Southern - Hall had 29 points in a loss to Cincinnati.
- Alex Barnett, Dartmouth - Barnett had 28, but Providence bounced back from a loss to Northeastern with a 100-82 win.
- Greivis Vazquez, Maryland - Vazquez had 28, 8 boards, 4 dimes, and 4 steals in a win against Youngstown State.
- David Huertas, Mississippi - Huertas had 27 in a win against South Alabama, including 7 3's.
- Mike DiNunno and Darion Anderson, Northern Illinois - DiNunno had 27, 4, 4, 3 steals and hit 6 3's while Anderson went for 27, 8 boards, 4 dimes and he hit 4 3's as NIU beat Indiana State.
- Kenny Dawkins, Lamar - Dawkins had 29, 6 and 5 assists in a Lamar win.
- Randy Culpepper, UTEP - Culpepper had 35 in a UTEP win.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! Pt. 4 |
11:43: Normally, even if Davis hits both of these, I would say don't take a three, get a quick two. But with Curry, who knows. Curry throws it away, and the Sooners hand on 82-78. Great performances by both all-americans. 44 for Curry, 25 and 21 for Griffin. We are going to watch the Arizona-UAB game, but that is it for the live-blogging. We figure 28 straight hours is enough for you guys. Now it is time for some sleep. Bring it on bed.
11:41: Jesus, Crocker missed another three early in the shot clock, it is a good thing Griffin was there to clean it up. He has 25 and 21 now, and Cade Davis got fouled. 81-76 with 23 seconds left.
11:39: Is OU trying to lose this game? With under two minutes left up 9 then up 6, OU missed three's early in the shot clock. And oh my god, what a shot Curry just hit. A step-back, fade-away with Blake Griffin guarding him. Good lord. This kid is all Davidson has tonight, and he has them down 79-76 to arguably the best team in the Big XII.
11:35: Lovedale is 4-12 and has been completely ineffective in the post. If he was on, Davidson would be right in this. More on Curry being so smart. Three times in this game, Curry has gotten a wide open three off of an out-of-bounds play where Davidson runs a little interference, but basically has Curry coming off an elbow screen going to the wing. Well, they ran it again, and Austin Johnson was over playing the screen, so Curry just slid to the hoop for a lay-up.
11:33: The Wildcats have cut it to 75-67 and Willie Warren just got called for a charge - his fifth.
11:30: Announcers really piss me off sometimes. Fran Fraschilla was just talking about how Curry has 37 tonight and he hasn't played his best game, which is completely true. But then he says "if he was on, he would have 50 against a very good defense". Hey jackass, maybe he isn't "on" because of the "very good defense".
11:27: If you throw some hair and a shaggy beard on Blake Griffin, he would be one of the Geico cavemen.
11:25: That might have been the worst charge call I've ever seen. Crocker was tripped into McKillop, McKillop wasn't there in time AND he wasn't just under the basket, he was on the other side of the rim.
11:19: OU is up 69-58 at the under 8:00 timeout. Jeff Capel made a great adjustment at halftime. Since he wasn't able to get the ball to Blake on the block because of the collapsing Davidson defense, he started isolating Blake on the wing. None of the Davidson bigs can stay with Griffin when he squares up on the perimeter. Griffin can basically only drive right or left all way to the rim (he isn't going anywhere with a cross over), but he is coordinated enough and has enough body-control that when he takes off, he can avoid the charge and jump over the help side. Blake has 22 and 17. He is a beast.
11:18: Live-blogs are so hard when you get really into a game.
11:11: It's not over yet. A Curry led 14-0 run has made this a 61-54 game. There is no quit in these Wildcats.
11:04: To give you an idea of how good Curry is, he is having an off-night and he has 27 points with 12:00 left in the game. And he sat out the last 6:00 of the first half.
11:02: OU has gone on a 23-6 run to start the second half.
11:00: Blake Griffin has woken up. Three BIG dunks in the last few minutes. Does anyone in the country dunk as hard as this guy?
10:58: Curry looks tired. He's been short on his last few jumpers.
10:54: Oklahoma is really starting to assert their dominance, and Blake Griffin is finally waking up. It was only a matter of time. Davidson has started taking bad shots. They really need someone else to step up as a scorer or playmaker, because they will not be able to rely on just Curry all season.
10:49: Willie Warren is taking this game over. He has looked fantastic. He's hit three's, taken the ball to rim, found the Griffin's on pick-and-rolls. He still is making some bad decisions - like ill-advised shots and passes - but he has looked very good nonetheless.
10:44: First three plays of the half - Curry picks up two fouls on Warren, then goes by Crocker for a leaner off the glass. He is such a smart player and reads the defense so well. He doesn't seem to force anything, just takes what he is given. And now Taylor Griffin has three fouls, and Warren as well.
10:30: Davidson dodged a bullet with Curry sitting the last 6:00 with three fouls as they head into the half down 38-34. The story of the first half wasn't Curry, it was Davidson's defense. They played very well, especially on Blake Griffin. Every time he touched it within 10 feet, the Wildcats were running an extra defender at him from the weak side. It did lead to some Sooner three's early on, but Davidson really tightened up on their rotations as the half went on. The Sooners also stopped looking to Griffin in the post because he wasn't scoring. They need to run their offense through him - he needs a touch every possession. If he shoots and misses, the double team will mean either a wing or the other big will have a free run at an offensive rebound. If he kicks it out and the Sooners swing the ball quickly, they will have an open jumper, a mismatch on the perimeter, or a chance for a player to go 1-on-1 against a close-out.
Davidson's offense is, well, Steph Curry. It really bogged down towards the end as they started settling for three's (and deep ones in the case of Barr). No one else has really been able to get anything. Rossiter, Lovedale, and especially the freshman Allison have been overwhelmed inside against the bigger, stronger, more athletic Sooners.
10:20: While Davidson's offense has sputtered without Curry, their defense has kept them in this game. And Davidson just caught a break, with Blake Griffin going over the back on a rebound, picking up his second. To the bench. This is big for Davidson, especially defensively, because they don't have to focus on Taylor Griffin as much.
10:14: Willie Warren is showing why he was one of the best recruits in the country. He has 14 points, and that last move might have been his best of the day. Coming down the right side of the court on a secondary break, he puts on a quick in and out move, blows by the defender with one dribble, takes off of one foot and makes a floater off the glass. But he was able to go straight up off of an explosive blow-by and thus avoiding a charge. Beautiful move, great body control. This kid is a player.
10:11: Taylor Griffin has 11 points now. He is feasting off of o-boards because of all the attention Blake is getting.
10:08: Uh-oh, Curry just picked up his third. And McKillop takes him out. OU needs to build up a lead here. Davidson should not score with Curry on the bench.
10:04: Under 8:00 timeout, and Curry is all Davidson has right now. He is making plays defensively, he is scoring off the ball, he's finding open men in transition, he's going to the hole. He's already got 17. Blake Griffin on the other hand has not really shown up offensively yet, but he is still the reason OU has the lead. He is drawing defenders, which allows OU's shooters to get looks, and he is dominating the paint defensively. And I have to give some credit to Taylor too, who is also playing very well.
10:01: Davidson has switched to man, and they just cannot handle the Sooners. Three straight hoops off of pick-and-rolls - Warren with a dish to each Griffin, then a bucket for himself in the lane.
9:57: Curry just picked up his 2nd trying to take a charge on Warren.
9:52: 2nd TV timeout and OU is up 21-17. Curry has 10 and assisted on two of Davidson's other three field goals.
9:49: Willie Warren is 3-3 from deep now and Tony Crocker hit one as well, which is so important because it will give Griffin more space inside.
9:45: Curry is so smart off the ball. That's two back-cuts he's made when Austin Johnson is over-playing screens.
9:41: Davidson is doing a pretty good job on Blake Griffin early. What they are doing is running the opposite wing at him whenever he has it within about 10 feet and daring Blake to make that cross court pass. He has yet to make a good move in the post, and just turned the ball over with a travel. But after Davidson built up a 7-2 lead, OU responded with a 9-0 run, capped by Willie Warren's first three-ball of the year. OU is getting some fast break points right now, and has two acrobatic lay-ups from Taylor Griffin.
9:37: Curry looks like a good distributor early, with two quick assists finding open shooters.
9:33: Heading over to ESPN2 for the Davidson-Oklahoma game.
9:26: UK is finally waking up a little bit. It is because of their defense. It has picked up, which means that UNC cannot get into their pressure. UK's points cannot handle that pressure.
9:23: Quickly, my thoughts on Erin Andrews. She is hot, but the blogosphere has made her made her out to be so incredibly beautiful, that she is actually overrated at this point. She's like a 9, but the blogs put her at about a 17.
9:17: 12:00 in and Patterson gets his first touch - on a fast break for a dunk. Gotta get rid of the 'fro PP.
9:14: Text I just got from a friend that is a UK fan: "This is not good". Exactly.
9:11: PP has no touches inside of 40 feet.
9:08: UNC is a whole different beast this year. Their defense is really getting after it, although for some reason Roy Williams has the big guys going for steals and the guards on the glass, which is why Perry Stevenson got those two rebounds.
9:05: Nice start for Deon Thompson. I've always thought he was pretty good. And UNC's defense is all over Kentucky right now. Back-to-back turnovers.
9:01: Oh no. Dickie V is doing a UNC game. Shulman is pretty good, and he at least balances out Vitales insanity enthusiasm. I actually have a soft spot for Vitale. You have to respect the fact that he actually loves this game that much. Nothing about the guy is fake. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and he seems like a legitimately good person. Let's keep the ACC homerism in check though, ok Dick?
8:55: ESPN has really put viewers in a bad position with their scheduling. Why would they put the two best games of the day in the same time slot? I am going to be watching the first half-hour or so of the UNC-UK game, but I will definitely be switching over to watch OU-Davidson once that game starts. I'll probably end up watching Arizona-UAB, so be sure to check in here for that game as well.
8:39: I've only been watching for about 10 minutes, but I think Bobby Knight on Gameday is an overwhelming success. Not only does he seem to genuinely enjoy it (he was cracking jokes on Hubert Davis Dickie V) but he has some insight that you don't get and won't hear from the other guys. Like how coaches don't plan on having freshman that can carry their team. I won't go through his entire point, but basically he told Bilas, Davis, and Digger, who were raving about important freshman, right in their place. I think the quote was "You know when freshman are at their best? As sophomore".
8:27: Hubert Davis tells us the truth about Obama's performance against the Heels. "He was 0-9 with 3 turnovers. He was struggling".
8:07: AND WE GOT RAFTERY!! He may be a crazy old man, but I like him. And a huge dunk by Sean Evans gets Raftery going. Evans slowed up to wait for the BC defender to try and block that.
8:05: St. John's-BC is a 31-30 game. I'll stick here for a while.
8:03: How does the Gameday crew not mention the number of turnovers that Tyreke Evans had last night (6)? He was downright sloppy on some of them. My take on Evans - he played well defensively last night, but offensively, he had 13 points on 4-14 shooting with 6 turnovers if you take away those three fast break dunks (two of which he didn't even create).
8:00: Can't decide what to watch right now. Probably going to be flipping between BC-St. John's, Purdue-Loyola, and Gameday.
7:55: It looks like Syracuse is going to win this one. Really impressed with Devendorf, especially in the second half. He put a struggling Syracuse team on his back and carried them to this win. He ended up with 22, but at least 16, including all four of his 3's, came in the second half.
7:53: Syracuse really took control of this game down the stretch, but Richmond has gone on a little spurt and cut it to 71-67 with a minute left.
7:39: Flynn and Devo have 26 of the Cuse 29 second half points.
7:35: Is it just me, or does it feel like every single time a coach calls a timeout after one of the TV timeout thresholds (meaning 16:00, 12:00, etc.) that there is a whistle within the next 15 seconds of play, meaning that the commercials last about five minutes.
7:33: Syracuse looks like they might start to pull away. And as a I was about to praise them offensively, the Cuse turn it over, give up a big dunk by Kevin Smith, and Boeheim uses a time out. There is no question this Cuse team is talented, but it looks like their biggest question mark is going to be focus and intensity.
7:25: Richmond runs a lot smoother offensively and defensively with the PG Kevin Anderson on the floor. He went out right before Devendorf went on his run. He came back in and Richmond has cut the lead to two.
7:19: Little things make good teams great teams. For example, the freshman Joseph, on Harris's missed jumper, went for an offensive rebound and tried to steal the outlet pass. He then jogged back down court, his man was left open, and he had to give a foul on a lay-up. It won't show up in the stat sheet, but if he doesn't go for the steal and hustles back on D, he saves the free throws and the foul.
7:14: Thank God for this commercial. I could not bear bare bear (help?) to hear another color commentator talk about how the deeper three point line will only effect marginal shooters.
7:11: Well, it looks like Devendorf may be healthy. He just scored 11 straight points, including three 3's, that put the Orange up 44-40. Yea, I know I said stop shooting three's, but these were good three's. Two were off of kickouts from Flynn's penetration, and one was off of a Onuaku post touch when the defense collapsed.
7:08: Will Syracuse get back into their zone? Two straight possessions they got burned on a pick-and-roll (second one got bailed out by an Ongenaet block).
6:56: Going into this game, Syracuse was really growing on me. They are deep and they have talent at every position. But wow, have I been disappointed in this effort. First of all, it is their defense. They look terrible. They don't locate shooters. They aren't bumping cutters. They are allowing penetration. They let the ball get to the high post way too easily. They aren't identifying players in transition. They are letting Richmond do whatever they want. The Spiders shot 50% from the floor and 7-12 from deep.
Syracuse hasn't been any better offensively. Devendorff and Flynn are over penetrating and forcing it way too much, and that is when they (meaning the Cuse as a whole) aren't jacking up three's. What happened to Onuaku? He had four quick baskets, and has touched it once since. No one on Richmond can handle the big man inside. Give him the ball.
All that was taking away from Richmond, which is wasn't intended to do. The Spiders played a great half. They shot well, they were aggressive offensively, and David Gonzalvez was probably the best player on the floor in the first half.
6:37: As I write that last post, Richmond makes two three's to take a 31-27 lead. This kid David Gonzalvez on Richmond has been unconscious, scoring 14 points and hitting all five of his shots (four from deep).
6:36: The Cuse have really picked up their intensity defensively. Richmond hasn't scored in about four minutes, and everything the Spiders do is contested. Even the foul that Rick Jackson just picked up was a result of a great trap and lucky pass.
6:26: Syracuse looks like they are sleep walking out there. Richmond is out hustling them, beating them on the glass. The 'Cuse really need a spark, and if Flynn had put down that dunk on the Richmond center, that probably would have been it.
6:24: Where is the Syracuse defense? Richmond is getting whatever they want offensively.
6:21: Onuaku is looking great with 8 early points.
6:16: Andy Rautins hair makes me want to punch him in the face.
6:12: Syracuse is playing some man-to-man defense right now. Not really sure why, but I bet it is because Flynn, Devendorf, and Rautins are not the as big and long as Boeheim likes the guys to be at the top of his zone. I actually like this team as a zone team. Harris and Ongenaet are athletic enough to get out and defend the perimeter, but they are both (along with Onuaku) very good rebounders as well.
6:09: Onuaku looks like he has bulked up a bit, but in a good way. He was kind of chubby last year, but he is looking like he is solid muscle right now.
6:07: Did Paul Harris really just hit a three? That's not good news for the Big East.
6:03: Doris Burke is doing color. She's decent, not too great, not too bad.
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College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! Pt. 3 |
6:01: So I'm going to switch over to another new post, this one is getting a little bit long.
6:00: Anyone else pumped to see the rematch of the 1991 first round game where Richmond upset #2 seed Syracuse?
5:59: I was pleasantly surprised by the two Baylor freshman bigs, Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones. Acy looks a little more developed offensively and is more of a post player, but Jones showed off a nice lefty stroke knocking down a three and also had a few blocks.
5:55: Why is Curtis Jerrells still on the floor? Baylor is up 34 with 2:08 left. Drew must have heard me, because he just pulled him.
5:54: If I see the Gameday commercial when Herbstreit and Howard are drawing on a sleeping Lee Corso one more time, I'm going gouge out my eye balls. ESPN just played in twice in the same commercial break.
5:42: Mamadou Diene sounds like a helluva guy. His parents died, so he sends his scholarship money back to Senegal so his brothers and sisters can buy groceries. He was named Big XII sportsman of the year. He's just the kind of guy you always want to see succeed.
5:39: Ugh, can Syracuse-Richmond start already? I'm sick of seeing Baylor smack around the Gents (Centenary's nickname is the Gentlemen .. seriously, it is) and hearing Doug Gottlieb talk. I mean, Gottlieb didn't even put Pitt in his top 25. Really Doug? And you have Notre Dame at 18? Is it because they kicked you out of school for stealing your roommate's credit cards and charging $900 to them? I hate that guy.
5:25: Kevin Rogers has made some really pretty plays tonight. He just put the ball on the floor and threw a nifty no-look pass through the paint to Acy for a dunk. If Rogers can develop some perimeter skills (handle, jumper) he could end up being a first-rounder.
5:22: David Wesley went back to Baylor to finish his degree, and while he is there he is acting as the student manager for Baylor. Some of those guards on Baylor (ahem, LaceDarius) should learn as much as they can from Wesley, who had a successful 14 year NBA career.
5:02: More on this tomorrow when I have a chance to write a full post about it, but apparently DeMarcus Cousins, the Rivals #2 recruit in the country, is ready to sign with UAB. He would easily be the biggest recruit in the history of the Blazer program. But the hold-up is that Cousins wants a clause written into his NLI that says he can leave the school if Mike Davis leaves. It makes sense. He's going there to play for Davis. If Davis isn't there, then he doesn't want to be stuck at UAB. And his high school teammate, Nick Williams, was given the run-around by Marquette when he asked out of his NLI when Tom Crean left. Anyway, more on this tomorrow, but here is a really good take on the issue from Seth Davis.
4:54: My buddy Trizzle just made a great point: what happened to Lavin's hair? The slick back look was his thing. I don't know if I like this Sandy Cohen look (an OC reference there). Anyway, we will always love Lavin here because of this.
4:52: What a first half for LaceDarius Dunn. 15 points, 6-10 shooting, 3 3's. He is known for his shooting ability, but he also made a couple really nice drives through the paint. Jerrells and and Dugat have looked good as well, making some nice moves through the lane. This is a really good group of guards that Baylor has here.
4:46: I really like this Baylor team. I think that they are a top 20 team, and should battle it out with Oklahoma and Texas for the Big XII title. They are huge, long, and athletic on their front line (although none of those four guys have much strength, Baylor plays a style that should hide that a bit). They have four excellent guards. They play a style that fits their roster about as well as anyone in the country. Doug Gottlieb, as much as I hate him, just made a really good point. He said that Baylor doesn't get the respect they deserve because they are not a name brand. I mean, you are really going to rank Baylor behind a team like Kansas? Kansas lost basically everyone, and although they do have a great incoming class, those guys are going to be very inexperienced (see their game against UMKC). Baylor is an NCAA tournament team that returns all but one player and adds two talented freshman to help fortify their front court.
Mark my words, Baylor is going to be very good this year.
4:25: Baylor's front line is so long and athletic. I expected it, but still. Kevin Rogers, Mamadou Diene, Quincy Acy, and Anthony Jones. Bears fans will see a lot of dunks this year.
4:17: Kevin Rogers is everywhere right now. Jumping passing lanes. Making steals. Blocking shots. A couple nice post moves. I like this kid's game.
4:15: Case in point - Baylor is up 15-5 five minutes in.
4:08: Baylor-Centenary. And Gottlieb is announcing. Great. One thing that has been bugging me. I understand that this is early in the season and I get that it is tough to schedule games right now (especially with the weird start times), but couldn't ESPN have put together a better schedule for this? I mean, Baylor-Centenary? The Penn-Drexel game was the 33rd st. battle, and there is at least a little rivalry and intrigue there. If Kenny George didn't have the health issues, the Liberty-Asheville game would have been George vs. Seth Curry. Again, some intrigue there. But are those really games that are going to get people other than college hoops junkies like myself in front of the TV? Probably not. And Baylor-Centenary is the worst of the bunch so far. ESPN can really turn this into something special, but they need better games.
3:44: Curry just threw up an airball. He does have 18 points, but it's on 18 shots. I don't think he is going to develop as well as his brother has. He doesn't seem as athletic, he isn't as good of a shooter, and he seems a bit smaller. If Steph is any indication, I'm sure Seth has an inch or two and some athleticism left, but all-in-all I didn't see a lot of out Seth that impressed me. I'm done with this game. Snack time, back at 4:00 for Baylor.
3:23: Primm just made an and-1 lay-up to put Asheville up 64-37. That's 27 points. Great game. on a side note, Primm now has 12 points, 7 boards, and 7 dimes. This live-blog is now going to become triple double watch.
3:14: Liberty can't hit anything. Since they have no hopes of stopping Asheville, they need to catch fire if they want to come back. It's not like they aren't getting good looks either, they are just missing. Speaking of Liberty's defense, this play just happened. The guy on the post made a player on the wing swing it to the top of the key, then called for the guy on the baseline to run of a screen a la a flex cut. He was obvious enough about it that I picked up on it watching TV. But the Flames defender didn't, and got beat for a lay-up. That is just plain bad.
3:10: Wow, I just realized how low the backboards come down in Asheville's gym. Is this a middle school gym?
2:57: Seth Curry did not have a very good half. He didn't shoot well, especially off of the dribble. He does have a good looking stroke, however, but Curry is having to run the lead guard too much. He does not look as comfortable shooting off the dribble as he does off the catch, but there were only two times in the whole half where Curry was able to spot up on the wing, catch and shoot. I know Liberty has a system they are trying to run, but I don't see them being all that successful unless they start playing more unselfishly. Too much 1-on-1, especially out of Smith. They have a ton of shooters. When you drive and draw a defender, kick it out. Trust that you teammates will knock it down.
Asheville has looked good, however. John Williams is an athlete and a high energy guy that has played very well so far. Sean Smith really broke the game open with his 14 points. He hit four three's in about a five minutes stretch to help push the lead over 20. Primm played great too. 9 point, 5 assists, 5 boards, no turnovers.
2:48: Liberty has been a real disappointment so far. Anthony Smith has played terrible. He isn't hitting jumpers. He's forcing everything to the rim. Smith is not a good decision maker. There have been a couple of possessions where he had people open (one time it was Curry) on the perimeter, but didn't make the pass. The Flames defense was basically non-existent. As we head to halftime, Liberty is down 49-30.
2:37: The action is really picking up, and both team's are jacking three's. Last eight shots overall have been three's I believe. Asheville is up 39-22. I hope Liberty comes back. I don't know if I can take more blow outs, especially with Centenary-Baylor on deck.
2:30: Liberty's three's are starting to drop as they knocked down two in a row to cut a 14 point lead down to 10. Liberty strikes me as the kind of team where no lead is safe, on either side. Since everyone on the floor for them (even 6'11" Carter McCasters) can hit from deep, when they get hot, they should be able to reel off big runs with no problem. But if they are cold, then they can have stretches like tongiht - 10 points in 12 minutes.
2:26: Williams has some hops. It looked like he was in the air for about three seconds blocking a shot.
2:24: I'm trying to figure out what defense Liberty is playing. It looks like a 2-3 zone, but they are following cutters. There was one instance where the big man switched on a pick. Whatever it is, it is not very good right now. Liberty isn't rebounding (although they do have five guards on the floor), they are allowing cutters, and allowing penetration. There have been a bunch of open looks for Asheville. The Bulldogs are all over Liberty right now. The Flames take a timeout down 20-10 after John Williams jumps a passing lane and takes it in for a big dunk. He has 8 already.
2:15: Liberty loves to attack. They get up a lot of shots and get them up quickly. For Asheville, I like their guards. JP Brimm and Donovan Jones both have made a couple nice drives and a couple nice passes.
2:09: Asheville is up 7-0 early and Seth Curry is 0-2. Make that 1-3.
2:08: The gym looks empty. I think it is because the student section is on the same side of the court as the camera. Yup, they just showed the students, and there is a decent amount there.
2:06: On cue, John Williams with a nice lefty, baby hook. I'm so smart.
2:00: Liberty and UNC Asheville will be taking the court in about five minutes. Both in the Big South, these two teams are headed in opposite directions. Liberty will compete for the Big South championship, and stars pre-season player of the year Anthony Smith and freshman Seth Curry (younger brother of you know who). UNC Asheville returns just one starter (Reid Augst). One of the guys they lost was 7'7" Kenny George, who lost part of his foot due to a staph infection. One guy to watch for Asheville, #23 John Williams. He is averaging 15 ppg thus far.
1:50: I just had a great lunch, and I'm ready to go with Liberty-UNC Asheville. Some final thoughts on Drexel-Penn. I thought both teams looked pretty good. Bruiser Flint has himself a tough, scrappy team that will be competitive in the CAA simply because they work so hard. On the other side, I thought Penn showed that they will be able to compete with Cornell, Yale, and Brown for the Ivy title. Why? Bernardini is too good to always have an off-night like he did today, Votel looks like he could be a legitimate scorin threat on the block, and Egee provides some athleticism and energy on the wing. The key to the Quakers season is going to be Rosen - can he get his teammates the ball and be a distributor?
12:16: Missed the first. Hit them both and foul. There are 3.6 seconds left. Well he missed it, but Cameron Lewis got the rebound and found Votel. Votel took a running hook from about 14 feet and airballed it. Really exciting game. Both teams played hard. Taking a break, we will beback to watch Steph Curry's little brother play when Liberty take the floor against UNC-Asheville at 2:00 PM.
12:13: Rodgers hit 1. Penn down three, and Rosen is fouled on a three. Are you kidding me???!!! What is Hawthorne doing. Rosen is fading away with a double pump three falling out of bounds. HE IS NOT MAKING THAT SHOT. Go far, far away from him. Bruiser is not going to be happy if this game goes to OT. Now the question is can the freshman hit all three?
12:09: Up five, Drexel switches every screen involving Bernardini. So when the sophomore gets it, he takes two dribbles and forces up a very tough shot (long two actually). The loose ball rebound actually landed in Bernardini's hands, and he forced up another tough lay-up, missing and fouling Neisler. Bernardini fouled out with 15 points. Not a great showing. But Neisler missed both and Egee knocked down a three in the corner. 65-63.
12:08: Missed the first, which means regardless of make or miss, you go get a quick two if you are Penn.
12:07: 4 seconds on the shot clock, and Penn gets the miss, but surprise surprise, they give up an offensive rebound to Samme Givens. 45 seconds left, Drexel has two free throws up 64-60.
12:06: By the way, that is the second time Evan Neisler had a ball go off of his hands when he had a lay-up.
12:04: Wow, did Penn just get a terrible break. With 58 seconds left, the ball went off of a Drexel player's hands and he bounced it off of Votel with 4 seconds on the shot clock. The refs reset the shot clock. And wait, they changed it back. Forget this post.
12:01: Scott Rodgers and Tramayne Hawthorne have been so tough for the Dragons today. They are both built like running backs and have gotten to the rim just about as they please. Drexel up 4 with the ball, 1:20 left. Biggest possession of the game, and Bruiser takes a time out.
11:54: Brennan Votel has been the best player on the floor today. He has 17 and 7 right now, he's been getting offensive rebounds, blocked a couple shots, and just bringing energy to the Quakers. Bernardini is forcing it now, he just took one from about 26 feet with a hand in his face that was about two feet long.
11:44: Drexel has looked pretty good today. They have absolutely shut down Bernardini this far. They are killing Penn on the offensive glass. They have really had only two problems, and both involve the Quakers zone defense - they get too passive at times and they settle for too many 3's.
11:32: Poor decision making by Penn. They finally come all the way back and tie it up on a beautiful move by Votel, then they get a turnover on the other end. The PG Rosen, who hasn't hit a field goal all year, takes a pull-up 3 in transition, misses it which leads to a fast break lay-up. Next possession Cameron Lewis threw the ball away, and Hawthorne goes the length of the court for a lay-up, and-1. Now its a 5 point game.
11:29: I swear to god, if I see one more commercial for the perfect pull-up or the perfect push-up, I'm gonna ... buy it? I mean, it was invented by a Navy Seal.
11:26: Drexel is really struggling offensively - they have 8 points in 8 minutes this half. The biggest reason? They are too passive against this zone. Penn is getting out and pressuring a lot more in the match-up zone this half, and it is taking Drexel out of their rhythm on offense. The Dragons are settling for swinging the ball on the perimeter. They aren't looking into the middle and they aren't attacking the gaps.
11:19: Bernardini is starting to wake-up. He hit a three, found Votel on a screen and roll for a lay-up, and just got a tip-in to cut the Drexel lead to 42-38. Drexel looks like they are losing focus on Bernardini. When he hit the three, he was able to slide behind a so-so screen that the defender didn't fight through, and on the tip-in, his man went for a loose ball, leaving Bernardini an open lane for a rebound.
11:07: We showed you Paul George's dunk, but here is the one Chase Budinger had against FAU. 2nd half is starting, and the biggest thing is that Penn needs to box out. As if on cue, Penn forces the Drexel center into a deep jumper as the shot clock is winding down, then gives up another o-board.
10:51: Xavier Henry picked Memphis. Like Cal needs anymore big-time recruits. Imagine if he lands John Wall too... Halftime. Drexel is up 34-27. Going to get some coffee. Too early for a beer?
10:48: This Kevin Egee kid is pretty good. He has 11 now. He's making some nice drives through the lane, he hit a three, has made some good defensive plays. He is pretty much the only guy playing well for the Quakers.
10:46: Penn is finally getting some momentum. Their defensive intensity has picked up, they hit a three, got a fast break lay-up. But as I was writing this, Drexel just got their second offensive rebound off of a missed free throw. That cannot happen.
10:41: Penn looks like they are overwhelmed with Drexel's superior athleticism. Their getting forced out of what they want to do offensively, they are getting hurt on the offensive boards, Drexel is forcing some turnovers. Drexel also looks like they were coached very well on how to beat this zone. They are moving the ball, reversing the floor, attacking gaps. I always liked Bruiser Flint. And he has a great name, Have I mentioned that?
10:34: Bernardini finally gets a look and knocks it down. Bernardini has looked a little passive thus far, but Scott Rodgers and now Tramayne Hawthorne have been playing fantastic defense, not giving him an inch to get a look. Drexel's opened up a 14 point lead now and this game is close to becoming another blow out.
10:27: Here is the dunk from Fresno's Paul George last night. I can't think of a word to correctly describe it. Maybe pterodactyl.
10:26: Penn is having a lot of trouble boxing out in this zone. Drexel is up 21-15 now, and has at least six points off of O-boards.
10:20: Penn runs some interesting sets. On defense, they switch between a match-up zone and a trapping 1-3-1 zone. Neither is working too well thus far - Drexel has 15 points through 8 minutes. On offense, they run a lot of dribble hand-offs on the perimeter looking ro "rub-off" a defender and give the guy getting the hand-off a little crease. They also play four-our, which gives their big a chance four an isolation on the block. That has been Brennan Votel, and he has six early points inside.
10:15: Pretty impressed with the fans here. Drexel has a prety packed house with a huge student contingent that is loud and into the game. 10 am and they already have their faces painted. I guess they aren't going to class today.
10:11: A lot of action so far as both teams are playing pretty well. Penn's star Tyler Bernardini (who put 26 on UNC) has been a non-factor (I don't think he's even touched the ball). Gerald Colds has looked explosive. Drexel is moving the ball well against the Penn Match-up zone, but they are settling for 3's and they have thrown up some ugly ones. 9-5 at the first TV timeout.
10:03: Guess who's back!!! Yup, its on again. Day #2. We're starting out with Drexel and Penn in a Big 5 battle. Drexel is coached by Bruiser Flint, the old UMass coach. Always loved his name.
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Tuesday Morning Shootaround |
It's going to be a brief shootaround today as we are trying to rest our legs from a long one last night. Scores you need to know about:
- UConn 99, Hartford 56 - Hartford made it interesting for a while, cutting the lead to 43-42 at one point in the second half, but that's when the Huskies really turned it on. They closed with a 56-14 run. AJ Price did not play (ankle), but the Huskies got 60 points, 10 assists and 5 steals from Craig Austrie, Kemba Walker, and Jerome Dyson.
- Davidson 99, James Madison 64 - The Stephen-Curry-at-point experiment is going pretty well thus far: through two wins he is averaging 31 ppg, 9.5 apg, 6.5 spg, and just 2.5 t/o's.
- Pitt 82, Miami OH 53 - Levance Fields had 12 and 12 and the Panthers used a 16-2 run to start to second half to blow open a close one.
- Georgetown 71, Jacksonville 62 - Monroe had 14 and 7 and Chris Wright went for 16, 5 boards, and 4 dimes as the Hoyas held on against a scrappy Dolphins team.
- Siena 82, Boise State 52 - Boise State was an NCAA tournament team last year, and the Saints smacked them from the tip. Hasbrouck had 20 and 6 boards.
- UAB 64, Santa Clara 61 - Robert Vaden had 23 and 9 and the Blazers battled back from down nine midway through the second half to win. John Bryant, the Santa Clara center who was stabbed in the off-season, had 17 and 15.
- St. John's 86, Cornell 75 - The Big Red were missing Adam Gore and Louis Dale, but still made it interesting. The Johnnies got 25 from Anthony Mason Jr. and 22 from DJ Kennedy.
- Loyola (IL) 74, Georgia 53 - Yea, the SEC is bad.
- Oakland 82, Oregon 79 OT - Oakland got 32 from Johnathon Jones, including 10 in overtime, as the Grizzlies beat the Ducks. Oregon has not looked good so far, losing to Oakland and barely beating Northern Colorado.
- Chad Tomko, UNC-Wilmington - Tomko had 33 and 9 dimes in a win against Troy.
- Dante Cunningham, Villanova - Cunningham had 31 and 11 as the Wildcats smacked Fordham 107-68.
- Tyrone Kent, Toledo - Toledo lost to Xavier, but Kent had 37 points.
- James Anderson, Oklahoma State - Anderson had 28 and 8 boards in a 100-88 win over North Texas.
- Wesley Matthews, Marquette and David Holston, Chicago State - Holston had 33, but Matthews led the Eagles to a win with 26 and 9 boards.
- Blake Griffin, Oklahoma - 20, 19, and 6 steals. Beast.
- Patty Mills, St. Mary's and Paul George, Fresno - Mills had 27 points, 5 assists, and 6 steals while George led Fresno with 25 and 10
Monday, November 17, 2008
College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! Pt. 2 |
4:09: This game had a really weird vibe, as St. Mary's built a big lead early on and cruised around 15 points ahead the rest of the way. It kind of seemed like both teams packed it in early. Anyway, I'm going to watch some of the Hawaii-Idaho State game, but I'm calling it a night for the live-blog. I'll see you tomorrow at 10am, right here.
3:58: I am so sick of hearing people talk about how the new three point line is going to effect the game. Right now, everyone's answer is that it won't effect the best shooters but it will effect big man that only shoot 3's from right on the line. How many more times am I going to have to hear about this? Probably for at least the rest of the month during the pre-season tournament coverage.
3:46: Steven Bardo did his Final Four picks, and it was Louisville, UConn, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. All legitimate picks, but where is UNC? He keeps saying their defense is a question mark, but that same defense got them to a Final Four last year. And now everyone is a year older and a year better. I mean, UConn is pretty much the consensus #2 team, and they brought back everyone from a team that was a four seed and lost in the first round. And UNC was in the top 5 all year, made a Final Four, brings everyone back, and won't make a Final Four this year because of defense? I'm not sure how that makes sense. Defense is a determining factor for a team like St. Mary's, not a team as talented as UNC. I think the bigger issue will be dealing with Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, and Tyler Hansbrough, who are all headed for the league and, at least is the case with the first three, may feel like they have something to prove. More clearly, can Roy Williams handle the egos?
3:37: How good is the WCC this year? Are they better than C-USA? Gonzaga and Memphis - call it a wash. UAB and St. Mary's - I gotta go with St. Mary's. San Diego beat UConn and brought everyone back. Santa Clara is good. Portland beat Washington. This is as good as the WCC has ever been, and there are really going to be some battles. Another question. Who is the best PG in the WCC? Mills? Jeremy Pargo? Brandon Johnson at San Diego?
3:22: St. Mary's has a lot of talent, but their defense worries me. I mean, they are going to give up 80 to Fresno St. It seems like mostly a lack of focus - losing sight of your man, not locating in transition, letting people get into the lane. There's a couple things I think any team needs come tournament time - a good point guard, a go-to scorer, size, and a good defense. St. Mary's has all but one of those.
3:15: St. Mary's really does run a pretty fast break. But it isn't really a fast break. Their system is similar to UNC's in that they push the ball, but they don't necessarily look to score immediately and instead utilize a secondary break where they look for shooters spotting up or an easy dump down to Simpson or Samhan.
3:11: Fastest guys in college basketball - Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Patty Mills.
2:48: St. Mary's is playing out of their minds right now. They are 7-12 from deep. They have 53 points with over two minutes left in the first half. One thing that has really impressed me with this team is how well they play together. Mills might be the best point guard in the country, but he doesn't need to run the point, especially on the break. The Gaels have 2 or 3 other guys that can lead the break or bring the ball up and get St. Mary's into their offense. They are also an unselfish team that makes the smart pass. The only issue that I have seen with them thus far is their defense - Fresno is getting was too many easy looks, especially in the paint. It seems like the Gaels have a tendency to lose track of their man, especially when there is penetration.
2:38: Mills has taken over. He's scored 9 of the last 12 Gaels points, he has 16 on the game, and he is doing it in a variety of ways. This kid is going to be a pro.
2:34: This St. Mary's team has looked pretty good in this first half. Obviously, they have Patty Mills, who is a helluva player. But they are really big, and not just big for the WCC. Diamon Simpson is a very good power forward and the all-time leading shotblocker at St. Mary's. Samhan and Ben Allen provide two big bodies on the block, and both are more-than-capable of playing at the big-time D1 level. With some shooters and solid role players surrounding those guys, St. Mary's has the look of a dangerous team come March.
2:29: Steven Bardo just said that Omar Samhan ran an 8:30 mile as a freshman, but now (as a junior) has cut that to a 5:30 mile. He mentioned that Samhan's work ethic and size is going to get him some looks from the league. Not sure about that, but the kid has turned himself into a solid college baller.
2:27: So the ESPN cameras just showed the crowd at St. Mary's, and there are maybe 2,000 people there, tops. And WOW, did those 2,000 people get lucky to see that dunk. Jesus. That was Paul George, a freshman on Fresno. That's definitely going to be on youtube tomorrow.
2:13: Jimmy Dykes is a much better color guy than I thought he was. He really knows his stuff and knows his x's-and-o's. And I am glad this game is finally over. I'm pretty excited to watch Patty Mills, Diamon Simpson, and St. Mary's.
2:11: Gaffney had 16, 19, and 4 blocks. Helluva game he played.
2:08: OK, so Memphis is up 25. Can they switch to St. Mary's now?
2:07: Memphis just pushed it to 20. This game looks like it is over. For better or for worse, Memphis was pretty much what I expected. Athletic, tough defense and an attacking offense that is always looking to go 1-on-1 without many jump shooters. UMass, however, I was pretty disappointed with. I was expecting a lot from them. Chris Lowe looked, well, bad. Ricky Harris did not play well. The only guy who I would say had a good game was Tony Gaffney, and he pretty much had the best game of his life (he averaged 3.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg). Regardless, Gaffney could play for me any time, any where. He bring so much energy and athleticism to the table.
1:55: Interesting fact: UMass and Memphis will be 1-1 against each other (assuming the score stays this way). Calipari was the winning coach in both games. How many guys can say that?
1:45: Memphis has opened up a 15 point lead (59-44) and the Minutemen look absolutely exhausted. Anderson just drove from the wing while three UMass players stood in the paint and watched him dunk.
1:42: This Memphis team has fielded some HUGE line-ups tonight. How about being a point guard and trying to break a press with this in front of you: Anderson (6'6"), Evans (6'6" with a 7'3" wingspan), Witherspoon (6'8"), Dozier (6'9"), and Taggart (6'9"). That's a lot of length.
1:38: I have really not been impressed by Tyreke Evans tonight. Yea, he does have 17 points, but remember that six of those came on 1-on-0 fast break dunks. He has a bunch of turnovers (I can remember at least five), and they've been travels, carries, and horrendous passes. He doesn't have good shot selection (although, to be fair, I think a lot of that is Coach Cal pushing Evans to become a go-to scorer). I have been impressed with Dozier and Anderson. They both look like they are going to become 15 ppg scorers.
1:26: Jimmy Dykes just said UMass is getting out-talented right now by Memphis. I don't think that is the case. UMass is playing really well, hustling everywhere, and playing good defense almost to a man, but their problem is that they are making terrible decisions on offense. Going 1-on-3 on a break. Driving into two big men and getting your shot blocked. Missing open three's. The problem isn't that UMass is getting out talented, it is that UMass is trying to do much. It seems like everyone on UMass is out the get theirs instead of making the extra pass or waiting on a break for the rest of the team to catch up. UMass needs to make better decisions if they want to make a comeback.
1:24: Tony Gaffney is everywhere right now. He is keeping balls alive on the offensive end, getting tough defensive rebounds, helping break the press, and he had one very loud block on Evans. He is long and athletic, and plays the Robert Dozier role for this UMass team.
1:13: A very uninspiring first half of action and, to be honest, I'm pretty disappointed with this game. I was expecting a battle of uptempo teams that pushed the ball and put up a bunch of points. Instead, we got a sloppy game full of turnovers (UMass had 15 turnovers and 25 points) and poor shooting. Maybe we should have seen this coming. The three most knowledgeable people when it comes to the dribble-drive motion offense are probably John Calipari, Derek Kellogg, and Vance Walberg (the founder of the offense and an assistant on UMass), and if anyone knows how to stop it, it is those three gentlemen. Another thing that I am surprised about is the lack of effective fast breaks. Both teams look like they are running just to run, instead of with a purpose and a structure.
But like I've said, the poor offense is also a result of some great defense being played and defensive schemes being put in place. Let's hope the second half is better.
12:48: More on Evans. Memphis really needs him to be a penetrator and creator this year. Look at the line-up now - Dozier, Anderson, Niles, Evans, and Wesley Witherspoon. Who else out there can slash to the basket? Dozier at times. Anderson, but he is most effective when he catches and makes a move as a defender is closing out as opposed to attacking off the dribble or off of a square up. Willie Kemp can't really attack. Neither can Doneal Mack, he's their shooter. Evans needs to be able to be a slasher a la Terrence Williams at Louisville. If he is, Memphis could be really good this year.
12:44: After a very shaky start, Tyreke Evans just scored 7 straight points, all in different ways - a steal and a dunk on a breakaway, a three pointer, and a tough drive through three guys for a lay-up. I wonder if the inconsistent play will be a trend, or if it will be just an early season thing.
12:35: The offense is starting to pick up a bit, but the defenses have both played great. UMass has been good because of their scouting report - Kellogg knows better than anyone how to fluster this Memphis team. But Memphis has looked great - the UMass guards are getting dogged on the perimeter. When they do drive, the Memphis help isn't coming from the same side, it is coming from the weak side in the form of Dozier and Taggart. They have a couple blocks at this point, but have changed many more shots. In general, defense clicks much earlier in the season than offense does. A team's offensive system is more of a constantly changing and evolving element, based on opponent's, who is playing well, etc. But defense is what a team like Memphis will hang their hat on.
12:33: Wow. They just said that Xavier Henry (top 5 recruit) will announce where he is going to school tomorrow during the games. Kansas or Memphis. His brother goes to Memphis, and I bet Xavier ends up there too.
12:28: Just popped beer #3, switched it up to the King of Beers. The Great American Lager. Yup, an ice, cold Bud. I could use some food too, getting pretty hungry.
12:24: Tyreke Evans has made a couple nice defensive plays, but he has mow missed two lay-ups he has to finish. And he just threw away a lob to Niles. Not a good showing thus far from the rookie.
12:22: UMass is really packing in their defense. No one on the court is a pure shooter for the Tigers, and no one is going to be able to penetrate unless UMass comes out and defends. The Minutemen are really blowing a great opportunity to build up a lead with Memphis playing so poorly. Tied up after a Niles free throw, 9-9.
12:18: Great point made by a friend of mine - Kellogg looks like a younger, taller Calipari. The best thing he learned from Cal was how to slick the hair back like that.
12:15: Neither team is looking too impressive right now. A lot of settling for jump shots, especially for Memphis. Sloppy play too. A bunch of turnovers (two carries already), missing open shots. At least UMass is attacking the rim a little bit. Still, nothing too impressive from either team. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is the late start time messing with them. 1st TV timeout and UMass is up 9-4.
12:09: Memphis has some sick jerseys on. White on the front, grey on the back.
12:07: Jimmy Dykes and Brad Nessler. Good announcing combination. But how do they make Chris Lowe the "star watch" player. Don't they know he had 10 turnovers the last time out?
12:05: One of the things I'm looking forward to the most this year is seeing Pierre Niles of Memphis in shape. The guy is a Big Baby clone - 6'8", built like a tank, but nimble and athletic. He lost a lot of weight this off-season, and should be ready to contribute.
11:55: Andy Katz just said that Jon Brockman is the best player in the Pac-10. I love Brockman, but how can you not pick James Harden? Whoever his partner is (Adrian something?) picked Harden, so I am hoping that the producers wanted them to pick different players. But Harden is a stud. Brockman is a tough guy that works his butt off and averages 17 and 11, but Harden averaged 18, 5, 3 asts, and 2 stls as a freshman in a Pac-10 that was as good as it has ever been, while playing in a system that slows the tempo. And it is more than just stats, Harden is simply a better all-around player. He can do more offensively, he plays multiple positions. Poor form Andy.
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College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! |
11:50: Halftime. 'Zona is up 39-35. Really entertaining game as both teams like to push the ball and run the court. I'll be watching UMass-Memphis at midnight, and starting on another post.
11:36: I have always liked Budinger's game, but he always seemed to be missing that swagger - that confidence - that a guy like Beasley or Rose or Durant has. I know I've only watched 15 minutes of one game against FAU, but Budinger looks a little cockier out there. He's hit a couple jumpers already, and the last two Arizona possessions ended with great plays by Budinger. The first was a pump-fake, dribble-drive, and huge one-handed dunk on an FAU big man. Then the next time down, Budinger drove along the right baseline and threw a sick no-look pass to Jamelle Horne for another dunk. He looked like he was jawing a little bit on the way back down the floor after the pass, which I normally don't think is great, but it is something Budinger needs to start doing. 95% of the time, he is going to be the best player on the floor, and in order for him to be as good as he can be, he needs to believe it and act like it.
11:34: I completely forgot that Mike Jarvis coaches FAU. He was a heckuva coach at St. John's.
11:30: Arizona needs to start getting penetration against this zone. They are being way too passive just swinging it around the perimeter. It is a 2-3 zone that FAU is playing, so 'Zona needs to attack the gaps on the wings or hit someone at the high post. "Inside out" (get the ball in the paint and kick it out). It is how you beat a zone.
11:16: Arizona is down 13-7, FAU is on fire, and they are sitting back in a zone. Do the Wildcats have the shooting to be a zone? Outside of Budinger, I don't think so.
11:09: So they switched over to UA-FA, and it is 8-4 Florida Atlantic. I really hope that Arizona ends up having a decent season. I feel so bad for the kids that had to deal with all of the Lute Olson hoopla. It really put a damper on what has been a fantastic collegiate career for Budinger. By the way, by my count there were three guys that came back to school that were moderate-to-big surprises - Budinger, Hansbrough, and Blake Griffin. Hansbrough is hurt and Budinger is in a terrible situation in Tucson. Only Griffin is in a good situation at OU. Not exactly a great advertisement for returning to school.
11:05: Next up is the first half of the Arizona-Florida Atlantic game, then UMass-Memphis at midnight. I'm going to start up a new live-blog thread for the UMass-Memphis game.
11:04: What a match-up tomorrow night as Davidson will take on Oklahoma. Easily the best game of the young season. Can ESPN change the schedules so that it doesn't conflict with UNC-Kentucky? I mean seriously, the two best games of the entire year are being played simultaneously?
10:51: So here is what MVSU has done the last five days: Friday played Arizona State in Tempe; flew to Spokane, WA on Saturday morning; drove 90 miles to play Washington State; drove 90 miles back that night; flew into Denver Sunday morning and drove to Oklahoma; practiced this morning for two hours, played OU tonight; they will play James Madison tomorrow night and then fly to Montana to play a game; then the finally head to Arkansas State for a game before heading home. That is a tough week. I think it is a good move by head coach Sean Woods. Not only will his team be battle tested and ready to play anyone (OU, WSU, and 'Zona State are all pretty good), but they will have the experience of playing under less than ideal conditions, which is what happens when tournament time comes around.
10:40: As good as the Griffins have looked tonight (and trust me, they have looked fantastic - they might be the best front court in college hoops, that's how impressed I am by their performance tonight), OU is not going to be able to go anywhere unless they get more consistent perimeter shooting. Cade Davis has a good looking stroke off the bench, but their other perimeter players - Warren, Austin Johnson, Tony Crocker - are going to need to be able to knock down those shots. Otherwise, opponents are just going to collapse on the Griffins inside.
10:30: The Oklahoma game is over at 55-23, but they just showed Blake's line and he has 6 steals. He also just about put a hole in the backboard by pinning a shot from some MVSU guard on a break (didn't count because of a foul, but still). This guy is an unreal athlete. He is 6'9", he's gotta be 240, and he is so mobile and so coordinated. for one day, I wish I had the physical tools he does, just to see what it feels like. And WOW, he just threw down a HUGE opp. Talk about great timing.
10:16: Willie Warren has looked pretty good from what I've seen so far. He is athletic and aggressive going at the rim and has finished numerous acrobatic lay-ups. Defensively, I can't really get a read on him because, well, its against MVSU. The biggest problem right now seems to be his perimeter shot. He is 0-10 on the season from beyond the arc (0-4 in this game), but his stroke doesn't look terrible. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that it is nerves. I've also been very impressed with both Griffins. They are a lot more mobile and a lot better defensively on the perimeter than I remember. Combined they have got to have 5 or 6 steals, all in the open court, at this point. They've had at least three highlight reel dunks so far.
10:04: I can't get over how dumb that shot was by Goode. MSM has been successful when they were attacking the basket and playing inside out. They didn't need a deep three off the dribble. MSM travels on the next possession, and this game is probably over. Great effort by the Mount.
10:02: Well, they tried. They ran Goode off of a high ball screen twice, but he took a quick three (from 24 feet) off the dribble that missed. Tech rebound and foul. Delaney hit both, 58-54 with 28 seconds left.
10:01: Delaney gives Tech the lead by hitting all three. MSM ball and take a timeout. MSM has got to get the ball into Goode's hands in some way. He hasn't had the greatest shooting night, but he is the one making the big plays for the Mount down the stretch. Good things happen when Goode is involved in the play. 44.7 left.
10:00: Dumb plays all around. Delaney takes a tough three from the wing with time on the shot clock, but gets bailed out by MSM center Marcus Mitchell by fouling him.
9:58: MSM has been spreading the floor and running the weave. Jean Cajou takes a dribble hand-off from Goode who sets a great little screen for him. Cajou gets in the lane, draws a foul, and hits them both.
9:58: MSM has to get the ball to Goode on an isolation here.
9:55: Remember how I was like where is Allen and Vassallo? Well after a Delaney missed free throw, Allen got the offensive rebound, kicked it out to Delaney who swing it to Vassallo for a three-pointer, and Tech has taken the lead 53-52.
9:50: Tech has had so many unforced errors. From not hustling back on Goode's lay-up to dropping the ball on a would-be lay-up, Tech is killing themselves.
9:47: Just when Tech looks like they are getting ready to take control, they get a steal, miss a lay-up, try to make a tough tip-in, the ball ends in in Jeremy Goode's hands who goes 1 on 2 at the other end and makes a lay-up. And-1. The last TV timeout, and MSM is up 48-46.
9:45: Tech gets a big block off of weak side help, and get it to Allen in the post at the other end. He draws a foul, hits both. Tech finally is playing with some energy. And the crowd is really getting into it not.
9:43: Va Tech's defense has really clamped down. MSM couldn't find any lanes to penetrate their last two offensive possessions, but off of a long rebound, they find a wide-open shooter for three. Jeff Allen answered on the other end. 46-44 MSM, 5:26 left.
9:41: As I wrote that, they hit Allen in the post and he found a cutter for a lay-up. 43-40 MSM. And Vassallo just found Diakite who missed a lay-up but got fouled. He hit 1-2.
9:39: Where is Jeff Allen? And AD Vassallo? These guys were both supposed to be all-conference caliber players.
9:32: A three from MSM puts them up 43-35. Tech looks terrible.
9:31: MSM is killing Va Tech inside. Offensive rebounds, out-of bounds plays. The announcer hit it right on the head - the Mount is just out working Tech.
9:30: Ryan Wright just put some dude from MVSU on a poster. Two-handed facial on a secondary break. That will be on Sportscenter.
9:28: OU is now up 17-2. Apparently, MVSU had a two hour practice today. I guess head coach Sean Wasn't expecting much from his team tonight...
9:25: A great defensive play by one of the bigs on MSM (if you can't tell, I don't know the names of many of the guys on MSM), stripping the ball on a dunk attempt, and it ended up going out of bounds to MSM. Tech is down 34-33 at the 2nd TV timeout.
9:24: Va Tech just threw the ball out of bounds on an outlet pass. They are shooting 27% from the floor. MSM is driving through the lane without a problem. This is a team that is expected to battle for the NCAA tourney?
9:22: OU is up 13-2, and I doubt I am going to see much more than an apathetic OU team win by 40, so I'm going back to the VT-MSM game. 32-31 MSM with 13:17 left.
9:18: Blake Griffin is not looking very aggressive on the block offensively. It also doesn't help that he is getting double and triple teamed. With the amount of attention Blake is getting, does it say something about OU that they are struggling a bit offensively right now?
9:16: These Griffin brothers look a lot more athletic than I remember. And bigger too. That off season workout regimen really paid off. Fran Fraschilla just said Taylor benches 325. Pretty good...
9:13: MSM is up 30-26 at the first TV timeout in Blacksburg.
9:11: The Sooners are looking pretty sloppy right now. Warren just tried to force things again, and lost the ball in the paint, but it kicked out off of MVSU. First TV timeout, OU is up 6-0.
9:07: OU is up 4-0 quickly, and both Griffin brothers have a steal already. MVSU is sitting back in a zone, which is great defensively (OU can't shoot, Warren hasn't hit a three yet) but they are going to get killed on the boards. As I write this, Taylor Griffin with an O-board tip-in.
9:05: 10 seconds in and Warren already picks up a charge. MVSU apparently has a really tough schedule. Well, running those kids ragged is how the MVSU athletic department makes the money they spend on other sports.
9:00: On to the Mississippi Valley Sate-Oklahoma game. First chance to see Blake Griffin and Willie Warren play together. I'm looking forward to watching Warren - he comes in with a lot of hype.
8:51: Purdue wins 87-58. BC is now up 82-52 (they just went on a 19-2 run) with two minutes left. Next round of games starts at 9:00.
8:51: MSM heads into half time up 24-23. Gonna keep an eye on this one.
8:49: AD Vassallo is taking over for the Hokies. He's scored seven straight (a three, a step-back jumper, and an o-board and lay-up) and has 12 of Tech's 23. But MSM's Jeremy Goode hit a three at the other end, putting MSM up 24-23 with 30 seconds left.
8:44: They were just talking on the VT-MSM game about MSM's win against Coppin State in the play-in game, and they said it was the first NCAA tourney win in the history of the MSM program. Does the play-in game really count as an NCAA tourney win? I guess it has too, but there really needs to be an asterisk on that. For the record, I hate the play-in game. I've said in on this blog before, but I think it takes so much away from the Coppin State's in this situation. Winning a conference tournament if you are a school of that size should give you the right to play on national television against a nationally recognized opponent. Who cares if a middling major conference school loses a bid. Win more games during the season!!! Sorry I had to vent (where are my wide mouth Coors Light's?).
8:41: MSM is up 16-15 on Va. Tech with 3:55 left. How is this the best game on right now? Only 18 minutes until Blake Griffin and OU take the floor.
8:38: So for some reason I just watched an ESPN U commercial, and I swear to god Dave Chappelle was the guy dancing around in the marching band out fit with a tuba on his shoulder. Did anyone else see that?
8:37: Tyrese Rice just hit his first shot of the game???!!! The same guy who put 46 on UNC last year?
8:35: On the BC game now, great little possession just happened. Tyrese Rice had a great no-look bounce pass on a break, but Smith got pinned, got it back, and got blocked again. Both times he went up with his right hand on the left side. Take notes kiddies.
8:29: Just found the Mt. St. Mary's-Va. Tech game on Comcast and in HD. MSM is up 13-11 with 9:00 left, so I think I'm going to stick with this for a while.
8:28: Purdue is now shooting 53%. They were at 33% midway through the first half. And Bowdry just hit a tough fall-away 15 footer. He is a player.
8:26: God, they just showed the UConn score - 53-47 with 13:00 left. Really? They're in the America East.
8:23: Purdue plays some very fundamental basketball, and it is really a pleasure to watch. They make good decisions, they make the extra pass, they play tough, fundamental defense, they run their offense crisply. You probably aren't to see a lot of dunks or crossovers, but if you appreciate someone running a curl off of a perfect screen, receiving a pass in stride from the PG and going in for a lay-up without a dribble, then you will love watching Purdue. I know I do.
8:22: I just flipped back to Purdue-EMU, and the Boilermakers are up 30. Apparently I wasn't destined to watch an exciting game right now. Would anyone read a Gossip Girl live blog?
8:18: I turn it on and Corey Raji gets two buckets (including putting down an alley-oop from Tyrese Rice) and forces a travel by Loyola. Nice couple of possessions..
8:15: Switching to BC-Loyola for a while. 49-34 BC.
8:08: Purdue's offense is looking much crisper on their first three possessions. EMU calls a timeout after E'Twaun Moore's second straight deep jumper makes the score 51-26. Thinking about switching to BC-Loyola.
8:02: Browsing through scores, I checked out the UConn-Hartford game (how is it that close? 32-24 with 4:00 left in the half). But more importantly, the Hawks have a guy named Drake U'u. Seriously. His last name is U'u. Someone please tell me how that is pronounced.
7:55: BC-Loyola is 42-31 at the half. Gonna grab a snack, back for the second halves.
7:50: Purdue is exactly what I expected them to be. Tremendous defensively (I only saw one real breakdown, when the big European guy missed a rotation and it gave EMU a wide open dunk), great guard play (32 of their 42 scored by the back court), and suspect interior play. What they lose on offensive rebounds Purdue should be able to make up off of forcing turnovers and their three point shooting. Robbie Hummel was held scoreless for the half, and it just goes to show you how balanced Purdue is. The best player on the floor was Chris Kramer. He was everywhere defensively, he was getting to the basket, he hit a three, and ended up with 10 points (ESPN's live box scores are so far behind. Right now it is showing that there is 6:27 left in the half).
7:47: Half time. 42-22 Purdue. The Loyola-BC game is actually better. 38-28 with 2 minutes left.
7:46: Lewis Jackson with two gorgeous passes to Kramer for lay-ups. This kid is good.
7:45: Purdue is only down 22-18 in rebounds. How is that possible? Am I watching a different game? And as I type this, EMU turns it over their first two possessions. 13 total now.
7:41: Two more buckets in the paint. Dobbins has 10 of EMU's 20, and Bowdry has got to have at least 6 right now. Purdue is getting killed inside. And now another offensive rebound. If EMU wasn't turning it over so often they would be right in this game. Last TV timeout of the half, and Purdue is up 33-20.
7:39: What a defensive possession for Purdue!! Their defense is so well coached and so pretty to watch. Great trapping, great help side, good rotations. It is a treat to watch if you appreciate some good defense.
7:36: Two more o-boards for EMU. What's going to happen when they play a team like Michigan State?
7:34: EMU calls a timeout. They are down 26-14 after a Kramer three, and have been outscored 26-6 after their opening spurt. This game could be over by half time.
7:34: Both teams are shooting 33% from the floor. I'm surprised it is even that high.
7:33: Opened my first beer. Yuengling Black and Tan. Love it.
7:30: Purdue is really starting to assert their dominance. If they weren't 1-7 from three they would be up 15 right now. And that's even with EMU getting up 8-0 early. It's 23-14 heading into the third TV timeout, and Purdue is up 23-14. EMU has 9 turnovers right now.
7:28: I didn't realize how aggressive E'Twaun Moore was around the rim. He's at the line right now after grabbing an offensive rebound and drawing a foul trying to dunk in traffic. 2nd or 3rd time he's gone in hard like that.
7:26: Kramer is such a good defender. Great position. Great anticipation. Throws his body around. Moves his feet. You can't ask for anymore from this kid.
7:25: This game is a lot more up-and-down than I expected, but it isn't pretty. Just sloppy. A ton of turnovers and missed lay-ups.
7:21: Purdue is really getting killed on the boards. ESPN's online box score's aren't working, so I'm not exactly sure of the numbers, but I think EMU has about six or seven o-boards, and at least six points off of them. Purdue is really turning up their defense, and has scored on a couple breaks off of the turnovers, including Keaton Grant's last three-ball. Purdue heads into the second TV timeout up 16-12.
7:19: Marcus Green scores six straight. And Purdue's defense is turning it up. These guys really get after it. And as I was typing, EMU grabbed two more offensive boards.
7:17: Not sure if that was a block. It's probably because the guy from EMU slid out of the way to the side. That would have been a poster if Marcus Green finished the dunk though.
7:14: Another o-board for EMU. This Bowdry kid looks pretty good.
7:12: Just flipped over to the BC-Loyola game, and the Eagles are up 13-2 already. Doubt I'll watch much of this game. Tyrese Rice is playing tonight, however.
7:11: Purdue's defense is picking up. They have forced turnovers on the last four possessions.
7:10: JaJuan Johnson with a nice head fake and drive, drawing the foul. I like this kid's skill set. He is pretty active and athletic and he has a nice touch, but he is so skinny. His shoulders are the polar opposite of Dwight Howard's.
7:09: Hummel was the Big Ten's three-point shooter last season, and he is 0-3 from the floor right now. Not a good start. And he gets pulled.
7:07: Purdue calls a time out down 8-0. Three lay-ups for EMU, and the only jumper was hit by their center. Everyone knew that this is the problem that Purdue would have all year, because neither Hummel or Johnson is a strong inside player.
7:05: Purdue down 6-0 early, and Eastern Michigan is out playing the Boilermakers in the paint.
7:00 PM: Welcome everyone!! Right now I am watching Purdue host Eastern Michigan in the first round game of the NIT Pre-season tournament. We got Steve Lavin and Brent Musberger announcing the game. I like the duo. Lavin can get annoying, but he knows basketball as well any of the color guys they have. And how can you not like a guy with Musberger's old-school swag.
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Monday Lay-up Lines |
Apologies for not getting a Lay-up Lines post up today. Internet went out at the apartment, so I had to scramble to find somewhere with the internet. Anyway, here is a tentative rundown of the games that I will be watching:
- 7:00 PM - Eastern Michigan @ Purdue
- 7:00 PM - Loyola MD @ Boston College
- 9:00 PM - Mississippi Valley @ Oklahoma
- 10:00 PM - Kansas vs. Memphis 2008 Final Replay (hey, Oklahoma will blow the Delta Devils out)
- 11:00 PM - Florida Atlantic @ Arizona
- 12:00 PM - UMass @ Memphis
- 2:00 AM - Fresno State @ St. Mary's
- 4:00 AM - Idaho @ Hawaii
College Basketball Week in Review: The SEC Could Be Really Bad |
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Duke 82, Rhode Island 79
The Rhody Rams were up for most of the game, and Jimmy Baron did his best Stephen Curry imitation in the second half, but the Blue Devils were too much down the stretch. It took a while for Duke to wake up at the start of the game as Rhode Island built up a 12 point lead in the first half, but the Devils used suffocating defensive pressure to force URI out of its offense rhythm and make an 11-0 run to end the half. The Rams were able to keep a slim lead for most of the second half, mainly due to Baron. As Duke started to get it going offensively, it seemed like Baron would respond to every Duke basket with a three (he hit seven of them in the second half). It was an incredible performance by the coaches son, who hit some ridiculously tough shots during that stretch. Duke was down 79-78 with 19.4 seconds left when Kyle Singler knocked down two free throws for the lead. Baron air balled a tough, fade away jumper, and Jon Scheyer hit two free throws for the final margin. Baron finished with 24 points, while Delroy Jones added 21 for the Rams. Singler had 21, 5 boards, and 5 assists, while Scheyer poured in a team-high 23.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Manny Harris, Michigan
Harris, who despite averaging 16.1 ppg last season as a freshman, flew under the radar nationally. Harris was phenomenal in his first two games of the Coaches vs. Cancer pre-season tourney. Against Michigan Tech, he went for a career high 30 points, while also grabbing 7 rebounds. Harris was even better the next night against Northeastern, coming up two assists shy of his first triple-double. All told, Harris finished the night was 26 points, 10 boards, and 8 dimes. For the week, Harris posted averages of 28.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 5.0 apg while shooting 67% from the floor, 57% from deep, and 87% from the line.
TEAMS OF THE WEEK:
VMI and Mercer
For the second straight year, Kentucky lost to an unranked, low-major conference opponent on their home floor. Last year it was Gardner-Webb. This season it was VMI. The Keydets used terrific three point shooting and forced Kentucky into 13 turnovers in the first 11 minutes as they built a lead that at one time grew to 26 points. The Wildcats would come all the way back and take a lead late, but the Keydets would make a run at the end to win it 111-103. VMI finished the week 1-1 after losing to Virginia on Sunday, 107-97. Mercer went 2-0 on the week, with their big win coming Sunday against Alabama, the second straight season that they have beaten a major conference opponent (USC). The Bears got a lay-up from Calvin Henry with 13 seconds left to take the lead, and James Florence stole the ball on the next Tide possession, sealing the win. Florence finished with 23 points. Mercer beat Piedmont 89-63 in their first game.
MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
11/17 - Miami OH @ Pitt: Miami OH gave UCLA all they could handle in a defensive battle in Pauley Pavilion. This one should be another slugfest, as Pitt plays slower and more physically than UCLA.
11/17 - UMass @ Memphis: Not only is this game the first game of the college basketball tip-off extravaganza, but it is the homecoming of former Memphis assistant Derek Kellogg, who left Memphis this off-season for the head coaching job at UMass. Both teams play the same style, so expect a fast pace and a lot of scoring.
11/18 - Kentucky @ UNC: Kentucky is coming off of a loss to VMI where Patrick Patterson failed to show up. But UNC is depleted by injuries (Hansbrough, Ginyard, Frasor's coming off a sore ankle). It would have been great to see Patterson and Hansbrough mix it up.
11/18 - Tennessee-Martin @ Tennessee: Definitely worth it to watch stat-stuffer Lester Hudson from the UT-Martin Skyhawks play.
11/20 - UCLA vs. Michigan; Duke vs. Southern Illinois: A couple intriguing match-ups in the CvC semi's. It will be interesting to see Manny Harris go up against a vaunted Bruin defense. And coming off a near-upset from Rhode Island, Duke will face Southern Illinois and their stingy defense. The finals the following night will pit the winner's against each other.
11/21 - Winthrop @ Davidson: Two mid-major powerhouse programs do battle. Winthrop has dominated the Big South this decade, while Davidson ran through the Southern Conference the last two years.
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