Wednesday Morning Shootaround

We are strapped for time here with the Holiday coming up, so a quick shoot around this morning. A couple of upsets top the list of games from last night. Portland State went into Spokane and beat Gonzaga 77-70. They were led by 5'6" Jeremiah Dominguez, who finished with 25 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists while hitting 7 or PSU's 12 three's. Judging by the number's, the Zags did not play that terribly. They shot 42% from the floor, they were 7-19 from deep, and they only turned the ball over 11 times. According to Few, it was because Gonzaga was out worked and out hustled the entire game. Gonzaga has now lost three out of their last four games. The Zags were led by 18 points from Matt Bouldin.

Butler picked up a 74-65 win on the road against Xavier. This is a big time win for a young Bulldogs team looking to legitimize their now 10-1 start. Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward led the way for Butler with 19 apiece.

The rest of the games:

• Texas 74, Wisconsin 69: AJ Abrams scored 21 and Damion James had 18 and 15 as the Longhorns knocked off a pesky Badger team. Texas won this game on the glass, finishing with a 40-25 advantage.
• Georgetown 76, Florida International 38
• UCLA 113, Wyoming 62: Did UCLA really put up 113? That's not a good sign for Pac-10 teams.
• Arizona State 90, Idaho State 55
• Minnesota 8-, Southeastern Louisiana 71
• Illinois 75, Missouri 59: Missouri's press was largely ineffective against Illinois, who jumped all over the Tigers in the first half and never looked back.
• Stanford 77, Santa Clara 69: John Bryant from Santa Clara finished with 27 and 22. This is a guy who was stabbed and spent time in the hospital during the off-season.
• Arizona 84, Kansas 67: Down 44-35 early in the second half, the Qildcats used a 29-6 run to put this game away. Jordan Hill finished with 23 and 11, Jamelle Horne had 19 and 13, and Nic Wise finished with 16 and 8 dimes.
  

Things are going to be a little light here around the Holidays. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday, and we will see you here on Saturday. Continue reading...

Tuesday Lay-up Lines

There are three pretty good games on tonight:

• 7:00 PM: Butler (9-1) @ Xavier (9-1): Xavier was playing some of the best basketball in the country as they were 9-0 heading into their game with Duke over the weekend, but they got absolutely run off the floor against the Devils. The Musketeers struggled to get into their offensive against Duke's defensive pressure, resulting in a lot of turnovers and quick shots. Butler has been one of the surprises of the young season. After losing so much to graduation (pretty much everyone except Matt Howard), they looked to be headed for a down year. But the play of two freshman, Shelden Mack (13.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.7 apg) and Gordon Hayward (12.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), have sent the Bulldogs right back to the top of the Horizon League. If you get ESPN U (I don't, curse you Comcast), be sure to check in on this one.
• 7:30 PM: Missouri (9-1) vs. Illinois (10-1) in St. Louis: This is a game against two of the under-the-radar power conference teams. Missouri is a team full of athletes that is going to press you for 40 minutes. They are led by DeMarre Carroll, who is averaging 17.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Illinois already played Clemson this year (who runs a similar "40 minutes of hell" defense) and lost 76-74 at home. Clemson forced 17 turnovers with their press. Clemson is better than Mizzou offensively, especially in the back court, and another reason they were able to beat the Illini is that Clemson got 34 points out of KC Rivers and Demontez Stitt. I'm not sure if Mizzou's back court can match that output. Of note - Illinois center Mike Davis had 28 and 8 in that game, with the majority of those coming on dunks when Illinois broke the press. If he is on your fantasy team, he deserves a start tonight.
• 9:30 PM: Texas (9-2) @ Wisconsin (9-2): The Badgers have struggled thus far this season. They lack offensive firepower. That will be a big problem against a tough Texas defense. That said, Wisconsin is so good at the Kohl Center. The biggest issue in this game is how will Wisconsin stop AJ Abrams. Michigan State held him to eight points by having Travis Walton chase him around screens all game. Trevon Hughes is an excellent defender, but he is also Wisconsin's best offensive option. Do you risk tiring him out chasing Abrams? I think Texas pulls this win out.
  

The rest of the night's action:

• 2:00 PM: Idaho State (2-8) @ Arizona State (9-1)
• 7:30 PM: Florida International (4-8) @ Georgetown (9-1)
• 8:00 PM: Portland State (8-3) @ Gonzaga (8-2)
• 9:00 PM: Southeastern Louisiana (6-4) @ Minnesota (10-0): Upset watch here. This is a let down game for the Gophers against a Lions team that took Arkansas to OT on the road and lost to Texas Tech by 11 on the road. Minnesota better not come out too cocky in this one.
• 10:00 PM: Kansas (8-2) @ Arizona (7-3): Not that often that a game between these two teams comes with neither of them ranked. Both squads could really use this win. Arizona beat Gonzaga, but then got smacked on the road against UNLV. Kansas rebounded from an ugly loss to UMass by beating Temple. Best match-up of the day should be seeing Jordan Hill go against Cole Aldrich.
  
• 10:30 PM: Wyoming (9-1) @ UCLA (8-2)
• 11:00 PM: Stanford (7-0) @ Santa Clara (5-6)
  

There are not games being played on Wednesday or Thursday, and only one on Friday. UConn will host Fairfield at 7:00 PM. Continue reading...

Tuesday Morning Shootaround

Dominic James hit three threes in the final four minutes, including a tie-breaking triple with 0.4 seconds left on the clock, as Marquette beat NC State in Raleigh 68-65. James finished the game with 18 points, 6 assists, and 4 boards while Jerel McNeal added 20. Wesley Matthews came into this game averaging 21.9 ppg but was held to just five points on 2-4 shooting. In Marquette's two best wins of the season (Wisconsin and NC State), Matthews has scored a combined 14 points. They are the only two games he has scored in single digits. Coincidentally, in the Golden Eagles two losses, Matthews has posted his two highest scoring games on the season (30 vs. Tennessee, 28 vs. Dayton). Brandon Costner led the Wolfpack with 24 points (on 9-10 shooting), 8 boards, and 4 assists.

There were a lot of other games last night, but not many surprising outcomes:

• Oklahoma 70, Rice 58: Willie Warren had 31 points and Blake Griffin had another double-double (27, 11, 3 assists, 4 blocks) as Oklahoma overcame an ugly performance to pull away late. The Sooners were 5-20 from three (Warren was 4-9 himself), shot 17-34 from the line, and had 17 turnovers (led by Blake Griffin's six). Tony Crocker, fresh off of a 26 point game against VCU, finished o-7 from the floor and 0-5 from deep.
• Wake Forest 95, East Carolina 54: Al-Farouq Aminu had 21, 12, and 5 dimes as the Demon Deacons outscored ECU 54-17 in the second half.
• Notre Dame 81, Savannah State 49: Luke Harangody had 23 and 13 to lead the Irish. Kyle McAlarney has really struggled since Harangody came back. In the four games, he is averaging just 11 ppg and shooting 10-27 from deep.
• Ohio State 83, UNC-Asheville 59: We have a BJ Mullens sighting!! The freshman, playing the most minutes in his young career, finished with 19 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks for the Buckeyes.
• Syracuse 82, Coppin State 71: Andy Rautins had 29 points on 9-16 shooting from beyond the arc, but once again Syracuse seemed to play down to the level of their opponents. They were never able to put the game away, and Coppin State even cut the lead to 61-57 with 8:35 left.
  
• Purdue 70, IPFW 55: JaJuan Johnson finished with 21, 9 boards, and 3 blocks as Purdue overcame a poor shooting night from Robbie Hummel (6 points, 3-10 from the floor).
• Villanova 78, Navy 68: Dante Cunningham had 24 and 10 and Scottie Reynolds added 23 for the Wildcats, who were playing for the first time in eight days. Navy cut the lead to three late, but Villanova hit their free throws down the stretch to ice it.
• Baylor 74, Hartford 59: Curtis Jerrells finished with 17 points, 11 boards, and 10 assists, notching the fourth triple-double in Baylor history (Brian Skinner did it twice, David Wesley once). Interestingly enough, it is just the ninth triple-double in conference history.
• Memphis 87, Drexel 49: Tyreke Evans led the Tigers with 20 and 4 assists, while Robert Dozier added 14 and Shawn Taggart had 13, 7 boards, and 7 blocks. Most importantly, Memphis broke out of their shooting slump, going 10-22 from deep.
• Oral Roberts 86, South Florida 63: Can you please explain to me how a team from the Big East can lose by 23 to a team from the Summit Conference?
• Florida 88, Georgia Southern 81
• Kentucky 102, Tennessee State 58: Patrick Patterson had 33 and 11 and Jodie Meeks had 32 in the rout. Meeks now has 78 points and 17 three's in his last two games.
• Michigan 79, Florida Gulf Coast 59: DeShawn Sims went for 20 and 20.
• Texas A&M Corpus Christi 80, Georgia 79 OT: The Bulldogs won with a three at the buzzer in overtime against Wofford on Saturday, but lost the exact same way last night.
• LSU 62, McNeese State 59
• Utah State 66, Utah 64: The Aggies are now 9-1 on the season.
• USC 76, Georgia Tech 57
  

Continue reading...

Monday Lay-up Lines

A lot of ranked teams in action, but not a lot of good games:

• 1:00 PM: Drexel (2-5) @ Memphis (6-3)
• 7:00 PM: Savannah State (7-4) @ Notre Dame (8-2)
• 7:00 PM: Wake Forest (10-0) @ East Carolina (8-2)
• 7:00 PM: Marquette (9-2) @ NC State (7-1)
• 7:00 PM: Coppin State (1-7) @ Syracuse (11-1)
• 7:00 PM: UNC-Asheville (4-7) @ Ohio State (8-0)
• 7:00 PM: IPFW (4-7) @ Purdue (9-2)
• 7:30 PM: Navy (8-3) @ Villanova (10-1)
• 8:00 PM: Hartford (4-7) @ Baylor (9-1)
• 8:00 PM: Oklahoma (10-0) @ Rice (4-6)

Continue reading...

College Basketball Week in Review: Redemption Week

What We Learned This Week: Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we told you that the Big Ten was better than people were giving them credit for? They proved it on Saturday, as three teams from the Big Ten landed big time victories over ranked teams: Michigan State beat Texas, Purdue rolled over Davidson, and Minnesota hung on against Louisville.

Those wins were huge for all three teams. Minnesota is now 10-0, and while Louisville looks like they were overrated in the preseason, it is still a win that lends some legitimacy to their undefeated record.

The wins by Purdue and Michigan State were even more important as they redeemed the preseason Big Ten favorites from a sluggish start. No one expected Minnesota to be where they are right now. If they had lost to Louisville, every writer in the country would have said "hey, these guys are getting better and Tubby Smith is doing a good job turning the program around". They weren't exactly playing under pressure.

But for Michigan State and Purdue, they are trying to defend the hype they had as top 10 teams in the preseason. If either of these teams had lost, it would have brought on an onslaught of over rated chatter.

Take a look at the Big Ten now. They should have five ranked teams come Monday (throw Ohio State and Michigan in with the previous three), and when you consider Wisconsin and Illinois, there are seven teams that can make a run at the NCAA's. Still the weakest power conference?

While it isn't quite March yet, there is still plenty of Madness to be had around the country. One thing we learned this week was that you can never assume anything until the end of a game. And even then, it may not be over. Syracuse can attest to that. As can Gonzaga.

Perhaps the toughest loss of the week happened to BYU. The Cougars dominated the Sun Devils for the entire second half, leading until a James Harden free throws put ASU ahead 76-75 with nine seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Jonathon Tavernari airballed a three, but Charles Abouo was johnny-on-the-spot for the tip-in at the buzzer.



Or was he?

The officials reviewed the play, and determined that the ball was still on Abouo's finger tips as the buzzer sounded, giving Arizona State the victory. Forgive me for rubbing it in BYU fans, but this loss is magnified when you look at BYU's schedule. They are now 10-1, but Arizona State was the first team they played of any substance. They get one more chance at a ranked opponent when they host Wake Forest in January, but Wake is excellent this year. If BYU loses to Wake, goes, say, 13-3 in the MWC but doesn't reach the tourney finals and ends up on the bubble, do they get in?

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Michigan State 67, Texas 63
Great game in Houston on Saturday. It was a defensive struggle as neither team could really put together a run. Texas was in control for most of the game (case in point, Michigan State didn't lead by more than one until a Durrell Summers jumper with 18.6 seconds left). An 8-2 spurt by the 'Horns on three straight Connor Atchley jumpers put them up five with 12:49 remaining. Michigan State battled back to take a 56-55 lead on a Goran Suton and-one. The teams traded scores until this series with under a minute left:



Michigan State would miss a front-end, but Justin Mason threw up a three that badly missed before two Spartan free throws with .1 on the clock ended it.

As I said before, a huge win for the Spartans. They were widely considered a top 10 team in the pre-season, and picked by many to reach the Final Four. The biggest reason for this seeming resurgence is the return of Suton. He had knee surgery a few weeks ago and still is not back to 100%, but it is clear why he is so important for the Spartans. He is so good at cutting to the basket and sliding to the rim off of screens, which is an effective weapon for the Spartans because they have a ton of guys that can put the ball on the floor. I only got to see the last 11:00 of the game, but in that span there were three times the Spartans found Suton near the rim for a bucket. He finished with 18 points on 7-8 shooting.

The other big story of this game was the defense that was played on AJ Abrams. Travis Walton did a tremendous job following him through and around screens and getting a hand up when Abrams shot. There may not be a player with a quicker release in the country than Abrams, and he still did not get many looks at the rim.

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
AJ Price, UConn and Tony Crocker, Oklahoma
Sticking with the redemption theme, both of these guys have played way below expectations so far this year. For Crocker, it was a 26 point performance against VCU where he finally found his stroke from deep, hitting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was more than the fact that he was just making shots, it was that he was making them at crucial moments. VCU was up 32-31 near the end of the first half when Crocker converted an and-one to give OU the lead. He then hit two more threes before the end of the half, and another two triples as the Sooners opened up a 63-46 lead early in the second. In a game when Blake Griffin struggled (18 and 8 in foul-plagued 26 minutes), it was a good sign for Oklahoma that Crocker was able to break out of his slump. If Crocker can return to the 42% shooter from last year, and OU can surround the Brothers Griffin with him, Cade Davis, and Willie Warren (all better than average shooters) it will open up a lot of space on the interior.

AJ Price has struggled all season with confidence in his surgically repaired knee. You want evidence? I'll give you evidence. Last season, he was getting to the line 4.5 times a game and using his penetration the create shots for himself and teammates. Prior to this game, he took 11 free throws in eight games (making just four) and was averaging just 4.0 apg (down from 5.8). He was playing so poorly and so timidly that Calhoun was ready to start Kemba Walker over him against Stony Brook. But in the Gonzaga game, the old Price returned. He finished with 24 points and 10 assists, hitting big shot after big shot (including a three to send it to OT). His penetration, which created open shots and lay-ups for his team, is a major reason why Gonzaga had to get out of the zone which had slowed the Huskies down. I think it is safe to say that UConn is the second best team in the country on paper, but without AJ Price playing up to his ability, this is not a team that can make the Final Four. But if this game can help Price restore confidence in his knee and continue to drive into the paint, then this is a team that has a shot of bringing home the title.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Minnesota
Playing for the first time in ten days, Minnesota picked up their biggest win in recent memory as they remained undefeated after surprising Louisville. It is a big win for the Gophers because prior to the Louisville game, their best wins consisted of Cornell, UVA and North Dakota State. What's more impressive is how they are doing it. This isn't exactly a roster overflowing with talent. Unless you are from Minnesota, I doubt you have heard of any of these guys outside of Blake Hoffarber (for this and this) and Ralph Sampson III (for, well, his father). They have nine guys averaging between 5.0 and 12.8 ppg, eight different players have started, and three of their significant contributors have missed a total of nine games. This is a balanced squad that plays some tough defense (opponents score 61.8 ppg and shoot 38%) and really seems to buy into a team mentality. It's nice to see Tubby Smith doing well.

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
12/23 - Butler @ Xavier: Xavier came back down to earth a little bit on Saturday, but is still very good, while Butler has been flying under the radar a bit this year. Expect a defensive battle.

12/23 - Texas @ Wisconsin: This game held much more intrigue a few weeks ago, but the Badgers are still a solid defensive team that will be tough enough to handle Texas inside.

12/23 - Kansas @ Arizona: Would be a huge win for either team as they both look destined for the bubble.

12/27 - West Virginia @ Ohio State: Ohio State will be without David Lighty, but West Virginia has yet to really play up to there potential. Continue reading...

Monday Morning shootaround

Only two games to note last night. I had a chance to see Pitt knock off Florida State 56-48. It ended up being a tough one to watch as both teams played some fantastic defense. Pitt shot 33% from the field and FSU shot just under 30%. Pitt is trying to play much quicker offensively this year as they had an obvious emphasis on trying to score in transition. It is a good decision by Jamie Dixon, because his team is going to struggle to score if they have to rely solely on their half court offense. Sam Young can create his own shot, as can Levance Fields. DeJuan Blair has a decent back to the basket game, but with Pitt struggling to shoot the ball from the outside, Florida State was packing in their defense (both in zone and in man) which made it tough for Blair to get any touches. Outside of that, they don't have many guys that are going to be effective in the half court.

I was really impressed with Leonard Hamilton's Seminole squad. They are going to make some noise in the ACC. They have a ton of long, athletic guys on their front line. That length really bothered Pitt inside. The Panthers have a strong front line, but they are not all that tall (Tyrell Biggs is their tallest starter at 6'8"). DeJuan Blair was 5-11 from the floor, but missed a bunch of bunnies at the rim and had a couple shots blocked.

Chris Singleton is probably the most talented of the bunch, but he struggled a bit last night. Jordan DeMercy really impressed me with his hustle. He only scored four points, but he was everyone on the glass, came up with three steals, and it was his hustle plays that brought FSU back. The Seminoles also have two excellent guards. Toney Douglas in a very good scorer that can carry a team when he is playing well (he scored 20 of FSU's 48). Derwin Kitchen also played well. Kitchen is a guy who has bounced around the basketball world for a while, dealing with eligibility issues for two and a half years, but he finally made his debut last night. He is a crafty scorer that can get in the lane and create scoring opportunities for others.

This game was really weird as both teams went on extended runs holding the other scoreless. Pitt was up 26-23 with 1:30 left in the first half, but didn't score again until a Levance Fields three cut the FSU lead to 34-29 with 15:00 left. Pitt responded by outscoring FSU 17-0 over a 7:30 stretch to take a 43-34 lead. The 'Noles eventually tied it at 48, but a Sam Young tip in with two minutes left gave the Panthers the lead for good.

Clemson 91, Miami FL 72: The Hurricanes jumped out to a 21-9 lead, but Clemson used a 16-0 run over the next two plus minutes to take the lead for good. The Tigers would push that lead to double digits before Miami was able to cut it to 52-47, but Clemson hit three's on three straight possessions to put the game away. KC Rivers finished with 28 points, Terrence Oglesby added 17, and Trevor Booker had 16 boards for the Tigers, who forced 22 Miami turnovers with their pressure. Lance Hurdle had an off night for the U, going 0-6 from the floor with three turnovers in just 19 minutes of play. His back-up, Eddie Rios, wasn't much better as he had eight points but a team-high five turnovers. Combined, they accounted for just two assists in 36 minutes. Jack McClinton finished with 20 and 4 assists.

The first game in ACC play shows a couple teams heading in opposite directions. Miami came into this season with very high expectations, but has really struggled thus far. They are now 7-3, 0-1 in the ACC. Clemson, on the other hand, was expected to be down this year. But the Tigers have continued to be the best first semester team in the country as they started better than 10-0 for the fourth straight season. Continue reading...

So What Exactly Was Andy Kennedy Doing The Night Of His Arrest?

It's getting late, so I don't have a lot of time to get into it. By now you know what happened. Here's the cab drivers side of the story, and here's Kennedy's side of the story. Kennedy today counter-sued both the cab driver and the witness to the event. To be honest, I don't even care who comes out winning this thing. They both seem like d-bags to me.

Anyway, the point of this post was to say that I have no problem with Kennedy and his staff going out for a couple beers to unwind after a long day of game planning and traveling. I'm guessing that pretty much every staff in the country does or has done this before.

Kennedy was at the Lodge Bar on Wednesday night. I don't think that this is exactly the place he should be going to unwind with his coaches:


Ask Larry Eustachy why. Continue reading...

UConn vs. Gonzaga

What a game out in Seattle. UConn took an early 11 point lead, but the 'Zags controlled the next 16 minutes, outscoring UConn 44-22 to take a 57-46 lead. AJ Price led the Huskies back, hitting for three's in the last 12 minutes, including a leaner over Jeremy Pargo that tied the game at 74. I know you have seen it by now, but here's the video.



The play of AJ Price was so important for the Huskies. He finished with 24 points (including 6-9 from deep) and 10 assists, but more importantly he "only" had four turnovers and went 6-8 from the line. Price had been struggling with turnovers in the earlier in this season and was shooting a crisp 36% from the line coming into this one. UConn really needs Price to be their go-to guy and their creator on offense, and he hadn't been either to this point.

What made this win even more impressive for the Huskies is that they basically did it without Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien. Thabeet was in foul trouble the entire game and eventually fouled out in the first overtime. Adrien was largely ineffective as Gonzaga's length gave him issues all game. He finished 3-10 from the floor, with the majority of those misses within five feet where he is normally automatic. Combined, Thabeet and Adrien finished with 17 points, 10 boards, and 1 blocks (which is 11, 10, and 3.5 off their season averages).

Even when Thabeet was on the floor, he was not a factor. When Thabeet was in the game, Mark Few went with a five out offense, meaning that Thabeet was matched up on Josh Heytvelt or Austin Daye on the perimeter. For the most part, when Heytvelt was in the game, they left him at the top of the key. Great coaching move by Few for two reasons. One, they were able to run Pargo and Demetri Goodson off of ball screens (more on this in a second). Two, if Heytvelt was in the corner, it would have been much easier for Thabeet to slough off of him and block shots coming for the weak side. If there was penetration from the other side of the court, be it the wing or the corner, Thabeet would have been able to get to the basket and defend the shot at the rim, knowing that proper defensive rotations combined with the length of the pass to his man in the corner would have given a UConn defender a chance to get out there and get a hand up on the shot. But with Heytvelt at the top of the key, Thabeet couldn't help off of Heytvelt because it would have left the big man with a wide open shot (he got a few, but only hit one).

Another reason that it was good for the 'Zags to have Thabeet out of the paint is that they had a size advantage at every other position. Matt Bouldin, Austin Daye, and Pargo all got touches in the post against smaller defenders, and they all were able to get easy baskets when this happened.

Back to the screen and rolls, it is usually an achilles heel for the Huskies because none of their big men are mobile enough to get out and force the ball handler wide off of the screen. So Calhoun made a change. Instead of relying on the big man to help, he had the guy guarding the dribbler play him tough and force him to take a bad angle off of the screen, then have Thabeet (or Adrien or Gavin Edwards) hug the man setting the pick. Then the guard would sprint under the screen to prevent the dribbler from coming off the corner hard and penetrating, trying to bait them into shooting a three. This worked because neither Pargo or Goodson are great three point shooters.

What I didn't understand in this game is why Few didn't stay with the five out offense. Down the stretch, as UConn was making their come back, Gonzaga was playing with a guy in the post. Sometimes it was Daye, sometimes it was Heytvelt, but there was always someone there. This meant that instead of easy drives to the rim, Gonzaga was not getting as much penetration and were settling for perimeter jumpers. They hit some, but were not nearly as dominant.

I'm also not sure what happened to Pargo between halves. He was the best player on the court in the first half, getting to the rim and making shots or setting up teammates. But in the second half he looked a step slower and had a couple of bad turnovers, including one with Gonzaga up one and 1:30 left on a stupid 60 foot pass when he was trapped. He came out at one point early in the second half and it looked like he might have been hurt or cramping up, so I'm hoping that's what it was because he was no where near the Jeremy Pargo we have seen so far this season.

Another way that Gonzaga built up there lead was by playing the Huskies in a 1-2-2 zone. UConn could not figure it out for a while. It was especially effective when Heytvelt was out of the game. Daye and Micah Downs were playing the back line, and since they are both tall and long, they gave the Huskies bigs a ton of trouble finishing down low, but also created the mismatch on the other end. The Huskies eventually figured it out down the stretch by running cutters through and utilizing a high-low with their posts, so the 'Zags switched back to man, which the Huskies are clearly more effective against.

The star of this game for UConn might not have been Price. Gavin Edwards had a phenomenal game off the bench. He finished with 14 points and 12 boards, grabbing 7 huge offensive rebounds. If he can become a threat off the bench, he makes the Huskies so much better because it would mean they don't need to rely so heavily on Adrien and Thabeet.

UConn's best line up is going to eventually be when they have both Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson on the floor. Calhoun's system is most effective when he has athletes, and despite how good the Huskies are, they are not nearly as athletic as they have been in the past. Robinson made a few good plays in this game, but Dyson was really the game changer, especially on the defensive end. He came up with three big steals in the second half, and had a couple great finishes on the break. When UConn found themselves down by 11, it was the play of Dyson and Price down the stretch that really got the Huskies fired up and brought them back.

It was a really good sign for that Dyson is becoming more of a glue guy. He was UConn's go to player for a year and a half before his suspension. During the suspension was when Price stepped up and became one of the best guards in the country. When he came back, it seemed like he was pouting a bit by the lack of touches he was getting on the offensive end, to the point where UConn was a better team without him on the floor. Dyson finished with 21 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Gonzaga may have lost this game, but they proved how good of a team they are going to be. The most impressive player on the floor was Stephen Gray. He is normally known as a three point shooter, but he was able to get the ball to the basket and score. Gray finished with 23 points, but most of them came in the first 35 minutes as he struggled to get looks down the stretch.

One last thing of note about Price's shot. A lot of people are saying it was a circus shot, but watch the clip, it really wasn't. Price is usually leaning in on his jumper, and since Pargo didn't really try to block the shot, Price got a pretty clean look. I'm not saying it was a high percentage look, but it really wasn't as much of a prayer as it is being made out to be. Continue reading...

Sunday Roundup

Great day of basketball on Saturday. I was able to watch four games yesterday:

Duke 82, Xavier 64: This game wasn't as close as the final score says. Duke jumped out to an 18-1 lead out of the gates and cruised to a 55-24 halftime lead. Yes, they were hitting just about everything and yes, Jon Scheyer looked like an all-american, but the key to this game for Duke was their defense. They got out and pressed Xavier, which made the Musketeers rush on offense. They forced shots and penetration early in the shot clock over and over again. Terrell Holloway was one of the guys forcing it too much. I can't tell you how many times in the first half he tried to drive and either threw up a terrible shot or turned the ball over.

As a team, Xavier had 10 first half turnovers. Many of them were forced because Duke played a switching man-to-man defense, and thus were able to jump a lot of passing lanes. A turnover is one thing, but the really bad turnovers are the ones that lead to uncontested lay-ups or 2-on-1 breaks. Xavier had a lot of those in the first half.

The one thing Xavier needs to take out of this game is improving their shot selection and ball movement. When it comes down to it, a bad shot (especially early in the shot clock) is essentially the same thing as a turnover. The Musketeers continually drove the ball at the basket off of one pass and then forced the ball to the rim amongst bigger players. Early in the second half, when X made a little run to cut the lead to 22, it was because they were moving the ball around and taking good shots. They need to realize that their team is good as long as they are playing as a team.

Jon Scheyer was the best player on the floor for the game. He hit shots, he took the ball to the rim, he got some offensive boards, and he was able to set up his teammates. If Scheyer plays like this for the rest of the season, then Duke will have their go-to scorer. Him turning into a star is what it would take for Duke to challenge UNC.

Michigan State 67, Texas 63: I got to watch the last 11:00 of this game when CBS switched away from Duke's blowout, and boy was it exciting. Michigan State took their first lead of the second half at 56-55 before a 6-0 spurt pushed the 'Horns back in front. Texas was up 63-62 after Gary Johnson hit a driving lay-up with 1:30 left. After an empty possession by both teams, Kalin Lucas found Durrell Summers on the wing for a three with 18 seconds left. On the next possession, Justin Mason turned the ball over. MSU missed a front end, but Justin Mason badly missed a three as time expired.

As I said, I only got to see the last 11:00 of the game, but a couple of things really stood out to me during that time. Gary Johnson is good. Coming into the season, everyone knew that Johnson was a workhorse and a scrapper on the glass and the defensive. But did you know about his offensive game? He has an excellent 15-17 foot jumper, but against Michigan State he put the ball on the floor twice and went to the rim (including the bucket that tied the game).

I was also really impressed with Durrell Summers. He's a great athlete, but he showed off a nice stroke as he hit two big three pointers down the stretch (including the game winner). He did take a bad shot and throw a bad pass in the last five minutes, so he has to become a better decision maker. But with his versatility, he could really be a useful tool off the bench for Tom Izzo.

UConn 88, Gonzaga 83 OT: Yup, the Huskies are getting their own post.

Syracuse 72, Memphis 65: Syracuse once again came out sluggish, finding themselves down by as much as ten points early. But the Syracuse zone worked wonders as Memphis started out 1-19 from deep. The key for Syracuse was their transition game. The Tigers still wound up getting 17 offensive rebounds, but Syracuse capitalized on Memphis sending four guys to the offensive glass by getting out and running the floor, especially in the second half. They had four or five fast break lay-ups, and another two or three 2-on-1's where they turned the ball over.

A good sign for Memphis is that Roburt Sallie looks like he will be the shooter that the are sorely lacking. He struggled to break into the line up, but he hit four three's in the second half for Memphis that kept them close down the stretch.

Eric Devendorf will miss at least one more game for his suspension (convenient that his suspension ending coincides with the start of Big East play?), which means that the Orange will rely heavily on Andy Rautins as a secondary ball handler. For Cuse fans, this is bad news. Rautins looked completely over matched against Memphis. He finished 3-9 with two turnovers, but he botched at least two fast breaks and took a couple really ugly jumpers off of the first pass.

If Memphis had a point guard that could create, they would be a very good team even without a shooter. Shawn Taggart, Robert Dozier, and Pierre Henderson-Niles all struggle to create their own shots in the post, but they can all finish really well around the rim.

Kristoff Ongenaet played just one minute. Its clear he's in Jim Boeheim's dog house for some reason. It worked out well for Syracuse as Rick Jackson 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. That's a good sign for Syracuse. As good as Onuaku is, he has a tendency to disappear during games. If Jackson can be a second option inside, it makes Syracuse that much more dangerous.

The rest of last night's games:

• North Carolina 85, Valparaiso 63: Valpo jumped out to a 12-3 lead and kept it interesting for a while, but a 27-5 Tar Heel run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second half put the game away. Tyler Hansbrough was scoreless through the first nine minutes but finished with 25.
  
• Oklahoma 81, VCU 70: Tony Crocker scored a career-high 26 points, including 8 in a run late in the first half the pushed the Sooner lead to 42-33 at the break. Crocker was 5-6 from deep, breaking out of a season long shooting slump. Blake Griffin had 18 and 7 for OU, who pushed the lead to as much as 20. Eric Maynor finished with 15, 5 boards, and 3 assists for VCU, but he also had 8 turnovers.
  
• Minnesota 70, Louisville 64: Louisville scored the first basket of the game, but that would be their only lead as the Cardinals could get nothing going offensively. They finished the game shooting 38% from the floor and had 16 turnovers. To be fair, Minnesota played really well as they out-executed the 'Ville. The Golden Gophers used a 12-4 run to start the second half to push their lead to 50-37, and despite being held without a field goal for 9:31 during the second half, hung on to win. Al Nolen had 18, 5, and 5 for the Gophers while Blake Hoffarber added 15. Terrence Williams led the Cards with 18, 6 boards, and 5 dimes while Earl Clark posted his second consecutive double double with 16 and 11.
  
• Georgetown 69, Mt. St. Mary's 58: The Hoyas scored the last seven points of the first half to open up a nine point advantage, then went on a 11-1 run early in the second half to push the lead to 47-33. The Mountaineers hung around, however, mainly because Georgetown could not keep them off the offensive glass (MSM had 15 o-boards and outrebounded the Hoyas 39-38). Greg Monroe had just 8 points (4 of those came in the final minute) as Georgetown just finished a two-week exam period. Chris Wright paced the Hoyas with 19 and 4 dimes.
  
• UCLA 76, Mercer 59: The Bruins never trailed against Mercer, as they opened up an early 13-3 lead and never looked back. Michael Roll started for an injured Josh Shipp (sprained thumb) and shot 6-7 from the floor (4-5 from deep) on his way to 16 points. Darren Collison led the way for UCLA with 20.
  
• Notre Dame 88, Delaware State 50: Luke Harangody had 20 points and 8 rebounds as the game was never in doubt.
  
• Ohio State 71, Iona 53: David Lighty was in a boot on the bench with a broken foot, but the play of Evan Turner made up for that. The junior finished with 21 and 6 boards. He had 9 points and 2 blocks during a 13-5 run that blew the game open midway through the second half.
  
• Arizona State 76, BYU 75: James Harden hit a free throw with 9.2 seconds left to give the Sun Devils the one point lead. BYU forward Charles Abouo hit a lay-up at the buzzer that would have won the game, but after reviewing the shot, the refs ruled (correctly) that it came after the horn. James Harden finished with 30 for the ASU, while Jonathon Tavernari led the way with 24 for the Cougars. Arizona State trailed for much of the game and was down 10 with under 10 minutes to play in the second half.
• Tennessee 79, Belmont 77: The Vols struggled against a good Belmont team and hung on as Alex Renfroe, who scored a career-high 30 points, struggled from the free throw line down the stretch. He made just 1-2 with a 7.9 seconds left to cut the Tennessee lead to 78-77, and after Tennessee made 1-2 at the other end, he was fouled with 1.3 seconds left. He missed the first, then intentionally missed the second free throw. Tyler Smith had a season high 23 points and 8 boards for the Vols.
  
• Purdue 76, Davidson 58: Chris Kramer helped Purdue hold Stephen Curry to 13 points on 5-26 shooting. The Wildcats were never in this game as Purdue jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first seven minutes. Purdue got a balanced effort as usual. Robbie Hummel led the Boilermakers with 18 and 14, Keaton Grant added 15 and JaJuan Johnson had 14, 7 boards and 2 blocks. As good as Davidson has played, it looks like they are now going to need to earn the Southern Conference automatic bid to make the NCAA's as they have lost to Purdue and Oklahoma. They get one more chance for a statement win against Duke in January. Purdue, on the other hand, really needed this win. They had lost to Oklahoma and Duke, and while beating Davidson isn't like beating UNC, a big win over a good Wildcats team lends some credibility to the Purdue team.
• Baylor 79, UT-Arlington 76: The Bears were down 41-32 at halftime, but a 10-0 second half run sparked by Curtis Jerrells put Baylor ahead for good 70-65. Jerrells finished the game with 29 and 7 dimes and Kevin Rogers added 13 and 13 boards (9 offensive). Baylor was playing for the first time in a week because of finals.
  

The rest of the day's games:

• Kentucky 93, Appalachian State 69: Jodie Meeks went for 46 on 9-12 shooting from deep.
• West Virginia 82, Miami OH 46
• Texas Tech 86, New Mexico 78
• Georgia 74, Wofford 73 OT
• Cornell 79, La Salle 70
• Kansas 71, Temple 59
• USC 61, North Dakota State 57
• UNLV 79, Arizona 64
• Boston College 81, Providence 76
• Texas A&M 72, LSU 61
• Cal 75, Nevada 66
• Wisconsin 57, Coppin State 46
• St. Mary's 65, Southern Illinois 52
• Cincinnati 85, Eastern Kentucky 77 OT
• Oklahoma State 86, Rhode Island 82
• Dayton 75, UNC-Greensboro 44
• Stanford 65, Northwestern 59

Sunday's schedule:

• 5:30 PM: Pitt (11-0) @ Florida State (11-1): The Panthers get their biggest test of the season as they travel to Tallahassee to take on an athletic Seminoles team. Florida State has beaten Florida this year, but also lost on the road to Northwestern. If the Panthers can get FSU playing a grind-it-out game, then the Panthers should not have much of an issue.
• 7:45 Clemson (11-0) @ Miami FL (7-2): The Tigers have started the season on a long, undefeated streak for the fourth consecutive year. They have beaten Temple and Illinois (on the road), but those games are nothing compared to ACC play. If the U wants to win this game, Lance Hurdle, James Dews, and Jack McClinton are going to need to be able to handle the Clemson press. Combined, those three guys are averaging just 4.5 turnovers per game.
• 2:00 PM: Virginia Tech (7-4) vs. St. John's (9-1)

Continue reading...

Saturday Roundup

A couple scores of note before we get into the meat of today's games. Marquette beat Western Carolina 94-77 behind 27 points from Lazar Hayward and Wake Forest hung on at Richmond 86-79 behind 21 from Jeff Teague and 20 and 14 from Chas McFarland.

If you are a college hoops fan, do not plan on leaving your couch today as there is an absolutely sensational slate of games. 20 of the 25 ranked teams take the court today, including two heavyweight bouts between top 10 squads.

4:00 PM: UConn (9-0) vs. Gonzaga (8-1) in Seattle: UConn heads to the Pacific Northwest looking to avenge an 85-82 loss to the 'Zags in Boston last year. Easily one of the best non-conference match-ups of the season. The biggest key for UConn is how ready Stanley Robinson is going to be. In his first game back against Stony Brook, it was clear that the athleticism and ability is still there. The question will be is he in shape enough to play at the tempo UConn wants to play at, and does he know UConn's stuff? I remember at least two instances where he got yanked against Stony Brook for messing up a play or a defense. It will be important to have him out there because of his length. Gonzaga's perimeter guys are long and tall (Austin Daye is 6'10", Micah Downs is 6'8", Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray are 6'5") while UConn's back court is very small (Jerome Dyson is the tallest at 6'4"). It will be interesting to see how UConn matches up. I'm assuming that Jeff Adrien will probably be on Daye, which means Robinson would be used on Downs.

This is a really tough match-up for the Huskies defensively because all of the 'Zags bigs can play on the perimeter. Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet are excellent players, but they certainly are not known for their perimeter defense. I would be shocked if Mark Few didn't run Jeremy Pargo off of a pick-and-roll with who ever Thabeet is guarding (probably Heytvelt) as much as possible. It's kind of an ironic match-up this year - Gonzaga is considered the perimeter team with a bunch of jump shooters while UConn is considered the tough team on the interior. But Gonzaga is bigger at every position on the floor except center.

As much as it pains me to say, I like Gonzaga winning this one. Aside from the fact that UConn is traveling across the country in terrible weather to play one game five days before Christmas (enough distractions for you?), I just think Gonzaga matches up so well with them. A huge reason is the point guard play. AJ Price has struggled so much this year that Calhoun has considered starting Kemba Walker over him, while Pargo has developed into one of the best PG's in the country and a leader for this team. His scoring is down to under 9 ppg, but he is averaging around 7 apg and has a 3.5:1 a-t/o ratio.

As a side note, the one really interesting story line in this game is that it comes 10 seasons after they met in the Elite 8 of the 1999 NCAA tournament. That game and that tournament changed the course of both programs, as it catapulted Gonzaga into national prominence while UConn reached their first ever Final Four, eventually winning the title.

2:00 PM: Xavier (9-0) @ Duke (9-1): I cannot wait to watch this game. I think it is going to be won by coaching. There are no stars on either of these teams. Sure, Kyle Singler is an all-american, but at the end of the day he is just a glorified role player. None of these guys are the type of player you have to game-plan around (i.e. you don't need to worry about sending two or three guys at Jason Love in the post as you would Blake Griffin). This means that both Coach K and Sean Miller are going to have a chance to play with their system and put in a few wrinkles to throw off the other team. Whoever comes in better prepared for what could happen is going to come out with a W. I like Duke in this game. How often has Coach K been outcoached in his career?

The one thing I am really looking forward to in this game is to see Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson go toe-to-toe with Derrick Brown and CJ Anderson. Neither Singler or Brown is the type of player that is going to 'wow' you with huge dunks or ankle-breaking crossovers, but at the end of the day you look up and they had a double-double with four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Both Henderson and Anderson are terrific athletes that aren't going to always make the fundamental play, but they do a lot of little things and have the ability to make the big play that gets the team and the fans into the game.

A big question for Xavier is how healthy is Terrell Holloway. He has only played 31 minutes total in his two games back (both coming off the bench) and he struggled against Cincinnati. He is really important to this Xavier team because he is basically their only point guard. Dante Jackson can play at that spot, but he is better off the ball as a slasher. Holloway doesn't put up gaudy assist numbers, but he doesn't turn the ball over much and can get the you across half court against pressure and into your offense. He also knocks down clutch free throws down the stretch, which could be a big factor in today's game.

Three other games feature two ranked teams:

• 2:00 PM: Michigan State (7-2) @ Texas (9-1): Michigan State has struggled in the early going this season, but a lot of that was a result of Goran Suton being injured. Suton is back (albeit coming off the bench), which is going to be huge for the Spartans against the big front line of Texas. Dexter Pittman is coming off of the best two games of his career, and looks like he may be turning into a force in the paint. It should be a lot of fun to see Raymarr Morgan go up against Damion James. Both guys are tremendous athletes, strong as a bull, and play a tough and physical brand of basketball. If Delvon Roe is finally getting healthy (he is averaging 11.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg in the last two), then the Spartans could give the 'Horns a run for their money, especially if Travis Walton can do a good job on AJ Abrams. I still think the Longhorns will be too much in this one.
• 4:00 PM: Davidson (8-1) @ Purdue (8-2): Purdue has been a bit of a disappointment this year. They get a real test today as Davidson and Stephen Curry come to town. I gotta say, I like Purdue in this game. The Boilermakers normally struggle against teams that are loaded up front because they do not quite have the front court depth they need. Davidson does have Andrew Lovedale, and although they have been beating people left and right the last two year's, they still have the roster of a mid-major, meaning a lot of 6'7" and 6'8" forwards. The other reason I think Purdue pulls this one out is Chris Kramer, the reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year. He is an athletic and strong kid, and I can see him giving Stephen Curry fits, although Curry tends to struggle against guys that are tall and long as opposed to strong and quick (if Curry ends up with 30, does that mean he struggled?).
• 6:00 PM: Syracuse (10-1) @ Memphis (6-2): It looks like Devendorf will be in uniform for this game, which is very good news for Syracuse. Devendorf has gotten his punishment. He will miss at least two games, starting today against Memphis, and must perform 40 hours of community service. They will need all the ball-handlers they can get against this Memphis press. I think the Orange will win this game. Memphis, to me, has the look of a mediocre team. Answer me this: Calipari is the nation's best recruiter, continually pulling in top 25 kids. But how does he end up with a roster with so many athletic wings, but without a true point guard and any kind of shooter? Wesley Witherspoon is a good basketball player, but a point guard he is not. They rely way too much on Tyreke Evans, who is not the player that Cal needs him to be yet. I see Syracuse sitting back in their zone and letting Memphis shoot all day. If the Orange can clean the defensive glass (something Georgetown couldn't do last weekend), then this game may get ugly. To be fair, for this to happen, Syracuse is actually going to have to show up, which has been their biggest issue so far this year.
  

Other ranked teams taking the court:

• 12:00 PM: Iona (4-6) @ Ohio State (7-0)
• 1:00 PM: Mt. St. Mary's (3-6) @ Georgetown (7-1)
• 2:00 PM: Louisville (7-1) vs. Minnesota in Arizona: This is a statement game for both teams. Louisville has had all the hype, but they have yet to beat anyone of note (and a depleted Mississippi team doesn't count). Minnesota has not had the hype, but they come into this game undefeated looking for a resume win.
• 2:00 PM: UNC (10-0) vs. Valparaiso (3-6) in Chicago
• 3:00 PM: Belmont (4-3) @ Tennessee (7-2)
• 4:30 PM: BYU (10-0) @ Arizona State (7-1): This game pits two of the best players out west in Lee Cummard and James Harden. If you haven't had a chance to see Cummard play yet this year, be sure to TiVo this game, because this kid is a heckuva player. If BYU can win this game, they have set themselves up pretty nicely for a shot at an at-large birth.
• 7:00 PM: Delaware State (2-12) @ Notre Dame (7-2)
• 9:30 PM: Texas-Arlington (4-4) @ Baylor (8-1)
• 10:00 PM: VCU (7-3) @ Oklahoma (10-0)
• 10:30 PM: Mercer (6-4) @ UCLA (7-2)
  

The rest of the games you should know about:

• 12:00 PM: Miami OH (6-3) @ West Virginia (7-2)
• 1:00 PM: New Mexico (7-4) @ Texas Tech (7-3)
• 2:30 PM: Temple (5-3) @ Kansas (7-2): Who is going to slow down Dionte Christmas?
• 3:00 PM: North Dakota State (6-3) @ USC (6-3): Ben Woodside, the kid who went for 60 last week, plays for NDSU.
• 3:00 PM: Arizona (7-2) @ UNLV (9-2): Huge resume win for both teams.
  
• 4:00 PM: Providence (7-3) @ Boston College (8-2)
• 5:00 PM: LSU (8-0) @ Texas A&M (9-1): That is not a typo. Those records are correct.
• 6:30 PM: St. Mary's (8-1) @ Southern Illinois (4-5)
• 7:30 PM: Rhode Island (7-3) @ Oklahoma State (8-3)
• 10:00 PM: Northwestern (7-1) @ Stanford (6-0): I bet you never would have thought that this game might actually carry some significance.

Continue reading...

Friday Lay-up Lines

Only two ranked teams take the court tonight:

• 7:00 PM: Wake Forest (9-0) @ Richmond (5-4)
• 8:30 PM: Western Carolina (5-3) @ Marquette (8-2)
  

No other games of note tonight, but this one interested me: San Diego hosts the Academy of Art. The Academy of Art? The Urban Knights are 0-8 and have lost to such powerhouse programs as Grand Canyon University, The Master's College, and Fort Lewis College. But hey, LC from Laguna Beach went there for a semester. Continue reading...

More on the Andy Kennedy Situation

Gary Parrish from CBS Sports has a source within the Ole Miss staff. According to him, this is what happened Wednesday night. From The Thoughts:

According to the source, the coaching staff had a team meeting, finished film and then went out for dinner and drinks Wednesday night in Cincinnati, where Kennedy used to coach. The party was a mixture of Ole Miss coaches, officials and some of Kennedy's friends from Cincinnati, and when it was time to go, the five coaches -- Kennedy and assistants Michael White, Owen Miller, Torrey Ward and Bill Armstrong -- jumped in a cab to take them back to the Marriott across the river in Kentucky.

Kennedy was in the front seat.

The four assistants were in the back.

According to the source, after driving "maybe a tenth of a mile" the cab driver realized there were five people in the car, and he told the coaches that he could not take five passengers. So he stopped, at which point Kennedy and his assistants jumped in another cab, one with a driver willing to take five passengers. At that point, the source said, the first cab driver pulled up beside the second cab driver and started yelling at the second driver "in a foreign language," and then the second cab driver turned to the coaches and asked if they owed the first cab driver money.

The coaches said they did not owe anybody anything because the first driver refused to transport them. Then, according to the source, assistant Torrey Ward, who is black, told the driver to stop talking to the other driver and to get them back to their hotel.

"And then the cab driver turned around and said "Shut the f-ck up, n-gger," the source said. "That's when things got heated."

According to the source, the coaches and cab driver did exchange words, "but nobody hit the driver." The source added that Kennedy and his assistants tried to get out of the cab, but that the driver locked the doors and got on his cell phone, "and we think that's when he called the cops." Eventually, the source said, the driver unlocked the doors and let the coaches out. They then got in a third cab and traveled about a half-mile before the cops pulled the cab over and approached the car.

"The cops said, 'Coach Kennedy, we need you to get out of the car," the source said. "They told him he was under arrest for assault."

According to the source, Armstrong came to the defense of Kennedy, started telling the police "this is bullsh-t" and that Kennedy didn't do anything wrong. That's when Armstrong was arrested, and then White, Miller and Ward waited at the police station for Kennedy and Armstrong to be released.

Also worth noting: There have been reports that Armstrong was kicked out of the Lodge Bar, which preceded the coaches getting in the first cab, but according to the source, that is "100 percent not true." Alex Moller, the general manager of the Lodge Bar, supports that claim. He told the Clarion Ledger newspaper in Mississippi: "The reports that they were kicked out are untrue. They were here, but they left on good terms. As for what happened after they left the bar, I don't know. But there was no incident here."

To be honest, I am leaning towards believing Kennedy on this one. And if the cab driver did in fact drop the N-word, then he has no right to complain about being called "bin Laden".

Here's to hoping this gets solved quickly. Ole Miss has enough problems this year involving injuries. Continue reading...

Friday Morning Shootaround

Louisville hung on against a game Mississippi team to win 77-68. Ole Miss was down as much as 17 in the first half, but came all the way back and at one point took the lead with under ten minutes to go in the game. But down the stretch, Louisville was just too much.

When are the Cardinals going to put it all together? These guys are clearly extremely talented, but it just always seems like they are missing something. Last night, it was the ability to finish inside. The Cardinals must have missed 15 lay-ups. Samardo Samuels was the worst. He finished with 9 offensive rebounds (15 total), but he only had 9 points because he was 2-13 from the floor. I can't remember him taking one shot outside of the paint, either.

The problem was he didn't go up strong. He was looking for contact and trying to avoid getting his shot blocked when all he needed to go was go through defenders and to the rim.

The good news for Louisville is that they actually shot the ball pretty well from deep, going 9-25. That means in their last two games, they are shooting 40% from beyond the arc (20-50). With the guys that they have, I still think that they take way too many three's.

Earl Clark had his best game since he has been at Louisville. He finished with a career-high 25 points, 16 boards, 5 assists and 6 blocks. 18 of his 25 came in the first half as Louisville built a 17 point lead. But Mississippi came storming back. The biggest reason why? Louisville's missed shots inside. The Cardinals killed to Rebels on the glass (57-37), but their inability to finish easy looks around the rim meant that Louisville could not get into their press. As a result, Mississippi was able to get into a rhythm and gain some confidence offensively.

I guarantee that everyone involved with this Mississippi season wishes there was a do over button. First, it was Trevor Gaskins going down for the season. Next was Eniel Polynice. Then Andy Kennedy was arrested on Wednesday night for allegedly cursing at and assaulting a cab driver in Cincinnati. Now, Chris Warren, the team's starting point guard and best player, looks like he is done for the season. With under a minute to go last night, Warren was just trying to get a quick basket for Ole Miss. He drove the lane, and after coming to a jump stop and elevating to shoot, he immediately went to the ground and grabbed his left knee. He still needs to get an MRI to confirm it, but more than likely he tore his acl. It really is too bad, because Mississippi was coming off of a 20 win season last year, brought back a ton of talent, and plays in a good mid-major the weak SEC.

The rest of the night's games:

• North Carolina 91, Evansville 73: Tyler Hansbrough set the UNC career scoring record.
• Gonzaga 84, Texas Southern 42
• Cincinnati 75, Mississippi State 63: Why are these two teams playing in one of the four games in the SEC/Big East Invitational? The Bearcats hit nine three's in the first half and closed the half on a 20-2 run, sparked by four Deonta Vaughn three's. Vaughn finished with 16 and 6 assists.

Continue reading...

David Lighty Injured

Senior wing David Lighty broke a bone in his left foot late Ohio State's win over Jacksonville. The injury is a huge blow to the Buckeyes as Lighty is one of their most experienced players.

The good news is for Ohio State is that while this injury may hurt their depth while he is out, Lighty should be back by the end of the season. In his absence, freshman William Buford will see a lot more minutes and will have to mature much more quickly. Assuming Lighty returns to 100% before the postseason starts, this could injury could be a blessing in disguise. Continue reading...

Eric Gordon Speaks About Indiana....

...and it probably wasn't what Indiana wanted to hear. Rumors have been swirling for a while that one of the reasons that Sampson was ushered out of Bloomington so quickly was that he had lost control of the program and that drug use was a major problem with his players.

In an interview with the IndyStar, Eric Gordon confirmed those rumors. From the IndyStar:

"It was the guys that were doing drugs that were separate," Gordon told The Indianapolis Star.

Gordon didn't say which players used drugs, but he said D.J. White and two others still on the team were among those who did not. Attempts to reach White and several other former players were not successful.

Gordon said Sampson "tried to stop it," but the coach "was just so focused on basketball and winning and everything."

Gordon said he spent considerable time with a family friend in Bloomington because the atmosphere around some players was so bad he didn't feel comfortable on campus.

"Sometimes it felt like it wasn't even a real basketball team because of all the turmoil that went on," said Gordon, now a starting guard for the Los Angeles Clippers. "I was just thinking about that the other day. It was so crazy that all that stuff threw off a good season and made it a waste, basically.

"It was really tough for us to be around each other all the time off the court because we were so separate."

Now if these guys were smoking a little weed once in a while, its not that big of a deal. If you read this blog, then you know that I am a big proponent of allowing these players to be kids, just like their classmates. And college kids smoke weed.

So forgive me if you disagree, but I really don't have that big of a problem with a star basketball player taking a couple bong hits on a Friday night after a big win.

That said, based on what Gordon was saying, it seems like this was much more than a once-in-a-while thing for these players. Whether it was smoking, or (hopefully not) snorting/shooting, Gordon makes it seem as if these guys were high all the time. RTC makes the point that Gordon played terribly down the stretch - his numbers went for 46.6% shooting and 3.4 t/o's per to 32% shooting and 4.2 t/o's per for the last seven games. Now whether this is because he gave up on his team or because of this wrist injury doesn't matter. It is clear that Gordon had given up on the season.

I'm guessing a lot of people wish they found this out before last year's NCAA tournament. Continue reading...

Thursday Lay-up Lines

The SEC/Big East Invitation continues tonight as Louisville takes on Mississippi and Cincinnati takes on Mississippi State. Ole Miss has really been scrapping as they are 7-3 despite losing two key players to injuries for the season early on. David Huertas has turned into one of best scorers in the SEC, averaging 21.6 ppg, and if you haven't seen Chris Warren play yet, be sure to tune in because the kid is exciting. Louisville has yet to really be tested this season and they could really use a statement game over an SEC team.

The Cinci-MSU looks a little more exciting on paper. The Bearcats are more talented with guys like Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates, and Mike Williams, but the Cinci size-advantage inside will be held in check by Javis Varnado, who is leading the nation with 6.2 bpg.

UPDATE: Apparently, at 1:15 AM last night, Rebels head coach Andy Kennedy had some sort of altercation with a cab driver. The cabbie, of north-african descent, wouldn't let him get in a cab with four other people because there weren't enough seat belts, so Kennedy punched him in the head and called him "bin Laden" and "Saddam Hussein". Real nice.

The rest of the ranked teams playing tonight:

• 7:00 PM: Evansville (7-1) @ UNC (9-0)
• 7:00 PM: Charleston Southern (5-4) @ Florida State (10-1)
  
• 9:00 PM: Texas Southern (0-9) @ Gonzaga (7-1)

Continue reading...

Thursday Morning Shootaround

Not much of note on the scoreboard from last night, so here is a quick rundown of yesterday's scores:

• Pitt 79, Siena 66: DeJuan Blair dominated the paint to the tune of 21 points and 16 rebounds, with 8 of those boards coming on the offensive end.
  
• Duke 99, UNC-Asheville 56: Coach K's regular starters were benched in favor of his second team (he wanted to send them a message that he has faith in them), but Duke still cruised to an easy win as six guys reached double figures.
• Syracuse 82, Canisius 60: Rick Jackson had 14 and Paul Harris had 13 and 11 as Syracuse bounced back from Monday's loss to beat the Golden Griffins. Jonny Flynn came up lame during the second half, but it doesn't look serious.
  
• UCLA 75, Loyola Marymount 44: Michael Roll led the way with 12 for the ruins in the rout.
• Ohio State 81, Jacksonville 68: Jacksonville had cut an 18 point second half lead to five with five minutes left when Jon Diebler his third three of the game, sparking a late run that put the game out of reach. David Lighty led the Buckeyes with 21, while Diebler finished with 14.
• Memphis 59, Arkansas-Little Rock 51: Memphis had a 18 point lead cut to five on multiple occassions, but hung on for the win despite not hitting a field goal in the last eight minutes. Robert Dozier had 15 for the Tigers.
• Michigan State 69, Citadel 55: Raymar Morgan led the Spartans with 26 and 10, going 11-12 from the floor.
• NC State 87, East Carolina 76: Brandon Costner led the Wolfpack with 24 and 17.
• Illinois State 72, Central Michigan 69: The Redbirds are now 10-0, but have beaten no one. Their best win is against ... Southern Methodist?
• Providence 75, Jackson State 61
• Georgia Tech 84, Georgia State 64
• VCU 73, Akron 69: Eric Maynor had 30 for the Rams.
• UAB 75, Jacksonville State 48
• LSU 68, Nicholls State 56: LSU is the only undefeated team left in the SEC
  
• UTEP 96, Texas Tech 78
• St. Mary's 78, Oregon 73
• UNLV 78, Santa Clara 66
  

Continue reading...

UAB Basketball: When Team's Implode

Coming into the season, the Blazers were expected to make a push for the NCAA tournament this year. After struggling to a 5-3 start, UAB has all but sealed the fact that they will need to win the C-USA tournament to reach the tourney.

Those hopes took a huge blow Monday as they found out that four of their players are leaving the program. Armon Bassett, who is sitting out this year after transferring from Indiana, has decided to leave the program. So has Terrence Roderick, who was averaging 5.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 21 mpg. Ed Berrios (12 mpg) and Jeremy Mayfield (ineligible this semester, but expected to make important contributions when he got back) have both been ruled academically ineligible.

UAB still will have their top three players in Robert Vaden, Lawrence Kinnard, and Paul Delaney, who are all averaging over 17 ppg. But they are left with just eight players on their roster, only six of whom are on scholarship.

So all hope is not lost for UAB. The biggest issue isn't going to be during the games. Teams have been relatively successful going with six and seven man rotations (see Syracuse, Arizona, and Texas last year). It is going to be in practice. I mean, even if the two walk-ons are preferred walk-ons, that still leaves you with eight guys, two short of being able to scrimmage in practice.

Another worry for Mike Davis should be the commitment of DeMarcus Cousins, a consensus top 10 recruit. Cousins made noise about a month ago when he said he wouldn't sign a letter of intent unless it had a clause that said he could withdraw his LOI if Mike Davis was no longer coaching there.

It really is too bad, because Davis had done a good job making UAB one of the top programs in C-USA. Continue reading...

Wednesday Lay-up Lines

Tonight's games:

• 7:00 PM: Canisius (3-6) @ Syracuse (9-1)
• 7:00 PM: East Carolina (8-1) @ NC State (5-1)
  
• 7:30 PM: UNC-Asheville (4-5) @ Duke (8-1)
• 7:30 PM: Akron (6-3) @ VCU (6-3)
  
• 8:00 PM: Citadel (5-5) @ Michigan State (6-2)
• 8:00 PM: Nicholls State (6-3) @ LSU (7-0)
• 8:00 PM: Mercer (6-3) @ Oklahoma State (6-3)
  
• 8:00 PM: Arkansas Little-Rock (7-2) @ Memphis (5-2)
• 8:00 PM: Jacksonville (2-5) @ Ohio State (6-0)
• 9:05 PM: Texas Tech (7-2) @ UTEP (4-4)
  
• 9:30 PM: Siena (5-3) @ Pitt (10-0)
• 10:00 PM: St. Mary's (7-1) @ Oregon (4-5)
  
• 10:00 PM: Loyola Marymount (0-10) @ UCLA (6-2)
• 10:30 PM: Santa Clara (5-4) @ UNLV (8-2)
  

Continue reading...

BIAH Season Update: Postseason Awards Pt. II

Believe it or not, we are now about a quarter of the way through the regular season. With the pre-season tournaments in the past and conference season on the horizon, things are starting to slow down a bit as most schools are getting bogged down with finals. We at BIAH have had a chance to see all of the top teams and players in the country take the court, so here are each of our writers early, but educated, opinions on the Final Four, postseason awards, and the top 25.

Rob Dauster

Player of the Year:
Stephen Curry, Davidson

Playing on a team with at most one other high-major talent, Curry has led the Wildcats to an 8-1 record and wins over NC State and West Virginia. You know what you are going to get with Davidson. You know the ball is going to be in Curry's hands and you know he is going to be taking a majority of the shots (and damn near every single important one). He is averaging 31.3 ppg, 6.8 apg, and 2.9 apg, and while his turnover numbers are a bit high (3.6 per), it is to be expected when you play as many minutes as and have the ball in your hands as much as Curry does. Only one team has held Curry below 27 points in 9 games this season (Loyola MD), and they held Curry scoreless by playing a triangle-and-two ... with both of the two on Curry. If you ignore that game, Curry is averaging a shade under 36 ppg.

But it is more than just numbers with him. No matter how poorly Curry is playing, no matter how off he is shooting the ball, you just know that he is going to wake up when you need a big shot. Take the West Virginia game as an example. Curry played just about his worst game as a collegian. He was 5-22 from the floor (1-13 from deep) with eight turnovers as the clock ticked past five minutes to go in the game. West Virginia played flawless defense on him, getting him out of rhythm and making him have to force things. But in the last five minutes, Curry scored 13 points, including three three's (would have been four but he hit a pull-up with his toe over the line). Two of those were incredibly tough threes on the move with a hand in his face. And even though he was ice cold throughout, you just knew he was going to hit them. That's why he is the player of the year at this point. Not because he makes those plays, not because you expect him too, but because you would be surprised if he didn't.

First Team

Ty Lawson, UNC
James Harden, Arizona State
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
Jordan Hill, Arizona
Hasheem Thabeet, UConn

Second Team

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Kyle Singler, Duke
Sam Young, Pitt

Third Team

Eric Maynor, VCU
Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
AJ Abrams, Texas
Taj Gibson, USC
Tony Gaffney, UMass

I know what you are going to say. Tony Gaffney over Tyler Hansbrough and Luke Harangody? By the end of the year, there is no doubt that Psycho T and 'Gody will be all-americans, more than likely knocking Thabeet and Hill down to the 2nd team. But with Hansbrough's injury and Harangody's illness, and their subsequent missed time, I just simply do not think it fair to reward them at this point. And Gaffney has been as good as anyone in the country. He is averaging 12.4 ppg, 12.9 rpg (2nd in the country to Griffin), 5.4 bpg (2nd in the country), and 2.4 spg. He's done it against pretty good competition as well - Memphis (16, 19, 5), Kansas (6, 13, 4), Boston College (15, 18, 9) and Holy Cross (17, 11, 8).


Coach of the Year:
John Beilein, Michigan

We touched on this about a couple weeks ago, but John Beilein may be the most underappreciated coach in the country. Everywhere he has been, he has taken a struggling program and made it relevant. Nothing is changing this year, as this Michigan team has gone from a 10-22 campaign in '07-'08 to a 7-2 start with wins over Duke and UCLA. Beilein has always been a system coach that needs his type of player - either you can throw a back door pass and hit an open three or you can't. That's the offense and the style he coached at every one of his stops. That hasn't changed now that he is at Michigan, but he has added a few wrinkles to fit his roster, and those changes have greatly improved this team. The biggest one is that he is allowing Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims a little more freedom when it comes to penetrating and making plays. These adjustments, and the fact that he has his guys buying into the system, have vaulted Michigan into the conversation for the Big Ten title.


Freshman of the Year:
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia

I know the trendy picks (Greg Monroe, Tyreke Evans) and I know the sleeper picks (Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Singleton), but I think this kid has been the most impressive. This was not an overly talented freshman class, and most of the newcomers have slid into their roles along side stars. Not Landesberg. UVA has lost JR Reynolds and Sean Singletary the last two seasons, and outside of Landesberg does not really have anyone that can score this year. As a result, the Mickey D's all-american has been forced into the starring role and has faired pretty well. On the season, Landesberg is averaging 19.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg, although the Cavs have only gotten off to a 3-3 start. Landesberg is not a great shooter or a great athlete, but he is a smart player that is crafty with the ball and that has an excellent mid-range game. Continue reading...