Another quiet night on the hoops front.
7:00 pm: DePaul @ Pitt: DePaul has struggled since an impressive start to the season, but this is still a Big East foe for Pitt, who is finally at full strength with Jermaine Dixon healthy and Gilbert Brown academically eligible.
8:30 pm: Rutgers @ North Carolina: Carolina will be heading into this game shorthanded as Marcus Ginyard will once again be in street clothes due to a bum ankle. Rutgers may not be primed for an upset, as they will be without second leading scorer Gregory Echinique, who is done for the season after suffering a detached retina, but they are riding a six game winning streak. It will also be interesting for NBA people to see Hamady Ndiaye play against a real front line. Ndiaye is averaging 9.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 5.7 bpg, but is averaging 14.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 8.3 bpg in his last four without Echinique.
9:00 pm: BYU @ Arizona: The Cougars have been playing great basketball of late and are sitting at 12-1 with a couple nice wins over Arizona State, Nevada, and Nebraska. Arizona is young this season and has had the struggles that come with that, but they have gotten Kevin Parrom and Jamelle Horne back from injuries.
10:05 pm: Portland @ Nevada: The Pilots have struggled since their fantastic start to the season, but with the number of shooters they have on their roster, this is a team that is always primed for an upset. It is worth tuning in to see Luke Babbitt play for Nevada The 6'9" lefty is one of the best players you've never seen play.
Other notable games:
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday's Pregame Beat |
Favorite Players of the Decade |
We've done a best players countdown. We've unveiled our ideal team. We've given you a list of the most hated players of the decade. What's next?
Our favorites.
They weren't necessarily the most talented scorers or the best rebounders. For whatever reason, these are the guys that we simply loved watching or always found ourselves rooting for. We've enlisted the help of some of our fellow bloggers in putting together this list.
ROB DAUSTER, Ballin' is a Habit
Kevin Pittsnoggle, West Virginia: There was a lot to love about Kevin Pittsnoggle. At 6'11", Pittsnoggle was a two-guard that sprouted to 6'11". Blessed with a three point stroke as smooth as silk, the tattoed big man shot his way into the hearts of the college hoops nation as he led the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Elite 8 of the 2005 tournament. That tournament run made Kevin one of the few players whose name became a verb; how many times did you hear someone say "you have been Pittsnoggled" in the 2005 tournament. The biggest reason I loved Pittsnoggle? He was nothing more that a good ole country boy that happened to be 6'11" with a jump shot. Proof? He gave up pro ball to become a teacher and raise a family back in West Virginia.
JJ Redick, Duke: Yup, I'll admit it. I loved JJ Redick. Mostly, it was because I was a poor man's Redick. 6'3", white, and unathletic, but with in-the-gym range. I used to watch Duke games on TV and make notes as to how Redick set up his man coming off of screens and how well he moved without the ball to get the sliver of daylight he needed to get off a shot. I could have done without the cockiness, but hey, cockiness is part being a great player. You need to think you are going to make every shot if you actually want to make every shot. While I poured my heart out rooting against the Dukies in those days, I secretly cheered every time JJ banged a triple from 28 feet with a hand in his face.
Taliek Brown, UConn: I'm from Connecticut, and thus am a lifelong Husky fan. As such, I probably could easily detailed a top 100 list of my favorite UConn players from the aughts. If I did, Brown would have topped that list. An excellent defender and facilitator, Brown was the glue that held together the 2004 Huskies title team.
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma: There was no player in the country more interesting to watch than Griffin during his sophomore season. A physical specimen, Griffin was a poster waiting to happen. But it was more than just the dunks. Griffin played the game hard (who can forget when he cleared the scorer's table against Texas Tech) and displayed the sportsmanship and professionalism you rarely see out of a college sophomore. Think about it: would you have reacted if an opposing player punched you in the nuts or flipped you over their shoulder? I would have. Griffin didn't. You also have to love the fact that Griffin went back to school for a year just so he could play with his brother for the last time.
Deron Williams, Illinois: I loved the 2005 Illinois team, and Deron Williams was my favorite player on that team. Williams did not look like a guy that would be a great point guard. Stocky, chubby, baby fat, whatever you want to call it, Williams looked like he would have been better off as a full back, not as a guy that would eventually become one of the best point guards in the NBA. The comeback he led against Arizona in the 2005 NCAA Tournament was one of the most exciting finishes in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
TROY MACHIR, Ballin' is a Habit
Patrick Ewing Jr., Georgetown
I love energy guys. There is nothing better than a sixth man who can come off the bench, make a big play, and ignite the crowd. Ewing made a career of doing this. After all, he was named the 2008 Big East 6th Man of the Year. He wasn't be best player on the court, but he was usually the most athletic, and he always gave 110%.
A big part of Georgetown's legacy as a basketball program is their tradition. Big dominant centers like Morning, Mutumbo and of course Patrick Ewing. Ewing Jr. was brought in to help restore the tradition, and when you wear a #33 blue and grey uniform with "Ewing" written on the back, your play on the court becomes secondary to the purpose you serve.
Ewing was the type of player that you love to watch live. He fed off the crowd and in turn would return the favor with a big block, or fast-break dunk. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Having been born the summer after the Hoyas title game loss to Villanova, I never got a chance to watch the elder Ewing play for the Hoyas, but every time I watched Ewing Jr. play, I felt like I was watching a bit of his father as well. In short, it was an honor to watch him play. Thats why he makes this list.
Ronald Ramon, Pitt
There are three reasons Ramon makes this list. First, and least important, he played AAU ball for the New York Gauchos with one of my best friends and current euro-baller Kizmahr Grell. The second reason is that he always reminded me of "Spanish" from Old School. The final reason, and most important, was the buzzer-beater he had against WVU in the backyard brawl. If you forgot about it, here you go:
There are a few reasons this shot was so great. First, it was a game-winning buzzer-beater. Second, it was in the "Backyard Brawl", one of the fiercest college rivalries in the country. And third, he hit the shot at home, from the corner, right in front of the student section. There's got to be no better feeling than winning the game on a buzzer-beater literally in your own student section. I remember watching the game on TV and thinking "wow you really can't script that any better". Ramon stood in front of the towering student section looking like a heroic greek god. It is moments like these that makes the game of college basketball so special.
Adam Morrison, Gonzaga
A lot has been written about Morrison in the past few weeks here at B.I.A.H. He was mentioned as being one of the most hated players of the decade, and one of the best.
In this writers opinion, watching Morrison play was an honor. He gave every tall, gangly, pale white kid hope that they too can become successful collegiate athletes. I could write for days about his trademark 'stache, his long flowing locks, or his goofy retro socks, but what really made me respect Morrison was the aftermath of the Sweet Sixteen game against UCLA. A large majority of the hoops world will forever mock Morrison for falling to the court in tears after his team had blown the game.
But you know what? I look at that scene and see a guy who left it all on the court. Emotion is part of the game, and he played basketball full of it. He was out there carrying his entire team on his shoulders, as he had done all year. Tell me you wouldn't at least have to fight back tears if the same thing had happened to you, in the final game of your collegiate career? I loved everything about Morrison. I loved the 'stache, the retro high socks, the long t-shirts, his late-game moxy, and yes, the crying.
Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia
This should be a no-brainer. Whether it was his last name, his remarkable 3-point shooting abillity or the goofy tatoos, there was something for everybody to love about Kevin Pittsnogle. He was a cult hero at WVU and turned into a nationwide star due in large part to his 3-point shooting and his hilarious last name.
If you think the previous statement was false, take a look at this: your very own Kevin Pittsnogle thong. Seriously, just google his name and you will be provided with an hours worth of hilarious pictures, videos and articles documenting this redneck's storied collegiate basketball career.
There is so much I want to say about Pittsnogle, but not nearly enough space to do so. Instead I will leave you with this: the single greatest fan sign ever made. 
Deron Washington, Virginia Tech
Every time Virginia Tech played on ESPN, I tuned in for the sole purpose of watching Deron Washington. He was arguably one of the most athletic players of the past decade and he frequently put his athleticism on display. He wasn't the most flashy of dunkers, but every time he dunked, his torso was above the rim. Another reason he makes the list is because Washington shares a similar dislike for the Duke Blue Devils. He was constantly going at it with Greg Paulus, Lee Melchionni and Kyle Singler.
It was this dunking ability that made him so fun to watch. If you need any more convincing, please watch the following tutorial on how to properly posterize somebody:
RAPHIELLE JOHNSON, College Hoops Net
Thanks to Rob for allowing me to take part in this project. And as he told me, this was harder than I thought it would be. As a UConn fan I’ve decided not to pick any Huskies for this list; I could easily come up with at least three players to put on the list (there are two natives of the state though). So here are my five, and a couple of them are a bit “under the radar”.
Keydren “Kee Kee” Clark, Saint Peter’s 2002-06
Many folks are under the assumption that it was just Duke’s JJ Redick who was chasing after Curtis Staples’ (Virginia) all-time three pointers made record. Not exactly; the prolific scorer (3,058 career points) from Saint Peter’s alternated the top spot with Redick until the Blue Devil pulled ahead for good in the NCAA Tournament. Kee Kee led the Peacocks all the way to the MAAC final as a senior before falling to Iona. A phenomenal player who could hang 30 on anyone despite the amount of attention he received from opposing teams.
Ryan Gomes, Providence 2001-05
The pride of Waterbury, CT (who also was the basis of a classic Jim Calhoun postgame tirade) finished his career as PC’s all-time leader in both points (2,138) and minutes (4,077). His teams weren’t always the best but you knew that Ryan was bringing it every night. And he finished “Senior Night” with the appropriate flourish as well, leaving his shoes at midcourt of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center when checking out for the final time.
Jared Jordan, Marist 2003-07
In terms of the consummate floor general Jared goes down as my favorite of the decade. The West Hartford, CT native led the nation in assists in both his junior and senior campaigns, becoming the first player to do so at the Division I level since Southern’s Avery Johnson did so in he eighties. Nicknamed “The Magician”, Jordan teamed with Will Whittington to lead the Poughkeepsie school to the 2006-07 MAAC regular season title.
Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh 1999-2003
Much of the credit for the resurgence of the Pittsburgh program goes to Ben Howland (with a nod to Jamie Dixon for keeping it going) and rightfully so. But without Knight, the heart and soul of the program, a few of the things that program accomplished may not have happened. Now an assistant to Dixon, Brandin is the school’s all-time leader in assists and steals. The lasting image of him that I have is his limping back out onto the floor late in the 2003 Big East Tournament final and nearly winning the game with a half court shot in regulation. His toughness and leadership were cornerstones of that program and his impact still exists.
Brandon Roy, Washington 2002-06
Remember when the talk about Roy centered on him possibly going to the NBA straight out of high school? It’s a good thing that he didn’t for himself, the Washington program and college hoops fans. He missed the first half of that freshman campaign but by the time he was a senior B-Roy was a star. His versatility led the Huskies to the Sweet 16, where they dropped an epic battle to Connecticut in DC. Whatever there was to do on the floor, Brandon could get it done.
RTMSF, Rush the Court
Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky
There was one five-minute stretch of a game in particular that made Prince an absolute legend. His first half performance against UNC in the 2001-02 season where he stepped off the bus shooting threes and dropped five bombs before the first tv timeout -- each one deeper than before -- was fall-off-the-couch phenomenal. It took until he entered the NBA as part of the 2004 World Champion Pistons for people to realize just how good the Fresh Prince was on both ends of the court, but I loved his somewhat peculiar game and caught him every time I could.
Chris Paul, Wake Forest
When I saw him in his very first game, I thought I was looking at the second coming of Isiah Thomas (w/o the sexual harrassment and destruction of the CBA, but with the surreptitious nut-punches!). While he was at Wake Forest for two years, no matter which higher-rated player he was playing against (JJ Redick, Ray Felton, Jameer Nelson, etc.), I always had the feeling he was the best player on the floor. CP3 has pretty much lived up to the hype in the interim, and it became clear just how good he was in 2006 when, after he had alighted to the NBA, the same Wake Forest team minus Paul went from the top #2 seed in the NCAA Tourney to a 17-17 (3-13 ACC) disaster.
Kevin Durant, Texas
I'd imagine he will be on everyone's list. How could he not be? Even though Greg Oden ended up going #1 in the draft and his team played in the national title game that year, Durant was the player you set aside time to watch his games. There was a sense of wonder with KD that you didn't get with other one-and-dones like Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose (both of whom were superb in their own right) that anything could happen that night. I'm not sure why that was the case, but maybe it had to do with the fact that he appeared so effortless as he eviscerated the opponent. Definitely one of my favorites of the decade.
Josh Childress, Stanford
I doubt anyone else has this guy on his list, but I loved the game that the mini-fro'd Childress brought to bear in his three years at Stanford. During the near-undefeated season for the Cardinal in 2003-04, J-Chill was everywhere. I can't count how many times I was watching where it appeared that Stanford was finally going to lose, only to have Childress make some long three or get a steal and dunk to start the comeback. The most notable of which, was the half-court buzzer-beater game against Arizona (JC put Stanford in position to win that one).
Corey Brewer, Florida
Brewer was the consummate do-everything guy for the two-time champion Gators. Can you tell the type of players I like best? Often tasked with defending the other teams' best player, you could count on him to get in the shorts and harass whoever that might be. The work he in particular did on UCLA's Jordan Farmar and Aaron Afflalo in successive years in the Final Four was remarkable - both of those guys are probably still having nightmares of Brewer's long arms following them all over the court. Without Brewer's 'glue guy' hawking the perimeter and adding timely buckets off the glass and through the offense, Florida probably doesn't win one, much less two, national titles.
JAMESON FLEMING, Bleacher Report
Demetris Nichols/Jonny Flynn/Andy Rautins/Wes Johnson, Syracuse
I've spent the last four years watching Syracuse basketball so naturally a few players stood out from the Orange that would always be near and dear to my heart and were major factors in my love for the sport. I couldn't pick just one as each has had their moments. Nichols got me hooked on college basketball in 2007. His epic 37 point outburst vs. St. John's is the most impressive individual outing I've seen in person. Flynn is self-explanatory. That smile and incredible natural skills make him impossible to not love unless you pledge allegiance to Georgetown. Rautins is that feel good story. He only received a scholarship from Syracuse because his dad Leo played there and now he's developed into one of the best all-around players in the Big East. Wes Johnson quickly has become known as the one-and-done because there's nothing stopping Johnson from being a top five lottery pick in March.
JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State
He's responsible for everyone on this planet calling me JamesOn instead of Jameson for a year and frankly I didn't care. He was one of the sleekest shooters in the game his senior year and his occasional absurd outbursts from deep made him one of the more entertaining players of the decade.
Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia
There will forever be the legend of Pittsnogle in Morgantown. Anyone whose name is turned into a verb (you got Pittsnogle'd) is worthy of legendary status.
LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor
He's got one of the sweetest names in college basketball and one of the sweetest strokes to go with it. I saw him live in Orlando for the Old Spice Classic where he played terribly, but his shot is so smooth and effortless that it's hard to imagine him every getting in a prolonged shooting slump. He's always thinking attack, attack, attack.
Chuck Hayes, Kentucky
I grew up a Kentucky fan (in Pennsylvania, it's a long story) and Hayes represented everything that was right with the college game. He was an incredibly hard worker and hustler out on the court. He was never really that talented, but he always found ways to get the ball in the hoops and was always the first guy on the floor. That mentality somehow got him into the NBA despite being incredibly undersized (6'6'' power forward).
MATT NORLANDER, College Hoops Journal
Ron Mercer, Kentucky
Oh, you probably forget how sweet Mercer was. And smooth. He was so smooth. Mercer was a key cog in the '90s Kentucky dynasty and when he wasn't on the floor it just wasn't the same squad. Dominant, deep and talented always, but not the smooth-oiled machine Mercer made them. I shoot the ball the way I do today because of Ron Mercer.
Jameer Nelson, St. Joe's
If you didn't like the 2004 St. Joe's team, then you're no friend of mine. Nelson steered that ship, and it's pretty clear how important he was to that team. If I made a list of my five biggest disappointments in college basketball history, the Hawks failing to reach a Final Four would be on it. It was such a SOLID team, you know? Nelson was probably the toughest college player I've ever seen. Yeah, way tougher than Hansbrough.
Taylor Coppenrath, Vermont
I grew up four miles from UVM's campus. Coppenrath singlehandedly won about 20 percent of Vermont's games for them during his career. His quirky delivery, knack for the ball and old-school style around the rim made him instantly likeable and a great television watch.
Kevin Durant, Texas
More fun to watch than Beasley and Griffin, he set the Big 12 trend we've seen in recent years. Durant could score from about anywhere on the floor and make it look like he was shooting hoop in his driveway. Rick Barnes openly admitted to not knowing how to coach Durant, at times. Rick Barnes haters are not surprised by this.
Allen Iverson, Georgetown
Hate to admit it, but I loved watching Iverson as my love for the sport blossomed in the mid-'90s. He was so quick, everyone I knew in the mean playgrounds of Vermont tried to emulate his crossover style.
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Monday's Shootaround: Stanley Robinson goes for 29, and Greivis Vasquez looks to be out of his slump |
UConn 93, Iona 74: Stanley Robinson scored a career-high 29 points with his two young daughters in attendance as the Huskies finally jumped out to a first half lead against an inferior opponent. More importantly, freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel looked like a viable option off the bench, scoring 13 points. I got my first chance to see Ater Majok player for UConn as well. Majok had 2 points, 6 boards, and 3 blocks yesterday. He's clearly going to give the Huskies depth in the paint, but given his slender frame and raw skill set, it may not be as big of a boost as many expected.
Washington 86, San Francisco 71: The Huskies started slowly before opening up a 16 point half time lead, but allowed the Dons to cut that lead to 47-43 midway through the second half. But Washington used a 13-2 run to put away San Francisco. Quincy Pondexter scored 22 points in the win, but Isaiah Thomas, who had just nine points in the win over Texas A&M, struggled again, finishing with only four points.
Maryland 72, Florida Atlantic 59: Greivis Vasquez finally looks like Greivis Vasquez again. After struggling through the first eight games of the season, Vasquez scored 20 for the third straight game, finishing with 26 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists yesterday. Landon Milbourne added 19 for the Terps.
Other notable games:
Sunday's Best:
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Monday Morning Dump |
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. We know New Years is just around the corner, but so is the beginning of conference play. So we here at B.I.A.H are ending our vacation early to get you caught up on the headlines from around the college hoops world.
- Frank Martin is doing better than expected
- A touching peice about Syracuse's #1 fan
- A good read on the creator of Club Trillion
- A Big East primer from a orange point of view
- A Big East primer from Adam Zagoria
- What can we expect from Northwestern come Big Ten play?
- Gary Parrish reacts to the Seton Hall/ WVU overtime game
- Mike DeCourcy thinks it was a good idea for Craig Brackins to stay in school
- Jeff Goodman explains how Quincy Pondexter got his name
- What to watch for this week
- Greg Monroe's draft projection
- With the win Washington remains only 400 back of Kentucky
- Louisville gets verbal commitment from 2011 recruit
- UNC has a mysterious sixth National Championship
- Don't sleep on Wichita State
- Will a sub-par RPI doom Northwestern's tournament chances?
- JuCo recruit chooses UCLA
After the jump, one of the best old school dunks I've ever seen.
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Sunday, December 27, 2009
Early Season Surprises |
USC Trojans: After starting the season 2-4, the Trojans have reeled off six straight wins, four of them with transfer Mike Gerrity running the show. Three of the four wins Gerrity has been a part of: 77-55 over Tennessee, 60-49 over St. Mary's, and a 67-56 win over UNLV on Christmas Day. USC has done it with defense, allowing just 50 ppg and 34% shooting from the field over the six win. No team out west in playing as well as the Trojans right now. Could this team win the Pac-10?
Wichita State Shockers and Missouri State Bears: In the preseason, just about everyone pegged Northern Iowa as the favorite in the MVC. In fact, neither the Shockers or the Bears were voted into the top four of the MVC preseason poll, but both could very well give the Panthers a run in a competitive Valley this season. Wichita State is 11-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming to Pitt, while Missouri State is 10-1 coming off of a loss at Arkansas. While neither team has much of a resume at this point, Missouri State has beaten Tulsa while Wichita State notched a win over Texas Tech a week and a half ago.
Syracuse: The rise of the Orange has been well documented this season. They began the year with blow out wins over UNC and Cal in NYC during the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, notched wins over Cornell and Florida, and now head into Big East play at 12-0 on the season. All this after the Orange lost to Le Moyne, a DII team, in their last preseason game and coming off of an off-season where Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris all jumped ship and went pro. I doubt that even the most die-hard, disillusioned Syracuse fan could have hoped for this good of a start to the season.
William & Mary: The Tribe lost their first two games of the season, but they have bounced back nicely, winning eight in a row. They haven't just beaten cupcakes either; that eight game winning streak includes victories over Richmond and VCU, at Wake Forest, and best of all, they beat my alma mater Vassar College. The two losses to start the season aren't too shabby either - they lost road dates with UConn (by nine) and Harvard (in triple overtime on a half court prayer). The CAA looks to be pretty good this season, and William & Mary may very well be the best team in the league.
New Mexico: The Lobos are now 12-1 are losing on the road to a tough Oral Roberts team, but that shouldn't diminish how good New Mexico's start to the season has been. The Lobos won their first 12 games, which included wins over Texas A&M, Cal, and Creighton, while climbing to 12th in the polls. The combination of Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez up front is one of the best out west.
UAB: The Blazers have bounced back nicely from an early season loss to Kent State. They've won 10 straight games, which includes impressive victories over Cincinnati and Butler. UAB's best player early in the season has been Elijan Millsaps, a 6'6" guard nearly averaging a double double (15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg). C-USA is wide open this season, with UTEP, Tulsa, and Houston all being mentioned as possible successors to Memphis. But thus far in the season, the Blazers may be the favorite to win the league.
Temple: The Owls returned to the top 25 for the first time since 2001 after beating both Villanova and Seton Hall, who were at the time undefeated. Temple has two losses on the season- a one point setback in DC to Georgetown and a seven point loss to St. John's. The Owls have done it with defense, holding their opponents to 37.3% shooting from the field and 23.9% shooting from deep.
St. John's: St. John's basketball has fallen far from their glory days, but Norm Roberts has led the Johnnies to a bit of a resurgence this season. The Red Storm is sitting at 10-2 on the season, with their only losses coming to Duke and Cornell while having beaten Temple, Siena, and Georgia already this season. DJ Kennedy (16.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) is playing as well as anyone in the conference, and Dwight Hardy has caught fire in the last couple of week, averaging 17.3 ppg in the last three games. The most impressive part: St. John's is still waiting for Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason, Jr., to get healthy.
Kevin Jones, West Virginia: West Virginia has started the season out 10-0, and the biggest reason may be Jones. The athletic, 6'8" forward has averaged 15.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 10-29 from three. West Virginia bases their team around stingy defense and aggression on the offensive glass, and Jones is perfect for that system.
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State: The Wildcats have shot up the rankings the last few weeks, and the biggest reason for that has been Pullen. In KSU's 11-1 start, Pullen is averaging 20.0 ppg and 3.5 apg while shooting 43.6% from deep. KSU has had some impressive wins this year, beating Dayton, Washington State, Xavier, UNLV, and Alabama. In those five games, Pullen averaged 24.2 ppg. He looks to be the early season favorite for Big XII player of the year.
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame: Many people wrote Notre Dame off this season after Scott Martin tore his acl, but Abromaitis has more than filled that void. Abromaitis is averaging 15.8 ppg while shooting a ridiculous 50.7% from beyond the arc. His emergence alongside Luke Harangody as a second scoring option has been a big reason the Fighting Irish have a shot at reaching the dance this season.
Quincy Pondexter, Washington: Pondexter was a top 50 player coming out of high school, but was overshadowed by the likes of Jon Brockman and Isaiah Thomas during his first three seasons. But this year, it has been Pondexter's team. Pondexter has averaged 21.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg, and is one of the bright spots for a Washington team still not playing up to its potential.
Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: Udoh had two mediocre seasons playing in Ann Arbor before deciding to transfer to Baylor. After sitting out a season, Udoh has had a phenomenal start to the '09-'10 season, especially on the offensive end. His scoring (14.6 from 6.0), rebounding (9.8 from 5.0), and assist (2.8 from 0.9) numbers have all made marked improvements, while he is also averaging 3.9 bpg and shooting 60.2% from the floor.
Antonio Pena, Villanova: The biggest question mark for Villanova coming into the season was how they would fill the void Dante Cunningham left inside, which became a much bigger issue when Mouph Yarou was diagnosed with Hepatitis. But Pena has done his best to answer those questions, averaging 13.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg thus far in the season.
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Saturday, December 26, 2009
The BIAH All-Decade Team |
Let me preface this team by saying that this is not going to be a typical all-decade team. Instead of putting together an all-star team from the players this decade (that has been done here and here, and we already did our Advent Calendar countdown), we decided that this team would be the team we would put on the floor if we were coaching a team in an ideal universe.
Obviously, biases and style of play will obviously be in full effect. My personal preference for style of play would be a team that runs a tough press (more Jim Calhoun's 2-2-1 than Mike Anderson's "40 minutes of hell") defensively and pushes the ball in transition, running a secondary break offensively. Think a Rick-Pitino-Roy-Williams mash-up. What that means is we will be looking for players that are versatile offensively, can defend multiple positions, and can shoot and handle the ball.
One last note: we are assuming each player is in their last year of college.
Anyway, enough explanation. Let's get to the team.
PG: Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
Cleaves was tough, Cleaves was a leader, and Cleaves was a fantastic defender. But most importantly, he was a winner. I don't know if there was a more ideal (can someone be "more ideal"?) point guard in college hoops in the 00's.
SG: Juan Dixon, Maryland
Dixon was one of the best defenders in the ACC during his four seasons with the Terps, but he also was a great scorer and a potent three point shooter. He would be a perfect fit for the top of our 2-2-1 press.
SF: Kevin Durant, Texas
Durant may not have been the best defender, but I don't know if there was a better 1-on-1 player I've ever seen at this level. And given his length and athleticism, I would make him a good defender.
PF: Shane Battier, Duke
Battier was versatile, he could score, he could shoot, and he was a hell of a defender. Most importantly, he would have had no problem sacrificing shots for this team to win, but could also step up and hit the big shot when we needed it.
C: Emeka Okafor, UConn
There wasn't a center this past decade with a better combination of offensive prowess and the ability to dominate the paint.
Bench:
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Kevin O'Neill is the early favorite for Coach of the Year, right? |
He has to be.
When you consider where USC started this season and where they are right now, the turnaround has been nothing short of amazing.
Think about it.
In the preseason, USC was supposed to be an embarrassment. Tim Floyd was run out of town. Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett, and Demar Derozan all jumped ship. A talented recruiting class bailed.
It wasn't that crazy to think the Trojans would go winless during Pac-10 play.
Mike Gerrity, who joined the team after the first semester, might be the Trojans MVP.(photo credit: LA Times)
Early in the season, USC did nothing to dispel that line of thinking. They started out the season 2-4, including home losses to Nebraska and Loyola Marymount, and lost Kasey Cunningham to a season-ending knee injruy. As of December 6th, I, as well as just about every other college hoops fan, had all but written off the Trojans.
But then something strange happened.
USC started winning.
And after last night's win over UNLV, USC had now won six straight games, which includes victories over UNLV, St. Mary's, and Tennessee by 22.
A lot of people are going to point to the addition of Mike Gerrity as the reason for their recent success. And he has been a big factor, as he is averaging 14.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 4.3 apg through four games. Gerrity has stabilized the Trojans at the point, which is as important as any position on the floor.
But perhaps more importantly, the Trojans have started to really buckle down defensively. In their six game winning streak, the Trojans are giving up just 50 ppg while allowing their opponents to shoot just 34% from the floor. They don't allow penetration, forcing teams to hoist up tough jumpers from the perimeter.
They have also seemed to buy into Kevin O'Neill's system. You aren't going to see a lot of quick shots from the Trojans. They use the entire shot clock, forcing you to play 35 seconds of defense and completely taking control of the tempo of the game.
Playing this style - controlling the pace, getting good shots, playing staunch defense - USC has managed to rack up the only two wins against a ranked team (Tennessee, UNLV) for the Pac-10.
Could it be?
Could this team be the favorite to win the Pac-10?
While the Trojans do have their issues - after their top seven or eight the talent level really drops off and they lack players that can create their own shots - is their any team in the conference with a front line that can match-up to theirs? Alex Stephenson is a load on the block, Nikola Vucevic is a skilled big man that is effective inside and out, and Leonard Washington is a strong combo-forward that will create a lot of match-up problems.
Combine that front line with a quality point guard, a shooter and an athletic scorer on the wing, and ability to defend, and is it that incomprehensible that USC could compete for a PAC-10?
A month ago, yes.
But today?
Continue reading...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 25 |
Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.
Here is No. 1:
2009 UConn vs. Syracuse: Six overtimes. 127-117. Big East Tournament. Madison Square Garden. Buzzer beaters. Shots overturned. Syracuse. UConn. I was lucky enough to be at the Garden for this game, and I can honestly tell you that I've never been in an environment as electric as the Garden was that night.
More than anything, my lasting memory of that game will be how tired I was that night. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain. Jonny Flynn played 67 minutes, and the next night played another overtime game. But I think anyone that was at the game can agree with me - when you left that arena, you were emotionally drained, physically exhausted from jumping up and down, and completely hoarse. Anyway, I can ramble on and on and on about this epic, but I already did right here.
So read that and watch this video:
Tyler Hansbrough, UNC: Hansbrough was not the most talented player of the decade. He wasn't successful simply because of his raw ability and natural talent. No, Psycho T was just a big, strong kid with a nice touch on his jumper and some good post moves that simply out worked everyone else on the court.
And it paid off. All you have to do is look at his hardware. In 2006, Hansbrough averaged 18.9 ppg and 7.8 rpg as he won national freshman of the year, was a second team all-american, and became the first freshman unanimously selected to the all-ACC first team. As a sophomore, his numbers took a bit of a hit as the Tar Heels added a talented recruiting class, but Hansbrough still managed to averaged 18.4 ppg and 7.9 rpg as UNC won the 2007 ACC regular season and tournament titles before earning a #1 seed and advancing to the Elite 8. Hansbrough was once again a unanimous first team all-ACC selection (the first person to ever do that four times) and first team all-american.
Hansbrough was all-ACC first team four times, all-american four times (three first-teams), made two Final Fours, and won a national title and a national player of the year award.
(photo credit: SI)
Hansbrough's best season was his junior year. He averaged 22.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg while leading UNC to a 29-2 regular season record, the ACC regular season and tournament titles, and to a Final Four. Hansbrough would be voted the. consensus national player of the year. As a senior, Hansbrough battled a stress reaction early in the season, but still managed to come back and average 20.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg while leading a potent UNC attack to a national title. Hansbrough would once again be named first team all american. Hansbrough graduated as the ACC's all-time leading scorer.
2009 UNC Tar Heels: This team was very close to not happening. After the 2008 Final Four, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green all toyed with the idea of entering the NBA Draft. But Green was dealing with injuries and pulled out, Lawson withdrew his name because of a controvesy over a DUI he had gotten, and Ellington simply wasn't ready for the league.
Combine that with Hansbrough's decision to return to school, and the Heels had a team that everyone picked to win the title in the preseason. Using a high-powered offense sparked by Lawson's ability to get the ball out in transition, the Heels did just that, winning the 2009 national title while beating every tournament opponent by double digits.
Lawson was named ACC player of the year and a second team all-american while Hansbrough was named to the first-team. All four players that decided to come back forin the '08-'09 season ended up making the NBA.
No. 2: Illinois v. Arizona, JJ Redick, Duke's 2001 team
No. 3: Gonzaga v. Michigan State and Gonzaga v. UConn, Adam Morrison, Florida's 2007 team
No. 4: Duke v. Maryland, Shane Battier, UNC's 2005 team
No. 5: Michigan State v. Kentucky, Jay Williams, UConn's 2004 team
No. 6: UConn v. George Mason, Emeka Okafor, Illinois's 2005 team
No. 7: Oklahoma State v. Texas, Carmelo Anthony, Michigan State's 2000 team
No. 8: UCLA v. Gonzaga, Jameer Nelson, Maryland's 2002 team
No. 9: Barton v. Winona State, Blake Griffin, St. Joseph's 2004 team
No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.
Continue reading...
The BIAH Quotables |
This a new feature we are trying out here at BIAH this season. Throughout the week, we are going to post some notable quotes or excerpts that show up in our google reader. Stupid people say stupid things 24 hours a day, and being somehow associated with the college hoops landscape does not preclude that fact. That said, we will not limit our quotables to the simple and idiotic, as the insightful and intelligent will also be highlighted. Feel free to pass along any quotables you stumble across to contactbiah@gmail.com or @ballinisahabit.
Dana O'Neil once again makes The BIAH Quotables for her excellent writing. In an piece regarding Louisville's UTEP's Derrick Caracter, O'Neil ended the article in fitting fashion: It's early. Caracter has shown flashes before, but the good nights often were freight trained by his hot-and-cold relationship with commitment. Once the most highly regarded recruit in the country, he has been his own worst enemy.
I always thought Twitter was a useless, unnecessary communication device, but I was wrong. I can now see what all the best coaches and players in the country are thinking. Take Indiana's Tom Crean for example:
If he has truly changed his ways, Caracter might finally live up to that surname and his abilities.The toughest of deficits but its not natural or ingrained yet. We still believe we can do it by ourselves and that's not possible.
I wonder if this has anything to do with his team's home loss to Loyola (Md.)?
Getting a group of young men to play for each other rather than with each other is a great challenge.
Ohio State is doing it's best to stay afloat in the top 25 without the services of Evan Turner. The big question is whether or not Turner will return for his senior year. In a NYT article, Turner had an interesting line about next year's possibilities: “I think it’s an all-star team,” he said of the Buckeyes’ prospects next season. “It would be a definite national championship.”
Mike DeCourcy made a good point about "one-and-dones" in his 3-Pointers column. He believes that not all freshman destined for a lottery pick should enter the draft: Agents and media members who recite that all young players should file for the NBA draft at the earliest opportunity should be sentenced to watch an endless loop of highlights from Al-Farouq Aminu's sophomore season at Wake Forest.
On Tuesday night, Texas A&M senior Derrick Roland broken his leg in a grizzly incident during the game against Washington. Here is a little blurb from ESPN.com's recanting of the scene:
Wait, no. That would be a good thing. They deserve punishment, not entertainment.
Aminu was pushed hard by outsiders to enter the 2009 draft but chose to return, and that decision has become a smashing success.Washington's Quincy Pondexter, one of the defenders challenging Roland's shot, said the fracture -- in which a bone actually had broken through the skin -- was "one of the nastiest things I've ever seen." The sound of the leg breaking was so loud Pondexter thought it was Roland's back hitting the court.
Missouri looked impressive in their "Bragging Rights" game against Illinois. Mizzou's Kim English led all players with 24 points on 8-15 shooting, including 5-10 from 3-point range. He gave the Tiger's big men most of the credit for his open looks:
"We heard it," Texas A&M assistant coach Scott Spinelli said, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer blog account. "I didn't see it. It was a loud snap. I know we all heard the snap and it's something you're never going to forget."
Many fans on that side of the stands gasped and turned away.Coach (Mike) Anderson really emphasized the post presence tonight.He said we couldn't just pass it around the horn and jack up shots. When they suck down in on us, we've got to get it into the bigs, and we have great passing big guys. They got it to us and we just knocked down shots.
The Tigers also played top-notch defense, causing 21 Illini turnovers. English stated that turnovers were the difference between this year and last year: We didn't want to try and gamble as much this year; they handled that last year. We just played honest defense but still wanted to be assertive, then let them make mistakes on offense.
Continue reading...
Friday Morning Dump: X-Mas edition |
We here at BIAH wanted to wish all of you and yours a happy holiday. We will keep it light for today, because there's a lot more you can be doing with your holiday than sitting in front of a screen all day.
- Jeff Goodman gives out his holiday awards
- Ater Majok's brother is getting some recruiting looks
- Lasalle had major trouble getting to Oklahoma
- "The Night Before Christmas" Indiana Hoosier edition
- A solid piece on Syracuse's Rick Jackson
Continue reading...
The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 24 |
Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.
Here is No. 2:
2005: Illinois vs. Arizona: Probably the greatest comeback I have ever seen live. Illinois came into this game with jut one loss, suffered in the final game of the 2005 regular season. Arizona started to pull away from the Illini midway through the second half. With the score 60-57, Arizona went on a 15-3 run that put them up 15 with four minutes left. Everyone thought that the game was over:
Illinois took the lead in the overtime thanks to a couple of Deron Williams threes, but Arizona was able to get possession down 90-89. Hassan Adams threw a three of the back board as the buzzer sounded, and Illinois advanced to the final four.
JJ Redick, Duke: Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Redick was one of the greatest shooters and scorers in college basketball history. He still holds the record for most career three pointers made in NCAA history, and held the ACC scoring record until Tyler Hansbrough broke it late last season.
As a freshman, Redick had an immediate impact, averaging 15.0 ppg, earning third team all-ACC honors, as the second leading scorer for a team that won the ACC Tournament title and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. His sophomore season, Redick was the leading scorer for one of the most talented teams of the decade. He averaged 15.9 ppg and was named second team all-ACC as Duke won the ACC regular season title and reached the Final Four.
Looking at that picture, is it any wonder people hated JJ Redick?
(photo credit: Fantastik Sports)
But it was his final two season that solidified Redick as one of the decade's best. As a junior in 2005, Redick won the ACC player of the year award (as well as the Rupp Award for national player of the year) and Duke once again won an ACC Tournament title. But Redick couldn't lead the Devils pas Michigan State in the Sweet 16. His senior season saw Redick and Adam Morrison duel all season long for the NCAA scoring title. While Morrison won that, Redick won the Naismith and Wooden awards, averaging 26.9 ppg as he led Duke to both the ACC regular season and tournament titles. But once again, the Dukies lost in the Sweet 16, this time to LSU ending JJ's career.
2001 Duke Blue Devils: The knock on Coach K is that his Duke teams never have NBA talent on them. Looking at the 2001 roster, that would be a tough thing to believe. This Duke roster had five guys - Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Dahntay Jones, Chris Duhon, and Shane Battier - currently playing significant minutes in the NBA, and that doesn't even include Jay Williams, the most talented player on that team and 2nd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft before having his career ended in a motorcycle accident, or Nate James.
Duke would go on to win both the ACC regular season and tournament titles, which is especially impressive when you consider that Carlos Boozer, their best inside player, was out for much of the season with a foot injury. Boozer was back by the NCAA Tournament, and he helped carry the Blue Devils to a national title.
Duke's 2001 title team had six guys reach the league.
(photo credit: Charlotte Observer)
Perhaps what this team will be most remembered for was their two unbelievable comebacks against Maryland. They played the Terps four times that season, and in the first match-up, Jay Williams scored 8 points in 13 seconds as the Blue Devils made it all the way back from down 10 with under a minute left in the game. In the Final Four, the fourth match-up between the two ACC powers, Duke found themselves down 22 in the first half before rallying to win.
No. 3: Illinois v. Arizona, JJ Redick, Duke's 2001 team
No. 4: Duke v. Maryland, Shane Battier, UNC's 2005 team
No. 5: Michigan State v. Kentucky, Jay Williams, UConn's 2004 team
No. 6: UConn v. George Mason, Emeka Okafor, Illinois's 2005 team
No. 7: Oklahoma State v. Texas, Carmelo Anthony, Michigan State's 2000 team
No. 8: UCLA v. Gonzaga, Jameer Nelson, Maryland's 2002 team
No. 9: Barton v. Winona State, Blake Griffin, St. Joseph's 2004 team
No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.
Continue reading...
Droppin' Dimes: A Sea of Blue |
Droppin' Dimes is a new feature we are trying out at BIAH this year. A couple of times a week, we are going to catch up with the bloggers behind the best team-specific sites on the web. If the internet really is becoming the new newspaper, then the writers at these sites are the de facto beat writers. They know their teams inside and out, and hopefully will provide you (and us) with some detailed insights. If you would like to recommend a site or pose a question for a certain team, you can reach us at contactbiah@gmail.com or @ballinisahabit.
In our newest edition of Droppin' Dimes, we had a chance to catch up with Glenn Logan, the mind behind A Sea of Blue, a Kentucky basketball blog and a must-read for any hoops fan in the Commonwealth. Hit the jump to hear Logan's thoughts on UK2K, Kentucky's freshman class, and the way Calipari has been treated by the media (trust me, it is more than worth the read).
1. Kentucky won their 2,000th on Monday night, the first program to do so. While this is clearly an impressive statistic, there has been some debate around the blogosphere as to whether it matters to anyone other than Big Blue Nation. What does this number mean to Kentucky fans? In your opinion, is it an accurate way to rate the greatest program of all-time?
I think it is a significant milestone, much as the 1,000th victory was. Of course it will be a bigger deal to fans of the UK program than it will be to non-fans, and in a real sense, I don't know if it is a huge factor toward "greatest program of all time" status. After all, North Carolina is only a few games behind, and so is Kansas, so does the fact that UK got there first by eight games mean that they are 0.4% better than UNC, for example? That's not much of an argument.
Kentucky was the first school to wins 2,000 games.
(photo credit: Examiner)
So in a real-world context, winning the race to 2,000 by such an insignificant amount is little more than a reason to celebrate, and UK fans have not had a lot to celebrate in terms of basketball for the last four years. But it is reasonable to assume that winning the race to 2,000 victories is one more small argument to add to the case that the Kentucky program is the best in the country from a historical standpoint.
2. When Kentucky hired Coach Cal, one of the criticisms from media-types was that Kentucky was hiring a coach that has had both of his Final Fours erased from the record books. Big Blue Nation has rallied around their new coach, citing the fact that Cal never actually was implicated at either UMass or Memphis. Are Kentucky fans at all concerned about this happening at Kentucky?
Some are, remembering the horrors of 1989 and the reputation Kentucky has had over the years for NCAA rulebreaking. Make no mistake, UK fans do not want a rulebreaker here who will win a championship only to have it forfeited by the NCAA, nor do fans want a coach who will constantly be answering questions from the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Kentucky has had a record clean of major NCAA infractions for 20 years. At some point, it's time to recognize that.
Calipari gets a very bad and unfair rap for NCAA compliance, and it is becoming a downright witch hunt. People choose not to remember that it was Calipari who reported Marcus Camby to the NCAA, who essentially said that Calipari was a victim of Camby's misbehavior.
When players hide lawless behavior from coaches and get arrested, nobody blames the coach. When players hide NCAA rulebreaking from the coach and the school gets punished, everybody blames him. That's unfair and unethical. Either the coach, as the man at the top of the program, is responsible for both, or neither, and obviously lawbreaking is far more serious. This "coach is responsible for what the players do" is simply a cudgel selectively used by wrong-thinking people to bludgeon those coaches they happen to dislike. If the coach is responsible for everything their players do, then it's everything, not just NCAA compliance.
Kentucky fans have embraced Coach Cal.
(photo credit: Wildcats Thunder Blog)
In addition, I don't get how the Calipari detractors can ignore the fact that Calipari was exonerated on both occasions. Oh, they mention it, but somehow, they decide that it's justified for them to substitute their own judgment for that of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, and fair for them to ignore germane and important facts selectivly under the questionable rubric of "The buck stops here (with the coach)." It's a sad commentary on the Calipari detractors, and not on Coach Cal himself.
As a parting shot on this, North Carolina coach Roy Williams was held responsible by the NCAA for Kansas' going on probation when for giving gifts just as Williams was leaving Kansas for the UNC job. Directly, knowingly responsible. Yet everyone wants to talk about Calipari, a man whom the NCAA has specifically exonerated in both instances of NCAA difficulties, and in the UMass case Calipari was actually characterized as a victim of Canby's shenanigans. That mostly goes unmentioned by Calipari's critics. If that doesn't illustrate a clear double standard, nothing does.
3. A lot of the pundits have said that DeMarcus Cousins is the x-factor for the Wildcats, whether or not he can show the maturity and intensity during games to allow him to live up to his potential. What are your thoughts on Cousins through 12 games?
Well, I hardly think intensity is his problem any more, but I think that the Kentucky team and fans do have to worry about that intensity morphing into behavior that will get him thrown out of games. In the most recent game when UK played Long Beach State at Rupp Arena, one of the 49er players seemed to bait Cousins with a little touch and some smack-talk. It worked, and both he and Cousins got a technical. He nearly got another on a bad block-charge call when he went bounding around in disgust.
So yes, controlling and harnessing Cousins' emotions is a concern. He seems to have gotten well past the lack of intensity that plagued his early games, but now the fear is becoming the flip side -- will his intensity result in on-court demonstrations that get him technical fouls? Cousins is growing up, but he still has some growing up to do.
As far as his game goes, it is still a bit raw. For 6'11"/260+ pound guy, Cousins has astonishing quickness and body control. That's why he gets nearly half of his own misses back for another try. Not only that, Cousins is single-minded around the rim -- he won't stop until somebody gets clear control of the ball away from him, or he scores. Relentlessness is an underrated characteristic in a ball player, and Cousins defines it.
I would like to see DeMarcus pass out of the post more. He is a bit of a black hole in there -- when the ball comes to Cousins in the post, it rarely comes back out. Part of his maturation needs to be passing out of double- and triple-teams to the open shooter, rather than running over or through them.
4. After the UConn game, Cal had a quote where he said that Kentucky was "a 4-5 team", referring to the struggles Kentucky has had this season. A large part of that can be attributed to the fact that so many freshman are playing such significant roles and that everyone on the roster is learning a new, and complicated, system. Will this be a problem as the season progresses? Where have you seen a positive change?
Wasn't it the irrepressible Al McGuire who said, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores."? The question becomes, then, when do Kentucky's freshman mature into sophomores? Will it be next semester, or next school year? I think that answer will define the Wildcats' success this year.
If Kentucky hopes to win, or even compete for a national championship, they absolutely must defend better. Very few college freshmen at this level have ever had to defend anyone in their lives -- their job in high school or AAU was to score a lot. John Wall, for example, should be a great defender with his size and quickness, but he is absolutely not any good at defense yet. Everyone notices his breathtaking speed and ambidextrous ball handling but nobody says boo about the fact that he still can't defend a decent high-school player.
But Wall is not the only one -- in fact, Darius Miller, a sophomore, has had struggles defensively, and lack of defense has cost Darnell Dodson a ton of playing time. To his credit, Cousins is improving faster defensively than either John Wall or Eric Bledsoe, and that even though that is great, all one has to do is look at Kentucky's defensive 3-point percentage (UK is giving up 36% from the arc, 235th in the nation) to see how vulnerable the Wildcats are to good shooting teams.
Kentucky fans have seen improvement, especially versus Drexel the other day, but then UK regressed against Long Beach State. It is a work in progress, and when the SEC season gets here, everybody will know if that progress has been enough.
5. You knew that I was going to ask a question about John Wall: through 12 games, can you call him the best Kentucky freshman of all time? If he continues to post these numbers, continues to hit as many big shots, and the Wildcats win a national title, where do you see him in terms of greatest Wildcats ever?
It is a little awkward to use the words, "of all time" when freshmen haven't always been allowed to play as freshmen, and the rules of college basketball have been changed so significantly over the years. But if we confine the answer to recent history (let's say since the advent of the 3-point shot), I think I can make an attempt.
It kind of depends how you rate players. Based on the Tendex rating system, DeMarcus Cousins actually eclipses Wall by a fairly wide margin. On the Prouty System, Wall is substantially ahead of Cousins. But I can say, with relative confidence, that the best freshman player UK has ever had is on this team, at least at this point in the season.
Statistically speak, is Cousins having a better year than Wall?
(photo credit: Kentucky Sports Radio)
If this Kentucky team wins a national title, I think Wall will be lauded as one of the best players ever, but I don't know if his jersey will ever be hoisted into Rupp's Rafters, even if he leads the Wildcats to a win. As far as I know, UK has no "one and done" players who have retired jerseys, and for a fact, I believe Wall will be the first "one and done" that I can actually remember at Kentucky.
Bonus: In a number, what are the chances that John Wall returns for his sophomore season? DeMarcus Cousins? Patrick Patterson? Daniel Orton? What are the odds of Coach Cal landing Brandon Knight?
John Wall returning: 5% (injury only) -- It would be irresponsible of Wall to return, and Calipari will not let him barring extraordinary circumstances.
Demarcus Cousins: 60% -- His game is not NBA ready, even if his body is.
Patrick Patterson: 5% (injury only) -- Patrick Patterson will have no reason. He will graduate this year, one year early. See John Wall above.
Daniel Orton: 95% -- Orton is not ready, his knee is still only about 95%, and he doesn't have a pro game. Plus, he is a smart kid to whom a college degree means something, much like Patterson.
Chances of landing Brandon Knight? I am not a recruiting analyst, it isn't my thing, but I would say that our chances are a bit better than 50%. You can never tell what these kids are thinking, and Selby may beat him to the punch. Other factors may also figure in, such as closeness to home, other good recruiters, etc.
Continue reading...
UPDATE: Final thoughts on the Roland injury |
UPDATE: Derrick Roland is heading home for christmas.
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, heard about the injury Roland suffered after his team hosted the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
He offered to pay for Betty Cofield, Roland's aunt and legal guardian, to rent a private jet to fly up to Seattle.
"He wanted his staff to find out out how much it would cost," Mavs spokesman Colin Killian said.
He wasn't the only one offering support.
Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, assistant Raphael Chillious, and senior Quincy Pondexter made the trip across town to visit Roland in the hospital.
Donald Sloan sits with Derrick Roland in the hospital.(photo credit: Seattle PI)
Apparently, this isn't the first time Roland has suffered this kind of injury. Back in the 2003-2004 season, when he was playing at Seagoville High School in Dallas (with Donald Sloan and current Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge), Roland fractured his right leg; the same leg he broke on Tuesday night.
There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not Roland will be able to get home by Christmas. Doctors are hopeful he will be able to leave tonight, but according the Texas A&M head coach Mark Turgeon "The doctor is worried about flying him home with blood clotting and things like that so he's probably going to be here through Christmas." Turgeon, Sloan, and Aggie assistant Dustin Clark have remained in Seattle.
Aggie assistant, addressing the media after the game, had this to say about the view of the injury from the bench, and how his team handled it:
Our trainer ... became very very pale. I think he almost passed out looking at the injury. It was a very gruesome sight for everyone to look at. I didn't see it. According to our trainer it was protruding from the skin. It was gory. ... We heard it. I didn't see it. you cold hear the snap. It was a loud snap. I know we all heard the snap and it's something you're never going to forget. It was a loud break.Roland's collegiate career looks to be over. He can apply for a medical hardship waiver, but an extra year of eligibility is only granted if the player participated in less than 30% of the team's games. Roland played in 12 of Texas A&M's 30 games, or 40%. But according to reports, his playing career isn't over. The injury was apparently a clean, albeit gruesome, break, and doctors have said it was similar to the injury suffered by Kenyon Martin his senior season.
First of all, we said a prayer as a team. We all got together, we prayed for D-ro. A lot of our guys were in tears. Crying I think partly because of the injury, the way it looked. Partly because they realized D-Ro was down, being such a tough, competitive guy that he is, it's tough to see a guy like Derrick Roland in that situation. I think a lot of our guys were upset by both the injury and the way it looked and the fact that D-Ro was down. We tried to get the guys back. At one point, coach Turgeon was going to go with him to the hospital instead of finishing the game. Again, our guys really wanted to rally around him and see if we could come up with a win. Our prayers are with D-Ro and hopefully he comes out of surgery ok. He's stable now and we expect him to make a full recovery.
If there is one part of this ordeal that does put a smile on your face, it was the doctor that did Roland's surgery:
And as it turns out, Roland might have even had a Washington-area fan in the operating room with him. According to Killian, one of the doctors prior to performing the surgery had something to tell Roland.Anyone wishing to send a get well wish to Roland can find contact information here.
Yep, the doctor was an Aggie.
"(Roland's) face lit up," Killian said. "It put him at ease."
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For $249, you can learn Bracketology from Joe Lunardi |
Its true.
Joe Lunardi is teaching a class at St. Joseph's on Bracketology. The material the class will cover includes "such topics as an introduction to “NCAA March Madness"; a History of the NCAA Tournament; NCAA Selection Committee(s), the Selection Process, Seeding and Bracketing, RPI, the construction of mock brackets, and finally the building of your own bracket."
So if you have an extra $249 laying around, and you want to learn how to build a bracket, then go take the class.
Or you can do what we do - just watch the games, and spend a few minutes every morning checking standings, box scores, and game recaps.
Because, as you should know, we got all 65 teams correct last year.
Lunardi didn't.
Maybe we should teach a bracketology class.
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Thursday's Shootaround: Nic Wise again, Missouri and West Virginia roll |
West Virginia 76, Ole Miss 66: While the final score might say this was just a ten point game, West Virginia was in firm control of this game for most of the second half. The Mountaineers took over early in the second 20 minutes as Wellington Smith knocked down four straight threes in the span of six possessions, opening up a 12 point lead. Ole Miss could never crack that difference, as West Virginia was just too tough defensively and too much on the offensive glass. The Mountaineers grabbed 22 offensive rebounds for the game. Wellington Smith scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, while Devin Ebanks added 15 points and 13 boards, both season highs.
Arizona 76, NC State 74: The best game of the night ended up being the last game of the night, as the Wolfpack overcame an eight point deficit with just 37 seconds to play, eventually tying the game on a full court layup by Javier Gonzalez. But Nic Wise, who just two nights ago hit a buzzer-beater to beat Lipscomb, went back the other way, hitting a layup of his own with a second left on the clock.
Oral Roberts 75, New Mexico 66: I tried to warn the Lobos yesterday, but to no avail. New Mexico went into the Mabee Center last night and lost to upset minded Oral Roberts, who also has wins over Missouri and Stanford this season. ORU took an early 14 point lead, but New Mexico came all the way back, going ahead 58-57 with 6:50 left on a Philip McDonald three. But the Golden Eagles would respond, using a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to earn the win and hand UNM their first loss of the season. Michael Craion, who hit the game-winner against Mizzou, had 18 points, 13 boards, and 7 assists.
USC 60, St. Mary's 49: The Trojans won their third game in a row in the Mike Gerrity era as a 19-5 run in the first half allow USC to open up a big lead. The Gaels would get as close as four in the second half before the Trojans pulled away. Gerrity had 17 to lead the way.
Jaw-droppers:
Other games of national interest:
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