NEW YORK - For the past four years, the name associated with Villanova basketball was Scottie Reynolds.
Starting with a 40 point outburst at UConn as a freshman, continuing with a coast-to-coast game winner to send the Wildcats to the Final Four as junior, and culminating with an all-american season as a senior, Reynolds will go down as one of the best guards in the history of one of a program known for producing back court players.
I don't envy the guy that has to replace a Scottie Reynolds.
For Villanova, that guy is expected to be Corey Fisher.
"He's always concerned about everybody else, wanting to keep everybody happy," Jay Wright told John Branch of the New York Times on Wednesday. "But he's got the ability to dominate. So finally this year he's starting to understand that's what he's got to do for this team."
Part of dominating, part of being a leader, is putting your team on your back when need be. If you want an example, all you have to do is look at Scotty Hopson. In both games this week -- including Tennessee's 78-68 win tonight -- Hopson started to take over down the stretch. He attacked the rim, drew fouls, and was as influential as anyone on this team in getting the Vol's the Preseason NIT title. Its why he was named the tournament's MVP.
And there is no question that is what Wright and company want out of Fisher.
"We chart in practice now, the first time we've done this, how many shots he takes in relation to his team's shots, every day," Wright said in that same New York Times article. "Whatever drills we did that day, if there were 40 shot attempts by his team in the 5-on-5 competition, we want him to have 18 or 20 of them. We want him to have close to half, in practice. I know in a game people aren't going to make it that easy on him."
After tonight, the question many will be asking is if Fisher is up for the challenge.
Because, as Wright said, teams like Tennessee are not going to make it easy for him.
Fisher struggled in the first half tonight. He shot 1-6 from the floor. He turned the ball over four times -- he had four turnovers all season coming into tonight. He was dribbling into traffic and forcing it up against Tennessee's stable of big men. Simply put, he wasn't himself. In all reality, he hasn't been himself all season. Coming into tonight, Fisher was averaging 18.4 ppg, but he was shooting just 39% from the floor and 24% from three. After tonight, those numbers fall to 15.8 ppg, 35% FG, and 21% 3PT.
Much of tonight's performance was due to the defense he faced against Tennessee.
Melvin Goins is a terrific defender. He's listed at 5'11", 180 lb but he looks closer to 210 lb. He's a brick wall with long arms, broad shoulders, and the athleticism that would have made him a D-I cornerback had be played football. Scotty Hopson is 6'6" with long arms which makes it difficult for a smaller guard to shoot over him. He's also quick enough that he can stay in front of some of the best guards in the country.
Those were the two players that defended Fisher all night.
"I just think it was one of those night," Wright told reporters after the game. "On ball screens the bigs help. [Brian] Williams can get out there and move his feet."
"They're a very good defensive team. They didn't give Fish many 1-on-1 opportunities."
Fisher wasn't alone. Maalik Wayns, Villanova's touted sophomore point guard, was just 3-11 for the game, shooting 0-4 from three and turning the ball over five times. Corey Stokes went just 3-9 from the floor. All three -- Fisher, Wayns, and Stokes -- were in foul trouble throughout the game and eventually fouled out.
But this is supposed to be Fisher's team.
When the rest of his team is struggling, he is supposed to be the guy that rises to the occasion and pulls them out of a slump. He's supposed to be the guy that carries them to a win in a game they get outplayed. He's supposed their leader.
What was more worrisome for me than Fisher's struggles was that he seemed to shy away from the ball late in the game.
Everyone has an off-night. Its part of being human. But when the best are having an off night shooting the ball, they attack the basket and get to the foul line. They draw a defender and find an open teammate. They do something else -- anything else -- to try and carry their team to a win.
Fisher disappeared in the second half.
He took just four shots from the field, missing all four. He didn't get to the foul line. He had just one assist, compared to two turnovers.
The best rise to a challenge.
Fisher seemed to shy away tonight.
There will be plenty of challenges of this caliber for Fisher come Big East play. If Villanova wants to be a team that competes for the Big East title and the Final Four, they are going to need Fisher to want to be the leader.
Because he's talented enough to do it.
Continue reading...
Friday, November 26, 2010
Corey Fisher has to want to be the guy to replace Scottie Reynolds |
Friday Morning Dump |
Let's take a moment before we begin to honor all the delicious turkeys who sacrificed their lives for us yesterday. If for some reason you had tofurkey, or turducken, GET OUT! NOW!
And by the way, we know its barely morning anymore. But I went out drinking last night. You should be lucky I can see straight enough to even type.
- A great-read from Adam Zagoria on the mental toughness of Tennessee's Steven Pearl, otherwise known as Bruce Pearl's son
- In Mike DeCourcy's latest "3-Pointers" column, he discusses a possible benching of UNC's Larry Drew, the big-time play of Morehead State's Kenny Faried, and what the now-destroyed Philadelphia Spectrum means to college hoops
- Ray Mernagh from the NBE had a great-read about Kemba Walker and his UConn compatriots. His opening line is tremendous.
- The Washington Huskies left Maui with a 1-2 tournament record, and I'm not sure that's what they were hoping for. What did we learn about Washington from their trip to the island?
- Rush The Court checks-in on The Pac-10 Conference
- Corey Fisher has gained some fame since his 105-point performace in an almost-folklore-ish summer league game. But that game isn't all the Fisher name is known for
- Depth issues will hurt even the deepest teams. USC doesn't have the luxury of being a deep team.
- Corey Fisher may not be scoring 105 points a game, but he's still playing some damn-good basketball
- A 'Nova-centric preview of the N.I.T. Season Tip-Off title game
- A Q&A session between bloggers of in-state rivals Dayton and Cincinnati. The teams go-head-to-head this weekend.
Continue reading...
Black Friday's Roundup |
We are headed into New York City this afternoon -- not to shop, but to cover the finals of the Preseason NIT. Recaps and previews are going to be fairly light today and all in this post. Here's to hoping everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and that enough food was made that there are plenty of leftovers.
Old Spice Classic
Cal 57, Temple 50: Fran Dunphy was worried about his team's 11 day lay off, and their performance against Cal showed why. The Owls sleep-walked through the game, struggling to find any kind of rhythm on the offensive end of the floor, shooting 33.3% on the day and 2-19 from three. To Cal's credit, they picked up their second good win of the non-conference season. All five starters scored between eight and 13 points.
Boston College 67, Texas A&M 65: BC lost to Yale earlier this year, but the Eagles looked like a different team on Thanksgiving. Reggie Jackson scored 21 points as BC built a lead late, but after a BJ Holmes three cut a four point lead to one and BC missed a free throw, A&M had a chance to tie, but Dash Harris had his layup roll off the rim at the buzzer.
Wisconsin 50, Manhattan 35: This was a brutal game to watch, especially if the tryptophan was already flowing through your veins. It was 17-10 at the half, and only marginally better in the second half. Jon Leuer had 16 points and 13 boards in the win.
Notre Dame 89, Georgia 83 2OT: In the best game of the day, the Irish outlasted the Bulldogs. UGA took a 12 point lead into the half, but the Irish switched into a second half zone which flummoxed the Bulldogs. ND built as much as an eight point lead, but Georgia came storming back to tie it on a tip in by Trey Thompkins, who was seeing his first action of the season. The first OT ended when Ben Hansbrough was fouled on a drive with 4.7 seconds left. He hit 1-2 from the line to force the second extra frame. Eric Atkins and Tim Abromaitis hit a number of clutch jumpers, and the Irish were able to pull away.
Today's Old Spice Schedule:
76 Classic
Virginia Tech 72, Cal St. Northridge 56: The Hokies got 20 points from Dorenzo Hudson and 17 points and 7 assists from Malcolm Delaney as they cruised to the win.
Oklahoma State 60, DePaul 56: DePaul's new pressuring system looks like it could make soe games interesting in the Big East. The Cowboy guards struggled against the pressure, turning the ball over 25 times. If Marshall Moses didn't have 27 points and the Blue Demons had shot better than 3-22 from three, this score could have been very different.
Murray State 55, Stanford 52: The Racers finally got the major conference win we all predicted they would be getting. BJ Jenkins led the way with 15 points.
UNLV 80, Tulsa 71: The Runnin' Rebels looked very good against Tulsa. They got a balanced effort (four players in double figures), shot well from three, and were up by as much as 15 against the Golden Hurricane. And they did it all with a Tre'Von Willis that is clearly not back to his old self.
Today's 76 Classic schedule:
Preseason NIT
Legends Classic
Great Alaska Shootout
Other Notable Games
Continue reading...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Keep your expectations in check with UConn |
Just six short months ago, I said that I thought that the violations that UConn faced from the NCAA could be a de facto death penalty to the program.
I meant it. I wasn't the only one that thought it. And if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I would probably have written the exact same thing.
Which is why the UConn's win in the Maui Invitational must feel so good for Jim Calhoun.
The Huskies completed one of the most memorable in-season tournament runs in memory, winning the Maui Invitational on the slender shoulders of Kemba Walker. On Monday, they intrigued us with a comeback win against Wichita State. On Tuesday, they impressed us, knocking off No. 2 Michigan State.
And on Wednesday, the Huskies awed us. They not only beat Kentucky, they embarrassed them. If the unexpected resurgence of the UConn program felt good, beating former nemesis John Calipari iced the cake.
"That was a shellacking," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "We were outplayed, out-coached, out-everythinged."
The Wildcats were in it for all of twelve minutes. Terrence Jones picked up his second foul with the score 28-22 and 9:13 left on the clock. He sat the rest of the half. From that point on, UConn would outscore UK 22-7, including a 21-2 run in the last seven minutes that was spurred by 10 points from Walker. Kentucky never made it interesting.
So what has happened with UConn?
Why is this team so much better than people predicted?
The biggest issue is addition by subtraction. Last season's version of the Huskies belonged to Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson. It was there team, but neither of them were leaders. In fact, their performance down the stretch of the season was downright embarrassing. They quit, and the team followed suit.
This year, it is Kemba Walker's team. He has not only developed as a basketball player since the end of last season, he has developed as a leader. He has turned into the kind of player that not only wants to put the team on his back, he is capable of doing it.
Its not just the points that he provides, either. Walker's ability to penetrate forces defenses to pay attention to him. It makes perimeter defenders slough off of wing players and it forces big men to try to be shot blockers. Walker may be scoring 30.0 ppg, but that is more out of necessity than an unwillingness to be a passer. The perfect example came with about a minute left in the first half. Walker had buried threes on back-to-back possessions. The next time UConn has the ball, Walker finds himself with another open three, but he dumped the ball off to Jamal Coombs-McDaniel for a layup.
That's the kind of player he is.
That's why he is the early favorite for national player of the year.
But what does it do for UConn?
Odds are good that they will be in the top ten Monday morning. That's what happens when you knock off two top ten teams this early in the season.
That doesn't necessarily mean that this is a top ten team, however.
I said it last week, and I stand by it today -- UConn cannot rely on Walker scoring 30 every night for them to win. They simply can't do it. Coaches in the Big East will have too much time to prepare for Walker. They will have too much time to game plan for him. All it takes is one coach shutting him down and that game tape circulating for the secret to get out.
This is still the same team that struggles to find a secondary scorer. This is still the same team that is loaded with young -- talented, but young nonetheless -- players. And if there is anything we should know about freshmen by now, its that they are inconsistent.
Shabazz Napier's turnover are going to come. Roscoe Smith is going to start missing threes. Coombs-McDaniel, Jeremy Lamb, and Niels Giffey will have their ups and downs as well.
I'm not saying UConn isn't any good.
Quite the opposite. This is a team that has a good of a shot as Syracuse, Georgetown, West Virginia, or Marquette to finish in the top four of the Big East.
But if UConn does get that top ten ranking, don't expect a Final Four team just yet.
They may get there. They may also have ups and downs as a team. Putting a top ten label and top ten expectations on a team that was tenth in their own league in the preseason is a lot to ask because of one unbelievable week.
Continue reading...
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota |
This dunk is from earlier in the season, but I am just seeing it right now. Its Rodney Williams from Minnesota dunking on Reggie Bullock of UNC. I am going to forward this video around to my friends that are coaches.
"Dear players,
This is why you should box out. Because if you don't, this is what will happen.
Regards, BIAH"
Was this as good as the rest of the dunks for 2010-2011?
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Continue reading...
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie proves Troy right |
Travis Leslie is playing in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, FL. Apparently, he thinks he is Vince Carter, because the Bulldogs junior put on a dunking show on Thanksgiving.
The first was an alley-oop that Leslie caught, reaching behind his body with one hand to make the catch. There is no video up of this dunk yet, but there will be. And when there is, it will be here. Trust.
The second was a windmill. A full windmill. Take a look:
Troy's been arguing Travis Leslie is the best dunker in the country since the summer. It looks like the Trizzle is right.
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Continue reading...
POSTERIZED: Terrence Jones dishes out Pre-Thanksgiving Stuffing |
The Maui Invitational championship was a doozy. UConn and Kemba routed the Kentucky Wildcats for a 17 point win that literally nobody expected.What people did expect is that Kentucky's Terrence Jones would have a big night, and he did. Despite being plagued with foul trouble, Jones went off for 24 points, including this emphatic slam over two UConn defenders.
To be honest, the entire first two minutes of this game were post-worthy.
Jones started it off with the jam, then Kemba Walker answered with an alley-oop pass to Charles Okwandu, the man on the wrong side of Jone';s poster. But TJ answered back with a quick three, but UConn did the same. If anybody can find a clip of the first 3 minutes of the game, it would be most appreciated, because it was pretty fantastic.
Was this as good as the other posters of 2010-2011?
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Continue reading...
Thursday Morning Dump: Thanksgiving Edition |
I know most of you will be too bloated to make it to the computer today, but just in case you find some time (I dunno, maybe it's when you're trying to avoid the in-laws, maybe it's when you are hiding to avoid having to do dishes), we have you covered. Things are going to be fairly slow around these parts today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
- There really isn't any other choice but to start this dump with a mention of UConn and Kemba Walker. A Kentucky blogger put it best: he was stupid good. But this game was about more than just one team beating another. As Gary Parrish explains, it's easy to be a writer when there are story lines like this.
- It's official. Royce White won't be playing for Iowa State this season. The NCAA denied his appeal
- Durrell Summers hit two big shots that helped Michigan State keep their lead late and fend of Washington. Coach Izzo had trust in a slumping Summers and it paid off
- Luke Winn updates the power rankings. Georgetown Kentucky, UConn and Minnesota all break the top-10
- News from the America East conference is that Vermont is for real
- Chaminade is back, baby! well that may be an overstatement, but the Silver Swords did beat Oklahoma yesterday (Yes, I know Oklahoma is dreadful)
- The Refraction is always a good-read (It's the game day newsletter of Utah State)
- Rush The Court checks in on The Atlantic-10
- ESPN is going 3-D for the Old Spice Classic
- Road trips are a good way to test the mental toughness of a young squad. Syracuse looks to get a lot out of their youngsters, and their first road-trip will test them
Continue reading...
VCU will be around in March |
NEW YORK - The team that showed up in Madison Square Garden tonight to take on Tennessee was not VCU.
Sure, it was the VCU players wearing the VCU jerseys running the VCU plays, but the product on the court was not the Ram team that many predicted to beat Tennessee. Part of that is a direct result of the Volunteers. This is a big, athletic group that can really get out defend when they put their mind to it.
"They switched everything so they made it hard for us to catch it," VCU big man Jamie Skeen said after the game. "When we would run our plays, we had places we wanted to be. They took us out of where we wanted to be. They made it a little bit hard on us."
But there was more to it than just the Tennessee defense, however.
VCU, despite the defensive pressure, was still able to get open looks. They were able to push the ball and get some open looks in transition. Their guards were able to penetrate, creating opportunities around the rim or spot opportunities on the perimeter. They just couldn't hit anything.
In the first half, the Rams shot 23.7% from the floor. They were 3-18 from three. For the game, VCU only shot 30.9%, and that is including the flurry of threes they hit in the final ten minutes of the game.
All this coming from a team that was shooting 49.5% from the floor and 38.8% from three on the season.
"We're a good shooting team," VCU head coach Shaka Smart said after the game. "And I know it was going to turn. It took a while. At the end it turned, we made some shots late."
"Obviously we didn't get enough stops to get it done."
Its not like early struggles were unexpected. This is VCU's first time playing in Madison Square Garden. Ever. They were playing on national television, something that CAA teams don't do too often. Can you blame them if they came in anxious or nervous?
"I did think that we didn't play as smart as we typically do," Smart said. "I don't know if that had to do with some nerves or being the first time in Madison Square Garden, playing on national TV."
The stats are even uglier if you take away Brandon Rozzell. Rozzell was really the only Ram that found a rhythm on Wednesday night, and he didn't get it going until VCU had dug a double digit hole. He finished with 23 points, hitting 6-8 from the field and 5-7 from three in the second half.
VCU's leading scorers looked like anything but stars.
Jamie Skeen, VCU's 6'8" center that came in averaging 16.0 ppg and 6.6 rpg, finished just 2-10 from the floor for just 12 points. Star point guard Joey Rodriguez was even worse, as he was just 1-10 on the night. A number of those misses came of shots that Rodriguez forced. He finished the game with five points, two assists, and three turnovers after coming into the game averaging 18.0 ppg and 10.3 apg.
Rodriguez wasn't at 100%, however, as he rolled his ankle in the first half.
"He reinjured an ankle that he had turned a couple of weeks ago," Smart said. "It certainly hampered him. It rook away from his explosiveness. He did such a great jon all year getting by his man and creating shots for his teammates."
"I think the injury affected him, but Tennessee did a good job guarding him."
Playing with a banged up star point guard, shooting in the 20's from the field for most of the game, and playing against a team that bigger, more athletic, and more talented, VCU fought and scrapped the entire game. They got 15 offensive rebounds, 13 in the first half. Their press turned Tennessee over 15 times. They held the Vols to 40% shooting on the night.
And while there's no doubt that this loss will hurt -- VCU is going to have a tough time earning an at-large bid, as they simply don't have a lot of firepower in their non-conference schedule.
But I can promise you this: if VCU does go dancing, no one will want to play them.
Continue reading...
Ray Floriani: Thoughts and notes on the Pre-season NIT tournament |
NEW YORK CITY - The 9.6 mile drive from my Lyndhurst home to MSG actually took ‘only’ 45 minutes. With Lincoln Tunnel traffic and the eve of Thanksgiving travel, you take that and run with it.
Got out and noticed I left my digital camera chip in my computer. Basically, no chip = no pictures. Right by the parking lot is B & H. The memory card, or chip, costs about $25 at the sop back in New Jersey. I expect to go for about $40. True to B & H’s advertising, they have the best prices. Total, $6.50. Thank you B & H.
At dinner in the MSG press room we are watching Washington-Michigan state from Maui. Washington has a slight lead. If Michigan State loses, and goes 1-2 for Maui, I would not want to be a part of Tom Izzo’s next practice.
Ran into long time coaching friend Billy Diamond who assisted Gary Williams years ago at American. Billy recently accepted an assistant position at prep power St.Benedict’s (NJ). He said they will scrimmage DeMatha on Saturday.
Early on VCU is struggling with Tennessee’s ability to run the floor. The Vols have 7 baskets the first 8 minutes, four in transition. Two minutes in VCU coach Shaka Smart has the jacket off. VCU is hitting the glass hard and posing problems for their SEC opposition. The Vols have a slight 16-14 lead eight minutes in. Not only the board work is a defensive problem, VCU has the green light and is not shy from beyond the arc.
The uptempo pace is a natural of these clubs. Entering the game VCU is averaging 74 possessions, Tennessee 73. Three point shooting is very much part of VCU’s arsenal. Forty three of their attempts entering the semi, have been beyond the arc. Can’t argue with success as they came into New York hitting 38.8% from downtown.
The scoreboard shows Michigan State pulled it out in Maui. Still believe Tom Izzo is not exactly thrilled with a 3rd place finish.
VCU goes down 77-72 in a tough battle. The 39% effective field goal percentage was a factor as was a 38-29% deficit in offensive rebounding percentage. The main factor though was Tennessee guard Scotty Hopson. The 6-7 Hopson scored 18 points while adding 11 boards. Inside or out and especially on the glass the second half, Hopson came up big. As did New York native Brian Williams (13 rebounds) in front of about 60 friends and family.
Momentum is funny. VCU never drew even the second half. Wondered how things might have been different if they were able to do so.
Special mention deserved by the VCU cheerleaders. They boarded a bus in Richmond at 6 AM this morning. If VCU lost they would head home. Which they did. Right after the game, on the bus for the long ride home. And, on exiting, they still managed to smile. Guess a Garden appearance does that.
Villanova had a little trouble with UCLA’s size early. At the break the Wildcats had a 44-29 lead and lead in each of the Four Factors. Most telling was UCLA’s TO RATE of 24%. On their behalf the Wildcats TO RATE was only 11%. Quite impressive in a 37 possession half. As was ‘Nova’s offensive efficiency of 122 which easily outdistanced the Bruins’ 78.
Liked the fact Villanova coach Jay Wright went to some zone the latter part of the first half. Changing the defense gave UCLA a different look and against the zone a few times down, the Bruins lacked movement.
Eight plus to play it’s still a three possession game (‘Nova leads 58-50). Have to give Ben Howland’s club credit. Facing their toughest opponent to date early in the season at Madison square Garden, the Bruins are hanging tough and won’t go away.
Impressed by some of the things I saw out of ‘’Nova soph Maalik Wayns.
Sitting next to VCU assistants doing advance scouting for Friday‘s third place game. Impressed how they can literally call out both teams offenses as they are set up. Coming to New York these coaches have watched several tapes of all possible opponents in the field of four. Advance scouting in person gives them a closer look and possibly something tape didn’t reveal that they can exploit.
The fans behind me on press row are relentlessly annoying getting on UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt. These fans will probably be hoarse at thanksgiving dinner.
The final is 80-72 Villanova. Corey Fisher led the way with 26 points but both coaches agree Mouphtaou Yarou was a big difference. The ‘Nova 6-10 sophomore scored 13 points grabbed 16 boards and blocked three shots. Beyond the numbers Yarou,” gave us a big presence in the paint,’ per Wright. Just what ‘Nova needed.
Friday resumes with UCLA-VCU for 3rd and Villanova-Tennessee for the title. Two good games on tap. Feast week continues….
Continue reading...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Can Jeff Capel survive this loss? |
Its amazing how far Jeff Capel's Oklahoma program has fallen.
Astonishing really.
The Sooners lost 68-64 this afternoon to Chaminade. Yes, Chaminade. The Silver Swords. The high school dweeb that hangs out with the cool kids because his parents let him throw parties. Chaminade has hosted the Maui Invitational since 1984. Every year. Coming into tonight, they had played 78 games in their tournament. They had won five.
Chaminade is not a terrible basketball team by Division II standards. They hung tough with Michigan State, losing by just eight points to the No. 2 team in the country, at one point leading by five in the second half. They kept it close with Wichita State into the second half.
But keep in mind, just 20 short months ago, Oklahoma and 2009 Player of the Year and No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin were squaring off with North Carolina for the right to go to the Final Four.
Today, they lost to a Division II team.
But, hey, they finished 8th in both tournaments.
The question that now must be asked is how long will Jeff Capel have his job as head man in Norman?
He completely whiffed on his last two recruiting class. McDonald's all-americans Willie Warren, Tommy Mason-Griffin, and Tiny Gallon all turned out to be massive busts. There is some talent on this roster -- Cade Davis, Steven Pledger, Andrew Fitzgerald, and Cameron Clark are all capable high-major players -- but in five years at a school like Oklahoma, that group is far from impressive. Part of recruiting is identifying if a kid is capable of functioning in society off the court as well as his ability on the court.
I think its safe to say that Capel has not yet mastered this aspect of the recruiting process.
Does he have the talent on this roster to make a turnaround? Because if he doesn't make a significant improvement with this team, he may not be around to see the next crop of recruits develop.
Continue reading...
Wednesday Pregame Beat |
The eve of Thanksgiving provides a couple quality games for us to view, pending that you aren't spending a night out on the town for "The Most Popular Bar Night of the Year".
The Maui Invitational wraps up with the finals and consolation game, the N.I.T. Season Tip-Off will showcase it's four best teams in the semifinals, and the Cancun Challenge begins with the first round match-ups.
Maui Invitational
5:00PM: No. 2 Michigan state vs. No. 9 Washington
The Maui Invitational consolation game very well could be a preview for a potential Final Four match-up. Both teams have seasoned rosters and go-to players. Washington was in a dog-fight last night against Kentucky and it will be interesting to see if they can continue to play at the same pace. Venoy Overton looked dog-tired in the second half against Kentucky, and Isaiah Thomas had a very forgettable performance. The Spartans will need to do what Kentucky was able to do in order to be effective against Washington: attack the glass. MSU has the size to control the rebound battle, but will need guys like Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers and Adrien Payne to out-work the front court of Washington. This consolation game may end up being a better game than the Championship match-up, and should not be missed.
10:00PM: Connecticut vs. No.9 Kentucky
I think all of us were expecting to see a Kentucky/Michigan State championship game, but Kemba Walker had other plans. Walker, along with Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier knocked off the Spartans and now face a young Kentucky team that beat up on a highly-touted Washington squad. Freshman Terrence Jones is averaging 20ppg and 11rpg and fellow freshman Brandon Knight is averaging 19ppg. The key match-up in this game is going to be the lock-down defense of Walker against the versatility of Knight. With the way UConn has played as of late, this game might be just as good as a MSU/UK game that we all predicted would happen.These team did face off last season, and Kentucky walked away with the slight victory. But I believe UConn will walk away with a W in this one. Yes Terrence Jones was sensational, but Kemba has got the hot-hand.
N.I.T Season Tip-Off
7:00PM: VCU vs. No.24 Tennessee
If you thought the Volunteers would have been distracted by all the off-the-court issues, you were probably part of the majority, but you were wrong. The Vols are 3-0 and will play their first game since finding out that Bruce Pearl will be suspended for the first nine conference games. The Vols have looked good, but not great. They beat Belmont by only nine, and blew a large lead late against Missouri State, despite winning 60-56. The Rams have the talent to beat Tennessee. They forced 23 turnovers against Wake Forest, and Joey Rodriguez is averaging 18ppg while shooting 46% from behind the arch. Don't be surprised if Virginia Commonwealth beats Tennessee and advances to the finals.
9:00PM: UCLA vs. No. 7 Villanova
UCLA is much, much better than they were last year. I'm not sure if they are good enough to beat a stellar Villanova squad, but the Wildcats have yet to face any real opposition yet, and UCLA could capitalize. Villanova's back court of Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher may be the best in the entire country, and I'm not too sure the Bruins will be able to stop them. They might be able to slow them down. Fisher has gone 104 minutes this season without committing a turnover. For UCLA, they will need their go-to forwards Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt to have big games in order to stay competitive. They will be going up against two solid big-men for Villanova in Antonio Pena and Mouphatou Yarou. I have a feeling this game might stay close for a while, but if 'Nova's guards start to run the show, this one may get out of hand.
Cancun Challenge
9:30PM: LaSalle vs. No. 12 Missouri
LaSalle has a big weapon in Aaric Murray, and Missouri hasn't been as impressive as we thought they would be. As the only ranked team in the field, they struggled to get past Wyoming, and now face a better opponent in LaSalle. But the Explorers have lost 18-straight games against ranked teams and Missouri's style of play is difficult to adapt to. Look for the tigers to rebound from a shaky start.
Other Notable Match-ups
9:00PM: Utah @ Utah State
The battle for the Beehive State carries on, as Utah State tries to rebound from their controversial loss to BYU. Utah is 3-0 but faces a stern test from the Aggies, and it's being played at the Spectrum, so USU should have an advantage.
1:45AM: Ball State vs. St. John's
Remember when the Great Alaskan Shootout actually meant something? Yeah, seems like decades ago. Ball State is better than you would think, and St. John's is making another brutal cross-country trip.
6:00PM: Air Force @ Wofford
7:00PM: Drexel @ Rhode Island
7:00PM: Cleveland State @ Akron
7:00PM: Wyoming vs. Providence
7:00PM: Florida A&M @ Dayton
7:00PM: Loyola (MD) @ Vermont
7:30PM: Wichita State vs. Virginia
8:00PM: North Dakota State @ No.17 Minnesota
8:00PM: Kennesaw State @ Iowa State
10:00PM: Charlotte @ Oregon State
10:00PM: San Jose State @ Cal-State Bakersfield
10:30PM: Cal-State Fullerton @ Southern California
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Can Kansas State be a transition team? |
This article can also be found at Beyond the Arc.
During last night's broadcast of the smack down that Kansas State took from Duke, ESPN put the following quote from Jacob Pullen up in a graphic:
We live in transition. We really don't want to set up an offense if we don't have to.Well, I got bad news Jake.
You're probably going to have to learn how to play in the half court. Because, as Duke demonstrated last night, good teams aren't going to let you get out in transition at will.
And, frankly, I don't know if Kansas State is that good in transition. For starters, they don't have a point guard. Will Spradling may end up being that guy, but he's not all that quick and, as every freshman point guard in the country does, he makes too many mistakes with the ball. I love Jacob Pullen, but does he strike you as the kind of player that can lead a fast break? Is he going to be making 60 foot touch passes to Rodney McGruder streaking down the wing in stride? Does he have the court vision to see Curtis Kelly running to the rim and the passing ability to get the ball to him for the split second that he comes open?
Pullen's a great scoring guard. He can play the lead guard role if he has too. I don't think he can be a point guard in an uptempo system.
To make matters worse, Kansas State has been atrocious in their transition defense. How many times did Kyrie Irving take the ball coast to coast? How many times did he do it off of a made basket? If you go back and watch Kansas State tape, I guarantee that you'll see at least two or three open layups a game simply as a result of an opponent's big man beating the Wildcat's big man down the floor.
What makes a transition team great is that they don't just run to offense. They run to defense as well.
Perhaps their is a reason that Kansas State wants to play a transition game.
Their half court offense was pretty ugly last night. The Wildcats committed 21 turnovers last night. Players getting ripped in the open floor. Pullen losing the ball out of bounds. Passes going through Kelly's hands, or Kelly's passes going straight into the hands of a Duke defender.
Outside of Pullen, can anyone on this Kansas State team create their own shot? Kelly can, at times, in the post. He was 8-11 for 19 points last night. He also had six turnovers. He's not exactly what you would call reliable.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of the credit has to go to Duke. They are far and away the best team in the country right now. Their defense last night has been, for the most part, overlooked in the writeups I've read.
But every team that is competing for the Final Four is going to be able to defend.
If Kansas State can't score in transition, are they going to have enough offense to compete?
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This new 'emphasis on elbows' needs to go |
I'm all over preventing injuries in sports, especially head injuries.
But this is getting ridiculous.
For the second time this season, the outcome of a game was greatly influenced by a change in how the NCAA handles swinging elbows. Before I get into the actual plays themselves, a quick review of the rules and the changes. Over the summer, the NCAA asked officials to put an emphasis on swinging elbows. From a May 6th release by the NCAA:
the change would require men’s and women’s officials to assess either an intentional or flagrant foul on a player who swings an elbow and makes contact with an opponent above the shoulders. If the foul is deemed to be intentional, the team whose player was struck would receive two free throws and possession of the ball. If the foul is deemed to be flagrant, the player who threw the elbow would be ejected.Since 2010 was a non-rules change year, the only thing that is different is how the referees are required to interpret the rule and assess a penalty.
Rule 9, Article 13, Sections 1-3 from the NCAA Rulebook states the following:
The first incident happened a week ago when Utah State traveled to BYU. The Aggies were down 72-69 with just over two minutes left in the game. Utah State's Tai Wesley collected a defensive rebound in traffic. BYU's Chris Collinsworth reached for the ball, and Wesley -- who doesn't have his elbows extended -- rotates his entire upper body to keep Collinsworth from getting his hand on the ball. His elbows don't make contact with Collinsworth, but they are raised.The rulebook states that any excessive swinging of the elbows is not allowed, but it also states that a player is allowed to pivot or move the ball to prevent it from being stolen so long as his elbows are not extended. Do you think Wesley's elbows are extended? Was he pivoting and moving the ball to prevent it from being stolen? Did that really deserve to be an intentional foul, let alone a game-changing whistle?
Wesley was whistled for an intentional foul. Instead of Utah State having the ball, down three, with two minutes left, BYU got two free throws and the ball back. The foul was also Wesley's fifth. The call by no means cost Utah State the game -- even under the circumstances, they had two chances to get a defensive rebound down 74-71, and both times BYU beat them to the loose ball -- but it really put the Aggies behind the eight ball.
Last night in Maui, Venoy Overton was given a technical foul in a similar situation. Washington had fought back from a five point deficit to tie the game before Kentucky went on a quick 11-4 spurt to take a 61-54 lead. After a DeAndre Liggins jumper put Kentucky up seven, Overton was dribbling the ball over half court towards the Washington bench to call a timeout. Liggins tried to beat Overton to the spot, and as Overton came to his jumpstop, Liggins flopped, trying to get the charge call.
The timeout was granted, but the referees went to the monitor to review the play. I don't have any video (please send it along if you do), but Overton barely extended his elbow, and it appeared he was trying to protect himself against the collision more than anything. What's more is that any reaction made by Liggins was a flop in an attempt to draw a charge. Is there anything that Overton did on that play that warranted a foul, let alone an intentional/technical foul?
But Overton was still assessed a dead ball technical foul. Kentucky not only got two free throws, they got the ball back. With six minutes left, that is an enormous swing.
To make matters worse, three minutes later, when Overton was guarding Knight about 25 feet from the basket, Knight ripped the ball through. When he did, he landed an elbow square on the chops of Overton. Of the three, it was easily the most blatant elbow and should have been the the most obvious call.* It was the only one where his elbow was actually extended. Knight wasn't trying to keep the ball from being stolen, he was trying to clear space. Its exactly the same play as when Manny Harris knocked out Chris Kramer, which was one of the incidents that led to this emphasis on reducing elbows.
*(For the record, I don't think what Knight did was wrong. Clearing space by ripping the ball through is what players are taught from a young age to do when you are being crowded by a defender, and in my opinion is wasn't a flagrant attempt to hurt Overton. If Venoy Overton wants to get up in Brandon Knight's jock 25 feet from the rim, he has to be aware that he may catch an elbow. These things happen in basketball. Its part of the game.)
But no whistle was blown. Play continued essentially 5-on-4 before Eloy Vargas was fouled. Lorenzo Romar had to beg the officials during a TV timeout to check the monitors and review the play. If the whistle was blown when the elbow was swung, Washington would have gotten two free throws and the ball. Instead, their two free throws were erased by two free throws for Vargas. With 3:49 to go in a close game, that extra possession is huge.
I can support the effort to eliminate thrown elbows. It is unacceptable for a player to throw an elbow to try and hurt an opponent. Elbows are just as damaging as throwing a punch, and if you throw a punch in a game, you'll spend a lot of time in street clothes.
But this "emphasis" on eliminating elbows isn't preventing players from being hurt, it is influencing the outcome of basketball games. Its not changing the way the game is played, its simply changing the way it is called.
If there is a "no tolerance" policy on elbows that are thrown, the referees need to make sure that they are "not tolerant" of elbows that are illegal.
Because for my money, neither Tai Wesley nor Venoy Overton broke the rules of the game that are listed in the NCAA rulebook.
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B.I.A.H. Quotables: Featuring the best tweets at Isaiah Thomas |
Everybody's favorite weekly B.I.A.H column is back for round-number-two.
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 hit us up on twitter.
Steve Lavin had a lot of pressure his shoulders to get his first win at St. John's head coach. The Johhnies beat Columbia, and got Lavin the W. After the game, it was time for Lavin to relax: "I told Coach Keady I don't usually drink Maker's Mark. But I said I think I'm ready to have a Maker's Mark with him tonight."
Maryland and Pitt played in one of the premiere games of the week, in the semis of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Blossoming beast Jordan Williams went up against Pitt's Gary McGee, who his coach Jamie Dixon believes will be the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. But Williams had his way with McGee, and I think he knows it:"When I got the ball I scored. Like every time. I think I missed one shot against him the whole game."
Speaking of Maryland, Gary Williams was relativly upbeat despite the loss, in which his team shot 14-for-30 from the charity stripe. William's team isn't ranked, but he thinks they probably could be: "I truly believe that if they’re the number four or five team in the country, then we’re number four or five.”
On Friday, West Virginia defeated Vanderbiltt\ in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship thanks to a game-winning three-pointer from WVU's Casey Mitchell. Vandy coach Kevin Stallings was upset with the way his team handled the last possesion: "We should have had him covered on that last play. There was no reason for him to have gotten that shot on the last play. We just missed coverage and didn't do what we were coached to do. But he still had to make the shot and he did."
Coach Stalling's also wasn't too pleased with the officiating. From the AP (h/t Eamonn Brennan):Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings was livid with the referees from the start, yelling "don't turn this into a 67-foul fiasco!" West Virginia beat Davidson on Thursday in a game that had 67 personal fouls. He was whistled for a technical foul only 2 1/2 minutes into the game. Mitchell hit two free throws and a 3-pointer off the possession to put the Mountaineers ahead for good.
Later in the first half, and with the free-throw attempts at a lopsided 22-7 in favor of West Virginia, Stallings barked "22-7! 22-7!" One referee sternly cautioned Stallings "don't say it again."
Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News answered some questions in his "Starting 5" column. He addressed the top three "addition by subtraction" cases in college hoops:Texas’ seniors were good guys, and so was freshman Avery Bradley, but the Longhorns badly needed a reboot after their post-New Year’s collapse last season.
Rutgers invested a lot of faith in guard Mike Rosario that wasn’t repaid with victories or concern for the team. He hunted shots and didn’t guard his position. At Florida, like many transfers who have no other options, he’ll probably get in line.
The champion in this division, though, is Oklahoma. Tiny Gallon and Tommie Mason-Griffin set the Sooners back five years with their lack of commitment to the program, and a once-surging Willie Warren followed their lead into ignominy. OU won’t be much good this year, but they won’t be that kind of bad, either.
Ashton Gibbs and the Pitt Panthers won the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic by defeating Texas 68-66. Gibbs was named Tournament MVP. He claimed the individual award by calling for his teammates to accept it with him. I've always liked Ashton Gibbs. He seems like a class-act: "I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates. They screened for me and they looked for me in open spots. They got me the ball. It’s a team game. I’m a team player first and then individual awards come with it.”
Memphis won another hard-faught contest over a run-of-the-mill BCS-conference team in LSU. LSU head coach Trent Johnson was not very happy after the game. According to the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, Johnson brushed off Memphis coach Josh Pastner:Memphis coach Josh Pastner said he couldn't remember whether he had shaken hands with LSU coach Trent Johnson after the game.
Pastner did remember, however, Johnson brushing against him and not saying a word as the two crossed paths after the game in the bowels of BancorpSouth Arena.
Pastner took the high road when asked about the incident in his postgame interview.
"I've known Trent Johnson for a long time," he said. "He was obviously upset about the game."
Louisville is off to a hot start, defeating Butler, last season's National runners-up, and then drubbing Chattanooga 106-65. After the game, coach Pitino addressed many different aspects of his team. One of the more interesting points he made was about last year's Syracuse-killer Kyle Kuric: He's a good athlete, good player. Now, remember he came here as a walk-on, and we gave him a scholarship. Let's not read too much into when he doesn't have a great scoring night, he came in as a walk-on. I think he's exceeded that by leaps and bounds and given a lot to this program.
As we all know, North Carolina has struggled a bit early on, especially with execution and mental toughness. But that didn't stop Roy Williams from joking around at a recent press conference: Roy Williams came to his press conference Monday afternoon with his right thumb taped.
"I hit one of my players," Williams joked.
After two straight losses, Williams said he didn't hit one of players because he had too many options.
All kidding aside, Williams — who said he injured his thumb catching a pass in practice — offered a simple solution for the Tar Heels' two-game losing streak.
"We just have to play better," Williams said.
Butler and Siena put on a great Mid-Major battle on Tuesday night, in which Butler pulled away with a 70-57 victory. Despite the 13-point win, the Bulldogs had nothing but glowing reviews of Siena's star player Ryan Rossiter:Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens “I told Rossiter, I’m blown away by how much he’s improved. I didn’t think last year he could score like that with a guy between him and the hoop and his back to the basket.”
Rossiter finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds. He had 14 and 9 before the intermission. In case you forget, Rossiter was named MAAC preseason player of the year.
Butler senior Matt Howard “Rossiter, he’s going right over us, right through us, and I didn’t feel like I was playing terrible defense. I don’t think there’s any hype with that guy.”
We will finish the first Quotables of the season with some of the more entertaining tweets directed at Washington's Isaiah Thomas. As we all know, Kentucky's Terrence Jones spurned the Huskies on the recrtuiting trail and Thomas responded via twitter. Kentucky defeated Washington in the Maui Invitational semifinals, in a game where Terrence Jones showcased his talents and Isaiah Thomas struggled to contribute at all:@JobLess4Life - @Isaiah_Thomas2 I had my popcorn but the only show I saw was the one Brandon Knight and TJ were putting on. Bow down.
@SportsBang - You got Kentucky, You got a LOSS! Cats scratched the Huskies eyes out...Wimper #Kentucky #Washington #SEC
@jlstanukfan - you got what you wanted a date with uk and u choke Terrance jones pick the right school UW is a JOKE!
@Cgowers - What is @Isaiah_Thomas2 gonna say now? #gocats
@WarMother51 - HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Big Blue Nation sends their regards. Popcorn must have gotten stale.
@MatthewBDelaney - so much for the win you guaranteed months ago.
@JimCarls32 - guess them cats beat them dawgs go to the pound you mut!!!
@Jaybraham - Sup dude?? So was all that trash talk a good idea?? Didn't think so!! #TerrenceJones #BBN #GoCats
@Jonhehehman - Glad to see BK12 with his arms up instead of those flexxin' fools. @Isaiah_Thomas2 http://twitpic.com/39p5jn
@UKfanJonNorth - Hey just wondering, but I thought a bark was worse than a meow? Watch who you play before you talk that smack.
@DeyWho71 - lol you got beat talk more shut about your loss. Haha #failness
@Ty735 - what happened? I thought we would beat UK, stop talking and just try to get better, you will be a lot better next year.
@GonzChristopher - Husky Fans everywhere are proud. Different story with UK come March. WOOF!
@ShockJ - Rough one out there tonight. Keep your head up. Go get those Spartans tomorrow. Much love!
@SammyCajun - UK barely survived when UW was not at its best. Good things are happening at Montlake this yr! Go get Sparty! @gaddy253 and @Isaiah_Thomas2
I wonder how many of those were from Kentucky fans?
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Wednesday's Shootaround: Duke rolls, UConn pulls an upset |
CBE Classic
No. 1 Duke 82, No. 4 Kansas State 68: I'm not going to spend too may words on Duke today because you can find plenty of them elsewhere around the blogosphere. I will say this, however. There isn't an adjective I can think of that doesn't include a four letter word that would adequately describe just how impressive and dominant the Blue Devils looked last night. (Motherflippin' impressive? Inexplicably impressive? I got nothing.) Now think about this -- neither Nolan Smith nor Kyle Singler have hit their stride yet. The Blue Devils were carried in this tournament by a terrific performance from Kyrie Irving that followed a dominant performance from Mason Plumlee. That's scary.
No. 18 Gonzaga 66, Marquette 63: When Steven Gray and Elias Harris are playing well, Gonzaga is a dangerous team. When they aren't, the Zags may not be the best team in the WCC. Its as simple as that. For Marquette fans, I wouldn't read too much into the results from this trip to KC (also the trend of losing close games must be getting frustrating). The Golden Eagles were flummoxed by the 2-3 zone Gonzaga threw on, and it was a major reason they ended up just 6-21 from three.
Maui Invitational
UConn 70, No. 2 Michigan State 67: So ... yeah ... maybe we all underestimated this UConn Husky team in the preseason. For the third consecutive game, the diminutive point guard threw the Huskies on his back. This time, however, it wasn't against a mid-major; it was against the No. 2 team in the country. Kemba outplayed Michigan State's Kalin Lucas by a wide margin (30 points to 10 points), UConn dominated the offensive back boards, and the Spartans simply could not make a big play come crunch time. They missed free throws, they allowed UConn to get to loose balls, they gave up offensive rebounds off of missed free throws, and they turned the ball over.
Alex Oriakhi played like a man in the paint, finishing with 15 points and 17 boards (9 offensive). Roscoe Smith was active on the glass and hit a couple of big jumpers. Shabazz Napier played terrific on-the-ball defense. Most importantly, UConn didn't show an ounce of quit. This team still has a ceiling in my opinion -- they should get moved into the top 15 or 20, depending on tonight's outcome, but let's not go overboard with a win over a Michigan State team operating at about 70% -- but regardless of the outcome of the season, one thing that is certain is that this is a team that UConn fans can get behind, which is a stark contrast from last season.
No. 9 Kentucky 74, No. 11 Washington 67: There are two questions that Husky fans will be asking themselves this morning. 1) What if Isaiah Thomas hadn't missed two wide open three pointers and four free throws in the last few minutes of last night's game? 2) How good would we be if Terrence Jones didn't back out on us? (This is where I say shame on you, Washington fans, for booing an 18 year old kid that was confused about where he wanted to go to college. I'm assuming that each one of you that booed never had the biggest decision of your life followed so closely or mean so much to so many people. /Steps down from pedestal.) Jones had 16 points, 17 boards (including two tough offensive rebounds at the end of the game to seal it), and 4 blocks, Brandon Knight went for 24 points (including 10 in the last eight minutes), and Josh Harrellson looked like he can be a capable center, going for 9 points and 14 boards (7 offensive). For U-Dub, I would be a bit concerned. After looking so good against Virginia, the Huskie's offense looked horrendous last night. They were completely unable to run their sets, they struggled to make good decisions in transition, and seemingly every possession devolved into a one-on-one. Isaiah Thomas won't always struggle that way, but more important might be the emergence of someone to facilitate the offense.
Wichita State 79, Chaminade 58
Virginia 74, Oklahoma 56
Cancun Challenge
Missouri 72, Wyoming 62: Michael Dixon had 17 points and 6 assists, but the Tigers once against struggled. They turned the ball over 20 times and they shot just 38% from the field. It was the third straight unimpressive performance by the Tigers to start the season.
La Salle 84, Providence 73
Other Notable Games
No. 23 Butler 70, Siena 57: Ryan Rossiter was the best player on the floor, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds. But no one else on the Saints could get it going, as Matt Howard went for 17 points and 12 boards and the Bulldog bench came through to the tune of 38 points in the win. Of note: Ronald Nored had an ugly collision early in the game and left looking dazed and bloodied. Haven't yet seen an update on his condition.
No. 3 Ohio State 64, Morehead State 45: It was a sloppy performance for the Buckeyes, who were without William Buford. The Eagles hung around for about 35 minutes despite Kenneth Faried spending much of the game battling foul trouble. DeShaun Thomas continues to be a big-time scoring threat, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the second half.
No. 5 Pitt 74, Robert Morris 53: Like Ohio State, Pitt needed a late surge to put away a scrappy Colonials team. Ashton Gibbs had 20 points, and a big dunk by Gilbert Brown ignited a 14-2 run that put it away.
No. 14 Florida 79, Florida Atlantic 66: Florida looked thoroughly mediocre once again, as they struggled to a win that was closer than the final score indicated. Kenny Boynton had 21 and Alex Tyus went for 19.
No. 25 UNC 80, UNC-Asheville 69: UNC looked like they had figured out their issues, opening up a 22 point second half lead. But Asheville made a run, cutting the lead to six with five minutes left.
Central Arkansas 100, Champion Baptist 29: Central Arkansas is not a very good basketball team. They are in their first year as an official D-I. Who is on this Champion Baptist team?
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You guys remember Brandon Knight, right? |
On April 14th of this year, Brandon Knight signed a financial aid agreement with the University of Kentucky.
Knight, a five-star point guard that was universally considered a top five player in the class of 2010, was John Calipari's fourth consecutive top point guard recruit. The other three were Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall. All three were one and done superstars. Evans was the "worst" of the trio because he went fourth in the draft, not first overall.
It was far from crazy to expect that Knight would be the talk of the Kentucky freshmen class.
But he's been hardly more than an afterthought.
The same day that Knight signed with Kentucky, Coach Cal got a signature from another big time recruit, a 6'10" Turkish mystery by the name of Enes Kanter. Only three days prior to signing, Kanter had gone for 34 points and 13 rebounds against the USA's best high school kids at the Nike Hoops Summit. That night, the hype surrounding Kanter began to build to a crescendo. It didn't take long for the "Kanter could be ineligible" talk to start, either.
The rest of this post can be found at Beyond the Arc.
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POSTERIZED: MJ's kid has some Air in him too |
This may be the first time that anyone has ever said that Marcus Jordan played like his father.
Because this dunk is pretty vicious:
Was this as good as the other posters of 2010-2011?
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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Wednesday Morning Dump |
- After defeating K-State in the CBE Classic championship game, Duke is the talk of the town. Nearly every hoops pundit is pondering whether or not Duke can go undefeated. According to KenPom's stats, they are supposed to win every one of their games. (But in this writers opinion, they will lose. Probably twice or three times. Most likely in the ACC on one of their road trips. It will happen. Duke WILL NOT go undefeated. It's just not happening this year. My reasoning? I believe the scientific term is "a hunch")
- Georgia's star center, Trey Thompkins, who was named SEC preseason player of the year, has returned to practice following a ankle injury. But his status for the Old Spice Classic is still uncertain
- Pacific and Arkansas State had to wait out a Tornado Warning last night. Kentucky and Washington scoff at that. They played through an earthquake in Maui.
- Dan Wolken wrote a great article on Memphis' Will Coleman and how a serious benching, creative coaching strategy, a change to his pregame meal and mental toughness got the Senior leader to the top of the team stat sheet on Tuesday.
- Word on the street is that Yogi Ferrell will committ to Indiana. Jeff Rabjohns of the Indiana Star first reported this, though sources close to the situation say this is not true. Regardless of whether it's true as of Tuesday night, it is more than likely that Ferrell with still sign with Indiana, he's just upset that somebody leaked the news.
- Rick Barnes notched his 500th career victory as his Texas Longhorns smacked the Bearkats of Sam Houston State 84-50. Not to be outdone, Coach K notched his 800th win last night as well
- This shouldn't be news to anybody, but it's worth reiterating: Florida State will only go as far as Chris Singleton can carry them
- I always thought Bruce Pearl and Jesus had something in common.
- Skidmore and Southern Vermont went to seven overtimes last night. Seven!
- I love Mike DeCourcy's "3-Pointers" column. He's got a buttery-touch from behind the literary arc
- Asher Fusco from the Basketball Prospectus takes a look at perfect stat-lines (And were not talking about "the trillion")
- Adam Zagoria reports that UCLA is stepping up their East Coast recruiting
- Zagoria also notes that Villanova could get suspended freshman JayVaughn Pinkston back as soon as next week
- Speaking of the Basketball Prospectus, John Gasaway explains why the Tar Heels are struggling to score
- Minnesota's stock has risen higher than any team in the country in the past week. But coach Tubby Smith doesn't want his team to stop rising
- An interesting tidbit on former-USC-and-Kentucky-now-Texas-Southern guard Kevin Galloway
- An interesting piece about some Utah State scheduling issues
- Nevada dropped to 1-3 with an ugly loss to George Washington, and it's because they are lacking the three-Cs: Consistancy, composure and closing
- Syracuse has a theme song for the 2010-2011 season. Is that I auto-tune I detect? I think it is
- I know the Duke/K-State game is over, but this story is just way too cool to pass up
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday Afternoon Dump Session |
Since the hoops season is starting to pick up over the next week, we figure maybe a second daily-dose of link-dumpage would help you to stay up-to-date with the college hoops blogosphere. (not to mention helping us to get all the links posted after we finished the Morning Dump)
- There's going to be a whole bunch of NBA offspring on the court in Atlantic City this week
- In a world where one-and-dones rule, unsung senior leaders are making a heroic comeback, and Pitt's Ashton Gibbs is leading the way
- The Mid-Majority's Kyle Whelliston explains how twitter has changed the way we react to scores and news
- With Siena and Butler squaring-off in the mid-major must-see of the week, the entire spectrum of small-conference schools are feeling the pressure
- Liz Clarke of the Washington Post reports that in order to maximize productivity, Jordan Williams needs to stay out of foul trouble
- And to think, just when we thought it couldn't get any worse for Wake Forest, coach Jeff Bzdelik suspends forward Melvin Tabb
- A breakdown of the Georgetown Hoyas roster as if they were Thanksgiving food
- Jeff Goodman tells us not to blow Harrison Barnes 0-for out of preportion
- If Gordon Hayward's shot had landed, would the Butler Bulldogs win Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year Award?
- Goodman also gives his nightly awards
- Is this season's Kentucky squad more likable than last years team?
- Speaking of Kentucky, I was unaware that Coach Cal had his own website. This may be too much to handle
- Margin of scoring in college basketball concerns more than just the bookies
- in a contest I predicted to be closer than originally expected, Mississippi State defeated Detroit 81-76
- Speaking of the Titans, the program is hosting a "Garage Sale" on Friday, where you can purchase jerseys, shorts, and warm-ups from seasons past. Man, I would love it if every D-1 program did this. I would shell out serious money for these, these or these
- The Chicago college hoops scene is way down this year, but that isn't stopping UIC's Robo Kreps from having a fantastic start
- To win games, you have to take shots and make shots
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