3/1 - College Hoops Week in Review

What we learned this week: Some conference's are likely going to come down to some form of tiebreaker (the Big Ten or A-10) and some have had their regular season winners essentially determined for weeks (the Big XII). If you were paying attention this week,

• Big East: On Saturday night, Syracuse locked up the top seed in the Big East Tournament with a win over Villanova. The Orange still need to pick up one more win to claim the outright Big East title, but thanks to owning the tiebreaker with Villanova, the Orange will be playing their first BET game at noon on the 11th.
  

• Pac-10: Cal has been up and down this season, but the consensus has always seemed to be that the Bears were, in fact, the best team in the league. On Saturday, they locked up at least a share of the Pac-10 title by putting on a dominating defensive display over the last 10 minutes against Arizona State. All Cal needs is a win at Stanford (they beat the Cardinal at home by 26 earlier in the year) or a loss by Arizona State to either USC or UCLA (the Sun Devils lost to both schools earlier in the year) to win the outright Pac-10 championship. This is the first time in 50 years, however, that Cal has won even a share of the Pac-10 regular season crown.


• Mountain West: In the most anticipated game in the history of the MWC, New Mexico went into the Marriott Center and left with a share of the league title. A game up in the loss column on the Cougars with just one game left on their schedule, all the Lobos need to do is to beat TCU at home to win the outright conference title.
  


• Conference USA: UTEP's win on Saturday over Rice -- their 12th straight victory -- combined with the Memphis loss to Southern Miss on Wednesday clinched at least a share of the C-USA title. UTEP leads both the Tigers and UAB by two games with two games left. A win at Marshall or against UAB at home will clinch UTEP's first conference title as a member of C-USA.


• West Coast: Gonzaga struggled to hold off San Francisco Saturday night as they managed to clinch their fifth straight WCC title. Gonzaga swept both St. Mary's, but lost games to San Franciso and Loyola Marymount to finish the conference season at 12-2.
  


• Colonial: Old Dominion went 2-0 this week to win the CAA outright. A win over VCU on Saturday afternoon sealed the title. The Monarchs caught a break when Northeastern, who was tied with ODU atop the league standings, lost to Hofstra at home on Tuesday.


• America East: One of the best stories of this season. Just two years removed from going 3-13 in the league, Steve Pikiell led his Stony Brook Seawolves to the outright league title. On Wednesday, Stony Brook beat Vermont, who finished in second place, to clinch the title.

Who else has clinched at least a share of their regular season title?

• Weber State in the Big Sky
• Coastal Carolina in the Big South
• Butler in the Horizon League
• Cornell in the Ivy League
• Oakland in the Summit League
• Sam Houston State in the Southland
• Wofford in the Southern Conference
• Lehigh in the Patriot League
• Murray State in the Ohio Valley
• Quinnipiac in the Northeast
• Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley
• Morgan State in the MEAC
• Siena in the MAAC

GAME OF THE WEEK: Xavier 78, Richmond 76 2OT

Honestly, how many people knew this game was happening? With first place in the A-10 on the line, the Spiders and the Muskies played a classic in the Cintas Center. A back and forth game through out, Richmond's David Gonzalvez knocked down a three with 24 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. At the other end, Xavier's Jordan Crawford put up a tough, fadeaway, 25 footer that clanged off the back of the rim and we were headed to overtime.

In the extra frames, Terrell Holloway took over for Xavier. He had scores driving to the rim in the first overtime, but Crawford once again missed a tough shot at the end of the period, and we were off to double OT. In the second overtime, Holloway scored seven of the Muskies eight points (he had 11 of 14 overall in the two OT's), and Xavier survived a last second drive from Justin Harper to hang on for the win.

Holloway had 24 points to lead Xavier, while Jason Love and Jamel McClean combined to add 25 points and 22 boards. Richmond was led by 18 and 9 boards from Gonzalvez. Kevin Anderson had 17 for the Spiders, but he took 21 shots and all his points came after the half.

They were good too

• Louisville 78, UConn 76: Louisville was down by as much as 15 in the first half before they caught fire. As a team, the Cardinals knocked down eight straight threes to take the lead. UConn would eventually tie the game before Edgar Sosa scored on a tough drive through the lane to give Louisville the lead. Kemba Walker would drive into traffic, but he never got a shot off.
• Maryland 104, Virginia Tech 100 2OT: There is too much to really go over in one paragraph, but watching Greivis Vasquez and Malcolm Delaney exchange blows was quite enjoyable. At the end of regulation, Maryland took a three point lead with 19 seconds left. JT Thompson tied it on a three that was reviewed to see if he stepped on the line. Eric Hayes answered with a long jumper at the other end with 5 seconds left, but Delaney went the length of the court for a layup at the buzzer to force the first overtime.
  
• We already showed you this great list of buzzer beaters this morning.
  

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Darington Hobson, New Mexico

Hobson didn't put up the best numbers this week, but they were pretty darn respectable. In two (road) wins against BYU and Colorado State, Hobson averaged 17.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, and 3.5 apg, which, admittedly, is fairly standard for the underrated Hobson. But perhaps the most important stat that he had this week was his one block, because that block came on a layup attempt by BYU's Noah Hartsock with the Lobos up two in the final seconds against BYU. That block essentially won the game for the Lobos, and clinched at least a share of the MWC regular season title.

Hobson has flown under the radar much of the season, in large part due to the fact that he plays in the Mountain West, a league whose only nationally televised games come on the MTN Network, which very few people get, and CBS College Sports. But he's not the only player on this New Mexico team. Fellow forward Roman Martinez has hit so many big shots for the Lobos this year. Point guard Dairese Gary has outplayed Jimmer Fredette in their two meetings this year, winning both games. The Lobos haven't built up their gaudy record against cupcakes either, beating teams like Cal, Texas A&M, and Dayton as well as BYU twice. Watch out for this team in March.

They were good too

• Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb: Hodzic was nothing short of monstrous this week. He had 24 points and 20 boards in a win over Kennesaw State and then went for 37 points and 17 boards as Lipscomb knocked off Mercer to earn a share of the Atlantic Sun regular season title.
• Anthony Johnson, Fairfield: Hodzic was only a bit more impressive than Johnson, who went for 28 points and 12 boards against Iona and 24 points and 23 rebounds against Niagara. The Stags were 2-0 on the week.
• Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State: Varnado doesn't get the credit he deserves. He set the all-time record for blocked shots this past week and had averages of 18.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, and 4.5 bpg as the Bulldogs went 2-0 and kept their bubble hopes alive.
  
• Greivis Vasquez, Maryland: Vasquez led the Terps to a 2-0 week, setting up a showdown with Duke for not just the ACC lead, but also possibly the lead for ACC player of the year. In wins over Clemson and at Virginia Tech, Vasquez averaged 28.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 9.5 apg.
• Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins, Syracuse: Syracuse moved to the No. 1 spot in the national rankings today thanks to two wins last week. Rautins (20.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 10 3's) and Jackson (23.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) led the way.
• Lazar Hayward, Marquette: Hayward continued his tremendous play this week, averaging 22.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg as the Golden Eagles won two overtime games on the road. I wonder when people are going to start mentioning him when talking about Big East player of the year.
• Hassan Whiteside, Marshall: There's no chance that Whiteside comes back next season, right? He had his third triple double of the year on Saturday, going for 14 points, 11 boards, and 13 blocks in a 3OT win over Central Florida. That came on the heels of a 19 point, 17 board, 4 block night in a win over Rice.
  

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This was a pretty easy selection to make. Last Tuesday, Notre Dame was a team playing for seeding ... in the NIT. They had just lost three in a row -- to Seton Hall, St. John's, and Louisville -- and lost big man Luke Harangody with a bone bruise in his knee. So how did the Irish respond?

By hitting damn near every shot they took this week. In a 68-53 win over Pitt on Tuesday, the Irish shot 50% from the floor and 10-18 from three. In their 78-64 win at Georgetown, they were even better, knocking down 57% from the field, including 71% in the second half. To get an idea of how well Notre Dame shot, think about this: they are the second most efficient team in the country on the offensive end of the floor, and those two games in the top five for the Irish this season. The other three? Against North Florida, IUPUI, and St. Francis PA.

The Irish are far from a lock for the NCAA Tournament right now, but there is no question this week put them back into the conversation.

They were good too:

• Marquette Golden Eagles: The knock on Marquette early in the season was that they could not win a close game. They lost seven of their first eight games decided by five points or less. I think it is safe to say they have bucked that trend. Marquette has won three straight overtime games on the road -- against Cincinnati, St. John's, and Seton Hall -- effectively playing their way into the tournament. The Golden Eagles play a unique style and are battle tested. They are going to be a tough out in the tournament.
  
• Xavier Musketeers: The Muskies went 2-0 in a tough week this week, winning at St. Louis (who knocked off both Dayton and URI at home) 73-71 in a dogfight and then beating the Spiders in double overtime at home. Xavier is currently sitting atop the A-10, tied with Temple.
  
• New Mexico Lobos: If the Lobos haven't proven themselves to you, you don't watch enough basketball. New Mexico went 2-0 this week, winning at Colorado State and at BYU (in what is one of the most impressive wins of the season by anyone) to lock up a share of the MWC regular season title and the #1 seed come tournament time.
  
• Syracuse Orange: The Orange went 2-0 this week, beating Providence and Villanova, as they locked up the top seed in the Big East Tournament. And for those that questioned the Orange offensively, does 194 points in two games mean anything to you?
  

MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK

• 3/1 - 7:00 pm: Georgetown @ West Virginia
• 3/2 - 7:00 pm: Vanderbilt @ Florida
• 3/2 - 9:00 pm: Illinois @ Ohio State
• 3/2 - 9:30 pm: Louisville @ Marquette
• 3/3 - 8:00 pm: Kansas State @ Kansas
• 3/3 - 9:00 pm: Duke @ Maryland
• 3/3 - 9:00 pm: Oklahoma State @ Texas A&M
• 3/6 - 12:00 pm: West Virginia @ Villanova
• 3/6 - 2:00 pm: Syracuse @ Louisville
• 3/6 - 2:00 pm: Kansas @ Missouri
• 3/6 - 4:00 pm: Texas @ Baylor
• 3/6 - 6:00 pm: Tennessee @ Mississippi State
• 3/6 - 9:00 pm: UNC @ Duke
• 3/7 - 12:00 pm: Florida @ Kentucky