Game of the Week: Maryland 75, College of Charleston 74
This was a sloppy, yet wildly entertaining, basketball game. (I was lucky enough to be on press row, and write this and this about it afterwards.) The two teams went back and forth, with Maryland looking like they were going to take control early and Charleston stealing the momentum back in the second half. Jordan Williams, who finished with 26 points and 15 boards, and Andrew Goudelock, who had 27 points and 10 boards, went on a five minutes stretch in the second half where they were trading buckets.
Eventually, Charleston took control late in the game, going up 72-66. But the combination of Williams and freshman guard Pe'Shon Howard lead a comeback. On the final possession, down 74-73, Howard did this:
Player of the Week: Chris Singleton, Florida State
I really wanted to go with Jordan Williams here, but Singleton deserves this award after his performance on Sunday. Simply put, Singleton played what may end up being the best all-around game of the season when we are all said and done. He had 22 points on 7-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, 6 assists, and 4 blocks. He is the first ACC player to ever record a triple-double including steals and was one away from setting the league record with 11. More important that his defense, however, was the fact that Singleton became a threat on the offensive end of the floor. Florida State really needs him to become a scorer this season if they want to compete at the top of the ACC.
The All-they-were-good-too team:
G: Joey Rodriguez, VCU: Rodriguez was terrific in the one game he played last week, putting up 22 points, 17 assists, four rebounds, and four steal against UNC-Greensboro, the same team that Singleton had his triple-double against.
G: Steven Gray, Gonzaga: Gray's number are pretty impressive through two games -- 21 ppg, 8.5 apg, and 7.5 rpg.
G: Brad Tinsley, Vanderbilt: Tinsley answered the people that doubted his ability to run the point with a 11 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist triple double of his own against Presbyterian.
F: Omar Carter, Appalachian State: Carter scored 35 points to lead the Mountaineers to a win on the road at Tulsa.
F: Jordan Williams, Maryland: Is Williams the best big man in the ACC? The 21 ppg and 13.7 rpg he is averaging in Maryland's 3-0 start says year.
This may be the only love that Oregon gets all season long, but I think they deserve it. Playing for a new coach with a depleted roster on a team and in a league that has gotten zero respect the last year or two, the Ducks came out and won three closely contested games. Granted, they beat North Dakota State, Denver, and UC-Santa Barbara -- Denver was good last year and UCSB will compete for a conference title. Still, winning games lie that not only builds confidence for a team like the Ducks, it teaches them how to win close games. When they play well, they should be competitive in the Pac-10. If they can pull out some of their close wins, they could end up with a respectable record in the league. Leading the way for the Ducks right now is 6'6" forward Joevan Catron, who is averaging 20.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
Questions Raised:
Georgetown's front court: No one should judge Georgetown for their 62-59 comeback win over Old Dominion on Friday night. The Monarchs are a very good, very physical basketball team that look to be destined for the NCAA Tournament this season. And while Georgetown's big three guards were terrific -- especially down the stretch -- in scoring 54 points, the Hoyas were more or less beat up in the paint. Old Dominion is tough inside, but they aren't tough by Big East standards. The Hoyas reliance on their back court wasn't a secret, but it is still worrisome to see it reinforced this way.
Georgia really needs Trey Thompkins back: Arguably the best player in the SEC is out for an extended period of time with an ankle injury. Without him, the Bulldogs, who were expected to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, need 20 points and back-to-back three point plays late in the game from Jeremy Price to survive Mississippi Valley State, 72-70. Not exactly the way you want to start the season.
And the same goes for Mississippi State and Renardo Sidney/Dee Bost: No one expected the Bulldogs to dominate early in the season, not with two of their best players sitting out. MSU needed a career-high 32 points from Ravern Johnson, and 14 and 14 from Kodi Augustus, to avoid the upset. Mississippi State is going to lose at least once before Sidney becomes eligible. Bet that.
Can Xavier survive their personnel losses?: The Musketeers were one of, if not the, favorites in the A-10 heading into the season, but after an ugly performance against a rebuilding Western Michigan team, the question must be asked. Judgements cannot be made off of one game -- especially a season-opener -- but with Brad Redford (acl) and Justin Martin (academics) out this season, and Jamel McLean still working way back from a broken orbital bone, Musketeer fans have to be, at the least, concerned. That said, Tu Holloway scored 20 second half points, Dante Jackson knocked down four threes, and Mark Lyons showed why he was such a touted recruit coming into school by dropping 10 assists to 2 turnovers. Was this a sluggish start, or a sign of things to come?
Conference USA doesn't look that intimidating: Memphis does. UTEP, who lost to Pacific at home, and Tulsa, who lost to Appalachian State at home, do not. Southern Miss did beat South Florida on the road, and South Florida is in the Big East's cellar. That's a big win for USM, who doesn't have that tough of a non-conference schedule, but overall it was a disappointing week for the league.
Wait, wasn't Villanova supposed to have a front court?: That's what the talk of the Big East was. The Wildcats, known for their endless string of talented guards, were going to actually have some beef in the paint. That still may end up being true, but after seeing Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Maalik Wayns, and Dominic Cheek combine for 56 points in a 68-52 win, there is reason for some concern. That said, Villanova -- as predicted -- will actually defend this year. They held Bucknell, who is a favorite to win the Patriot League, to 33.9% shooting and 52 points.
What's going on with Curtis Kelly?: Frank Martin held him out against James Madison on Friday night. He's sitting him against on Tuesday. "He probably won't go on Tuesday," Martin said. "We need to be at our best in March, so I need him to be consistently good for me than the last two days. I'm not happy with the way he's been the last two weeks. We're a very young team and I need good leadership from him." Yikes.
Statements Made:
John Henson: North Carolina didn't look great in their win over Lipscomb. Neither did Harrison Barnes or UNC's guard. But Henson showed that he could end up being a very good player in the paint, as he posted 10 points, 17 boards, and 7 blocks while outplaying Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic in an 80-66 win.
NC State: The Wolfpack were good and bad on Friday night. The good is that they did, in fact, win while getting 51 points out of their trio of freshmen, CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow, and Lorenzo Brown. The bad is that the 82-69 win wasn't pretty or dominating. But hey, when you are Sidney Lowe, a win is a win.
Minnesota's front court: Could the Golden Gophers have the best front court in the Big Ten? Its not as far-fetched as you would think. Minnesota got a combined 42 points and 32 boards from Trevor Mbakwe, Ralph Sampson, and Colton Iverson in a 69-55 win over a very good Wofford team.
BYU's too: The Cougars beat Fresno State 83-56, but the big win isn't what's important. Neither is Jimmer Fredette's stat line. What I care about? Noah Hartsock out played Greg Smith, Fresno's sophomore center and an NBA prospect at center. Hartsock had 21 points and 5 boards. Smith had more turnovers (three) than FGA's (two).
Seton Hall: True, the Pirates did lose to Temple on Friday night. Its also true that there were times, especially in the second half, where the Pirates looked a bit like the Seton Hall team from last year with their shot selection. But the Pirates, while struggling offensively (which happens against Temple), played very well defensively and are still getting Herb Pope used to playing basketball again. And keep in mind, in Seton Hall's 92-68 win over Cornell, Jeremy Hazell scored 28 points on 11 shots. I saw nothing but positive signs from the Hall this weekend.
Bucknell: The Bison have to be considered the favorite in the Patriot League after competing with Villanova and throwing a scare into Marquette. The Golden Eagles needed a late 24-0 run to comeback and beat Bucknell 72-61.
Oregon: Look, its going to be a long season for the Ducks. We all know that. But a 3-0 start against decent mid-major competition is far from a bad thing.
James Rahon: SDSU picked up an 81-65 win over Long Beach State on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard had 21 points and 12 boards, and DJ Gay went for 20. But the best news? Rahon, a transfer from Santa Clara, had 14 points, including three huge threes as the Aztecs pulled away late in the second half.
Brockeith Pane: Playing without starting forward Nate Bendall, Utah State found themselves down 45-37 midway through the second half to a good Weber State team before a 17-0 run put away the Wildcats. Who led the Aggies in scoring? Not Tai Wesley, but JuCo transfer Pane, who finished with 23 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists.
Odd Box:
Northwestern plays a Princeton-style offensive, which isn't exactly conducive to high scoring out puts. Yet, the Wildcats beat Northern Illinois 97-78 on Friday thanks in large part to 31 from John Shurna. Even weirder? Northwestern scored 97 points despite missing 13 of their first 14 shots.
Northwestern's Big Ten rival Wisconsin doesn't fill the stat sheets either, but they also had a huge season opener. Jon Leuer led the way with 24 as the Badgers put 99 points on Prairie View.
The Washington Huskies scored 118 points against McNeese State. That's not all that surprising considering the pace they play at and the talent on their roster. What is surprising? That DePaul was able to score 114 points against Chicago State on Sunday.
Playing without star Tre'Von Willis, the Runnin' Rebels beat UC Riverside 85-41. Maybe we underestimated this team...
St. Peter's lost to Robert Morris 55-30. They shot 16.7% from the floor (making just six field goals all game), turned the ball over 19 times, and missed 16 of their 32 free throw attempts. Yuck.
Dallas Lauderdale was two blocks away from a triple-double on the night that he notched his first career double-double, finishing with 12 points, 13 boards, and 8 blocks in a 102-61 win over NC A&T.
Idaho State's Broderick Gilchrist went for 39 points in an 88-80 loss to Colorado. He then went for four points in a 90-42 loss to Arizona.
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