Like this morning's dump, the shootaround is going to be fairly brief. There's some kind of Marathon going on or something...
Minnesota 76, Siena 69: The Gophers got punched in the mouth early by Siena. Specifically, it was Clarence Jackson, who had 14 of Siena's 25 points as the Saints opened up a ten point lead seven minutes in. But then Minnesota's defense started to pick up. They forced some turnovers, scored in transition, and really cut down on the open looks the Saints were getting. They also began to assert their dominance in the paint, slowly pulling away in the second half.
Score aside, Minnesota really impressed me last night. Siena is a good team that was firing on all cylinders last night for a good chunk of time last night. But the Gophers took the punch and started to hit back. They have a ton of size in side -- I guess this is where I should say Trevor Mbakwe, who was all over the place last night, had his second double-double of the season -- some serious athletes on the wing, and an underrated back court featuring Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber, who had 15 points and 7 assists last night. I really think this is a team that can make a push for the top five in the Big Ten.
If there is a red flag for Minnesota, it is discipline. We all know what happened with Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe. Now, Devoe Joseph has been indefinitely suspended, and Colton Iverson and Rodney Williams were benched to start the game last night.
Kennesaw State 80, Georgia Tech 63: Simply put, the Yellow Jackets got embarrassed. Kennesaw State was just a much better team last night. This is now the second time an Atlantic Sun team has beaten an ACC team this season (Stetson beat Wake Forest). Anyone else feel the heat coming off of Paul Hewitt's seat?
UCLA 79, Pepperdine 69: The Bruins struggled to find their groove early in the season, but after the Wave pulled out to a 34-26 lead late in the first half, UCLA went on a 26-2 run that spanned halftime. They took a 52-36 lead and never let Pepperdine get close. The bad news? Malcolm sprained his ankle and will be out tonight as the Bruins take on Pacific in the finals of the regional.
Pacific 64, Nevada 53: The Tigers went zone against Nevada, and the Wolfpack could never figure it out. They shot just 34% from the floor as Pacific slowly but surely pulled away in the second half. The Tigers, who now have impressive wins over Nevada and UTEP, will face UCLA tonight.
Richmond 73, William & Mary 49: The Spiders were impressive on Monday night. After allowing the Tribe to build an early eight point lead, Richmond jumped all over Bill & Mary, going on a 27-5 run to close the first half. They never looked back, as the Spider defense was suffocating for the last 30 minutes of this game. Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper both had 13 points to lead a balanced Richmond attack.
Clemson 78, Wofford 70: The Tigers jumped out to an early 14 point lead, but they were never able to put away the Terriers. Wofford never cut the lead to less than seven. Clemson got a balanced effort offensively, with five players scoring in double figures.
Oakland 78, Ohio 66: Oakland's star Keith Benson was in foul trouble for much of this game, finishing with only 10 points and 5 boards. Despite that, the Grizzlies were able to more or less dominate Ohio, who was a trendy pick to win the MAC this season. That's a good sign for Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies play five major conference teams -- four ranked -- in the next month. I bet they steal one of those.
Fordham 69, Sacred Heart 51: The Rams ended a 22 game losing streak, the longest in the nation. Congratulations.
Other Notable Scores:
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday's Shootaround: There was more than just a Tip-Off Marathon last night |
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