Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country. You can find a complete schedule of our 2011-2012 Season Preview coverage here. To browse through the rest of the Top 50, click here.
40. George Mason Patriots:
Last Season: 27-7, 16-2 (Colonial)
Head Coach: Paul Hewitt
Key Losses: Luke Hancock, Cam Long, Isaiah Tate, Jim Larranaga
New Additions: Eric Copes, Corey Edwards, Vaughn Gray
Projected Lineup:
- G: Andre Cornelius, Sr.
- G: Vertrail Vaughns, So.
- F: Sherrod Wright, So.
- F: Ryan Pearson, Sr.
- C: Mike Morrison, Sr.
- Bench: Eric Copes, Fr.; Corey Edwards, Fr.; Bryon Allen, So.; Johnny Williams, Jr.; Vaughn Gray, Fr.
Outlook: George Mason is going to be a very interesting team to watch this season. On the surface, this team looks to have the pieces necessary to win the CAA title even with the change in coaching regimes. They start three seniors, they have a big and talented front line, and they have a couple of young kids that should be able to excel playing a role. Ryan Pearson -- a crafty and bearded 6'7" lefty that looks and plays like the old guy at the park -- will have to take over the role of go-to guy for this team, and should be capable of doing so. Mike Morrison and Eric Copes should provide plenty of size, rebounding and shot-blocking on the interior. Andre Cornelius, when (if?) he returns from a suspension for an arrest for credit card fraud, is their senior ball-handler. Vertrail Vaughns is a sharp-shooting off-guard that did a lot of damage in limited minutes. Sherrod Wright missed last season with an injury, but he had some big games late in his freshman year. The question mark, as I see it, will be replacing the playmaking of Luke Hancock and Cam Long. Those two were responsible for 240 of Mason's 483 assists last year. Can freshman Corey Edwards or sophomore Bryon Allen play the role of creator? Will Cornelius, Wright or Vaughns be able to expand their game? If yes, Mason should once again be competing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
39. Drexel Dragons:
Last Season: 21-10, 11-7
Head Coach: Bruiser Flint
Key Losses: Gerald Colds
New Additions: Damion Lee, Tavon Allen, Aquil Younger, Casey Carroll, Kazembe Abif
Projected Lineup:
- G: Franz Massenat, So.
- G: Chris Fouch, Jr.
- G: Derrick Thomas, Sr.
- F: Samme Givens, Sr.
- F: Daryl McCoy, Jr.
- Bench: Dartaye Ruffin, So.; Damion Lee, Fr.; Tavon Allen, Fr.; Aquil Younger, Fr.; Casey Carroll, Fr.; Kazembe Abif Fr.
Outlook: Drexel returns six of the seven players that were in their rotation from last season's 20-win team and will be a trendy pick to win the conference this season. Drexel is one of the most unique teams in the country playing the game in the simplest manner -- getting stops. They led the country in defensive rebounding percentage and were seventh nationally in defensive effective field goal percentage, which is a long-winded way of saying they forced their opponents into taking tough shots and then cleaned the glass on those misses. Expect more of the same this year. The undersized Samme Givens is a potential player of the year in the league, a guy that, at 6'5", averaged a double-double last season. With Daryl McCoy and Dartaye Ruffin joining him up front, the front court should once again be rugged, physical and dominant on the glass. Sophomore Franz Massenat will be expected to, once again, be a playmaking force on the offensive end of the floor. Their are two keys to the season. The first is on the offensive end of the floor. Derrick Thomas will be counted on to up his production on the perimeter, but more importantly Chris Fouch is going to have to stay healthy. Fouch was as dangerous as any perimeter threat at the mid-major level early in the season, but he went cold late in the year as injuries kept him out of practice and out of a rhythm. The other key will be their depth. They have a solid, five-man recruiting class. If a couple of those guys can become reliable options on the bench, Drexel will make quite a bit of noise.
38. Purdue Boilermakers:
Last Season: 26-8, 14-4
Head Coach: Matt Painter
Key Losses: JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Patrick Bade
New Additions: Jacob Lawson, Donnie Hale, Anthony Johnson,
Projected Lineup:
- G: Lewis Jackson, Sr.
- G: Ryne Smith, Jr.
- F: DJ Byrd, Jr.
- F: Robbie Hummel, Sr.
- C: Travis Carroll, So.
- Bench: Kelsey Barlow, Jr.; John Hart, Jr.; Terone Johnson, So.; Anthony Johnson, Fr.; Jacob Lawson, Fr.; Donnie Hale, Fr.; Sandi Marcius, So.
Outlook: Purdue is one of the most difficult teams in the country to peg this season. There are just so many unknowns surrounding this team. For starters, they are losing two of the best players in the Big Ten the past few seasons in JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. Their star heading into this season, Robbie Hummel, has complete just a single practice with the team since tearing his acl in February of 2010 -- he missed last season after tearing his acl again on the second day of practice last season. Just how good is he going to be coming off of back-to-back devastating knee injuries? And who is going to step up and replace the 38.5 ppg, 13.7 rpg, and invaluable leadership on the court provided by Johnson and Moore? I like Lewis Jackson at the point, but who is going to join him on the perimeter? Ryne Smith and DJ Byrd both started over 20 games as sophomores. Kelsey Barlow, a junior now, and Terone Johnson, a sophomore, started a handful as well. Junior John Hart and freshman Anthony Johnson will no doubt be looking for an opportunity to prove their worth. Will a young front line of sophomores Travis Carroll and Sandi Marcius and freshmen Jacob Lawson and Donnie Hale be able to battle with the bigger teams in the Big Ten? There is no doubt that Purdue will be well-coached and physical defensively this season, a credit to the coaching of Matt Painter. And there certainly are some talented pieces on this roster, the question is simply how are they going to fit together?
37. Cal Golden Bears:
Last Season: 18-15, 10-8 (Pac-10)
Head Coach: Mike Montgomery
Key Losses: Gary Franklin, Markhuri Sanders-Frison
New Additions: Justin Cobbs, Alex Rossi, David Kravish, Christian Behrens
Projected Lineup:
- G: Brandon Smith, Jr. or Justin Cobbs, So.
- G: Jorge Gutierrez, Jr.
- F: Allen Crabbe, So.
- F: Richard Solomon, So.
- C: Harper Kamp, Sr.
- Bench: Cobbs or Smith; Bak Bak, Jr; Jeff Powers, So.; Alex Rossi, Fr.
Outlook: Cal is a sleeper in the Pac-12, a team that may end up competing for the league title depending on how things shake-out this season. This is a group that won 10 league games a year ago and returns their big three. Jorge Gutierrez, a 6'4" off-guard, is the heart and soul of this team, a potential first-team all-league player and one of the best all-around guards in the country you've never seen. He defends, he can shoot, he can put the ball on the floor and create and he's not afraid to mix it up with an opponent to defend his team. Allen Crabbe, who averaged 13.4 ppg as a freshman, was the rookie of the year in the conference last season and also has a chance to be an all-league player. Senior Harper Kamp is an experienced low-post presence and consistently underrated from a national perspective. The question for the Bears will be how they fill the holes in their line-up. Brandon Smith, who played well filling in for Gary Franklin when he transferred to Baylor in the middle of the season, and Justin Cobbs, a transfer from Minnesota, will battle it our for the right to start at the point and should combine to solidify the position. Richard Solomon showed flashes as a freshman, but he'll struggle to fill the void left by Markhuri Sanders-Frison as he is literally half the size of the burly Sanders-Frison despite being three inches taller. Bak Bak will get some help from a couple of freshmen to provide front court depth, while Jeff Powers and Alex Rossi, a redshirt freshman that missed last season with an injury, will give the Bears some perimeter depth. The big three on Cal are good enough to get them to the NCAA Tournament, but how well the rest of the Cal roster developed during the off-season will determine whether this has a shot of competing for a league title.
36. St. Mary's Gaels:
Last Season: 25-9, 11-3 (WCC)
Head Coach: Randy Bennett
Key Losses: Mickey McConnell
New Additions: Paul McCoy, Elvidas Petrulis, Brad Waldow, Zach Sanchez
Projected Lineup:
- G: Matthew Dellavedova, Jr.
- G: Stephen Holt, So.
- F: Clint Steindl, Sr.
- F: Rob Jones, Sr.
- C: Kenton Walker, Sr.
- Bench: Jorden Page, So.; Tim Williams, Jr.; Paul McCoy, Jr.; Mitchell Young, Jr.; Kyle Rowley, Jr.
Outlook: There is no question that losing a player of Mickey McConnell's caliber will hurt. He was so efficient and so smart and such a threat from the perimeter. But the Gaels have enough perimeter talent returning this season that they may be able to nullify that loss. Matthew Dellavedova will take the reins of this team as a junior and he should be primed for a big season as the feature guard in Randy Bennett's offense. He will likely be joined in the back court by sophomore Stephen Holt, a highly-regarded recruit when he entered the program that had a couple of impressive performances late in the season. Jorden Page missed most of last season with a knee injury. He had a couple of big games in the WCC Tournament two seasons ago and should provide a spark off the bench. Same with Paul McCoy, a transfer that averaged 13.4 ppg as a freshman in 2008-2009. In the front court, Clint Steindl and Rob Jones will start at the forward spots. Steindl is a lanky, 6'7" sharpshooter at the small forward spot while Jones, despite standing just 6'6", is the team's second-leading scorer and best rebounder. He's more of a combo-forward than a pure power forward, but Jones plays with a mean streak. Kenton Walker got 26 starts last season, but only played 15 mpg. Mitchell Young actually played more minutes that Walker and averaged double figures off the bench. Tim Williams and Northwestern transfer Kyle Rowley will also be in the front court rotation. If Dellavedova embraces the role of the leader and youngsters like Page and Holt develop into big-time players, ranking St. Mary's 36th may look silly come March.
Continue reading...
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 40-36 |
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Pac-10 will be in need of some point guards |
Wednesday was not a good day for point guards in the Pac-10.
It started with the injury to Abdul Gaddy, who tore his acl and will obviously be out for the season.
His counterpart at Washington State, sophomore Reggie Moore, was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphenalia stemming from an incident on Dec. 12th. Both of the charges that Moore will face are misdemeanors, but both also have mandatory minimum sentences of one day in jail and $250-500 in fines. 
"This is a team matter that we take very seriously," Bone said in a statement. "We initially learned about this incident Dec. 12, and at this time we have dealt with, and are still dealing with the issue. We will take further appropriate action if necessary."
Moore has averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.6 apg in the past nine games, but he sat out the first five games of the year with a wrist injury. Ken Bone texted ESPN writer Diamond Leung and told him that Moore would be eligible to play on Thursday against Oregon State.
The Cougars need him. They are coming off of an 0-2 trip to the LA schools, and the Beavers just swept the Arizona schools.
Down in Berkeley, the struggling Cal Bears have lost one of their best scorers in freshman Gary Franklin, who announced his intention to transfer. Franklin recently lost his starting job. While he's averaged 8.2 ppg this season, he's done it shooting an abysmal 29.7% from the floor while notching more turnovers than assists. 
Interestingly enough, this is the eighth time in the past five basketball seasons that a player from Mater Dei high school in California has transferred. Taylor King went from Duke to Villanova to Concordia, Mike Gerrity went from Pepperdine to Charlotte to USC, the Wear twins left UNC for UCLA over the summer, and Kamyron Brown left Oregon to head to Nebraska.
Franklins transfer means that Mike Montgomery is now left with just eight scholarship players and a huge void in his back court.
No word on where Franklin is looking, but he considered Arizona State and Baylor and was also committed to USC at one point. He was also a part of George Dohrmann's "Play Their Hearts Out."
Continue reading...
Friday, February 5, 2010
The obligatory Friday morning "Pac-10 is no good" post |
Pac-10 games are played on Thursdays and Saturday, and it has become routine to see articles every Friday and Sunday about how weak the Pac-10 is or how no one wants to win the Pac-10.
Its true.
And it amazes me.
Heading into last night, Cal was probably the favorite to win the league. The were tied for first with Arizona, finally getting healthy in their back court, and were arguably the most talented team in the conference.
But then the Bears went out and blew a 13 point lead and lost 66-63 to a USC team that has really struggled since finding out that they would not be allowed to participate in any postseason tournament. USC went on a 25-3 run over a ten minutes stretch spanning both halves. For the record, that's a USC team that has struggled to break 50 points in a game scoring at that rate.
This loss for the Bears came on the heels of blowing a late four point lead to Arizona on Saturday night.
That win for Arizona put them in a tie for first place despite all of their early season struggles and off-season departures. So did the Wildcats capitalize?
Nope.
They lost 81-75 at Washington.
UCLA and Arizona State did win, however, meaning that there is now a four-way tie atop the Pac-10, with Washington and USC a game back.
Apparently, Pac-10 teams are just good enough to make a run to the top, but aren't good enough to stay there.
Saturday will be a big day for the league. Cal will play at UCLA in a battle of first place teams, Arizona State heads to Washington where the Huskies have lost just one game, and Arizona gets Washington State on the road.
The conference is clearly not what it was even two years ago, but its tough to maintain a level of consistency with you have 21 players drafted in two years time from a league with only ten teams.
But no matter how poor the quality of play is, one this that is for certain is that this will be an entertaining race to follow.
Continue reading...
Monday, January 25, 2010
A couple of Pac-10 thoughts. Did you know this league isn't very good? |
If you've been watching or reading anything about college basketball over the last two months, than you've probably heard someone, somewhere, mention something about the fact that the Pac-10 is down this season.
That is not breaking news.
What is a bit of a shock is how terrible the league truly is.
After the league's fourth week of conference games, Cal is the only team that can hold out for any kind of hope of earning an at-large bid, and even that is a stretch at this point. They are 13-6 overall and 5-2 and in first place in the league. But their best non-conference win is against Murray State (78th in the RPI). They are 0-4 against the top 50, and have lost to UCLA (136th) and Washington (75th). The only reason their RPI is in the top 25 range (currently 25th) is because they have played the 3rd toughest schedule in the country.
It will be tough for the selection committee to give an at-large bid to the Bears, especially when you consider that their "signature" win right now is at home against USC after the Trojans learned of their postseason ban, especially when you consider the Bears are bound to take a few more losses with seven of their remaining 11 games on the road.
If you haven't done it already, say goodbye to Washington's potential postseason.
The Huskies were swept by the LA schools, dropping a buzzer beater to the Bruins and getting waxed by USC. U-Dub has a number of issues. They don't play defense. They struggle with consistently giving effort. They don't have a true point guard. No one has been able to replace Jon Brockman.
But their biggest issue is simply that they cannot win away from home. Washington is 0-5 in true road games this year, and also lost to Georgetown in Anaheim. They are, literally, winless in every game away from Hec Edmundson Pavilion. That's not going to get it done.
Think about this for a second.
UCLA has be abysmal this season. Stanford has nothing on their roster beyond Landry Fields. Arizona is far from the Arizona we knew under Lute Olson. All three teams are sitting within a game of .500 on the season.
And all three teams are currently sitting one game out of first place in the Pac-10.
I mean, a UCLA team that lost to Cal St. Fullerton (RPI 236th), Portland (98th), Stanford (121st), and Long Beach State (125th), and is 136th in the RPI themselves, has an actual chance to win the Pac-10 even after they lost starting forward Drew Gordon.
I guess crazier things have happened.
I just can't think of many.
Continue reading...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Theo Robertson out of the line-up tonight... |
And if you believe what you read on twitter, then it could be serious. According to Andy Katz, Robertson has a stress reaction in his foot. For those that don't remember, last season, Tyler Hansbrough missed time early in the season with a stress reaction in his shin.
I'm not a doctor, but from what I can tell, a stress reaction is a predecessor to a stress fracture; in other words, not a good thing for an athlete in season.
Katz goes on to tweet that the injury could result in Robertson playing on a "tolerance basis, which one can only assume means he will play as long as he can handle the pain.
If Robertson is out for an extended period of time, this is a huge blow. They are already without Harper Kamp, a guy that would provide quite a bit of the toughness, defense, and rebounding they are missing in the paint. Even with Kamp in the line-up, Cal is a team that relies on their perimeter players to create offense. Without Robertson, there is just that much more pressure on Randle and Christopher.
Cal is currently getting run off the court against Syracuse at the Garden, and a large reason for that is they cannot do anything offensively. The Orange are underrated right now, especially defensively, but that doesn't change the fact that Cal does not look like a team that can compete for a Pac 10 title right now.
Continue reading...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday's Shootaround: UNC rolls, Syracuse's defense dominates, and Cal's three point shooting comes alive |
Syracuse 100, Robert Morris 60: The Orange's defense is devastating. They forced 32 turnovers against Albany, and 28 more last night. And it isn't just their length along the back line that is giving team fits - it is the pesky defenders at the top of the zone. Andy Rautins, Scoop Jardine, and Brandon Triche got their hands on everything last night. Deflecting passes and stripping ball handlers, the Orange gave Robert Morris fits trying to get into their offense last night.
Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine both looked better handling the ball last night.(photo credit: Syracuse Post-Standard)
After watching last night's game, I came away very impressed with Andy Rautins. He is a much better defender than he gets credit for, as he had four steals. His offense came around too, scoring 22 points and hitting 7-10 from deep.
The biggest question for the Orange after their first game of the year was point guard play, and last night we may have gotten out answer. While the Cuse still had 23 turnovers as a team, Jardine and Triche looked like different players out there. Both were able to get into the lane at will, finding the numerous big guys Boeheim can throw out there for easy dunks and lay-ups. Jardine inparticular looked comfortable leading the break. All told, the two combined for 18 points, 16 assists, and just 4 turnovers.
Speaking of Rick Jackson and Onuaku, after last night's 11-13 showing, the two are shooting a combined 87.5% from the floor, which isn't all that surprising when you consider that the two may not have taken a shot this year that wasn't a dunk or a lay-up.
UNC 89, North Carolina Central 42: Eight minutes into the game, UNC was clinging to a 21-17 lead. Over the next 32 minutes, the Heels outscored NCCU 68-25. They were bigger, faster, and more athletic, and once the Heels got into a rhythm, there was really nothing the Eagles could do.
UNC is still dealing with some turnover issues, as they committed 19 last night. But as was the case on Monday, much of that can be attributed to young guys learning a new system and new roles.
The biggest difference was the comfort level of the Heels freshman. After looking jittery and nervous against FIU, this group played a much more controlled game last night. Dexter Strickland and John Henson, specifically, showed flashes of being big time players.
All-in-all, not much too take out of UNC's destruction of another extremely overmatched opponents.
Cal 95, Detroit 61: The Bears looked much more impressive last night against Detroit than they did in their opener against Murray State, but there is still a lot that Monty's group needs to work on.
Detroit had this down to a four point game early in the second half, but that is when the Bears finally found their range. Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson, inparticular, both knocked down a couple threes as Cal used an 11-0 run to open up a 17 point lead and start to pull away. The Bears showed a killer instinct they didn't have on Monday, when they opened up an 18 point lead only to let the Racers back in it.
My biggest issue right now is with Jerome Randle. Yes, he is averaging 20 ppg right now, but he hasn't looked as dominant as he did last season. The biggest issue in my eyes is his inability to effectively use the high ball screen. Randle is not quick in the same way that Ty Lawson is - what Randle excels at is his stop and go quickness. He is deadly when he can get up a head of steam, because he can stop on a dime and hit a pull-up with three point range. Take note, Pac 10 teams. Both Murray State and Detroit crowded and pressured Randle out by half court, which has forced him to be more of a penetrator. Sure, he is able to draw fouls against this level of competition, but will he be able to get by an Isaiah Thomas or a Malcolm Lee in league play?
The other issue I noticed was how poor he is at setting up ball screens. Markhuri Sanders-Frison and Jamal Boykin are both big bodies. Given Randle's ability to shoot the three, a defender is not going to be able to go under those ball screens. But Randle has not really been able to turn the corner off the screen and get into the paint as well as I expected him too. When he did last night (I remember two times specifically), both ended up with open looks for shooters on the wings.
Continue reading...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday's Pregame Beat |
Sorry for the late post. Real life got in the way. On to the CvC's second day of round robin second round action.
7 pm: Robert Morris @ Syracuse: The Orange's defense looked overwhelming in their 75-43 rout of Albany. The athleticism of Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph along the back line of their 2-3 zone is devastating. Forcing 32 turnovers, regardless of your opponent, is impressive. Where Syracuse needs to improve is offensively. They had 21 turnovers of their own, with way too many coming on fast breaks. Boeheim needs to get his point guard play ironed out as Brandon Triche looked unimpressive, while Scoop Jardine played well (if Jonny Flynn was still in upstate New York, the Cuse would be top five). Andy Rautins, who played an excellent floor game but couldn't find his jumper, is in uniform and stretching as we speak. Will he suit up (he rolled an ankle)?
9 pm: North Carolina Central @ UNC: The Tar Heels looked relatively unimpressive in their first game against Sun Belt cellar dweller FIU. While we got what we expected from Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, and Larry Drew looked better than expected, the Tar Heels looked out of sync on the offensive end. The touted freshman crop looked nervous, particularly Dexter Strickland, who had five turnovers and four fouls in 11 minutes. He's their back up PG? The two other question marks - perimeter shooting and the John-Henson-at-the-three experiment - looked, well, questionable as well.
11 pm: Detroit @ Cal: The Cal Bears looked almost disinterested playing their season opener against Murray State. Hyped as a potential Pac 10 champion, the Bears struggled to put the Racers away late in the game. Cal needs to figure out how to play as a favorite. As underdogs last season, they were playing with house money while winning games. As a favorite, could they get lackadaisical, buying into their own hype? The biggest question that needs to be answered is how Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher will play as the focus of opposing defenses. MSU did a pretty good job hedging the high ball screen Cal likes to run, slowing down Randle in the process. Hopefully the little guy will get on track, as he is one of the most fun players to watch.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday's Shootaround: Boeheim wins 800th, Turner's triple-double, and ranked teams win ugly |
Ohio State 100, Alcorn State 60: Of the four ranked teams to play last night, the Buckeyes were the only guys that looked crisp, especially on the offensive end. I think it is safe to say that the Evan-Turner-at-the-point experiment has started out pretty well for Thad Matta. Turner did nothing to quell the rumblings that he is the best all-around player in the country, as he turned in just the second triple double in Ohio State history, going for 14 points, 17 boards (6 offensive), 10 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. When this guy adds a consistent three point jumper, he is going to be scary good (as if to say he isn't already).
Evan Turner posted the second triple-double in OSU history.(photo credit: cleveland.com)
Part of what makes Turner so dangerous is his ability to rebound the ball on the defensive end. Since he runs the point as well, Turner is able to get out and lead the break without using an outlet pass. While this will sometimes slow down the Buckeyes if Turner grabs a rebound in traffic, he showed excellent vision down court, hitting a couple guys on long passes in transition for easy lay-ups.
There were a couple of other very good signs for the Buckeyes. First off, David Lighty, the athletic, 6'5" swingman who is coming off of a broken foot which ended his season in December last year, looked like he was ready to play. He finished with just 8 points in 22 minutes, but he also had 8 assists, threw down a nice dunk in traffic, and all-in-all looked explosive putting the ball on the floor.
Then there was Jon Diebler and William Buford. Everyone knew coming in that Diebler was a shooter, and he showed it, knocking down six threes en route to 22 points. But Buford is a guy that had question marks regarding his ability to consistently shoot it from deep. He's excellent at reading screens offensively and scoring in the mid-range game, but he didn't show consistent range last season. Last night he was 3-7 from deep, and scored 19 points. With Buford and Diebler hitting threes on the wings, it opens up that much more space for Turner to create.
Three last notes: Jeremie Simmons, the Buckeyes back-up PG, looked solid, scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting, hitting 2 threes, and not turning the ball over. The Buckeyes need Dallas Lauderdale to get healthy. Their three bigs combined to go for 14 points, 10 boards, and 1 block in 48 combined minutes. Club Trillion author Mark Titus played three minutes, grabbing a single rebound.
North Carolina 88, Florida International 72: The Tar Heels handily beat FIU in Isiah Thomas's debut as a college coach, jumping out to an early double digit lead and never looking back. But don't be fooled by the score - the Tar Heels did not look impressive.
For starters, the Panthers simply out worked the Tar Heels. Their scrappy brand of defense forced 26 UNC turnovers and allowed them to keep the game at least moderately interesting in the second half. UNC won because of their size advantage. The Panthers had no answer for Deon Thompson or Ed Davis inside, who combined to go for 33 points, 21 boards, 4 blocks, and 4 steals as both notched double-doubles.
Loved the throwback jerseys UNC wore last night.(photo credit: Charlotte Observer)
One positive sign for UNC is that Larry Drew II looked like he could be an adequate replacement for Ty Lawson. Much quicker than I remembered him being, Drew II pushed the ball up the floor and had a couple really pretty passes in transition. There were a couple instances where he was forced to pick up his dribble in a bad spot, and he also did over-dribble a few times, but all-in-all it was a positive start for Drew.
The same can't be said for the UNC freshmen. None played more than 12 minutes, and not one looked overly impressive in their time on the floor. Dexter Strickland had five turnovers and four fouls in 11 minutes. Leslie McDonald was 1-4 from the floor and looked lost offensively. The Wear twins played hard and look like they can provide quality effort defensively and on the glass, but don't look like impact players at this point. John Henson looked promising because of his length, but he really needs to add weight to his frame and skills to his tools, so to speak. His only two baskets were on dunks, and given his size and athleticism, he really didn't do much to fill the stat sheet like you would expect.
One nice aspect to this game was the play of Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves on the wing. Despite a slow release, Ginyard knocked down a few threes (which no one on UNC can really do) looked healthy (he had a dunk in the first half where he really got up). Graves didn't impress offensively, but played strong defense, grabbed some rebounds, and didn't turn the ball over.
The bottom line is this: UNC is far from a finished product, but that should be expected. Every single player on this team is UNC team has an expanded role compared to last season. There are a number of newcomers, and three returners that missed most or all of last season due to injuries or suspension. There are a lot of parts here that need to learn how to play with and off of each other. This is not a top 10 basketball team right now, but don't be surprised if the Heels gel and make some noise at the end of the season.
Syracuse 75, Albany 43: The Orange were absolutely dominant on the defensive end against Albany as Jim Boeheim joined the ranks of the 800 win club. They forced 32 Great Dane turnovers and held them to just 27.3% shooting from the floor. As expected, Wesley Johnson is an absolute terror on the defensive end. While his scoring numbers weren't quite up to expectations, Johnson played a great floor game and showed how valuable of a player he can be - 12 points, 8 boards, 6 steals, and 4 assists. Shawn Marion, anyone?
Jim Boeheim won his 800th game last night.(photo credit: Syracuse Post-Standard)
Sophomore Kris Joseph, another tall and long combo forward, looked excellent as well. Playing 27 minutes off the bench, Joseph went for 12 points, 5 boards, and 2 steals. If Joseph plays with energy this season, especially on the defesive end, it will allow Jim Boeheim to go with two very different looks. He can play Rick Jackson and Arizne Onuaku together, going big on the inside, or he can have Joseph and Johnson playing the wings on the backline of the Orange's 2-3 zone. The length and athleticism that those two give Syracuse will make it so difficult for opposing zones to shoot over and pass through the zone.
More on Onuaku and Jackson - they looked very good on the interior, albeit against a much smaller Great Dane front line. They combined to go 10-11 from the floor and really carried the Orange offense in the early going. Boeheim is going to need those two to be consistent inside this year. Onuaku still looks troubled at the line, going 2-5 with an airball.
The biggest issue for the Orange was on the offensive end, especially in transition. I can't tell you how many times Syracuse blew a golden opportunity for a easy basket by turning the ball over on a break (if I had to guess, I would put the number at eight). Point guard play is going to be an issue all season long. Freshman Brandon Triche did not impress. He seemed to be forcing the issue, as he tried pinpoint passes that all-to-often did not reach their intended target. He had six turnovers and just three assists. Scoop Jardine looked much better. He was 5-7 from the floor had four assists and just one turnover, and seemed to be playing at a much more comfortable and controlled pace. Far from the dynamic play maker of a Jonny Flynn, Jardine (and Triche) won't be asked to do that. As long as they can lead a break, run an offense, score when the opportunity presents itself, and get guys like Johnson, Onuaku, and Jackson the ball where they can be dangerous without turning the ball over, the Cuse will be alright. Jardine did that much better than Triche last night.
Andy Rautins struggled offensively last night, but he is too good of a shooter for his stroke not to come around. More importantly, he looked to be more of a complete player this year. He was active on the defensive end, had a couple nice passes, and rebounded the ball (5 boards, 5 dimes, 4 steals). When his jumper is on, hopefully he will still remain a complete player. Of note, he did roll an ankle early in the second half.
All told, Syracuse looked to be in much the same position as UNC. With a number of new players and guys in new and expanded roles, its only fitting that the Orange looked a bit tentative and, well, bad offensively. But as long as they keep playing defense, the offense will come around. Syracuse fans shouldn't be too worried about this performance (or the Le Moyne loss).
Cal 75, Murray State 70: The Bears played by far the toughest opponent last night in a game Murray State team. But given the expectations put on Cal this year, this was not the performance you like to see from a team predicted to win the Pac 10.
Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher looked out of sync all game long. Randle especially, who just never seemed to find a rhythm offensively. But those two are going to have to learn to play against defenses keyed on slowing them down. They aren't going to sneak up on anyone this year. Both Randle and Christopher are expected to be all-Pac 10 players, and with those expectations come the focus of an opponent's defensive scheme.
Patrick Christopher and Cal were disappointing in their debut.(photo credit: WaPo)
The key may end up being the development of Jamal Boykin and Markuri Sanders-Frison as scoring threats up front. What Cal really likes to do offensively is run a high screen for Randle with one of the bigs. As the big guy rolled to the rim, Theo Robertson would curl back to the top of the key with Christopher would spot up in the same side corner. Last night, the Racers were doubling that screen, forcing Randle to go wide off of it and get rid of the ball. What would eventually happen, then, is that the ball would end up in the hands of a Robertson or Jorge Gutierrez, neither of whom are the kind of play maker that Randle or Christopher is.
To be fair, Boykin was active most of the game, and grabbed a couple of offensive boards, getting easy putbacks. Sanders-Frison had a couple nice post moves as well. If he can become a legitimate scoring threat with his back to the basket, it will add a nice dimension to their team. 7'3" Max Zhang played five first half minutes, but didn't grab a board. He still may not be ready to compete at this level.
But that wasn't the biggest problem that the Bears faced. The Racers were able to hit threes, score in transition, and most importantly compete on the offensive glass. Until Cal proves that they can be a good rebounding and defensive team, you have to consider Washington to be the favorite out west.
Overall, Cal just looked complacent tonight. They came out of the gates flat, and after building an 18 point second half lead, they allowed the Racers to claw their way back in it, making this a two possession game down the stretch. Playing as the favorite is different than playing as the underdog. Cal seems like they may have bought into their hype. Hopefully, this was a wake-up call for them.
Continue reading...
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday's Pregame Beat |
College basketball is here!!! Get excited.
We have four games on tap tonight, all involving teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations playing their openers in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
7 pm: Florida International @ UNC: Talk about a great story line to kick off the season. The defending national champs take on Florida International, who just so happened to add Isiah Thomas as their head coach in the off-season. This game almost didn't happen as FIU was upset with the Gazelle Group, who organizes the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, along with a number of other pre-season tourneys, for a late schedule change. This will be the first chance for us to see how well UNC's young guys can handle the Roy Williams system. Will Larry Drew be an effective replacement for Ty Lawson? How good is Ed Davis? We find out tonight. Of note: Isiah Thomas will be coaching after his mom suffered a heart attack over the weekend.
7 pm: Alcorn State @ Ohio State: The Buckeyes will be without Dallas Lauderdale as he is still recovering from a broken bone in his hand. Interesting to see how the Evan Turner as a point guard experiment will turn out.
9 pm: Albany @ Syracuse: The Orange stumbled in their exhibition game against Le Moyne, but Syracuse should be alright this season. Be sure to keep an eye on Wesley Johnson, the talented transfer from Iowa State. He had 34 in the loss.
11 pm: Murray State @ Cal: Jerome Randle and company have Pac 10 title aspirations, and despite being picked below Washington in most rankings, the Bears are actually the pre-season pick to win the Pac 10. Cal plays an uptempo, spread floor style and will put up a lot of points. Randle is one of the most exciting players in the country to watch. Be sure to tune in if you get the FOXSports package.
Continue reading...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
No. 18: 2009-2010 Team Preview: California Golden Bears |
2008-2009 Record: 22-11, 11-7 Pac-10 (3rd)
Key Losses: Jordan Wilkes (4.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Key Returners: Jerome Randle (18.3 ppg, 5.0 apg), Patrick Christopher (14.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Theo Robertson (13.1 ppg, 48.7% 3's)
Newcomers: Bak Bak, Brandon Smith, Markhuri Sanders-Frison
Jerome Randle will be on a lot of pre-season all-Pac 10 lists.(photo credit: The Play in California)
Mike Montgomery, who spent 18 seasons as the head coach of Stanford, joined the Cardinal's biggest rival last season and had an excellent year, winning 22 games and earning a bid to the NCAA tournament. The improvement was all the more surprising given that Cal, who went 17-16 in 2008, lost two big men to the NBA - Ryan Anderson and DeVon Hardin.
With a hole in the middle, Montgomery brought a new style to the Bears, opting to run a fast-paced offense that relied on the open floor abilities of Jerome Randle. Randle might have been the most improved player in the country last season. As a sophomore, Randle averaged just over 11 ppg, deferring to guys like Hardin and Anderson. But as a junior, the diminutive Randle proved to be arguably the best point guard in a league with a lot of good point guards (Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison, Nic Wise, Taylor Rochestie). Part of what made Randle so effective was that the open floor style allowed him to take advantage of his quickness. There may not be a player in the country that can go from 0-60 as quickly as Randle. This stop-and-go ability, combined with his small stature (listed at 5'10", looks closer to 5'8"), make Randle nearly impossible to stay in front off the bounce. But you can't slack off of him because he is nearly automatic from deep - he hit 46.3% from three last season. With the other shooters that the Bears have on their roster, Randle's ability to penetrate is going to be key - if there is help side defense, he can kick it out; if there isn't, he can finish in the paint.
But Randle is far from the only perimeter threat that the Bears have. Senior Patrick Christopher is a proven scorer. While he has never had to be a star for the Bears, he is a great complimentary scorer. Christopher's scoring ability is centered around his jump shot, which is fairly consistent in catch-and-shoot situations. But Christopher has a tendency to take some tough shots, and while he does make quite a few of them, it makes him a little less efficient than would be ideal. Theo Robertson might be the best three point shooter in the country. While he is just a moderate athlete, Robertson is capable of scoring inside the arc. While he shots 48.7% from deep, he only took 3.5 per game while laying 33.5 minutes.
Those three guys each played over 33 minutes per game last season, and should be expected to play a lot of minutes again. But when they do need to come out, Cal has a couple reserves that should be expected to contribute. Sophomores Omondi Amoke and Jorge Gutierrez are probably the best of the bunch. Gutierrez is an athlete, and is probably the best perimeter defender on Cal's roster. Amoke is a little bit bigger (6'7") and a more of a slasher, but he will get minutes in the paint. He gives Montgomery energy, hustle, and offensive rebounding off the bench. DJ Seeley, who you may remember from this game, should also see some time.
The biggest question mark for the Bears is going to be in their front court. Jamal Boykin is a good player. At 6'8", 240 lb, he provides muscle on the block, rebounding, and a decent scoring threat. The fact that Boykin is able to knock down jumpers from the perimeter means that the Bears can go five-out of the offensive end.
But after Boykin, there really is not all that much depth up front. Harper Kamp has some size (6'9"), but he doesn't provide much more than defense and rebounding. Bak Bak is an athletic 6'9", but he is still quite raw. Perhaps the biggest question mark, both literally and figuratively, will be 7'3" Max Zhang. Zhang played just 67 minutes as a freshman, but he was dominant in the World Univerity games over the summer, averaging 18.0 ppg, 17.3 rpg, and 5.6 bpg. He may be the only guy capable of providing Cal with a defender around the rim. Also expect JuCo transfer Markhuri Sanders-Frison to see some time if he can get into shape (at 6'7", he is currently pushing 300 lb).
Outlook: We could argue all day about who is the favorite in the Pac-10 - Washington or Cal. While Washington will be adding talented freshman Abdul Gaddy, Cal is loaded with experienced, and talented, players who have now had a season to learn the system they are playing in. With guys like Randle, Christopher, and Robertson, Cal is going to be able to put up points with anyone in the country. If they can rebound the ball and defend, Cal could win the Pac-10 and be the best team on the West Coast. If they can't, they may not be a top 25 team by year's end.
Continue reading...
Friday, January 16, 2009
BIAH Season Update: Biggest Surprises |
The art of analyzing college basketball is not a perfect science. No matter the amount of work you put in during the summer - watching last season's games, reading up on a team's local media coverage, researching freshman and some of the seldom used guys on the bench - it is still essentially a crap shoot when trying to project how 347 teams will perform during a given season. Some guys work their tails off during the summer and come back better players for it. Some guys don't and come back out of shape. Some lower rated freshman become stars. Some highly touted recruits fizzle out. Sometimes teams click. Other times the chemistry just isn't there.
Now that we are about midway through the season, let's take a look at some of this year's biggest surprises:
Wake Forest and Jeff Teague: A lot of people thought that the Demon Deacons were going to be good this year. But this good? Right now Wake is sitting at #2 in the country (or #3 depending on if you ask the coaches or the writers) with a 14-0 record after knocking off UNC, and a huge reason for that has been the emergence of Jeff Teague. Teague played well last season, averaging 13.9 ppg and earning All-ACC Rookie Team honors. Sure, you expect him to get better, but I doubt anyone predicted that Teague would emerge as a potential first team all-american and be in the conversation for ACC, and even national, player of the year. I didn't even list him among my top point guards. Neither did Gary Parrish. Teague is currently averaging 20.6 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 spg, and shooting an absurd 53.6% from the field. Teague also has been aided by playing alongside maybe the best front line in america. The bottom line is that this team has a very real chance at not only reaching the Final Four, but winning a national title.
California: In '07-'08, the Bears went 17-16 and 6-12 in Pac-10 play. They lost first-team all-Pac 10 forward Ryan Anderson (21.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg) and starting center DeVon Hardin to the NBA. Head Coach Ben Braun left for Rice University and was replaced by Mike Montogomery. So what happened this season? Cal has started out 15-2, 4-0 in the Pac-10, and has become the only serious threat to Arizona State and UCLA to win the conference. The Bears get it done from beyond the arc. They shoot, as a team, a ridiculous 48.3% from three, although it is mostly from three guys - Jerome Randle (49%), Patrick Christopher (41%), and Theo Robertson (59%). This team is a ton of fun to watch, mainly because of Randle. He is a 5'9" lighting quick point guard that probably could have gotten his own nomination as one of the nation's biggest surprises. His scoring (19.1 from 11.8), assists (4.9 from 3.7), and shooting (52% from 42%) are all up from last season. He isn't afraid to fire from anywhere on the court either, often pulling up from 26 feet.
Jodie Meeks: Meeks had a promising freshman season in '06-'07, but struggled with injuries and getting playing time behind Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley in '07-'08. This season, Meeks has emerged as one of the best scorers in the nation and the front runner for SEC player of the year. Before Tuesday's game at Tennessee, Meeks had already gone for 46, 39, 37, and 32 points in a game, but against the Vols he had probably the greatest single performance I have ever seen. He went for 54 points in Tennessee on 15-21 shooting and 10-15 from three, and just about ran Tennessee off the court himself. So what is the difference this year? Meeks has really developed a deadly jump shot. He is shooting 48% from the field and 44% from three. But more impressive is that on the season, Meeks has scored 441 points on just 280 shots - equivalent to 1.58 points per shot, a phenomenal number for a jump shooter. Can you say efficiency?
The Big Ten: The Big Ten has been considered the worst of the BCS conferences for a few years now. The biggest reason? A number of the traditional powers have not had the success they are used to. Most people expected more of the same this year as Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, and Wisconsin were all thought to be down this season. The conference has caught a lot of people by surprise this year. While they are not quite on the level of the ACC of the Big East, the Big Ten is probably the third best league and has a chance to get six or seven teams into the dance. The biggest surprise in the league has to be Minnesota. The Gophers were a respectable 8-10 in league play last year (their first under Tubby Smith), but if I told you that two weeks into conference season Minnesota would be 15-1 and a top 20 team, would you have believed me? Equally impressive has been the improvement of Michigan and Illinois. You knew Michigan wouldn't be down for long with the addition of John Beilein, but this team (which boasts wins over UCLA and Duke) was 10-22 last year and won just one game in the league. You also knew a Bruce Webber led team wouldn't stay down. The emergence of Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis, and Demetri McCamey to go alongside the veteran back court of Chester Frazier and Trent Meachem has made the Illini one of the most balanced teams in the country. Ohio State has struggled of late with out David Lighty but still boasts a 12-3 record and a win at Notre Dame. Even perennial cellar dweller Penn State is having success on the court this year with a 13-4 record and a win over Purdue.
Clemson: For 4th straight season, Clemson has started out the year with a long undefeated streak. This year, they are sitting at 16-0, 2-0 in the ACC, but it may be the most improbable of their season opening runs. The Tigers lost a lot when Cliff Hammonds and James Mays graduated. It was more than just talent - those two provided a lot of senior leadership. Not much was expected from this group in '09, but they have emerged as a serious threat in the ACC. While KC Rivers (14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg) and Trevor Booker (15.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, and 2.8 bpg) are both having fantastic seasons, the x-factor has been the emergence of Demontez Stitt as a playmaker. Stitt is averaging 8.3 ppg and 3.6 apg, but more importantly he provides Clemson with a guy that not only can defend but that can get into the paint and score or find a teammate. Clemson has played a bit of a light schedule (although wins at Illinois, South Carolina, and Miami FL are pretty impressive), but they get a real test when Wake Forest comes to town on Saturday.
Syracuse and Georgetown: Syracuse and Georgetown. Jim Boeheim and John Thompson. Those are names that are synonomous with success in the Big East. But with how loaded the Big East is this season, both of these teams were predicted to be middle-of-the-pack in the conference this year. Nothing could have been further from the truth as both are currently ranked in the top 15. After knocking off the Orange on Wednesday, the Hoyas are currently sitting at 12-3, 3-2 in the Big East. Their record is much more impressive when you consider that they've won at UConn and beat Syracuse, while their two losses
have come at Notre Dame (55 straight wins at home) and against Pitt (the Panthers are ok this year). The best news for Georgetown is that their bench, which has been struggling this season, has played much better the last two games.
While Georgetown has come out of their toughest stretch in good shape, Syracuse is just entering a brutal ten game stretch. Including their loss to Georgetown, the Orange play eight of their next ten against ranked teams (and one of the unranked teams was last weeks #22 West Virginia). They are 16-2, 4-1 in the Big East (playing an easy schedule - before G'Town their conference opponents combined record was 1-14), but they have had some impressive non-conference wins. They won at Memphis, beat Florida and Kansas in Kansas City, and were a 70 foot prayer from Cleveland State away from heading into DC last night undefeated. The difference this season has been the return of Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins from knee injuries, giving Flynn some back court help while providing perimeter shooting to stretch the defense. Rick Jackson's development as a solid post contributor has also been key to the Orange success.
Wesley Matthews: The last three seasons, whenever you would discuss Marquette's guards, most people would say "Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and the other kid, you know, what's his name..?". "What's his name" is Wesley Matthews, and he has always been just as good as the other two. The issue with Matthews is that he's always been a great teammate, willing to defer to the other two when needed. This season, with Marquette lacking balance on the interior, Buzz Williams knew that he needed Matthews to be a scorer. Matthews never averaged more than 12.6 ppg in a season (that came as a sophomore), but this year he is the team's leading scorer at 18.9 ppg and arguably their most important player. Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, Lazar Hayward - while all talented, they tend to settle for jumpers. Matthews is much more of a penetrator, as he is taking 8.5 free throw's per game. His emergence is a big reason why Marquette is currently 15-2 and 4-0 in the Big East.
Texas A&M: Texas A&M was never really known as a basketball school before Billy Gillispie got there, but with the help of Acie Law, he managed to change the expectations of Aggie fans. With Gillispie gone, Mark Turgeon (formerly of Wichita State) has done a pretty good job of keeping the program moving in the right direction. They reached the tournament last year only to be robbed against knocked out by UCLA, but lost Joseph Jones, DeAndre Jordan, and most importantly Dominique Kirk off of that team. As you might expect, the most pundits had the Aggies finishing somewhere behind Oklahoma, Texas, Baylor, and Kansas in the Big XII. To be honest, I was going to leave the 15-2 Aggies off of this list after they lost on the road to Oklahoma State in their first Big XII game. While they have some pretty good wins (Arizona, @ Alabama, LSU), they still have played a relatively light schedule and did not really have anything too impressive on their resume ... until they beat Baylor last night. Now, a road loss/home win during conference play, no matter who it is against, is not a terrible loss/great win, so making a final consensus on this Aggie team based on those two games doesn't make much sense. Its what I saw from them last night. They are a tough defensive team with two excellent guards (Donald Sloan, Josh Carter) and two really good big men (Brian Davis, Chinemelu Elonu). If they can get some of their role players to step up and be a threat, the Aggies have a real chance of returning to the NCAA's.
Butler: Butler has dominated the Horizon League for the last few years, but lost so much to graduation, including their starting back court of AJ Graves and Mike Green. The only player of significance they returned was big man Matt Howard. Butler was not expected to do all that much this year, but they might actually be better than last year's team that spent time in the top 10. The biggest reason for that has been the play of two freshman - Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. Hayward, a combo forward averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg, is one of the best shooters in the land, hitting at 46% and making more than two three's a game. When paired with Howard, they give the Bulldogs a very talented front line that compliments each other well. Mack is a play making guard, averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.5 apg. Butler's only loss is by three at Ohio State, but they have some pretty impressive wins - Drake, Evansville, Bradley (all atop the MVC), Xavier, Northwestern, UAB, and a buzzer beating win against Cleveland State, who was picked to finish atop the league.
Continue reading...
Monday, January 12, 2009
College Basketball Week In Review: The Battle for Conference Supremacy |
What We Learned This Week: The ACC is loaded this year. But are they better than the Big East? Depth wise, not a chance. The Big East has nine teams that are legitimately NCAA worthy this year, while there are still a few that have a shot of playing their way in. Outside of the top four in the ACC, there are about four or five teams that can make a run at a bid, but I doubt the ACC gets more than five.
But it is the top four teams are the story of the ACC. Those four teams boast two of the three undefeated teams left in the country and three of the top four teams in the country in both polls.
The best of the bunch is Wake Forest (more on them in a bit), which is a bit of a surprise. A lot of people expected them to be good, but this? Duke and Clemson are also both better than expected. The common thread between all three teams? Defense. While all three play different styles, it is the defensive side of the game that they hang their hat, which is why all three pose a threat to UNC.
Is there a conference that is more balanced, more competitive, or more topsy-turvy than the Missouri Valley? Just a week ago, people were talking about Illinois State as a possible top 25 team. Now? The Redbirds have two losses in conference. Just five games in, and there are six teams within a game of first place, no undefeated teams left in conference play, and the two league favorites (ISU, Creighton) are a game off the lead. The Valley will probably end up with two or three teams good enough to make the tourney, but given how much these teams beat up on each other in conference play, I'd be amazed if more than one made it.
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Cal 88, Washington 85 3OT
Washington looked to have this one wrapped up in regulation. The Huskies were up by as much as 11 in the second half, and had an eight point lead with three minutes to go. But Cal would score the last eight points, including a three by Patrick Christopher with 45 seconds left, to force the first OT at 58-58. Christopher hit another three to tie it up at 64 with 2:16 remaining in the 1st OT, but no one would score the rest of the period.
The 2nd OT had some fireworks. Cal was down 75-70 after a Justin Dentmon three-point play, but Jerome Randle would score on Cal's next two possessions, with Dentmon going 1-2 from the line twice. After Dentmon missed a free throw with nine seconds left, Cal pushed the ball up the floor. Christopher missed a jumper, but DJ Seeley got the rebound, scored, and was fouled. He's hit the free throw to send it to a third OT. In that third OT, Cal was down two with 15 seconds left with Theo Robertson completed a three-point play to give the Bears their first lead since 1-0 (how often do you see an overtime game, let alone a three overtime game, where one team essentially did not lead the entire game until the very end?). Christopher would hit two free throws with under a second left for the final margin.
Christopher finished the game with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Randle added 23 and Robertson 18 for the Bears. Dentmon led the Huskies with 24, while Isaiah Thomas added 22 and Jon Brockman had 16 and 18 boards.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Michigan State has regained their status among the elite teams in the country after impressive wins over Ohio State and Kansas. A big reason for that resurgence has been the play of Kalin Lucas (and not just this week, he has been fantastic in the last five games). This week, he averaged 21 ppg in the two games, but more importantly he managed the games. Lucas showed flashes of his potential last season, but playing along side a guy like Drew Neitzel in a slow down offense is not what Lucas is going to excel at. The Spartans are pushing the ball much more this season, and Lucas is flourishing. It isn't just his speed and quickness that makes him so good playing this style, it is his decision making. You sag off of him defensively, he'll knock down a jumper. You crowd him and he's going to the rim. Most importantly, he doesn't turn the ball over. Only three times in 15 games has Lucas turned the ball over more than once. On the season, he has 85 assists and 18 turnovers. That's a 4.6:1 ratio.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons have a gaudy record and a top 5 ranking, but coming into this week they had yet to really prove themselves as a legitimate contender. They had many doubters, including me, when it came to whether they would be able to knock off UNC. They proved a lot of people wrong on Sunday night when they held off a late UNC rally to beat the Heels 92-89 in Winston-Salem. What made the win all the more impressive is that neither 
James Johnson or Al-Farouq Aminu really got it going. Jeff Teague went for 34 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists while Chas McFarland added 20 with 9 boards and 2 blocks.
Is there any team in the country with more NBA talent than the Deacs? Al-Farouq Aminu is a future lottery pick. James Johnson is a polished Aminu. Jeff Teague looked like a 1st team all-america last night and the second coming of Monta Ellis. I knew Wake was going to be really good this year, but I don't think anyone could have predicted this. They are so long and athletic, it causes all kinds of problems defensively. UNC shot 35% from the field on Sunday and had at least two perimeter jump shots blocked. The best part about this team is that they are so young. Teague and Johnson are sophomores and Aminu is a freshman. If this team stays together for one more year, they could be scary.
MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
1/12 - Texas @ Oklahoma: The Red River Rivalry, hard court edition.
1/12 - Notre Dame @ Louisville: Watching Samardo Samuels and Luke Harangody square off should be fun.
1/13 - Kentucky @ Tennessee: Battle between two of the favorites in the SEC East.
1/14 - Syracuse @ Georgetown: Who is going to match-up with Monroe?
Look at this Saturday schedule of games:
Continue reading...
Monday, January 5, 2009
College Basketball Week in Review: You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea |
What We Learned This Week: College hoops is a fickle beast. Just when you think you are starting to get a handle on how the season is shaping up, there ends up being a week like this one. You'll see what I'm talking about...
-What We Thought: UNC had a legitimate shot at going through the season undefeated.
-What Happened This Week: The Heels lost at home to BC, the team picked 11th out of 12 in the ACC.
-What We Thought: UConn was a national title contender.
-What Happened This Week: The Huskies got smoked by Georgetown at home.
-What We Thought: After beating UConn, Georgetown was a favorite to win the Big East.
-What Happened This Week: The Hoyas got smoked by Pitt at home.
-What We Thought: The Big East was not only the deepest conference, but the toughest conference at the top.
-What Happened This Week: (ED. Note: This was written before the polls were released) Going by who lost and who won, the ACC may end up with three of the top four teams.
-What We Thought: The Big XII was much better than the SEC this year.
-What Happened This Week: Arkansas whooped up on Oklahoma in Fayetteville while South Carolina beat Baylor on the road.
-What We Thought: Illinois State was undefeated, but their fluffer-nutter soft schedule would catch up to them in MVC play.
-What Happened This Week: The Redbirds started out 3-0 in the league, including blowouts of Evansville and Creighton.
-What We Thought: You can't upset a ranked team without your best player in uniform.
-What Happened This Week: St. John's beat Notre Dame without Anthony Mason Jr. and UNLV beat Louisville without Wink Adams.
-What We Thought: USC and Arizona were good; Stanford and Oregon State weren't.
-What Happened This Week: Oregon State beat USC after being down 15 in the second half, and Stanford beat Arizona by 18.
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Florida 68, NC State 66
The Wolfpack were up double digits in the first half as Sidney Lowe's team was able to control the pace of the game. But in the second half, the Gators amped up their 
pressure, trapping NC State's guards all over the court. Florida eventually closed the gap in the second half as Nick Calathes took the game over. He scored 24 points in the second half as no one on NC State could find a way to slow him down, either on the break (where he was sensational) or in the half court.
With four minutes to go in the game, Florida finally took the lead 59-58 as Nick Calathes knocked down a three. The two teams traded baskets for the next few possessions before Dan Werner found Calathes on a back door cut, which Calathes finished with a nifty reverse lay-up, giving Florida a 65-64 lead with just under a minute left. At the other end, Brandon Costner (who finished with 24 points) had his shot blocked by Alex Tyus, but it was called a goal tend, putting NC State back up. On the next possession, Billy Donavon isolated Calathes up top, and Calathes showed off some of his handle as he faked a stepback jumper, crossed over from left to right, and hit a mid-range jumper to give Florida the lead with 11 seconds left. NC State would eventually turn the ball over, giving the Gators the win.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Rice was fantastic in a 2-0 week for BC, which included an upset of North Carolina. He had 25 points on 7-13 shooting, 8 assists, and 5 boards in the victory over UNC, which came four days after he went for 18 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals against Sacred Heart. Rice is having his best season as a collegian, although he isn't necessarily putting up his best numbers. His scoring this year is down from 21.0 ppg to 16.7 ppg, but everything else has improved. He is averaging 6.4 apg while cutting down his turnovers. He is shooting as well as he has in his career. But most importantly, this BC team is better than it has been in recent years. Don't look now, but the Eagles are now 13-2 with wins over UNC, Providence, UAB, and St. John's.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:
Cal Bears
The Bears thrust themselves into the conversation in the Pac 10 by sweeping the Arizona schools at home this weekend. Patrick Christopher had 23 points to lead the Bears in the win over Arizona on Friday night, and he had 20 against Arizona State on Sunday. Jerome Randle posted career highs of 26 points and 10 assists in the win against ASU. Cal was 11-2 coming into Pac-10 play, and they had a couple solid wins on their resume (@ Utah, @ UNLV). The reason this team is going to be dangerous is because of how well they shoot the ball. Randle shoots it at 56%, Christopher just a shade under 40%, and Theo Robertson is knocking them down at an astounding 62% clip. this team also moves the ball very well and attacks gaps, which means they are likely to get a lot of good looks. If Jordan Wilkes, a seven-footer, can develop into a rebounder, defender, and an option when someone penetrates, this Cal team could make a run at the Pac 10 crown.
MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
1/5 - Georgetown @ Notre Dame: Get used to seeing a lot of Big East games listed here from this point forward.
1/6 - UConn @ West Virginia: Stanley Robinson and Devin Ebanks combine for about 15 feet of wingspan.
1/6 - Ohio State @ Michigan State: OSU could really use a confidence booster after struggling against Iowa and losing to Minnesota.
1/6 - Illinois State @ Bradley: 1st place in the Valley is on the line.
1/7 - Gonzaga @ Tennessee: This match-up has really lost some of its luster with how these two teams are playing.
1/7 - Davidson @ Duke: Steph Curry in Cameron Indoor?
1/10 - Louisville @ Villanova: Both teams really need a signature win on their resume.
1/10 - Kansas @ Michigan State: It will be tough for the Kansas freshman to match the Spartan's toughness.
1/10 - West Virginia @ Marquette: What did I say about a lot of Big East games?
1/11 - North Carolina @ Wake Forest: Explain to me how this game isn't on national television? I'm guessing that means we will barely see any coverage of it on ESPN, right?
Continue reading...
Monday Morning Shootaround |
The biggest game of the day on Sunday was clearly Boston College going into Chapel Hill and getting a win against UNC. The final score was 85-78, but for the most part it wasn't even that close in the second half. BC did an amazing job the entire game of limiting the opportunities that UNC got to run their break. The Tar Heel fast break is truly unbelievable, which they proved when they started scoring in transition off of made shots.
So how was BC able to slow down the Heels? It was simple - they got a lot of offensive rebounds and they didn't turn the ball over. The two easiest times to pick up transition baskets are off of defensive rebounds and off of turnovers. BC only turned the ball over 10 times (and a number of those were "good" turnovers, meaning that the Eagles simply threw the ball out of bounds or picked up a five second violation, which forces UNC to inbound the ball), they shot 46% from the field, and they gathered 14 offensive rebounds. UNC is no where near as good in the half court as they are when they score in transition, which is why it was so important for BC to limit their fast break opportunities and force the Heels to go against a set defense as much as possible.
The Heels also could not hit a shot down the stretch. In the second half, they shot just 29% from the floor (38% for the game). They were 5-12 from the free throw line in the final three minutes, and in that time missed six or seven open three's, including three in the span of about 15 seconds on one possession. BC, who took a six point lead into halftime, was up 78-63 when the Heels went on a 15-4 run, cutting the lead to 82-78 with under a minute left. Between the missed free throws and the missed three's, UNC cost themselves a chance to complete the comeback.
If you don't know the name Tyrese Rice by now, be sure to tune in to at least one BC game this season because he is one of the most fun players in the country to watch. He hit a number of tough shots (my favorite was a move he made in the first half when Danny Green got switched on to him - at the end of the shot clock, he crossed over from right to left, leading directly into a step back jumper which he hit in Green's face, and proceeded to jaw at Green the entire way down the floor) as he finished the game with 25 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards. But it was more than just the stats he put up. Rice scored nine of BC's last 11 points (and had the assist on the other bucket), including hitting 7-8 free throws the help hold UNC at bay. Rice has always been known as a scorer, but he showed a great deal of leadership and composure in the second half.
BC also got outstanding performances from Rakim Sanders and Reggie Jackson. Sanders finished the game with 22 points, 6 boards, and 7 steals and Jackson added 17 off the bench. But you cannot underestimate how well center Josh Southern (as well as the rest of the Eagles front line, for that matter) played before fouling out. He only had 4 points and 5 boards, but he frustrated Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson all night. Hansbrough still got his (21 and 9), but was just 6-15 from the floor and 9-12 from the line, and never really seemed to get into a rhythm. Thompson, who came in averaging 14 and 7, finished with just 5 and 5.
Cal 81, Arizona State 71: This was the first time I had the chance to see Cal play, and they are one of the most entertaining teams that I have seen this year. It was on display tonight as Cal used hot shooting and great ball movement against the ASU zone to upset the Sun Devils. Cal set the tone early, as they knocked down five of their first seven three's and used a 16-0 run to build an early 12 point lead. The Sun Devils came back to tie it up at the half, and briefly led during the second half, but this was the Bears game.
They were led by Jerome Randle, a listed-at-5'10" (but looks closer to 5'7") and lighting quick PG. Randle finished with 26 points and 10 assists (both career highs). He hit three three-balls early on to help Cal build their lead, but during the second half he made the biggest shot of the game. Arizona State had widdled an eight point lead down to two with just over two minutes left in the game. A miscommunication on defense left Randle open from about 25 feet (which is well within his range), and Randle hit it and got fouled, sending the lead back up to six and all but doing in the Sun Devils.
This was a bad match-up for Arizona State. They play a match-up zone, which is tough when you play a team like Cal, who shoots over 50% from deep on the season (yes, that is true). Cal also moved the ball around really well, which got the ASU defense moving. One of the most impressive things about this Cal team is that they didn't settle for three's. Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson, two of the team's best shooters, attacked the gaps of the zone - making pull-ups, floaters, and getting all the way to the rim - at time passing up open three's to do so.
Mike Montogomery has a seven-footer on this Cal team named Jordan Wilkes. If this kid can develop into a defender, a rebounder, and an option for a dump-off on penetration, then Cal is going to sneak up on a lot of people this year.
For Arizona State, it was business as usual. Play a zone defense, use a lot of clock on offense, and if everything breaks down, give the ball to James Harden with 10 seconds on the shot clock. Harden had 26 and 8 rebounds, while Jeff Pendergraph and Rihard Kuksiks both went for 16. But the Sun Devils only got 13 points out of the rest of their team. If these guys want to compete for the Pac 10 title, they are going to need the likes of Derek Glasser, Ty Abbott, and Eric Boateng to step up and be threats offensively.
Louisville 74, Kentucky 71: Edgar Sosa finally looked the Edgar Sosa we knew from his freshman year. Coming off of his two worst performances in college (he combined for 2 points, 1 assist, and 4 turnovers against UAB and UNLV), Sosa exploded for 18 points, including a 25 footer with 2.8 seconds left that gave Louisville the win.
The shot he hit was much more important to Louisville than simply winning a basketball game. Sosa is a talented player, he just seems to have lost his confidence. If he can turn back into the Edgar Sosa from his freshman season, he becomes the missing piece for this Louisville team. You think that shot is going to boost his confidence a little?
But there is more. Louisville-Kentucky is as fierce a rivalry as there is in college basketball. Louisville has been struggling all season long. On numerous different occasions it seemed as if they had locked up this win. Kentucky had come back from an eight point deficit in the first half, and took a 43-42 lead with 17:14 left. Louisville responded by going on a 15-2 run, opening up their biggest lead of the game. Kentucky started chipping away, but Louisville pushed the lead back to 11 with under nine minutes left. Kentucky came back again, cutting it to 66-64 with just under three minutes left, but Louisville knocked down five straight free throws to take a 71-64 lead with under a minute left (here is a video of the end of the game - I'm not going to embed it as it is about 10 minutes long).
That is when it all started to fall apart. First, Louisville fouled Jodie Meeks as he was shooting a three (he hit all three). Then, after the ball was kicked out of bounds, Earl Clark had his inbounds pass tipped by Patrick Patterson, who found Meeks for a lay-up. Clark then threw away the next inbounds pass, Meeks picked up the loose ball, and got fouled, tying up the game with the two free throws. If the Cardinals had lost this game after blowing a 12 point lead, an 11 point lead, and a 7 point lead with less than a minute left, I don't think their season could have recovered from it.
The rest of the action from Sunday:
Continue reading...
Posts
