Top 10 moments from 2008-2009 - No. 9

College basketball season tips off today, and in an effort to get you guys (and ourselves) excited, we will be counting down the Top 10 moments from last season. Check back with us throughout the day as we will be posting on the hour until 7pm, when UNC and FIU kick off the 2009-2010 college basketball season.

9. We have a three-way tie because, well, we couldn't make a decision. Sue us. Michael Washington's dunk to beat then No. 7 Texas was one of my favorite plays of the year, but Greivis Vasquez's performance in Maryland's upset of UNC was one of the most dominating performances I have ever seen, perhaps only topped by Jodie Meeks going for 54 against Tennessee.






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Jodie Meeks may not be done as a Wildcat

Remember Randolph Morris?

He played center for Kentucky for three seasons, finishing his junior year as an all-SEC player.

Awesome. But wait, remind me again why I should care about some kid that ended his collegiate career three years ago, and has been a mediocre-at-best presence in the league since?

Because he entered the 2005 NBA Draft after his freshman season, but went undrafted. Despite having "a relationship" with an agent, Morris was allowed to return to Kentucky (albeit with a 14 game suspension). He ended up playing two more years, but due to a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement, Morris was considered a free agent during his last two seasons in Lexington. Five days after UK lost in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Morris had signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the Knicks.

Once again, why do we care?

Because Jodie Meeks has yet to sign with an agent.

And because Jodie Meeks is projected to go somewhere in the 40's or 50's.

And because it is very possible for a player projected to go somewhere in the second round to end up not getting drafted.

Add that up, and what you get is a scenario where Jodie Meeks could return to Kentucky for his senior season.

Now, this is incredibly unlikely. For starters, I really doubt that Meeks will go undrafted. Remember, we are talking about a guy that was an all-american and averaged some 23.7 ppg. Regardless of how he projects as a pro, Meeks clearly knows how to put the ball in the basket. Someone will almost assuredly take a second round flier on him simply because the entire country knows who he is.

But just for a second, let's pretend he doesn't get drafted. Would he attempt to return to Kentucky, where he would immediately make the Wildcats the overwhelming favorites to win the national title? Or would he try to finish off what he has already started, and try to latch on with an NBA team before heading overseas?

I think he is gone regardless. While I really doubt that he would be able to latch on with an NBA team after not being drafted (especially in a fairly weak class like this year's), Meeks is perfectly suited to the European style of play. A salary of six-or-seven-figures would be a lot to turn down.

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Losing Meeks to the NBA will hurt Kentucky more than you think, but he made the right decision

Everyone in Big Blue Nation had already scripted their fate.

Billy Gillispie had been replaced by John Calipari. Coach Cal had brought a number of his recruits with him to Lexington, landing one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory. Then Cal managed to convince a potential lottery pick in Patrick Patterson to come back to school.

All that was left to do was to wait for Jodie Meeks to come to his senses and pull out of the draft, setting up the Wildcats with the inside track to their eighth title.

It a bit of a surprising move yesterday, Meeks decided to remain in the draft.

Now I know what you are thinking. Meeks was an all-american guard that averaged 23.7 ppg in the SEC. Should I really be surprised that he went pro in this day and age?

Yes, considering where he is being projected by NBA scouts.

Jodie Meeks has played his last game in Rupp.
(photo credit: UKFan.net)

Meeks is far from a first round lock, and there is even some talk that he could go undrafted (which, in my opinion, is highly unlikely. Why can't he be the next Michael Redd?). There is no question that Meeks is an outstanding shooter that can bury some tough jumpers, but what about the rest of his game? He is a bit on the small side for a two-guard (6'4"), and while he is strong enough to play in the league, he is not an NBA level athlete. He is not all that quick or explosive, and he doesn't have enough length to make up for it.

Think JJ Redick or Trajan Langdan.

So Meeks is leaving Kentucky, most likely without a first round guarantee. He is leaving behind a chance to be a pre-season all-american and the face of the #1 team in the country (who also has the most rabid fan base). With the talent on this Wildcat roster, if Cal had kept Meeks on campus, there would not have been a single writer in the country that did not have UK winning it all.

Tell me again, why did Meeks make a good decision?

Because this was a career move. There is no denying that this is a weak draft class. With the number of potential first rounders that went back to school (Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Al-Farouq Aminu, Craig Brackins, the list goes on and on), and the strength of next season's freshman class (John Wall, Derrick Favors, John Henson, Avery Bradley), Meeks was almost assured to fall out of the first round.

Hell, there are three, possibly four, players on the UK roster (Wall, Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton) that would likely be selected higher than Meeks in the 2010 draft.

With all the talent, all the bravado, and the I-need-more-shots mentality that will be inhabiting the UK roster next year, there was no chance Meeks would have been able to put up the numbers he did this season. His draft stock could probably never be higher than it is right now, which is perfect given the weak draft class this year.

As much as you may enjoy watching these "amateurs", the one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that these kids are developing a skill that they are going to use to make a living. If your best chance at earning a guaranteed, seven figure contract is to enter the draft early - even if it means leaving behind titles and all-american honors - then by all means do it.

What's the saying? Strike while the iron's hot?

But this is a college basketball blog, so we are more worried about ... college basketball. Losing Meeks will hurt Kentucky a lot more than you think. For starters, the Wildcats will now have a backcourt rotation almost entirely made up of newcomers. As good as Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and Darnell Dodson may be, senior leadership is important, especially when so many freshman are involved.

Coach Cal and his four star freshman.
(photo credit: Jersey Chaser)

There is a bigger issue. The past two seasons, one of the biggest knocks on Coach Cal's Memphis teams has been the inability to consistently knock down perimeter shots. Yes, Cal runs the Dribble-Drive Motion offense which is predicated on the ability of the perimeter players to break down a defender.

But the Wildcats have a ton of size inside, and two electric freshman point guards. How many times a game will the combination of Wall and Bledsoe beat their defenders and get into the lane? The defense is either going to rotate correctly, which will result in open looks from deep, or they try and prevent the three from happening by staying home on the shooters, thus opening up passing lanes to the big guys.

Wouldn't have it been nice having Meeks, a 23.7 ppg scorer and all-american, out beyond the three point line, lining up open look after open look?

Now, this isn't to say that Kentucky won't be good this season. They probably still have the talent to be a top five team.

But would UNC have been the unanimous preseason favorite if Wayne Ellington had stayed in the draft?

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Who are we still waiting on?

Tyler Smith and Dominique Archie have both pulled their names out of the NBA Draft, which provides a huge boost to both schools.

So with four days left for players to return to school, who are the big names we are still waiting to hear from?

- Brian Davis, Chinemelu Elonu, and Donald Sloan, Texas A&M: None of these three guys seem likely to be drafted, and all three should return to school. Elonu is probably the best bet to have a solid NBA career given his size, length, and athleticism. The Two Man Game even compared him Joakim Noah and Tyson Chandler, although I think Louis Admunson is a lot closer.

- Austin Daye, Gonzaga: Daye is in a tricky situation. There have been numerous reports about him - that his dad wants him to stay in the draft and that he has been promised in the top 20. Although he really could use another season in college to let his body (and his personality) mature enough to where he is ready for the league, can you really argue with being a top 20 pick and taking the guaranteed money. Reports yesterday have Daye staying in.

- Devan Downey, South Carolina: Downey would likely not be selected into the NBA, but reports have said that he is interested in doing the Euro route.

- Luke Harangody, Notre Dame: As Andy Katz writes, this is a tough decision for Harangody. He has a chance to be the best player ever at a school with a pretty solid basketball tradition. If he leaves now, odds are he won't be a first-rounder and may even end up in the D-League. 'Gody is exactly the kind of player that should come back to school, especially when you consider that Notre Dame, who returns Tory Jackson and Jonathon Peoples but, more importantly, add transfers Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin, will be a good team next season.

- Damion James, Texas: James is a crapshoot. He has not impressed many teams thus far with his workouts, as reports have said he is settling too much for his jumper and not attacking the glass the way we have seen. James could probably use another season developing his perimeter game so he can play the wing in the pros, but there is a chance he is a first round pick. With James back, Texas probably vaults into the conversation as a sleeper for the Final Four with their returning front line and incoming freshman class.

- Jodie Meeks, Kentucky: Meeks, along with Harangody, will probably be a pre-season national player of the year candidate. Unlike Harangody, Meeks has an excellent chance of bringing home a national title next season. The biggest issue I can see arising is that Meeks, who is a borderline first round pick (more likely early second), is going to take a hit in his numbers playing a season with that much talent surrounding him. Does he want to risk it?

- Jeff Teague, Wake Forest: Teague was almost a lock to leave, as he has played his way well into the first round while drawing comparisons to solid role players like Louis Williams and Monta Ellis. But after spraining his MCL last week, Wake Forest fans should be hoping the injury, while not too serious, is enough to scare teams off and send Teague back to school.

- Greivis Vazquez, Maryland: Vazquez should return to College Park. He is not a first round pick, and may not even be drafted. He is simply not athletic enough for the NBA. But what if Maryland lands Lance Stephenson? Can two overpowering personalities co-exist on the same team, especially when both players want the ball in their hands every possession? Vazquez, with his dual citizenship, would be a valuable commodity overseas.


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Matt Pilgrim and Kevin Galloway leave Kentucky

College basketball teams are allowed 13 scholarship players. As of three weeks ago, Kentucky had 17, not including Jodie Meeks, who can still pull his name out of draft consideration and return to Lexington.

At the end of May, three players (AJ Stewart, Donald Williams, and Jared Carter) all decided to leave Kentucky. That brought the number down to 14, which meant that two players were still on the chopping block.

News coming out of Kentucky last night was that Kevin Galloway and Matt Pilgrim would be leaving the program. Galloway, a senior who transferred in from the College of Southern Idaho this past year, averaged 10 mpg for the Wildcats. Pilgrim never saw the court, as he was sitting out this past season after transferring in from Hampton.

This now means that Calipari has trimmed his Kentucky roster down to 12 scholarship players, meaning that there is a scholarship available should Jodie Meeks return to Kentucky.

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Thursday N.I.T. Turmoil

All the fat has been trimmed away, and we are now left with the four best non-NCAA tournament teams, ready to fight it out in Madison Square Garden for the N.I.T championship. BCG might have coached his last game for Kentucky last night, and in the nightcap, San Diego State and St. Mary's battled it out to see who has to make the cross-country flight to NYC next weekend.

Wednesday's Results

- #2 Notre Dame 77, #4 Kentucky 67 - 'Gody sank a three-pointer right out of the tip-off, an indicator of things to come. He finished with 30 points and 11 boards as the Irish continued their dominance at the Joyce Center. Kentucky's Jodie Meeks had only one shot attempt in the first half, as Patrick Patterson had to do most of the heavy lifting. In the second half, Meeks finally got hot, hitting 5-8 from behind the arc, but it was too late. The closest Kentucky could get was within 6, but they had no answer for Harangody, who hit four consecutive foul shots to ice the game. Meeks finished with 21 points, and Patterson had 18 points as well. I'm  not going to discuss the future of BCG because, I imagine B.I.A.H will be covering that in-depth in the near future.

- #1 San Diego St. 70, #2 St. Marys 66 - This was the first time I have gotten a chance to watch the Aztecs in action. Unbeknownst (yes this is an actual word) to the Trizzle, this was the biggest game in San Diego State history. Off the bat, the Aztecs opened the flood gates with a 13-0 run, which nearly blew the roof off the Cox Arena. The Gaels slowly chipped away at the Aztecs lead, which held for the entire game. Diamon Simpson and Omar Samhan both logged double-doubles for St. Mary's. But with just under two minutes left Patty Mills picked up his fifth foul and left the game with a team-high 18 points. From here on the Aztecs were able to finish the Gaels off from the charity stripe. Billy White led the Aztecs in scoring with 17 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and three other starters scored in double-digits. When the game ended, fans stormed the court, and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasted through the speakers. This was the first time in school history the Aztecs have advanced past the second round of a post-season tournament. This was just the third loss of the season with Patty Mills in the lineup for St. Marys.

Semifinal Matchups (March 31 @ MSG)

- 7:00PM: #3 Baylor vs. #1 San Diego St. - ESPN2

- 9:00PM: #2 Penn St. vs. #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2

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Tuesday N.I.T. Turmoil

We have hit our first dry stretch of the NCAA tournament. It's a good thing the N.I.T. provides a descent helping of interesting matchups to get us thru the week. Creighton, the NCAA's odd man out, hosted the Billie Gillespie Farewell Tour in front of a packed house, and two of the elite scoring guards in the country went toe-to-toe in the nightcap.

- #4 Kentucky 65, #1 Creighton 63 - The Qwest Center in Omaha was entirely sold out, and I would guess that a majority of the tickets were sold to students, because it was loud, very very very loud. With every shot that Creighton made, the place erupted like it was a buzzer-beater. Second Team A.A. Jodie Meeks was shut down the majority of the game, but hit the game winner on a nice dribble drive to the basket, and converted on the 3-point play. Perry Stevenson had a 13 points and grabbed 10 boards and Patrick Patterson chipped in with 12. Booker Woodfox led the Blue Jays with 18 points but shot a dismal 9-23 from the field. This game had all the makings of a NCAA tournament game; neither team led by more than 5, and there were 11 lead changes. I think the wildcats need two more post season wins to salvage their season, and Gillespie's coaching status.

- #2 St. Marys 80, #6 Davidson 68 - Steph Curry vs. Patty Mills, not much else needs to be said. Oh ya, this was the fastest sell-out in the history of St. Mary's College. At the half, Mills had 17 and Curry had 12. The pace of this game was set by the two speedy guards. St. Mary's had a better team performance, getting excelent play from Diamond Simpson (12,15) and Omar Samhan. There were stretches of this game that looked like a consistant fast break drill with both guards running the floor, leading to some beautiful finishes (still trying to find a good clip). Curry finished with 26, but Mills had the more complete game, logging the double double of 23 points and 11 assists.

QUARTERFINALS

Tonight's Games
- 9:00PM: #2 Penn St. @ #1 Florida - ESPN
- 7:00PM: #3 Baylor @ #1 Auburn - ESPN

Wednesday's Games
- 7:00PM: #4 Kentucky @ #2 Notre Dame - ESPN2
- 9:00PM: #2 St. Mary's @ #1 San Diego St. - ESPN2 Continue reading...

College Basketball Week In Review: The Abridged Version of Week in Review - Thank Barack

What We Learned This Week: Wake Forest looks like they are not only the best team in the ACC, but the best in the country.

Kentucky is the team to beat in the SEC.

USC and Stanford might be better than they are getting credit for.

Sam Young has some serious springs:



GAME OF THE WEEK:
Minnesota 78, Wisconsin 74 OT
The Golden Gophers came back from down 14 against Wisconsin in the Kohl Center on the strength of 29 points form Lawrence Westbrook. Check of the Friday Morning Shootaround for the full rundown from the game.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
Meeks had probably the single greatest performance I have ever seen on a basketball court as he went for 54 on 15-22 shooting (10-14 from deep). Meeks followed that up with a 22 point at Georgia as Kentucky improved to 3-0 in the SEC. Meeks has been having one of the best seasons in recent memory when you consider that he averages 25.9 ppg, but also averages 1.58 pps, an extremely efficient number for a guard. While he does have an issue with turnovers right now (six vs. Georgia), it is his scoring ability on the perimeter that allows the Kentucky big men to operate. He becomes even more important when you consider that the Wildcats don't have much else to speak of on their perimeter. It may not be all that impressive this year, but Kentucky looks like the team to beat in the SEC, thanks in (very) large part to Meeks.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:
USC
The Trojans beat both Arizona State and Arizona at home, and are all off a sudden looking like they could make some noise in the Pac-10. On paper, the Trojans look like one of the best teams in the country. The problem is that they have yet to really click as a team. That changed on Thursday, especially defensively, as they held the Sun Devils to 49 points and James Harden to just four points with out a field goal. The key for USC from here is point guard play - is someone going to step up and run this team?

MATCH-UPS OF THE WEEK:
1/19 - Syracuse @ Pitt

1/21 - Villanova @ UConn

1/21 - Clemson @ UNC

1/21 - Arizona State @ Arizona

1/22 - Purdue @ Minnesota

1/24 - UConn @ Notre Dame

1/24 - Baylor @ Oklahoma

1/25 - Louisville @ Syracuse Continue reading...

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...

Wednesday Morning Shootaround

Kentucky 90, Tennessee 72: Think about all the basketball tradition and all the great players that are associated with the University of Kentucky basketball team.

Now think about this: Jodie Meeks is the new record holder for points in a game after he dropped 54 on Tennessee last night. There were a lot of things that impressed me about Meeks' performance, but first and foremost was the fact that he did it all inside of Kentucky's offense and game plan. In the first half, he was getting his shots coming off of screens or on a second rotation of the ball. In the second half, it was more of the same until the stretch run. Kentucky was struggling a bit against the Tennessee pressure, so Gillispie had Meeks bring the ball up and control it until he would make a move at the end of the shot clock. It wasn't like he was coming up and jacking every time he touched. Yea, he did force a couple, but in general, throughout the entire game, Meeks played within what his team was trying to do.

The second most impressive fact about that performance is that he scored 54 on just 22 shots. He finished 15-22 from the field and 10-15 from three, hitting all 14 of his free throws.

After this performance, there are two questions you have to ask. First, is Kentucky now the best team in the SEC? It's a tough question for two reasons. Outside of the unbelievable performance by Meeks, the Wildcats looked like the same old team with the same old problems. They turn it over too much, don't have much PG play, are young and inexperienced at a lot of positions, and they just don't have enough help for Meeks and Patterson. That said, the SEC is really weak this year (seriously, how does one of the BCS leagues not put a team into one of the top 25 polls?) and there aren't any complete teams in the league. I still really like Florida, and Arkansas looks like a team that will make some noise, so I'll leave it at this: after going into Rocky Top and smacking Tennessee, Kentucky is now the team to beat in the SEC. Enough of a hedge for you?

Now, what does this performance say about Meeks? We knew that he could score before this game, but 39 against VMI or 46 against Appalachian State or 32 against Tennessee State isn't the same as scoring 54 on Tennessee in Tennessee. Even the 37 he put on Kansas State should be taken with a grain of salt. I don't like saying one game makes or breaks what a player or a team is, but this performance certainly legitimizes that 25.9 ppg. First team all-american? Possibly. At the very least he's got to be in the discussion.

As for Tennessee, I can't figure this team out. I thought that they actually played a pretty decent game last night if you factor out their defense on Meeks. They forced 15 turnovers. They got 19 offensive rebounds. Their biggest issue? 38% shooting (26% from three) and the fact that they only had 9 assists on 25 field goals. They have too many guys that don't understand basketball offensively quite yet.

So why doesn't Bruce Pearl press and trap all over the court the entire game? Lord knows he has the athletes to do it. Look at their roster. It is loaded with guys 6'5"-6'8" that are long and athletic. This team isn't going to win a game in the half court, but they will win games that are played at an up and down pace. What better way to get a game at a faster pace than to press?

One last note about Tennessee - I really like Wayne Chism's game. Sure, he takes a couple too many three's, but the kid is a work horse on the glass, plays hard the entire game, is a good defender, and has really developed a solid, if unspectacular, post game. He finished last night with 18 points, 9 boards (7 offensive), and 3 steals.

The rest of the games from last night:

• Florida State 78, NC State 65: The Wolfpack went up 63-59 with 6:00 left, but the Seminoles reeled off 12 straight points to take the lead. Toney Douglas had 21 for FSU.
• Bradley 63, Indiana State 52
• Ohio State 77, Indiana 53: William Buford led the Buckeyes with 19 and 7 boards.
• Memphis 55, Tulsa 54: Tulsa took a one point lead on two free throws with 4.5 seconds left, but Antonio Anderson made a driving lay-up to win it. Tulsa's Jerome Jordan, a 7-footer climbing the NBA Draft boards, finished with 20, 13, and 4 blocks. Memphis was led by 23 from Tyreke Evans.
  

• Kansas 87, Kansas State 71: The Jayhawks scored the first 18 points of the game, but allowed K-State to close to within three early in the second half. But a quick 11-2 run put the game out of reach. Sherron Collins scored 19 of his 24 in the second half.
• Northern Iowa 58, Evansville 47
• UAB 60, Central Florida 52
• BYU 73, TCU 61
  

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