11/17 Thursday's Shootaround: Long Beach State wins, wild finish in Stillwater

Long Beach State 86, No. 9 Pitt 76: See here.

Wild finishes:

Oklahoma State 90, UT-San Antonio 85 OT: This was an insane finish to regulation. UTSA, who advanced to the second round of the Preseason NIT on a 40 foot running prayer last night, used a 21-8 run last in the second half to open up a 71-60 lead with just 2:12 left. But Oklahoma State was able to crawl their way back into it as they forced some turnovers and got to the foul line. With 15 seconds left and down by six, freshman reserve Cesar Guerrero went the length of the court and scored on an and-one. After hitting the free throw, Guerrero stole the inbounds pass and buried a three to force OT:



Guerrero would scored eight points in the extra period, including back-to-back threes in the final two minutes to erase a four point deficit. On the game, he had 29 points while coming off the bench.

NC State 60, Princeton 58: Doug Davis hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds left that tied the game at 58, but on the ensuing possession, DeShawn Painter buried an 18-footer from the top of the key to give the Wolfpack the lead. On the ensuing inbounds, Princeton threw the ball into a double-team, and while it didn't result in a turnover, the Tigers took too much time and were forced to throw up a 70 foot prayer that was off the mark. NC State struggled without CJ Leslie, but the good news is that Lorenzo Brown looked terrific, going for 16 points, eight assists, five boards and five steals.


Indiana 94, Evansville 73: The first half of this game was one of the best that Indiana has played since Tom Crean became the head coach. In the same arena where the Purple Aces had knocked off Butler four days earlier, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 51-27 lead at the break, coasting for the final 20 minutes to the 21 point victory. Verdell Jones led four players in double figures with 17 points, to go along with seven assists, five boards and (perhaps most importantly) only eight shots from the field. Christian Watford, who had struggled in Indiana's first two games, added 15 points and eight boards while Cody Zeller chipped in with 14 points and nine boards.

New Mexico State 62, New Mexico 53: New Mexico was thought by many to be the favorite in the Mountain West conference, but after losing to heated rival NMSU at home, the Lobos look like they may have more questions than answers at this point. The biggest question mark? How are the Lobos going to replace Dairese Gary. Kendell Williams was thought by many to be the answer as a playmaker, but he struggled mightily against the Aggies, finishing with five turnovers while shooting 0-9 from the field. Drew Gordon wasn't much better. Thought by many to be a contender for the MWC player of the year award, Gordon finished with just two points while shooting 0-4 from the field in 21 foul-plagued minutes. Wendell McKines finished with 14 points and nine boards for NMSU. The game turned midway through the second half when a Demetrius Walker intentional foul led to a four point possession for NMSU, sparking an 8-0 run that game the Aggies a 50-45 lead.

Creighton 70, UAB 60: The Bluejays are the favorites to win the Missouri Valley this season, and they sure played like it on Wednesday night. Creighton into Birmingham and knocked off a rebuilding -- but still solid -- Blazer team on the strength of 27 points and seven boards from Doug McDermott. Greg Echenique added 10 boards, Antoine Young 13 points and Grant Gibbs seven assists without a turnover. Late in the second half, Creighton went on a 20-5 run that turned a 48-44 deficit into a 64-53 lead.

Arkansas 91, Oakland 68: So much for my upset pick. The Razorbacks man-handled Oakland, jumping out to a 55-27 halftime lead. Marshon Powell led six players in double figures with 20 points, adding seven boards. He had 18 in the first half on 8-8 shooting. BJ Young added 16 points.


The rest of the top 25:

- No. 13 Wisconsin 68, Colgate 41: Ben Brust scored 13 of his career-high 17 points in the first half, hitting four of Wisconsin's eight threes, as the Badgers opened up a 42-20 lead at the break and cruised from there. Jordan Taylor had a slow night -- nine points, seven boards and four assists on just 3-10 shooting. Wisconsin has now given up just 72 points in their first two games combined.

- No. 24 Florida State 79, Stetson 66: Bernard James had 15 points, 11 boards and two blocks while Okaro White scored 18 points (12 coming in the second half) as the Seminoles used their big, physical front line to over power the Hatters. FSU had a 33-14 lead with six minutes left, but gave up a 16-0 run over the course of four minutes to allow Stetson back in the game.


Other notable scores:

- Georgia 72, South Dakota State 61
- Penn State 77, LIU 68
- Old Dominion 53, Howard 43
- Tennessee 85, Louisiana-Monroe 62
- Clemson 73, The Citadel 50
- Notre Dame 74, Sam Houston State 41
- Texas Tech 69, North Texas 64
- Oregon State 82, Hofstra 72


Top performers:

Jared Cunningham and Devon Collier, Oregon State: Cunningham and Collier both set career-highs in an 82-72 win over Hofstra. Cunningham had 35 points and five boards, going 11-16 from the floor, while Collier added 25 points on 9-12 shooting and added three steals and two blocks.

Cesar Guerrero, Oklahoma State: We told you about his heroics earlier, but Guerrero, just a freshman, finished this game with 29 points, five boards and five assists.

Casper Ware, Long Beach State: We already told you, but it deserves another mention -- Ware had 28 points, six assists and just one turnover as LBSU knocked off No. 9 Pitt.

Trae Golden, Tennessee: Trae Golden had 17 points and 11 assists as the Volunteers pulled away from Louisiana-Monroe late in an 85-62 win. In two games this season, Golden is averaging 23.0 ppg and 10.0 apg with just five total turnovers.

Tim Frazier, Penn State: The lone holdover from last season's tournament team, Frazier had 26 points, 10 assists and five boards as the Nittany Lions beat Long Island 77-68.

Doug McDermott, Creighton: McDermott had 27 points and seven boards as the Bluejays went into Birmingham and knocked off UAB.
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Long Beach State upsets No. 9 Pitt

This post can also be found at Beyond the Arc.

We're only a little over a week into the season, but we've already had one of the most impressive performances we're going to see this season.

Long Beach State went into the Peterson Events Center -- a building where Pitt is 86-1 against non-conference opponents -- and knocked off the Panthers 86-76. Is was more than simply winning, however. The 49ers thoroughly beat the Panthers. After taking the lead eight minutes into the game, LBSU never gave it back up. They opened up an 11 point lead late in the first half, and Pitt was never able to get closer than six the rest of the way.

Every time Pitt made a run, the 49ers had an answer. To be honest, it looked like Pitt was the mid-major on the road, fighting to get back into the game against a superior opponent. Like I said, everything about this performance was impressive.


How impressive? Within five minutes of the game ending, my girlfriend -- whose knowledge of basketball doesn't extend much farther than the late-'90's Utah Jazz -- texted me and asked me why Pitt was so bad.

There are two ways to look at this upset. On the one hand, the way that LBSU played shouldn't have come to a surprise to you. Every media outlet in the country has written about the 49ers this offseason. We had the eighth in our mid-major top 25, which, in hindsight, was too low. Casper Ware, the 49ers' star point guard who went for 28 points and six assists while committing just a single turnover, was a first-team mid-major all-american.

This is an experienced group that has been through the battles. Their rotation is essentially six players deep, and four of them are seniors, three of whom were on an all-Big West team last season. Their long, their athletic, they can score in transition and they can shoot. That is a scary mix at the mid-major level.

What was surprising, however, was just how poorly Pitt played. The two staples of Panther basketball since the Ben Howland days simply disappeared. Pitt looked terrible defensively, as LBSU got whatever shot they wanted. The Panther press looked like it could have been broken by a decent high school team. Pitt wasn't exactly expected to be an elite defensive team -- they don't force enough turnovers to be considered as such -- but I don't think anyone could have predicted this kind of performance.

The other area that the Panthers struggled was on the glass. The past few seasons, it could have been argued that Pitt's best offense was a missed shot. That's how good they have been on the offensive glass. Against LBSU, the Panthers managed just 11 offensive rebounds. No one on their roster grabbed more than six rebounds.

With this loss coming on the heels of Pitt's struggles against Rider -- a team that was drilled by Drexel two days later -- it raises a serious question: just how good are the Panthers? Is this truly an elite team, one that can compete for the Big East title? As of this morning, that answer is no, at least not until they find a way to consistently defend well.

Whenever a mid-major team scores an upset like this early in the season, the questions of whether or not they can get an at-large bid will be asked. This win alone will not get the 49ers into the NCAA Tournament. But if they can manage to replicate this performance against one of their other quality non-conference opponents -- they go to Louisville, Kansas and North Carolina and play Xavier in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic, which also includes Kansas State and Clemson -- while rolling through their league like they did last year (14-2, winning the regular season title by four games), earning an at-large berth is quite feasible.

But after the way they played against Pitt, the question may not end up being whether or not they should get in.

It could very well end up being what kind of seed do they get.
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2011-2012 Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 50-46

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.


50. Weber State Wildcats:

Last Season: 18-14, 11-5 (Big Sky)

Head Coach: Randy Rahe

Key Losses: Lindsay Hughey, Trevor Morris

New Additions: Gelaun Wainwright, Shai Fields, Logan Foster, Mike Brown, Ryan Van Pelt, James Hajek, Davion Berry

Projected Lineup:

- G: Damian Lillard, Jr.
- G: Scott Bamforth, Jr.
- F: Kyle Bullinger, Sr.
- F: Byron Fulton, So.
- F: Darin Mahoney, Sr.
- Bench: Jordan Richardson, So.; Kyle Tresnak, So.; Gelain Wainwright, Fr.


Outlook: The 2010-2011 season was a surprisingly successful one for the Wildcats. They lost star guard Damian Lillard to a broken foot nine games into the season and still managed to finish third in the Big Sky and make the CBI. That success was largely due to the play of Scott Bamforth, a junior sharpshooter -- he shot 55.1% from three in league play -- that will be a terrific compliment to Lillard in the back court this season, and senior Kyle Bullinger, a face-up four with three-point range. With Lillard back, the graduation of Lindsay Hughey won't hurt as much, but replacing Trevor Morris could be an issue. He was a big, physical presence in the paint. Look for Kyle Tresnak to fill his role in the paint. The x-factor may end up being Byron Fulton, a 6'7" sophomore and reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year. Fulton averaged 7.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg while shooting 48% from beyond the arc as sixth-man. He should move into the starting lineup this season. With Montana and Northern Colorado both losing key pieces, Weber State should be the favorite to win the conference.


49. Long Beach State 49ers:

Last Season: 22-12, 14-2 (Big West)

Head Coach: Dan Monson

Key Losses: Greg Plater, Tristan Wilson

New Additions: Michael Caffey, Shaquille Hunter, Kris Gulley

Projected Lineup:

- G: Casper Ware, Sr.
- G: Shaquille Hill, Fr.
- G: Larry Anderson, Sr.
- F: Eugene Phelps, Sr.
- F: TJ Robinson, Sr.
- Bench: Edis Dervisevic, Sr.; Michael Caffey, Fr.; Kris Gulley, So.


Outlook: The good news for Dan Monson's club is that he returns four senior starters, three of whom were named all-Big West, from a team that won their league by four games. Casper Ware is a high-scoring, playmaking point guard complemented well by Larry Anderson, a 6'5" scoring guard. TJ Robinson averaged a double-double last season and is joined by Eugene Phelps on the front line. Those four have played together for four years. The bad news is that LBSU was not a deep team last season, and they lost the other three members of their rotation. The biggest loss is Greg Plater, who was the 49ers' designated shooter last season. Shaquille Hunter, a high-scoring and highly-touted freshman, might be able fill that void. Michael Caffey, a talented freshman point guard, will also contribute minutes. Edis Dervisevic should be able to help in the post, as should sophomore JuCo transfer Kris Gulley. The bottom line is that LBSU will go as far as their four main guys carry them.


48. Fairfield Stags:

Last Season: 25-8, 15-3 (MAAC)

Head Coach: Sydney Johnson

Key Losses: Warren Edney, Yorel Hawkins, Ed Cooley

New Additions: Rakim Sanders, Desmond Wade, Sydney Johnson, Adam Jones, Vince Van Ness

Projected Lineup:

- G: Derek Needham, Jr.
- G: Colin Nickerson, Jr.
- F: Rakim Sanders, Sr.
- F: Maurice Barrow, So.
- C: Ryan Olander, Sr.
- Bench: Desmond Wade, Jr.; Jamel Fields, So.; Keith Matthews, So.; Adam Jones, Fr.; Vincent Van Ness, Fr.


Outlook: Fairfield is in the middle of a change in regime, as former head coach Ed Cooley, who is now coaching at Providence, was replaced by Sydney Johnson. Cooley certainly didn't leave the cupboard empty. Fairfield is coming off of a season where they won a school-record 25 games and return four starters and most of the rotation from that team while adding two impact transfers. Junior point guard Derek Needham is one of the best players in the conference, and he'll be joined on the perimeter by fellow junior Colin Nickerson, sophomore Jamel Fields and Houston transfer Desmond Wade. Even with that much talent on the perimeter, the strength of this team will be up front. Ryan Olander averaged double figures as a junior and will be back to provide a presence in the paint. Sophomore Maurice Barrow made the all-freshmen team and could be primed for a big season. The x-factor will end up being Rakim Sanders. Sanders averaged double figures in his three years at Boston College before transferring. The Stags will battle it out with Iona for the MAAC title this season.


47. Marshall Thundering Herd:

Last Season: 22-12, 9-7 (C-USA)

Head Coach: Tom Herrion

Key Losses: Tirrell Baines, Johnny Thomas

New Additions: Jamir Hanner, DeVince Boykins, Chris Martin, Robert Goff, Dennis Tinnon, Justin Coleman, Yaos Mbao

Projected Lineup:

- G: Damier Pitts, Sr.
- G: DeAndre Kane, So.
- G: Shaquille Johnson, Sr.
- F: Dago Pena, Sr.
- C: Nigel Spikes, Jr.
- Bench: Justin Coleman, Fr.; Yaos Mbao, So.; DeVince Boykins, Fr.; Jamir Hanner, Fr.; Chris Martin, Jr.


Outlook: Quite a bit is expected out of Marshall this season. After winning 22 games a season ago, the Thundering Herd lose just two seniors and bring in a loaded class of freshmen and transfers. It starts, however, with the back court. Senior Damier Pitts is one of the best point guards in the conference while shooting guard DeAndre Kane, only a sophomore, has a chance to be Player of the Year in Conference USA by the time he graduates. Nigel Spikes will provide size in the paint while both Dago Pena and Shaquille Johnson return and will provide experience. Tom Herrion has an impressive influx of talent, as well. Yaos Mbao, a 7'2" Marquette transfer, should provide size inside. Justin Coleman, who was ruled academically ineligible at Louisville, also joins the program. Freshmen DeVince Boykins and Jamir Hanner and JuCo transfers Chris Martin and Robert Goff should also see some minutes. The Thundering Herd have enough talent to be Memphis' strongest contender in Conference USA.


46. Virginia:

Last Season: 16-15, 7-9 (ACC)

Head Coach: Tony Bennett

Key Losses: Mustapha Farrakhan

New Additions: James Johnson, Malcolm Brogdon, Paul Jesperson, Darion Atkins

Projected Lineup:

- G: Sammy Zeglinski, Jr.
- G: KT Harrell, So.
- F: Joe Harris, So.
- F: Mike Scott, Sr.
- C: Assane Sene, Sr.
- Bench: Paul Jesperson, Fr.; James Johnson, Fr.; Malcolm Brogdon, Fr.; Jontel Evans, Jr.


Outlook: Despite losing Mustapha Farrakhan, who became the Cav's leader after Mike Scott went down with a season ending injury, Virginia will be a sleeper in the ACC this season. The biggest reason? The return of Scott, who averaged a double-double before seeing his season come to an end. He was granted a medical redshirt and will once again anchor the front line. Another reason is the injuries that Scott and Sammy Zeglinski sustained. With those two out, freshmen guards KT Harrell and Joe Harris and center Assane Sene got a chance to play a ton of minutes in an important role, which is invaluable experience. Throw in a talented group of freshmen -- Paul Jesperson, Malcolm Brogdon, James Johnson (who redshirted last year) -- and junior Jontel Evans, and this is as deep of a roster has Virginia has had since the days of Sean Singletary. If the pieces come together, the Cavs could be looking at double-figure wins in ACC play.
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West Coast basketball hits Hollywood (sorta)

The west coast is where people go to become famous. The shimmering lights of Hollywood inspire people to do crazy things.

West coast basketball is about as down as it's ever been. Consider this: the marquee match-up of the year on the west coast features a mormon school in Utah and a school whose claim to fame is being the alma mater of Marshall Faulk.

So it makes sense that players are going out of their way to get some "face-time".

UC-Santa Barbara senior Justin Joyner may be one of these people.

You see, Joyner may never be recognized for his basketball abillities ever again. But I can guarantee you that somebody will approach him and ask him to "do the Old Spice Guy imitation".



Joyner is a Communications Studies major, which probably has something to do with reason for making this video. I've seen many-an-Old-Spice-spoof before and this is definitely one of the best. Clearly the budget handcuffed the video's creativity. After all, you'd need to be related to George Lucas to pull off something like this.

I'm not sure how long Joyner's spotlight will shine for, but at least it's shinning, which can't be said about every budding thespian.

But Joyner isn't the only west coast basketball player with acting talents. In fact, Joyner's video is the third spoof we've seen this season. The Long Beach State team got the creative juices flowing with this hilarious spoof titled "No Sick Days":





For a month or so, the 49ers were the college hoops kings of youtube. But it wasn't long before other teams caught on. Loyola Marymount was next on the scene, as they spoofed one of the greatest commercials of all times:



If we have to endure another sub-par season of west coast basketball in order to see more hilarious spoofs acted out by college basketball players, I'm fine with that.

Because if the NCAA has taught us anything, it's that there are over 360,000 NCAA D-I student athletes, and about all of them are going to go pro in something other than sports.
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