Providence

2008-09 Providence Basketball Preview: #93

Joel Welser — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:16:56 -0700

Providence Friars

Overall Rank: #93

Conference Rank: #10 Big East

2007-08: 15-16, 6-12, 12^th

2007-08 postseason: none

If Coach Keno Davis can do what he did at Drake last year with Providence, watch out for the Friars. Coach Davis took his father’s group of underachieving upperclassmen and turned them into a dominating force in the Missouri Valley Conference. And that only took one year. Can he do the same thing for this veteran group in the Big East? Lightning could strike twice in the same place, but we are not in Iowa and the MVC anymore.

Who’s Out:

Charles Burch was the only senior on the roster last year. The forward did not play too often, but he was good for a foul and a rebound or two per game. The bigger loss is Dwain Williams. The point guard has opted to transfer after averaging 11.0 points and 2.2 assists last year. Williams started 17 games in place of the injured Sharaud Curry before going down with an injury of his own. His absence creates some concern if Curry’s foot is not fully healthy by November.

Who’s In:

Williams’ absence is an issue, but Providence will not notice as much now that Curry is back. Two years ago Curry scored 15.3 points and dished out 4.4 assists per contest. In 2007-2008 he played in just one game. That is a big reason for the Friars underachieving and why this is a team that could possibly make a surprise run through the Big East. However, Curry needs to stay on the floor and develop into a steady floor leader. The lone freshman on the Friars is Bilal Dixon. The 6-8 forward will do the dirty work around the basket and will add some much needed toughness to the frontcourt.

Who to Watch:

Curry will lead a deep and talented group on the perimeter. Jeff Xavier, Weyinmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Geoff McDermott all averaged double-digit scoring. Xavier is the best outside shooter of the bunch, although McKenzie also shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Efejuku often found himself in the doghouse under the former coaching staff and could find a starting spot opposite Xavier on the wing this year. Efejuku’s ability to hit the glass is very important to the team. If he were to slide into the starting five, McKenzie would be the likely odd man out, but having a sharpshooter like McKenzie coming off the bench could turn into a very effective strategy. McDermott, a 6-8 wing, struggled with injuries most of the 2007-2008 campaign. His size will force him back into the power forward position, but McKenzie plays like a small forward. His outside shot is not great, but he can knock down the mid-range jumper quite well. Yet, it was his 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists, despite the injuries, that is most impressive.

Final Projection:

McDermott will grab more than his fair share of rebounds and do some scoring inside, but what about the rest of the frontcourt? Randall Hanke can score a bit, but he lacks the strength to be an effective rebounder or defender in the Big East. Jonathan Kale is the only other forward with starting experience. He is tougher and a decent defender, but Kale will not do much scoring. Ray Hall, who only averaged 6.9 minutes per game in 18 contests a year ago, will have to provide some quality depth up front, especially if Dixon is not ready to contribute as a freshman. The lack of a major defensive presence under the basket can be dealt with effectively in some conferences, but not the Big East. If somebody does not step up and prove they can battle with the talented big men in the conference, Providence will not do much better this year than they did last year.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Sharaud Curry, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Brian McKenzie, Junior, Guard, 10.9 points per game

Jeff Xavier, Senior, Guard, 12.4 points per game

Geoff McDermott, Senior, Forward, 10.3 points per game

Randall Hanke, Senior, Center, 8.7 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

State of '08: The Three-Program States

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:47:27 -0700

What is the top D1 basketball program in each state.. and which program is the worst? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a state by state ranking based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: The four 3-program states.. followed by individual state articles. Note that 8 states have either one or no teams (Alaska). For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

THREE PROGRAM STATES

ARIZONA - Is the gap closing between one and two?..

Arizona - Last year was one of the more disappointing seasons in Wildcat history.. and it only looks to get worse with Bayless going pro and Jennings taking a year abroad in Italy. Still, down years for Arizona are good years for almost any other program, and their RPI of 38th still dominated ASU's RPI of 83.

Arizona State - Herb Sendek is leading a resurgent ASU program that actually finished ahead of Arizona in the conference standings (9-9 to 8-10). Still, ASU was coming off a couple seasons in which they were arguably no better than Northern Arizona.

Northern Arizona - Had this ranking been done last summer, NAU would have given ASU a run for its money. In 06 & 07, NAU dominated the Sun Devils in the computer polls. Despite coming off another solid 19-win season, the Lumberjacks still have to be considered the third fiddle in the Sun State, though #1 in terms of quality of their Mascot.

IDAHO - The Gem State is void of any basketball gems.

Boise State - From 2005 to 2008, the Broncos RPI has improved each season, from 201st to 87th. The improvement culminated in a 24-win season and a surprising trip to the NCAA Tournament. For the standards of Idaho, that's pretty heady stuff.

Idaho State - Despite being in a lesser conference than Idaho (the Big Sky), the Bengals have still managed more success over the last handful of years. In fact, ISU has beaten their in-state rival the last four seasons,

Idaho - One of the saddest programs in the country, Idaho would be more competitive again NAIA competition. Despite an RPI of 299, it was actually Idaho's best season in a couple years as they won 5 games in the WAC.

KANSAS - Putting the Rock in Chalk since 1898..

Kansas - National champions. One of the all-time great programs.. not much to say here.

Kansas State* - Before Bob Huggins came along, KSU was the Nebraska of its state.. always hovering around 110 or so in the RPI, never horrendous but never good. Huggins lured some big names to Manhattan, and though he's long gone, the momentum has carried into the Frank Martin era. While K-State has been better than WSU the last two seasons, it was just their first tournament win in 20 years.

Wichita State* - Mark Turgeon did a great job turning a dormant program back into a winner. WSU won at least 20 games in 04-05-06, and made the Sweet Sixteen in the last of those good seasons. But Turgeon is now at Texas A&M, and it remains to be seen what Gregg Marshall can do in Wichita. Though an improvement over last season's dismal 11-win, 199 RPI season is a lock.. anything more than .500 in the MVC would be overachieving.

* These two programs have had very similar success in the past 5 years. KSU's average RPI is 85.4 to 87.8 for WSU, while WSU has averaged 18 wins to 17 for KSU. But K-State gets an edge for being in a tougher conference, with more respect on the recruiting trail, and for having more historical success.

RHODE ISLAND - The Lamar Odom State

Providence - Since making the Big Dance in 2004, Providence has been going in the wrong direction and Tim Welsh finally lost his job after a promising start. Still, four postseason trips in 7 8** years still takes the cake in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island - URI topped Providence in ~~wins~~ RPI*** for the first time since 1999 thanks to the solid play of Will Daniels and Jimmy Baron. The 21 win season was a nice accomplishment considering the Rams won just 6 games as recently as 2005.

Brown - Perennially, one of the worst teams out there.. Brown is coming off its best season since about the time I was in kindergarten. 19 wins and an 11-3 Ivy record is impressive, but it will take an epic run to move them out of last on this list.

State of '08: The 7 Two-Program States Delaware, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, West Virginia

State of '08: The Introduction

LBSU Signs Former Providence G Dwain Williams

Press Release — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:53:42 -0700

Long Beach, Calif.--Long Beach State Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Monson announced today that Dwain Williams (Guard, 6-0, 170, San Diego, Calif., Providence College, Vista Murrieta HS) signed a National Letter-of-Intent. Williams, who attended Providence College for two years, will have two years of eligibility remaining with the 49ers.

“Dwain Williams is a great addition to our program,” said Monson. “His success in the Big East Conference demonstrates that he is a proven high-level point guard that will help solidify our backcourt.”

“I felt that Long Beach was the best place to go in that league,” said Williams. “It’s close to my mother and I have a single parent, raising five kids on her own. To come back home and be near my family and help put Long Beach on the map were the main reasons I chose Long Beach State. Coach Monson and the coaching staff are a good group of guys and good recruiters. They told me I’ll have an opportunity to come in and be a leader on the team and bring my “A” game every night and to practice every day and bring leadership. They were really real. Everything was up front. They are a good group of guys and my mom loved them.”

Williams lettered two years at Providence College. This past season he averaged 11.0 points per game, third-best on the Friar squad, while adding 2.3 assists per game. He shot an impressive .902 (46-51) at the free throw line and .407 (48-118) from three-point range. In Big?East Conference games he averaged 13.0 points and 2.1 assists per game. Williams appeared in 21 games, starting 17 times. He scored in double figures 10 times, including a career-high 23 points at Connecticut (1/17/08). He also had 21 points at Syracuse, and 20 points against both Notre Dame and DePaul.

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch For in 08-09: Part One

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:57:20 -0700

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

America East: Maine

2007-08 Record: 7-23 (3-13)

With their top three scorers from last season all returning (as tri-captains no less), I think the Black Bears have a chance to make a move up the America East standings. Mark Socoby, mid-season transfer Kaimondre Owes and Junior Bernal will lead the way for head coach Ted Woodward next season, giving Maine a three-pronged attack on the perimeter. Their ascension up the standings will depend on what they can get from the frontcourt, most notably Phil Tchekane Bofia and Sean McNally. I’d say a move to the middle of the pack at least from Maine, but a title? Maybe a little premature on that, but you never know.

ACC: Wake Forest

2007-08 Record: 17-13 (7-9)

Not like this pick is a surprise, but the combination of a highly-touted recruiting class led by Al-Farouq Aminu and returnees such as Ish Smith, James Johnson and Chas McFarland could mean a top-four finish in the ACC for Dino Gaudio’s Demon Deacons. They weren’t too far off this season either, with five of their nine league losses being by seven points or less. And given the muddled picture that was the middle of the ACC standings last season, snatching a first-round bye in the 2009 ACC Tournament certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Atlantic Sun: Campbell

2007-08 Record: 10-20 (5-11)

Even with two of their top four scorers out of eligibility (Reggie Bishop and Jake Wohlfeil), the Camels have a good shot at improving their 5-11 league record. Only provisional members USC Upstate and North Florida were below them in the standings (Upstate actually had five wins as well), and Florida Gulf Coast had one more conference win. But they do return forward Jonathan Rodriguez, who averaged twenty points per game on his way to snatching up Mid-Major All-America honors from CollegeHoops.net and CollegeInsider.com. And with the solid recruiting class being brought in by head coach Robbie Laing, Campbell should have the tools necessary to make a move in the A-Sun.

Atlantic 10: George Washington

2007-08 Record: 9-17 (5-11)

I don’t think there’s any way the Colonials can be as bad as they were in 2007-08. From an Atlantic 10 Tournament title to not even reaching the conference tournament, GW couldn’t continue the momentum. Even with three players gone (Maureece Rice to graduation; Cheyenne Moore and Miles Beatty were dismissed on Wednesday by head coach Karl Hobbs) from last year’s team, the Colonials could make a move up the standings with many of the teams ahead of them going through roster turnover as well. Whether or not they get to the middle of the A-10 pecking order will depend on who becomes their go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor. But they should be a balanced group, which may work out just as well for the Colonials.

Big East: Providence

2007-08 Record: 15-16 (6-12)

Another season of underachievement led to the departure of longtime head coach Tim Welsh, who was replaced by National Coach of the Year Keno Davis last month. Just as important a development for the Friars may be the return of guard Sharaud Curry, who was a medical redshirt last season. As seen with Drake last season, Coach Davis puts a high value on perimeter players who can shoot the ball from the perimeter. Guard Dwain Williams has received permission to talk to other schools, but even with his loss the Friars should be well-stocked on the outside with the likes of Curry, Weyenmi Efejuku, Brian McKenzie and Jeff Xavier.

And don’t forget about jack-of-all-trades Geoff McDermott and pivot Randall Hanke. The hype for this team won’t reach what it was a couple seasons ago, when a team featuring Ryan Gomes thought to be a player in the Big East didn’t even reach .500, but they will be good. The question is just how far they can go in a loaded Big East.

Big Sky: Eastern Washington

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (6-10)

Last season was indeed a tough one for the Eagle program. Head coach Kirk Earlywine didn’t get the job until late June, and under his command was a nine-man roster featuring six players with no previous Division I playing experience. While they didn’t qualify for the Big Sky Tournament in 2007-08, six of their ten conference losses were by five points or less. Granted, replacing an all-conference player like Kellen Williams will have an effect, the four transfers who sat out last season along with the returning experience should make for a better season in Cheney, Washington.

Big South: Charleston Southern

2007-08 Record: 10-20 (4-10)

With the return of rising sophomores Omar Carter (Big South Freshman of the Year) and Jamarco Warren (member of the Big South’s All-Freshman Team), the Buccaneers should be a good bet to improve their last place finish of a year ago. Guard Chris Moore has graduated, but he’s the only loss of note for head coach Barclay Radebaugh, who has also signed a solid recruiting class. Guard Jaden Isler (Clovis, NM) could fit right into the guard slot left open by Moore’s departure, and the other three commits are no slouches either. Competing for the conference title may be a year away, but some of the teams who finished ahead of them in the standings last season have taken on some key losses due to graduation.

Big Ten: Illinois

2007-08 Record: 16-19 (5-13)

Once Eric Gordon decided to head to Indiana instead of Illinois, things went downhill for Bruce Weber’s Fighting Illini. With the cornerstone of last year’s recruiting class gone, Illinois scuffled on the offensive end of the floor, but the fight was still there as this group was a mere forty minutes away from an NCAA Tournament berth. Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle are both out of eligibility, but every other key contributor from last season is slated to return, along with three newcomers. Stan Simpson was a standout performer at Chicago Simeon, and Coach Weber also received a commitment from Top-20 junior college talent Dominique Keller. After the first semester, Kentucky transfer Alex Legion will also be eligible. I don’t see this team losing thirteen conference games again this season.

Part Two tomorrow: Big 12, CUSA, Horizon, etc

Three Stars of the Day: Love, Brooks, Thornton

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:12:26 -0800

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Kevin Love - UCLA

With 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks.. Love broke out of a mini-slump and helped the Bruins win on the road

Marshon Brooks - Providence

Hit the tying shot in regulation, and had 4 points and a key block in OT, as PC beat Cincy

Marcus Thornton - LSU

Helped the Tigers win their 3rd straight game thanks to 36 points and 10 boards

Other Top Performers

Tristan Blackwood - CCSU - Scored a season-high of 32 on 11-14 shooting against Sacred Heart

Maarty Leunen - Oregon - The senior set a career-high with 32 points against lowly Oregon State

Mark Tyndale - Temple - Had a big second half include the eventual game-winning shot as the Owls killed SJU's tourney hopes

Previous Stars of the Day

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

February 28th - Rob McKiver, Houston

February 26th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

February 25th - DJ Augustin, Texas

February 20th - OJ Mayo, USC

February 19th - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

February 18th - John Bryant, Santa Clara

February 17th - Johnson/Teague, Wake Forest

February 15th - Tyrese Rice, Boston College

February 12th - J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State

February 10th - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

February 9th - Hasheem Thabeet, UCONN

February 7th - Ronald Ramon, Pittsburgh

February 6th - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

February 4th - Todd Golden, Saint Mary's

February 3rd - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

January 30th - Chase Budinger, Arizona

January 29th - Beasley/Walker, Kansas State

January 28th - Chris Godzinski, Wofford

January 27th - DeMarcus Nelson, Duke

January 26th - Hackett/Lewis/Mayo, USC

January 24th - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

January 22nd - Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

January 21st - DJ Augustin, Texas

January 20th - Dezmon Harris, Weber State

January 19th - James Gist, Maryland

January 18th - Abbott/Harden, Arizona State

January 17th - Dionte Christmas, Temple

January 14th - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

January 11th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 9th - DJ White, Indiana

January 8th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 7th - Wayne Ellington, UNC

January 6th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

January 5th - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

January 3rd - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 2nd - Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

November/December Star of the Day Archive

Tuesday Report Card: Josh Duncan's Perfect Week

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:53:20 -0800

The Report Card

A - Josh Duncan

Xavier's senior forward is on a ridiculous shooting tear in recent games. He's 26 of 32 (82%) overall in his last 4 games, including 11 of 14 from three (79%). In his last two games, Duncan has 48 points in just 49 minutes.. a ratio that only Michael Beasley can match. While the last week has been unprecedented.. he's been solid all season. Duncan averages 11.7 ppg in just 21.5 minutes.. an extremely rare player that leads his team in scoring off the bench. Let's call him the Manu Ginobili of college hoops.

B - MAAC

If you saw their three game winning streak coming, then you have some amazing predictive powers. After dropping to a dismal 5-17 record, the Wolverines have responded with wins over Penn State, Iowa, and Ohio State. Amazingly, Ohio State was the first team in the Top 125 that Michigan's beaten all year. Guess who their previous best win was against? Brown.. back on November 11th. As good as the win was for Coach Beilein and his young squad.. what does it say about OSU? If not for good name recognition and name recognition of the two other mediocre teams they've beaten (Florida & Syracuse), then the Buckeyes would be on the outside of the field looking in.

C - DeAndre Jordan

Just about everyone thinks Jordan is a future NBA player, and he's still projected in the Top 10-15 of almost all 2008 Mock Drafts.. yet you wouldn't know it from his actual production. Since Big 12 play has started, he's only scored 10+ points three times, hasn't had a 10 rebound game, and hasn't had more than 2 blocks. In fact, he's only had a 10 rebound game once since November 21st, and just one double-double all year against a D1 team. Even worse, in the last 9 games he's shooting just 25 of 57 from the field (44%).. not bad numbers from a two-guard, but weak for a guy who has no game outside of dunks and layups.

D - Donte Greene

Someone (Boeheim) needs to tell Greene to stop shooting so many damn threes. At one point in their loss to Louisville, the announcers said Greene's in a little funk.. but that's not true. He's just never been a good three-point shooter.. and it was his early season success that was more surprising then his recent downturn. 6 for 37 (16%) in his last 4 games won't cut it. Maybe in 2-3 years, he'll figure it out.. but for now it's just painful to watch him bomb away. I have no rooting interest in Syracuse.. but for his sake, I get the sense scouts cringe every time he shoots & misses.

F - Tim Welsh

After losing to G'Town last night, the Friars are now 4-10 in Big East play.. good for 14th. Its safe to say Welsh won't be Providence's head coach going into next year. In the last 3 years, they've finished 9th, 13th & 10th in the Big East. Missing the Big East tournament would be an unfortunate and embarrassing end for Welsh, who at times looked like he was going to have a bright future at PC.

The Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

Previous Best / Worst

February 18th - Wake Forest / NJIT

February 15th - Oral Roberts / Big Ten Predictions

February 13th - Mike Green / Ed Donato

February 11th - Charron Fisher / Tim Morris

February 8th - Big West / Virginia

February 6th - Chris Lofton / Dick Vitale

February 5th - Bob Knight / Josh Heytvelt

February 4th - New York Giants / Washington State

February 1st - Nevada / Penn

January 31st - Kansas State / St. John's

January 29th - Winthrop / Dyson & Wiggins

January 28th - Rutgers / Doris Burke

January 25th - Ron Hunter / Princeton Offense

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Big East: All-January

Jeff Fox — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:36:34 -0800

The names on CHN’s monthly All-Big East lists have been turning over like a drunken point guard running the fast break. The only return member from the All-November team is Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, who had another Haran-good-y month.

Guard – A.J. Price – Connecticut – JR
14.6ppg, 6.0apg, 4.1rpg
Best game – Jan 8th – St. John’s – 25 points, seven assists, four boards

After his collegiate career almost ended before it even started, the highly-touted A.J. Price is coming into his own in his junior season. He led the surging Huskies to a 6-3 record in January putting up 16 points, five boards and six assists a game.

Guard/Forward – Geoff McDermott – Providence – JR
10.5ppg, 8.3rpg, 4.7apg
Best game – Jan 17th – Connecticut – 12 points, 11 boards, six assists, four steals

How can the fifth leading scorer on a mediocre Friars squad make this list? Because a player’s scoring totals is almost always overrated at the expense of more important statistics. Any coach in the country would take the 10 points, 10 boards, five assists and two steals McDermott averaged in January.

Forward – Sam Young – Pittsburgh – JR
17.7ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.0bpg
Best game – Jan 12th – Seton Hall – 28 points, eight boards, three assists

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Pittsburgh – CHN predicted they’d come in ninth in the Big East. Instead Jamie Dixon’s squad is nationally ranked and in the upper-echelon of the conference. After all the injuries and graduation of the team’s top players, Sam Young has emerged as the team’s go-to guy, and January was no different when he put up 19 points and six boards.

Forward – Luke Harangody – Notre Dame – SO
20.4ppg, 10.1rpg
Best game – Jan 31st – Providence – 31 points, 14 boards, two steals

Picked by CHN as the sixth best team in the Big East going into this season, Notre Dame finds itself battling with Georgetown for the top slot in the league. Much of the surprising results are due to Harangody, who averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds in January.

Center – Kentrell Gransberry – South Florida – SR
16.5ppg, 10.7rpg, 1.4bpg
Best game – Jan 9th – Pittsburgh – 26 points, 11 boards, three assists, two blocks

Kentrell Gransberry has been a bright light in another tough season down in Tampa for the Bulls. The cellar-dwelling USF only managed one win in January despite Gransberry’s six 20-plus point games and six double-digit rebounding games.

Next up – Pac-10

Daily Dribble: Friday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:56:35 -0800

The Report Card

A new series, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - Nevada / Mark Fox

About 10 days ago, ESPN put up an article highlighting Nevada's "growing pains." But since then, the Pack have reeled in three straight wins to pull within a half-game of the WAC lead. Outside of the elder Marcelus Kemp, Nevada's other three main contributors are very green. JaVale McGee and Brandon Fields were end of the bench rookies last year, while Armon Johnson is a freshman. This trio, along with a pair of big-time recruits heading to Reno next year (Luke Babbitt & Mark McLaughlin).. gives the program hope for big things down the line. Many thought Fox couldn't sustain the good vibes started by Trent Johnson, nor did they think he could compete this year without Fazekas or Sessions, but the program still keeps moving in the right direction.

B - Ray Hall

Who is Ray Hall? Nobody really knows.. but the Providence big man who had scored 8 points all season, came through with 10 points and 7 boards against Notre Dame. Granted, Providence lost the game.. and Hall's abysmal free throw shooting (2 of 10, missing his last 8) was a big reason why.. but still, it's always nice to more than double your season's production in one night.

C - Arizona State

Once the darling of the west.. ASU has lost 4 straight games to fall back into the middle of the Pac-10. Last night's 33 point shellacking by UCLA was the first real bad effort in the streak, but the trend might continue with road games against USC and Arizona coming up. What once looked like a Tournament-bound team now has some serious work left to do.. as their remaining schedule is brutal.

D - Eric Gordon

I give Gordon a joking D because I predicted Indiana would win. Some Wiscy fan blog must have noticed the prediction because I got a few emails rubbing it in. Gordon had no business playing in the game.. as his injury was worse then I realized. If I knew his left arm would turn into a club, then I'd have went with the Badgers.. When the standings come out though, a win is a win, and Wisconsin is now locked into a first place tie.

F - Princeton / Penn

Princeton's precipitous decline in recent seasons is well documented, but not many have noted Penn's struggles this season. They're 5-12 right now, with an average 12-point margin of defeat.. and have an RPI of 302.. barely better than Princeton's 317 ranking. The good news is that Penn is a very young team, and they don't start their Ivy League schedule until tonight (against Harvard.) The bad news is that the Quakers haven't been a team ranked above 275th.. so there's little reason to think they can do that much damage in the Ivy.

Previous Best / Worst

January 31st - Kansas State / St. John's

January 29th - Winthrop / Dyson & Wiggins

January 28th - Rutgers / Doris Burke

January 25th - Ron Hunter / Princeton Offense

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Seven Day Stretch: A New Weekly Column

Rob Carpentier — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:15:06 -0800

The Seven Day Stretch, a new weekly column by Rob Carpentier.

Seven Day Savior (Team): Baylor

This one is easy: the Baylor Bears. It was only two years ago that the Bears and new coach Scott Drew had to play an abbreviated schedule that consisted of only Big 12 Conference games because of the massive violations that occurred under Drew’s predecessor, Dave Bliss. This doesn’t even begin to get into the issues that arose out of the murder of forward Patrick Dennehy in the summer of 2003. If there was ever a program in need of a program-changing victory, this was it. All the Bears did on Wednesday night was go to Texas A&M and defeat the Aggies in a five-overtime game, 116-110, that has to be, until now, the game of the year in college basketball. The Bears won despite having 5 players foul out and their bench only shot 21% from the floor. This is easily the biggest and most impressive win in what has already become a most impressive season for Baylor, who is 16-2 and only have lost to Washington State and Arkansas. Not bad for a team that was imploding in on itself only 30 months ago.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Jermaine Taylor

Junior Jermaine Taylor of Central Florida. He started the week by scoring 32 points in a Conference USA road victory over East Carolina and followed that up with a 24 point performance on Wednesday in a crushing victory over UTEP. That’s the same UTEP team that was supposed to be one of the only roadblocks to Memphis having an undefeated conference season. In the two games, Taylor was a combined 20-28 from the floor, including 5-8 from behind the arc. He was also 11-12 from the charity stripe. Taylor is the clear leader of the Golden Knights, who are 4-0 in C-USA. Central Florida is 11-7 on the season, but all 6 of those losses have come against major conference teams and three have been by 3 points or fewer. Memphis, you’ve been warned about Central Florida and their best player, Jermaine Taylor.

Game of the Week (The one you’ve already heard about): WSU at ASU

While Memphis hosting Gonzaga and Connecticut playing Indiana highlight the intersectional schedule and Georgetown going to Morgantown to face West Virginia is a critical Big East clash, the most important game of the day is going to happen out in Tempe, Arizona. Washington State visits upstart Arizona State in a game between two teams tied for first in the Pac-10. Washington State was supposed to be in this position, but ASU was picked to finish in the bottom half of the conference. The Sun Devils have gotten to this point on the strength of freshman James Harden, (if Kevin Love isn’t the Pac-10 Frosh of the year, then Harden should be), junior Jeff Pendergraph and the coaching of Herb Sendek, who has brought a disciplined, defensive intensity to Tempe that Washington State coach Tony Bennett would be proud of. The game is more critical to ASU as Wazzu has already played UCLA and the Sun Devils need to make the trip to Los Angeles next week. To complicate matters for Arizona State, it seems that Harden has a bit of an injury heading into the game.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): Cleveland State at UWM

The Horizon League has proven to be one of the best mid-major conferences in the country over the past several years. The conference can boast the success of Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee over the past few seasons. This season, Butler was expected to be the top team in the conference and one of the top teams in the nation. However, the Bulldogs sit 2, that’s right, 2 games out of first place. That’s because the surprise of the season in the Horizon League has been undefeated Cleveland State. The Vikings are coached by former Rutgers head man Gary Waters and they are playing the kind of defense that takes teams, even mid-majors, into the second week of the Big Dance. The Vikings have a two-headed attack in the form of juniors Cedric Jackson and J’Nathan Bullock. The one criticism of the Vikings up to this point is that they haven’t faced a real conference road test yet. That changes on Saturday as they travel to Milwaukee to take on a rejuvenated Panther squad that is being driven by a freshman point guard, Deonte Roberts. UWM’s record isn’t gaudy, but with a win over the Vikings they climb within a game and a half of the Vikings and, more importantly, bring Cleveland State back to the pack. This is especially significant as the Horizon’s conference tournament games are played at the home of the higher seed.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Providence

That’s right, the Providence Friars. When talking about the Big East, everyone seems to talk about the same teams; Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Louisville, blah, blah, blah. This Friar team is one that can surprise enough to win the league. They are coming off of a very good win at Connecticut last week and the next two games set up well for them to prove my point. They get an undermanned Syracuse and then Notre Dame on the road. Win one of those two and they will be players in the Big East title race. Win both and look out. What sets Providence apart is that they are relentless on the boards.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Mark Gottfried

The SEC is having a down year for a conference that has produced the past two NCAA champions. Traditional power Kentucky is having, what for it, is a horrible year, and the western division of the conference may only produce one team with a winning conference record. You could look at LSU and its streak of seven straight losses as a program whose coach is on the proverbial hot seat. But Coach John Brady is less than 2 seasons removed from a Final Four berth. But this week’s occupant of the Seven Days on the Hot Seat goes to fellow SEC West member Alabama and Coach Mark Gottfried. The Tide is on a four game losing streak and they host Tennessee next week in a game the Tide has to win. Gottfried had a chance to stay away from the Hot Seat last Saturday at home against Mississippi State, but Alabama fell short in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. To add to Gottfried’s misery, his best guard, Ronald Steele, is hurt again. Alabama didn’t hire Gottfried so they could miss the NCAA Tournament two seasons in a row.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: Oregon State

Oregon State fired Coach Jay John this week after a miserable 6-12 start to the season. There was conjecture that John would be let go after last season’s 10-21 record, including only 3 Pac-10 Conference wins. Anyone who knows basketball knew that OSU was returning a young team with mediocre talent. When Oregon State’s administration allowed John to return this season, the assumption was that they knew this, too, and would give John some leeway in rebuilding the roster. Instead, OSU gave John his walking papers six games into the conference season. The question is, why? The dismissal of Kansas transfer C.J. Giles only a day after John’s firing may have something to do with it, but it still leaves you wondering…

Daily Poll: Best Team in New England?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:22:43 -0800