Atlantic Sun

#25 Louisville vs. Connecticut: Monday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:52:29 -0500

On the heels of their decisive win over Seton Hall, Connecticut (15-7, 5-5) will look to keep things going as they visit #25 Louisville (18-5, 6-4) in a critical Big East matchup. For all the issues that UConn's dealt with recently they're just a game out of fourth, and with that being the final double-bye slot in the Big East Championship this is a game both teams need.

The Huskies are being coached by George Blaney due to Jim Calhoun's indefinite leave of absence, but the biggest development from their win on Saturday was the fact that the guys on the floor finally took the reins and showed leadership. If they can build on that aspect of their win, UConn could be in line to go on a run despite a tough week that also features a trip to Syracuse.

Wing Jeremy Lamb (17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the primary offensive option for UConn, with his smooth game invoking memories of Richard Hamilton among many involved with the program. But part of the problem during the Huskies' skid was the fact that neither Lamb, Shabazz Napier (13.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.0 rpg) nor Alex Oriakhi (6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) seemed capable of leading the way.

Napier and Oriakhi were moved to the bench in hopes of providing a spark to an offense that's been stagnant, especially against zone defenses, and freshman Ryan Boatright has been that guy. Boatright (9.8 ppg, 3.5 apg) scored 19 points and dished out five assists against Seton Hall and the offense looked a bit crisper with him running the show.

Louisville is going to come at UConn with their full-court pressure, which could be an issue for a team that's averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. But it would have been an even bigger problem without Boatright, and if anything the Huskies may be more concerned about Louisville's 2-3 zone than anything.

The Cardinals allow opponents to shoot just 37% from the field and 33.3% from three, and it isn't as if all 16 of the turnovers that Rick Pitino's team forces comes by way of the press. The Cardinals need to be careful with the basketball themselves as they average 15 turnovers per game, and the run-out opportunities that could result may give UConn the boost they need.

Peyton Siva (8.5 ppg, 5.6 apg) is a highly athletic guard who runs the show for the Cardinals, but he's also averaging 3.5 turnovers per game. Both he and sixth man Russ Smith (12.4 ppg, 2.2 apg) need to make smart decisions while not losing their aggressive nature, a task that's proven easier said than done at times.

Louisville is the deeper team on the perimeter, with the likes of Chris Smith and the versatile Kyle Kuric also playing integral roles in the Cardinal attack. What happens on the perimeter will be key to the outcome but the play inside will be just as important for both, especially for a UConn team that needs its big men to be productive offensively.

Freshman Andre Drummond (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg) can at times look to be a man among boys on the court, and that's what happened on Saturday as the Pirates were without Herb Pope. But he's going to run into some resistance in the form of the much-improved Gorgui Dieng (10.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.5 bpg), the Big East's leader in blocked shots.

Dieng (sprained his right ankle in Saturday's win ) has become more confident offensively, and even with him the Cardinals can also call on a Chane Behanan as well. This is where Oriakhi, Tyler Olander and Roscoe Smith come into play; they need to be productive if the Huskies are to win on the road. The Huskies have been a slightly better rebounding team but both can hit the offensive glass, and with the shooting being what it can be second-chance points should be right up there in regards to importance.

Also of note on Monday is the first of two meetings this season between Texas and Texas A&M, made even more important by the fact that both teams are in desperate need of wins from an NCAA tournament resume standpoint. The Aggies have been without both Khris Middleton and Dash Harris of late due to injury, meaning that Elston Turner will need to be even more effective as a scorer. If he can get some help from Naji Hibbert A&M will have an even better chance of defending their home floor.

Mercer has the opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Sun as they host East Tennessee State in what's also a key game for the Bucs as they jostle for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament. Belmont, who's tied with the Bears atop the A-Sun, takes on Austin Peay in a non-conference matchup (this will be a league game next year as the Bruins will join the OVC) and Wofford visits Davidson in a SoCon battle in hopes of moving one step closer to locking down that other conference tournament bye out of the South Division.

Davidson's three games up with four to go, and a win would clinch at least a tie for the division crown. Lastly, Missouri looks to build on their win over Kansas as they visit an Oklahoma team that's hanging on to hopes of earning an at-large bid. Steven Pledger has been one of the most improved players in the Big 12, and he's going to need to play extremely well if the Sooners are to pull off the upset.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (4) Missouri at Oklahoma (ESPNU)
9:00 PM (15) Marquette at DePaul (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Connecticut at (25) Louisville (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Stony Brook at New Hampshire (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Stetson at Jacksonville
7:00 PM Vermont at Maine
7:00 PM USC Upstate at Kennesaw State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Boston University at Albany
7:00 PM Wofford at Davidson
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Elon
7:00 PM East Tennessee State at Mercer
7:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at North Florida
7:30 PM North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Furman at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM Hampton at Delaware State
7:30 PM Norfolk State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:30 PM Howard at Morgan State
7:30 PM Longwood at South Carolina State
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Belmont
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Savannah State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8:30 PM Southern University at Jackson State
8:30 PM Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State
9:00 PM Idaho State at Montana
9:00 PM Texas at Texas A&M (ESPN)
9:00 PM Alcorn State at Grambling State

Jon Teitel's End of January All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:35:11 -0500

With the final month of the regular season on our door step, this is a good time to put together some all-conference teams. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who not only picked his all-conference teams for each league but also provided a conference Player of the Year as well. Without further ado here are the all-conference teams, with the league POY in italics.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)
F Alasdair Fraser (Maine)

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Jordan Burgason (Lipscomb)
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State)
G Adam Sollazzo (ETSU)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
F Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Perry Jones III (Baylor)

Big East
G Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
G Charles Odum (Portland State)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)
F Scott Bamforth (Weber State)

Big South
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
G Darren White (Campbell)
F Stan Okoye (VMI)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn State)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach State)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Ray McCallum (Detroit)
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State)
F Kevin Van Wijk (Valparaiso)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago State)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

MAAC
G Juan'ya Green (Niagara)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
G George Beamon (Manhattan)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F O.D. Anosike (Siena)

MAC
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball State)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
F Amin Stevens (Florida A&M)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina State)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

MVC
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)
F Kyle Weems (Missouri St.)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamaal Franklin (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Velton Jones (Robert Morris)
G Robby Ptacek (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (LIU Brooklyn)

OVC
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
G Jud Dillard (Tennessee Tech)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Allen Crabbe (California)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Charles Hinkle (American)
F Ella Ellis (Army)
F J.J. Avila (Navy)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Trevon Lewis (Nicholls St.)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Casey Cantey (Alabama A&M)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G DeJuan Wright (FIU)
F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

WCC
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawaii)

College Basketball Conference Ranking: RPI, KenPom, Sagarin

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:09:04 -0500

With the new year upon us and conference play starting in earnest, it seemed like a fitting time to check on how the computers rank the conferences so far. The computers all agree on one thing: the Big Ten is by far the most dominant league in the country. After that, there are subtle disagreements down the line. It is noteworthy that the Mountain West is ahead of 3 traditional power conferences, while the Pac 12 barely comes in ahead of the MVC and A10.

The overall ranking is based on an average of three rankings: the RPI, KenPom.com's ratings, and the Sagarin rating from USA Today.

Rank	Conference	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	Avg
1	Big Ten	1	1	1	1.0
2	Big 12	3	2	2	2.3
3	Big East	2	3	3	2.7
4	Mountain West	4	6	4	4.7
5	SEC	6	4	5	5.0
6	ACC	5	5	6	5.3
7	Pac 12	9	7	7	7.7
8	Missouri Valley	7	9	8	8.0
9	Atlantic 10	8	8	9	8.3
10	CUSA	11	10	10	10.3
11	WCC	10	11	11	10.7
12	Horizon	12	13	13	12.7
13	WAC	18	12	12	14.0
14	MAC	14	15	14	14.3
15	Summit	13	17	15	15.0
16	Colonial	20	14	16	16.7
17	Ivy	17	16	19	17.3
18	Sun Belt	15	20	17	17.3
19	Atlantic Sun	19	18	18	18.3
20	MAAC	16	19	21	18.7
21	Big West	21	21	20	20.7
22t	Patriot	23	22	26	23.7
22t	Southern	22	24	25	23.7
24t	Ohio Valley	24	25	24	24.3
24t	Big South	27	23	23	24.3
26	Big Sky	28	26	22	25.3
27	Southland	25	28	27	26.7
28	Northeast	26	27	28	27.0
29t	America East	31	29	29	29.7
29t	MEAC	29	30	30	29.7
31t	Independent	32	31	31	31.3
31t	SWAC	30	32	32	31.3

Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams (Pre-League Play Edition)

Jon Teitel — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:59:57 -0500

With conference play beginning for many leagues this week (a few conferences began their league slate in early December) it's a good time to look back on some of the top performers. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who put together his all-conference teams for each of the leagues.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Ben Dickinson (Binghamton)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Chris Braswell (Charlotte)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
F Travis McKie (Wake Forest)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw St.)
G Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
G Adam Sollazzo (East Tennessee St.)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
C Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa St.)

Big East
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber St.)
G Charles Odum (Portland St.)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
G Stallon Soldivar (Northern Arizona)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)

Big South
G Darren White (Campbell)
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)
C Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)

Big Ten
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)
F James Nunnally (UCSB)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Damier Pitts (Marshall)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Keith Clanton (UCF)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown St.)
G Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)
F Ben Averkamp (Loyola (IL))

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Art Bernardi (Houston Baptist)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
F Keith Wright (Harvard)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)

MAAC
G Dylon Cormier (Loyola (MD))
G Harold Washington (Canisius)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F Rakim Sanders (Fairfield)

Mid-American
G D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
F Dominique Sutton (North Carolina Central)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
G Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Michael Lyons (Air Force)
F Chace Stanback (UNLV)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Kyle Vinales (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (Long Island)
F Ike Azotam (Quinnipiac)

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray St.)
G Jeremy Granger (Eastern Illinois)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Jorge Gutierrez (California)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle (American)
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
F JJ Avila (Navy)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Harouna Mutombo (Western Carolina)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry (SE Louisiana)
G Kannon Burrage (UTSA)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)

SWAC
G Savalace Townsend (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
G Marquis Baker (Alcorn St.)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Kenderek Washington (Alabama St.)
C Paul Crosby (Miss. Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Terell Parks (Western Illinois)

Sun Belt
G Raymond Taylor (FAU)
G Chris Jones (North Texas)
F LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

West Coast
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
G Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Zane Johnson (Hawaii)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Kyle Barone (Idaho)

College Hoops Saturday: North Carolina at Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:14:54 -0500

The game that many college basketball fans have been anticipating for quite some time is finally here, as #5 North Carolina (6-1) visits #1 Kentucky (7-0) in Lexington. While both teams are coming off of wins in their last games, the way in which the results were achieved differ greatly. North Carolina had to deal with the challenge of play Wisconsin, given the Badgers' preference for a slow tempo, while Kentucky blew out a St. John's team that was severely overmatched from a depth standpoint. The Tar Heels will provide a far stiffer challenge for a Kentucky team that set a school record on Thursday night with an astonishing 18 blocked shots, and freshman phenom Anthony Davis (13.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 4.9 bpg) led the way with nine blocks.

The Chicago native is an extremely difficult matchup due to his wingspan and ability to run the floor, but Saturday will be the first time this season that Davis and the rest of the Kentucky thoroughbreds run into a front line that can match them in this regard. John Henson (14.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 3.3 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (13.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) are experienced big men who can match the skill level of the young Wildcats, but will North Carolina will be able to match that depth? Freshman James Michael McAdoo is averaging a shade below six points per game in fourteen minutes of action, but that only makes three players for UNC. Kentucky can answer with Terrence Jones (15.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg), the versatile Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and if his defense is up to par Kyle Wiltjer.

The Wildcats average 11.4 blocked shots per game and who knows how many other shots they change each game. Kidd-Gilchrist could very well match up with sophomore wing Harrison Barnes (17.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), who can be taken out of his offensive comfort zone if pressed into working for his looks. The good news for the Tar Heels is that they've got one of the best set-up men in the country in point guard Kendall Marshall (10.3 apg, 4.7 rpg). Marshall's got an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.8, and his assist percentage of 44.8% ranks seventh nationally according to statsheet.com.

Kentucky will have to cut off the head of the attack in order to slow down North Carolina, which means that freshman Marcus Teague (10.7 ppg, 4.1 apg) needs to play a mature brand of basketball. Teague is an impressive basketball player, but the transition to point guard in John Calipari's system has (and will) take some time (assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.3). Joining Teague in the backcourt for Kentucky are a pair of experienced hands in sophomore Doron Lamb (14.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg) and senior Darius Miller (8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg), and both have been better than the freshman at taking care of the basketball.

Teague will more than likely have to deal with junior Dexter Strickland for part of the game, as Strickland did a solid job of defending Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor on Wednesday night. Strickland is an impressive athlete who has fit well into the role of the Tar Heels' defensive stopper, which is perfectly fine given the scoring firepower at Roy Williams' disposal. Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston (upgraded to questionable with an injury to his left wrist) will both see time off the bench and they combine to average more than thirteen points and six rebounds per game on the season.

Given the expected intensity of this contest, especially in the early going, depth could become a factor if anyone gets into early foul trouble. Unless the culprit is Henson or Zeller the Tar Heels should be fine in this area, but the bigger question for them is how effective Marshall can be as a defender. The sophomore was solid against Wisconsin, but the style that Kentucky plays can put more "immediate" pressure on a defender as opposed to the slower style played by the Badgers. A lot of the stats are close when looking at these two powers, which hopefully will mean a tight game throughout.

In other action on a busy Saturday, Ohio State plays what should be a routine game against UTPA with Jared Sullinger out due to back spasms. This should be a good game for an Evan Ravenel to get acclimated to playing more minutes should Sullinger be out for an extended period of time. But the big one has to be undefeated Marquette visiting Wisconsin in one of the better rivalry games around. Vander Blue plays his first college game in his hometown, but the reception he receives won't be the only intrigue. Buzz Williams' team gets after it on the defensive end, and seniors Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder have both gotten off to good starts to the season. Jordan Taylor and the Badgers will look to get back on track in front of the Grateful Red, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all if they did.

Purdue visiting Xavier, Iowa State visiting Michigan and Gonzaga playing Illinois at the United Center are three more games involving ranked teams to keep an eye on, and West Virginia's trip to Starkville should be intriguing as well. And while Boston College is struggling their battle with Boston University in the battle for Commonwealth Ave. should be fun if only to watch the Terriers' Darryl Partin. USC plays Minnesota in a matchup of teams who have been hit hard by the injury bug, and the hope is that more warm bodies occupy the Sports Arena with UCLA hosting Texas. In the Atlantic Sun defending champion Belmont hosts Mercer, with the Bears hoping to show that they can contend for the conference title.

There are too many good games on the schedule to touch on them all, but also of note is a Big 5 battle between Penn and Villanova, which will match two of the best guards in the city in Zack Rosen (Penn) and Maalik Wayns (Villanova), and the late games include Missouri State visiting New Mexico in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley challenge. Enjoy the first really big Saturday of the season.

Top 25 Games
12:00 PM (5) North Carolina at (1) Kentucky (CBS)
12:00 PM Texas-Pan American at (2) Ohio State (BTN.com)
4:30 PM (16) Marquette at (7) Wisconsin
3:15 PM Arkansas at (10) Connecticut (ESPN)
3:00 PM Purdue at (11) Xavier (ESPNU)
5:15 PM USF at (14) Kansas (ESPN2)
12:00 PM Iowa State at (15) Michigan (BTN)
5:15 PM (17) Pittsburgh at Tennessee (ESPN)
3:15 PM (18) Gonzaga at Illinois (ESPN2)
8:30 PM Austin Peay at (21) Memphis (CSS)
9:00 PM West Virginia at (24) Mississippi State (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Portland at (25) Saint Louis

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Jacksonville at North Florida (ESPN3)
1:00 PM NJIT at Georgetown (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Old Dominion at Northeastern
1:00 PM Richmond at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Longwood at Virginia (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Kennesaw State at Lipscomb
1:00 PM High Point at Campbell
1:00 PM Massachusetts at Miami (FL) (ESPNU)
2:00 PM Vermont at Yale
2:00 PM Boston University at Boston College (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Morgan State at Ohio
2:00 PM Illinois-Chicago at Milwaukee
2:00 PM Liberty at Coastal Carolina
2:00 PM Valparaiso at Butler
2:00 PM Cleveland State at Detroit
2:00 PM Navy at Elon
2:00 PM William & Mary at Georgia State
2:00 PM Georgia Tech at Tulane (CBSSN)
2:15 PM USC at Minnesota (BTN)
2:30 PM Colorado State at Northern Iowa
3:00 PM St. Thomas (TX) at Rice
3:00 PM Stony Brook at Eastern Illinois
3:00 PM Brown at Iowa
3:00 PM Bryant University at Quinnipiac
3:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at SIU-Edwardsville
3:00 PM Ball State at Tennessee-Martin
3:00 PM Youngstown State at Wright State
3:05 PM Toledo at Chicago State
3:30 PM Sacred Heart at Central Connecticut State
4:00 PM Drexel at Delaware (TCN)
4:00 PM Arizona State at Tulsa (CBSSN)
4:00 PM Central Michigan at Temple
4:00 PM Chattanooga at Charleston (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Utah at Fresno State
4:00 PM Florida A&M at Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM W. Virginia Tech at Coppin State
4:00 PM James Madison at Hofstra
4:00 PM Bucknell at La Salle
4:00 PM Delaware State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central
4:00 PM Nebraska-Omaha at Northern Illinois
4:30 PM Texas at UCLA (FSN)
4:30 PM UNC Greensboro at Western Carolina
5:00 PM Charlotte at East Carolina
5:00 PM Oregon vs. Brigham Young* (ESPNU)
5:00 PM Idaho at UC Davis
5:00 PM Houston Baptist at Texas State
5:00 PM Hartford at UCF
5:15 PM East Tennessee State at Florida Gulf Coast
5:15 PM Mercer at Belmont
5:30 PM VMI at Charleston Southern
6:00 PM Texas Southern at Denver
6:00 PM Savannah State at Norfolk State
6:00 PM UMKC at Oakland
6:30 PM Northern Arizona at Arizona (FSN AZ)
6:35 PM Eastern Washington at Washington State (Root NW)
7:00 PM North Dakota State at IUPUI
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Long Island at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM LSU at Rutgers (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Lehigh at Cornell
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Villanova (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Army at Binghamton
7:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Buffalo (TWC SportsNet)
7:00 PM Furman at Davidson
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Duquesne
7:00 PM Brescia at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Winthrop at Gardner-Webb (MASN)
7:00 PM UAB at Kent State
7:00 PM Radford at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Monmouth at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Loyola (MD) at Siena (Time Warner)
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Wagner
7:00 PM Citadel at Wofford
7:30 PM George Mason at Towson
7:30 PM Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM Alabama State at FIU
7:30 PM South Dakota at IPFW
8:00 PM Southern Utah at Oral Roberts
8:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Houston
8:00 PM Columbia vs. North Texas*
8:00 PM Air Force at Drake
8:00 PM Miami (OH) at Troy
8:00 PM South Dakota State at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Green Bay (HLN)
8:05 PM Alabama A&M at South Alabama
8:05 PM TCU at Evansville
8:05 PM UNC Wilmington at Illinois State
8:05 PM Walla Walla University at Portland State
8:30 PM Louisiana Tech at Louisiana-Monroe
8:30 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Southeast Missouri State
9:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Montana State
9:05 PM North Dakota at Idaho State
9:05 PM Johnson and Wales (Den) at Northern Colorado
9:30 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Lamar
9:30 PM San Jose State at Weber State
10:00 PM Saint Mary's at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Indiana State at Boise State
10:00 PM Missouri State at New Mexico (The Mtn.)
10:00 PM San Diego at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Hawaii at Pepperdine
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Santa Clara
10:00 PM Bradley at Wyoming
10:05 PM Utah State at Pacific
10:30 PM La Sierra University at Loyola Marymount

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Hoyas Win a Thriller

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:26:52 -0500

Suspense was expected in the matchup between Georgetown and #12 Alabama, and that's exactly what the two teams provided as the Hoyas beat the Crimson Tide 57-55 on a Hollis Thompson three-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining. Instead of simply giving Jason Clark (22 points) the ball and telling him to shoot, Georgetown used the senior guard to run a dribble hand-off with Thompson on the right wing and the junior rose up and knocked down the shot. Levi Randolph's shot from half court missed just left of the rim at the buzzer, ending the Tide's 24-game home win streak.

"We had some breakdowns during the play," said Alabama head coach Anthony Grant of the game-winning sequence. "We talked about what we needed to do from a defensive standpoint in the timeout but unfortunately we didn't get it done on the court."

Alabama had a lackluster first half from an offensive standpoint, shooting 31% and scoring just 16 points as the visiting Hoyas took a seven-point lead into the locker room. The big issue for the Crimson Tide throughout the game was their offensive execution against the Georgetown zone. Alabama made just three of sixteen shots from beyond the arc, and for a team that shoots 27% from deep on the season that may be too many attempts. But as they didn't perform as well as they would have hoped in finding the open areas in the zone defense, Alabama had to resort to perimeter shots. Look for opponents down the road to give the Tide more zone looks as a result of this.

As for the Hoyas, their wins over Memphis and Alabama may be the best that the Big East has to offer from a non-conference standpoint, and in hindsight the preseason pick to finish 10th in the conference could be a bit conservative. But that will ultimately depend on the play of Thompson (12 points, eight rebounds) and Henry Sims (13 points), not to mention the progression of young contributors such as Markel Starks, Otto Porter and Greg Whittington. At the very least John Thompson III's team has shown signs of growth, and they've picked up a couple decent non-conference wins to boot.

"This is our third game against a team in the Top 15 so we've had a few tests and battles," said Thompson III. "To come in here and win against a team that's so well coached; on a court where they don't lose is a huge win for our group. I don't want to get into where we thought we would be at this time. Our guys have a lot of room for growth."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Youngstown State drops Detroit in their Horizon League opener for both.
Many, myself included, pegged Detroit as the team most likely to win the Horizon League even with Eli Holman being out indefinitely for personal reasons. But the Titans didn't get off to the best of starts in league play, losing to Youngstown State 64-61 at Calihan Hall. DuShawn Brooks knocked down six three-pointers for the Penguins, who fired away from beyond the arc with reckless abandon (9-for-28). But YSU only turned the ball over seven times, and that combined with their outscoring Detroit by 12 from deep proved to be the difference. Chase Simon and Ray McCallum Jr. scored 21 points apiece to lead UDM, but they need guys such as LaMarcus Lowe to step up in order to win a conference title. Losing Nick Minnerath hurts the Titans, who find themselves now down two expected contributors (counting Holman) and that could be a serious issue when discussing their chances against the likes of Butler and Cleveland State.

2. Distracted (?) Quinnipiac falls to Sacred Heart at home in their NEC opener.
Two Bobcat playes, James Johnson and Ike Azotam, were arrested in mid-October for their alleged roles in an on-campus fight back in September. But while Tom Moore's key players were disciplined in house the strength of the distraction was minimized by the timing of the case. No such luck on Thursday night as three more players, Jamee Jackson, David Johnson and Nate Gause, were arrested just hours before their game against Sacred Heart. All three were bailed out and able to play since the team handled their punishment in October as well, but the question of whether or not Quinnipiac was distracted on the floor is a fair one to ask. Quinnipiac shot just 31% in their 68-55 loss to Sacred Heart and made a deplorable nine of twenty from the foul line. The Bobcats have the talent needed to be a factor in the NEC, but bad decisions off the court could end up stunting this team's growth.

3. Ole Miss survives a wild finish and wins at DePaul.
With 13:55 remaining in the game Andy Kennedy's team led DePaul 50-33 and seemingly had things in control at Allstate Arena. But Oliver Purnell's pressing style began to affect the Rebels, who would finish with 20 turnovers on the night with young guards Nick Williams and Jarvis Summer combining for ten. But thanks to some critical missed free throws by the Blue Demons and Murphy Holloway's driving basket in the final seconds Ole Miss escaped with a 70-68 win in the HTC Big East/SEC Invitational. Williams and Summers did combine to score 29 points, and both their talent and inexperience were on display Thursday night. Holloway finished with a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) and his return after a brief stint at South Carolina is a good pickup after the graduation of Chris Warren. The one problem for the Rebels this season: the move to one division in the SEC, which makes it that much tougher to win a title. But they still play a similar conference schedule, which may set them up for a decent league campaign.

Quick Hitters

1. It took a half or so but Kentucky showed glimpses of the team pegged as one of the favorites to win the national title. Anthony Davis (15 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks) was two blocks short of a triple-double in the Wildcats' 81-59 win over St. John's and Terrence Jones scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. As a team the Wildcats set a school record with 18 blocked shots.

2. South Dakota State won the game of the night, beating IUPUI 97-93 in overtime with Nate Wolters (32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists) leading the way. Alex Young led the Jaguars with 28 points and nine rebounds and the two teams combined to make 25 three-pointers.

3. C.J. Garner scored all 15 of his points in the second half and Jamal Olasewere scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Long Island beat Wagner 78-73 in Brooklyn. Tyler Murray led the Seahawks with 19 points, and along with Robert Morris and CCSU look for these teams to fight it out at the top of the NEC all season long.

4. Thursday was a big night for Bilal Dixon, who scored ten points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked seven shots off the bench in Providence's 76-67 win at South Carolina. Ed Cooley's got a team that's accountable, especially on the defensive end, and that change has been noticeable in the early going. Five players finished in double figures.

5. Mercer picked up a nice road win to open Atlantic Sun as they beat Lipscomb 79-72. Justin Cecil led four starters in double figures with 22 points and seven rebounds, but they're going to face a tougher challenge on Saturday at defending league champion Belmont. Can Bob Hoffman's team play what amounts to a six-man rotation all season long and be successful? Why not?

Three Notable Performances

1. G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the Jackrabbits' 97-93 overtime win at IUPUI.

2. F Terrence Jones and F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
Jones finished with 26 points, nine rebounds and four blocks while Davis added 15 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks in Kentucky's 81-59 win over St. John's.

3. F Ken Horton (Central Connecticut State)
32 points (6-10 3PT), nine rebounds and three steals in CCSU's 83-51 win at Bryant.

Jon Teitel's November All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:22:22 -0500

With the first month of the college basketball season concluded, this is a good time to recognize some of the top players throughout the country. With that in mind, CHN writer Jon Teitel gave his all-conference selections for each conference (and independents, which includes the Great West in this piece).

America East
G Darryl Partin Boston University
G Justin Edwards Maine
G Gerardo Suero Albany
F Ben Dickinson Binghamton
F Chase Plummer UMBC

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones Saint Joseph's
G Mark Lyons Xavier
G Tu Holloway Xavier
F Andrew Nicholson St. Bonaventure
F Chris Braswell Charlotte

ACC
G Kendall Marshall North Carolina
G Terrell Stoglin Maryland
G Glen Rice Jr. Georgia Tech
F Travis McKie Wake Forest
F Mike Scott Virginia

Atlantic Sun
G Marcus Dubose ETSU
G Markeith Cummings Kennesaw St.
G Jordan Burgason Lipscomb
F J.J. Mann Belmont
F Torrey Craig USC Upstate

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown Texas
G Marcus Denmon Missouri
F Royce White Iowa St.
F Thomas Robinson Kansas
F Quincy Miller Baylor

Big East
G Maalik Wayns Villanova
G Darius Johnson-Odom Marquette
G Jeremy Lamb Connecticut
F Kevin Jones West Virginia
F Herb Pope Seton Hall

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard Weber St.
G Will Cherry Montana
G Kareem Jamar Montana
F Scott Bamforth Weber St.
F Collin Chiverton EWU

Big South
G Keith Gabriel VMI
G Darren White Campbell
G Anthony Raffa Coastal Carolina
F Eric Griffin Campbell
F Al'Lonzo Coleman Presbyterian

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier Penn St.
G Drew Crawford Northwestern
F John Shurna Northwestern
F Jared Sullinger Ohio St.
F Robbie Hummel Purdue

Big West
G Casper Ware Long Beach St.
G Orlando Johnson UCSB
F Stephan Hicks Cal State-Northridge
F James Nunnally UCSB
F T.J. Robinson Long Beach St.

CAA
G A.J. Davis James Madison
G Devon Saddler Delaware
G Humpty Hitchens James Madison
F Ryan Pearson George Mason
F Nathaniel Lester Hofstra

Conference USA
G Will Barton Memphis
G Miguel Paul East Carolina
F Keith Clanton UCF
F Josh Davis Tulane
F Cameron Moore UAB

Horizon
G Kendrick Perry Youngstown St.
G Chase Simon Detroit
F Kevin Van Wijk Valparaiso
F Ryan Broekhoff Valparaiso
C Alec Brown Green Bay

Independents
G Mitch Albers Nebraska Omaha
G Isiah Williams Utah Valley
F Aaron Broussard Seattle
F Jeremy Robinson Chicago State
F Antwan Carter Longwood

Ivy
G Zack Rosen Pennsylvania
G Sean McGonagill Brown
F Ian Hummer Princeton
F Greg Mangano Yale
F Keith Wright Harvard

MAAC
G Scott Machado Iona
G Harold Washington Canisius
G Dylon Cormier Loyola (MD)
F Michael Glover Iona
F Rakim Sanders Fairfield

MAC
G Rian Pearson Toledo
G D.J. Cooper Ohio
G Trey Ziegler Central Michigan
F Jarrod Jones Ball State
F Julian Mavunga Miami (OH)

MEAC
G Tahj Tate Delaware St.
G Tony Gallo Coppin St.
G Darrion Pellum Hampton
F Dominique Sutton NC Central
F Brandon Riley South Carolina St.

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan Evansville
G Rayvonte Rice Drake
F Doug McDermott Creighton
F Ben Simons Drake
F Taylor Brown Bradley

Mountain West
G Michael Lyons Air Force
G Chase Tapley San Diego St.
G Wes Eikmeier Colorado St.
F Anthony Drmic Boise St.
F Mike Moser UNLV

NEC
G Kyle Vinales Central Conn. St.
G James Johnson Quinnipiac
F Ken Horton Central Conn. St.
F Alex Francis Bryant
F Ike Azotam Quinnipiac

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy Tennessee Tech
G Isaiah Canaan Murray St.
G Jud Dillard Tennessee Tech
F Mike Liabo UT Martin
F Robert Covington Tennessee St.

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham Oregon St.
G Jorge Gutierrez California
G Trent Lockett Arizona St.
F Devon Collier Oregon St.
F Brock Motum Washington St.

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle American
G Jim Mower Lafayette
G C.J. McCollum Lehigh
F Ryan Willen Lafayette
C Mike Muscala Bucknell

SEC
G John Jenkins Vanderbilt
G Kenny Boynton Florida
G Brad Beal Florida
F Arnett Moultrie Mississippi St.
F Tony Mitchell Alabama

Southern
G Jamaal Trice Appalachian St.
G Eric Ferguson Georgia Southern
F De'Mon Brooks Davidson
F Antwaine Wiggins Charleston
F Mike Groselle Citadel

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry SE Louisiana
G Anthony Miles Lamar
G Antonio Bostic Stephen F. Austin
F LaQuentin Miles Central Arkansas
F Patrick Richard McNeese St.

SWAC
G Marquis Baker Alcorn St.
G Savalace Townsend UAPB
G Tramaine Butler Alabama St.
F Casey Cantey Alabama A&M
F Demarquelle Tabb Alabama A&M

Summit
G Frank Gaines IPFW
G Nate Wolters South Dakota St.
G Reggie Hamilton Oakland
F Dominique Morrison Oral Roberts
F Alex Young IUPUI

Sun Belt
G Chris Jones North Texas
G Jeremy Allen FIU
G Phil Taylor FIU
F Chris Udofia Denver
C Augustine Rubit South Alabama

WCC
G Evan Roquemore Santa Clara
G Kevin Foster Santa Clara
F Noah Hartsock BYU
F Rob Jones St. Mary's
C Robert Sacre Gonzaga

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe Fresno St.
G Christian Kabongo New Mexico St.
G Zane Johnson Hawaii
F Wendell McKines New Mexico St.
C Kyle Barone Idaho

College Hoops Thursday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:15:25 -0500

Thursday's schedule is highlighted by the first night of the SEC/Big East Invitational, and while the marquee games are tomorrow there are solid match ups to keep track of tonight. At the top of that list has to be Georgetown (5-1) heading south to take on #12 Alabama (7-0), and the question will be what John Thompson III's big men can do against JaMychal Green (15.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Tony Mitchell (14.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg). To say the least this will be a tall task for Henry Sims, Nate Lubick and the rest of the Georgetown frontcourt, as Mitchell is one of the best athletes in the game and Green is considered to be one of the top interior players in the SEC.

Sims is averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and his ability to step out on the perimeter in Georgetown's system makes him a tough cover when on. But his performance will need to be consistent if the Hoyas are to have a serious shot at leaving Tuscaloosa with the win, and the season goes for Lubick. Georgetown will also use the versatile freshman Otto Porter (9.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and classmate Greg Whittington, and it's going to have to be a group effort as it wouldn't be realistic to expect any of these four to rise to the level of a Green or Mitchell on their own.

The guard play should also be entertaining, and in Georgetown's Jason Clark (17.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Alabama's Trevor Releford (11.6 ppg, 2.4 apg) there will be two of the better guards in their respective leagues on display. Clark's really had to step up his offensive production with Austin Freeman and Chris Wright moving on, becoming more of a scorer in his senior campaign. Outside of he and wing Hollis Thompson (14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) the Hoyas are young on the perimeter, as they look to the likes of Markel Starks and Jabril Trawick for minutes.

As for Releford (11.6 ppg, 2.4 apg), he leads a young backcourt with just one season of experience under his belt. Freshmen Levi Randolph, Trevor Lacey and Rodney Cooper are all capable of being outstanding players for Anthony Grant in the future, and each has shown the ability to make plays now as well. The one concern for the Crimson Tide has to be the fact that they essentially break even in their averages for assists and turnovers per game, and Georgetown's opponents have averaged 15.5 turnovers per game this season. Both teams are good at attacking the offensive boards, but the Hoyas will need to take advantage of their superiority in offensive efficiency and valuing the basketball if they're to pick up what would be a big road victory.

Also playing in the SEC/Big East Invitational tonight is top-ranked Kentucky, which hosts a St. John's team even younger than their rotation and lacking the depth that John Calipari's group brings to the table. A prohibitive favorite to win tonight, this is a good test for the Wildcats from a maturity standpoint. Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller need to lead Kentucky and make sure there aren't any signs of the team looking ahead to Saturday's game against North Carolina. Providence visits South Carolina and DePaul host Ole Miss in the other two games on the docket.

But the bigger deal on Thursday night is the start of conference play in multiple conferences that tend to play their league tournaments on the first weekend of "Championship Fortnight" (nearly 12 days is not a "Week"). In the NEC games between St. Francis (NY) and Mount St. Mary's and Wagner visiting LIU will help shape the league race that takes a break until January after this weekend. In the Big South, defending regular season champion Coastal Carolina begins their quest to finally get to the NCAA Tournament after squandering opportunities in each of the last two seasons with VMI coming to town, and defending Big South Tournament champ UNC Asheville opens at Gardner-Webb. And Liberty at Campbell should be another solid opening night tilt in the Big South.

Play in the Atlantic Sun, Horizon, MAAC, SoCon and Summit leagues also begins tonight, with gems including South Dakota State at IUPUI (Summit), Cleveland State at Wright State (Horizon) and Davidson visiting defending champion Wofford (SoCon) highlighting the slate. The conference games for this weekend may not get the major highlights on ESPN, but these are incredibly important games. League titles aren't lost on this weekend, but an 0-2 start makes it far tougher to win a conference title when getting back to that business a couple weeks from now.

Top 25 Games
7:30 PM St. John's at (1) Kentucky (ESPN2)
9:30 PM Georgetown at (12) Alabama (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
5:30 PM UNC Asheville at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM South Dakota State at IUPUI
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Arkansas State at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Harvard at Vermont
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM VMI at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Liberty at Campbell
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Colgate
7:00 PM Youngstown State at Detroit
7:00 PM Lehigh at Fordham
7:00 PM FIU at Georgia State
7:00 PM Savannah State at Hampton
7:00 PM Morehead State at Kent State
7:00 PM Wagner at Long Island
7:00 PM South Dakota at Oakland
7:00 PM Winthrop at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Providence at South Carolina (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Monmouth at St. Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Siena at St. Peter's
7:00 PM Davidson at Wofford (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Cleveland State at Wright State
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Bryant (MSG+)
7:00 PM Jacksonville State at USC Upstate
7:15 PM East Tennessee State at Stetson
7:30 PM UMBC at American
7:30 PM Radford at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Marist at Loyola (MD)
7:30 PM UMKC at IPFW
8:00 PM Murray State at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM Citadel at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Texas Tech at Texas A&M-CC (ESPN3)
8:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Appalachian State
8:00 PM George Washington at Kansas State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Western Carolina at Samford
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Tennessee State
8:00 PM North Dakota State at Western Illinois
8:00 PM UIC at Green Bay (ESPN3)
8:05 PM McNeese State at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM Cal State Fullerton at Wichita State
8:15 PM Mercer at Lipscomb
8:15 PM Kennesaw State at Belmont
9:00 PM San Francisco at Montana
9:00 PM Ole Miss at DePaul (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Paul Quinn at Sam Houston State
9:05 PM Westminster UT at Northern Colorado
10:10 PM Stanford at Seattle

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:43:56 -0500

Friday marks the first big day of the college basketball season with more than 100 games on the schedule. Sure most of the games look to be of the "opening sacrifice" variety, but a closer look reveals some intriguing matchups. It only makes sense to begin with the game that needs little introduction, the Carrier Classic game matching preseason national title favorite North Carolina and Michigan State. The game will be played on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego, which will likely cue a few "I'm on a boat" jokes.

As for the teams themselves, the Tar Heels and Spartans arrive in different situations. Roy Williams' team is absolutely loaded, a product of players such as Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller all deciding to return after last seaon's Elite 8 run. Point guard Kendall Marshall runs the show for UNC, and the team that scored 77.5 points per game in 2010-11. Given this group, when adding in the likes of Dexter Strickland, Reggie, Leslie McDonald Bullock and freshmen James Michael McAdoo and P.J. Hairston, it's expected that this group will be even better offensively.

Michigan State on the other hand has to account for the loss of Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers, but in senior Draymond Green the Spartans return a versatile forward who is essentially an extension of Izzo on the floor. The Spartans could never seem to get things rolling last season, and with their nucleus being even younger one would think that things could be the same in 2011-12. But that could be a mistake, with guard Keith Appling ready to take over at the point. Appling was more valuable defensively last season, which was largely a product of Lucas' presence. With more on his plate the sophomore will have every opportunity to take over.

Add in freshman forward Branden Dawson and while Michigan State will be a young team they won't lack for talent. Dawson, Adriean Payne and Derrick Nix will be interesting to watch as they'll need to hold their own with UNC's highly touted front line, which became tougher when Delvon Roe had to end his playing career due to chronic knee issues. The Carrier Classic will have much of the nation's attention, but it's certainly not the only quality game (or attractive storyline) on the schedule.

Many have looked at this weekend as a coronation of sorts for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is just a couple wins away from overtaking his college coach (Bob Knight) for the lead in all-time wins. And while that could happen for the Blue Devils this weekend, people had better not overlook the Belmont Bruins. Rick Byrd's team, which went 30-5 last season, returns nearly all of their key contributors from last season's Atlantic Sun championship team and big men Scott Saunders and Mick Hedgepeth will be a challenge for the Duke frontcourt. Don't be surprised if this game is tight throughout, especially when considering Duke losing Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

Vanderbilt also opens play, and they'll host an intriguing Oregon squad without the services of center Festus Ezeli. Ezeli, who was suspended for the first six games due to an NCAA violation, also injured his knee in preseason camp and that pushes his return back even more. But the Commodores have bodies up front, with Lance Goulbourne and Steve Tchiengang back along with other contributors. And in John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor Vandy has two of the better perimeter players in the country.

As for Oregon, a lot of people believe that Dana Altman's team is ready to make a jump in the Pac-12. Freshman Jabari Brown has the ability to be one of the best freshmen in the country, and the Ducks also return key players from last year's CBI championship squad. But how do they account for the loss of big man Joevan Catron? Tyrone Nared is one key frontcourt player for Oregon, and wing E.J. Singler is a versatile veteran who will be asked to do a number of things on the floor. But the bulk is gone, meaning that Oregon will need to get it done by committee.

There's also a big rivalry game with BYU visiting Utah State, with both teams looking to make up for major personnel losses. BYU lost Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery from that Sweet 16 squad while the Aggies begin life without Tai Wesley, but both teams have solid returnees who can get their teams back to the NCAA Tournament. Noah Hartsock and Charles Abouo return for the Cougars, who also regain the services of Brandon Davies, and Utah State returns Brockeith Pane and Brady Jardine. If you can find this one on TV be sure to tune in, as it could end up being the most intense game all night (keep in mind the controversial technical foul called on Wesley late in last year's game in Provo).

There are also a pair of enticing games on the schedule taking place about two hours apart, with Rider visiting Robert Morris and Oral Roberts in Morgantown to play West Virginia. The Broncs are down to just eight scholarship players right now but Tommy Dempsey's got some talented players still at his disposal, and they'll be needed against a team expected to once again contend in the NEC. And Oral Roberts has almost everyone back from last year's team, led by Dominique Morrison, and it shouldn't be much of a surprise if they were to find a way to knock off the young Mountaineers.

College basketball is back so grab your favorite snacks and make sure the batteries in the remote (and laptop) are ready to go. We'll have some fun between now and early April.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (1) North Carolina vs. Michigan State* (ESPN)
7:00 PM Marist at (2) Kentucky (Sun Sports)
9:00 PM Wright State at (3) Ohio State (BTN)
7:00 PM Columbia at (4) Connecticut (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Belmont at (6) Duke (ESPNU)
10:00 PM Oregon at (7) Vanderbilt (FSN)
7:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at (8) Louisville (MASN)
7:00 PM Jackson State at (10) Florida (FS Florida)
7:00 PM Albany at (11) Pittsburgh (SNY)
10:00 PM Texas Southern at (12) Baylor
8:00 PM Towson at (13) Kansas (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Morgan State at (15) Xavier (FS Cincinnati)
8:00 PM North Florida at (17) Alabama
7:00 PM Ferris State at (18) Michigan
10:30 PM Loyola Marymount at (20) UCLA (FS West)
9:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at (21) Marquette (SNY)
11:05 PM Eastern Washington at (23) Gonzaga
10:30 PM UC Irvine at (24) California
8:00 PM Southeast Missouri State at (25) Missouri

NCAA Division I Games
2:00 PM NW Missouri State at UMKC
3:00 PM Hartford vs. Sacred Heart*
4:30 PM Montana State at Arizona State
5:00 PM Northeastern at Boston University
5:00 PM Johnson and Wales (Den) at Brown
5:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Indiana State
5:30 PM Fairfield vs. Quinnipiac*
6:00 PM Montreat College at Presbyterian
6:30 PM Simpson University at Utah Valley
7:00 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at George Washington
7:00 PM Jacksonville at Florida State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Stony Brook at Indiana (BTN)
7:00 PM Anderson IND at IUPUI
7:00 PM MIT at Harvard
7:00 PM Milligan at East Carolina
7:00 PM UNC Asheville at North Carolina State
7:00 PM Loyola (MD) at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Suffolk University at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Cornell at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Howard at Bowling Green
7:00 PM Monmouth at Villanova
7:00 PM Covenant at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Lees McRae at Appalachian State
7:00 PM St. Peter's at Buffalo
7:00 PM Lake Erie College at Detroit
7:00 PM Illinois-Chicago at Eastern Michigan
7:00 PM Long Island at Hofstra
7:00 PM Lafayette at La Salle
7:00 PM Randolph College at Liberty
7:00 PM Navy at Longwood
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Miami (FL)
7:00 PM Northern Illinois at Purdue (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Delaware at Radford
7:00 PM Rider at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Western Carolina at South Carolina (Sports South/ESPN3)
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Tennessee (FSN/ESPN3)
7:15 PM Bethune-Cookman at Stetson
7:30 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Ole Miss
7:30 PM Dartmouth at Rutgers
7:30 PM Roanoke at Furman
7:30 PM Holy Cross at Charleston
7:30 PM American University at Richmond
7:30 PM Alabama State at Marshall
7:30 PM Valparaiso at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM Southern Utah vs. UC Davis*
7:30 PM Houston Baptist at Campbell
7:30 PM Cheyney at Coppin State
7:30 PM Rhode Island at George Mason
7:30 PM Pennsylvania at UMBC
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at Charlotte
7:30 PM St. Francis (PA) at Virginia Commonwealth (ESPN3)
8:00 PM McNeese State at Auburn
8:00 PM USC Upstate at Arkansas
8:00 PM Florida A&M at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Wofford at Georgia (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Western Kentucky (FCS)
8:00 PM Bucknell at Minnesota
8:00 PM South Dakota at Nebraska
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Oklahoma State
8:00 PM Idaho State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Tulsa
8:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Clemson (ESPN3)
8:00 PM St Gregory's at North Texas
8:00 PM Yale vs. Central Connecticut State*
8:00 PM Guilford at Davidson
8:00 PM Chicago State at Iowa
8:00 PM Charleston Southern at Kansas State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Middle Tennessee
8:00 PM Le Tourneau at Northwestern State
8:00 PM McMurry at Southern Methodist
8:00 PM Centenary at Stephen F. Austin
8:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at TCU
8:00 PM University of Mary at Green Bay
8:05 PM North Carolina A&T at Creighton
8:15 PM Fort Valley State at Lipscomb
8:30 PM Harris Stowe at Murray State
8:30 PM Tennessee State at Saint Louis
8:30 PM Texas Lutheran at Texas State
8:30 PM Arkansas State at Lamar
8:30 PM Dillard at Southern University
9:00 PM Montana at Colorado State
9:00 PM Miles at Jacksonville State
9:00 PM Elon at Massachusetts
9:00 PM New Orleans at New Mexico
9:00 PM Oral Roberts at West Virginia (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Texas-Pan American at DePaul
9:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Illinois
9:00 PM North Dakota State at San Francisco
9:00 PM Alabama A&M at Tulane
9:05 PM Brigham Young at Utah State
9:05 PM UT-San Antonio at UTEP
9:30 PM CO Christian at Boise State
9:30 PM Army at Air Force (CBSN)
9:30 PM Portland State at Denver (Root RM)
9:30 PM Claflin at South Carolina State
9:30 PM Troy at Texas Tech (FS Southwest)
10:00 PM Central Arkansas at Stanford
10:00 PM Cal Lutheran at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Ft. Lewis at Colorado
10:00 PM Illinois State at Fresno State
10:00 PM Grand Canyon at UNLV
10:00 PM Missouri State at Nevada
10:00 PM Chapman at UC Santa Barbara
10:00 PM Fresno Pacific at Saint Mary's
10:00 PM Northern New Mexico at Weber State
10:05 PM Redlands at Cal State Fullerton
10:30 PM Bryant University at San Diego State
10:30 PM California Merced at Santa Clara
10:35 PM Menlo College at Sacramento State
11:00 PM Cal State Northridge at USC
11:30 PM Northern Arizona vs. Louisiana-Lafayette*
11:59 PM Citadel vs. Virginia Military* (CBSN)

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Jacksonville and Furman's Joe Williams

Jon Teitel — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:45:48 -0500

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer spent some time with Joe Williams, who put together impressive runs at both Jacksonville and Furman. During his time at JU Williams led the Dolphins to an NCAA title game appearance, coaching Artis Gilmore and Rex Morgan on that 1970 team. Williams also led Furman to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure there.

Jon Teitel: According to my interview of Artis Gilmore, you had no training rules and scribbled scouting reports on the backs of envelopes. Is that true, and do you think it was easier for you relate to your Jacksonville players because you were such a young man yourself?

Joe Williams: My only two training rules were the attend class (or explain why you did not attend) and play hard when you stepped on the court (whether it was a preseason drill or an NCAA tourney game).

JT: In 1970 your team at JU became the first to ever average 100+PPG for an entire season, despite no shot clock or three-point line. How was your team able to score so many points, and what kind of offense did you run?

JW: We ran a controlled break. Broadcaster Ed Jucker once said on the air in a specific game that he had not seen us take a bad shot yet. Rex Morgan had averaged almost 30 PPG the previous year and then we added Artis who averaged about 20 RPG, so the only way to make sure everyone would have good stats was for the point guard to quickly push the ball up the court with two guys out on the wing. We had a rule that unless you had a wide-open 2-on-1 situation, you had to wait for Artis to come down the floor so he could have a chance to rebound!

1970 NCAA Tournament

JT: Your basketball program had such a small budget that you had to "pass the hat" among the boosters to raise enough money to pay for the team's hotel rooms. How big of a disadvantage was the size of your program, and do you feel like your run in the tourney helped save the program?

JW: We played in Dayton that year and it was snowing pretty hard. We got a restaurant recommendation that turned out to be a little more expensive than we thought, so a booster helped pay for the meal. When I first got to JU I had to teach five classes and I had a $250 recruiting budget. As we got better we started to sell more season tickets and got money from the booster club to increase our budget.

JT: You beat Western Kentucky (led by Jim McDaniels with 29 points) in your school's first-ever game on national TV after walking into the gym and seeing a "Jacksonville Who?" sign. Did you feel that your team was getting no respect at all, and how big a deal was it to get the first tournament win in school history?

JW: It was a big sign that everyone could see. Western Kentucky had a great team and built an early lead before setting up a press against us. We had a lot of good ball-handlers so we just kept dribbling around them and getting some easy shots. After that game nobody pressed us anymore (not even UCLA!), which was a compliment to our team.

JT: You had a one-point win over Iowa (led by Fred Brown with 27 points) when Pembrook Burrows tipped in a last-second miss by Vaughn Wedeking for the win (and later wrote a song about the game). Did you think that your team was going to hang on after Artis Gilmore fouled out, and where does Burrows' tip-in rank among the best fantastic finishes that you have ever seen?

JW: I heard that there were some people in Iowa who broke their TV sets after that shot! Iowa had a great team: anytime you can make it that far you have to be a little lucky. We had to slow down the pace of the game and control the tempo because they kept scoring and scoring.

JT: You had a six-point win over Coach Adolph Rupp's top-ranked Kentucky team (led by Dan Issel with 28 points and 10 rebounds before he fouled out with 10 minutes left). Did the momentum completely turn once Issel fouled out, and what did you learn from walking around the day before in a brown suit?

JW: I only had one really nice suit, but I got the brown suit because Coach Rupp had a brown suit. My birthday is in February and the boosters picked out some clothes for me to wear and presented them to me during a TV interview.

JT: You had an eight-point win over St. Bonaventure (who played without star center Bob Lanier, who injured his knee in an earlier tourney game against Villanova). Do you think you would have won that game if Lanier was healthy, and how far did you think that your team was going to go?

JW: We just really enjoyed playing and our team had a lot of charisma. We played in Hawaii earlier that year and the entire team ended up getting Hawaiian shirts and puka shell necklaces. When the players walked into the gym for their game dressed up in their new attire, the home crowd gave us a huge ovation. Everywhere we went to eat people complimented us on how good our team was. The key to discipline is not about screaming and hollering, but whether a player does something that you ask him to do.

JT: Gilmore shot 9-29 from the field before fouling out in a title game loss to Coach John Wooden's UCLA team (led by Sidney Wicks with 17 points and 18 rebounds, who blocked four of Gilmore's shots despite being six inches shorter). Did you consider your run in the tourney to be a success (due to making it to the title game) or a failure (due to getting so close but not winning it all)?

JW: We were very proud of our team: I told the players not to say anything negative because we played hard and lost to a great team, so there was nothing for them to be ashamed of. That was one of the first years that almost all of the games were televised. Every time we came back from another tourney win, the entire route from the airport to campus was full of fans who were excited about our team. A Louisville newspaper even wrote about how nice it was to see a losing team not blame anyone else for the loss.

JT: After that game you left JU to become coach at Furman. Why did you make the switch, and did you have any regrets?

JW: I had previously been an assistant coach at Furman, and it is a beautiful part of the country. They offered me a tremendous financial offer to come and build a program, and JU did not really do anything to try and keep me there. At the end of every season you have to assess what you want to do.

JT: What are your memories of the 1973 NCAA Tournament (you were down by 18 with 10 minutes to go against Syracuse, and fought all the way back before losing by one)?

JW: That was a great game: we actually had the lead late. Syracuse pressed us and one of our players was called for traveling, but today the refs let that call go all the time. Syracuse went on to the Final Four, so they were a good team.

JT: What are your memories of the 1974 NCAA Tournament (upset South Carolina before losing to Pitt)?

JW: We had an outstanding player named Clyde Mayes, but South Carolina had a great club featuring Alex English. Clyde just took over the game in the second half. We had a slight lead against Pitt late in the game but they had a four-point play that gave them the momentum, and Billy Knight was pretty tough.

JT: In 1978 you left Furman to go to Florida State, where you joined a short list of coaches who have taken three different teams to the tourney and had a winning record at each school. How were you able to have so much success at so many different schools?

JW: The key is to have good players and a sound system. If they play hard and get good grades, then you will probably win. Coach Wooden (who was nice to everyone) once told me that even though people like to talk about who the best coaches are, the coach with the best players is usually the one who wins. He also said that the way to tell if you have a good defense is not how many points you allow, but how big your scoring margin is.

JT: You are on an even shorter list of men who are the best coaches in the history of two different schools (Furman and Jacksonville). Did you enjoy one job more than another, and do you think that is a good litmus test for seeing just how good a coach someone is?

JW: I enjoyed both jobs even though they were different kinds of programs. They are both in big cities, so I got help from both communities in building up the programs. I told people that since our school is called Jacksonville University we were representing the entire city. When you play in a big downtown arena it helps the chamber of commerce and local business get behind you. The players also enjoyed playing in a big arena. You can find unique things at each school to "sell" people on it. One of the reasons that I was successful at Furman was because of all the success I had at JU. Back in the day you could go see high school players a lot to aid in the recruiting process, but the NCAA now limits such things, which gives a big advantage to big schools. Butler is a great example of a school with a great tradition that has a big arena that is tied in with a large city.

JT: Your son Blake was recently named an assistant coach at Furman. Did you inspire him to go into coaching, and do you think it will be easier or harder for him to coach at Furman after all of your prior success there?

JW: Both of my sons were captains of their high school and college teams. Blake loved basketball and worked really hard on drills to become better. Blake played on some great summer league teams in high school. One of his teammates was Amare Stoudemire! When you have the passion like he and I do it is not considered "hard work", just "time-consuming". I think that my success at Furman will make it easier for Blake. I was invited back there to speak recently and everyone is still excited about the basketball program. Head coach Jeff Jackson is a fine young guy and he is excited about Blake being there.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

JW: When I was coaching I had some really fine players who graduated. At Furman every single freshman we had ended up graduating, and Artis was the first person in his family who graduated. All of my players were good students/positive kids.

Coach Williams is on Jon's list of best coaches in both Atlantic Sun and SoCon history.

ATLANTIC SUN
Belmont: Rick Byrd (1986-present) 518-278, 4 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 2-time conference COY
East Tennessee State: Murry Bartow (2003-present) 162-98, 3 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Florida Gulf Coast: Dave Balza (2001-2011) 153-121, 1 NCAA tourney
Jacksonville: Joe Williams (1964-1970) 92-61, 1 NCAA tourney
Kennesaw State: Tony Ingle (2000-2011) 178-165, 1 D-2 national title, 1-time national COY, 1-time conference COY
Lipscomb: Don Meyer (1975-1999) 663-181, 1 NAIA title, 2-time national COY
Mercer: Bill Bibb (1974-1989) 222-194, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2-time conference COY
North Florida: Matt Kilcullen (1999-2009) 98-186
South Carolina Upstate: Eddie Payne (2002-present) 120-146, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Stetson: Glenn Wilkes (1957-1993) 552-435

SOUTHERN
Appalachian State: Buzz Peterson (1996-2000, 2009-2010) 103-52, 1 NCAA tourney, 4 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
Charleston: John Kresse (1979-2002) 560-143, 4 NCAA tourneys, 9 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
Chattanooga: Mack McCarthy (1985-1997) 243-122, 5 NCAA tourneys, 8 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Citadel: Les Robinson (1974-1985) 132-162, 2-time conference COY
Davidson: Bob McKillop (1989-present) 401-263, 5 NCAA tourneys, 10 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 6-time conference COY
Elon: Bill Miller (1959-1979) 329-224, 2 conference titles
Furman: Joe Williams (1970-1978) 142-87, 5 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Georgia Southern: Frank Kerns (1981-1995) 244-132, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
UNC Greensboro: Fran McCaffery (1999-2005) 90-87, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title
Samford: Jimmy Tillette (1997-present) 218-200, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Western Carolina: Steve Cottrell (1977-1987) 145-133, 1-time conference COY
Wofford: Mike Young (2002-present) 137-139, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles