NEC

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

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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 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 Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:58:30 -0500

With the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on deck for Tuesday and Wednesday, it would be easy to think that the only matchups between ranked teams early in the week can be found on Tuesday and Wednesday. Not so thanks to the matchup between #12 Xavier (4-0) and #22 Vanderbilt (5-1)in Nashville, but while Memorial Gym is always a tough place to play the Commodores have already lost at home once this season (Cleveland State). Two of the best guards in the country will be on display as well, but while both Tu Holloway (Xavier) and John Jenkins (Vanderbilt) can light up the scoreboard they get the job done in drastically different ways.

Holloway (15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is the floor general for Chris Mack's Musketeers, entrusted with the task of not only scoring himself but also setting up his teammates. The senior has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.4 thus far, a big improvement over his ratio (1.6) of a season ago. Joining Holloway in the Xavier backcourt is Mark Lyons (17.8 ppg, 3.8 apg), the team's leading scorer and every bit as attack-minded as Holloway. Another key figure on the perimeter is freshman Dezmine Wells, and the combination of he and Vandy's Jeffery Taylor could deliver some serious above-the-rim highlights.

As for the prolific Jenkins (20.2 ppg, 42.6% 3PT), the key for Xavier will be to make him have to create off the dribble. If the junior is allowed a number of "catch and shoot" opportunities it's going to be a long night for the visitors. Kevin Stallings' team is about more than just Jenkins on offense however, as Taylor and Brad Tinsley both average double figures and forward Lance Goulbourne is just under ten points per game with an average of 9.8. There's no mistaking the fact that the Commodores miss big man Festus Ezeli inside, and they've had to adjust with his knee injury sidelining him until sometime next month.

Goulbourne, Taylor and Steve Tchiengang have been the main contributors on the glass, with Vanderbilt owning a rebounding margin of plus-4.1 on the season. They'll need to get the job done by committee against a team that rebounds in a similar fashion. Lyons, Wells, Kenny Frease (10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Travis Taylor (6.8 rpg) are the team's top four rebounders and Vanderbilt transfer Andre Walker grabs four caroms per contest, and as a team the Musketeers have a rebounding margin of plus-4.3. The difference between the two teams in offensive rebounding rate is about two percentage points in Vanderbilt's favor, so this may be a negligible stat on Monday night.

Two stats to keep an eye on: percentage of points scored from beyond the arc (Vanderbilt gets 32.5% of their points off of threes) and assist percentage (Xavier assists on 60.9% of their passes). Xavier will look to take away the three, something they have to do in order to keep the crowd out of the game. And if Vandy can make the Musketeers go one-on-one for the majority of their baskets (even with Holloway and Lyons), that will raise their defensive efficiency. Look for the Musketeers and Commodores to go right down to the wire.

Also of note is Long Beach State looking to rebound from their loss at Montana with a win at Louisville, with the Cardinals surviving a challenge from Ohio on Friday night. Peyton Siva looked to be fine on his sprained ankle against Ohio, but how he performs against Casper Ware will be something to keep an eye on just a couple days after dealing with the Bobcats' D.J. Cooper. The 49ers tandem of Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson could prove to be a handful for the Cardinals but in freshman Chane Behanan, Louisville has one of the best freshmen in the Big East.

Akron's trip to West Virginia should also be interesting, especially with Keith Dambrot suspending starting point guard Alex Abreu last week. Quincy Diggs got the start at the point in the Zips' win over Detroit, but this move also required more of players such as Brett McClanahan. Kent State has already won in Morgantown, and it isn't far-fetched to think that WVU could drop to 0-2 at home against the MAC this season. But Bob Huggins' team is back to the old trick that helped the 2010 team get to the Final Four: dominating the offensive boards. West Virginia has rebounded 47% of their misses thus far, with senior Kevin Jones grabbing 5.5 offensive rebounds per game.

LIU's trip to Iona sets up to be a good game despite the Blackbirds' 2-3 start, with the frontcourt battle between Julian Boyd (LIU) and Mike Glover (Iona) being one that viewers should focus on. And Georgia visits Colorado in a matchup of teams still looking to define roles after incurring some heavy personnel losses following last season.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Long Beach State at (7) Louisville (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Jackson State at (8) Memphis (SportSouth)
7:00 PM Stetson vs. (9) Florida* (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (12) Xavier at (22) Vanderbilt (ESPN2)
8:00 PM Jacksonville at (17) Marquette
10:30 PM McNeese State at (18) California

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM IUPUI at Georgetown (MASN)
7:00 PM Swarthmore at Columbia
7:00 PM Akron at West Virginia (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Long Island at Iona
7:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Kent State
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Lehigh
7:00 PM North Carolina A&T at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Niagara at Saint Francis (PA)
7:30 PM UMBC at Rutgers (RVision)
7:30 PM Austin Peay at Lipscomb
7:30 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Nicholls State
8:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Auburn
8:00 PM Texas-Pan American at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Trevecca Nazarene at Belmont
8:30 PM Georgia at Colorado (Root)
8:30 PM Tabor College at South Dakota
9:00 PM Tennessee at Oakland (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Northern Illinois at Utah Valley
10:00 PM Montana State at San Jose State
10:00 PM Pacific at Stanford
10:00 PM Evergreen State at Seattle
11:00 PM Pepperdine at UCLA (FS PT)

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Missouri Blows Out Golden Bears

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:23:40 -0500

On paper the matchup between Missouri and California looked to be a good matchup, with both teams fresh off of big wins in the semifinals of the CBE Classic in Kansas City. On the floor however, things got out of hand quickly for the Golden Bears as the Tigers rolled in front of a pro-Missouri crowd. Kim English scored 19 points and tournament MVP Marcus Denmon finished with 18 points and six rebounds as the Tigers won 92-53, and it could be argued that the 39-point margin doesn't do this result justice. Six Missouri players finished in double figures in what arguably is the best showing of any team in the country at this early point in the season, considering the opponent.

Frankly the Golden Bears, one of three teams expected to contend in the Pac-12, looked overwhelmed. Cal trailed by just five shortly after the halfway point of the first half, but that would be as close as Mike Montgomery's team would be the remainder of the night. Missouri went on a 12-2 run to set things in motion, and they led 45-26 at the break. But instead of being able to play the Tigers even in the second half California fell further behind as they were outscored 47-27 in the second half. The final nail in the coffin came with 11:12 remaining as Jorge Gutierrez, who led the Bears with 11 points, committed his fifth foul out of frustration. Mizzou's aggression made it seem as if they had more than the legal number of players on the court, and Cal couldn't adjust at all.

"It starts with us playing as a team," said Denmon. "Everybody passing up the good shot for a better shot, and that's what we did as a unit. It allowed us to have California playing on their heels, and that's something I felt if we did as a team, we would be hard to guard."

Missouri shot 58.8% from the field and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 68.6%, nine percentage points above their season average. California couldn't get much of anything done as they shot 29.8% from the field, and their 34-27 rebounding edge was more a result of them missing more shots than Missouri than any exploitation of the Tigers' lack of interior depth. But even that turned out to be of little issue for Missouri, with Steve Moore scoring ten points off the bench to account for Ricardo Ratliffe's foul trouble.

While some may cite this loss as another piece of evidence that the Pac-12 is once again "down" that would be misguided. Frank Haith's got an experienced team that's not only adjusting well to a new system, but one that has no problem sharing the accolades. Should this continue, Missouri will definitely be a factor in what's expected to be a wide-open Big 12 race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Duke and Kansas advance to the title game of the Maui Invitational.
The semifinals of the Maui Invitational produced the results many expected to see on Tuesday night, with Duke beating Michigan and Kansas withstanding a second half UCLA rally to advance to Wednesday's title game. Austin Rivers led four Duke starters in double figures with 20 points in their 82-75 win over the Wolverines in a game that opened up offensively in the second half. Duke performed well defensively in the first half, limiting the Wolverines to 22 points and 34.5% shooting from the field. The biggest problem for Michigan: ten assists for the game with freshman Trey Burke having nine of them. Michigan's assist percentage (32.3%) was nowhere near their season average (50.8%) as the Blue Devlls did a good job of taking away the passing lanes that make John Beilein's offense so tough to guard.

As for the Jayhawks they had a far different challenge on their hands, and an unpredictable one at that given the fact that few people know which UCLA will show up on a nightly basis. Kansas took on the Bruins who lost to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee for much of the first half, taking a 43-26 lead into the locker room. But then the Bruins woke up, cutting the Kansas lead to as few as five points but it wasn't enough to wrestle the game away from the Jayhawks. Elijah Johnson got going for Kansas on the perimeter, scoring a game-high 23 points while Thomas Robinson added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Kansas controlled the boards against the deeper Bruins to the tune of a 34-21 rebounding edge, and UCLA made just 26.6% of their two-point shots. Both finalists will encounter far different tests on Wednesday, meaning that the team best able to adjust will likely leave the island with the title.

2. A greatly improved Meyers Leonard leads Illinois to a win over Richmond in Cancun.
With the departures of Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale there was ample room for players to step up for Bruce Weber's Fighting Illini. And on the heels of a successful summer with USA Basketball center Meyers Leonard has looked capable of making the move, and his play on Tuesday night was the difference in Illinois' 7-061 win over Richmond in the Cancun Challenge.

Leonard finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to lead the undefeated Fighting Illini while Bradley transfer Sam Maniscalco added 19 and was the man Weber called on to initiate the offense in crunch time. The emergence of Leonard and the amount of trust that Weber has in Maniscalco are two things to watch with Illinois beginning with their matchup with Illinois State in Wednesday's final. Can Leonard build on his best performance of the season? If so, a championship is a definite possibility.

3. Memphis survives a virtuoso performance by Tennessee's Jeronne Maymon to beat Tennessee in double overtime.
Memphis absolutely caught fire about halfway through the first half in the first game of the day from Maui on their way to 55 first-half points. However there was an issue for the Memphis big men that some may not have expected: no one could guard Jeronne Maymon. Tarik Black had to sit early with two fouls, and the slender Stan Simpson really didn't have much of a chance in slowing down Maymon, who finished with 32 points and 20 rebounds. But despite the fight from Cuonzo Martin's team the Volunteers didn't have enough to grab the win, falling 99-97 in double overtime.

Will Barton bounced back from a poor performance against Michigan to score 25 points and Adonis Thomas added 19 and Antonio Barton 21 off the bench. Tennessee is going to go toe-to-toe with many of the teams on their schedule due to the mindset that their head coach has instilled in them. The Vols will back down from no one, regardless of the margin. As for Memphis, the win highlighted the need for Black to remain on the floor and out of foul trouble. The Tigers were out-rebounded 49-34 on the afternoon, and while they got away with it against Tennessee there will be games where they aren't as fortunate.

Quick Hitters

1. Danny Hurley's Wagner Seahawks picked up a solid win on the road as they beat Penn 71-65 at The Palestra. Guards Latif Rivers and Tyler Murray, one of the better guard tandems in the NEC, combined to score 32 points and Chris Martin addel 11.

2. One-time Clemson head coach Cliff Ellis returned to Littlejohn Coliseum, and his Coastal Carolina Chanticleers won 60-59 on a Chris Grandingo followed his own miss and scored as time expired. Grandingo finished with 21 points and Anthony Raffa scored 22 for the Chanticleers, who are 5-0 and looking to win another Big South regular season title.

3. Wisconsin rolled to a 77-31 win over UMKC as they limited the Kangaroos to 30.2% shooting on the night. UMKC made just 12.9% of their shots in the second half, and Jared Berggren led the Badgers with 21 points and Ben Brust added 12 off the bench. Those two outscored UMKC by themselves.

4. Mike Anderson's Arkansas Razorbacks are down to just nine scholarship players after receiving the news that forward Marshawn Powell was out for the season with a knee injury. Will the Hogs have the size and experience needed to navigate the ACC without Powell? That remains to be seen.

5. This will likely be a long season for USC, who survived their matchup with winless Morgan State 65-62. Maurice Jones played all 40 minutes and scored 18 points and dished out six assists. For the Trojans to win games Jones will have to be at his best, but will he be able to shoulder the load without help?

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jeronne Maymon (Tennessee)
32 points and 20 rebounds in the Volunetters' double-overtime 99-97 loss to Memphis.

2. G Velton Jones (Robert Morris)
38 points, four rebounds and two assists in the Colonials' 82-77 win over James Madison.

3. G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
37 points and three rebounds in the Leopards' 85-74 win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

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 All-Conference Picks, Part Two

Jon Teitel — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:13:58 -0400

In the latest installment in our 2011-12 preview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel took some time selecting his preseason all-conference selections for 31 conferences as well as the Independents. Below are the picks for the final 16 conferences, and Part One can be found here.

MAC
G: Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
G: Zach Filzen (Buffalo)
F: Justin Greene (Kent State)
F: Julian Mavunga (Miami-Ohio)
F: Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)

MEAC
G: Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G: Landon Clement (North Carolina Central)
G: Kwame Morgan II (Hampton)
F: Dewayne Jackson (Morgan St.)
C: Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Missouri Valley
G: Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G: Antoine Young (Creighton)
G: Anthony James (Northern Iowa)
F: Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F: Kyle Weems (Missouri St.)

Mountain West
G: Oscar Bellfield (UNLV)
G: Kendall Williams (New Mexico)
F: Garlon Green (TCU)
F: Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
F: Chace Stanback (UNLV)

Northeast
G: Robby Ptacek (Central Connecticut State)
G: Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G: Tyler Murray (Wagner)
F: Ken Horton (Central Connecticut State)
F: Alex Francis (Bryant)

Ohio Valley
G: TyShwan Edmondson (Austin Peay)
G: Jeremy Granger (Eastern Illinois)
F: Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
F: Leon Powell (Southeast Missouri State)
F: Kenny Moore (Tennessee State)

Pac-12
G: Allen Crabbe (California)
G: Jorge Gutierrez (California)
G: Trent Lockett (Arizona State)
F: Reeves Nelson (UCLA)
F: Josh Owens (Stanford)

Patriot
G: CJ McCollum (Lehigh)
G: Jordan Sugars (Navy )
G: Devin Brown (Holy Cross)
F: Ella Ellis (Army)
C: Mike Muscala (Bucknell)

SEC
G: Dee Bost (Mississippi State)
G: John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
F: JaMychal Green (Alabama)
F: Terrence Jones (Kentucky)
F: Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)

Southern
G: Ben Drayton III (Georgia Southern)
G: Drew Spradlin (Elon)
G: Omar Wattad (Chattanooga)
F: Omar Carter (Appalachian St.)
F: Jake Cohen (Davidson)

Southland
G: Fred Hunter (Nicholls St.)
G: Melvin Johnson III (UTSA)
F: Jeromie Hill (UTSA)
F: Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
C: Jereal Scott (Stephen F. Austin)

SWAC
G: Lawrence Johnson-Danner (Texas Southern)
G: Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
G: Savalance Townsend (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
F: Casey Cantey (Alabama A&M)
F: Daniel Broughton (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)

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

Sun Belt
G: Gregg Gant (Florida Atlantic)
G: Fred Brown (UL Monroe)
F: Chase Hallam (Denver)
F: DeJuan Wright (FIU)
C: Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

WCC
G: Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
F: Elias Harris (Gonzaga)
F: Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)
C: Robert Sacre (Gonzaga)
G: Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G: Deonte Burton (Nevada)
G: Zane Johnson (Hawaii)
G: Brockeith Pane (Utah State)
F: Dario Hunt (Nevada)
C: Kyle Barone (Idaho)