Binghamton

Who Will Win the 2011-12 America East Title?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:39:16 -0500

College Hoops Monday Recap: Who is Texas and Who Can They Be?

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:50:17 -0500

Is Texas the team flush with talent that can play with anyone in the country? Or is Texas the team still searching for role definition that can lose to just about anyone in the country? We saw ample evidence of both answers being "yes" on Monday night but when the game ended Rick Barnes' team beat Oklahoma 87-76 in Austin. Senior Damion James led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds while four other Longhorns (three coming off the bench) reached double figures as well. The game turned on a 21-10 Texas run that spanned just over eight minutes and gave the Longhorns the lead for good. Tony Crocker (24 points) and Cade Davis (22 points) led the way for the Sooners but they were unable to stem the tide once Texas got going.

"They [Texas] were the tougher team down the stretch," said Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel. "I thought we played well for 31 minutes. Then their older guys stepped up and made plays (quote courtesy of the University of Texas)." What cost Oklahoma? Their inability to get stops and that's been an issue for much of Big 12 play for this young team; Texas shot 53.6% in each half as well as for the game. Oklahoma, on the other hand, shot just 23.1% from behind the arc after making seven of eleven three-pointers in the first half to take a 40-38 lead into the locker room. Does not having Willie Warren hurt? Of course it does but for a team that's struggled defensively how much of a difference does Warren really make on that end of the floor?

As for Texas and their prospects in March this could be one team that experts and office pool hopefuls have a difficult time figuring out. Every March there's a team that underachieves throughout the regular season only to turn it on in the Big Dance and make a run. But there's also an underachiever every season that simply fizzles out early, showing that they never had the chops to begin with. Which one is Texas? They still have the potential to be either one at this point.

Three Key Happenings

1. West Virginia clinches a double bye in the Big East Tournament. With Austin Freeman sent back to the nation's capital due to a stomach virus the slumping Georgetown Hoyas were without their leading scorer, a serious blow going into Monday's matchup at West Virginia. And the Mountaineers took full advantage of his absence in the first half, gradually building their lead to seventeen by halftime on the way to an 81-68 victory. Da'Sean Butler led the way on Senior Night with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists while three other Mountaineers also scored in double figures. WVU didn't shoot particularly well from the field (42.9% overall; 33.3% second half) but they got to the foul line, attempting 34 free throws to the Hoyas' 21.

Greg Monroe (22 points) and Chris Wright (21 points) led the way for Georgetown but without a third scorer (after Vee Sanford's nine points no one else scored more than five) they didn't stand much of a chance once they fell behind by double digits. West Virginia's defense was just as important on Monday, forcing twenty turnovers and scoring 24 points off of the Hoyas' miscues. On a night in which they were actually out-rebounded 33-31 and scored just three more 2nd chance points than Georgetown, the Mountaineers found another way in which to take care of business. That should serve them well going into the regular season finale at Villanova and the Big East Tournament.

2. Jackson State clinches the outright SWAC regular season title. Behind 18 points from Garrison Johnson the Tigers wrapped up the SWAC title with their 57-54 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Neither team shot particularly well from the field but the Tigers got the job done with turnovers, forcing eighteen UAPB miscues while handing over the ball just six times themselves. But how much does the top seed mean despite Tevester Anderson's Tigers being far and away the best team in the SWAC? In the last decade the top seed won the league's automatic bid just five times; it's essentially an even bet when taking history into account. And if there's one area that could get Jackson State into trouble it could be foul shooting; the Tigers made just nineteen of thirty-two from the charity stripe to make things more stressful than they needed to be.

3. Binghamton withdraws from the America East Tournament. With a lengthy review of the athletic department still ongoing the powers that be at Binghamton made the decision on Monday to pull the team from the upcoming America East Conference Tournament. Mark Macon's team was to be the fifth seed but due to "possible distractions" the Bearcats won't be playing. Is it right to punish young men who had little to do with the issues that got the school into trouble to begin with? You could argue no. But with other league members applying pressure to Binghamton to make this move why not do it earlier? For coaches to lose preparation time, regardless of how little that may have been, due to the delay of releasing the matchups is an inconvenience to say the least. Four months is a length of time it should take to complete an investigation not figure out whether or not you'll be playing in the conference tournament.

Top Three Games

1. Texas 87, Oklahoma 76 See above.

2. UNC Greensboro 81, Georgia Southern 79 Ben Stywall bounced back from a horrific performance in a loss to Davidson with a UNCG record 14th double-double (30 points and 11 rebounds) as the Spartans hung on for dear life at home. Antonio Hanson led the Eagles with 20 points.

3. Jackson St 57, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. Ben Stywall (UNC Greensboro) 30 points, 11 rebounds in the Spartans' 81-79 win over Georgia Southern.

2. Damion James (Texas) On Senior Night James scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Longhorns' 87-76 win over Oklahoma.

3. Reggie Holmes (Morgan State) Holmes led the way with 32 points and five rebounds as the Bears erased a ten-point second half deficit to win going away 81-67 against North Carolina A&T.

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: Turner Leads Buckeyes to Road Win

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:58:58 -0500

It didn't look too good for Ohio State at the half of their game at #6 Purdue on Tuesday night. Robbie Hummel put on a shooting exhibition, knocking down eight three pointers on the way to 29 first half points as the Boilers went into the locker room up 41-29. But when you have one of the leading candidates for national Player of the Year you're never out of a game, especially if he's still recovering from a broken back. Ohio State outscored Purdue by sixteen in the second half in picking up a key Big Ten road win 70-66, with Evan Turner leading the way.

Turner scored 23 of his career-high 32 points in the second half, including fourteen of the Buckeyes' last eighteen points to bring the Scarlet and Gray home. But when watching a player like Turner it's important to also point out the other areas in which he makes an impact. Evan finished with nine rebounds while William Buford added 19 points and seven rebounds. Hummel scored six points in the second half while JaJuan Johnson's slow night (four points) was amplified by Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer combining to shoot 2-for-8 from the field, and the slowdown in production allowed the Buckeyes to fight their way back into the game.

But the star of the night was Turner, whose efforts have thrown the Big Ten race for a serious loop. Purdue's now lost two straight league games and Wisconsin will be without Jon Leuer (wrist) for the foreseeable future. Neither of these two will fall out of the race but this win has opened things up atop the Big Ten.

Three Key Happenings

1. For all the praise that John Wall receives, Eric Bledsoe's pretty doggone good in his own right. For a young team going on the road in league play for the first time can be a risky proposition, especially when playing in front of a group like the "Rowdy Reptiles" (it actually sounded like more Kentucky fans than usual made their way inside the O-Dome). But that concern was alleviated in the first half thanks to the play of Eric Bledsoe, whose fifteen points made up for the Kentucky bigs missing a plethora of close looks to give Kentucky a 38-31 halftime lead. Blesdoe finished with a game-high 25 points as the Wildcats withstood a second-half Gator rally to win 89-77.

The difference? Kentucky simply shot the ball better, a direct result of their superior ability to find quality looks. Florida was able to get back into the game thanks in large part to the diminutive Erving Walker (20 points) but they can point to their overall shot selection as a prime reason for their defeat. For the game Florida shot 38.2% from the field while the Wildcats finished at 51.4%. When you've got guys with the ability to get just about any shot they want you will be good. But when those guys have a grasp of what shots they want in the system they run you're that much tougher to beat. Florida found that out thanks to Bledsoe and company.

2. Don't expect to see Baylor in the Top 25 next week. The Bears rode into Boulder with a nine-game win streak and a fresh new ranking. They left as Colorado's first ranked victim since February of 2007 (Oklahoma State), falling 78-71 at the Coors Events Center. While Colorado is 9-0 at home this season this is a game that a team like Baylor cannot afford to lose in the battle for those spots behind Texas and Kansas in the Big 12 pecking order. Cory Higgins led five Buffaloes in double figures with eighteen points while LaceDarius Dunn's 23 led all scorers.

The issues for Baylor: Tweety Carter shot just 5-for-16 from the field and they were a staggering -13 (18-5) in turnover margin. You can manage a guy having an off night from the field but to have that kind of differential in turnovers will get you beat more times than not, especially on the road. That and Colorado's +10 margin in points from the foul line erased the Bears +13 rebounding margin, setting the stage for a big win for Jeff Bzdelik's program.

3. It's only fair to give Binghamton some praise after their win over Stony Brook. Given the turmoil that surrounded the program during the offseason more people wondered how the Bearcats would field a team than whether or not they'd win games. It was a given to the masses that interim head coach Mark Macon was in for a rough ride, but they're now 2-1 in America East play after handing previously undefeated Stony Brook a 64-62 loss at home. Greer Wright capped a career night (27 points) with a jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining to provide the final margin, answering a game-tying three from Bryan Dougher with nine seconds to go.

Now winners of three of their last four games, Binghamton could be a team that at the least gives the expected contenders fits as the season progresses. And even that would be an improvement over the "lucky to even be a speed bump" predictions that many had for Binghamton back in October.

Top Three Games

1. Ohio State 70, Purdue 66 See above.

2. Binghamton 64, Stony Brook 62 See above.

3. Wake Forest 85, Maryland 83 (OT) An Ishmael Smith runner with just under 20 seconds left in overtime gave the Demon Deacons the win in Winston Salem. While Greivis Vasquez led all scorers with 30 Al-Farouq Aminu led the winners with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Three Notable Performances

1. Evan Turner (Ohio State) Turner scored 32 points (23 in the second half) and grabbed nine rebounds in the Buckeyes' 70-66 comeback win at Purdue.

2. Robbie Hummel (Purdue) Hummel scorched the nets in the first half, knocking down eight three pointers and scoring 29 points. He finished with 35 and ten rebounds in the Boilermakers' loss to Ohio State.

3. Scott Wood (NC State) Wood scored a career-high 31 points (7-11 3PT) while also grabbing seven rebounds and helped spark a 16-1 first half run that gave the Wolfpack the lead for good.

America East Preseason Poll: BU #1

Press Release — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:29:28 -0400

HARTFORD, Conn.-- In search of its first league title since 2002, Boston University is the unanimous preseason choice of the coaches to win its sixth America East Men’s Basketball title in 2009-10. The selections were announced today as part of the America East Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon held at the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, host city for the 2010 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Newman’s Own on March 4-7.

The Terriers received all eight possible first-place votes (coaches were not allowed to vote for their team) and 64 points, followed by University of Vermont, which received the remaining first-place vote and 56 points. University at Albany barely edged Stony Brook University for third place with 43 points, while the Seawolves came in one point behind with 42, just ahead of University of New Hampshire’s 39. University of Hartford and UMBC tied for sixth with 28 points apiece, while University of Maine (14 points) and Binghamton University (12) rounded out the poll.

The 2010 America East Championship first, quarter and semifinal rounds will take place March 4-7 at Hartford’s Chase Arena in the Reich Family Pavilion. The title game will be hosted a week later by the highest remaining seed with the winner earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Boston University (17-11 overall, 11-5 America East in 2008-09) begins its first season under head coach Patrick Chambers, who helped lead Villanova to the Final Four last season as Jay Wright’s associate head coach. Chambers will inherit a wealth of talent as the Terriers return their top six scorers and 91.5 percent of their scoring from a year ago. Leading the charge will be first-team All-America East performers John Holland (18.1 ppg) and Corey Lowe (17.2 ppg), who ranked third and fourth, respectively, among league leaders in scoring. Reigning Rookie of the Year Jake O’Brien also returns for his sophomore season after averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest as a freshman.

Vermont (24-9, 13-3) captured a share of the America East regular-season crown and earned a postseason bid for the fifth time in seven years last season, reaching the second round of the College Basketball Invitational. The Catamounts lost four-time all-conference selection Mike Trimboli, who finished his career 12th on the conference’s all-time scoring list, but welcome back the premier player in the league in senior forward Marqus Blakely. The two-time America East Player and Defensive Player of the Year, Blakely ranked among league leaders in nearly every category, leading in rebounding (9.0 rpg), blocked shots (2.7 bpg) and steals (2.0 spg) and finishing fifth in scoring (16.1 ppg).

Albany (15-16, 6-10) reached the semifinals of the America East tournament for the third time in four years last March despite suffering its first sub-.500 conference mark since the 2003-04 season. The Great Danes are one of two teams (Boston U.) to welcome back multiple all-conference players in junior guard Tim Ambrose and junior forward Will Harris, both third-team honorees a year ago. Ambrose ranked ninth among league leaders in scoring (14.3 ppg) and 13th in rebounding (5.1 rpg), while Harris was 10th in scoring (12.9 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (6.5 rpg).

Stony Brook (16-14, 8-8) is coming off one of its best season as Division I program, winning its most games since 2000-01 and setting a program record for America East victories. The Seawolves return four starters, including second-team all-league choice Muhammad El-Amin, a preseason all-conference pick this year. El-Amin, who finished seventh with 15.7 points per game last year, is joined by a pair of All-Rookie selections in sophomores Tommy Brenton and Bryan Dougher. Brenton was the second-best rebounder in the league as a freshman with 8.9 rebounds per game, while Dougher was Seawolves’ second-leading scorer and among the league’s best in free throw (.772) and 3-point percentage (.363).

New Hampshire (14-16, 8-8) reached the semifinals of the America East Championship for the second time in four seasons under head coach Bill Herrion after not reaching the league’s Final Four since 1995. Junior guard Alvin Abreu will shoulder the load on the offensive end with the graduation of All-America East performer Tyrece Gibbs. Abreu, an all-rookie choice two years ago, ranked second on UNH with 12.8 points and 2.2 assists per game. Fellow juniors Tyrone Conley (8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Dane DiLiegro (5.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) will be important if the Wildcats are to capture their first conference title.

Hartford (7-26, 2-14) took a step back from its record-setting season of 2007-08 but was without leading scorer Joe Zeglinski, a first-team all-conference choice two years ago and a preseason selection each of the past two years, who missed all but 10 games with an ankle injury. Zeglinski, who has averaged 16.0 points per game over the last two seasons and is one of three players that have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark (1,099), should drastically help Hartford improve on its league-worst 60.5 points per game output.

UMBC (15-17, 7-9) reached the title game of the America East Championship for the second straight year in 2009, becoming just the second No. 6 seed to reach the league final. Gone are all-conference performers Jay Greene, who finished his career third on America East’s all-time assist list, and Darryl Proctor, who racked up 1,138 points and 558 rebounds in just two seasons at UMBC, but back is senior forward Matt Spadafora, who has started 44 straight games for the Retrievers and averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest last year.

Maine (9-21, 4-12) returns four starters from a year ago, including All-Rookie honoree Gerald McLemore, who ranked second among first-year players with 12.1 points per game. Junior forwards Troy Barnies (7.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Sean McNally (9.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) ranked fourth and 15th, respectively, in rebounding last year. Junior college transfers Jerrell Boswell and Terrance Mitchell, who combined to average 39 points per game last season, should make the Black Bear offense, which was fourth in the league (66.0 ppg) last year get ever better.

Binghamton (23-9, 13-3) return three players from a squad that set a school record with 23 wins, won its first-ever America East title and made its first NCAA appearance. Junior guard Chretian Lukusa started 11 games for the Bearcats down the stretch last season in which they went 9-2. Sophomore center Kyrie Sutton started 15 games and ranked fifth among league leaders in blocked shots (1.2 bpg).

Poll: Who Wil Win the America East?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:04:54 -0400

2009-10 Binghamton Basketball Preview: #110

Joel Welser — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:09:51 -0400

Overall Rank: #110

Conference Rank: #1 America East

2008-09: 23-9, 13-3

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Kevin Broadus (37-25 at Binghamton, 222-120 overall)

Binghamton made their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in March and no matter what happened, they were happy to be the there and no matter what happened, they know the future looks bright. Unfortunately for the Bearcats their first foray in the big dance was against Duke in North Carolina, so it did not go all that well, but Coach Kevin Broadus has quickly turned this into a winning program and it will not be long before his team gets another shot to pull off an NCAA upset.

Key Losses: F Reggie Fuller, G Brandon Herbert

Key Newcomers:

Four starters are back, but losing Reggie Fuller, who averaged 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds as a senior, is a concern. The addition of junior college transfers Paul Crosby and Greer Wright, as well as division III transfer Mahamoud Jabbi, should give the Bearcats some experienced options. It is Crosby, a 6-8, 235 pound center, who is expected to contribute the most this year, but the team will need some production from Wright as well. Incoming freshmen wings Taylor Johnston and Dylan Talley have size and potential, but they will have a year to watch some of the best players in the conference before they will be asked to contribute.

Backcourt:

Even if you count 6-4 superstar D.J. Rivera as a forward, the Bearcats still have a dynamic backcourt. Emanuel Mayben will play out of control at times, but he is a great athlete who does a lot for this team. He is a solid outside shooter and is never afraid to create a play for his teammates. His intensity lends itself to a large number of turnovers, yet he is emerging as a leader. Malik Alvin is not quite as effective from long range as Mayben and will do most of his damage getting to the basket. Alvin is a similar player otherwise, especially considering they both happened to average 11.5 points per game last year. Chretien Lukusa started 11 games last year and could find himself in a full-time starting position this year if he can be an effective rebounder from the wing.

Frontcourt:

The biggest thing standing between Binghamton and another America East title is the frontcourt. Not only was Fuller a very effective interior scorer and the team’s best rebounder, but he also was easily the best shot blocker on the team. Most of the time Fuller would start at the four spot while Kyrie Sutton and the now departed Jaan Montgomery started at the five. That was pretty much just on paper though and Fuller spent a lot of time playing the center position. Sutton is back after a relatively successful freshman campaign. He is not much of a scorer at this point in his career, but he is good shot blocker and rebounder. The starting job may be his for now, but the newcomers, most notably Crosby, will be in the mix very soon.

Who to Watch:

And it is very important that the newcomers can handle the jobs in the frontcourt so Rivera can spend some time at the small forward position. At 6-4, he is a little undersized to play power forward against certain opposition. But really it does not matter where Rivera plays. The Mid-Major All-American averaged a smooth 20.0 points per game and added 6.5 boards. He may be a little undersized, but he is a tenacious rebounder. This team will revolve around the multi-faceted Rivera and he can take over a game no matter where he plays.

Final Projection:

Coach Broadus did a good job filling the necessary holes by going to the junior college ranks. It is not always the best way to build a program, but this program is already built and he needed to find a couple big guys who were experienced enough to keep the success of the program going and that is exactly what will happen if the Bearcats win another conference title.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Emanuel Mayben, Senior, Guard, 11.5 points per game

Malik Alvin, Senior, Guard, 11.5 points per game

Chretien Lukusa, Junior, Guard, 4.4 points per game

D.J. Rivera, Senior, Forward, 20.0 points per game

Kyrie Sutton, Sophomore, Center, 1.6 points per game

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Binghamton: 2009 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Joel Welser — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:23:52 -0400

Binghamton Bearcats

America East (23-8, 13-3)

Big Wins: 12/23 Rider (69-58), 1/8 Vermont (91-83), 2/4 at Vermont (85-83)

Bad Losses: 11/25 at Central Connecticut State (51-76), 12/9 at Bucknell (60-63), 1/10 at Utah Valley (70-80)

Last NCAA Appearance: none

Coach: Kevin Broadus (First NCAA appearance)

Why They Can Surprise:

Binghamton has a trio of guards that are capable scorers. They might not be the best shooters around, but D.J. Rivera, Malik Alvin and Emanuel Mayben will do plenty of scoring. Rivera is the go-to-guy and averages 20.0 points per game. The 6-4 wing does a magnificent job getting to the basket and, at the least, he will get fouled. Rivera is not a great free-throw shooter, but he makes up for that by getting to the line so much. As long as it is not at the end of the game, it will not be a big problem.

Alvin is a lot like Rivera, but not quite as effective of a scorer. He will do a great job getting to the basket and finishing, but Alvin’s game is more about setting up his teammates than scoring. Alvin dishes out 3.8 assists per game and he is not even the team’s leader in that category. Mayben, a transfer from Massachusetts, dishes out 4.6 assists per contest and between Alvin and Mayben, Binghamton has two very capable ball handlers.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Reggie Fuller does the dirty work in the paint. He is a good rebounder, a solid shot blocker and has emerged as a decent scorer in the paint. The problem is the rest of the team struggles on the glass. Center Kyrie Sutton is the usual starter, but he only averages 11.7 minutes per game and rarely is given the opportunity to contribute. The Bearcats will play relatively small most of the time and that is a big problem in the rebounding department.

Who To Watch:

Eleven different players have started at least two games this year for Coach Kevin Broadus. The lack of continuity has not seemed to effect this team, but it does mean that Binghamton can get some help from unexpected players, most notably Moussa Camara, Brandon Herbert and Chretien Lukusa. Each of those three players have had at least two double digit scoring games this year and the Bearcats will need at least one of them to step up during the tournament if they hope to pull off an upset. Camara and Herbert are both quality shooters and they need to provide a spark off of the bench at some point.

Probable Starters:

Emanuel Mayben, Junior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 4.6 apg

Malik Alvin, Junior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 3.8 apg

Chretien Lukusa, Sophomore, Guard, 4.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg

D.J. Rivera, Junior, Forward, 20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Reggie Fuller, Senior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Moussa Camara, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg

Brandon Herbert, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Kyrie Sutton, Freshman, Center, 1.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.4 (131^st in nation, 2^nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 67.4 (155, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.0 (156, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (71, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (180, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.1 (205, 5)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.4 (245, 8)

Rebound Margin: -1.4 (237, 5)

Assists Per Game: 12.5 (210, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (122, 2)

Following the Bracket announcement, more team info will be added, including final RPI, final team statistical rankings, Joel's prediction, and more!

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America East Tournament: Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:04:16 -0500

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

America East

The first three rounds will be played in Albany’s home court, SECFU Arena, with the final happening on Saturday morning at the higher remaining seed.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Binghamton	100.00%	85.45%	53.64%	26.52%
2	Vermont	100.00%	87.92%	62.85%	45.92%
3	Boston University	100.00%	86.45%	32.33%	18.97%
4	New Hampshire	100.00%	28.09%	7.94%	0.82%
5	Stony Brook	100.00%	71.91%	34.71%	6.86%
6	UMBC	100.00%	13.55%	1.39%	0.19%
7	Albany	100.00%	12.08%	3.43%	0.47%
8	Maine	75.37%	12.98%	3.54%	0.24%
9	Hartford	24.63%	1.57%	0.18%	0.00%

Hometown team Albany got the worst possible opening draw, as the favorite, #2 Vermont will be a tough task. Binghamton and BU should be the main challengers, with Stony Brook a team from outside the top 4 that could cause a big surprise.

#1 – Binghamton Bearcats (20-8, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.072

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Binghamton is the hottest team in the conference, having won each of its last eight games, but it’s only been the third best team in the league by efficiency margin standards. The Bearcats have been good defenders, holding opponents to a low percentage and forcing a lot of turnovers, but they have had problems with rebounding and commit a lot of fouls. Offensively, they’ve been an average team, not making a lot of mistakes, but not excelling in any area either.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG% - Rivera is the conference’s leading scorer, and the St. Joe’s transfer is the only America East player to average more than 20 points a game. His long-distance shooting leaves something to be desired, but he’s an efficient player because of his ability to score inside and his remarkable turnover rate, giving the ball up just 46 times on the year.

6-6 SR Reggie Fuller, 10.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6 eFG% - Fuller is only the 5^th ranked scorer on the team, but he’s a good inside shooter who puts up solid rebounding and shot-blocking numbers. He’s also improved his play of late, averaging more than 15 points in his last six games.

#2 – Vermont Catamounts (23-7, 13-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.1637

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (2^nd Round)

Vermont has easily been the best team in the conference, except when it came to games against Binghamton, as it was swept in the season series with the Bearcats. The Catamounts have the America East’s best offense, shooting 48% from the floor and getting to the free-throw line very often. They also defend well, dominating the inside while forcing a lot of turnovers. Opponents have successfully shot over them, and they’ll need to be careful against teams with good long-range shooters.

Players to watch:

6-5 JR Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG% - Blakely is the conference’s best forward, leading the league in rebounds, steals and blocks. He’s a 60% shooter who does a lot of good work inside, with his only real weakness being his 56% free-throw shooting.

6-1 SR Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG% - There are some questions about Trimboli’s health heading into the tournament, and as the team’s best guard, his return will be criticaly important for the Catamounts’ chances. He’s a good three-point shooter who also distributes the ball efficiently.

#3 – Boston University Terriers (17-12, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.095

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2002 (1^st Round)

Boston University is the 2^nd ranked team by EM, but faces a tough path to the title game with a potential semifinal against Vermont. The Terriers are a heavily perimeter-oriented team, taking a lot of their shots from behind the arc, and doing a pretty job of making them. They’ve also been good at defending threes, but poor interior defense and weak offensive rebounding have held them back in overall defensive efficiency.

Players to watch:

6-5 SO John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG% - Holland leads the team in points and rebounds, and has split his shooting almost evenly between twos and threes, putting up a good percentage in both areas.

6-2 JR Corey Lowe, 16.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 53.3 eFG% - Lowe is the other player on the Terriers who puts up a lot of shots, and is another good three-point shooter who also manages to distribute the ball to teammates.

#4 – New Hampshire Wildcats (13-15, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.033

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

With the top three teams separating themselves from the pack, New Hampshire will have a tough time making any progress in Albany, and are actually the only top 4 team not favored to advance to the semis. The problem has been the Wildcat offense, which has been one of the conference’s worst. It uses a slow style, but doesn’t do it very well, putting up one of the country’s worst field goal percentages and giving the ball up often. This has left it to the defense to bail out UNH, something it has occasionally managed to do with excellent rebounding. New Hampshire needs to watch out for fouls, which were a problem in the non-conference, but have improved in America East play.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Tyrece Gibbs, 14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 51.7 eFG% - Gibbs is an excellent three-point shooter, and while his shots from inside the arc aren’t as effective, he takes enough threes to make him a decently efficient player.

6-8 SO Dane Diliegro, 5.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 54.3 eFG% - Diliegro isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he’s an excellent rebounder who takes his chances well when he gets them.

#5 – Stony Brook Seawolves (16-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.045

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Four of Stony Brook’s eight conference losses have come in overtime (one in quadruple OT), so it’s not really a surprise that they are under-seeded, relative to their EM performance. They should be slight favorites against New Hampshire, mostly because of the conference’s best defense. The Seawolves get opponents to attempt a lot of threes, and manage to hold them to a pretty poor percentage, while also getting their hands on the ball a lot, either through turnovers or rebounds. Offensively, they tend to focus on getting the ball inside, a strategy that has been fairly unsuccessful, when you consider their conference-worst 44% shooting from two.

Players to watch:

6-5JR Muhammad El-Amin, 15.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - El-Amin is one of the rare three-point threats on the Seawolves, and the Ju-Co transfer has not been afraid to shoot with impunity. He takes nearly a third of the team’s shots when he’s on the floor, and makes just enough to justify it.

6-6 SR Demetrius Young, 9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 67.5 eFG% - His season-long numbers haven’t been that impressive, but Young is a guy who has really stepped up his play in recent days, and as the conference’s leader in FG%, will cause a lot of problems for opponents inside. He’s started just 4 games all year, but averaged 14 points a game in the month of February.

#6 –Maryland Baltimore County (13-16, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The defending champions lost a lot from their 2008 team, and have really felt it on the defensive end of the floor, where they’ve had the worst record in the conference. They force few turnovers, and while they’ve defended the inside shot decently, teams have lit them up from three. One interesting thing about UMBC is its ability to avoid turnovers, as it’s put up one of the country’s lowest rates in that area. It hasn’t been too much of a help to the offense, though, as too many of its possessions have ended with missed shots. The wide majority of these shots have come from inside the arc, as UMBC has taken a lower percentage of threes than all but two other teams in the country.

Players to watch:

5-8 SR Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG% - Greene is the only Retriever who is a threat from behind the arc, taking the majority of his shots from three. He also leads the conference in assists, and is an excellent outside complement to his team’s inside-oriented attack.

6-4 SR Darryl Proctor, 20.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 47.6 eFG% - No player in the nation has played more minutes than Proctor, who averages 39.6 per game, and had his biggest night off when he played 33 against Pitt. He’s not just a guy who plays a lot, though, as he takes a huge role in the offense, and is a very good rebounder. He’s also committed just 64 turnovers all season, which is a very impressive number when you consider how much he plays.

#7 – Albany Great Danes (14-15, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.069

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Albany isn’t the kind of team you’d look at for an upset run, seventh in the league in offense and defense, but the fact that the tournament will be on its home floor at SEFCU Arena means that they will have a shot at causing some trouble. The Great Danes got the worst possible draw in Vermont, however, and could easily find themselves drummed out fast. They are spectacular rebounders, putting up one of the best rates in the entire country. They get a lot of chances to practice, as they are pretty bad shooters, especially from behind the arc. They also find themselves on the wrong side of turnover margin more often than not, and don’t force a lot of misses from opponents.

Players to watch:

6-0 SO Tim Ambrose, 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 49.1 eFG% - Ambrose leads the team in scoring, despite playing just 24 minutes a game, mostly because he has really struggled with foul trouble. He’s a solid shooter and has a very good assist rate, but just can’t stay on the court enough to really put up big averages.

6-6 JR Will Harris, 12.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 47.7 eFG% - Harris had a strong run at the start of the conference season, but has really cooled off towards the end of the year. He’s a decent percentage player, but not overly notable.

#8 – Maine Black Bears (9-20, 4-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.065

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

A 4-12 record in conference play is a little harsh for a team that has been about the same as the two teams ahead of them, and the Black Bears will be a little unfortunate to have to play an opening round game against Hartford. Defensively, they struggle inside, but manage to get opponents to shoot mostly three-pointers, where they are pretty effective. However, they’re also terrible defensive rebounders, so forcing a stop isn’t necessarily good enough to help them out.

Players to watch:

6-7 SO Sean McNally, 9.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 44.5 eFG% - McNally doesn’t play a big role in the offense, but is the Bears’ most effective offensive player, due to his ability to pick up offensive rebounds. He’s a decent shooter, but takes a few too many fruitless threes.

6-5 JR Mark Socoby, 12.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 45.7 eFG% - Socoby leads the team in scoring, but he’s a bit of a liability for Maine, as most of his shots come from behind the arc, where he barely cracks 30%.

#9 – Hartford Hawks (6-25, 2-14) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.154

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Hartford’s last win came on January 14^th, and it looks likely that it’ll finish the season on a 15-game losing streak. The Hawks’ offense has been simply terrible, one of the worst in the nation in getting to the free throw line and rebounding, and putting up a lot of threes, while hitting just 29% as a team from behind the arc. The Hartford defense has actually been decent, forcing teams to the outside and getting a lot of turnovers, but only having half a decent team isn’t good enough.

Players to watch:

6-2 SR Jaret Von Rosenberg, 12.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 45.7 eFG% - Von Rosenberg averages more than 38 minutes a game, and while he does a good job getting the ball to teammates, and is a good scorer inside the arc, his 27% three-point shooting really limits his effectiveness.

6-5 SR Michael Turner, 11.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 50.4 eFG% - Turner is a key player to any potential Hartford success, the only player who hits a solid percentage of long-distance shots and the team’s best rebounder.

My statistical all-America East team:

UMBC SR G Jay Greene, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 52.1 eFG%

Vermont SR G Mike Trimboli, 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 53.8 eFG%

Boston University SO G/F John Holland, 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 56.2 eFG%

Binghamton JR F D.J. Rivera, 20.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52.5 eFG%

Vermont JR F Marqus Blakely, 15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG,1.9 SPG, 2.8 BPG, 60.3 eFG%

5 things: Texas Troubles, Injuries, Curry FT's Overrated?

Kevin McNeill — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:48:21 -0500

Kevin McNeill's weekly 5 Things column breaks down what's important in the world of college basketball.

This week, we learned that...

1) Maybe foul shooting isn’t as important as we thought

The very best teams in the country, at least in terms of the latest Coaches’ poll, all have several things in common. They have certified superstars that will be high NBA draft picks in June, they have multiple offensive weapons, and they usually out-rebound their opponents by a solid margin.

They also stink at free throws.

The #1 team in the nation, Pittsburgh, is currently ranked 251^st in the nation in free throw percentage (out of 330 teams). UConn is 157^th. Oklahoma comes in at 194^th and Memphis is right there at 165^th.

Only until you reach the North Carolina section of the polls, specifically the Tar Heels (10^th) and Duke (61^st), do you find teams that really take advantage of the charity stripe.

But they are more the exception than the rule. Other teams widely seen as top contenders for a Final Four run are just as abysmal. Michigan State is ranked 170^th in free throw percentage, but they are automatic at the line compared to Louisville (256^th) and Missouri (255^th).

This is not to suggest these schools will not make it to Detroit. Memphis last season was the 318^th worst free throw shooting team in the country (out of 328 schools), yet still posted the nation’s best record, and made the national title game. They were actually only two minutes away from winning the championship, but couldn’t hold on to a nine point lead because of, well, free throws.

In fact, it wouldn’t be so bad if many of these teams did make it to the Final Four. Poor foul shooting has contributed to some of the most memorable national title games in history. Who could forget (dating myself here) Derrick Coleman missing a one-and-one at the end of the 1987 title game, setting up Keith Smart’s game winning shot? There was the terrible free throw shooting by Kansas in 2003 which allowed Syracuse to jump out to a big lead, only to have the Orange’s own poor shooting from the stripe down the stretch allow Kansas back within one final shot to tie it, which was swatted away by Hakim Warrick. And of course, there was the unforgettable final from a year ago.

There may be another memorable game in a few weeks.

2) There have been some Texas-sized disappointments this season

Returning four starters from last season’s Elite Eight team, including top rebounder Damion James and second-leading scorer AJ Abrams, Texas was a fashionable pick to win the national title this year. They were projected to (barely) finish second to Oklahoma in the Big 12 in the preseason, and began the year ranked in the top 10.

They remained there as recently as Jan 12^th, before losing to Oklahoma in Norman. After seemingly righting the ship with three straight wins, they lost at home to Kansas State and Missouri. The next game they were stunned at Nebraska.

The Longhorns did earn a hard-fought victory over Oklahoma Saturday, but the first half concussion to Blake Griffin that knocked him out of the game seemed to taint the effort. Previously, they lost to Texas A&M on the road, and needed overtime to put away 9-17 Colorado.

Texas, at 18-8 and 7-5 in the Big 12, is in good shape for an at-large berth. They have quality wins over UCLA, Villanova and now Oklahoma. But even this late in the season they are not a lock yet - especially with road dates with Kansas and Oklahoma State still on the schedule – something that was unimaginable two months ago.

Baylor was another trendy pick to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, returning an experienced team with most of their starters from last year’s surprise Tourney team, including preseason Wooden Award candidate Curtis Jerrells. They began the season ranked in the Top 20.

Now they have dropped seven of their last eight, are completely out of the NCAA bubble picture, and – at 16-10 – in danger of missing out on the NIT.

Texas A&M was sitting pretty at 14-1 at the beginning of conference play, with resume-boosting victories over Arizona and LSU. Twelve games later, they are sitting at 5-7 in the Big 12, in sole possession of eighth place. They need to win their final four games – which includes a home matchup against Missouri - to ensure a winning conference record. Even that will probably not be enough to earn an at-large berth should they fail to advance deep into the Big 12 Tournament.

Texas Tech is just a train wreck. Coach Pat Knight was suspended one game by the Big 12 Conference for ripping the refs in his post game news conference after losing to Texas A&M at home Saturday. This comes a month after Knight was reprimanded by the Conference for making a fool of himself and charging the referees after being ejected from a losing effort against Nebraska.

The Red Raiders are currently 2-10 in the Big 12 with games remaining against Oklahoma and Kansas. They have won two games in their last 13 tries. At least the school re-signed Mike Leach.

3) The Citadel now has a shot at the Southern Conference’s automatic bid

Stephen Curry clearly has not recovered from a severely turned ankle, and may not be for the rest of the season, which means a tiny senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina may be on the verge of one of the most improbable NCAA Tournament berths in history.

The Citadel crushed a Curry-less Davidson on the road last week, the Bulldogs’ 10^th straight victory – the second longest in the nation behind Memphis. Once 7-9, they now sit at 18-10 and in sole possession of second place in the conference behind the Wildcats, and having already swept the third place team, the College of Charleston.

Davidson shot a miserable 25% from the field in that game without their leader. In their previous meeting back in January, the Wildcats shot 47% in a 15 point drubbing, helped in no small part by Curry’s 32 points.

On Saturday, Curry returned to the lineup against Butler, but clearly was favoring his ankle, and simply did not have the quick first step that has made him the nation’s leading scorer. He shot just 6 for 23 from the field, and committed seven turnovers.

Now it is highly unlikely, even with Curry not at 100%, that the Wildcats do not win the Southern Conference regular season title. They are in first place by two games, and their remaining three games are against UNC-Greensboro, Georgia Southern, and Elon – three of the worst teams in the conference. However, the Southern Conference Tournament could be ripe for a shocking upset.

The Citadel has never once been to the postseason. They haven’t won more than one game in the Southern Conference Tournament in 50 years. They have had four winning regular season records in the last 20 years. They have posted just a single 20 win season which came 30 years ago.

Suffice it to say, the Bulldogs playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament would be the single biggest underdog in the history of organized athletics. But somehow, I don’t think they would mind.

3) The America East regular season title will be decided this week

Vermont and Binghamton are currently tied for first place in the America East Conference with just a single game to go. Binghamton has swept the Catamounts, both games in nail-biting fashion, so either a win or Vermont loss gives them the regular season title. That title, and # 1 seed in the America East Tournament, is crucial because the highest seed gets home court advantage in the title game. The # 1 seed has gone on to win the conference’s automatic berth in three of the last four years.

Vermont plays on the road against a Maine team that has won just four conference games on Sunday, while Binghamton is at home Thursday against UMBC (Maryland-Baltimore County).

5) Injuries are playing a major factor in other conference races as well

With the best player in the country, the Sooners were legitimate national title contenders, and had the best record in college basketball. Since Blake Griffin suffered a concussion in the first half of a crucial game against Texas, however, Oklahoma has lost two in a row, the latest at home to Kansas, who now own sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Griffin should be back in the lineup for the matchup against Texas Tech on Saturday, but it may now be too late to salvage a Big 12 regular season title. The Jayhawks final three games are against underachieving Texas Tech and Texas (at home) and a revenge game against arch-rival Missouri (also at home).

St. Mary’s was on track to overtake Gonzaga for first place in the WCC, but star guard Patty Mills broke two bones in his hand during the game against the Zags that would have accomplished it . After that crushing defeat, the Gaels went on to lose three of their next four, and were soon out of contention in the conference. Even after a huge win over a ranked Utah State team recently – their third win in a row - ESPN’s Andy Katz reported that St. Mary’s would have a very tough time earning an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament should Patty Mills not return in time for the WCC Tournament, simply because they “probably won't be able to convince the (NCAA selection) committee that they can be the same team without him.”

Finally, the season-ending knee injury to Jerome Dyson, who was averaging 13 points and 4 boards a game, is a potentially huge blow to UConn’s chances in the Big East Conference. The Huskies currently have a half game lead in the Big East over Marquette, Louisville and Pittsburgh with three games to play. Two of those games are on the road against the Panthers and Golden Eagles.

Seven Day Stretch: Surprise Cal & ESPN's Redesign

Rob Carpentier — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:08:19 -0500

Rob Carpentier's "Seven Day Stretch" is a whirlwind tour around every corner of college basketball nation:

Seven Day Savior (Team): California

The Pitt Panthers had a very strong week, culminating in their dismantling of Georgetown on Saturday. But, quite frankly, that was what was expected from Pitt at the start of the season; that they would be a player at the national title table. So the SDS team of the week is a surprise; the Golden Bears of California. To wit; Cal was picked to finish in the bottom third of the Pac-10, and the Pac-10 is down this season. They lost their best player, Ryan Anderson, to the NBA and graduated their three-year starter at the point. However, they also dumped coach Ben Braun and brought in Stanford legend Mike Montgomery. To date the Bears are 13-2 and are tied atop the Pac-10 after a weekend sweep of the Arizona schools. That is particularly impressive when you remember how well Arizona was playing as they entered conference play, and the fact that Arizona State really is a ranked team. Monty has already gotten the Bears to buy into his tough halfcourt man-to-man defense and he has two guards who he can build his offense around in Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher. Christopher is particularly good as he is a multi-dimensional player. This coming weekend will tell us more about Cal as they go on the road to the Washington schools. But for now, Cal is the surprise co-leader of the Pac-10.

Seven Day Savior (Player): DJ Rivera

Junior forward D.J. Rivera of Binghamton may be more valuable to his team than any player in the country. Of the 13 games that the Bearcats have played, Rivera has led them in scoring…13 times. If that’s not the definition of consistency, I don’t know what is. He averages 21 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. He is only 6’4” and plays out of position, especially on the defensive end, but he plays much bigger than his size. His athleticism is excellent and lets him do things that teams in the America East Conference just don’t see regularly. In the past week he scored a combined 40 points in wins over Maine and Stony Brook. Rivera does all of this knowing that every opponent is trying to specifically take him out of the game. If Binghamton keeps winning, and Rivera keeps scoring, he’s going to become a mid-major “feel good” story come March.

Game of the Week (The one you’ve already heard about): UNC vs Wake Forest

This one may be one of the easiest picks to make this season. On Sunday night #4 Wake Forest hosts #3 North Carolina. Enough said, right? Not necessarily. Carolina’s upset loss at home to Boston College last weekend makes this a very important game for the Tar Heels. It’s not a must-win game, but its close. If the Deacons win, that would mean that Carolina would fall further behind ACC leaders Wake and (presumably) Duke. Wake is undefeated but their record is a bit deceptive. The Demon Deacons’ best wins have been over Baylor and at BYU. The win over BYU did break the Cougars’ 53 game home winning streak but BYU is not the same team this year that they have been in the past (ie, lacking an inside presence like Trent Plaisted). Wake Forest is very good, led by guard Jeff Teague and freshman phenom Al-Farouq Aminu. Coach Dino Gaudio has started the same five players in all 13 games and has a great deal of stability in his set rotation. But Wake is very young. Teague and #2 scorer James Johnson are sophomores and Aminu is a frosh. They are, however, playing at home. North Carolina, on the other hand, stands to come out angry & hungry after their loss to BC. However, this should help the Heels focus on the task at hand rather than listening to pundits wonder if they can go undefeated this season. It should be a very good early season conference game.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): Miami vs Akron

The MAC has a history of putting multiple teams in the Big Dance come March, but recently the conference has gone through a down cycle. That’s why it’s vitally important to win the conference and on Saturday the Mid American Conference has a match-up between the two preseason picks to be the class of the league; Miami (Oh) hosts Akron in what is not only a battle of tope MAC teams, but is also a “derby game”, to use soccer parlance, in that they are both Ohio teams. Miami has perhaps the conference’s most proficient scorer in Michael Bramos, while the Zips counter with the three-headed monster of Nate Linhart. Brett McKnight and Anthony Hitchens, who average over 30 points between them. The Zips are a defensive squad while the Red Hawks can score in bunches. Besides the fact that the game is at Miami, the one common opponent that they have is Pitt. While the Panthers beat both handily, Akron was much more competitive than Miami when facing the Panthers. This should be a real battle.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Boise State/Western Illinois/Middle Tennessee

There are three teams that share the honor this week. Honestly, I couldn’t separate what each team has accomplished up to this point in the season, so I decided that all three were deserving. The first squad is the Broncos from Boise State. They have started 10-3, beaten two Mountain West schools and are looking for their second consecutive NCAA bid. This is the same Boise State program that won perhaps the most entertaining conference tournament games in the nation last season. The second squad is the Leathernecks from Western Illinois. They sit atop the Summit League, (the former Mid Continent Conference), with a record of 3-0. They haven’t beaten anyone of note, (although they have been competitive against the likes of Iowa), they have an RPI in the 300s and they probably won’t win the league, but Western has been bad for so long, (basically for the entire history of the conference going back to the early 80s), that they deserved some props for being in first place this late in the season. The final squad is Middle Tennessee State. They appear to be the main competition for Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference. They have suffered narrow losses to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Houston. They have already defeated Missouri State and perennial Sun Belt power South Alabama, both on the road. This is a good team that should make some noise over the coming weeks. The January 15 game at WKU is going to be a barn-burner.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Dennis Felton

Unfortunately, Georgia coach Dennis Felton is probably in trouble. I say unfortunately because he’s a good man who seems to run a very clean and responsible program. He insists upon accountability and maturity from his players. The problem is that Felton survived the pink slip last season because of the Bulldogs’ improbable run to the SEC Tournament title. His squad currently sits at 9-5 but the Bulldogs have already suffered losses at the hands of Loyola (Il.), and Texas A&M CC. Those losses are bad and even though the SEC is down this season, Georgia still has two games each against the tougher teams of the SEC East division. It’s looking likely that Felton will only survive as coach after this season if his team either starts to surprise some of the likes of Tennessee and Florida or the Bulldogs make another (highly improbable) run to the NCAAs.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: ESPN’s Redesign

Stepping outside of college basketball for a moment, I want to comment on the redesign of ESPN’s website. As a writer I use many sources to find out information for my various columns. That’s what makes collegehoops.net so good; the writers do a great deal of legwork to get proper information for their articles. ESPN.com is one of the sites that I use and the redesign is simply awful. It is completely non-user friendly. Many of the easy tabs that a viewer can use are now several steps away from where they were making using the site much more tedious. I suppose I should be happy that the redesign has gone over as such, at least to me, as it could lead to even more fans using collegehoops.net as their primary source for college basketball information. But as a writer and a researcher I can’t for the life of me figure out why they redid something that was working so well. Perhaps it’s to be more “hip”, or to show more videos. Who knows? What I do know is that I will use other sites that are more user friendly to help me do my research. I am confident others will do this as well.