Preseason

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 46 to 60

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:05:33 -0700

Continuing with the Early 2012-13 Ranking, here are teams 46 to 60.

Its worth repeating that I had to make many assumptions about the NBA Draft in compiling the following list, and I've noted which assumptions I've made. This ranking will be updated later in the summer once players have made their official draft decisions. Also uncertain is where some remaining unsigned recruits will end up, and how the coaching carousel will take form. I purposely made no assumptions about where unsigned prospects will end up. (All prospect rankings are according to the Rivals 150 ranking.)

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 45-60

46 Miami Another year under Jim Larranaga should find the Hurricanes on the inside of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Malcolm Grant departs but he did not have a terribly good season anyways.

47 Butler After a down year, Butler should once again be the class of the Horizon League. Transfer Rotnei Clarke gives them a scoring-punch that was severely lacking this year. Three solid guards enter as freshmen, who should help with depth.

48 Colorado Carlon Brown and Austin Dufault are not small loses, but the hope is that Andre Roberson blossoms into a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. The Buffs recruiting haul is easily their best of the last decade.

49 BYU The Cougars lose veterans Hartsock and Abouo but should still settle into their usual bubble-bound slot. Another year of improvement from Matt Carlino should help.

50 Pittsburgh Coming off of a disastrous season, Pittsburgh has no where to go but up. Although Gibbs and Robinson depart, the Panthers welcome 4th ranked recruit Steven Adams, one of their best-ever recruits. A healthy Tray Woodall would certainly help as well.

51 UCF After being a fringe-bubble team that last two years, UCF will once again be hoping to make the tourney. Although PG AJ Rompza graduates, the team returns solid All-CUSA caliber players in Keith Clanton, Marcus Jordan, and Isaiah Sykes.

52 Temple The Owls should take a step back with key senior losses, including leader Ramone Moore, but expect them to still be competitive in the A10. Khalif Wyatt could score 20 ppg now that the team is fully in his hands. The recruiting haul might be Temple's best since 2007.

53 Xavier Besides leader Tu Holloway, they also loses Kenny Frease and Andre Walker. Role players like Travis Taylor and Jeff Robinson will really need to step it up if Xavier wants to makes its 8th tourney in a row. 4-star recruit Semaj Christon is capable of contributing at PG from day one.

54 UCONN Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond will presumably go pro, and the roster looks pretty thin without them. Last year's shock tourney run covers up what has been 3 years in a row of .500 or worse basketball in Big East play. Add in the potential sanctions and Calhoun's health, and you have yourself a lot of questions.

55 Belmont Seniors Drew Hanlen, Mick Hedgepeth, and Scott Saunders depart, but Kerron Johnson and Ian Clark are still two of the A-Sun's top players. Incoming PG Craig Bradshaw is one of Belmont's better pickups and should fit right into the program.

56 South Florida Three seniors that played over 25 minutes per game depart, but South Florida shouldn't expect too much of a drop-off. USF's 4-person recruiting class is solid for their standards, but still mediocre as far as the Big East goes.

57 Mississippi St With Dee Bost a senior and Arnett Moultrie presumably going pro, Mississippi St loses its leading scorer, passer, rebounder, and defender. Although an underrated 5-person recruiting class was set to come in, Rick Stanbury's retirement does open some questions.

58 West Virginia For a team that often struggled to score the ball, it will be interesting to see how they'll manage without Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant. Those two scored almost 50% of the Mountaineers points. Aaric Murray and Juwan Staten are solid transfers who will help.

59 Southern Miss USM was never as good as their gaudy RPI suggested.. Graduations will put a major dent into their major strength, which was depth, but their top two scorers do return.

60 Iowa St The key for Iowa St is whether Royce White decides to go pro. I'm assuming here that he does, which would mean the Cyclones lose their 3 leading scorers. A pair of solid transfers enter the mix, as well as their best recruiting class in a few years.

Also Under Consideration (alphabetical order)

Akron

California

Harvard

Illinois St

Minnesota

Nevada

Ole Miss

Oregon

Providence

Vanderbilt

Virginia

<< Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 45

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 31 to 45

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:30:12 -0700

Continuing with the Early 2012-13 Ranking, here are teams 31 to 45.

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 31-45

31 UNLV UNLV loses two starters, though returnees Mike Moser and Anthony Marshall are two of the MWC's top talents. The hope is that incoming freshman Katin Reinhardt (7th best shooting guard by Rivals) helps offset the loss of sharp-shooter Chace Stanback.

32 Arizona While Solomon Hill and Nick Johnson are solid returning players, its really all about the newcomers. In Brandon Ashley, Kaleb Tarczewski, Gabe York, and Grant Jerrett, Arizona welcomes 4 Top 50 recruits with pro potential. The team's lack of star point guard could hold them back however.

33 Davidson Already the Southern Conference's elite team, Davidson should be even better next year with everyone of note returning. De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen form a solid inside-outside tandem, and with a little bit of luck in non-conference play, Davidson could be a Top 25 team. This is the year Davidson reaps the rewards of the Steph Curry recruiting bounce.

34 Tennessee Once Jarnell Stokes joined the team, Tennessee played like an NCAA Tournament team down the stretch. With the likes of Golden and Maymom returning, the Vols could even surpass this projection.

35 Ohio Everyone returns from a team that was just a few possessions away from the Elite Eight. Despite that, Ohio will not be a lock for the MAC title with solid squads returning across the league. Perhaps the league can potentially return to multiple-bid territory?

36 Washington It all comes down to the Draft for Washington. Freshman Tony Wroten and sophomore Terrence Ross are potential 1st Round Draft picks. I'm assuming for this prediction, that one of the two returns. If both return, UW could certainly make a push for the Pac-12 title.

37 Georgetown While Georgetown had a Top 15 season, they lose their best guard in Jason Clark and best big in Henry Sims. Hollis Thompson should return along with emerging talent Otto Porter to form a solid frontcourt. 5-star recruit D'Vauntes Smith Rivera (ranked 22nd by Rivals) is the key however. He replaces Clark as the team's main cog in the backcourt.

38 Cincinnati Cincinnati heads into next season without seniors Yancy Gates and Dion Dixon. Besides losing their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers, Gates was also their leading rebounder and main interior presence. With little recruiting help on the way, it will be key that Sean Kilpatrick continues to emerge as a bona fine star.

39 Colorado St The Rams were probably never as good as their RPI suggested, but they still had a damn good season. Will Bell is a minor loss, but the key cogs return for another shot at an MWC title. A pair of 3-star recruits join the fray as well, a better recruiting haul than usual.

40 St. Joseph's With the entire roster returning, St. Joseph's should be a contender for the Atlantic 10 crown. Anything less than a tourney bid would be extremely disappointing.

41 Murray St Although Isaiah Canaan is a star, others will need to step up now that Donte Poole, Ivan Aska, and Jewaun Long depart. In those three seniors, Murray loses almost 45% of its scoring. The program does potentially welcome the OVC's best recruiting class however.

42 UMASS Although leading rebounder Sean Carter graduates, UMASS should be in the A10's upper echelon. Do-everything sophomore guard Chaz Williams has been lighting up the NIT, and will be a contender for next season's A10 Player of the Year.

43 South Dakota St With no seniors on the roster, South Dakota St will be hoping to improve on their 1st round NCAA Tournament loss. Although Nate Wolters improved his all-around game this year, he needs to recapture the long-range shot that propelled him to 40% from three his sophomore year.

44 Purdue In Robbie Hummel, Lewis Jackson, and Ryne Smith, Purdue loses almost 50% of its scoring production, as well as their leaders in rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Although there is young talent waiting to breakout and a top-25 recruiting class on the way, Purdue will need another year before they're a major contender.

45 Missouri Frank Haith will somehow try and rebound from this year's shock 1st round exit without Denmon, English, Ratliffe, or Pressey. Although Missouri is loading up on solid (though not amazing) freshmen, it will take another year or two before the new squad finds its identity.

>> Continue to Teams 46 to 60.

Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 30

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 16-30

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:45:04 -0700

With most teams eliminated from competition, its time to start looking ahead to the 2012-13 season. Following up on yesterday's Early 2012-13 Top 15, here are teams 16 to 30.

I had to make many assumptions about the NBA Draft in compiling the following list, and I've noted which assumptions I've made. Once players make their official Draft decisions later in the summer, this ranking will be updated. Also uncertain is where some remaining unsigned recruits will end up. In particular, Shabazz Muhammad (#1 by Rivals.com), Anthony Bennett (#7), Devonta Pollard (#9), and Nerlens Noel (#3 in 2013) remain up for grabs. I purposely made no assumptions about where unsigned prospects will end up. (All prospect rankings are according to the Rivals 150 ranking.)

Early 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 16-30

16 Kansas St Kansas State had a solid season, but they were always a step behind the elite teams. With Jamar Samuels being the lone senior of note, they should be able to take another step forward next year. A pair of solid bigs including 43rd ranked Robert Upshaw join the fray.

17 Memphis The key for Memphis is whether Will Barton decides to enter the Draft. Assuming he doesn't, the Tigers return a talented squad that only loses Wes Witherspoon. Three more 4-star recruits also enter the mix. With Barton back, Memphis has top 10 talent, but it remains to be seen whether Pastner is a top 10 coach.

18 Gonzaga While Robert Sacre graduates, the question remains whether Elias Harris goes pro. If Harris bolts, the roster would be deep, young, and talented, but thin up front. Little used guys like Hart and Spangler would need to emerge as legit contributors. Even without Harris, Gonzaga has top 20 potential.

19 Texas With such a young squad this year, simply making the tournament was an accomplishment. Veteran bigs Chapman and Wangmene graduate, but they'll be replaced by better prospects such as big man Cameron Ridley (#21 on Rivals) and Prince Ibeh (10th ranked center). I'm assuming J'Covan Brown returns, but that's no guarantee.

20 Saint Mary's Rob Jones graduates after a great career, but the rest of this squad returns intact. Freshman Brad Waldow has the potential to be even better than Jones, and so long as Dellavedova is around, Saint Mary's will be fine. They also have solid a solid PF prospect on the way who can help ease the Jones loss.

21 Notre Dame The Irish endured a lot of difficulties to put together a surprisingly fine season. If Tim Abromaitis is granted a redshirt season, Notre Dame could even exceed this ranking. Scott Martin graduates, but the 3-person recruiting class is full of solid forwards.

22 New Mexico Drew Gordon is a huge loss, as he was by far the Lobos best player. But 3 of their 4 next highest scorers were sophomores who should improve substantially. UNM's recruiting class is solid but unspectacular.

23 Florida Erving Walker is the Gators lone senior loss, but I'm assuming that both Brad Beal and Patric Young go pro in this projection. If even one of them returns, they could move up the ranking. Either way, Boynton, Murphy, and Rosario are solid players who will be joined by a 3-man class that lacks a blockbuster name (although 62nd ranked PG Braxton Ogbueze could be underrated).

24 Marquette In Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette loses its two best players and 36 ppg. But although they'll take a step back, don't expect Marquette to be complete irrelevant. There are emerging talents on the roster and the 4-person recruiting class will add scoring punch.

25 VCU Unlike most schools that will be awaiting NBA Draft decisions, the big x-factor for VCU is whether Shaka Smart returns. Brad Burgess was the lone senior on a team that looks very dangerous next year. There are even 3 solid newcomers, led by Jordan Burgess, an underrated wing.

26 florida St the Noles will take a step back after a surprise ACC title. They lose the core of the team in James, Dulkys, and Louks. However, a quality 4-person class full of Top 100 prospects will provide added depth. The real key is whether Michael Snaer decides to go pro. As of now, I'm assuming he's back.

27 Saint Louis The Bills lose their leading scorer in Brian Conklin, but the rest of this deep roster remains intact. There is no help on the way in terms of major recruits, but many of this year's sophomores could take major steps forward.

28 Alabama While losing senior JaMychal Green hurts, the bigger question is whether Anthony Grant returns as head coach. He did a fine job this season despite many distractions. However, if he leaves, the Tide would have to drop.

29 Drexel The dragons do lose their leading rebounder in Samme Givens, but the rest of the roster returns. Its been 13 years since Bruiser Flint has made the NCAA Tournament, this should be the year.

30 UCLA Despite a seemingly disastrous season, UCLA remained competitive in the Pac-12. Senior's Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson depart, but those losses are more than made up by the entry of Kyle Anderson, the country's 2nd best prospect. If UCLA were to also add Shabazz Muhammad, they'd jump even higher.

>> Continue to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 31 to 45

<< Return to 2012-13 Ranking: Teams 1 to 15

Early 2012-13 Ranking: A Look Ahead

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:39:08 -0700

Although the Sweet Sixteen looms later this week, its still time to start looking ahead to the 2012-13 season. Sure, the usual assortment of stars like Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson, and Jared Sullinger will be heading to the NBA, there's still a ton of talent returning next year. Especially in the non-BCS ranks, many of this year's top teams were led by juniors and sophomores.

I've had to make many assumptions about the NBA Draft in compiling the following list. Once players make their official decisions, this ranking will be updated later in the summer. Also uncertain is where some remaining unsigned recruits will end up. In particular, Shabazz Muhammad (#1 by Rivals.com), Anthony Bennett (#7), Devonta Pollard (#9), and Nerlens Noel (#3 in 2013) remain up for grabs. I purposely made no assumptions about where unsigned prospects will end up.

For now, here are next year's Top 60 teams, starting with the first 15. (16 to 30 can be found here.) All prospect rankings are using the Rivals 150 ranking.

Early Top 15

1 Duke Miles Plumlee is the only senior on the roster, and although Austin Rivers could certainly go pro, his season didn't warrant a top 10 selection. The addition of guard Rasheed Sulaimon, ranked 32nd by Rivals helps overcome a potential Rivers loss. This will be revisited if Rivers (and to a lesser extent Mason Plumlee) do in fact enter the Draft.

2 Indiana Assuming Zeller doesn't go pro, the top 5 scorers return from a Sweet Sixteen team. Add a loaded class that includes Rivals #16 Hanner Parea, #17 Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell, and #48 Jeremy Hollowell, and you got yourself a title contender.

3 Michigan Rivals #3 Mitch McGary joins a squad that was already Top-20 caliber this year. Glenn Robinson III, 34th ranked, is another solid prospect that can offset the loss of senior Steve Novak. If Trey Burke were to go pro, this ranking would certainly change.

4 Baylor Perry Jones is as good as gone, and Quincy Miller could be tempted to bolt as well. But the cupboard isn't bare with the likes of Jackson and Heslip returning. Scott Drew also adds future pro Isaiah Austin along with 2 other 4-star recruits.

5 North Carolina Zeller graduates after a fine career, and Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall are likely to bolt for the pros. But players like Bullock, Hairston, and McAdoo are ready to step out of the shadows. #40 prospect Marcus Paige and #49 Brice Johnson are solid additions, but UNC could use one more superstar recruit.

6 Wisconsin While senior Jordan Taylor had a disappointing season according to some, he was still the main cog in the Badgers wheel. However, the other key players from this Sweet Sixteen team return, and will be joined by Sam Dekker, Wisconsin's first 5-star recruit since Joe Krabbenhoft in 2005.

7 Louisville Although Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith graduate, expect more of the same from Louisville next year: a starless team that wins by defense. PG Terry Rozier is the only recruit locked up right now.

8 Syracuse While Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine are major losses, Syracuse's 2012-13 hopes rest on offseason Draft decisions. Dion Waiters could go pro and Fab Melo is as good as gone. There's still talent remaining on the roster and the addition of #27 prospect DaJuan Coleman will help as well.

9 NC State Mark Gottfried inherited a talented roster, and did the best of it with a surprise Sweet Sixteen run. CJ Williams is a senior and CJ Leslie could decide to turn pro, but the rest of the roster returns intact. Even if Leslie leaves, NC State re-loads with 6th ranked prospect Rodney Purvis, #23 TJ Warren and #55 Tyler Lewis. Expectations will be higher than they've been in years.

10 Kentucky Kentucky's roster will most likely be decimated as Anthony Davis and Terrence Jones will undoubtedly leave, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is 70% gone (even if he says he's staying), and Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague are certainly First Round worthy. Plus Darius Miller and Eloy Vargas are seniors. Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress, and Willie Cauley are all Top 40 prospects, but not as good as the guys they're replacing.

11 Creighton While Antoine Young is a major loss, the return of Doug McDermott gives Creighton one of the country's top handful of players. Along with 3 other returning starters, Creighton will be the class of the MVC.

12 Ohio St Jared Sullinger will presumably leave after his sophomore season, and William Buford is a senior. The x-factor is Deshaun Thomas. He played well enough down the stretch to warrant going pro, but he could certainly return as well. OSU does not have any reinforcement on the way as of now.

13 San Diego St The Aztecs were a surprise team this year, thanks to emerging stars Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley. Besides their return, the squad also welcomes a solid recruiting class, including 40th ranked Winston Shepard.

14 Kansas Tyshawn Taylor is the major senior loss, and Thomas Robinson will probably declare for the Draft. Its also conceivable that Jeff Withey declares for the pros as well. This would leave only 2 players that averaged over 5 ppg. Perry Ellis will be expected to come in and contribute from day one.

15 Michigan St Besides losing their leading everything in senior Draymond Green, Brandon Wood and Austin Thompson also graduate. Next year's freshmen class is similar in talent to this year's that produced Dawsen and Trice.

Teams 16 to 30: Kansas St, Memphis, Texas, and more.. Check back next week for teams 31 to 60.

SIU Struggles to Put Away Southwest Baptist

Press Release — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:35:14 -0800

CARBONDALE, Ill. - After Southern Illinois beat Southwest Baptist, 87-79, in its final exhibition tuneup of the preseason, head coach Chris Lowery let senior point guard Bryan Mullins address the team in the locker room.

Although the Salukis looked sharp for much of the night against one of the nation's top Division II teams, Lowery wasn't pleased to watch an 18-point lead get sliced in half during the game's final 90 seconds. With its best player fouled out of the game, the Bearcats finished the game with a 14-5 run, created in part by five Saluki turnovers.

"We have some very talented young guys, who have to get better fast, and that's the reality of it," Lowery said. "It's disappointing we let them come back like that. We went from having a great locker room to having a somber locker room with Bryan Mullins screaming at everyone."

Southern Illinois begins regular-season play on Tuesday when it hosts another Division II team in California (Pa.). Waiting in the wings is a potential matchup with Atlantic 10 foe UMass on Wednesday.

"I know that the older guys are ready," Lowery said. "We just have to work on our young guys. They have the capabilities to do it, and now we just have to coach them up in the next couple of days."

Mullins and Carlton Fay led the team with 13 points apiece. Mulliins is starting to look like his old self after missing all summer recovering from a stress fracture in his leg.

"I thought Bryan did a great job of directing," Lowery said. "He's mature, and he really ran the ball club well."

In the first half, the Salukis had a tough time containing Southwest Baptist 6-foot-11 center Matt Rogers, who scored 16 points of his 19 points. Lowery called him a future pro.The Bearcats also made 7-of-15 3-point shots in the first half and trailed, 41-40, at intermission.

SIU increased its defensive pressure in the second half and gradually pulled away.

"We stopped allowing them to get pentration, and we were starting to wear them down," Lowery said. "We really attacked them to start the second half, and it was Wesley Clemmons who got us going defensively with a couple steals."

Clemmons, a senior guard, finished with eight points, three assists and three steals off the bench. A starter last year, he has seen increased competition from all the newcomers. "I'm just trying to figure it out -- just see where I stand," he said. "I'm just trying to show them what to do and be a leader. I try to show them to go hard in practice every day, listen to the scouting report, listen what coach says and believe in our system. If they follow right behind me, then everything will be fine."

Freshmen Torres Roundtree and Anthony Booker were the team's most productive freshmen on this night. The former McCluer North (Mo.) High School teammates each scored 11 points.

Roundtree, who was in the starting lineup, led SIU with five rebounds and applied tenacious ball pressure on defense.

"Torres did a great job for us," Lowery said. "We hope he can develop into a very good defender."

Booker came off the bench and did all his damage in just 14 minutes.

"Booker can really score," Lowery said. "We know that we just have to make sure he doesn't go crazy when he gets in,but he's very smart. He understands where he can score from, and he can score all over the floor."

Ironically, the newcomers who were most productive in the first game -- Kevin Dillard and Justin Bocot -- combined to score just three points. Lowery said the coaching staff is still experimenting with different combinations, and fans shouldn't read too much into who starts and how many minutes guys play in exhibition.

The newcomers will ultimately adapt to their new roles, he said.

"They're all used to being the best and scoring the points and being the hero," Lowery said. "Sometimes, they have to be company men, and that's what they have to get used to. Some days, you're going to be a company guy and enjoy the ride and helps us win and get on the bus and help us celebrate."

Clemmons wants to make sure the new guys understand how the program was built.

"You see how we play, and it ain't pretty," he said. "We do all the dirty work. I mean, it's Floorburn U. So you got to get out there and play D. That's what Bryan was talking about in the locker room. I mean the offense is going to come, but as long as we stop them and just play hard, it will work out for itself."

Roundtree said the younger players got the message Mullins was sending.

"We need to stay focused and cut in during the game and stop making so many sloppy turnovers," he said. "He was real upset with the performance, because normally, Saluki defense does not give up 80 points two games in a row."

Collins Impressive in Kansas Exhibition Win

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:06:20 -0800

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Sherron Collins scored 22 points and handed out seven assists to lead four Jayhawks in double-figure points as the defending NCAA champion Kansas basketball team opened exhibition play with a 98-79 victory against Washburn here Tuesday night.

The victory was the 32^nd consecutive exhibition win for the Jayhawks dating back to 1995 when KU lost to Lisbonne Benfica 101-93. KU head coach Bill Self improved to 18-0 in exhibition games at Kansas, including an 11-0 home record.

Kansas, which is ranked 24^th in the preseason Associated Press poll and 23^rd in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, started Collins, a junior, along with four sophomores in Conner Teahan, Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Cole Aldrich.

Reed hit five of six three-pointers for 16 points, while Morningstar added 15 points and Quintrell Thomas added 10 points. Thirteen of Reed's 16 points came in the first half, while Morningstar scored 10 of his 15 in the opening period as well.

Washburn, which was also playing its first exhibition game of the year, was led by 14 points from Darnell Kimble, 13 from DeAndre Eggins and 11 from Lekheythan Malone. Paul Byers recorded a game-high 10 rebounds for the Ichabods.

Collins, the only player on this year's Kansas team who averaged more than three points per game (9.3) last season, hit eight of 12 shots from the field, including one of two three-pointers. The point guard turned the ball over just one time in his game-high 30 minutes of play.

The Jayhawks shot 60.7 percent from the field and held the visitors to just 39.4 percent. Washburn held a narrow 37-36 rebounding edge, while grabbing 21 offensive boards. Both teams turned the ball over 18 times in the contest.

Washburn scored five straight points early in the game to take its only lead in the contest at 14-13. The Ichabods scored seven of their first 14 points off three KU turnovers.

The Jayhawks responded with a 17-5 run to take a 30-19 lead and never looked back. Washburn pulled within 39-29, but did not make a field goal for the final 7:35 of the first half as KU took a 57-35 lead into halftime.

Washburn outscored KU 44-41 in the second half, despite the Jayhawks making 15 of 22 field goal attempts for a 68.2 percent clip.

The Jayhawks will play their second and final exhibition game hosting Emporia State on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Jayhawk Television. KU will open regular season play hosting UMKC on Nov. 16.

Gators Cruise Past Warner in Exhibition

Press Release — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:37:08 -0800

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida men’s basketball team kicked off the 2008-09 season with a 108-49 exhibition victory over Warner University on Monday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The Gators were led by junior forward Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J.), who scored 17 points and collected six rebounds. Sophomore forward Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) collected his a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Tyus was 6-of-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

The Gators size was too much for the visiting Royals and the three big men for the Gators took advantage. In addition to big nights by Werner and Tyus, sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) tallied 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Former high school teammate Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) had eight points with nine assists for the Gators.

Several freshmen made impressive debuts for the Orange and Blue. Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led all newcomers with 13 points and six assists. Ray Shipman (Miramar, Fla.) added 10 points, while Allan Chaney (Baltimore, Md.) scored eight. Kenny Kadji (Douala, Cameroon) also saw game action on opening night, collecting six points and nine rebounds.

Warner forward Derell Henderson led the Royals with 19 points.

The Gators will conclude exhibition action Thursday, Nov. 6, with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Rollins College at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

SIU Wins Exhibition Over Missouri Southern

Press Release — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:30:54 -0800

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois may not be in mid-season form just yet, but the Salukis flashed plenty of potential in Monday's 82-59 exhibition win over NAIA opponent Missouri Southern.

SIU dominated early, surging to a 51-27 halftime lead. The play got a little sloppy in the second half when Southern committed 23 of its 34 turnovers.

For head coach Chris Lowery, he's willing to take the good with the bad at this point in the season, especially considering the roster has eight new faces.

"I think some of them were a little jittery, a little nervous," Lowery said. "The one thing about them is that they are no't afraid to make a play. They''re not afraid to use their dribble or try to make something happen when things don't go as scripted."

Carlton Fay led SIU with 17 points, all of them coming in the first half. Lowery was pleased with the sophomore forward's aggressiveness on offense.

"He's learned how to find his niche and find where he needs to be," Lowery said. "He was so programed to stay way from (Matt Shaw and Randal Falker) and now he found the ball quite a bit, and he was in the right spots and hitting open shots."

Fay scored eight of the team's first 11 points, including a pair of conventional three-point plays.

Freshman Kevin Dillard started at point guard for SIU and scored 12 points. He hit a couple of 3-pointers early, but just his ability to direct traffic will be critical for the Salukis this season, because it reduces the burden on all-conference senior guard Bryan Mullins.

"I think we complement each other," Dillard said. "I want to take a little pressure off of him. He could come off screens a little more -- look for the shot a little more. As the season goes on, we will build more chemistry, and I think we will flow a little bit better."

Lowery said Mullins has helped Dillard improve in practice.

"(Kevin's) gotten his butt whipped pretty good by Bryan in practice, but he kept coming back," Lowery said. "Bryan likes playing with him. Now, we don't have to have Bryan handle every single possession. We don't have to have Bryan guard the best guy every single possession."

Mullins led the team with six assists, including a pair of nifty passes that led to first half dunks for Anthony Booker andChristian Cornelius. The frontcourt duo of Booker and Cornelius were impressive off the bench, finishing with nine and eight points, respectively.

In fact, Southern had a balanced attack off the bench, with guards Justin Bocot (11 points) and Torres Roundree (7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and center Nick Evans (7 points, 11 rebounds) all having solid performances.

Lowery said he was disappointed with the high number of turnovers and thought his team relaxed a bit in the second half.

"I thought we became kind of casual in the second half, and really didn't play like the score was tied," he said. "I tried to get across to play like its tied or we're behind. Don't play the score, and I thought our kids from the 10-minute mark in the second half played the score and didn't really attack them."

Still, the Salukis were never challenged, as the Bears came only as close as 15 points in the second half. SIU out-rebounded Missouri Southern, 57-23.

Blake Griffin Dominates OU Scrimmage

Press Release — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:42:51 -0800

NORMAN, Okla. - Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Blake Griffin led the Red Team to a 59-38 win over the White Team in an Oklahoma men's basketball intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon inside a nearly full McCasland Field House.

Griffin scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds, two assists and four steals in a game that featured a 15-minute first half and a 12-minute second. The preseason All-American was 11-for-15 from the field and 1-for-3 from 3-point range. He was 0-for-2 on 3-point tries all of last season.

"It was good to get out here in front of fans to see how our guys would react" OU head coach Jeff Capel said after the scrimmage. "I thought we did a good job, but we still have a long way to go."

Capel added, "It helps to have a guy like Blake, because he makes the game easier for everyone else."

Joining Griffin in leading the Red Team was freshman guard Willie Warren. The 6-4, 207-pounder fell one assist shy of joining Griffin with a double-double by finishing with 10 points and nine handouts. He was 4-for-8 from the field and added three steals while committing just one turnover. The majority of his assists were to Griffin.

Said Griffin to a group of reporters about Warren, "Willie opens up the entire floor. When you have someone who is so dangerous like he is, who can score inside and out, it helps with everything for me. Like you guys saw today on the pick and roll, they had to go with him and he did a good job of finding me (on the) back side."

Warren was quick to deflect credit to Griffin.

"Coach Capel said I played great, and who wouldn't when all you have to do is throw the ball to the backboard and let the big man get it," said Warren. "This is the reason I came here and it is the first time to see it in action with fans.

"We had some trouble throwing the lob in practice because I would throw it too soft or too hard, but we were able to get it today."

Senior forward Taylor Griffin was 4-for-6 from the field and also scored 10 points for the Red Team while junior forward Ryan Wright scored seven second-half points for the Red Team. Wright played the first half with the White Team and scored four points.

Junior guard Tony Crocker and sophomore guard Cade Davis each totaled nine points on the day, splitting time between squads. Davis scored all of his points from 3-point range, going 3-for-6.

Senior guard Austin Johnson did not play due to injury. He is expected to be back in action soon.

"It feels good to be out here and do this in front of our fans," Capel said. "We'll start getting prepared for our upcoming games this week."

The Sooners, ranked No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, play home exhibition contests this week against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and against Cameron on Saturday (time TBA).

- OU -

EWU Falls to Carroll College in Exhibition

Press Release — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:40:10 -0800

Eastern Washington University couldn’t overcome 21 percent shooting and a nearly nine-minute scoreless drought in the first half and lost 58-56 to Carroll College in a men’s basketball exhibition game Saturday (Nov. 1) at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.

The game does not count in EWU’s season record or statistics. The Eagles have another exhibition game next Saturday (Nov. 8) against Puget Sound at 2:05 p.m. Pacific time before officially opening the season at Illinois on Nov. 14.

"That's what these exhibition games are for -- to find out where you are, what you need to improve on and what you're doing well," said Eastern head coach Kirk Earlywine, whose team was playing without three key players on his anticipated active roster of 11 players.

"I don't think I did a good enough job of expressing to our guys how good Carroll is," he continued. "I knew that they would be good and that is precisely why I scheduled the game. I knew that they would come in here and that we would have our hands full. That turned out to be true."

The Eagles rallied from a 19-point deficit to pull within one in the closing seconds, but Eastern’s Milan Stanojevic missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game. Carroll, which opened its season with an 83-76 victory over the University of Regina on Oct. 23, is now 2-0.

The Eagles made just 16-of-50 shots in the game for 32 percent. In the first half alone, Eastern was just 6-of-29 overall (21 percent) and 2-of-15 from the three-point stripe (13 percent). Eastern was out-rebounded by Carroll 39-32, including 26-16 in the first half.

"You have to give them a lot of credit," added Earlywine. "I thought that they out-competed us, particularly in the first half. They out-rebounded us by 10 in the first half and held us to 21 percent. So our hats are off to Carroll."

Eastern returning starter Trey Gross led the Eagles with 17 points and Stanojevic added 11. Both players hit a trio of three-pointers, but the rest of the team was 0-of-9.

In the first half, Eastern went 8:52 without scoring as the Fighting Saints scored seven-straight points in that span to take an 11-point advantage. Carroll led by as many as 18 in the first half before taking its biggest lead of the night at 39-21 with 14:41 to play.

Eastern rallied, pulling to within five at 49-44 at the 5:04 mark and three at 53-50 with 1:22 left on a driving layin by Gary Gibson. Gibson sparked the Eagles in the second half with six points, three steals and three assists.

Two free throws by Gross pulled Eastern to within one, but a three-pointer by Chad Vaculin put the Fighting Saints back up by four. After a basket by Gross, Vaculin made a free throw with 3.9 seconds left prior to Stanojevic’s miss.

"I thought Gary Gibson played very well in the second half," said Earlywine of his team’s positives. "Milan made three from the arc in the second half. I think that Andy Genao and Jeff Christiansen both did exactly what I'm asking them to do -- take care of the ball, defend, and play hard. On the defensive end we were much better in the second half. On the offensive end we were a little better in the second half."

Guard Benny Valentine, who sat out last season after transferring from Texas Tech, had five steals in his first game in an EWU uniform. However, he made just 1-of-10 shots from the floor.