Butler

Company/Product Review: Retro College Cuts

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:23:57 -0500

Just a few years ago the demand for throwback jerseys was impossible to ignore, with many flocking to stores in search of that item that would allow them to relive their "glory days" as a fan. But the wearing of tops has faded away somewhat, and the words of one Sean Carter in his song "What More Can I Say" may sum up why for many people.

"And I don't wear jerseys I'm 30-plus..."

So what's a college basketball fan to do if they want to travel back in time without the throwback jersey? The founders of the company Retro College Cuts have just the answer: throwback shorts. Founded in 2011 by a pair of former college basketball players, Retro College Cuts specializes in the selling of replicas of game shorts worn by some of the more famous teams in college basketball history.

According to one of the founders the NCAA merchandising market grosses anywhere from $4-$4.5 billion, but the shorts market only makes up about $50 million of that amount. But while there's certainly a market for replica game shorts, this business isn't solely about making money.

"It started with my own crazy interest and passion for college basketball," he noted in a phone conversation earlier this week when asked about the reason for beginning the company. "I'm a former college basketball player and my dad was a Division III coach."

That devotion and knowledge of college basketball is noticeable from the moment you visit the site, as a highlight montage featuring some of the top players and teams of yesteryear plays. Each of the fourteen shorts in the first "class" has a story, with a paragraph of information on that specific team accompanying the page where customers can buy the shorts of their choice. There's also a link to a YouTube video for each team, which helps bring back memories of the "glory days" that each short is made to represent.

One may ask why there are only fourteen teams represented at this point, and this was a question posed to the founder during our chat. There are three different governing bodies when it comes to applying for the rights to sell officially licensed collegiate apparel, and they need to be negotiated with separately. Retro College Cuts was able to procure those rights with two of them and are currently negotiating with the third, which will open up the possibility of additions being made to the "catalog" later this year.

Retro College Cuts isn't just about shorts either as they also sell select retro T-shirts. They also offer a "combo" deal where customers can purchase a shirt and a pair of shorts for $99, a price that includes membership in their VIP program (which gives a 10% off discount for life) and free shipping (a perk that normally isn't given unless $75 or more is spent in a transaction). And $1 of every purchase is donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, which is another positive.

But what about the quality of the short? Made in the USA, the shorts are made of a fabric blend that replicates the weight and quality of an actual game short. The shorts are comfortable and with a 22" outseam there's no concern of replicating the size of those old-school shorts (which is good from a personal pride standpoint). The graphics are digitally printed and as an officially licensed product there's isn't a concern of being duped into buying something that isn't legit. From personal experience I can tell you that the shorts, which run large, fit well and look good.

Retro College Cuts also has a few promotions running that you should take advantage of in addition to checking out the gear. Twitter is utilized on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the "TIXonTUESDAY" promotion giving Twitter followers the chance to win a pair of college basketball tickets. The possible reward for "ThrowbackThursday" is either a retro t-shirt or a pair of replica game shorts. The "cost" of entry: just a simple follow of their Twitter account and a retweet of the message that they send out.

Lastly there's the contest that the founders are running, which closes on February 24th with a prize that the college hoops fan would definitely appreciate: an all-expenses paid trip for two (the winner and a guest of their choice) to Las Vegas for the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. The prize includes a three-day stay at The Hotel boutique and round-trip airfare, and with Vegas being what it is on that weekend the experience would be a phenomenal one.

Retro College Cuts is a new company that should meet the demand of college basketball fans hoping for a way to relive some of their favorite moments from back in the day in a fashion beyond searching the web for grainy video footage. The shorts certainly won't turn you into a Mark Jackson, Larry Johnson or Xavier McDaniel (our phone chat included the founder saying that the Wichita State design was his favorite) once you put them on, but they'll allow you to think back on their exploits and smile.

Thursday Recap: Badgers Hold Off Indiana

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:28:21 -0500

The game between #17 Indiana and #25 Wisconsin proved to be every bit as competitive as expected with the largest margin either team held being seven points with two seconds remaining. In the end it was the little things that made the difference in the Badgers' 57-50 victory, as Bo Ryan's team shot 12-for-12 from the foul line in the second half and grabbed the final seven rebounds of the game. That rebound stretch was over the final 3:38 of the contest, with their offensive rebounds leading to four of their nine second-chance points. Wisconsin's offensive rebounding percentage in the second half was 33.3% after finishing the first half with a percentage of 22.2%, and that allowed them to shut the door late.

"It's our first game holding a team under 30 percent on the field, but they got a couple of really big rebounds at the end of the game at crucial times," remarked Indiana head coach Tom Crean. "We put ourselves in position to win, we just didn't finish it off."

Jordan Taylor didn't shoot particularly well, missing all five of his three-point attempts while scoring 12 points but there were other contributors to the win for Wisconsin. Ben Brust made three of his six shots from deep and scored 13 points off the bench while Mike Bruesewitz (ten points) and Ryan Evans (12 points, nine rebounds) reached double figures as well. The foul line was also critical on a night in which Wisconsin, who scores 35.4% of their points on threes, made just four or seventeen shots from distance. Wisconsin made 15 of 19 from the charity stripe, outscoring the Hoosiers by ten as Indiana made just half of their ten free throws.

"I've never tried to over-analyze free throws other than guys get their routine, they get comfortable, they get their elbow lift, they get their rotation, they get their target sights- some guys look to the front, some guys look to the back," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "And in every drill we do, you've got to be 80 percent or better. So, I think that's helped us over the years. We were close tonight."

Christian Watford and Verdell Jones III led the way for Indiana with 12 points apiece but Cody Zeller and a quiet night and Wisconsin's Jared Berggren was a big reason why. Zeller shot 2-for-7 from the field and scored seven points while grabbing just three rebounds in 19 minutes of action, and while the foul trouble was problematic having to deal with Berggren while he was on the floor didn't help matters. Berggren may not have done much offensively with just four points but he blocked five shots, helping limit the number of quality looks Indiana was able to get near the basket.

"I think he was in a help position and maybe got there a little late and tried to make sure that he didn't foul and waited until Zeller made his move, noted Ryan. "He was fairly effective with it, but Zeller's a good player- he got his offensive opportunities, he's the real deal inside and fortunately we got some fouls on him and that helped us."

With the win Wisconsin remains a game in the loss column behind the three teams atop the Big Ten, and despite their struggles earlier in league play the Badgers gave another reminder that it isn't wise to count Bo Ryan's team out of the title race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. North Carolina whips NC State in impressive fashion to move into a tie for first in the ACC.
Thursday night provided a good test for NC State in regards to how much staying power the Wolfpack could possibly have in the ACC race. Unfortunately for them North Carolina was ready to make a statement of their own, leading by as many as 29 points on their way to a 74-55 victory. Tyler Zeller (21 points, 17 rebounds) and John Henson (nine points, ten rebounds and five blocks) proved to be too much for the Wolfpack inside, and on the perimeter the Tar Heels performed well in their first game without starter Dexter Strickland.

Kendall Marshall dished out 11 assists to just three turnovers while both Harrison Barnes (15 points) and Reggie Bullock (11 points, five rebounds) reached double figures. Scott Wood led the Wolfpack with 11 points but they lost by 19 despite making nine three-pointers due to their struggles inside. NC State shot 32.4% from two as the Tar Heels outscored them 52-24 in that department, and the 46-28 rebounding discrepancy (UNC: 15 offensive rebounds) didn't help matters either. NC State is a bright future under Mark Gottfried with a talented recruiting class on the way and the current bunch is definitely capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament. But Thursday night showed that they may not be ready to think ACC title right now.

2. Robert Morris wins the guard battle and beats LIU Brooklyn to close the gap in the NEC.
LIU Brooklyn had a great opportunity to put even more distance between themselves and the pack in the Northeast Conference race, but winning at Robert Morris is a very difficult task. And in a rematch of last year's NEC Tournament title game, the Colonials went on two runs in the first half to establish a 34-26 halftime lead and led by as many as 15 in the second half of a 75-66 win. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere did their part for the visitors as they combined for 43 points and Boyd grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 25 points. But their guards had a tough night and Robert Morris took advantage as Velton Jones scored 23 points, Coron Williams 13 and Lucky Jones ten.

Velton also dished out seven assists on the night, while LIU's perimeter trio of Jason Brickman, Michael Culpo and C.J. Garner combined to score 16 points on 5-for-24 shooting (Culpo shot 0-for-10). LIU shot 3-for-16 from three on the night and without the balance they normally enjoy offensively (24% of their points come from deep on the average) the Blackbirds were unable to beat the Colonials. RMU and surprising St. Francis (NY) are now a game back (and they play each other on Saturday) in the standings, and a race that could have been out of reach is now back on.

3. Milwaukee slows Butler to a crawl and moves to 7-3 in the Horizon League.
The matchup between the Panthers and Bulldogs was the defensive-minded slugfest that many expected going into the contest, with Butler taking a 25-24 lead into the half. But the Bulldogs went cold in the second half, shooting 5-for-25 from the field and scoring just 17 points in what would become a 53-42 loss. Milwaukee shot 48% in the second half and did a much better job of setting up good looks than they did in the first, assisting on ten of their 12 made baskets. Neither team finished with great efficiency numbers but Butler's were startling, as their offensive efficiency (67.7) and effective field goal percentage (28.9%) were season lows.

James Haarmsma (12 points) and Ryan Allen (11 points) led the way scoring-wise while Kaylon Williams made up for a rough shooting night by dishing out 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Milwaukee remains a game behind Cleveland State in the loss column while Butler falls two games back, and they're also tied with Valparaiso in second place (the Crusaders lost to Green Bay). By no means is anything decided in the Horizon League, but Milwaukee took an important step with their win.

Quick Hitters

1. It's been a rough season for USC to say the least, but their injury issues reached a new low in their 74-50 loss to Colorado. Center Dwayne Dedmon was lost early in the game with a sprained knee (MRI scheduled for Friday) and late in the second half his replacement, James Blasczyk, went down with a lower leg injury. That left USC with just five healthy scholarship players, and at 0-8 in the Pac-12 things don't look good for the Trojans.

2. One player the nation needs to become more familiar with is UC Riverside guard Phil Martin. Martin nearly led the Highlanders past first-place Long Beach State with 31 points and seven rebounds but it wasn't enough as the 49ers strengthened their grip on first place with a 77-70 overtime win. All five starters for The Beach reached double figures with Casper Ware's 18 leading the way.

3. On Saturday, Arizona made just three of twenty shots from beyond the arc in a one-point loss at Colorado. Against Washington State on Thursday night the Wildcats made 15 of 26 in their 85-61 win over the Cougars, who also lost reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Faisal Aden late in the first half with a left knee injury. Losing their most explosive scorer for an extended period time would be a terrible blow to take for the Cougars.

4. Interim head coach Wes Miller has done a good job of turning things around at UNC Greensboro, and the Spartans won their fifth straight 77-73 over Appalachian State in overtime. Derrell Armstrong scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench and Trevis Simpson added 24 for UNCG, who is now 5-4 in Southern Conference play (half-game behind Elon for first in the North Division).

5. Nevada was able to separate themselves from the pack in the WAC with a 68-60 win at New Mexico State, moving two games ahead of the Aggies in the standings. Deonte Burton scored 17 points and Dario Hunt added 15 and eight rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who also received some help in the form of Utah State's 77-72 win over Hawai'i.

6. Idaho State won a thriller at home, beating Northern Colorado 99-94 in double overtime. But even more important for the Bengals is that they're now a game ahead of both UNC and Eastern Washington in the standings at 4-4, and in the Big Sky only the top six teams qualify for the conference tournament. Chase Grabau led the way with 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting and Melvin Morgan added 22 and five assists for the Bengals.

7. Saint Mary's remained undefeated in WCC play with a 71-64 win at Loyola Marymount, remaining a game ahead of Gonzaga and two ahead of BYU with a trip to Provo next on the schedule (Saturday). Stephen Holt scored 19 points, Matthew Dellavedova 13 and Rob Jones 11 and 15 rebounds. But Brad Waldow's been a key contributor of late as well, scoring ten points following a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara.

Three Notable Performers

1. G Travis Bader (Oakland) and G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
Wolters posted a very good line of 21 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Bader led the Golden Grizzlies to the 92-87 win with a record-setting night. Bader shot 10-for-14 from three on his way to 37 points off the bench.

2. G J.P. Primm (UNC Asheville)
30 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds in the Bulldogs' 90-70 win over High Point.

3. G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
34 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Golden Eagles' 82-65 win at Eastern Kentucky.

#25 Wisconsin vs. #17 Indiana: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:53:04 -0500

After dropping three straight Big Ten games #25 Wisconsin (16-5, 5-3) has won four straight games, but they face quite the challenge at the Kohl Center as #17 Indiana (16-4, 4-4) visits in a pivotal Big Ten battle. The leaders in the conference (Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State) are all 6-2, meaning that the Hoosiers can ill-afford to fall three games back in the loss column if they're to remain a factor in the title race. Tom Crean's squad ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Penn State, but the Badgers have won eight straight in this series and Indiana has never won in the Kohl Center.

Clearly the focus for Indiana defensively will be senior point guard Jordan Taylor (14.1 ppg, 4.4 apg), who has turned the ball over just one time in the last three games. Taylor's shooting numbers have dropped some when compared to last season but it's also important to point out that there's no Jon Leuer or Keaton Nankivil, and this played a part in both his and the Badgers's struggles earlier in conference play. Jared Berggren (11.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Ryan Evans (9.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are two players Bo Ryan needs to play well on a consistent basis, and hopefully Berggren's 18 points in the win at Illinois is a step in the right direction (he'd gone five straight games without reaching double figures before that performance).

Indiana will need to defend the three if they're to have a shot at leaving Kohl with a win, because even though the Hoosiers are the superior shooting team percentage-wise the Badgers get 35.9% of their offense from the shot. In addition to the aformentioned forwards and Taylor, Wisconsin calls on guards Josh Gasser and Ben Brust from production from deep, and the number of players who can shoot from deep can be an issue for opponents. But Indiana is versatile as well, and their most important defensive player will likely draw the task of guarding Taylor.

Victor Oladipo (10.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has improved skill-wise from last season and he's also one of the Big Ten's best on-ball defenders. Indiana can call on multiple options to guard perimeter players but Oladipo is their best options. Jordan Hulls and Verdell Jones III are the other starters and the return of wing Will Sheehey has added another perimeter player capable of scoring in double figures. As a team the Hoosiers shoot 44.9% from three and assist on 53% of their made baskets, and they've been the more efficient team of the two on the offensive end of the floor. But they need to remember to throw the ball inside to freshman Cody Zeller, who has changed the dynamic of this team in his first season on campus.

Zeller (15.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) gives Indiana a reliable interior scorer, something they didn't have last season, and his presence allows Christian Watford to play more on the perimeter. Watford (12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who hit the game-winner against Kentucky back in December, is more comfortable outside of the paint but he has to avoid the tendency to sometimes drift out of the action. Rebounding numbers are similar except for the fact that Indiana opponents have grabbed an average of 11.9 offensive boards per game, and with the long rebounds that result from perimeter shots this is an area that could be of concern against Wisconsin. Indiana will need to make sure they aren't hurt in this area and also find a way to force turnovers if they're to win in Madison. But that's a task far easier said than done.

Also of note tonight is NC State visiting #7 North Carolina, with the Tar Heels playing without the injured Dexter Strickland (torn ACL) for the first time this season. Reggie Bullock moves into the starting lineup and P.J. Hairston will also see more minutes as a result, but the question for Carolina is how much of a drop will there be on the defensive end? Strickland was their best perimeter defender, and his absence could mean that Tyler Zeller and John Henson are called on more from a shot-blocking standpoint if the guards can't keep opponents out of the lane. And with the much-improved Wolfpack featuring a guard in Lorenzo Brown who is capable of doing just that, this should be an interesting matchup. If Mark Gottfried's team is to win they have to hold their own in the paint.

The NEC features a rematch of last year's tournament title game as LIU Brooklyn visits Robert Morris, and with the Blackbirds holding a two-game lead on the rest of the conference this could be the Colonials' last stand. RMU guard Velton Jones has been one of the best guards in the NEC but in order to win it will be the play of their frontcourt that is just as important. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere have been the best frontcourt tandem in the NEC for Jim Ferry's Blackbirds, and it can be argued that this duo is underrated nationally as well. Also keep an eye on Saint Mary's visiting Loyola Marymount in the WCC, as the Lions have been playing well and with a 5-2 league record a win over the Gaels would vault them right into the discussion for the regular season title (they've already won at BYU).

Florida's trip to Ole Miss has the potential to be a dangerous one as the Rebels are a tough out in Oxford, and the Horizon League battle between Butler and Milwaukee is huge in regard to that race. Cleveland State and Valparaiso are tied for first place but the Bulldogs and Panthers are part of the three-team group just a game out, and the recent play of Roosevelt Jones is one reason why Butler remains in contention. Guard Kaylon Williams leads the way for Rob Jeter's team in scoring and assists (also third on the team in rebounding), and his matchup with Ronald Nored should be fun to watch given Nored's defensive ability.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM North Carolina State at (8) North Carolina (ESPN)
7:00 PM (13) Florida at Ole Miss (ESPN2)
9:00 PM (17) Indiana at (25) Wisconsin (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (20) Saint Mary's at Loyola Marymount
9:00 PM Boston College at (21) Virginia (ESPNU)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Davidson at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Monmouth at Central Connecticut State (CPTV)
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic (FCS)
7:00 PM Campbell at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM Nebraska at Iowa (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Navy at Lehigh
7:00 PM Fresno State at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM High Point at UNC-Asheville
7:00 PM Appalachian State at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM South Dakota State at Oakland
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM VMI at Radford
7:00 PM St. Peter's at Rider (ESPN3)
7:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Wagner at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Wofford at Citadel
7:00 PM Elon at Western Carolina
7:00 PM Liberty at Winthrop
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Bryant
7:00 PM North Dakota State at IPFW
8:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM N.J.I.T. at North Dakota (FCS)
8:00 PM Furman at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM William & Mary at James Madison
8:00 PM Butler at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM South Alabama at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Troy at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Georgia Southern at Samford (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Green Bay (ESPN3)
8:05 PM South Dakota at Oral Roberts (FCS)
8:30 PM Washington at Arizona State (ROOT)
8:30 PM Arkansas State at Denver
9:00 PM Nevada at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM UMKC at Southern Utah
9:05 PM Northern Colorado at Idaho State
9:05 PM Hawaii at Utah State (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Montana at Eastern Washington
9:05 PM Chicago State at Utah Valley
10:00 PM Long Beach State at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Cal Poly at Pacific
10:00 PM Pepperdine at San Diego
10:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at UC Davis
10:00 PM San Francisco at Santa Clara (CSN CA)
10:05 PM Weber State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM San Jose State at Idaho
10:05 PM Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Northridge
10:05 PM Montana State at Portland State
10:30 PM Washington State at Arizona (FSN)
10:30 PM Utah at UCLA (FCS)
10:30 PM Colorado at USC
11:00 PM Gonzaga at Portland (ESPN2)

Saturday Preview: #4 Louisville at #3 Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:48:58 -0500

The final day of 2011 features one of the most anticipated games of the college basketball season, a rivalry game that captivates an entire state and is one of the best games in college basketball. #4 Louisville (12-1), fresh off of a lost to Georgetown in their Big East opener, visits #3 Kentucky (12-1) in what should be a spirited battle at Rupp Arena. The Cardinals have played just one road game this season but it was also one of their best efforts as they won at Butler without the then-injured Peyton Siva. Kentucky's lone defeat also came at the hands of a ranked team, as the Wildcats fell at the buzzer at Indiana.

One player who will definitely be a focus on Saturday is Kentucky sophomore forward Terrence Jones (12.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), whose scoring and rebounding averages are down from a season ago. But that isn't as big a deal as the last five games for Jones, as he missed two of them with a dislocated finger. In the other three games he scored a combined 13 points, and Jones also turned the ball over six times in the loss at Indiana. John Calipari has other players to call on up front, but that doesn't mean that the Wildcats want to find out (again) if they can win a big game without Jones being productive.

Also inside for Kentucky is big man Anthony Davis (11.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 4.3 bpg), who is one of the toughest matchup in America due to his versatility. Davis is 6'10" but he can defend on the perimeter, as evidenced by his many blocks of three-point attempts. A virtual lock to be a lottery pick whenever he leaves Lexington, Davis runs the floor extremely well and has a good motor to go along with his many skills. Also of importance for Kentucky is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (13.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg), a wing who simply does whatever it takes to win. He's been the leader for this group, organizing the now-famous early morning workouts many team members now take part in.

Louisville will counter with one of the most improved big men in the country in Gorgui Dieng (10.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg), who has gone from a player Rick Pitino could only call on for spot duty to one of the coach's most important players. Dieng's most effective around the basket, so it's going to be interesting to see how he deals with Kentucky's mobile big men. Freshman Chane Behanan (8.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and veteran Rakeem Buckles complete the rotation for minutes inside with Jared Swopshire's minutes dropping in recent games. Kentucky's a slightly better rebounding team but Louisville does a better job of getting after the offensive boards with an average of 14.5 caroms per game.

The guard play will likely determine the outcome especially for the visitors, as Louisville has struggled offensively in the half court. When they're forcing turnovers the Cardinals are a tough team to stop, as much of their offense comes as a result of the turnovers. But they weren't able to get enough fast-break chances against Georgetown, and they ultimately lost as a result. Siva (9.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) has dealt with injury issues, limiting his effectiveness for much of the season. Chris Smith and Kyle Kuric are the other starters on the perimeter, with Kuric being the Cardinals' most versatile player as he can play a variety of positions. And then there's redshirt freshman Russ Smith, who is second on the team in scoring and has the potential to be a handful for either team.

Sophomore guard Doron Lamb (15.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg) is Kentucky's leading scorer, and the New York native is a smooth player who rarely gets out of control. He and senior Darius Miller won't be of concern for Calipari as both have a good idea of what needs to be done on the floor. As for freshman Marquis Teague, who at one time was committed to attend Louisville, he can get out of control on occasion. Look for the Louisville pressure to attack Teague for this reason as he averages 3.1 turnovers to go along with 4.4 assists per game. As a team the Wildcats average 12.6 turnovers per game while Louisville forces an average of 17.4. Look for this statistical category to determine the outcome of the game.

In other games Saturday there's a nice mix of conference and important non-conference games to take in. The Big Ten's got an important battle in Bloomington as Indiana hosts Ohio State with the home team looking to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play. The Buckeyes blew out Northwestern in their Big Ten opener while the Hoosiers fell at Michigan State in a game that featured big runs by both teams. The key for Indiana is to limit Jared Sullinger's impact on the game while also keeping Cody Zeller out of foul trouble. Two other conference games to watch are UConn hosting St. John's (Moe Harkless was originally a UConn commit) in the Big East and Milwaukee visiting Butler in the Horizon League.

As for another big non-conference game there's Xavier hosting Gonzaga, with the Musketeers looking to capitalize on being a full team with the return of Dezmine Wells to the lineup. And given their 1-2 record at the Diamond Head Classic this game could be key for Xavier from an NCAA Tournament seeding standpoint. Gonzaga's going to need consistent play from Elias Harris on the road, and he may be the key to a long run in March for Mark Few's squad. Harvard taking on Saint Joseph's is another good non-conference game for the Atlantic 10, and the battle between C.J. Aiken and Harvard's Keith Wright will be fun to watch.

Virginia Tech visits Oklahoma State in a game that would likely have a bigger effect on the Hokies should they lose given the Cowboys' play this season and the struggles of many ACC teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule. And there's also a critical game in the MVC as Creighton visits Wichita State, needing a win to avoid an 0-2 start to league play. The Pac-12 will cap 2011 with all 12 teams playing conference games, with UCLA visiting Cal in a game that the Bruins needs to avoid an 0-2 start to league play. And just as the ball is dropping in Times Square, Oregon and Washington should be wrapping up the final game of 2011. Happy New Year.

Top 25 Games
6:00 PM (2) Ohio State at (15) Indiana (ESPN2)
12:00 PM (4) Louisville at (3) Kentucky (CBS)
12:00 PM St. John's at (9) Connecticut (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Yale at (10) Florida (ESPNU)
1:00 PM Iowa at (11) Wisconsin (BTN)
2:00 PM Providence at (12) Georgetown (ESPN2)
3:00 PM Utah State at (14) Mississippi State
3:00 PM (17) Michigan State at Nebraska (BTN)
4:00 PM North Dakota at (18) Kansas (ESPNU)
6:00 PM (19) Creighton at Wichita State (ESPNU)
8:00 PM (20) UNLV at Hawaii
4:00 PM Saint Joseph's at (23) Harvard
2:00 PM Howard at (25) Kansas State (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Virginia Tech at Oklahoma State (ESPN3)
12:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Drexel
12:00 PM Austin Peay at Morehead State (ESPNU)
12:00 PM Boston University at Quinnipiac
12:00 PM USC Upstate at South Carolina (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Iowa State (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Virginia-Wise at East Carolina
1:00 PM Colgate at New Hampshire
1:00 PM Presbyterian at VMI
1:00 PM Lehigh at Bryant
1:05 PM Bradley at Indiana State
2:00 PM Idaho at Boise State
2:00 PM Wright State at UIC (HLN)
2:00 PM FIU at Western Kentucky (FCS)
2:00 PM Samford at Maryland (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Western Carolina at North Carolina State (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Holy Cross at Dartmouth
2:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at New Mexico State
2:00 PM Rice at Texas (LHN)
2:00 PM Tulane at UT-Pan American
2:00 PM Youngstown State at Cleveland State (HLN)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Army
2:00 PM Chicago State at Ball State
2:00 PM Cornell at Bucknell
2:00 PM Milwaukee at Butler (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Tennessee State at Eastern Kentucky
2:00 PM Lyon College at Lamar
2:00 PM Hartford at La Salle
2:00 PM Charleston Southern at Liberty
2:00 PM Detroit at Loyola (IL) (HLN)
2:00 PM Southern Miss at McNeese State
2:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Radford
2:00 PM Louisiana Tech at SMU
3:00 PM Alabama A&M at UAB
3:00 PM Delaware State at George Washington
3:00 PM Northwestern State at Oklahoma
3:05 PM Drake at Missouri State
3:30 PM Albany at Mount St. Mary's
3:30 PM South Alabama at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
4:00 PM UCLA at California (FSN)
4:00 PM Troy at North Texas
4:00 PM Houston Baptist at Duquesne
4:00 PM Illinois at Purdue (ESPN2)
4:00 PM Sacramento State at Weber State
4:00 PM UNC Asheville at Winthrop (MASN)
4:30 PM Jacksonville State at SIU-Edwardsville
5:00 PM Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
5:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Tennessee-Martin
5:05 PM Green Bay at Valparaiso Tickets
5:15 PM Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette
5:30 PM Arizona State at Arizona (FSN AZ)
6:00 PM Utah at Colorado (ROOT)
6:00 PM Saint Louis at New Mexico (The Mtn)
6:00 PM San Diego at Brigham Young (BYU TV)
6:00 PM Oregon State vs. Washington State* (ROOT)
6:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Denver
6:00 PM Saint Mary's at Pepperdine
6:30 PM USC at Stanford (FSN W)
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at High Point
7:00 PM Tulsa at TCU (CBSSN)
8:00 PM Loyola Marymount at San Francisco
8:00 PM Gonzaga at Xavier (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Charlotte at Memphis (CSS)
9:35 PM Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM Oregon at Washington (ESPN2)

Thursday Recap: Missouri Wins Braggin' Rights Yet Again

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:10:58 -0500

The "Braggin' Rights" game between Illinois and Missouri is alway an intense affair, with the fans in the stands split by the halfcourt line and both teams understanding what's at stake before they even hit the floor. This season's game was no different, although for a good portion of the first half it seemed as if the undefeated Tigers were on their way to a romp. Bruce Weber's team refused to fold, and once Missouri got out of control Illinois was able to mount their rally. Illinois went on a 17-3 run halfway through the second half with Joseph Bertrand (19 points, 9-9 FG) leading the way to take a 62-61 lead, but it was Missouri's backcourt that made the plays late to win 78-74.

Phil Pressey led the Tigers with 18 points and five assists, and his layup with 12 seconds remaining sealed the deal as Illinois decided not to foul. Michael Dixon Jr. also scored 18 points and in total four Tigers reached double figures, but they allowed the pace to get a little too fast in the second half. Instead of working the ball around for good shots Missouri took hurried looks, and the "bailouts" allowed Illinois to go down to the other end and string together quality possessions. Bertrand was a big key in that, as he made all nine of his shots while making sound decisions with the basketball.

During that 17-3 run there were also better opportunities for Meyers Leonard, who finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on the night. The Illini did a better job of finding and getting Leonard the ball in positions where he could be most effective, and that's something that will have to continue for the Illini to reach their full potential. But Illinois once again lost sight of what sparked their run in the final minutes, which allowed the Tigers to regain the lead and ultimately win. Illinois shot 50% from the field and out-rebounded Missouri 35-30 but those numbers didn't matter as much as their 17 turnovers in the end.

Illinois turned the ball over on 24% of their possessions and made just four of sixteen shots from beyond the arc with Sam Maniscalco and D.J. Richardson combining to make just one of eight (Richardson entered the game having made five threes in each of Illinois' last two games). As for the Tigers, while they averaged more than a point per possession they didn't approach their season average in terms of offensive efficiency (126.2), finishing at a 109.9.

They finished below their season averages in many of the tempo-free categories and their getting out of control at times had something to do with it. But Coach Haith and his players understand what they do best and what needs to be done to improve on Thursday's showing. The last time a Missouri team got off to a 12-0 start was back in 1981-82, and that team won 19 straight and finished 27-4. Could this group of Tigers do the same? They sure can.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Georgetown takes care of business and hands Memphis their fifth loss of the season.
The rematch of the Maui Invitational meeting between Memphis and #16 Georgetown was supposed to be a tight affair throughout, but things didn't work out that way for Josh Pastner's Tigers. Frankly Memphis was outworked for much of the game, trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half before finally fighting back. Georgetown would go on to win 70-59 with Jason Clark scoring 18 points and Hollis Thompson adding 17 and nine rebounds. Four starters scored in double figures for the Hoyas, and veterans such as Clark, Thompson and Henry Sims underline exactly what Memphis is lacking right now. When things begin to go wrong on the court who's the guy that will hold himself and his teammates accountable?

The talent is definitely there, with Will Barton being one of the best players in the country. But there are also guys who haven't held up their end of the bargain for a team that's now 6-5 on the season. Senior Wesley Witherspoon? Five minutes tonight and eight over the last two games. Tarik Black? Fouled out in 13 nondescript minutes. Things have gotten to the point where Coach Pastner held a team meeting immediately after the game that lasted nearly two hours. Ferrakhon Hall added something from an effort and toughness standpoint when he was on the floor, but if the meetings haven't fully sunk in it's time to use the motivation of the bench to light a fire under guys. Memphis will have the most talent in Conference USA once they enter league play, but if they don't match that with high-level effort they're going to be in more trouble than this group bargained for.

2. Not only does Texas A&M fall to Rice but they also lost Kourtney Roberson.
Even with an all-conference talent like Arsalan Kazemi to contend with, few people expected Billy Kennedy's Aggies to struggle with a Rice team that entered Thursday's game with three wins over non-Division I opponents to their credit. But that's exactly what happened in College Station as Texas A&M shot just 39% from the field in a 65-58 loss to the Owls. Tamir Jackson scored a team-high 13 points while Kazemi (10 points, 13 rebounds), Ahmad Ibrahim (12 points) and Lucas Kuipers also reached double figures for the Owls, who picked up their first win over a Division I opponent in nearly a month. But the loss may be the least of Texas A&M's concerns with Kourtney Roberson being lost for four-to-six weeks with a fractured left ankle suffered in the first half.

David Lobeau led four Aggies in double figures with 14 points but when two starters (Jordan Green and Keith Davis) go scoreless there's going to be trouble. Khris Middleton and Ray Turner have shown at different stages in the season that they can be primary scorers, which goes without saying for Middleton as he was expected to be. But other than that guys are going to have to step up and be consistent factors on offense. Not everyone can score in double figures; that's not realistic for Texas A&M given their tempo and frankly they don't need everyone to. But they need guys to provide something. That didn't happen against Rice, and the end result was a disappointing defeat.

3. Long Beach State beats Xavier, and a freshman may be the key in them winning the Big West.
Tu Holloway made his return to the Xavier lineup after a one-game suspension for his role in that ugly brawl with city rival Cincinnati. But that didn't matter much as the Musketeers still had their problems executing on the offensive end of the floor. Where the Musketeers really ran into trouble was on the other end of the floor, as Long Beach State outscored Xavier by 12 (21-9) from beyond the arc in winning 68-58. Six players scored for the 49ers but five finished in double figures, with freshman Michael Caffey scoring 14 off the bench to lead the way. Xavier made just three of fifteen shots from beyond the arc, and the only reason why the margin wasn't any worse was the fact that The Beach shot 15-for-28 from the foul line.

But back to Caffey, who was a steal for Dan Monson and his staff as he didn't qualify until late (two of his teammates at Corona (CA) Centennial were Gelaun Wheelwright (Weber State) and Dominique Dunning (New Mexico)). If Caffey can continue to progress that will take some weight off the shoulders of senior point guard Casper Ware, who has the responsibilities of running the show as well as scoring, the 49ers will be that much better for it. In fact it can be argued that the absence of such a player was the big reason why Long Beach State couldn't turn their Big West regular season title into an NCAA Tournament bid. Next up for The Beach is Auburn in a Diamond Head Classic semifinal, and it's a game that will have a bigger impact should they lose as opposed to picking up the win.

Quick Hitters

1. They may have won on Thursday, beating Fairfield 79-71, but Connecticut wasn't at their best after jumping out to a 20-point halftime lead. That's been an issue for the Huskies in a few games this season; once they've figured out that the game's over they've allowed teams to hang around. The Huskies need to change that mindset as they head into Big East play.

2. Ian Miller and Antwan Space saw their first action of the season for Florida State but it didn't matter as they fell to rival Florida 82-64 in Gainesville. Bradley Beal scored 21 and grabbed six rebounds and all five Gator starters scored in double figures. Florida simply had too many weapons, and the Seminoles don't have a Patric Young either.

3. Drew Crawford scored 34 points and John Shurna added 18, nine rebounds and six assists but it wasn't enough as Northwestern fell at #21 Creighton 87-79. Doug McDemott scored 27 points and the Bluejays took advantage of Crawford leaving the game early in the second half with his fourth foul. That's another good win for Creighton ,and a missed opportunity for an improved Northwestern.

4. A sophomore who's played well of late but remains under the radar is UTEP's Mike Perez, who scored a career-high 25 points in the Miners' 61-48 win over Clemson at the Diamond Head Classic. Perez has scored at least 17 points in five of UTEP's last six games and has emerged as a go-to option that Tim Floyd and his staff didn't expect to have before the season began.

5. The biggest threat to Belmont in the Atlantic Sun is likely Mercer, and the Bears picked up a 65-59 win at Georgia Tech. Monty Brown scored 13 points off the bench and Bud Thomas added 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Bears, who lost a Belmont by just four earlier this month. Bob Hoffman's got a contender on his hands, and with Belmont being their regular season finale you never know what could be on the line.

6. Charleston did a good job of bouncing back from their tough loss at Louisville, winning 77-70 at Big South contender Coastal Carolina. Andrew Lawrence led the way with 18 points and seven assists while Matt Sundberg added 17 off the bench for the Cougars, who are now 10-2 on the season.

7. Congratulations are in order for Bob Huggins, who won his 700th game as a head coach on Thursday night. West Virginia needed a Gary Browne three-pointer to push Missouri State to overtime in Las Vegas, and they went on to win 70-68. Next up for WVU is #7 Baylor.

8. And Butler did what they had to do to get a split of their two games in beating Stanford 71-66 at Maples Pavilion. Ronald Nored scored 18 points and dished out five assists while Jackson Aldridge added 15 off the bench.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
35 points (13-17 FG) and 15 rebounds in the Rams' 81-70 win over Texas State.

2. F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi State)
24 points (8-11 FG), 14 rebounds and four assists in the Bulldogs' 82-67 win over Northwestern State.

3. F/C Brennan Cougill (Green Bay)
19 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in the Phoenix's 63-61 win over Idaho.

Thursday's Preview: #24 Illinois vs. #8 Missouri

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:19:23 -0500

Thursday is the final "busy day" on the college basketball schedule before Christmas and there's important business to address in St. Louis: Braggin' Rights. Undefeated and eighth-ranked Missouri (11-0) looks for its third straight win over #24 Illinois (11-1) in the series, and despite the change in head coach the Tigers remain one of the most balanced teams in the country. Four players average double figures and two more average at least eight points per game, and with the team averaging 17.3 assists per game it's obvious that Missouri has no problem sharing the wealth.

Marcus Denmon (19.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads the way offensively for Frank Haith's squad while senior Kim English is second on the team in both minutes and scoring (16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg). English plays the four at times for the Tigers due to their lack of depth inside with the loss of Laurence Bowers and he's done a good job in the role. A player with his versatility can cause fits for opposing players at the four, and that's something that the Illini may be concerned with on Thursday. Illinois will also need to contend with the physical Ricardo Ratliffe (14.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg) inside, which should be a good measuring stick for seven-footer Meyers Leonard.

Leonard (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg) got off to a good start but according the head coach Bruce Weber the sound of folks around him talking "NBA" may have gotten to the sophomore. Baby steps, folks. Leonard has shown himself to be a much-improved product this season but he's still got plenty of work to do. Ratliffe and Steve Moore will both be stronger than Leonard, who will need to counter with his ability to step away from the basket without falling in love with the the mid-range game and neglecting the post. Tyler Griffey is averaging a shade under five rebounds per game and has filled a role similar to that of the departed Bill Cole in that he'll be called on to do many of the little things that teams require in order to be successful.

On the perimeter is where Illinois could have trouble despite the presence of Brandon Paul (10.7 ppg, 3.2 apg) and D.J. Richardson (14.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg), with the latter being one of the better defenders in the Big Ten. Sam Maniscalco (10.9 ppg, 3.0 apg) runs the show at the point and has been good for Illinois thus far, but his defensive ability will definitely be tested by the Tiger guards. In addiiton to Denmon there's Phil Pressey (8.6 ppg, 6.0 apg), who has done an outstanding job of running the show for Missouri. Matt Pressey and Michael Dixon Jr. are two other options that Missouri can call upon with Dixon averaging 12.6 points per game off the bench.

The one thing that Illinois cannot do is turn the ball over, as Missouri still takes the ball away at a decent clip despite scrapping the full-court pressure employed by Mike Anderson. Missouri's opponents have turned the ball over on 24% of their possessions, and with the Tigers turning the ball over just nine times per game they aren't exactly going to give the ball back either. Illinois turns the ball over on one-fifth of their possessions, a reason why their offensive efficiency is 22.4 points below that of Missouri. With the two teams having nearly the same rebounding margin, turnovers (and the points scored off of them) will likely tell the tale in St. Louis.

Also of note are in-season tournaments in both Las Vegas and Honolulu, with many likely to be trained in on Long Beach State playing Xavier at the Diamond Head Classic. Tu Holloway returns from his one-game suspension but Mark Lyons and Dezmine Wells are both out for the Musketeers, which presents a great opportunity to Dan Monson's 49ers despite the matchup between Holloway and Casper Ware. A key for the Musketeers will be the play of Kenny Frease, as in T.J. Robinson the 49ers bring a very active interior player who brings the effort every night.

In Las Vegas, Saint Mary's could use a marquee win for their resume and Baylor would be a great team to do that against. But do the Gaels have enough help for Rob Jones inside to deal with the Bears' frontcourt? Saint Mary's will lean heavily on Jones and point guard Matthew Dellavedova, with the latter being a good test for Scott Drew's backcourt. Memphis, who has played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, will look to apply the lessons learned from their loss to Georgetown in Maui as they visit the Hoyas in the nation's capital. But in order to do so the Tigers must eliminate the defensive lapses that have const them in other big games this season if they're to win.

Connecticut (hosting Fairfield) and Marquette (hosting Milwaukee) should be on notice in their game, with the Golden Eagles looking to rebound from their loss at LSU and the Huskies taking on a Fairfield team that will contend in the MAAC. There's also going to be a pair of Olanders on the floor in that one, as older brother Ryan (Fairfield) looks to hand Tyler's Huskies a very rare non-conference loss to an in-state opponent. Butler visits Stanford in a game the Bulldogs really need for their profile before heading into Horizon League play, Kansas visits a USC team that looked like an offensive juggernaut on Monday night, and Tulane gets a chance to show that they're as good as their record in the Carrier Dome.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Tulane at (1) Syracuse (SNY)
8:30 PM Miami (OH) at (2) Ohio State (BTN)
1:00 PM Loyola (MD) at (3) Kentucky (ESPN3)
10:30 PM Saint Mary's vs. (7) Baylor (ESPN3)
9:00 PM (24) Illinois at (8) Missouri (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Fairfield at (9) Connecticut (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Milwaukee at (10) Marquette (ESPN3)
11:00 PM (11) Kansas at USC (FSN)
7:00 PM Florida State at (12) Florida (ESPNU)
11:00 PM Long Beach State vs. (15) Xavier* (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Memphis at (16) Georgetown (ESPN2)
8:00 PM Northwestern State at (17) Mississippi State
6:00 PM UMBC at (18) Indiana (ESPN3)
6:30 PM Bradley at (19) Michigan (BTN)
9:00 PM Lehigh at (20) Michigan State (ESPNU)
8:05 PM Northwestern at (21) Creighton (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Florida Atlantic at (25) Harvard

NCAA Division I Games
2:30 PM UTEP vs. Clemson* (ESPNU)
3:00 PM Texas A&M-CC vs. Bethune-Cookman*
4:30 PM Kansas State vs. Southern Illinois* (ESPNU)
5:00 PM South Alabama vs. San Diego*
5:30 PM Tennessee Tech vs. Kennesaw State*
6:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Savannah State
7:00 PM Bryant at Arizona (FSN AZ)
7:00 PM James Madison at George Washington
7:00 PM Delaware at Howard
7:00 PM Mercer at Georgia Tech
7:00 PM Bucknell at Boston University
7:00 PM San Francisco at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Davidson at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at East Carolina
7:00 PM Northeastern at NC State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM American at Villanova
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM VMI at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Charleston at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Sam Houston State at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Campbell at Appalachian State
7:00 PM Drexel at Binghamton
7:00 PM La Salle at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Alabama State at Detroit
7:00 PM Texas State at Fordham
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Georgia State
7:00 PM Colgate at Hofstra
7:00 PM Rider at Monmouth
7:00 PM VCU at UNC Greensboro (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Navy at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Niagara at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM Princeton at Siena (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Central Michigan at Wright State
7:05 PM Toledo at Florida Gulf Coast
7:05 PM Robert Morris at Youngstown State
7:30 PM Elon at San Diego State
7:30 PM NJIT at Rutgers (RVision)
7:30 PM Loyola (IL) at Canisius (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Bowling Green at Florida International
7:30 PM Miami (FL) at Charlotte
7:30 PM North Carolina Central vs. Prairie View A&M*
7:30 PM Texas-Arlington vs. Saint Peter's*
8:00 PM Jacksonville at UAB
8:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Arkansas
8:00 PM North Dakota State at Minnesota
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Saint Louis
8:00 PM Rice at Texas A&M
8:00 PM LSU at North Texas
8:00 PM Missouri State vs. West Virginia* (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Dallas Christian at SMU
8:00 PM USF at Southern Miss
8:00 PM Grambling State at TCU
8:00 PM UTSA at Troy
8:00 PM North Dakota at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Idaho at Green Bay
8:05 PM Texas Tech at Oral Roberts
8:30 PM Boise State at Iowa (BTN.com)
9:00 PM Butler at Stanford (FSN)
9:00 PM Texas Southern at Colorado
9:00 PM Utah Valley at Montana
9:00 PM UMKC at New Mexico
9:00 PM UCSB at BYU (BYU TV)
9:00 PM UC Davis at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Wyoming at Idaho State
9:00 PM Citadel at Denver
9:00 PM Air Force at Gonzaga (Root NW)
9:00 PM Colorado State at Northern Colorado
9:00 PM Utah at Weber State
10:00 PM San Jose State at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Washington
10:00 PM Hope International at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Portland at Nevada
10:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Oregon
10:00 PM Washington State at Pepperdine
10:00 PM Pacific at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Southeast Missouri State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Kent State at Utah State
10:05 PM Portland State at Cal State Fullerton
1:00 AM Auburn at Hawaii (ESPNU)

Tuesday Recap: Louisville Rallies to Remain Undefeated

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:01:55 -0500

For a while on Tuesday night it looked as if a Southern Conference team would hand another undefeated team its first defeat of the season. But an important suggestion by Louisville assistant coach Richard Pitino set things in motion for the fourth-ranked Cardinals, sparking a rally that resulted in a 69-62 victory. The idea: instead of relying on the frontcourt tandem of Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan to occupy the foul line area against the Charleston zone, use the versatile Kyle Kuric at the four. The move paid off, with Kuric scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

"He made the move of the game," said head coach Rick Pitino of his son. "He told me to play Kyle in the four slot because the middle was wide open and they weren't playing it. He said, 'Put Kyle in there; he'll make the shot or something good will happen.' And he got in there and really bothered them."

Kuric may not have registered an assist but his presence in the high post made the Cougars respect the area, something they didn't have to do with either Behanan or Rakeem Buckles occupying the area. But he wasn't the only issue for Charleston, as redshirt freshman Russ Smith was also a handful. Smith has the ability to be both electrifying and mystifying within the same possession, and he was able to harness his energy enough to contribute 12 points, five steals and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action. He helped ramp up the pace to a level that made Charleston uncomfortable in the second half, and while both teams were reckless with the basketball such a change worked in Louisville's favor.

"I haven't coached any guys who are great steal guys on the ball like Russ Smith," said Pitino. "He is the best I have seen at that. You have a lot of guys who anticipate well and shoot the gaps well but he is awesome on the ball. He basically won the game for us."

Antwaine Wiggins led the Cougars with 23 points but was their only player in double figures, and the guards had their issues taking care of the basketball as well. Andrew Lawrence finished the night with eight turnovers and Anthony Stitt tallied five off the bench, and as a team Charleston turned the ball over 22 times. Both of Charleston's starting guards (Lawrence and Jordan Scott) finished with more turnovers than assists, while for Louisville both Peyton Siva (six assists, four turnovers) and Chris Smith (four assists, one turnover) finished with more assists than turnovers. Add in some key missed opportunites around the rim for the visitors and the end result is Louisville moving to 11-0 on the season.

Other Notable Happenings

1. C.J. Leslie's shot (which St. Bonaventure fans would argue shouldn't have counted) gives NC State the win.
It would be safe to say that the Wolfpack's 67-65 win over the Bonnies in Rochester, NY was the most controversial result on the night, with many wondering whether or not Leslie stepped out of bounds before taking the shot. Since it wasn't called whether or not Leslie stepped on the baseline is of little consolation for St. Bonaventure, who missed out on at the very least overtime as a result. If anything the Bonnies have their offensive showing in the second half to blame, as they shot just 29.2% from the field in the second half and turned the ball over eight times (four assists).

Andrew Nicholson and Demetrius Conger scored 16 points apiece to lead the way for St. Bonaventure while Scott Wood paced the Pack with 20 points despite making just two of eight from beyond the arc. Mark Gottfried's team was impressive in how unselfish they were, assisting on 21 of their 25 made field goals. Regardless of how the game was won this is a good result for NC State to build on, and they deserve credit for bouncing back from their loss to top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday.

2. Ohio picks up the most impressive win of the night at Northern Iowa.
John Groce's Bobcats have flown under the radar nationally for much of the season despite having one of the nation's better point guards in D.J. Cooper. That may all change on the heels of their performance on Tuesday, as they beat Northern Iowa 76-59 in Cedar Falls. Ivo Baltic made 10 of 14 from the field in leading four Ohio players in double figures with 22 points and the Bobcats shot 51.7% from the field on the night against one of the stingier defenses in the country. Ohio had it going from deep as well, knocking down 11 of 21 while UNI made just six of their twenty attempts from beyond the arc.

And it was Ohio, who allows opponents to shoot 39% from the field, who put forth the superior defensive effort. UNI shot just 35.2% and while both reached double figures, leading scorers Anthony James (11 points) and Jake Koch (15 points) combined to make just eight of their twenty-three shots from the field. Ohio's lone defeat was a 59-54 loss at Louisville, and with wins over Marshall, Oakland and now Northern Iowa the Bobcats are building a nice profile as they head into MAC play. Cooper and company sent Georgetown home in the first round a couple of years ago as a 14-seed; they can do the same (with a better seed) this season.

3. Arizona puts together their best offensive outing of the year to beat Oakland.
No one would have blamed any Arizona fans if they were nervous about the Wildcats' game against Oakland. With the Golden Grizzlies having one of the nation's best scorers in Reggie Hamilton and Arizona having their issues offensively, the visitors leaving with a win was a definite possibility. But Solomon Hill and company would have none of that, shooting 55.6% from the field on their way to the 85-73 win. Hill was outstanding with 23 points, 11 rebounds and three assists while Kyle Fogg (17 points) and Jesse Perry (13 points) also reached double figures and Nick Johnson dished out six assists.

Arizona went into the game making just 50.1% of their two-point shots but they made 61.1% of their attempts against Oakland. As for Hamilton, he proved to be as advertised with 31 points and six assists but as a team the Golden Grizzlies made just nine of thirty-two from beyond the arc (Arizona finished 8-for-18). With their next two games being against Bryant and in-state rival Arizona State (Pac-12 opener), Sean Miller's team has a chance to get rolling ahead of their visit to the LA schools the first weekend of January.

Quick Hitters

1. Not only did Jared Sullinger return to the lineup for Ohio State but he played 30 minutes, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Buckeyes' 70-50 win over Lamar. With Pat Knight coaching the Cardinals, Ohio State took the opportunity to honor the 1960 national champions. One member of that team: none other than Bob Knight.

2. Darien Brothers had a good night for Richmond, shooting 7-for-11 from three on his way to 38 points in the Spiders' 90-82 overtime win over Old Dominion. Darius Garrett had an impact inside, grabbing 13 boards and blocking eight shots to go along with nine points. Next up for Richmond: a game at UCLA on Friday and they can definitely win there.

3. Two player transactions within the Big East to take note of: Providence's Kadeem Batts saw his suspension end, and St. John's freshman Amir Garrett has made it through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Batts scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in the Friairs' 67-52 win over New Hampshire, and Garrett could be in unform for the Red Storm's game against UTPA on Wednesday.

4. Butler will struggle to score this season due to a lack of premier offensive weapons, but what three of their key cogs managed in a 71-55 loss at Gonzaga isn't going to get it done in the Horizon League if it happens on a consistent basis. Chase Stigall, Chrishawn Hopkins and Andrew Smith combined to score just seven points on 3-for-21 shooting. Those guys have to be consistent factors for Brad Stevens' team.

5. Congrats to Prairie View A&M, who picked up their first win over a Division I opponent this season in beating Stephen F. Austin 53-50 in Eugene, Oregon. As for the Lumberjacks, that's not a good result for a team expected to be a contender in the Southland and it will definitely hurt the team's (and league's) computer numbers.

6. Unlike Marist last season, who began MAAC play 2-0 then plummeted to the bottom of the standings once play resumed in January, Manhattan may have some staying power. Not saying that Steve Masiello's team will be on the level of Iona, Fairfield or Loyola (MD), but the Jaspers have played some good basketball. Manhattan moved to 8-4 with an 81-62 win over winless Towson, with George Beamon scoring 21 points and Kidani Brutus adding 18 off the bench.

7. Terrence Jones didn't play due to a dislocated finger suffered in Kentucky's win over Chattanooga, but that wasn't an issue as the Wildcats blew out Samford. Doron Lamb scored 26 points and three other starters reached double figures in the 82-50 romp.

8. Shaka Smart's VCU Rams have the look of a team beginning to figure things out after struggling early due to the many personnel losses from last year's Final Four team. The Rams won their fifth straight on Tuesday, shutting down UAB 68-49 in Richmond. VCU forced 23 Blazer turnovers and Treveon Graham scored 18 points off the bench to lead the way offensively.

Four Notable Performances

1. F Nneka Ogwumike (Stanford)
A special mention for Ogwumike, who went off in #4 Stanford's 97-80 win over #6 Tennessee. Ogwumike finished with 42 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and two steals, making 11 straight shots from the field at one point.

2. G Darien Brothers (Richmond)
38 points (7-11 3PT) in the Spiders' 90-82 overtime win over Old Dominion.

3. G Preston Medlin (Utah State)
27 points (8-12 FG), eight assists and four rebounds in the Aggies' 73-69 win over UT Arlington.

4. G Vincent Council (Providence)
17 points (7-12 FG), 12 assists and seven rebounds in the Friars' 67-52 win over New Hampshire.

Tuesday's Preview: Butler at Gonzaga

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:39:24 -0500

Tuesday night's action features a few critical match ups when considering at-large possibilities in March, with one such game being Butler (5-6) taking on Gonzaga (7-2) in Spokane. Brad Stevens' Bulldogs looked to be in serious trouble on Saturday but a furious rally to beat Purdue may have been the win that sparks a turnaround. But they didn't do themselves many favors in that regard from a scheduling standpoint, with Gonzaga boasting a 93-7 record in the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Gonzaga jumped Arizona early on Saturday with Elias Harris playing arguably his best game of the season in the 71-60 victory, and they're one of the favorites in the WCC with BYU and Saint Mary's also in the discussion. Both have played tough schedules to date but with an 0-3 road record, Butler needs this one with a return to Horizon League play right around the corner.

Job one for Butler will be to limit the effectiveness of Harris (13.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Robert Sacre (14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg), because when these two have it rolling offensively Gonzaga is a very difficult team to stop. Both have good field goal percentages while Harris is also shooting at a 42% clip from beyond the arc, and his versatility could be an issue for the Butler front court. Andrew Smith (10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg), who scored the game-winner on Saturday, and Khyle Marshall (10.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) are Butler's best front court players thus far. They'll need to be once again, with some help from Roosevelt Jones (5.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg), in order to have a shot at pulling off the win.

Gonzaga can also call upon Sam Dower (6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg), who is capable of having a noticeable impact on the game despite averaging just 16 minutes per contest. Gonzaga's been the better rebounding team of the two with a margin of plus-6.2 (Butler has a margin of plus-3.0), and with GU grabbing nearly 39% of their misses Butler has to keep those second-chance opportunities to a minimum. Butler's done a good job of that to date, allowing the opposition to corral 28.5% of their missed shots.

The play on the perimeter offers up a nice contrast, with Gonzaga's guards being the more aggressive of the two groups when it comes to scoring. Freshman Kevin Pangos (13.1 ppg, 3.7 apg) has been very good for Gonzaga in his inaugural campaign, as he can take full advantage of the opportunities that come his way while also taking care of the basketball. Classmate Gary Bell (8.4 ppg) is fourth on the team in minutes while veterans David Stockton and Marquise Carter also playing key roles in the Gonzaga attack.

As for Butler senior Ronald Nored (5.4 ppg, 4.9 apg) is shooting just 32% from the field and 20% from three, but his true value comes on the defensive end of the floor. Nored is averaging 2.5 steals per game and is a handful for opposing point guards on that end of the floor. The key scorers for Butler on the perimeter are Chase Stigall (9.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and Chrishawn Hopkins (9.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg), and both will need to shoot better than their current 35% clips on Tuesday night.

As a team Butler makes just 39.1% of their shots from the field and 28.9% from beyond the arc, but those numbers could see an increase on Tuesday with Gonzaga allowing teams to shoot 43.5% and 37.2% in those areas. Gonzaga's points allowed per possession number is equal to what Butler averages on offense (0.97), so the key will be how well Butler defends a team that averages 1.1 points per possession. There's no doubt that Butler is tough enough to hang around, but are they efficient enough? That's the key.

The best game involving a ranked team is #4 Louisville hosting a 9-1 College of Charleston team that's got a pair of nice weapons in point guard Andrew Lawrence and forward Antwaine Wiggins. Inside the Cougars look to senior Trent Wiedeman to lead the way, but he'll have his hands full with a deep Cardinals front court. Gorgui Dieng was outstanding in Louisville's win over Memphis, and the next step in his progression is to be a consistent force in the paint. The same goes for Russ Smith on the perimeter, as the Big East Player of the Week can both amaze and infuriate within the same possession.

Old Dominion visiting Richmond has the look of being an entertaining game to watch, but how pretty it will be likely depends on the Monarchs. Blaine Taylor's team can be as fun to deal with from a defensive standpoint as a root canal, as they make teams earn every foot of space on the floor. UNC Asheville has a realistic shot at beating Tennessee in Knoxville as does Mercer in their game at Georgia, and the same goes for St. Bonaventure as they take on NC State in Rochester. Out west, college hoops fans need to keep an eye on Oakland's game at Arizona.

Reggie Hamilton is one of the most prolific guards in the country, most recently shown in his 41-point outing (and game-winning shot) at Valparaiso on Saturday. Arizona's Kyle Fogg is a good defender as is freshman Nick Johnson, but the Wildcats still have plenty to figure out as they approach Pac-12 play. And it goes without saying that the much-maligned league that lacks a marquee non-conference win at this stage can ill-afford many more losses in games the masses believe they "should" win.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Bucknell at (1) Syracuse (ESPNU)
8:30 PM Lamar at (2) Ohio State (BTN)
7:00 PM Samford at (3) Kentucky (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Charleston at (4) Louisville (ESPNU)
7:00 PM St. Francis (PA) at (14) Pittsburgh (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
TBA Rust College at Alcorn State
6:30 PM IPFW at Purdue (BTN)
7:00 PM Mercer at Georgia (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Manhattan at Towson
7:00 PM NC State vs. St. Bonaventure*
7:00 PM Evansville at Miami (OH)
7:00 PM Old Dominion at Richmond
7:00 PM Montreat College at Liberty
7:00 PM Texas State at Long Island
7:00 PM Furman at Presbyterian
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Providence (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Radford
7:00 PM Hampton at Robert Morris
7:00 PM UNC Asheville at Tennessee (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Norfolk State at Toledo
7:00 PM Winthrop at Western Michigan
7:00 PM Idaho at Wright State
7:05 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Illinois State
7:30 PM St. Peter's vs. Kent State*
7:30 PM Prairie View A&M vs. Stephen F. Austin*
7:30 PM UAB at VCU
8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Arkansas
8:00 PM Oakland at Arizona (FSN AZ+)
8:00 PM Western Carolina at Bradley
8:00 PM Central Michigan at Nebraska (BTN.com)
8:00 PM UTSA at Houston (CSS)
8:00 PM Grambling State at North Texas
8:00 PM Northeastern at Louisiana Tech
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Ohio at Northern Iowa
8:00 PM Northern Arizona at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM Southern Utah at Troy
9:00 PM Montana State at New Mexico
9:00 PM Buffalo at BYU (BYU TV)
9:00 PM Butler at Gonzaga (ESPN2)
10:00 PM UC Davis at San Jose State
10:00 PM North Carolina Central at Oregon
10:05 PM Texas-Arlington at Utah State
10:30 PM UC Irvine at UCLA (FS PT)

Saturday Recap: Balanced Louisville Too Much for Memphis

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:59:08 -0500

The first meeting between Memphis and Louisville since the 2005 Conference USA title game certainly did not disappoint from a drama standpoint, with both teams landing major blows throughout the contest. But despite a combined 74 first-half points the play was ragged for much of the contest, with the Cardinals taking a 42-32 lead into the break thanks to the Tigers shooting 29% from the field and turning the ball over ten times. But led by Will Barton (28 points, 16 rebounds) Josh Pastner's team refused to fold, fighting back to take a 57-55 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

But Memphis' many defensive breakdowns proved costly in the long run, as Louisville scored 53 second-half points on their way to the 95-87 win. Russ Smith made the most of his 25 minutes of action with 24 points and seven steals, and all seven Louisville players to see double-digit minutes reached double figures in the scoring column. Louisville didn't shoot well from the field (40%) or from three (30.4%) but they did attempt 40 free throws, making 32 of those. The Cardinals were also good at setting each other up, assisting on 60.7% of their made baskets while Memphis assisted on just 42.3% of theirs.

"I thought most of the time we were playing great defense," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. "They were trying to penetrate and we were forced to help, and then the guy who had to help then circled for a 3. They had a good strategy and they are a very tough team to play against."

Another player whose contributions cannot be ignored is center Gorgui Dieng, who was outstanding with 14 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in 40 minutes of action. Dieng's game has grown a great deal since his arrival on campus, and at this rate he may end up being one of the top centers in the Big East if he isn't in that class already. To get this kind of play from guys such as Dieng and Smith right now is a huge boost for Louisville, which welcomed Kevin Ware (only six minutes due in large part to Memphis going to a zone defense) and will hopefully regain the services of the injured Wayne Blackshear at some point in Big East play.

"Memphis surprised me by going zone because they haven't shown it. He's going to be fine," said Pitino of Ware. "He is a terrific athlete, good off the bounce, and much more a point guard than I anticipated. We are very excited to have him. Next game, he will be able to play a little bit more."

Memphis drops to 5-4 on the season but with the schedule they've played to date the Tigers are likely the most-tested team in the country. Barton in recent games has looked like a player who has figured things out and with his talent the sky's the limit, and Joe Jackson added 22 points. But Memphis has to tighten things up on the defensive end of the floor, as there were far too many breakdowns that led to either baskets or fouls. And turning the ball over on 20% of their possessions didn't help matters either. Louisville is still figuring things out as well, and as they welcome back key contributors and fine-tune things the Cardinals will begin to look even more like a national title contender than they do now.

Other Notable Happenings

1.Baylor survives two scares in beating BYU in Provo.
There was no doubt among those who follow college basketball that Scott Drew's team would have a hard time at the Marriott Center, one of the toughest environments in America for visiting teams. #6 Baylor was playing their first true road game of the season, and despite their talent there was an adjustment to be made. But thanks in large part to sophomore forward Perry Jones III and guard Pierre Jackson the Bears hung on for the 86-83 win. Jones put together an impressive stat line, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while also scaring both himself and the team with a knee injury in the second half. Luckily for both "PJ3" and the Bears it was simply a matter of banging knees with a BYU player and he was able to return.

Where did Jackson come into play? The JUCO transfer scored 13 points and dished out seven assists (five turnovers), and his block of Brandon Davies' (18 points, 13 rebounds) attempt to tie the game preserved the victory. Brady Heslip's marksmanship from beyond the arc was another key factor for Baylor, allowing them to withstand a very good effort from the Cougars. Matt Carlino scored 18 points off the bench in his first action in a BYU uniform, and it's difficult to see the UCLA transfer not starting when the Cougars take the court again. Baylor's win on the road is one more step in the right direction for a team that's looking more and more like a national title contender by the game.

2. Ohio State wins despite losing Jared Sullinger to a foot injury.
Sophomore forward Jared Sullinger moved back into the starting lineup for Saturday's game at South Carolina after coming off the bench in their win over USC Upstate earlier in the week. But the All-American wasn't on the floor for long in the Buckeyes' 74-66 win over the Gamecocks as his left foot was stepped on after just six minutes of action. X-rays came up negative for Sullinger, with the diagnosis being a bone bruise. To say the least Ohio State dodged a bullet with his injury, but they also had some key figures step up just a week after their loss at Kansas without the big man.

Deshaun Thomas was outstanding, scoring 30 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Thomas has made his last 17 two-point field goal attempts, and his emergence as a consistent scoring option will benefit Ohio State with or without Sullinger on the floor. William Buford added 17 points and Aaron Craft was his usual self on the defensive end of the floor. Ohio State basically left Columbia with two blocks on which to build: Sullinger will be fine, and players stepping up in his absence displayed growth from last weekend's loss in Lawrence.

3. Philly guards lead Syracuse to a win at NC State.
With NC State jumping out to a 12-4 lead the usual opinion about #1 Syracuse's non-conference schedule was conveniently brought up by many. Their first true road game, never leaving the state of New York until Big East play...and so it went. But in the midst of some patting themselves on the back they may have forgotten about the amount of talent at Jim Boeheim's disposal. What ensued was a stunning 20-0 Syracuse run, with the Orange playing their best basketball of the season during that stretch. The Wolfpack, much to their credit, would fight back and tie the game in the second half but that would be short-lived.

Guards Dion Waiters (22 points) and Scoop Jardine (16 points, four assists) led the way as the Orange pulled away for an 88-72 victory, and Kris Joseph added 21 points and five rebounds. In addition to Waiters, C.J. Fair and James Southerland scored 11 points apiece as the Orange reserves outscored NC State's bench 46-4 on the night. Feel free to use the convenient reasons to question Syracuse if you wish, but do so at your own peril.

4. Speaking of Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's makes their first home game against Villanova a memorable one.
In the history of the Big 5 Saint Joseph's had never hosted Villanova at Hagan Arena before Saturday night, usually playing their home games at The Palestra. Thanks to the trio of Carl Jones, C.J. Aiken and Langston Galloway the Hawks made the first meeting a memorable one, outclassing the Wildcats 74-58 in a game they led by as many as 20 in the second half. Saint Joseph's shot 50.8% from the field while limiting the visitors to 33.3% shooting, and the second half turned into a dunk contest of sort at one point. Galloway finished with 20 points and six assists while Jones (15 points, four assists) and Aiken (11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks) also played well, and Ronald Roberts added 12 off the bench.

Outside of Maalik Wayns (19 points) Villanova received little of consequence offensively from anyone, and with Mouphtaou Yarou less than 100% they needed a Dominic Cheek (or anyone else) to step up. But the Wildcats looked startled by the environment, and instead of becoming more comfortable with the surroundings the opposite seemed to happen as the game wore on. There are some definite questions for Villanova to answer, especially their lack of three-point shooting, but there's no doubt that Saint Joseph's can be a factor in the Atlantic 10.

5. Florida jumps Texas A&M from the start in what turned out to be a comfortable win.
There were concerns about what Billy Kennedy's team would be able to do in the second game of the Orange Bowl Classic against Florida given their strength of schedule, especially in the backcourt. Well, things got out of hand quickly as Florida jumped out to a 20-5 lead on their way to 50 first-half points and an 84-64 win. Kenny Boynton led four starters in double figures with 22 points (Erik Murphy's validated his return to the starting lineup with 13 points) and the Gators made 23 of 30 free throws to outscore the Aggies by 16 from the charity stripe. This all happened with Florida big man Patric Young taking just two shots on the afternoon.

Foul trouble didn't help the big man but this was a prime opportunity for an opponent to punish Florida for this, but Texas A&M was incapable of doing so. Shooting guard Elston Turner finished with 20 points and forwards Ray Turner (20 points) and Khris Middleton (12 points) were solid as well, but A&M can't entertain realistic thoughts of contending in the Big 12 if they don't get more out the guards not named Turner. Dash Harris, Jamal Branch and Jordan Green combined to shoot just 3-for-9 from the field, and that simply will not get it done.

6. It may be too much to say that Butler saved their season, but that wouldn't be far off.
At the half of Butler's game against Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse the Bulldogs trailed 46-35, but that margin didn't tell the whole story for Brad Stevens' team. Purdue shot 66.7% on two-point shots and turned the ball over just three times to Butler's nine, underlining the fact that the Bulldogs weren't defending at the level they need to in order to be successful. The choice was simple from an observer's standpoint: either Butler gets better defensively and has a shot at avoiding a seventh loss on the season, or they continue on that path and end up getting run out of the gym.

Butler chose the former, limiting Purdue to 19 points and 6-for-29 from the field in the second half to get back into the game. Andrew Smith's putback with a second remaining proved to be the difference in Butler's 67-65 win, an outcome the Bulldogs desperately needed. Smith and Kameron Woods scored 12 points apiece to lead the way offensively while Chase Stigall knocked down some big shots on his way to 11 points. Save their season? That may be a bit too dramatic but if Butler makes a run their win over Purdue will likely be seen as the catalyst.

Quick Hitters

1. The Elias Harris that many expect to see every game for Gonzaga showed up in Seattle, scoring 25 points (11-15 FG) and grabbing eight rebounds in the Bulldogs' 71-60 win over Arizona. Gonzaga scored the first 15 points of the game, establishing enough distance to hold off multiple Wildcat rallies.

2. If losing at Middle Tennessee earlier in the week wasn't hard enough, Belmont fell 66-61 at Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. The reason: Belmont shot 6-for-28 from beyond the arc, and Julian Mavunga led the home team with 17 points and ten rebounds.

3. Miami big man Reggie Johnson returned to the lineup in his first action of the season, and the difference in the Hurricanes was noticeable in their wild 93-90 double overtime win over FAU. Johnson accounted for 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks in 36 minutes of action and Kenny Kadji led the way with 21 points. FAU may have one of the most entertaining backcourts that receives a limited amount of publicity, with Raymond Taylor (20 points, nine assists) and Omari Grier (27 points) giving the Canes fits all afternoon.

4. Vanderbilt was handed their fourth loss of the season, this time losing at home 61-55 to Indiana State. Jake Odum controlled the flow of the action for the Sycamores, who received a nice boost off the bench from R.J. Mahurin (14 points). John Jenkins scored 11 points, making just three of ten shots for the Commodores. While Vandy may be in some trouble right now, it's safe to say that the race Indiana State will be a part of in the Missouri Valley will be fun to watch unfold.

5. Kansas State moved to 7-1 thanks to a 71-58 win over #21 Alabama in Kansas City. One of the big reasons for the victory was the play of seven-footer Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, who put forth arguably the best game of his career with 17 points and eight rebounds. K-State out-rebounded the Crimson Tide 32-28 and took advantage of Alabama's inability to knock down perimeter shots (2-14 3PT) in the second half.

6. Remember when New Mexico had the look of an early season disappointment? Steve Alford's team won its sixth straight on Saturday night, beating Oklahoma State 66-56 in Oklahoma City. Drew Gordon grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 13 points while Kendall Williams led the Lobos with 16 points.

7. Stallon Saldivar's three-pointer with less than a second remaining gave Northern Arizona a much-needed 69-68 win over Arizona State in Tempe. The Lumberjacks are just one week removed from having Mike Adras step down as head coach due to their 2-7 start, and they've won two straight since. Saturday's win is also their second straight over Arizona State.

8. They didn't get to welcome Marquette transfer Reggie Smith to the rotation (that will come on Monday) but that made little difference for UNLV, who got it done defensively in their 64-48 win over Illinois at the United Center. The Fighting Illini shot a frigid 25.4% from the field and Mike Moser led the Runnin' Rebels with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Six Notable Performances

1. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
Hamilton was outstanding in the Golden Grizzlies' 82-80 win over Valparaiso, scoring 41 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Hamilton's jumper at the buzzer proved to be the difference.

2. G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
31 points (10-13 FG), 10 rebounds and two steals in the Sooners' 79-74 win over Houston.

3. F Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
31 points (11-15 FG) and 10 rebounds in the Tar Heels' 97-82 win over Appalachian State.

4. G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
32 points (7-11 3PT), seven rebounds and two steals in the Pride's 82-62 win over Manhattan, tying a school record for three-pointers made in a game.

5. F Julian Boyd (Long Island) and F Will Barton (Memphis)
Boyd finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in the Blackbirds' 82-80 win over Saint Peter's while Barton put up 28 and 16 in Memphis' 95-87 loss at Louisville.

6. F Anthony Davis (Kentucky) and F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
Davis tallied 14 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in Kentucky's 87-62 win over Chattanooga while Gordon led New Mexico to their 66-56 win over Oklahoma State with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

Saturday Recap: Watford's Shot Lifts Indiana Past Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:42:13 -0500

In the days leading up to Indiana's game against#1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall there weren't too many people who thought that the Hoosiers could knock off the Wildcats. There were a few outside of the Indiana fan base who picked Tom Crean's team to win, but the majority of the predictions ranged anywhere from a close loss to a Kentucky blowout with IU's schedule to date being the main reason why. But what didn't seem realistic in the days leading up to the game became reality thanks to Christian Watford, who knocked down a three from the left elbow as time expired to give Indiana the 73-72 win.

Watford led five Hoosiers in double figures with 20 points in his best performance of the season, with Victor Oladipo (13 points, seven rebounds) and Cody Zeller (11 points, seven rebounds) chipping in as well. Zeller was also the focal point of what plagued Indiana as they watched a ten-point lead slip away, as the Hoosiers threw up wild shots instead of getting their freshman the ball.

Kentucky's Anthony Davis was either out of the game or playing with four fouls for a good portion of that stretch, which should have lent itself to getting Zeller the ball. But the Hoosiers survived and won a game that in recent years they'd either lose late or not be in to begin with, so this is a big step in the return to national prominence.

"It's a great moment for us.," said Crean. "It's a great victory because it's just such an outstanding team and a team, you can see it, the explosiveness, the athleticism, the skill level, the coaching, it's top notch and to get a win like that is huge and to have it be at home where our fans had so much to do with it is the biggest part of the day."

Doron Lamb (19 points) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (18 points, nine rebounds) led the way for the Wildcats while Marquis Teague scored the majority of his 15 points in a solid second half, but they needed more from sophomore forward Terrence Jones. Jones didn't look to be himself from an activity standpoint, finishing with four points and one rebound in 28 minutes of action.

But in spite of his struggles and Davis' foul trouble Kentucky still had a chance to get out of Bloomington with the win. Lamb made one of two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to give UK a 72-70 lead, setting the stage for Kentucky to give a foul since they had two to give. But whether it was a matter of the Kentucky defender (Teague) not being convincing enough in his attempt to foul or the official failing to make the call, that didn't happen. And as a result, Kentucky likely won't be ranked number one on Monday.

"We were going to foul them," said Calipari. "We had two fouls to use. So, the whole timeout was about fouling. Marquis tried to foul and they didn't call it. No one fouled."

Kentucky made 55.6% of their shots on the afternoon, but Indiana outscored the Wildcats 27-6 in points from beyond the arc. That discrepancy made up for Indiana shooting just 43.1% overall and 37.2% on two-point baskets, the latter number partially reflecting the effects of the wingspan of Kentucky's front line. But Indiana hung in there and ultimately won, and it has to be considered the watershed moment of the Crean era. But there's still plenty of work to be done and games to be won, so it may be wise to hold off on declaring Indiana to be all the way "back".

Other Notable Happenings

1. Key figures step up in Kansas' win over a Jared Sullinger-less Ohio State.
Unfortunately for Thad Matta the All-American power forward was unable to go due to back spasms, and this development opened the door for Kansas to knock off the #2 team in the country. The Jayhawks took full advantage, with Thomas Robinson scoring 21 points and Tyshawn Taylor (playing with a torn meniscus, which will sideline him for the next three weeks) dishing out 13 assists in Kansas' 78-67 win in Lawrence. Ohio State fell behind by double figures in the first half and couldn't get over the hump despite nunerous attempts to take the lead.

William Buford scored 21 points to lead the Buckeyes and Deshaun Thomas added 19, but shooting 39% from the field led to their first loss of the season. The question for Ohio State with Sullinger out is a simple one: who steps up to create offense for this team. Aaron Craft scored 11 points and dished out six assists, but Ohio State will need to do more in 1-on-1 situations while the big man is out. But the Buckeyes will be fine due to the remaining talent and experience.

2. Xavier's emphatic win over Cincinnati sullied by both teams embarrassing their institutions.
It would be nice to be able to focus on the Musketeers' 76-53 win over city rival Cincinnati for the play on the floor, as Chris Mack's team pulled away late in the first half and added to their lead throughout the final 20 minutes. However thanks to a bench-clearing brawl that resulted in the game being ended with 9.3 seconds remaining the actual game takes a back seat to one of the ugliest sights in recent memory. Whether citing the statement made by Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick earlier in the week or the chirping going on before the national anthem, it was pretty clear that the Bearcats and Musketeers were going to have some issues throughout the course of the game.

But a brawl? There were so many things to point out during the fracas that have no place in sports, from Tu Holloway talking to the Cincinnati bench to the standoff between he and Ge'Lawn Guyn (with Dezmine Wells entering himself with a shove) to Yancy Gates decking Kenny Frease and Cheikh Mbodj following up with an Ndamukong Suh-esque stomp to Frease's head. There was also the bright idea to allow Holloway and Mark Lyons to speak to the media in the aftermath of the fight, and that clearly didn't go well. Per NCAA rules the three players ejected for fighting (Gates and Mbodj for Cincinnati, Wells for Xavier) will sit out their team's next game but it's clear that one game won't be enough for many of the players involved. It will be interesting to see how the schools and their respective conferences hand out discipline for this disgraceful showing.

3. UNLV can't get their tempo going in a loss at Wisconsin.
Few people expected Dave Rice's Runnin' Rebels to be able to go into the Kohl Center and play the fast tempo that they prefer. Wisconsin's just that good at controlling the flow of the game thanks to Bo Ryan's system, and that ultimately resulted in a 62-51 Badger victory. Jordan Taylor scored just four points and missed all ten of his shots from the field, but the Rebels couldn't take advantage due to their own poor shooting. Removing Chace Stanback (5-9 FG, 16 points), UNLV's starters made just seven of twenty-four shots from the field and as a team the Rebels were outscored by 15 points (30-15) from beyond the arc.

On the season Wisconsin scores 41% of their points from deep but on Saturday that number was up to 48%, and that's a number that can be tough to overcome when a team makes just 38% of their two-point shots as UNLV did. Ben Brust was outstanding off the bench as he made all seven of his three-point attempts in scoring a game-high 25 points. Brust gives the Badgers a scoring punch off the bench that they haven't had especially in the backcourt, and if he can continue to provide that Wisconsin has a weapon that teams will find difficult to match. But even with Brust's play UNLV has to assign more blame to their own offensive performance for the defeat.

4. Draymond Green leads Michigan State to a good road win at Gonxaga.
One thing that's been quite apparent over the last year plus is just how good of a leader Michigan State senior forward Draymond Green is. And with the young team that Tom Izzo has this season it's imperative that Green continue to carry the load in that area, which he's done all season long. The Spartans' leader in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals was outstanding in their 74-67 win at Gonzaga, scoring 34 points while providing great on-court leadership. As a team Michigan State shot 54.2% from the field and assisted on 18 of their 26 made baskets while Gonzaga's assist/turnover split (nine assists, 20 turnovers) played a big role in their demise. Also of import was the defense that Michigan State played in slowing down Elias Harris and Kevin Pangos, who shot a combined 5-for-19 from the field. But all that together and you end up with one of the more impressive road victories of the season to date.

5. Saint Joseph's hands #17 Creighton their first loss of the season.
There was no doubting the fact that Phil Martelli's improved Hawks had a shot to knock off undefeated Creighton going into Saturday's matinee. And thanks to Carl Jones, who scored a game-high 29 points, the Hawks got the job done by the final score of 80-71. Doug McDermott led Creighton with yet another double-double as he finished with 26 points and ten rebounds, but the Bluejay reserves were outscored 20-6 by the Saint Joseph's tandem of Ronald Roberts Jr. (12 points) and Chris Wilson (eight). Add in the fact that the Hawks attempted 23 more free throws (making 19 to Creighton's six) and it's pretty easy to see why the home team won. The Hawks' offensive numbers were significantly better than what the Bluejays allow on the average this season, and they've played much improved basketball when compared to 2010-11. Just another good non-conference win for the Atlantic 10, one of the leagues likely to profit from a down Pac-12 come March.

Quick Hitters

1. Duke had the look of a marathoner who got off to a fast start only to hold on for dear life towards the end as cramping set in with their 86-80 win over Washington. Austin Rivers scored 18 points and Andre Dawkins added 17 off the bench, but Washington's Tony Wroten was a major player in the Huskies' comeback with 23 points.

2. Don't look now but Columbia has now won seven straight thanks to their 63-53 win over NEC favorite LIU. Mark Cisco and John Daniels scored 12 points apiece and defensively the Lions limited LIU to 36.4% shooting from the field. And this has happened with Norwua Agho missing the last nine games with a torn patellar tendon.

3. Nick Johnson scored 14 points and Solomon Hill 13 in Arizona's 63-47 win over Clemson in a game that also featured the return of point guard Josiah Turner. Turner finished with six points and five turnovers in 17 minutes of action, but if Sean Miller can get him to buy in the Wildcats will be one of the favorites in the Pac-12.

4. Ramone Moore scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds in Temple's 78-67 win over Villanova. Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek and Mouphtaou Yarou scored 47 of the Wildcats' 67 points on the afternoon, and to be frank if they don't get contributions from the supporting cast it could be tough for Jay Wright's team to grab an 8th straight NCAA Tournament bid.

5. Lazeric Jones led four UCLA players in double figures with 21 points as the Bruins beat Penn 77-73 in their first game post-Reeves Nelson. Penn's field goal (44.8%) and effective field goal (55.2%) percentages were actually improvements for UCLA defensively when looking at their season averages. The chemistry may be better without Nelson but talent-wise there's still a long way to go for Ben Howland's team.

6. While Tennessee won't be a national contender, Austin Peay picked up an important 74-70 win in Knoxville. Josh Terry scored 20 points and TyShawn Edmondson added 19 off the bench as the Governors picked up their second win of the season. Dave Loos' team can still be a factor in the OVC despite the slow start.

7. Jarrod Jones scored 21 points and his jumper with 48 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in Ball State's 58-55 home win over Butler. As for the Bulldogs, outside of Khyle Marshall (9-15 FG, 21 points) the team shot 11-for-40 from the field. Brad Stevens needs guys to step up as consistent offensive options if Butler is to be a contender in the Horizon League.

Five Notable Performances

1. G/F Alex Young (IUPUI)
43 points (14-20 FG), nine rebounds and three steals in the Jaguars' 84-76 win over Western Kentucky.

2. F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)
29 points (14-17 FG), 13 rebounds and three steals in the Bulls' 80-72 win over Youngstown State.

3. F Draymond Green (Michigan State)
34 points (11-13 FG), three assists and three steals in Michigan State's 74-67 win over Gonzaga.

4. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
Lillard bounced back from an off night at BYU with 31 points (9-15 FG), nine assists and three rebounds in the Wildcats' 84-66 win over Southern Utah.

5. G Bryce Cotton (Providence)
34 points (11-16 FG) and three rebounds inthe Friars' 72-61 win over Brown.