Central Florida

#6 Baylor vs. #10 Kansas: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:39:21 -0500

To say that this is a big week for Scott Drew's Baylor (21-2, 8-2) Bears would be a major understatement, and the same goes for the Kansas (18-5, 8-2) Jayhawks in this pivotal Big 12 battle. These are two of the three teams tied for first in the loss column in the conference, and with Baylor visiting 9-2 Missouri on Saturday afternoon we should have a solid grasp on who will be in the driver's seat down the stretch.

Kansas won the first meeting 92-74 in Lawrence, pulling away during the latter stages of the first half thanks in large part to the play of forward Thomas Robinson and point guard Tyshawn Taylor. Robinson (18.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg) posted his customary double-double on a night that saw the Bears punished for their inability to box out. Baylor only plays their troublesome 2-3 zone about half the time, so this was an issue more about fundamentals than their system having them out of place.

On the season Baylor's opponents average 12.4 offensive rebounds per game, and while the offensive rebounding percentage (32.8%) isn't terrible it's not what you'd expect of a team with five players 6'9" or taller. Three of those players are averaging double figures in scoring with sophomore Perry Jones III (14.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg) leading the way. Freshman Quincy Miller (12.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is arguably their most versatile front court player while senior Quincy Acy (12.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) provides the heart, as he's made some big plays in "winning time" for the Bears.

The key for Kansas in the rematch will be to get a similar effort from Jeff Withey (8.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 bpg) as they received in the first contest. The San Diego native was two blocks away from a triple-double, a fact that left many observers stunned by the end of the night. This is a better matchup for Withey than Missouri, whose quickness rendered him nearly non-existent on Saturday night. While both teams are good on the offensive glass Kansas has been better keeping opponents at bay on the other end (28.1% OR), and doing so once again will be important if they're to win in Waco.

The point guard matchup is an intriguing one due to the fact that both Taylor (16.9 ppg, 5.2 apg) and Baylor's Pierre Jackson (12.7 ppg, 5.9 apg) are both two of the best in the Big 12, but they also have moments when their respective coaches wonder what's going on. Turnovers will be key for both teams, especially those of the "live-ball" variety as both teams have some of the nation's best finishers.

Jackson won't start the game (A.J. Walton does) but more often than not he finishes it, and shooting free throws at an 84% clip should leave Baylor fans at ease when he's in control late. Baylor also calls on Brady Heslip (9.6 ppg, 43.9% 3PT) on the perimeter while Kansas will counter with Elijah Johnson (9.2 ppg, 3.6 apg) and Travis Releford (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg). There isn't much separating the two teams when looking at turnover percentage on either side of the ball, and despite having a slightly higher percentage (21.5%) it's Baylor who's been the more efficient team offensively.

Did Allen Fieldhouse have that much of an impact on Baylor in the first meeting, or was Kansas simply that much better? The rematch won't provide a definitive answer to that question (which is probably an unfair one to ask anyway), but it will give an answer to the question of which team is better equipped to win the Big 12.

Two of the sport's biggest rivalries will also be on display as #2 Syracuse hosts #11 Georgetown and #9 Duke makes the short trek to Chapel Hill to take on #5 North Carolina. The Orange had it rolling on Saturday afternoon as they pasted an undermanned St. John's team and the return of Fab Melo did play a role in that. But the Hoyas also have a much-improved center in senior Henry Sims, and a perimeter led by Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson should be good about finding quality shots within Syracuse's 2-3 zone. Georgetown has to also find a way to limit the impact that reserves such as Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair have on the game, meaning that they have to keep the game from turning into an odd-man track meet.

As for Duke, they've got a tough assignment as they look to not only bounce back from a disappointing loss to Miami but also keep from falling two games behind UNC and Florida State in the ACC. The Blue Devils had no answer for Miami's Reggie Johnson (Kenny Kadji also played well), and while neither John Henson nor Tyler Zeller is as wide as Johnson they're both more than a handful for opponents. Duke has to get good decision-making from their guards (Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and Quinn Cook being three) at the Dean Dome and some good shooting from Andre Dawkins wouldn't hurt either.

Marshall, who at one point earlier this season looked to be a lock to reach the Field of 68, needs to get rolling in a hurry if they're to get back into the discussion. DeAndre Kane and company visit a UCF team led by forward Keith Clanton in what should be a good Conference USA matchup. Wichita State can take sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley with a win over Northern Iowa ahead of their trip to Omaha on Saturday, and the contest between borough rivals LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis (NY) has been made even better by the fact that they're playing at Madison Square Garden and Glen Braica's done an outstanding job with the Terriers as well.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (11) Georgetown at (2) Syracuse (ESPN)
9:00 PM (9) Duke at (5) North Carolina (ESPN)
7:00 PM (10) Kansas at (6) Baylor (ESPN2)
6:30 PM Penn State at (12) Michigan State (BTN)
7:00 PM (17) Florida State at Boston College (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Wake Forest at (20) Virginia (ESPN3)
8:30 PM (25) Michigan at Nebraska (BTN)

NCAA Division I Games
6:00 PM George Washington at Temple
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Delaware
7:00 PM Pittsburgh at South Florida (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Wagner at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Memphis at East Carolina
7:00 PM Monmouth at Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Drexel at James Madison
7:00 PM La Salle at Richmond
7:00 PM Lafayette at Army
7:00 PM Bowling Green at Ball State
7:00 PM Marshall at UCF
7:00 PM Buffalo at Central Michigan
7:00 PM Bucknell at Colgate
7:00 PM Kent State at Eastern Michigan
7:00 PM Hofstra at George Mason (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Northeastern at Georgia State
7:00 PM Jacksonville State at Morehead State
7:00 PM Holy Cross at Navy
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM Bryant University at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM Robert Morris at St. Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Cincinnati at St. John's
7:00 PM Ohio at Toledo
7:00 PM Akron at Western Michigan (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Old Dominion at William & Mary
7:00 PM Rhode Island at Xavier (CBS SN)
7:05 PM Houston Baptist at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM St. Bonaventure at Massachusetts
7:30 PM Towson at VCU (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Southern Miss at UAB
8:00 PM Arkansas at Georgia (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Indiana State at Bradley
8:00 PM Missouri State at Southern Illinois (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rice at Houston
8:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Texas-Pan American
8:00 PM Central Arkansas at Texas State
8:00 PM Northwestern State at Lamar
8:00 PM Miami (OH) at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Sam Houston State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM TCU at Southern Methodist
8:00 PM Nicholls State at Stephen F. Austin
8:00 PM South Carolina at Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at UTSA
8:00 PM Northern Iowa at Wichita State (ESPN3)
8:05 PM Drake at Illinois State
8:30 PM Saint Louis at Saint Joseph's
9:00 PM Seton Hall at Rutgers (ESPN2)
9:00 PM LSU at Vanderbilt (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Notre Dame at West Virginia
9:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at St. Francis (NY)
9:00 PM Tulsa at UTEP (CBS SN)

Wednesday Recap: Oklahoma State Beats #2 Missouri

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:11:39 -0500

Consistency has been an issue for the Oklahoma State Cowboys this season, and it's been an issue for highly-touted freshman Le'Bryan Nash as well. After scoring 21 points in the Cowboys' 71-68 loss to Iowa State (which ended at the buzzer on a Scott Christopherson three) Nash scored just four points in a 66-58 home loss to Kansas State. But the Dallas native brought his "A-game" to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night, making 12 of 18 shots from the field to score 27 points while also grabbing four rebounds in Oklahoma State's 79-72 win over #2 Missouri.

"Le'Bryan Nash played at a very high level. All his moves were a little bit more explosive," remarked Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford. "Everyone is going to look at his 27 points, but his defense was better than his offense. It's not a coincidence that he told me yesterday he was going to be ready today and he had a good practice."

Brian Williams added 22 points and Keiton Page 12 on a night that saw the Pokes shoot 59.6% from the field, a stunning development given the fact that Oklahoma State entered the game dead last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage. But as with Nash personally it was Oklahoma State's improved defensive effort down the stretch that allowed them to put the game away. Phil Pressey, who leads the conference in assists per game, could only muster two assists and as a team Missouri finished with just eight assists (they average nearly 16 per game). Missouri assists on 56.4% of their baskets on the season but the number on Wednesday was 30.8%, which played right into the hands of the Cowboys.

Nash's performance became even more important when Markel Brown was given his second technical foul after an emphatic dunk with 6:57 remaining. Following two Marcus Denmon free throws the Cowboys were down 58-53 and two more free throws from Ricardo Ratliffe put the Tigers up seven. Nash scored 13 points in the final 6:31 to lead the Cowboys to a win that the young players really needed given their two games prior to Wednesday. Ratliffe led the Tigers with 25 points and 12 rebounds but they were unable to take advantage of 20 points off of 16 OSU turnovers and a 16-6 edge in second-chance points. The key for both Nash and Oklahoma State now is to play a consistent brand of basketball.

"It's a huge win for us, it's a big win, but it just shows us what we're capable of," said Page. "It shows us that we can play with anybody. We still have a long ways to go...We've gotta get more wins, get some wins on the road."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Saint Louis wins at Xavier, and after Wednesday 11 of the 14 teams in the A-10 have either two or three league losses.
Despite entering their game with a 15-4 record Rick Majerus' Billikens needed a solid road victory due in large part to a strength of schedule that left something to be desired. Brian Conklin scored 19 points and Rob Loe led three other SLU players in double figures with 14 points on their way to the 73-68 win over the Musketeers at the Cintas Center. Conklin was a big reason for Saint Louis' 28-18 edge in points in the paint, and the Billikens received more contributions across the board than a Xavier team that didn't receive much help outside of Mark Lyons (career-high 27 points) and Tu Holloway (22 points).

Jeff Robinson scored ten points and grabbed six rebounds for Xavier but the other big men didn't do much of consequence. Xavier has been the gold standard in the Atlantic 10 for quite some time, and while there's more competition atop the conference it's important to not think that their run is suddenly over. Saint Joseph's win over Dayton pulled the Flyers back to the pack, as now 11 teams sit anywhere from 4-2 to 3-3. To say the least the race for the A-10 crown will be wildly entertaining over the next month.

2. Pittsburgh finally gets their first Big East win as they took their frustrations out on Providence.
The struggles of the Panthers, who entered Wednesday with an eight-game losing streak, were well-doucmented and hadn't been seen in the Steel City for quite some time. That made the game against Providence that much more important, and thanks to a hot Ashton Gibbs the Panthers picked up their first Big East win. Gibbs scored 14 straight points late in the first half as Pittsburgh took control of the game, finishing with 22 points while Tray Woodall (17 points, nine assists) and Nasir Robinson (14 points, six rebounds) also reached double figures in the 86-74 win.

Pittsburgh, who assists on 61.2% of their baskets this season, finished Wednesday's game with an assist percentage of 68.8% and Woodall (who didn't have the rust that was evident in Saturday's loss to Louisville) is a big reason why. The shame for Providence is that their defensive performance overshadowed an outstanding night from point guard Vincent Council (26 points, ten rebounds and nine assists), but there isn't a whole lot you can do when a team makes 11 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. Whether or not this win serves as a major catalyst for Pitt remains to be seen, but they simply needed to get something going and they did that.

3. BYU beats Virginia Tech by two in Blacksburg, but was this a game that would have had a bigger impact in defeat?
Dave Rose's Cougars entered this week with an RPI of 55 and a strength of schedule of 97, and while games against Saint Mary's and Gonzaga are bigger in the grand scheme of things their final non-conference game of the season was also important. But thanks in large part to Virginia Tech's struggles the Cougars' game in Blacksburg took on the appearance of one that could do more harm in defeat than good in victory. BYU took care of business, winning 70-68, with Noah Hartsock (22 points, seven rebounds) and Brandon Davies (17 points, five rebounds) leading the way.

The Cougars won despite a poor shooting night from Charles Abouo and Matt Carlino, who combined to make just six of twenty-eight shots on the night. While many may expect this group to attempt to fire away from deep as they did last season with Jimmer Fredette and (to a lesser extent) Jackson Emery, that isn't realistic at this point. Relying on Davies and Hartsock in the frontcourt could be BYU's best bet when it comes to getting back into the WCC race, and it could be what they need to do to make sure they've got staying power in March as well.

Quick Hitters

1. Congratulations to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo on his 400th victory, as the Spartans beat Minnesota 68-52 to move into a tie for first place in the Big Ten. Draymond Green led the way with 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and Branden Dawson added 16, four rebounds and four blocks.

2. Maryland honored former head coach Gary Williams, naming the Comcast Center court in his honor, but the emotion of the night wasn't enough to lead the Terrapins past #6 Duke. Mason Plumlee scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds (four assists as well) in the Blue Devils' 74-61 win that was closer than the final score would indicate. Maryland shot 40.4% from the field but the bigger issue was the foul line, where they made 11 of 21 on the night.

3. With Creighton and Wichita State both winning while their closest competition in the Missouri Valley lost, the Bluejays and Shockers are four games up on the pack with eight to go. Unless one of those other teams can make something happen in "Arch Madness" it's very likely that the Valley is just a two-bid league. Garrett Stutz led the Shockers to an 86-74 win over Evansville with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Doug McDermott led Creighton past Drake with 30 points and nine rebounds.

4. Of the top four teams leading Conference USA it's anyone's guess as to who ends up reaching the NCAA Tournament, meaning that avoiding bad losses will be key in the final month-plus of the season. No such luck for Marshall, who lost 56-49 to UAB at home, or UCF as the Knights lost 66-61 at Tulsa. Memphis and Southern Miss both avoided this fate by taking care of business.

5. Just two weeks ago Seton Hall looked to be in good shape when it came to getting back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2006. But with three straight losses it may be wise to avoid that discussion, with the Pirates falling 55-42 to Notre Dame in Newark. Senior leaders Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope combined to shoot 6-for-28 from the field, and Seton Hall struggled with Notre Dame's deliberate offense. Next up for Kevin Willard's team is Louisville, followed by road games at Marquette, UConn and rival Rutgers.

6. That could also apply to Alabama, who lost 56-54 at South Carolina on a Bruce Ellington basket with 1.4 seconds remaining. Ellington and Damontre Harris scored 12 points apiece and Malik Cooke led the Gamecocks with 18 points. Levi Randolph scored 12 points off the bench to lead the Crimson Tide, who are now 2-4 in the SEC, and JaMychal Green's ankle injury didn't help matters either.

7. Chris Fouch scored 15 points off the bench as Drexel whipped Georgia State 68-46 in Philadelphia to not only avenge their loss in Atlanta but establish some distance between the top four and the rest of the CAA. George Mason remains in first place with a 9-1 record after beating Hofstra while VCU and Old Dominion are tied with Drexel with 8-2 marks. The top four teams get first round byes in the CAA Tournament.

8. Things didn't go too well for West Virginia in their trip to Madison Square Garden as St. John's jumped them early on their way to the 78-62 victory. The favorite for Big East Rookie of the Year, Moe Harkless, led the Red Storm with 23 points and 13 rebounds while D'Angelo Harrison led three other Johnnies in double figures with 19 points. Kevin Jones led the Mountaineers with 26 points and 14 boards, but they never seemed to figure out the matchup zone St. John's threw their way.

Four Notable Performances

1. F Jackie Carmichael (Illinois State)
26 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in the Redbirds' 76-69 win over Missouri State.

2. F Draymond Green (Michigan State)
22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the Spartans' 68-52 win over Minnesota.

3. F Mike Moser (UNLV)
18 points, 21 rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in UNLV's 77-72 overtime win at Boise State.

4. F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
20 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in the Buckeyes' 78-54 win over Penn State.

Wednesday Recap: Kilpatrick Lifts Cincinnati Past UConn

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:31:06 -0500

Following Shabazz Napier's game-tying three-pointer most coaches would choose to call a timeout to draw up a play, risking the chance of the defense aligning and taking away the primary scoring option. But with the man he wanted to take the final shot already in possession of the basketball, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin decided against calling a timeout and as a result his Bearcats are now 5-1 in the Big East. Sean Kilpatrick, who led five Cincinnati players in double figures with 16 points, knocked down a three with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Bearcats the 70-67 victory.

"I was watching just to make sure he or Dion [Dixon] had the ball," said Cronin of their final offensive sequence. "It's to the point with both of those guys with their ability to score off the dribble, and make shots. If he would have hesitated, I would have called a timeout."

Napier led all scorers with 27 points and Jeremy Lamb added 14 to go along with eight rebounds and five assists despite Jim Calhoun not thinking much of his performance, but UConn was done in by the fact that they didn't receive much from their frontcourt despite playing a team that's made its living of late by playing small. Starting forwards Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi combined for just six points and twelve rebounds, while reserves Roscoe Smith and Tyler Olander added a combined eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. UConn grabbed 44% of their missed shots but due to the lack of production inside the Huskies were unable to take advantage of the edge they had on paper entering the contest.

"When you start the game with a 6-10, 280 pound guy, and another guy 6-9, 245 pounds, and they can't rebound, or you can't throw them the ball, or they're getting backed down into the post, you've got a problem," said Calhoun of his starting big men. "That was our game plan. And that didn't work out very well for us."

Cincinnati's undergone quite the transformation in winning ten of eleven games since the blowout loss and brawl at Xavier, and not just in regards to their style of play. While guards such as Kilpatrick, Dixon and Cashmere Wright have more leeway to make plays offensively, the Bearcats are a more unified team as well. Yancy Gates (13 points, 12 rebounds) has accepted his new role and has been productive in it, and that's one more reason why Cincinnati is currently the answer to the trendy "who's the second-best team in the Big East" question.

Of course with games against West Virginia and Syracuse next on the schedule the Bearcats stand the chance of losing, but that shouldn't nullify the potential shown at Gampel Pavilion. Cincinnati believes is Coach Cronin's plan, and just as importantly they believe in each other. And that's an attitude that wasn't always on display on the court, making the Bearcats all the more dangerous throughout the remainder of the regular season and even into the postseason.

"Coming into Gampel and getting a win is huge. Obviously, they have a great team and arguably the best coach in college basketball," said Cronin. "It's a big win for us but you've got to win these kinds of games if you're going to compete for the Big East championship."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Indiana takes their foot off the gas and ends up losing their third straight game.
With 7:06 remaining Tom Crean's Hoosiers led Nebraska 60-49 and looked to be well on their way to leaving Lincoln with a win to snap their two-game losing streak. But Indiana played the game as if it were over from that point forward, and they paid dearly as Nebraska scored 21 of the game's final 30 points to win 70-69. Jorge Brian Diaz's two free throws with 11 seconds remaining gave Nebraska their first lead of the game at just the right time, completing a rally that happened despite shooting just 34.4% from the field in the second half. Nebraska scored 16 points off of 15 Indiana turnovers while also limiting the Hoosiers to just two second-chance points on the night.

And the Huskers also did a good job of keeping Christian Watford (eight points, ten rebounds) and Victor Oladipo (five points, four assists) quiet. Watford's play is one example of what's plagued the Hoosiers during this current stretch, as they haven't played consistently at the level that made wins over Kentucky and Ohio State possible. That's the next step Indiana needs to take in their climb back, and they've found out the last three games that the return to prominence is just as much about the "routine" victories as it is the headline-grabbing results.

2. San Diego State remains composed and ends up winning at New Mexico as a result.
Down 10-0 in one of the nation's toughest environments would be a convenient reason for many teams to simply lie down and take their beating. That wasn't the case for Steve Fisher's Aztecs, who got back into the game by going on a 12-2 run and eventually beat New Mexico 75-70 in front of a stunned crowd at The Pit. Xavier Thames led the way with 22 points and four assists for SDSU, who is tied for first place in the Mountain West with Colorado State as a result of the win, and the limited the Lobos to 39.1% shooting on the night. How'd SDSU do it defensively? They kept New Mexico off the foul line (3-7 FT), and while scoring 55.7% of your points from beyond the arc would be good for most teams that wasn't necessarily the case for the home team.

Phillip McDonald scored 20 points (6-9 3PT), Kendall Williams 16 and Drew Gordon 15 to lead New Mexico, but their inability to get inside of the three-point line resulted many times in them having to fire away from deep. And while they entered the game having scored 32% of their points from deep, New Mexico also scored 22% of their points from the foul line. San Diego State was the team that stayed with their game plan and as a result they're the ones who remained atop the Mountain West at the end of the night.

3. Creighton and Wichita State both win, giving the MVC race even more clarity.
Entering Wednesday's action the Bluejays and Shockers were tied atop the Missouri Valley standings with 6-1 records, holding a two-game lead on Missouri State and Drake. Thanks to wins by both (Creighton over Missouri State and Wichita State over Northern Iowa) there's even more clarity with regards to the MVC race, with Drake being the lone team within two games of first place. In Wichita State's 71-68 win at UNI Toure Murry scored a game-high 24 points and Garrett Stutz once again came up big on the road with 17 and nine rebounds (Stutz entered the game averaging 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in five road games). Another reason why the Shockers won was the foul line, where they made 20 of 24 attempts.

As for Creighton life on the road was difficult but just like Wichita State it was rewarding as well, as two Missouri State misses in the final ten seconds locked up the 66-65 victory. Gregory Echenique bounced back from a poor performance in the first meeting to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds while Doug McDermott added 15 and six, and Grant Gibbs and Antoine Young scored nine points apiece. Creighton turned the ball over 14 times to just three for Missouri State, but the Bluejays made up for that by limiting the Bears to 39.1% shooting. Kyle Weems finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, making just five of sixteen shots against a team he lit up for 31 and seven in the first meeting. To ensure multiple NCAA bids come March the Valley likely needs a team or two to separate from the pack, and that's a step both Creighton and Wichita State have taken.

Quick Hitters

1. While their win over Duquesne on Saturday was a sign that Xavier was regaining their flow, the Musketeers likely needed to do that against an Atlantic 10 contender to show the rest of the league they remained the top dog. It's safe to say that Chris Mack's team did so in a 68-55 win over Saint Joseph's, limiting the Hawks to 16 second-half points. Tu Holloway scored just six points but dished out 12 assists and Mark Lyons led four Musketeers in double figures with 17 points.

2. Despite 16 turnovers Villanova picked up their second Big East victory as they beat Seton Hall 84-76 at The Pavilion. The Wildcats were a plus-9 (45-36) on the boards and JayVaughn Pinkston put together the best game of his young career with 23 points and 11 rebounds. If Jay Wright's team is to make a run towards the middle of the Big East they need another consistent option to go along with Maalik Wayns (25 points, seven assists).

3. Zach Filzen led four players in double figures with 21 points as Buffalo handed Akron their first MAC loss by the final score of 82-70. Buffalo assisted on 23 of their 29 field goals and the Zips turned the ball over 18 times in defeat. The Bulls' win pulls Akron (3-1) closer to the pack, with the five teams below them in the MAC East all with 2-2 league records.

4. UCF made history and to a certain extent the Knights have the official who felt that NBA-style continuation was a part of college basketball to thank for it. Keith Clanton's three-point play gave UCF the 68-67 win over Memphis, their first-ever win over the Tigers. Clanton scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Marcus Jordan added 20, while Will Barton led Memphis with 24 and eight boards.

5. Scott Christopherson's banked-in three as time expired gave Iowa State a 71-68 win over Oklahoma State in a game the Cyclones trailed by three with 15 seconds remaining. In addition to Christopherson, Royce White and Tyrus McGee scored 17 points apiece as Fred Hoiberg's team stayed on track for an NCAA Tournament appearance.

6. California announced on Wednesday afternoon that sophomore forward Richard Solomon would be academically ineligible for the remainder of the season. Solomon averaged 6.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Golden Bears, who visit the Washington schools this weekend and are tied atop the Pac-12 standings with Stanford. David Kravish stands to see an increase in minutes as a result, and the Bears also need to hope that starting forward Harper Kamp remains healthy.

7. Murray State had their hands full with bitter rival Morehead State for much of the night but Isaiah Canaan and company did enough to win 66-60 and move to 19-0 on the season. Canaan and Donte Poole combined to score 35 points for the Racers, who moved to 7-0 in the OVC and remain a game ahead of Southeast Missouri State in the loss column. Those two meet for the first time this season on February 2nd in Murray.

8. After playing to a 30-30 tie at the half the difference between West Virginia and Marshall was more than apparent in the second half as the Mountaineers pulled away to win 78-62. Kevin Jones (25 points, seven rebounds) and Truck Bryant (22 points) led the way for WVU, who avenged last season's loss to the Thundering Herd. WVU made 17 of 22 free throws while Marshall finished the night 3-for-6.

9. Also in the Atlantic 10, Temple made up for 15 turnovers by shooting 51.9% from the field in their 75-70 win over La Salle. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds, taking advantage of the Owls' size advantage inside against the smaller Explorers.

Three Notable Performances

1. G/F Colt Ryan (Evansville)
39 points (8-14 3PT), nine rebounds and three assists in the Purple Aces' 90-67 win over Bradley.

2. G Rodney McGruder (Kansas State)
33 points (11-16 FG) and eight rebounds in the Wildcats' 84-80 win over Texas.

3. G Anthony Marshall (UNLV)
27 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three blocks in the Runnin' Rebels' 101-78 win over TCU.

New Mexico vs. #16 San Diego State: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:28:47 -0500

It looks as if the schedule-makers in the Mountain West wanted to spark some serious national conversation about the conference from the beginning of league play because the first full week of play will feature all three expected contenders facing each other. Wednesday's slate features #16 San Diego State (15-2, 1-0), fresh off of their two-point win over UNLV, visiting The Pit to take on a New Mexico (15-2, 1-0) squad that's quietly won thirteen in a row. The Lobos, preseason favorites to win the Mountain West, feature one of the best power forwards in senior Drew Gordon (12.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg) while guards Tony Snell (13.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Kendall Williams (11.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.6 rpg) have also played well during their current run.

Before scoring eight points in the Lobos' win at Wyoming on Saturday, Gordon reached double figures in eight straight games to rebound from an inconsistent start to the season. A key for SDSU will be to keep him off the offensive glass, something they've done a good job of this season as opponents rebound just 26.9% of their missed shots. If anything offensive rebounding will be a critical factor in the outcome as New Mexico grabs 36.4% of their misses and SDSU is a solid offensive rebounding team as well (33.4% OR percentage). The Aztecs don't have the marquee bodies in the frontcourt that they had last season but Steve Fisher's guys still attack the boards, and one of their best offensive rebounders is also an important scorer on the perimeter.

Jamaal Franklin (15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg) grabs 1.6 offensive rebounds per game, a number that's third on the team to Deshawn Stephens (2.1) and Garrett Green (2.0). Franklin knocked down the game-winner on Saturday and scored 24 points while also grabbing ten rebounds, with the boards marking the third time in the last four games in which he's finished with ten caroms. If anything the Aztecs have plenty of depth on the perimeter as Chase Tapley (16.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Xavier Thames (11.0 ppg, 5.4 apg) and James Rahon (10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) all have the ability to hurt teams offensively. Rahon scored 22 points in the win over UNLV and seemed to have an answer for just about every UNLV charge.

Williams is one of the guards that Steve Alford will rely upon tonight, and he should be a solid bet to perform well coming off of back-to-back double-figure scoring performances for the first time since the final two games of the 76 Classic in late November. The one issue for Williams has been the drop in his percentages from last season, as his three-point percentage is down about ten points and the field goal percentage down six. But in the last three games Williams has made seven of eleven from distance, and the hope for UNM fans is that he'll continue on that path.

As for Snell (13.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) he's been New Mexico's most consistent performer this season, increasing his scoring by nine points from last season and his percentages have made a signficant jump as well. Hugh Greenwood has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, which has meant more time for Williams at the points and more minutes for Jamal Fenton (7.4 ppg, 2.6 apg) off the bench. Williams turned the ball over five times on Saturday but as a team the Lobos finished with 15 turnovers (they average 14 per game), so there wasn't a huge shift in that regard.

In addition to the rebounding three-point shooting is an area to keep an eye on with the Lobos scoring 30% of their points from beyond the arc. As a team New Mexico shoots 40.2% from deep, and while SDSU isn't a bad shooting team (35.2% 3PT) they rely more on getting to the basket. The Pit is one of the toughest environments in college basketball for a road team, and the Aztecs needed some big plays from D.J. Gay to win last year's meeting. He's no longer on Montezuma Mesa, meaning that a Franklin, Rahon or Tapley (Thames too) would likely have to be the guy. But as we've seen thus far, they're more than capable of doing so.

The Missouri Valley has a pair of marquee matchups on the slate with Creighton visiting Missouri State and Northern Iowa hosting Wichita State. Kyle Weems and the Bears handed Creighton its only league loss in Omaha earlier this month, and a sweep of the season series would go a long way in terms of bolstering a resume that's taken some hits as they've lost three of their last four.

As for UNI they sit at 3-4 in MVC play and their inconsistent offensive production is a big reason why. Do the Panthers have an answer for Garrett Stutz inside? He's raised his scoring nearly five points from last season and is grabbing nearly four more rebounds per game as well. WSU is 5-0 in road games this season and Stutz is averaging 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds in those contests.

There's also a battle of Big Five teams as La Salle visits Temple and the perimeter matchups should be fun to watch. Dr. John Giannini's team has played both more consistently and unselfishly this season than last and guards Tyreek Duren and Ramon Galloway are two reasons why. Temple will counter with Ramone Moore, Khalif Wyatt and Juan Fernandez, but a player like Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson could factor into the outcome as the Explorers aren't the biggest team inside.

Also in the Atlantic 10 Saint Joseph's visits Xavier and UMass visits Duquesne in what should be two entertaining matchups. Cincinnati visits Connecticut in need of another resume-building win; keep in mind they've got that home loss to Presbyterian to account for and with the Huskies unlikely to have Ryan Boatright again the Bearcats will have an even better chance of winning. And keep an eye on two games involving Conference USA teams, with Memphis visiting UCF and Marshall stepping outside of the league to play West Virginia. Marquee games? Probably not, but there's more than enough to keep your attention tonight.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (10) Murray State at Morehead State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Cincinnati at (11) Connecticut
7:00 PM (13) Indiana at Nebraska (BTN)
9:00 PM (15) Mississippi State at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
10:00 PM (16) San Diego State at New Mexico (CBS SN)
8:05 PM (18) Creighton at Missouri State
10:30 PM TCU at (20) UNLV(The Mtn.)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Richmond at George Washington
7:00 PM St. John's at USF (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Georgia State at Northeastern
7:00 PM Old Dominion at Towson
7:00 PM Bowling Green at Miami (OH)
7:00 PM Kent State at Ohio (ESPN3)
7:00 PM La Salle at Temple
7:00 PM Seton Hall at Villanova (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Colgate at Army
7:00 PM James Madison at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM Akron at Buffalo
7:00 PM Ball State at Central Michigan
7:00 PM Massachusetts at Duquesne
7:00 PM Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
7:00 PM Rhode Island at Fordham
7:00 PM Delaware at George Mason (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Drexel at Hofstra
7:00 PM Bucknell at Lehigh
7:00 PM Clemson at Miami (FL) (ESPN3)
7:00 PM American at Navy
7:00 PM Northern Illinois at Toledo
7:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Xavier
7:30 PM Marshall at West Virginia (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Kennesaw State at Charlotte
8:00 PM Tennessee at Georgia (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Tulane at Tulsa
8:00 PM UAB at Rice
8:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Texas A&M-CC
8:00 PM Wyoming at Air Force (The Mtn.)
8:00 PM Nicholls State at Central Arkansas
8:00 PM Memphis at UCF
8:00 PM Indiana State at Illinois State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese State
8:00 PM Wichita State at Northern Iowa (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Texas State at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM Houston at SMU
8:00 PM Northwestern State at UTSA
8:05 PM Drake at Southern Illinois
8:05 PM Bradley at Evansville
9:00 PM Oklahoma State at Iowa State
9:00 PM Northwestern at Wisconsin (BTN)
9:00 PM Texas at Kansas State
9:00 PM East Carolina at UTEP
10:00 PM Cal State San Marcos at Fresno State
10:05 PM UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton

College Hoops Friday Recap: Huskies, Seminoles Fall in Bahamas

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:50:40 -0500

Prevailing wisdom had Florida State and Connecticut playing on Saturday in the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Well, they'll be playing on Saturday...but with third place on the line as both lost their semifinal games in disappointing fashion. The Huskies looked to be in good shape as they held a 50-33 lead on UCF early in the second half, despite a lackluster shooting performance from Jeremy Lamb. But it was almost as if UConn turned off their "power source", and the Knights took full advantage.

Marcus Jordan scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists to lead a comeback that resulted in a 68-63 win, and Keith Clanton scored 20 as well. UConn couldn't score and they couldn't stop the Knights either, and the defensive side of the floor is where they ultimately lost the game. UCF shot 46% in the second half after making just a third of their shots in the first 20 minutes, outscoring UConn 39-25. The Huskies were nowhere near as efficient offensively as they were in the first half, but simply put if they string a couple stops together the comeback is likely stunted.

"I can't be more disappointed in how we played," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun after the game. "We just stopped playing. We couldn't even get the ball inbounded near the end. Nobody stepped up and it was a complete disaster for us."

Florida State's loss to Harvard could also be described as disastrous, but for what happened with them offensively. There's no disguising the fact that the Seminoles have their issues offensively, and despite those issues Leonard Hamilton's team reached the Sweet 16 last season. But things may have gotten worse for FSU, as in their 46-41 loss to the Crimson they finished with a offensive efficiency of 66.1.

Michael Snaer led the way with ten points but it wasn't enough to earn the win, setting up the third-place battle between the Seminoles and Connecticut. The good news for UConn is that Ryan Boatright (NCAA suspension) makes his season debut, giving them another ball-handler in the backcourt. That's something they need to help out Shabazz Napier, who turned the ball over seven times against UCF and will need someone to relieve some of the workload he's been given. Can the Huskies defend better? Can FSU shoot better? The answers will determine the outcome.

Other Notable Happenings

1. The Atlantic 10 will have two teams playing for championships on Sunday night.
Annually the talk regarding the Atlantic 10 from a national point of view has centered around Xavier and Temple, and rightfully so given the success of those two programs. But if early returns are any indication on the strength of the conference, there will be more for the rest of the country to pay attention to. After wins on Friday, Dayton (Old Spice Classic) and Saint Louis (76 Classic) will play for the title in those events on Sunday. Dayton shot just 36% from the field but Archie Miller's team turned the ball over just nine times and outscored Fairfield by 15 points from beyond the arc in their 56-49 win over the Stags. As for Saint Louis, Jordair Jett scored 19 points off the bench and the Billikens neutralized everyone outside of Maalik Wayns and James Bell in their 80-68 win over Villanova. Both have winnable matchups on Sunday, with Dayton playing Minnesota and Saint Louis taking on Oklahoma, and that's a good development for the conference in regards to possible rewards in March.

2. Oklahoma remains undefeated and looks to be a better basketball team.
A long rebuilding process was expected for Oklahoma when Lon Kruger took over the program in the off-season. Not much in the cupboard talent-wise along with NCAA sanctions made many think that though could be a rough campaign for the Sooners. But if there's one thing (among many) that Kruger can do it's rebuild programs, and the Sooners look to be on the right track with their 4-0 start. Oklahoma limited Santa Clara to 26% shooting in the first half and took a 42-19 lead into the break on their way to an 85-73 win. Steven Pledger scored 26 points and three other Sooners reached double figures, but the biggest differences between this team and the last two seasons are the effort on the defensive end and their unselfishness. It's still going to be a process for Oklahoma, and there will likely be disappointments along the way, but the Sooners are putting together a solid foundation.

3. Kris Joseph takes over late, allowing Syracuse to rally past Stanford.
Johnny Dawkins' Stanford Cardinal put forth an impressive battle in the title game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, leading favored Syracuse for much of the first 30 minutes. But the Orange went their full-court pressure and senior Kris Joseph scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as they won 69-63. Could Joseph be the go-to guy that so many have looked for on this deep team? Friday was certainly a good start in that regard, but the two games in NYC were also good for sophomores C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters. They scored ten points apiece with Waiters adding three assists and three steals, and both were named to the All-Tournament Team as a result. Joseph can be considered a known commodity but for Fair and Waiters to begin their seasons in this fashion is a good sign of things to come, especially in March.

Quick Hitters

1. What's up with Rider? A team some thought could be a factor for third in the MAAC is 1-5 following an 86-69 loss to James Madison in the Philly Hoop Group Classic. The Dukes outscored the Broncs 48-31 in the second half, shooting 60% from the field in the final 20 minutes.

2. Southern Miss out-rebounded New Mexico State 38-26 and limited the Aggies to 41.7% shooting in their 80-72 win in a Great Alaska Shootout semifinal. LaShay Page scored 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles, who play Murray State in the title game.

3. Kendall Marshall scored just four points in North Carolina's 87-62 win over South Carolina, but his true value can be seen in his 14 assists and six steals. As long as he's on the floor the Tar Heels are going to be extremely difficult to slow down.

4. Marshall picked up a good road win as they beat Cincinnati 73-69 in overtime. Damier Pitts came up big late for the Thundering Herd, picked by many to be Memphis' chief competition in Conference USA. As for the Bearcats, this makes that loss to Presbyterian even costlier.

5. Good luck trying to slow down the Florida Gators. In their 107-62 win over Jacksonville five Gators reached double figures with Kenny Boynton (22 points) and Erving Walker (21) combining to score 43 points. Florida has made ten or more three-pointers in each of their games this season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
31 points and 11 rebounds in the Bluejays' 104-81 win over Campbell.

2. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland) and G Isiah Williams (Utah Valley)
In the Golden Grizzlies' 89-83 win over Utah Valley Hamilton scored 34 points (five assists, five steals and three rebounds) while Williams paced the Wolverines with 35 of his own (three rebounds, three assists).

3. F Patrick Heckmann (Boston College)
32 points and five rebounds in the Eagles' 66-62 win over UC Riverside.

College Hoops Saturday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:55:38 -0500

The championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational provides undefeated UNLV (6-0) with not only a great opportunity but also a great measuring stick, as they take on #1 North Carolina (5-0) at the Orleans Arena. The Rebels fought off a USC team that may not be long on talent but they do make you earn everything, and UNC wasn't challenged much by South Carolina in the nightcap. Whether or not Dave Rice's team can beat the Tar Heels likely depends on the play of their most recent UCLA transfer, forward Mike Moser (15.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 3.2 spg). The versatile Oregon native can play either inside or out for UNLV, and his start after sitting out a transfer year has been quite the boost for an experienced UNLV team.

Another consequence of Moser's arrival has been the move of senior Chace Stanback (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) to the more natural "three" after playing a lot of time at the "four" last season. Completing the starting frontcourt is senior Brice Massamba, and Quintrell Thomas is called upon off the bench to supply defense and rebounding. On the season UNLV has a rebounding margin of plus-7.4, and while they haven't played a team with the size that UNC brings to the table the Rebels are active enough to at the very least hold their own on the glass. What UNLV can do on the offensilve glass will be key because the more they force the Heels to stay in and hit the boards, the fewer opportunities Kendall Marshall will have to get out and run.

Marshall dished out 13 assists in the win over South Carolina, and over his last four games the sophomore has 51 assists and just eight turnovers. He makes very good decisions with the basketball and keeps Roy Williams' team running at a highly efficient rate (117.6 efficiency, 1.18 points/possession), and with their surplus of scorers it will be tough for anyone to completely shut them down. However, UNLV has some good perimeter defenders, which will allow Rice to choose among a few options to guard Marshall. He could go with either Oscar Bellfield or Anthony Marshall for a more "conventional" matchup, and the long-armed Justin Hawkins wouldn't be a bad choice either (tip of the cap to Ryan Greene of HeyReb.com for that last option).

Harrison Barnes (17.8 ppg), John Henson (16.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.4 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) are the three main options for North Carolina offensively, and reserves Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo have all been producitve off the bench. Hawkins and Kendall Wallace will be key for UNLV tonight off the bench, because while it may be tough to ask them (and Quintrell Thomas) to keep even in the bench scoring department they at least need to keep within striking distance in that statistical category.

Lastly, this is a matchup that fans of tempo-free stats will like, because due to the pace at which the game will likely be played pointing at the basic numbers (points scored and allowed) won't be the best way to judge what's happening. Both teams are limiting opponents to an offensive efficiency below 90 thus far, and UNLV has forced a turnover on 25% of their opponents' possessions through six games. The UNC fans traveled well but this will likely be a road game in regards to the atmosphere, making it a very good challenge as they get closer to the showdown in Lexington.

Also on tap is the championship game in the Battle 4 Atlantis, a matchup between Harvard and UCF. Both picked up wins over teams expected to play in this game (Florida State and UConn), and this shapes up to be a good matchup. Keith Wright and Kyle Casey make up a formidable frontcourt tandem for the Crimson, but in UCF's Keith Clanton they'll be faced with a versatile big man who can attack either inside or out. In that third place game it will be an interesting contrast with regards to what went wrong yesterday: Florida State couldn't score and UConn couldn't defend. Both will look to get off the island with a 2-1 record, and just as important will be the way in which that goal is reached.

Out west there's the title game of the Great Alaska Shootout between Southern Miss and Murray State, but the big one has to be San Diego State's trip north to take on UCSB. In Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally the Gauchos have one of the best perimeter tandems around, and SDSU has started the season 6-1 with their most recent win coming at Arizona. Santa Clara walked into UCSB's gym earlier this season and walked out with an 89-56 loss, so this will be a significant challenge for Steve Fisher's team. Wisconsin takes on BYU in the Chicago Invitational, and Denver will get a big test at Cal this evening. And if you're anywhere near Towson, the President will be there watching his brother-in-law's Oregon State Beavers take on the Tigers. Be sure to arrive early.

Top 25 Games
10:30 PM UNLV vs. (1) North Carolina* (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Portland at (2) Kentucky (ESPN3)
2:00 PM (20) Florida State vs. (4) Connecticut* (Versus)
8:00 PM (11) Wisconsin vs. Brigham Young*
5:00 PM Denver at (18) California
4:00 PM Western Michigan vs. (19) Gonzaga* (Root NW)
4:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at (24) Texas A&M

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Wofford vs. Prairie View A&M*
12:00 PM Coppin State at Purdue
1:00 PM Chowan at East Carolina
1:00 PM Siena at Vermont
1:00 PM IPFW at Iowa
1:00 PM Pepperdine at UTSA
2:00 PM William & Mary at Howard
2:00 PM Lafayette at Delaware
2:00 PM Western Carolina vs. Florida A&M*
2:00 PM Oregon State at Towson (ESPN3)
2:00 PM South Dakota State at Nebraska
2:00 PM Davidson at North Carolina-Wilmington
2:00 PM Milligan at Appalachian State
2:00 PM Hartford at Central Connecticut State
2:00 PM Columbia at Manhattan
2:00 PM Princeton vs. Morehead State*
2:00 PM Chadron State at Nebraska-Omaha
2:00 PM Youngstown State at Saint Francis (PA)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at NJIT
2:30 PM Cleveland State vs. Hofstra*
2:30 PM Morgan State vs. Tennessee State*
3:00 PM Western Illinois at North Dakota
3:00 PM Harding at Louisiana-Monroe
3:30 PM UMKC vs. Longwood*
3:30 PM Penn State at Saint Joseph's
4:00 PM UC Irvine vs. Alaska Anchorage*
4:00 PM Fordham at Loyola (IL) (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Barber-Scotia at North Carolina Central
4:00 PM Miami (OH) at Southeast Missouri State
4:00 PM Northeastern at St. John's (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Delaware State at Wagner
4:00 PM Central Pennsylvania College at Winthrop
4:30 PM West Alabama at Bucknell
4:30 PM Harvard vs. UCF* (Versus)
4:30 PM Rider vs. La Salle* (TCN)
4:30 PM Northern Colorado vs. Southern University*
5:00 PM Boston University at Rhode Island
5:00 PM South Carolina State at Kennesaw State
5:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Central Arkansas
5:00 PM Cal Poly vs. Mississippi Valley State*
5:00 PM Gardner-Webb vs. Savannah State*
5:30 PM San Diego vs. Alcorn State*
5:30 PM Bradley vs. Nevada*
6:00 PM Dartmouth vs. Central Michigan*
6:30 PM Portland State vs. Louisiana Tech*
7:00 PM Florida Atlantic at South Florida
7:00 PM Texas Southern at IUPUI
7:00 PM James Madison at Pennsylvania (TCN)
7:00 PM Massachusetts vs. Charleston* (HDNet)
7:00 PM Yale at Army
7:00 PM Detroit at Akron
7:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Duquesne
7:00 PM Citadel at High Point
7:00 PM Colgate at Marist
7:00 PM Illinois-Chicago at Toledo
7:00 PM Charlotte at Wright State
7:30 PM Iowa State vs. Rice* (CBSSN)
7:30 PM Coastal Carolina at Florida International
7:30 PM Liberty at Georgia State
7:30 PM USC vs. South Carolina* (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Grambling State at Arkansas
8:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM TCU at Houston
8:00 PM Samford at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Sam Houston State at Texas (LHN)
8:00 PM Milwaukee at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Austin Peay
8:00 PM New Orleans at Tulane
8:00 PM Fresno State at North Dakota State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Saint Peter's at Seton Hall
8:05 PM Cal State Northridge at Drake
8:05 PM Tulsa at Missouri State
9:00 PM Northern Illinois at Boise State
9:00 PM Long Beach State at Montana
9:00 PM Troy at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at UTEP
9:00 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at Wyoming
9:05 PM Utah State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Cal State Fullerton
9:30 PM San Francisco vs. New Mexico State* (FCS)
9:30 PM Utah vs. UNC Asheville* (HDNet)
10:00 PM Northern Iowa vs. Providence* (CBSSN)
10:00 PM San Diego State at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM McNeese State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Montana State at Idaho
10:30 PM Northern Arizona at Loyola Marymount
12:00 AM Murray State vs. Southern Miss* (FCS)

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Broncos Survive in Overtime

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:00:42 -0500

While people didn't necessarily give up on Santa Clara when it came to discussing who could win the West Coast Conference, there weren't a lot of outside believers in Kerry Keating's team once forward Marc Trasolini was lost for the season in the summer due to a knee injury. And there were even fewer folks left in the aftermath of their 89-56 loss at UCSB just over a week ago. But if their 79-76 overtime win over New Mexico in a 76 Classic quarterfinal showed anything it's that Santa Clara remains capable of being a factor in the WCC race.

"The media was saying that New Mexico was going to win this whole tournament," said Kevin Foster. "We have a chip on our shoulder and bring it every day. It was a full team effort and we hope we could keep that going."

Guards Foster and Evan Roquemore scored 26 points apiece for the Broncos, who led by as many as 12 points in the first half before the preseason Mountain West favorites made their charge. Tony Snell led UNM with 18 points and freshman Hugh Greenwood added 14, but Steve Alford needs his two bell cows to get rolling. Drew Gordon did score 11 points and grab ten rebounds but was only 2-for-8 from the field and Kendall Williams wend 0-for-4, scoring all six of his points from the charity stripe.

The biggest development for Santa Clara in this win may actually be the play of forward Niyi Harrison, who scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 44 minutes of action. He's one of the players who has been asked to step up with Trasolini done for the season, and his scoring average has jumped more than ten points from last season to this. It's a pretty safe bet that Foster and Roquemore will be productive offensively, but if Santa Clara is to challenge the likes of Gonzaga, BYU and Saint Mary's they'll need the big men to chip in as well.

"We are happy that we got a chance to compete against [New Mexico]," said Keating following the game. "We have a really young team, but we grew up a little bit, showing some resiliency tonight. We came out with a great win,"

Other Notable Happenings

1. The perception of the Pac-12 takes another hit with three in-season tournament losses.
It's no secret that much of the college basketball world doesn't think much of the Pac-12, but to be fair the conference hasn't done well in improving that perception. Thursday night certainly didn't help with three teams losing by double digits, but it should also be noted that the three losers (Arizona State, Utah and Washington State) were all picked to finish in the bottom half of the league in the preseason. Utah was overmatched from the opening tip against Harvard as they were whipped 75-47 in the Battle For Atlantis in the Bahamas. Arizona State couldn't make shots as they lost to Fairfield 55-44 at the Old Spice Classic, and Washington State couldn't match the energy level of Oklahoma in the Sooners' 74-59 win at the 76 Classic. Washington State scored just 19 points in the second half and turned the ball over 22 times for the game. So what's the culprit in regards to the conference's struggles? Talent, youth or a combination of both? That's a question the Pac-12 teams will collectively look to erase in the final month before conference play.

2. Indiana State uses defense to beat Texas Tech and remain undefeated.
It certainly wasn't pretty but Greg Lansing's Sycamores were able to hold off Texas Tech 60-49 due to their play on the defensive end. The Red Raiders shot a better percentage from the field than Indiana State (42.9% to 35.7%), but their 18 turnovers in a 62 possession game resulted in a horrific offensive efficiency of 79.0. That's not going to get it done against many teams, much less one that's expected to be a major player in the Missouri Valley race along with Creighton and Wichita State. Jake Odum led the Sycamores with 13 points and four assists, and in addition to their ability to turn Texas Tech over ISU attempted 31 free throws to the Red Raiders' nine (25-5 scoring edge from the charity stripe). They'll face a Minnesota team that's got some size inside, but there's no reason why Indiana State can't win the Old Spice Classic.

3. Connecticut needs to get more production from their frontcourt, namely Alex Oriakhi.
There's no doubt that the Huskies have one of the best backcourts in the nation in point guard Shabazz Napier and shooting guard Jeremy Lamb. But if Jim Calhoun's team is tobe mentioned in a similar class to the likes of North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State come March they're going to need more from the frontcourt. The defending national champs' fast start established enough breathing room to take care of UNC Asheville 73-63, but they may not be so lucky against teams with better (and bigger) big men. Andre Drummond got the start for Alex Oriakhi and scored nine points while Tyler Olander added four and Oriakhi scored four off the bench. That's not going to be enough from those three as the Huskies move into Big East play. Keith Clanton and company will provide a good challenge on Friday, and whichever team they play in their final game in the Bahamas (Harvard or Florida State) should do so as well. The pieces are there for a run at a repeat, but not if the UConn big men don't bring their collective A-game.

Quick Hitters

1. Florida State once again has one of the best defenses in the country, but if they don't take better care of the basketball it'll be tough for them to mount a significant challenge to North Carolina and Duke in the ACC. FSU turned the ball over 23 times against UMass on Thursday, with Luke Loucks leading the way with six and Okaro White had five.

2. Be patient with DePaul. This is a team that's essentially being taught how to win by Oliver Purnell and his staff, and they received a tough lesson in their 86-85 loss to Minnesota. But the signs of improvement are definitely there, and in Cleveland Melvin (20 points) and Brandon Young (23 points) they've got one of the better sophomore tandems in the Big East.

3. At this point it would be a surprise if New Mexico State didn't win the Great Alaska Shootout. Marvin Menzies' team dropped the hammer on Central Michigan, winning 78-49 thanks in large part to their defense (CMU turned the ball over 21 times and was out-rebounded 54-35) and a balanced scoring effort in which all ten players who played scored (team-high 15 points for Bandja Sy).

4. UCF outscored College of Charleston 18-5 over the final 7:50 to win 74-63 in the Battle for Atlantis, and their defense was a key factor. Also of importance: the Knights' offensive rebounding rate of 40%, which played a big factor in their 44-25 rebounding edge.

5. All five starters reached double figures for Dayton in their 80-76 win over Wake Forest, but the biggest line could be that of Matt Kavanaugh. The junior forward/cernter put up 15 points and 13 rebounds, and is averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Kavanaugh averaged just nine minutes and two points per game last season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Keith Clanton (UCF)
28 points and 14 rebounds in the Knights' 74-63 win over College of Charleston.

2. G Kevin Foster and G Evan Roquemore (Santa Clara)
26 points apiece and nine assists combined in the Broncos' 79-76 win over New Mexico.

3. G Shabazz Napier (Connecticut)
23 points and seven assists in the Huskies' 73-63 win over UNC Asheville.

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:49:45 -0500

Tommy Amaker's Harvard Crimson came into this season loaded, with all five starters and many of their key reserves back looking get to the NCAA Tournament. After blowing out Utah on Thursday night the Crimson will take on a far stiffer challenge on Friday afternoon, as Florida State is one of the best half-court defensive teams in the country. This will offer an interesting contrast, as Harvard is one of the better teams in the country when it comes to points per possession.

Point guard Oliver McNally leads the way for a team that averages 1.17 points per possession (22nd nationally), but he and his teammates will encounter a defense that's allowing just 0.77 points per possession (17th nationally). The Seminoles are also tops in the country in three-point percentage defense and rank in the top ten in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage defense. Leonard Hamilton's team is athletic, and they use that to their advantage on the defensive end. There may not be a Chris Singleton-like player on this year's team, but veterans such as Bernard James continue to make life difficult for the opposition.

The strength for Harvard can be found in the frontcourt, where Kyle Casey and Keith Wright average a combined 27.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Casey's healthy after having to deal with nagging injuries for much of his sophomore season, and this tandem can cause problems for James, Jon Kreft and the rest of the Florida State frontcourt. Harvard's also got a very good scorer off the bench in Laurent Rivard, and they've played ten players in each of their four games.

The question for the Seminoles: how efficient can they be on the offensive end? Luke Loucks has been the guy given the responsibility of being the primary ball-handler, and he turned the ball over six times in the win over UMass. As a team FSU finished with 22 turnovers, but they won comfortably because of their play on the defensive end. Loucks, Ian Miller and Michael Snear need to make solid decisions with the basketball, because on the season FSU has a turnover percentage of 26%.

The game will likely be decided in two areas: offensive efficency and turnover percentage. The team that gets more value out of their possessions will win, simply because of how solid both teams are when it comes to their points allowed per possession numbers. Also in the Bahamas is the matchup between Connecticut and UCF, with the Huskies still waiting for last year's Alex Oriakhi to show up. He was removed from the starting lineup in favor of freshman Andre Drummond, and the sophomore needs to show that he's worthy of regaining his job. UCF's Keith Clanton will provide a good challenge for the UConn big men as he can play both inside and out.

Stanford could strike a much-needed blow for the Pac-12 with a win over Syracuse in the NIT Season Tipoff title game, but given the way in which guards Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche played on Wednesday night that will be much easier said than done. There's also semifinal action in both the Old Spice Classic and 76 Classic, with Saint Louis getting another shot at an opponent from a BCS AQ conference. Rick Majerus' team, which plays Villanova in Anaheim, has already beaten Washington and Boston College this season. The matchup between Kwamain Mitchell and Maalik Wayns will be worth the price of admission.

In Orlando three of the four teams in the winner's bracket hail from non-AQ conferences, with Minnesota being the lone remaining team from a BCS AQ league. They'll get Indiana State, one of the teams expected to contend in the Missouri Valley, while Dayton and Fairfield play in the other semifinal. And the Las Vegas Invitational will play its semifinal games as well, and it would be a surprise of Saturday night's final didn't match UNLV and top-ranked North Carolina.

Friday's Schedule
Morgan State vs. Cal Poly 11:00 am
Longwood vs. Prairie View A&M 11:30 am
Indiana State vs. Minnesota 12:00 pm (ESPN)
Florida A&M vs. Southern 12:00 pm
Stony Brook at Northwestern 1:00 pm
Mississippi Valley St. vs. Tennessee St. 1:30 pm
James Madison vs. Rider 2:00 pm
UCF vs. (4) Connecticut 2:00pm (HDNet)
Cleveland St. vs. Boston University 2:30 pm
Saint Louis vs. Villanova 2:30 pm (ESPN2)
Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma St. 2:30 pm (ESPN)
Texas Tech vs. DePaul 2:30pm (ESPNU)
UT-Pan American at USC Upstate 3:00 pm
Northern Colo vs. Western Carolina 3:30 pm
Wofford vs. UMKC 3:30 pm
West Alabama vs. Morehead St. 3:30 pm
Miami (Fla.) at Mississippi 4:00 pm (ESPN3)
Navy at Albany 4:00 pm
Dartmouth at Alaska-Anchorage 4:00 pm
Robert Morris vs. La Salle 4:30 pm (CSN Regional)
(20) Florida State vs. Harvard (HDNet)
Cal Poly vs. Morgan St. 5:00 pm
Dayton vs. Fairfield 5:00 pm (ESPN2)
Stanford vs. (5) Syracuse 5:00 pm (ESPN)
San Diego vs. New Orleans 5:30pm
Houston Baptist at Washington 6:00 pm
Central Michigan vs. UC Irvine 6:00pm
BYU vs. Nevada 6:00 pm
Rice vs. Northern Iowa 6:00 pm
Princeton at Bucknell 6:00 pm
UMES vs. Louisiana Tech 6:30 pm
Valparaiso at (3) Ohio St. 6:30 pm (BTN)
Furman at Clemson 7:00 pm
Florida Gulf Coast at Maryland 7:00 pm
Marshall at Cincinnati 7:00 pm
Savannah St. at Chattanooga 7:00 pm
Ohio at (7) Louisville 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Green Bay at Virginia 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Jacksonville at (9) Florida 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Charleston vs. UNC Asheville 7:00 pm
Barber-Scotia at North Carolina A&T 7:00 pm
Jackson St. at North Florida 7:00 pm
Utah Valley at Oakland 7:00 pm
Elon at N.C. State 7:00 pm
(16) Pittsburgh at Penn 7:00 pm (CSN Regional)
Wake Forest vs. Arizona State 7:30 pm (ESPNU)
USC vs. UNLV 7:30 pm (ESPN3)
Georgia at (12) Xavier 8:00 pm (FSN Regional)
Alcorn St. at Tulane 8:00 pm
Lamar at Tennessee Tech 8:00 pm
Nicholls St. at Auburn 8:00 pm
UT-Martin at Mississippi St. 8:00 pm
Chicago St. at Southern Illinois 8:05 pm
Campbell at (25) Creighton 8:05 pm
UAB at Wichita St. 8:05 pm
Providence vs. Iowa St. 8:30 pm
(11) Wisconsin vs. Bradley 8:30 pm (BTN)
Jacksonville St. at Northwestern St. 8:45 pm
Portland St. at Wyoming 9:00 pm
Murray St. vs. San Francisco 9:30 pm (FCS)
New Mexico vs. Washington St. 9:30 pm (ESPNU)
Massachusetts vs. Utah 9:30 pm
Monmouth at (22) Vanderbilt 10:00 pm
South Carolina vs. (1) North Carolina 10:00 pm (ESPN2)
Santa Clara vs. Oklahoma 12:00 am (ESPN2)
New Mexico State vs. Southern Miss 12:00 am (FCS)
Pacific at Hawaii 12:30 am

College Hoops Thursday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:25:10 -0500

Happy Thanksgiving! And while football tends to take center stage on this day there are also four in-season tournaments playing games, with action spreading from the Bahamas to Alaska. There really isn't a marquee matchup so to speak but there are games that could become important once March arrives, with New Mexico's game against Santa Clara in the 76 Classic being one. The Lobos were the preseason pick to win the Mountain West, and with players such as Drew Gordon and Kendall Williams there's no doubt that they can win this event. But in the Broncos of Santa Clara they'll take on a team that was a trendy sleeper pick in the WCC, and even with Marc Trasolini lost for the year with a knee injury they can still be a factor in the race.

Guard Kevin Foster is one of the top perimeter scorers on the west coast, as he scored 20 points or more in 16 games (30+ in three games) last season. The junior's shooting percentages are down through three games, but there's no doubt that Foster can turn it on in a hurry for Kerry Keating. Foster leads four Broncos in double figures, but just as important as Foster are forwards Niyi Harrison and John McArthur. Those two have had to step up in the aftermath of Trasolini's injury and they've done a solid job to start the year. But a lot more will be learned about both as they take on Gordon, who's scoring a shade under ten points per game while grabbing ten rebounds per contest.

Gordon may be the Lobo most likely choice to win Mountain West Player of the Year, Steve Alford's got a number of perimeter options from which to choose. Kendall Williams, Tony Snell and Demetrius Walker are three of New Mexico's top four scorers and freshman Hugh Greenwood may be ready to take over the starting point guard job as the Lobos look to make up for the graduation of Dairese Gary. UNM shoots 38% from beyond the arc and their effective field goal percentage of 53.2% is better than Santa Clara's by nearly five percentage points. The outcome will boil down to which team does a better job of generating quality looks, and that was a serious problem for Santa Clara in their blowout loss at UCSB.

Which game should you keep an eye on in the Battle of Atlantis in the Bahamas? Likely the first game of the day as College of Charleston takes on UCF, with the Knights needing to pick up a quality win in light of their 23-point loss to Florida State in their second game of the season. But that's easier said than done against Bobby Cremins' team, which is coming off of a good win at Clemson. Antwaine Wiggins and Andrew Lawrence have led the way for the Cougars, and their offensive execution looks to be the difference on paper (efficiency of 110.4 while UCF is down at 98.1).

In Orlando the Fairfield Stags have a game that, thanks to the current NCAA Clearinghouse issues for freshman guard Jahii Carson, has gone from "opportunity to pick up a decent win against a BCS AQ opponent" to "lose and essentially flush any at-large hopes down the drain". Sydney Johnson's team has already dropped games to Providence (home) and at Minnesota, and an early trip to the consolation bracket would be the worst possible outcome for the defending MAAC regular season champions.

And at the Great Alaska Shootout there's the chance to check out New Mexico State as either the food-induced coma wears off or die-hard shoppers fight off sleep in the quest to show up early for the "Black Friday" specials. The Aggies, who already have a win at New Mexico to their credit, are led by guards Christian Kabongo and Hernst LaRoche and forward Wendall McKines, with McKines averaging 18.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Central Michigan has sophomore guards Trey Zeigler and Derek Jackson, but for the Chippewas to have a shot at the upset they'll need to exercise good shot selection.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM UNC Asheville vs. (4) Connecticut* (HDNet)
4:30 PM Massachusetts vs. (20) Florida State* (Versus)

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Texas Tech vs. Indiana State* (ESPN2)
2:00 PM Boston College vs. Saint Louis* (ESPNU)
2:00 PM Charleston vs. UCF* (Versus)
2:30 PM Minnesota vs. DePaul* (ESPN2)
4:30 PM Villanova vs. UC Riverside* (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Dayton vs. Wake Forest* (ESPN2)
9:00 PM New Mexico vs. Santa Clara* (ESPNU)
9:30 PM Harvard vs. Utah* (HDNet)
9:30 PM Arizona State vs. Fairfield* (ESPN2)
10:30 PM Central Michigan vs. New Mexico State* (FCS)
11:30 PM Oklahoma vs. Washington State* (ESPN2)
12:30 AM UC Irvine vs. Southern Miss* (FCS)

College Hoops Monday Recap: Pangos Catches Fire in Spokane

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:27:13 -0500

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have some impressive offensive performers that Washington State likely made themselves very aware of in preparation for their game at midnight. Elias Harris and Robert Sacre are formidable frontcourt players while Marquise Carter is a jet-quick point guard who is more than willing to attack defenses. But if the Cougars had a plan for how to slow down freshman guard Kevin Pangos it sure didn't look like it. Pangos knocked down nine three pointers, tying the school record held by Dan Dickau (he did it twice) and scoring 33 points in an 89-81 victory that ended up being closer than it needed to be.

"We knew he was a very good shooter and he was a concern of ours when the game started," remarked Washington State head coach Ken Bone after the game.

The problem for Washington State defensively is that rarely was Pangos forced to take a hurried shot, and the majority of his threes that fell came without a hand in his face. Gonzaga rode the Canadian's hot shooting to a lead that would be as large as 21 points in the second half, but they had to hang on as Washington State fought back to within three points late in the second half. Harris (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Sacre (15 and 10) both posted double-doubles for Gonzaga and freshman Gary Bell Jr. added 14 points off the bench, and Gonzaga also held a 16-point edge (30-14) at the charity stripe.

Brock Motum led five Washington State players in double figures with 17 points, and Cougars shot 47.5% from the field. But they were outrebounded 41-33, and Gonzaga's edge of nearly eleven percentage points in the offensive rebounding percentage category (Gonzaga rebounded 37.8% of their misses to 27% for Wazzu) was a factor. Harris and Sacre combined for eight of Gonzaga's 14 offensive rebounds on the night, and keeping them off the boards proved to be a problem for a Washington State team that lacks bulk inside. That will need to improve, but the big news was Kevin Pangos putting future Gonzaga opponents on notice. If this becomes a habit, the Bulldogs become that much tougher to guard.

Other Notable Happenings

1. UCLA suspends Reeves Nelson indefinitely.
Already owning a loss on the season, things took another turn for Ben Howland's UCLA Bruins on Monday night as it was announced that he'd suspended forward Reeves Nelson indefinitely. The two were supposed to meet to talk things over on Monday but the coach instead made the move to suspend Nelson and delay the talk until after the Bruins play Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday. There have been attitude issues in regards to Nelson, who was a preseason All-Pac 12 selection and a player of the year candidate in the league. But it's tough to play at that level when not fully invested in what the coach wants done. This is just the latest happening in what could develop into a soap opera of sorts if the Bruins aren't careful. Better to try to handle these issues now, because the longer they're allowed to fester the more damaging the issues can be.

2. Florida State clamps down on UCF in the second half, winning by 23.
From an efficiency standpoint the UCF Knights haven't been at their best this season. But those numbers hit a new low on Monday night in Tallahassee as they ran into one of the toughest defenses in the country. Florida State limited UCF to 30.5% shooting from the field and an offensive efficiency of 72.5 in their 73-50 win over the Knights to move to 2-0. But it wasn't just Florida State's abilty to defend that did in the Knights. Florida State finished with a rebounding advantage of 46-31, with their 16 offensive rebounds helping to make up for 19 turnovers. Bernard James led four Seminoles in double figures with 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Tristan Spurlock led the Knights with 12. UCF is a bit shorthanded with A.J. Rompza and Josh Crittle out of the lineup, but it likely wouldn't have mattered on Monday. FSU was that good defensively.

3. Northern Iowa can't make a shot in Moraga as Saint Mary's picks up the convincing win.
Northern Iowa put together one of the best defensive performances of the season to date this weekend in holding Old Dominion to 46 points on the road. But the tables were turned early Tuesday morning at Saint Mary's as the Panthers struggled mightily offensively and fell 57-41. It wasn't pretty for either team in the first half but the Gaels closed the half on a 14-2 run to lead 26-13 at the break. Things only got worse for the Panthers, especially Anthony James as he shot 1-for-15 from the field on the night. Matthew Dellavedova led Saint Mary's with 11 points but it was UNI's inability to score that provided the headline. UNI shot 27.1% from the field, making just 25% of their two-point shots. Can't win on the road shooting that poorly, especially at a place as tough to win in as Saint Mary's.

Quick Hitters

1. Don't underestimate Providence's 80-72 win at Fairfield in Ed Cooley's return to his previous employer. Rakim Sanders' second half foul trouble triggered a Friar run, and they ultimately held on. This is good win for a program still looking to build its foundation.

2. Temple picked up an important Big 5 victory, outlasting Penn 73-67 in overtime at the Palestra. Juan Fernandez's 19 points and five assists led the way as the Owls survived a 27-point effort from Penn's Zach Rosen.

3. UNLV led by 14 points with just over four minutes left in their game against rival Nevada but had to do everything in their power to get the 71-67 win. Justin Hawkins led a balanced scoring effort with 13 points and the Rebels assisted on 18 of their 26 field goals while also outrebounding the Wolf Pack 47-40.

4. In a game that could linger throughout the season George Mason fell to FIU 79-76 in overtime in the Blackburg regional of the Preseason NIT. Paul Hewitt's team thus allows a resume-building opportunity against Virginia Tech slip away as a result.

5. Eric Atkins and Joey Brooks scored 13 points apiece to lead Notre Dame to a 59-53 win over Detroit, with the game changing once the Titans' LaMarcus Lowe fouled out. Lowe finished the game with eight points, ten rebounds and five blocks but with him no longer in the middle things became easier for the Irish offensively.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
33 points (9-for-13 3PT) and six assists in the Bulldogs' 89-81 win over Washington State, tying Dan Dickau's school record for made threes in a game.

2. G Kyle Vinales (Central Connecticut State)
39 points (15-23 FG) in just 26 minutes of action for the Blue Devils, who lost 103-96 in overtime at Niagara. CCSU led by as much as 17 in the first half.

3. G Gerald Suero (Albany)
29 points (9-12 FG), nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in the Great Danes' 77-68 win over Brown.