Cleveland St

Semifinals Predictions: Horion, MVC, Patriot, WCC

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:16:07 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking every conference tournament game over the next 2 weeks. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

HORIZON LEAGUE SEMIFINALS: AT VALPARAISO, IND.

(2) Cleveland State (22-9, 12-6) vs. (3) Detroit (20-13, 11-7)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: ESPN3. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 3 – Cleveland State 66-61*; Feb. 23 – Cleveland State 77-64. RPI: Cleveland State 82, Detroit 157. Analysis: With D’Aundray Brown expected to make his return tonight, stay away from this one. He may light up the Titans and he may cause a rift in chemistry – as newly returning players often do for a game or two. Line: Cleveland State -1. Pick: Cleveland State 64, Detroit 62.

(1) Valparaiso (21-10, 14-4) vs. (5) Butler (20-13, 11-7)

Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 3 – Valparaiso 77-71 (OT)*; Feb. 24 – Valparaiso 71-59. RPI: Valparaiso 95, 112. Analysis: Oh-oh! Butler’s getting hot again at the right time. The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game in March since 2009. Still, tough to take them in Valpo. Line: Even. Pick: Valparaiso 60, Butler 52.

MISSOURI VALLEY SEMIFINALS: AT ST. LOUIS

(1) Wichita State (27-4, 16-2) vs. (4) Illinois State (19-12, 9-9)

Tipoff: 2:30 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Midwest/MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 10 – Wichita State 65-62; Feb. 22 – Wichita State 68-55*. RPI: Wichita State 12, Illinois State 124. Analysis: Illinois State wins with toughness, rebounding and defense. Guess what. The Shockers are tough, they rebound and play defense – and much, much more. Line: Wichita State -12. Pick: Wichita State 68, Illinois State 52.

(2) Creighton (26-5, 14-4) vs. (3) Evansville (16-14, 9-9)

Tipoff: 5 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Midwest/MVC TV. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 7 – Evansville 65-57; Feb. 21 – Creighton 93-92 (OT). RPI: Creighton 25, Evansville 135. Analysis: Creighton will use a little better shot selection than Missouri State did against the Aces and pull away in the second half. Line: Creighton -6. Pick: Creighton 80, Evansville 71.

PATRIOT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS: AT CAMPUS SITES

(3) American (20-10, 10-4) at (2) Lehigh (24-7, 11-3)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – Lehigh 71-60; Feb. 9 – American 71-62. RPI: Lehigh 117, American 150. Analysis: It is games like this in which Hawk star C.J. McCollum takes over, but the line seems way too high. Line: Lehigh -9½. Pick: Lehigh 64, American 58.

(5) Lafayette (13-17, 7-7) at (1) Bucknell (23-8, 12-2)

Tipoff: 4:30 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Bucknell 79-65*; Feb. 11 – Bucknell 90-78. RPI: Bucknell 92, Lafayette 199. Analysis: Bucknell’s Mike Muscala has scored 51 points against the Leopards in two outings. He’ll do it again on Saturday. Line: Bucknell -11½. Pick: Bucknell 83, Lafayette 65.

WCC SEMIFINALS: AT LAS VEGAS

(1) Saint Mary’s (25-5, 14-2) vs. (5) San Francisco (20-12, 8-8)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 9 – Saint Mary’s 87-72; Feb. 25 – Saint Mary’s 67-60*. RPI: Saint Mary’s 37, San Francisco 142. Analysis: The Dons are playing well, including a 7-point loss at Saint Mary’s just a week ago. And the Gaels are still a little banged up, so USF should keep it close. Line: Saint Mary’s -7½. Pick: Saint Mary’s 71, San Francisco 66.

(2) Gonzaga (24-5, 13-3) vs. (3) BYU (24-7, 12-4)

Tipoff: 11 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 2 – BYU 83-78; Feb. 23 – Gonzaga 74-63. RPI: Gonzaga 24, BYU 52. Analysis: Interesting matchup featuring strong front lines and good shooters, but the Bulldogs have the better overall talent. Line: Gonzaga -1½. Pick: Gonzaga 69, BYU 62.

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 100-69-2

Davis Leads #1 Kentucky Past Vanderbilt: Saturday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:30:42 -0800

#4 Kansas clinched their eighth consecutive Big 12 title with a wild 87-86 overtime win over #3 Missouri, placing head coach Bill Self in some esteemed company. Here are today's "Quick Hitters":

1. #1 Kentucky wraps up another SEC title with a win over Vanderbilt.
In what has been a superlative season for freshman Anthony Davis, the Chicago native may have saved his best performance (thus far) for Saturday. Davis made ten of his eleven shots from the field and scored 28 points while also grabbing 11 boards and blocking six shots to lead Kentucky to an 83-74 win over Vanderbilt. The victory also locked up the 45th SEC title in program history, and it's been clear that there's a lot more this group can achieve before this season ends. Jeffery Taylor scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Vanderbilt, who may have enough to hang around longer than they have in recent NCAA appearances when that time comes.

But on this day it was about the impact of Davis on an afternoon that saw Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (eight points, eight rebounds) and Terrence Jones (12 points, six rebounds) play 29 and 23 minutes respectively. Vandy may have out scored Kentucky 21-6 from beyond the arc but they also made just 42.2% of their shots inside of the arc, and going 15-for-23 from the foul line doesn't help on the road either.

Marquis Teague got off to a slow start but he got going as the game wore on, finishing with 15 points and six assists, and Darius Miller scored nine points off the bench. Kentucky won with two starters in foul trouble and a third (Doron Lamb) scoring just seven points. That lack of production is not going to happen very often between now and the end of the season, so good luck to all future opponents.

2. With #21 New Mexico completing an 0-2 week the Mountain West title is once again up for grabs.
After wins over San Diego State and UNLV last week Steve Alford's Lobos were undoubtedly the class of the Mountain West. But after losses to Colorado State and TCU, New Mexico is back in a three-way tie for first with the Aztecs and Runnin' Rebels going into the last week of regular season play. After going to the half tied (38-all) New Mexico was outscored 45-26 by the Horned Frogs in the 83-64 beating, moving TCU to a surprising 7-5 in conference play and 6-0 in league home games. J.R. Cadot led six TCU players in double figures with 15 points while also grabbing ten rebounds and point guard Hank Thorns dished out nine assists to go along with his 14 points, and a team few expected to contend remains alive in the Mountain West title race.

UNLV was able to hold off a pesky Air Force squad in Las Vegas, winning 68-58 with Chace Stanback's 21 points and eight rebounds leading the way, and San Diego State held off Colorado State 74-66. Jamaal Franklin, who's been banged up of late, went off for 31 points and 16 rebounds to lead the way. With all three teams at 8-4 having played each other twice the Mountain West race will be decided by how they all do against the rest of the conference (the three-way tie at this point would be broken by record vs. the fourth place team).

Before this week the Lobos were the ones who hadn't slipped up, but obviously that's changed. Drew Gordon and Kendall Williams need to be consistent if New Mexico is to win the MWC but at this point anything can happen, and given how dangerous the likes of TCU, Colorado State and Wyoming have played it probably will.

3. Gonzaga's 11-year reign atop the WCC ends as Saint Mary's clinches the WCC title.
While Kansas' current streak of eight straight Big 12 titles is nothing to scoff at, Gonzaga had won 11 straight West Coast Conference titles heading into this season. But that streak came to an end on Saturday night as Saint Mary's beat San Francisco 67-60, wrapping up the regular season title for the Gaels. It wasn't a pretty effort for Randy Bennett's team as they shot just 6-for-28 from beyond the arc, but Saint Mary's made the plays they needed to make down the stretch.

Clint Steindl, who entered the starting lineup with Stephen Holt out with a knee inury, scored a team-high 16 points while Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones (14 rebounds) scored 14 points apiece. Jones wasn't the only Gael to post a double-double either as Brad Waldow, who has emerged as the Gaels' second-best interior player in WCC play, scored ten points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Saint Mary's and Gonzaga wrapped up byes to the semifinals of next weekend's WCC tournament with the results while BYU and Loyola Marymount receive byes to the quarters as the third and fourth seeds. One would think that the top three teams are all safely into the Field of 68 at this point, and Max Good's Lions have the ability to run through the conference tournament and get the WCC a fourth NCAA bid.

Gonzaga's run atop the WCC may have ended but by no means is this "the end", in regards to both this season as well as the future. Players such as Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell and Guy Landry Edi will all have an impact for the Zags (and Kelly Olynyk will be back in the fold next season), and they'll need to if Mark Few's team is to make some noise next month.

4. #2 Syracuse wraps up the tenth Big East regular season title in school history with a win at UConn.
Jim Boeheim's team was walking into what was sure to be a charged environment, given the "ESPN College Gameday" presence and Connecticut's need for a marquee win. And even though things got tight down the stretch Syracuse was able to pick up their first-ever win at Gampel Pavilion, winning 71-69 with C.J. Fair blocking a Roscoe Smith shot in the final seconds to preserve the lead.

The concerns about rebounding going into the game given the Huskies' size inside? No issue for the Orange, who out-rebounded the Huskies 39-35 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds (UConn finished with 15 but was outscored 16-14 in second-chance points) on the night.Fab Melo's follow-up dunk with 31 seconds remaining gave Syracuse, who led by as many as 17 points, the victory but it was Kris Joseph and their reserves who stood out.

Joseph scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds as he bounced back from a 5-for-17 night in Syracuse's win over USF on Wednesday night. As for the reserves once again Syracuse showed that they're the deepest team in America. Dion Waiters led the way with ten points while Fair (six points, seven rebounds) and James Southerland (seven points) also made an impact. The Orange reserves outscored the UConn bench 26-0 on the night, allowing Syracuse to successfully navigate a quiet night from Brandon Triche (18 minutes played) and Scoop Jardine shooting 3-for-10 from the field (seven points, six assists).

With something of consequence from Shabazz Napier or Tyler Olander off the bench UConn would have had an even better shot of winning, and that's going to be the key in their games against Providence and Pittsburgh. Gain some consistency and the Huskies have the ability to be a tough out in the Big Dance, and while their close loss showed UConn's potential it also showed the difference between a team that can win games and one that can win a championship.

5. Northwestern and Texas avoid what would have been bad losses while Seton Hall and NC State aren't as fortunate.
The focus for bubble teams this time of the year tends to be on the search for that "signature win", but just as important is the ability to avoid shooting oneself in the foot. Northwestern and Texas looked to be headed towards bad (or in the case of Texas, catastrophic) losses but both the Wildcats and Longhorns were able to pull out victories on the road.

John Shurna made a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining to give Northwestern a 67-66 win at Penn State (the foul should have been called on the catch before Shurna was ever fouled on his shot attempt). And in Lubbock it took seven points from J'Covan Brown in the final 2:16 of overtime for the Longhorns to beat Texas Tech 71-67, with Rick Barnes' team closing the game on a 10-0 run.

Seton Hall and NC State weren't as fortunate, with the Pirates' slide commencing with Pope being called for an offensive foul (that many SHU fans vigorously disputed) with 44.1 seconds remaining in overtime and the score tied at 72. From there in-state rival Rutgers would score the final five points, exacting a measure of revenge on a team that beat them at the RAC in the first meeting this season. Jordan Theodore led the Pirates with 17 points and nine assists but it was Rutgers' Dane Miller (21 points, ten rebounds, four assists and three blocks) who stood out.

At least the Pirates are likely on the right side of the fence (or at least close to it) in spite of the loss. The same cannot be said for Mark Gottfried's Wolfpack, who seem to be freefall mode as they dropped their fourth straight game (72-69 at Clemson). Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie scored 18 points apiece to lead the Wolfpack but it wasn't enough as Scott Wood (1-6 FG) struggled and Milton Jennings led three Tigers in double figures with 17 points. The difference was the foul line, as NC State made five of thirteen and Clemson finished 16-for-21. While there are still games to be played there doesn't seem to be much sand left in the hourglass for NC State.

Quick Hitters

1. From Friday night the Big East Player of the Year race may have received some clarity. With three starters (Vander Blue, Junior Cadougan and Darius Johnson-Odom) suspended for the first half of #10 Marquette's game at West Virginia and Todd Mayo suspended for the second, Jae Crowder did everything in his power to lead the Golden Eagles to the 61-60 win. Crowder finished with 26 points and four rebounds while outplaying WVU's Kevin Jones, who didn't receive a who lot of help down the stretch from his teammates. And while Buzz Williams' dancing received the bulk of the postgame attention, Bob Huggins' visible frustration with his team shouldn't be ignored either.

2. There's now a tie atop the Ivy League in the loss column as Penn snapped Harvard's 28-game home win streak by the final score of 55-54. Zack Rosen's two free throws with 23 seconds remaining proved to be the difference for the Quakers, who are now 9-2 in league play (Harvard's 10-2). But don't start planning for a possible playoff just yet, as Jerome Allen's team still has games against Yale (home) and Princeton (road) to deal with. And if you haven't seen Rosen play by now...shame.

3. Following Purdue's blowout loss to Michigan State forward Ryne Smith made the comment that the dismissal of Kelsey Barlow was "addition by subtraction." Smith may have been proven right on Saturday as the Boilermakers handed #13 Michigan their first home loss of the season by the final score of 75-61. Terone Johnson led the way with 22 points and Purdue enjoyed a stretch in the second half in which they scored on 11 of 13 possessions. That's how you cement your status as a tournament team.

4. Arizona and Washington both did what they needed to do on Saturday, escaping with wins against UCLA and Washington State respectively. Kyle Fogg led the Wildcats to the 65-63 win on Senior Day in Tucson with 20 points and nine rebounds, giving Arizona their 21st win of the season. Tony Wroten accounted for 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in Washington's 59-55 win at Washington State, a game the Huskies trailed 45-32 with 11 minutes remaining. It remains to be seen how many teams the Pac-12 can get into the tournament, but at this point the best strategy for both is to simply keep winning.

5. Another interesting day in the Atlantic 10 as Saint Louis suffered a brutal loss for their resume while Dayton and Saint Joseph's picked up needed victories. Billy Baron's shot in the final seconds gave Rhode Island a 64-62 win over the Billikens in Kingston, but regardless of the venue that's a game Rick Majerus' team did not need on their resume as a loss. Langston Galloway led four Saint Joseph's players in double figures with 22 points as the Hawks beat #22 Temple 82-72 to earn a share of the Big 5 title, and Dayton blew out UMass 76-43 at home. Three seems to be the number of bids most expect the A-10 to receive, which makes games like these even more important down the stretch.

6. Cleveland State finally looked like a cohesive group with D'Aundray Brown out of the lineup as they beat Wright State 77-55. Trevon Harmon scored 20 points and Jeremy Montgomery 17 for the Vikings, who locked up the two-seed in next week's Horizon League tournament. That earns them (along with regular season champ Valparaiso) a bye to the semifinals, a perk that was much-needed by the Vikings.

7. Behind 31 points from Bradford Burgess, VCU was able to jump on George Mason early in what ended up being an 89-77 win in Richmond to grab the two-seed in the CAA tournament. VCU scored 12 points within a stretch of less than two minutes in the first half to establish a margin the Patriots were unable to overcome despite 24 points and nine rebounds from Ryan Pearson. These two could very well meet in the CAA semis next weekend, and a rubber match would have huge implications in regards to the NCAA tournament.

8. The pace wasn't in their favor but #7 North Carolina found a way to win as they beat Virginia 54-51 in Charlottesville. Tyler Zeller scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds on the afternoon and John Henson added 15 and 11 with two blocked shots. Defensively the Tar Heels were able to keep Mike Scott in check, something they were unable to do in Chapel Hill. Scott shot just 3-for-13 from the field and scored six points for the Cavaliers, who shot 6-for-23 from beyond the arc.

9. Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State Cyclones did themselves a favor from an NCAA tournament seeding standpoint with their 65-61 win at Kansas State, who was coming off of consecutive road wins at Baylor and Missouri. Scott Christopherson scored 29 points and Royce White added nine points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. The win also keeps the Cyclones tied with Baylor for third place, and they'll host the Bears in the regular season finale for both next weekend.

10. The Northeast Conference tournament, which begins on Thursday night, has the potential to be a wild event of Saturday's results are a harbinger of things to come. The top four seeds (who will host games on Thursday) all lost, including regular season champ LIU-Brooklyn getting pasted 106-78 at Monmouth, while seeds five through eight all won. King Rice's Hawks may be the hottest team entering the tournament as they've won seven of their last nine games, and Quinnipiac hasn't been bad either as they've won eight of their last eleven. LIU's the favorite with Wagner right behind them but don't be surprised if there's an upset along the way.

11. Things got a bit wild in Huntington but that didn't deter Memphis, who whipped Marshall 87-67 to remain in first place in Conference USA. Will Barton scored 24 points, Joe Jackson 21 and Chris Crawford added 16 and eight assists to lead the Tigers, who have enough talent to give an opponent headaches in the Big Dance. Josh Pastner's team has been maddeningly inconsistent at times this season, but don't sleep on them.

Seton Hall Whips Georgetown: Tuesday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:14:07 -0800

In the recap of Tuesday's big game, Pierce Hornung led Colorado State to a key win over New Mexico. The rest of Tuesday's key happenings include:

1. Jordan Theodore leads Seton Hall to a statement victory over #8 Georgetown.
To say the least this was a huge game for Kevin Willard's Pirates, as they were looking to bounce back from a 62-57 loss to fellow bubbler Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. Enter senior point guard Jordan Theodore, who took control of the game as seniors are expected to this time of the year. Theodore led Seton Hall to the 73-55 win over the Hoyas with 29 pointsfive assists and four rebounds, and he had a role (scoring four points and assisting on two Herb Pope buckets) in Seton Hall's first eight points of the game. Herb Pope added 12 points and Fuquan Edwin and reserve Brandon Mobley scored ten apiece, for the Pirates, who have won four of their last five after losing six straight.

Offensively the Pirates were outstanding as they shot 61% from the field and posted eighteen assists to just eight turnovers. Georgetown on the other hand finished the night with a field goal percentage of 40.4%, and John Thompson III's team uncharacteristically finished with more turnovers (11) than assists (nine). For the second time in the last three games Seton Hall has shot better than 61% (62.3% against St. John's), and according to statsheet.com's numbers Tuesday marked their most efficient offensive performance of the season. SHU's final two regular season games (Rutgers, at DePaul) are ones that will have a bigger impact if lost than one, but with Theodore leading the way it's difficult to think that they'll fail to take care of business.

2. Kansas State sweeps the season series with #3 Missouri.
Last season Frank Martin's Wildcats inexplicably lost to Colorado (now in the Pac-12, of course) three times. It was all a matter of matchups, just as Kansas State sweeping their season series with Missouri this season is. Kansas State beat the Tigers 78-68 in Columbia on Tuesday night, limiting the Tigers to 38.8% shooting from the field and Rodney McGruder led the way offensively with 24 points. With consecutive road wins at Baylor and Missouri the Wildcats have added two big wins to their resume, likely punching their ticket barrin a collapse. One key in both wins over Missouri for K-State has been the play of Jamar Samuels in his matchup with Missouri's Kim English.

Against most teams the matchup between English, a guard who plays the four for Frank Haith's team, and the opposing team's four is a mismatch in favor of the Tigers. That hasn't been the case against K-State, who can count on the athletic Samuels to limit the senior's quality looks from the perimeter. In the two games English has scored 17 points (8.5 ppg) on 6-for-12 shooting, a far cry from his season average of 14.0 points per game. Also of note is that in both games the Wildcats have set the tone, leading by 19 at the half in Manhattan and leading by ten at the break on Tuesday night.

3. #13 Michigan takes Northwestern to overtime and controls the extra session to win going away.
Never been a big fan of placing "Northwestern" and "bubble" in the same sentence due to the fact that the Wildcats have never reached the NCAA tournament. But to be fair Bill Carmody's team had reached that point going into their game against Michigan, which represented a golden opportunity for the Wildcats to pick up a big win. Michigan would refuse to go down without a fight, as Tim Hardaway Jr. tied the game at 49 on a three-pointer with 1:41 remaining and the Wolverines would outscore Northwestern 18-6 in overtime to win 67-55. Hardaway Jr. finished with 14 points while Trey Burke led the way with 19, and crucial threes from Zack Novak and Stu Douglass in overtime established a nine-point margin the Wildcats couldn't overcome.

John Shurna led the Wildcats with 14 points but he shot just 6-for-16 from the field, and sidekick Drew Crawford had a quiet night with just six points in 27 minutes of action. Michigan (37.5%) shot a lower percentage from the field than Northwestern (41.2%), which isn't a surprise given the similarities found in their offensive systems, but they took better care of the basketball (seven turnovers to NU's 14). Northwestern scored .937 points per possession while Michigan was at 1.164, and that turned out to be the difference. The key for Northwestern now is to make sure that Michigan doesn't "beat them twice" with a trip to Penn State up next.

Quick Hitters

1. Three things in the second half in Starkville pushed #1 Kentucky to a 73-64 win over Mississippi State. One was the shifting of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to Dee Bost on the defensive end, a move made possible in part by Rodney Hood going down with an injury in the first half. After scoring 16 points in the first half Bost managed just five in the second, and as a team the Bulldogs shot just 32% from the field. Secondly there was the effort of senior guard Darius Miller, who scored all 12 of his points in the second half and knocked down some huge shots. And Terrence Jones played far better in the second half as the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the SEC title with the win.

2. The upset of the year in college basketball took place in Vestal, New York as Binghamton, who entered the game 0-26, knocked off Vermont 57-53 for their first win of the season. After a Matt Glass jumper 41 seconds into the game opened the scoring the Catamounts wouldn't lead again, and Binghamton led by as many as 12 points. Robert Mansell led the Bearcats with 18 points and Ben Dickinson added 16 and 11 boards, and the result also gave Stony Brook sole possession of first place in America East.

3. As if it wasn't time to get concerned about Xavier before their game at UMass, the Musketeers didn't show up on the defensive end in their 80-73 loss. Chaz Williams went off for 29 points, nine assists and rebounds to lead the Minutemen, who have road games at Dayton and Temple next. As for Xavier, Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons combined to shoot 8-for-29 from the field, and if not for Dezmine Wells' 19 the final score would have been a more accurate representation of what happened in the Mullins Center.

4. It wasn't a good night for ACC bubble teams as both Miami and NC State fell. NC State can point to the fact that their loss came at the hands of North Carolina, who frankly is not a good matchup for the Wolfpack. Kendall Marshall scored 22 points and handed out 13 assists...without one turnover. Few teams will beat UNC when their sophomore point guard is dealing like that. As for the Hurricanes, they lost 75-70 at Maryland, a defeat that dropped Miami to 7-6 in league play. The win at Duke certainly helps their cause, but it would be wise for Jim Larranaga's team to pick up another resume-building victory.

5. Anton Grady scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Cleveland State, but it wasn't enough as the Vikings lost 71-67 at Green Bay. All of a sudden Gary Waters' team sits a game behind Butler in the loss column for second place, and that seed receives the other bye straight to the semis in the Horizon League tournament. The other bye goes to Valparaiso, who clinced the regular season title by beating Loyola (IL) in overtime. It hasn't helped CSU that D'Aundray Brown's been out due to injury, and they've dropped five straight with him on the sidelines.

6. Creighton nearly took the momentum gained from their comeback win over Long Beach State and flushed it down the drain but a Josh Jones shot with 23 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Bluejays a 93-92 win over Evansville. Creighton survived a 43-point night from Evansville's Colt Ryan, and it took a Gregory Echenique putback as time expried to send the game into overtime. Creighton picked up the win but there's no doubt that they have to get better defensively (UE shot 58.9%) if they're to make some noise in March.

7. Two key personnel notes in the SEC on Tuesday involving Alabama and Florida. Alabama head coach Anthony Grant stated that the recently reinstated JaMychal Green is unlikely to play on Thursday at Arkansas, and Green's return (whenever that happens) will have an impact on the Crimson Tide's at-large hopes. As for the Gators, forward Will Yeguete is out indefinitely due to a broken foot suffered in their 63-47 win over Auburn. His absence puts even more pressure on Patric Young and Erik Murphy inside, but it helps to have guards can hit the glass like Bradley Beal and Erving Walker (seven boards on Tuesday).

Wright's Buzzer-Beater Propels George Mason: Tuesday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:05:09 -0800

With 1:22 remaining VCU and George Mason were tied at 51 in a hotly-contested, defensive-minded affair. There were no easy shots to be found in the matchup of two of the three teams that entered Tuesday's action tied for first in the CAA. That's where the real fun began, with the Rams and Patriots combining to score 21 points in that final 1:22 to cap an outstanding matchup. The difference wasn't so much what one team did wrong but rather what one did right. Sherrod Wright.

Wright's 25-footer as time expired gave the Patriots the 62-61 win, moving them to 14-2 in the CAA and keeping them tied for first place with Drexel. A Bradford Burgess three with 1:20 remaining kicked off the scoring and a pair of Briante Weber free throws with 43 seconds remaining gave VCU a 56-51 lead. George Mason would respond with a Ryan Pearson three, and at that stage it was about extending the game for Paul Hewitt's team. There was one small issue, however: VCU took care of business from the foul line.

Shaka Smart's Rams would make seven of eight free throws in the final 43 seconds, and after two more Weber free throws made the score 60-56 with just over 11 seconds to go it was clear that the Patriots would need a three. Enter Vertail Vaughns, whose bonus shot cut the lead to one just seconds later, and the margin would grow to two with 3.8 seconds to go. 94 feet to go for George Mason, a distance covered by Wright's dribbling up the floor and game-winner.

"I'm sure we can watch the tape and nitpick and say 'well we should have pressured the ball a little bit more or we should have cotested a little bit more,'" said Smart. "But the reality is that Sherrod Wright made a phenomenal shot and he's a very good player.

Within the game it was Pearson who separated himself from the pack, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds as VCU struggled with finding a way in which to slow him down. The issue for George Mason was the foul trouble that Mike Morrison encountered, severely limiting his impact on the game. Burgess and Troy Daniels scored 13 apiece to lead VCU, who also had a big man struggle albeit in a different way. Juvonte Reddic shot 1-for-8 from the field and scored four points, and on a night that saw Morrison struggle for Mason a better performance from the sophomore big man would have helped.

With two conference games left there's still a lot to be decided in the CAA race, and the fact that VCU gets a rematch on their floor to end the regular season will help the Rams when it comes to possibly winning a share (at least) of the title. And if that matchup on February 25th is anything like Round One, college basketball fans should consider themselves lucky.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Hank Thorns burns his hometown school and leads TCU past #11 UNLV.
There were more than a few people who may have expected Wednesday's game between New Mexico and San Diego State to be a battle for a share of first place in the Mountain West, with it being a mere formality that UNLV would win at TCU. But the Horned Frogs had other ideas, specifically point guard and Las Vegas native Hank Thorns, as they beat the Runnin' Rebels 102-97 in a wild overtime affair. TCU had chance to win the game in regulation but an extra pass on the fast break (the proper basketball play in most instances) prevented the Frogs from getting their shot off in time. However that wouldn't stop TCU from completing their comeback from an 18-point second half deficit, and just as important as Thorns' scoring was TCU's work on the glass.

TCU out-rebounded UNLV 46-31 and their 19 offensive rebounds were a season high for a UNLV opponent. TCU only scored 19 second-chance points but that was more than enough when compared to UNLV's eight. J.R. Cadot (five offensive boards; 16 points and 12 rebounds) and Amric Fields (four offensive boards; 17 points and seven rebounds) were a problem for UNLV in that regard, and those second chances can add up over the course of a game. With the race at the top of the Mountain West being as tight as it is losses to teams outside of the top three could prove costly in the end. This makes Saturday's game at New Mexico even more important for Dave Rice's bunch.

2. Cleveland State continues their trend in the wrong direction as they fall at Milwaukee.
Just over a week ago Gary Waters' Vikings looked to be on their way to at the least a top two seed in the Horizon League tournament, which would advance them directly to the semifinals. But Cleveland State has now dropped three in a row to fall to 10-5 in league play, most recently losing 86-84 at Milwaukee on Tuesday night. As a result both Butler and Detroit trail Cleveland State by just a game in the loss column, meaning that the Vikings need to get things turned around quickly with three league games remaining. CSU played well offensively against the Panthers, shooting 60.9% from the field and 47.1% from three. But they were outscored by 15 points from three (39-24) and 13 from the foul line (33-20), which allowed Milwaukee to make up for their 7-for-17 night from inside of the arc. Tony Meier was fouled on a three-pointer with just over a second remaining and the score tied at 84, and he made two of three to provide the final margin. James Haarsma scored 25 to lead the victors and Trevon Harmon led Cleveland State with 27.

3. Both #22 Virginia and #23 Mississippi State fall on the road.
Neither Clemson nor LSU are likely to reach the NCAA tournament given their current records, but that doesn't mean they can't make things difficult for other teams within their respective conferences. Clemson was able to pull away from #22 Virginia in the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 36-24 on their way to a 60-48 victory. The problem for Virginia was that they had just two scorers, as Jontel Evans (17 points) and Mike Scott (13) led the way. Joe Harris, who broke a bone in his non-shooting hand in Saturday's loss at North Carolina, scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting and Sammy Zeglinski shot the same in scoring three. Those two will need to be better down the stretch if Tony Bennett's team is to go into postseason play with any kind of momentum.

As for LSU, Anthony Hickey's shot in the final seconds of overtime propelled them to a 69-67 win over Mississippi State in Baton Rouge. Ralston Turner led four Tigers in double figures with 17 points and Storm Warren added ten points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and LSU made up for a 43-32 rebounding disadvantage by racking up 15 steals and forcing 21 Mississippi State turnovers. Dee Bost led four Mississippi State players in double figures with 15 points but he (five turnovers) and Arnett Moultrie (six) combined for 11 of the 21 turnovers, a number that's too high to get away with especially on the road.

Quick Hitters

1. Anthony Raffa scored 20 points, leading four Coastal Carolina players in double figures as the Chanticleers beat UNC Asheville 74-69. The Bulldogs have already clinched the regular season title in the Big South but both CCU and Campbell are capable of knocking them off. While Matt Dickey (19 points) shot 6-for-12 from the field backcourt mates J.P. Primm (12 points) and Chris Stephenson (four points) shot a combined 7-for-26 on the night.

2. The battle behind Akron in the East Division of the MAC has been magnified in importance due to the league's move to seed one through twelve without regard to divisions. And with the top two seeds getting byes to the semifinals of the conference tournament it was critical that Kent State beat Buffalo, and they did by the final of 76-71. Justin Green led the Golden Flashes with 18 points and Micheal Porrini scored 14 in the second half, pulling Kent State into a tie with Buffalo for second place at 9-3.

3. Not only could Manhattan's chances of winning the MAAC be slipping away, but their hopes in the conference tournament may have taken a hit as well in their 70-64 loss at Siena. Starting point guard Michael Alvarado went down with an injury in the first half, one that head coach Steve Masiello stated could be a concussion and possible fracture of his eye socket according to Big Apple Buckets. To say that would be a big loss for the Jaspers would be accurate if he's out for an extended period.

4. Creighton ended their three-game losing streak with the greatest offensive performance in school history, shooting 75% in their 88-69 win at Southern Illinois. Doug McDermott led four starters in double figures with 18 points and Ethan Wragge added 15 off the bench for the Bluejays, who host Long Beach State on Saturday. As for the Salukis, this is just another sign of just how far things have fallen in Carbondale.

5. Part of the battle in getting to the NCAA tournament is making sure you don't lose the game you're supposed to win, so in that regard the wins by Texas (69-58 at Oklahoma) and Seton Hall (94-64 over St. John's) should be noted. While the focus centers on "marquee wins" when discussing resumes, the more teams can do to make sure they don't have "bad losses" the better.

6. Jared Sullnger and William Buford both bounced back from tough evenings in #6 Ohio State's loss to Michigan State to lead the Buckeyes past Minnesota by the final score of 78-68. Buford scored a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists, and Sullinger finished with 23 and eight caroms.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Jake Odum (Indiana State)
34 points (8-12 FG, 17-21 FT), seven rebounds and seven assists in the Sycamores' 83-77 overtime win over Illinois State.

2. G Hank Thorns (TCU)
32 points (8-12 3PT), five rebounds and four assists in the Horned Frogs' 102-97 overtime win over #11 UNLV.

3. F Robert Covington (Tennessee State)
28 points and 12 rebounds in the Tigers' 69-64 overtime win over Jacksonville State.

Non-BCS Top 25: Cleveland St Tumbles

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:37:59 -0800

The Non-BCS Top 25 is a weekly companion to the popular CHN Top 50 ranking, taking an in-depth look into the underrated universe of teams outside of the big six. The original Non-BCS ranking.

Non-BCS Top 25: February 12th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	UNLV	22-4	2	7
2	Murray St	24-1*	1	NA
3	San Diego St	20-4*	5	18
4	Saint Mary's	23-3*	4	14
5	Temple	19-5	8	4
6	Gonzaga	20-4	9	3
7	Creighton	21-5**	3	8
8	Wichita St	22-4	10	13
9	Southern Miss	21-4*	7	NA
10	Harvard	21-3*	6	21
11	Saint Louis	20-5	12	NA
12	New Mexico	20-4	11	5
13	Memphis	18-7	16	1
14	Long Beach St	19-6	14	23
15	MTSU	23-4	15	NA
16	BYU	21-6	18	17
17	Iona	20-6*	17	NA
18	Oral Roberts	23-5	22	NA
19	Davidson	19-6*	19	NA
20	Xavier	16-9*	21	2

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
21	Akron	18-7	23	NA
22	Cleveland St	20-6**	13	NA
23	Weber St	20-4	27	NA
24	Colorado St	15-8*	24	NA
25	VCU	22-5	29	NA

pre. = preseason ranking

last = last ranking (end of 2010-11 season)

* = Losses in the last week

Next 5: Bucknell (20-6), UCF (18-7*), Nevada (21-4), Wyoming (18-6*), George Mason (21-6),

Further 5: Marshall (15-10*), UMASS (18-7*), Drexel (21-5), South Dakota St (20-7*), Kent St (18-6)

Dropped Out of Top 25 This Week:

#20 Ohio

#25 Marshall

Dropped Out of Top 25 Since Preseason:

#6 Butler

#9 George Mason

#10 Marshall

#11 Drexel

#15 Kent St

#22 Utah St

#24 UAB

#25 GW

Agree/Disagree? Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Check out last week's Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking

Murray State Suffers First Loss: Thursday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:05:44 -0800

As the streak grew longer, it seemed as if it became a foregone conclusion in the eyes of many that Murray State would simply run through the Ohio Valley Conference on their way to a Sears BracketBusters contest against Saint Mary's. Steve Prohm's head coaching career got off to a dream start, as the Racers won 23 straight games with Isaiah Canaan and Donte Poole leading the way. That run came to an end on Thursday night as the Racers fell 72-68 to a Tennessee State team that relied on balance to grab their eighth win in the last nine games.

Robert Covington led four Tigers in double figures with 17 points (and eight rebounds), scoring on a key tip-in with 1:25 remaining to give TSU a 69-65 lead. Just as important were the contributions of Kenny Moore (16 points) and Jordan Cyphers (ten points, three assists), who led a Tennessee State bench that outscored Murray State's reserves 30-10. Canaan scored 31 points to lead all scorers and Poole added ten but they were the only Murray State players to reach double figures, and their reliance on Canaan got the Racers in trouble down the stretch.

Jewuan Long's attempt to get Canaan (who was being double-teamed) was stolen by Patrick Miller and ultimately ended up in the hands of Covington, who missed both free throws to keep the score at 69-68. Canaan would drive the length of the floor before getting into trouble as he approached the foul line, ultimately turning the ball over and getting called for a foul with 3.5 seconds remaining. But if there's a question about how Murray handled their final possession (following a pair of Moore free throws), it would have to be why they attempted a length of the court baseball pass.

Why? The Racers had two timeouts remaining, and with that amount of time on the clock a play in which Murray State could complete the inbounds pass at around half court and use one of those timeouts may have been best. But hindsight is 20/20, and for a team that hasn't been in many situations like this down the stretch Murray State will get better from this.

The key: achieve better offensive balance, because while there certainly isn't a problem with Canaan and Poole being the primary options those two are going to need more consistent help. Outside of those two, Murray State shot 10-for-27 from the field, and the 18 turnovers the Racers racked up (Canaan: six) didn't help matters either. Does this outcome make the Saint Mary's game more important? From a seedind standpoint yes, due to the fact that Murray State is 3-0 against the RPI Top 100 and 12 of their 23 wins (three don't "count" in the NCAA evaluation process since they came against non-Division I opponents) are against teams with an RPI of 201 or worse.

But can someone honestly say with a straight face that Murray State, provided the wheels don't fall off, wouldn't be one of the 37 best teams should they not grab the OVC's automatic bid? Remember that bubble so many criticize (annually) for being weak? Let's step away from the ledge when discussing the at-large possibilities for Murray State, because there's a long way to go. The Racers now have the task of learning from their late-game miscues, and while this current team hasn't had to do that there's enough experience on the roster to make sure they do so.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Gonzaga not ready to hand over the WCC crown just yet.
There were many (myself included) who wondered if there was about to be a changing of the guard in the WCC on Thursday as Saint Mary's visited Gonzaga, as a win would give the Gaels a three-game lead with four to go. But the Bulldogs, who have won the last eleven regular season titles, weren't ready or willing to hand over the crown as they won 73-59. Kevin Pangos scored a game-high 27 points and three other starters reached double figures for the Bulldogs, who are now just a game behind Saint Mary's in the loss column. Matthew Dellavedova scored 20 points in a losing effort, but he shot 1-for-5 from the field in the second half and as a team the Gaels shot just 36% in the final 20 minutes.

By comparison the Bulldogs found just about any shot they wanted and knocked them down too, shooting 60% from the field (second half efficiency: 133.0) with Pangos scoring 15 of their 39 points. Robert Sacre, who wasn't a factor in the first meeting, scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Bulldogs, who still have a home game against BYU on the schedule. Mark Few's team may not be in the driver's seat at this point, but if Saint Mary's is going to win the WCC the Bulldogs made sure it wasn't going to happen in their house.

2. As soon as we think we know who the Pac-12 frontrunner is, of course Washington gets blown out.
At this point it may be best to institute a rule stating that no one will attempt to anoint anone as the pacemaker in the Pac-12 race, because as soon as it seems like something is "known", that fact gets ripped to shreds. Lorenzo Romar's Huskies went to Eugene and got manhandled by Oregon, who raced out of the gates on an 8-0 run (all eight scored by Garrett Sim) and didn't look back until the 82-57 romp ended. Carlos Emory scored 16 points off the bench and Sim was one of three starters to score 13 points, and Dana Altman's team just looked far more prepared for what what going to happen on the floor than the Huskies.

That result dropped the Huskies into a tie for first with California, who took advantage of Maurice Jones picking up his third foul to whip USC 75-49. And just a game behind those two are Oregon, Arizona and Colorado, with the Wildcats beating the Buffaloes 71-57 thanks in part to double-doubles posted by Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry. Winners of three straight Arizona is the hottest team in this quintet, and with Utah visiting on Saturday afternoon it would be expected that the Wildcats earn the sweep. The Pac-12 needed some separation to ensure multiple NCAA bids (Cal and Arizona look to have the best resumes to date), but that doesn't seem likely to happen at this point.

3. Indiana proves to be too much for Illinois in the second half.
Illinois is a likely NCAA tournament team at this point, but they've done themselves no favors of late to say the least. The issue on Thursday night: Indiana's parade to the foul line, where they made 35 of 42 in their 84-71 win over the Fighting Illini. Illinois attempted just 15 free throws (making 12), and when a team can shoot 60% from the field and attempt 26 free throws (making 19) as Indiana did in the second half it's highly unlikely that they lose anywhere much less at sold-out Assembly Hall. Cody Zeller scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Hoosiers while Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo scored 18 apiece for a team that's won consecutive games for the first time since early January.

D.J. Richardson led the illini with 19 points and Meyers Leonard added 17, but the problem offensively for Illinois was that they essentially had three scorers to Indiana's four. Joe Bertrand and Tracy Abrams were both quiet in their starting roles, and Illinois made as many three-pointers as Indiana (seven) while attempting nine more (21-12). Indiana worked the ball inside of the arc for quality shots and it paid off, as they were frequent visitors to the foul line down the stretch. Bruce Weber's team has dropped five of their last six games, and with a trip to Michigan next on the schedule the Illini had better be careful. This isn't rock bottom, but things could spiral out of control if Illinois doesn't take care of their issues soon.

Quick Hitters

1. Minnesota was unable to take advantage of the opportunity to add a quality win to their resume as they fell at home to Wisconsin 68-61 in overtime. Wisconsin didn't make a field goal over the last ten-plus minutes of regulation but they were still able to get to the extra session, where Jordan Taylor and company took care of the Golden Gophers. At 17-8 overall and 5-7 in league play, Tubby Smith's squad still has home games against Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana and they need to take advantage of those opportunities.

2. While transfers have played a major role in the success being enjoyed at Iowa State and Cal State Fullerton, it can be argued that the transfer with the biggest impact is Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie. Moultrie scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Bulldogs' 70-60 win over Ole Miss, and Dee Bost added 15 points and 13 assists. Moultrie's play has been a big reason why Mississippi State has been one of the best teams in the SEC.

3. The Horizon League featured a matchup of the top two teams in the standings, and unfortunately for Cleveland State they couldn't get much of anything going offensively. Valparaiso jumped out to a 22-4 lead and really weren't challenged in a 59-41 win to take over sole possession of first place. Unfortunately for the Crusaders however, they lost Kevin Van Wijk to a knee injury in the first half and did not return. More should be learned about his status on Friday, and Van Wijk being out for an extended period of time would be a tough blow to take.

4. The race of interest in the South Division of the SoCon has been the one for second place (and the other first round SoCon tournament bye) thanks to the play of first-place Davidson, and Georgia Southern took a big step towards grabbing that spot with a 63-49 win over Wofford. The Eagles, who were led by Eric Ferguson's 15 points and 11 rebounds, moved to 10-4 in conference play while dropping the Terriers to 8-6.

5. Guess who could be making a charge into the top three of the MAAC: Fairfield. The Stags moved to 9-4 in conference play with a 60-54 win over Manhattan, who sits alone in third with a 10-4 mark. Sydney Johnson's team was expected to be Iona's toughest challenger but things haven't worked out that way to this point. With a deep rotation led by the likes of Derek Needham and Rakim Sanders however, Fairfield is more than capable of winning the automatic bid.

6. The Summit League race took a turn in the wrong direction for South Dakota State on Thursday night as they lost 72-68 at South Dakota, dropping two games behind Oral Roberts in the loss column. The Golden Eagles beat IUPUI 76-74 in overtime with Roderick Pearson's driving shot as time expired being the difference.

7. With UCSB off Bob Burton's Cal State Fullerton Titans could have taken over sole possession of second place in the Big West and that they did, scoring 60 points in the second half of their 100-94 win over UC Irvine. D.J. Seeley and Kwame Vaughn combined to score 51 points as the Titans won despite not having the injured Omondi Amoke at their disposal. Long Beach State is the class of the Big West, but Fullerton is just as capable as UCSB of knocking the 49ers off in the conference tournament.

Three Notable Performances

1. C Ben Aird (Utah Valley)
24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots in the Wolverines' 99-97 win at NJIT.

2. C Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)
26 points (10-14 FG), 12 rebounds and two assists in the Blue Hose's 94-74 win over VMI. Coleman's shot 20-for-28 from the floor over the last two games.

3. G Alex Young (IUPUI)
34 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the Panthers' 76-74 overtime loss at Oral Roberts.

Gonzaga vs. #16 Saint Mary's: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:42:29 -0800

Could there be a changing of the guard in the West Coast Conference? While that may be a tough question to ask given the sustained run of success that Gonzaga (18-4, 8-2) has enjoyed over the years, winning the last eleven WCC regular season titles, Saint Mary's (22-2, 11-0) would establish a three-game lead with four conference games remaining with a win in Spokane. Led by seniors Matthew Dellavedova (15.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) and Rob Jones (14.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg), the Gaels have already swept BYU and handed Gonzaga an 83-62 loss back on January 12th. While Jones accounted for 11 rebounds and eight assists in that game he only scored two points, and the Gaels benefitted from other players stepping up their play.

One of those was redshirt freshman Brad Waldow (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), who scored 17 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the first meeting. Waldow's reached double figures in points in each of the last four games, with a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara to begin the streak. Mitchell Young was also instrumental in the win over Gonzaga as he scored 12 points off the bench, and that production proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome due in part to the quiet night that Robert Sacre (1-for-7, four points) had. Both Sacre (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Elias Harris (13.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) need to be productive if Gonzaga is to control the flow of the contest tonight.

Another issue for Gonzaga in the first meeting was the overall play of the backcourt, as Kevin Pangos was their most productive guard with 12 points and four assists. But the other members of the rotation, from David Stockton to Marquise Carter to Gary Bell Jr., were all relatively quiet as Dellavedova took over the game with 26 points and six assists. Stephen Holt was also a factor for the Gaels as he scored 17 points, and while Jorden Page and Clint Steindl were quiet on that night they both have the ability to step up as well. Steindl scored 16 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Saint Mary's win at BYU, knocking down four of six from beyond the arc.

While equal in three-point percentage (36.6%), Saint Mary's has been the better offensive team this season as they boast a higher efficiency (117.4 to 109.4) and a better assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4 to 1.04 for Gonzaga) on the season. Gonzaga is essentially breaking even on assists and turnovers to date, and they can't afford to do so if they're to beat Saint Mary's. If a guard other than Pangos can play well that will be just as much of a boost for the Zags as the raucous crowd. To become the champion sometimes it takes going into the house of the reigning champ and winning to take full possession of the throne, and that's the mission in front of Randy Bennett's team.

Illinois visits Indiana on the heels of a disappointing home loss to Norhtwestern, and it's a key game for both teams with regards to possible NCAA seeding down the line. The Hoosiers are coming off of a much-needed win at Purdue, and with the likes of Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls there isn't much reason to question the effort of Tom Crean's team. But for whatever reason that hasn't always been the case with the Fighting Illini, who really need to figure out their "identity" and how to get the most out of their talent. Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul lead the way for Bruce Weber, but consistent play from the likes of Joseph Bertrand and D.J. Richardson is a must down the stretch.

There are a pair of important contests in the Pac-12 as Arizona hosts Colorado and Washington visits Oregon, with the Huskies currently alone in first place. The Wildcats, fresh off of their sweep of the Bay Area road trip, likely have the second-best at-large profile in the conference (Cal having the best) but falling too far out of first place could get them in trouble. Tad Boyle's Buffaloes have been a pleasant surprise within the league, and in Andre Roberson they've got the league's best rebounder. His battle with Solomon Hill will be worth the price of admission by itself, and the young talent on the floor for both teams should be a good sign for the future.

In Eugene Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross lead the way for a Washington team that allowed some important non-conference opportunities to slip away, making it even more important that they find a way to win the regular season crown. Oregon's perimeter trio of Devoe Joseph, Garrett Sim and E.J. Singler are skilled enough to be a handful themselves, and this game is usually one that gets the fans into Matthew Knight Arena.

Ole Miss could really use a win at Mississippi State to help their fleeting at-large hopes and the same goes for Minnesota, who hosts Wisconsin. NC State (at Georgia Tech) and Miami (hosting Virginia Tech) are both playing games they can't afford to lose for the sake of their respective resumes, and undefeated Murray State is also in action. Lastly the Horizon League features an important contest as Valparaiso visits Cleveland State with the Vikings (10-2) up a game in the loss column.

Top 25 Games
8:00 PM Tennessee State at (7) Murray State (ESPN3)
11:00 PM (13) Saint Mary's at Gonzaga (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Ole Miss at (18) Mississippi State (ESPN2)
7:00 PM (22) Wisconsin at Minnesota (ESPN)
8:00 PM Illinois at (23) Indiana (BTN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Lehigh at American (CBS SN)
7:00 PM NC State at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Maine at Boston University
7:00 PM Albany at New Hampshire (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Furman
7:00 PM Elon at Chattanooga (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Wofford at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Siena at Niagara
7:00 PM High Point at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Valparaiso at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Winthrop at Campbell
7:00 PM Rider at Canisius
7:00 PM Denver at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM North Texas at Florida International (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Radford at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM VMI at Presbyterian
7:00 PM UMBC at Stony Brook
7:00 PM Davidson at Citadel
7:00 PM Butler at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Utah Valley at N.J.I.T.
7:30 PM Liberty at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Manhattan at Fairfield
8:00 PM Arkansas State at South Alabama
8:00 PM North Dakota State at UMKC
8:00 PM Western Carolina at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM South Dakota State at South Dakota
8:00 PM Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (FCS)
8:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Samford
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech
8:05 PM IUPUI at Oral Roberts (FCS)
8:05 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM North Dakota at Chicago State
8:30 PM Utah at Arizona State
8:30 PM Marist at St. Peter's (ESPN3)
8:35 PM Weber State at Northern Arizona (FCS)
9:00 PM Colorado at Arizona (ESPN)
9:00 PM Iowa at Northwestern (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Western Illinois at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) (ESPN2)
9:05 PM Louisiana Tech at Utah State (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Montana at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM UC Riverside at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Fresno State at San Jose State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Washington State at Oregon State
10:00 PM San Diego at Pepperdine
10:05 PM Montana State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Portland State at Idaho State
10:05 PM UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton
10:30 PM California at USC
10:30 PM Long Beach State at Pacific
11:00 PM Stanford at UCLA
11:00 PM New Mexico State at Idaho
11:00 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Davis
11:00 PM Washington at Oregon (FSN)
11:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Portland
11:00 PM Santa Clara at San Francisco (ESPNU)
12:00 AM Nevada at Hawaii

Cleveland St vs Milwaukee: Prediction & Fan Poll

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:27:36 -0800

WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE (13-7, 6-2 Horizon) AT CLEVELAND STATE (16-4, 6-2 Horizon)

Time: 7:05 p.m.

Location: Wolstein Center

RPI Ratings:

Milwaukee 102 (No. 2 Horizon)

Cleveland State 68 (No. 1 Horizon)

Line: Cleveland St -6 (o/u 110)

Milwaukee Players to Watch: G Kaylon Williams, 6-3 Sr. (11.3 ppg); F James Haarsma, 6-7 Jr. (10.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 52.2% FG); G Ryan Allen, 6-3 Sr. (9.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 51.3% FG). Williams, who had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Friday’s 68-66 heartbreaking loss at Youngstown State, is one of the nation’s most complete players. He’s 10^th in the nation at 6.6 assists per game and has a 2.21 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Cleveland State Players to Watch: G D’Aundray Brown, 6-4 Sr. (11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 spg); G Jeremy Montgomery, 6-2 Sr. (10.6 ppg, 3.2 apg, 36.1% 3s); F Tim Kamczyc, 6-7 Jr. (9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 57.8% FG). Brown had a great all-around performance in Friday’s 78-68 win over Green Bay with nine points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. He ranks seventh in the nation at 2.63 steals per contest.

Storylines: The Vikings’ win over Green Bay coupled with Milwaukee’s loss to Youngstown State on Friday put them and Valparaiso in a deadlock atop the Horizon League at 6-2. Cleveland State has won four of its last five, including a 76-69 win over defending Horizon League champion Butler on Jan. 13. Friday’s loss, in which they had two shots in the final 30 seconds to win or tie the game, ended the Panthers’ 3-game winning streak.

Keys: These are the two most balanced teams in the Horizon. Milwaukee has four players who average in double figures and eight who average at least 7.1 per game. The Vikings have four who averaging at least 9.1 points and nine who score more than two per game. Expect a low scoring game between two of the league’s best defensive teams. Milwaukee holds opponents to 39.5 percent from the field. It’s perimeter defense is outstanding. Opponents shoot a mere 25 percent from the 3-point line. Cleveland State, which thrives on full-court pressure defense, isn’t much worse. Opponents shoot just 43 percent from the floor and 30.5 from 3. Brown vs. Williams should be a great 1-on-1 matchup to watch. Each is his team’s leading scorer and the offenses go through the two seniors. One key to watch is turnovers. Both teams have been turnover prone at times and both teams force a lot of errors. Milwaukee averages 13.1 turnovers and forces 13.1. Cleveland State turns it over 14.2 times per game and forces a whopping 17.9. The Vikings turned it over 21 times in the win over Green Bay. The Panthers should have a slight advantage on the boards with Williams, Haarsma and Tony Meier off the bench. Milwaukee is 9-1 at home with its only loss coming against then-No. 15 Wisconsin, 60-54 on Dec. 13. The Vikings have been tremendous on the road. They are 8-2 in true road games, including victories over Vanderbilt, Kent State, Robert Morris and Butler.

The Bottom Line: Cleveland State is probably a slightly better team and is capable of pulling off the win, but in a college basketball game between teams this even, it’s always wise to go with the home team.

The Pick: Milwaukee 58, Cleveland State 54

Iona vs. Rider: Friday Thoughts

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:16:23 -0800

Light schedule tonight with Ivy League Fridays not really getting going on a consistent basis until next weekend, but there are some entertaining matchups to keep fans occupied. Both MAAC matchups consist of top-half (of the standings) teams taking on squads hoping to avoid "First Round Friday" in March's conference tournament. One such game is Iona hosting Rider on ESPNU, and while Tommy Dempsey's Broncs have been a major disappointment this year they have the firepower necessary to keep up with the Gaels.

But can Danny Stewart and company defend well enough to keep talents such as Scott Machado (the national leader in assists) and Mike Glover (AKA Optimus Prime) in check? Novar Gadson, who has found the going tough in recovering from offseason microfracture surgery, has shot 5-for-17 in his last three games and one has to wonder if there's some fatigue at play. The chemistry was off during non-conference play, especially with the addition of Virginia transfer Jeff Jones, but that seemed to be improving some before dropping games at Siena and Fairfield.

Also in the MAAC surprising Manhattan visits a Marist team that seems to be young every season, and it could become a situation where Chuck Martin's club needs a run in the MAAC Tournament to avoid a regime change. Freshman Chavaughn Lewis has been one of the better rookies in the MAAC and he's second on the team in scoring to Devin Price, but the Red Foxes average 15.7 turnovers per game. That could be an issue against Steve Masiello's Jaspers, who will look to ramp up the tempo with their full-court pressure.

George Beamon has led the way offensively for Manhattan, and after last season some seemed to forget how explosive a scorer he was in high school. Manhattan is a young team as well but they've all bought in to Masiello's vision for the program, and the team's experienced more success than expected as a result. Last year's meeting in Poughkeepsie looked to be a win for the home team...until Michael Alvarado did this. Hopefully we get similar fireworks tonight.

The best game of the night is in the Horizon League as first-place Milwaukee visits a Youngstown State team that's turned some heads this season. Seniors Kaylon Williams and Tony Meier lead the way for Rob Jeter's club, but they're going to have to be at their best defensively especially on the perimeter as the Penguins have multiple scoring options there. But what Youngstown State doesn't have is muscle in the paint, and Milwaukee may be able to take advantage of that. Butler was able to do so last weekend in their home win over YSU, and that could be what keeps Youngstown State from being a title contender this season.

Cleveland State is another Horizon contender and they host Green Bay, a team that has the ability to upset an unsuspecting title contender if not work their way back into the race. Center Alec Brown leads the way for the Phoenix, and his height (7'1") could be an issue for the Vikings in the paint. But can Green Bay slow down Jeremy Montgomery? That's easier said than done. And in the Atlantic Sun, Florida Gulf Coast visits Stetson in a battle of teams that are hoping to eventually separate from a middle of the pack that features five teams with either three or four league losses.

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at Stetson (ESPN3)
7:05 PM Milwaukee at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Green Bay at Cleveland State (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Manhattan at Marist (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Rider at Iona (ESPNU)

Monday's Preview: Belmont at Marshall

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:59:01 -0800

Monday's schedule doesn't have much in the way of games that will make a dent on the national landscape, but that doesn't mean that there are some intriguing contests to keep an eye on. One of those being Belmont (7-4) heading east to take on Marshall (7-2) in a battle of teams expected to either win or contend in their respective leagues. Rick Byrd's Bruins have lost two straight road games, most recently falling at Miami (Ohio) due in large part to their 6-for-21 performance from beyond the arc. Belmont may shoot just 34.9% from deep on the season but they score 34.7% of their points on three-pointers, so defending the line will be of utmost impotance for the Thundering Herd.

Tom Herrion's team allows opponents to shoot 30.1% from three, a mark that ranks fourth in Conference USA and 62nd nationally. Marshall is a poor three-point shooting team (26.4%), meaning that the Herd looking to get into a contest of sorts with the Bruins would get them in trouble. The guards will offer quite the contrast in this regard, with Marshall having a pair of very good attack-minded guards in DeAndre Kane and Damier Pitts. Kane (15.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is a 6'4" guard who has the build required to finish with contact, and he's also averaging 3.6 assists and two steals per game. Pitts (14.1 ppg, 4.8 apg) runs the show from the point, and he can be dangerous scoring as well with a 25-point outing against Iona being a solid piece of evidence.

Belmont will counter with a three-headed attack on the perimeter with Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson and Drew Hanlen. Johnson's (14.6 ppg, 5.3 apg) the leading scorer and assist man for the Bruins while also shooting 55% from the field, but it's Hanlen who is their best perimeter shooter. Hanlen (10.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) is shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc with 54 of his 79 shot attempts coming from deep. Clark is averaging 11.6 points per game on the season and ranks behind only Johnson in possession percentage (22.1%). While the Bruins are a balanced outfit on the offensive end of the floor, one of those two are the most likely to be responsible for what happens.

The play inside should be interesting to watch due to both teams relying on solid tandems. Belmont has seniors Mick Hedgepeth and Scott Saunders, who combine to average 16.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Hedgepeth shoots 53% from the field while Saunders is right there with a 52% mark, and Hedgepeth is the better of the two with regards to both offensive rebounding and assists. Marshall will counter with juniors Robert Goff and Dennis Tinnon, who combine to average 19.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. Tinnon's making 61% of his shots in his first season in Huntington, a mark that ranks second in Conference USA.

The rebounding numbers of Goff and Tinnon underline the concern for Belmont going into Monday night: rebounding margin. The Thundering Herd have out-rebounded their opponents by 11.5 rebounds per game, and Belmont is squeaking by with a margin of plus-2.8. Part of that may be due to how much Belmont relies on the perimeter shot for their points, but they'll need Hedgepeth, Saunders and the rest of the team to hit the offensive boards when possible. Marshall grabs 17 offensive rebounds per game while averaging 67 possessions per game (2.5 fewer than Belmont). If Marshall is allowed to control the glass it could be a long night for the visitors.

In other games Monday night Davidson takes on Kansas in Kansas City, and Bob McKillop's team has a chance to win if they're able to hold their own with the Jayhawks' Thomas Robinson. After hanging with Vanderbilt throughout the Wildcats went to Charlotte and were whipped 84-61, and the nine days since have given them plenty of time to think about rebounding from that loss when not occupied with finals. De'Mon Brooks (16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is the player up front that Davidson will look to in their dealings with Robinson.

Marquette takes on LSU in Baton Rouge, and if this game were while classes were in session the Tigers may have an even better shot of winning. But Trent Johnson's team will have their hands full with Darius Johnson-Odom, Vander Blue and Jae Crowder, with an upset depending on whether or not LSU can take advantage of the Golden Eagles being without the injured Chris Otule inside. Creighton's trip to Tulsa could be a tricky affair for the Bluejays and it would likely be a surprise if Cleveland State didn't end the night with another BCS AQ victim on their resume as they visit USF. Out west there's the opportunity to see whether or not 11-1 Wyoming is "for real" as they visit Denver, Temple visits Rice and TCU should probably be expected to win at USC.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at (5) Duke (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Nicholls State at (6) North Carolina (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Paul Quinn at (7) Baylor
9:00 PM (11) Marquette at LSU (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Davidson at (12) Kansas (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at (13) Florida (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Cornell at (19) Illinois (ESPN3)
6:30 PM Howard at (20) Indiana (BTN)
8:30 PM UMKC at (23) Michigan State (BTN)
8:00 PM (24) Creighton at Tulsa
8:00 PM Longwood at (25) Vanderbilt

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM La Salle at Delaware
7:00 PM Cleveland State at USF (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Alabama A&M at Georgia Tech
7:00 PM Ball State at IUPUI
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at East Carolina
7:00 PM Southern University at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Alabama State at Clemson (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Lipscomb at Memphis (CSS)
7:00 PM Citadel at James Madison
7:00 PM North Florida at Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Belmont at Marshall
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at West Virginia (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Utah Valley at Maine
7:00 PM Campbell at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM Youngstown State at Akron
7:00 PM Dartmouth at Colgate
7:00 PM Milligan at East Tennessee State
7:00 PM Albany at St. Francis (NY)
7:30 PM Sacred Heart at Notre Dame
7:30 PM USC Upstate at Florida Gulf Coast
7:30 PM Coppin State at Charlotte
8:00 PM Florida A&M at Auburn
8:00 PM Reinhardt at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM Wyoming at Denver (Root RM)
8:00 PM Central Arkansas at Iowa (BTN.com)
8:00 PM Rockhurst at Loyola (IL)
8:00 PM Hastings College at Nebraska Omaha
8:00 PM Loras at Northern Iowa
8:00 PM Central Methodist at Northwestern State
8:00 PM Southern Methodist at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Le Moyne-Owen at Tennessee State
8:00 PM Wayland Baptist Univ at UTSA
8:05 PM Georgia Southern at South Alabama
8:05 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Southern Illinois (ESPN3)
8:05 PM Lyon College at Arkansas State
8:05 PM Texas A&M-CC at Missouri State
8:05 PM Newman at Wichita State
8:15 PM Morehead State at Binghamton
8:30 PM Western Illinois at Illinois-Chicago
9:00 PM Texas Southern at Colorado State
9:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Colorado
9:00 PM Fresno State at Boise State (The Mtn.)
9:00 PM Temple at Rice (CSS/TCN)
9:00 PM Portland at Utah
9:00 PM McNeese State at UTEP
9:00 PM Mayville State at Weber State
10:00 PM Southern Miss at Arizona State (FSN)
10:00 PM UC Riverside at San Diego State
10:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at Stanford
10:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at UNLV
10:00 PM Kennesaw State at Saint Mary's
10:30 PM UCSB at California
10:30 PM TCU at USC
11:05 PM Eastern NM at Long Beach State