Davidson

Monday Recap: Huskies Observe Second Half Dunk Contest in Loss

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:58:12 -0500

Quite a bit was made of the team meeting called by UConn forward Alex Oriakhi on Friday, and how it may have sparked a revival of the reigning national champions. But maybe that should have been another red flag, given the first couple of paragraphs in the Hartford Courant recapping the Huskies' 69-46 win over Seton Hall. Oriakhi mentioned that he'd been advised by people to call a team meeting, and while the junior is getting used to a new role within the team as its elder statesman the fact that such a push would need to be made is far more concerning than anyone seemed to realize.

The Huskies hit the road on Monday without head coach Jim Calhoun for the first time, and after hanging around for most of the first half things went downhill in a big way as Louisville rolled 80-59. Louisville hit UConn in the mouth, going on a 14-2 run halfway through the second half to push their lead out to 58-34, and instead of fighting back the Huskies seemed to play dead in hopes that the Cardinals would let up. What happened instead was a parade of Louisville players to the basket for emphatic dunks with some backbreaking three-pointers mixed in.

"I sure hope they do," remarked interim head coach George Blaney when asked if the players were embarrassed by their showing. "That was a pretty good beating in the second half. Fifty-one points and 50 percent shooting, seven or eight threes I think."

Gorgui Dieng, who was a gametime decision due to a sprained ankle suffered in Saturday's win over Rutgers, outplayed the UConn front court and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six steals and guard Chris Smith scored a team-high 16 points. Ryan Boatright led the Huskies with 18 points and five assists, but it was troubling to see that as a team the Huskies finished with seven assists to 15 turnovers. Those mistakes were converted into 20 points by the Cardinals, with 12 of those points coming in the second half. It also didn't help matters that Louisville did such a good job on Jeremy Lamb, limiting the All America candidate to seven points and three turnovers.

"[Dick McGuire] said inferior guards play on the sidelines and great guards play in the middle," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino of his late friend. "What we try to do with guys like that is to keep them on the sideline as much as possible. We try to take their talents away, and we did a great job of that today."

Louisville looks to be in good shape, but the same cannot be said for UConn with two of their next three games being Syracuse (on the road) and Marquette, a team that will fight for every inch of real estate on the court. Lamb, Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier have not stepped up to a championship level from a leadership standpoint, and the other guys are either too inconsistent (Andre Drummond was practically non-existent on Monday night) or in the case of Boatright really haven't played enough to cement themselves as the team leader. Who steps up? That remains to be seen, but if they all don't show up in the Carrier Dome looking for a fight this season's going to get even worse.

Other Notable Happenings (with some Sunday notes mixed in)

1. Reggie Johnson shines on Super Bowl Sunday as Miami wins for the first time at Duke.
Few people (if any) outside of the Miami basketball family gave the Hurricanes any chance of picking up their first-ever win at Cameron Indoor Stadium, seeing it as one final bit of hoops entertainment before watching the Super Bowl. But the Hurricanes believed, and thanks in large part to an outstanding afternoon from their big man Miami not only beat Duke 78-74 in overtime but may have also revived their NCAA tournament hopes. Reggie Johnson outplayed the Duke front court, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the way and Kenny Kadji added 15 and eight boards.

Seth Curry (22 points) and Austin Rivers (20) led the way offensively for the Blue Devils but the poor performances of their front court didn't allow Duke to take advantage of Miami's starting guards (Malcolm Grant, Shane Larkin and Durand Scott) shooting a combined 6-for-29. Duke has some things to figure out ahead of their battle with North Carolina on Wednesday night, most importantly getting consistent production from the Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly.

2. Draymond Green shakes off his knee injury to lead Michigan State past Michigan.
The health of the senior forward was one of the keys to the matchup between the Spartans and Wolverines, but there was no doubt that Green would be on the Breslin Center floor. And he was highly effective as well, leading Michigan State to the 64-54 win with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Michigan State, who shot 52.2% from the field, was so dominant on the glass that Green's rebounding total matched that of Michigan's entire team (40-16 MSU edge) and the Spartans rebounded 48% of their missed shots.

That made up for Michigan State's 15 turnovers as they still finished with an efficiency of 108.5 to Michigan's 91.5. Michigan shot just 39.6% from the floor and the shooting of Tim Hardaway Jr. was one reason why the Wolverines struggled offensively as he made just one of ten shots from the field (four points). With the win the Spartans remain a game behind Ohio State in the Big Ten standings, and with two games against the Buckeyes still to be played Tom Izzo's team will contend throughout the remainder of the season.

3. Texas picks up a key win on the road as they beat Texas A&M.
Rick Barnes' Longhorns entered Monday's game in College Station with a record of 1-5 in true road games, and a return trip to the NCAA tournament will likely hinge on what they can do down the stretch away from Austin. The Longhorns shot 58.3% from the field in the second half and turned the ball over just eight times, winning 70-66 to move to 5-6 in Big 12 play. J'Covan Brown led the way with 20 points and seven assists and Sheldon McClellan added 15 for Texas, who put together their most efficent offensive showing in Big 12 play this season.

It didn't hurt to go up against a Texas A&M team without Dash Harris and Khris Middleton (Kourtney Roberson's also been out for quite some time with a fractured ankle), but regardless of who was on the floor Texas really needed a win to improve their profile. With road games against the likes of Oklahoma and Kansas remaining on the slate, this could be the confidence boost that Barnes' young team needed for a stretch run.

Quick Hitters

1. One of the things to watch on Monday was how Missouri would move on from their emotional win over Kansas on Saturday night. Oklahoma gave the Tigers all they wanted and then some, but Steven Pledger's game-tying three was off the mark and Missouri left with a 71-68 victory. Marcus Denmon scored 25 points as the Tigers won despite being out-rebounded 36-22 (Ricardo Ratliffe grabbed ten of those 22 boards). Mizzou now gets some much-needed rest before hosting Baylor on Saturday.

2. One of the tougher things to do in recent years is figure out which Illinois team will show up on any given day, and that was once again the case on Sunday as they lost 74-70 to Northwestern in Champaign. The Wildcats shot 60.4% from the field and 75.0% from two in the win, with John Shurna (24 points) and Reggie Hearn (20 points) leading the way. If Illinois is to be a factor come March they need to get more from D.J. Richardson, who scored nine points (3-9 FG) on Sunday and has reached double figures just twice since opening Big Ten play with three straight double figure scoring efforts.

3. Jamie Dixon's Pittsburgh Panthers won their fourth straight game on Sunday as they beat Villanova 79-70, and with their upcoming schedule Pitt could sprint right into an NCAA tournament bid. Tray Woodall, whose return to full strength sparked this run, scored 19 points and dished out five assists while Ashton Gibbs added 25 and they combined to go 19-for-19 from the foul line. There aren't many teams in the Big East volunteering to play the Panthers right now.

4. With a 54-46 win over East Tennessee State, Bob Hoffman's Mercer Bears moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Sun. Mercer, who is tied with Belmont in the loss column but has one more win, had three players score 11 points to lead the way and Jake Gollon made up for his cold shooting by grabbing 11 boards. Not only does Mercer get Belmont at home in the regular season finale but they also host the conference tournament, which will add more suspense than last season when Belmont rolled to the crown.

5. Davidson clinched at least a share of the South Division crown in the SoCon with their 76-54 win over Wofford, limiting the Terriers to 26.9% shooting and 15 points in the first half (Wofford had as many turnovers (seven) as field goals in the half). J.P. Kuhlman and De'Mon Brooks led four players in double figures with 14 and 13 points respectively, and Bob McKillop's team turned the ball over just six times on the night.

6. A pair of Dominique Sutton free throws with three seconds remaining sealed North Carolina Central's 81-79 win over Bethune-Cookman, adding even more intrigue to the MEAC race. With the Eagles' victory six teams are separated by two games in the loss column atop the MEAC with 9-2 Norfolk State leading the way. Levelle Moton's got some talented players with Sutton leading the way, and while they'll need some outside help keep an eye on NCCU down the stretch.

7. There was some important recruiting news as 2012 forward Ricardo Gathers (former St. John's verbal) committed to Baylor. The Louisiana native has a build ready for professional football much less college basketball, and to add him alongside the slender Isaiah Austin is quite the coup for Scott Drew and his staff.

Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List Released

Six Notable Performances (Sunday and Monday)

1. C Reggie Johnson (Miami)
27 points and 12 rebounds in the Hurricanes' 78-74 overtime win at Duke.

2. G Truck Bryant (West Virginia) and G Gerard Coleman (Providence)
Bryant scored 32 points and knocked down the game-winning three-pointer in the Mountaineers' 87-84 overtime win at Providence, while Coleman paced the Friars with a career-high 30.

3. F Draymond Green (Michigan State)
14 points and 16 rebounds in the Spartans' 64-54 win over #22 Michigan.

4. G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
25 points and two steals in the Tigers' 71-68 win at Oklahoma.

5. G Tray Woodall and G Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh)
Woodall accounted for 29 points, six rebounds and five assists while Gibbs finished with 25 points in the Panthers' 79-70 win over Villanova.

6. G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State)
28 points (11-14 FG), seven steals and six assists in the Penguins' 80-63 win over Loyola (IL).

#25 Louisville vs. Connecticut: Monday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:52:29 -0500

On the heels of their decisive win over Seton Hall, Connecticut (15-7, 5-5) will look to keep things going as they visit #25 Louisville (18-5, 6-4) in a critical Big East matchup. For all the issues that UConn's dealt with recently they're just a game out of fourth, and with that being the final double-bye slot in the Big East Championship this is a game both teams need.

The Huskies are being coached by George Blaney due to Jim Calhoun's indefinite leave of absence, but the biggest development from their win on Saturday was the fact that the guys on the floor finally took the reins and showed leadership. If they can build on that aspect of their win, UConn could be in line to go on a run despite a tough week that also features a trip to Syracuse.

Wing Jeremy Lamb (17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the primary offensive option for UConn, with his smooth game invoking memories of Richard Hamilton among many involved with the program. But part of the problem during the Huskies' skid was the fact that neither Lamb, Shabazz Napier (13.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.0 rpg) nor Alex Oriakhi (6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) seemed capable of leading the way.

Napier and Oriakhi were moved to the bench in hopes of providing a spark to an offense that's been stagnant, especially against zone defenses, and freshman Ryan Boatright has been that guy. Boatright (9.8 ppg, 3.5 apg) scored 19 points and dished out five assists against Seton Hall and the offense looked a bit crisper with him running the show.

Louisville is going to come at UConn with their full-court pressure, which could be an issue for a team that's averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. But it would have been an even bigger problem without Boatright, and if anything the Huskies may be more concerned about Louisville's 2-3 zone than anything.

The Cardinals allow opponents to shoot just 37% from the field and 33.3% from three, and it isn't as if all 16 of the turnovers that Rick Pitino's team forces comes by way of the press. The Cardinals need to be careful with the basketball themselves as they average 15 turnovers per game, and the run-out opportunities that could result may give UConn the boost they need.

Peyton Siva (8.5 ppg, 5.6 apg) is a highly athletic guard who runs the show for the Cardinals, but he's also averaging 3.5 turnovers per game. Both he and sixth man Russ Smith (12.4 ppg, 2.2 apg) need to make smart decisions while not losing their aggressive nature, a task that's proven easier said than done at times.

Louisville is the deeper team on the perimeter, with the likes of Chris Smith and the versatile Kyle Kuric also playing integral roles in the Cardinal attack. What happens on the perimeter will be key to the outcome but the play inside will be just as important for both, especially for a UConn team that needs its big men to be productive offensively.

Freshman Andre Drummond (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg) can at times look to be a man among boys on the court, and that's what happened on Saturday as the Pirates were without Herb Pope. But he's going to run into some resistance in the form of the much-improved Gorgui Dieng (10.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.5 bpg), the Big East's leader in blocked shots.

Dieng (sprained his right ankle in Saturday's win ) has become more confident offensively, and even with him the Cardinals can also call on a Chane Behanan as well. This is where Oriakhi, Tyler Olander and Roscoe Smith come into play; they need to be productive if the Huskies are to win on the road. The Huskies have been a slightly better rebounding team but both can hit the offensive glass, and with the shooting being what it can be second-chance points should be right up there in regards to importance.

Also of note on Monday is the first of two meetings this season between Texas and Texas A&M, made even more important by the fact that both teams are in desperate need of wins from an NCAA tournament resume standpoint. The Aggies have been without both Khris Middleton and Dash Harris of late due to injury, meaning that Elston Turner will need to be even more effective as a scorer. If he can get some help from Naji Hibbert A&M will have an even better chance of defending their home floor.

Mercer has the opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Sun as they host East Tennessee State in what's also a key game for the Bucs as they jostle for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament. Belmont, who's tied with the Bears atop the A-Sun, takes on Austin Peay in a non-conference matchup (this will be a league game next year as the Bruins will join the OVC) and Wofford visits Davidson in a SoCon battle in hopes of moving one step closer to locking down that other conference tournament bye out of the South Division.

Davidson's three games up with four to go, and a win would clinch at least a tie for the division crown. Lastly, Missouri looks to build on their win over Kansas as they visit an Oklahoma team that's hanging on to hopes of earning an at-large bid. Steven Pledger has been one of the most improved players in the Big 12, and he's going to need to play extremely well if the Sooners are to pull off the upset.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (4) Missouri at Oklahoma (ESPNU)
9:00 PM (15) Marquette at DePaul (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Connecticut at (25) Louisville (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Stony Brook at New Hampshire (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Stetson at Jacksonville
7:00 PM Vermont at Maine
7:00 PM USC Upstate at Kennesaw State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Boston University at Albany
7:00 PM Wofford at Davidson
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Elon
7:00 PM East Tennessee State at Mercer
7:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at North Florida
7:30 PM North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Furman at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM Hampton at Delaware State
7:30 PM Norfolk State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:30 PM Howard at Morgan State
7:30 PM Longwood at South Carolina State
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Belmont
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Savannah State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8:30 PM Southern University at Jackson State
8:30 PM Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State
9:00 PM Idaho State at Montana
9:00 PM Texas at Texas A&M (ESPN)
9:00 PM Alcorn State at Grambling State

College Basketball Awards: Aden, Cohen, Snaer, Kansas

Greg Mengelt — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:13:29 -0500

A review of the week that was in college basketball focusing on the best (and worst) performances. Check in every Monday morning for our weekly awards.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Faisal Aden, Washington State Senior Guard: Aden came off of the Washington State bench to lead the Cougars to wins over two of the Pac-12’s top two teams with a combined 57 points.

In an 81-69 victory over Stanford on Thursday, Aden made 10-of-17 shots and all 13 of his free throws for 33 points. He also had five rebounds and two assists.

On Saturday, the Cougars upset league-leading Cal, 77-75 behind 24 points, two rebounds and a steal from Aden. In the victory, Aden hit nine of his 12 field goal attempts and was 6-of-7 from the foul line.

“He had a great weekend,” Washington State Ken Bone said. “He obviously played extremely confident. He was outstanding on the offensive end. Most coaches would start him.”

For the season, Aden is averaging 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 90 percent from the charity stripe.

Last week's winner was Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's.

MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jake Cohen, Davidson Junior Forward: Cohen helped Davidson to a pair of Southern Conference with 29- and 20-point performances last week.

On Thursday, Cohen scored 29 points and grabbed 14 boards in the Wildcats’ 87-69 win over the College of Charleston. He connected on 9-of-17 field goals, including 2-of-5 from the 3-point line, and all nine of his free throws.

The junior forward then made eight of his 11 field goal attempts and 4-of-7 free throws for 20 points as Davidson blew out The Citadel 80-51 on Saturday. Cohen also had four rebounds, three blocks and two steals as the Wildcats improved to 14-4 overall and 8-0 in league play.

“I think Jake Cohen is playing at an unprecedented level for a front court player for us,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “He’s doing just about everything we’re asking of him.”

For the season, Cohen is averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 90.5 from the foul line.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Kansas: The No. 7 Jayhawks earned their two best wins of the season last week.

First, they knocked off previously-unbeaten and third-ranked Baylor 92-74 at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas shot 57.4 percent from the floor, 54.5 percent from behind the 3-point arc and out-rebounded the Bears 36-21. Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey each earned double-doubles. Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Withey had 10 and 10, including nine offensive boards. Tyshawn Taylor had a game-high 28 points and handed out six assists, and all five Jayhawks scored in double-figures in the win.

“I think we made a big statement tonight,” Taylor said. “I don’t know if people are sleeping on us. They know we’re good. But I don’t know if people knew what we could do.”

On Saturday, Kansas earned a big 69-66 road win at Texas. The Jayhawks led 46-34 with 15 minutes to play despite a poor shooting night. Taylor finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in the victory.

“This is the best win we have had all year,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

With the two wins, Kansas improved to 16-3 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12.

SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Colt Ryan, Evansville Junior Guard: Ryan had the best performance of his career with 39 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the Aces’ 90-67 Missouri Valley triumph over Bradley.

Ryan, who had 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday’s win over Illinois State, was 12 for 21 from the field, including 8-of-14 from deep, and 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the win over the Braves.

Ryan is sixth in the nation with a 21.1 scoring average. He’s shooting 44.8 from the floor, 45.3 from the 3-point line and 85.3 at the foul line. He’s also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per contest for the 10-9 Aces.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Notre Dame 67, Syracuse 58: The 12-8 Irish took an 11-2 lead and never looked back. They led as much as 35-17 late in the first half and handed the top-rated Orange their first loss of the season.

“I can’t even describe this,” said Notre Dame junior center Jack Cooley, who had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win. “They were 20-0. I can’t put into words how amazing this is.”

Syracuse – playing without Fab Melo, who is dealing with an unspecified academic issue – shot 34 percent from the field, including 7-of-23 3-pointers, and were out-rebounded 37-24, allowing Cooley six offensive rebounds.

The Orange stay on the road tonight when they will try to avoid their first losing streak against 15-5 Cincinnati.

WIN OF THE WEEK

Missouri 89, Baylor 88: Most prognosticators figured Baylor would dominate inside and Missouri would have to hit perimeter shots to have a chance in Waco.

The Tigers and senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe had a different idea. Ratliffe hit 11-of-14 shots and grabbed eight rebounds – six on the offensive end – to help Missouri to a critical 89-88 road Big 12 road win.

The Tigers shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 10-of-12 free throws in the final minute to improve to 18-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12.

“Obviously, this was a great win for us,” Tiger first-year coach Frank Haith said. “Our guys showed tremendous poise down the stretch. Throughout the game, we played with great toughness.”

Missouri, which also got 18 points, seven assists and six steal from Flip Pressey, overcame a 29-point performance by Bears freshman Quincy Miller.

LOSS OF THE WEEK

Tennessee 60, Connecticut 57: The defending national champions dropped a pair of 3-point decisions this week, including a 60-57 loss to 9-10 Tennessee on Saturday.

The Huskies, who were playing without freshman point guard Ryan Boatright for the second straight game, made just 20 of 55 shots and got exactly zero points from their bench.

The Volunteers didn’t shoot much better at 42.3 percent, but freshman Jernell Stokes, who joined the squad following the first semester, had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the first start of his career.

“They made some big plays and defended us pretty well,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “Mainly, they just dug, scratched and clawed. They played harder than we did. That’s how they won the game.”

The Huskies are now 14-5 overall. They are 4-3 in the Big East and returned to league play at home against Notre Dame next Sunday.

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Snaer’s 3 silences Cameron: Snaer, who banked in a 3-pointer from the corner to end the first half and made a floater in the lane to give the Seminoles the lead just 55 seconds earlier, sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Seminoles a 76-73 road victory over Duke, snapping the Blue Devils’ 45-game winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

After Austin Rivers hit a layup to tie the game at 73-apiece with 4.9 seconds left, Luke Loucks found a wide open Snaer, who drained the 3 to give Florida State its fourth straight win.

“When it went in, I didn’t know what to think,” Snaer said. “It was amazing.”

“The kid hit a beautiful shot,” Devils’ coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Snaer, who leads the Seminoles at 13.5 points per game, had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal as Florida State knocked off ACC powers North Carolina and Duke in a 7-day span. The Blue Devils and Seminoles are now tied atop the league standings, a half-game ahead of North Carolina and North Carolina State.

Thursday Recap: Vanderbilt Wins Eighth Straight Game

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:37:54 -0500

Remember the concerns late in non-conference play that Vanderbilt was destined to be one of the country's biggest busts? Don't look now but Kevin Stallings' Commodores won their eighth straight game on Thursday night, beating Alabama 69-59 in Tuscaloosa to remain tied atop the SEC with Kentucky (4-0). Alabama shot 26.5% from the field in the first half and trailed 26-19 at the half, and a 17-4 run over a five-minute stretch pushed the Vanderbilt lead out to 23 points at 58-35 with 8:12 remaining.

John Jenkins scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way for Vanderbilt, which is looking like the SEC title contender that many expected to see at the beginning of the season, and Jeffery Taylor added 17 and six boards. One reason for the turnaround was the return of center Festus Ezeli, who accounted for 12 points and ten rebounds as he outplayed Alabama's JaMychal Green (six points, eight rebounds in 31 minutes of action). Ezeli's presence, despite the fact that he's not a great shot-blocker by any stretch of the imagination, gives the other Vandy defenders a safety blanket that wasn't there when he was out of the lineup.

"Our guys are very physical in there. It's nice to have big strong bodies to throw out there," said Stallings of his frontcourt's play against Green. "I thought our front court play offensively, actually more so defensively, was the key of the game for us. Our bigs really stepped up and played well."

Vanderbilt's big men played well against the high-flying Tony Mitchell as well, as he missed all eight of his field goal attempts and failed to score a single point. Trevor Releford scored 14 points to lead Alabama but without their big men being able to get going offensively and a 48-35 deficit on the glass, it was going to be tough for Anthony Grant's team to grab the victory.

If there is a concern for Vandy to come out of the win it would have to be the turnovers, as they had difficulty dealing with the Alabama pressure late in the second half (17 turnovers for the game). Get that cleaned up and the Commodores can definitely make good on the promise many believed them to have before the season began.

"Well in the middle 30 minutes of the game it was very effective," remarked Stallings about his team's ball-handling. "The first five and last five it was not very effective at all. That's ok though. That's the second time we've had a game close like that. When you have it that far out of reach, I guess that's a good thing."

Other Notable Happenings

1. A starting lineup change lights two fires as Duke beats Wake Forest.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made the decision before the Blue Devils' game against Wake Forest to replace freshman guard Austin Rivers in the starting lineup with junior sharpshooter Andre Dawkins. And whatever the reasoning was for the move, be it for motivation or the fact that Rivers wasn't playing his best, the move worked out best for the Blue Devils in their 91-73 victory. Dawkins came out of the gates hot and finished with a team-high 21 points (7-12 3PT) while Rivers added 20 points in his most efficient offensive performance in ACC play.

Add in another 20 from Ryan Kelly and Duke simply had too much for the young Demon Deacons, but it's just as important to figure out what this means for Duke as they look to win an ACC title and a national title as well. Rivers is a phenomenal talent, but if he's not making things happen while being efficient the other weapons can suffer. Florida State will provide a stiffer test on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if Duke can build on this against an outstanding defense.

2. North Carolina gets back on track but Strickland goes down with a knee injury.
After getting their heads handed to them in Tallahassee on Saturday, North Carolina needed to bounce back with a win at Virginia Tech but with the game being in Blacksburg that was going to be a tough task. It certainly worked out that way in the first half, as the Hokies were hot from the perimeter and took a 39-34 lead into the half. What really needed to be seen was not an emphatic UNC victory but rather the Tar Heels showing the ability to respond to getting popped in the mouth, and Roy Williams' team did just that in their 82-68 win. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 27 points, scoring nine of those points during an 18-0 second half run that essentially put the game away.

Forwards John Henson (16 points, 16 rebounds) and Tyler Zeller (14 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles for North Carolina as well. But the victory wasn't without concern as shooting guard Dexter Strickland went down with a knee injury in the second half (still no report on the severity of the injury). If Carolina were to lose Strickland for an extended period of time they would be without their best perimeter defender, and it's difficult to point out who would be best capable of assuming that responsibility. Hopefully it isn't a serious injury, because this would be a big loss for North Carolina if it were..

3. Penn State knocks off Illinois in Happy Valley.
Said it before and will say it again: a lot can be learned about teams in watching how they deal with prosperity, just as a lot can be learned in watching how teams deal with adversity. That was the case for Illinois on the heels of their win over Ohio State nine days prior to their game at Penn State, and apparently that was too much time in between games for Bruce Weber's team as they fell 54-52. Tim Frazier's floater with 8.3 seconds remaining proved to be the difference but the Fighting Illini didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 14 times or shooting 34.4% from the field either.

Brandon Paul, who lit up the Buckeyes for 43 points, hit the game-tying three with 39.3 seconds to go and finished with 20 points while Meyers Leonard added 15. But the other three starters, most notably D.J. Richardson (2-for-11, six points), accounted for just ten points combined and the Illini spent way too much time on the perimeter. Twenty-two of their 49 field goal attempts were three-pointers, and Illinois scored 40.4% of their points from deep compared to 38.5% from two. Illinois is at their best when they can get things going inside of the arc, with either Leonard or Paul, Richardson and Joseph Bertrand being able to get opportunities at the rim or in the mid-range game. Penn State deserves some credit for this, but Illinois needs to be more assertive in getting the best looks for themselves if they're to remain a contender in the Big Ten.

Quick Hitters

1. While they still have seven conference games left to play, it may be time to pencil in Davidson as the Southern Conference's regular season champ. Bob McKillop's Wildcats were too much for Charleston, out-rebounding the Cougars 44-31 in the 87-69 win. Jake Cohen (29 points, 14 rebounds) led the way and De'Mon Brooks scored 15 points in 17 foul-plagued minutes. No other team in the SoCon has fewer than three league losses.

2. A big development in the Pac-12 was the play of California walk-on Robert Thurman in the Golden Bears' 69-66 win at Washington. Thurman scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench and Allen Crabbe accounted for 16 and ten rebounds. If Thurman can be a solid contributor with Richard Solomon finished for the year, Mike Montgomery's team could have enough inside to still win the conference.

3. In a matchup of 5-1 teams it was Wagner who came out on top, beating St. Francis (NY) 73-61 in Brooklyn to remain a game behind LIU Brooklyn in the NEC. Tyler Murray scored 19 points while Kenneth Ortiz and Jonathon Williams scored 11 apiece for the Seahawks, who at 15-3 are off to their best start in school history. That sets up a huge meeting with the first-place Blackbirds on Saturday afternoon.

4. Charleston Southern landed an important blow in the Big South race as they beat first-place UNC Asheville 93-88 in Asheville. Arion Harper led the Buccaneers with a career-high 28 points, Saah Nimley added 20 and Kelvin Martin was all over the box score with 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals (seventh double-double of the year).

5. For all the talk about the inconsistent (when they weren't completely healthy) nature of Loyola Marymount, fact is they're two close home defeats to Gonzaga and BYU away from being in first place in the WCC. Anthony Ireland scored 27 points in addition to five assists and five steals for the Lions, who avenged that seven-point loss to BYU with an 82-68 win in Provo.

6. One team in the Horizon League that isn't receiving much press as a contender for the league crown is Valparaiso. Bryce Drew's Crusaders moved to 6-2 in league play with a 68-49 win at Loyola (IL) on Thursday night, limiting the Ramblers to 22 first-half points. Jay Harris led the way with 18 points and five assists off the bench and three starters reached double figures. One thing that needs improvement: free throw shooting, as the Crusaders shot 3-for-8 from the charity stripe.

7. North Carolina wasn't the only team to wake up on Friday hoping for good news on the injury front. NC State was without forward C.J. Williams the final nine minutes of their 76-62 win over Boston College due to a shoulder injury, and if he's out for an extended period of time Mark Gottfried will have some shuffling to do with his rotation. That would be a tough blow for a team that's improved a great deal since last season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jake Cohen (Davidson)
29 points and 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 87-69 win over College of Charleston.

2. G Faisal Aden (Washington State)
33 points and five rebounds in the Cougars' 81-69 win over Stanford.

3. G Charlie Westbrook (South Dakota)
32 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the Coyotes' 88-78 win over IUPUI.

Alabama vs. Vanderbilt: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:24:07 -0500

With the SEC making the move away from two divisions, games such as the one between Vanderbilt (13-4, 3-0) and Alabama (13-4, 2-1) take on added importance in the race for one of those four first-round byes in the SEC Tournament. And while both teams presently have the look of NCAA Tournament clubs, there's nothing wrong with picking up another resume-building result. Kevin Stallings' Commodores have played well of late as they've won six straight games, but the three league wins have all come at the expense of teams expected to slug it out in the lower reaches of the SEC standings. They'll definitely be tested by the Crimson Tide, who have a pair of big men capable of testing Vanderbilt from a toughness standpoint.

JaMychal Green (14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Tony Mitchell (14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) form one of the better interior tandems in the country, with Green being a physical big man who will likely have the job of banging with Vandy's Festus Ezeli in the paint. Mitchell on the other hand is arguably the best dunker in the country, and if he's allowed to get out and fill lanes on the break it's going to be a long night at Coleman Coliseum for the Commodores. Freshman Nick Jacobs is the third member of the rotation for Anthony Grant, playing 18 minutes per game, but there's a signficant drop in production when either Green or Mitchell happens to get in foul trouble.

In addition to Ezeli the Commodores have a versatile high-flyer of their own in Jeffery Taylor (16.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), who is also one of the better defensive players in the SEC. Taylor's shooting 54% from the field and while he isn't the marksman that John Jenkins is, Taylor has made 45% of his three-pointers this season. Lance Goulbourne (10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has stepped up his production, which was key with Ezeli looking to shake off the rust brought on by an NCAA suspension and a knee injury. Rod Odom and Steve Tchiengang are also a part of the frontcourt rotation, and with the two teams being similar from a rebounding standpoint this matchup should be fun to watch.

The perimeter play, especially how well Vanderbilt takes care of the basketball, will go a long way in determining the outcome. The Commodores average 14.4 turnovers per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.92, and with Alabama limiting opponents to a ratio of 0.70 it's imperative that Brad Tinsley (10.3 ppg, 4.3 apg) and company don't get careless with the basketball. Actually it's been Taylor who has been the worst with the ball, averaging 2.7 turnovers/game and Goulbourne (2.1) ranks second on the team so they're likely the ones to watch. In Jenkins (19.8 ppg) Vanderbilt has one of the SEC's best scorers, and Alabama will need to do their best to make him work for his looks.

And the Crimson Tide have the perimeter athletes to do so but they're young with the backcourt rotation being made up of one sophomore and four freshmen. That sophomore, Trevor Releford (12.5 ppg, 3.2 apg), runs the show and gets the job done for Alabama offensively while also leading the team with 1.6 steals per game. Freshmen Levi Randolph and Trevor Lacey are averaging a combined 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and both are athletic enough to give Jenkins trouble defensively. Alabama forces 13.8 turnovers per game but the bigger sign of their defensive work is that opponents average 9.6 assists per game and shoot 36.8% from the field. Turning Jenkins into an offensive player that has to create his own shots as opposed to benefitting from off-ball screens should be a goal for Alabama.

Also of note on Thursday night is #6 North Carolina looking to rebound from an embarrassing performance on Saturday as they take on Virginia Tech, who is in desperate need of a win as they sit 0-4 in ACC play. The Hokies were without Erick Green due to injury on Saturday against Boston College and the impact was evident. They also need consistent play from Dorenzo Hudson if Seth Greenberg's team is to not only have a shot at an NCAA bid but simply work their way back into the discussion. North Carolina didn't respond well when Florida State hit them in the mouth, so they should be motivated to not only bounce back but do so in impressive fashion.

Charleston visits Davidson in a South Division battle in the SoCon, and the Wildcats could increase their lead to over the Cougars to three games with a win at home. De'Mon Brooks leads five Davidson players in double figures with an average of 15.6 points per game while Charleston will counter with Antwaine Wiggins. Wagner and St. Francis (NY) meet in an NEC showdown (both teams are 5-1 in league play, a game behind LIU Brooklyn), and in the Pac-12 California visits Washington. The Golden Bears no longer have the services of forward Richard Solomon, who was declared academically ineligible on Wednesday. Without him players such as David Kravish become even more important, and there may not be body parts more vital to the Pac-12 race than Harper Kamp's knees.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Wake Forest at (4) Duke (ESPN)
9:00 PM (8) North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN)
8:00 PM (17) Virginia at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Pepperdine at (23) Saint Mary's
9:00 PM (25) Illinois at Penn State (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Lafayette at Holy Cross (CBS SN)
7:00 PM Boston University at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Furman
7:00 PM Albany at Vermont
7:00 PM Hartford at Maine
7:00 PM Vanderbilt at Alabama (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Bryant at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Charleston at Davidson (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Samford at Elon
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Binghamton at UMBC
7:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Monmouth
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at UNC-Asheville
7:00 PM Chattanooga at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Campbell at Radford
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM Fairfield at Saint Peter's
7:00 PM High Point at VMI
7:00 PM Wagner at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Winthrop
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Wofford
7:00 PM Houston Baptist at NJIT
7:30 PM Siena at Loyola (MD)
8:00 PM Boston College at NC State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM IUPUI at South Dakota
8:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Niagara at Canisius (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Loyola (IL)(ESPN3)
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Austin Peay at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM William & Mary at VCU (ESPNU)
8:05 PM Florida International at South Alabama
8:05 PM Western Illinois at UMKC
8:05 PM IPFW at Oral Roberts
8:05 PM Texas-Pan American at Chicago State
8:15 PM Florida Atlantic at Troy
8:30 PM Arizona State at Colorado
8:30 PM Butler at UIC (ESPN3)
8:30 PM Loyola Marymount at BYU (BYU TV)
8:30 PM Arizona at Utah
8:30 PM California at Washington
8:30 PM Denver at Louisiana-Monroe
8:30 PM USC at Oregon (CSN NW)
9:00 PM Northern Colorado at Montana
9:00 PM Oakland at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Northern Arizona at Weber State
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Montana State
10:00 PM Long Beach State at Cal Poly
10:00 PM San Francisco at Gonzaga (ESPNU)
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Stanford at Washington State
10:05 PM Utah State at Seattle
10:30 PM New Mexico State at San Jose State
10:30 PM UCLA at Oregon State (FSN)
11:00 PM San Diego at Portland (CSN NW)
12:00 AM Louisiana Tech at Hawaii

Non-BCS Top 25: Davidson, Oral Roberts Rising

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:25:26 -0500

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: January 15th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	UNLV	16-3*	1	7
2	Murray St	18-0	2	NA
3	San Diego St	15-2	3	18
4	Creighton	15-2	4	8
5	Gonzaga	14-3*	5	3
6	Harvard	15-2	6	21
7	Saint Mary's	17-2	9	14
8	Wichita St	14-3	8	13
9	New Mexico	15-2	7	5
10	Southern Miss	16-3*	10	NA
11	Temple	11-5*	12	4
12	MTSU	17-2	14	NA
13	Xavier	12-5	15	2
14	Marshall	13-4	18	10
15	BYU	15-4	19	17
16	Saint Louis	14-4*	11	NA
17	Memphis	12-5	22	1
18	Iona	14-4*	17	NA
19	Cleveland St	15-4*	13	NA

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
20	Dayton	13-5*	20	NA
21	UCF	13-4*	21	25
22	Davidson	12-4	NA	NA
23	Long Beach St	12-6	27	23
24	Ohio	13-4*	16	NA
25	Oral Roberts	16-4	30	NA

pre. = preseason ranking

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

* = Losses in the last week

Next 5: Weber St (14-3), Nevada (14-3), Georgia St (13-4), Denver (13-4*), Wyoming (14-3*),

Further 5: George Mason (13-5*), Colorado St (12-4), La Salle (13-5*), Northern Iowa (13-6**), UMASS (14-4)

Dropped Out of Top 25 This Week:

#23 Charleston

#24 Denver

#25 Northern Iowa

Dropped Out of Top 25 Since Preseason:

#6 Butler

#9 George Mason

#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

Saturday Recap: Northwestern, Florida State Pick Up Important Wins

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:06:41 -0500

There weren't many opportunities to watch ranked teams play each other (there was just one, which is discussed below), but Saturday's slate provided many teams the chance to improve their resumes. Florida State and Northwestern took full advantage of their opportunities as they both knocked off Top 10 opponents at home, albeit in different ways.

While #6 Michigan State put up a fight in losing to Northwestern 81-74 in Evanston, #3 North Carolina offered no such challenge for Florida State in Tallahassee. Deividas Dulkys, who entered the game averaging 6.2 points per game, went off to the tune of 32 points (8-10 3PT) in the 90-57 beating.

Roy Williams' team went into the locker room at the half down just eight points at 36-28, but the Tar Heels didn't look like a team that wanted to fight back in the second half. Entering the game Florida State was the worst team in the ACC when it came to taking care of the basketball, but it was North Carolina that turned the ball over 22 times on Saturday with Kendall Marshall tallying seven.

FSU did turn the ball over 17 times but six of those belonged to Luke Loucks, and all six came in the first half. Leonard Hamilton's team didn't shoot better in the second half (47.1% to 50.0% in the first), but they took better care of the basketball (six turnovers). And combining that with their defense (33.3% FG allowed) meant bad things for the visitors from Chapel Hill.

"I think it was a team effort just defending their system," said Hamilton when asked of how they limited Tyler Zeller (14 points, 14 rebounds) and John Henson (ten points, three rebounds). "You just try to limit the clean looks they get and make them work for whatever they get."

As for Northwestern, they received help from the supporting cast and that was a big reason why the Wildcats were able to beat Michigan State. John Shurna (22 points) and Drew Crawford (20 points) did what they normally do, but Davide Curletti and Reggie Hearn (10 points) also reached double figures. As a team the Wildcats shot 50.0% from the field and assisted on 20 of 26 made field goals with just seven turnovers.

Bill Carmody's team also played well defensively in the second half, limiting Michigan State to 34.4% shooting overall and 7-for-21 on two-point shots. Michigan State scored 37 points in both halves, but the drop in their accuracy on two-point shots (61.5%) and efficiency helped Northwestern take control of the game and eventually push their lead out to 12 (69-57) with 6:45 remaining.

Keith Appling scored 17 points and Draymond Green 14, but they were the only two Spartans to reach double figures. Both Northwestern and Florida State were "out of character" in their victories on Saturday, with the Seminoles taking better care of the basketball and the Wildcats getting scoring from guys other than their two primary options. But the wins aren't going to mean much if they can't build on the outcomes and continue to improve.

"In order for this game to be meaningful we need to continue to stacking on these types of games," remarked Hamilton. Can't say it any better than that.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Jamaal Franklin's runner in the final seconds pushes #22 San Diego State past #12 UNLV.
The lone contest on the schedule matching ranked teams was also the Mountain West opener for both the Aztecs and Runnin' Rebels, and they gave the fans either at Viejas Arena or watching on TV a treat. Jamaal Franklin, who had to leave the game with 1:01 remaining after injuring his ankle, returned to the floor 30 seconds later and provided the winning points for San Diego State.

Franklin's driving bucket with three-tenths of a second remaining was the difference in the Aztecs' 69-67 win over UNLV, who remained within striking distance thanks in large part to their work on the offensive glass. UNLV grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, leading to ten second-chance points.

Franklin was outstanding despite some early issues with rushed shots, finishing with 24 points and ten rebounds. But he wasn't the only key contributor for Steve Fisher's team, as James Rahon scored 22 points and Chase Tapley 11. Anthony Marshall led UNLV with 26 points, but he was the Runnin' Rebels' lone double figure scorer as SDSU did a solid job of defending the likes of Chace Stanback (3-9 FG, seven points) and Mike Moser (3-11 FG, nine points, 11 rebounds).

UNLV entered the game averaging more than 18 assists per game but they finished with just nine, and the foul line didn't help matters either. UNLV made 11 of 21 from the charity stripe while SDSU knocked down 16 of 20, and leaving points at the foul line is one of the easiest ways to lose a close contest. With New Mexico getting their shot at both teams next week (SDSU in Albuquerque on Wednesday, at UNLV on Saturday) there isn't much time to rest on this outcome, but at the very least San Diego State held serve at home.

2. Oregon hangs on the beat Arizona, pulling off the road sweep of the Arizona schools for the first time in 34 years.
Dana Altman's team entered Saturday's game in Tucson needing a win to remain a game out of first place in the loss column, but to say the least history was not on their side as they hadn't beaten both Arizona and Arizona State on the road in the same season in 34 years. But thanks to a balanced offensive effort (four players scored either 12 or 13 points) the Ducks made program history in winning 59-57 despite blowing a 17-point lead. The Wildcats had two chances in the waning moments to either tie or win the game but couldn't make either shot, and quiet afternoons from Jesse Perry (2-4 FG, eight points) and Kyle Fogg (1-9 FG, five points) didn't help matters either.

Arizona's had trouble with bigger teams this season, and that was no different with the Ducks having Tony Woods and Olu Ashaolu to pester Perry inside. Does Oregon have enough to contend for the Pac-12 crown? The addition of guard Devoe Joseph is one reason why, and E.J. Singler has played well for much of the season. In a wide-open league the teams that can pull off road sweeps will likely have the best chance of winning the title. This is a big weekend for Oregon from a historical standpoint, but how big it is this season depends on whether or not they can build on the positive momentum.

3. Kentucky makes the plays they needed to make late to win at Tennessee.
Cuonzo Martin welcomed freshman Jarnell Stokes (nine points, four rebounds) into the fold on Saturday, and while he still has a way to go with regards to both conditioning and understanding the system there's no denying Stokes' talent. In spite of a fired up crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena and a team that refused to lie down, Kentucky found a way to leave Knoxville with a win thanks in large part to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. It's become obvious that the freshman is Kentucky's leader and he once again made the "winning plays" needed to close teams out, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the 65-62 win.

Anthony Davis added 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots and Terrence Jones ten points as Kentucky won their second conference road game of the season. That matches their total from all of last season, which should be a good sign for John Calipari's young team. Cameron Tatum led Tennessee with 16 points and Jeronne Maymon added 15 and ten rebounds, but the Volunteers couldn't overcome Kentucky's seven-point edge (21-14) at the foul line. Tennessee gave Kentucky everything they wanted and will get better as the season wears on, but a team with a glue guy the caliber of Kidd-Gilchrist is tough to beat.

4. Weber State makes quite the statement in whipping Montana to take sole possession of first place in the Big Sky.
The second-biggest game of the day out west took place in the Big Sky, with Montana and Weber State being the lone remaining undefeated teams in the conference. But with the return of two key cogs in the attack, Randy Rahe's Wildcats made a statement in their 80-64 win over the Grizzlies in Ogden. Damian Lillard (21 points) and Scott Bamforth (15 points) are names known by most college basketball fans, but what about Frank Otis and Gelaun Wheelwright? Otis, who like Kyle Bullinger missed multiple games due to injury, sparked a Weber State run from the eight-minute mark of the first half that resulted in a 49-36 halftime lead.

Both he and Wheelwright finished with seven points and Kyle Tresnak scored 12 as the Wildcats proved to be too much for Montana on both ends of the floor. Montana shot just 35.7% in the first half and 38.5% for the game as their six-game win streak came to an end. There's a lot of basketball to be played before Wayne Tinkle's team gets another shot at Weber State (the regular season finale for both on February 28th), but Weber State's performance on Saturday night clearly makes them the team to beat.

5. Oklahoma picks up a much-needed win, knocking off #18 Kansas State in Norman.
There aren't many teams that are going to beat Missouri and Kansas period, much less in back-to-back games, so there wasn't much shame in falling to those teams as Lon Kruger's Sooners did to start Big 12 play. But to lose at Oklahoma State on Monday night to fall to 0-3 made Saturday's game against #18 Kansas State even more important, and the Sooners rose to the challenge as they won 82-73 in Norman. Andrew Fitzgerald scored 21 points and Steven Pledger and Romero Osby scored 18 apiece for Oklahoma, who shot 70.0% from the field in the second half to maintain the nine-point spread they built in the first half.

Kansas State shot just 33.3% from the field in the first half and trailed 38-29 at the break, and a big problem for them was the lack of productivity from their starters other than Rodney McGruder (19 points, ten rebounds) and Will Spradling (11 points). The other three starters combined to score just ten points with nine coming from Jamar Samuels, and while Nino Williams and Jeremy Jones scored 12 apiece off the bench it wasn't enough as the Wildcats were unable to get stops in the second half. Whether or not the Sooners can make a run at a tournament bid remains to be seen and it will be tough since the Big 12 is now a true round-robin, but at the least they needed a win Saturday and they got one.

Quick Hitters

1. While neither team won on Saturday, both Pittsburgh and Villanova played far better than they did on Wednesday in losses to Rutgers and Syracuse respectively. The Panthers fell at #24 Marquette 62-57, but the move to put Isaiah Epps in the starting lineup at the point served as a boost for Ashton Gibbs (29 points). As for Villanova, Maalik Wayns (39 points, 13 rebounds, six assists) was outstanding but it wasn't enough in an 82-78 loss at Cincinnati. Whether or not these two can play their way into NCAA Tournament consideration remains to be seen, but at the least they've shown signs of life. That wasn't the case on Wednesday.

2. There may not have been a more impressive bounce-back from a bad outing earlier in the week than what Iowa was able to do, as they beat #13 Michigan 75-59 in Iowa City following a 95-61 loss at Michigan State on Wednesday. Matt Gatens led four Hawkeyes in double figures with 19 points and Fran McCaffery's team assisted on 18 of their 25 made baskets. It also didn't hurt to have Michigan shoot 8-for-31 from beyond the arc.

3. Good luck attempting to handicap the Atlantic 10 race, but unlike the Pac-12 that action would be to sift through quality options as opposed to detritus. Xavier looks to be back to their normal selves as they beat St. Bonaventure 77-64 at home, and Saint Louis was finally able to win a close game as they won 68-67 at Charlotte. But Temple and Saint Joseph's weren't as fortunate, falling to Richmond (76-65) and a surprising UMass (71-62) respectively. This is going to be a fun race to watch unfold.

4. Another non-BCS race to keep an eye on is the NEC, which currently has one undefeated team (LIU Brooklyn at 6-0), three teams at 5-1 (CCSU, St. Francis (NY) and Wagner) and Robert Morris sits a game behind those teams at 4-2. Dan Hurley's Seahawks beat CCSU 67-58 at home despite 21 turnovers, moving their win streak to seven games (Wagner hadn't done that since the 1979-80 season) thanks in large part to their defense (19 TOs forced, 38.8% FG allowed). Jonathon Williams led Wagner with 18 points while CCSU was paced by Robby Ptacek, who finished with 26.

5. The three remaining undefeated teams (Baylor, Murray State and Syracuse) all won on Saturday afternoon, with the Bears and Orange both blowing out overmatched opponents (Baylor beat Oklahoma State 106-65 while Syracuse beat Providence (without the suspended Vincent Council) 78-55). Murray State dealt with a stiffer challenge, beating Tennessee Tech 82-74 thanks in large part to a combined 52 points from guards Donte Poole (28) and Isaiah Canaan (24). With Ivan Aska out for the next month or so while his broken hand heals, the Racers are going to need more from their frontcourt to remain atop the OVC.

6. Zeke Marshall (17 points, six rebounds) became the 8th player in MAC history to block at least 200 shots in a career, but the biggest reason for Akron's 68-63 win over Ohio was the production of their bench. Nick Harney and Brett McClanahan scored 10 points apiece and the Zips' reserves outscored Ohio's 31-18. Keith Dambrot's team moved to 3-0 in league play and there's little doubt that Akron has the tools needed to return to the NCAA Tournament.

7. Arnett Moultrie won the individual matchup between he and JaMychal Green, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and as a result #20 Mississippi State beat Alabama 53-50 in Starkville. Dee Bost added 17, and it should be seen as a good sign for Rick Stansbury's team that they found a way to win with starters Rodney Hood and Jalen Steele combining to shoot 0-for-11 from the field.

8. Despite Shabazz Napier's foot still bothering him and guard Ryan Boatright being held out due to eligibility concerns, #16 Connecticut ended Notre Dame's 29-game home win streak with a 67-53 win. Napier scored a team-high 16 points, Alex Oriakhi had arguably his best game of the season (12 points, seven rebounds) and Andre Drummond posted another double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) to make up for Jeremy Lamb scoring just six points. Eric Atkins scored 20 but Notre Dame made just 32.3% of their shots on the day.

9. Early pick for Ivy League Player of the Year? Has to be Penn guard Zack Rosen, who scored 18 points and dished out five assists (five steals as well) in the Quakers' 64-52 win at Cornell. Penn's off to a 2-0 start in conference play, and while there's quite the gulf between Harvard and the rest of the league Rosen and Tyler Bernardini (18 points, eight rebounds) are two reasons why Jerome Allen's team may be their biggest threat.

10. Bob McKillop's Davidson squad took control of the South Division of the SoCon with their 83-79 win at Appalachian State, moving to 6-0 in league play. Jake Cohen scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds and De'Mon Brooks scored seven straight during a 10-0 run to move the Wildcats to 12-4 overall. And with Georgia Southern losing at Wofford, Davidson is two games up on the second place Eagles.

Five Notable Performances

1. G Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
39 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the Wildcats' 82-78 loss at Cincinnati.

2. G Deividas Dulkys (Florida State)
32 points (8-10 3PT) and four assists in the Seminoles' 90-57 pasting of #3 North Carolina.

3. C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State) and F Dewayne Jackson (Morgan State)
In Norfolk State's 90-89 double overtime win O'Quinn posted a line of 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks while Jackson led the Bears with 33 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

4. G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
34 points (10-16 FG), four rebounds and two assists in the Longhorns' 84-73 loss at #9 Missouri.

5. F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State)
14 points and 19 rebounds in the 49ers' 76-66 win over Pacific, Long Beach State's 17th straight win at home.

Saturday Recap: Five Ranked Teams Fall to Unranked Opponents

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:27:34 -0500

The first Saturday of the new year proved to be far more exciting than anticipated, much to the detriment of ranked teams who took their show on the road. Removing #7 Missouri and #20 Marquette, who both lost on the road to ranked opponents (more on both of those games below), five ranked teams lost to unranked opponents with four of the losses coming on the road. The Big East provided the most intrigue, with #8 Connecticut and #9 Georgetown falling on the road while #10 Louisville lost in double overtime at home. So which of the three defeats is most concerning? That's likely a toss-up between the Huskies and Cardinals.

Connecticut lost at Rutgers, who already owned a win at The RAC over then-#10 Florida, 67-60 with Eli Carter leading the Scarlet Knights with 19 points. It was a Saturday night to forget for Jeremy Lamb, who scored just eight points before fouling out. With the preseason All-America dealing with foul trouble for much of the night, Rutgers head coach Mike Rice was able to go with a zone defense to take advantage of the Huskies' issues in dealing with zones.

While UConn's 36.5% shooting from deep on the season isn't a great number it's definitely better than the 4-for-19 performance they put up against Rutgers. But of more concern than the lack of perimeter shooting is the lack of leadership and toughness for this group, something that was lost with the departure of Kemba Walker. And it's a sore subject for head coach Jim Calhoun, who returned to the bench after missing the last three games due to an NCAA suspension.

"There's not a lack of leadership, there's none," said Calhoun. Short, and to the point.

As for Louisville, their issues of running a half-court offense with cohesion has been well documented, and for that reason it's reasonable to say that Rick Pitino's team was given too much credit earlier in the season. Eric Atkins' shot with 17 seconds remaining gave the Fighting Irish a 65-63 lead and his two free throws in the final seconds of the second overtime sealed the 67-65 victory, giving Notre Dame their first win in the Commonwealth of Kentucky until 1980.

Louisville shot much better from the field, making 42.3% of their shots compared to 31.7% for Notre Dame. But when you hand the ball over 18 times, allowing Notre Dame to score 16 points off of turnovers, there's a good chance that the outcome won't be a positive one. The Cardinals now already have two home conference losses, and that's definitely not a good spot to be in if they're to contend for a Big East title.

"Hard fought game, but if you break it down, they made their free throws and we didn't," said Pitino. "To lose two home games in the Big East with the type of schedule we have is very destructive to say the least."

The other two losses to unranked opponents came in the SEC, with Florida kicking off the crazy day with a 67-56 loss to Tennessee (more on that below) and #15 Mississippi State getting lit up at Arkansas 98-88. The Bulldogs weren't much more than a sieve defensively, allowing the Razorbacks to shoot 56.5% from the field for the game. Rick Stansbury's team seemed to be in solid shape at the half, trailing by just six (43-37) despite turning the ball over eleven times to just two for Arkansas.

But that optimism was misguided as the Bulldogs allowed 55 points in the final 20 minutes with the Hogs making 67.9% of their shots. Julysses Nobles and B.J. Young scored 24 points apiece to lead Arkansas, who finished with five players in double figures, and they were also aided by the fact that three players scored 63 of Mississippi State's 88 points. Arnett Moultrie scored just nine but did grab ten rebounds before fouling out with over six minutes remaining, but his fifth foul essentially signaled the end of the game for Mississippi State. The lesson the Bulldogs learned was similar to that learned by the other ranked teams to fall: anyone can fall on any given day.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Kansas State takes advantage of #7 Missouri's lack of interior depth and hands the Tigers their first loss.
There were certainly concerns about how Frank Haith's team would deal with bigger teams as the season wore on, as Missouri has just seven scholarship players and two true frontcourt players. And at the "Octagon of Doom" the Tigers got their first glimpse of how difficult things could be, especially if their perimeter scorers aren't as productive as expected. Missouri shot just 32.7% from the field and were out-rebounded 39-25 by #23 Kansas State in the Wildcats' 75-59 victory, suffering their first loss of the season.

It didn't help matters that starting forward Ricardo Ratliffe played just 14 foul-riddled minutes, scoring two points and grabbing one rebounds. The Tigers can't afford that level of production when their guards are on, much less when Phil Pressey misses all six of his shots from the field and the team shoots 7-for-24 from three. Rodney McGruder led K-State with 20 points and as a team the Wildcats assisted on 18 of their 28 field goals, resulting in an efficiency (111.9) 21 points higher than what Missouri opponents averaged on the season.

2. Syracuse runs out to a big lead and hangs on to beat Marquette in the Carrier Dome.
Thanks to a 23-1 run in the first half to turn a 12-11 lead into a seemingly insurmountable 35-12 edge, top-ranked Syracuse seemed to be well on their way to an emphatic victory over #20 Marquette. But Jim Boeheim's team apparently left their intensity in the locker room, as they came out of halftime flat while Buzz Williams' team displayed the fight expected of his program. Marquette would eventually pull to within two points (59-57) but could get no closer as the Orange would eventually win 73-66, moving to 17-0 and by the end of the night sitting alone atop the Big East standings.

Marquette could hit nothing in the first half, shooting 30% from the field and going 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. But led by Darius Johnson-Odom (19 points), Jae Crowder (15 points, seven rebounds) and Junior Cadougan (10 points, five assists) the Golden Eagles attacked the inside of the Syracuse zone, resulting in quality looks that were few and far between in the first half. But with Kris Joseph scoring 17 points and reserves C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters combining to score 25 points Syracuse was able to sew things up late, and while they weren't as efficient as usual the Orange did assists on 19 of 24 made baskets. While the landscape beneath them is too muddled to make sense of, it's pretty clear that the Orange are the class of the Big East.

3. Florida has some things to work on defensively if they're to be a factor come March.
The first thing that will stick out in#13 Florida's 67-56 loss at Tennessee is likely the fact that they scored just 56 points, shooting 35.7% from the field in doing so. But what should really be taken out of the defeat is their play on the defensive end of the floor, because despite the struggles offensively Billy Donovan's team won't lack for scoring options. Simply put, can Florida get the stops needed when the possessions become even bigger in March? If they're going to do so some things will need to change, with one being the lack of ball pressure on the perimeter. The issue against Tennessee wasn't about what the Volunteers could do off the dribble but rather the lack of pressure on entry passes.

On multiple occasions the lack of pressure on passers allowed a Jeronne Maymon (12 points, seven rebounds) or Kenny Hall (13 points, five rebounds) the time to walk their man up the lane and out of prime defensive position. If Florida couldn't get away with this against Tennessee, what are they going to do in their two meetings with Kentucky? And it's not out of the realm of possibility that a team like Alabama (or even Mississippi State) that has multiple big men could give them a hard time inside. The Vols entered Saturday's game scoring 33% of their points from three, but they didn't have to do that as the paint was open for business. Florida can't allow that to happen if they're to reach their full potential, prolific offense or not.

4. George Mason beats Georgia State to take over sole possession of first place in the CAA.
In prior seasons the three-game stretch for Georgia State of Drexel/VCU/George Mason would elicit bets of what the Panthers' combined margin of defeat would be. To say the least things have changed under Ron Hunter, as they'd won the first two games of that stretch going into Saturday's showdown with the Patriots for sole possession of first place in the CAA. But despite Ryan Pearson failing to make a single field goal it was George Mason who was able to make the key baskets late on their way to the 61-56 win. Neither team shot well from the field and George Mason turned the ball over 19 times, but the deciding factor was the charity stripe.

George Mason, who shot 67.3% from the line on the season, made 18 of 21 on Saturday night and outscored the Panthers by eight in that department. Vertail Vaughns (17 points) and Mike Morrison (14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks) more than made up for Pearson's 0-for-4 night, while the Georgia State combo of Josh Micheaux and Devonta White shot a combined 3-for-15 (they entered the game averaging a combined 20.2 points/game). Jihad Ali led Georgia State with 19 points, and while they didn't win the Panthers have the look of a team that could hang around the race throughout the season. But they didn't have enough down the stretch, allowing the Patriots to take control of the driver's seat a quarter of the way through CAA play.

5. Oral Roberts blows out South Dakota State and moves to 6-0 in the Summit League.
The matchup between the Golden Eagles and Jackrabbits was anticipated by some due to not only the matchup of early Summit League POY frontrunners Dominique Morrison (ORU) and Nate Wolters (SDSU) (Oakland's Reggie Hamilton will also figure in the discussion). But they game didn't live up to that, much to the detriment of the Jackrabbits, who fell 97-75 in Tulsa. Morrison was outstanding as he finished with 38 points and seven rebounds, but he had plenty of help as Steven Roundtree scored 17 off the bench and Michael Craion and Warren Niles scored 15 apiece.

Wolters led five SDSU players in double figures with 22 points to go along with six assists, but the Jackrabbits' biggest problem was they they couldn't stop the Golden Eagles. ORU shot 60.7% from the field on the night and 67.5% from two while also making ten of twenty-one from beyond the arc, and when ORU's got it rolling like that they're extremely difficult to beat at the Mabee Center. Oral Roberts finished the game with an offensive efficiency of 154.0, scoring 1.5 points/possession on the night. To say the least South Dakota State will do their best to make sure that doesn't happen in the rematch on February 2nd.

Quick Hitters

1. Saturday marked the first step towards another March in which Virginia Tech is once again discussed as a bubble team, with the Hokies losing at Wake Forest 58-55. Erick Green was solid for the Hokies, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but more is needed from Dorenzo Hudson (4-13, eight points) if they're to be a tournament team.

2. Entering the week with an 0-2 league record, UCLA couldn't afford anything less than a split with the Arizona schools if they wanted to be a contender in the Pac-12 race. Ben Howland's squad did better than that, wrapping up a sweep with a 75-58 win over Arizona State. Travis Wear scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Joshua Smith added 18 off the bench.

3. Few people gave Colorado a shot at being in first place in the Pac-12 at this point in the season, but there they sit after sweeping the Washington schools this weekend. A big reason why: defense. In their 71-60 win over Washington State, Colorado limited the Cougars to 36.5% shooting and none of their three league opponents have shot over 40% from the field. Also in forward Andre Roberson, Tad Boyle's got one of the most underrated players in the country.

4. Of the four teams tied for first place in the MVC the most surprising has to be Illinois State, who beat Evansville 75-73 on a miraculous shot by Jackie Carmichael. Carmichael, who finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, banked in his first career three-pointer as time expired to win the game. We'll find out how much staying power the Redbirds have immediately too, as they visit Wichita State and host Creighton in their next two games.

5. In a matchup of teams undefeated in SoCon play Davidson shot 60% from the field and made 11 three-pointers in their 96-74 win over Georgia Southern. Jake Cohen (29 points) and De'Mon Brooks (24 points) combined to score 53 points with Cohen also grabbing 12 rebounds in the victory.

6. There was also a matchup of undefeated teams in the NEC, and that game wasn't particularly close either. Ken Horton scored 21 points and grabbed ten rebounds while Robbie Ptacek scored 24 points and Kyle Vinales 18 in Central Connecticut State's 68-53 win over Robert Morris. Robert Morris shot just 30.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times in defeat.

7. Back in the ACC, Florida State laid a serious egg in their ACC opener as they fell 79-59 at Clemson. Not only did the Seminoles struggle offensively, shooting 35.5% and turning the ball over 15 times, but they also allowed the Tigers to shoot 60% from two and 49% overall. Leonard Hamilton's team can ill-afford the defensive breakdowns they had on Saturday if they're going to be a tournament team.

8. Both Temple and Saint Joseph's dropped conference games at home on Saturday, with Dayton pulling away late to be at the Owls 87-77 and Charlotte shocking the Hawks 57-52. Archie Miller's Flyers picked up a key resume-building win, and Charlotte's victory was a good step for Alan Major as he looks to rebuild that program.

9. Bowling Green also provided a surprise in their MAC opener as they beat Ohio 67-57. Jordon Crawford led the way, scoring 16 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds and two steals. BGSU turned the ball over 20 times (Crawford: six turnovers) but the Bobcats shot 4-for-20 from three, alliowing the home team to lock up the victory.

10. And in terms of a possible changing of the guard Nevada may have struck the biggest blow, handing Utah State their first conference home loss since 2007 by the final score of 78-71. Deonte Burton, who finished with 25 points and five assists, provided the dagger in the form of a four-point play with 37 seconds remaining while Dario Hunt scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Five (plus one) Notable Performances

1. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
44 points (18-23 FG), eight rebounds and two assists in the Bluejays' 92-83 win at Bradley.

2. F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)
38 points (11-15 FG), seven rebounds and two assists in the Golden Eagles' 97-75 win over South Dakota State.

3. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
38 points (8-14 3PT), five rebounds and five assists in the Wildcats' 88-81 win at Portland State.

4. G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
35 points (7-8 3PT), five assists and two rebounds in the Racers' 87-75 win at Austin Peay.

5. F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
22 points (8-12 FG) and 16 rebounds in the Mountaineers' 74-62 win over #9 Georgetown.

Plus One: F Royce White (Iowa State)
18 rebounds, ten points and ten assists in the Cyclones' 74-50 demolition of Texas A&M in College Station.

Game of the Day: Stanford 103, Oregon State 101 (4 OT)
If you missed this one late that's too bad, because the Cardinal and Beavers combined to play an instant classic. The game didn't truly take off until the final moments of regulation, as Stanford's game-winning basket was ruled to have come after time expired. Stanford would eventually win as Roberto Nelson's three-point attempt as time expired missed the mark. Chasson Randle led six Stanford players in double figures with 24 points off the bench while Nelson and Jared Cunningham led six Oregon State players in double figures with 19 apiece.

Monday Recap: #10 Marquette, #12 Kansas Both Upset

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:17:46 -0500

What looked to be a routine post-finals Monday in college basketball turned out to be anything but as two ranked teams fell. #10 Marquette went on the road to take on an LSU team that much isn't expected of this season and found themselves in a dog fight. Averaging 81 points per game the Golden Eagles finished the game 22 points below their average in the 67-59 loss to the Tigers, with LSU making the required plays on both ends of the floor late.

Ralston Turner led the way with 22 points while Justin Hamilton (13 points, seven rebounds) and Storm Warren (10 points, six rebounds) also reached double figures and point guard Anthony Hickey added eight points, six assists and four steals. LSU very well could have allowed things to get out of hand from the start as Marquette rushed out to a 13-0 lead, but Trent Johnson's team didn't panic and they used defense to get back into the contest. Marquette shot 36.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, and their bench was outscored 24-4 as well.

"We got hit in the face a little bit with that 13-0 run," said Johnson. "I thought those guys (senior reserves Malcolm White, Storm Warren and Chris Bass) came in and gave us a lot of energy. They competed their tails off and then we got back in the thing and found out that we can compete a little bit."

How often will Buzz Williams' team have to account for quiet nights from Vander Blue (four points, 1-4 FG), Junior Cadougan (six points, 3-10 FG) and Todd Mayo (two points, 0-5 FG)? Probably won't happen all that much, and when adding to that LSU's offensive efficiency of 103.1 despite turning the ball over on 28% of their possessions the makings for an upset are there. Jae Crowder (22 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (16 points but six turnovers) led the way offensively for Marquette, and a positive they can take out of the game was the seven points and eight rebounds supplied by Davante Gardner.

Not as much luck for #12 Kansas, who trailed for much of the night in their 80-74 loss to Davidson in Kansas City. The big question for Bill Self's team in the aftermath of the defeat: outside of Thomas Robinson (21 points, 18 rebounds) where did the Jayhawks have a clear edge on the Wiildcats? Davidson turned the ball over 12 times in the first half yet still went into the break with a 33-32 lead as the Jayhawks shot just 39.8% from the field.

Bob McKillop's team would be even better in the second half taking care of the basketball, not turning it over once. Nik Cochran led four starters in double figures with 21 points and while Davidson didn't shoot well from the field (41.0%) they shot well from the foul line (19-25) while Kansas left points on the board in shooting 18-for-31. It's one thing to shoot poorly from the field, but leaving points at the charity stripe will more times than not come back to haunt you.

The Wildcats also outscored Kansas 33-18 from beyond the arc, with Cochran being the main marksman by knocking down four of five attempts. Kansas made a few threes late to stay in the game but it was too little too late, as Davidson put more effort as the game wore on in doubling Robinson inside. The Jayhawks simply couldn't get over the hump in front of a partisan crowd, and in the final minutes Davidson landed the critical blows needed to bounce back with a win following their blowout loss at Charlotte.

"I thought we came out in the second half and scored two baskets, which at least put us in the center ring for the rest of the half," remarked McKillop. "I thought our resiliency was a great statement about our team maturing and showing poise and taking a week of practice after a tough loss and really capitalizing on it."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Marshall beats Belmont by one in a thriller in Huntington.
The game of the night did not disappoint, with Marshall needing a missed Kerron Johnson layup as time expired to hang on for the 87-86 win. Damier Pitts (19 points, 11 assists) and Dennis Tinnon (24 points, ten rebounds) each posted double-doubles while DeAndre Kane led the way with 29 points for the Thundering Herd, who are now 8-2 and have the talent to challenge Memphis in Conference USA. Johnson led six Belmont players in double figures with 18 points, but despite the margin of defeat Rick Byrd's team will be able to point at second-chance points as the difference.

Marshall grabbed 14 offensive boards and outscored Belmont 23-7 in second-chance points, a margin that did more damage to the visitors than the 16-4 spread in fast-break points. The good news for the Bruins is that they'll get another shot at the Herd in ten days in Nashville, but if they can't rectify the issues on the boards between now and then the rematch will likely net the same result. As for Marshall this is another solid win for their resume, and if they can to C-USA play with an 11-2 record Bill Herrion's team would be a a nice spot in terms of a possible at-large berth.

2. No Gutierrez or Solomon? No problem for Cal, who blew out UCSB.
With forward Richard Solomon out for at least the next two games with a stress fracture in his left foot and guard Jorge Gutierrez falling ill, the Golden Bears were without two key cogs for their game against UCSB. With the Gauchos having one of the more potent perimeter attacks in James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson a loss at home was a distinct possiblity. But Justin Cobbs would have none of that talk, scoring a career-high 25 points (10-12 FG) and Allen Crabbe adding 19 in the Golden Bears' 70-50 victory.

Nunnally and Johnson combined to score just 19 points, making nine of twenty-five shots from the field and as a team UCSB made two of thirteen from beyond the arc (Cal finished 11-for-20). Freshman David Kravish replaced Solomon in the starting lineup, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Kravish isn't needed to be a scorer as the Bears have enough weapons to take care of that department, but his ability to hit the glass and do the little things has been a factor in their 10-2 start. Next up for Cal is a tough non-conference game at UNLV this weekend before they begin Pac-12 play next week.

3. Denver does the job defensively in handing Wyoming their second loss.
There was the question of just how legit Larry Shyatt's Cowboys were as they boasted an 11-1 record going into Monday's game at Denver. But in the aftermath of the Pioneers' 57-46 win at Magness Arena the better conclusion to draw may be that Joe Scott's got a Sun Belt title contender on his hands. Denver attempted just 39 shots for the game but they outscored the Cowboys 27-3 from beyond the arc, and Chase Hallam scored 21 points in his third double-digit effort of the season.

Wyoming shot 37.2% from the field while making just one of thirteen from beyond the arc, and that difference proved costly as the Pioneers made six of nine from three in the second half. Hallam's a key figure for Denver if they're going to be right there with Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt race. After averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 46.2% from the field in 2010-11 Hallam's numbers have dropped significantly this season (7.8 ppg, 40.3% FG), and that will need to change in order to supplement the efforts of Brian Stafford and Chris Udofia. The hope for Denver is that Hallam's 21-point outing is a step in the right direction.

Quick Hitters

1. A third head coach stepped down on Monday, with Idaho State and Joe O'Brien parting ways. The Bengals are 2-8 on the season and O'Brien concludes his tenure at ISU with a record of 56-105. Assistant coach Deane Martin was named interim head coach.

2. North Carolina grabbed a staggering 72 rebounds in their 99-49 win over Nicholls State. The Colonels have to adjust to life without the graduated Anatoly Bose, and it's been a rough go as they dropped to 4-8 on the season. Three UNC players grabbed at least ten rebounds with two more grabbing at least seven, and as a team the Tar Heels finished with 31 offensive rebounds.

3. It might be time to speak of Creighton forward Doug McDermott the same way Bum Phillips used to speak of Earl Campbell when he coached the Houston Oilers. He might not be the best forward in the country but it doesn't take long to call roll, and McDermott put up 35 points (career-high) and seven rebounds in the Bluejays' 83-64 win at Tulsa.

4. Another forward moving in that direction is West Virginia forward Kevin Jones. Jones put up 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in the Mountaineers' 72-53 win over Tennessee Tech, and he's got six double-doubles in ten games.

5. Kudos to USF for proving this writer wrong with their 70-55 win over Cleveland State. Jawanza Poland made his return and scored 13 points off the bench while Cleveland State made just seven of twenty-six shots from beyond the arc in their second loss of the season. Good win for Stan Heath's club.

6. Two teams tied for first place in the Big South dropped non-conference road games on Monday night, as Campbell lost to UNC Wilmington 67-65 and Coastal Carolina was whipped 76-51 by East Carolina. The Chanticleers made just three of twenty-one shots from three in their loss at ECU while Matt Wilson's tip-in with 1.4 seconds remaining spelled doom for the Camels.

7. Welcome back, Darnell Dodson. His three-pointer as time expired gave Southern Miss a 64-61 win at Arizona State in what turned out to be a wild affair. Well before the Golden Eagles blew a nine-point lead in the final minute USM's Torye Pelham and ASU's Ruslan Pateev were ejected for fighting, and LaShay Page scored all 14 of his points in the second half.

8. What's more surprising about USC's 83-59 beating of TCU: that they scored 83 points or that they got college basketball's "iron man" Maurice Jones four minutes of rest? Jones, who leads the nation in minutes per game, led four Trojans in double figures with 25 points and USC shot 50.9% from the field. That "extra" rest could come into play on Thursday night as USC hosts Kansas.

9. The Basketball Hall of Fame released its first list of candidates for the Cousy Award on Monday, and two names are missing from the list: Saint Mary's Matthew Dellavedova and Missouri's Phil Pressey.

Four Notable Performances

1. F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in the Mountaineers' 72-53 win over Tennessee Tech.

2. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
Career-high 35 points and seven rebounds in the Bluejays' 83-64 win over Tulsa.

3. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
21 points and 18 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 80-74 loss to Davidson.

4. C Meyers Leonard (Illinois)
19 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in the Fighting Illini's 64-60 win over Cornell.

Friday Afternoon Conference Tournament Happenings

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:36:47 -0500

You know it's March where there's midday college basketball to be discussed. Friday afternoon delivered just six games (one in progress) but there hasn't been a lack of drama. The Colonial, Missouri Valley and Southern conferences all had afternoon doubleheaders in their tournaments, with the MVC in the quarterfinals while the other two leagues are playing first round games today.

Colonial

(8) Georgia State 58, (9) UNC Wilmington 52

The collegiate career of UNC Wilmington guard Chad Tomko came to a tough end in the first game of the day in Richmond. Tomko led the Seahawks with 19 points but he shot 7-for-21 from the field and finished with four turnovers, the last of which came with just over a minute remaining and UNCW trailing by five (54-49). As a team UNCW shot a season-worst 29.5% from the field, and they could never get into a groove offensively. It also didn't help that the Seahawks made just 10 of 20 from the foul line. Josh Micheaux led the Panthers, who earn the honor of facing regular season champion George Mason at noon tomorrow, with 14 points while Eric Buckner added 12 and Jihad Ali grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with his nine points. And the play of Marques Johnson shouldn't be overlooked either as he dished out seven assists to just one turnover on the day. George Mason beat Georgia State 66-51 in their lone meeting on January 15th.

(5) Drexel 75, (12) Towson 69

Considering the fact that Towson went into today's game winless in CAA contests this season, many expected Bruiser Flint's Dragons to simply run through the Tigers on their way to a matchup with VCU on Saturday. But that wasn't the case as Pat Kennedy's squad remained competitive throughout, but they couldn't take advantage of an opportunity to tie the game late due in part to some bad foul shooting by Drexel. The Dragons survive with Samme Givens leading the way, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Chris Fouch added 15 points of the bench while CAA All-Rookie Team member Frantz Massenat scored 13 and handed out five assists. Dartaye Ruffin, who had a rough time at the charity stripe late, grabbed 12 rebounds while also scoring eight points. Josh Brown led four Tigers in double figures with 18 points but they were whipped on the boards by a 43-26 margin.

Missouri Valley

(1) Missouri State 58, (8) Southern Illinois 56

Southern Illinois got out of the gates quickly, outscoring the regular season champion Bears 11-3 over the first 2:53 of the game and led 32-24 at the half. But despite those facts and a 56-47 lead with 2:49 remaining, the Salukis went out in heartbreaking fashion as a Kyle Weems basket with 1.4 seconds to go capped an 11-0 run to end the game. Adam Leonard led Missouri State with a game-high 20 points while Weems added 14, making up for a 5-for-18 afternoon from the field with the late-game heroics. Mamadou Seck led SIU with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Kendal Brown-Surles and Justin Bocot scored 11 apiece. Rebounding (38-28 edge) and points from the foul line (15-6 advantage) helped out Cuonzo Martin's club, who has to come out with more energy to start in tomorrow's semifinal against Creighton if they're to get to Sunday's final.

(5) Creighton 70, (4) Northern Iowa 67

The Blue Jays survived some suspect play late, most notably a missed layup that would have sealed the game by Jahenns Manigat, to beat the Panthers in the second quarterfinal of the day. Kwadzo Ahelegbe tried to draw a foul on the final shot of the game but Manigat stayed on the ground, not falling for the shot fake and forcing the senior to put up a challenged shot that fell short. Forwards Doug McDermott and Kenny Lawson, Jr. were the difference for the Blue Jays, with McDermott scoring 16 points (including nine of the first 11) to go along with seven rebounds and Lawson dropped in 18 off the bench. UNI took away the inside play that hurt them in the first half, but all that did was allow the preseason MVC Player of the Year to do damage via Creighton's pick-and-pop game. Antoine Young scored 11 points and racked up seven assists, being every bit the problem for the Panthers that he was in the regular season. Ahelegbe finished with 14 points and four assists, and Anthony James added 10 for UNI.

Southern

UNC Greensboro 71, Davidson 64

To say the least it's a bit weird to talk about Davidson in March with the subject being their loss in the first round of the conference tournament. But that's exactly what happened to Bob McKillop's team, as UNCG sent them home in the first game of the day in Chattanooga. It doesn't help matters when you shoot 24% from the field, as the Wildcats made just 18 of 75 shots on the day. Freshman Trevis Simpson led the Spartans with 15 points and 10 rebounds and teammates Brandon Evans (12) and Kyle Randall (11) each reached double figures as they won their seventh game of the season. Brendan McKillop led Davidson with 14 points and J.P. Kuhlman added 11. Next up for UNC Greensboro is a matchup with the top seed in the North Division, Western Carolina.

Appalachian State 65, Georgia Southern 57

Donald Sims led three Mountaineers in double figures with a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists in the win over Georgia Southern. Neither team shot well from beyond the arc (combined 3-for-19) but Appalachian State scored 27 of their 65 points from the foul line in the win. Ben Drayton III led the Eagles with 16 points but it wasn't enough to prevent the end of their season. Next up for Appalachian State is defending tournament champion Wofford in the second quarterfinal tomorrow.

Tonight's Games

Atlantic Sun Semifinals (ESPN3)
(1) Belmont vs. (5) Mercer
(2) East Tennessee State vs. (6) North Florida

CAA First Round (CAASports.com)
(10) Northeastern vs. (7) Delaware (29-27 Northeastern at halftime)
(11) William & Mary vs. (6) James Madison

Horizon Quarterfinals (ESPN3)
(6) Wright State vs. (3) Cleveland State (31-27 Cleveland State at halftime)
(5) Detroit vs. (4) Valparaiso

MAAC First Round (MAACSports.com)
(8) Niagara vs. (9) Marist
(7) Siena vs. (10) Manhattan

Missouri Valley Quarterfinals (FSN Midwest)
(7) Bradley vs. (2) Wichita State
(6) Evansville vs. (3) Indiana State

Ohio Valley Semifinals (ESPNU)
(4) Tennessee Tech vs. (1) Murray State
(3) Austin Peay vs. (2) Morehead State

Southern Conference First Round (SoConSports.com)
(N6) Samford vs. (S3) Furman
(S5) The Citadel vs. (N4) Elon

WCC First Round (ESPN3)
(8) Loyola Marymount vs. (5) Portland
(7) San Diego vs. (6) Pepperdine

Other Games (regular season)
Brown at Cornell
Princeton at Dartmouth
Penn at Harvard
Yale at Columbia
Akron at Kent State
Ohio at Miami (OH)

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