Duquesne

Poll: How Many Atlantic 10 Teams Will Make NCAA Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:38:00 -0500

Atlantic 10 Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:23:49 -0500

Dayton and Xavier have legitimate Top 25 hopes, while usual standard-bearers like St. Joseph's and Temple may have to make way for up-and-coming programs like Duquesne, La Salle, and Richmond.

Conference Rank: 7th

10 year average: 8th

Conference Page

All-Atlantic 10 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kevin Anderson	Richmond	Jr
G	Ricky Harris	UMASS	Sr
G	Rodney Green	La Salle	Sr
F	Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	So
F	Chris Wright	Dayton	Jr

Player of the Year - Chris Wright Freshman of the Year - Aaric Murray (La Salle)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
All-Americans Chris Wright High-Major All-Americans Chris Wright (1st Team) Kevin Anderson (2nd) Ricky Harris (2nd) Andrew Nicholson (2nd) Lavoy Allen (3rd) Jordan Crawford Rodney Green All-Freshman Team Aaric Murray		Points: Ricky Harris 18.2 Rebounds: Lavoy Allen 9.0 Assists: DiJuan Harris 7.2 Team Points: Duquesne 78.9

A10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

16	Dayton	A-10	1	NCAA
24	Xavier	A-10	2	NCAA
55	La Salle	A-10	3	NIT
61	Richmond	A-10	4	NIT
69	Duquesne	A-10	5	NIT
91	Saint Louis	A-10	6	CBI/CIT
95	St. Joe's	A-10	7	CBI/CIT
115	Temple	A-10	8	CBI/CIT
126	Charlotte	A-10	9
134	Rhode Island	A-10	10
168	Massachusetts	A-10	11
202	St. Bonaventure	A-10	12
245	George Wash	A-10	13
252	Fordham	A-10	14

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Atlantic 10?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic 10?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:36:40 -0400

Duquesne Basketball Preview: #69

Joel Welser — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:33:34 -0400

Overall Rank: #69

Conference Rank: #5 Atlantic 10

2008-09: 21-13, 9-7

2008-09 postseason: NIT

Coach: Ron Everhart (48-45 at Duquesne, 222-217 overall)

When Aaron Jackson was a freshman Duquesne went 3-24. During his senior campaign he led the Dukes to their first 20 win season in 28 years. Jackson was a huge part of the turnaround of the program and after averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds as a senior, he will certainly be missed. However, thanks to Jackson this team is still headed in the right direction.

Key Losses: G Aaron Jackson

Key Newcomers:

With only one major departure, none of the newcomers will be expected to contribute too much. Morakinyo Williams, a 7-0 center, is eligible after spending a little time at Kentucky. He is still raw, but his size alone makes him an intriguing prospect. Shooting guard Sean Johnson and forward Andre Marhold are the lone incoming freshmen and both will have the luxury of learning behind some talented players before they are asked to contribute major minutes.

Backcourt:

Jackson did so much that it will take a host of players to replace him. Jason Duty was a walk-on, but he was the team’s most consistent long range shooter and started all 34 games for the Dukes. Wings Bill Clark and Melquan Bolding also started a majority of the games last season. Clark is a good outside shooter who averaged 12.9 points per game. He is also a solid rebounder and a good passer. Bolding is not quite as effective of a shooter or as aggressive getting to the basket as Clark, but he was just a freshman last year and his best games were late in the season. Once again, those two will probably spend some time at the four spot. At 6-5, Clark is the better option to play the four spot, but that led to a lot of fouls. Bolding could be effective there as well if he can add some more strength during the offseason.

Frontcourt:

However, if all goes as planned in the frontcourt, Coach Ron Everhart might not have to play a wing at power forward as often this year, although this is a team that certainly does not mind playing small and running up and down the floor. Damian Saunders was the man under the basket last year and even he hit over one three-pointer per game. Saunders also added 13.1 points and a team high 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Oliver Lewinson showed some potential during his freshman campaign, but it is the hopeful return of Rodrigo Peggau that could turn the frontcourt into something special. Peggau only played in four games last year before suffering a knee injury. He is still just a freshman, but the Dukes have high hopes for the Brazilian.

Who to Watch:

Duquesne has enough shooters and scorers to replace Jackson’s scoring output, but somebody needs to handle the ball. The likely candidate is last year’s super sixth man Eric Evans. Evans tallied 9.8 points and 2.2 assists as a freshman without starting a single game. He will have some experienced players by his side to help out, but he will need to keep the offense moving smoothly if the Dukes hope to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Final Projection:

Even without Jackson, this should be a pretty good team. Coach Everhart has done a great job with this program and the group certainly does not lack the offensive firepower to compete with anybody in the Atlantic 10. As long as Evans can run the point without turning the ball over too much, this group will at least make it back to the NIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Eric Evans, Sophomore, Guard, 9.8 points per game

Jason Duty, Senior, Guard, 7.4 points per game

Melquan Bolding, Sophomore, Guard, 9.9 points per game

Bill Clark, Junior, Guard, 12.9 points per game

Damian Saunders, Junior, Forward, 13.1 points per game

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Duquesne: 2009 NIT

Joel Welser — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:09:20 -0400

Duquesne Dukes

Atlantic 10 (21-12, 9-7)

NIT Seed: #7

RPI: 74

Big Wins: 2/7 Xavier (72-68), 3/12 vs Rhode Island (78-74), 3/13 vs Dayton (77-66)

Bad Losses: 12/17 Old Dominion (60-86), 2/4 at St. Louis (74-78), 2/11 at Richmond (67-71)

Coach: Ron Everhart

Probable Starters:

Aaron Jackson, Senior, Guard, 18.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.5 rpg

Jason Duty, Junior, Guard, 7.3 ppg, 1.3 apg

Melquan Bolding, Freshman, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg

Bill Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 2.8 apg, 5.1 rpg

Damian Saunders, Sophomore, Forward, 13.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Eric Evans, Freshman, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.2 apg

B.J. Monteiro, Freshman, Guard, 3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Duquesne will push the tempo nearly every time they have the ball and Coach Ron Everhart needs to have some offensive weapons to successfully do that. And there are three players on this team that have stepped up and become dynamic scorers. Damian Saunders is the only true forward on the team and he has to do a lot more than just score…like grab some rebounds and block a few shots. Yet, it is his versatile scoring that makes him so dangerous. He will back down some opponents and he can make the opposing center very uncomfortable by stepping out and hitting the three ball.

In the backcourt the best scorers are Aaron Jackson and Bill Clark. Jackson, a 6-4 point guard, does a superb job finishing around the basket. Against smaller opponents he will use his strength to get to the basket, but he has enough speed and quickness to beat just about anybody off the dribble. When Jackson is not scoring his 18.5 points per game, he is setting up great looks for his teammates. Clark is the best three-point shooter on the team, yet at 6-5, he has the size to also help out on the glass.

Why They Can Disappoint:

While Saunders is a quality rebounder and taller guards like Jackson, Clark and Melquan Bolding will help out on the glass, the Dukes are not a good rebounding team. For a team that starts four guards and likes to run, it is not surprising that they have trouble on the boards, but in certain situations Duquesne has to do a better job in that department. There will be situations when the team needs to crash the glass instead of starting a break the other way and they might not be able to do it.

Who To Watch:

Clark, Jackson and Saunders might score a large bulk of the points, but Bolding, Jason Duty and Eric Evans all average at least seven points per game. Bolding is an important player in the starting lineup due to his size and Duty is a very consistent outside shooter. Duty, a 6-1 junior, connects on 40.3 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and that is where a majority of his shots will come from. Evans, the team’s sixth man, is an inconsistent shooter and probably takes too many three-pointers, but he is a very dangerous scorer who will attack the basket.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 78.1 (26^th in nation, 2^nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 73.6 (296, 13)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.6 (52, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 46.1 (293, 13)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (23, 2)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.4 (148, 6)

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.9 (131, 3)

Rebound Margin: -1.1 (228, 10)

Assists Per Game: 16.9 (9, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (197, 10)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to Baylor

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A10 Tournament: Preview & Odds

Evan Dorey — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:59:30 -0400

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Atlantic-10 Tournament

Held in Atlantic City, NJ, the A-10 tournament features 12 of the league’s 14 teams, with the top four earning a bye directly to the quarterfinals.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Xavier	100.00%	88.67%	60.89%	48.87%
2	Rhode Island	100.00%	67.75%	48.71%	16.23%
3	Dayton	100.00%	58.88%	21.08%	3.92%
4	Temple	100.00%	79.29%	32.52%	22.72%
5	Saint Joseph's	71.34%	17.42%	3.51%	1.55%
6	Richmond	68.91%	32.27%	10.66%	1.80%
7	Duquesne	59.98%	21.43%	12.61%	2.82%
8	La Salle	55.47%	6.82%	1.75%	0.67%
9	St. Louis	44.53%	4.51%	0.99%	0.33%
10	Massachusetts	40.02%	10.82%	5.30%	0.87%
11	St. Bonaventure	31.09%	8.84%	1.64%	0.14%
12	Charlotte	28.66%	3.29%	0.33%	0.08%

Xavier is the clear favorite, but Temple and Rhode Island have a decent shot of taking the title, and Dayton is probably somewhat better than its odds would suggest. The bottom eight teams are separated by a relatively small amount, with Duquesne and Richmond looking like the best bets for a surprise advancements.

#1 – Xavier Musketeers (24-6, 12-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.174

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (Sweet Sixteen)

Xavier has put together an excellent season, but didn’t have a great finish, going 4-4 over the last month, and struggling to get wins on the road. Still, its been the best team in the conference by a mile, putting up the conference’s top offense and defense. The Musketeers are excellent three-point shooters and rebounders, but have committed a lot of turnovers, which has caused them of trouble at times. They also force few turnovers, and foul often on the defensive end, but spectacular interior defending, holding opponents to just 43% from two, makes up for it.

Player to watch:

6-8 JR Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG% - Brown is Xavier’s leading scorer, and its most efficient offensive option, a very good inside scorer who can complement his game with a strong showing from behind the arc, and the team’s best rebounder as well.

#2 – Rhode Island Rams (22-9, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.087

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

Rhode Island finished atop a three-way tie for second, but in EM, it sits 3^rd in the league, and isn’t particularly strong at either end of the floor. The Rams are excellent three-point shooters, but take most of their attempts inside the arc, where they’ve only been average. Their defensive game also depends on inside play, as they have typically struggled to hold opponents’ scoring down from two-point range. Rhode Island’s been a lot stronger defending the perimeter, forcing a lot of turnovers and shutting down the long-distance shot pretty well.

Player to watch:

6-3 SR Jimmy Baron, 16.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG,60.3 eFG% - Baron is one of the country’s premier shooters, at 45% from behind the arc and 89% at the free-throw line. He also turns the ball over very rarely, and the Rams do a good job by getting him the ball pretty often. There’s few players in the country who can rack up points behind the arc as quickly and effectively as Baron.

#3 – Dayton Flyers (25-6, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.013

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

Dayton is another team that had an excellent start, but fell off towards the end, finishing the season 4-4 after a 21-2 start. The Flyers have been very unimpressive by efficiency margin standards, just barely out-scoring its opponents, and not looking like a top-tier A-10 team. The problem has been their poor offense, struggling with shots from two-point range and from the free throw line, and committing a lot of turnovers. Their defense has been better, but has only been average in stopping shots, and they’ve fouled pretty often.

Player to watch:

6-8 SO Chris Wright, 13.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 49.7 eFG% - Wright leads the Flyers in scoring and rebounding, and while he’s an efficient player, his percentages have really fallen off from his spectacular, injury-interrupted first season. His 51% from two is solid, but he needs to cut out his three-point shots, and while his 67% free throw shooting is decent, but doesn’t allow him to take full advantage of his opportunities.

#4 – Temple Owls (19-11, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.124

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The Owls are the second favorite for the conference title, and will likely face a difficult challenge against Xavier in the semifinals. Their strength is defense, especially inside the arc; they dominate the defensive glass and hold opponents to just 43% from two. They are somewhat vulnerable on the outside, as they don’t get opponents to cough the ball up much, and allow a fairly high percentage of threes. On the offensive end, Temple’s three-point shooting has fallen off a little in conference play, but it’s still been pretty solid overall because it rarely turns the ball over.

Player to watch:

6-5 SR Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG% - The conference’s joint leading scorer, Christmas is a dangerous player who puts up a lot of shots, and makes percentages that are just good enough to keep him efficient.

#5 – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (16-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.026

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

St. Joe’s started the conference season 7-1, but hit a five-game losing streak in mid-February that dropped it to 5^th in the standings. It’s been above average defensively, holding opponents to fairly low percentages from both two and three, and succeeding despite forcing few turnovers. The Hawks haven’t been as good on the offensive end, as they shoot mostly twos, and not particularly well. They are the conference’s best free throw shooters at 74%, and get a good number of points from the line.

Player to watch:

6-9 SR Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG% - Leading the conference in both scoring and rebounding, Nivins is the main player in the A-10 who has a real chance of being in the NBA draft, which isn’t surprising when you see just how dominant he is inside, shooting a great percentage and getting to the free throw line seemingly at will, where he converts 79% of chances.

#6 – Richmond Spiders (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.002

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

The Spiders had an excellent final game, beating Xavier to left themselves into the four-way tie at 9-7. They have been the weakest of the top eight teams, though not by much, mostly due to struggles on the defensive end. They are the conference’s worst rebounders, and commit far too many fouls, which wastes their ability to force turnovers and their decent inside defending. Richmond is a solid offensive team that leads the A-10 in holding onto the ball, and shoots well from two-point range, but takes most of its shots from outside, where it hits under a third of attempts.

Player to watch:

6-4 JR David Gonzalvez, 15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 55.4 eFG% - Gonzalvez has slowed down in the final month of the season, but is the team’s best three point shooter, and is the most efficient in a group of solid scoring options.

#7 – Duquesne Dukes (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.036

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1977 (1^st Round)

Duquesne has been one of the conference’s better teams overall, and looks like it has the potential to cause some trouble for the higher seeds, though a potential game with Rhode Island would be a tough hurdle to face. The Dukes are have been excellent offensively, using a fast paced style with a lot of three attempts to open up the inside, where they shoot 53%. They make a decent number of those three attempts, but the inside play is the most important part of their offensive game. Of course, the reason that they are 9-7 with this offense is that their defense hasn’t been very good; they have led the A-10 in forcing turnovers, but are the worst team outside of Fordham at defending shots, allowing well over 50% from two and 38% from three.

Player to watch:

6-4 SR Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG% - Jackson was one of the players involved in the unfortunate shooting incident in 2006, and is the only one of the injured players still on the team. He’s notable for much more than that though, as he’s become the conference’s best guard. He’s an excellent shooter, especially from two, where he’s hit 60% of attempts, and has put up a very good assist rate. Jackson has been especially strong over the last month, averaging more than 20 points over his last nine games.

#8 – La Salle Explorers (18-12, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.004

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

La Salle enters tournament play on a four-game winning streak, and is the last team in the tournament to finish with an efficiency margin above zero. The Explorers have been good at maintaining a possession advantage on the defensive end, solid rebounders who have forced a lot of turnovers in A-10 play, which has compensated enough for their poor defense on threes to give them one of the league’s better defenses. La Salle is also strong on the offensive glass, but they’ve needed to be, as their shooting percentages have been weak, and they have had trouble holding onto the ball.

Player to watch:

6-6 JR Kimmani Barrett, 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 51.9 eFG% - Barrett is second on the team in scoring, and while he doesn’t always end up with a lot of shots, he’s effective when he does shoot, an excellent inside and outside scorer who get to the line well.

#9 – St. Louis Billikens (17-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.015

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Billikens had a strong season going until the final three games, when an ill-timed losing streak dropped them all the way to 9^th. They play the slowest system in the league, but it hasn’t really worked offensively, as just average shooting percentages are dragged down by turnovers and poor rebounding. They have been stronger defensively, but are still only average, despite some of the conference’s best defending on the perimeter. Opponents take few outside shots against St. Louis, and it just hasn’t been able to consistently defend the inside well enough to hold opponents’ scores down. As you might expect from a slow paced team, they are good on the defensive glass, but force few turnovers.

Player to watch:

6-2 SR Kevin Lisch, 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 46.4 eFG% - Lisch leads the team in scoring, and is the Billikens’ best three-point shooter, but his appalling two-point shooting, just 32%, undoes a lot of his good work.

#10 – Massachusetts Minutemen (12-17, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.001

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (1^st Round)

UMass is the last of the A-10 teams to sit in this logjam right around the .500 mark, and picked up arguably the conference’s best win when they shocked Kansas in Kansas City. The Minutemen are above average scorers, taking and making a lot of threes, but aren’t great on the offensive glass and rarely get to the free-throw line. Their serious problems, though, have been at the defensive end, where they have the worst record of any team in the tournament. There’s not much Massachusetts does well when defending, it allows opponents to make a lot of shots and struggles to prevent them from having a big possession advantage, with a poor turnover rate and weak rebounding.

Player to watch:

6-8 SR Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Gaffney isn’t the primary offensive focus for UMass, but he’s a good shooter who excels in the other aspects of the game, one of only two A-10 players to average a double-double and an strong defender who has great steal and block totals.

#11 – St. Bonaventure Bonnies (15-14, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.066

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

There doesn’t look to be much too notable in the season for the Bonnies, but after failing to break the four-win barrier for four seasons, this is a nice improvement and a positive sign for the future. They run the conference’s fastest pace, but are the worst offensive team at the tournament, as they do get a good number of high-percentage chances in transition, but are the conference’s worst at turning the ball over, giving it up once of every four times down the floor. Their inability to hit long-range shots further hampers their chances of putting up points. Unlike a lot of fast-paced teams, they force very few turnovers, but are decent defenders because of good rebounding and an ability to lock down the outside.

Player to watch:

6-9 FR Andrew Nicholson, 12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 60.7 eFG% - The Canadian freshman started his college career with a big season, shooting more than 60% from the field and putting up one of the best block rates in the country. He’s also a good rebounder, but his free throw shooting could use some work.

#12 – Charlotte 49ers (11-19, 5-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.053

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

Charlotte managed to get the last spot in the tournament, despite a 1-4 finish that saw its only win come against Fordham. This is a team that beat Xavier last month, played a close early season game with Clemson, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The 49ers have put up a lot of threes, but when you make only 28% of attempts, that’s not a very good thing. They’ve been OK in the other offensive categories, but with that many wasted shots, they’ve had one of the conference’s worst offenses. It’s a shame for them that opponents don’t have the same problem from long-distance, as they allow 36% on opposition three-pointers. Charlotte does defend well inside, and forces a good number of turnovers, but it hasn’t been enough to keep them out of the bottom part of the conference.

Player to watch:

6-7 SR Lamont Mack, 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 45.1 eFG% - Mack puts up a lot of shots when he’s on the floor, a nearly Stephen Curry level of importance to the 49ers. However, despite his high point totals, he’s actually a significant detriment to his team, as his poor shooting, especially 43% from inside the arc, means a lot of those shots are wasted.

My statistical all-Atlantic-10 team:

Duquesne SR G Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG%

Temple SR G Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG%

Saint Joseph’s SR F Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG%

Massachusetts SR F Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG%

Xavier JR F Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG%

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Elite Eight: The March Interview Series: Part One

David Meseke — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:32:43 -0400

Elite Eight: A March Interview Series

CollegeHoops.net has you covered with all types of rankings, previews, and recaps. But we thought it would be interesting to ask some of the top players in college basketball a little bit about themselves. In each Elite Eight article, not surprisingly, eight players chime in with various answers. Some of these guys are household names, others are names that you'll recognize, while others are names that you may not recognize, but that you should get to know.

Question: Who was your favorite player growing up? Did you try and emulate his game?

Jason Holsinger, University of Evansville

Senior, G - 12.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg

My favorite player growing up was Grant Hill. We don't really play the same position, so I didn't try to emulate his game. I did wear his Fila shoes though.

Aaron Jackson, Duquesne

Senior, G - 18.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.8 apg

Jason Kidd ... I tried to play like him all through middle school and high school. I still try to emulate his game today. He's a big point guard who rebounds and he likes to make plays rather than just score.

Dwight Thorne II, Colorado

Junior, G - 11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg

My favorite player growing up was Rasheed Wallace. I thought he was so tough and good, and his team was always nice. I used to be a big man so when I did play center I tried to immolate his moves.

Zach Peacock, Georgia Tech

Junior, F - 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.9 apg

Vince Carter. I tried to emulate his game, all the acrobatic moves and finesse parts of his game. I could never jump like he can.

Question: Do you have a standard pre-game meal? How did this ritual get started?

Kurt Cunningham, Boise St

Junior, C - 9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg

Pasta with a side salad and ranch. It's the only good thing our
pre-game meal spot has to eat.

Rasheem Barrett, Auburn

Senior, G - 9.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 apg

Chicken, yogurt, banana and salad. Someone told him me always need
to be hungry when you play.

Alex Renfroe, Belmont

Senior, G - 16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.0 apg

The night before games I usually take a trip to Chili’s and get a chocolate molten cake for dessert. This started my freshman year when I had a good game after I went to Chili’s, so I thought it was my good luck charm.

Josh Dotzler, Creighton

Senior, G - 3.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.4 apg

I don't really have a pregame meal. Most of my pregame meals consist of chicken, some pasta, and some vegetables but no specific meal. I probably started this when I was a freshman in college.

Check back over the next two weeks for more Elight Eight interviews.. including the likes of Duke's Kyle Singler, Baylor's Curtis Jerrells, Hofstra's Charles Jenkins, and Dayton's Chris Wright amongst others.

Atlantic 10 Championship: Schedule/Matchups

Press Release — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:27:50 -0500

2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship
Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, N.J.

Wednesday, March 11
Game 1 - #8 La Salle vs. #9 Saint Louis - 12:00
Game 2 - #5 Saint Joseph's vs. #12 Charlotte - 2:30
Game 3 - #7 Duquesne vs. #10 Massachusetts - 6:30
Game 4 - #6 Richmond vs. #11 St. Bonaventure - 9:00

Thursday, March 12
Game 5 - #1 Xavier vs. #8/#9 winner - 12:00 (CBS C)
Game 6 - #4 Temple vs. #5/#12 winner - 2:30 (CBS C)
Game 7 - #2 Rhode Island vs. #7/#10 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 8 - #3 Dayton vs. #6/#11 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Friday, March 13
Game 9 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 10 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Saturday, March 14
Finals - 6:00 (ESPN2)

*CBS C - regionalized coverage by CBS College Sports Network. Check local listings.

Duquesne's Jackson is A-10 Player of the Week

Press Release — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:31:45 -0500

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne senior guard Aaron Jackson (Hartford, Conn./Worcester (Mass.) Academy) earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors for a school record fourth time this season and freshman guard Eric Evans (Detroit, Mich./Northwestern) was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the fourth time following wins at La Salle and at Massachusetts this past week.

With the honor, Jackson ties Bruce Atkins (1979-82) for most career Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors with six. He also surpasses Mark Stevenson (three times in 1990) for most POW honors in a single season. Evans is the fifth player in school history to earn Rookie of the Week honors four or more times.

Jackson, who averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 assists and shot .630 (17-of-27) in the two wins, shares this week's honor with George Washington's Damian Hollis.

Jackson had 25 points and eight assists at La Salle and followed that with 17 points and nine assists in helping the Dukes to their first win at UMass since 1989. The 6-4 Hartford, Conn. native directly figured in 50.8 percent of Duquesne's 67 field goals in the two games (Jackson had 17 field goals and 17 assists). Jackson enters this afternoon's game vs. Rhode Island tied with former teammate Kieron Achara (2004-08) for 19th on Duquesne's all-time leading scorers' list with 1,240 points.

Evans averaged 12.5 points and shot .500 from the field (5-of-8 from 3-point) in the two games. He had 11 points and three assists at La Salle and followed that by hitting a season-high four 3-pointers in scoring 14 points in the victory at UMass. With the honor, Evans joins Robert Mitchell (5 times in 2007), Kevin Price (4 times in 1995), Tom Pipkins (4 times in 1994) and Tony Petrarca (4 times in 1987) as the only players in DU history to earn ROW honors four or more times.

Jackson, who has never missed a game in his DU career (112 in a row), joins lofty company with Atkins who was a two-time first team all-conference performer while competing in an eight-team Eastern Eight. Jackson, leads the Dukes in scoring (18.0 ppg.), and assists (5.7 apg.), competes in a 14-team league.

Duquesne (17-9, 8-5) - which has the school's best record since 1980-81 - hosts Rhode Island this afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

College Basketball: Seven Day Stretch

Rob Carpentier — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:56:42 -0500

Rob Carpentier's "Seven Day Stretch" is a whirlwind tour around every corner of college basketball nation:

Seven Day Savior (Team): Duquesne Dukes

I know that the Dukes aren’t the popular pick for Team of the Week, but this is a program that has been down for so long it’s hard to remember when it’s been up. The Dukes began last week by losing in overtime to a mediocre St. Louis squad, but then came the weekend and the wire-to-wire victory over top ten-ranked Xavier. It was the biggest win that Duquesne has had in probably 30 years. The Dukes sit at 15-7 overall and 6-3 in the Atlantic 10. These are heady days for the “other” school in Pittsburgh. Last year, they had a winning season for the first time in 14 years. And this year they are a dark horse to win the A-10 conference tournament, (which they’ll have to do to make the NCAAs), and are almost certainly going to be involved in some postseason tournament. Led by senior Aaron Jackson and sophomores Damian Saunders and Bill Clark, all averaging in double figures, not only does this season look to be magical for the Dukes, but the future looks bright as well. As for the now, the schedule sets up well for Duquesne to potentially earn a top two or three seed in the A-10 tournament, and then, look out.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Ryan Tillema, Wisconsin-Green Bay

UWGB was the first Horizon League team to knock off Butler and it didn’t come as a surprise to those who know the conference. That’s because the Phoenix have perhaps the Horizon’s best player in senior swingman Tillema. The 6’8” Tillema scored 21 points in the victory over the Bulldogs which included making 10-12 from the free throw line. For the season, Tillema is averaging 16.9 PPG, based primarily on his 43% shooting from behind the three point line. Impressively, he scores all those points in just 24.8 minutes per game. More than that he brings a real grit to the floor and gives the Phoenix a real chance to win the conference tournament. He and UWGB did play Butler very close at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse so they have the ability to defeat the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, which, barring something strange is where Green Bay will have to go to win the conference title in March.

Game of the Week (The one you’ve already heard about): UCLA at Arizona State

Yeah, Duke faces Carolina on Wednesday and Pitt travels to Connecticut next Monday, but those are games involving teams that are locked in to the NCAA Tournament. The Big East and the ACC are widely considered the best conferences in the nation this year. The Pac-10 is not. That’s why this battle of the two preseason favorites in the pac-10 is huge. The Bruins are shooting for their fourth straight regular season crown while ASU is trying to gain a game on UCLA and Washington. ASU has arguably the best player in the country, let alone the Pac-10 in sophomore James Harden, but UCLA plays some of the best team defense in college basketball. ASU’s defense is also a tough nut to crack and the Bruins have Darren Collison. Both have excellent coaches; ASU’s Herb Sendek and UCLA’s Ben Howland. The Sun Devils have already defeated the Bruins in Los Angeles but they need the win to validate their season. ASU slid off the bubble at the end of last season and they are starting to play with that kind of inconsistency this year. The Bruins, on the other hand, could essentially wrap up the Pac-10 with a win because Washington, who is a game behind the Bruins, still has to travel to L.A. This is the biggest game out west so far this season.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): Bethune-Cookman at Morgan State

We have never ventured into the land of the two traditionally black college conferences, and that is an oversight on my part. Some of the most exciting basketball in the country is played in the MEAC and the SWAC. Its not that they have the cleanest games or the most talent, but the fans love their respective schools and they show it, as do the players who leave everything they have on the floor. Some of these schools have coaching legends that sit or have sat on the bench, but none have had bigger years than Morgan State’s Todd Bozeman has had this season. He started resurrecting MSU last year with a bevy of transfers, including Marquise Kately, who is MSU’s best player this year. The resurrection of the program has also been a resurrection of Bozeman’s career. Remember it was he who was found guilty of some serious NCAA violations while at California. But the man can coach and seems to have found his way. He has Morgan State at the top of the MEAC and it appears that only Norfolk State or Bethune-Cookman can stop them. MSU has a two game lead on both and gets Bethune at home on Monday night. If MSU wins the MEAC, and having the top seed in the conference tournament is meaningful, then this might be the most dangerous #16 seed since the Princeton squad that just missed knocking off Georgetown more than a decade ago. They are a formidable team…just ask Maryland.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Arkansas-Little Rock

For the last few years in the Sun Belt Conference, Western Kentucky and South Alabama have dueled for dominance. This season’s Hilltoppers are still at the, forgive the pun, top of the hill, while USA has fallen off. The team that is truly challenging WKU’s supremacy this season is UALR. The Trojans used to have decent success in both the Sun Belt and the postseason, but it’s been since 1990 that the Trojans have been to the NCAAs. That’s a long drought. They may have the firepower to go dancing this season. They are tied with WKU for the best record in the Sun Belt, but, more importantly, the Trojans have run away with the Sun Belt’s western division. This is important because they will be one of the two #1 seeds come conference tourney time. The Trojans have already defeated Creighton and barely lost to Memphis. They have four players who average in double figures, led by junior guard Steven Moore. The thing that makes the Trojans stand apart from the rest of their Sun Belt brethren is that they by far and away are the only team that can win consistently on the road. They have an impressive 8-3 road record and that will count for something when conference tournament play begins.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Mike Brey, Notre Dame

Brey has already been on the Hot Seat this season and he was one of my choices to be on the Hot Seat as the season began, and now I think his seat is as hot as Dennis Felton’s and Mike Gottfried’s were two weeks ago…and they’ve since been removed from their respective positions. After Notre Dame’s crushing defeat this past weekend at UCLA, (the Bruins won by 26 and the score was in no way indicative of how badly the Irish got beat), the Irish sit at 12-10 overall and 3-7 in the Big East. This was a team that was supposed to challenge in the Big East for the conference crown and had a realistic shot at the Final Four. I said before the season that Brey, whose teams have tended to play below their talent level, didn’t get a big season out of his squad, then he would be gone. Well, his team has quit on him, (that’s obvious), and there is talk of dissention in the locker room over the amount of touches one player gets and another doesn’t. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who studies college hoops. The Irish are very unathletic and they had major defensive issues at the end of last season. It would take a minor miracle for Brey to survive this season and quite frankly I think Felton and Gottfried have a better chance of regaining their former jobs than Notre Dame does of going on a huge winning streak.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: Rivalry Week

Am I the only one who thinks that ESPN has gotten terribly excessive with its pronouncements of “judgment week” and “throwdown week” and “??? week”? This week its “rivalry week”. Why? Because Duke plays UNC, (as if that’s not overblown by ESPN anyway)? On Monday night I saw ESPN tout Kansas/Missouri as a huge traditional rivalry game. Obviously someone forgot to tell ESPN’s sports information department that Kansas/Oklahoma State goes back much farther and that even the Jayhawks’ games with Texas have been the real rivalry recently. On Wednesday we get to see the renewal of the great “rivalry” game of Marquette versus Villanova…huh?!? If ESPN really wanted a true “rivalry week”, they would have games like Georgetown/Syracuse, (oh, wait, they do), and Michigan/Michigan State, (…they have that, too). Wait, ESPN might be on to something!!! Seriously, the games this coming week have some serious name power to them even if some of the teams, (are you listening Hoyas), aren’t that good right now. But let’s keep in mind that the idea of “rivalry” games is really on for football, not hoops. The big rivalry out west is UCLA/USC, but that isn’t really a hoops rivalry. Michigan and Ohio State? That’s clearly a football rivalry. Same with Auburn/Alabama, Clemson/South Carolina and Yale/Harvard…wait, the Elis and the Crimson don’t like each other in ANYTHING. The point is, college basketball is about the Big Dance and the games leading up to that point. “Rivalry week”, is just another week on the road to the Final Four…hooray for college basketball!

I will be on the Papa Joe Chevalier show, based and syndicated out of Las Vegas, every Tuesday around 5:30 CST. It would be great to get some listener support, whether you agree with me or not.