Duquesne

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

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:29:11 -0800

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michigan vs. Northwestern: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:32:19 -0800

While there aren't any matchups of ranked teams on Wednesday's schedule there are some important contests to keep an eye on, one of which being Northwestern (11-4, 1-2) visiting Ann Arbor to take on a #13 Michigan (13-3, 3-1) squad that's got the look of a Big Ten contender. If you like the three-point shot this is the game for you, as the Wildcats and Wolverines are the top two teams in the Big Ten when it comes to the percentage of points scored via the bonus shot (Northwestern 38.1%, Michigan 36.1%).

Bill Carmody and John Beilein run similar systems, but the focal points in regards to who takes the shots differ. Michigan enjoys more of an equitable distribution of shots, with guards Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.7 apg) and Trey Burke (13.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.4 rpg) leading the team in scoring. Three players average double figures for the maize and blue while three more average at least seven points per game, and as a team the Wolverines shoot 47.5% from the field.

Northwester on the other hand call on a pair of wings for the majority of their scoring, with John Shurna (18.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg) and Drew Crawford (17.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.9 apg) currently ranking as the conference's leading scoring duo. The Wildcats have three other players averaging between 6.0 and 8.4 points per game, but they have a much tougher time winning if either Crawford or Shurna were to go cold than Michigan would if one of their key players had a rough night.

Where this game will ultimately be decided is in the paint, especially when it comes to rebounding. Northwestern is the Big Ten's worst rebounding team when it comes to margin, as they're being out-rebounded by an average of nearly five rebounds per game. Michigan on the other hand has a margin of plus-3.3, and the tandem of Evan Smotrycz (10.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Jordan Morgan (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) are the chief producers.

As for the Wildcats, in addition to being their leading scorers Crawford and Shurna are also their leading rebounders, with senior forward Luka Mirkovic (7.4 ppg) being next in line with an average of 4.3 caroms per contest. He has to be a more consistent factor, both on Wednesday night as well as throughout the remainder of the season, if the Wildcats are to make good on their goal of earning the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Northwestern allows an average of nearly 12 offensive rebounds per game, and if Michigan can take advantage of that area this could end in a double-digit margin in favor of the home team.

Another game that sticks out is a hot Southern Miss, winners of 11 straight, visiting Memphis in a matchup of two Conference USA contenders. Joe Jackson will need to play well at the point for the Tigers to be the factor many believe they can be despite a slow start exacerbated by a very difficult schedule. Will Barton's played like one of the best players in C-USA to this point in the year, but the addition of Darnell Dodson has been a nice boost for the Golden Eagles.

There's also a pair of games in the Atlantic 10 to watch with Xavier hosting Duquesne and Temple visiting Saint Louis. Ron Everhart's Dukes are a middle of the pack team this season, but with T.J. McConnell and B.J. Monteiro leading their deep backcourt Duquesne has the ability to make things difficult on the Musketeers. But their lack of frontcourt depth could open things up for Andre Walker and Kenny Frease. As for the Owls, they're looking to rebound from their loss to Dayton on Saturday but it's going to be tough to do at Chaifetz. Rick Majerus' Billikens are led by Kwamain Mitchell, and they also have enough talent to win the A-10.

Missouri's trip to Iowa State should be fun due to the fact that the Tigers will have to provide an answer for one of the tougher matchups in the Big 12 in forward Royce White. White led the Cyclones to an emphatic win at Texas A&M with a triple-double, and given how much of the offense Fred Hoiberg runs through him White could very well post another at some point this season.

Also in the Top 10 Syracuse, Kentucky and Kansas all hit the road for games they're expected to win, but the Orange had better be careful with a Villanova team that really needs a win of this magnitude. As for a good non-conference game, Denver visits Colorado State in the final tune-up for Mountain West play for the Rams. Joe Scott's got a Sun Belt contender on his hands, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the Pioneers left Fort Collins with a win.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (1) Syracuse at Villanova (ESPN2)
8:00 PM (2) Kentucky at Auburn (ESPN3)
8:00 PM (9) Missouri at Iowa State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM (10) Kansas at Texas Tech
6:30 PM Northwestern at (13) Michigan (BTN)
7:00 PM St. John's at (24) Marquette

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Rhode Island at George Washington
7:00 PM Old Dominion at Delaware
7:00 PM Navy at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Charlotte at Massachusetts
7:00 PM William & Mary at Towson
7:00 PM Wake Forest at Maryland (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Dayton at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Akron at Bowling Green
7:00 PM Buffalo at Ohio
7:00 PM Rutgers at Pittsburgh (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Longwood at Brown
7:00 PM Southern Miss at Memphis
7:00 PM Boston University at Maine
7:00 PM Army at Lafayette
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Albany
7:00 PM Colgate at Bucknell
7:00 PM Houston at UCF
7:00 PM Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
7:00 PM Northeastern at Hofstra
7:00 PM Miami (OH) at Kent State
7:00 PM American at Lehigh
7:00 PM Stony Brook at UMBC
7:00 PM Fordham at Saint Joseph's
7:00 PM Northern Illinois at Western Michigan
7:00 PM Duquesne at Xavier (CBS SN)
7:30 PM Northwestern State at Nicholls State
8:00 PM Marshall at UAB
8:00 PM Arkansas at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
8:00 PM UTEP at Tulsa
8:00 PM Sam Houston State at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Central Arkansas (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rice at SMU
8:00 PM Texas-Pan American at TCU
8:00 PM Morehead State at Tennessee State
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at UTSA
8:30 PM Penn State at Nebraska (BTN)
9:00 PM Denver at Colorado State (The Mtn.)
9:00 PM Temple at Saint Louis (CBS SN)
9:00 PM Georgia Tech at NC State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Texas A&M at Texas
9:00 PM LSU at Alabama (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Lamar at McNeese State

Wednesday Recap: Tar Heels Too Potent for Texas

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:13:16 -0800

In each of North Carolina's last two games sophomore forward Harrison Barnes shot 4-for-12 from the field and scored nine points. Some may have been concerned given the fact that those performances came against Appalachian State and Nicholls State, ignoring the fact that the Tar Heels still managed to win both games by comfortable margins. Barnes is fine, as he showed in North Carolina's 82-63 win over Texas by scoring a season-high 26 points and grabbing ten rebounds in just 25 minutes of action. With an offensive rating for the night of 177.5 it's probably fair to say that this was his most efficient performance of the season to date, with the visiting Longhorns not having much of an answer for either Barnes of his teammates.

"Everyone only looks at the points, but I look at what we're doing defensively, and I really thought he was more active tonight," said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams of Barnes' performance. "If he's attacking the basket, I like that. I also like when he shoots the three-point shot. He's got a wide variety of options, and hopefully we moving forward where we can use all of them."

One of the big concerns for Rick Barnes' team was the play of their big men, as Texas doesn't have a talent the caliber of either Gary Johnson or Tristan Thompson on this year's roster. Sure enough they were handled on the glass, as North Carolina grabbed 22 offensive boards and out-rebounded texas 49-34. John Henson scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Tyler Zeller finished with eight points and 11 rebounds as UNC outscored Texas 42-26 in the paint. J'Covan Brown and Jonathan Holmes scored 16 apiece but when the other three starters combine to score just one point it doesn't matter much if they get 16 from someone off the bench like they did from Sheldon McClellan on Wednesday.

"We have got to get somebody that is going to run our team and run our offense," said Barnes. "We are starting three guards, so it's not like it should be a problem, but we are not playing with a purpose on the offensive end. We've got a long ways to go, but we've enough guys that want to do this thing and we'll get it fixed."

In the matchup of stellar point guards Kendall Marshall was far more effective than Myck Kabongo, racking up nine assist to just two turnovers while the freshman played just 15 minutes and turned the ball over four times (one assist). Texas, due to their lack of star power, has to have a group effort every night out especially when it comes to hitting the boards. They didn't get that, or North Carolina didn't allow them to do so, and the Longhorns paid for it dearly. With the number of weapons that North Carolina has, a fight that could be a bit more equitable in a couple of months didn't play out that way in Chapel Hill.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Seton Hall wins at Dayton to move to 10-1 thanks in part to Patrik Auda.
In previous seasons senior power forward Herb Pope picking up his fourth foul would be the beginning of the end for the Seton Hall Pirates. But in a sign of just how much things have changed in South Orange that was not to be, much to the detriment of the Dayton Flyers. The big reason why: Patrik Auda, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half to help lead the Pirates to the 69-64 victory in their first road game of the season. The sophomore from the Czech Republic also blocked three shots on the night, and the Flyers really didn't have an answer for him defensively.

Pope finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes before fouling out late while Jordan Theodore (14 points, eight assists) and Aaron Cosby (13 points) also reached double figures. Seton Hall shot 54% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc on the night as well as assisting on 19 of their 27 made baskets. Dayton hung tough due in part to their eight-point edge at the foul line but it wasn't enough to keep The Hall from moving to 10-1 on the season. With Big East play beginning next week there's reason for optimism with regards to Kevin Willard's program, and they're talented enough to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth.

2. Ole Miss falls to Middle Tennessee but the bigger deal is Murphy Holloway's ankle.
Kermit Davis' Blue Raiders were expected by many to beat Ole Miss and move to 11-2 on the season, and that they did by the final score of 68-56. Middle Tennessee outscored Ole Miss 42-29 in the second half with Raymond Cintron knocking down some huge three-pointers in scoring a team-high 18 points. But the game turned for the Rebels with 10:09 remaining, when leading scorer Murphy Holloway went down with a left ankle injury.

At that point the game was tied at 42, but Ole Miss would not score another field goal until Terrance Henry's jumper with 3:36 remaining made the score 60-50 in favor of Middle Tennessee. Freshman Jelan Kendrick is still working his way into the flow of things, and despite his talents it's clear that the Rebels need Holloway on the floor in order to be effective offensively. Holloway will undergo x-rays on Thursday, and if he's out for an extended amount of time the Rebels will be in some trouble.

3. Alabama finally gets some shots to fall as they jumped Oklahoma State early.
As ESPN color commentator Fran Fraschilla pointed out early in the Crimson Tide's 69-52 win over Oklahoma State it's not that Alabama can't shoot that's the issue. The shots simply weren't falling for Anthony Grant's team, and that changed in a hurry as the Tide raced out to a 19-4 lead with 14:26 remaining in the first half. Alabama shot 57% from the field in the first half on their way to a 40-22 halftime lead, and Trevor Releford led three starters in double figures with 19 points as the Tide played well without the injured JaMychal Green (shoulder). Freshman Trevor Lacey started in Green's place and took full advantage, scoring 12 points and grabbing four rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Green's expected back in the near future, and with he and Tony Mitchell up front the Tide need their guards to shoot the ball well in order to reach their full potential. Safe to say that 7-for-15 from deep is a nice step in that direction.

Quick Hitters

1. If one were to make a list of schizophrenic college basketball teams this season Loyola Marymount would without a doubt be on that list. The Lions' achievement on Wednesday: a 69-45 loss at Morgan State with the Bears picking up their second victory of the season. LMU may pull an upset or two in WCC play, but their inconsistency may doom them to the bottom half of the standings.

2. Duquesne picked up a good win as they ended George Mason's 18-game home win streak by the final score of 75-64. Sean Johnson scored 15 points while T.J. McConnell and Eric Evans scored 12 apiece. McConnell's playmaking ability helped keep the Patriots at bay as they looked to come back in the second half.

3. Despite leading by 12 points at one point in the second half Arizona State dropped to 2-6 at home, losing 68-65 to Fresno State. Kevin Olekaibe's three-pointer with 29.9 seconds remaining gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, negating a 22-point outing from Keala King.

4. Freshman Amir Garrett made his debut for St. John's, scoring three points and grabbing two rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The Red Storm had a serious fight on their hands against UT-Pan American but they did enough late to escape with the 66-61 victory. D'Angelo Harrison and God'sgift Achiuwa combined to score 43 of their 66 points.

5. Something to take out of Penn State's 74-67 win over Cornell is the play of Jermaine Marshall, who scored 12 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Patrick Chambers needs someone to be a consistent sidekick for Tim Frazier, and hopefully Marshall took a step in that direction.

6. Houston Baptist picked up a good win as they beat Santa Clara 72-71 in Houston. Tyler Russell scored 19 points and Art Bernardi added 16 for the Huskies, who watched Evan Roquemore miss a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to remain ahead.

7. No undefeated teams lost on Wednesday but unfortunately for Hartford no winless teams got off the schneid either. The Hawks dropped an 89-86 double overtime result at Marist despite 23 points and eight rebounds from Nate Sikma. Isaiah Morton led the Red Foxes with 23 points while Chavaughn Lewis added 16, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Mike Scott (Virginia)
33 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in Virginia's 83-77 win at Seattle.

2. F Wendell McKines (New Mexico State)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Aggies' 82-62 win over McNeese State.

3. G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
29 points (12-18 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the Bulldogs' 87-64 win over Central Arkansas.

Wednesday's Preview: Texas at #6 North Carolina

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:38:23 -0800

Rick Barnes' Texas (9-2) Longhorns have gotten off to a solid start despite heavy personnel losses from last year's NCAA Tournament team, but outside of a neutral-court win over NC State there aren't any decisions that jump off the page. Can't credit Santa with this pre-Christmas "gift" but they've got a great opportunity to pick up a quality win as they visit #6 North Carolina (10-2). One key for Texas' prospects this season is the play of freshman point guard Myck Kabongo (10.8 ppg, 6.0 apg), and the Canadian has shown signs by the game that he'll be alright.

But in sophomore Kendall Marshall (10.2 apg, 4.1 A/T ratio) he'll take on one of the elite distributors in the game. Marshall has more than a few weapons at his disposal, but the fact that he's so good at finding teammates in the best position for them to be successful is a big reason why he's so highly regarded. But he can be had on the defensive end of the floor, and with J'Covan Brown (19.3 ppg, 4.3 apg) likely to draw the attention of North Carolina's best perimeter defender in Dexter Strickland maybe Kabongo can take advantage of this.

The key for Brown in his development is that he's become more of a team guy for Texas, most notably eliminating the immaturity that took away from his game during his early days in the program. They've needed him to become more of a leader and the junior has taken steps in that direction. Also of importance for Texas on the perimeter is Sheldon McClellan (11.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg), who could get the call in defending UNC wing Harrison Barnes (16.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg). McClellan will need to make Barnes dribble for his shots as opposed to working off the catch or one dribble. It's been well-documented that his efficiency drops a great deal when required to work more for his own shot.

The interior play is where Texas will need to step up in order to knock off the Tar Heels, who grabbed 72 rebounds in their win over Nicholls State on Monday (Texas is far superior to Nicholls State, however). John Henson (14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.4 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (14.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) lead the way for a deep UNC front line, and the Heels' rebounding margin of plus-8.7 is better than the Longhorns' plus-5.6. However both teams have been good at hitting the offensive glass, with Texas corralling 41.9% of their misses while North Carolina has an offensive rebounding percentage of 39.6%.

Alexis Wangmene, Jonathan Holmes and Clint Chapman average a combined 16.3 rebounds per game, and with the scoring options that Texas has Chapman and Wangmene are needed more for defensive and rebounding purposes (Holmes ranks fourth on the team in scoring). Freshman Jaylen Bond (5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) has improved his play of late and that will need to continue if Texas is to win. North Carolina will also throw a few perimeter weapons at Texas off the bench, with P.J. Hairston and Reggie Bullock being two of the better shooters in the ACC while James Michael McAdoo is another interior presence off the bench. Whether or not Texas can hang around could depend on what the likes of Bond and Sterling Gibbs do, and they've got the talent needed to do so.

Another big game on the schedule for Wednesday is Seton Hall visiting Dayton, a team that's put together two drastically different products on the floor this season. At times Archie Miller's Flyers have the look of a team that can beat almost anyone, and they're just as capable of looking like they can lose to anyone as well. Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope have been more than capable leaders for Kevin Willard's Pirates, and a road win here would be quite the boost for their NCAA Tournament profile.

Duquesne visits George Mason in what could be a wild affair, with Ron Everhart's team enjoying a fast pace and being adept at forcing turnovers and Paul Hewitt's Patriots play interesting games as well. The matchup between T.J. McConnell and Bryon Allen could determine the outcome, especially if Allen gets out of control running the show for George Mason. Iona visits William & Mary and Belmont visits Austin Peay in games where the home teams may give more of a fight than their records would indicate, and Oklahoma State takes on Alabama in Birmingham. If the Cowboys are reckless with the basketball as they were on Saturday against New Mexico, look out for another episode of the "Tony Mitchell Show".

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Texas at (6) North Carolina (ESPN)
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at (22) Murray State

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Hiwassee College at Chattanooga
6:00 PM Fresno State at Arizona State
7:00 PM North Florida at Florida A&M
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at Stetson
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Boston College
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Vermont at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM West Virginia Tech at Marshall
7:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Maine
7:00 PM Dartmouth at Army
7:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Akron
7:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Cincinnati
7:00 PM Seton Hall at Dayton
7:00 PM Duquesne at George Mason
7:00 PM Wofford at High Point
7:00 PM Hartford at Marist
7:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Morgan State
7:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at South Carolina (ESPN3)
7:00 PM UTPA at St. John's (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Coppin State at Saint Joseph's
7:00 PM Iona at William & Mary
7:05 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Indiana State
7:30 PM Cornell at Penn State (BTN)
7:30 PM Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington*
7:30 PM North Carolina Central vs. Stephen F. Austin*
8:00 PM Lipscomb at Iowa State
8:00 PM South Carolina State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Peru State at South Dakota
8:00 PM Lafayette at Vanderbilt (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rogers State at Houston
8:00 PM Alabama A&M at Tennessee State
8:05 PM UCF at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM Oregon State at Chicago State
8:05 PM Central Arkansas at Drake
8:05 PM Santa Clara at Houston Baptist
8:30 PM Cal Poly at DePaul
8:30 PM Belmont at Austin Peay
9:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
9:00 PM McNeese State at New Mexico State
9:00 PM Oklahoma State vs. Alabama (ESPN)*
10:00 PM Prairie View A&M at Oregon
10:05 PM Saint Peter's at Utah State
10:10 PM Virginia at Seattle (Root NW)

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:36:29 -0800

The final night of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge will also boast a matchup of Top 10 teams as #7 Wisconsin (6-0) takes on #5 North Carolina (5-1) in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams' Tar Heels are coming off of a disappointing second half in Las Vegas on Saturday as they fell decisively to UNLV. With a trip to Kentucky next on the schedule it might be a good thing for North Carolina that the in-between game isn't one of the standard "avoid the letdown" variety, so they should be ready to go. But in Bo Ryan's Badgers the Heels will encounter a team unlike any they've played to this point in the season, in both talent and tempo.

Senior point guard Jordan Taylor (11.0 ppg, 5.8 apg, 5.0 rpg) is asked to do more scoring than counterpart Kendall Marshall (10.8 apg, 4.8 ppg), and that's another piece of evidence for the argument that there won't be another point guard matchup of this caliber all season long. Marshall is one of the best distributors in the game and while some may point at the many options at his disposal as the reason why, it takes a smart floor general to not only get guys the ball but make sure they get it in the best position to be successful. Taylor also has a very good assist-to-turnover ratio, and his ability to keep the tempo under control is another skill some point guards tend to struggle with.

Two other key components in the Wisconsin backcourt are Josh Gasser (10.2 ppg, 71.4% 3PT) and Ben Brust (12.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg), with the latter leading the Badgers in scoring despite coming off the bench. Brust was outstanding in Wisconsin's win over BYU on Saturday night, scoring 22 points in a game the Badgers won going away in the second half. Gasser is Wisconsin's best perimeter shooter, and as a team the Badgers score an astonishing 47% of their points from beyond the arc. North Carolina has been solid in defending the three as their opponents have shot 32% to date, but they will need to be solid in their defensive principles against Wisconsin in this area.

UNC sophomore wing Harrison Barnes (17.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) is a go after spraining his right ankle in Saturday's loss to UNLV, and he'll represent a significant challenge for the Wisconsin defense. Ryan Evans will likely draw this assignment, and their job will be to turn Barnes into a player who needs more dribbles to get his shots. Barnes is an impressive offensive player when it comes to catch and shoot or jump shots off of one dribble; essentially situations where he isn't seriously challenged in scoring. But Barnes also averages 2.7 turnovers to just one assist per game, and this is something that Wisconsin will need to exploit in order to win.

The play inside will also be a focus, with the Tar Heels boasting a pair of likely first round NBA draft picks in Tyler Zeller (13.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and John Henson (15.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.0 bpg). The two were relatively kept in check by UNLV, and they will definitely be challenged from a physical standpoint by the Badgers. Mike Bruesewitz (7.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg) gives up a few inches but he's a tough glue-guy who can do the little things that winning teams need done, and Jared Berggren (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is their best interior scorer. In the swing offense big men also have the opportunity to make plays on the perimeter, and Berggren is shooting 38% from beyond the arc on the season.

North Carolina is the deeper team, but in order to take full advantage of players such as Dexter Strickland (starter), P.J. Hairston, Reggie Bullock and James Michael McAdoo they have to control the tempo. On the season UNC averages 76.7 possessions per game, a far cry from the 59.5 that the Badgers average. A faster pace would also minimize the amount of time that Marshall is forced to buckle down and defend Taylor, but it could be in North Carolina's interest regardless of tempo to go with Strickland on Taylor.

Out west there are a pair of games involving ranked teams to keep an eye on, with UNLV visiting UCSB and San Diego State hosting Creighton. The Runnin' Rebels will get to show how they deal with prosperity on the road against a dangerous team that went to the Big Dance last season and returns one of the most prolific scoring tandems in the country in Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally. So much is made of how teams respond to adversity, but maturity can be shown in how they deal with being told how great they are as well. Does UNLV come out of the gates hungry? If not their stay in the rankings could be a short one.

As for the matchup between the Bluejays and Aztecs, this MVC/MWC challenge is an event that the Valley needs some redemption in after taking a serious beating on the chin last season. Greg McDermott's got one of the better frontcourts around led by sophomore Doug McDermott, and the perimeter play isn't bad either thanks to the likes of Antoine Young. But can they keep the energetic Aztecs off the offensive glass? That will be a big question to be answered, and the outcome will most likely hinge on it.

Pittsburgh and Duquesne meet at the Consol Energy Center in what should be an entertaining city battle, Drexel (the one Philadelphia school not in the Big 5) visits Saint Joseph's and it would not be a surprise if the Dragons were to win. But Bruiser Flint's team needs to become more consistent, something that's easier said than done without the services of Chris Fouch. Preseason Patriot League favorite Bucknell visits George Mason in another solid matchup, Florida State takes on Michigan State in East Lansing and Notre Dame visits Gonzaga in their first big game without Tim Abromaitis.

Top 25 Games
9:30 PM (7) Wisconsin at (5) North Carolina (ESPN)
8:00 PM Florida Atlantic at (14) Kansas (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (17) Pittsburgh vs. Duquesne* (CBSSN)
11:15 PM Notre Dame at (18) Gonzaga (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (20) UNLV at UC Santa Barbara
10:30 PM (22) Creighton at San Diego State (The Mtn.)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Delaware vs. Boston University*
7:00 PM Towson at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Dartmouth at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Lafayette at Princeton
7:00 PM Ohio at Marshall
7:00 PM NJIT at Army
7:00 PM Buffalo at Dayton
7:00 PM Furman at Elon
7:00 PM Bucknell at George Mason
7:00 PM Northeastern at La Salle
7:00 PM Navy at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:00 PM Elizabeth City at Norfolk State
7:00 PM Drexel at Saint Joseph's
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Toledo
7:00 PM Hope at Western Michigan
7:15 PM Penn State at Boston College (ESPNU)
7:15 PM Indiana at North Carolina State (ESPN2)
7:30 PM Florida State at Michigan State (ESPN)
7:30 PM Rhode Island at Brown
7:30 PM USF at VCU (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Richmond at William & Mary
8:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas
8:00 PM Colorado at Colorado State (The Mtn.)
8:00 PM Northern Iowa at Iowa State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Jamestown at North Dakota
8:00 PM Tulsa at Oklahoma State
8:00 PM Alcorn State at Texas A&M
8:00 PM Maine at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Southeastern Louisiana
8:00 PM Robert Morris (IL) at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Wiley at Stephen F. Austin
8:00 PM Lamar at TCU
8:00 PM Central Arkansas at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM Southern University at Tulane
8:05 PM UAB at South Alabama
8:05 PM Missouri State at Oral Roberts
8:05 PM Rice at Houston Baptist
8:05 PM Chicago State at Illinois State
8:30 PM Grambling State at Washington State
9:00 PM Drake at Boise State
9:00 PM Idaho State at New Mexico
9:00 PM BYU at Northern Arizona
9:00 PM Utah Valley at Wyoming
9:05 PM Denver at Utah State (ESPN3)
9:15 PM Virginia Tech at Minnesota (ESPN2)
9:15 PM Wake Forest at Nebraska (ESPNU)
10:00 PM Sacramento State at Cal Poly
10:00 PM UTSA at San Jose State
10:00 PM USC at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Academy of Art at Fresno State
10:05 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Cal State Northridge
11:05 PM Eastern Washington at Idaho

College Hoops Friday Recap: Bulldogs Win 2K Sports Classic

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:11:12 -0800

Just over a week ago there were many questions about the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the aftermath of their loss to defending MAC Tournament champion Akron, one that featured listless play from their big men and uneven play from their guards. But just as Rick Stansbury's team can be a bit maddening in one week they can be just as productive the next, which is what happened in New York this week. Led by 2K Sports Classic MVP Arnett Moultrie (19 points, 10 rebounds) the Bulldogs never trailed as they beat Arizona 67-57 in the championship game.

Defensively the Bulldogs performed well, limiting Arizona to 40.4% shooting from the field and finishing a plus-4 on the glass. Offensively it wasn't a pretty game for either team, with Jesse Perry (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Solomon Hill (12 points, nine rebounds) leading the way for the Wildcats, but when it came time for the "tough" plays to be made more times than not it was a Bulldog getting it done.

"This game was about effort and toughness," said Stansbury. "If you look at the stat sheet, you see who the tougher team was on that floor tonight. We hustled, played hard and made all of the effort plays you need to make to win a championship."

Point guard Dee Bost didn't have his best shooting performance as he made just three of twelve shots from the field, but he did dish out six assists and grab five rebounds to make up for the lack of scoring. Renardo Sidney, who still has a way to go from a stamina standpoint, scored eight points hand had his moments during his 20 minutes on the floor.

While Perry is a frontcourt player who can score inside as well as step out to 15 feet and beyond, Arizona doesn't have another interior scoring threat and that cost them against Mississippi State. Kyle Fogg and Jordin Mayes were quiet offensively and outside of a few flashes freshmen Nick Johnson and Josiah Turner didn't provide much more off the bench.

These games were good tests for both teams, but it can be argued that the Bulldogs needed the title a little more given their start to the season. The question now is whether or not Mississippi State can use the title as a springboard to bigger and better things. They have the potential to, but whether or not the job is done depends entirely on them.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Rough day for the CAA as both Drexel and VCU fall.
The Colonial Athletic Association has done a very good job in recent years of earning at-large bids, with league contenders getting the job done in non-conference play and then going on to stage a riveting league race. And while that may still happen, losses by Drexel and VCU on Friday won't help matters. VCU's loss to Georgia Tech, with Glen Rice Jr.'s second half shooting sparking a Yellow Jacket rally, isn't one that will boggle the mind. Shaka Smart's team is trying to adjust to new roles and that will be a work in progress.

But for Drexel to follow up their impressive performance at Rider with a loss in the Paradise Jam to Norfolk State isn't what was expected of Bruiser Flint's team. After being nearly unstoppable on Tuesday, Samme Givens scored just seven points and point guard Frantz Massenat finished with seven turnovers. As a result of these defeats VCU finds themselves needing a win on Sunday to avoid an 0-3 Charleston Classic and Drexel somewhat lucks out with a game against Virginia. Both teams will need to be better offensively if they're to be successful.

2. Houston scores 52 points in the second half and beats Arkansas in Little Rock.
This wasn't a true home game for Mike Anderson's Razorbacks, so that may have taken a little away from the vigor of the crowd. But to give up 52 points in a half has to be something that the Hogs' head coach will focus on in their next practice. Kirk Van Slyke scored 19 points off the bench to lead five Houston players in double figures in an 87-78 win over Arkansas on Friday night as James Dickey's team moved to 3-0 on the season.

Houston shot 52.5% from the field, and while their offensive efficiency (114.5) was lower than their season average (118.8) the Cougars were able to execute at a similar level against stiffer competition. However, Houston needs to improve on their ball security if they're to make a push in Conference USA as they turned the ball over 23 times. If Coach Dickey's team can shore things up in that regard, it may not take waiting for their very good 2012 recruiting class to arrive in order to have an impact.

3. Kendall Williams rebounds from a brutal performance to help lead New Mexico to a win at Arizona State.
After going a combined 0-for-13 from the field in the Lobos' loss to New Mexico State earlier this week usual starters Kendall Williams and Drew Gordon came off the bench on Friday. And both bounced back, with Williams scoing 16 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists while Gordon accounted for 13 points and nine rebounds in a 76-71 win at Arizona State.

Four Lobos finished in double figures, and the play of freshman guard Hugh Greenwood was also something to take note of. Greenwood made just two of ten shots from the field but he dished out five assists without a turnover, and the season wears on the Australian will most likely get the bulk of the minutes at the point. Steve Alford's team needed a positive result heading into next week's 76 Classic, and they got one.

Quick Hitters

1. Robbie Hummel will be the focal point for Purdue but senior point guard Lewis Jackson will be just as important. Jackson scored a game-high 26 points to go along with three assists in the Boilermakers' 85-77 win over Temple in a Puerto Rico Tipoff semifinal.

2. Virginia put forth a poor performance in their 57-55 loss to TCU at the Paradise Jam, with Joe Harris' game-winning three pointer falling just short as time expired. Not the best way for Tony Bennett's team to go about showing that they could be the fourth-best team in the ACC.

3. To say the least it's going to be a tough year for Boston College, but this was expected given their personnel losses combined with the need to rely on their young players. But to loss 86-64 to Holy Cross isn't the best way to go about that.

4. Gary Waters' defense was at it again as Cleveland State beat St. Bonaventure 67-64 due in large part to the 23 turnovers they forced. Trevon Harmon led three CSU starters in double figures with 20 points while D'Aundray Brown and Jeremy Montgomery scored 12 apiece.

5. Keith Dambrot's Akron team fell to Valparaiso 62-59 with Kevin Van Wijk scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds on the night, with the foul line proving to be the deciding factor. Valpo attempted 38 free throws to Akron's seven.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Scott Machado (Iona)
17 points and 15 assists in Iona's 94-88 win over Western Michigan in a consolation bracket game in the Puerto Rico Tipoff

2. G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
38 points (a tournament record), four rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Hawks' 78-70 loss to Seton Hall in a Charleston Classic semifinal.

3. G T.J. McConnell (Duquesne)
15 points, 11 assists and ten rebounds in the Dukes' 97-81 win over District of Columbia.

Who Will Win the 2011-12 Atlantic 10 Title?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:38:24 -0800

College Hoops Wednesday Thoughts: Bulldogs Fall, Aggies Roll

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:33:07 -0800

While much of the college sports world was captivated by the goings on in State College, PA, four college basketball games were being played. And one of the four teams expected to win fell at the hands of the defending MAC Tournament champs, but in hindsight it wasn't much of an "upset". Behind 19 points from Quincy Diggs the Zips beat Mississippi State 68-58 at The Hump. Simply put, Keith Dambrot's team outworked and outplayed the Bulldogs, who weren't as effective as they were on Monday night and it cost them.

"[Mississippi State] had a limited bench, and it really affected their juice level," said Dambrot. "I think we had a little more juice when it mattered. When the game got on the line and with their backup point guard being sick, they couldn't really go to their bench."

The Bulldogs were a little shorthanded on Wednesday night, but they turned the ball over 19 times and made just two of thirteen shots from beyond the arc. Dee Bost, who was outstanding in the second half of Monday's win over Eastern Kentucky, finished Wednesday's game with 13 points (2-9 FG) and four turnovers and was nowhere near as effective against Akron. Arnett Moultrie also struggled from the field, making just two of thirteen shots and scoring eight points, but he did manage to grab a game-high 15 rebounds.

And then there's Renardo Sidney, who's been quite the lightning rod throughout his time in Starkville. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds, but it is fair to question what kind of physical condition he's in. There were occasions last night where he wasn't involved in the offense and the lack of stamina was apparent, and Akron's Zeke Marshall proved to be more of a factor throughout the course of the game. Marshall played just 24 minutes before fouling out, but he contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five blocks while on the floor.

Was Akron fresher, having not played on Monday? That's a definite possibility, and something that Dambrot alluded to after the game, but that isn't the best reason for Mississippi State allowing themselves to be outworked. It's too soon to jump overboard on the Bulldogs, who have talent and will have plenty of chances throughout the season to put together an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume (it's just game two). But if anything last night's result should make people throughout the country aware the Akron will remain a player in the MAC.

Other Happenings

1. Texas A&M makes their debut and clamps down on Liberty.
Shortly before game time Texas A&M made it known that Glynn Cyprien would be acting head coach for the game against Liberty with head coach Billy Kennedy still recuperating after being diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. But what could have been a major distraction was anything but for the Aggies, who came out on fire defensively against a Liberty team that looked to be overmatched. Liberty made just four of twenty-four shots from the field in the first half (0-7 3PT) and trailed 37-14 at the break on their way to an 81-59 loss in College Station. Ray Turner led the Aggies with 20 points, and the game played out much easier than one would expect after noticing that Khris Middleton played just ten minutes. One other notable performer for the Aggies was guard Jamal Branch, who finished with six points and six assists (no turnovers) in 20 minutes of action. To say the least it was a solid debut for Texas A&M.

2. St. John's and Arizona withstand tough challenges at home.
The good news for St. John's came before tip last night as head coach Steve Lavin returned to the team following surgery for prostate cancer and his subsequent recovers, but once the game began the Red Storm found themselves in a battle. Lehigh knocked down their first five three-pointers and shot 53.6% from the field in taking a 43-33 lead into the half. C.J. McCollum scored 14 points in the half, and the Mountain Hawks did a good job of finding open gaps in the Red Storm matchup zone. But things changed after the break, albeit at a slower pace than most runs tend to happen. McCollum scored just three points in the second half and as a team Lehigh shot 32% from the field, as St. John's came back to win 78-73. God'sgift Achiuwa scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way while Maurice Harkless and Nurideen Lindsey added 15 apiece as St. John's rebounded to win.

Arizona has the same issues with youth, and while the Wildcats do have more returnees from last year's Elite 8 team than the Red Storm guys are having to adjust to new roles. That may explain the struggles of Solomon Hill through two games, and the point guard situation was something that Duquesne was able to take advantage of as the first half progressed despite a slow start. Eric Evans and Sean Johnson combined for 13 first-half points and the Dukes led 30-28 at the half, with Arizona not helping themselves with 11 turnovers. But Jordin Mayes played very well at the point in the second half, scoring 14 of his 19 points while Jesse Perry put the finishing touches on another double-double in the Wildcats' 67-59 win. Despite 20 turnovers Arizona was a plus-11 in rebounding margin and outscored Duquesne 19-9 in second half points, paving the way to their second win of the season. Both Arizona and St. John's are a work in progress right now, which should make next week's meeting an entertaining one.

3. UCF could be in serious trouble with the NCAA.
Things had been going well on the Orlando campus the last couple of seasons. George O'Leary's football program had won a Conference USA championship on the gridiron, Donnie Jones' arrival as basketball coach put some life into the basketball program and new facilities for both revenue sports put UCF on the radar of the Big East for a possible move. But after yesterday's happenings the program could be in some trouble with the NCAA. UCF received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding possible recruiting violations in football and men's basketball, and the fallout has already begun. AD Keith Tribble and wide receivers coach David Kelly have both stepped down and Jones has been suspended three games, and given the list of allegations that meeting with the Committee on Infractions won't be a fun one. You can read the allegations here (.PDF file), and given their nature, with the involvement of runners and agents, there could be some stiff penalties handed out.

Notable Performers

1. F God'sgift Achiuwa (St. John's)
21 points (6-6 FG, 9-9 FT) and eight rebounds in the Red Storm's 78-73 win over Lehigh.

2. F Ray Turner (Texas A&M)
20 points (9-11 FG) and six rebounds in the Aggies' 81-59 win over Liberty.

3. G Jordin Mayes and F Jesse Perry (Arizona)
Mayes scored 19 points while Perry posted his second double-double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the Wildcats' 67-59 win over Duquesne.

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:48:48 -0800

Tonight brings the second day of college basketball games that count with the four host teams in the 2K Sports Classic Benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer on the floor. Arizona, Mississippi State and St. John's all played games on Monday night, and tonight marks the beginning of the season for the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies are expected by many to contend in the Big 12, but things haven't gone as smoothly as anyone connected to the program would have hoped.

First-year head coach Billy Kennedy was diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which has him away from the team at this time. That's resulted in associate head coach Glynn Cyprien, who was at Memphis last season, taking over as acting head coach. To say the least, the situation becomes tougher to deal with when you're learning the system at essentially the same time as the players you have to teach it to. The good news for Texas A&M is that this is an experienced group, with three returning starters and four other returnees, led by wing Khris Middleton.

Middleton led the Aggies in scoring (14.4 ppg) and was second on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) in 2010-11, and the unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection is a big reason why the Aggies were co-favorites in the Big 12's preseason poll. The 6'7" junior is a versatile player who can provide offense in a variety of ways, and with forwards such as David Lobeau, Kourtney Roberson and Ray Turner also back the Aggies should be in good shape on the boards against Liberty tonight (8PM EST, Fox Sports Southwest).

The question for A&M with regards for their hopes this season rest in the backcourt. B.J. Holmes has graduated, and it's reasonable to expect key reserve Naji Hibbert or Washington transfer Elston Turner to start alongside senior Dash Harris. But Hibbert and Harris combined to average just 9.4 points per game last season, and neither shot at least 40% from the field (Hibbert shot 37.5% while Harris made just 26.8% of his shots). Turner has the ability to knock down shots, something the Aggies will need to call on as the stakes get bigger.

Texas A&M was most successful as a committee in 2010-11, as the whole proved more valuable than the sum of their parts. Could that change with Middleton's improvement? That's more than possible but in terms of the little things, such as rebounding (rebounding margin of plus-6.3 last year), it's once again going to have to be "all hands on deck". As for the Flames, they're beginning a season that they hope provides a better finish than last season, as they dropped their final five games and fell in the Big South quarters despite being the two-seed.

Losing Evan Gordon (transferred to Arizona State) hurts but in Jesse Sanders the Flames have a Big South Player of the Year candidate, and seniors David Minaya and John Brown were both double-digit scorers in 2010-11. Forward Antwan Burrus will be key in the paint, but the number of bodies that Texas A&M can throw at Liberty could be a concern.

7 PM Lehigh at St. John's (ESPN2)
The Red Storm were almost two different teams on Monday night against William & Mary, struggling offensively in the first half but then turning up the defense to pull away 74-59. Nurideen Lindsey was the sparkplug for the Red Storm while forwards Maurice Harkless and God'sgift Achiuwa scored combined to score 34 points and grab 17 rebounds. Tonight the Johnnies could have their hands full with Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum, who averaged 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season. Gabe Knutson also returns for the Mountain Hawks, who lost to Bucknell in the Patriot League title game in March.

7 PM Akron at Mississippi State (ESPNU)
Mississippi State also played better in the second half than the first in their season opener, with Dee Bost scoring 17 of his 23 points in the Bulldogs' win over Eastern Kentucky. There's also the addition of UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie, who posted a double-double in the opener and could very well be Rick Stansbury's most reliable big man. His most talented? Renardo Sidney, but while he's got All-SEC talent is the requisite motor there? That will be a big question for Mississippi State, and they could have their hands full with the defending MAC champs. Akron was one of the many teams that took an overseas trip this summer, and in Nikola Cvetinovic the Zips have one of the best players in the MAC. They did suffer a couple personnel losses, but Keith Dambrot's team could make some noise beginning with tonight.

9 PM Duquesne at Arizona (ESPN2)
Sean Miller's Wildcats opened the season with a victory on Monday night, rebounding from an uneven first half to beat Valparaiso 73-64. But questions remain, especially in the frontcourt in spite of the double-double posted by senior forward Jesse Perry. Freshman Angelo Chol was active on both ends of the floor and may be the best of their options at center for the time being, but Kyryl Natyazhko needs to improve. Solomon Hill will be looking to bounce back from Monday as well, and Arizona could have the edge inside with the Dukes losing Bill Clark and Damian Saunders from last season's team. But the Dukes are in good shape on the perimeter thanks to the return of B.J. Monteiro and T.J. McConnell, and head coach Ron Everhart will look to play fast and force some turnovers. This may be a game that turns out to be more interesting that some people think.

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:50:12 -0800

Friday offers up some big matchups but none may be bigger than Georgia and Alabama in the first game of the day at the SEC Tournament. Both can still use wins (to be honest, who can't?) with the winner today keeping alive the ability to state their case on the floor while the loser has to hope their resume is good enough to warrant an NCAA Tournament bid. And the scouting reports should be fresh as the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide met in Saturday's regular season finale, a 65-57 Alabama victory in Tuscaloosa. The difference: turnovers. Georgia finished with 16 to Alabama's eight, allowing the Crimson Tide to make up for their 39.3% shooting on the afternoon.

JaMychal Green (19 points, nine rebounds) and Tony Mitchell (13 and 11) were a collective handful for Georgia, who despite their size with Trey Thompkins and Jeremy Price had trouble with the athletic Mitchell. Add in guard Charvez Davis scoring 17 points for Alabama and Gerald Robinson Jr. making just two of his twelve shots from the field and it isn't too difficult to see what has to change for the Bulldogs today. Georgia holds the edge in many of the major offensive categories on paper, but that means nothing if their guards aren't effective.

Robinson Jr., Travis Leslie and Dustin Ware will all need to be at their best as defensively Anthony Grant's team allows opponents to shoot 37.9% from the field, forces nearly 16 turnovers per game and limits teams to an offensive efficiency of just 89.0. Who needs the game more from a resume standpoint? That's debatable, as the two teams have the same number of wins against Top 25 (1) and RPI Top 50 (3) teams. But the difference is what the two teams have done against teams they're supposed to beat. Georgia is 15-0 against teams with an RPI of 101 or worse while Alabama has three losses to teams below that line. The advice to both: leave no doubt.

That same message can be applied to Boston College and Clemson, who meet in the second game of the day at the ACC Tournament. The Tigers won their lone regular season meeting 77-69 in February 8th, with Reggie Jackson and Joe Trapani combining for 49 points but receiving little help from their teammates. Clemson by comparison finished with four players in double figures, shooting 52.9% from the field and limiting the Eagles to 9-for-30 from beyond the arc. Boston College has been the better offensive team from a numbers standpoint but players such as Jerai Grant and Demontez Stitt have helped the Tigers limit opponents to 39% shooting.

How efficient the Eagles are at finding good looks for Jackson and Trapani in addition to Corey Raji off the bench will determine the outcome, but it's possible both teams hear their names called on Sunday regardless of this result. Big games are on tap for Maryland (Duke) and Virginia Tech (Florida State) as well, with the Hokies in much better position to feel good about their tournament chances with a win than Maryland.

One more will be officially punched today with Lafayette, who knocked off two-seed American in the Patriot League semis, visiting regular season champ Bucknell. The Leopards lost both regular season meetings with the first being a 75-56 whipping at Sojka Pavilion, with Bucknell winning the battle on the boards (37-25) and shooting a far superior percentage on two-point shots (54.8% to Lafayette's 35.2%). And when a team breaks even in points from three in addition to the aforementioned numbers, the end result is usually a blowout.

That didn't happen in the rematch, a 74-69 Bucknell win on February 16th that saw the Leopards hold their own for 45 minutes. They'll need a similar performance from Jim Mower (19 points), and Jared Mintz and Ryan Willen have to shoot better from the field (combined 4-for-17) despite combining for 26 points if they're to win. In Darryl Shazier the Bisons have one of the best point guards in the Patriot League (5.7 apg). Player of the Year Mike Muscala will be a handful for Lafayette as well, but having already won two tournament games on the road Fran O'Hanlon's Leopards at least have a puncher's chance of winning the crown.

Also in important bubble matchups are a pair of quarterfinals in the Atlantic 10, with Duquesne likely needing to win the entire tournament to merit an NCAA bid and Richmond looking to avoid an early exit that would likely mean an NIT bid. But in seniors Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper the Spiders have two outstanding players capable of taking the team to Sunday's final. Illinois/Michigan is an important game in the Big Ten Tournament especially for the Wolverines, who could use one more solid victory to feel comfortable with their prospects. And in the evening session both Michigan State and Penn State look to pick up one more resume-building victory (the Nittany Lions need a run this weekend).

The Conference USA semis should also be fun with Memphis, Tulsa and UTEP all in play at this stage with the latter two playing each other. Doug Wojcik's Golden Hurricane have been overlooked by many but with Justin Hurtt leading the way it wouldn't be a major surprise if they were to win the title. New Mexico can revive their hopes with a third win over BYU and the same goes for USC out west as they take on Pac-10 regular season champion Arizona.

The Big East and Big 12 semifinal rounds should both be entertaining, with Notre Dame and Louisville looking to build off of impressive wins last night. And the early game matches Connecticut and Syracuse, who in their last Big East Championship meeting went six overtimes two years ago. In Kansas City the expectation is that Kansas and Texas advance to the title game, but in Colorado and Texas A&M there are two opponents who have played well of late.

The problem for the Aggies is that they don't match up well at all with the Longhorns, but the Buffaloes could knock off Kansas if the Jayhawks play as they did against Oklahoma State. Semifinals in the Big West, Great West, MAC, MEAC, SWAC and WAC are also on the slate for tonight.

10:00 PM Weber State at Saint Mary's

Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals (Atlantic City)
12:00 PM Dayton vs. Xavier
2:30 PM Saint Joseph's vs. Duquesne
6:30 PM La Salle vs. Temple
9:00 PM Rhode Island vs. Richmond

ACC Quarterfinals (Greensboro)
12:00 PM Miami (FL) vs. North Carolina (ESPN2)
2:30 PM Boston College vs. Clemson (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Maryland vs. Duke (ESPN2)
9:30 PM Virginia Tech vs. Florida State

Big 12 Semifinals (Kansas City)
7:00 PM Colorado vs. Kansas (ESPN3)
9:30 PM Texas A&M vs. Texas (ESPN3)

Big East Semifinals (New York City)
7:00 PM Connecticut vs. Syracuse (ESPN)
9:00 PM Louisville vs. Notre Dame (ESPN)

Big Ten Quarterfinals (Indianapolis)
12:00 PM Northwestern vs. Ohio State (ESPN)
2:00 PM Illinois vs. Michigan (ESPN)
6:30 PM Michigan State vs. Purdue (BTN)
8:55 PM Penn State vs. Wisconsin (BTN)

Big West Semifinals (Anaheim, CA)
9:30 PM UCSB vs. Long Beach State (ESPNU)
12:00 AM UC Riverside vs. Cal State Northridge

Conference USA Semifinals (El Paso)
4:00 PM UTEP vs. Tulsa (CBS College)
6:30 PM East Carolina vs. Memphis (CBS College)

Great West Semifinals (Orem, UT)
7:00 PM Houston Baptist vs. North Dakota
9:30 PM South Dakota vs. Utah Valley

MAC Semifinals (Cleveland)
7:00 PM Akron vs. Western Michigan (ESPN3)
9:30 PM Ball State vs. Kent State (ESPN3)

MEAC Semifinals (Winston-Salem, NC)
6:00 PM Norfolk State vs. Hampton
8:00 PM Morgan State vs. Bethune-Cookman

Mountain West Semifinals (Las Vegas)
9:00 PM New Mexico vs. BYU (CBS College)
11:30 PM UNLV vs. San Diego State (CBS College)

Pac-10 Semifinals (Los Angeles)
9:00 PM USC vs. Arizona (FSN)
11:30 PM Oregon vs. Washington (FSN)

Patriot Final (Lewisburg, PA)
4:45 PM Lafayette at Bucknell (ESPN2)

SEC Quarterfinals (Atlanta)
1:00 PM Georgia vs. Alabama (ESPN3)
3:30 PM Mississippi vs. Kentucky (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Tennessee vs. Florida (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State (ESPN3)

SWAC Semifinals (Garland, TX)
3:30 PM Grambling State vs. Jackson State
9:00 PM Alabama State vs. Texas Southern

WAC Semifinals (Las Vegas)
9:00 PM San Jose State vs. Utah State
12:00 AM New Mexico State vs. Boise State (ESPN2)