Gonzaga

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

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:42:05 -0500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday Recap: Cougars Bounce Back in Provo

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:45:36 -0500

A week after being outclassed at home by first-place Saint Mary's there was no ignoring the importance of BYU's game against Gonzaga, especially if the Cougars were to remain alive in the race for second place in the WCC. Dave Rose's team responded as good teams should, taking control of the game with an 11-4 run to close out the first half on their way to an 83-73 victory. The frontcourt matchup proved to be the difference as BYU's duo of Noah Hartsock and Brandon Davies outplayed Elias Harris and Robert Sacre, with Hartsock's 24 points and 14 rebounds leading the way.

Davies added 15 points and five rebounds for BYU, who picked up an important resume-building victory to move to 19-6 (7-3) on the season. Harris attempted just three shots for the Bulldogs, making one and finishing with seven points in 21 minutes of action, while Sacre scored 11 points and grabbed five boards. Sam Dower (15 points, five rebounds) and Marquise Carter (11 points) led the way off the bench for Gonzaga, who as a whole didn't not deal well with one of the toughest environments in college basketball.

"We were rattled, frazzled, played with no poise and no composure," remarked Gonzaga head coach Mark Few. "We have two freshmen guards out there. But they were only part of the problem. It was everybody - seniors, juniors. BYU came out and played us physical and got after us. Their posts attacked us very well - Hartsock and Davies."

Gonzaga did manage to score 49 points in the second half as they shot 51.4% from the field but that didn't matter much as BYU was able to find the shots they wanted on the other end (45 points, 54.5% FG). Two reasons for that were guards Matt Carlino (18 points, five assists) and Anson Winder (10 points, five assists). Winder made his first start of the year on Thursday night, replacing Brock Zylstra in the starting lineup as Rose hoped that Zylstra would provide a spark to the bench scoring. Safe to say that Winder provided a boost himself by reaching double figures for the first time since December 20th.

Entering the week ranked 48th in the NCAA's most recently released RPI, BYU was without a win over an RPI Top 50 opponent (0-4) going into Thursday night. To take care of that now is a good development for the Cougars, who wouldn't have another shot until their regular season finale in Spokane. But more importantly the win keeps BYU in the conversation for one of the two double-byes in the conference tournament, which leaves a team two games away from an automatic bid.

"That's a big win for our team and for our guys," said Rose. "Every player that went in the game tonight played with real urgency and a great effort. Our effort was extremely high the whole night and that was our focus going in."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Arizona makes big plays late to win at Cal, showing that they aren't done yet.
There were some who left the Arizona Wildcats for dead in the aftermath of Kevin Parrom's season-ending injury as he broke his right foot in the first half of their two-point loss to Washington (the Huskies are now in sole possession of first place). And the Wildcats did little to erase that doubt early in Berkeley as they trailed Cal by as many as 12 halfway through the first half. But Arizona stormed back, outscoring the Golden Bears 36-14 over the final 10:43 of the half and holding off Cal's many attempts to wrestle away control in the second half to win 78-74. Kyle Fogg came up big on a night that saw Solomon Hill struggle with foul trouble, scoring 23 points and blocking an Allen Crabbe three that would have tied the game in the final seconds.

Jesse Perry added 18 points and four rebounds but there was also a bit of a youth movement for the Wildcats as well. Nick Johnson, who also had a critical blocked shot in the final minute of play, scored 11 points and dished out a team-high five assists and Angelo Chol added eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in his best performance of the season with regards to both the stat line and his activity. Josiah Turner was solid as well despite four turnovers, and he's going to have more on his plate with Jordin Mayes going down with a foot injury that could sideline him for the remainder of the season. That would be another tough blow for Arizona to absorb, but if Thursday's effort showed anything it's that they won't be going down without a fight.

2. Murray State storms back in the second half to remain undefeated.
Second-place Southeast Missouri State is the biggest threat to Murray State's hope of winning the OVC's automatic bid, and the Redhawks showed why in the first half on Thursday night as they led by as many as 11 and took a 39-33 lead into the half. But that margin proved to be too close for comfort on the road as Isaiah Canaan and company got rolling in the final 20 minutes. Murray shot 22-for-28 from the foul line and out-rebounded SEMO 28-18 (14 offensive rebounds) on their way to the 81-73 win.

Canaan finished with 32 points, five rebounds and three assists and Ivan Aska was one of three other players to reach double figures with ten points and 11 rebounds, moving the Racers to 22-0 on the season. Marcus Brister led four Redhawks in double figures with 17 points and eight rebounds but it's tough to win anywhere, much less on the road, when allowing a team to not only whip you on the offensive glass but also attempt 28 free throws. They'll get another crack at Murray State on the 15th, allowing Dickey Nutt's team the opportunity to apply the lessons they've learned, but that's far easier said than done against Steve Prohm's talented squad.

3. St. Francis (NY) beats CCSU to move to 9-2 in the NEC.
One of the better (and more unheralded) coaching jobs has been done in Brooklyn, and while many will rush to point out what Jim Ferry has done at LIU Brooklyn (and rightfully so) he's not the only one getting it done in the borough. Glen Braica's St. Francis (NY) Terriers have been the surprise of the NEC this season, and the continued their run of success with a 73-67 win over Central Connecticut State to move to 9-2 in league play. Akeem Johnson and Travis Nichols scored 16 points apiece to lead the way for the Terriers, who won despite allowing the Blue Devils to grab 18 offensive rebounds.

The reason: balance. The CCSU trio of Ken Horton, Robbie Ptacek and Kyle Vinales combined to score 53 points but no other Blue Devil put up more than four while SFNY had four players reach double figures. Also SFNY took care of the basketball as they finished with just eight turnovers, a far cry from their season average of 16.7 per game. St. Francis (NY) doesn't have the star power of an LIU or a Wagner but they're every bit the threat to win the league, something they can take advantage of with two meetings with their borough rivals next week.

Quick Hitters

1. In recent years the matchup with Virginia Tech has given Duke trouble, but there was no such luck for the Hokies on Thursday as the Blue Devils won 75-60. Austin Rivers accounted for 18 points, five rebounds and five assists and Seth Curry and Ryan Kelley combined to score 26 points off the bench.

2. #11 Florida shot just 37.3% from the field against South Carolina but made up for it by making 23 of their 32 free throws in a 74-66 win. Kenny Boynton scored 24 points and Bradley Beal added his first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Quick turnaround for the Gators too as they host Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.

3. Nate Wolters scored 24 points and dished out nine assists to lead South Dakota State past Oral Roberts 75-60, handing the Golden Eagles their first Summit League loss of the season. Dominique Morrison struggled with foul trouble all night, scoring 12 points but attempting just eight shots before fouling out.

4. Josh Brown scored 21 points and grabbed ten rebounds and Elfrid Payton added 20 off the bench as Louisiana-Lafayette beat Denver 72-71 in overtime, a result that left the visitors none too pleased thanks to some dubious officiating late. Denver needs to bounce back quickly however as their host the Sun Belt's best team (Middle Tennessee, who beat North Texas) on Saturday afternoon.

5. Idaho State was the preseason pick to finish last in the Big Sky, but after the second game-winning shot from Kenny McGowen (30 points) in less than a week the Bengals are now tied for third with Montana State (who they beat 87-86). At the least ISU is doing themselves the favor of remaining above the fight for those final Big Sky tournament slots, something few expected to happen back in October.

6. Latif Rivers scored 28 points in leading Wagner past Robert Morris 80-69 to keep the Seahawks a game behind LIU Brooklyn in the NEC race. Wagner's tied for second with surprising SFNY, who plays LIU Brooklyn twice next week and the outcome could very well open things up atop the NEC standings.

7. Wes Miller's making it tough on the administration to look for someone other than he to lead the UNC Greensboro program on a permanent basis. The Spartans beat The Citadel 82-71 to move to 7-4 in SoCon play, remaining atop the North Division standings. Trevis Simpson scored 23 and grabbed seven rebounds and Aloysius Henry and Derrell Armstrong combined to score 27 points off the bench.

8. Thanks to some questionable decisions from Detroit early in the second half along with their own shooting Valparaiso moved to 9-3 in the Horizon League with a 78-73 win. Valpo shot 57.9% from the field and 15-for-20 from the foul line in the second half, and Ryan Broekhoff led three Crusaders in double figures with 26 points.

9. Marcos Knight scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Middle Tennessee to a 68-66 win at North Texas, moving the Blue Raiders to 10-0 in the Sun Belt. Alzee Williams scored 29 points to lead the Mean Green, who will be a team to keep an eye on in the conference tournament due to talented players such as Williams and Tony Mitchell. But Kermit Davis' team is clearly the class of the conference, and they're up four games in the loss column in the East Division with six to play.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Lamont "MoMo" Jones and G Scott Machado (Iona)
Jones set a Hynes Center record by scoring 43 points in the Gaels' 105-86 win over Canisius while Machado dished out 14 assists with just two turnovers (14 points as well).

2. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
The nation's leading scorer put up 40 points and five assists in the Wildcats' 92-79 win over Portland State.

3. G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech) and C John Fraley (Austin Peay)
These were two of the stars in the matchup between the Golden Eagles and the Governors, which Tennessee Tech won 94-88. Murphy, who scored 50 points in a game earlier this week, paced Tennessee Tech with 33 points and seven rebounds while Fraley scored 31 and grabbed 17 rebounds in a losing effort. Can't forget Tennessee Tech's Jud Dillard either as he scored 29 and grabbed nine boards.

BYU vs. Gonzaga: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:13:21 -0500

While they're likely a long shot to get back into contention for the WCC regular season title, Dave Rose's BYU (18-6, 6-3) need to make sure they at the very least finish no worse than fourth in the conference. With the setup for the WCC Tournament being what it is the top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals while the third and fourth seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals.

Thursday night presents the challenge of dealing with the program that's set the standard in the WCC for more than a decade. Gonzaga (17-3, 7-1) needs a win to make sure they at least remain a game behind Saint Mary's in the loss column to ensure that their meeting with the Gaels on February 9th truly means something in the standings.

Mark Few has led the Gonzaga program to eleven straight WCC regular season titles, and despite their current place in the standings this is the matchup that many looked forward two when it was announced that BYU would be joining the league. BYU will need solid guard play if they're to defend the Marriott Center, and that's been an issue of late.

UCLA transfer Matt Carlino (12.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) is third on the team in scoring but shot selection has been an issue at times, and he shooting just 25.0% from the field over the last four games. Craig Cusick and Anson Winder will also see time on the perimeter as both have the ability to run the show, but they aren't the offensive threats that Carlino can be when on.

Gonzaga counters with a first-year player of their own in Canadian Kevin Pangos (13.3 ppg, 3.6 apg), who leads the Bulldogs in minutes and assists while also ranking second in scoring. But while he shoots 42.5% from the field on the season Pangos has made 33.3% of his shots over the last four games, and even more importantly he's turned the ball over four times in three of those contests. The Bulldogs have won four straight anyway, and their depth on the perimeter has been a reason why.

In addition to Pangos Gonzaga can call on classmate Gary Bell Jr., sophomore David Stockton and senior Marquise Carter, who all bring something different to the table. Bell, who is averaging 9.9 points per game, has been one of Gonzaga's best perimeter defenders for much of the season. Stockton, whose father was a pretty good point guard for the Utah Jazz, averages just 4.7 points per game but is second on the team in assist-to-turnover margin while Carter is third on the team in assists.

The matchups inside are the ones that will garner the most attention and rightfully so, as both teams call on interior tandems for scoring. BYU brings Brandon Davies (14.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Noah Hartsock (17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) to the table, and Gonzaga will counter with Elias Harris (13.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Robert Sacre (11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). BYU also has a wing in senior Charles Abouo who has a pro build and can score either inside or on the perimeter. Michael Hart and Guy Landry Edi aren't called on to score much but they'll need to perform well defensively and keep Abouo in check.

Gonzaga also has a reserve in Sam Dower who is averaging nearly nine points per game off the bench. Gonzaga's big men are a big reason why the Bulldogs rebound 35.9% of their missed shots, but with BYU limiting opponents to an offensive rebound percentage of 25.5% this is one area to keep an eye on. BYU averages five more possessions per game and has the better efficiency margin, and if they can do this against Gonzaga the Cougars will have a good shot of handing the Bulldogs their second league loss of the season.

In the ACC, Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech squad looks to breathe some life into NCAA tournament hopes that are practically gone at this point with a win over #5 Duke. Erick Green's been banged up in recent weeks and Dorenzo Hudson hasn't been the most consistent player for the Hokies, but playing Duke in Blacksburg tends to fire up both the players and fans at Cassell Coliseum.

Duke didn't play particularly well in the second half of their win over St. John's, so expect a spirited effort from the Blue Devils. Mason Plumlee has played very well inside, and that could continue on Thursday night. Duke needs consistent play from their guards to both win the ACC and possibly win a national title, objectives that are still on the table at this point.

Undefeated #9 Murray State hosts Southeast Missouri State in a matchup of the top two teams in the OVC, with the Redhawks two games up on the pack for second place. Isaiah Canaan and Donte Poole have been one of the country's best perimeter tandems and the return of Ivan Aska was an important development for the Racers. Also of note are matchups in the NEC (Robert Morris visits Wagner), Pac-12 (Arizona looks to rebound from losing Kevin Parrom for the season in Berkeley against California) and WAC (Utah State visits Nevada with the hope of avenging their loss in Logan last month).

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (5) Duke at Virginia Tech (ESPN)
8:00 PM Southeast Missouri State at (9) Murray State (ESPNU)
9:00 PM South Carolina at (11) Florida (ESPN2)
10:00 PM San Diego at (16) Saint Mary's

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Nebraska at Northwestern (ESPN2)
7:00 PM St. Francis (PA) at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM James Madison at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Canisius at Iona (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Samford at Appalachian State
7:00 PM Wright State at Butler
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at Campbell
7:00 PM Charleston at Elon
7:00 PM Presbyterian at High Point (MASN)
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Liberty
7:00 PM Bryant at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Southern Virginia at Longwood
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Monmouth
7:00 PM Citadel at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Winthrop at Radford
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at VMI
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Wagner (MSG)
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Western Carolina (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Detroit at Valparaiso (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Youngstown State at Illinois-Chicago
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at North Texas
8:00 PM Utah Valley at Texas-Pan American
8:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay
8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Marist at Manhattan
8:00 PM Southern Utah at North Dakota State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Morehead State at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Oral Roberts at South Dakota State
8:00 PM Jacksonville State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM IPFW at Western Illinois
8:05 PM Florida Atlantic at South Alabama
8:05 PM Denver at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM North Dakota at Houston Baptist
8:30 PM Florida International at Troy
8:35 PM Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona (FCS)
9:00 PM Oregon State at Colorado
9:00 PM Idaho State at Montana State
9:00 PM Oregon at Utah
9:00 PM UCLA at Washington (ESPN)
9:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Portland State at Weber State
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM Arizona State at Stanford
10:00 PM Idaho at Fresno State
10:00 PM Portland at Santa Clara (ESPNU)
10:05 PM USC at Washington State
10:05 PM Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton
10:05 PM Utah State at Nevada
10:05 PM UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Northridge
10:30 PM UC Davis at UC Irvine
10:30 PM Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount (FSN PT)
11:00 PM Arizona at California (FSN)
11:00 PM Pacific at UC Riverside
11:00 PM Gonzaga at BYU (ESPN2)

AP Top 25 Commentary: Saint Mary's Replaces Gonzaga

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:31:15 -0500

AP Top 25 Commentary: Syracuse remained #1 yet again after double-digit wins over Villanova and Providence. The Orange have only beaten two ranked teams (both at home), Florida, who fell to 17th this week, and Marquette.

Gonzaga was replaced in the poll by Saint Mary's, who gave the Bulldogs a beatdown in Moraga. With 64 votes, Gonzaga is still in the mix to reenter the poll with a couple solid weeks. The other team exiting the poll was Seton Hall, who blew a late lead on the road to South Florida.

North Carolina fell to 8th after getting crushed on the road at Florida St. The loss was so bad that one lone voter placed FSU in the Top 25 despite having 6 losses. For topping Michigan St, Northwestern also received a vote, and the rogue Wagner fan continued to support the Seahawks.

Louisville, who fell to 41st in the RPI after getting crushed by Providence earlier in the week, somehow hung onto the 23rd spot.

Rank Team Record Points

1 Syracuse (60)   19-0 1,619
2 Kentucky (4)   17-1 1,558
3 Baylor (1)   17-0 1,503
4 Duke   15-2 1,380
5 Missouri   16-1 1,335
6 Ohio State   16-3 1,312
7 Kansas   14-3 1,218
8 North Carolina   15-3 1,172
9 Michigan State   15-3 1,119
10 Georgetown   14-3 884
11 Indiana   15-3 858
12 Murray State   18-0 825
13 Connecticut   14-3 807
14 UNLV   16-3 651
15 Virginia   14-2 649
16 San Diego State   15-2 621
17 Florida   14-4 596
18 Mississippi State   15-3 590
19 Creighton   16-2 471
20 Michigan   14-4 461
21 Marquette   14-4 278
22 Illinois   15-3 257
23 Louisville   14-4 208
24 Saint Mary's   17-2 167
25 Kansas State   12-4 102

Others receiving votes:

Vanderbilt 101, Wisconsin 90, Seton Hall 79, Gonzaga 64, New Mexico 61, Harvard 22, Cincinnati 17, Stanford 16, West Virginia 16, Alabama 10, Wichita State 3, Iona 2, Florida State 1, Northwestern 1, Wagner 1

Dropped from rankings:

Gonzaga 21, Seton Hall 24

Thursday Recap: Virginia Falls Short at Duke

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:04:00 -0500

Thursday was a big night for the Virginia Cavaliers as they were looking for their first win at Duke since 1995, and a victory over the sixth-ranked Blue Devils would raise their ceiling even higher.

Despite shooting 0-for-11 from three in the second half Tony Bennett's team still had two chances to send the game into overtime, but neither fell and the Blue Devils hung on to win 61-58. On a night that Duke shot 5-for-20 from three against the ACC's best when it comes to defending the bonus shot the Blue Devils needed a group effort to move their home win streak to 44 games.

Mason Plumlee scored 12 points to lead four players in double figures, and he could have scored more if not for a 2-for-10 outing at the foul line. Duke finished the game with a field goal percentage of 52.2%, as making 73.0% of their two-point attempts made up for the poor perimeter shooting. With their outside shots not falling Duke needed to clamp down on defense, and they did just that as two Virginia starters (Jontel Evans and Sammy Zeglinski) failed to score a single point.

"I also thought it was by far the best defensive game that Andre Dawkins has ever played," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski of his junior guard's defensive contribution. "Everyone talks about his shooting, but he really played well defensively. And we did a good job against Zeglinski and Harris...we were able to at least limit Harris and we were fortunate we shut down Zeglinski."

The one player Duke didn't have an answer for was forward Mike Scott, who scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a losing effort. Virginia had the pace they preferred, playing a 59-possession game on the road against an opponent that averages 70 possessions/game, and they did a good job of limiting the open looks for Duke's prolific shooters.

That's definitely something the Cavaliers can build on in the days leading up to their game at Georgia Tech next Thursday. Coach Bennett and his team certainly shouldn't be in the business of claiming moral victories but if anything Virginia showed that, in addition to their own growth as a program, there's a sizeable gap between the top three and the rest of the ACC.

"Tonight, it could have been the same situation, and I thought they got a little tougher and stingier defensively," said Bennett when asked to compare this season's meeting to last year's (76-60 Duke win). "That got us back on track. Then we made some baskets. That is why we at least had some chances at the end to send it into overtime."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Wisconsin jumps out to a big lead and picks up a much-needed win at Purdue.
Slow starts had been a problem in recent games for Bo Ryan's team leading up to their game in West Lafayette, and with a 1-3 record in Big Ten play Wisconsin needed to figure out a solution. Instead of the usual methodical pace the Badgers found (and made) quick looks from beyond the arc in their swing offense to take control of the game, scoring 22 of the first 26 points before holding on in the second half to win 67-62. Five players reached double figures for the Badgers but the biggest surprise had to be senior Mike Bruesewitz, a glue guy who knocked down all four of this three-point attempts and scored 12 points.

Terone Johnson led Purdue with 16 points off the bench and Robbie Hummel added 13, but with Lewis Jackson not 100% physically and other options struggling from the field the Boilermakers didn't have enough to overcome the hole they dug for themselves early. As a team Purdue made just 35.1% of their two-point shots, a far cry from their mark for the season (49.4%), and that's a testament to Wisconsin's defense and not just Purdue's inability to make shots. In order to get back on track Wisconsin looked for scoring opportunities earlier in their sets to start the game, and that proved to be the difference.

"We gave them respect and talked about not giving them 'rhythm shots' and I think they got too many 'rhythm shots' and got their head up early," remarked Purdue head coach Matt Painter after the game.

2. Saint Mary's whips Gonzaga to go 2-0 against the other WCC contenders at home.
Saint Mary's early WCC schedule can be summed up by using the title of Jay-Z's "Blueprint 2" album. "The Gift" was getting to host both BYU and Gonzaga early in league play. The key for Randy Bennett's team is to make sure that having to play both teams on the road in the second half of the season season doesn't turn out to be "The Curse". The Gaels controlled the Bulldogs in the second half on Thursday night, pushing their lead out to as many as 24 after leading 37-32 just over a minute into the half. Saint Mary's won 83-62 despite forward Rob Jones not scoring until 1:39 remaining in the game, but he made up for the lack of scoring by grabbing 11 rebounds and racking up eight assists.

A big reason why Saint Mary's was able to pull away in spite of Jones' lack of scoring was the play of forward Brad Waldow, who posted his first career double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds. And with Gonzaga's Robert Sacre making just one of seven shots and scoring four points, the visitors from Spokane couldn't take advantage. Matthew Dellavedova, who like Seton Hall's Jordan Theodore continues to make the Cousy Award selection committee look siily for leaving him off the finalists list, scored a game-high 26 points and dished out six assists while Stephen Holt added 15 and six assists. But essentially the Gaels held serve in the three-team race for the WCC crown with the two home wins. Whether or not Saint Mary's can take this show on the road will determine whether or not they end up on top at the end of the season.

3. Drexel ends George Mason's 18-game regular season conference win streak.
After wins over Old Dominion and Georgia State, Paul Hewitt's Patriots entered Thursday's matchup with Drexel full of confidence and rightfully so as George Mason had won 18 straight regular season CAA games. But thanks in large part to a freshman who had made five of his last fifteen field goals, the Dragons snapped Mason's streak and forced a three-way tie for first place in the CAA. Damion Lee made eight of his fourteen shots and scored a game-high 21 points (16 in the second half), picking up the slack for Drexel as fellow starters Frantz Massenat (4-18 FG, 12 points) and Derrick Thomas (2-9 FG, eight points) struggled from the field.

What also helped Drexel was their effort on the defensive end, as they harassed Ryan Pearson and Vertail Vaughns into a combined 2-for-16 night from the field. What also didn't help George Mason were their turnovers, more specifically Drexel's ability to take advantage of the Patriots' miscues. George Mason turned the ball over just ten times (Drexel finished with nine turnovers), but the Dragons scored 16 points off of those turnovers compared to six for the visitors. Drexel also won the battle on the boards (41-30), grabbing 18 offensive rebounds and while they didn't cash those in at a great clip (11 second-chance points) those extra shots can make the difference when shooting just 36.2%. Lee's second half will stick out however and rightfully so, as his outburst not only tightened things up at the top of the CAA but kept Drexel in the discussion.

Quick Hitters

1. Virginia wasn't the only team to show well on the road in defeat. Colorado did the same, and their 57-50 loss at California was closer than the final margin would indicate. Tad Boyle's team leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense, and Carlon Brown has done a much better job of picking his spots over the last month. And in forward Andre Roberson, who leads the conference in rebounding and accounted for 11 points and 14 rebounds on Thursday, Colorado's got one of the nation's most underrated players.

2. Minnesota picked up their first Big Ten win of the season at Indiana of all places, beating the Hoosiers 77-74. Austin Hollins led the Golden Gophers with 18 points, and they did just enough late to hold off an Indiana team that refused to quit. Indiana's problem: they made just four of eighteen shots from three on the night, a far cry from their percentage for the season (45.9%).

3. Saturday's showdown in the Big Sky will feature teams undefeated in league play as Montana (4-0) and Weber State (5-0) took care of business against Northern Arizona and Montana State respectively. Scott Bamforth scored 20 points in Weber State's 63-49 win over Montana State while Kareem Jamar led three Montana starters in double figures with 15 points (and seven rebounds) in the Grizzlies' 78-53 win at NAU.

4. It was a struggle but Oral Roberts found a way to remain undefeated in Summit League play, moving to 7-0 with a 71-70 double overtime win at Western Illinois. Dominique Morrison played all 50 minutes and scored a game-high 27 points and Steven Roundtree added 12 off the bench for the Golden Eagles.

5. UNC Asheville came back from a 12-point halftime deficit at Campbell to beat the Camels 89-82 and move to 6-0 in the Big South. Jeremy Atkinson was the catalyst as he scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half. Matt Dickey chipped in with 19 points and ten rebounds, J.P. Primm scored 18 and sixth man Jaron Lane added 13 off the bench.

6. The comeback of the day, and possibly of the season to date, happened in New Rochelle as Manhattan stormed back from 17 down with less than eight minutes remaining to beat rival Iona 75-72. Emmy Andujar's turnaround three as time expired was the difference, but don't discount the effort of Rhamel Brown (17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks) either. Steve Masiello's surprising Jaspers are now just a game out of first place in the MAAC, and this result also makes Friday's game between Loyola (MD) and Fairfield even more important.

7. Quinnipiac picked up a much-needed win as they beat Robert Morris in Moon Township 78-76 to move to 2-3 in the NEC. With just the top eight teams qualifying for the conference tournament Tom Moore's team needed a win, and thanks to 22 points from James Johnson and 18 from Dave Johnson (no relation) the mission was accomplished.

8. Yes things got heated during overtime in Arizona's 91-83 win over Oregon State, with OSU's Joe Burton and Arizona's Kyryl Natyazhko being ejected for leaving their respective bench areas. But no punches were thrown during an interaction that featured more jawing than anything else thanks to quick-acting coaches and officials. Instead the focus should be on the fact that Craig Robinson's team dropped to 1-4 in conference play, and anything less than a split of the weekend (they visit Arizona State on Saturday) would be the end of the Beavers' title hopes despite the wide-open nature of the conference.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
Long Beach State has sole possession of first place in the Big West and Martin's a big reason why. Martin scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Highlanders' 79-70 overtime win over UCSB.

2. C Vander Joaquim (Hawaii)
23 points (9-11 FG), 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Warriors' 74-68 overtime win at Fresno State.

3. C John Fraley (Austin Peay)
25 points (10-12 FG) and 12 rebounds in the Governors' 80-65 win over Eastern Kentucky.

#6 Duke vs. #17 Virginia: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:08:39 -0500

The ACC has been assumed by many to be a conference that goes three-deep at the top with an unpredictable group beneath. But how close is the third team, #16 Virginia (14-1, 1-0), to the generally accepted top two of North Carolina and #8 Duke (13-2, 1-0)? That question will be answered tonight as the Cavaliers look for their first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995, and they've also lost the last seven games in the series. But armed with arguably the ACC's most versatile player in Mike Scott and their tough pack-line defense, the Cavaliers are capable of doing so.

Scott (16.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) has a vast array of skills on the offensive end of the floor, shooting 59.5% from the field and a respectable 37.5% from three. His ability to score either inside or out makes him a tough matchup for many front court players, but there's also Joe Harris to take into consideration. Harris (12.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) leads the team in minutes and also shoots well from the field, making nearly 46% of his field goal attempts. It will also be interesting to see who Harris matches up with defensively as Duke goes with a three-guard lineup.

Duke possesses an impressive amount of depth on the perimeter, with Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and Tyler Thornton being the starters. Rivers (14.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg) leads the team in scoring, and he's become more comfortable with experience. Thornton's insertion into the lineup was done in hopes of improving Duke's perimeter defense, which can be exploited by teams with the ability to break guys down off the dribble. Temple was able to get that done last week, but it may not be as easy for Virginia to do the same.

Point guard Jontel Evans (6.0 ppg, 3.5 apg) will be critical in this regard, as his job is to find the likes of Harris and Scott for quality looks. Senior guard Sammy Zeglinski (9.9 ppg, 2.7 apg) has dealt with injuries for much of his time in Charlottesville but when healthy he's one of the better shooters on the team. And freshman Malcolm Brogdon has been a solid addition to the rotation, and his role as sixth man has become more important due to the mid-year transfer of K.T. Harrell.

Duke has the Plumlee brothers, Mason and Miles, in addition to Ryan Kelly to rely on inside, with the Plumlees providing the muscle while Kelly is more of a face-up "4" who is more comfortable on the perimeter than inside. Mason's averaging 11.7 points and a team-best 9.8 rebounds while also blocking nearly two shots per contest. Miles has worked out better as a reserve in his senior campaign, and this group could prove problematic for Assane Sene and company.

But Virginia is one of the best rebounding teams in the ACC, boasting a margin of plus-8.9. A big difference between the two teams is tempo, with Duke averaging nine more possessions per game. Far more likely to get out and run, the Blue Devils will look to speed things up and if they're knocking down three-pointers early things could get away from the Cavaliers.

However, Virginia has the best three-point percentage defense in the ACC, allowing teams to shoot just 27.7% so that will be an area to watch with Duke shooting 41.7% from distance. Virginia can make quite the statement in Durham tonight, and for the first time in years they've got the ability to take advantage of the opportunity.

Out west, Gonzaga visits Saint Mary's in a matchup of the top two teams in the WCC. The Gaels, who have already beaten BYU in Moraga, have an outstanding point guard in Matthew Dellavedova and forward Rob Jones has been outstanding this season as well. Kevin Pangos hit the ground running for Gonzaga, and he's continued to improve and has to be the early favorite for WCC Rookie of the Year. Up front the Bulldogs can call on Elias Harris, Robert Sacre and Sam Dower, so it will be interesting to see who steps up to help out Jones inside for SMC.

In the Big Ten, Wisconsin visits Purdue in a game both teams need albeit for far different reasons. The Boilermakers are currently 3-1 in conference play and a win over the Badgers would keep them in the thick of the Big Ten race. Wisconsin on the other hand is 1-3, and a loss in West Lafayette would do some serious damage to their hopes of at least getting back into the top half of the Big Ten standings. Wisconsin will need more from Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren if they're to do so, and that goes for the remainder of the season as well.

There's also a big game in the CAA as Drexel, who beat VCU on Sunday night, hosts first-place George Mason. The Mason point guard play has improved in recent games but they're going to encounter a serious test in dealing with Drexel's Frantz Massenat. Massenat was outstanding against VCU, scoring 24 points in the 64-58 win.

Look for this battle, which also features the likes of Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson for Mason and Samme Givens for Drexel, to be a rugged contest with the winning team likely being the one that better navigates foul difficulties. And Colorado visits California and Oregon State is in Tucson to take on Arizona in Pac-12 play, with the Buffaloes currently leading the conference with a 3-0 league mark.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (17) Virginia at (6) Duke (ESPN)
8:00 PM Minnesota at (8) Indiana (BTN)
8:00 PM Jacksonville State at (14) Murray State
9:00 PM Tennessee at (20) Mississippi State (ESPN2)
11:00 PM (23) Gonzaga at Saint Mary's(ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
6:00 PM James Madison at VCU (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Southern Utah at IUPUI
7:00 PM Clemson at Boston College (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Wofford at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Binghamton at Vermont
7:00 PM Samford at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Manhattan at Iona
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Furman at Appalachian State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at Campbell
7:00 PM Western Carolina at Davidson
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Georgia State
7:00 PM Winthrop at High Point
7:00 PM Radford at Liberty (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Idaho at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Wisconsin at Purdue (ESPN)
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Rider at Siena (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Monmouth at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Bryant at Wagner
7:05 PM Elon at Citadel
7:30 PM Presbyterian at Charleston Southern
8:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Western Kentucky at North Texas
8:00 PM Wright State at Milwaukee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Austin Peay
8:00 PM George Mason at Drexel (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Florida International
8:00 PM UMKC at North Dakota State
8:00 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM South Dakota at South Dakota State
8:00 PM Oral Roberts at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Detroit at Green Bay
8:05 PM South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM Crowley's Ridge College at Houston Baptist
8:30 PM Oregon State at Arizona (FSN)
8:35 PM Montana at Northern Arizona
9:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Louisiana-Monroe
9:00 PM Montana State at Weber State
9:05 PM Utah State at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Portland State at Northern Colorado
9:30 PM Valley City State at North Dakota
10:00 PM Utah at Stanford
10:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Hawaii at Fresno State
10:00 PM Cal Poly at UC Irvine
10:00 PM San Jose State at Nevada
10:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Pepperdine (ESPNU)
10:00 PM Portland at San Francisco
10:00 PM San Diego at Santa Clara
10:05 PM Eastern Washington at Sacramento State
10:05 PM UC Davis at Long Beach State
10:05 PM Pacific at Cal State Northridge
10:30 PM Oregon at Arizona State (FSN)
11:00 PM Colorado at California (CSN CA)

St. Mary's vs Gonzaga: Prediction & Fan Poll

Greg Mengelt — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:48:05 -0500

NO. 23 GONZAGA (13-2, 3-0 WCC) AT SAINT MARY’S (15-2, 4-0 WCC)

Time/TV: 11 p.m./ESPN2

Location: McKeon Arena

RPI Ratings: Gonzaga 8 (No. 1 WCC); Saint Mary’s 30 (No. 2 WCC).

Line: Saint Mary’s -3

Gonzaga Players to Watch: C Robert Sacre, 7-0 Sr. (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 48.5% FG); PF Elias Harris, 6-7 Jr. (12.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 48.5% 3s); SG Gary Bell Jr., 6-1 Fr. (9.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 40.7% 3s). Although Kevin Pangos is getting the most attention among Bulldog freshmen, Bell is having a standout initial campaign, as well. He scored 15 points in each of his last two games, victories over Pepperdine and Santa Clara.

Saint Mary’s Players to Watch: PG Matthew Dellavedova, 6-4 Jr. (15.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 3.2 rpg); PF Rob Jones, 6-6 Sr. (15.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 47.8% FG); SG Stephen Holt, 6-4 So. (9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg). Holt nearly had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the Gaels’ 87-72 win over San Francisco on Monday.

Storylines: As has been the case the past half-decade, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s are on top of the West Coast Conference standings. It’s likely the league title will come down to their head-to-head matchups.

Keys to Victory: Jones will have his hands full against the bigger, stronger Bulldog front line, but he’s capable of holding his own. The backcourt matchup should be interesting. The Bulldogs and Gaels feature the most talented and deepest guards in the WCC, but Saint Mary’s has a significant experience advantage. The game could be won at the 3-point line. Saint Mary’s shoots effectively behind the 3-point line (36.8 percent) and Gonzaga defends the perimeter well, holding opponents to 32 percent behind the arc. On the other side, the Bulldogs shoot 39.1 percent from deep and Saint Mary’s has allowed 86 3s this year.

The Bottom Line: Gonzaga is probably the bigger, stronger, better team, but the Gaels rarely lose at McKeon Arena, where they’re 11-0 this year. That advantage will be the difference.

The Pick: Saint Mary’s 79, Gonzaga 74.

Saturday Recap: Kidd-Gilchrist Leads Kentucky Past Louisville

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:36:51 -0500

The game between Top 5 teams and in-state rivals Louisville and Kentucky was expected to be a high-intensity affair played at a good pace. Well thanks to the "third team" we got the intensity but not the pace, but by the end of the afternoon at Rupp Arena it was clear that Kentucky's 69-62 victory would be long remembered for the play of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kidd-Gilchrist, who has emerged as the leader of John Calipari's talented squad, stole the show with 24 point and 19 rebounds in leading Kentucky to their 44th straight home victory.

Just over a week ago Kidd-Gilchrist's mother was in the hospital with an unspecified illness, and on Saturday he put forth an outstanding performance with her in attendance. Kentucky has needed a leader to step up within the team and the freshman from Somerdale, New Jersey has been that man in their 13-1 start. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with Kentucky making just 29.8% of their shots and Louisville not much better at 32.3%. It was a game that had to be won with heart, and that was the difference for the Wildcats despite a valiant 30-point performance from Russ Smith.

"It was a grittiness," said Calipari. "Of all the foul trouble in the first half, the foul trouble really throughout the game and playing guys, I even went with Twany, who I barely played, I thought Kyle Wiltjer was not afraid to play, went out there and did some good stuff. With bad lineups, no point guard, we figured out how to win."

A big problem for Louisville was the play of their starting backcourt, with Peyton Siva and Chris Smith combining for just 15 points on 4-for-23 shooting from the field. Louisville's had issues scoring in the half-court for much of the season, making their points off of turnovers that much more important. The Cardinals could muster just 15 points off of 21 Kentucky turnovers while the Wildcats scored 19 off of 14 Louisville miscues. And when adding to that deficits of 57-31 in rebounds and 20-6 in second-chance points it's not too difficult to see where this game was won (or lost).

The battle of the big men went to Anthony Davis, who posted a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) to go with six blocks while Gorgui Dieng finished with five points, five rebounds and six blocks. Obviously Louisville isn't going to run into many teams with the skill level of Kentucky (Syracuse and Connecticut being the exceptions right now), but the half-court offense issue is something that could short-circuit the season for Rick Pitino's team much earlier than expected once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. As for Kentucky while there's plenty to improve upon as they enter SEC play the Wildcats have a special player in Kidd-Gilchrist, one who has impressed with both his skills and leadership abilities. That could take this team a long way.

"He wasn't bothered as much as some of the other players by the physical play," remarked Calipari. "He almost relished it and just went after it, and that's why he played the way he did."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Iowa takes advantage of Wisconsin's three-point shooting to win in Madison.
Going into Saturday's game the Badgers were 78-6 at the Kohl Center under Bo Ryan, so it's understandable if few people gave Fran McCaffery's team much of a chance to win. But the guys in that locker room believed and Aaron White scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Hawkeyes to the 72-65 win. The biggest culprit for the Badgers: three-point shooting. On the season Wisconsin scores 35.8% of their points from beyond the arc, a number that ranks third in the Big Ten behind Northwestern and Michigan. Saturday, Wisconsin shot a miserable 3-for-28 from beyond the arc compared to Iowa's 2-for-6 afternoon. That's the opening that the Hawkeyes needed to pull off the upset, and thanks to reserves White and Bryce Cartwright (17 points, five assists) they were able to capitalize.

2. Creighton bounces back from their loss to Missouri State and wins at Wichita State.
After dropping their MVC opener at home earlier this week, Greg McDermott's Bluejays needed to bounce back at Wichita State to avoid an 0-2 start. Antoine Young led four starters in double figures with 19 points while guard Grant Gibbs may have had the largest impact with his 11 points, six assists and four rebounds in the 68-61 win in Wichita to move both teams to 1-1 in the MVC. The idea of plus/minus in basketball can be a tricky one as there are many variables to consider, but Gibbs finished the night with a plus/minus of +25 and he made many sound decisions throughout his 26 minutes on the floor. Carl Hall was outstanding for the Shockers with 17 points and 13 rebounds but it wasn't enough to knock off the Bluejays. A loss wouldn't have eliminated Creighton from the Missouri Valley race by any means, but it was clear that they needed this road win after dropping one at home. Mission accomplished.

3. Indiana gets it done down the stretch, beating #2 Ohio State in Bloomington.
Highly-ranked teams may want to avoid Assembly Hall, as Ohio State became the second team to go into the building and leave with a loss. All five Indiana players finished in double figures with Jordan Hulls leading the way with 17 points, and the defense of Victor Oladipo (15 points, six rebounds) on Aaron Craft also had a major impact on the Hoosiers' 74-70 victory. Craft finished the game with a season-worst six turnovers in the first game this season that's seen the sophomore finish with more turnovers than assists. The battle between Jared Sullinger (15 points, nine rebounds) and Cody Zeller (14 points, four rebounds) was largely dictated by foul trouble (Zeller would eventually foul out), meaning that other players had to step up. And with William Buford and Deshaun Thomas combining for just 13 points, it was Indiana who won that battle.

4. Gonzaga hits the road and picks up a big non-conference win at Xavier.
Even with an RPI of 17 and a strength of schedule that ranked 21st going into Saturday's action (per realtimerpi.com), Mark Few's team could have used another big non-conference victory from an NCAA Tournament seeding standpoint. And thanks in large part to Sam Dower the Bulldogs did just that, beating Xavier 72-65 at the Cintas Center. Dower scored 20 points and grabbed ten rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench while the Bulldogs' freshman backcourt was solid against one of the best backcourts in the country. Kevin Pangos made just three of his ten shots from the field but he dished out seven assists , and Gary Bell did a solid job defensively on Tu Holloway. The problem for the Musketeers: outside of Holloway, Mark Lyons and Kenny Frease (42 combined points) there wasn't a whole lot of productivity. Xavier also shot 3-for-16 from beyond the arc (24-9 Gonzaga edge in points scored) and was out-rebounded 41-27, which allowed Gonzaga to get away with turning the ball over 17 times (Pangos had five).

5. Harvard comes back from a 12-point deficit to beat Saint Joseph's.
17 seconds into the second half Saint Joseph's took a 50-38 lead on a Halil Kanacevic jumper, and with the 23rd-ranked Crimson playing arguably their worst defense of the season there was a real chance of the Hawks leaving Lavietes Pavilion with a huge win for their resume. But Tommy Amaker's team buckled down, limiting Saint Joseph's to 19 points the rest of the way to come back and win 74-69. SJU shot just 29.8% from the field in the second half while Kyle Casey scored 20 of his 26 points (ten rebounds on the day as well) to lead the charge. Carl Jones led Saint Joseph's with 22 points but that wasn't enough to hold off Harvard, who outscored SJU 22-12 in the paint in the final 20 minutes after the Hawks led that category 20-16 in the first half. With Harvard's remaining schedule consisting of the Ivy League slate and non-conference games against Fordham, Monmouth and George Washington this was a game the Crimson needed for a resume that will take some hits from a computer numbers standpoint between now and March.

Quick Hitters

1. Billy Donovan's team bounced back from their loss at Rutgers with a 90-70 win over Yale, but that wasn't the only bit of good news for Florida on Saturday. 2013 point guard Kasey Hill tweeted after attending the game that he'd verbally committed to the program, and this is a big get for the Gators given how many players will be out of eligibility by the time 2013 rolls around.

2. Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech Hokies picked up a needed win on Saturday as they won 67-61 at Oklahoma State. But this was a game that would have more of an impact on their NCAA Tournament resume had they lost, so avoiding that fate was critical. At 11-3, Virginia Tech is in a solid spot ahead of what should be a wild ACC season.

3. Youngstown State handed Cleveland State their first conference loss of the season by the final score of 73-67. Damian Eargle led the Penguins with 20 points and ten rebounds, and while YSU may not be a serious contender in the Horizon League come March they're going to scare some folks.

4. Despite Tyler Lamb scoring a career-high 26 points UCLA fell 85-69 at California to go 0-2 in the Bay Area this weekend. Why? Lazeric Jones made just two of seven shots and he along with Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith combined to score 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field.

5. With Wisconsin losing to Iowa some the question of who the second-best team is in the Big Ten looks to be wide-open. How about Purdue? The Boilermakers moved to 2-0 in conference play with a 75-60 win over Illinois, and they have the ability to be right there with the likes of Michigan State, Indiana and Wisconsin.

6. The Mountain West picked up a good resume-building victory as New Mexico beat Saint Louis 64-60 at The Pit. Drew Gordon scored 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lobos, who have won ten straight games and look like the conference title contender many expected them to be in the preseason.

7. With Creighton's win over Wichita State there's just one team in the MVC with a 2-0 record in conference play. That would be Missouri State, who beat Drake 72-61 at JQH Arena. Kyle Weems followed up his impressive performance at Creighton with 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears past the Bulldogs.

8. Friday night had big news on the injury front as Dayton lost starting big man Josh Benson for the season with a torn ACL. The Flyers were able to overcome his loss to beat Ole Miss 62-50 on Friday but against the better teams in the Atlantic 10 not having Benson could be an issue.

9. Also on Friday Seton Hall bounced back from their blowout loss at Syracuse in a big way, beating West Virginia 67-48 at The Rock. Fuquan Edwin, who leads the nation in steals, led the way offensively with 19 points and Jordan Theodore added 18. With UConn next on the schedule Kevin Willard's team couldn't afford to lose lest they risk an 0-3 start to Big East play, and they got the job done.

Five Notable Performances

1. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
30 points (10-14 FG), 21 rebounds and four assists in the Jayhawks' 84-58 win over North Dakota.

2. F Brandon Davies (BYU)
21 points (8-13 FG), 22 rebounds and four assists in the Cougars' 88-52 win over San Diego.

3. F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky)
24 points and 19 rebounds in the Wildcats' 69-62 win over #4 Louisville.

4. F Greg Magnano (Yale)
26 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in the Bulldogs' 90-70 loss at #10 Florida.

5. F Stan Okoye (VMI)
27 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Keydets' 78-70 overtime win over Presbyterian.

Xavier vs Gonzaga: Prediction & Poll

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:35:28 -0500

GONZAGA (10-2) AT XAVIER (9-3)

Time/TV: 8 p.m./ESPN2

Location: Cintas Center

Line: Xavier -2.5

Gonzaga Players to Watch: C Robert Sacre, Sr. (12.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg); F Elias Harris, Jr. (13.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg); G Kevin Pangos, Fr. (14.9 ppg, 43.4% 3s). When Sacre is aggressive, the Bulldogs are tough to beat.

Xavier Players to Watch: G Tu Holloway, Sr. (18.7 ppg, 5.1 apg); G Mark Lyons, Jr. (17.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg); C Kenny Frease, Sr. (9.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg). Lyons returned from his suspension to score 35 points in the Musketeers’ last two games.

Storylines: This is one of those games that isn’t just big for the two programs, but for their conferences, as well. Both conferences believe they deserve multiple NCAA bids and that could hinge of the outcome of this one. Gonzaga has the depth, experience and talent to be among the nation’s best teams, but the Bulldogs have struggled against the best competition on their schedule. Xavier lost three in a row before an 87-77 win over Southern Illinois in the seventh-place game of the Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu.

Keys to Victory: The Musketeers have an advantage in the backcourt with Holloway and Lyons. With Sacre and Harris, the Bulldogs are stronger under the basket. Which duo has the better night will likely determine the outcome.

The Bottom Line: This is an incredibly hard game to predict. Xavier has struggled to get back to its early form since its brawl with Cincinnati. It will happen. It’s a matter of when, not if. Having a strong Gonzaga team coming into its home seems like the right time to get things turned around.

The Pick: Xavier 77, Gonzaga 73.

Saturday Preview: #4 Louisville at #3 Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:48:58 -0500

The final day of 2011 features one of the most anticipated games of the college basketball season, a rivalry game that captivates an entire state and is one of the best games in college basketball. #4 Louisville (12-1), fresh off of a lost to Georgetown in their Big East opener, visits #3 Kentucky (12-1) in what should be a spirited battle at Rupp Arena. The Cardinals have played just one road game this season but it was also one of their best efforts as they won at Butler without the then-injured Peyton Siva. Kentucky's lone defeat also came at the hands of a ranked team, as the Wildcats fell at the buzzer at Indiana.

One player who will definitely be a focus on Saturday is Kentucky sophomore forward Terrence Jones (12.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), whose scoring and rebounding averages are down from a season ago. But that isn't as big a deal as the last five games for Jones, as he missed two of them with a dislocated finger. In the other three games he scored a combined 13 points, and Jones also turned the ball over six times in the loss at Indiana. John Calipari has other players to call on up front, but that doesn't mean that the Wildcats want to find out (again) if they can win a big game without Jones being productive.

Also inside for Kentucky is big man Anthony Davis (11.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 4.3 bpg), who is one of the toughest matchup in America due to his versatility. Davis is 6'10" but he can defend on the perimeter, as evidenced by his many blocks of three-point attempts. A virtual lock to be a lottery pick whenever he leaves Lexington, Davis runs the floor extremely well and has a good motor to go along with his many skills. Also of importance for Kentucky is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (13.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg), a wing who simply does whatever it takes to win. He's been the leader for this group, organizing the now-famous early morning workouts many team members now take part in.

Louisville will counter with one of the most improved big men in the country in Gorgui Dieng (10.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.8 bpg), who has gone from a player Rick Pitino could only call on for spot duty to one of the coach's most important players. Dieng's most effective around the basket, so it's going to be interesting to see how he deals with Kentucky's mobile big men. Freshman Chane Behanan (8.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and veteran Rakeem Buckles complete the rotation for minutes inside with Jared Swopshire's minutes dropping in recent games. Kentucky's a slightly better rebounding team but Louisville does a better job of getting after the offensive boards with an average of 14.5 caroms per game.

The guard play will likely determine the outcome especially for the visitors, as Louisville has struggled offensively in the half court. When they're forcing turnovers the Cardinals are a tough team to stop, as much of their offense comes as a result of the turnovers. But they weren't able to get enough fast-break chances against Georgetown, and they ultimately lost as a result. Siva (9.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) has dealt with injury issues, limiting his effectiveness for much of the season. Chris Smith and Kyle Kuric are the other starters on the perimeter, with Kuric being the Cardinals' most versatile player as he can play a variety of positions. And then there's redshirt freshman Russ Smith, who is second on the team in scoring and has the potential to be a handful for either team.

Sophomore guard Doron Lamb (15.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg) is Kentucky's leading scorer, and the New York native is a smooth player who rarely gets out of control. He and senior Darius Miller won't be of concern for Calipari as both have a good idea of what needs to be done on the floor. As for freshman Marquis Teague, who at one time was committed to attend Louisville, he can get out of control on occasion. Look for the Louisville pressure to attack Teague for this reason as he averages 3.1 turnovers to go along with 4.4 assists per game. As a team the Wildcats average 12.6 turnovers per game while Louisville forces an average of 17.4. Look for this statistical category to determine the outcome of the game.

In other games Saturday there's a nice mix of conference and important non-conference games to take in. The Big Ten's got an important battle in Bloomington as Indiana hosts Ohio State with the home team looking to avoid an 0-2 start to conference play. The Buckeyes blew out Northwestern in their Big Ten opener while the Hoosiers fell at Michigan State in a game that featured big runs by both teams. The key for Indiana is to limit Jared Sullinger's impact on the game while also keeping Cody Zeller out of foul trouble. Two other conference games to watch are UConn hosting St. John's (Moe Harkless was originally a UConn commit) in the Big East and Milwaukee visiting Butler in the Horizon League.

As for another big non-conference game there's Xavier hosting Gonzaga, with the Musketeers looking to capitalize on being a full team with the return of Dezmine Wells to the lineup. And given their 1-2 record at the Diamond Head Classic this game could be key for Xavier from an NCAA Tournament seeding standpoint. Gonzaga's going to need consistent play from Elias Harris on the road, and he may be the key to a long run in March for Mark Few's squad. Harvard taking on Saint Joseph's is another good non-conference game for the Atlantic 10, and the battle between C.J. Aiken and Harvard's Keith Wright will be fun to watch.

Virginia Tech visits Oklahoma State in a game that would likely have a bigger effect on the Hokies should they lose given the Cowboys' play this season and the struggles of many ACC teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule. And there's also a critical game in the MVC as Creighton visits Wichita State, needing a win to avoid an 0-2 start to league play. The Pac-12 will cap 2011 with all 12 teams playing conference games, with UCLA visiting Cal in a game that the Bruins needs to avoid an 0-2 start to league play. And just as the ball is dropping in Times Square, Oregon and Washington should be wrapping up the final game of 2011. Happy New Year.

Top 25 Games
6:00 PM (2) Ohio State at (15) Indiana (ESPN2)
12:00 PM (4) Louisville at (3) Kentucky (CBS)
12:00 PM St. John's at (9) Connecticut (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Yale at (10) Florida (ESPNU)
1:00 PM Iowa at (11) Wisconsin (BTN)
2:00 PM Providence at (12) Georgetown (ESPN2)
3:00 PM Utah State at (14) Mississippi State
3:00 PM (17) Michigan State at Nebraska (BTN)
4:00 PM North Dakota at (18) Kansas (ESPNU)
6:00 PM (19) Creighton at Wichita State (ESPNU)
8:00 PM (20) UNLV at Hawaii
4:00 PM Saint Joseph's at (23) Harvard
2:00 PM Howard at (25) Kansas State (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Virginia Tech at Oklahoma State (ESPN3)
12:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Drexel
12:00 PM Austin Peay at Morehead State (ESPNU)
12:00 PM Boston University at Quinnipiac
12:00 PM USC Upstate at South Carolina (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Iowa State (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Virginia-Wise at East Carolina
1:00 PM Colgate at New Hampshire
1:00 PM Presbyterian at VMI
1:00 PM Lehigh at Bryant
1:05 PM Bradley at Indiana State
2:00 PM Idaho at Boise State
2:00 PM Wright State at UIC (HLN)
2:00 PM FIU at Western Kentucky (FCS)
2:00 PM Samford at Maryland (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Western Carolina at North Carolina State (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Holy Cross at Dartmouth
2:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at New Mexico State
2:00 PM Rice at Texas (LHN)
2:00 PM Tulane at UT-Pan American
2:00 PM Youngstown State at Cleveland State (HLN)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Army
2:00 PM Chicago State at Ball State
2:00 PM Cornell at Bucknell
2:00 PM Milwaukee at Butler (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Tennessee State at Eastern Kentucky
2:00 PM Lyon College at Lamar
2:00 PM Hartford at La Salle
2:00 PM Charleston Southern at Liberty
2:00 PM Detroit at Loyola (IL) (HLN)
2:00 PM Southern Miss at McNeese State
2:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Radford
2:00 PM Louisiana Tech at SMU
3:00 PM Alabama A&M at UAB
3:00 PM Delaware State at George Washington
3:00 PM Northwestern State at Oklahoma
3:05 PM Drake at Missouri State
3:30 PM Albany at Mount St. Mary's
3:30 PM South Alabama at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
4:00 PM UCLA at California (FSN)
4:00 PM Troy at North Texas
4:00 PM Houston Baptist at Duquesne
4:00 PM Illinois at Purdue (ESPN2)
4:00 PM Sacramento State at Weber State
4:00 PM UNC Asheville at Winthrop (MASN)
4:30 PM Jacksonville State at SIU-Edwardsville
5:00 PM Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
5:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Tennessee-Martin
5:05 PM Green Bay at Valparaiso Tickets
5:15 PM Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette
5:30 PM Arizona State at Arizona (FSN AZ)
6:00 PM Utah at Colorado (ROOT)
6:00 PM Saint Louis at New Mexico (The Mtn)
6:00 PM San Diego at Brigham Young (BYU TV)
6:00 PM Oregon State vs. Washington State* (ROOT)
6:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Denver
6:00 PM Saint Mary's at Pepperdine
6:30 PM USC at Stanford (FSN W)
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at High Point
7:00 PM Tulsa at TCU (CBSSN)
8:00 PM Loyola Marymount at San Francisco
8:00 PM Gonzaga at Xavier (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Charlotte at Memphis (CSS)
9:35 PM Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM Oregon at Washington (ESPN2)