evan turner

Poll: Who Will Be the #2 Pick in the 2010 NBA Draft?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:10:55 -0700

Writer's Picks: MOP, All-Tournament & Breakout Star

CHN — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:15:55 -0700

While the NCAA Tournament is ultimately about team success, you can't win games without star players. But which players will be the heroes of the 2010 NCAA Tournament? Look below:

	Jeff Borzello March Madness Blog	Brendan Bowers MAC	Jason Brubkaer SEC
Most Outstanding	Sherron Collins	Evan Turner	John Wall
Breakout Star	Randy Culpepper UTEP	DJ Cooper Ohio	Darington Hobson New Mexico

G	Sherron Collins	John Wall	John Wall
G	LaceDarius Dunn	Scottie Reynolds	Sherron Collins
G/F	John Wall	Andy Rautins	Scottie Reynolds
F	Evan Turner	Evan Turner	Wes Johnson
F	Wes Johnson	DeMarcus Cousins	DeMarcus Cousins

	Blake Hofstad Previews	Raphielle Johnson Asst. Editor	Matthew Ryter Rankings
Most Oustanding	Xavier Henry	Sherron Collins	Sherron Collins
Breakout Star	Juan Fernandez Temple	Keith Benson Oakland	Ryan Wittman Cornell

G	Juan Fernandez	Sherron Collins	Sherron Collins
G	Xavier Henry	LaceDarius Dunn	Da'Sean Butler
G/F	Evan Turner	Andy Rautins	Devin Ebanks
F	Da'Sean Butler	Da'Sean Butler	Marcus Morris
F	Derrick Caracter	Cole Aldrich	Cole Aldrich

	Shawn Siegel Editor	Jon Teitel Interviews	John P. Wise One Great Season
Most Oustanding	Cole Aldrich	Sherron Collins	Serron Collins
Breakout Star	Jordan Crawford Xavier	Alex Franklin Siena	Lazar Hayward Marquette

G	Scottie Reynolds	Sherron Collins	Sherron Collins
G	Xavier Henry	Ashton Gibbs	LaceDarius Dunn
G/F	Andy Rautins	Da'Sean Butler	Wes Johnson
F	DeMarcus Cousins	Kyle Singler	Lazar Hayward
F	Cole Aldrich	Cole Aldrich	Cole Aldrich

Also: Writers's Picks: Final Four, Sleepers, Busts

NCAA Basketball Tournament: Top 65 Players

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:16:53 -0800

Based loosely on the quarterly Collegehoops.net Top 100, I rank the 65 best players in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. This is not a fantasy stats ranking, although many of the players listed put up monster numbers. This is also not an evaluation based on pro talent-level, but a ranking of the best players right now. This was such a tough list to narrow down, there were about 20 other guys not listed who seemed awfully close.

Let the debates begin..

*The list will be updated if a player on a projected team included here doesn't make it..

#	Player	School	YR	Pos.	PPG	RPG	APG
1	John Wall	Kentucky	FR	G	17	4	6
2	Evan Turner	Ohio State	JR	F	20	9	6
3	DeMarcus Cousins	Kentucky	FR	F	16	10	1
4	James Anderson	Oklahoma St	JR	G	23	6	2
5	Sherron Collins	Kansas	SR	G	15	2	4
6	Scottie Reynolds	Villanova	SR	G	19	3	3
7	Da'Sean Butler	West Virginia	SR	F	17	6	3
8	Wesley Johnson	Syracuse	JR	G	16	9	2
9	Greg Monroe	Georgetown	SO	F	16	10	4
10	Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	SR	G	20	5	6
11	Jon Scheyer	Duke	SR	G	19	4	5
12	Luke Harangody	Notre Dame	SR	F	23	10	2
13	Cole Aldrich	Kansas	JR	C	11	10	1
15	Jordan Crawford	Xavier	SO	G	20	5	3
14	Kalin Lucas	Michigan St	JR	G	15	2	4
16	Al-Farouq Aminu	Wake Forest	SO	F	16	11	1
17	Kyle Singler	Duke	JR	F	17	7	2
18	Damion James	Texas	SR	F	18	10	1
19	Jerome Randle	California	SR	G	19	2	5
20	Jacob Pullen	Kansas St	JR	G	19	3	4
21	Darington Hobson	New Mexico	JR	F	16	9	5
22	Patrick Patterson	Kentucky	JR	F	15	8	1
23	Trevon Hughes	Wisconsin	SR	G	15	5	3
24	JaJuan Johnson	Purdue	JR	F/C	15	7	1
25	Ekpe Udoh	Baylor	JR	G	13	10	3
26	Trevor Booker	Clemson	SR	C	15	8	3
27	E'Twaun Moore	Purdue	JR	G	17	4	3
28	Jimmer Fredette	BYU	JR	G	21	3	5
29	Gordon Hayward	Butler	SO	G	16	9	2
30	Omar Samhan	St. Mary's	SR	G	22	11	1
31	Quincy Pondexter	Washington	SR	F	20	8	2
32	Lazar Hayward	Marquette	SR	F	18	8	2
33	Randy Culpepper	UTEP	JR	G	18	3	2
34	Kevin Anderson	Richmond	JR	G	18	3	3
35	Aubrey Coleman	Houston	SR	G	26	8	3
36	Matt Bouldin	Gonzaga	SR	G	16	5	4
37	Austin Freeman	Georgetown	JR	G	17	4	2
38	Donald Sloan	Texas A&M	SR	G	18	4	2
39	LaceDarius Dunn	Baylor	JR	G	19	5	2
40	Andy Rautins	Syracuse	SR	G	12	3	5
41	Ashton Gibbs	Pittsburgh	SO	G	16	3	2
42	Samardo Samuels	Louisville	SO	C	15	7	1
43	Nolan Smith	Duke	SO	G	18	3	3
44	Xavier Henry	Kansas	FR	G	14	4	2
45	AJ Ogilvy	Vanderbilt	JR	C	14	6	1
46	Gani Lawal	Georgia Tech	JR	F	14	9	0
47	Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	FR	C	12	8	1
48	Tweety Carter	Baylor	SR	G	16	6	3
49	Denis Clemente	Kansas St	SR	G	16	4	2
50	Jahmar Young	New Mexico St	FR	G	21	3	4
51	Ryan Wittman	Cornell	SR	F	18	4	2
52	Keith Benson	Oakland	JR	C	17	11	1
53	Tre'Von Willis	UNLV	JR	G	18	3	4
54	Juan Fernandez	Temple	SO	G	12	4	3
55	Derrick Caracter	UTEP	JR	F	14	8	1
56	Marqus Blakely	Vermont	SR	F	17	9	4
57	Isaiah Thomas	Washington	SO	G	17	4	3
58	Wayne Chism	Tennessee	SR	F	13	7	1
59	CJ McCollum	Lehigh	FR	G	19	5	2
60	Elias Harris	Gonzaga	FR	F	15	7	1
61	Chandler Parsons	Florida	JR	F	12	7	3
62	Jeffrey Taylor	Vanderbilt	SO	F	14	5	2
63	Dexter Pittman	Texas	SR	C	10	6	1
64	Kawhi Leonard	San Diego St	FR	F	13	10	2
64	Kim English	Missouri	SO	G	14	3	1

On The Bubble

Solomon Alabi (Florida St)

Lavoy Allen (Temple)

Alex Franklin (Siena)

Anthony Johnson (Montana)

Gerald Lee (Old Dominion)

Jon Leuer (Wisconsin)

Shelvin Mack (Butler)

Ishmael Smith (Wake Forest)

Erving Walker (Florida)

Tai Wesley (Tai Wesley)

Agree/Disagree? Who do you think belongs on the list?

Mocking the 2010 Tournament:: 40+ Funny Nicknames

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:12:16 -0800

Everyone loves a good nickname. But real nicknames are often boring. Gody? Cuz? Yawn. So instead, I present to you funny/lame nicknames for 40 of the top players in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Some of these reference pop culture, politics, and sports history. For others, it helps to know a little bit about the player or the team he plays for. Others are just plain ridiculous.. Enjoy!

Mocking the Tournament: 40+ NCAA Tournament Nicknames

Cole Aldrich (Kansas): "RoboCop"

Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest): "The Dunkin' Deacon"

James Anderson (Oklahoma St): "The Sundance Kid"

Trevor Booker (Clemson): "The Librarian"

Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga): "A1 Bouldin"

Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia): "Oops, I did it again"

Aubrey Coleman (Houston): "Stomp"*
* I had to go there

Sherron Collins (Kansas): Sher"ron Jeremy" Collins

DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky): "DeMan-Child"

Jordan Crawford (Xavier): "LeBron Who?"

LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor): "Satin & Lace"

Juan Fernandez (Temple): "Pepe"

Jimmer Fredette (BYU): "Jimmer Thing"

Austin Freeman (Georgetown): "Blood Sugar"

Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh): "The Punked Panther"

Luke Harangody (Notre Dame): "Goat Boy"

Gordon Hayward (Butler): "Hayward Jablome"

Wesley Johnson (Syracuse): "Blade"

Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech): "Lawal and Order"

Kalin Lucas (Michigan St): "Spartacus"

CJ McCollum (Lehigh): "Lord of the Rings"

Greg Monroe (Georgetown): "The Doctrine"

E'Twaun Moore (Purdue): "ET"

AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt): "Captain Kangaroo"

Patrick Patterson (Kentucky): "The Forgotten One"

Dexter Pittman (Texas): "The Dump Truck"

Jacob Pullen (Kansas St): Jacob "Stop" Pullen "My Leg"

Jerome Randle (California): Jerome Randle-"El"

Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) "Reynolds Wrap"

Omar Samhan (St Mary's): "Enter Samhan"

Jon Scheyer (Duke): Jon "is so quiet, he couldn't be" Scheyer

Kyle Singler (Duke): "The GunSingler"

Ishmael Smith (Wake Forest): "Call Me"

Isaiah Thomas (Washington): "The GM"

Evan Turner (Ohio St): Evan "Page-" Turner

Greivis Vasquez (Maryland): "Grievance Counselor"

John Wall (Kentucky): "Cool Cat"

Brad Wanamaker (Pittsburgh): Brad Wanamaker-"deal"?

Tai Wesley (Utah St): "Pad-"Tai Wesley

Ekpe Udoh (Baylor): "Bless you"

Make your own. Here are some of the other top players:

Kevin Anderson (Richmond)
Denis Clemente (Kansas St)
Randy Culpepper (UTEP)
Devin Ebanks (West Virginia)
Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech)
Lazar Hayward (Marquette)
Xavier Henry (Kansas)
Darington Hobson (New Mexico)
Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin)
Damion James (Texas)
JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
Quincy Pondexter (Washington)
Andy Rautins (Syracuse)
Samardo Samuels (Louisville)
Donald Sloan (Texas A&M)
Nolan Smith (Duke)

Feel free to post other nicknames for the players on the list above.

2010 CollegeHoops.net College Basketball All-Americans

CHN — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:53:34 -0800

Player of the Year Evan Turner and super-freshman John Wall highlight CollegeHoops.net's 2010 All-America teams. Turner averaged 19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 5.8 apg while helping Ohio St finish tied atop the Big Ten standings. Wall averaged 16.8 ppg and 6.2 apg, helping lead Kentucky to an impressive 29-2 record and an SEC title. They are joined on the First Team by Wall's teammate DeMarcus Cousins, Villanova leader Scottie Reynolds, and Big 12 Player of the Year James Anderson.

Besides Kentucky, other schools to have multiple players selected include Duke (John Scheyer 2nd Team & Kyle Singler 4th) and Kansas (Sherron Collins & Cole Aldrich 3rd Team). Purdue has three players on the Honorable Mention list, while Baylor has two. Returnees from the 2009 list include Turner, Singler, Collins & Aldrich, Luke Harangody, Kalin Lucas, and Patrick Patterson.

CollegeHoops.net Player of the Year:

Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio St

CollegeHoops.net First-Team All-America
G John Wall, Kentucky, Fr

G Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, Sr
G/F James Anderson, Oklahoma St, Jr
G/F Evan Turner, Ohio St, So
C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky, Fr

CollegeHoops.net Second-Team All-America
G Greivis Vasquez, Maryland, Sr
G Jon Scheyer, Duke, Sr

F Wesley Johnson, Syracuse, Jr
F Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, Sr
C Greg Monroe, Georgetown, So

CollegeHoops.net Third-Team All-America
G Sherron Collins, Kansas, Sr
G Jacob Pullen, Kansas St, Jr
G/F Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia, Sr
F Damion James, Texas, Sr
C Cole Aldrich, Kansas, Jr

CollegeHoops.net Fourth-Team All-America
G Jerome Randle, California, Sr
G Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, Jr
G Jordan Crawford, Xavier, So
F Darington Hobson, New Mexico, Jr
F Kyle Singler, Duke, Jr

Honorable Mention
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
Luke Babitt, Nevada
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Devan Downey, South Carolina

LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Lazar Hayward, Marquette
Darington Hobson, New Mexico
Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin
Robbie Hummel, Purdue
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Dominique Jones, South Florida
Kalin Lucas, Michigan St
E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
Quincy Pondexter, Washington
Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's
Donald Sloan, Texas A&M
Ekpe Udoh, Baylor

Check back tomorrow for our High-Major & Mid-Major All-America Teams.

National Player of the Year: Evan Turner Leads the Pack

John P. Wise — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:04:52 -0800

It's March and everyone's talking about college basketball. Is your team on the bubble?

While all the talk is about teams and brackets and seeds, let's not forget about some of the top individual players who hope to lead those squads deep into the NCAA Tournament.

So let's get started with my five leading candidates to win the coveted Naismith Award, which honors the best player in men's college basketball:

+ Evan Turner, Jr, G, Ohio State
No one has as well-rounded a game as Turner, and his effort has been so consistent this year that even a six-game absence in midseason shouldn't keep him from winning this honor. Once he returned from breaking his back, he picked up where he left off, chasing down double-doubles each night out and even recording many near triple-doubles.

Turner leads the Big Ten in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (9.4), and is second in assists (5.8) and steals (1.8), but did you know he's also fifth in field-goal percentage (.538) and even ninth in blocks (0.9)? Before only playing 39 minutes the last two games, Turner had played all 40 minutes in each of Ohio State's previous three games and has turned the trick nine times overall this year. He is carried the Buckeyes towards a first-place tie in the Big Ten and maybe even a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed. No player in the country means more to his team than Turner.

The funny thing about Turner is that he seems more of a lock for national player of the year than Big Ten player of the year, as Michigan State's Kalin Lucas continues to get support for the league honor.

+ Sherron Collins, Sr, G, Kansas
Collins is KU's undisputed leader and obviously means a great deal to his team, but if you take him away, the Jayhawks are still dangerous, whereas the Buckeyes wouldn't even be an NIT squad without Turner.

But that shouldn't diminish Collins' candidacy for national honors. He leads the Jayhawks with 15.3 points per game and 4.3 assists, and also, despite playing for a deep team that plays eight guys at least 15 minutes, and another three players about seven minutes each, averages a team-best 32.8 minutes per game.

Late in a tight game, you want Collins on the line. He makes 84 percent of his free throws and is a proven winner. Kansas is 119-18 in Collins' four years at point guard.

+ John Wall, Fr, G, Kentucky
No one in the country is more electrifying than Wall, and many expect him to be the first player taken in the NBA draft in June. But he still has some work to do before leaving Lexington, like lead the Wildcats to their first national championship since 1998.

Wall leads the team in scoring (16.8), assists (6.2) and minutes (34.4), and is third in rebounding (4.0). With the exception of Derrick Rose, no college basketball player in recent memory has shown his kind of explosiveness. He's also a defensive witch, averaging nearly two steals per game. He saved the day with a late gem at Vanderbilt on Feb. 20, preserving a narrow win over the ranked Commodores.

But even John Wall might have hit the wall. A slightly less-then-stellar February, perhaps due to his youth, might have taken him out of the top spot as Evan Turner continues his relentless push.

+ John Scheyer, Sr, G, Duke
Before he even stepped foot on the Durham campus, Scheyer was a Youtube legend after having scored 21 points in 75 seconds in an Illinois high school playoff game.

And he's been Mr. Steady in his four outstanding years at Duke. No doubt he's the ACC Player of the Year and he'll get some consideration for national POY honors, but he doesn't have the all-around game that Turner has.

+ Scottie Reynolds, Sr, G, Villanova
Much like Scheyer, Reynolds has been a key contributor since the first days he stepped on campus, seemingly seven or eight years ago.

It didn't take long for Reynolds to assert himself as a team leader, and now that his career is winding down, he's got his Wildcats poised to make a deep tournament run.

Reynolds is among Big East leaders in scoring, steals, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and three-point percentage. He might be the league's top player and could take a few votes away from Turner on any national ballot.

Also receiving consideration:

+ DeMarcus Cousins, Fr, C, Kentucky
+ James Anderson, Jr, G, Oklahoma State
+ Wesley Johnson, Jr, F, Syracuse

John P. Wise is the editor of OneGreatSeason.com. He can be reached at jpwise3@hotmail.com.

Counter Opinion

John Wall The Leader of the Player of the Year Chase

Evan Turner vs John Wall: Player of the Year Debate

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:50:21 -0800

Last year, the debate for the 2008-09 Naismith National Player of the Year was effectively ended sometime in mid-January 9 (or maybe even sooner), when it became clear that Oklahoma's Blake Griffin was far and away the best player in the country. He was a double-double machine who became a nightly fixture on “Sportscenter's Top 10” for his rim-rattling dunks, and he led the Sooners to a 30-6 record and the Elite Eight. Although they would fall short of a championship, there was no question that he was the most dominant player in the nation.

This year- things figure to be a little tighter in the voting, as Kentucky's John Wall and Ohio State's Evan Turner seem to have separated themselves from the pack, but not from each other. Both players enter every game knowing they'll be the focal point of the defense, yet they still continue to put up great numbers, and more importantly, lead their team to wins. The Cats and the Buckeyes both figure to hang around in March for a while this season, and both Wall and Turner will be cashing NBA paychecks at this time next year.

But only one of them can take home the Player of the Year award. So who will it be? Let's take a look at the case for each player.

Evan Turner

19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 5.8 apg

54% FG, 29% 3FG, 73% FT

Few players can stuff a stat sheet like Turner, who has 14 double-doubles and two triple-doubles this year while leading the Buckeyes to a 24-7 record and the Big 10 regular season title. Although his 6'7” frame would seem to place him on the wings, Turner is most comfortable running the point for Ohio State, where he uses his height and terrific court vision to set up his teammates. Turner is also a terrific scorer, and his rebounding numbers are absurd for a guy who spends most of his time on the perimeter. Furthermore, his importance to the Buckeyes was underlined when they went just 3-3 in a six-game stretch when Turner was out with two broken vertebra in his back following a nasty fall after a dunk. Turner is, quite simply, a match-up nightmare for most teams, who don't have anyone with the combination of speed and size to check him. His versatility allows Coach Thad Matta a lot of freedom with his lineups, as Turner can guard four positions and take advantage of almost any match-up thrown his way.

Turner also lacks the same quality of teammates as Wall has in Lexington. Wings Jon Diebler and William Buford are solid, but hardly the same caliber of player as Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins, who take the heat off of Wall. That means Turner isn't afforded the luxury of an off night, and if the Buckeyes want to win, he has to shoulder the load. Teams have been focusing on shutting down Turner all year, and he often sees multiple defenders every game as teams look to wear him down. But despite that pressure, Turner has responded nearly every night, demonstrating that he has leadership abilities and a high basketball IQ in addition to his tremendous physical gifts. Turner has the Buckeyes peaking at the right time, and there's no doubt that he means as much to his team as any player in the country.

John Wall

16.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 6.2 apg

46% FG, 33% 3FG, 78% FT

It's always an interesting conundrum when someone enters the college game accompanied by an enormous amount of hype, and they manage to live up to it. If they don't, they're often labeled a bust or a disappointment. If they do, it's because it's what they were expected to do, and the shock value is often lost. So when we look at what Wall has done this season, there's a lingering thought that “Yeah- this is pretty much what we thought he would do – what's the big deal?” But that being said, the impact Wall has had on Kentucky has been remarkable, especially for a true freshman who is only 19 years old.

Everyone knows about his physical gifts. He's blessed with insane athletic ability, which gives him the ability to not only speed by opposing guards in the open court, but also the hops to finish at the basket over and around bigger players. He has good court vision, is a willing defender, and plays with a flair that sets him apart from his peers. He's also shown, on more than one occasion, that he will make the big play when it's needed. In his first-ever college game, he buried a game-winning jumper against Miami (Oh). A couple weeks later, his clutch free throws sent the Cats into overtime against Stanford, a game they would eventually win. Against Louisville, in one of the most anticipated games of the season, Wall scored six straight points in the second half to spark UK, ignoring the physical play of the upset-minded Cards. He had five points in overtime at Mississippi State to help stave off a potential Bulldogs upset. And four nights later, it was his key lay-up and blocked shot that sealed a tough road win over Vanderbilt as he shrugged off a poor shooting night to step up in crunch time. Wall has shown time and time again that while he be capable of making the highlight-reel play at any time, he also knows how to make the winning play at the right time.

And the award goes to...

While Turner is one of the most well-rounded and versatile players in the college game in quite some time, the nod has to go to Wall for POY. Wall has not only put up remarkable stats, but he's been the difference in every close game the Cats have had, making clutch play after clutch play. While he admittedly has a better supporting cast than Turner, he's also been the one who has stepped up at crunch time, and it's not a stretch to say the Cats could have five or six losses without those clutch plays. Instead, UK will enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the favorites to win it all, and they'll be in that position because of Wall. It would be hard to argue against Turner if he is ultimately selected, but UK's record and Wall's history of game-changing and game-saving plays should give him the edge.

Counter Opinion

Evan Turner leads the National Player of the Year Chase

Lack of Depth Could be Ohio State's Undoing

John P. Wise — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:05:14 -0800

In the fickle world of high-profile sports, the Purdue Boilermakers are now my favorite college basketball team.

Just kidding. As you know, I've been crushing on Ohio State for a while and since the Buckeyes (20-7, 10-4 Big Ten) lost a game they should have won at West Virginia last month, they've bounced back so impressively that I thought there was no team in the country playing better than them.

Until Wednesday night.

Purdue avenged a January loss to OSU by earning a hard-fought, 60-57 win in Columbus and in the process, exposing the Buckeyes at least a little bit.

Ohio State's lack of depth is hardly a news bulletin, but it hadn't really caught up with the Bucks until Wednesday's first home loss of the season. The West Virginia setback was more a case of playing poorly after halftime than it was playing fatigued.

But if you paid attention to the way Purdue defended OSU's National Player of the Year candidate, Evan Turner, you'll agree he earned every one of his 29 points. He and three teammates played all 40 minutes, and while rallying late in front of the home crowd will certainly get the adrenaline pumping, I'm curious how just a six- or seven-man rotation will work on the back end of a two-games-in-three-days stretch on a neutral floor in next month's tournament. Sheesh, the Big Ten tournament will be even more difficult playing on consecutive days.

And in the case of Purdue (22-3, 10-3), I must admit, that three-game losing streak that followed its 14-0 start made me think perhaps the Boilermakers were more suited for a third-place finish in the Big Ten. But with home games against Illinois on Saturday and Michigan State eight days later, I think we'll see a team more than capable of winning the league.

It's hard not to be impressed with a road win in Columbus by a Purdue team that didn't get its first points from Robbie Hummel until eight minutes remained in the game. JaJuan Johnson stole the show for the visitors, connecting early and often from all over the floor. He finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, and committed only two fouls and one turnover in 39 minutes. He owned OSU bigs Dallas Lauderdale and Kyle Madsen.

Many bloggers like to sound the alarm after one loss, and while that's not my style, I will go far enough to suggest that maybe Thad Matta should give his boys Thursday off to soak in a tub and maybe not think about basketball for a day. It's mid-February, the team did just win nine straight Big Ten games and I'm sure they're exhausted. That's the advantage of playing so many Sunday games; if you want to rest your guys in a case like this, you can do it and still have a tough practice on Friday.

But it doesn't get much easier. OSU visits league bully Michigan State (21-6, 11-3) on Sunday (noon ET, CBS) to try to keep pace near the top of the Big Ten.

John P. Wise is the editor of OneGreatSeason.com. He can be reached at jpwise3@hotmail.com.

Monday Roundup: Evan Turner Best in the Country?

John P. Wise — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:18:56 -0800

Evan Turner wasn't necessarily a highlight reel Sunday, but his overall play was instrumental yet again in Ohio State's most recent triumph.

The visiting Buckeyes blasted a pretty good Illinois team riding a five-game winning streak, including a pair of victories over Big Ten heavies Michigan State and Wisconsin.

But OSU, enjoying its own five-game trend heading into the game, got splendid perimeter play from juniors Jon Diebler and David Lighty, and Turner was more than comfortable setting them up.

The trio combined for 51 points, including ET's 16, part of a near-triple double that also included 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Outside of maybe Kansas' Sherron Collins, no player is more valuable to his team than Turner. For some reason, OSU's huge game against Purdue on Wednesday is not scheduled to be televised, but if you watch the Bucks play at Michigan State -- another large conference clash -- on Sunday (Noon, CBS), you'll see he does everything for his team. Not only leading the offense and sharing the basketball, but also energizing an increasingly active defense. Illinois had absolutely no answers for OSU's zone on Sunday.

Turner and the Buckeyes kind of remind me of Francisco Garcia and the 2005 Louisville Cardinals, who started to peak in February and rode a balanced offense all the way to the Final Four. Garcia was clearly the most dangerous weapon on that team, but his supporting cast was more than capable, and his unselfishness only made them better.

Further proof of Turner's value to his team comes next season, when he'll probably be playing in the NBA and the Buckeyes, who bring back every other starter, likely will struggle without him.

BIG UPSETS IN BIG EAST: Speaking of Louisville, the Cardinals got a huge resume win at Syracuse Sunday, and now with two winnable games up next, Rick Pitino's bunch appears headed for an NCAA bid.

As hard as Louisville tried to give the game away -- the Cards missed five free throws and turned the ball over in the final 1:41 -- the visitors held on to beat the Orange for the fifth straight time. The teams meet again in the season finale for both in Louisville on March 6.

And although Rutgers isn't headed to the NCAA Tournament, the Scarlet Knights earned a nice win over visiting Georgetown on Sunday. A Jekyll-and-Hyde stretch that includes wins over Duke and Villanova has seen the Hoyas drop three of their last six games. Georgetown has Syracuase and West Virginia on its remaining schedule, so the Hoyas will still be able to bolster their resume for a favorable NCAA seed.

FINAL FOUR PICKS: It seems like more teams are playing themselves out of top seeds than into them. Kansas and Kentucky could be a delicious championship game, but Syracuse, a team I've liked all season, struggled at home to beat a weak Connecticut squad before losing at home to Louisville. Just a February bump or a sign of something bigger?

+ EAST: Villanova (Duke)
+ SOUTH: Kentucky (West Virginia)
+ MIDWEST: Kansas (Michigan State)
+ WEST: Syracuse (Gonzaga)
+ SLEEPER: Siena

DePAUL OFFERS SCHOLARSHIP TO 14-YEAR-OLD: DePaul has offered a basketball scholarship to 14-year-old Jahlil Okafor, and that doesn't sit well with ESPN analyst Bob Knight.

"If I were a parent, I wouldn't want anybody talking to my son about going to college until he's on his way toward finishing high school," he said on SportsCenter on Monday morning. Didn't Knight do just about the same thing with Damon Bailey 25 years ago?

TUBE TIME: I still can't get over the Purdue-Ohio State game not being televised, but there are a few good ones coming up later this week:

+ Thursday: Syracuse at Georgetown, 7 p.m., ESPN2
+ Saturday: Illinois at Purdue, 4 p.m., ESPN
+ Saturday: Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., ESPN

Poll: Who Will Lead Power Conferences in PPG?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:12:24 -0800