Missouri

Missouri 2010 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Joel Welser — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:27:11 -0500

Missouri Tigers

Big 12 Conference (22-10, 10-6)

Big Wins: 1/9 Kansas State (74-68), 1/30 Oklahoma State (95-80), 2/17 Texas (82-77)

Bad Losses: 12/9 at Oral Roberts (59-60), 1/16 at Oklahoma (61-66), 3/10 vs Nebraska (60-75)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2009, Elite Eight loss to Connecticut

Coach: Mike Anderson (6-4 in 4 NCAA appearances)

Why They Can Surprise:

Missouri is coming off an Elite Eight appearance and Coach Mike Anderson’s 40 minutes of hell is in full force. The Tigers will continually press on defense and push the tempo on offense. The team leads the nation with xxx steals per game and six players average at least one steal per contest. J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor make the offense tick. Taylor is the better shooter of the two and Tiller will get to the basket quite a bit, but together those two take great care of the ball and push it up the floor without turning it over.

Kim English is the other usual starter on the perimeter and he is the go-to-scorer. English is a prolific outside shooter, but he is also 6-6 and that always makes him a threat to get to the basket. Coach Anderson has the players to run as much as he wants. Nine or ten players are in the regular rotation, seven of whom average at least six points per game, and nobody averages more than 27 minutes per contest. That depth allows every player to give it their all on every play knowing that when they need a rest, they will get it.

Why They Can Disappoint:

As is often the case on a Coach Anderson team, rebounding is a problem. The frontcourt lost a couple key players last year and nobody really knew what to expect from the returning players. And matters got worse in late February when Justin Safford tore an ACL and will miss the tournament, which will force Steve Moore into seeing more playing time, but he is dealing with his own injuries. Safford was the guy who could stretch out the defense with his outside shooting ability, but it is Keith Ramsey who is expected to do the dirty work under the basket and grab as many rebounds as possible. Sophomore Laurence Bowers rarely cracked the starting lineup until Safford got hurt, but he is the Tigers third leading scorer and is a player who not only can stretch out the defense with his shooting ability, but also score in the paint, hit the glass and block some shots.

Who To Watch:

Marcus Denmon is the perfect player for providing a spark off the bench. He is averaging 10.8 points per game and connects on an impressive 42.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. With Michael Dixon Jr., who is also a solid outside shooter, and Miguel Paul available off the bench, Coach Anderson can keep the offensive weapons firing from everywhere on the floor at all times. And, more importantly, keep his players fresh for defensive purposes.

Probable Starters:

J.T. Tiller, Senior, Guard, 8.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg

Zaire Taylor, Senior, Guard, 8.2 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.8 spg

Kim English, Sophomore, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 1.2 apg

Laurence Bowers, Sophomore, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg

Keith Ramsey, Senior, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Marcus Denmon, Sophomore, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 1.4 apg

Michael Dixon Jr., Freshman, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 1.6 apg

Steve Moore, Sophomore, Forward, 1.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Miguel Paul, Sophomore, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 1.7 apg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 78.1 (24^th in nation, 4^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.5 (98, 4)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (124, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.5 (56, 5)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (45, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.2 (51, 6)

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.5 (55, 4)

Rebound Margin: -2.2 (257, 10)

Assists Per Game: 15.5 (31, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (133, 7)

Follow Joel Welser's Postseason Capsules & College Basketball Previews on Twitter @Joel_Welser and on his Facebook page. Joel will be back in June for his annual Top 144 Teams in 144 Days preview on CollegeHoops.net

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College Cheerleader of the Day: Missouri

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:18:14 -0500

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day. Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- MISSOURI

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Poll: Who Will Win the Big 12 Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:17:10 -0500

College Hoops Tuesday Recap: A Night of Missed Opportunities

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:01:14 -0500

Had Cincinnati, Florida or Illinois won on Tuesday night they'd be the main story in the recap. However with all three dropping opportunities to vault themselves either into the NCAA Tournament or onto the bubble they could all look back at this night as the one that helped keep them out of the Field of 65. The Bearcats and Gators both hosted ranked teams at home and both fell by four points. Cincinnati held Scottie Reynolds scoreless in the first half but they most they could manage was a tie going into the locker room. Reynolds was due to get on the scoreboard and once he did his offense was the difference in a 77-73 Villanova win. Six Wildcats finished in double figures as they shot 55% from the field in the second half and attempted 25 foul shots in the final twenty minutes. Rashad Bishop led the Bearcats with 19 off the bench, and they now find themselves in need of a serious run beginning with the regular season finale at Georgetown.

Florida fell victim to a freshman sharpshooter by the name of John Jenkins in their 64-60 loss. Jenkins made six of nine three-point attempts in scoring a team-high eighteen points and two other Commodores also scored in double figures. Vernon Macklin's 21 points weren't enough to offset Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker combining to shoot 3-for-24 from the field, and the unabashed firing away may have contributed to Chandler Parsons attempting just four shots. The Gators held the advantage in points in the paint and second-chance points but their frigid shooting (26.7% in the second half) was their undoing. But unlike the Bearcats, Florida may still be in decent shape when it comes to getting into the NCAA Tournament. The regular season finale is at Kentucky and a solid performance (at least) will certainly bolster their resume.

As for Illinois it seemed as if the players forgot the pregame scouting report on Ohio State, most notably Jon Diebler. How one of the Big Ten's best three-point shooters can attempt fourteen shots from behind the arc (making seven) has to be one of Tuesday's bigger mysteries. Evan Turner added his customary versatile floor game although the overall stat line wasn't as impressive as we've come to expect, and David Lighty and William Buford each scored in double figures to help the Buckeyes clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with the 73-57 win. Demetri McCamey led the Illini with 18 points but their difficulties in defending the three (OSU: 10-21 3PT) and getting to the foul line (4-5 FT) resulted in them dropping a game that would have made them a lock for the Big Dance. Now they likely need a win over Wisconsin this weekend to seal the deal.

Three Key Happenings

1. UTEP clinches their first-ever Conference USA title. It's now official: someone other than Memphis has won Conference USA. Tony Barbee's UTEP Miners, who could be a handful for someone in the NCAA Tournament, were able to gut out a win at Marshall by the final score of 80-76. Randy Culpepper, one of the nation's most explosive guards, led the way with 32 points while Derrick Caracter added 18. UTEP was fortunate to make the key plays late as Marshall out-rebounded the Miners 50-35 with Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Wilkerson combining for thirty boards. The key for UTEP going into the Conference USA and NCAA tournaments will be the play of their frontcourt, most notably Caracter and Arnett Moultrie (1-10 FG on Tuesday). Those two have to be consistent if Tony Barbee's team has any hope of advancing.

2. Nearly fifteen years after Tyus Edney broke Tiger hearts Zaire Taylor saves Missouri in Ames. If not for Zaire Taylor the Missouri Tigers would have to find a way to explain dropping a game to an Iowa State team many expect them to handle with relative ease. Taylor hit an 18-footer with eighteen seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 61, and after a Cyclone turnover late in overtime he went the length of the floor to toss in an off-balanced shot at the buzzer. Missouri went into the game a virtual lock for an NCAA berth but a game like this is exactly the kind of game that, if lost, can touch off a nosedive to the finish line. They can now focus all of their energy on preparing to host Kansas over the weekend and they remain in contention for one of the four first-round byes in the Big 12 Tournament.

3. Murray State and Morehead State move one step closer to "round three" in the Ohio Valley. The two best teams in the OVC took care of business by identical 33-point margins on Tuesday, moving on to Friday's semifinals in Nashville. Ivan Aska led five players in double figures with seventeen points as the regular season champs routed Tennessee State 84-51, and Kenneth Faried led Morehead State with 24 points and 19 rebounds in their 87-54 win over Jacksonville State. Standing between these two and their second meeting in just over a week are Eastern Illinois (Murray State) and Tennessee Tech (Morehead State), with Mike Sutton's Eagles being the lone surprise. Tennessee Tech won at Austin Peay on a Kevin Murphy three-pointer with six seconds remaining, making this the first year since 2006 in which the Govenors did not advance to at least the semifinals. Could there be a surprise on Friday night? It's not out of the realm of possibility despite the performances of the two favorites to this point in the season.

Top Three Games

1. Missouri 69, Iowa St 67 (OT) See above.

2. Tennessee Tech 68, Austin Peay 65 See above.

3. Radford 64, Charleston Southern 61 (OT) The defending Big South champs nearly had their dreams of a repeat crushed on Tuesday night. Art Parakhouski led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds while the Buccaneers went scoreless for the first 3:44 of the extra session. Jeremy Sexton led the Buccaneers with 18 points.

Three Notable Performances

1. G J.P. Primm (UNC Asheville) Primm posted a line of 23 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Bulldogs' 84-73 Big South quarterfinal win over High Point.

2. F Kenneth Faried (Morehead State) 24 points and 19 rebounds in Morehead State's 87-54 win over Jacksonville State.

3. Forwards Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Wilkerson (Marshall) Whiteside (20 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks) and Wilkerson (22 points, 16 rebounds) were outstanding in the Thundering Herd's 80-76 loss to UTEP.

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Hummel, Safford Injuries and Their Impact

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:57:57 -0500

Bad news hit West Lafayette and Columbia on Thursday afternoon, with Purdue's Robbie Hummel and Missouri's Justin Safford both going down for the remainder of the season with torn ACLs. The more important ligament on a national level: clearly that would be Hummel's, and his injury could be the difference in seed lines for the Boilermakers. Many have used Kenyon Martin's broken leg back in 2000 as the comparison to Purdue losing Hummel, but that's a bit off when you further examine the cases. In that season Martin was clearly the best player in America, and his injury happened in the Bearcats' first conference tournament game. Of course Cincinnati went on to lose, and with very limited evidence of what the Bearcats could be without the National Player of the Year the selection committee dropped them a seed line.

Cincinnati, out of sorts from losing their best player and not having much time to get used to playing without him, was bounced in the second round by Tulsa. Purdue, on the other hand, will have ample time between now and Selection Sunday to figure this out and it will also help them to still have marquee games on the schedule. The first test: Michigan State at home on Sunday. There have been a lot of statements that Purdue's chances of getting to Indianapolis are shot; despite Hummel's talents it's unfair to rush to such a judgement without seeing this team play a full game without him. Matt Painter and his staff will look for other players to step up, and if Wednesday's win at Minnesota was any indication maybe Keaton Grant is the man to expand his role.

As for the Tigers, losing their fourth-leading scorer is still a blow that needs to be negotiated with care the remainder of the regular season. Sitting alone in third place, Mike Anderson's team can still count on Kim English, Marcus Denmon and four other players averaging at least 7.5 points per game. Their strength is their balance and that's exactly how they'll make their way towards the NCAA Tournament without Safford. The key: someone else up front will need to step up. Steve Moore saw 21 minutes of action in the blowout of Colorado but it would be more logical to ask of more from Laurence Bowers and Keith Ramsey. But just like Purdue they've got two weeks to figure the new rotation out before entering conference tournament play. Both losses hurt but it shouldn't mean immediate panic.

Three Key Happenings

1. Morehead State ends Murray State's 17-game win streak; round three in the OVC final? In a collision of lengthy win streaks (Murray State's 17 overall, Morehead State's 16 OVC home game), Terrance Hill hit a three-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to give the defending OVC Tournament champs the lead for good on their way to a 70-65 home win. The win gives the Eagles their second consecutive 20-win season for the first time in school history and a good confidence boost going into next weekend's conference tournament. Kenneth Faried led the way with yet another double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Isaac Miles led the Racers with 18 but the scoring balance, which has been one of Murray's biggest strengths, wasn't present on Thursday night with Danero Thomas scoring fifteen and no one else finishing with more than eight points. B.J. Jenkins had a rough night from the field in making one of eight shot attempts (1-7 3PT) on the night. Could there be a third meeting in the OVC final next week? It's definitely possible but to ignore the likes of Eastern Kentucky (who plays Murray State on Saturday) and Austin Peay would be dangerous to say the least; in the last decade the top two seeds have meet in the final just four times.

2. California takes a definitive step towards their first Pac-10 title in decades. We may finally have clarity in the Pac-10, a conference that while it hasn't impressed in regards to the caliber of the teams it has offered up unpredictable basketball. Mike Mongomery's Golden Bears took full advantage of their opportunity on Thursday night, using a second half run to take care of Arizona 95-71 in Berkeley. Now they sit just one win away from wrapping up a share of their first Pac-10 title in some fifty years. Jerome Randle led four players in double figures with 24 points and Jamal Boykin added another double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The young Wildcats simply couldn't keep up offensively with the Golden Bears, who shot 63% from the field in the second half and 56.7% for the game. Also outrebounding Arizona 34-23, Cal will face a stiffer defensive test in Arizona State on Saturday afternoon. Add in Senior Day and you can understand why a coach may be a little worried. "One of the risks that you run is there's a lot of things going on with Senior Night and these kids and the reality of it is, that if we win that game, we have at least a share of the conference championship," said Coach Montgomery. "When we're good, we play hard, we play together and we're focused on just winning the basketball game (quote courtesy of calbears.com)."

3. Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun) and Wofford (Southern) make moves toward a regular season title. Both teams were involved in important contests in regards to the inside track for their respective conference titles, and home court advantage came in handy for the Dolphins and Terriers. With their 65-52 win over Campbell, Jacksonville clinched at least a share for the A-Sun title with one league game remaining. Travis Cohn and Ben Smith scored fifteen points apiece and Jacksonville scored 17 points off of 21 Campbell turnovers to separate themselves from the Camels. The Dolphins also did a fantastic job of sharing the basketball, assisting on sixteen of their twenty-one baskets.

As for the Terriers, they won their eighth consecutive and 22nd game overall in beating preseason favorite Charleston 74-68 to take a one-game lead in the South Division of the Southern Conference. Noah Dahlman led three Terriers in double figures with 20 points while also grabbing eight rebounds, and as a team Wofford outrebounded the Cougars 41-34 while also holding the visitors to 39.4% shooting from the field. And just like Jacksonville, Wofford did a good job of distributing the basketball, assisting on 15 of their 24 made field goals. Now armed with the top seed in the South Division, the Terriers have locked up a postseason bid by virtue of having the SoCon's best record.

Top Three Games

1. Vanderbilt 96, Georgia 94 (OT) Ten players in this one finished with double figures and Jermaine Beal led the Commodores with 28 points in a comeback win over the Bulldogs in Nashville. Travis Leslie led the Bulldogs with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

2. Wright State 76, Youngstown State 73 Troy Tabler knocked down a three pointer with 0.5 seconds left to save the Raiders on the road. Todd Brown led the victors with 16 points while Vitas Sulskis led the Penguins with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

3. Morehead State 70, Murray State 65 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Adnan Hodzic (Lipscomb) Hodzic led the Bisons to a 74-66 win over Kennesaw State with 24 points and 20 rebounds.

2. F Drew Viney (Loyola Marymount) In the Lions' 72-69 win at San Diego Viney led the way with 35 points and eight rebounds.

3. G Austin Kenon (VMI) Kenon scored 32 points and handed out five assists in the Keydets' 95-85 loss at Charleston Southern.

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:58:01 -0500

Monday's headline game is one of the rivalries that shaped the early years of the Big East Conference, and with both Georgetown and Syracuse ranked in the Top 15 of the polls it's fitting that they meet again on the primetime stage. The game matches two of the conference's best shooting teams, with Syracuse ranking first in field goal percentage while the Hoyas are second. In regards to what they like to run there is a difference, with the Hoyas' system being more of the half-court variety that is among the most efficient offenses in the Big East. The Orange will look to get out in the open floor, using the versatile Wes Johnson to make plays inside and out while Andy Rautins can knock down the outside shots and Arinze Onuaku (and Rick Jackson) get the job done inside.

Georgetown has one of the best power forwards in America in sophomore Greg Monroe, and he's played very good basketball of late. In his last three games Monroe is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, and the improved play of Austin Freeman has made a difference as well. But the position to watch on Monday night is point guard. Syracuse operated by platooning freshman Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine while Georgetown relies on Chris Wright (Jason Clark can also handle the chores when called upon). But Wright has been the key for the Hoyas in Big East play; when he's on Georgetown is a near-impossible team to beat. A Georgetown win would give Villanova a two-game lead in the Big East standings while the Orange hope to stay within a game of the Wildcats.

The other big game is a rivalry that is likely more heated that Georgetown/Syracuse. Missouri and Kansas could care less about each other, and the Tigers show up in Lawrence in need of a marquee win to bolster their tournament seeding. Mizzou has won ten of their last eleven games, with the lone defeat being a bad showing at Oklahoma on the 16th. Kim English leads three Tigers in double figures and they've also got one of the best perimeter defenders in J.T. Tiller. But the key for them will be how they match up with the likes of Cole Aldrich and the Collins twins. Because of their ability to get the ball inside the Jayhawks are the Big 12's most efficient offensive team, and point guard Sherron Collins does a great job of leading the team. Missouri will have their hands full to say the least.

TV GAMES

7p ESPN Georgetown at Syracuse
7p ESPNU Delaware State at Coppin State
9p ESPN Missouri at Kansas
9p ESPNU Alabama State at Southern
11p ESPNU Boise State at Idaho

OTHER GAMES

7p Charleston at Western Carolina
8p Bethune-Cookman at Howard
8:05p Western Kentucky at Southern Illinois
9p Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Texas Southern

ONE PREDICTION

Syracuse over Georgetown: One area that can be lost in the shuffle when talking about the Orange is their defense. Their length makes them a very tough defense to score on, and Syracuse ranks second in the Big East in field goal percentage defense and defensive efficiency in league games. If Georgetown's outside shots are falling they could leave with the victory. But against a defense as good as Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone they're going to have a tough time finding a lot of good looks. The Orange defend their home floor.

Weekly Bracketology: Missouri, Notre Dame, Vandy Gain Bids

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:51:32 -0500

The weekly Bracketology field is based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." . In late February, I release Bracketology updates daily as the season approaches crunch time.

Why should you care what I have to say? In 2007 & 2008, I was considered to have one of the Top 2 or 3 brackets amongst 53 national experts including Joe Lunardi, Gary Parrish and the like. (Admittedly my 2009 final bracket was rather weak.. not sure what happened. Can't win 'em all.)

Notes:

Arrows indicate movement by seed. Green indicates new to the field this week. Conference champions are not my end of season predictions, but the current RPI leader at the time of the posting (this switches to conference record once all leagues have started.)

ONE

Texas

Kentucky**

Kansas**

Syracuse

TWO

Purdue**

Villanova

Duke**

West Virginia**

THREE

Michigan State

FOUR

Gonzaga**

FIVE

Temple**

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

UAB**

Butler**

UNLV

NINE

St. Mary's

Vanderbilt

Wake Forest

Mississippi St

TEN

William & Mary**

Minnesota

Missouri

California**

ELEVEN

Notre Dame

Cornell**

Oklahoma St

Virginia Tech

TWELVE

Rhode Island

USC

Texas Tech

Florida

THIRTEEN

Siena**

Western Kentucky**

Nevada**

Murray State**

FOURTEEN

Western Carolina**

Kent St**

Northern Colorado**

Oakland**

FIFTEEN

Vermont**

Radford**

UTSA**

Morgan St**

SIXTEEN + ONE

Army**

Long Beach St**

ETSU**

Quinnipiac** / UAPB**

** = Automatic Bid

League Leaders/Winners (31)

- Leaders throughout the season are merely the first place team in the standings as of the update, and not projected winners. Up until conference play begins, 1st place is given to the highest RPI team. New teams this week in green.

America East - Vermont

A-10 - Temple

ACC - Duke

Atlantic Sun - ETSU

Big 12 - Kansas

Big East - West Virginia

Big Sky - Northern Colorado

Big South - Radford

Big Ten - Purdue

Big West - Long Beach St

CAA - William & Mary

Conference USA - UAB

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Cornell

MAAC - Siena

MAC - Kent St

MEAC - Morgan St

MVC - Northern Iowa

MWC - New Mexico

Northeast - Quinnipiac

Ohio Valley - Murray St

Pac-10 - California

Patriot - Army

SEC - Kentucky

Southern - Western Carolina

Southland - UTSA

SWAC - UAPB

Summit - Oakland

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky

WAC - Nevada

WCC - Gonzaga

*** = Locked Up Automatic Bid

Last In: Rhode Island, USC, Texas Tech, Florida

Last Out: Cincinnati, Washington, Louisiana Tech, Wichita St

Further Four: Ohio St, Missouri St, Memphis, Northwestern

Dropped Out Of Field (at-large): Cincinnati, Ohio St, Washington

College Hoops Wednesday Recap: Tigers End the Streak

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:14:52 -0500

The Missouri Tigers hadn't beaten rival Illinois since 1999, losing games in which they've been favored as well as those they weren't expected to win. Wednesday's game was more of a toss-up with a slight edge going to Bruce Weber's team, who had already won at Clemson thus far. But the Tigers were able to control the flow of play, forcing 22 Illinois turnovers on their way to an 81-68 win. While Illinois outrebounded the Tigers 44-32 and all five starters reached double figures Missouri forced 22 turnovers and held the Illini to 39.7% shooting from the field.

Kim English led the way with 24 points, including a career-high five three pointers, and Michael Dixon added sixteen points with five assists and three steals. Another characteristic of the Tigers under Mike Anderson has been their willingness to share the basketball. On Wednesday nineteen of their twenty-eight field goals were assisted while the Illini had just thirteen assists for twenty-seven made baskets. But the main headline will go to the Missouri pressure; fewer than half of Illinois' turnovers (10) came via the steal; the Tigers don't have to take the ball from you to force you into mistakes. And as a result Missouri can celebrate their first win in the Braggin' Rights game since 1999.

Three Key Happenings

1. If you're going to beat West Virginia you'd better rebound. The Mountaineers, who had fifteen offensive rebounds in the first half against Ole Miss, outrebounded the Rebels 50-28 on their way to a 76-66 win in Morgantown. For the game Bob Huggins' team had 22 offensive rebounds; had that number been their sole output on the boards they would have been just a minus-6 for the game. West Virginia isn't blessed with wide bodies; they simply have a number of versatile players willing to get after it on the boards. And once they got it going from the perimeter early in the second half they could essentially pick the final score.

Wellington Smith made five three pointers on his way to a game-high nineteen while Devin Ebanks added 14 points and 13 rebounds. And while they did finish with eighteen turnovers the Mountaineers also had 22 assists on 28 field goals; if they can limit the turnovers while regaining their perimeter stroke West Virginia will be the team many expect to contend in the Big East.

2. Nevada and Old Dominion make impressive statements. Both the Wolf Pack and Monarchs scored blowout victories over teams expected to contend for their respective conference titles. Nevada demolished Tulsa in the third-place game of the Las Vegas Classic, winning by a final score of 99-68. The first half was bad enough for the Golden Hurricane, who went into the locker room down 48-30. But things got even worse in the second half as they came out of the gates cold while Nevada continued to score at will. Luke Babbitt proved to be too much, totaling 24 points and 11 rebounds while Brandon Fields and Armon Johnson scored seventeen apiece.

As for the Monarchs, they absolutely hammered a Charlotte squad that some pegged a contender in the Atlantic 10 based on their early success, which included an impressive win at Louisville. But none of that mattered to Gerald Lee (16 points, seven rebounds) and company, who kept the momentum gained from their win at Georgetown going with an 81-48 win. ODU ranks second nationally in points allowed per game and they went into the half leading 40-13. The 49ers shot 16% from the field in the first twenty minutes and 33.3% for the game; ODU finished with a field goal percentage of 53.0%. Simply put: Nevada and Old Dominion made emphatic statements to their conferences and the nation on Wednesday.

3. Oral Roberts knocks New Mexico from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Golden Eagles were able to pick up another big win at the Mabee Center, this time handing the Lobos their first loss of the season by a 75-66 final. New Mexico's top two scorers, Darington "Butta" Hobson and Roman Martinez, combined to score just fifteen points on 6-of-23 shooting, while ORU's Michael Craion (18 pts, 13 reb) and Dominique Morrison (17 pts) combined for thirty-five. New Mexico made just five of nineteen shots from behind the arc and finished the game with an overall field goal percentage of 37.3%. Oral Roberts was far more efficient offensively, making 46.9% of their shots and finishing with fifteen assists on twenty-two made field goals. As Missouri can attest to the Mabee Center is a dangerous place to play; add New Mexico to the list of teams who've found that out the hard way.

Top Three Games

1. Arizona 76, NC State 74 Nic Wise provided the heroics for the second consecutive game, going the length of the floor to score the game-winning basket with nine tenths of a second left on the clock. Freshman Derrick Williams led all scorers with twenty-four while the Wolfpack were led by Javier Gonzalez, who spearheaded a late rally and scored eighteen.

2. Xavier 70, Miami (OH) 67 The Musketeers survived a wild final minute, beating the Redhawks by three at the Cintas Center. Jordan Crawford led Xavier with nineteen but it was a late charging call on Kenny Hayes (24 points) that sealed the game.

3. Missouri 81, Illinois 68 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Trey Thompkins (Georgia) The talented sophomore led the Bulldogs to a 77-60 win over Florida Atlantic with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

2. F JaMychal Green (Alabama) Another sophomore in the SEC led his team to victory, with Green scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Crimson Tide's 90-71 win over Mercer.
3. G Aubrey Coleman (Houston) Coleman scored thirty-three points, shooting 9-for-11 from behind the arc, in the Cougars' 105-81 pasting of TCU.

Big Ten Expansion? Dominoes Could Fall Once More

Kevin McNeill — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:20:21 -0500

It may not feel like it to the respective conferences, but it has been over six years since the ACC raided the Big East, taking with them Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to reach the mandatory 12 team minimum for a conference football championship game. The Big East, caught flat-footed by the move, promptly raided Conference USA, which in turn raided the Western Athletic Conference, which then invaded the Sun Belt Conference – leading to one of the most dramatic re-alignments in college sports since the expansion of the “major” conferences themselves in the early 90’s.

Those conferences better get ready: We could well see something similar in the near future.

On Tuesday the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents/Chancellors formerly requested that League Commissioner Jim Delaney begin the process of “evaluating options” for expanding the conference. According to their release, the Big Ten would examine the issue of expansion for 12 to 18 months before arriving at any decision.

At issue is the fact that the conference is one team short of the 12 needed to host a football championship. While this is hardly a new revelation, league officials and coaches (most notably Penn State’s Joe Paterno) have watched with consternation this season as the other major conferences all played meaningful, highly rated, money-raking games in December, while their schools sat and waited for the bowl committees to decide their fate. It also hasn’t helped that the Big Ten hasn’t won a BCS game in the last three seasons, leading some to speculate that the long layoff was a factor.

So, unlike ten years ago when the conference decided against expansion after unsuccessfully courting Notre Dame, this time the odds favor the addition of a 12th team – with far reaching consequences in college football and basketball alike.

From both a geographic, and of course, financial perspective, Notre Dame is still the obvious first choice. A Big Ten championship game featuring Fighting Irish would easily compete with the SEC Championship in terms of ratings and revenue, while Notre Dame’s basketball team has been no slouch either and would instantly add another NCAA Tournament caliber contender to an already strong league.

However, by just about all accounts, the school is lukewarm at best to the idea. The Irish fully intend on returning to the BCS bowls in short order, and wouldn’t be too excited about sharing the $12 million payout with anyone. Also, the school already is part of the Big East for other athletics, a conference widely seen as the toughest basketball conference in America.

Which means the Big Ten would conceivably turn their sights on the Big East or Big 12, leading to the domino effect we witnessed across the NCAA six years ago.

The most oft mentioned targets include Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers out the Big East, and Missouri and Iowa State of the Big 12. However, the Big East schools would seem to be the most likely to move, considering the football conference also does not have a championship game, unlike the Big 12. Syracuse and Pittsburgh both have rich traditions in football and basketball, and natural rivalries with Penn State (although the Syracuse football rivalry ended after the 1990 season over a contract dispute, they did play the Nittany Lions again this season). Rutgers, for their part, could give the conference an anchor in the crucial recruiting state of New Jersey.

Should the Big Ten pluck one of these schools out of the Big East, the consequences could be far reaching. With just eight football playing members (as opposed to 16 for basketball), the Big East is least equipped to handle a raid by another conference, much less two in less than a decade. It is possible that the departure of one school could lead to talks of others following suit as a pre-emptive move, out of fear the league could no longer be a viable football conference.

The Big East, fighting this scenario at all costs and vowing not to get caught off-guard again, would in all likelihood once again quickly target Conference USA (Memphis or UCF, or both), giving the conference as many as seven former C-USA programs, and well, you know how it could go from there.

In essence, we would be witnessing yet another college basketball perversion in the pursuit of the football dollar. The Boston College - UConn rivalry is no more thanks to the Eagles’ move to the ACC and UConn coach Jim Calhoun’s refusal to schedule them as a result. Conference USA doesn’t have any deep-rooted conference rivalries left (which has led that conference to possibly look into expansion). The great I-10 rivalry between New Mexico State and UTEP is still fairly strong, but you can’t help but wonder what it would be like today if they still played each other for conference supremacy.

Losing Syracuse to the Big Ten would severely tarnish their heated rivalry with Georgetown, undoubtedly one of the best in the country. Ditto the “backyard brawl” between Pitt and West Virginia should the Panthers leave. Missouri, which just recently left the door open to the idea of joining the Big Ten, would diminish its border war with Kansas, which is simply unthinkable.

But you can’t stand in the way of progress I suppose. Suffice it to say, every conference from the Big East to the Sun Belt will be nervously waiting on the Big Ten’s decision.

Cheerleader of the Day: Missouri

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:09:01 -0500

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