Manhattan

USF Picks Up a Big Win: Sunday Thoughts

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:10:01 -0500

It wasn't pretty but USF found a way to get the job done, beating Cincinnati 46-45 to move to 11-5 in the Big East and 18-11 overall. Freshman point guard Anthony Collins made a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining to give the Bulls the win, and while it isn't a resume-building win the Bulls did the simplest thing a bubble team can do this time of the year: they won. Collins, who is going to be an outstanding point guard in the Big East as he gains experience, led USF with 14 points and five assists and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick added eight and ten rebounds.

The burning question is what this win does for USF's tournament chances, and the response is a simple one: they're still alive. The same goes for Cincinnati in spite of their non-conference strength of schedule (321 going into today's action). While teams can't control what their opponents do there is the simple aspect of taking care of your own business, and if that's done the door will remain open.

Stan Heath's Bulls are 14-1 at home this season, a record that may not impress when considering the opposition but they've played in three different arenas due to renovations to the Sun Dome. For this group to be in position to earn their first NCAA berth in 20 years (1992) is an impressive achievement when all things are considered. USF has games remaining at Louisville and against West Virginia at home before the Big East Championship in New York, and Cincinnati closes with #10 Marquette at home and at Villanova.

Stony Brook wins America East: Dallis Joyner scored 12 points and four other players scored between seven and nine points as Stony Brook beat Maine 55-48, wrapping up the outright America East title and grabbing the one-seed in next week's conference tournament. Steve Pikiell's Seawolves shot just 37% from the field but they were better on the defensive end of the floor, holding New Hampshire to 32.1% from the field and 4-for-21 from three.

Big Games Later Today

#15 Wisconsin at #9 Ohio State (4 PM, CBS)
This is a big one for the Buckeyes in regards to both the Big Ten title and the opportunity to grab a one-seed in the NCAA tournament, while the Badgers would do wonders for their NCAA seeding possibilities with a win. Ohio State is 17-1 at home this season, and a big part of their win in Madison on February 4th was their defending of the three. Wisconsin, who scores 35.2% of their points from three (per statsheet.com), shot 5-for-27 from beyond the arc in that contest.

That was also during a period when Jordan Taylor was struggling from the field, and clearly he'll be the focal point of what the Badgers look to do offensively. Aaron Craft is an outstanding defensive point guard, which will make for a fun battle within the game. If William Buford is scoring at an efficient rate it will be tough for Wisconsin to leave Columbus with a win.

Loyola (MD) at Manhattan (4 PM)
Iona already has the top seed wrapped up for next weekend's MAAC tournament but seeds two through four are all up for grabs. Fairfield (at Rider; 3:30 PM) also has a shot but the focus will be on Loyola's trip north to take on the Jaspers. Loyola won the first meeting 61-60 in Baltimore on January 5th and a lot has changed with both teams since then.

Rhamel Brown is one of the country's best shot blockers when taking height into consideration (he's only 6'6" but averages 2.5 rejections per game), but he'll have a tough matchup with Loyola calling on the likes of Erik Etherly. The first meeting was bizarre in that the Greyhounds won despite shooting 30.5% from two, and a Dylon Cormier three in the final seconds was the difference. Expect another tight affair at Draddy this afternoon.

California at Colorado (5:30 PM, FSN)
The visit from the Bay Area schools could not have gone worse for Colorado to this point, as they were blown out on Thursday night by Stanford...and then watched the Cardinal lose at Utah on Saturday. To say the least this is a huge game for Tad Boyle's team as the Golden Bears are the only team in the Pac-12 with a Top 50 RPI. A win over Cal will by no means punch Colorado's ticket (they aren't close at present time) but it will keep them alive, and in order to do so Carlon Brown needs to snap out of his funk.

Good luck doing that against Jorge Gutierrez, who is one of the best defenders in the country. Add in Justin Cobbs playing outstanding basketball of late and this will be a tough task for Colorado, but it can be done. Spencer Dinwiddie is one of the best freshmen in the conference and Andre Roberson has been good all season long, so they'll have a shot to knock off the Bears if they can keep Cobbs, Gutierrez and Allen Crabbe under wraps.

#16 Florida State at Miami (6 PM, ESPNU)
How's this for a bubble twist: Miami center Reggie Johnson has been declared ineligible by the NCAA and will not play tonight against Florida State, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. That means the Hurricanes will need even more from Kenny Kadji, who has played well this season, if they're to beat the Seminoles at home. FSU is deep inside with Bernard James, Xavier Gibson, Okaro White and John Kreft, meaning that they're better equipped to navigate foul trouble and that was before the Johnson news hit.

Malcolm Grant, Shane Larkin and Durand Scott will need to control the tempo if Miami is to take care of business at home, and if they can turn over the Florida State guards that would be even better. Maybe this is another game Michael Snaer wins at the end as he owns a pair of buzzer-beaters this season, but FSU may have caught a break with the Johnson news.

Wright's Buzzer-Beater Propels George Mason: Tuesday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:04:45 -0500

With 1:22 remaining VCU and George Mason were tied at 51 in a hotly-contested, defensive-minded affair. There were no easy shots to be found in the matchup of two of the three teams that entered Tuesday's action tied for first in the CAA. That's where the real fun began, with the Rams and Patriots combining to score 21 points in that final 1:22 to cap an outstanding matchup. The difference wasn't so much what one team did wrong but rather what one did right. Sherrod Wright.

Wright's 25-footer as time expired gave the Patriots the 62-61 win, moving them to 14-2 in the CAA and keeping them tied for first place with Drexel. A Bradford Burgess three with 1:20 remaining kicked off the scoring and a pair of Briante Weber free throws with 43 seconds remaining gave VCU a 56-51 lead. George Mason would respond with a Ryan Pearson three, and at that stage it was about extending the game for Paul Hewitt's team. There was one small issue, however: VCU took care of business from the foul line.

Shaka Smart's Rams would make seven of eight free throws in the final 43 seconds, and after two more Weber free throws made the score 60-56 with just over 11 seconds to go it was clear that the Patriots would need a three. Enter Vertail Vaughns, whose bonus shot cut the lead to one just seconds later, and the margin would grow to two with 3.8 seconds to go. 94 feet to go for George Mason, a distance covered by Wright's dribbling up the floor and game-winner.

"I'm sure we can watch the tape and nitpick and say 'well we should have pressured the ball a little bit more or we should have cotested a little bit more,'" said Smart. "But the reality is that Sherrod Wright made a phenomenal shot and he's a very good player.

Within the game it was Pearson who separated himself from the pack, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds as VCU struggled with finding a way in which to slow him down. The issue for George Mason was the foul trouble that Mike Morrison encountered, severely limiting his impact on the game. Burgess and Troy Daniels scored 13 apiece to lead VCU, who also had a big man struggle albeit in a different way. Juvonte Reddic shot 1-for-8 from the field and scored four points, and on a night that saw Morrison struggle for Mason a better performance from the sophomore big man would have helped.

With two conference games left there's still a lot to be decided in the CAA race, and the fact that VCU gets a rematch on their floor to end the regular season will help the Rams when it comes to possibly winning a share (at least) of the title. And if that matchup on February 25th is anything like Round One, college basketball fans should consider themselves lucky.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Hank Thorns burns his hometown school and leads TCU past #11 UNLV.
There were more than a few people who may have expected Wednesday's game between New Mexico and San Diego State to be a battle for a share of first place in the Mountain West, with it being a mere formality that UNLV would win at TCU. But the Horned Frogs had other ideas, specifically point guard and Las Vegas native Hank Thorns, as they beat the Runnin' Rebels 102-97 in a wild overtime affair. TCU had chance to win the game in regulation but an extra pass on the fast break (the proper basketball play in most instances) prevented the Frogs from getting their shot off in time. However that wouldn't stop TCU from completing their comeback from an 18-point second half deficit, and just as important as Thorns' scoring was TCU's work on the glass.

TCU out-rebounded UNLV 46-31 and their 19 offensive rebounds were a season high for a UNLV opponent. TCU only scored 19 second-chance points but that was more than enough when compared to UNLV's eight. J.R. Cadot (five offensive boards; 16 points and 12 rebounds) and Amric Fields (four offensive boards; 17 points and seven rebounds) were a problem for UNLV in that regard, and those second chances can add up over the course of a game. With the race at the top of the Mountain West being as tight as it is losses to teams outside of the top three could prove costly in the end. This makes Saturday's game at New Mexico even more important for Dave Rice's bunch.

2. Cleveland State continues their trend in the wrong direction as they fall at Milwaukee.
Just over a week ago Gary Waters' Vikings looked to be on their way to at the least a top two seed in the Horizon League tournament, which would advance them directly to the semifinals. But Cleveland State has now dropped three in a row to fall to 10-5 in league play, most recently losing 86-84 at Milwaukee on Tuesday night. As a result both Butler and Detroit trail Cleveland State by just a game in the loss column, meaning that the Vikings need to get things turned around quickly with three league games remaining. CSU played well offensively against the Panthers, shooting 60.9% from the field and 47.1% from three. But they were outscored by 15 points from three (39-24) and 13 from the foul line (33-20), which allowed Milwaukee to make up for their 7-for-17 night from inside of the arc. Tony Meier was fouled on a three-pointer with just over a second remaining and the score tied at 84, and he made two of three to provide the final margin. James Haarsma scored 25 to lead the victors and Trevon Harmon led Cleveland State with 27.

3. Both #22 Virginia and #23 Mississippi State fall on the road.
Neither Clemson nor LSU are likely to reach the NCAA tournament given their current records, but that doesn't mean they can't make things difficult for other teams within their respective conferences. Clemson was able to pull away from #22 Virginia in the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 36-24 on their way to a 60-48 victory. The problem for Virginia was that they had just two scorers, as Jontel Evans (17 points) and Mike Scott (13) led the way. Joe Harris, who broke a bone in his non-shooting hand in Saturday's loss at North Carolina, scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting and Sammy Zeglinski shot the same in scoring three. Those two will need to be better down the stretch if Tony Bennett's team is to go into postseason play with any kind of momentum.

As for LSU, Anthony Hickey's shot in the final seconds of overtime propelled them to a 69-67 win over Mississippi State in Baton Rouge. Ralston Turner led four Tigers in double figures with 17 points and Storm Warren added ten points and 11 rebounds off the bench, and LSU made up for a 43-32 rebounding disadvantage by racking up 15 steals and forcing 21 Mississippi State turnovers. Dee Bost led four Mississippi State players in double figures with 15 points but he (five turnovers) and Arnett Moultrie (six) combined for 11 of the 21 turnovers, a number that's too high to get away with especially on the road.

Quick Hitters

1. Anthony Raffa scored 20 points, leading four Coastal Carolina players in double figures as the Chanticleers beat UNC Asheville 74-69. The Bulldogs have already clinched the regular season title in the Big South but both CCU and Campbell are capable of knocking them off. While Matt Dickey (19 points) shot 6-for-12 from the field backcourt mates J.P. Primm (12 points) and Chris Stephenson (four points) shot a combined 7-for-26 on the night.

2. The battle behind Akron in the East Division of the MAC has been magnified in importance due to the league's move to seed one through twelve without regard to divisions. And with the top two seeds getting byes to the semifinals of the conference tournament it was critical that Kent State beat Buffalo, and they did by the final of 76-71. Justin Green led the Golden Flashes with 18 points and Micheal Porrini scored 14 in the second half, pulling Kent State into a tie with Buffalo for second place at 9-3.

3. Not only could Manhattan's chances of winning the MAAC be slipping away, but their hopes in the conference tournament may have taken a hit as well in their 70-64 loss at Siena. Starting point guard Michael Alvarado went down with an injury in the first half, one that head coach Steve Masiello stated could be a concussion and possible fracture of his eye socket according to Big Apple Buckets. To say that would be a big loss for the Jaspers would be accurate if he's out for an extended period.

4. Creighton ended their three-game losing streak with the greatest offensive performance in school history, shooting 75% in their 88-69 win at Southern Illinois. Doug McDermott led four starters in double figures with 18 points and Ethan Wragge added 15 off the bench for the Bluejays, who host Long Beach State on Saturday. As for the Salukis, this is just another sign of just how far things have fallen in Carbondale.

5. Part of the battle in getting to the NCAA tournament is making sure you don't lose the game you're supposed to win, so in that regard the wins by Texas (69-58 at Oklahoma) and Seton Hall (94-64 over St. John's) should be noted. While the focus centers on "marquee wins" when discussing resumes, the more teams can do to make sure they don't have "bad losses" the better.

6. Jared Sullnger and William Buford both bounced back from tough evenings in #6 Ohio State's loss to Michigan State to lead the Buckeyes past Minnesota by the final score of 78-68. Buford scored a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists, and Sullinger finished with 23 and eight caroms.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Jake Odum (Indiana State)
34 points (8-12 FG, 17-21 FT), seven rebounds and seven assists in the Sycamores' 83-77 overtime win over Illinois State.

2. G Hank Thorns (TCU)
32 points (8-12 3PT), five rebounds and four assists in the Horned Frogs' 102-97 overtime win over #11 UNLV.

3. F Robert Covington (Tennessee State)
28 points and 12 rebounds in the Tigers' 69-64 overtime win over Jacksonville State.

Saturday Recap: Missouri's Finishing Kick Proves to Be the Difference

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:43:04 -0500

Rivalry games bring more to the table when it comes to intensity, and that was definitely the case in the battle between #4 Missouri and #8 Kansas in Columbia on Saturday night. In a game that featured many momentum swings and neither team leading by more than eight points, it was Frank Haith's Tigers who landed the final blow. Kansas led 71-63 with 3:25 remaining but they would not score again, as Missouri finished the game on an 11-0 run to win 74-71. Marcus Denmon, who entered the game having made just 34.9% of his shots in Big 12 play, shot 10-for-16 from the field and scored a game-high 29 points to lead the way.

"He made some tough shots," said Haith. "He got into a rhythm and when Marcus gets into a rhythm he can rattle off a few shots in a row. And I think at that point in time he just got in a rhythm."

But Denmon wasn't the only star for the Tigers, with Kim English scoring 18 points and Michael Dixon Jr. adding 15 off the bench. English received a lot of attention from the Kansas defense due to his three-point shooting ability but the senior from Baltimore made things happen in other ways. The foul line was huge for the Tigers, as their shot 14-for-20 from the charity stripe with Kansas making five of nine and being called for ten more fouls (20-10). Thomas Robinson led the Jayhawks with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Tyshawn Taylor added 21, but the Missouri comeback was aided by player control fouls called on both down the stretch.

Robinson's fourth foul with 1:45 remaining ultimately led to a Denmon three to make the score 71-69, and Taylor's foul with ten seconds remaining led to a pair of Dixon Jr. free throws to give Missouri a 74-71 lead. Elijah Johnson ended up with the ball in his hands in the final seconds but he hesitated, eventually having to put up a highly-contested shot as time expired. Kansas played with a great deal of poise for just over 36 minutes, but when the Jayhawks needed sound execution to close out the contest the Tigers proved to be too much.

"We definitely did it to ourselves," remarked Jeff Withey when asked about the decisive stretch. "We had the lead and if we would have just held onto the ball, I think it would have been a way different outcome."

The end result: a three-way tie atop the Big 12 with Missouri boasting a 2-0 record vs. Kansas and Baylor. Ricardo Ratliffe was quiet due to his being in foul trouble for much of the night but others stepped up to help the Tigers hold their own on the glass. Denmon grabbed nine rebounds and five other players grabbed at least two as Missouri was out-rebounded by just three (29-26) on the night. Continue to point out Missouri's lack of size if you wish, but it should be pretty clear by now that they've got more than enough to compete for a national title.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Memphis comes back from ten down in the second half to beat Xavier, picking up a needed non-conference victory.
There was no mistaking how important the contest between Xavier and Memphis was for both teams with regards to their NCAA resumes, and the Musketeers looked to be well on their way to the key win. A Dezmine Wells three-point play with 6:16 remaining gave Xavier a 62-51 lead, but Josh Pastner's team refused to lie down. A Wesley Witherspoon three started a 17-1 run over the next six minutes, and Memphis would put away the 72-68 win from the foul line (Joe Jackson hit all four of his free throws to seal the deal). The question is which team needed the win more, and while it was vital for both teams a look at their remaining schedules will reveal the answer. Memphis won't have another shot at an RPI Top 50 win the remainder of the regular season while Xavier still has matchups with Temple and Saint Louis (both on the road) to deal with.

2. Florida State holds off Virginia at home to remain tied atop the ACC.
Low-scoring games tend to amp up those who feel that basketball has to be high-scoring in order to entertain, and those who took this route missed a very good battle in Tallahassee. Okaro White scored 13 points off the bench and Xavier Gibson added ten as Florida State won their seventh straight game to move to 7-1 in the ACC as they beat Virginia 58-55. Joe Harris and Mike Scott scored 16 apiece to lead the Cavaliers and Malcolm Brogdon added ten off the bench, but the struggles of Sammy Zeglinski (2-for-7, five points) down the stretch were just one reason why the Hoos were unable to pick up what would have been a very good road victory. In a game that finished with 63 possessions it was Florida State's work on the offensive glass (OR% of 34.3%) that made the difference (12-7 edge in second-chance points). Work of art? No, especially with the two teams combining for 39 turnovers. But it definitely was an entertaining show that the ACC's two best defensive teams put forth in Tallahassee.

3. Notre Dame puts it to Marquette in the second half to move to 7-3 in the Big East.
Once again Mike Brey is one of the favorites in the race for Big East Coach of the Year, as a team that looked to be well on its way to the NIT (or worse) in December finds itself in the thick of the race for second place. The Irish shot 57.7% from the field in the second half as they ran away from #15 Marquette to win 76-59, moving to within a half-game of second place as a result. Freshman Pat Connaughton led four Notre Dame players in double figures with 23 points, and the growth of he, Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant has played a huge role in Notre Dame not only surviving but thriving in dealing with life without the injured Tim Abromaitis. Grant's versatility was on display against Marquette, as he not only scored 11 points but dished out a team-high eight assists while Atkins scored 18. The play of Syracuse has turned the Big East into a league that will offer more suspense in the race for second, and at this point Notre Dame is just as capable as anyone else to grab that spot.

4. Iona's second half execution on both ends of the floor too much for Manhattan.
At the under-8 media timeout in the first meeting between the rivals separated by just nine miles, Iona held a 67-49 lead in a game that would eventually end on an Emmy Andujar three as time expired (75-72 Manhattan win). No such heroics this time around as the Gaels made sure to not allow the Jaspers to storm back, winning 85-73 thanks to improved play on the defensive end of the floor in the second half. Iona limited the quality looks for George Beamon, who finished with 26 points after scoring 19 in the first half, and as a team Manhattan shot just 38.2% from the field. Mike Glover led a balanced attack with 19 points and seven rebounds while Scott Machado (nine assists) and Momo Jones scored 18 apiece for the Gaels, who remain in first place with the win. Next up for Iona is a trip to Loyola (MD) on Friday night, which could also be a battle for first is the Greyhounds take care of business against Saint Peter's.

5. George Mason hangs on at home to beat ODU, resulting in a three-way tie atop the CAA.
Paul Hewitt's Patriots have now won seven of their last eight games, rebounding from a loss to Delaware to beat ODU 54-50 in a matchup of two of the four teams that entered Saturday tied for first in the CAA. George Mason got the job done by doing something simple in the second half: they made shots. GMU shot just 20% from the field in the first half, trailing 26-20 at the break and their 12 turnovers didn't help matters either. The second half was a different story as the Patriots shot 41.2% from the field while also refusing to settle for threes as they did in the first. George Mason's parade to the foul line (19-for-23 in the second half, 27-for-35 for the game) would prove to be the difference as the Patriots outscored the Monarchs by 17 from the charity stripe. VCU and Drexel are a part of the tie at this point, and while Mason doesn't play Drexel again (the Dragos won the first meeting) they do get two shots at VCU. Can someone in this group earn an at-large berth? The possibility is definitely there at this point.

Quick Hitters

1. No Kevin Parrom to start the trip and no Jordin Mayes on Saturday as well, but that didn't stop Arizona from beating Stanford 56-43 in Palo Alto. That completes the Wildcats' road sweep of the Bay Area schools and keeps them two games back the Pac-12 behind Washington. Kyle Fogg led four players in double figures with 14 points and the Wildcats limited Stanford to 25.4% shooting from the field.

2. Victor Oladipo scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Indiana past Purdue 78-61, snapping their five-game losing streak to the Boilermakers and moving the Hoosiers to 6-6 in the Big Ten. Robbie Hummel led the Boilers with 16 points and ten rebounds, but Purdue shot just 29.6% from the field in the loss.

3. One team that picked up a much-needed win for their resume was Wyoming, who knocked off #13 UNLV 68-66 in Laramie. Leonard Washington and Paco Cruz scored 16 points apiece and Luke Martinez 15 as the Cowboys made up for a disappointing loss to TCU earlier in the week. Larry Shyatt deserves a little more pub nationally than he's received for the Pokes' 18-5 start.

4. How the Atlantic 10 will shake out from an NCAA tournament bid standpoint has been one of the major points of conversation recently, but there may not be much doubt as to who the best team is. Temple sits alone in first place due to their 73-56 win over Rhode Island and La Salle's 70-66 loss to Saint Joseph's. The Owls' perimeter trio of Juan Fernandez, Ramone Moore and Khalif Wyatt may be the best in the A-10, something that seemed preposterous to suggest before the season started due to the presence of Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons at Xavier.

5. There's now a tie for first in the Missouri Valley as Northern Iowa knocked off #12 Creighton 65-62 on an Anthony James three as time expired. Wichita State took advantage of this, beating Indiana State 71-66 behind Garrett Stutz' 24 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. The February 11th rematch in Omaha (Creighton won the first meeting) will likely determine the top seed in Arch Madness.

6. Nevada took their first loss in WAC play as they fell 72-68 to Idaho in Reno. Kyle Barone scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Vandals, who were able to take advantage of Dario Hunt and Malik Story combining to shoot 3-for-12 from the field. While the Wolf Pack are 19-4 overall (8-1 WAC) this is a tough loss to take in regards to a possible at-large bid should they need it (entered the week with an RPI of 59 and an SOS of 182 per the NCAA's numbers). That Sears BracketBusters game at Iona became a lot more important for the visitors.

7. While much of the country focused on the Kansas/Missouri battle there was a big matchup in the Big West, with the winner likely emerging as the biggest threat to Long Beach State in the conference tournament. Bob Burton's Cal State Fullerton squad made quite the statement, beating UCSB 99-86 thanks in large part to 37 points from Kwame Vaughn and 25 from Isiah Umipig. Fullerton shot 52.6% from the field and a ridiculous 17-for-26 from three to move into a tie for second with UCSB.

8. The majority of the talk surrounding the Conference USA race has centered around the four teams that looked to have the best shot at earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But don't forget about Tulsa, who beat Marshall 79-70 at home to move to 7-2 in league play. Doug Wojcik's Golden Hurricane have won seven straight and while they do have to visit Southern Miss, Tulsa gets Memphis at home in the regular season finale.

9. Yes Fab Melo returned to the lineup for #2 Syracuse, but while the big man is definitely a major part of their plans to say his return was the only reason for the Orange's 95-70 win over St. John's would be short-sighted. Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair each scored 14 points and Michael Carter-Williams 13 off the bench and five Syracuse players finished in double figures.

10. Jared Sullinger scored 24 points and corralled ten rebounds as #3 Ohio State avenged last season's loss in Madison with a 58-52 win over Wisconsin. Deshaun Thomas added 16 for the Buckeyes while Wisconsin was done in by their 5-for-27 shooting from beyond the arc.

11. There have, and will be, matchups in which it looks unfair to have teams play #1 Kentucky. That's what happened to South Carolina, who was in over their heads in the 86-52 pasting that wasn't that close. Anthony Davis missed out on that elusive triple-double but 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks is nothing to scoff at. It will be fun to see how #11 Florida matches up with the Wildcats on Tuesday night, as the Gators may be the "last stand" for the rest of the SEC.

12. Florida took care of business at home with a 73-65 win over Vanderbilt in Gainesville with Kenny Boynton (18 points) and Bradley Beal (16 points, seven rebounds) leading four players in double figures. Jeffery Taylor led the Commodores with 25 points and John Jenkins added 15 but it's tough to win anywhere much less in the O-Dome when you shoot 8-for-25 from beyond the arc.

13. Without Jim Calhoun on the sidelines it was time for the Connecticut Huskies to step up both their play and their leadership. That happened, as UConn beat a Seton Hall team without the services of Herb Pope 69-46 in what would turn out to be a bad afternoon for Big East coaches from the Garden State. Kevin Willard would get ejected in the loss (Rutgers' Mike Rice was run at Louisville), the sixth in a row for the Pirates. Ryan Boatright led the Huskies with 19 points and Jeremy Lamb added 17 for UConn.

Five Notable Performances

1. G Kwame Vaughn and G Isiah Umipig (Cal State Fullerton)
Vaughn put up 37 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Titans' 99-86 win over UCSB while Umipig added 25 points, five assists and four rebounds.

2. F Josten Thomas (Hawai'i)
29 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the Warriors' 83-81 overtime win at San Jose State.

3. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
40 points (9-14 3PT), four rebounds and four assists in the Golden Grizzlies' 74-70 double overtime win at Western Illinois.

4. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
34 points (12-18 FG), five assists, three rebounds and two steals in the Wildcats' 93-81 win over Northern Colorado. It's beyond time that Lillard receive some National Player of the Year pub.

5. G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
29 points (10-16 FG), nine rebounds and two assists in the Tigers' 74-71 win over #8 Kansas.

#4 Missouri vs. #8 Kansas: Saturday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:41:31 -0500

One of the consequences of conference realignment has been the ending of some of the best rivalries in college sports. With #4 Missouri (20-2, 7-2) headed to the SEC after this season Saturday night's game with #8 Kansas (18-4, 8-1) could be the last time for a while these two teams meet in Columbia. But that's a mere subplot in this one as the Tigers are looking to move into a tie for first in the Big 12 while Kansas can strengthen their grip on the top spot with a win. The Jayhawks have won ten of the last eleven games in this series, a streak that includes the last two games at Mizzou Arena. That alone should be enough motivation for the Tigers, who have been one of the country's pleasant surprises.

Guard play is a big reason why, as Missouri's depth in this area has helped them make up for the loss of forward Laurence Bowers. Point guard Phil Pressey has run the show at a level that has many considering the sophomore to be one of the country's best point guards, despite the fact that he wasn't named a finalist for the Cousy Award. Pressey's averaging 6.0 assists per game and his assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6) is the best on the team. The sophomore can score as well, but that's not as necessary given the other options at his disposal.

Marcus Denmon (17.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Michael Dixon Jr. (12.1 ppg, 2.7 apg) and Matt Pressey (7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) are all reliable perimeter options with all three shooting at least 43% from the field. Kansas isn't as deep on the perimeter when it comes to scoring but they've got some talent as well, led by senior point guard Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor (16.7 ppg, 5.3 apg) has struggled with turnovers at times but the New Jersey native has reached double figures in scoring seven straight games (20+ points in four of those seven). Elijah Robinson (9.1 ppg, 3.6 apg) is also capable of making plays offensively and he's a good defender to boot, while Travis Releford (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) has reached double figures in two straight games after being quiet in wins over Texas and Texas A&M.

The play in the front court is what many will keep an eye on due to Missouri's lack of size and Kansas having one of the early favorites for National Player of the Year. Junior forward Thomas Robinson (17.6 ppg, 12.0 rpg) is a grown man inside for the Jayhawks, and his power can make him a man among boys if teams don't do a good enough job defending him. Missouri doesn't have depth inside but they do have the nation's leader in field goal percentage in Ricardo Ratliffe. Ratliffe (14.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is shooting a staggering 75.1% from the floor, due in large part to his understanding that he's most effective within five feet of the rim. Kansas has to be successful in pushing him away from the hoop if they're to limit his scoring opportunities.

Missouri goes small at the four with senior Kim English (14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg), whose ability to step out on the perimeter can prove problematic for opponents. Kansas' Jeff Withey (8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.1 bpg) is better equipped to remain inside defensively, which likely means that Robinson gets the matchup with English to start. Foul trouble for both Robinson and Ratliffe will be something to watch early on, especially if the Jayhawks decide not to go small with their five. Justin Wesley and Kevin Young combine to play 21 minutes per game so it's difficult to expect either one to be the recipient of major minutes without foul trouble for one of the key contributors being a reason why.

Both teams are forcing at least 15 turnovers per game but Kansas averages three more miscues per game, something that can't happen in front of what should be a raucous crowd in Columbia. Take care of the basketball and the Jayhawks have the tools needed to take advantage of a Missouri defense that's allowed teams to shoot 43% from the field this season, and Kansas would likely be able to take advantage of their superior rebounding ability as well. Baylor remains a contender in the Big 12 race (and they still host Kansas) but the matchup between the Jayhawks and Tigers will go a long way in setting the tone for the second half of the Big 12 campaign.

There are two other games on the schedule matching ranked teams, and in both cases it's the higher ranked team that's on the road. Ohio State visits Wisconsin in a key Big Ten contest with the hot Badgers, who have won six straight games, looking to move into first place with a win. Jordan Taylor and company were able to knock off the Buckeyes in last season's meeting at the Kohl Center, an experience that should have stuck with the returning Ohio State players. Keep an eye on Deshaun Thomas and Lenzelle Smith Jr. for Ohio State, because if they're both on it's extremely difficult to beat Thad Matta's squad.

Virginia visits a hot Florida State team with the Seminoles looking to at the very least remain tied for first in the ACC, and with wins over North Carolina and Duke already to their credit Leonard Hamilton's team is every bit the threat to win the league. Michael Snaer's been playing well for FSU of late, and Virginia boasts a forward in Mike Scott who is one of the league's best players. If Joe Harris and Sammy Zeglinski play well Tony Bennett's team can leave Tallahassee with a win, and it should be fun to see how FSU attacks Virginia's pack line defense.

Xavier visits Memphis in a non-conference game that's gone from being one of the top matchups when looking at the schedules in October to one that both teams truly need for their respective resumes due to struggles before the calendar flipped to 2012. Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons need to get back to consistently being one of the nation's best backcourts for Xavier to be at their best, and Memphis needs consistent play from Joe Jackson. Will Barton has played well enough to merit All-America consideration for the Tigers, and a win for them would go a long way towards making sure Conference USA gets multiple NCAA tournament bids.

If college hoops had bowl games the Seton Hall/Connecticut game would be dubbed the "Desperation Bowl" as both teams are in serious need of some positive momentum. The Pirates have lost five straight as seniors Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope (who is out today due to bruised ribs) haven't always played their best and youngsters who were doing the little things before the skid have slipped as well. UConn has dropped four in a row and with Jim Calhoun taking an indefinite leave of absence to deal with spinal stenosis (get well soon, Coach) it's on a group that hasn't shown much in the way of leadership or resolve to figure things out before things get even worse.

Vanderbilt visiting Florida should be a fun game especially when considering the offensive end of the floor, with the Commodores boasting Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins while the Gators have a three-headed attack on the perimeter consisting of Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton and Bradley Beal. Notre Dame (hosting Marquette) and Wyoming (hosting UNLV) get ranked teams at home, which could be a good boost for resumes that need some sprucing up in the final month before Selection Sunday, and in the MAAC two of the three teams tied for first meet in Riverdale as Manhattan hosts Iona. Emmy Andujar's banked-in three as time expired won the first meeting, a game that Iona led by 18 with less than eight minutes remaining.

Top 25 Games?
6:00 PM (1) Kentucky at South Carolina (ESPN)?
12:00 PM (2) Syracuse at St. John's (ESPN)
?2:00 PM (3) Ohio State at (20) Wisconsin (ESPN)
?9:00 PM (8) Kansas at (4) Missouri (ESPN)
?1:45 PM (6) Baylor at Oklahoma State (ESPN3) ?
4:00 PM (6) North Carolina at Maryland (ESPN)?
7:00 PM (9) Murray State at Tennessee-Martin (ESPN3) ?
1:00 PM Vanderbilt at (11) Florida (CBS) ?
5:00 PM (12) Creighton at Northern Iowa (ESPN3)
?4:00 PM (13) UNLV at Wyoming (The Mtn.)?
11:00 AM South Florida at (14) Georgetown (ESPNU) ?
1:00 PM (15) Marquette at Notre Dame (CBS) ?
10:00 PM TCU at (17) San Diego State (The Mtn.)
?1:00 PM (18) Virginia at (24) Florida State (ESPN3) ?
4:00 PM Auburn at (19) Mississippi State (ESPN3) ?
7:00 PM (20) Indiana at Purdue (BTN)
?7:00 PM Columbia at (23) Harvard ?
4:00 PM Rutgers at (25) Louisville (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
?12:00 PM Seton Hall at Connecticut (ESPN3) ?
12:00 PM Detroit at Butler (ESPN2)?
12:00 PM La Salle at Saint Joseph's (CBS SN Regional)
?1:00 PM Boston College at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)?
1:00 PM IPFW at IUPUI ?
1:00 PM Wake Forest at NC State (ESPN3) ?
1:00 PM Xavier at Memphis (FSN) ?
1:00 PM Hartford at Vermont ?
1:00 PM Navy at Lafayette ?
1:00 PM Charlotte at Fordham (YES)
?1:00 PM Winthrop at VMI
?1:45 PM Arkansas at LSU (ESPN3) ?
2:00 PM Sacred Heart at Fairleigh Dickinson ?
2:00 PM Central Michigan at Ohio ?
2:00 PM Temple at Rhode Island (ESPN2)?
2:00 PM Delaware at James Madison (TCN) ?
2:00 PM Charleston Southern at Coastal Carolina (MASN)?
2:00 PM Charleston at Appalachian State
?2:00 PM American at Colgate ?
2:00 PM Holy Cross at Lehigh ?
2:00 PM Georgia Southern at Western Carolina ?
2:00 PM Milwaukee at Green Bay (ESPN3)
?2:00 PM Samford at Wofford ?
3:00 PM Arizona at Stanford (FSN)?
3:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Furman ?
3:00 PM East Tennessee State at Kennesaw State ?
3:00 PM Penn State at Iowa (ESPNU) ?
3:00 PM UTSA at Lamar ?
3:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Northwestern State ?
3:00 PM UCF at SMU ?
3:05 PM Evansville at Southern Illinois ?
3:15 PM Florida Gulf Coast at Jacksonville ?
3:30 PM Presbyterian at Campbell ?
3:30 PM Maine at UMBC ?
4:00 PM New Mexico at Boise State (NBC SN) ?
4:00 PM Robert Morris at Mount St. Mary's ?
4:00 PM Clemson at Virginia Tech (ESPN3) ?
4:00 PM Miami (OH) at Ball State ?
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Bethune-Cookman ?
4:00 PM Chattanooga at Davidson ?
4:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Denver (ESPN2)?
4:00 PM Georgia State at Hofstra (FiOS1)
?4:00 PM Texas A&M at Kansas State (ESPN3)
?4:00 PM Howard at Maryland-Eastern Shore
?4:00 PM Coppin State at Morgan State ?
4:00 PM Savannah State at South Carolina State ?
4:30 PM Central Connecticut State at LIU Brooklyn ?
4:30 PM USC Upstate at Mercer ?
4:30 PM Texas State at Nicholls State
?4:30 PM Bryant at St. Francis (NY) ?
5:00 PM Arizona State at California (CSN CA)
?5:00 PM Air Force at Colorado State (CBS SN) ?
5:00 PM Dayton at Saint Louis (FCS)
?5:00 PM Rice at East Carolina ?
5:00 PM Oregon State at Utah
?5:00 PM UCLA at Washington State (ROOT) ?
5:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Central Arkansas ?
5:00 PM Old Dominion at George Mason (ESPNU)
?5:30 PM Tennessee Tech at Jacksonville State ?
5:30 PM Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State ?
5:30 PM N.J.I.T. at Chicago State ?
6:00 PM North Carolina Central at Florida A&M ?
6:00 PM Northern Illinois at Bowling Green (ESPN3)
?6:00 PM Iowa State at Oklahoma (ESPN2)
?6:00 PM Pennsylvania at Brown ?
6:00 PM Southern University at Grambling State
?6:30 PM Alcorn State at Jackson State ?
7:00 PM Princeton at Yale
?7:00 PM Massachusetts at George Washington (CSN+) ?
7:00 PM Drexel at Towson (ESPN3) ?
7:00 PM Cornell at Dartmouth
?7:00 PM Texas Tech at Texas (LHN)
?7:00 PM Santa Clara at San Diego (CSN BAY)?
7:00 PM William & Mary at UNC Wilmington ?
7:00 PM Stony Brook at Albany ?
7:00 PM Boston University at Binghamton
?7:00 PM Army at Bucknell ?
7:00 PM DePaul at Cincinnati (ESPN3) ?
7:00 PM Norfolk State at Delaware State ?
7:00 PM Richmond at Duquesne (ESPNU)?
7:00 PM Morehead State at Eastern Illinois ?
7:00 PM Citadel at Elon ?
7:00 PM Florida International at Florida Atlantic ?
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at High Point
?7:00 PM Western Michigan at Kent State ?
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at Liberty (ESPN3) ?
7:00 PM Iona at Manhattan (ESPN3)
?7:00 PM Canisius at Marist ?
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Monmouth
?7:00 PM Stetson at North Florida
?7:00 PM Sam Houston State at Southeastern Louisiana ?
7:00 PM Buffalo at Toledo ?
7:00 PM Northeastern at VCU (TCN) ?
7:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Wagner (Time Warner)
?7:00 PM Northern Colorado at Weber State (Altitude) ?
7:30 PM Eastern Michigan at Akron
?8:00 PM South Alabama at Western Kentucky (FCS) ?
8:00 PM Marshall at Tulsa ?
8:00 PM North Dakota at Texas-Pan American
?8:00 PM Ole Miss at Alabama (ESPN2)
?8:00 PM Alabama A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff ?
8:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas-Little Rock ?
8:00 PM Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M
?8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at SIU-Edwardsville ?
8:00 PM Georgia at Tennessee (ESPN3) ?
8:00 PM Houston at Tulane ?
8:00 PM Wright State at Valparaiso
?8:00 PM Oakland at Western Illinois
?8:05 PM Missouri State at Drake (ESPN3)
?8:05 PM Utah Valley at Houston Baptist
?8:05 PM Bradley at Illinois State (ESPN3) ?
8:30 PM UMKC at South Dakota ?
8:30 PM Oral Roberts at North Dakota State
?8:30 PM Tennessee State at Southeast Missouri State ?
8:30 PM Southern Utah at South Dakota State ?
8:30 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Troy
?8:35 PM Portland State at Northern Arizona (FCS)
?9:00 PM Hawaii at San Jose State ?
9:00 PM Oregon at Colorado (ROOT) ?
9:00 PM Montana at Montana State
?9:00 PM Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State (ESPN3) ?
9:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Fullerton (ESPNU) ?
9:00 PM UAB at UTEP (CSS)
?9:05 PM Sacramento State at Eastern Washington ?
10:00 PM UC Davis at UC Riverside
?10:00 PM Pacific at UC Irvine ?
10:00 PM San Francisco at Loyola Marymount ?
10:00 PM Idaho at Nevada ?
10:00 PM Gonzaga at Pepperdine (ROOT)
?10:00 PM BYU at Portland (BYU TV)
?10:00 PM Indiana State at Wichita State (ESPN2) ?
10:00 PM Cal Poly at Cal State Bakersfield
?10:05 PM Utah State at Fresno State
?10:10 PM Arkansas State at Seattle ?
10:30 PM Cal State Northridge at Long Beach State (FSN West) ?
11:00 PM USC at Washington (FSN)

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.

Iona vs. Rider: Friday Thoughts

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:15:59 -0500

Light schedule tonight with Ivy League Fridays not really getting going on a consistent basis until next weekend, but there are some entertaining matchups to keep fans occupied. Both MAAC matchups consist of top-half (of the standings) teams taking on squads hoping to avoid "First Round Friday" in March's conference tournament. One such game is Iona hosting Rider on ESPNU, and while Tommy Dempsey's Broncs have been a major disappointment this year they have the firepower necessary to keep up with the Gaels.

But can Danny Stewart and company defend well enough to keep talents such as Scott Machado (the national leader in assists) and Mike Glover (AKA Optimus Prime) in check? Novar Gadson, who has found the going tough in recovering from offseason microfracture surgery, has shot 5-for-17 in his last three games and one has to wonder if there's some fatigue at play. The chemistry was off during non-conference play, especially with the addition of Virginia transfer Jeff Jones, but that seemed to be improving some before dropping games at Siena and Fairfield.

Also in the MAAC surprising Manhattan visits a Marist team that seems to be young every season, and it could become a situation where Chuck Martin's club needs a run in the MAAC Tournament to avoid a regime change. Freshman Chavaughn Lewis has been one of the better rookies in the MAAC and he's second on the team in scoring to Devin Price, but the Red Foxes average 15.7 turnovers per game. That could be an issue against Steve Masiello's Jaspers, who will look to ramp up the tempo with their full-court pressure.

George Beamon has led the way offensively for Manhattan, and after last season some seemed to forget how explosive a scorer he was in high school. Manhattan is a young team as well but they've all bought in to Masiello's vision for the program, and the team's experienced more success than expected as a result. Last year's meeting in Poughkeepsie looked to be a win for the home team...until Michael Alvarado did this. Hopefully we get similar fireworks tonight.

The best game of the night is in the Horizon League as first-place Milwaukee visits a Youngstown State team that's turned some heads this season. Seniors Kaylon Williams and Tony Meier lead the way for Rob Jeter's club, but they're going to have to be at their best defensively especially on the perimeter as the Penguins have multiple scoring options there. But what Youngstown State doesn't have is muscle in the paint, and Milwaukee may be able to take advantage of that. Butler was able to do so last weekend in their home win over YSU, and that could be what keeps Youngstown State from being a title contender this season.

Cleveland State is another Horizon contender and they host Green Bay, a team that has the ability to upset an unsuspecting title contender if not work their way back into the race. Center Alec Brown leads the way for the Phoenix, and his height (7'1") could be an issue for the Vikings in the paint. But can Green Bay slow down Jeremy Montgomery? That's easier said than done. And in the Atlantic Sun, Florida Gulf Coast visits Stetson in a battle of teams that are hoping to eventually separate from a middle of the pack that features five teams with either three or four league losses.

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at Stetson (ESPN3)
7:05 PM Milwaukee at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Green Bay at Cleveland State (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Manhattan at Marist (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Rider at Iona (ESPNU)

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.

Thursday Recap: Can Pittsburgh or Villanova Turn Things Around?

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:34:46 -0500

To understand the funk that Pittsburgh and Villanova are currently mired in, it may take this fact about the two teams they lost to on Thursday night. This is the first time as members of the Big East (since 2005-06 for both) that DePaul and USF have won conference games on the same night. Yes, allowing that to sink in underlines the gravity of the situation for both the Panthers and Wildcats, as both teams are in need of some answers at this point in time.

Pittsburgh, once again playing without point guard Tray Woodall, had their biggest issues show up on the defensive end in their 84-81 loss to the Blue Demons. DePaul scored 53 points and shot 59.4% from the floor in the second half to make their comeback, and point guard Brandon Young was near unstoppable with 26 points, six assists, five steals and four rebounds with just one turnover. Pittsburgh held a 50-32 edge on the boards, but when a team makes 10 of 22 from beyond the arc as DePaul did, winning on the road becomes that much tougher.

Even with all five starters scoring in double figures (Talib Zanna led the way with 16), the Panthers were in trouble for much of the night due to the issues defensively to go along with some bad decisions late. Ashton Gibbs' decision to give the foul on Young as the sophomore was attempting what would be the game-winning layup with 17.2 seconds remaining may be the most glaring mistake, but there were issues in terms of shot selection and some costly turnovers as well.

As for Villanova the situation may be even worse, as Jay Wright's team is extremely young in key areas. And youth doesn't always have to be measured by years; lack of familiarity with a new role can be just as damning for a team and that could be the case for Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek.

Cheek now has to be a feature option for the Wildcats offensively, and while he had a key role last season Wayns is being entrusted with the task of running the show without a Corey Fisher alongside him. Other than these two and Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova is relying a lot on their youngsters, and the 74-57 loss to USF further exposed the fact that they're not ready for the Big East yet.

While Villanova was expected to be a bubble team this season, the expectations were much higher for Pittsburgh. If anything the impact of the loss of players such as Fisher and Corey Stokes (Villanova), and Brad Wanamaker, Gary McGhee and Gilbert Brown (Pittsburgh) was underestimated by those outside of the respective programs.

While many are quick to point out the fact that leagues can eat their young in conference play, it can also expose older players as well. There's still time for both teams to turn things around, but Pittsburgh and Villanova both understand that they need to do so quickly.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Indiana hangs on to beat Michigan and remain undefeated at home.
The battle between the Hoosiers and Wolverines lived up to the pregame expectations, but at the end of the contest Indiana's starting frontcourt and Victor Oladipo's defense made the difference in the 73-71 win. Christian Watford was a matchup nightmare for Michigan, scoring 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, and Cody Zeller added 18, four rebounds and two blocks. By comparison, the Michigan starting frontcourt of Jordan Morgan (12 points, nine rebounds) and Evan Smotrycz (eight points) was solid but didn't have a similar impact.

As a team the Hoosiers shot 55.1% from the field and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 62.2%, well above what Michigan allowed entering the game (47.1%). Another area in which Indiana held their own was three-point shooting. Michigan did make ten, with Stu Douglass making three, but they needed twenty-four attempts to do so while Indiana made seven of their eleven attempts.

But back to Oladipo, who was given the responsibility of defending Tim Hardaway Jr. for much of the night. Hardaway Jr. led Michigan with 19 points, but he needed 19 shot attempts to do so (0-for-7 3PT). Oladipo didn't shoot well himself (2-for-10, five points) but that didn't stop him from taking care of business on the other end. There's also the matter of what Indiana's backcourt was able to do with Michigan freshman Trey Burke, who scored ten points on 4-for-15 shooting. Indiana's offense will get the headlines in many circles, but don't ignore their effort defensively.

2. Good luck making any sense of the Pac-12 this season.
Two happenings on Thursday sum up the conference: Utah won, and so did Arizona State with just six scholarship players after having to suspend three. Yeah, it's going to be a wacky year in the Pac-12, and that's not a good thing for a league that put together a 1-24 record against RPI Top 50 teams in non-conference play. My question on Twitter was a simple one, but one without a clear answer at this point in time. With so many meager non-conference resumes it may take at least 12 league wins to be a seriously discussed at-large candidate, but who can accomplish that in this conference?

The quick responses would likely yield Arizona, California and maybe Washington, but all three went on the road and lost on Thursday. Stanford? They fell at Oregon, who owns one of the two wins for road teams in the first week-plus of conference play (at Washington State last week). Oregon State, who went 0-2 against the Washington schools last week, could also be an option given their talent. But the fact that there are so many question marks is a bad thing for the Pac-12 in terms of their prospects come Selection Sunday.

Just one team remains undefeated in conference play: Colorado, who whipped the Huskies 87-69 in Boulder. But given the way things have played out thus far, the Buffaloes will likely fall against Washington State. One-bid league? Never thought it would be a serious possibility, but that could very well be the reality if a couple of teams don't rise above the rest of the conference.

3. Penn State hands Purdue a 20-point loss for their first Big Ten win of the season.
Patrick Chambers' Nittany Lions have taken their lumps, which was expected to happen given the major personnel losses from last season's NCAA Tournament team. But they gave a serious lump to Purdue on Thursday night, leading from start to finish in a 65-45 romp in Happy Valley. As a team the Boilermakers shot just 31.9% for the game, and outside of Robbie Hummel (14 points, five rebounds) Purdue starters shot 5-for-22 on the night. Tim Frazier played well for Penn State, finishing with 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds, but he wasn't the star as Billy Oliver knocked down seven of eleven three-pointers to score a game-high 21 points.

The 6'8" forward shoots 37% from beyond the arc, but this was quite the explosion for a player who had made three or more from deep in just three games this season. Purdue entered the contest with every opportunity to take care of business as a team hoping to contend for a conference title would, and they came out flat. Sometimes it takes getting drilled to remember that you can't get away with such starts.

Quick Hitters

1. No sequence summed up the night better than Louisiana-Lafayette playing the final seconds of overtime against Western Kentucky with six players on the floor. Yes, six. After nearly turning the ball over Elfrid Payton scored a layup that gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 72-70 win. According to the rules there was no way for the officials, who missed the error coming out of the timeout, to review the play and assess a technical foul (which should have been the call to begin with). There's also no way for the Sun Belt to go back and replay the final seconds, meaning that the Hilltoppers are out of luck.

2. Also in the Sun Belt, keep an eye on North Texas especially with Tony Mitchell now in the fold. Mitchell led the Mean Green to a 78-73 overtime win at South Alabama with 34 points and 16 rebounds, and if this is a harbinger of things to come this is a team that can contend to win the conference.

3. Manhattan was just seconds away from their third MAAC win, but a Dylon Cormier three from the corner gave Loyola (MD) the 61-60 win in Baltimore. Cormier was one of three Greyhounds to score 11 points while Erik Etherly added eight points, seven assists and six rebounds. George Beamon led the Jaspers with 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.

4. Glen Braica's St. Francis (NY) Terriers moved to 2-1 in NEC play, beating Quinnipiac 73-72 in Brooklyn. The Terriers, who were led by Stefan Perunicic (21 points), likely won't be a contender for the league title but games like this make the difference between hosting and going on the road in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament. Good win for the Terriers.

5. Congratulations are in order for the Hartford Hawks, who picked up their first win of the season. Andres Torres scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Hawks beat New Hampshire 56-49 in West Hartford.

6. Wofford may not be one of the teams discussed as a contender in the SoCon, but the defending champs aren't in the business of conceding anything. Karl Cochran led four starters in double figures with 21 points as the Terriers beat College of Charleston 75-58 to move to 2-1 in league play. The Cougars made just 34.4% of their two-point shots on the night as Wofford did a good job of limiting their quality looks.

7. In the Big West, UCSB sent a message to Cal-State Fullerton in the form of a 77-64 win in their first home game since November 30th. Orlando Johnson scored 23 points and James Nunnally 18 as the Gauchos remained undefeated in league play while handing the Titans their first Big West loss. Fullerton will still be a factor in the race, but until further notice it's safe to say that UCSB and Long Beach State are the best bets to win the league.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
34 points and 16 rebounds in the Mean Green's 78-73 overtime win at South Alabama.

2. F Jamal Olasewere (Long Island)
29 points and 12 rebounds in the Blackbirds' 87-81 win at Sacred Heart.

3. F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)
31 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the Gaels' 78-72 win at San Diego.

Thursday's Preview: #13 Michigan at #12 Indiana

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:41:40 -0500

There's just one game between Top 25 teams on the schedule tonight, and it should be a good matchup of teams looking to further cement themselves as Big Ten title contenders. #12 Indiana (13-1) is 10-0 at Assembly Hall this season, and their wins over Kentucky and Ohio State are the most impressive pair of victories that any team in America can claim.

But #13 Michigan (12-2) offers up a challenge unlike either of those contests for Tom Crean's team due to the system that John Beilein runs. Indiana is familiar with what the Wolverines like to do but that doesn't make the task any easier, as the Wolverines have adjusted well to life without Darius Morris.

A big reason why: freshman point guard Trey Burke. Burke (14.0 ppg, 5.0 apg) has done a good job of balancing his ability to score with the need to get others involved. Of course in Michigan's system up to four players on the court can handle the basketball at any given time, so this helps out some. But Burke could easily get overly aggressive and try to force things, but he hasn't done that and the Wolverines have benefitted greatily.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) is the go-to offensive option when considering pure scoring ability, but Michigan has six players averaging at least seven points per game. That will be the challenge that Indiana will have to deal with, and it's a task they haven't been faced with on many occasions this season. The Hoosiers will need to remain honest defensively not just because of that balance but also the fact that Michigan is so reliant on the three-point shot, scoring 36.5% of their points from deep (2nd in the Big Ten behind Northwestern).

Indiana's opponents have scored just 22.5% of their points from beyond the arc, and Indiana has limited teams to 31.1% shooting from three. One guard who will have a big impact on the perimeter defense for Indiana is sophomore Victor Oladipo (12.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who ranks among the best defenders in the Big Ten. One would think that he would match up with Hardaway Jr. tonight, but with guards such as Stu Douglass and Zack Novak also at Beilein's disposal all of the Indiana guards will need to be at their best defensively.

The Hoosiers have a slight edge in the frontcourt, with freshman Cody Zeller (14.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and senior Christian Watford (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg) leading the way. Zeller has been a steady offensive force inside for the Hoosiers, which has allowed Watford to play more on the perimeter in what is a more comfortable spot for him. Watford knocked down the game-winning three against Kentucky and he's been playing more confidently all season long.

Michigan counters with Evan Smotrycz (10.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Jordan Morgan (7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), but they need more consistent play from Morgan if they're to be a contender for a Big Ten title. Morgan's scored in double figures in just two of Michigan's last nine games but to be fair he did grab 12 rebounds in the win over Minnesota. Smotrycz has the ablity to step out and knock down perimeter shots, as he's hit 54.5% of his three-point attempts.

On the glass these two teams are about even but Indiana's been the more efficient offensive team, likely a byproduct of Michigan's reliance on the perimeter shot. Jordan Hulls and Verdell Jones III will be players that Michigan will need to account for defensively, and the fact that Indiana forces an average of 17 turnovers per game should also be a concern. The winner will have to be considered a Big Ten title contender after tonight.

Two teams that need wins in a big way will also be on display tonight, as Pittsburgh visits DePaul and UCLA hosts Arizona. Tray Woodall likely will not play for the Panthers due to injury, which place more responsibility on the shoulders of Ashton Gibbs not to mention freshman guard John Johnson. But if Nasir Robinson, Lamar Patterson and Dante Taylor can step up the Panthers should be in decent shape. The key against the Blue Demons: be smart with the basketball. Oliver Purnell's team will want to speed things up to an uncomfortable tempo, and in Cleveland Melvin they've got one of the better players in the Big East.

As for UCLA, it's tough to figure out if the Bruins have the pieces required to be a factor in the Pac-12 despite the poor nature of that conference. Joshua Smith can be a factor when he wants to be, but against Arizona's quick frontcourt the sophomore could get exposed in a big way if he isn't thoroughly invested in the action. Also of note will be the maturation of Arizona's young guards especially Nick Johnson, who would likely be the early favorite for Pac-12 Rookie if the Year honors if not for Washington's Tony Wroten.

In the CAA, George Mason visits ODU in a key matchup for both teams if they're going to contend for the regular season crown. Paul Hewitt's team is definitely talented with the likes of Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson, but for whatever reason the Patriots tend to make games far more difficult that they should be. That could be a recipe for disaster against the Monarchs, given how tough Blaine Taylor's teams can be defensively.

BYU's trip to LA to take on Loyola Marymount can be a tricky game for the Cougars simply for the fact that you never know which LMU team will show up. But it's tough to see the Lions being able to matchup up with Brandon Davies and company in the frontcourt, which could mean a long night for the home team.

There's also a big game in the Big Sky with Weber State visiting Eastern Washington. The Eagles have been one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the basketball, and Colin Chiverton and company will need to continue that if they're to beat Damian Lillard and company.

And in the MAAC two teams who hope to fit in right behind Iona and Fairfield match up in Baltimore, as Manhattan visits Loyola (MD). Steve Masiello's done a very good job with the Jaspers in his first season at the helm, but keep in mind that Marist won their two December league games last season and still finished in the bottom half of the league.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (13) Michigan at (12) Indiana (ESPN2)
10:00 PM (17) UNLV at Cal State Bakersfield
10:00 PM San Diego Christian at (25) San Diego State

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM George Mason at Old Dominion (CSN)
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Hartford
7:00 PM Fordham at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM Citadel at Furman
7:00 PM Western Carolina at Chattanooga
7:00 PM Boston University at Vermont
7:00 PM Pittsburgh at DePaul (ESPN2)
7:00 PM UIC at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Stony Brook at Binghamton
7:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Elon
7:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM Albany at UMBC
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Monmouth
7:00 PM VMI at UNC Asheville
7:00 PM Davidson at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Western Illinois at Oakland
7:00 PM High Point at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Long Island at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Canisius at Saint Peter's (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Radford at Winthrop
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Bryant
7:00 PM IUPUI at IPFW
7:05 PM Loyola (IL) at Youngstown State
7:30 PM Campbell at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Manhattan at Loyola (MD)
8:00 PM North Texas at South Alabama
8:00 PM Morehead State at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM Purdue at Penn State (BTN)
8:00 PM USF at Villanova (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Appalachian State at Samford
8:00 PM Southeast Missouri State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM Charleston at Wofford (ESPN3)
8:05 PM North Dakota State at Oral Roberts
8:05 PM Denver at Arkansas State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Jackson State
8:30 PM Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M
8:30 PM Middle Tennessee at Troy
9:00 PM Washington at Colorado (ROOT RM)
9:00 PM South Dakota State at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Washington State at Utah
9:00 PM Saint Mary's at San Diego (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Weber State at Eastern Washington
9:00 PM Pepperdine at Gonzaga (ROOT NW)
9:00 PM BYU at Loyola Marymount (BYU TV)
9:00 PM Stanford at Oregon (CSN NW)
9:00 PM Southern University at Texas Southern
9:00 PM Alabama A&M at Grambling State
9:05 PM Montana State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Fresno State at Utah State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM California at Oregon State
10:00 PM UC Irvine at Pacific
10:00 PM UC Riverside at UC Davis
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Cal Poly at Long Beach State
10:05 PM Northern Arizona at Portland State
10:30 PM Arizona State at USC
11:00 PM Arizona at UCLA (FSN)
11:00 PM Santa Clara at Portland (CSN NW)
11:05 PM Nevada at Idaho

Tuesday Recap: Louisville Rallies to Remain Undefeated

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:01:55 -0500

For a while on Tuesday night it looked as if a Southern Conference team would hand another undefeated team its first defeat of the season. But an important suggestion by Louisville assistant coach Richard Pitino set things in motion for the fourth-ranked Cardinals, sparking a rally that resulted in a 69-62 victory. The idea: instead of relying on the frontcourt tandem of Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan to occupy the foul line area against the Charleston zone, use the versatile Kyle Kuric at the four. The move paid off, with Kuric scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

"He made the move of the game," said head coach Rick Pitino of his son. "He told me to play Kyle in the four slot because the middle was wide open and they weren't playing it. He said, 'Put Kyle in there; he'll make the shot or something good will happen.' And he got in there and really bothered them."

Kuric may not have registered an assist but his presence in the high post made the Cougars respect the area, something they didn't have to do with either Behanan or Rakeem Buckles occupying the area. But he wasn't the only issue for Charleston, as redshirt freshman Russ Smith was also a handful. Smith has the ability to be both electrifying and mystifying within the same possession, and he was able to harness his energy enough to contribute 12 points, five steals and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action. He helped ramp up the pace to a level that made Charleston uncomfortable in the second half, and while both teams were reckless with the basketball such a change worked in Louisville's favor.

"I haven't coached any guys who are great steal guys on the ball like Russ Smith," said Pitino. "He is the best I have seen at that. You have a lot of guys who anticipate well and shoot the gaps well but he is awesome on the ball. He basically won the game for us."

Antwaine Wiggins led the Cougars with 23 points but was their only player in double figures, and the guards had their issues taking care of the basketball as well. Andrew Lawrence finished the night with eight turnovers and Anthony Stitt tallied five off the bench, and as a team Charleston turned the ball over 22 times. Both of Charleston's starting guards (Lawrence and Jordan Scott) finished with more turnovers than assists, while for Louisville both Peyton Siva (six assists, four turnovers) and Chris Smith (four assists, one turnover) finished with more assists than turnovers. Add in some key missed opportunites around the rim for the visitors and the end result is Louisville moving to 11-0 on the season.

Other Notable Happenings

1. C.J. Leslie's shot (which St. Bonaventure fans would argue shouldn't have counted) gives NC State the win.
It would be safe to say that the Wolfpack's 67-65 win over the Bonnies in Rochester, NY was the most controversial result on the night, with many wondering whether or not Leslie stepped out of bounds before taking the shot. Since it wasn't called whether or not Leslie stepped on the baseline is of little consolation for St. Bonaventure, who missed out on at the very least overtime as a result. If anything the Bonnies have their offensive showing in the second half to blame, as they shot just 29.2% from the field in the second half and turned the ball over eight times (four assists).

Andrew Nicholson and Demetrius Conger scored 16 points apiece to lead the way for St. Bonaventure while Scott Wood paced the Pack with 20 points despite making just two of eight from beyond the arc. Mark Gottfried's team was impressive in how unselfish they were, assisting on 21 of their 25 made field goals. Regardless of how the game was won this is a good result for NC State to build on, and they deserve credit for bouncing back from their loss to top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday.

2. Ohio picks up the most impressive win of the night at Northern Iowa.
John Groce's Bobcats have flown under the radar nationally for much of the season despite having one of the nation's better point guards in D.J. Cooper. That may all change on the heels of their performance on Tuesday, as they beat Northern Iowa 76-59 in Cedar Falls. Ivo Baltic made 10 of 14 from the field in leading four Ohio players in double figures with 22 points and the Bobcats shot 51.7% from the field on the night against one of the stingier defenses in the country. Ohio had it going from deep as well, knocking down 11 of 21 while UNI made just six of their twenty attempts from beyond the arc.

And it was Ohio, who allows opponents to shoot 39% from the field, who put forth the superior defensive effort. UNI shot just 35.2% and while both reached double figures, leading scorers Anthony James (11 points) and Jake Koch (15 points) combined to make just eight of their twenty-three shots from the field. Ohio's lone defeat was a 59-54 loss at Louisville, and with wins over Marshall, Oakland and now Northern Iowa the Bobcats are building a nice profile as they head into MAC play. Cooper and company sent Georgetown home in the first round a couple of years ago as a 14-seed; they can do the same (with a better seed) this season.

3. Arizona puts together their best offensive outing of the year to beat Oakland.
No one would have blamed any Arizona fans if they were nervous about the Wildcats' game against Oakland. With the Golden Grizzlies having one of the nation's best scorers in Reggie Hamilton and Arizona having their issues offensively, the visitors leaving with a win was a definite possibility. But Solomon Hill and company would have none of that, shooting 55.6% from the field on their way to the 85-73 win. Hill was outstanding with 23 points, 11 rebounds and three assists while Kyle Fogg (17 points) and Jesse Perry (13 points) also reached double figures and Nick Johnson dished out six assists.

Arizona went into the game making just 50.1% of their two-point shots but they made 61.1% of their attempts against Oakland. As for Hamilton, he proved to be as advertised with 31 points and six assists but as a team the Golden Grizzlies made just nine of thirty-two from beyond the arc (Arizona finished 8-for-18). With their next two games being against Bryant and in-state rival Arizona State (Pac-12 opener), Sean Miller's team has a chance to get rolling ahead of their visit to the LA schools the first weekend of January.

Quick Hitters

1. Not only did Jared Sullinger return to the lineup for Ohio State but he played 30 minutes, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Buckeyes' 70-50 win over Lamar. With Pat Knight coaching the Cardinals, Ohio State took the opportunity to honor the 1960 national champions. One member of that team: none other than Bob Knight.

2. Darien Brothers had a good night for Richmond, shooting 7-for-11 from three on his way to 38 points in the Spiders' 90-82 overtime win over Old Dominion. Darius Garrett had an impact inside, grabbing 13 boards and blocking eight shots to go along with nine points. Next up for Richmond: a game at UCLA on Friday and they can definitely win there.

3. Two player transactions within the Big East to take note of: Providence's Kadeem Batts saw his suspension end, and St. John's freshman Amir Garrett has made it through the NCAA Clearinghouse. Batts scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in the Friairs' 67-52 win over New Hampshire, and Garrett could be in unform for the Red Storm's game against UTPA on Wednesday.

4. Butler will struggle to score this season due to a lack of premier offensive weapons, but what three of their key cogs managed in a 71-55 loss at Gonzaga isn't going to get it done in the Horizon League if it happens on a consistent basis. Chase Stigall, Chrishawn Hopkins and Andrew Smith combined to score just seven points on 3-for-21 shooting. Those guys have to be consistent factors for Brad Stevens' team.

5. Congrats to Prairie View A&M, who picked up their first win over a Division I opponent this season in beating Stephen F. Austin 53-50 in Eugene, Oregon. As for the Lumberjacks, that's not a good result for a team expected to be a contender in the Southland and it will definitely hurt the team's (and league's) computer numbers.

6. Unlike Marist last season, who began MAAC play 2-0 then plummeted to the bottom of the standings once play resumed in January, Manhattan may have some staying power. Not saying that Steve Masiello's team will be on the level of Iona, Fairfield or Loyola (MD), but the Jaspers have played some good basketball. Manhattan moved to 8-4 with an 81-62 win over winless Towson, with George Beamon scoring 21 points and Kidani Brutus adding 18 off the bench.

7. Terrence Jones didn't play due to a dislocated finger suffered in Kentucky's win over Chattanooga, but that wasn't an issue as the Wildcats blew out Samford. Doron Lamb scored 26 points and three other starters reached double figures in the 82-50 romp.

8. Shaka Smart's VCU Rams have the look of a team beginning to figure things out after struggling early due to the many personnel losses from last year's Final Four team. The Rams won their fifth straight on Tuesday, shutting down UAB 68-49 in Richmond. VCU forced 23 Blazer turnovers and Treveon Graham scored 18 points off the bench to lead the way offensively.

Four Notable Performances

1. F Nneka Ogwumike (Stanford)
A special mention for Ogwumike, who went off in #4 Stanford's 97-80 win over #6 Tennessee. Ogwumike finished with 42 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and two steals, making 11 straight shots from the field at one point.

2. G Darien Brothers (Richmond)
38 points (7-11 3PT) in the Spiders' 90-82 overtime win over Old Dominion.

3. G Preston Medlin (Utah State)
27 points (8-12 FG), eight assists and four rebounds in the Aggies' 73-69 win over UT Arlington.

4. G Vincent Council (Providence)
17 points (7-12 FG), 12 assists and seven rebounds in the Friars' 67-52 win over New Hampshire.