Harvard

Saturday Recap: Kidd-Gilchrist Leads Kentucky Past Louisville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Notable Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hitters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Notable Performances

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

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

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

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

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

#24 Harvard vs St. Joseph's: Preview & Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:01:17 -0500

ST. JOSEPH’S (10-3) AT NO. 24 HARVARD (10-1)

Time: 4 p.m.

Location: Lavietes Pavilion

Line: Harvard -6.5.

St. Joseph’s Players to Watch: G Carl Jones, Jr. (18.5 ppg, 3.2 apg); G Langston Galloway, So. (16 ppg, 49.3% 3s); C C.J. Aiken, So. (11.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.3 bpg). Jones and Galloway are top-notch scorers and Aiken protects the rim like no one else in America.

Harvard Players to Watch: F Keith Wright, Sr. (10.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg); F Kyle Casey, Jr. (11.5 ppg, 53.5% FG); PG Brandyn Curry, Jr. (6.7 ppg, 4.8 apg). Wright’s scoring average is down nearly four points from last year, but he’s shooting 58 percent from the field. Casey – Harvard’s leading scorer – has scored just nine points in his last two outings.

Storylines: This is a big game for both teams, which would both be borderline at-large NCAA teams if one or the other doesn’t win its conference. St. Joseph’s lost a couple of head-scratchers early, but has looked like one of the Atlantic 10’s best teams during a 10-game winning streak, which includes a 74-58 win over Villanova. Harvard has won 11 of 12 and is coming off a 21-point bombing of Boston College.

Keys to Victory: Both teams are very balanced. Harvard will have to have its perimeter game going – as it has most of the season – with Aiken manning the middle for the Hawks.

The Bottom Line: Close games almost always come down to players who can create their own offense. The two best offensive weapons on the floor are Jones and Galloway, giving the Hawks a slight advantage, even on the road.

The Pick: St. Joseph’s 73, Harvard 68.

Thursday Recap: Rutgers Beats #10 Florida

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:50:22 -0500

The matchup between #10 Florida and Rutgers on Thursday night was hyped up due to the return of Mike Rosario, who transferred from the New Jersey school following two seasons in New Brunswick. But his return was a subplot in what turned out to be one of the best games of the calendar year, with the focus by the end being Mike Rice's young guards. Eli Carter led the way with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Myles Mack knocked down some big shots late in regulation and during the overtime periods to lead Rutgers to the 85-83 double overtime victory.

Jerome Seagears added 13 points and junior forward Dane Miller was his usual versatile self with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kenny Boynton led four Florida players in double figures with 26 points, but the Gators seemed to bog down offensively down the stretch, once again not getting the ball inside enough to Patric Young. Young finished with 11 points but took just eight shots in 41 minutes of play, and there was even a possession where Florida failed to get him the ball despite being guarded by the 6'3" Carter. Florida's guards had the experience advantage, but it was Rutgers that made that one extra big play to win the game.

"Would I have liked them to get into our sets a little quicker? Sure," said Rice after the game. "But there was such a poise, such a confidence. They responded at the end. I always take it back because they practice like that ...hopefully this is [what's] to come."

For all their youth Rutgers turned the ball over just 11 times compared to 18 Florida turnovers, and their assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 was nearly double their season average (0.86). Also critical for the Scarlet Knights was their play on the boards, as they were out-rebounded by just one (37-36) on the night with Derrick Randall supplying eight rebounds in 17 minutes of play. The Rutgers reserves, led by Mack (14 points), outscored Florida's bench 22-8 with Rosario scoring five points for the Gators. The Scarlet Knights are young and there will be bumps in the road in Big East play, but as Coach Rice said after the game the future is bright.

"This is what happens when you don't think impossible is impossible," said Rice. "This is what happens when young men are determined to follow the formula and play for one another."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Vanderbilt jumps Marquette from the start and picks up a much-needed resume builder.
Much of the country didn't get to see the beginning of Vanderbilt/Marquette due to the length of Rutgers' win over Florida, and by the time ESPN2 switched over the game was essentially finished. Kevin Stallings' Commodores jumped out to a 19-4 lead and didn't look back, leading by as many as 25 points in the first half (31-6) on their way to a 74-57 victory. Marquette couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half as they shot 21.2% from the field and finished the game making 32.2% of their shots.

Jeffery Taylor led four Commodores in double figures with 19 points while Lance Goulbourne added 13 to go along with 16 rebounds, and Marquette's inability to make shots allowed the visitors to get away with 17 turnovers. Jae Crowder (16 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (12 points) reached double figures but with fellow starters Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue combining to make two of ten shots from the field the Golden Eagles weren't able to get back into the game. Vanderbilt needed a win like this to re-establish some national credibility after an 8-4 start, and this will help as they go into SEC play.

2. Saint Mary's welcomes BYU to the WCC with 98 points in Moraga.
BYU and Saint Mary's went into Thursday's game familiar with each other since they met last season, even with some of the key figures in that meeting no longer in school. But confernce play can be an entirely different animal, as the Cougars found out in the second half of the Gaels' 98-82 victory. Randy Bennett's team made 55.4% of their shots and assisted on 23 of 31 made baskets, and individually both Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones posted double-doubles. Dellavedova ran the show for Saint Mary's, finishing with 18 points and 12 assists, while Jones was a matchup nightmare for BYU with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Brandon Davies was outstanding for BYU in scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but there wasn't enough offensive help for Davies when considering the fact that four SMC starters finished in double figures. Stephen Holt made eight of his ten shots in scoring 21 points and Jorden Page added 13 and five assists. On a night filled with offense, BYU simply could not get stops when they needed them the most. Of the three contenders for the WCC title (Gonzaga) the Gaels have the weakest non-conference resume, so that regular season crown may be most important for them when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Thursday night was a good first step in that direction.

3. Cashmere Wright takes matters into his own hands late to lead Cincinnati past Oklahoma.
One question regarding Cincinnati's smaller lineup in light of the suspensions of Yancy Gates and Cheikh Mbodj was how the Bearcats would deal with bigger teams, something that wasn't an issue in wins over lesser competition. Oklahoma provided that challenge, and while it wasn't pretty Cincinnati found a way to win 56-55. That way: give Cashmere Wright the chance to make plays late. The junior point guard scored just eight points on the night (3-14 FG), but he made two huge baskets in the final minute including the game-winner with 8.8 seconds to go. Cincinnati turned the ball over just eight times on the night compared to 17 for the Sooners (UC: 16 points off turnovers), and while they were a minus-9 in rebounding margin the Bearcats grabbed 13 offensive boards and scored ten second-chance points (OU finished with 11). Cincinnati's taken full advantage of what could have been a crippling turn of events, becoming a better basketball team as a result.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a bad night for ACC bottom-feeders on Thursday, with Boston College losing to #24 Harvard for the fourth consecutive time (67-46) and Georgia Tech losing at Fordham (72-66). To say the least these results don't do much to maintain the league's computer numbers, and it could be a long conference season for both the Eagles and Yellow Jackets. And it should also be noted that Wake Forest nearly lost to Yale after leading by 19, ultimately hanging on to beat the Bulldogs 72-71.

2. Freshman guard Jamal Branch has left the Texas A&M program and will transfer according to multiple media outlets. Branch averaged just 4.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, but his departure leaves the Aggies one option short on a perimeter that hasn't played at a championship level this season.

3. Two teams that took hits to their chances of an at-large bid on Thursday are Marshall and Iona, with both falling on the road. Iona couldn't recover from 19 first half turnovers in an 83-75 loss at Hofstra while the Thundering Herd lost 79-74 to a Belmont team they beat just ten days ago. The Herd may have a better shot at earning an at-large given their conference affiliation (Conference USA), but the climb for both teams became a lot tougher.

4. Shaka Smart's VCU Rams won their seventh straight game on Thursday, winning 76-75 in overtime at Akron. Bradford Burgess led four Rams in double figures with 19 points (and seven rebounds) and VCU forced 20 Akron turnovers on the night.

5. Getting to conference play wasn't the catalyst for Austin Peay that some thought it would be as the Governors lost 67-65 at Eastern Kentucky. Dave Loos' team dropped to 3-11 on the season (0-1 OVC) while the Colonels are now 2-0 in league play.

6. In the "inexplicable loss" category are the defeats suffered by American and James Madison, who in losing to Mount St. Mary's and Rhode Island respectively lost to teams that entered Thursday with a combined 2-21 record.

7. Even though they were the home team it's likely that few people expected Illinois State to beat Northern Illinois in the MVC opener for both teams. But that's exactly what happened as the Redbirds, led by Jackie Carmichael (19 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks), beat the Panthers 65-61.

8. The opening night of Pac-12 play didn't lack excitement either, with Stanford hanging on to beat UCLA 60-59. UCLA took 13 shots in the second half that would have given them the lead if converted...and missed them all. And in Seattle, Tony Wroten led Washington to a 95-80 win over Oregon State with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists. If the freshman continues to learn how to use his talents to make his teammates better, look out.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Eli Carter (Rutgers)
31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Scarlet Knights' 85-83 double overtime win over #10 Florida.

2. F Will Barton (Memphis)
27 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in the Tigers' 64-47 win over Robert Morris.

3. F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Rams' 72-66 win over Georgia Tech.

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams (Pre-League Play Edition)

Jon Teitel — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:59:57 -0500

With conference play beginning for many leagues this week (a few conferences began their league slate in early December) it's a good time to look back on some of the top performers. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who put together his all-conference teams for each of the leagues.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Ben Dickinson (Binghamton)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Chris Braswell (Charlotte)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
F Travis McKie (Wake Forest)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw St.)
G Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
G Adam Sollazzo (East Tennessee St.)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
C Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa St.)

Big East
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber St.)
G Charles Odum (Portland St.)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
G Stallon Soldivar (Northern Arizona)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)

Big South
G Darren White (Campbell)
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)
C Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)

Big Ten
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)
F James Nunnally (UCSB)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Damier Pitts (Marshall)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Keith Clanton (UCF)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown St.)
G Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)
F Ben Averkamp (Loyola (IL))

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Art Bernardi (Houston Baptist)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
F Keith Wright (Harvard)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)

MAAC
G Dylon Cormier (Loyola (MD))
G Harold Washington (Canisius)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F Rakim Sanders (Fairfield)

Mid-American
G D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
F Dominique Sutton (North Carolina Central)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
G Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Michael Lyons (Air Force)
F Chace Stanback (UNLV)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Kyle Vinales (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (Long Island)
F Ike Azotam (Quinnipiac)

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray St.)
G Jeremy Granger (Eastern Illinois)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Jorge Gutierrez (California)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle (American)
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
F JJ Avila (Navy)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Harouna Mutombo (Western Carolina)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry (SE Louisiana)
G Kannon Burrage (UTSA)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)

SWAC
G Savalace Townsend (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
G Marquis Baker (Alcorn St.)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Kenderek Washington (Alabama St.)
C Paul Crosby (Miss. Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Terell Parks (Western Illinois)

Sun Belt
G Raymond Taylor (FAU)
G Chris Jones (North Texas)
F LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

West Coast
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
G Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Zane Johnson (Hawaii)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Kyle Barone (Idaho)

Thursday Recap: Huskies Too Much for Harvard

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:24:25 -0500

In their first-ever game as a ranked team, the Harvard Crimson drew the task of playing the Connecticut Huskies at Gampel Pavilion, a building in which the Huskies have been near unbeatable for non-conference opponents. UConn had won 36 straight non-conference games at Gampel, and under Jim Calhoun the Huskies were 115-4 against New England non-conference opponents. Feel free to add another win to those marks, as the Huskies proved to be too much for Harvard in their 67-53 win. Jeremy Lamb led the way with 18 points but the bigger story for the Huskies was their defense, which limited Harvard to 36% shooting.

"I thought we defensively dominated them," said Calhoun. "I thought there were about five or six rebounds that I would like to see us get. Otherwise, we're getting better. We're just still adjusting."

Kyle Casey led Harvard with 12 points but he and Keith Wright combined to make seven of nineteen shots on the night, and as a team the Crimson were outscored 30-18 in the paint. Harvard made just 38% of their two-point shots and 33% of their threes, with UConn also making seven three-pointers but in seven fewer attempts. Those numbers helped the Huskies overcome a combined 7-for-20 night from Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright. It was a game that played out similar to a boxing match (as noted by the ESPN crew working the game), with UConn using a couple flurries to establish enough distance to win.

How do both teams get better as they approach conference play? For Connecticut freshman Andre Drummond scored 12 points thanks in large part to dunks, but there's still much room for improvement from he and their other big men. It's been noted on multiple occasions that Drummond isn't the best rebounder outside of his area, and Alex Oriakhi still looks as if he's thinking too much while on the floor.

As for Harvard they're going to be more talented than the majority of the teams remaining on their schedule, so the concern for Tommy Amaker's team will likely be to avoid shooting nights like this one and to just continue to improve. They'll be fine; Thursday just underlined the difference between a team that can do some damage come March and one that could win the whole thing.

Other Notable Happenings

1. West Virginia beats Kansas State in double overtime in Wichita.
The matchup between future conference brethren in Wichita proved to be the game of the night, as the Mountaineers needed a three from Kevin Jones in the final seconds of regulation to push their game against Kansas State into overtime. Jones would finish with a career-high 30 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the 85-80 double overtime victory, and as a team WVU made 56% of their two-point shots. Truck Bryant added 24 points for the winners while Rodney McGruder led the Wildcats with 20 points, but a key factor late was WVU freshman Aaron Brown. K-State scored 21 points off of 18 Mountaineer turnovers, and with a number like that more times than not the Wildcats would leave with the win. But that wasn't to be against the Mountaineers, who will need better play from their young guards if they're to exceed expectations in a Big East that's setting up to have quite the logjam in the middle of the league.

2. Eli Holman returns for Detroit and has an immediate impact.
On Wednesday the returns of Festus Ezeli (Vanderbilt) and Erik Murphy (Florida) were key, but neither may be as important to their teams as Eli Holman's return is to Detroit. Starting center LaMarcus Lowe is known more for his defense than offense, with a career average of 3.8 points per game, and when adding to that the season-ending injury suffered by Nick Minnerath it was clear that Ray McCallum Sr.'s team needed a scoring boost. Enter Holman, who scored 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks in the Titans' 92-81 win over Western Michigan. Holman played just 19 minutes off the bench, and to say this was a nice supplement to the 20 points scored by Chase Simon would be a severe understatement. How will this affect the Titans going forward? Simply put if Holman is a consistent factor offensively they'll be able to account for the 12 points/game that Minnerath accounted for, and that's bad news for the rest of the Horizon League.

3. Nurideen Lindsey announces his intentions to leave St. John's.
As if things weren't going bad enough for the Red Storm, who have lost five of their last six games, things got worse with sophomore guard Nurideen Lindsey announcing that he would be transferring at the end of the semester. Lindsey led the team in assists (2.9) while scoring 11.8 points and grabbing 4.9 rebounds per game, so his departure would be felt on any team much less one with just seven scholarship players. So where does St. John's, who is still without head coach Steve Lavin as he recuperates from prostate cancer treatment, go from here? That's a very difficult question to answer, but at least players such as Maurice Harkless and God'sgift Achiuwa remain. Phil Greene and Malik Stith are going to have to raise their play on the offensive end of the floor; one of those two will need to be a double-figure scorer in order for St. John's to be competitive in Big East play. To say the least, as season that began with such promise in the spring due to a highly-touted recruiting class teeters on the edge.

Quick Hitters

1.The player who could be most capable of steping up for Notre Dame offensively is point guard Eric Atkins. Atkins scored 26 points and dished out six assists in the Fighting Irish's 87-78 win over Maine. Jack Cooley added 22 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks off the bench with Scott Martin out due to illness.

2. Lon Kruger's Oklahoma Sooners moved to 6-1 in the season with a 73-59 win over Summit League favorite Oral Roberts. With second-leading scorer Calvin Newell Jr. leaving the team last week, OU will need to rely even more on scoring balance and that's what they got with three starters scoring either 16 or 17 points.

3. Things have not gone well for Canisius this season, and with guard Gaby Belardo out due to injury the Golden Griffins dropped to 1-6 on the season Thursday night in a 67-55 loss to South Dakota. Canisius shot 31.7% from the field, but the defense has been the bigger issue thus far. Canisius is allowing nearly 80 points per game, and opponents are shooting 49.9%.

4. One freshman who's beginning to make a name for himself is Providence forward LaDontae Henton, who established a new career high for the 5th straight game (21 points) in the Friars' 64-57 win over Boston College. Henton also grabbed nine rebounds and Brice Kofane blocked six shots as Ed Cooley's team moved to 7-2 on the season.

5. Robert Morris outscored them 21-9 over the final 9:34 but Cleveland State did just enough to hang on for the 62-58 victory. Trevon Harmon led the way with a career-high 24 points as the Vikings moved to 9-1 on the season, and right now CSU has to be considered the class of the Horizon League.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
30 points (12-17 FG), 12 rebounds and two blocks in the Mountaineers' 85-80 double overtime win over Kansas State.

2. G Eric Atkins and F Jack Cooley (Notre Dame)
Atkins scored 26 points and handed out six assists while Cooley went for 22 and 14 rebounds in the Fighting Irish's 87-78 win over Maine.

3. C Eli Holman (Detroit)
21 points (10-14 FG), seven rebounds and four blocks in the Titans' 92-81 win over Western Michigan.

Thursday Preview: #24 Harvard at #9 Connecticut

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:13:53 -0500

The schedule for Thursday is light in terms of the number of games, but there's an excellent matchup between ranked teams in Storrs to keep an eye on. #9 Connecticut (7-1) hosts #24 Harvard (8-0) with Tommy Amaker's team looking to remain undefeated and retain the program's first Top 25 ranking in school history for another week. An interesting fact regarding this contest is that they could have played in the Battle 4 Atlantis over the Thanksgiving holiday, but UConn's loss to UCF prevented that and Harvard went on to win the tournament. Instead there's just the one meeting, and with freshman guard Ryan Boatright firmly entrenched in the Husky rotation that should spice things up.

The Chicago native's impact has been immediate as he's averaging 18.5 points per game in wins over Florida State and Arkansas, and Boatright is a good fit alongside starters Shabazz Napier (16.8 ppg, 6.1 apg, 4.9 rpg) and Jeremy Lamb (20.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Those two have done the heavy lifting offensively for Jim Calhoun's team, with Napier being the floor general and Lamb the top scoring option. The slender 6'5" shooting guard has taken off since March, benefitting from not only the national title run but also a summer with USA Basketball.

Lamb is a far more assertive offensive player, possessing the ability to score points off the dribble for drives to the basket or pull-up jumpers as well as good catch-and-shoot fundamentals. Harvard counters with a deep and experienced backcourt of its own, with senior Oliver McNally (7.9 ppg, 2.9 apg) and juniors Brandyn Curry (6.6 ppg, 4.1 apg) and Christian Webster (4.5 ppg) getting the starts and Canadian Laurent Rivard (10.1 ppg) supplying the scoring punch off the bench. The Crimson have five players averaging between six and eleven points per game, and offensive balance is usually when Harvard is most efficient.

The battles inside are likely the ones that fans will focus in on, especially with this being the first chance that some will have had to see Harvard's Keith Wright (11.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Kyle Casey (10.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Both are shooting above 50% from the field with Wright edging closer to 60% by the game, but Casey is the one more likely to step out and take some perimeter shots. Freshman Steve Mondou-Missi and Wesley Saunders will also figure into the rotation with Saunders playing out on the wing.

The Crimson grab 3.8 more rebounds per game than their opponents, with the low numbers (33.6 for, 29.8 against) due in large part to the fact that they're playing an average of 63 possessions per game. More work will be required against a UConn front line that has talent but hasn't consistently played to the expected level thus far. Freshman Andre Drummond (7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) is an athletic marvel, as he can run up and down the floor and finish at the rim, but the jumper and free throws need some serious work.

Alex Oriakhi (6.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench for a couple games, and that's a development that's helped him out of late. But neither of these two have been the most consistent Husky inside. That distinction would best be given to sophomore Tyler Olander, who is averaging a shade below eight points per game while leading the team in rebounding. On the wing freshman DeAndre Daniels starts while Niels Giffey and Roscoe Smith also see action. The Huskies have six players grabbing at least 3.9 rebounds per game, and their margin of plus-8.0 could be an issue for Harvard if they aren't careful.

One thing that Harvard has done well offensively is get to the foul line, boasting a free throw rate of 45.0 and scoring 24% of their points from the foul line. But UConn allows opponents to score just 15.3% of their points from the charity stripe and the Crimson aren't far off with their opponents at 15.9%, so keep an eye on who makes the early trips to the line. As for a concern for Harvard, their opponents score 63% of their points on two-point shots and shoot 42% from the field. At the least they'll need to keep UConn's three main perimeter scorers out of the paint in order to have a shot at the upset.

Also on the slate is Bob Huggins taking on his most recent employer before West Virginia...but in Wichita. Kansas State is coming off of a solid road win at Virginia Tech, but it's safe to assume that Frank Martin will demand constant improvement from his team. What can the Wildcats do to slow down WVU senior Kevin Jones? Jamar Samuels will likely get that assignment, and offensive rebounding for both teams will be an important area to watch.

Boston College hits the road to take on Providence, with the Eagles being one of the youngest teams in college basketball and the Friars being extremely shallow in regards to their rotation. Cleveland State at Robert Morris will be a good game between teams expecting to contend in their respective leagues, and Oral Roberts would shock few people if they were to go into Norman and knock off Oklahoma.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (24) Harvard at (9) Connecticut (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Southeastern University at Florida A&M
7:00 PM South Dakota at Canisius
7:00 PM Boston College at Providence (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Cleveland State at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Central Pennsylvania College at VMI
7:30 PM Maine at Notre Dame (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Western Michigan at Detroit
8:00 PM Oral Roberts at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
9:00 PM West Virginia vs. Kansas State* (ESPN2)
9:05 PM Linfield College at Eastern Washington
9:05 PM Eastern Michigan at Drake

College Hoops Saturday Recap: UNLV Hands Tar Heels First Loss

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:47:49 -0500

Just one day after a Top 5 team (Connecticut) suffered its first loss of the season, the nation's top-ranked team fell in the title game of the Las Vegas Invitational. North Carolina (5-1) fell 90-80 to UNLV (7-0) in a game that featured two standout performances from forwards...and neither played for the team with the frontcourt that many judged to be the nation's best. Mike Moser scored 16 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out six assists while Chace Stanback scored a game-high 28 to go along with ten caroms to help first-year head coach remain undefeated at his alma mater. As a team the Rebels out-reounded North Carolina 48-39, grabbing 14 offensive boards and outscoring the Tar Heels 20-6 in second-chance points.

"I would like to congratulate coach Rice and his team," stated UNC head coach Roy Williams. "They did a nice job. We could never get our focus offensively the entire game. What killed us, they got 20 points on offensive rebounds to our six."

The rebounding and second-chance points stats were just two areas where North Carolina left much to be desired. Another: shot selection, specifically the ones that weren't set up in the open floor by Kendall Marshall. Marshall finished with eight of North Carolina's 14 assists and they shot just 42.4% from the field for the game, including 30.6% in the second half. The judicious shot selection that pushed the Heels out to a 42-38 halftime lead disappeared, opening the door for UNLV to not only take the lead but pull away. North Carolina assisted on half of their made field goals, a far cry from their assist percentage average for the season of 63.8%.

An important note about Marshall's stat line is that six of those assists came in the first half. As the defense of Oscar Bellfield (16 points, nine assists) and Anthony Marshall (13 points) improved the Rebels as a team took off, as they effectively neutralized the "straw" that stirs the drink for UNC. Harrison Barnes and P.J. Hairston scored 15 points apiece for the Tar Heels, but Barnes made just six of his sixteen shots on the night. And Tyler Zeller struggled mightily inside, making just one of his six shot attempts and scoring five points. UNLV did a better job of not only making shots in the second half (47%) but also creating the good looks, assisting on 13 of their 18 field goals.

"I was surprised about a lot of things we didn't do," said Williams. "We have to be stronger with the basketball. We have to guard the basketball better. We never did get the flow going. We have to be whole lot more patient."

Another tie that binds UNLV forwards Moser and Stanback is that they are both transfers from UCLA, which probably poured salt in the wounds of fans who also watched their Bruins lose 50-0 to rival USC on the gridiron. But UCLA's loss is UNLV's gain, and this experienced group is more than capable of building on Saturday night's performance. But they have to remain hungry due to the tough games that are on the schedule between now and Christmas. By the time that holiday rolls around the Rebels will have played UCSB, Wichita State, Wisconsin and Illinois (United Center) on the road and California two days before Christmas. How big of a threat is UNLV nationally? We won't know for sure until Christmas, but Saturday night sure was a step in the right direction.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Ryan Boatright makes an immediate impact in his first regular game as a Husky.
Freshman Ryan Boatright had to sit out the first six games of the season due to an NCAA suspension, and his absence hamstrung Connecticut in regards to their perimeter depth. When Shabazz Napier needed a rest at the point the option more times than not was Jeremy Lamb, as they didn't have another solid option to handle the duties. Boatright's return became that much more important against Florida State on Saturday as he scored 14 points and handed out three assists in the Huskies' 78-76 overtime win over Florida State. He also made three free throws in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime, and there were occasions throughout the game in which UConn went with all three guards on the floor at the same time. Could this become something that Jim Calhoun calls on consistently? That remains to be seen, but at the very least the return of Boatright allows UConn to be more versatile on the perimeter.

2. Harvard slows down UCF in the first half on their way to the Battle 4 Atlantis crown.
The title game wasn't the matchup expected (UConn/Florida State), but it did offer a solid matchup between teams with designs on getting to the NCAA Tournament this season. Harvard took a good step in that direction in the Bahamas, leaving with the tournament crown as a result of their 59-49 win over UCF. The Knights shot just 25% from the field in the first half and they went into the break trailing 33-18, a margin that proved too big to overcome in the second half. Keith Wright combined to score 27 points and grab 17 rebounds and the Harvard frontcourt did a good job of slowing down UCF's Keith Clanton, who scored 12 points on 4-for-16 shooting from the field. Harvard outscored UCF 23-8 at the foul line, helping to make up for the 17 offensive boards they allowed on the day. With their best remaining non-conference game being a trip to UConn next month, to leave the Bahamas with the tournament crown is a very good result for Tommy Amaker's team.

3. Iowa State explodes in the second half to win the South Padre Island Invitational.
Fred Hoiberg's Cyclones capped a productive trip to South Padre Island with an impressive second half in their 90-63 win over Rice, scoring 53 points while limiting the Owls to 45% shooting on their two-point shots. One other thing about Iowa State: they can shoot, and the Cyclones made 14 of their 29 three-point attempts as they outscored Rice by 30 points (42-12) from distance. Penn State transfer Chris Babb led the way with 26 points (seven three-pointers) and Tyrus McGee led three other Cyclones in double figures with 17. Iowa State also out-rebounded Rice 46-31 with Melvin Ejim grabbing 11 boards to lead the way. The team many were concerned with due to the number of transfers is off to a 5-1 start, and while there may be slip-ups along the way the Cyclones could very well be a sleeper in the Big 12.

Quick Hitters

1. There will be concern as the season wears on about how St. John's will deal with their lack of depth. The Red Storm looked to run out of gas in the second half of their 73-64 loss to Northeastern, and if the Johnnies don't gain the services of at the very least Amir Garrett come December it could be a tough ride through the Big East.

2. Wisconsin won the Chicago Invitational with a 73-56 win over BYU, limiting the Cougars to 36% shooting from the field and 24 points in the second half. Ben Brust made seven of his ten three-point attempts on the night and Jordan Taylor added 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

3. For all the talk regarding where UNLV should be ranked come Monday, some may want to take a look at fellow Mountain West member San Diego State. The Aztecs moved to 7-1 on the season with a 76-75 win at UCSB, capping a week that began with the snapping of Arizona's 22-game home win streak.

4. Isaiah Canaan scored 36 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Murray State's 90-81 double overtime win over Southern Miss to win the Great Alaska Shootout. Three other Racers reached double figures, and this tournament win (and 7-0 record) is a good start for first-year head coach Steve Prohm.

5. Reason why people were told to calm down on the at-large talk concerning Long Beach State: there's a lot of basketball to be played between now and Selection Sunday. The 49ers fell 73-71 at Montana, and while the Grizzlies are expected to contend in the Big Sky this defeat (and the one at San Diego State) are exactly why one can't put the cart before the horse.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Chace Stanback and F Mike Moser (UNLV)
Stanback scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed ten rebounds while Moser posted a line of 16 points, 18 rebounds and six assists in the Runnin' Rebels 90-80 win over North Carolina.

2. F Marshall Bjorklund (North Dakota State)
27 points (12-15 FG), 13 rebounds and three assists in the Sioux's 78-65 win over Fresno State. NDSU is 6-0 to start the season.

3. G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
32 points, four rebounds and three assists in the Blue Hens' 81-78 win over Lafayette.

College Hoops Friday Recap: Huskies, Seminoles Fall in Bahamas

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:50:40 -0500

Prevailing wisdom had Florida State and Connecticut playing on Saturday in the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Well, they'll be playing on Saturday...but with third place on the line as both lost their semifinal games in disappointing fashion. The Huskies looked to be in good shape as they held a 50-33 lead on UCF early in the second half, despite a lackluster shooting performance from Jeremy Lamb. But it was almost as if UConn turned off their "power source", and the Knights took full advantage.

Marcus Jordan scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists to lead a comeback that resulted in a 68-63 win, and Keith Clanton scored 20 as well. UConn couldn't score and they couldn't stop the Knights either, and the defensive side of the floor is where they ultimately lost the game. UCF shot 46% in the second half after making just a third of their shots in the first 20 minutes, outscoring UConn 39-25. The Huskies were nowhere near as efficient offensively as they were in the first half, but simply put if they string a couple stops together the comeback is likely stunted.

"I can't be more disappointed in how we played," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun after the game. "We just stopped playing. We couldn't even get the ball inbounded near the end. Nobody stepped up and it was a complete disaster for us."

Florida State's loss to Harvard could also be described as disastrous, but for what happened with them offensively. There's no disguising the fact that the Seminoles have their issues offensively, and despite those issues Leonard Hamilton's team reached the Sweet 16 last season. But things may have gotten worse for FSU, as in their 46-41 loss to the Crimson they finished with a offensive efficiency of 66.1.

Michael Snaer led the way with ten points but it wasn't enough to earn the win, setting up the third-place battle between the Seminoles and Connecticut. The good news for UConn is that Ryan Boatright (NCAA suspension) makes his season debut, giving them another ball-handler in the backcourt. That's something they need to help out Shabazz Napier, who turned the ball over seven times against UCF and will need someone to relieve some of the workload he's been given. Can the Huskies defend better? Can FSU shoot better? The answers will determine the outcome.

Other Notable Happenings

1. The Atlantic 10 will have two teams playing for championships on Sunday night.
Annually the talk regarding the Atlantic 10 from a national point of view has centered around Xavier and Temple, and rightfully so given the success of those two programs. But if early returns are any indication on the strength of the conference, there will be more for the rest of the country to pay attention to. After wins on Friday, Dayton (Old Spice Classic) and Saint Louis (76 Classic) will play for the title in those events on Sunday. Dayton shot just 36% from the field but Archie Miller's team turned the ball over just nine times and outscored Fairfield by 15 points from beyond the arc in their 56-49 win over the Stags. As for Saint Louis, Jordair Jett scored 19 points off the bench and the Billikens neutralized everyone outside of Maalik Wayns and James Bell in their 80-68 win over Villanova. Both have winnable matchups on Sunday, with Dayton playing Minnesota and Saint Louis taking on Oklahoma, and that's a good development for the conference in regards to possible rewards in March.

2. Oklahoma remains undefeated and looks to be a better basketball team.
A long rebuilding process was expected for Oklahoma when Lon Kruger took over the program in the off-season. Not much in the cupboard talent-wise along with NCAA sanctions made many think that though could be a rough campaign for the Sooners. But if there's one thing (among many) that Kruger can do it's rebuild programs, and the Sooners look to be on the right track with their 4-0 start. Oklahoma limited Santa Clara to 26% shooting in the first half and took a 42-19 lead into the break on their way to an 85-73 win. Steven Pledger scored 26 points and three other Sooners reached double figures, but the biggest differences between this team and the last two seasons are the effort on the defensive end and their unselfishness. It's still going to be a process for Oklahoma, and there will likely be disappointments along the way, but the Sooners are putting together a solid foundation.

3. Kris Joseph takes over late, allowing Syracuse to rally past Stanford.
Johnny Dawkins' Stanford Cardinal put forth an impressive battle in the title game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, leading favored Syracuse for much of the first 30 minutes. But the Orange went their full-court pressure and senior Kris Joseph scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as they won 69-63. Could Joseph be the go-to guy that so many have looked for on this deep team? Friday was certainly a good start in that regard, but the two games in NYC were also good for sophomores C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters. They scored ten points apiece with Waiters adding three assists and three steals, and both were named to the All-Tournament Team as a result. Joseph can be considered a known commodity but for Fair and Waiters to begin their seasons in this fashion is a good sign of things to come, especially in March.

Quick Hitters

1. What's up with Rider? A team some thought could be a factor for third in the MAAC is 1-5 following an 86-69 loss to James Madison in the Philly Hoop Group Classic. The Dukes outscored the Broncs 48-31 in the second half, shooting 60% from the field in the final 20 minutes.

2. Southern Miss out-rebounded New Mexico State 38-26 and limited the Aggies to 41.7% shooting in their 80-72 win in a Great Alaska Shootout semifinal. LaShay Page scored 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles, who play Murray State in the title game.

3. Kendall Marshall scored just four points in North Carolina's 87-62 win over South Carolina, but his true value can be seen in his 14 assists and six steals. As long as he's on the floor the Tar Heels are going to be extremely difficult to slow down.

4. Marshall picked up a good road win as they beat Cincinnati 73-69 in overtime. Damier Pitts came up big late for the Thundering Herd, picked by many to be Memphis' chief competition in Conference USA. As for the Bearcats, this makes that loss to Presbyterian even costlier.

5. Good luck trying to slow down the Florida Gators. In their 107-62 win over Jacksonville five Gators reached double figures with Kenny Boynton (22 points) and Erving Walker (21) combining to score 43 points. Florida has made ten or more three-pointers in each of their games this season.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
31 points and 11 rebounds in the Bluejays' 104-81 win over Campbell.

2. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland) and G Isiah Williams (Utah Valley)
In the Golden Grizzlies' 89-83 win over Utah Valley Hamilton scored 34 points (five assists, five steals and three rebounds) while Williams paced the Wolverines with 35 of his own (three rebounds, three assists).

3. F Patrick Heckmann (Boston College)
32 points and five rebounds in the Eagles' 66-62 win over UC Riverside.

College Hoops Saturday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:55:38 -0500

The championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational provides undefeated UNLV (6-0) with not only a great opportunity but also a great measuring stick, as they take on #1 North Carolina (5-0) at the Orleans Arena. The Rebels fought off a USC team that may not be long on talent but they do make you earn everything, and UNC wasn't challenged much by South Carolina in the nightcap. Whether or not Dave Rice's team can beat the Tar Heels likely depends on the play of their most recent UCLA transfer, forward Mike Moser (15.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 3.2 spg). The versatile Oregon native can play either inside or out for UNLV, and his start after sitting out a transfer year has been quite the boost for an experienced UNLV team.

Another consequence of Moser's arrival has been the move of senior Chace Stanback (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) to the more natural "three" after playing a lot of time at the "four" last season. Completing the starting frontcourt is senior Brice Massamba, and Quintrell Thomas is called upon off the bench to supply defense and rebounding. On the season UNLV has a rebounding margin of plus-7.4, and while they haven't played a team with the size that UNC brings to the table the Rebels are active enough to at the very least hold their own on the glass. What UNLV can do on the offensilve glass will be key because the more they force the Heels to stay in and hit the boards, the fewer opportunities Kendall Marshall will have to get out and run.

Marshall dished out 13 assists in the win over South Carolina, and over his last four games the sophomore has 51 assists and just eight turnovers. He makes very good decisions with the basketball and keeps Roy Williams' team running at a highly efficient rate (117.6 efficiency, 1.18 points/possession), and with their surplus of scorers it will be tough for anyone to completely shut them down. However, UNLV has some good perimeter defenders, which will allow Rice to choose among a few options to guard Marshall. He could go with either Oscar Bellfield or Anthony Marshall for a more "conventional" matchup, and the long-armed Justin Hawkins wouldn't be a bad choice either (tip of the cap to Ryan Greene of HeyReb.com for that last option).

Harrison Barnes (17.8 ppg), John Henson (16.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.4 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (15.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) are the three main options for North Carolina offensively, and reserves Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo have all been producitve off the bench. Hawkins and Kendall Wallace will be key for UNLV tonight off the bench, because while it may be tough to ask them (and Quintrell Thomas) to keep even in the bench scoring department they at least need to keep within striking distance in that statistical category.

Lastly, this is a matchup that fans of tempo-free stats will like, because due to the pace at which the game will likely be played pointing at the basic numbers (points scored and allowed) won't be the best way to judge what's happening. Both teams are limiting opponents to an offensive efficiency below 90 thus far, and UNLV has forced a turnover on 25% of their opponents' possessions through six games. The UNC fans traveled well but this will likely be a road game in regards to the atmosphere, making it a very good challenge as they get closer to the showdown in Lexington.

Also on tap is the championship game in the Battle 4 Atlantis, a matchup between Harvard and UCF. Both picked up wins over teams expected to play in this game (Florida State and UConn), and this shapes up to be a good matchup. Keith Wright and Kyle Casey make up a formidable frontcourt tandem for the Crimson, but in UCF's Keith Clanton they'll be faced with a versatile big man who can attack either inside or out. In that third place game it will be an interesting contrast with regards to what went wrong yesterday: Florida State couldn't score and UConn couldn't defend. Both will look to get off the island with a 2-1 record, and just as important will be the way in which that goal is reached.

Out west there's the title game of the Great Alaska Shootout between Southern Miss and Murray State, but the big one has to be San Diego State's trip north to take on UCSB. In Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally the Gauchos have one of the best perimeter tandems around, and SDSU has started the season 6-1 with their most recent win coming at Arizona. Santa Clara walked into UCSB's gym earlier this season and walked out with an 89-56 loss, so this will be a significant challenge for Steve Fisher's team. Wisconsin takes on BYU in the Chicago Invitational, and Denver will get a big test at Cal this evening. And if you're anywhere near Towson, the President will be there watching his brother-in-law's Oregon State Beavers take on the Tigers. Be sure to arrive early.

Top 25 Games
10:30 PM UNLV vs. (1) North Carolina* (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Portland at (2) Kentucky (ESPN3)
2:00 PM (20) Florida State vs. (4) Connecticut* (Versus)
8:00 PM (11) Wisconsin vs. Brigham Young*
5:00 PM Denver at (18) California
4:00 PM Western Michigan vs. (19) Gonzaga* (Root NW)
4:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at (24) Texas A&M

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Wofford vs. Prairie View A&M*
12:00 PM Coppin State at Purdue
1:00 PM Chowan at East Carolina
1:00 PM Siena at Vermont
1:00 PM IPFW at Iowa
1:00 PM Pepperdine at UTSA
2:00 PM William & Mary at Howard
2:00 PM Lafayette at Delaware
2:00 PM Western Carolina vs. Florida A&M*
2:00 PM Oregon State at Towson (ESPN3)
2:00 PM South Dakota State at Nebraska
2:00 PM Davidson at North Carolina-Wilmington
2:00 PM Milligan at Appalachian State
2:00 PM Hartford at Central Connecticut State
2:00 PM Columbia at Manhattan
2:00 PM Princeton vs. Morehead State*
2:00 PM Chadron State at Nebraska-Omaha
2:00 PM Youngstown State at Saint Francis (PA)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at NJIT
2:30 PM Cleveland State vs. Hofstra*
2:30 PM Morgan State vs. Tennessee State*
3:00 PM Western Illinois at North Dakota
3:00 PM Harding at Louisiana-Monroe
3:30 PM UMKC vs. Longwood*
3:30 PM Penn State at Saint Joseph's
4:00 PM UC Irvine vs. Alaska Anchorage*
4:00 PM Fordham at Loyola (IL) (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Barber-Scotia at North Carolina Central
4:00 PM Miami (OH) at Southeast Missouri State
4:00 PM Northeastern at St. John's (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Delaware State at Wagner
4:00 PM Central Pennsylvania College at Winthrop
4:30 PM West Alabama at Bucknell
4:30 PM Harvard vs. UCF* (Versus)
4:30 PM Rider vs. La Salle* (TCN)
4:30 PM Northern Colorado vs. Southern University*
5:00 PM Boston University at Rhode Island
5:00 PM South Carolina State at Kennesaw State
5:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Central Arkansas
5:00 PM Cal Poly vs. Mississippi Valley State*
5:00 PM Gardner-Webb vs. Savannah State*
5:30 PM San Diego vs. Alcorn State*
5:30 PM Bradley vs. Nevada*
6:00 PM Dartmouth vs. Central Michigan*
6:30 PM Portland State vs. Louisiana Tech*
7:00 PM Florida Atlantic at South Florida
7:00 PM Texas Southern at IUPUI
7:00 PM James Madison at Pennsylvania (TCN)
7:00 PM Massachusetts vs. Charleston* (HDNet)
7:00 PM Yale at Army
7:00 PM Detroit at Akron
7:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Duquesne
7:00 PM Citadel at High Point
7:00 PM Colgate at Marist
7:00 PM Illinois-Chicago at Toledo
7:00 PM Charlotte at Wright State
7:30 PM Iowa State vs. Rice* (CBSSN)
7:30 PM Coastal Carolina at Florida International
7:30 PM Liberty at Georgia State
7:30 PM USC vs. South Carolina* (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Grambling State at Arkansas
8:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM TCU at Houston
8:00 PM Samford at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Sam Houston State at Texas (LHN)
8:00 PM Milwaukee at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Austin Peay
8:00 PM New Orleans at Tulane
8:00 PM Fresno State at North Dakota State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Saint Peter's at Seton Hall
8:05 PM Cal State Northridge at Drake
8:05 PM Tulsa at Missouri State
9:00 PM Northern Illinois at Boise State
9:00 PM Long Beach State at Montana
9:00 PM Troy at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at UTEP
9:00 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at Wyoming
9:05 PM Utah State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Cal State Fullerton
9:30 PM San Francisco vs. New Mexico State* (FCS)
9:30 PM Utah vs. UNC Asheville* (HDNet)
10:00 PM Northern Iowa vs. Providence* (CBSSN)
10:00 PM San Diego State at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM McNeese State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Montana State at Idaho
10:30 PM Northern Arizona at Loyola Marymount
12:00 AM Murray State vs. Southern Miss* (FCS)

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:49:45 -0500

Tommy Amaker's Harvard Crimson came into this season loaded, with all five starters and many of their key reserves back looking get to the NCAA Tournament. After blowing out Utah on Thursday night the Crimson will take on a far stiffer challenge on Friday afternoon, as Florida State is one of the best half-court defensive teams in the country. This will offer an interesting contrast, as Harvard is one of the better teams in the country when it comes to points per possession.

Point guard Oliver McNally leads the way for a team that averages 1.17 points per possession (22nd nationally), but he and his teammates will encounter a defense that's allowing just 0.77 points per possession (17th nationally). The Seminoles are also tops in the country in three-point percentage defense and rank in the top ten in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage defense. Leonard Hamilton's team is athletic, and they use that to their advantage on the defensive end. There may not be a Chris Singleton-like player on this year's team, but veterans such as Bernard James continue to make life difficult for the opposition.

The strength for Harvard can be found in the frontcourt, where Kyle Casey and Keith Wright average a combined 27.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Casey's healthy after having to deal with nagging injuries for much of his sophomore season, and this tandem can cause problems for James, Jon Kreft and the rest of the Florida State frontcourt. Harvard's also got a very good scorer off the bench in Laurent Rivard, and they've played ten players in each of their four games.

The question for the Seminoles: how efficient can they be on the offensive end? Luke Loucks has been the guy given the responsibility of being the primary ball-handler, and he turned the ball over six times in the win over UMass. As a team FSU finished with 22 turnovers, but they won comfortably because of their play on the defensive end. Loucks, Ian Miller and Michael Snear need to make solid decisions with the basketball, because on the season FSU has a turnover percentage of 26%.

The game will likely be decided in two areas: offensive efficency and turnover percentage. The team that gets more value out of their possessions will win, simply because of how solid both teams are when it comes to their points allowed per possession numbers. Also in the Bahamas is the matchup between Connecticut and UCF, with the Huskies still waiting for last year's Alex Oriakhi to show up. He was removed from the starting lineup in favor of freshman Andre Drummond, and the sophomore needs to show that he's worthy of regaining his job. UCF's Keith Clanton will provide a good challenge for the UConn big men as he can play both inside and out.

Stanford could strike a much-needed blow for the Pac-12 with a win over Syracuse in the NIT Season Tipoff title game, but given the way in which guards Dion Waiters and Brandon Triche played on Wednesday night that will be much easier said than done. There's also semifinal action in both the Old Spice Classic and 76 Classic, with Saint Louis getting another shot at an opponent from a BCS AQ conference. Rick Majerus' team, which plays Villanova in Anaheim, has already beaten Washington and Boston College this season. The matchup between Kwamain Mitchell and Maalik Wayns will be worth the price of admission.

In Orlando three of the four teams in the winner's bracket hail from non-AQ conferences, with Minnesota being the lone remaining team from a BCS AQ league. They'll get Indiana State, one of the teams expected to contend in the Missouri Valley, while Dayton and Fairfield play in the other semifinal. And the Las Vegas Invitational will play its semifinal games as well, and it would be a surprise of Saturday night's final didn't match UNLV and top-ranked North Carolina.

Friday's Schedule
Morgan State vs. Cal Poly 11:00 am
Longwood vs. Prairie View A&M 11:30 am
Indiana State vs. Minnesota 12:00 pm (ESPN)
Florida A&M vs. Southern 12:00 pm
Stony Brook at Northwestern 1:00 pm
Mississippi Valley St. vs. Tennessee St. 1:30 pm
James Madison vs. Rider 2:00 pm
UCF vs. (4) Connecticut 2:00pm (HDNet)
Cleveland St. vs. Boston University 2:30 pm
Saint Louis vs. Villanova 2:30 pm (ESPN2)
Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma St. 2:30 pm (ESPN)
Texas Tech vs. DePaul 2:30pm (ESPNU)
UT-Pan American at USC Upstate 3:00 pm
Northern Colo vs. Western Carolina 3:30 pm
Wofford vs. UMKC 3:30 pm
West Alabama vs. Morehead St. 3:30 pm
Miami (Fla.) at Mississippi 4:00 pm (ESPN3)
Navy at Albany 4:00 pm
Dartmouth at Alaska-Anchorage 4:00 pm
Robert Morris vs. La Salle 4:30 pm (CSN Regional)
(20) Florida State vs. Harvard (HDNet)
Cal Poly vs. Morgan St. 5:00 pm
Dayton vs. Fairfield 5:00 pm (ESPN2)
Stanford vs. (5) Syracuse 5:00 pm (ESPN)
San Diego vs. New Orleans 5:30pm
Houston Baptist at Washington 6:00 pm
Central Michigan vs. UC Irvine 6:00pm
BYU vs. Nevada 6:00 pm
Rice vs. Northern Iowa 6:00 pm
Princeton at Bucknell 6:00 pm
UMES vs. Louisiana Tech 6:30 pm
Valparaiso at (3) Ohio St. 6:30 pm (BTN)
Furman at Clemson 7:00 pm
Florida Gulf Coast at Maryland 7:00 pm
Marshall at Cincinnati 7:00 pm
Savannah St. at Chattanooga 7:00 pm
Ohio at (7) Louisville 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Green Bay at Virginia 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Jacksonville at (9) Florida 7:00 pm (ESPN3)
Charleston vs. UNC Asheville 7:00 pm
Barber-Scotia at North Carolina A&T 7:00 pm
Jackson St. at North Florida 7:00 pm
Utah Valley at Oakland 7:00 pm
Elon at N.C. State 7:00 pm
(16) Pittsburgh at Penn 7:00 pm (CSN Regional)
Wake Forest vs. Arizona State 7:30 pm (ESPNU)
USC vs. UNLV 7:30 pm (ESPN3)
Georgia at (12) Xavier 8:00 pm (FSN Regional)
Alcorn St. at Tulane 8:00 pm
Lamar at Tennessee Tech 8:00 pm
Nicholls St. at Auburn 8:00 pm
UT-Martin at Mississippi St. 8:00 pm
Chicago St. at Southern Illinois 8:05 pm
Campbell at (25) Creighton 8:05 pm
UAB at Wichita St. 8:05 pm
Providence vs. Iowa St. 8:30 pm
(11) Wisconsin vs. Bradley 8:30 pm (BTN)
Jacksonville St. at Northwestern St. 8:45 pm
Portland St. at Wyoming 9:00 pm
Murray St. vs. San Francisco 9:30 pm (FCS)
New Mexico vs. Washington St. 9:30 pm (ESPNU)
Massachusetts vs. Utah 9:30 pm
Monmouth at (22) Vanderbilt 10:00 pm
South Carolina vs. (1) North Carolina 10:00 pm (ESPN2)
Santa Clara vs. Oklahoma 12:00 am (ESPN2)
New Mexico State vs. Southern Miss 12:00 am (FCS)
Pacific at Hawaii 12:30 am