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College Basketball Coaching Changes: 2012

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:43:20 -0700

As usual, the 2012 college basketball off-season features a never-ending parade of coaching changes. Some moves make sense, others are questionable, while others are simply head-scratchers. Thanks to collegesportsinfo.com, where a lot of this info was gleaned from. Also, apologies if all the colors give you a headache!

College Basketball Coaching Changes 2012: Power Conferences

Illinois

In - Jim Groce (ohio hc)

Out - Bruce Weber (fired >> kansas st))

Kansas St

In - Bruce Weber (illinois hc)

Out - Frank Martin (resigned >> so carolina)

LSU

In - Johnny Jones (north texas hc)

Out - Trent Johnson (resigned)

Mississippi St

In - Rick Ray (clemson asst)

Out - Rick Stansbury (retired)

Nebraska

In - Tim Miles (colorado st hc)

Out - Doc Sadler (fired)

South Carolina

In - Frank Martin (kansas st hc)

Out - Darrin Horn (fired)

Virginia Teach

Out - Seth Greenberg (fired)

College Basketball Coaching Changes 2012: High-Majors

Air Force

In - Dave Philopovich (asst)

Out - Jeff Reynolds (fired)

Colorado St

In - Larry Eustachy (so miss hc)

Out - Tim Miles (resigned >> nebraska)

Duquesne

In - Jim Ferry (liu hc)

Out - Ron Everhart (fired)

Rhode Island

In - Danny Hurley (wagner hc)

Out - Jim Baron (fired >> canisius)

Southern Illinois

In - Barry Hinson (kansas asst)

Out - Chris Lowery (fired)

SMU

In - Larry Brown

Out - Matt Doherty (fired)

Southern Miss

Out - Larry Eustachy (resigned)

TCU

In - Trent Johnson (lsu hc)

Out - Jim Christian (resigned)

Tulsa

In - Danny Manning (kansas asst)

Out - Doug Wojcik (fired >> charleston)

UAB

In - Jerrod Hasse (unc asst)

Out - Mike Davis (fired)

College Basketball Coaching Changes 2012: Mid-Majors

Central Michigan

In - Keno Davis

Out - Ernie Ziegler (fired)

Charleston

In - Doug Wojcik (tulsa hc)

Out - Bobby Cremins (retired)

FIU

In - Richard Pitino (louisville asst)

Out - Isiah Thomas (fired)

Miami (OH)

In - John Cooper (tennessee st hc)

Out - Charlie Coles (retired)

North Texas

In - Tony Benford (marquette asst)

Out - Johnny Jones (resigned >> lsu)

Ohio

In - Jim Christian (tcu hc)

Out - John Groce (resigned >> illinois)

Western Kentucky

In - Ray Harper (asst)

Out - Ken McDonald (fired)

College Basketball Coaching Changes 2012: Low-Majors

Brown

Out - Jessie Angel (fired)

Canisius

In - Jim Baron (rhode island hc)

Out - Tom Parrotta (fired)

Eastern Illinois

In - Jay Spoonhour

Out - Mike Miller (fired)

Grambling

Out - Bobby Washington (fired)

Idaho St

In - Bill Evans (montana asst)

Out - Joe O'Brien (resigned)

LIU

In - Jack Perri (asst)

Out - Jim Perry (reisgned)

Mt St. Mary's

In - Jamion Christian (vcu asst)

Out - Robert Burke (reisgned)

NC A&T

In - Cy Alexander

Out - Jerry Evans (fired(

Northern Arizona

In - Jack Murphy (memphis asst)

Out - Mike Adras (resigned)

Samford

In - Bennie Seltzer

Out - Jimmy Tillette (fired)

Southern Utah

In - Nick Robinson (lsu asst)

Out - Roger Reid (retired)

SFPA

In - Rob Krimmel

Out - Don Friday (fired)

Tennessee St

In - Travis Williams (asst)

Out - John Cooper (resigned >> Miami OH)

UNCG

In - Wes Miller (asst)

Out - Mike Dement (fired)

Wagner

In - Bashir Mason (asst)

Out - Danny Hurley (resigned >> rhode island)

Winthrop

In - Pat Kelsey

Out - Randy Peele (fired)

Please email shawn@collegehoops.net if we're missing any transactions

Saint Mary's Makes History: Monday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:52:35 -0800

VCU jumped out to a big lead in the first half, holding on to beat Drexel for the CAA title.

1. Saint Mary's rebounds from a Gonzaga rally to force overtime, beating the Zags to win the WCC crown.
Both late title games featured wild comebacks to force overtime, but ultimately the team that could have been too crushed to rebound ended up winning. Elias Harris scored the final five points of regulation for Gonzaga, including a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the WCC title game into overtime, but his efforts wouldn't be enough as Saint Mary's won 78-74. Randy Bennett's team made history with the win, as it marks the first time in school history that the Gaels have won the regular season title outright and won the conference tournament in the same season.

Matthew Dellavedova scored 22 points and dished out four assists to lead the Gaels and Rob Jones added 18 and nine boards, but Jorden Page was just as important. Page scored 16 points on a night that saw Gonzaga's guards, most notably Kevin Pangos (3-for-18 FG), struggle while their big men played well. Harris finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and both Robert Sacre' (17 points) and Sam Dower (14 points) reached double figures. Saint Mary's out-rebounded the Bulldogs by four and outscored them by five at the foul line, but ultimately it was Gonzaga's three-point shooting (5-for-22) that caught up with them. Both teams will dance, and Saint Mary's likely improved their seeding with the result as they can now claim two wins over the Bulldogs this season.

2. Davidson finds away to survive Western Carolina despite some poor late-game execution.
Saint Mary's issues late in regulation had nothing on Davidson's, as the Wildcats looked nothing like the team that ran through the SoCon during the regular season. There were turnovers as well as silly fouls of jump shooters, but thanks to the efforts of De'Mon Brooks, Jake Cohen and JP Kulhman the Wildcats survived 93-91 in double overtime. Brooks and Kuhlman scored 19 points apiece while Cohen and Nik Cochran added 17 and 16 respectively, and Clint Mann added ten points off the bench. WCU, who entered the game having won seven straight games, had three players score 20 points or more but it wouldn't be enough to get them into the NCAA tournament.

Keaton Cole led the Catamounts with 21 points, and Tawaski King (ten rebounds) and Harouna Mutombo (seven rebounds, four assists and three steals) scored 20 apiece. Davidson shot 52.9% from the field but got themselves in trouble with the turnovers (15 total) and 5-for-21 night from beyond the arc. But it would be wise to not write off the Wildcats due to this performance, as Bob McKillop's team plays under control in most instances. Just so happened that they ran into a team that could speed up their thought process and force things to happen, and it very nearly got Davidson beat.

3. Loyola (MD) completes a long journey, going from 1-27 to an NCAA tournament berth.
In Scott Hicks' final season in charge the Loyola Greyhounds went an embarrassing 1-27, a clear indication that change is needed. Jimmy Patsos was hired and from there he began to rebuild the program, and the goal of getting to the NCAA tournament was final achieved on Monday night. Loyola ramped things up defensively in the second half, pressuring full-court on made basket, which negated the Stags' advantage inside. The Greyhounds went on to win 48-44 due to both their defense and the versatility of tournament MVP Erik Etherly, who finished with ten points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.

Ryan Olander and Rakim Sanders both reached double figures but they combined to shoot just 6-for-25 from the field, and point guard Desmond Wade wasn't a whole lot better as he shot 1-for-5. Loyola limited the Stags to just 28.8% shooting for the game and 14 second-half points. While Patsos tends to be the center of attention from a media standpoint when the Greyhounds are playing, it's also important to recognize that there's a good team at Patsos' disposal as well. If Loyola can get the right matchup with a 14 or 15-seed, they've got the ability to throw a scare into someone.

Quick Hitters

1. The top four seeds in the Sun Belt are all gone before the final, with three-seed Denver being the last to go. Western Kentucky knocked off the Pioneers 67-63 in the second semifinal in Hot Springs, setting up a date with North Texas for the title. The Mean Green beat Arkansas State in the first semifinal.

2. There was also an upset in the Summit League semis as top-seed Oral Roberts lost to Western Illinois 54-53. Dominique Morrison led the Golden Eagles with 23 points, but his teammates shot just 11-for-36 from the field. Terell Parks led the Leathernecks with 14 points and eight rebounds, and Ceola Clark III added 11 points. WIU will take on two-seed South Dakota State in Tuesday's title game, as the Jackrabbits beat Southern Utah 63-47.

3. Two of the four road teams in the first round of the MAC tournament found a way to win, with Northern Illinois knocking off Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan upsetting Bowling Green. The first half between NIU and EMU featured just 29 points (18-11 NIU) and 17 combined turnovers. As for CMU, a Derek Jackson three with 1:40 remaining put the Chippewas up for good and Austin McBroom scored a team-high 20 points.

4. It was a busy day on the coaching carousel as Winthrop decided not the bring back Randy Peele, and Miami (OH) head coach Charlie Coles retired following the Redhawks' 60-53 loss at Toledo in a MAC tournament first round game. One name that has already been mentioned in regards to the Miami (OH) job is Arizona associate head coach James Whitford, as he spent 11 years on Coles' staff with eight of those being as the top assistant.

5. Two other coaching moves that didn't surprise many were Brown deciding not to renew Jesse Agel's contract, and UNCG removed Wes Miller's interim tag. Miller's the youngest head coach in college basketball, but his promotion sparked the Spartans run to the North Division title in the SoCon.

Monday Preview: Texas A&M at #6 Baylor

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:43:23 -0800

While bowl games will garner most of the attention on Monday college basketball won't be taking the day off with leagues transitioning into conference play. One such matchup is the first game of Big 12 play as Texas A&M (9-3) visits Waco to take on #6 Baylor (13-0), and Billy Kennedy's Aggies can definitely use a win for resume reasons.

According to realtimerpi.com Texas A&M has an RPI of 242 and a strength of schedule of 341, and while those numbers will jump considerably in Big 12 play their non-conference resume lacks quality wins. That puts even more pressure on the Aggies to finish high in the Big 12, and they'll need to steal a few on the road in order to do so. But this isn't a very good matchup for Texas A&M, even with Baylor's question marks on the perimeter.

Scott Drew's Bears have been more effective on the perimeter than many expected when the season began, and that will need to continue if Baylor is to make noise in March. Junior Pierre Jackson (12.2 ppg, 4.4 apg) has improved by the game coming off the bench but the turnovers are still an issue, with Jackson averaging 3.4 per game.

The same goes for starter A.J. Walton, who is second on the team with 3.9 assists per game. While Walton has the better assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8) of the two he's also got the highest turnover percentage (32.9%). Cal transfer Gary Franklin will also see time and in Boston College transfer Brady Heslip (10.8 ppg, 49.4% 3PT) have one of the best shooters in the Big 12.

Texas A&M also has concerns in the backcourt, and the decision of Jamal Branch to transfer didn't help matters despite his playing just 18.6 minutes per game. Washington transfer Elston Turner (12.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) has been the Aggies' most effect guard from a scoring standpoint, but A&M will need other guards to step up.

Senior point guard Dash Harris (5.0 ppg, 4.4 apg) has more value as a distributor but he's attempted the second-most three-pointers despite making just 34.8% of those shots. Many thought that Branch could at one point take over the starting point guard job but that's out of the window now, meaning that Harris and others need to step up their play.

Baylor's frontcourt ranks among the best in the country when considering both talent and depth, and while Texas A&M has done a good job of rebounding (margin of plus-8.2) the Bears are an entirely different challenge. Perry Jones III (13.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is considered to be Baylor's best NBA prospect, and when he can play with a level of aggression equal to his skill set consistently look out.

Freshman Quincy Miller (10.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) may be Baylor's most versatile frontcourt player as he's also third on the team in assists (2.1 per game), and seniors Quincy Acy (12.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Anthony Jones (6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) are also tough customers. Baylor's wingspan is what makes their matchup zone so tough to deal with, and with A&M shooting 31.9% from three on the season look for the Aggies to face that zone for much of the night.

Beating Baylor's zone will depend largely on how effective the Aggies are at finding the gaps, and in wing Khris Middleton (13.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg) Texas A&M has one of the best players in the Big 12. Middleton missed time earlier in the season with a knee injury but he's reached double figures in each of the four games played since his return. He's Texas A&M's most versatile player, and he'll likely have to be the best player on the floor if the Aggies are to win.

David Lobeau (11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Ray Turner (12.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg) are also important factors for A&M on both ends of the floor, especially when considering the lack of scoring from the guards outside of Turner. There isn't a big difference between the teams from a tempo standpoint, which makes the disparity in offensive efficiency (Baylor 112.2, A&M 99.6) all the more glaring. A&M will need some unheralded guys to put forth excellent performances in order to leave Waco 1-0 in league play, and that may not be a realistic expectation right now.

Also of note on Monday is Virginia's trip to Baton Rouge, and with Trent Johnson's team having won seven straight games (including a win over Marquette) this is a treacherous trip for the Cavaliers. Mike Scott and Joe Harris will have to lead the way while Jontel Evans and Sammy Zeglinski play with poise on the perimeter for the Cavaliers to leave town with a win.

And Vanderbilt hosts Miami (Ohio), who has one of the best frontcourt players in the MAC in Julian Mavunga. Taking on Charlie Coles' team is a tough task so don't be surprised if the Commodores have some issues early in that one. Another non-conference battle involving the MAC is Ohio hosting Robert Morris, with point guard D.J. Cooper being the catalyst for a team that's won nine straight.

In conference games there's VCU's trip north to take on Hofstra in a CAA battle of teams that have been playing good ball of late. Shaka Smart's young team seems to be figuring things out as they've won seven straight, and Mo Cassara's Pride have won three in a row.

Bradford Burgess (VCU) and Mike Moore (Hofstra) are two of the better players in the CAA, but with the Rams forcing turnovers on 28.2% of their opponents' possessions Hofstra has to be sound with the basketball in order to win. ODU visiting James Madison is another game in the CAA to keep an eye on, and the same goes for the Big West battle between UCSB and surprising Cal Poly.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Texas A&M at (7) Baylor (ESPNU)
7:00 PM (24) Virginia at LSU (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM William & Mary at George Mason
1:00 PM Rhode Island at Boston College (ESPN3)
1:00 PM American at Brown
2:00 PM Delaware at UNC Wilmington
3:00 PM Old Dominion at James Madison (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Northeastern at Towson
7:00 PM Wofford at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
7:00 PM UMBC at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Columbia
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Ohio
7:00 PM Stetson at Kennesaw State
7:00 PM Hartford at Albany
7:00 PM Maine at Binghamton
7:00 PM Drexel at Georgia State
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at High Point
7:00 PM VCU at Hofstra (FiOS 1)
7:00 PM Shawnee State at Kent State
7:00 PM Presbyterian at Liberty
7:00 PM Rider at Manhattan
7:00 PM Saint Peter's at Marist
7:00 PM UNC Asheville at Radford
7:00 PM Vermont at Stony Brook
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Tennessee (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Virginia Military
7:00 PM Lafayette at NJIT
7:05 PM Virginia-Wise at Citadel
7:15 PM Lipscomb at Jacksonville
7:30 PM Brewton Parker at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM Niagara at Loyola (MD)
7:30 PM FGCU at Mercer
7:45 PM Coastal Carolina at Campbell
7:45 PM Belmont at North Florida
8:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at Auburn
8:00 PM Miami (OH) at Vanderbilt
8:00 PM Roosevelt at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Jarvis Christian at Sam Houston State
8:30 PM Jacksonville State at Southeast Missouri State
9:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Miami (FL) (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Idaho State at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Boise State at Fresno State
10:00 PM Long Beach State at UC Irvine
10:00 PM New Mexico State at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Pacific at Cal State Fullerton

Saturday Recap: Balanced Louisville Too Much for Memphis

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:59:32 -0800

The first meeting between Memphis and Louisville since the 2005 Conference USA title game certainly did not disappoint from a drama standpoint, with both teams landing major blows throughout the contest. But despite a combined 74 first-half points the play was ragged for much of the contest, with the Cardinals taking a 42-32 lead into the break thanks to the Tigers shooting 29% from the field and turning the ball over ten times. But led by Will Barton (28 points, 16 rebounds) Josh Pastner's team refused to fold, fighting back to take a 57-55 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

But Memphis' many defensive breakdowns proved costly in the long run, as Louisville scored 53 second-half points on their way to the 95-87 win. Russ Smith made the most of his 25 minutes of action with 24 points and seven steals, and all seven Louisville players to see double-digit minutes reached double figures in the scoring column. Louisville didn't shoot well from the field (40%) or from three (30.4%) but they did attempt 40 free throws, making 32 of those. The Cardinals were also good at setting each other up, assisting on 60.7% of their made baskets while Memphis assisted on just 42.3% of theirs.

"I thought most of the time we were playing great defense," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. "They were trying to penetrate and we were forced to help, and then the guy who had to help then circled for a 3. They had a good strategy and they are a very tough team to play against."

Another player whose contributions cannot be ignored is center Gorgui Dieng, who was outstanding with 14 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in 40 minutes of action. Dieng's game has grown a great deal since his arrival on campus, and at this rate he may end up being one of the top centers in the Big East if he isn't in that class already. To get this kind of play from guys such as Dieng and Smith right now is a huge boost for Louisville, which welcomed Kevin Ware (only six minutes due in large part to Memphis going to a zone defense) and will hopefully regain the services of the injured Wayne Blackshear at some point in Big East play.

"Memphis surprised me by going zone because they haven't shown it. He's going to be fine," said Pitino of Ware. "He is a terrific athlete, good off the bounce, and much more a point guard than I anticipated. We are very excited to have him. Next game, he will be able to play a little bit more."

Memphis drops to 5-4 on the season but with the schedule they've played to date the Tigers are likely the most-tested team in the country. Barton in recent games has looked like a player who has figured things out and with his talent the sky's the limit, and Joe Jackson added 22 points. But Memphis has to tighten things up on the defensive end of the floor, as there were far too many breakdowns that led to either baskets or fouls. And turning the ball over on 20% of their possessions didn't help matters either. Louisville is still figuring things out as well, and as they welcome back key contributors and fine-tune things the Cardinals will begin to look even more like a national title contender than they do now.

Other Notable Happenings

1.Baylor survives two scares in beating BYU in Provo.
There was no doubt among those who follow college basketball that Scott Drew's team would have a hard time at the Marriott Center, one of the toughest environments in America for visiting teams. #6 Baylor was playing their first true road game of the season, and despite their talent there was an adjustment to be made. But thanks in large part to sophomore forward Perry Jones III and guard Pierre Jackson the Bears hung on for the 86-83 win. Jones put together an impressive stat line, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while also scaring both himself and the team with a knee injury in the second half. Luckily for both "PJ3" and the Bears it was simply a matter of banging knees with a BYU player and he was able to return.

Where did Jackson come into play? The JUCO transfer scored 13 points and dished out seven assists (five turnovers), and his block of Brandon Davies' (18 points, 13 rebounds) attempt to tie the game preserved the victory. Brady Heslip's marksmanship from beyond the arc was another key factor for Baylor, allowing them to withstand a very good effort from the Cougars. Matt Carlino scored 18 points off the bench in his first action in a BYU uniform, and it's difficult to see the UCLA transfer not starting when the Cougars take the court again. Baylor's win on the road is one more step in the right direction for a team that's looking more and more like a national title contender by the game.

2. Ohio State wins despite losing Jared Sullinger to a foot injury.
Sophomore forward Jared Sullinger moved back into the starting lineup for Saturday's game at South Carolina after coming off the bench in their win over USC Upstate earlier in the week. But the All-American wasn't on the floor for long in the Buckeyes' 74-66 win over the Gamecocks as his left foot was stepped on after just six minutes of action. X-rays came up negative for Sullinger, with the diagnosis being a bone bruise. To say the least Ohio State dodged a bullet with his injury, but they also had some key figures step up just a week after their loss at Kansas without the big man.

Deshaun Thomas was outstanding, scoring 30 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Thomas has made his last 17 two-point field goal attempts, and his emergence as a consistent scoring option will benefit Ohio State with or without Sullinger on the floor. William Buford added 17 points and Aaron Craft was his usual self on the defensive end of the floor. Ohio State basically left Columbia with two blocks on which to build: Sullinger will be fine, and players stepping up in his absence displayed growth from last weekend's loss in Lawrence.

3. Philly guards lead Syracuse to a win at NC State.
With NC State jumping out to a 12-4 lead the usual opinion about #1 Syracuse's non-conference schedule was conveniently brought up by many. Their first true road game, never leaving the state of New York until Big East play...and so it went. But in the midst of some patting themselves on the back they may have forgotten about the amount of talent at Jim Boeheim's disposal. What ensued was a stunning 20-0 Syracuse run, with the Orange playing their best basketball of the season during that stretch. The Wolfpack, much to their credit, would fight back and tie the game in the second half but that would be short-lived.

Guards Dion Waiters (22 points) and Scoop Jardine (16 points, four assists) led the way as the Orange pulled away for an 88-72 victory, and Kris Joseph added 21 points and five rebounds. In addition to Waiters, C.J. Fair and James Southerland scored 11 points apiece as the Orange reserves outscored NC State's bench 46-4 on the night. Feel free to use the convenient reasons to question Syracuse if you wish, but do so at your own peril.

4. Speaking of Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's makes their first home game against Villanova a memorable one.
In the history of the Big 5 Saint Joseph's had never hosted Villanova at Hagan Arena before Saturday night, usually playing their home games at The Palestra. Thanks to the trio of Carl Jones, C.J. Aiken and Langston Galloway the Hawks made the first meeting a memorable one, outclassing the Wildcats 74-58 in a game they led by as many as 20 in the second half. Saint Joseph's shot 50.8% from the field while limiting the visitors to 33.3% shooting, and the second half turned into a dunk contest of sort at one point. Galloway finished with 20 points and six assists while Jones (15 points, four assists) and Aiken (11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks) also played well, and Ronald Roberts added 12 off the bench.

Outside of Maalik Wayns (19 points) Villanova received little of consequence offensively from anyone, and with Mouphtaou Yarou less than 100% they needed a Dominic Cheek (or anyone else) to step up. But the Wildcats looked startled by the environment, and instead of becoming more comfortable with the surroundings the opposite seemed to happen as the game wore on. There are some definite questions for Villanova to answer, especially their lack of three-point shooting, but there's no doubt that Saint Joseph's can be a factor in the Atlantic 10.

5. Florida jumps Texas A&M from the start in what turned out to be a comfortable win.
There were concerns about what Billy Kennedy's team would be able to do in the second game of the Orange Bowl Classic against Florida given their strength of schedule, especially in the backcourt. Well, things got out of hand quickly as Florida jumped out to a 20-5 lead on their way to 50 first-half points and an 84-64 win. Kenny Boynton led four starters in double figures with 22 points (Erik Murphy's validated his return to the starting lineup with 13 points) and the Gators made 23 of 30 free throws to outscore the Aggies by 16 from the charity stripe. This all happened with Florida big man Patric Young taking just two shots on the afternoon.

Foul trouble didn't help the big man but this was a prime opportunity for an opponent to punish Florida for this, but Texas A&M was incapable of doing so. Shooting guard Elston Turner finished with 20 points and forwards Ray Turner (20 points) and Khris Middleton (12 points) were solid as well, but A&M can't entertain realistic thoughts of contending in the Big 12 if they don't get more out the guards not named Turner. Dash Harris, Jamal Branch and Jordan Green combined to shoot just 3-for-9 from the field, and that simply will not get it done.

6. It may be too much to say that Butler saved their season, but that wouldn't be far off.
At the half of Butler's game against Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse the Bulldogs trailed 46-35, but that margin didn't tell the whole story for Brad Stevens' team. Purdue shot 66.7% on two-point shots and turned the ball over just three times to Butler's nine, underlining the fact that the Bulldogs weren't defending at the level they need to in order to be successful. The choice was simple from an observer's standpoint: either Butler gets better defensively and has a shot at avoiding a seventh loss on the season, or they continue on that path and end up getting run out of the gym.

Butler chose the former, limiting Purdue to 19 points and 6-for-29 from the field in the second half to get back into the game. Andrew Smith's putback with a second remaining proved to be the difference in Butler's 67-65 win, an outcome the Bulldogs desperately needed. Smith and Kameron Woods scored 12 points apiece to lead the way offensively while Chase Stigall knocked down some big shots on his way to 11 points. Save their season? That may be a bit too dramatic but if Butler makes a run their win over Purdue will likely be seen as the catalyst.

Quick Hitters

1. The Elias Harris that many expect to see every game for Gonzaga showed up in Seattle, scoring 25 points (11-15 FG) and grabbing eight rebounds in the Bulldogs' 71-60 win over Arizona. Gonzaga scored the first 15 points of the game, establishing enough distance to hold off multiple Wildcat rallies.

2. If losing at Middle Tennessee earlier in the week wasn't hard enough, Belmont fell 66-61 at Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. The reason: Belmont shot 6-for-28 from beyond the arc, and Julian Mavunga led the home team with 17 points and ten rebounds.

3. Miami big man Reggie Johnson returned to the lineup in his first action of the season, and the difference in the Hurricanes was noticeable in their wild 93-90 double overtime win over FAU. Johnson accounted for 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks in 36 minutes of action and Kenny Kadji led the way with 21 points. FAU may have one of the most entertaining backcourts that receives a limited amount of publicity, with Raymond Taylor (20 points, nine assists) and Omari Grier (27 points) giving the Canes fits all afternoon.

4. Vanderbilt was handed their fourth loss of the season, this time losing at home 61-55 to Indiana State. Jake Odum controlled the flow of the action for the Sycamores, who received a nice boost off the bench from R.J. Mahurin (14 points). John Jenkins scored 11 points, making just three of ten shots for the Commodores. While Vandy may be in some trouble right now, it's safe to say that the race Indiana State will be a part of in the Missouri Valley will be fun to watch unfold.

5. Kansas State moved to 7-1 thanks to a 71-58 win over #21 Alabama in Kansas City. One of the big reasons for the victory was the play of seven-footer Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, who put forth arguably the best game of his career with 17 points and eight rebounds. K-State out-rebounded the Crimson Tide 32-28 and took advantage of Alabama's inability to knock down perimeter shots (2-14 3PT) in the second half.

6. Remember when New Mexico had the look of an early season disappointment? Steve Alford's team won its sixth straight on Saturday night, beating Oklahoma State 66-56 in Oklahoma City. Drew Gordon grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 13 points while Kendall Williams led the Lobos with 16 points.

7. Stallon Saldivar's three-pointer with less than a second remaining gave Northern Arizona a much-needed 69-68 win over Arizona State in Tempe. The Lumberjacks are just one week removed from having Mike Adras step down as head coach due to their 2-7 start, and they've won two straight since. Saturday's win is also their second straight over Arizona State.

8. They didn't get to welcome Marquette transfer Reggie Smith to the rotation (that will come on Monday) but that made little difference for UNLV, who got it done defensively in their 64-48 win over Illinois at the United Center. The Fighting Illini shot a frigid 25.4% from the field and Mike Moser led the Runnin' Rebels with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Six Notable Performances

1. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
Hamilton was outstanding in the Golden Grizzlies' 82-80 win over Valparaiso, scoring 41 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Hamilton's jumper at the buzzer proved to be the difference.

2. G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
31 points (10-13 FG), 10 rebounds and two steals in the Sooners' 79-74 win over Houston.

3. F Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
31 points (11-15 FG) and 10 rebounds in the Tar Heels' 97-82 win over Appalachian State.

4. G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
32 points (7-11 3PT), seven rebounds and two steals in the Pride's 82-62 win over Manhattan, tying a school record for three-pointers made in a game.

5. F Julian Boyd (Long Island) and F Will Barton (Memphis)
Boyd finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in the Blackbirds' 82-80 win over Saint Peter's while Barton put up 28 and 16 in Memphis' 95-87 loss at Louisville.

6. F Anthony Davis (Kentucky) and F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
Davis tallied 14 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in Kentucky's 87-62 win over Chattanooga while Gordon led New Mexico to their 66-56 win over Oklahoma State with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

#125 Miami RedHawks: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:54:31 -0700

Overall Rank: #125

Conference Rank: #4 Mid-American Conference

2009-10: 14-18, 9-7

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Charlie Coles (238-186 at Miami, 330-270 overall)

If teams in the Mid-American Conference have learned anything over the last 14 years, it is to never count out a Charlie Coles coached team. Despite the loss of four key contributors, Miami has a very athletic and talented group returning. Add in a solid recruiting class and the RedHawks will, once again, be among the best teams in the conference.

Key Losses: C Adam Fletcher, G Rodney Haddix, G Kenny Hayes, G Kramer Soderberg

Key Newcomers:

The biggest need for Miami is at point guard and the RedHawks hope junior college transfer Chris McHenry can help fill the shoes of Kenny Hayes. McHenry, who spent one season at Howard before heading to Garden City Community College, is more than just a point guard though; he is also a prolific shooter who can score in bunches when he gets hot. Incoming freshman Quinten Rollins will add even more depth at the point and wing Josh Sewell will add some more depth to the backcourt. The frontcourt adds 6-8 forward Jon Harris and redshirt freshman center Drew McGhee. McGhee’s year in the program could prove very valuable to a team that needs to find depth in the paint.

Backcourt:

McHenry will not simply be handed the starting point guard job. Allen Roberts had a very promising freshman campaign in which he started the last 15 games of the season. While he is not much of a scorer at this point in his career, the 6-3 sophomore is a great athlete who can handle the ball. Once his outside shot starts falling, which should be sooner rather than later, Roberts will develop into a serious scoring threat who can also help out at the point when necessary. Orlando Williams is another player who showed plenty of potential as a freshman. He did not take too many shots last season, but when he did they were good shots. This time around Williams will be battling for the starting shooting guard spot and will be asked to do a lot more. And if he can grow as a player and keep knocking down his shots, Williams will be among the best scorers on the team.

Frontcourt:

The frontcourt was good last year and should be even better with a year of experience under their belt. The loss of part-time starter Adam Fletcher will hurt and the newcomers will have to provide all the depth, but Miami has two quality starters in Nick Winbush and Julian Mavunga. Winbush, 6-7 senior, was the team’s most efficient and prolific three-point shooter a year ago and his ability to stretch out the defense makes the RedHawks very difficult to defend. What makes Winbush even more dangerous is his ability to block shots. That is a skill that Mavunga possesses as well and Miami should be the best shot blocking team in the conference yet again. Mavunaga also has the ability to stretch out the defense with his outside shooting, but he spends more time in the paint than Winbush. After averaging 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds as a sophomore last season, Mavunaga could be in for a huge season.

Who to Watch:

The man who holds this team together is Antonio Ballard. He is the man between the guards and the forwards who does a little bit of everything. Ballard did not put up great numbers last year due to a preseason foot injury that slowed his progress a little bit, but he is the glue guy and a very productive player when healthy. He is healthy now, so expect Ballard to continue to be a leader on the floor and put up some pretty good numbers all across the stat sheet.

Final Projection:

If Miami can get good play out of their point guards, they should be able to beat anybody in the MAC because of their defense. That is how the RedHawks traditionally win games and this defense should be good enough to win quite a few games on their own. If the backcourt can find a scorer or two, the offense will be good enough to help the defense out and that should be enough to get Miami into the postseason.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

Chris McHenry, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Allen Roberts, Sophomore, Guard, 3.5 ppg

Antonio Ballard, Senior, Guard, 7.6 ppg

Nick Winbush, Senior, Forward, 9.7 ppg

Julian Mavunga, Junior, Forward, 10.0 ppg

Next Top 144 Teams
126		127		128		129		..All

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

MAC Finals Preview & Semis Recap

Brendan Bowers — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:12:26 -0800

An Akron – Ohio Final…should be a good one

A week ago, any team in the Mid American Conference would have been well within their rights to stroll down the glass slipper aisle at their local Foot Locker just to see if 2010 edition possibly came in their size. As of tonight though, only two teams find themselves in a position to be fitted. And while similar in their opportunities to represent their conference in the field of 65, those two teams couldn’t be more different.

Akron came into the season pegged as the preseason favorite to repeat as champions of the Mid American Conference, and while it wasn’t easy over these last two days, they have done enough to put themselves in a prime position to do so tomorrow night. Ohio University on the other hand (a 9-seed), comes into the MAC championship game possibly a year ahead of schedule in the eyes of many observers. With only one senior on the roster, this is a team that just might be pegged as the preseason favorite next year, but these Bobcats aren’t interested in talking about next year.

While Akron is arguably the best overall team - with respect to balance and depth - OU will put arguably the best two talents on the court tomorrow night. Not to take anything away from the team that OU is, but in Armon Bassett – a guy that started his career at Indiana, then transferred to UAB before ending up a junior at OU – the Bobcats have a guy that is a high major talent. He’s played like a high major talent as well throughout this tournament, and with one game still to go, he’s already scored 91 total points breaking the tournament scoring record previously held by another high-major talent, Earl Boykins (89 total pts). And while he’s playing certainly his best basketball of the season right now, his play is not necessarily the surprise that the production of teammate DeVaughn Washinghton’s been this week. Washington is probably the best overall athlete in this tournament, and as of late, he’s also playing like one of the best overall players. Miami Coach Charlie Coles – a guy who’s seen a lot of athlete’s in his time - agreed in the press conference after the Miami –OU game with that point about Washington’s athleticism, and if he can continue to be the presence he’s been playing off Bassett, Akron’s going to have their hands full tomorrow - whether or not the banged up Freshman of the Year, DJ Cooper, has an impactful night or not.

But all that’s not to say that the Zips won’t be ready, and don’t have some athletes and playmakers in their own right, because they do. In the McKnight brothers, Steve McNees, Jimmy Conyers, Humpty Hitchens, and the emerging 7-footer Zeke Marshall, the Zips will be a stern test for the youthful Bobcats. A test they’ve yet to pass this season in two tries. Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot said in his presser that while he’s “not sure any of his five starters would have started for his Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis teams,” he also added in regards to his group that “the whole is better than the sum of its parts.” And while this tournament has seen guys like David Kool, Carlos Medlock, and Armon Bassett put their teams on their backs towards victory with monster game point totals of 42, 39, and 38 respectively, Akron has seen different guys step up at different moments. McNees hit the huge three one on Thursday, scored 18 against Eastern, and scored only 5 on Friday against Western. Chris McKnight, after scoring 8 on Thursday, stepped up and scored 18 tonight which included his finding the game winner off the glass for the go ahead two to win it Friday. Any of the other guys that take the floor for the Zips come Saturday are capable of having those kinds of nights as well, even if they haven’t yet.

It should be a fun one tomorrow night, and if you’re around Cleveland, there’s no reason you shouldn’t stop by to join the 10,000+ expected to attend. It’s not like you have anything better to do, and it’s not like there couldn’t be a better match-up to see…winner goes dancing, loser goes homes…no pressure.

Recapping the Semi Finals…

Akron 66 – Western Michigan 64

While I don’t know for sure, I imagine David Kool was seated on the bus ride from the hotel to the arena for the game tonight. What I do know for sure is that once it started, he never sat down again. He played all 40 minutes, and averaged just under a point per minute played. He scored 39 points and he looked like an NBA Jam player with fire streaking from the basketball as he shot it all night long. He was unbelievable. Western Michigan connected on 21 field goals as a team and Kool accounted for 12 of those. He scored 61% of his team’s points, and just about singlehandedly won a game that felt like Akron was in firm control of all night long. The Zips led by as many as 14 with 7:46 to go in the first half, and led by as many as 11 with 16 minutes to go in the second, but Kool just kept coming. He eventually tied it up at 54 on a jumper with 8:28 to go, and would help his team to a 3-point lead with 1:34 to play (64-61), before Akron’s Chris McKnight hit a mammoth three-pointer with 1:10 left to tie it back up. After an Akron timeout, with the score tied at 64 and 30 seconds to go, the Zips ran the clock down to about 10 seconds before Steve McNees drove the middle of the key and attempted what looked to be his second game winner in as many nights. The ball went all the way down, popped up, and seemed to go down again before sputtering off the rim. Chris McKnight had it the whole way though, and with 6 seconds left, he followed up the miss with a put-back that would prove to be the difference. As the clock expired, Kool heaved a desperation three that everybody in the arena thought would inevitably fall…only it didn’t, and it would be the Broncos that would fall to the Zips, as Akron narrowly escaped with a 66-64 victory.

Kool added 6 rebounds to go with his 39 points on 12 of 21 from the field, and there would be no other Bronco in double figures. Martelle McLemore had 9 points and 5 rebounds, and Flenard Whitfield added 6 and 4. Chris McKnight’s 18 points and 8 rebounds paced Akron in both categories, and Anthony “Humpty” Hitchens added 14. MAC Defensive POY Jimmy Conyers chased Kool all night long, and added 8 points of his own on the other end.

After the game Akron’s Chris McKnight spoke on his last second put-back:

“It was moving a little fast [at the time] but I was just shocked that the ball came back out. It went in, dropped back out, then went back in again, and then trimmed out of there, and all the sudden I was just in the right place at the right time. I just boxed out, and put it back in. It was good for me to do that too because earlier in the season I had missed one at Ball State just like that, same situation, same amount of time, but I missed it, and we wound up going to overtime.”

Ohio 54 – Miami 42

If you were like me, and you sat through the superbly exciting semi-final game that was Akron – WMU, and then watched this one, you were battling the urge to be bored for the majority of the OU – Miami night-cap. And if you’re not sure what I mean by that, allow me to expand. Miami scored 12 total points at half-time. 12. And they only trailed by 9. The 21 -12 halftime total (33 points) was six points less than the 39 that David Kool scored by himself in the game prior. But instead of calling this game boring, I’ll change my reference of it to that of a defensive slugfest instead for the remainder of my recap. What else would you call a game – besides a defensive slugfest – that featured a team up by 9 at the break who was shooting 27% from the field…which is the clip OU shot it at for the first half. For the game, they’d end up shooting it 38% from the field, and win going away – by 12 – and never lead by less than 7 points in the second half. Their lead was as many as 20 (46-26) with 5:26 to play in the game, and at that point it was a realistic possibility that Armon Basset could end the night scoring more than the Redhawks team would combined. He wouldn’t end up doing so, however, but he did score 28 to lead all scorers. Teammate DeVaughn Washington had 18 points and 8 rebounds, and his night also included a couple dunk attempts that would have roused a 10 score had Spud Webb been sitting courtside in judgment. One was right down the middle of the defense where he dunked and was fouled, and the second was a reverse dunk that he took off on in traffic. If you were bored at those points by a defensive game, you were momentarily awoken.

What’s interesting though, was that only two other Bobcats scored a single point, and neither had more than 6. Lone Senior Kenneth Van Kempen scored 6 points along with 7 rebounds, and Freshman DJ Cooper – a 13.5 ppg scorer – had 2. Cooper was limping though, for the majority of the night, and his health will be something to watch for tomorrow. OU has won two big games going away without Cooper making much of an impact, and if he’s healthy tomorrow, it could be interesting to say the least. Miami’s Kenny Hayes was held in check (12 points) by a Bobcat defense that tilted his way all night running double teams towards him the majority of the evening, and he didn’t get much help. Antonio Ballard had 8, and Kramer Soderberg had 8 as well, but 6 of those were after the Bobcats had gotten up by 20. The Redhawks ended their season 10-8 in the conference, and 14-18 overall.

OU’s DeVaughn Washington spoke after on his approach to the game:

“I’m just trying to go out there every night and keep the energy up for our team. I’m basically just trying to play hard, and just do my job. I’m trying to go out there and make energy plays, and do whatever it takes to help my team to win.”

MAC Quaterfinals Recap: Favorites Fall & Double-OT

Brendan Bowers — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:15:19 -0800

Brendan Bowers will be in Cleveland all week covering the MAC Tournament for CollegeHoops.net.

Upset of the Day: Ohio Bobcats beat Kent State 81 – 64

In my preview I predicted that regular season champion Kent State would ‘have no trouble with this Bobcat group’ in their opening round match-up. No sooner did I post that then did a friend of mine - an OU grad - text me the following: ‘Bowers, the odds of Kent beating OU by more than 5 are slim. Honestly, the Bobcats are very dangerous and I think they will win.’ Turns out, Kent did have a lot of trouble with this Bobcat group, and OU did win. The results of which were my feasting on crow throughout his numerous text messages during the latter stages of the game. And by a lot of trouble, I mean Kent got steam-rolled.

Armon Bassett dominated the game by way of a stat line that read 38 points and 5 rebounds as he led his OU squad to the improbable upset over the top-seeded team in the tournament – their first win in three tries against Kent this season. He had help too. Teammate DeVaughn Washington came off the bench to capitalize on the space being created by the attention paid to Bassett on the offensive end, and he went 8 for 8 from the field on his way to 19 points and 8 rebounds. With 5:26 left in the first half he caught a pass from Bassett and dunked it home to give OU a commanding 32-15 lead. From there - despite a 22-9 run by the Flashes to open the second half that cut the lead to 3 (49-46) – the Bobcats would play Kent even, and win the game by that same 17-point margin (81-64).

Kent State’s Chris Singletary led the Golden Flashes with 19 points, but struggled from the free throw line, and ended up fouling out with 2:52 left in regulation as his team trailed 70-60. Anthony Simpson scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for Kent as well, but it wasn’t enough as their dreams of an NCAA berth ended two days before the conference title game. Kent fell to 23-9 on the season, and will be forced to settle with a berth in the NIT. The Bobcats moved to 19-14 with the win, and will face Miami tomorrow in the semis.

OU’s Armon Bassett on his production offensively: “They [Kent State] really like to get up in you and pressure you defensively and that plays into my game. I like penetrating, and I was able to get by them and really get going tonight.”

Game of the Day: Akron beats Eastern Michigan in Double OT 97-89

With 6:41 left in regulation Akron’s Chris McKnight hit a three to put Akron up by 10 (61-51) over Eastern Michigan. Five and a half minutes later, EMU’s Carlos Medlock connected on a three of his own which capped a run by the Eagles that brought them all the way back and gave them a lead of 71-69. From there, madness ensued, as if it wasn’t crazy enough already. Chris’ brother, Brett McKnight, converted a lay-up for Akron with 31 seconds left in the second half to tie it at 71, and the Zips would get one last stop as regulation expired to force OT. But it wouldn’t stop there.

The first OT looked like it would end by way of an upset after EMU’s Jay Higgins converted a triple try with 8 seconds left to give his team a lead by as many points. With one tick remaining however, Akron’s Steve McNees would express his own desire to play one more session. With no timeouts, and his team trailing by three, he pulled up on an off-balanced three with two defenders on him while drifting to his left…and he nailed it. You can call it the shot of his life, and they played another overtime.

This time, in the second OT, the Eagles just ran out of gas. Akron would get up by as many as 10 before eventually hanging on to an 8 point win. The loss should do nothing to diminish the effort by Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Medlock however, who was flat-out amazing. If a player ever has a chance to win the MVP of the tournament despite his team losing in the quarterfinals its Medlock. He played all but two minutes of the entire game – 48 total minutes – and he scored 41 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists in his final game as senior. He defined the often used cliché of leaving it all on the floor, and his epic effort was not lost on those in attendance. Teammate Brandon Bowdery kicked in 21 points and 14 rebounds as EMU closed out their season with a record of 17-15. Akron moved to 23-9 with the 97-89 victory, and was paced by McNees’ 18. Anthony “Humpty” Hitchens also scored 16 for the Zips, as they now appear the clear-cut favorite to win it with Kent State out of the way. They’ll face Western Michigan tomorrow.

Akron’s Steve McNees on his thoughts leading up to his OT three: “The first thing I thought was I was pretty disappointed he [ Higgins ] made his. I knew I had to get it [my shot] up quick, we had no timeouts. I like shooting it going to my left, so I just tried to go that way and get it up.”

Recap: Western Michigan 69 – Central Michigan 60

Central Michigan was the two-seed as the MAC quarterfinals tipped off this afternoon, and for the first half they played like it against the 7^th seeded Chippewas. They held conference POY David Kool to 2 points on 0-4 shooting from the field during the first half, and at halftime, CMU led 31-22. They led by as many as 11 in the first half, and with 13:42 left in the second half they would lead by as many as 14 after Amid Rashid (14 points) hit a jumper to make the score 49-35. From that point on though, Western Michigan’s Kool played the way his name would describe, and when he hit a jumper with 4:44 in the game he’d tie the score at 54 apiece. Kool would then captain a 15-6 charge to close it out, and finish with 26 points on 7 of 15 shooting en-route to a nine point victory. Kool also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists for the game while scoring 24 points in the second half, and teammate Flenard Whitfield had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds as well. CMU was paced by Robbie Harman who scored 20 on 7 of 17 shooting from the field, and Jordan Bitzer kicked in 15 points and 4 rebounds as well in defeat. Western Michigan will play Akron in the semis on Friday.

Recap: Miami 73 – Buffalo 59

Sitting behind a contingent of Buffalo fans I never realized – until midway through the second half – just how catchy the phrase ‘let’s go Buffalo’ really is. Say it a couple times to yourself, its catchy, trust me. Nevertheless, despite the urgings from the Buffalo faithful, the Bulls wouldn’t have enough tonight in the last of four quarterfinal games at the Q. Miami led by 11 at halftime (32-21), and never allowed the Bulls to get anything going. Leading scorer Rodney Pierce was held to 2 of 8 from the field in the first half, and finished with 12. On the flip-side, Charlie Coles’ Redhawks squad was paced by fellow first- team all MAC selection - Kenny Hayes – who scored 27 and did just about anything he wanted to all night. Miami stretched the lead out to 11 (68-57) with two minutes to go, and the game was never as close as I thought it’d be. Julian Mavunga finished with 14, and Cleveland native Nick Winbush finished with 11, as Miami now readies themselves for a match-up with OU in the semis.

Friday’s Semi-Finals Match-Ups:

Akron vs. Western Michigan (Prediction: Akron)

Ohio vs. Miami (Prediction: Ohio)

My prediction record in the tournament thus far is 2-2. I’ll keep you posted going forward. For in-game updates tomorrow during the semis, follow Twitter @StepienRules.

MAC Tournament: Game by Game Preview

Brendan Bowers — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:11:34 -0800

Brendan Bowers will be in Cleveland all week covering the MAC Tournament for CollegeHoops.net.

The quarterfinals of the Mid American Conference tournament are set to tip-off at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday, and the 8-team field is set. A profile of those participating in the playoff that will inevitably send one team to the largest of all collegiate dances is below. My initial thoughts and predictions on the tournament are included as well, however, as my credentialed coverage of the games get underway this weekend, I do reserve the right to change my predictions in accordance with the actual outcomes.

That said, the teams, conference records, and profiles – in order of match-ups / game times – are below:

#7 Western Michigan (8-8) vs. #2 Central Michigan (9-7) - 12 pm on Thursday

Western Michigan: The Broncos are led by Senior, and Conference POY, David Kool who led the MAC in scoring with 22 ppg. He also had four games of 30 or more, and is currently the leading scorer in school history…so he’s good. Martelle McLemore and Flenard Whitfield also average double figures in scoring at 11.7 and 10.2 per game respectively and Donald Lawson leads the team on the glass (7.2 rpg). Western ended their season winning three of their last four while playing some of their best basketball of the season at just the right time.

Central Michigan: The Chippewas, winners of the MAC West Division, are paced by senior guard Robbie Harman who’s definitely a guy that needs to be paid attention to on the perimeter. Harman has hit an average of 3.5 three-pointers per game this season, totaling 101 on the year. His 17.8 ppg lead CMU, and his backcourt mate Jordan Bitzer comes in averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per game in conference as well. But while the MAC West title is certainly an accomplishment, it’s worth noting that CMU’s 9-7 mark would have been good enough to tie them for third with two other teams out East.

Prediction: If an 8-8 team beating a 9-7 one isn’t exactly worthy of an upset nod, a seven seed beating a two during the opening round of a tournament would be. So call it a big upset …I guess… as Western Michigan moves on past Central behind a big night from Kool.

#6 Eastern Michigan (8-8) vs. #3 Akron (12-4) - 2pm on Thursday

Eastern Michigan: Senior Guard Carlos Medlock was amongst those receiving votes for the conference POY award this season, and his 16 points per game total only one more (500 total points) than the 499 scored by teammate Brandon Bowdry who also averages 16 per. Bowdry also leads the team in rebounds at 10 per game, and those two guys were the main reasons why EMU had a look at the MAC West title down the stretch, as their Eagles narrowly lost out by one game.

Akron: Senior Forward Jimmy Conyers was named the MAC’s Defensive POY and offensively, there’s a lot of different ways these Zips can beat you. Three guys - Chris McNight, Brett McNight, and Jimmy Conyers - average between 10 and 12 points respectively in conference, with Conyers leading the way at 12. All three though, including Anthony Hitchens and Steve McNees, are capable of having a big night for Coach Dambrot’s club at any time. Conyers also leads the way on the glass, averaging 7 per game, and don’t be surprised if the Zips find a way to win this whole thing, and punch their ticket.

Prediction: Some people said that the loser of last week’s Akron – Kent State game would actually put themselves in a better position for this tournament with respect to the quarterfinal and semi-final match-ups, and for the second time this season, Akron did lose to Kent. Not saying seeding’s the reason why, but the Zips certainly don’t find themselves in all that bad of a spot as a result. Look for Akron to take care of Eastern Michigan in this one, and move on to Friday.

#9 Ohio (7-9) vs. #1 Kent State (13-3) - 7pm on Thursday

Ohio: Bobcat Guard DJ Cooper was named Freshman of the Year for the regular season by way of 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. It would be through his youthful direction that the Bobcats will look to follow their opening round win with a ‘biggest in school history type upset’ of the Golden Flashes on Thursday. Armon Basset (15.5 ppg) and Steve Coleman (11.3) will be critical as well if the lowest seeded team in the field has a shot to up-stage the highest.

Kent State: Golden Flashes Coach Geno Ford earned COY honors and Chris Singletary (11.7 ppg) was edged out in the POY race by 7 votes. Teammate Justin Greene (13.9 ppg) finished third in that same balloting, and those two make up four of the KSU starters that average between 10 and 14 points per game. Rodriguez Sherman and Tyree Evans round out that group with 10 points apiece per game. Anthony Simpson was the 6^th MOY, and on paper this squad should have been the regular season champs that they were.

Prediction: Kent Coach Geno Ford will match-up against his alma mater in his opening round attempt towards adding a tournament title to the 4^th regular season crown in school history they earned this season. His Flashes should have no trouble with this Bobcat group he once ran the point for, and Kent will cruise here in probably the most lopsided game of the tournament.

#5 Buffalo (9-7) vs. #4 Miami (9-7) - 9pm on Thursday

Buffalo: Senior guard Rodney Pierce leads the charge for Buffalo and his Bulls will go as far as his 18 points per game scoring can take them. He’ll be aided in his efforts by teammate Calvin Betts who’s scoring and rebounding at rates of 11 and 7 per night. This team was 18-11 overall, and their conference mark would have won the division had they been out West. Not a team to sleep on to be sure.

Miami: Despite a losing record overall (13-17), the Redhawks turned in solid conference effort to earn the four seed in this tournament. They’re paced by Kenny Hayes at over 14 points and 3 assists per contest and Julian Mavunga also boast a double digit average with 10. Junior Guard Nick Winbush (9.8 ppg) will return home to Cleveland for this one, where he was a two-time All Ohio Selection during his prep career at Shaker Heights.

Prediction: As much as I’m thinking to say that Charlie Coles’ club edges out Buffalo in a tight one, I’m picking the Bulls to advance. Rodney Pierce will prove to be too much as the Bulls get the win, and a shot at Kent State next time out.

Overall Tournament Predictions:

· Sleeper Team: Western Michigan

· Finals Match-Up: Kent State vs. Akron

· Tournament Champs: Akron

Look for more blogs, sound bites, recaps, and predictions on all MAC tournament action right here as the games get underway on Thursday. For the latest also feel free to follow me on Twitter @StepienRules… I promise I’ll follow you back.

College Basketball Lines & Predictions: Thursday

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:34:16 -0800

Betting odds are a great guide to college basketball entertainment. Unlike fans, who often ride the wave of media predictions, betting lines tend to be a bit more focused and can give you an objective picture of how teams matchup (though lines too can get caught up in the wave of human emotion).

I'll discuss my daily predictions after the lines.. these are posted solely for fun, as I do not bet on games myself, nor do I suggest anybody else does either (it's not easy). If you agree or disagree with my picks, have thoughts on the day's lines, or have upsets or picks to announce, post them below.

December 10th: College Basketball Lines & Predictions

- listed are the day's 6 most popular/intriguing games. I only predict games from this pool due to fan interest.

6:30

DePaul
at Mississippi St.

Favorite

MSU by 11

Over/Under

122

7:00

Northeastern
at Rhode Island

Favorite

Rhode Island by 6.5

Over/Under

136

7:00

Oakland
at Michigan St

Favorite

Michigan St by 21.5

Over/Under

146

8:30

Miami (OH)
at Cincinnati

Favorite

Cincinnati by 14.5

Over/Under

127

9:00

Syracuse
at Florida

Favorite

Syracuse by 3

Over/Under

146

9:30

Colorado
at Colorado St.

Favorite

Colorado by 2.5

Over/Under

136

- Lines as of 11:30 am (from SportsBetting) - Check out the day's other odds as the day progresses, including odds from other betting sites.

MAC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:33:55 -0800

Akron is the favorite after winning 23 games last year, but just about everyone in the dominant East Division has a chance to make some noise.

Conference Rank: 17th

10 year average: 13th

MAC Conference Page

All-MAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Rodney Pierce	Buffalo	Sr
G	Darion Anderson	Northern Illinois	Jr
G/F	David Kool	Western Mich.	Jr
F	Brandon Bowdry	Eastern Mich.	Jr
F	Jarrod Jones	Ball State	So

Player of the Year - Rodney Pierce
CHN Award Winners		Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Darion Anderson Rodney Pierce		Best Scorer: David Kool Best Rebounder: Brandon Bowdry Best Passer: Joe Jakubowski

MAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

68	Akron	MAC	1	NCAA
82	Buffalo	MAC	2	NIT
104	Kent State	MAC	3	CBI/CIT
128	Bowling Green	MAC	4
184	Ohio	MAC	5
199	Miami (OH)	MAC	6
232	Central Michigan	MAC	7
266	Ball State	MAC	8
289	Northern Illinois	MAC	9
311	Eastern Michigan	MAC	10
318	Western Michigan	MAC	11
341	Toledo	MAC	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MAC?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews