Nevada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Notable Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hitters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Notable Performances

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

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

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

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

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

BYU vs. Gonzaga: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:13:21 -0500

While they're likely a long shot to get back into contention for the WCC regular season title, Dave Rose's BYU (18-6, 6-3) need to make sure they at the very least finish no worse than fourth in the conference. With the setup for the WCC Tournament being what it is the top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals while the third and fourth seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals.

Thursday night presents the challenge of dealing with the program that's set the standard in the WCC for more than a decade. Gonzaga (17-3, 7-1) needs a win to make sure they at least remain a game behind Saint Mary's in the loss column to ensure that their meeting with the Gaels on February 9th truly means something in the standings.

Mark Few has led the Gonzaga program to eleven straight WCC regular season titles, and despite their current place in the standings this is the matchup that many looked forward two when it was announced that BYU would be joining the league. BYU will need solid guard play if they're to defend the Marriott Center, and that's been an issue of late.

UCLA transfer Matt Carlino (12.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) is third on the team in scoring but shot selection has been an issue at times, and he shooting just 25.0% from the field over the last four games. Craig Cusick and Anson Winder will also see time on the perimeter as both have the ability to run the show, but they aren't the offensive threats that Carlino can be when on.

Gonzaga counters with a first-year player of their own in Canadian Kevin Pangos (13.3 ppg, 3.6 apg), who leads the Bulldogs in minutes and assists while also ranking second in scoring. But while he shoots 42.5% from the field on the season Pangos has made 33.3% of his shots over the last four games, and even more importantly he's turned the ball over four times in three of those contests. The Bulldogs have won four straight anyway, and their depth on the perimeter has been a reason why.

In addition to Pangos Gonzaga can call on classmate Gary Bell Jr., sophomore David Stockton and senior Marquise Carter, who all bring something different to the table. Bell, who is averaging 9.9 points per game, has been one of Gonzaga's best perimeter defenders for much of the season. Stockton, whose father was a pretty good point guard for the Utah Jazz, averages just 4.7 points per game but is second on the team in assist-to-turnover margin while Carter is third on the team in assists.

The matchups inside are the ones that will garner the most attention and rightfully so, as both teams call on interior tandems for scoring. BYU brings Brandon Davies (14.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Noah Hartsock (17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) to the table, and Gonzaga will counter with Elias Harris (13.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Robert Sacre (11.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg). BYU also has a wing in senior Charles Abouo who has a pro build and can score either inside or on the perimeter. Michael Hart and Guy Landry Edi aren't called on to score much but they'll need to perform well defensively and keep Abouo in check.

Gonzaga also has a reserve in Sam Dower who is averaging nearly nine points per game off the bench. Gonzaga's big men are a big reason why the Bulldogs rebound 35.9% of their missed shots, but with BYU limiting opponents to an offensive rebound percentage of 25.5% this is one area to keep an eye on. BYU averages five more possessions per game and has the better efficiency margin, and if they can do this against Gonzaga the Cougars will have a good shot of handing the Bulldogs their second league loss of the season.

In the ACC, Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech squad looks to breathe some life into NCAA tournament hopes that are practically gone at this point with a win over #5 Duke. Erick Green's been banged up in recent weeks and Dorenzo Hudson hasn't been the most consistent player for the Hokies, but playing Duke in Blacksburg tends to fire up both the players and fans at Cassell Coliseum.

Duke didn't play particularly well in the second half of their win over St. John's, so expect a spirited effort from the Blue Devils. Mason Plumlee has played very well inside, and that could continue on Thursday night. Duke needs consistent play from their guards to both win the ACC and possibly win a national title, objectives that are still on the table at this point.

Undefeated #9 Murray State hosts Southeast Missouri State in a matchup of the top two teams in the OVC, with the Redhawks two games up on the pack for second place. Isaiah Canaan and Donte Poole have been one of the country's best perimeter tandems and the return of Ivan Aska was an important development for the Racers. Also of note are matchups in the NEC (Robert Morris visits Wagner), Pac-12 (Arizona looks to rebound from losing Kevin Parrom for the season in Berkeley against California) and WAC (Utah State visits Nevada with the hope of avenging their loss in Logan last month).

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (5) Duke at Virginia Tech (ESPN)
8:00 PM Southeast Missouri State at (9) Murray State (ESPNU)
9:00 PM South Carolina at (11) Florida (ESPN2)
10:00 PM San Diego at (16) Saint Mary's

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Nebraska at Northwestern (ESPN2)
7:00 PM St. Francis (PA) at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM James Madison at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Canisius at Iona (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Samford at Appalachian State
7:00 PM Wright State at Butler
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at Campbell
7:00 PM Charleston at Elon
7:00 PM Presbyterian at High Point (MASN)
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Liberty
7:00 PM Bryant at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Southern Virginia at Longwood
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Monmouth
7:00 PM Citadel at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Winthrop at Radford
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM UNC-Asheville at VMI
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Wagner (MSG)
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Western Carolina (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Detroit at Valparaiso (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Youngstown State at Illinois-Chicago
8:00 PM Middle Tennessee at North Texas
8:00 PM Utah Valley at Texas-Pan American
8:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay
8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Marist at Manhattan
8:00 PM Southern Utah at North Dakota State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Morehead State at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Oral Roberts at South Dakota State
8:00 PM Jacksonville State at Tennessee-Martin
8:00 PM IPFW at Western Illinois
8:05 PM Florida Atlantic at South Alabama
8:05 PM Denver at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM North Dakota at Houston Baptist
8:30 PM Florida International at Troy
8:35 PM Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona (FCS)
9:00 PM Oregon State at Colorado
9:00 PM Idaho State at Montana State
9:00 PM Oregon at Utah
9:00 PM UCLA at Washington (ESPN)
9:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Portland State at Weber State
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM Arizona State at Stanford
10:00 PM Idaho at Fresno State
10:00 PM Portland at Santa Clara (ESPNU)
10:05 PM USC at Washington State
10:05 PM Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton
10:05 PM Utah State at Nevada
10:05 PM UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Northridge
10:30 PM UC Davis at UC Irvine
10:30 PM Pepperdine at Loyola Marymount (FSN PT)
11:00 PM Arizona at California (FSN)
11:00 PM Pacific at UC Riverside
11:00 PM Gonzaga at BYU (ESPN2)

Thursday Recap: Badgers Hold Off Indiana

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:28:21 -0500

The game between #17 Indiana and #25 Wisconsin proved to be every bit as competitive as expected with the largest margin either team held being seven points with two seconds remaining. In the end it was the little things that made the difference in the Badgers' 57-50 victory, as Bo Ryan's team shot 12-for-12 from the foul line in the second half and grabbed the final seven rebounds of the game. That rebound stretch was over the final 3:38 of the contest, with their offensive rebounds leading to four of their nine second-chance points. Wisconsin's offensive rebounding percentage in the second half was 33.3% after finishing the first half with a percentage of 22.2%, and that allowed them to shut the door late.

"It's our first game holding a team under 30 percent on the field, but they got a couple of really big rebounds at the end of the game at crucial times," remarked Indiana head coach Tom Crean. "We put ourselves in position to win, we just didn't finish it off."

Jordan Taylor didn't shoot particularly well, missing all five of his three-point attempts while scoring 12 points but there were other contributors to the win for Wisconsin. Ben Brust made three of his six shots from deep and scored 13 points off the bench while Mike Bruesewitz (ten points) and Ryan Evans (12 points, nine rebounds) reached double figures as well. The foul line was also critical on a night in which Wisconsin, who scores 35.4% of their points on threes, made just four or seventeen shots from distance. Wisconsin made 15 of 19 from the charity stripe, outscoring the Hoosiers by ten as Indiana made just half of their ten free throws.

"I've never tried to over-analyze free throws other than guys get their routine, they get comfortable, they get their elbow lift, they get their rotation, they get their target sights- some guys look to the front, some guys look to the back," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "And in every drill we do, you've got to be 80 percent or better. So, I think that's helped us over the years. We were close tonight."

Christian Watford and Verdell Jones III led the way for Indiana with 12 points apiece but Cody Zeller and a quiet night and Wisconsin's Jared Berggren was a big reason why. Zeller shot 2-for-7 from the field and scored seven points while grabbing just three rebounds in 19 minutes of action, and while the foul trouble was problematic having to deal with Berggren while he was on the floor didn't help matters. Berggren may not have done much offensively with just four points but he blocked five shots, helping limit the number of quality looks Indiana was able to get near the basket.

"I think he was in a help position and maybe got there a little late and tried to make sure that he didn't foul and waited until Zeller made his move, noted Ryan. "He was fairly effective with it, but Zeller's a good player- he got his offensive opportunities, he's the real deal inside and fortunately we got some fouls on him and that helped us."

With the win Wisconsin remains a game in the loss column behind the three teams atop the Big Ten, and despite their struggles earlier in league play the Badgers gave another reminder that it isn't wise to count Bo Ryan's team out of the title race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. North Carolina whips NC State in impressive fashion to move into a tie for first in the ACC.
Thursday night provided a good test for NC State in regards to how much staying power the Wolfpack could possibly have in the ACC race. Unfortunately for them North Carolina was ready to make a statement of their own, leading by as many as 29 points on their way to a 74-55 victory. Tyler Zeller (21 points, 17 rebounds) and John Henson (nine points, ten rebounds and five blocks) proved to be too much for the Wolfpack inside, and on the perimeter the Tar Heels performed well in their first game without starter Dexter Strickland.

Kendall Marshall dished out 11 assists to just three turnovers while both Harrison Barnes (15 points) and Reggie Bullock (11 points, five rebounds) reached double figures. Scott Wood led the Wolfpack with 11 points but they lost by 19 despite making nine three-pointers due to their struggles inside. NC State shot 32.4% from two as the Tar Heels outscored them 52-24 in that department, and the 46-28 rebounding discrepancy (UNC: 15 offensive rebounds) didn't help matters either. NC State is a bright future under Mark Gottfried with a talented recruiting class on the way and the current bunch is definitely capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament. But Thursday night showed that they may not be ready to think ACC title right now.

2. Robert Morris wins the guard battle and beats LIU Brooklyn to close the gap in the NEC.
LIU Brooklyn had a great opportunity to put even more distance between themselves and the pack in the Northeast Conference race, but winning at Robert Morris is a very difficult task. And in a rematch of last year's NEC Tournament title game, the Colonials went on two runs in the first half to establish a 34-26 halftime lead and led by as many as 15 in the second half of a 75-66 win. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere did their part for the visitors as they combined for 43 points and Boyd grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 25 points. But their guards had a tough night and Robert Morris took advantage as Velton Jones scored 23 points, Coron Williams 13 and Lucky Jones ten.

Velton also dished out seven assists on the night, while LIU's perimeter trio of Jason Brickman, Michael Culpo and C.J. Garner combined to score 16 points on 5-for-24 shooting (Culpo shot 0-for-10). LIU shot 3-for-16 from three on the night and without the balance they normally enjoy offensively (24% of their points come from deep on the average) the Blackbirds were unable to beat the Colonials. RMU and surprising St. Francis (NY) are now a game back (and they play each other on Saturday) in the standings, and a race that could have been out of reach is now back on.

3. Milwaukee slows Butler to a crawl and moves to 7-3 in the Horizon League.
The matchup between the Panthers and Bulldogs was the defensive-minded slugfest that many expected going into the contest, with Butler taking a 25-24 lead into the half. But the Bulldogs went cold in the second half, shooting 5-for-25 from the field and scoring just 17 points in what would become a 53-42 loss. Milwaukee shot 48% in the second half and did a much better job of setting up good looks than they did in the first, assisting on ten of their 12 made baskets. Neither team finished with great efficiency numbers but Butler's were startling, as their offensive efficiency (67.7) and effective field goal percentage (28.9%) were season lows.

James Haarmsma (12 points) and Ryan Allen (11 points) led the way scoring-wise while Kaylon Williams made up for a rough shooting night by dishing out 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Milwaukee remains a game behind Cleveland State in the loss column while Butler falls two games back, and they're also tied with Valparaiso in second place (the Crusaders lost to Green Bay). By no means is anything decided in the Horizon League, but Milwaukee took an important step with their win.

Quick Hitters

1. It's been a rough season for USC to say the least, but their injury issues reached a new low in their 74-50 loss to Colorado. Center Dwayne Dedmon was lost early in the game with a sprained knee (MRI scheduled for Friday) and late in the second half his replacement, James Blasczyk, went down with a lower leg injury. That left USC with just five healthy scholarship players, and at 0-8 in the Pac-12 things don't look good for the Trojans.

2. One player the nation needs to become more familiar with is UC Riverside guard Phil Martin. Martin nearly led the Highlanders past first-place Long Beach State with 31 points and seven rebounds but it wasn't enough as the 49ers strengthened their grip on first place with a 77-70 overtime win. All five starters for The Beach reached double figures with Casper Ware's 18 leading the way.

3. On Saturday, Arizona made just three of twenty shots from beyond the arc in a one-point loss at Colorado. Against Washington State on Thursday night the Wildcats made 15 of 26 in their 85-61 win over the Cougars, who also lost reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Faisal Aden late in the first half with a left knee injury. Losing their most explosive scorer for an extended period time would be a terrible blow to take for the Cougars.

4. Interim head coach Wes Miller has done a good job of turning things around at UNC Greensboro, and the Spartans won their fifth straight 77-73 over Appalachian State in overtime. Derrell Armstrong scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench and Trevis Simpson added 24 for UNCG, who is now 5-4 in Southern Conference play (half-game behind Elon for first in the North Division).

5. Nevada was able to separate themselves from the pack in the WAC with a 68-60 win at New Mexico State, moving two games ahead of the Aggies in the standings. Deonte Burton scored 17 points and Dario Hunt added 15 and eight rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who also received some help in the form of Utah State's 77-72 win over Hawai'i.

6. Idaho State won a thriller at home, beating Northern Colorado 99-94 in double overtime. But even more important for the Bengals is that they're now a game ahead of both UNC and Eastern Washington in the standings at 4-4, and in the Big Sky only the top six teams qualify for the conference tournament. Chase Grabau led the way with 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting and Melvin Morgan added 22 and five assists for the Bengals.

7. Saint Mary's remained undefeated in WCC play with a 71-64 win at Loyola Marymount, remaining a game ahead of Gonzaga and two ahead of BYU with a trip to Provo next on the schedule (Saturday). Stephen Holt scored 19 points, Matthew Dellavedova 13 and Rob Jones 11 and 15 rebounds. But Brad Waldow's been a key contributor of late as well, scoring ten points following a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara.

Three Notable Performers

1. G Travis Bader (Oakland) and G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
Wolters posted a very good line of 21 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Bader led the Golden Grizzlies to the 92-87 win with a record-setting night. Bader shot 10-for-14 from three on his way to 37 points off the bench.

2. G J.P. Primm (UNC Asheville)
30 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds in the Bulldogs' 90-70 win over High Point.

3. G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
34 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Golden Eagles' 82-65 win at Eastern Kentucky.

Saturday Recap: Five Ranked Teams Fall to Unranked Opponents

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 04:27:34 -0500

The first Saturday of the new year proved to be far more exciting than anticipated, much to the detriment of ranked teams who took their show on the road. Removing #7 Missouri and #20 Marquette, who both lost on the road to ranked opponents (more on both of those games below), five ranked teams lost to unranked opponents with four of the losses coming on the road. The Big East provided the most intrigue, with #8 Connecticut and #9 Georgetown falling on the road while #10 Louisville lost in double overtime at home. So which of the three defeats is most concerning? That's likely a toss-up between the Huskies and Cardinals.

Connecticut lost at Rutgers, who already owned a win at The RAC over then-#10 Florida, 67-60 with Eli Carter leading the Scarlet Knights with 19 points. It was a Saturday night to forget for Jeremy Lamb, who scored just eight points before fouling out. With the preseason All-America dealing with foul trouble for much of the night, Rutgers head coach Mike Rice was able to go with a zone defense to take advantage of the Huskies' issues in dealing with zones.

While UConn's 36.5% shooting from deep on the season isn't a great number it's definitely better than the 4-for-19 performance they put up against Rutgers. But of more concern than the lack of perimeter shooting is the lack of leadership and toughness for this group, something that was lost with the departure of Kemba Walker. And it's a sore subject for head coach Jim Calhoun, who returned to the bench after missing the last three games due to an NCAA suspension.

"There's not a lack of leadership, there's none," said Calhoun. Short, and to the point.

As for Louisville, their issues of running a half-court offense with cohesion has been well documented, and for that reason it's reasonable to say that Rick Pitino's team was given too much credit earlier in the season. Eric Atkins' shot with 17 seconds remaining gave the Fighting Irish a 65-63 lead and his two free throws in the final seconds of the second overtime sealed the 67-65 victory, giving Notre Dame their first win in the Commonwealth of Kentucky until 1980.

Louisville shot much better from the field, making 42.3% of their shots compared to 31.7% for Notre Dame. But when you hand the ball over 18 times, allowing Notre Dame to score 16 points off of turnovers, there's a good chance that the outcome won't be a positive one. The Cardinals now already have two home conference losses, and that's definitely not a good spot to be in if they're to contend for a Big East title.

"Hard fought game, but if you break it down, they made their free throws and we didn't," said Pitino. "To lose two home games in the Big East with the type of schedule we have is very destructive to say the least."

The other two losses to unranked opponents came in the SEC, with Florida kicking off the crazy day with a 67-56 loss to Tennessee (more on that below) and #15 Mississippi State getting lit up at Arkansas 98-88. The Bulldogs weren't much more than a sieve defensively, allowing the Razorbacks to shoot 56.5% from the field for the game. Rick Stansbury's team seemed to be in solid shape at the half, trailing by just six (43-37) despite turning the ball over eleven times to just two for Arkansas.

But that optimism was misguided as the Bulldogs allowed 55 points in the final 20 minutes with the Hogs making 67.9% of their shots. Julysses Nobles and B.J. Young scored 24 points apiece to lead Arkansas, who finished with five players in double figures, and they were also aided by the fact that three players scored 63 of Mississippi State's 88 points. Arnett Moultrie scored just nine but did grab ten rebounds before fouling out with over six minutes remaining, but his fifth foul essentially signaled the end of the game for Mississippi State. The lesson the Bulldogs learned was similar to that learned by the other ranked teams to fall: anyone can fall on any given day.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Kansas State takes advantage of #7 Missouri's lack of interior depth and hands the Tigers their first loss.
There were certainly concerns about how Frank Haith's team would deal with bigger teams as the season wore on, as Missouri has just seven scholarship players and two true frontcourt players. And at the "Octagon of Doom" the Tigers got their first glimpse of how difficult things could be, especially if their perimeter scorers aren't as productive as expected. Missouri shot just 32.7% from the field and were out-rebounded 39-25 by #23 Kansas State in the Wildcats' 75-59 victory, suffering their first loss of the season.

It didn't help matters that starting forward Ricardo Ratliffe played just 14 foul-riddled minutes, scoring two points and grabbing one rebounds. The Tigers can't afford that level of production when their guards are on, much less when Phil Pressey misses all six of his shots from the field and the team shoots 7-for-24 from three. Rodney McGruder led K-State with 20 points and as a team the Wildcats assisted on 18 of their 28 field goals, resulting in an efficiency (111.9) 21 points higher than what Missouri opponents averaged on the season.

2. Syracuse runs out to a big lead and hangs on to beat Marquette in the Carrier Dome.
Thanks to a 23-1 run in the first half to turn a 12-11 lead into a seemingly insurmountable 35-12 edge, top-ranked Syracuse seemed to be well on their way to an emphatic victory over #20 Marquette. But Jim Boeheim's team apparently left their intensity in the locker room, as they came out of halftime flat while Buzz Williams' team displayed the fight expected of his program. Marquette would eventually pull to within two points (59-57) but could get no closer as the Orange would eventually win 73-66, moving to 17-0 and by the end of the night sitting alone atop the Big East standings.

Marquette could hit nothing in the first half, shooting 30% from the field and going 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. But led by Darius Johnson-Odom (19 points), Jae Crowder (15 points, seven rebounds) and Junior Cadougan (10 points, five assists) the Golden Eagles attacked the inside of the Syracuse zone, resulting in quality looks that were few and far between in the first half. But with Kris Joseph scoring 17 points and reserves C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters combining to score 25 points Syracuse was able to sew things up late, and while they weren't as efficient as usual the Orange did assists on 19 of 24 made baskets. While the landscape beneath them is too muddled to make sense of, it's pretty clear that the Orange are the class of the Big East.

3. Florida has some things to work on defensively if they're to be a factor come March.
The first thing that will stick out in#13 Florida's 67-56 loss at Tennessee is likely the fact that they scored just 56 points, shooting 35.7% from the field in doing so. But what should really be taken out of the defeat is their play on the defensive end of the floor, because despite the struggles offensively Billy Donovan's team won't lack for scoring options. Simply put, can Florida get the stops needed when the possessions become even bigger in March? If they're going to do so some things will need to change, with one being the lack of ball pressure on the perimeter. The issue against Tennessee wasn't about what the Volunteers could do off the dribble but rather the lack of pressure on entry passes.

On multiple occasions the lack of pressure on passers allowed a Jeronne Maymon (12 points, seven rebounds) or Kenny Hall (13 points, five rebounds) the time to walk their man up the lane and out of prime defensive position. If Florida couldn't get away with this against Tennessee, what are they going to do in their two meetings with Kentucky? And it's not out of the realm of possibility that a team like Alabama (or even Mississippi State) that has multiple big men could give them a hard time inside. The Vols entered Saturday's game scoring 33% of their points from three, but they didn't have to do that as the paint was open for business. Florida can't allow that to happen if they're to reach their full potential, prolific offense or not.

4. George Mason beats Georgia State to take over sole possession of first place in the CAA.
In prior seasons the three-game stretch for Georgia State of Drexel/VCU/George Mason would elicit bets of what the Panthers' combined margin of defeat would be. To say the least things have changed under Ron Hunter, as they'd won the first two games of that stretch going into Saturday's showdown with the Patriots for sole possession of first place in the CAA. But despite Ryan Pearson failing to make a single field goal it was George Mason who was able to make the key baskets late on their way to the 61-56 win. Neither team shot well from the field and George Mason turned the ball over 19 times, but the deciding factor was the charity stripe.

George Mason, who shot 67.3% from the line on the season, made 18 of 21 on Saturday night and outscored the Panthers by eight in that department. Vertail Vaughns (17 points) and Mike Morrison (14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks) more than made up for Pearson's 0-for-4 night, while the Georgia State combo of Josh Micheaux and Devonta White shot a combined 3-for-15 (they entered the game averaging a combined 20.2 points/game). Jihad Ali led Georgia State with 19 points, and while they didn't win the Panthers have the look of a team that could hang around the race throughout the season. But they didn't have enough down the stretch, allowing the Patriots to take control of the driver's seat a quarter of the way through CAA play.

5. Oral Roberts blows out South Dakota State and moves to 6-0 in the Summit League.
The matchup between the Golden Eagles and Jackrabbits was anticipated by some due to not only the matchup of early Summit League POY frontrunners Dominique Morrison (ORU) and Nate Wolters (SDSU) (Oakland's Reggie Hamilton will also figure in the discussion). But they game didn't live up to that, much to the detriment of the Jackrabbits, who fell 97-75 in Tulsa. Morrison was outstanding as he finished with 38 points and seven rebounds, but he had plenty of help as Steven Roundtree scored 17 off the bench and Michael Craion and Warren Niles scored 15 apiece.

Wolters led five SDSU players in double figures with 22 points to go along with six assists, but the Jackrabbits' biggest problem was they they couldn't stop the Golden Eagles. ORU shot 60.7% from the field on the night and 67.5% from two while also making ten of twenty-one from beyond the arc, and when ORU's got it rolling like that they're extremely difficult to beat at the Mabee Center. Oral Roberts finished the game with an offensive efficiency of 154.0, scoring 1.5 points/possession on the night. To say the least South Dakota State will do their best to make sure that doesn't happen in the rematch on February 2nd.

Quick Hitters

1. Saturday marked the first step towards another March in which Virginia Tech is once again discussed as a bubble team, with the Hokies losing at Wake Forest 58-55. Erick Green was solid for the Hokies, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but more is needed from Dorenzo Hudson (4-13, eight points) if they're to be a tournament team.

2. Entering the week with an 0-2 league record, UCLA couldn't afford anything less than a split with the Arizona schools if they wanted to be a contender in the Pac-12 race. Ben Howland's squad did better than that, wrapping up a sweep with a 75-58 win over Arizona State. Travis Wear scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Joshua Smith added 18 off the bench.

3. Few people gave Colorado a shot at being in first place in the Pac-12 at this point in the season, but there they sit after sweeping the Washington schools this weekend. A big reason why: defense. In their 71-60 win over Washington State, Colorado limited the Cougars to 36.5% shooting and none of their three league opponents have shot over 40% from the field. Also in forward Andre Roberson, Tad Boyle's got one of the most underrated players in the country.

4. Of the four teams tied for first place in the MVC the most surprising has to be Illinois State, who beat Evansville 75-73 on a miraculous shot by Jackie Carmichael. Carmichael, who finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, banked in his first career three-pointer as time expired to win the game. We'll find out how much staying power the Redbirds have immediately too, as they visit Wichita State and host Creighton in their next two games.

5. In a matchup of teams undefeated in SoCon play Davidson shot 60% from the field and made 11 three-pointers in their 96-74 win over Georgia Southern. Jake Cohen (29 points) and De'Mon Brooks (24 points) combined to score 53 points with Cohen also grabbing 12 rebounds in the victory.

6. There was also a matchup of undefeated teams in the NEC, and that game wasn't particularly close either. Ken Horton scored 21 points and grabbed ten rebounds while Robbie Ptacek scored 24 points and Kyle Vinales 18 in Central Connecticut State's 68-53 win over Robert Morris. Robert Morris shot just 30.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times in defeat.

7. Back in the ACC, Florida State laid a serious egg in their ACC opener as they fell 79-59 at Clemson. Not only did the Seminoles struggle offensively, shooting 35.5% and turning the ball over 15 times, but they also allowed the Tigers to shoot 60% from two and 49% overall. Leonard Hamilton's team can ill-afford the defensive breakdowns they had on Saturday if they're going to be a tournament team.

8. Both Temple and Saint Joseph's dropped conference games at home on Saturday, with Dayton pulling away late to be at the Owls 87-77 and Charlotte shocking the Hawks 57-52. Archie Miller's Flyers picked up a key resume-building win, and Charlotte's victory was a good step for Alan Major as he looks to rebuild that program.

9. Bowling Green also provided a surprise in their MAC opener as they beat Ohio 67-57. Jordon Crawford led the way, scoring 16 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds and two steals. BGSU turned the ball over 20 times (Crawford: six turnovers) but the Bobcats shot 4-for-20 from three, alliowing the home team to lock up the victory.

10. And in terms of a possible changing of the guard Nevada may have struck the biggest blow, handing Utah State their first conference home loss since 2007 by the final score of 78-71. Deonte Burton, who finished with 25 points and five assists, provided the dagger in the form of a four-point play with 37 seconds remaining while Dario Hunt scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Five (plus one) Notable Performances

1. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
44 points (18-23 FG), eight rebounds and two assists in the Bluejays' 92-83 win at Bradley.

2. F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)
38 points (11-15 FG), seven rebounds and two assists in the Golden Eagles' 97-75 win over South Dakota State.

3. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
38 points (8-14 3PT), five rebounds and five assists in the Wildcats' 88-81 win at Portland State.

4. G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
35 points (7-8 3PT), five assists and two rebounds in the Racers' 87-75 win at Austin Peay.

5. F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
22 points (8-12 FG) and 16 rebounds in the Mountaineers' 74-62 win over #9 Georgetown.

Plus One: F Royce White (Iowa State)
18 rebounds, ten points and ten assists in the Cyclones' 74-50 demolition of Texas A&M in College Station.

Game of the Day: Stanford 103, Oregon State 101 (4 OT)
If you missed this one late that's too bad, because the Cardinal and Beavers combined to play an instant classic. The game didn't truly take off until the final moments of regulation, as Stanford's game-winning basket was ruled to have come after time expired. Stanford would eventually win as Roberto Nelson's three-point attempt as time expired missed the mark. Chasson Randle led six Stanford players in double figures with 24 points off the bench while Nelson and Jared Cunningham led six Oregon State players in double figures with 19 apiece.

Utah St vs Nevada: Preview & Prediction

Greg Mengelt — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:45:43 -0500

NEVADA (11-3, 1-0 WAC) AT UTAH STATE (9-6, 1-0 WAC)

Time/TV: 6 p.m./WSN, ESPN3

Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum

RPI Rankings: Nevada 99; Utah State 135

Line: Utah State -4.5

Nevada Players to Watch: PG Deonte Burton, 6-1 So. (14.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, 1.2 spg); F Olek Czyz, 6-7 Sr. (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 49.5% FG); F Dario Hunt, 6-8 Sr. (9.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg). Burton, Czyz and Hunt could also have NBA careers.

Utah State Players to Watch: G Preston Medlin, 6-4 So. (14.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg); F Kyisean Reed, 6-6 Jr. (10.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 62.9% FG); G Brockeith Pane, 6-1 Sr. (10.8 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.7 rpg). Pane still hasn’t broken out as has was expected to coming into this season, and that may be a scary thought for upcoming opponents.

Storyline: Nevada and Utah State, who both opened WAC play with victories, are expected to be two of the league’s frontrunners. Nevada, which features four of the WAC’s best players, has won 11 of its last 12 games. The defending WAC champion Aggies have won 5 of 6 after starting slow.

Keys to Victory: Utah State is always tough on defense, and the Wolfpack has the league’s most explosive offense. The point guard matchup between Pane and Burton will be fun to watch and critical in the outcome. Pane scored 35 points against Burton and the Aggies a year ago and has beaten the Wolfpack five straight seasons. Hunt could dominate on the inside against the smaller Aggies.

The Bottom Line: This is one game not to be missed on Saturday. It will almost certainly go down to the final handful of possessions. There’s no question Nevada has the most talented team in the WAC. There are still question marks about its toughness. Stealing a win at the hostile Spectrum takes a lot of toughness.

The Pick: Utah State 73, Nevada 70.

Wednesday Recap: Florida Holds Off Arizona in OT

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:24:35 -0500

Much has been discussed about Florida's deep backcourt, a group that can score in a variety of ways but has some issues with decision-making when it comes to shots. But if anything was learend about what the Gators will need to do in order to achieve their goals it's that those talented guard better be sure to keep the big fella inside happy. Patric Young scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as he was essentially the one player Arizona could not match up with in Florida's 78-72 overtime win.

Young made 12 of 15 shots (all two-pointers) from the field while the other Gators combined to make just nine of twenty-seven, and given their affection for the jump shot that split isn't a huge surprise. Arizona was able to limit Florida's guards for much of the night, with Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker combining to shoot just 5-for-27 from the field. The Wildcats were without the services of point guard Josiah Turner, who missed practice on Tuesday and therefore was suspended.

Sean Miller played all five of his starters at least 32 minutes with senior guard Kyle Fogg playing all 40 minutes, and forward Jesse Perry led the way with 23 points. Arizona clearly won't be looking for any kind of moral victory, but some felt that without Turner the Wildcats were walking into a buzz saw. That clearly wasn't the case, and the hope now is that watching his teammates perform admirably without him will serve as the wake-up call Turner needs.

But back to Florida, who in Young has one of the tougher matchups in the SEC from a physical standpoint. Only twice this season has the sophomore taking ten or more shots, with the first occurrence coming in the Gators' second game of the season. That cannot happen consistently if Florida is to be an SEC title and Final Four contender. The tools in the backcourt can match those of any team in America, but sometimes overuse of the weapons can do more harm than good. Neglecting to get Young consistent touches would be a good example of that.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Festus Ezeli returns in Vanderbilt's win at Davidson with noticeable impact.
Some have said in the weeks prior to Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli's return that the big man would be a clear difference-maker for the Commodores as quality big men aren't exactly a dime a dozen at the college level. Others have taken the more cautious approach, stating that Ezeli's return won't solve the team's problems in regards to perimeter defense and their play in tight games down the stretch. But there's no debating the fact that Ezeli is a factor, and his 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks were evidence of that in their 87-83 win at Davidson.

The senior has some work to do in shaking off the rust acquired thanks to a knee injury, and Wednesday's game also displayed how much work Kevin Stallings' team has to do in order to contend in the SEC. Vandy led by as many as 18 points in the second half, and Davidson forwards Jake Cohen and De'Mon Brooks combined to score 42 points and grab 16 rebounds. Jeffery Taylor led Vandy with 22 points, but if not for Davidson's 5-for-22 shooting from deep the Commodores could have been headed back to Nashville with a loss. So while the return of Ezeli is definitely a positive, don't expect Vanderbilt to think that suddenly things are OK.

2. Illinois holds off St. Bonaventure, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Bruce Weber's Fighting Illini are an improved basketball team to this point in the season despite the loss of Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, and sophomore center Meyers Leonard has been one of the Big Ten's most improved players. But there's still some distance to travel for both the Illini and Leonard, and that was apparent in their 48-43 win over St. Bonaventure. Brandon Paul led the way with 17 points and D.J. Richardson added 11, but Leonard took just three shots and scored nine points.

Leonard went up against St. Bonaventure senior Andrew Nicholson, one of the most polished interior players in the country. While Nicholson made just seven of eighteen shots, where he is from a development standpoint is where Illinois likely wants Leonard to be by the time he leaves Champaign. And therein lies the benefit of challenging non-conference games, as it's better to expose the flaws that need to be rectified early as opposed to having league opponents figure them out.

3. Iona comes back from 13 points down to win at Denver in overtime.
One of the big questions ahead of Iona's trip to Denver was how they would handle the altitude and it's possible effects on their desire to run. But by the end of their 80-78 win over the Pioneers it was Tim Cluess' team that looked the fresher thanks to their depth. Randy Dezouvre's jumper with less than two seconds in overtime proved to be the difference as Iona came back from a 13-point second half deficit to hand Denver their first home loss of the season. Momo Jones (21 points), who ran the show at Arizona, looked comfortable in his role which has been more off the ball due to the presence of point guard Scott Machado.

Machado turned the ball over seven times but ran the show well down the stretch and in the extra session, scoring 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists. Iona also grabbed 41% of their misses on the night, outscoring Denver 15-9 on second-chance points. Brett Olson (20 points) and Chris Udofia (18 points) led the way for the Pioneers, who looked every bit the likely Sun Belt contender for much of the night. But Iona refused to be put away, and their determination was rewared with a win.

Quick Hitters

1. Utah may not win a game against a Division I opponent this season. Far-fetched? Possibly, but the Utes made unfortunate history in their 81-50 loss to Cal-State Fullerton. The Titans handed Utah their worst loss in the history of the Huntsman Center, which opened in 1969. On a more positive note, congratulations to Fullerton head coach Bob Burton on tying a school record with his 139th win at the school.

2. While there's been unfortunate freshman turmoil in the Pac-12 for some teams, Tad Boyle's got himself a good one in Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie scored 15 points in Colorado's 71-64 win over Fresno State and is averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. And Andre Roberson is turning heads as well for CU as he posted his third double-double in the last four games (21 points, 10 rebounds).

3. There's few lines that concern a coach more than the "I have not connected with this team" line that Rutgers head coach Mike Rice said after the Scarlet Knights' 59-57 loss to Princeton. This is a young group but the hard lessons have come a bit more frequently than expected in New Brunswick.

4. The first game without Kyle Bullinger was a rough one for Weber State as they fell 94-66 at BYU. Damian Lillard scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but the loss in the frontcourt proved to be too much to overcome against Noah Hartsock (19 points, 12 rebounds) and the rest of the BYU deep front line.

5. Nevada picked up their second win over a Pac-12 team in less than a week, winning 69-61 at Arizona State. Deonte Burton scored 28 points for the Wolf Pack, who have won six of their last seven on the heels of an 0-2 start.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Patric Young (Florida)
25 points, ten rebounds and two assists in the Gators' 78-72 overtime win over Arizona.

2. F/C Corey Petros (Oakland)
23 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in the Golden Grizzlies' 84-82 loss to Ohio.

3. G Nick Barbour (High Point)
35 points (7-11 3PT), five points and two assists in the Panthers' 87-83 loss to Wake Forest.

College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:23:44 -0500

The Friday night schedule may be light in quantity but it certainly doesn't lack for quality, with a pair of Top 20 matchups in the HTC Big East/SEC Invitational. #9 Florida (5-1) visits #3 Syracuse (7-0) in a game that promises to be played at a fast tempo, and given the offensive weapons that will be on display it should be high-scoring as well. This is the Gators' second true road game against a Top 5 opponent this season, as they fell at Ohio State in mid-November, which should pay off for this group when the stakes get raised in SEC play. Florida will encounter one of the tougher defenses in the nation in Syracuse's 2-3 zone, an active defense that's bolstered by the length of the Syracuse defenders.

The good news for the Gators is that they've made at least ten three-pointers in every game they've played this season, and that should come as no surprise given the caliber of shooters at Billy Donovan's disposal. Freshman Bradley Beal (17.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), Erving Walker (13.7 ppg, 5.3 apg) and Kenny Boynton (18.5 ppg, 3.3 apg) start while Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario (12.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is one of the first subs off the bench, four key components for a team that shoots 42.9% from three on the season. The key for Florida in this regard will be to get the perimeter looks that they want instead of settling too often for the ones that Syracuse gives them.

With forward Erik Murphy injured Will Yeguete has started in his place, and despite the presence of Patric Young (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg) the Orange likely have the advantage inside due to their depth. Kris Joseph (14.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) would count more as a wing in the Syracuse attack, and in addition to him Jim Boeheim can call upon sophomores Fab Melo (5.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg), James Southerland (10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and C.J. Fair (8.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg) as well as freshman Rakeem Christmas (4.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg). Fair, who was arguably Syracuse's best freshman last season, and the in-shape Melo have both made strides in their development from last season to this.

The same can be said for reserve guard Dion Waiters (11.9 ppg, 3.4), who has been outstanding after a frustrating 2010-11 campaign. The Philadelphia native offers up quite the contrast to fifth-year senior Scoop Jardine (7.0 ppg, 4.1 apg) due to his athleticism, which allows him to apply pressure to defenses in either the half or open court. The Florida guards, which will include capable defender Scottie Wilbekin, have to limit Waiters' opportunities in the open floor to make play. It will also help the Gators if they can limit Brandon Triche early, as he tends to be inconsistent depending on the result of his first few looks at the basket.

Offensively the Gators have been the better of the two teams when looking at the efficiency numbers, and while they do average four more possessions per game it isn't as if Syracuse can't play at a fast pace. Neither team has been that reliant on points from the foul line, and Florida scores 40% of their points from three-point range, a number they're likely to reach given the Syracuse zone (Syracuse's opponents have scored 38% of their points from deep thus far). It won't be how many points Florida scores from so much as how easily those points come about. It'll be tough to win at the Carrier Dome, but Florida has more than enough pieces to get the job done.

Also on tap is Vanderbilt's trip to Louisville, and the Cardinals have played good basketball for much of the season despite dealing with multiple injuries. The question is a simple one for Vanderbilt: can guards Brad Tinsley and John Jenkins get the job done on the defensive end of the floor? After dealing with Xavier guards Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons, the Commodores face a deep stable led by Peyton Siva and Chris Smith. In the frontcourt freshman Chane Behanan has been outstanding for the Cardinals thus far, and while the game is likely to be played at a fast pace the question is whether or not Kevin Stallings' team can both withstand and throw a few body blows.

Preseason MAAC favorite Iona and defending regular season champion Fairfield both open their conference slates with games in western New York, with the Gaels taking on a Canisius team that will be without the injured Gaby Belardo and Fairfield playing at Niagara. Niagara is a very young team, and freshmen such as guard Juan'Ya Green will be tested by Rakim Sanders, Derek Needham and company. Cincinnati visits Georgia in a game the Bearcats may need for their resume given their home losses to Presbyterian and Marshall, and in another MAAC matchup slumping Rider needs to rebound with Manhattan visiting the Broncs Zoo. Lastly, Washington closes out the night with a game at Nevada, and the talented Wolf Pack will provide a stiff test for the Huskies.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (9) Florida at (3) Syracuse (ESPN)
9:00 PM (19) Vanderbilt at (6) Louisville (ESPN)
8:00 PM Northwestern State at (13)Missouri (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
5:00 PM North Texas vs. La Sierra University*
7:00 PM Cincinnati at Georgia (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Fairfield at Niagara (MAAC TV)
7:00 PM Iona at Canisius (MAAC TV)
7:00 PM South Carolina State at Longwood
7:00 PM Manhattan at Rider (MAAC TV)
8:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Northwestern (BTN)
8:00 PM Sacramento State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Auburn at Seton Hall (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Haskell at Utah Valley
10:00 PM Columbia at Loyola Marymount
10:05 PM BYU Hawaii at Long Beach State
11:00 PM Washington at Nevada (ESPNU)

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:44:44 -0500

ESPN's 24-hour college hoops tipoff marathon will get off to a good start at midnight as rivals Washington State and Gonzaga meet at The Kennel in Spokane. The Cougars have embarked on life without Klay Thompson and DeAngelo Casto, and while that means they've got a lot of scoring to account for Ken Bone's got some established returnees back to lead a solid recruiting class. As for Gonzaga, the best news for them may be the health of junior foward Elias Harris. Harris, who was unable to get healthy last season, is 100% and his game should at the very least reach the level it was at as one of the best freshmen in America two seasons ago.

Harris scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Bulldogs' 77-69 win over Eastern Washington on Friday night while Robert Sacre (22 points, 10 rebounds) and guard Marquise Carter (17 points, five steals, four assists) led the way. Mark Few's team is deep and talented, boasting a good mix of youth and experience with freshmen such as Gary Bell Jr. and Kevin Pangos factoring into the rotation. At the point the Zags are better from a scoring standpoint with Carter taking over for Demetri Goodson, who's now a defensive back at Baylor.

Two things that Gonzaga did well in their season-opening win were rebounding (50-29 edge) and getting to the foul line, where they attempted a staggering 51 free throws. Therein lies what Washington State will need to do in order to have any chance of winning at McCarthey Athletic Center: hold their own on the glass while limiting Gonzaga's trips to the charity stripe. In Marcus Capers the Cougars have one of the best defensive players in the country, and it's going to be interesting to see who his assignment is. Senior point guard Reggie Moore runs the show but he along with scoing guard Faisal Aden and forward Abe Lodwick missed their final exhibition due to nagging injuries.

That gave the newcomers more time to shine, something that will have to happen if Washington State is to make a push for the bottom of the top half of the Pac 12. De'Vonte Lacy scored a game-high 21 points against Lewis-Clark State College and Mike Ladd added 14, and they're likely to come off the bench tonight with Moore and Aden back. The good news in that exhibition was Washington State's rebounding, as they held a 43-17 edge, but they're up against a much stiffer test in Spokane. Given the newcomers this season in addition to a good 2012 recruiting class many expect this to be an "in-between" season for Wazzu. They can change that perception with a win tonight.

Also of interest on the slate is the return of Ed Cooley to Fairfield, where he led the Stags to a regular season MAAC title last year before taking the Providence job. The good news for Cooley is that he's back in his hometown. The bad news for tonight is that he left a loaded Fairfield team for Sydney Johnson, and players such as Derek Needham and Rakim Sanders are more than capable of sending the Friars home with a loss. The point guard matchup between Needham (who had to deal with second half foul trouble against Quinnipiac on Friday) and Vincent Council (who struggled from the field against FDU on Saturday) will be a good one, and will likely determine the outcome as well.

UCF makes the trip north to take on Michael Snaer, Bernard James and the Seminoles, who play some of the best defense in the country. It could be tough sledding for Donnie Jones' team if they don't answer the physical challenge that's bound to come. And there's a good matchup of sophomore point guards in South Bend as Ray McCallum Jr. leads Detroit against Eric Atkins and Notre Dame. Atkins was outstanding in the Irish's season-opening win as he scored 27 points, helping to make up for the suspension of senior forward Tim Abromaitis. And there's also a pair of rivalry matchups on deck as Temple visits the Palestra to take on city rival Penn and Nevada visits UNLV.

Top 25
7:30 PM Wagner at (4) Connecticut
7:00 PM Manhattan at (5) Syracuse (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Oakland at (17) Alabama
8:30 PM Towson at (18) Michigan (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Norfolk State at (21) Marquette
12:00 AM Washington State at (23) Gonzaga (ESPN)
8:00 PM Mercer at (25) Missouri (Full Court)

NCAA Division I Games
4:00 PM Brown vs. Albany*
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Georgetown
7:00 PM Washington Adventist at Howard
7:00 PM Stetson at Florida A&M
7:00 PM UCF at Florida State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Marist at USF (Full Court)
7:00 PM Delaware State at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Boston College
7:00 PM Northeastern at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Furman at Columbia
7:00 PM Binghamton at Cornell
7:00 PM Radford at Penn State
7:00 PM Temple at Pennsylvania
7:00 PM Monmouth at Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Long Island at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Maine-Machias at Maine
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Niagara
7:00 PM East Carolina at Campbell
7:00 PM Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia State*
7:00 PM American at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:00 PM Murray State at Morgan State
7:00 PM Savannah State at North Florida
7:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Lafayette at St. Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Liberty at William & Mary
7:00 PM Penn State Abington at NJIT
7:00 PM Piedmont at USC Upstate
7:05 PM Ave Maria at Florida Gulf Coast
7:30 PM Providence at Fairfield
7:30 PM Coppin State at Loyola (MD)
7:30 PM High Point at Purdue
8:00 PM Kennesaw State at Auburn
8:00 PM SMU vs. Colorado State*
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Western Kentucky
8:00 PM South Dakota State at Minnesota
8:00 PM Grambling State at Ole Miss
8:00 PM Utah Valley at Houston
8:00 PM East Texas Bapt at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Denver at Texas A&M-CC
8:00 PM Talladega at Alabama A&M
8:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Iowa
8:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Kansas State (FSKC)
8:00 PM Indiana State at Louisiana-Monroe
8:00 PM Concordia College at Nebraska-Omaha
8:00 PM Milwaukee at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Harris Stowe at Southeast Missouri State
8:05 PM Bethune-Cookman at Houston Baptist
8:05 PM Holy Cross at Valparaiso
8:15 PM Richmond at Davidson
8:30 PM Mississippi Valley State at DePaul
8:30 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Illinois
9:00 PM Detroit at Notre Dame (ESPNU)
9:00 PM University of Great Falls at Montana
9:00 PM Idaho State at North Dakota
9:00 PM San Diego Christian at Utah
9:00 PM Austin at TCU
9:30 PM FIU vs. George Mason* (ESPN3)
10:00 PM UC Irvine at San Jose State
10:00 PM Concordia (OR) at Idaho
10:00 PM West Alabama at Oregon State
10:00 PM Portland at Washington (RTNW)
10:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at San Diego
10:00 PM Nevada at UNLV (CBSN)
10:30 PM Nebraska at USC (Prime Ticket)
11:00 PM Fresno State at Stanford
2:00 AM Northern Iowa at Saint Mary's (ESPN)
4:00 AM Cal State Northridge at Hawaii (ESPN)

Thirty-Two Regular Season Champions, Part Four

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:52:32 -0400

With the college basketball season finally on the horizon, the game that's been overlooked by many in conference realignment will once again have the center stage. Perennial contenders will once again make a run at a national title while some new faces will pop up as well. The first four-part preview will focus on the conferences, and more specifically who will win each of the 32 leagues. In the final part of this series, the final eight conference champions are selected.

SEC: Kentucky
The removal of divisions in the standings (they will still be used in scheduling) could give the top of the SEC a distinctly eastern feel this season, and despite heavy roster turnover Kentucky could head the list. It's become par for the course for John Calipari and his staff: bring in a recruiting class filled with first round draft picks, and after seeing them off welcome in another. Sophomores Terrence Jones (15.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and Doron Lamb (12.3 ppg) and senior Darius Miller (10.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) are the three returning starters (Lamb and DeAndre Liggins shared time as the 5th starter), and they'll be joined by one of the best incoming classes in America.

Forwards Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and guard Marquis Teague have received the most acclaim, but there's also forward Kyle Wiltjer and Mississippi State transfer Twany Beckham. Eloy Vargas will need to step up his production inside to help out the newcomers, but the Wildcats have all the pieces needed to fight off the likes of Alabama, Florida and Vanderbilt.

Southern: Chattanooga
The strength in the SoCon has been in the South in recent seasons, but that may change with John Shulman's Mocs returning four starters from a team that finished tied for first place in the North last season. Omar Wattad (14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), Ricky Taylor (13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Keegan Bell (9.7 ppg, 5.7 apg) lead the way on the perimeter while forward Chris Early (9.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) was Chattanooga's leading rebounder last year. The key for Chattanooga will be how they revamp a frontcourt that lost multiple contributors from last season.

Georgia transfer Drazen Zlovaric and Ole Miss football transfer Z. Mason are two of the players expected to help out Early with senior Jahmal Burroughs also chipping in. Freshmen Lance Stokes, Ronrico White and Trey Brown will be called upon on the perimeter to spell the veterans. Competition will be fierce with the likes of Appalachian State in the North and Charleston and Davidson in the South, but the Mocs should be prepared.

Southland: Texas-San Antonio
The Roadrunners finished in a tie for third place in their division last season, only to go on a run in the conference tournament and grab the Southland's automatic bid. With four returning starters Brooks Thompson's team could enjoy an "easier" route to the Big Dance, and junior guard Melvin Johnson III (14.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg) will lead the way. The question for UTSA is how junior college transfer Michael Hale II performs at the point. Jeromie Hill (13.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is the most productive returnee in the frontcourt, but there are a number of role players from last season back and hoping to use the summer trip to Australia as a springboard to bigger things. And look for another JUCO transfer, Kannon Burrage, to be called upon for perimeter scoring.

SWAC: Mississippi Valley State
Former Kentucky point guard Sean Woods has done a good job of building the Delta Devils into a team that can challenge for a SWAC title, and with four starters back from a team that finished in a tie for second place last season the top spot is within reach. D'Angelo Jackson was the team's leading scorer and he's gone, but there are experienced options back who can help pick up the slack. Guards Terrence Joyner (10.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Kevin Burwell (6.4 ppg, 2.8 apg) return as do wing Falando Jones (8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and forwards Jason Holmes (6.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Paul Crosby (12.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg).

The Delta Devils will also welcome back Amos Sturdivant, who missed last season due to injuries but was an All-SWAC selection in 2009-10. Freshman Brent Arrington is arguably their best newcomer, but the key for MVSU (as it tends to be for many of the HBCU schools) is not getting too beat up during their early-season run of guarantee games. If the Delta Devils can do this and build on the experiences, look out.

Summit: Oral Roberts
All five of Scott Sutton's starters from a season ago return, with the goal being to take one step up from their second-place finish a season ago. Dominique Morrison (19.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) was a CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-America selection, and forward Steven Roundtree (12.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) was the Mid-Major Freshman of the Year. Add in Warren Niles and Damen Bell-Holter and you've got four starters who averaged double figure scoring last season, not to mention Summit League Newcomer of the Year Michael Craion off the bench. The amount of experience that Oral Roberts returns will place limited pressure on the shoulders of their four-member recruiting class, which will give them time to grow on the floor. And a non-conference schedule that includes games at West Virginia, Gonzaga and Xavier should not only prepare them for league play, but also the chance to knock someone off.

Sun Belt: Florida Atlantic
Mike Jarvis' Owls won 21 games last year and won the East Division by three games. But they were unable to win what turned out to be a wild Sun Belt Tournament, which should be more than enough motivation for a team that returns four starters. The backcourt is deep and returns a great deal of talent, led by juniors Raymond Taylor (14.0 ppg, 3.9 apg) and Greg Gantt (14.0, 3.9 rpg) and senior Alex Tucker (7.4 ppg, 4.3 apg). Kore White leads the way in the frontcourt, but that group will need to count more on newcomers than the guards. UC Davis transfer Jelani Floyd and freshman Kelvin Penn are two players likely to make their way into the rotation, and if the forwards can supplement what the backcourt will provide FAU can win another regular season crown.

WCC: Saint Mary's
Randy Bennett's Gaels will have to account for the loss of guard Mickey McConnell, but four starters return for a team that tied for the WCC regular season crown in 2010-11. But the Gaels were left to play in the NIT despite winning 25 games, so there will be plenty of motivation this winter. Guards Matthew Dellavedova (13.4 ppg, 5.3 apg) and Stephen Holt (6.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg) will be expected to lead the way on the perimeter while Jorden Page, Clint Steindl and SMU transfer Paul McCoy will also chip in. Inside forward Rob Jones (13.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) was an All-WCC selection last season while Tim Williams and Kenton Walker II have also seen playing time. Northwestern transfer Kyle Rowley gives Saint Mary's a legit seven-footer and redshirt freshman Brad Waldow is more than capable of earning minutes as well. Competition will be fierce for the top spot with newcomer BYU joining Gonzaga, Santa Clara and San Francisco as likely contenders, but the Gaels have the tools needed to finish on top.

WAC: Nevada
Utah State has won the last three WAC regular season titles outright and shared the top spot in 2007-08, so it feels a little weird to not have Stew Morrill's team in this spot. But Nevada isn't far removed from outstanding play in the conference, and the hope of head coach David Carter is that returning all five starters will get the Wolf Pack back to the top of the WAC. Sophomore guard Deonte Burton (13.7 ppg, 3.5 apg) was second on the team in scoring in all games but averaged just under 16 points per game in WAC play, with leading scorer Malik Story (14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) averaging just under 14 a contest. Forwards Dario Hunt (12.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg) and Olek Czyz (12.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) also return for the Wolf Pack, who will need the reserves to step up if they're to hold off the likes of Utah State and New Mexico State (Hawaii could also figure into things). But when you return a tandem like Burton and Story, there's no telling how good Nevada can be.

Part One: America East through Big Ten
Part Two: Big 12 through MAAC
Part Three: MAC through Patriot

College Hoops Monday Recap: Blue Devils, Wildcats Advance

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:53:43 -0500

Looking at the semifinals of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic on paper many expected Duke and Kansas State to advance to Tuesday's title game, and they took care of business at the Spirit Center in Kansas City. But while the Wildcats had some perimeter shooters other than the explosive Jacob Pullen step up in their 81-64 whipping of Gonzaga, Duke had to rely on a change from last season's title team to get past Marquette. One of the chief influences on the national title run made by head coach Mike Krzyzewski's team was the "dirty work" nature of big men Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek, two players who didn't score a whole lot but they did all the little things that turn good teams into champions. Monday night provided a glimpse at the added dimension that this year's team has inside, and that would be sophomore forward Mason Plumlee.

Plumlee missed the first part of last season with a wrist injury, essentially stunting his progress similar to the way in which a back injury prevented UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt from taking off (both showed flashes last season but the full offseason to recuperate has done wonders). Mason scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the final 8:47 of the game to help the Blue Devils hold off the hard-charging Golden Eagles, who had no way of slowing him down in losing 82-77. "Of course as a player you always want the ball," said Plumlee, who also had 12 rebounds and three assists. "I just wanted to stay within the plays and take the opportunities that come my way. My teammates did a good job of hitting me." On a weekend that saw Christian Laettner inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame it was fitting that a Duke forward made the difference.

As for Kansas State they blitzed a Gonzaga team playing with a less than full strength Elias Harris with a 10-2 run to start the game, and then held off a Bulldog rally before pulling away for good early in the second half. Jacob Pullen led the way with 18 points (4-8 3PT) and as a team Kansas State shot 46.2% (12 for 26) from beyond the arc while outrebounding the Bulldogs 37-24. Robert Sacre (17 points) and Steven Gray (15) were Gonzaga's only double-figure scorers on a night where they shot 33.3% from the field and 3-for-13 from three-point range. The Wildcat big men, who welcomed Curtis Kelly back into the fold, weren't great but they made Sacre work and with a little help from guard Rodney McGruder (game-high nine rebounds) controlled the glass throughout. They'll need more from the likes of Wally Judge and Freddy Asprilla on Tuesday but Frank Martin's club has more than enough to grab the CBE Classic title.

Other Notable Happenings
1. Old Dominion wins the Paradise Jam.
Just one day after Tu Holloway lit up Seton Hall to the tune of 31 points he ran out of gas thanks in large part to the perimeter defense of Blaine Taylor's Monarchs, who knocked off Xavier 67-58 in the finals of the USVI Paradise Jam. Trian Iliadis scored 12 points off the bench while Frank Hassell led the way for ODU with 16 points and eight rebounds but it was rebounding and defense that got the job done. Old Dominion finished the game a plus-10 (33-23) in rebounding margin and limited Xavier to just four three pointers in twenty attempts on the night. Holloway led the Musketeers with 14 points (as did Mark Lyons) but he made just three of ten shots and turned the ball over six times in Xavier's first loss of the season. Keep an eye on the Monarchs, who are the preseason favorites to win the CAA, as they return home for a holiday break before hosting Richmond on December 1st. While their three wins in the Virgin Islands (Saint Peter's, Clemson and Xavier) may have a negligible impact on their computer numbers they should definitely serve notice that this is a team capable of duplicating its NCAA showing of a season ago.

2. Kemba Walker catches fire in the second half and leads UConn past Wichita State.
Head coach Jim Calhoun will need Kemba Walker to be a superstar this season if the Huskies are to get back to the NCAA Tournament, so it did him little good to see his point guard on the bench for 16 minutes of the first half against Wichita State. But the junior from the Bronx made up for lost time in the second half, scoring 29 of his 31 points (14-15 FT) in the Huskies' 83-79 win over the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley. But credit should also be given to the youngsters who had to step up to keep the Huskies afloat while their leader was on the bench. Jeremy Lamb grabbed a team-best eight rebounds while Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith scored 10 points apiece off the bench. Next up for UConn is Michigan State, who struggled with Chaminade before establishing themselves late in the second half in a less than dominant performance. Walker must stay on the floor against the Spartans, and as he showed on Monday when he's out there he can put on quite the show.

3. Fans in Reno and Winston-Salem could be in for a long season.
Nevada (replacing four starters) and Wake Forest (replacing many key contributors and playing under a new head coach in Jeff Bzdelik) were expected to struggle this season. But what they've gone through thus far may be a bit much, as Nevada fell to George Washington 58-56 and the Demon Deacons lost to Winthrop 83-74. Which outcome spells more doom? That's may be Nevada's loss (even though it came at GW) given the fact that the Colonials have consistently been in the bottom half of the Atlantic 10 the last few years. Dario Hunt led the way with 16 points but David Carter's team can ill-afford 0-for-11 nights from Deonte Burton if they're to remain in the top half of the WAC. Wake Forest's issues are on the defensive end, where they allowed Winthrop to shoot 51.6% from the field and 6-for-11 from deep, but augmenting defensive strategies may be easier than finding consistent scorers. Keep an eye on both of these teams as they could be in for a long season.

Top Three Games
1. Connecticut 83, Wichita State 79
2. Duke 82, Marquette 77
3. Grambling St. 77, Southeast Missouri State 76 (OT) Stinks to see games decided by foul calls in the final seconds but that's all the Tigers needed to survive on the road for their first win of the season. Justin Patton led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Raschard Boatner's free throw with two seconds remaining provided the final margin. The Redhawks, who were down 12 points at the under-4 timeout, were led by Leon Powell (18 points) and Anthony Allison (16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists).

Three Notable Performances
1. G Kemba Walker (Connecticut) 29 of his game-high 31 points came in the second half of the Huskies' win over Wichita State in the first Maui Invitational quarterfinal.
2. F Terrence Jones (Kentucky) 29 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in the Wildcats' 76-64 win over Oklahoma.
3. F Mason Plumlee (Duke) 25 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in the Blue Devils' win over Marquette.