Nevada

Cal May Not Be As Safe as We Think: Friday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:38:44 -0800

Cincinnati and Louisville advance to the Big East final, marking the first time that no original members will be in the game.

1. California falls to Colorado in the Pac-12 semis, which could mean two bids for the league.
Based on conventional wisdom, Mike Montgomery's Cal Golden Bears had the best resume of any team in the Pac-12. But in a league that went 1-31 against non-conference Top 50 opponents this season, what's that really saying? Thanks to the Golden Bears' 70-59 loss to Colorado in the second Pac-12 semifinal we've got extra time to figure that out. Carlon Brown and Andre Roberson scored 17 points apiece and Austin Dufault added 15 for the Buffaloes, who are one win away from being picked to finish 10th in the conference to grabbing the Pac-12's automatic bid.

As for Cal, who shot a decent 42.9% from the field but turned the ball over 17 times and saw Colorado shoot 50% from the field? They may be in a little more trouble than many thought. Entering Friday with an RPI of 34 and a strength of schedule of 82 (non-conference SOS: 71), Cal looked to be in good shape in that regard. But this is where further inspection is needed. 16 of their 23 wins have come against teams sitting 101 or worse in the RPI, and their two Top 50 wins both came at the expense of Oregon, who was 49th at the start of the day. Their best non-conference wins: Weber State and Denver. Cal likely will find their way into the Field of 68 come Selection Sunday, but the optimism may need to be a bit more cautious at this point in time.

2. Baylor and Missouri advance to the Big 12 title game in Kansas City.
Entering the Big 12 tournament most of the talk centered around the possibility of Kansas and Missouri meeting for a third time this season, and with a one-seed possibly being on the line it was expected that the Jayhawks and Tigers would meet. But two things were learned on Friday night: Baylor, who felt a little disrespected by the talk (they did go 0-4 against those two this season), stepped up after Kansas made their run and beat the Jayhawks 81-72. Secondly, Missouri didn't seem to be in the mood for "Border War" talk, as they showed a focus that championship-caliber teams tend to display at this point in the year.

Marcus Denmon may have gone 0-for-10 from the field but Missouri beat Texas 81-67 anyway, as Kim English and Phil Pressey scored 23 points apiece and Ricardo Ratliffe added 18 and 14 boards. The Bears now get another shot at the Tigers, and with Brady Heslip coming off of a big performance in which he knocked down some key three-pointers and A.J. Walton playing well this week it's fair to say that Baylor has improved. Missouri can earn a one-seed with a victory, but Baylor could jump a seed line as well (likely tapping out at a two).

3. Miami loses Durand Scott before the game, and their loss to Florida State may have cost them an at-large bid too.
Just before the tip-off of the final quarterfinal of the night in the ACC, Miami announced that starting guard Durand Scott was ineligible to play due to the possible receipt of impermissible benefits. That certainly didn't help Jim Larranaga and his Hurricanes, who fell 82-71 to Florida State. With so many other bubble teams faltering maybe the loss doesn't kill Miami's NCAA hopes, but with the chance to distinguish themselves from the "competition" the Canes were unable to do so.

Not only did the Seminoles take care of the basketball, finishing with 11 turnovers (they average more than 16 per game), but they outscored Miami 25-9 from the foul line. Michael Snaer and Ian Miller led five FSU players in double figures with 20 and 18 points respectively, and the Seminoles put together their most efficient showing on the offensive end since their 84-70 win over Maryland on January 17th. Miami has to hope for a swift (and positive) decision regarding Scott, because the selection committee does take a team's current parts into consideration. This capped a day in Atlanta that also saw John Henson injure his left wrist and NC State may have locked up an at-large bid with their win over Virginia.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a busy day in the Big Ten and not just because of a full day of action in Indianapolis. Both Illinois and Nebraska made moves at the top of their programs, deciding that it was time to move forward without the services of Bruce Weber and Doc Sadler respectively. While neither move is a surprise, what is interesting about Tom Osborne's decision to let Sadler go is that he'd given him an extension after last season.

2. With the quarterfinal between Xavier and Dayton being thought of as almost an NCAA tournament elimination game, the Musketeers' 70-69 victory could loom large on Selection Sunday. Chris Mack's team may be safe at this point but a win over Saint Louis on Saturday wouldn't hurt their chances either.

3. Another game of that magnitude was the first game of the night session at the SEC tournament, and Ole Miss picked up a much-needed 77-72 overtime win over Tennessee. Next up for Andy Kennedy's Rebels is a matchup with Vanderbilt, and a win over the Commodores would likely lock up a bid for a team few had near the bubble just a couple weeks ago.

4. One more automatic bid to the NIT may have been accounted for as well, as WAC regular season champion Nevada fell 78-73 to Louisiana Tech in the WAC semis. David Carter's Wolf Pack find themselves in a situation similar to that of Drexel: gaudy record but the strength of schedule numbers (168 overall, 165 non-conference) could put them in a tough spot come Selection Sunday.

5. Once again it will be Long Beach State and UCSB playing for the Big West crown, and while quite a few believe that the 49ers would get in with a loss one can never be too sure. The Gauchos, who held off Cal Poly, have won the last two conference tournament titles.

6. Three players who hail from the state of Ohio scored 30 points or more in Big Ten quarterfinal games, all leading their teams to wins. Rob Wilson scored 30 points in Wisconsin's 79-71 win over Indiana, Trey Burke scored 30 in Michigan's 73-69 overtime win over Minnesota and Jared Sullinger scored 30 in Ohio State's 88-71 win over Purdue.

7. One player to watch out of the Mountain West, which should get four teams into the Big Dance, next week is New Mexico wing Demetrius Walker. In wins over Air Force and UNLV, Walker's averaging 15.5 points per game, more than double his season average. The Lobos take on top-seed San Diego State in Saturday's title game.

8. Marshall advanced to the Conference USA title game with a 73-62 win over Southern Miss, and a win by the Thundering Herd could make C-USA a three-bid team. Tom Herrion's team will have their work cut out for them however as they take on Memphis, who took UCF's resume and ripped it to shreds with an 83-52 demolition of the Knights.

9. Top-seed Akron took care of business in their MAC semifinal, beating Kent State 78-74 with Nikola Cvetinovic leading four Zips in double figures with 15 points. They'll take on three-seed Ohio, who beat two-seed Buffalo 77-74 in the other semifinal. D.J. Cooper led five Bobcats in double figures with 18 points to go along with nine assists.

10. The top two seeds in the SWAC tournament will meet on Saturday as both regular season champ Mississippi Valley State beat UAPB 71-64, and Texas Southern beat Alcorn State 60-55. Cor-J Cox led the Delta Devils with 19 points and 11 rebounds as they avenged their lone conference defeat.

Conference Finals Predictions: Big 12, Big East, Pac-12 & More

Greg Mengelt — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:52:34 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. Here are is predictions for Saturday's conference championship game. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

AMERICA EAST FINAL: AT STONY BROOK

(2) Vermont (22-11, 13-3) at (1) Stony Brook (22-8, 14-2)

Tipoff: 11:02 a.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 2 – Stony Brook 65-59; Feb. 12 – Vermont 68-49. RPI: Stony Brook 141, Vermont 156. Analysis: Vermont has been great for the last month-and-a-half and will break the hearts of the Seawolves home faithful. Line: Stony Brook -3½. Pick: Vermont 63, Stony Brook 58.

BIG 12 FINAL: AT KANSAS CITY

(2) Missouri (28-4, 14-4) vs. (4) Baylor (27-6, 12-6)

Tipoff: 6 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Missouri 89-88*; Feb. 11 – Missouri 72-57. RPI: Baylor 8, Missouri 17. Analysis: I picked Baylor the first two times. Sticking with the Bears. Pick: Baylor 79, Missouri 74.

BIG EAST FINAL: AT NEW YORK CITY

(4) Cincinnati (24-9, 12-6) vs. (7) Louisville (25-9, 10-8)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 23 – Cincinnati 60-56. RPI: Louisville 18, Cincinnati 40. Analysis: Louisville’s stifling defense has carried the Cardinals this far. A Big East title is next. Pick: Louisville 59, Cincinnati 53.

BIG WEST FINAL: AT ANAHEIM

(1) Long Beach State (24-8, 15-1) vs. (2) UC-Santa Barbara (20-9, 12-4)

Tipoff: 10 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 21 – Long Beach 71-48*; Feb. 22 – Long Beach 70-58. RPI: Long Beach 38, UCSB 126. Analysis: Do you think the 49ers have been looking forward to this game for a full year? They want blood – and they’ll get blood. Pick: Long Beach State 75, UC-Santa Barbara 54.

CONFERENCE USA FINAL: AT MEMPHIS

(1) Memphis (25-8, 13-3) vs. (6) Marshall (21-12, 9-7)

Tipoff: 11:35 a.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Memphis 83-76; Feb. 25 – Memphis 87-67*. RPI: Memphis 16, Marshall 39. Analysis: The Memphis we’ve seen since the beginning of February is the Memphis we expected to see all season. Line: Memphis -9½. Pick: Memphis 90, Marshall 69.

MAC FINAL: AT CLEVELAND

(1) Akron (22-10, 13-3) vs. (3) Ohio (25-7, 11-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Akron 68-63; Feb. 26 – Ohio 85-61. RPI: Akron 50, Ohio 68. Analysis: Ohio had a disappointing regular season. It will be a memory because the Bobcats are going dancing. Pick: Ohio 75, Akron 68.

MEAC FINAL: AT WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

(2) Norfolk State (24-9, 13-3) vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman (18-16, 11-5)

Tipoff: 1 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 25 – Norfolk State 75-72*. RPI: Norfolk State 134, B-C 243. Analysis: Norfolk is the class of the MEAC. Pick: Norfolk State 78, Bethune-Cookman 66.

MOUNTAIN WEST FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(1) San Diego State (26-6, 10-4) vs. (2) New Mexico (25-6, 10-4)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: NBC Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 18 – San Diego State 75-70*; Feb. 15 – New Mexico 77-67*. RPI: San Diego State 22, New Mexico 34. Analysis: How good did the Pack look in a virtual road game on Friday? Whoa! Pick: New Mexico 79, San Diego State 73.

PAC-12 FINAL: AT LOS ANGELES

(4) Arizona (23-10, 12-6) vs. (6) Colorado (22-11, 11-7)

Tipoff: 6:10 p.m. TV: CBS. Regular-season meetings: Jan 21 – Colorado 64-63; Feb. 9 – Arizona 71-57. RPI: Colorado 77, Arizona 84. Analysis: How does the Pac-12 deserve more than one team? Anyway, this one is a toss-up. Pick: Arizona 63, Colorado 58.

SOUTHLAND FINAL: AT KATY, TEXAS

(3) Lamar (22-11, 11-5) vs. (4) McNeese State (17-14, 10-6)

Tipoff: 3 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 11 – McNeese 57-54; March 3 – Lamar 78-68. RPI: Lamar 118, McNeese 177. Analysis: Did you see what the Cowboys did to the UTA, which dominated the league all season? Take the points. Line: Lamar -5½. Pick: McNeese State 71, Lamar 69.

SWAC FINAL: AT GARLAND, TEXAS

(1) Mississippi Valley State (20-12, 17-1) vs. (2) Texas Southern (17-14, 13-5)

Tipoff: 8 p.m. TV: ESPNU. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 23 – MVSU 77-69 (OT)*; Feb. 20 – MVSU 56-53. RPI: MVSU 153, Texas Southern 231. Analysis: Valley wins, but the Tigers cover. Pick: Mississippi Valley State 60, Texas Southern 59.

WAC FINAL: AT LAS VEGAS

(2) New Mexico State (25-9, 10-4) vs. (5) Louisiana Tech (18-15, 6-8)

Tipoff: Midnight. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 7 – NMSU 83-73*; Feb. 4 – NMSU 83-72. RPI: New Mexico State 69, Louisiana Tech 170. Analysis: Been saying all year that the Aggies would win this tournament. Nevada’s elimination only solidifies that. Pick: New Mexico State 84, Louisiana Tech 72.

2012 All High-Major Team: CollegeHoops.net

CHN — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:39:54 -0800

Player of the Year Doug McDermott, only a sophomore, highlights CollegeHoops.net's 2012 All High-Major Team. McDermott averaged 23 ppg while shooting over 60% from the floor in leading Creighton to an MVC Tournament title.

McDermott is joined on the First Team by fellow sophomores Mike Moser of UNLV and Will Barton of Memphis. Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's and Ramone Moore of Temple round out the squad.

CollegeHoops.net All High-Major Teams were voted on by staffers Shawn Siegel, Raphielle Johnson, Greg Mengelt, and Jon Teitel. The High-Major Team is comprised of players in the Atlantic 10, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, and West Coast Conference.

Last year's winner was BYU's Jimmer Fredette.

High-Major Player of the Year: F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So

First Team High-Major

G Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's, Jr
G Ramone Moore, Temple, Sr
F Doug McDermott, Creighton, So
F Will Barton, Memphis, So
F Mike Moser, UNLV, So

Second Team High-Major

G Deonte Burton, Nevada, So
G Jamaal Franklin, San Diego St, So
F Wendell McKines, New Mexico St, Sr
F Andrew Nicholson, Saint Bonaventure, Sr
F Drew Gordon, New Mexico, Sr

Third Team High-Major

G Tu Holloway, Xavier, Sr
G Khalif Wyatt, Temple, Jr
F Noah Hartsock, BYU, Sr
F Garrett Stutz, Wichita St, Sr
F Rob Jones, Saint Mary's, Sr

Fourth Team High-Major

G Kevin Dillard, Dayton, Jr
G Joe Ragland, Wichita St, Sr
F Chris Gaston, Fordham, Jr
F Cameron Moore, UAB, Sr
F Kyle Weems, Missouri St, Sr

Non-BCS Top 25: Colorado St, Nevada Back In

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:11:53 -0800

The Non-BCS Top 25 is a weekly companion to the popular CHN Top 50 ranking, taking an in-depth look into the underrated universe of teams outside of the big six. The original Non-BCS ranking.

Non-BCS Top 25: March 4th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	Murray St	30-1	1	NA
2	Wichita St	27-5*	2	13
3	Temple	24-6	4	4
4	Creighton	28-5	5	8
5	UNLV	25-7*	3	7
6	Gonzaga	25-5	6	3
7	San Diego St	24-6	7	18
8	Saint Mary's	26-5	8	14
9	Saint Louis	24-6	9	NA
10	New Mexico	24-6	10	5
11	Memphis	23-8	12	1
12	Harvard	26-4	14	21
13	Oral Roberts	27-5	15	NA
14	Long Beach St	22-8*	11	23
15	MTSU	25-5	18	NA
16	Belmont	27-7	20	12
17	Iona	25-7*	13	NA
18	Drexel	27-5	21	11
19	Southern Miss	24-7*	16	NA
20	BYU	25-8*	17	17
21	Xavier	19-11*	19	2

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
22	VCU	27-6	22	16
23	Colorado St	19-10	29	NA
24	Davidson	23-7	24	NA
25	Nevada	25-5	26	NA

pre. = preseason ranking

last = last ranking (end of 2010-11 season)

* = Losses in the last week

Next 5: South Dakota St (25-7), Bucknell (24-8), UCF (21-9*), Ohio (24-7*), Valparaiso (22-10)

Further 5: St. Joseph's (19-12*), Montana (23-6), Weber St (23-5*), Illinois St (20-13*), Texas-Arlington (23-7*)

Dropped Out of Top 25 This Week:

#23 Weber St

#25 UCF

Dropped Out of Top 25 Since Preseason:

#6 Butler

#9 George Mason

#10 Marshall

#15 Kent St

#19 Indiana St

#22 UAB

#24 GW

#25 UCF

Agree/Disagree? Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Check out last week's Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking

Ducks Get Hot in the Second Half: Thursday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:32:39 -0800

Florida State's Ian Miller knocked down a three-pointer with eight tenths of a second remaining to give the Seminoles a 63-60 win at Virginia, who will finish the regular season without a win over any of the top three teams in the ACC.

1. Oregon scored 54 second-half points to erase a five-point halftime deficit and beat Colorado.
The battle in Eugene between the Ducks and Buffaloes was likely more of a "bubble eliminator" contest, with the loser most likely needing to win the Pac-12 tournament in order to go dancing. Unfortunately for Colorado, who has struggled on the road all season, their play on the defensive end let them down in the second half. Oregon shot 61.5% in the second half of their 90-81 win, which also moved the Ducks closer to a first-round bye in next week's conference tournament. Devoe Joseph scored 24 points and Garrett Sim added 19 for Oregon, who shot 8-for-14 from beyond the arc as well. Carlon Brown snapped out of his funk to lead four Colorado players in double figures with 20 points, and despite the loss that's an important development for the Buffs. If he's playing efficiently they can win the Pac-12 tournament, which they will likely have to do in order to reach the Field of 68.

2. Nevada clinches the WAC regular season title, and there won't be many highly ranked teams who will line up to face them in the Big Dance.
Regardless of what seed line David Carter's Wolf Pack end up on, they're not going to be a fun matchup for the team that draws them should they win the WAC's automatic bid. Olek Czyz led three Nevada players in double figures with 15 points and their defending of a ball screen in the final seconds eventually forced a New Mexico State turnover to seal the 65-61 win. NMSU's final sequence looked to be doomed from the start but head coach Marvin Menzies chose to play it out despite having a timeout remaining, ultimately leading to Hernst LaRoche throwing the ball away. Wendell McKines led the Aggies with 19 points and LaRoche added 12 in what could have been a preview of next weekend's title game. With the likes of Czyz, Deonte Burton, Dario Hunt and Malik Story the Wolf Pack have talented weapons that can give teams fits, and there won't be any highly-seeded teams lining up for their shot at Nevada.

3. Quinnipiac is the lone road team to win in the NEC quarterfinals.
Of course in a conference tournament in which the higher seeded teams host all the game the 4/5 matchup tends to be the one most likely to produce a win for the road team. That rang true for the Patriot League Wednesday night (Lafayette) and for the NEC on Thursday, as fifth-seed Quinnipiac beat St. Francis (NY) 80-72 to set up a semifinal matchup with regular season champion LIU Brooklyn. The Bobcats, who are the best rebounding team in the NEC, grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded the Terriers 48-36 on the night. James Johnson didn't shoot well from the field (4-for-14) but he did make 12 of 17 from the foul line and scored a game-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Ike Azotam scored 15 and grabbed 12 boards inside. Brent Jones led four SFNY players in double figures with 21 points but the rebounding issues were too much to overcome. And that aspect of Quinnipiac's game is what gives them more than a puncher's chance at LIU on Sunday.

Quick Hitters

1. D.J. Covington scored 16 points and blocked four shots in 20 minutes of action to help lead VMI past Winthrop 75-55 as the Keydets advanced to the Big South title game. The seven-seed will face regular season champ UNC Asheville, who whipped Charleston Southern 91-64, on Saturday afternoon.

2. Darius Miller scored 17 points on Senior Night to help lead #1 Kentucky to a 79-49 win over Georgia, moving the Wildcats' win streak to 21. UK shot 15-for-27 from three, and when the Wildcats are rolling like that it's near impossible to knock them off.

3. Meyers Leonard scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds but it wasn't enough to lead Illinois past #16 Michigan, who won 72-61. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points and grabbed 11 boards for the Wolverines, who remain alive in the Big Ten title race.

4. Five Mississippi Valley State players reached double figures in scoring but it wasn't enough to lock up an undefeated run through SWAC play as the Delta Devils lost 78-67 at UAPB. Daniel Broughton scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench to lead the Golden Lions. But regardless of the result Sean Woods' club will enter the conference tournament as the clear favorite to grab the automatic bid.

5. UCLA didn't look too distracted by the Sports Illustrated article that came out earlier this week, as they whipped Washington State 78-46 at the Sports Arena. Lazeric Jones knocked down eight of his ten shots from the field and scored 18 points to lead the Bruins, who host a Washington team looking to wrap up the outright regular season crown on Saturday.

6. Doubleheaders in the Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley and WCC all went according to seed on Thursday night, and if one team were to be pegged as most likely to win on Friday it could be Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles held off a Southeast Missouri State rally to win 77-73, and with players such as Kevin Murphy (24 points) and Jud Dillard (18) they've got the horses needed to upset top-seed Murray State in the semis. Also keep an eye on Indiana State, who beat Southern Illinois 65-49 to set up a matchup with MVC champ Wichita State, especially if point guard Jake Odum's foot holds up.

7. Binghamton, who won just one game during the regular season, knocked off eight-seed UMBC 73-67 in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals in the America East tournament. Ben Dickinson led the Bearcats, who will take on regular season champion Stony Brook, with 21 points.

8. Derrick Rudolph led three players in double figures with 21 points in Savannah State's 73-54 win at Maryland-Eastern Shore, wrapping up the Tigers' first-ever MEAC regular season title. The coaches picked Horace Broadnax's team to finish 11th in the preseason.

Nevada vs New Mexico St: Prediction & Fan Poll

Greg Mengelt — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:31:35 -0800

NEW MEXICO STATE (22-8, 9-3 WAC) AT NEVADA (23-5, 11-1 WAC)

Time: 11 p.m. (8 p.m. Pacific)

TV: ESPN2

Location: Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev.

RPI Ratings

New Mexico State 74 (No. 2 WAC)

Nevada 61 (No. 1 WAC)

Line: Nevada -3½ (O/U 144)

New Mexico State Players to Watch: F Wendell McKines, 6-6 Sr. (18.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 46% FG); C Hamidu Rahman, 6-11 Sr. (10.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 63.6% FG); G Daniel Mullings, 6-2 Fr. (9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 50.5% FG). Mullings had a triple-double with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in last Thursday’s 115-73 win over Hawaii and followed that performance with a solid 10-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist, 2-steal outing in Saturday’s 79-68 triumph over San Jose State on Saturday.

Nevada Players to Watch: G Deonte Burton, 6-1 So. (15.3 ppg, 4.2 apg, 38.6% 3s); F Olek Czyz, 6-7 Sr. (13.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 55.5% FG); F Dario Hunt, 6-8 Sr. (10.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg). Hunt is one of the toughest power forward in the country with 12 double-doubles this season. He has a double-double in four straight games and has had at least 11 rebounds in his last six outings. He’s also blocked 15 shots in the Packs’ last five games.

Storylines: Nevada has won 20 of its last 22 to clinch at least a share of the WAC. The Aggies, who have won five straight and 8-of-9, can stay in the race with a road upset on Thursday.

Keys: The Wolfpack held New Mexico State to 17-of-52 from the field in a 68-60 win at Las Cruces on Jan. 26. Burton scored 17 points and Hunt had 15 points and eight boards as Nevada shot 57 percent to improve win its 14^th-straight game. After their 115-point explosion against defenseless Hawaii, the Aggies are up to 14^th in the nation in scoring at 78.8 points per game. They also lead the WAC in field goal percentage at 47.7. Nevada is third in scoring (71.1) and second in scoring defense (64.8) in the WAC. The Wolfpack lead the conference in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 41.1 percent. NMSU and Nevada are two of the worst free throw shooting teams in the WAC. The Aggies shoot 66.3 from the line, while Nevada’s percentage stands at 64.3. New Mexico State ranks fourth in the nation in rebounding margin at plus-8.1 Nevada has out-rebounded its opponents by 3.2 per game this season. The Aggies are 6-4 in true road games this season, but they haven’t played away from home since Feb. 11 when they beat Utah State, 80-69. The Wolfpack are 13-2 at the Lawlor Center this season, including an 11-game winning streak that ended Feb. 4 in a loss to Idaho, 72-68. The loss also snapped the Packs’ 16-game winning streak overall. They are just 4-2 since that loss and needed three overtimes to beat Fresno State on Saturday.

The Bottom Line: It’s tough not to go with Nevada in a close game in Reno, but the way the Aggies are playing, they seem poised to steal the Wolfpacks’ presumed NCAA Tourney bid next week.

The Pick: Nevada 73, New Mexico State 71

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 89-59

Oregon vs. Colorado: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:42:15 -0800

Thursday's Conference Tournament Primer

Thursday night features a very important matchup in the Pac-12 of teams that are hoping to make a good case that they should be in the NCAA tournament field. Oregon (20-8, 11-5), who is 13-3 at Matthew Knight Court this season, hosts Colorado (19-9, 11-5) in a matchup of two teams who staged a tight (and controversial) contest about a month ago. A foul call on E.J. Singler with less than a second remaining proved to be the difference in Colorado's 72-71 win in Boulder, and a sweep of the season series would definitely help the Buffaloes when it comes to a possible bubble pecking order.

The officiating was a point of contention throughout the game for Duck fans as Colorado attempted thirteen more free throws (30-17), but the bigger issue was a combined 29 turnovers. One of the biggest culprits for either team was Colorado senior guard Carlon Brown, and frankly he had a February to forget. Brown reached double figures three times but hasn't shot better than 41.6% from the field since a late January win over USC, and if he can't make better decisions the Buffaloes can end up in trouble. The good news for Tad Boyle: he's got other guys who can step up, most notably a freshman named Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie's fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 10.6 points per game, and after a pair of rough games against Utah and Stanford the California native rebounded with 15 points in the win over Cal on Sunday. Nate Tomlinson has steadily improved running the show and freshman Askia Booker (17 points in the first meeting) has been a capable reserve for much of the season. CU's got some talent on the perimeter but they'll have their hands full with the Oregon backcourt, which is led by Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph. Joseph, who some believe to be a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate, leads the team in scoring and ranks second in assists.

The addition of Joseph as a mid-year transfer has done a great deal for Dana Altman's team, as his ability to create has boosted the likes of Singler and Garrett Sim. Singler has been one of the Pac-12's most versatile players and he put up 13 and 13 in the first meeting, and while Sim struggled (six points) he is a 1,000-plus point scorer over his career. The play in the front court will also be worth watching, because while the Ducks have an edge in height Colorado's the better rebounding team thanks in large part to Andre Roberson. Roberson leads the Pac-12 in rebounding with an average of 11.4 rebounds per game, a number that places him in the Top 10 nationally.

Senior Austin Dufault has been the anchor in the middle but he's grabbing just 4.6 rebounds per game, as Colorado tends to rebound by committee outside of Roberson. Oregon has seven players averaging between 3.0 and 5.4 rebounds per game, with Singler leading the way and bigs Olu Ashaolu and Tony Woods being the starters inside. The high-flying Carlos Emory is a key reserve, as are Tyrone Nared and Jeremy Jacob. The problem for Oregon: they allow opponents to grab 31.6% of their misses, but they did a good job of keeping the Buffs off the glass in the first meeting (four offensive rebounds).

There wasn't much separating these two teams on February 4th and there likely won't be on Thursday night either. If Oregon can keep Roberson off the glass and knock down a few three-pointers they'll be in good position to pick up the win. Colorado on the other hand needs Brown to snap out of his funk, or at the very least be sure not to become a hindrance due to questionable shot selection. A win won't do a great amount for either team's resume in regards to the computer numbers, but it could serve the victor well if the two should be compared in the selection room.

Virginia is likely in good shape for an at-large bid but it never hurts to pick up another win against a ranked team, and the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to do so with #22 Florida State visiting Charlottesville. Mike Scott has been one of the best players in the ACC but he's going to need some help from the likes of Sammy Zeglinski and Jontel Evans against one of the nation's best defensive teams. FSU won a tight affair between the two in Tallahassee, and the return meeting should be along those lines as well.

Illinois still has plenty of work to do in regards to simply making the tournament, and a win over #16 Michigan would do wonders for a resume that was nearly ripped to shreds during their recent skid. If Brandon Paul can score and be efficient while doing so the Illini are more than capable of knocking off the Wolverines, and it's important that they remember Meyers Leonard inside as well. And in the WAC the matchup of New Mexico State and Nevada could be a preview of next weekend's WAC tournament final. Deonte Burton and the Wolf Pack have been the best team in the WAC all season long, and a win over the Aggies would mean an outright regular season title.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM Georgia at (1) Kentucky (ESPN)
7:00 PM (16) Michigan at Illinois (ESPN)
7:00 PM (22) Florida State at Virginia (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
2:30 PM North Florida vs East Tennessee State* (ESPN3)
6:00 PM VMI vs Winthrop* (ESPNU)
7:00 PM North Carolina Central at Hampton
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Monmouth at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Southeast Missouri State vs Tennessee Tech*
7:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Wagner
7:05 PM Southern Illinois vs Indiana State*
7:30 PM Morgan State at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Coppin State at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM South Carolina State at Delaware State
7:30 PM Savannah State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
8:00 PM Texas Southern at Alcorn State
8:00 PM Charleston Southern at UNC-Asheville (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Norfolk State at North Carolina A&T
8:15 PM Binghamton vs UMBC*
8:30 PM Jackson State at Alabama A&M
8:30 PM Grambling State at Alabama State
8:30 PM Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8:30 PM Prairie View A&M at Southern
8:30 PM Florida Gulf Coast vs USC Upstate* (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Villanova at Rutgers (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Virginia Tech at Clemson (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Jacksonville State vs Morehead State*
9:00 PM Portland vs San Francisco* (ESPN3)
9:35 PM Bradley vs Drake*
10:00 PM UC Davis at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Utah at Oregon State
10:00 PM Pacific at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Utah State at San Jose State
10:30 PM Washington State at UCLA
10:30 PM Washington at USC
10:30 PM Colorado at Oregon (FSN)
11:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Fresno State
11:00 PM Pepperdine vs San Diego* (ESPN3)
11:00 PM New Mexico State at Nevada (ESPN2)
12:00 AM Idaho at Hawaii

Nevada: Cheerleader of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:36:24 -0800

CollegeHoops.net's Cheerleader of the Day is back in 2012. Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out our new college cheerleader archive.

Cheerleaders of the Day
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Cinderella Quarterfinals: '04 Nevada vs '06 George Mason

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:28:03 -0800

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012. This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the BCS conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond. Teams were seeded 1 through 16 and then games were simulated using WhatIfSports.com's award-winning college basketball simulation engine. Each match was "played" 501 times.

In the First Round, '06 Mason had little problem with '04 UAB while '04 Nevada Barely Beat '10 Cornell.

Quarterfinals: 2003-04 Nevada vs 2005-06 George Mason

George Mason found itself in familiar territory, playing with the chance to advance to the Final Four. Opposing the Patriots, the Nevada Wolf Pack were fresh off an upset of Cornell.

Everything went right for Nevada in the opening stanza as they scored 44 points against a team that only surrendered 60.1 points per game during the 2005-06 season. George Mason forward Jai Lewis kept his team afloat, scoring 16 of the Patriots' 32 first half points.

Jim Larranaga's halftime adjustments paid off, as the Patriots scored the first 12 points to tie the game at 44. George Mason held Nevada to just 24 second-half points, and found itself with a narrow lead in the game's waning moments. Both Nick Fazekas and Kirk Snyder had a chance to win or tie the game in the final seconds for Nevada, but their three-point attempts misfired. George Mason survived with a 71-68 victory.

Lewis dominated with 27 points and 16 rebounds for the Patriots. Todd Okeson led all Wolfpack scorers with 18 points.

Player of the game: Jai Lewis (27 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '06 George Mason 55.5% - '04 Nevada 44.5%

Game Recap: George Mason 70 - Nevada 69 (Boxscore)

More Cinderalla Madness with the complete bracket.

Cinderella Madness: '04 Nevada vs '10 Cornell

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:52:15 -0800

WhatIfSports.com and CollegeHoops.net have partnered up to bring you Cinderella Madness 2012. This college basketball simulation tournament features 16 of the most memorable Cinderella stories from the past eight seasons. We invited teams outside the BCS conferences, seeded 7th or lower that advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in their bracket to participate. Teams were seeded 1 through 16 and then simulated using WhatIfSports.com's award-winning college basketball simulation engine. Each match was "played" 501 times.

2009-10 Cornell vs 2003-04 Nevada

2009-10 Cornell: The third of Steve Donahue's Ivy League champion teams was the best, and the Big Red would show that in decisive wins over Temple and Wisconsin. Surprisingly enough, Cornell's lone league defeat would come at the hands of a Penn squad that would go on to finish the season 6-22, and from that point on the Big Red went on to win nine straight before falling to Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Ryan Wittman was the leading scorer while seven-footer Jeff Foote and guard Louis Dale also averaged double figures, and nine players would play at least 10.7 minutes per game.

2003-04 Nevada: Mark Fox's Wolf Pack were the class of the WAC throughout the 2003-04 season, and led by wing Kirk Snyder Nevada would win 26 games before falling to Georgia Tech in the Sweet 16. But Snyder wasn't alone as the versatile Nick Fazekas had the ability to score either inside or out, and Todd Okeson was a more than capable sidekick on the perimeter. All five starters averaged at least 9.4 points per game, and their NCAA tournament wins would come at the expense of Michigan State and Gonzaga. Nevada averaged a shade less than 76 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field while limiting opponents to 41 percent shooting.

Game Recap: Nevada 74 - Cornell 73 (Boxscore)

At the time of publication, only two NCAA basketball programs were shooting over 50 percent as a team in 2011-2012 (Creighton/Missouri). Cornell allowed Nevada to shoot 52.6 percent from the floor (30-57 FG) and were outrebounded by 12 (36-24) in their opening round matchup.

The Wolfpack were in prime position to knock the Big Red out in the first half with a firestorm of hot shooting, but Dale drilled back-to-back three pointers followed by a Foote floater in the lane to keep the game within reach.

The story of the second half was a six and half minute stretch of uninterrupted action. Nevada outscored Cornell 15-7 during that stampede and led by eight in the game's final minutes. Jon Jacques' three-pointer would pull Cornell within two, but Andy Bernard's alma mater could get no closer.

The Wolfpack advance with a 75-73 win.

Player of the game: Kirk Snyder (19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists)

Winning Percentage of 501 Simulations: '04 Nevada 51.3% - '10 Cornell 48.7%

More Cinderalla Madness with the complete bracket.