Nevada

2010 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Americans

CHN — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:41:56 -0500

Talk about making an impact. Darington Hobson's first season of D1 basketball was certainly a memorable one. The CollegeHoops.net High-Major Player of the Year led New Mexico to an MWC title by averaging 16.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg. He's joined on the High-Major First Team by guards Jordan Crawford, Jimmer Fredette, and Randy Culpepper, as well as WAC Player of the Year Luke Babbitt.

There are very few seniors on this year's High-Major All-America teams, meaning we should be in for a treat next year. Teams with multiple All-Americans include Gonzaga (Matt Bouldin & Elias Harris), New Mexico (Hobson & Roman Martinez), and UTEP (Culpepper & Derrick Caracter.)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Player of the Year:

Darington Hobson, New Mexico, Jr

CollegeHoops.net First-Team High-Major All-America
G Jordan Crawford, Xavier, So
G Jimmer Fredette, BYU, Jr

G Randy Culpepper, UTEP, Jr
F Darington Hobson, New Mexico, Jr
F Luke Babbitt, Nevada, So

Second-Team High-Major All-America
G Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga, Sr
G Elliot Williams, Memphis, So
G Kevin Anderson, Richmond, Jr
F Aubrey Coleman, Houston, Sr

F Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's, Sr

Third-Team High-Major All-America
G Juan Fernandez, Temple, So
G Tre'von Willis, UNLV, Jr
G Jahmar Young, NMSU, Jr
F Derrick Caracter, UTEP, Jr
F Chris Wright, Dayton, Jr

Fourth-Team High-Major All-America
G Adrian Oliver, San Jose St, Jr
G Roman Martinez, New Mexico, Sr
F Elias Harris, Gonzaga, Fr
F Tai Wesley, Utah St, Jr

F Hassan Whiteside, Marshall, Fr

Honorable Mention

TJ Campbell, Portland
Osiris Eldridge, Illinois St
Jackson Emery, BYU
Dairese Gary, New Mexico

Paul George, Fresno St

Kyle Gibson, Louisiana Tech
David Gonzalvez, Richmond
Rodney Green, La Salle
Adam Koch, Northern Iowa

Jerome Jordan, Tulsa
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego St

Dior Lowhorn, San Francisco

Mickey McConnell, Saint Mary's

Elijah Millsap, UAB
Dinma Odiakosa, Illinois St

Jared Quayle, Utah St
Damian Saunders, Duquesne

Ben Uzoh, Tulsa

Check back tomorrow for our Mid-Major All-America Teams.

Also: National All-Americans

Poll: Who Will Win the WAC Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:58:04 -0500

Poll: Best Sophomore in College Basketball?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:03:40 -0500

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:56:55 -0500

College basketball on the first Monday of the new year provides nearly sixty games to whet the appetite with key contests in the Big East and WAC grabbing the headlines. Pittsburgh, fresh off of their win at Syracuse on Saturday, takes on Cincinnati in the Queen City in a matchup of teams undefeated in conference play. The return of Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown has added much-needed experience and depth of Jamie Dixon's rotation, something they were in need of in order to navigate the Big East. As for the Bearcats, Mick Cronin has a good team that can be even better provided Yancy Gates play consistent basketball.

He's had a tendency to fade in and out of games and that's not going to get it done when you've got the talent to take over games. However, despite the historically physical nature of these two programs guard play will tell the tale at Fifth Third Arena. Lance Stephenson and Deonta Vaughn have the ability to not only take over a game themselves but to also get their teammates easier looks, and that quality will come in handy against a Pittsburgh squad that's rather physical defensively. Look for this game to come down to the wire and whoever gets to 60 first will have the upper hand.

As for the games out west, Nevada's trip to New Mexico State and Utah State visiting Louisiana Tech stand out. The Wolf Pack can score with the best of them and in Luke Babbitt they've got a versatile forward who can be tough to stop once he gets rolling. NMSU will run and look to make this a high-scoring game, which could play right into the hands of Armon Johnson and the rest of the Wolf Pack. Utah State's trip to Ruston will be a clash of styles; Stew Morrill's Aggies are consistently among the nation's most efficient offensive teams and the number of sets they run rival that of an NFL playbook.

Tai Wesley, Jared Quayle and Nate Bendall are all versatile players who lead the Aggies, and they'll need to be at their best in order to avoid an 0-2 league start. Louisiana Tech has plenty of talent with Magnum Rolle, Olu Ashaolu and Kyle Gibson leading the way but do they have the chops to defend Utah State? If so the Bulldogs have the ability to make a statement in regards to the WAC race while handing USU their second loss in conference play.

TV GAMES

7p ESPN Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
7p ESPNU North Carolina at College of Charleston
9p ESPNU Alabama A&M at Jackson State
11p ESPNU Nevada at New Mexico State

OTHER GAMES

7p Hofstra at George Mason
7p Siena at Loyola (MD)
7p Northeastern at VCU
8p Utah St at Louisiana Tech
9p Mississippi St at Western Kentucky

ONE PREDICTION

Cincinnati over Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh drew one of the most hated travel plans in college basketball: the Big East's Saturday afternoon road game followed by another one on Monday night. Cincinnati played on Saturday night at Rutgers but they at least got a night to sleep in their own beds. Look for the Panthers to remain close but the travel could be what catches up to them in the second half. Bearcats by five.

College Hoops Wednesday Recap: Tigers End the Streak

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:14:52 -0500

The Missouri Tigers hadn't beaten rival Illinois since 1999, losing games in which they've been favored as well as those they weren't expected to win. Wednesday's game was more of a toss-up with a slight edge going to Bruce Weber's team, who had already won at Clemson thus far. But the Tigers were able to control the flow of play, forcing 22 Illinois turnovers on their way to an 81-68 win. While Illinois outrebounded the Tigers 44-32 and all five starters reached double figures Missouri forced 22 turnovers and held the Illini to 39.7% shooting from the field.

Kim English led the way with 24 points, including a career-high five three pointers, and Michael Dixon added sixteen points with five assists and three steals. Another characteristic of the Tigers under Mike Anderson has been their willingness to share the basketball. On Wednesday nineteen of their twenty-eight field goals were assisted while the Illini had just thirteen assists for twenty-seven made baskets. But the main headline will go to the Missouri pressure; fewer than half of Illinois' turnovers (10) came via the steal; the Tigers don't have to take the ball from you to force you into mistakes. And as a result Missouri can celebrate their first win in the Braggin' Rights game since 1999.

Three Key Happenings

1. If you're going to beat West Virginia you'd better rebound. The Mountaineers, who had fifteen offensive rebounds in the first half against Ole Miss, outrebounded the Rebels 50-28 on their way to a 76-66 win in Morgantown. For the game Bob Huggins' team had 22 offensive rebounds; had that number been their sole output on the boards they would have been just a minus-6 for the game. West Virginia isn't blessed with wide bodies; they simply have a number of versatile players willing to get after it on the boards. And once they got it going from the perimeter early in the second half they could essentially pick the final score.

Wellington Smith made five three pointers on his way to a game-high nineteen while Devin Ebanks added 14 points and 13 rebounds. And while they did finish with eighteen turnovers the Mountaineers also had 22 assists on 28 field goals; if they can limit the turnovers while regaining their perimeter stroke West Virginia will be the team many expect to contend in the Big East.

2. Nevada and Old Dominion make impressive statements. Both the Wolf Pack and Monarchs scored blowout victories over teams expected to contend for their respective conference titles. Nevada demolished Tulsa in the third-place game of the Las Vegas Classic, winning by a final score of 99-68. The first half was bad enough for the Golden Hurricane, who went into the locker room down 48-30. But things got even worse in the second half as they came out of the gates cold while Nevada continued to score at will. Luke Babbitt proved to be too much, totaling 24 points and 11 rebounds while Brandon Fields and Armon Johnson scored seventeen apiece.

As for the Monarchs, they absolutely hammered a Charlotte squad that some pegged a contender in the Atlantic 10 based on their early success, which included an impressive win at Louisville. But none of that mattered to Gerald Lee (16 points, seven rebounds) and company, who kept the momentum gained from their win at Georgetown going with an 81-48 win. ODU ranks second nationally in points allowed per game and they went into the half leading 40-13. The 49ers shot 16% from the field in the first twenty minutes and 33.3% for the game; ODU finished with a field goal percentage of 53.0%. Simply put: Nevada and Old Dominion made emphatic statements to their conferences and the nation on Wednesday.

3. Oral Roberts knocks New Mexico from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Golden Eagles were able to pick up another big win at the Mabee Center, this time handing the Lobos their first loss of the season by a 75-66 final. New Mexico's top two scorers, Darington "Butta" Hobson and Roman Martinez, combined to score just fifteen points on 6-of-23 shooting, while ORU's Michael Craion (18 pts, 13 reb) and Dominique Morrison (17 pts) combined for thirty-five. New Mexico made just five of nineteen shots from behind the arc and finished the game with an overall field goal percentage of 37.3%. Oral Roberts was far more efficient offensively, making 46.9% of their shots and finishing with fifteen assists on twenty-two made field goals. As Missouri can attest to the Mabee Center is a dangerous place to play; add New Mexico to the list of teams who've found that out the hard way.

Top Three Games

1. Arizona 76, NC State 74 Nic Wise provided the heroics for the second consecutive game, going the length of the floor to score the game-winning basket with nine tenths of a second left on the clock. Freshman Derrick Williams led all scorers with twenty-four while the Wolfpack were led by Javier Gonzalez, who spearheaded a late rally and scored eighteen.

2. Xavier 70, Miami (OH) 67 The Musketeers survived a wild final minute, beating the Redhawks by three at the Cintas Center. Jordan Crawford led Xavier with nineteen but it was a late charging call on Kenny Hayes (24 points) that sealed the game.

3. Missouri 81, Illinois 68 See above.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Trey Thompkins (Georgia) The talented sophomore led the Bulldogs to a 77-60 win over Florida Atlantic with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

2. F JaMychal Green (Alabama) Another sophomore in the SEC led his team to victory, with Green scoring 27 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Crimson Tide's 90-71 win over Mercer.

3. G Aubrey Coleman (Houston) Coleman scored thirty-three points, shooting 9-for-11 from behind the arc, in the Cougars' 105-81 pasting of TCU.

College Basketball Lines: Tuesday, November 18th

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:11:26 -0500

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

Think some of the lines are misguided? Have upset picks to announce? Discuss tonight's lines below

November 18th: College Basketball Lines

7:00

Georgia Southern
at Florida

Favorite

Florida by 23

Over/Under

7:00

VCU
at Western Michigan

Favorite

VCU by 6.5

Over/Under

7:30

Toledo
at Cincinnati

Favorite

Cincinnati by 21

Over/Under

8:00

Utah St.
at Utah

Favorite

Utah by 2.5

Over/Under

8:00

Butler
at Northwestern

Favorite

Butler by 3.5

Over/Under

8:00

Nebraska
at Saint Louis

Favorite

Nebraska by 1

Over/Under

9:00

Western Carolina
at Texas

Favorite

Texas by 26

Over/Under

10:30

Nevada
at UNLV

Favorite

UNLV by 5.5

Over/Under

Favorite

Over/Under

- Lines as of 11:00 am (from BETUS) - Check all the day's live odds as the day progresses, including odds from other betting sites.

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:32:17 -0500

Wednesday sets up to be a light day in regards to games of national interest but there are two games out west that you should pay attention to. Nevada makes the trek from Reno to Las Vegas, taking on in-state rival UNLV in arguably the game of the night while Utah State visits Utah. A pair of Top 10 teams are in action as well with Texas hosting Western Carolina while Butler visits Northwestern in Evanston. In terms of games on television viewers can catch of glimpse of Cincinnati on ESPN 360 as they take on Toledo in their final tune-up before the Maui Invitational, and Nebraska visits St. Louis on the same platform.

TV GAMES

Western Carolina @ #3 Texas - 8PM - ESPNU
#10 Butler @ Northwestern - 8PM - Big Ten Network
Utah State @ Utah - 8PM - The Mtn.
Nevada @ UNLV - 10:30PM - The Mtn.

OTHER GAMES

Virginia Commonwealth @ Western Michigan - 7PM
Mount St. Mary's @ American - 7:30PM
Toledo @ Cincinnati - 7:30PM - ESPN360
Nebraska @ St. Louis - 8PM - ESPN360
Oral Roberts @ Stanford - 10PM

ONE PREDICTION

Utah State over Utah: Stew Morrill annually does one of the better coaching jobs nationally and he's got yet another experienced team with four returning starters. With Gary Wilkinson being the lone starter not returning the Aggies will look more to their backcourt, featuring Tyler Newbold and Jared Quayle. Forwards Tai Wesley and Nate Bendall will need to hold their own up front against the Utes but they should be fine in that area. As for the Utes, Jim Boylen's team gave up ninety-four points to Idaho in their season opener and they'll need to shore up the defense on Wednesday night. Looking for a good highlight? Utah's Carlton Brown may be your man.

WAC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:52:28 -0500

Nevada has perhaps the league's best player in Luke Babbitt, but a lack of depth should help keep the likes of Utah State and NMSU in the midst of the league race. .

Conference Rank: 11th

10 year average: 11th

Conference Page

All-WAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Jahmar Young	Nevada	So
G	Mac Hopson	Idaho	Sr
G	Roderick Flemings	Hawaii	Sr
G/F	Jared Quayle	Utah State	Sr
F	Luke Babbitt	Nevada	Fr

Player of the Year - Luke Babbitt Freshman of the Year - Greg Smith (Fresno)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Luke Babbitt High-Major All-Americans Luke Babbitt (1st Team) Mac Hopson (3rd) Roderick Flemings Armon Johnson Jared Quayle Jahmar Young All-Freshman Greg Smith		Points: Jahmar Young 17.9 Rebounds: Wendell McKines 10.0 Assists: Mac Hopson 5.9 Team Points: New Mexico State 76.3

WAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

46	Nevada	WAC	1	NCAA
51	Utah State	WAC	2	NIT
75	New Mexico St	WAC	3	NIT
105	Boise State	WAC	4	CBI/CIT
146	Idaho	WAC	5
169	Fresno State	WAC	6
185	Louisiana Tech	WAC	7
197	San Jose State	WAC	8
255	Hawaii	WAC	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the WAC?

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

College Basketball: Preseason High-Major All-Americans

CHN — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:27:33 -0500

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason High-Major All-America Team is led by Tulsa big man Jerome Jordan, a potential First Round NBA pick. Jordan, along with the likes of Luke Babbitt and Chris Wright, is part of an impressive forward crop in this year's High-Majors. BYU, Illinois State, Memphis, Nevada, and Tulsa are the only schools with multiple players on the list.

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Coming up later this week is CHN's Mid-Major All-America team.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason High-Major Player of the Year: Jerome Jordan (Tulsa)

CollegeHoops.net First Team High-Major All-America

Jimmer Fredette	BYU	JR	G
Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	SR	G
Chris Wright	Dayton	SO	F
Luke Babbitt	Nevada	SO	F
Jerome Jordan	Tulsa	SR	C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-America

Kevin Anderson	Richmond	JR	G
Ricky Harris	UMASS	SR	G
Aubrey Coleman	Houston	SR	G
Jonathan Tavernari	BYU	JR	F
Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	SO	F

CollegeHoops.net Third Team High-Major All-America

P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	JR	G
Josh Young	Drake	SR	G
Mac Hopson	Idaho	SR	G
Lavoy Allen	Temple	JR	F
Adam Koch	Northern Iowa	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention High-Major All-American

Jordan Crawford	Xavier	SO	G
Kevin Dillard	Southern Illinois	SO	G
Roderick Flemings	Hawaii	SR	F
Rodney Green	La Salle	SR	G
Armon Johnson	Nevada	SO	G
Willie Kemp	Memphis	SR	G
Roman Martinez	New Mexico	SR	F
Afam Muojeke	Wyoming	SO	G
Dinma Odiakosa	Illinois State	SR	F
Jared Quayle	Utah State	SR	G
Roburt Sallie	Memphis	JR	G
Ben Uzoh	Tulsa	JR	G
Billy White	San Diego St	JR	F
Jahmar Young	New Mexico St	JR	G

Includes players from the following leagues: A10, CUSA, MVC, MWC, WAC (the 5 leagues historically ranked highest behind the BCS conferences).

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

- National All-Americans

- Preseason All-Freshman Team

Poll: Who Will Win the WAC?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:06:17 -0400