Richmond

Atlantic 10 Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:23:49 -0500

Dayton and Xavier have legitimate Top 25 hopes, while usual standard-bearers like St. Joseph's and Temple may have to make way for up-and-coming programs like Duquesne, La Salle, and Richmond.

Conference Rank: 7th

10 year average: 8th

Conference Page

All-Atlantic 10 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Kevin Anderson	Richmond	Jr
G	Ricky Harris	UMASS	Sr
G	Rodney Green	La Salle	Sr
F	Andrew Nicholson	St. Bonaventure	So
F	Chris Wright	Dayton	Jr

Player of the Year - Chris Wright Freshman of the Year - Aaric Murray (La Salle)
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
All-Americans Chris Wright High-Major All-Americans Chris Wright (1st Team) Kevin Anderson (2nd) Ricky Harris (2nd) Andrew Nicholson (2nd) Lavoy Allen (3rd) Jordan Crawford Rodney Green All-Freshman Team Aaric Murray		Points: Ricky Harris 18.2 Rebounds: Lavoy Allen 9.0 Assists: DiJuan Harris 7.2 Team Points: Duquesne 78.9

A10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

16	Dayton	A-10	1	NCAA
24	Xavier	A-10	2	NCAA
55	La Salle	A-10	3	NIT
61	Richmond	A-10	4	NIT
69	Duquesne	A-10	5	NIT
91	Saint Louis	A-10	6	CBI/CIT
95	St. Joe's	A-10	7	CBI/CIT
115	Temple	A-10	8	CBI/CIT
126	Charlotte	A-10	9
134	Rhode Island	A-10	10
168	Massachusetts	A-10	11
202	St. Bonaventure	A-10	12
245	George Wash	A-10	13
252	Fordham	A-10	14

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Atlantic 10?

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 Atlantic 10?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:36:40 -0400

Richmond Basketball Preview: #61

Joel Welser — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:45:21 -0400

Overall Rank: #61

Conference Rank: #4 Atlantic 10

2008-09: 20-16, 9-7

2008-09 postseason: CBI

Coach: Chris Mooney (57-70 at Richmond, 75-82 overall)

Richmond had high expectations heading into the 2008-2009 campaign, but those expectations were knocked down a bit when center Dan Geriot went out for the year with an injury. Still Coach Mooney managed to make the postseason and win 20 games. The absence of Geriot forced some younger frontcourt players into action and that will pay off big time this year.

Key Losses: F Jahron Giddings

Key Newcomers:

With only one departing player there was not much room for a recruiting class, but Coach Mooney picked up a couple decent backcourt players who fit well into his Princeton style offense. Darien Brothers is a quality combo guard who can score in bunches and Greg Robbins will add some more size to the group on the perimeter.

Backcourt:

Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez combined to averaged 32.6 points per game last year. Anderson, a 6-0 junior is turning into one of the best point guards in the conference. He certainly is not a pure point guard and his assist-to-turnover ratio could be better, and probably will be with a full year as a starter under his belt, but he does a superb job getting to the basket and finishing or finding his teammates. Gonzalvez is the shooter on the team and connected on an impressive 41.4 percent of his attempts from long range. With those two leading the way, the backcourt is in very good hands. However, there is more. Ryan Butler, a 6-7 wing, started 13 games last year and can give this team a spark off the bench or another scorer in the starting lineup.

Frontcourt:

It was Justin Harper who really stepped up with Geriot out for the year. As a sophomore, the 6-10 forward averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and led the team in blocked shots. Harper should step into a full-time starting position this year and his ability to step outside and hit the three-pointer will open up plenty of space in the paint for Anderson to slash to the basket or for Geriot to back down a single defender. Small forward Kevin Smith started 35 games last year and should be a full-time starter yet again as a junior. Smith will not put up eye popping numbers, but he can do a little bit of everything and is the glue guy on this team. With Francis-Cedric Martel and Josh Duinker coming off of relatively successful freshmen campaigns, the frontcourt should have no problems with depth.

Who to Watch:

Even without Geriot this would be a good team. But with Geriot the Spiders can aim for an NCAA Tournament berth and an Atlantic 10 title. The 6-9 center led the team in scoring as a freshman and sophomore and is a solid rebounder. Geriot will compete for all-conference honors if he can stay healthy and that should not be a problem since Geriot has been practicing with the team since February.

Final Projection:

This should be a big year for Coach Mooney and his Richmond team, but the future looks just as bright. Even if the team cannot overcome teams like Dayton and Xavier, they could be on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament. But even a trip to the NIT is a step in the right direction and soon Richmond will be mentioned along with Xavier and Dayton as a perennial top team in the conference.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Kevin Anderson, Junior, Guard, 16.6 points per game

David Gonzalvez, Senior, Guard, 16.0 points per game

Kevin Smith, Junior, Forward, 4.7 points per game

Justin Harper, Junior, Forward, 9.2 points per game

Dan Geriot, Junior, Center, DNP last season

Next Top 144 Teams
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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

A10 Tournament: Preview & Odds

Evan Dorey — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:59:30 -0400

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Atlantic-10 Tournament

Held in Atlantic City, NJ, the A-10 tournament features 12 of the league’s 14 teams, with the top four earning a bye directly to the quarterfinals.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Xavier	100.00%	88.67%	60.89%	48.87%
2	Rhode Island	100.00%	67.75%	48.71%	16.23%
3	Dayton	100.00%	58.88%	21.08%	3.92%
4	Temple	100.00%	79.29%	32.52%	22.72%
5	Saint Joseph's	71.34%	17.42%	3.51%	1.55%
6	Richmond	68.91%	32.27%	10.66%	1.80%
7	Duquesne	59.98%	21.43%	12.61%	2.82%
8	La Salle	55.47%	6.82%	1.75%	0.67%
9	St. Louis	44.53%	4.51%	0.99%	0.33%
10	Massachusetts	40.02%	10.82%	5.30%	0.87%
11	St. Bonaventure	31.09%	8.84%	1.64%	0.14%
12	Charlotte	28.66%	3.29%	0.33%	0.08%

Xavier is the clear favorite, but Temple and Rhode Island have a decent shot of taking the title, and Dayton is probably somewhat better than its odds would suggest. The bottom eight teams are separated by a relatively small amount, with Duquesne and Richmond looking like the best bets for a surprise advancements.

#1 – Xavier Musketeers (24-6, 12-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.174

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (Sweet Sixteen)

Xavier has put together an excellent season, but didn’t have a great finish, going 4-4 over the last month, and struggling to get wins on the road. Still, its been the best team in the conference by a mile, putting up the conference’s top offense and defense. The Musketeers are excellent three-point shooters and rebounders, but have committed a lot of turnovers, which has caused them of trouble at times. They also force few turnovers, and foul often on the defensive end, but spectacular interior defending, holding opponents to just 43% from two, makes up for it.

Player to watch:

6-8 JR Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG% - Brown is Xavier’s leading scorer, and its most efficient offensive option, a very good inside scorer who can complement his game with a strong showing from behind the arc, and the team’s best rebounder as well.

#2 – Rhode Island Rams (22-9, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.087

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

Rhode Island finished atop a three-way tie for second, but in EM, it sits 3^rd in the league, and isn’t particularly strong at either end of the floor. The Rams are excellent three-point shooters, but take most of their attempts inside the arc, where they’ve only been average. Their defensive game also depends on inside play, as they have typically struggled to hold opponents’ scoring down from two-point range. Rhode Island’s been a lot stronger defending the perimeter, forcing a lot of turnovers and shutting down the long-distance shot pretty well.

Player to watch:

6-3 SR Jimmy Baron, 16.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG,60.3 eFG% - Baron is one of the country’s premier shooters, at 45% from behind the arc and 89% at the free-throw line. He also turns the ball over very rarely, and the Rams do a good job by getting him the ball pretty often. There’s few players in the country who can rack up points behind the arc as quickly and effectively as Baron.

#3 – Dayton Flyers (25-6, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.013

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

Dayton is another team that had an excellent start, but fell off towards the end, finishing the season 4-4 after a 21-2 start. The Flyers have been very unimpressive by efficiency margin standards, just barely out-scoring its opponents, and not looking like a top-tier A-10 team. The problem has been their poor offense, struggling with shots from two-point range and from the free throw line, and committing a lot of turnovers. Their defense has been better, but has only been average in stopping shots, and they’ve fouled pretty often.

Player to watch:

6-8 SO Chris Wright, 13.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 49.7 eFG% - Wright leads the Flyers in scoring and rebounding, and while he’s an efficient player, his percentages have really fallen off from his spectacular, injury-interrupted first season. His 51% from two is solid, but he needs to cut out his three-point shots, and while his 67% free throw shooting is decent, but doesn’t allow him to take full advantage of his opportunities.

#4 – Temple Owls (19-11, 11-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.124

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The Owls are the second favorite for the conference title, and will likely face a difficult challenge against Xavier in the semifinals. Their strength is defense, especially inside the arc; they dominate the defensive glass and hold opponents to just 43% from two. They are somewhat vulnerable on the outside, as they don’t get opponents to cough the ball up much, and allow a fairly high percentage of threes. On the offensive end, Temple’s three-point shooting has fallen off a little in conference play, but it’s still been pretty solid overall because it rarely turns the ball over.

Player to watch:

6-5 SR Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG% - The conference’s joint leading scorer, Christmas is a dangerous player who puts up a lot of shots, and makes percentages that are just good enough to keep him efficient.

#5 – Saint Joseph’s Hawks (16-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.026

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

St. Joe’s started the conference season 7-1, but hit a five-game losing streak in mid-February that dropped it to 5^th in the standings. It’s been above average defensively, holding opponents to fairly low percentages from both two and three, and succeeding despite forcing few turnovers. The Hawks haven’t been as good on the offensive end, as they shoot mostly twos, and not particularly well. They are the conference’s best free throw shooters at 74%, and get a good number of points from the line.

Player to watch:

6-9 SR Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG% - Leading the conference in both scoring and rebounding, Nivins is the main player in the A-10 who has a real chance of being in the NBA draft, which isn’t surprising when you see just how dominant he is inside, shooting a great percentage and getting to the free throw line seemingly at will, where he converts 79% of chances.

#6 – Richmond Spiders (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.002

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

The Spiders had an excellent final game, beating Xavier to left themselves into the four-way tie at 9-7. They have been the weakest of the top eight teams, though not by much, mostly due to struggles on the defensive end. They are the conference’s worst rebounders, and commit far too many fouls, which wastes their ability to force turnovers and their decent inside defending. Richmond is a solid offensive team that leads the A-10 in holding onto the ball, and shoots well from two-point range, but takes most of its shots from outside, where it hits under a third of attempts.

Player to watch:

6-4 JR David Gonzalvez, 15.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 55.4 eFG% - Gonzalvez has slowed down in the final month of the season, but is the team’s best three point shooter, and is the most efficient in a group of solid scoring options.

#7 – Duquesne Dukes (17-14, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.036

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1977 (1^st Round)

Duquesne has been one of the conference’s better teams overall, and looks like it has the potential to cause some trouble for the higher seeds, though a potential game with Rhode Island would be a tough hurdle to face. The Dukes are have been excellent offensively, using a fast paced style with a lot of three attempts to open up the inside, where they shoot 53%. They make a decent number of those three attempts, but the inside play is the most important part of their offensive game. Of course, the reason that they are 9-7 with this offense is that their defense hasn’t been very good; they have led the A-10 in forcing turnovers, but are the worst team outside of Fordham at defending shots, allowing well over 50% from two and 38% from three.

Player to watch:

6-4 SR Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG% - Jackson was one of the players involved in the unfortunate shooting incident in 2006, and is the only one of the injured players still on the team. He’s notable for much more than that though, as he’s become the conference’s best guard. He’s an excellent shooter, especially from two, where he’s hit 60% of attempts, and has put up a very good assist rate. Jackson has been especially strong over the last month, averaging more than 20 points over his last nine games.

#8 – La Salle Explorers (18-12, 9-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.004

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

La Salle enters tournament play on a four-game winning streak, and is the last team in the tournament to finish with an efficiency margin above zero. The Explorers have been good at maintaining a possession advantage on the defensive end, solid rebounders who have forced a lot of turnovers in A-10 play, which has compensated enough for their poor defense on threes to give them one of the league’s better defenses. La Salle is also strong on the offensive glass, but they’ve needed to be, as their shooting percentages have been weak, and they have had trouble holding onto the ball.

Player to watch:

6-6 JR Kimmani Barrett, 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 51.9 eFG% - Barrett is second on the team in scoring, and while he doesn’t always end up with a lot of shots, he’s effective when he does shoot, an excellent inside and outside scorer who get to the line well.

#9 – St. Louis Billikens (17-13, 8-8) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.015

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

The Billikens had a strong season going until the final three games, when an ill-timed losing streak dropped them all the way to 9^th. They play the slowest system in the league, but it hasn’t really worked offensively, as just average shooting percentages are dragged down by turnovers and poor rebounding. They have been stronger defensively, but are still only average, despite some of the conference’s best defending on the perimeter. Opponents take few outside shots against St. Louis, and it just hasn’t been able to consistently defend the inside well enough to hold opponents’ scores down. As you might expect from a slow paced team, they are good on the defensive glass, but force few turnovers.

Player to watch:

6-2 SR Kevin Lisch, 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 46.4 eFG% - Lisch leads the team in scoring, and is the Billikens’ best three-point shooter, but his appalling two-point shooting, just 32%, undoes a lot of his good work.

#10 – Massachusetts Minutemen (12-17, 7-9) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.001

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1998 (1^st Round)

UMass is the last of the A-10 teams to sit in this logjam right around the .500 mark, and picked up arguably the conference’s best win when they shocked Kansas in Kansas City. The Minutemen are above average scorers, taking and making a lot of threes, but aren’t great on the offensive glass and rarely get to the free-throw line. Their serious problems, though, have been at the defensive end, where they have the worst record of any team in the tournament. There’s not much Massachusetts does well when defending, it allows opponents to make a lot of shots and struggles to prevent them from having a big possession advantage, with a poor turnover rate and weak rebounding.

Player to watch:

6-8 SR Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG% - Gaffney isn’t the primary offensive focus for UMass, but he’s a good shooter who excels in the other aspects of the game, one of only two A-10 players to average a double-double and an strong defender who has great steal and block totals.

#11 – St. Bonaventure Bonnies (15-14, 6-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.066

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2000 (1^st Round)

There doesn’t look to be much too notable in the season for the Bonnies, but after failing to break the four-win barrier for four seasons, this is a nice improvement and a positive sign for the future. They run the conference’s fastest pace, but are the worst offensive team at the tournament, as they do get a good number of high-percentage chances in transition, but are the conference’s worst at turning the ball over, giving it up once of every four times down the floor. Their inability to hit long-range shots further hampers their chances of putting up points. Unlike a lot of fast-paced teams, they force very few turnovers, but are decent defenders because of good rebounding and an ability to lock down the outside.

Player to watch:

6-9 FR Andrew Nicholson, 12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 60.7 eFG% - The Canadian freshman started his college career with a big season, shooting more than 60% from the field and putting up one of the best block rates in the country. He’s also a good rebounder, but his free throw shooting could use some work.

#12 – Charlotte 49ers (11-19, 5-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.053

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2005 (1^st Round)

Charlotte managed to get the last spot in the tournament, despite a 1-4 finish that saw its only win come against Fordham. This is a team that beat Xavier last month, played a close early season game with Clemson, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The 49ers have put up a lot of threes, but when you make only 28% of attempts, that’s not a very good thing. They’ve been OK in the other offensive categories, but with that many wasted shots, they’ve had one of the conference’s worst offenses. It’s a shame for them that opponents don’t have the same problem from long-distance, as they allow 36% on opposition three-pointers. Charlotte does defend well inside, and forces a good number of turnovers, but it hasn’t been enough to keep them out of the bottom part of the conference.

Player to watch:

6-7 SR Lamont Mack, 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 45.1 eFG% - Mack puts up a lot of shots when he’s on the floor, a nearly Stephen Curry level of importance to the 49ers. However, despite his high point totals, he’s actually a significant detriment to his team, as his poor shooting, especially 43% from inside the arc, means a lot of those shots are wasted.

My statistical all-Atlantic-10 team:

Duquesne SR G Aaron Jackson, 18.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 58.4 eFG%

Temple SR G Dionte Christmas, 19.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 51.5 eFG%

Saint Joseph’s SR F Ahmad Nivins, 19.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 62.5 eFG%

Massachusetts SR F Tony Gaffney, 11.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 3.9 BPG, 51.4 eFG%

Xavier JR F Derrick Brown, 13.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 57.8 eFG%

+ NCAA Tournament

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Atlantic 10 Championship: Schedule/Matchups

Press Release — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:27:50 -0500

2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship
Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City, N.J.

Wednesday, March 11
Game 1 - #8 La Salle vs. #9 Saint Louis - 12:00
Game 2 - #5 Saint Joseph's vs. #12 Charlotte - 2:30
Game 3 - #7 Duquesne vs. #10 Massachusetts - 6:30
Game 4 - #6 Richmond vs. #11 St. Bonaventure - 9:00

Thursday, March 12
Game 5 - #1 Xavier vs. #8/#9 winner - 12:00 (CBS C)
Game 6 - #4 Temple vs. #5/#12 winner - 2:30 (CBS C)
Game 7 - #2 Rhode Island vs. #7/#10 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 8 - #3 Dayton vs. #6/#11 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Friday, March 13
Game 9 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 6:30 (CBS C)
Game 10 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 9:00 (CBS C)

Saturday, March 14
Finals - 6:00 (ESPN2)

*CBS C - regionalized coverage by CBS College Sports Network. Check local listings.

Brandon Ewing: High-Major Player of the Week

Joey Whelan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:02:38 -0500

This week's CollegeHoops.net High-Major Player of the Week is..

Brandon Ewing - Wyoming
2 Game Averages: 25.5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 52% FG, 61.5% 3P

Ewing has been one of the top performers in the Mountain West Conference all season long and this week was a prime example of what he can do. The 22 points on Saturday at San Diego State were nice, but the Cowboys came up short in that contest. Wednesday night though was a surprise upset of UNLV with the senior dropping 29 points on 8-16 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc.

Honorable Mention

Charles Jenkins - Hofstra
2 Game Averages: 29 points, 5.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 58.8% FG

Thanks to a four game winning streak Hofstra has made itself a definite factor in the CAA as the regular season starts to wind down. The Pride picked up a pair of wins in the last week over Delaware and in overtime versus James Madison; both wins were due in large part to one of the more promising youngsters in the conference, Charles Jenkins. The sophomore out of Queens, NY upped his scoring average netting 26 points at Delaware and pumping in 32 just a few nights later, his second highest total of the season. Even more impressive were the rest of his numbers in the win over JMU. Jenkins just missed out on a triple-double, grabbing seven rebounds (he's only 6-foot) and dishing out a season best 13 assists.

Kevin Palmer - Texas A&M CC
2 Game Averages: 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3.5 steals, 48.8% FG

The Islanders were well on their way to the top seed in the Southland Conference Tournament before dropping two games in a row, putting them in a 4-way tie for first place. The losses certainly were no fault of leading scorer Kevin Palmer though. The junior swingman has been a consistent offensive presence all season long, having failed to reach double figures just twice all year. Palmer put up 23 points in a tough loss to Sam Houston State, and then came up even bigger on Wednesday by dropping 30 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on Texas-San Antonio. The numbers weren't enough though as the Islanders dropped that contest 73-66.

Kevin Anderson - Richmond
2 Game Averages: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1 steal, 60% FG, 93.8% FT

It's been a good week for one of the A-10's bright young stars. Despite being overlooked for most of the season, Kevin Anderson put fans on notice with a pair of 20-point games versus Dayton and La Salle, the second of which was a win. Anderson actually eclipsed his season averages in every major statistical category over the course of the last week and went a outstanding 15-16 from the charity stripe.

GameNight: Wake Forest at Richmond

Fairway Jay — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:35:52 -0500

Start: Dec 19 2008 - 6:59pm

Editor's Early Preview (12/15):

While Wake Forest might simply have too much talent for Richmond, the Spiders rarely find themselves trailing by double digits due to solid coaching and quality team play. Wake received a lot of off-season publicity due to their hyped freshmen, but it has been a returnee (Jeff Teague) who leads the way. Wake is the favorite, but the score might be closer than you think.

Preview & Prediction: By Fairway Jay

Season:

12-5

Friday night on ESPNU #10 Wake Forest (9-0) travels in their first true road test to take on the Richmond Spiders (5-4). Wake Forest was just 6-28 on opponent’s home floors the past three seasons. These teams have met eight times since 1997 with Wake Forest winning all eight meetings. Last year in Winston-Salem Wake Forest won 72-59. Both of these teams played better than expected last year with young teams, and Wake Forest finished the season 17-13 while Richmond was 16-13.

Richmond’s high hopes for this season took a hard hit over the summer when center Dan Geirot blew out a knee in a summer league game. Geirot gave the Spiders 14 ppg and over 5 rpg last year and so far Richmond has had a hard time replacing his production while getting out-rebounded by nearly three boards per game. The bulk of Richmond’s points and production comes from their two guards, as David Gonzalvez leads the team in scoring and rebounding while sophomore point guard Kevin Anderson nearly matches Gonzalvez at 16 ppg. Richmond is a selective shooting team and they hit over 51% from the field including 38.0% from three-point range. But they are not a solid or efficient defensive team and the Spiders perimeter defense has allowed opponents to hit over 40% from the arch.

That last number could be a problem for Richmond as Wake Forest has excellent guard play and the Deacons shoot over 51% from the field. Wake Forest is one of the fasted paced teams in the country and their defense has been outstanding. Coach Dino Gaudio has been pleased with the improved Deacons defense as Wake Forest has a top-5 ranking in raw defensive efficiency. However, the pace has led to some carelessness with the ball as Wake Forest does commit 18 turnovers per game and had 43 combined turnovers in recent contests versus Indiana and Wright State. Wake Forest faced a deliberate and pretty good defensive team last game and still shot 52% while dominating the boards in a 66-53 win over Wright State. The five starters all shoot at least 50% from the field and sophomore guard Jeff Teague has taken over the point this season and leads the Deacons with over 19 ppg and 4.6 assists per game. James Johnson and heralded freshmen forward Al-Farouq Aminu each score in double figures while combining for over 16 rebounds per game.

Both teams have started the same five players every game this season. Wake Forest is easing point guard Ishmael Smith back into the lineup and he’s played 20 minutes per game the last three contests in his recovery from a foot injury in September. He’s picked up 20 assists in limited action in those three games. The Deacons strength on the interior combined with solid perimeter play will prove to be too much for Richmond, as Wake Forest is one of the country’s top scoring (83 ppg) and rebounding (44) teams. With semester exams completed, a focused effort by Wake Forest should net them a double-digit win.

Winner: Wake Forest Margin 10-15 points

College Basketball: Week in Review

Rob Carpentier — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:41:43 -0500

Rob Carpentier's "Seven Day Stretch" is a whirlwind tour around every corner of college basketball nation:

Seven Day Savior (Team): Gonzaga

The Bulldogs of Gonzaga have started the season 6-0. One of those wins has come against a non-D-1 team. However, four of those wins have come against Indiana, (decent), Maryland, Oklahoma State, (good), and most recently Tennessee, (really good). The Zags have shown good balance, led by point guard Jeremy Pargo. Pargo has made sure that the multitude of weapons at Coach Mark Few's disposal all see the ball on offense. The Zags have good big men in Josh Heytvelt, Austin Daye and Micah Downs, (although Downs is more of a perimeter player), and good perimeter players, led by Pargo, but also including Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray. The Zags play good defense, rebound well and get good contributions from their bench. Few can count on his team being a legitimate 10 deep. This is the best team on the West Coast right now and an argument can be made, because of their depth and style of play, that Gonzaga would provide North Carolina with their stiffest test if they played in the near future.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Zach Hahn

Sophomore Zach Hahn, guard, Butler University. Like Gonzaga, Butler has become accustomed to being a mid-major darling in the college basketball universe. This was supposed to be a down year for the Bulldogs, (is there a theme here?), but they stand at 7-0 after the first week of Horizon League play. That record includes a huge road win at Horizon favorite, Cleveland State. That win was made possible by very good defense, timely rebounding and a huge last second shot by Hahn. Like most Butler players, Hahn thrives in the system that the Bulldogs run that is predicated by many players being able to hit three-point shots. Hahn is one of the most prolific shooters on the team. He doesn't get the publicity of the team's star, Matt Howard, but Hahn is clearly the hero right now after his slightly off balance game-winner that was taken well behind the new three point line. Hahn, a lefty, is definitely the toast of the Butler campus this week.

Game of the Week (The one you've already heard about): Memphis vs Georgetown

Many teams are trying to find their identity early in the season, but several teams are truly feeling in the dark in terms of establishing themselves. This is because those teams lost huge leaders and/or numbers with graduation and early defections. Two teams that suffered from this greatly have been Memphis and Georgetown, and these two powers face off on Saturday in the Nation's capital. Both teams have started strong, with the Tigers at 6-1, (losing a close one to Xavier), and the Hoyas at 5-1, (losing to Tennessee). The Tigers lost their point guard and team leader with the defections of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts. The Hoyas lost big man Roy Hibbert. Both teams, however, have reloaded well, with Memphis bringing in Tyreke Evans and Georgetown welcoming big man Greg Monroe. Both teams figure to make some noise in March after they go through a few growing pains. Watching them and Memphis Coach John Calipari match wits with G-Town Coach John Thompson III should be fun.

Game of the Week (The one you DON'T know about): VCU vs Richmond

On Saturday, Virginia Commonwealth of the Colonial Athletic Association visits former CAA member, Richmond, now of the Atlantic 10. Both teams have played relatively tough schedules up to this point, with VCU having faced New Mexico, Vanderbilt and Rhode Island, while the Spiders have faced Syracuse and a good Bradley team. Both squads sit at 5-3 overall and should be among the better teams in their respective leagues. VCU needs to finish in the top 2 in the CAA in order to be given real at-large consideration in March while Richmond simply needs to have a good year in the A-10. This is the kind of game that sets up like a "Bracket Buster", as both teams can point to a win in this game as a check mark in their column for an at-large bid to the Big Dance. While head-to-head meetings aren't usually critical in determining at-large selections in March, it sure doesn't hurt to win these kinds of contests.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky has had a very good past 9 days, (okay so I'm going back a little further than the past week). In their past three games, the Hilltoppers have defeated Tulane, Georgia and Louisville, in reverse order. The win against Louisville is the biggie, but a win against an SEC team and against a Conference USA team, conferences who both will have inflated RPI ratings at the end of the season compared to WKU's Sun Belt Conference, are huge, too. Granted, Western Kentucky has two inexplicable losses, especially a beat down at the hands of Murray State, but they still have Florida State on their schedule, (at home), and a win there could really put a stamp on the Hilltoppers' at-large hopes, if they need them, come March. Western Kentucky is led by another solid one-two punch, (much like last year's Sweet 16 team), junior guard A.J. Slaughter and sophomore forward Steffphon Pettigrew. Between the two they average almost 29 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. This solid play allows the rest of the Hilltoppers to go about their roles without worrying about who is going to score for them. Pettigrew will be especially important for WKU as the season goes on. He has become more dominant as the first few weeks of the season have passed. His coming out party was against Louisville where he went off for 17 points and 12 boards against the more heralded Cardinal front line. Oh, and Western Kentucky has two other players averaging in double figures. This is going to be a very good team come 2009 and one to watch when the calendar turns to March.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Fred Hill

Fred Hill's days at Rutgers may be numbered. The Scarlet Knights lost at home to St. Bonaventure and have since lost to Lehigh and Binghamton; the latter two also at home. Hill was brought in to make the State University of New Jersey more competitive and to build a wall around the state's top recruits. So far Hill has failed at both. New Jersey has some of the best high school talent in the country but Hill keeps missing out to bigger programs. His ability to recruit was considered his biggest strength. He seems overmatched in game situations when the ability to change at a moment's notice is a precious commodity. Hill is also in a situation where the university has been tinged by scandal with regard to oversight of the football team. However, reading between the lines, it seems that the Rutgers administration has committed itself to winning in big time athletics and two of the big three, (football and women's basketball), are already doing that. Hill seems to be the odd man out.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: Coaching Attire

Coaching attire has become a subject of conversation over the past few weeks, especially with the many preseason tournaments that are in exotic locales. The thought is that coaches will be safer, presumably from passing out or lightheadedness, if they were allowed to wear less constrictive clothing than the typical suit and tie. So as fans, we are talking about what coaches wear now? From a safety standpoint? Let me get this straight; we have kids that are the target of predatory agents and the like, kids who collapse during practices or games because of undiscovered health issues and kids who simply leave college "less" educated than when they arrived, but we are talking about coaches and their suits. Yeah, that makes sense. It does fit perfectly, though with NCAA rules that allow a coach to up and leave his job at any time for another coaching gig, but doesn't allow the student-athlete to transfer out from his school without a penalty. Worry about the coaches first and the kids second...wonderful priorities.

Atlantic 10: Week in Review

CollegeChalkTalk — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:56:17 -0500

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:

Tony Gaffney (Sr.), Massachusetts. While others may have scored more points, no player helped his team any greater on both ends of the floor than did Gaffney. For the week, Gaffney averaged a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds per game), and also intimidated opponents by swatting away five shots per outing, including a nine block effort against Boston College. A model of efficiency on the offensive end as well, the senior shot 67% in UMass’ two close defeats. He also narrowly missed a triple-double in the overtime thriller against BC (below). For the year, Gaffney has been an iron man, ranking second in the conference in minutes played (37 per game). He ranks in the Top 10 in seven statistical categories, including leading the league in rebounds (13.1 per game) and blocks (5.0 per game), as well as ranking fourth in steals (2.14 per game).

HONORABLE MENTION: B.J. Raymond, (Sr.) Xavier; Ahmad Nivins, (Sr.) Saint Joseph’s.

GAME OF THE WEEK: December 6, 2008. Boston College 85, UMass 81 (OT)

The Minutemen did everything in this game but win. Ricky Harris crushed his previous career high of twenty-seven points by tallying thirty-five in the losing effort. Tony Gaffney was magnificent; scoring 15 points, pulling down 18 rebounds, and blocking nine shots. UMass even orchestrated a furious rally with 23 seconds to play, coming from five down in that span to force overtime. The teams traded the lead six times in the extra frame, but in the end, the Eagles clawed their way to hard-fought victory in Amherst.

GAME OF THE UPCOMING WEEK: No. 14 Xavier @ Cincinnati: It’s a rivalry renewed, as the 2008 version of the Crosstown Shootout will take place in Cincinnati. The Musketeers and Bearcats will be battling for city-wide bragging rights in a game that always proves full of intensity. Last year, Xavier won a battle at the Cintas Center, 64-59. This year’s contest looks to be highly competitive as well, as the teams have combined for thirteen wins, and just one loss (Cincy’s defeat to Florida State).

HONORABLE MENTION: Temple vs. No. 10 Tennessee

RPI BOOST OF THE WEEK: Charlotte; RPI No. 228 (Up 96 spots from 324 last week): The Niners finally snapped their losing streak and, along with boosting team morale, the win over Southern Illinois in Carbondale boosted their RPI… in grand fashion.

RPI FALL OF THE WEEK: Richmond; RPI No. 172 (Down 74 spots from 98 last week): The Spiders had a 1-1 week, but their win was against a weak Delaware State team (RPI No. 199), and their loss to an even lower ranked (RPI No. 254) Old Dominion squad.

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Power Rankings (through December 7th, 2008)

Xavier: Holding serve until Holloway returns from injury.
Dayton: Best defense in the league right now (permitting just 54 points per game) has led to the largest scoring margin at plus 14.
Rhode Island: Loss to Providence marks the third time Rhody has lost to a BCS conference team this year (’Nova, Duke). Have a final shot against Oklahoma State on December 20th.
Temple: Victory over a seven-win Penn State team despite just two points from Dionte’ Christmas is a sign of a growing team.
La Salle: Eight days to prepare for nationally ranked Villanova’s arrival at Tom Gola Arena. A huge game in Philly.
Richmond: Twelfth in the league in scoring last season; now second (73-plus points per game) in 2008… without Dan Geriot.
Saint Joseph’s: Lost to Creighton after trailing by twenty-one, rallying late to salvage dignity.
Duquesne: Receiving scoring from freshmen building blocks Melquan Bolding and Eric Evans at six and eight points per game, respectively.
Saint Louis: Liddell and Lisch are combining for twenty-six points per game.
Charlotte: Earned second win of the year against a tough Southern Illinois team on the road. Looking to build momentum.
St. Bonaventure: Backup point guard Ray Blackburn rebounded after a poor outing at Canisius with seventeen points in a win over Princeton.
George Washington: Not ready to hang yet with quality competition, but freshman Taylor’s 33.8 minutes per game and Travis King’s improving health are reasons for optimism.
UMass: Another two-loss week stung, but Gaffney and Harris had stellar games in the overtime loss to BC. Minutemen look for their first D-I win this week at the expense of Holy Cross.
Fordham: Have yet to score over 68 points in a game; shooting just 36% from the floor on the year.