Southern Miss

Rivers' Shot Caps Duke Rally: Wednesday Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:36:16 -0500

There have been some thrilling comebacks in the history of the Duke/North Carolina rivalry, but surprisingly there haven't been many games that have been decided at the buzzer. Wednesday night's game in Chapel Hill wasn't a case of "down eight with 17 seconds to go" as it was in meetings in 1974 (UNC with the comeback and win) and 1995 (Duke with the comeback but UNC ended up winning), but with the Tar Heels up ten (80-70) with 3:35 remaining one would expect them to win.

But missed free throws and botched possessions late left the door slightly ajar, and the Blue Devils would take advantage as Austin Rivers' three from the right wing as time expired gave Duke the 85-84 win. Rivers was Duke's best offensive player as he scored 29 points, but even with his numbers the many critics were sharpening their knives with the expectation being that North Carolina would close the game out. Rivers and company would prevent that by outscoring UNC 15-4 over the final 3:35, resulting in a three-way tie atop the ACC.

"They made the right plays and we didn't. I mean, it's just that simple," said UNC wing Harrison Barnes, who scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half. "You've got to give credit where credit is due, and they played a great game."

Rivers is the focus on any night for the Blue Devils for the simple fact that he is Duke's most talented perimeter player, and the key for the Blue Devils down the road is that the freshman uses his talent to not only get his points but also get others involved. Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry scored 15 points apiece and Tyler Thornton knocked down a critical three during the final run, displaying a confidence one wouldn't expect from a player who'd gone 0-for-5 from deep to that point in the contest.

Barnes had a bit of a roller coaster game, as he was quiet in the first half only to get rolling in the first ten minutes of the second and then fade into the background down the stretch. Tyler Zeller (23 points, 11 rebounds) played well throughout but will be remembered more for the missed free throws and the fateful switch that resulted in him guarding Rivers on the final sequence, and John Henson (12 points, 17 rebounds) posted a double-double as well. If anything the contest was a mixture of North Carolina not taking care of business and Duke refusing to quit. And with a player like Austin Rivers at your disposal anything is possible.

"Austin was magnificent. We had a play set for a three, a different three, if they hit both free throws," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "But when they missed the second, we wanted to go to a quick angle and he could either take it to the basket or he shot it, and he shot it and it was all net."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Kansas goes on a 34-6 run spanning both halves to soundly defeat Baylor in Waco.
Jeff Withey proved to be a problem for Baylor in the first meeting between the two teams as he finished two blocked shots short of a triple double, and that was also the case on Wednesday night in Waco. Withey scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half to help Kansas navigate the half despite Thomas Robinson being in foul trouble. The Jayhawks' run reached the point to where they led by 20 points, and they never relinquished control in the 68-54 victory.

Tyshawn Taylor added 19 points and Robinson scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Kansas, who is tied with Missouri atop the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks hit Baylor in the mouth and the Bears didn't respond well at all, with the game getting to the point where it's fair to wonder whether or not Scott Drew's team has the mettle required to make a run in March. The Bears have a great deal of talent but when Perry Jones III accounts for just five points and a player who burned them the first time does so again, it's difficult to expect the Bears to be a national title hopeful at this point.

2. Kris Joseph scores 29 points to lead Syracuse past Georgetown in overtime.
There were people who truly wondered how Georgetown would be able to hang with #2 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, seeming to forget the fact that the Hoyas had the system and the personnel to give the Orange some trouble. That's exactly what happened as Georgetown grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded to Orange 52-35, making up for their poor shooting. But it wasn't enough to leave with a win at Kris Joseph scored 29 points ot lead Syracuse to the 64-61 win.

Joseph and Fab Melo (11 points, seven rebounds and six blocks) were the only Syracuse players to score in double figures on a night that saw their guards struggle and the other frontcourt players used weren't much better. But that was countered by the struggles of Georgetown's Henry Sims, who shot 1-for-12 from the field in scoring six points, somewhat negating the impact he had as a distributor from the high post. Syracuse had the one player on the floor who didn't seem to have any issues finding good looks in crunch time in Joseph, and that ultimately was the difference on a night that saw them get whipped on the glass.

3. Arkansas leaves the Fayetteville and promptly gets blown out by Georgia.
There's a reason why so many were hesitant to give the Razorbacks that NCAA tournament "stamp of approval" after their win over Vanderbilt. The Hogs entered Wednesday's game at Georgia 0-6 in true road games and it was easy to see why by halftime with the Bulldogs taking a 43-24 lead into the break. Arkansas shot 26.1% from the field in the first half and where soundly whipped on the glass by a count of 25-10 (eight offensive rebounds for the Bulldogs), ending up in a hole that was too big to climb out of in an 81-59 defeat.

Gerald Robinson Jr. went just about wherever he wanted to, finishing with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 18 and five rebounds. Arkansas has shot better than 40% from the field just once in seven road games this season, and that's a big reason why they haven't won on the road. Not sure what the missing spark is for the Razorbacks but they'd better figure out how to get things going away from Bud Walton Arena before it lands them in the NIT.

Quick Hitters

1. David Kyles scored 16 points off the bench and Toure' Murry led four players in double figures with 21 points as Wichita State took sole possession of first place in the MVC with an 82-57 win over Northern Iowa. Gregg Marshall's Shockers have the look of a team that can do some serious damage come March, and a win at Creighton on Saturday would give them a two-game lead.

2. Florida State's offensive execution down the stretch reverted to its pre-seven game win streak form in Chestnut Hill, and the end result was a 64-60 loss to Boston College. Jordan Daniels scored 21 points and dished out five assists to lead the Eagles, who snapped a six-game losing streak. Florida State is now part of a three-way tie for first in the ACC.

3. Cody Ellis scored 20 points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench to lead Saint Louis to a 72-60 win at Saint Joseph's, keeping them tied with Xavier in second place in the Atlantic 10 a game behind Temple (who came back from 15 down to beat George Washington) in the loss column. Rick Majerus has a solid eight-man rotation on which to rely, and he's one of the best in America at putting together a game plan.

4. Two possible conference champions to keep an eye on come March remained undefeated in league play with road wins on Wednesday night. UT Arlington moved to 10-0 in the Southland with a 75-63 win at Sam Houston State and Bucknell took care of Colgate 66-50 to move to 9-0 in the Patriot League. In LaMarcus Reed III (UT Arlington) and Mike Muscala (Bucknell) these two teams feature players currently on the short list for Player of the Year in their respective leagues.

5. Southern Miss did themselves no favors on the road as they fell 71-61 at UAB. The Golden Eagles simply did not have an answer for Cameron Moore, who accounted for 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Southern Miss is now tied with Memphis (7-2) atop the Conference USA standings and UCF (7-3) is just a game back in the loss column due to their win over Marshall.

6. In a matchup of the top two teams in the NEC it was LIU Brooklyn who came out victorious as they beat borough rival St. Francis (NY) 81-71 at Madsion Square Garden. Jamal Olasewere (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Julian Boyd (17 points, 11 rebounds) both posted double-doubles and C.J. Garner scored 19 points to lead the Blackbirds. They play again on Saturday, and a Terrier win could be the only thing that keeps Jim Ferry's squad from winning the regular season title as LIU has already swept second-place Wagner.

7. Form held in the CAA as the top four teams all won, widening the gap between themselves and the rest of the league. In most season that would essentially guarantee the conference cashing in to the tune of multiple NCAA tournament berths, but due to the league's profile and team's non-conference resumes that may not be the case this season. George Mason, VCU and Drezel are all 12-2 in league play while Old Dominion is a game out at 11-3.

8. In two other Big East results worth mentioning, Pittsburgh saw their run of success ended in Tampa as they shot just 34.6% from the field in a 63-51 loss at USF. Hugh Robertson led three Bulls in double figures with 18 points and Ashton Gibbs shot just 2-for-9 from the field and scored four points. And Jordan Theodore scored 24 points to lead Seton Hall past Rutgers 59-54, meaning that the senior will finish his career with a 4-0 mark on the floor of the Pirates' in-state rival.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Cameron Moore (UAB)
27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Blazers' 71-61 win over Southern Miss.

2. F Kris Joseph (Syracuse)
29 points, five rebounds and three steals in the Orange's 64-61 overtime win over Georgetown.

3. G Austin Rivers (Duke)
29 points, five rebounds and two steals and the game-winning three as time expired in the Blue Devils' 85-84 win at North Carolina.

Wednesday Recap: Lineup Changes Spark Nothing As UConn Falls

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:55:56 -0500

Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun knew heading into Wednesday's game that his struggling team, losers of three straight, needed some kind of spark to get things going. That meant shuffling the lineup, with Shabazz Napier and Alex Oriakhi being replaced as starters by Ryan Boatright and Roscoe Smith, and for a short time on Wednesday night the move paid off. UConn got out to a 13-7 lead at the first media timeout and generally played better basketball on the offensive end, which was likely the desired effect of the move.

But Georgetown went to their 2-3 zone defense, and against zones UConn has shown neither the confidence nor the basketball IQ needed to solve such a riddle. It didn't help matters that Boatright, who did a good job of facilitating the offense, picked up his second foul with just over ten minutes left in the half and the Huskies leading 15-14. It was essentially all downhill from there as the Hoyas woud outscore the Huskies 17-6 the remainder of the half, going on to beat UConn 58-44 and lead many to ask whether or not the defending national champs had what it took to turn things around.

"We come back from six [down] and somebody went for a steal, next thing you know we took a bad shot and now were down ten," remarked Calhoun of his team's struggles. "And you can't keep running up the hill for only so long and so that's where we picked up our fourth straight loss and should have lost all four games."

So how did the four players involved in the lineup changes respond? Not well, with Boatright having his performance short-circuited by foul trouble (zero points, four assists) being the biggest blow given how the flow of the contest changed when he had to sit. Napier, who earlier in the season lamented the lack of a response to his attempts to be a leader, shot 0-for-9 from the field and scored just one point while Oriakhi went scoreless. And Smith opened the scoring 33 seconds into the game...only to not score again.

Last year's team struggled in conference play, but the difference is that (in addition to having Kemba Walker) they were a lot tougher mentally than this group. Who steps up to change the path that this season is currently travelling? Jeremy Lamb's not the vocal type and while he scored 14 points it took 18 shots to do so (making four), and while Andre Drummond (18 points, seven rebounds) was UConn's best player on the floor it's tough to ask a freshman to become the team leader.

The truth of the matter is that Napier and Oriakhi should be the leaders for this team, and yet neither has shown the ability to do so. The teams that leave a mark in March will fight for everything in the face of adversity, pulling together to accomplish the common goal. That hasn't been a trait of this current edition of Huskies, as they either fail to respond or the "fight back" dissolves into guys trying to close the gap all by themselves.

Georgetown, a team picked to finish tenth in the Big East in the preseason, should be the story here given the play of Hollis Thompson (18 points, nine rebounds) and Jason Clark (11 points, five rebounds), and they're likely to improve even more as the season approaches it's defining month. Can the same be said for UConn? That's a tough question to answer at this point, but with a game against a Seton Hall team that's also struggling a lot will be learned about the toughness of both teams on Saturday.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Michigan jumps out to a big lead and holds off Indiana's second half rally to remain undefeated at home.
There's no doubt that Tom Crean's Hoosiers can win big games at home, with the energy provided by the Assembly Hall crowd providing a needed boost to a program that's definitely improved. But what about on the road, where teams have to manufacture their own energy in the face of a hostile crowd? That question remains unanswered thanks to Indiana's slow start in Ann Arbor, as they trailed Michigan by as many as 20 points in the first half on the way to a 68-56 defeat. Indiana was able to get as close as two points (52-50) with less than four minutes remaining but they couldn't overtake the Wolverines, who were led offensively by Trey Burke (18 points, four assists), Zack Novak (13 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (13 points).

Indiana shot a respectable 42.9% from the field in the first half but they turned the ball over eight times to just one for Michigan, and the Wolverines converted those miscues into eleven points (led 33-22 at the half). Michigan's now 13-0 at home this season while Indiana remains with just one conference road victory (Penn State) this season. While the Hoosiers are in a dogfight to remain in the top half of the league standings Michigan's bounce back from the loss at Ohio State shows that they remain a serious contender for the Big Ten crown.

2. UT-Arlington opens their new arena with a win over UTSA, increasing their lead in the Southland.
Wednesday night was a special night in the history of UT-Arlington, with the Mavericks playing in the new College Park Center for the first time. And they picked a good matchup for the debut, as defending Southland tournament champ UTSA was in town looking to move into a tie for first place with the Mavericks. But despite turning the ball over 23 times on the night UT-Arlington found a way to win, beating the Roadrunners 67-66 to expand their lead to two games. A pair of Kevin Butler free throws with 13.7 seconds remaining proved to be the points the Mavs needed to remain on track for the regular season crown in their final campaign before they head to the WAC in July.

LaMarcus Reed III scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way while Butler added 21 and eight, and these two are a big reason why the Mavs were able to make up for their turnovers by out-rebounding the Roadrunners 46-33 and score 16 second-chance points to just seven for UTSA. Kannon Burrage led the Roadrunners with 21 points off the bench and Melvin Johnson III added 14, but with Michael Hale III and Stephen Franklin combining to shoot 2-for-18 UTSA wasn't able to take full advantage of their turnover margin edge. With these two meeting in the regular season finale UTSA essentially has to win out while hoping for some help, and with UT-Arlington having won 12 straight that strategy may not bear fruit.

3. Pierre Jackson and Quincy Acy make big plays late to lead Baylor past Texas A&M.
Scott Drew's Bears seemed to try their best to give Texas A&M the game in the second half as they shot 31% from the field while the Aggies made half their field goals. But thanks to big plays down the stretch from Pierre Jackson (14 points, five assists) and Quincy Acy (11 points, four rebounds) Baylor escaped College Station with a 63-60 win in what could be the last regular season meeting in the "Battle of the Brazos" for a long time. A Jackson three with 17 seconds remaining proved to be the push Baylor needed to get to the finish line, and his two free throws with just over a second remaining sealed it.

Those two free throws came as a result of a hustle play by Acy, whose quick move to tip Jackson's missed free throw out (which Jackson was able to chase down), gave the junior college transfer a second chance at increasing the Bears' lead and he cashed in. After a Ray Turner basket gave A&M a 49-44 lead it was Acy who scored six of Baylor's nine points in a 9-0 run that put them up 53-49 with 6:13 to go. While the lottery picks (Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller) will enjoy the majority of the attention the contributions of a player like Acy cannot be ignored. In fact, that may be what allows Baylor to go deep into the NCAA tournament.

Quick Hitters

1. While the Atlantic 10 has enough quality teams to warrant four bids to the NCAA tournament, the chances of that happening become slimmer when teams at the top of the conference don't take care of business as they should. Wednesday's results of note were UMass losing 81-78 in overtime at Rhode Island and Dayton losing 83-73 at home to Duquesne. Xavier nearly joined those two teams but Tu Holloway's layup with 30 seconds remaining capped a good night for him (21 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and pushed the Musketeers past George Washington 59-58.

2. In a battle for sole possession of first place in Conference USA, Southern Miss finally got over the hump as they beat Memphis 75-72 to snap an 18-game losing streak in the series. Darnell Dodson and Neil Watson combined to score 40 points off the bench for the Golden Eagles, who are now 7-1 in conference play.

3. Center Garrett Stutz has been outstanding in road games for Wichita State this season and that trend continued in the Shockers' 74-67 win at Missouri State as he scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on the night. Ben Smith added 21 for Wichita State, who remains a game behind first-place Creighton (102-74 win over Illinois State) as a result of the victory.

4. With seven freshmen and three sophomores on the roster many expected the first year of Mountain West play to be a tough one for Boise State and it has been. But they've also shown signs of growth, and if not for a missed Thomas Bropleh three as time expired the Broncos would have left San Diego State with a win. Leon Rice's team has the ability to scare some teams in the MWC, and with the likes of Bropleh and Anthony Drmic the future looks to be bright for Boise State.

5. There's now a three-way tie for first place in the CAA as Delaware beat George Mason 65-60 in Newark. Kyle Anderson shot 8-for-11 from the field and scored 21 points to lead the way for the Blue Hens, and as a team Delaware shot 7-for-14 from deep (Mason finished 3-for-16). Drexel and VCU both picked up victories on Wednesday, and with the league's profile being poorer than in seasons past the fight for the CAA crown should be even fiercer than it's been of late.

6. Huge news in the recruiting world was broken by ESPN's Dave Telep, who reported that Tilton School big man Nerlens Noel move back to the 2012 class. Noel, who counts Kentucky and Syracuse among his most vigorous suitors, returns to his original class and is now right there with Shabazz Muhammad for the honor of being the best player in the class.

7. Vermont held off a Boston University rally to beat the Terriers 68-67 in Boston to take over sole possession of second place in America East. Luke Apfeld scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Catamounts, who swept the season series as a result of the win.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
19 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in the RedHawks' 62-57 overtime win over Eastern Michigan.

2. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in the Jayhawks' 84-62 win over Oklahoma.

3. F Orion Outerbridge (Rhode Island)
29 points and 11 rebounds in the Rams' 81-78 overtime win over Massachusetts.

#14 Georgetown vs. Connecticut: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:58:26 -0500

While both Connecticut (14-6, 4-4) and #14 Georgetown (16-4, 6-3) enter Wednesday night's contest off of losses over the weekend, the feelings regarding each program are drastically different at this time. John Thompson III's Hoyas have been one of the Big East's pleasant surprises, thanks in large part to some veteran leaders and a young group of players who have shown themselves to be ready for Big East play. UConn on the other hand has been one of the more disappointing teams in conference play, and their 50-48 loss to Notre Dame on Sunday has sparked major changes to their starting lineup.

Head coach Jim Calhoun announced the changes on Tuesday, with freshman guard Ryan Boatright (9.8 ppg, 3.4 apg) and sophomore forward Roscoe Smith (3.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg) moving in while Shabazz Napier (14.3 ppg, 6.1 apg) and Alex Oriakhi (6.5 rpg, 4.9 rpg) will come off the bench. Frankly the Huskies need a spark, and the hope is that these moves will provide that boost. Clearly a lot was lost with the departure of Kemba Walker but just as important as the tangible contributions were Walker's intangibles, which have proven to be difficult to account for. Regardless of a team's skill set it's difficult to win consistently without emotion, and that's been a lesson the Huskies have learned quite often in recent games.

What's interesting about these two teams is that they're practically even when it comes to offensive efficiency with the Huskies at 109.0 and Georgetown at 109.2, and both are shooting 47% from the field. But the Hoyas are averaging nearly two more points per game and their scoring balance is likely one of the reasons why. All seven of Georgetown's leaders in minutes per game shoot at least 46% from the field with wing Hollis Thompson (13.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) leading the way at 50.7%. Georgetown's system, which more times than not is initiated by center Henry Sims (11.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.6 apg), has opened up passing lanes and quality shot opportunities for much of the season and they've taken advantage.

UConn on the other hand has relied more on one-on-one play to get their shots, a situation that turned downright ugly on Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Lamb (17.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) leads the way offensively with Napier second on the team in scoring, and while that was expected to be the case before the season began the spacing and ball movement haven't been what is generally expected of teams pegged to contend for championships. And with Georgetown likely to employ a zone defense to take advantage of these issues, Connecticut had better improve in this area if they're to leave the nation's capital with a win.

The youngsters could tip the scales in one direction or the other at the Verizon Center, and one who has played very well is Georgetown's Otto Porter. Porter (8.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) leads the Hoyas in rebounds and while he hasn't strung together consecutive double-digit scoring outings since November in the Maui Invitational there's no denying his improvement. If Boatright performs well as the starter and vets Napier and Oriakhi respond positively to their move to the bench UConn can win and turn things around. Talent-wise the Huskies are more than capable of doing so, but are capable when it comes to the intangibles? We'll get that answer on Wednesday.

Indiana visits Michigan in the night's lone matchup of ranked teams, with the Hoosiers looking to remain in the top half of the conference standings while Michigan needs a win to remain a game out of first in the loss column. The two frontrunners for Big Ten Rookie of the Year will also be on display, with Indiana's Cody Zeller and Michigan's Trey Burke being the focus. The outcome could ultimately be decided by veterans such as IU's Jordan Hulls and Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. Colorado State looks to build on their win over San Diego State win a win at UNLV, but look for the Runnin' Rebels to be fired up given the fact that the Rams won in Las Vegas last season. And the top two teams in Conference USA as Southern Miss hosts Memphis, and the hope for the home folks has to be that Larry Eustachy's bunch can finally beat Memphis.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM (6) Baylor at Texas A&M
9:00 PM Oklahoma at (8) Kansas
8:05 PM Illinois State at (12) Creighton (ESPN3)
10:30 PM Colorado State at (13) UNLV (The Mtn.)
7:00 PM Connecticut at (14) Georgetown (ESPN2)
10:15 PM Boise State at (17) San Diego State (CBS SN)
6:30 PM (20) Indiana at (22) Michigan (BTN)
7:00 PM Georgia Tech at (24) Florida State (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Xavier at George Washington (FCS)
7:00 PM George Mason at Delaware
7:00 PM Oakland at IUPUI
7:00 PM Vermont at Boston University
7:00 PM Drexel at Northeastern
7:00 PM SMU at East Carolina
7:00 PM Hartford at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Miami (OH)
7:00 PM Fordham at Temple
7:00 PM Massachusetts at Rhode Island
7:00 PM Davidson at Furman
7:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Richmond
7:00 PM Tulane at Marshall
7:00 PM Georgia State at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM UMBC at Albany
7:00 PM Toledo at Akron (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Ball State at Buffalo
7:00 PM Duquesne at Dayton
7:00 PM Towson at Hofstra
7:00 PM Charlotte at La Salle
7:00 PM Rutgers at Providence (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Binghamton at Stony Brook
7:00 PM Bowling Green at Western Michigan
7:00 PM VCU at William & Mary
7:00 PM Colgate at N.J.I.T.
7:30 PM Texas A&M-CC at Nicholls State
8:00 PM Georgia at Auburn (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Evansville at Bradley
8:00 PM NC State at Boston College (ESPN3)
8:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Saint Louis
8:00 PM UTEP at Rice
8:00 PM Drake at Indiana State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Northwestern State at Central Arkansas
8:00 PM Maryland at Miami (FL) (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Ohio at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM McNeese State at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM Lamar at Southeastern Louisiana
8:00 PM Memphis at Southern Miss (CBS SN)
8:00 PM Texas State at Stephen F. Austin
8:00 PM Wyoming at TCU (The Mtn.)
8:05 PM Wichita State at Missouri State
8:30 PM Cal State Bakersfield at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
8:30 PM St. John's at DePaul (ESPN3)
8:30 PM Grambling State at Alabama State
8:30 PM Minnesota at Iowa (BTN)
9:00 PM Houston at UAB
9:00 PM UTSA at Texas-Arlington

College Basketball Top 50: Southern Miss Up to 25th

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:32 -0500

Collegehoops.net's Top 50 Power Ranking is your weekly dive into the national college basketball scene. The CHN Top 50 is brought to you before all the other polls late Sunday night. Arrows represent notable moves. (Also: Check out the weekly Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking.)

January 29th Top 50 Ranking

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	Kentucky	21-1	1	2
2	Syracuse	22-1	2	4
3	North Carolina	18-3	4	1
4	Ohio State	19-3	5	3
5	Duke	18-3	6	5
6	Missouri	19-2*	3	30
7	Baylor	19-2	7	25
8	Michigan State	17-4	8	28
9	UNLV	20-3	10	34
10	Murray St	21-0	12	NA
11	Kansas	17-4*	11	13
12	Creighton	20-2	14	39
13	Marquette	18-4	17	23
14	Georgetown	16-4*	9	NA
15	Virginia	17-3	19	NA
16	St. Mary's	21-2	21	47
17	Florida	17-4	25	7
18	Gonzaga	17-3	20	21
19	San Diego St	18-3*	13	NA
20	Indiana	17-5*	15	NA
21	Michigan	16-6*	16	19
22	Harvard	18-2	24	NA
23	Mississippi St	17-5*	18	35
24	Wisconsin	17-5	27	16
25	Southern Miss	19-3	31	NA
26	Kansas St	15-5*	23	49
27	Temple	15-5	34	22
28	California	17-5	35	29
29	Louisville	17-5	36	6
30	Vanderbilt	16-5	37	10
31	UCONN	14-6*	22	8
32	Wichita St	18-4*	26	45
33	Florida State	14-6	42	18
34	MTSU	20-3*	32	NA
35	Illinois	15-6*	30	46
36	New Mexico	17-4	38	27
37	West Virginia	15-7**	28	41
38	Cleveland St	18-4	43	NA
39	Seton Hall	15-6**	29	NA
40	Memphis	15-6	50	11
41	St Louis	16-5*	39	NA
42	Long Beach St	16-6	53	NA
43	Alabama	14-7*	33	24
44	Iona	17-5*	40	NA
45	Iowa St	15-6*	52	NA
46	Davidson	15-5*	44	NA
47	Xavier	14-7*	46	12
48	Purdue	15-7*	47	32
49	Cincinnati	15-7**	41	17
50	BYU	18-6*	48	NA

* = losses this week

last = last week's ranking

pre. = preseason ranking

Next Five: Ohio (17-4), Minnesota (16-6*), Oral Roberts (20-4), Nevada (18-3), Notre Dame (14-8)

Top 50 Drop Outs

		Week	Pre
Marshall	13-8**	12	42
Dayton	14-7**	12	NA
Texas	13-8*	11	33
Stanford	15-6*	11	NA
Northwestern	12-8*	11	NA
Arizona	14-8*	10	20
Ohio	17-4	10	NA
Virginia Tech	12-9**	10	NA
Pittsburgh	13-9	9	9
Texas A&M	12-8*	9	14
Minnesota	16-6*	9	NA
Charleston	12-9**	8	NA
Kent St	14-6	7	48
Northern Iowa	14-9**	7	NA
Belmont	15-7	6	44
Washington	14-7	5	26
Miami	12-7	5	36
Villanova	10-12**	5	37
Notre Dame	14-8	4	38
Weber St	16-4*	4	NA
Butler	12-11**	3	31
UCLA	12-9	2	15
George Mason	18-5	2	40
Drexel	17-5	2	43
VCU	18-5	2	50

week = week dropped out of Top 50

During the season, don't forget to check out the CHN Top 50 Power Ranking every Sunday night!

Check out past week's rankings and this week's AP Top 25.

For more depth, check out the weekly the Non-BCS Top 25 ranking.

Saturday Recap: Iowa State Hands #5 Kansas Their First League Loss

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:59:36 -0500

To say that there were some complaints about the "quality" of Saturday's schedule would be an understatement as many felt that the college basketball slate wouldn't provide much intrigue. But once again college basketball didn't disappoint the fans, with the big result being Iowa State's 72-64 win over #5 Kansas. The Cyclones won despite turning the ball over 19 times by getting to the foul line and controlling the boards. ISU attempted 34 free throws (making 25) to just sixteen for the Jayhawks (who made ten) in handing the visitors their first Big 12 loss. Add in a 36-23 rebounding edge (with 11 offensive rebounds) and some "Hilton Magic" and the end result is a signature win for an Iowa State team that needed one for their NCAA Tournament hopes.

"It's the second time we've played Kansas and in both games our bigs did a heck of a job against some of the best front line players in the country so you have to take your hat off to them," said guard Scott Christopherson, who finished with 14 points (9-10 FT) and three assists. "Not only did they rebound but they defended really well. Kansas puts pressure on your bigs to guard, and our bigs definitely answered the bell today."

Royce White and Melvin Ejim combined to turn the ball over 13 times but they were also the teams leading scorers and rebounders. White, whose versatility has made him one of the best players in the Big 12, finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Ejim added 15 and eight rebounds. Iowa State won the majority of the 50/50 battles and that proved to be one of the key factors down the stretch despite their scoring just eight second chance points.

"We talk about 50/50 balls all the time. We don't put football pads on and dive after them but we talk about it a lot," said Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg. "We were the first to the floor a couple times and we talk a lot about that as well. Overall a great effort. The first few minutes of the second half was disappointing but we called a quick timeout and got them back out there and refocused. We finished off and played our best stretch of basketball of the season."

The play that essentlally clinched the game for Iowa State came by way of a Kansas turnover, with Chris Babb getting a steal with 1:21 remaining. The Penn State transfer would cash in on the change in possession 25 seconds later with a three-pointer to make the score 67-59, and Iowa State would go on to make five of their last six free throws to sew things up. Tyshawn Taylor led the Jayhawks with 16 points and ten assists and Thomas Robinson added 13 and seven rebounds, but on an afternoon that saw all five KU starters reach double figures their bench didn't provide much help.

Iowa State's reserves outscored the Jayhawk bench 15-5 with Anthony Booker and Tyrus McGee providing the points (and ten rebounds) for the victors. McGee's three-point play with 6:06 remaining broke a 53-all tie and gave the Cyclones the lead for good. Kansas will remain the favorite to win the Big 12 despite this result, but the win was huge for an Iowa State team that went into Saturday without a single RPI Top 50 win (going by realtimerpi.com's numbers). If they can continue to attack the boards (37.9% offensive rebounding percentage on Saturday) and play aggressive basketball, Iowa State has the tools needed to get to the Big Dance.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Saint Mary's takes care of BYU in Provo to remain undefeated in WCC play.
Having already dropped one game at home in conference play, Dave Rose's BYU Cougars needed a win over first-place Saint Mary's if they were to remain a major player in the WCC race. But with the Gaels showing a level of play on the road that's been absent in recent years BYU now finds themselves three games out of first with two games against Gonzaga still left on their schedule. Saint Mary's made up for 24 turnovers and allowing 17 offensive rebounds by shooting 55% from the field and going 25-for-33 from the foul line, winning 80-66 in front of a frenzied Marriott Center crowd that crossed the line at times with the throwing of objects onto the floor. What makes the win (and the margin) all the more surprising is the line that starting point guard Matthew Dellavedova put up, as he finished 1-for-4 from the field (ten points) to go along with seven rebounds, six turnovers and four assists.

But he had plenty of help, with redshirt freshman forward Brad Waldow (19 points, eight rebounds) continuing his solid play of late and Clint Steindl adding 16 points off the bench. Rob Jones scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Saint Mary's, who still has a trip to Gonzaga on their schedule to address. The BYU trio of Matt Carlino (15 points, three assists), Brandon Davies (14 points, seven rebounds) and Noah Hartsock (15 points, three rebounds) led the way but they didn't receive much help while the Gaels' stars did and that proved to be the difference. In prior seasons the late-season fade was an issue for Randy Bennett's team, but in their winning of a chippy affair (the officials were a little too vigorous in their use of the whistle, which didn't help either team) Saint Mary's showed that they've got the staying power needed to not only win the WCC but make some noise in the Big Dance.

2. #4 Syracuse survives a challenge from West Virginia...and the officials marred the ending as well.
What tends to happen in games that are marred by a missed call is that both teams get cheated. The losing team for obvious reasons but the winning squad as well, as they have to defend an outcome that came through no fault of their own. Three officials missed a clear goaltending violation by Baye Keita in the final seconds that would have tied the game, and with Gary Browne missing a last-second three West Virginia left the Carrier Dome with a 63-61 loss. Frankly the Mountaineers have a right to be furious over the missed call, which also overshadows the fact that they out-rebounded Syracuse 41-20 on the afternoon with 19 offensive rebounds. Safe to say that on the interior the Orange miss starting center Fab Melo, but when you get whipped like this one the glass the issue is bigger than one missing player.

Kevin Jones led the Mountaineers, who responded well to the whipping they took at St. John's on Wednesday night, with 20 points and eight rebounds and four other players grabbed at least five boards (three being guards) for the visitors. Looking at the box score it's natural to ask how did Syracuse win. They scored two more points at the foul line (13-11) but they also made up for a 4-for-18 afternoon from beyond the arc by shooting 63% from inside of it. West Virginia on the other hand shot 16-for-44 from two, which to a certain extent nullified their offensive rebounding performance (OR%: 55.9) as they only scored 13 second-chance points to eight for the Orange. Brandon Triche scored 18 points and Kris Joseph 13 to keep the Orange alone atop the Big East standings, leaving West Virginia to wonder what could have been had that violation been called.

3. Washington outlasts Arizona to complete their road sweep, and the Wildcats lose Kevin Parrom too.
Road sweeps will eventually determine who wins the Pac-12, as it tends to do in most seasons. But given the conference's struggled they've become even more important, making Washington's 69-67 win at Arizona that much bigger. Tony Wroten may have shot 5-for-18 from the field in scoring 17 points but his aggressiveness was just what the Huskies needed in front of a frenzied crowd, and his block of a Josiah Turner layup attempt just before the final buzzer preserved the win. Terrence Ross scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds and C.J. Wilcox added 15 off the bench (and five key free throws down the stretch) to keep the Huskies tied for first place in the conference. Solomon Hill was outstanding for Arizona as he finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Jesse Perry added 13 and 12, but the Wildcats were unable to finish off their late rally.

And Sean Miller's team was hit with another blow after the game as it was announced that wing Kevin Parrom would miss the remainder of the season with a broken bone in his right foot. Parrom missed the second half with the injury and it's a cruel twist for a young man who has fought a great amount of adversity this year. His loss is big for the Wildcats, as Parrom's versatility and savvy gave Arizona a player they could rely on to do whatever was required of him on the floor at any particular moment. Are youngsters such as Turner and Nick Johnson ready to step up? Can Kyle Fogg and Brendon Lavender give them more? The answers to those questions will determine Arizona's fate down the stretch. As for Washington the play of Wroten is quickly becoming the key to their hopes of winning the Pac-12, and if he can continue on this path the Huskies will be right there at the finish.

4. Good luck trying to figure out the Atlantic 10, but Temple made quite a statement at home.
Just as wild as the Pac-12 race (but better in terms of quality at the top) has been the Atlantic 10, which seems to become more unpredictable by the day. But if there's one thing that stands out after Saturday's action it's that Fran Dunphy's Temple Owls are currently a step ahead of the competition. Led by Ramone Moore (21 points) and Juan Fernandez (17 points) the Owls whipped city rival Saint Joseph's 78-60 in a game that saw all five Hawks starters fail to reach double figures. Khalif Wyatt added ten points and eight rebounds and Micheal Eric chipped in with 11 off the bench in a game Temple led by as many as 28 points late in the second half.

As a team the Owls shot 60% from the floor and 53.3% from three, overwhelming a Saint Joseph's team that was led by 6th man Ronald Roberts (17 points, ten rebounds). Temple is part of a three-way tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 with surprises Massachusetts (who beat Saint Louis) and La Salle (winners over Duquesne). Saint Louis, who has already won at Xavier, will remain a factor in the race as well Xavier (who won at Charlotte) and Dayton (who inexplicably lost at home to Rhode Island). But if one were to handicap the race right now Temple would be the likely choice to win the conference. The guard play has been well-documented and the return of Eric adds a big man the Owls were missing earlier in the season. If Temple continues to execute on the offensive end as they did against the Hawks they're going to be tough to knock off.

5. #13 Florida's shooting from deep proves to be the difference in their win over #16 Mississippi State.
In the first half of the Gators' 69-57 win over Mississippi State on Saturday the Bulldogs outscored the Gators 10-8 in the paint. That statistic flipped in a big way in the second half, with Florida outscoring the visitors 20-4 on their way to the win. Florida's ability to knock down three-pointers will get the majority of the headlines as they knocked down 11 of their 24 attempts on the day, but don't overlook the importance of their paint scoring. Bradley Beal led Florida with 19 points with Erik Murphy adding 14 and Patric Young 12, and nine of Florida's final eleven field goals were scored in the paint.

Murphy's ability to shoot from the perimeter (4-for-7 3PT) helped open things up for Florida inside, and the combined nine assists and no turnovers from Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton was key as well. Dee Bost and Arnett Moultrie scored 12 points apiece to lead Mississippi State (Moultrie also grabbed 13 rebounds) but Rick Stansbury's guys fell victim to an 11-0 run that put the game out of reach after a Bost three cut Florida's lead to four (51-47) with 8:01 remaining.

Quick Hitters

1. #6 Duke hung on to beat St. John's 83-76 but head coach Mike Krzyzewski was none too pleased after the game. The Blue Devils were sloppy in the second half offensively and defensively they didn't have an answer for Moe Harkless, who finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Ryan Kelly scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Mason Plumlee scored 15 and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who need better guard play if they're to win the ACC.

2. Nasir Robinson scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Pittsburgh's 72-60 win over #10 Georgetown, moving the Panthers to 12-0 all-time at the Petersen Events Center against Top 10 opponents. This game is also another step in the right direction for Pitt, who assisted on 20 of their 25 made baskets. With Tray Woodall finally healthy the Panthers have their point guard back, and they can definitely make a run towards an NCAA berth.

3. There's more work to be done for Colorado State to earn an NCAA Tournament berth but their 77-60 win over #12 San Diego State was a step in the right direction. Wes Eikmeier scored 19 points and Will Bell 17 and five rebounds for the Rams, whose win also resulted in a tie atop the Mountain West as UNLV won in overtime at Air Force. Whether or not Tim Miles' team can make a run at the bubble (or better) remains to be seen, but this kind of win was absent from there resume before Saturday.

4. Wichita State was involved in a thriller but their 93-86 triple overtime loss at Drake dropped the Shockers a game behind Creighton in the Missouri Valley standings. Ben Simons led the Bulldogs with 29 points and eight rebounds and Kurt Alexander's 17 points off the bench were also key. Garrett Stutz led Wichita State with 27 points and Joe Ragland scored 25, but as a result of this loss the Shockers will likely need to win the games approaching the February 11th battle at Creighton to remain a game out.

5. So much for the momentum gained from their win over first-place LIU Brooklyn for Robert Morris, as they fell 81-68 to St. Francis (NY). The loss drops the Colonials two games behind LIU in the NEC, which is where they were before Thursday night's win. Glen Braica's Terriers, who were led by Brent Jones (19 points, four rebounds, four assists) and Travis Nichols (16 points off the bench), are now tied with Wagner a game behind their Brooklyn rivals.

6. Cal State Fullerton got their chance to not only make a statement but add some intrigue to the Big West race but Long Beach State was having no parts of that as they put together a late run to win 75-61. Dan Monson's team closed the game on a 22-10 run after having their lead cut to two points, and at 9-0 in league play the 49ers look to be in good position to win another regular season crown.

7. Kenny McGowen's three-pointer as time expired gave Idaho State a 64-62 win over Weber State, who entered the game undefeated in Big Sky play. McGowen scored 19 points to lead all scorers while Scott Bamforth led the Wildcats with 17 and Damian Lillard added 15. While the win breathes life into the Bengals' hopes of qualifying for the conference tournament it also gives new life to Montana, who is now tied in the loss column with Weber State atop the standings.

8. Dominique Morrison scored 28 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field as Oral Roberts moved to 12-0 in the Summit League with a 77-67 win over UMKC. The Golden Eagles attempted just seven three-pointers but made five while also shooting 22-for-38 from two, and at 20-4 ORU hasn't received the level of national respect that they deserve. This team will be a tough out come March.

9. Speaking of March, good luck to the selection committee finding 37 at-large teams better than Middle Tennessee should the Blue Raiders not win the Sun Belt's automatic bid. Middle Tennessee lost 84-77 at Vanderbilt in what's a good win for the Commodores but the skill of players such as LaRon Dendy should not be lost in the final score. Few teams will be lining up to play Kermit Davis' club anytime soon.

10. Memphis and Southern Miss won the two matchups of the top four teams in Conference USA, setting up a showdown for sole possession of first place Wednesday night in Hattiesburg. Will Barton was outstanding for Memphis in their 83-76 win over Marshall, scoring 29 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Neil Watson (23 points) and Darnell Dodson (22 points, eight rebounds) led Southern Miss to a 78-65 win at UCF.

11. Both Purdue and Illinois had chances to either move to or remain at the head of the pack in the middle of the Big Ten standings but only the Boilermakers took full advantage. Robbie Hummel's jumper from the left baseline in the final seconds gave Purdue a 58-56 win at Northwestern, but Illinois made some poor decisions late and ended up falling 77-72 at Minnesota. Tough to figure out how the middle of the conference will shake out but the ability to win tight games on the road will set teams apart.

Five Notable Performances

1. G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
43 points (16-28 FG) and five rebounds in the Pioneers' 81-80 double overtime loss to Mount St. Mary's. Gibson's three at the end of regulation tied the score at 70 and sent the game into overtime.

2. F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
29 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the Patriots' 89-79 win over James Madison.

3. F Moe Harkless (St. John's) and F Mason Plumlee (Duke)
Harkless accounted for 30 points and 14 rebounds in the Red Storm's 83-76 loss at #6 Duke while Plumlee led the victors with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

4. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
37 points, six assists and four rebounds in the Golden Grizzlies' 78-75 loss to North Dakota State.

5. F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks in the Mean Green's 76-64 win over Arkansas State.

Special Note: Towson picks up their first win of the season
Congrats to Pat Skerry's Towson Tigers, who picked up their first win of the season (and ended a 41-game losing streak) with a 66-61 win over UNC Wilmington. Marcus Damas led the way with 18 points while Deon Jones (15 points, six rebounds) and Robert Nwankwo (12 points, 11 rebounds) were also good. And Erique Gumbs, the lone member of the team to have experienced every loss, chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds. Good to see the program get rewarded for the hard work put in; hope Binghamton (0-20) gets to experience this feeling soon as well.

Wednesday Recap: Pittsburgh May Have Hit Rock Bottom

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:04:21 -0500

It was thought that Pittsburgh's loss at DePaul last week was the epitome of "rock bottom" for Jamie Dixon's program, which is still without injured point guard Tray Woodall. But in hindsight that high-scoring defeat at the hands of the Blue Demons was nothing compared to what happened at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday night. Pitt scored the fewest points in their history as a Big East member, falling 62-39 at Rutgers in front of a stunned crowd.

The Panthers shot 21.1% from both the field and from three in the loss, which moved their overall losing streak to five games. Also Pittsburgh is off to their first 0-4 Big East start since the 1999-2000 campaign, when they dropped their first five conference games. J.J. Moore scored ten points off the bench to lead Pittsburgh in scoring, and with Ashton Gibbs making just two of eleven shots and Lamar Patterson faring even worse (1-for-7) Moore's points went for naught.

"Honestly it seemed like they knew our plays," said Gibbs of the Scarlet Knights' defensive effort. "Coach Rice did a good job of scouting us and it led to them making great switches off of screens. We have to do a better job executing our offense."

Eli Carter led the Scarlet Knights, who were coming off of a 67-60 win over Connecticut, with 14 points while Dane Miller showed off the skills that can make him one of the more versatile producers in the Big East when he's fully engaged with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Rutgers out-rebounded Pittsburgh 51-35 on the night and while the shooting woes definitely played a role in that discrepancy, Rutgers did grab 19 offensive rebounds (22 second-chance points).

"It was the most disappointing thing about the game because that is our main focus," said Nasir Robinson, who finished with four rebounds and no points. "We have to do a better job boxing out and we can't let [teams] out-hustle us."

Execution is a without a doubt a huge part of winning games, but sometimes what happens on the floor boils down to toughness and how a team responds when hit in the mouth. Pittsburgh didn't respond well when that happened on Wednesday night, and that's the most concerning aspect of the loss going forward. Pitt has long be one of the toughest teams in the Big East, and they need to get that confidence back in order to turn things around.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Michigan outlasts Northwestern in overtime, moving to 4-1 in Big Ten play.
Facing a team that plays a similar style of basketball, Northwestern was presented with a great opportunity to bolster their resume with a win at #13 Michigan. But unfortunately for the Wildcats they fell just short, losing 66-64 in overtime. Drew Crawford and John Shurna did what they could, combining for 41 points and 13 rebounds while Crawford added seven assists, but they didn't get much help from their teammates. Dave Sobolewski (nine points) and Reggie Hearn (seven points) both managed to exceed their scoring averages on Wednesday night.

But with Alex Marcotulio scoring just one point and Luka Mirkovic scoring two it was going to be tough for the Wildcats to make that play offensively to get over the hump. Michigan, despite shooting 7-for-30 from three, had better scoring distribution with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke scoring 19 apiece and Stu Douglass adding ten off the bench. Turnovers were ultimately the biggest killer however, as Northwestern turned the ball over a season-high 16 times. To say the least the Wildcats, who have lost their last two games by a combined three points, could have used a few of those lost possessions in the end.

2. Missouri survives a quiet night from Marcus Denmon to win at Iowa State.
Entering the Tigers' game at Iowa State Denmon averaged 18.7 points per game to lead Frank Haith's team, meaning that anyone told that he made just one field goal would likely expect Missouri to leave Ames with a loss. But despite his off night, and 5-for-21 shooting from three, Missouri won 76-69 thanks in large part to their offensive balance. The other six players to see the floor for Missouri all scored in double figures, with Matt Pressey scoring a team-high 14 and three others scoring 12 points apiece.

And Missouri, generally accepted to be the smallest team in the Big 12, out-rebounded the Cyclones 36-25 and outscored them 40-20 in the paint. Missouri also did a better job defensively in the second half, challenging more looks as ISU shot 4-for-11 from three after making eight of twelve in the first half. Iowa State doesn't have the size that teams such as Kansas State and Baylor possess, but they were a good challenge for the Tigers on the heels of their first loss of the season. And with their leading scorer having an off night, Denmon's teammates stepped up their play and earned an important victory as a result.

3. Temple rebounds from their loss to Dayton, winning at Saint Louis.
One important aspect of league play when looking to contend for a conference title is to make sure losses don't turn into losing streaks. Temple was able to do that as they went to Saint Louis and won 72-67. Khalif Wyatt led the way with 22 points and Ramone Moore added 18 as the Owls moved to 1-1 in Atlantic 10 play. Kwamain Mitchell knocked down some big shots late in hopes of pulling the Billikens ahead, but Temple did a good job of limiting his quality looks (6-for-16 FG) for much of the night.

The three-point shot, or SLU's inability to knock the shots down, proved to be the difference as Saint Louis shot 6-for-16 while Temple made five of their seven. Fran Dunphy's team did a good job of not settling for deep shots, shooting 56.6% from the field. With Xavier looking like a team that's starting to return to form, this was a critical game for both Temple and Saint Louis in regards to winning the A-10 crown. Thanks in large part to their solid shot selection, Temple picked up a nice result on the road.

Quick Hitters

1. The top two teams both won games by margins that would fool the casual observer. Syracuse was far more dominant in their 79-66 win over Villanova than that score would indicate, and Kentucky closed their 68-53 win at Auburn with a 23-6 run.

2. With all the consternation surrounding the ACC's lack of depth, NC State losing 82-71 to Georgia Tech at home won't help matters. Four Yellow Jacket starters reached double figures and Glen Rice Jr. scored 22 off the bench, and the visitors also made nine of fifteen deep. The Wolfpack shot 5-for-19 from deep, and that's essentially where the game was lost.

3. No matter how talented they are, Southern Miss just can't seem to get over the hump in their series with Memphis. The Tigers won their 18th straight in the series, 60-58, with Chris Crawford's two free throws being the difference. Cedric Jenkins, who committed the foul that sent Crawford to the line with 31.6 seconds left in a tie game, missed a three as time expired.

4. While Temple did a good job of bouncing back from their loss to Dayton, the Flyers didn't do a great job of dealing with prosperity as they lost 81-73 at St. Bonaventure. Andrew Nicholson led the Bonnies with 30 points and 13 rebounds and the home team made 24 of 28 free throws as well, while Dayton shot 11-for-30 from three.

5. Old Dominion didn't shoot well as they made just 36.4% of their shots, but the Monarchs made up for it by grabbing 20 offensive rebounds in a 68-66 overtime win at Delaware. Kent Bazemore scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the way for ODU, who moved to 4-1 in CAA play.

6. After dropping their MAC opener at Bowling Green on Saturday, Ohio rebounded with a 60-52 win over Buffalo in Athens. D.J. Cooper led the way with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Buffalo's Javon McCrea made just four of thirteen shots from the field.

7. They were picked in the preseason poll to finish 4th in the Patriot League by the coaches but Lafayette is off to a good start, moving to 2-0 in conference play with a 75-63 win over Army. Rob Delaney scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Leopards while Levi Giese scored ten off the bench. Does Fran O'Hanlon's team have enough firepower to hang with preseason favorite Bucknell? We'll find out on Saturday when they host the Bison.

8. Out west, Colorado State picked up a nice win as they beat Denver 79-75 in Fort Collins. Wes Eikmeier scored 22 points while Greg Smith (17 points, seven rebounds) and Dorian Green (15 points) also played well. CSU now moves into conference play, where they have the ability to be a factor in the league race.

Three Notable Performances

1. F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)
30 points and 13 rebounds in the Bonnies' 81-73 win over Dayton.

2. G Kent Bazemore (Old Dominion)
27 points and 12 rebounds in the Monarchs' 68-66 overtime win at Delaware.

3. F Davante Gardner (Marquette)
22 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots in the Golden Eagles' 81-63 win over St. John's.

Michigan vs. Northwestern: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:31:55 -0500

While there aren't any matchups of ranked teams on Wednesday's schedule there are some important contests to keep an eye on, one of which being Northwestern (11-4, 1-2) visiting Ann Arbor to take on a #13 Michigan (13-3, 3-1) squad that's got the look of a Big Ten contender. If you like the three-point shot this is the game for you, as the Wildcats and Wolverines are the top two teams in the Big Ten when it comes to the percentage of points scored via the bonus shot (Northwestern 38.1%, Michigan 36.1%).

Bill Carmody and John Beilein run similar systems, but the focal points in regards to who takes the shots differ. Michigan enjoys more of an equitable distribution of shots, with guards Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.7 apg) and Trey Burke (13.8 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.4 rpg) leading the team in scoring. Three players average double figures for the maize and blue while three more average at least seven points per game, and as a team the Wolverines shoot 47.5% from the field.

Northwester on the other hand call on a pair of wings for the majority of their scoring, with John Shurna (18.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg) and Drew Crawford (17.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.9 apg) currently ranking as the conference's leading scoring duo. The Wildcats have three other players averaging between 6.0 and 8.4 points per game, but they have a much tougher time winning if either Crawford or Shurna were to go cold than Michigan would if one of their key players had a rough night.

Where this game will ultimately be decided is in the paint, especially when it comes to rebounding. Northwestern is the Big Ten's worst rebounding team when it comes to margin, as they're being out-rebounded by an average of nearly five rebounds per game. Michigan on the other hand has a margin of plus-3.3, and the tandem of Evan Smotrycz (10.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Jordan Morgan (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) are the chief producers.

As for the Wildcats, in addition to being their leading scorers Crawford and Shurna are also their leading rebounders, with senior forward Luka Mirkovic (7.4 ppg) being next in line with an average of 4.3 caroms per contest. He has to be a more consistent factor, both on Wednesday night as well as throughout the remainder of the season, if the Wildcats are to make good on their goal of earning the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Northwestern allows an average of nearly 12 offensive rebounds per game, and if Michigan can take advantage of that area this could end in a double-digit margin in favor of the home team.

Another game that sticks out is a hot Southern Miss, winners of 11 straight, visiting Memphis in a matchup of two Conference USA contenders. Joe Jackson will need to play well at the point for the Tigers to be the factor many believe they can be despite a slow start exacerbated by a very difficult schedule. Will Barton's played like one of the best players in C-USA to this point in the year, but the addition of Darnell Dodson has been a nice boost for the Golden Eagles.

There's also a pair of games in the Atlantic 10 to watch with Xavier hosting Duquesne and Temple visiting Saint Louis. Ron Everhart's Dukes are a middle of the pack team this season, but with T.J. McConnell and B.J. Monteiro leading their deep backcourt Duquesne has the ability to make things difficult on the Musketeers. But their lack of frontcourt depth could open things up for Andre Walker and Kenny Frease. As for the Owls, they're looking to rebound from their loss to Dayton on Saturday but it's going to be tough to do at Chaifetz. Rick Majerus' Billikens are led by Kwamain Mitchell, and they also have enough talent to win the A-10.

Missouri's trip to Iowa State should be fun due to the fact that the Tigers will have to provide an answer for one of the tougher matchups in the Big 12 in forward Royce White. White led the Cyclones to an emphatic win at Texas A&M with a triple-double, and given how much of the offense Fred Hoiberg runs through him White could very well post another at some point this season.

Also in the Top 10 Syracuse, Kentucky and Kansas all hit the road for games they're expected to win, but the Orange had better be careful with a Villanova team that really needs a win of this magnitude. As for a good non-conference game, Denver visits Colorado State in the final tune-up for Mountain West play for the Rams. Joe Scott's got a Sun Belt contender on his hands, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the Pioneers left Fort Collins with a win.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (1) Syracuse at Villanova (ESPN2)
8:00 PM (2) Kentucky at Auburn (ESPN3)
8:00 PM (9) Missouri at Iowa State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM (10) Kansas at Texas Tech
6:30 PM Northwestern at (13) Michigan (BTN)
7:00 PM St. John's at (24) Marquette

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Rhode Island at George Washington
7:00 PM Old Dominion at Delaware
7:00 PM Navy at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Charlotte at Massachusetts
7:00 PM William & Mary at Towson
7:00 PM Wake Forest at Maryland (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Dayton at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Akron at Bowling Green
7:00 PM Buffalo at Ohio
7:00 PM Rutgers at Pittsburgh (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Longwood at Brown
7:00 PM Southern Miss at Memphis
7:00 PM Boston University at Maine
7:00 PM Army at Lafayette
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Albany
7:00 PM Colgate at Bucknell
7:00 PM Houston at UCF
7:00 PM Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
7:00 PM Northeastern at Hofstra
7:00 PM Miami (OH) at Kent State
7:00 PM American at Lehigh
7:00 PM Stony Brook at UMBC
7:00 PM Fordham at Saint Joseph's
7:00 PM Northern Illinois at Western Michigan
7:00 PM Duquesne at Xavier (CBS SN)
7:30 PM Northwestern State at Nicholls State
8:00 PM Marshall at UAB
8:00 PM Arkansas at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
8:00 PM UTEP at Tulsa
8:00 PM Sam Houston State at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Central Arkansas (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rice at SMU
8:00 PM Texas-Pan American at TCU
8:00 PM Morehead State at Tennessee State
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at UTSA
8:30 PM Penn State at Nebraska (BTN)
9:00 PM Denver at Colorado State (The Mtn.)
9:00 PM Temple at Saint Louis (CBS SN)
9:00 PM Georgia Tech at NC State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Texas A&M at Texas
9:00 PM LSU at Alabama (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Lamar at McNeese State

Bubble Watch: Mid-Majors Clinging to At-Large Bids

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:33:00 -0500

Based on CollegeHoops.net's most recent Bracketology projection, here is how the NCAA Tournament Bubble currently stands. CHN will publish Bubble Watch on Tuesday's following the Bracketology update.

As always, the field below is a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand today, not what they should do. Teams are listed in order of likelihood of making the tournament.

Change	Seed	Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	AP
	10	Vanderbilt	SEC	10-4	39	48	58	29
	11	Temple	A10	9-3	27	44	52
	11	Pittsburgh	BE	11-4	79	53	70	31
	11	Virginia Tech	ACC	11-3	38	35	33
	12	Arizona	P12	10-4	53	41	56
	12	Minnesota	B10	12-3	20	46	47
	13	Cincinnati	BE	11-3	117	47	63	34
	13	Northwestern		11-3	29	68	49
	13	Florida St	ACC	8-5	78	40	62
	13	Marshall	CUSA	9-4	68	60	54
Bubble
		Memphis	CUSA	8-5	33	31	26
		BYU	WCC	12-4	69	20	32
		Oklahoma	B12	10-3	42	69	55
		St. Joseph's	A10	10-4	41	54	51
		Dayton	A10	10-4	35	70	60
		Northern Iowa	MVC	10-4	30	65	64
		Ole Miss	SEC	10-4	49	112	86
		Washington	P12	8-5	77	51	68
		Texas A&M	B12	9-4	226	85	134	35
		NC State	ACC	8-4	73	62	59

Dropped Out of Bubble Watch: Oregon St

Projected Conference Champs that would be on the Bubble if they lost title:

Change	Seed	Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	AP
	11	Southern Miss	CUSA	13-2	18	72	37
	12	Ohio	MAC	12-2	62	66	43	27
	12	Iona	MAAC	11-3	32	42	45
	13	Middle Tennessee	SB	13-2	80	57	41
Bubble
		Belmont	ASUN	10-5	64	28	34
		Cleveland St	HOR	12-3	58	101	74	38
		Long Beach St	BW	8-6	16	37	38

Projected Conference Leaders Out of Bubble Watch: Charleston

We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @collegehoopsnet :

Non-BCS Top 25: Southern Miss, Denver Surge

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:51:15 -0500

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: December 25th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	Creighton	10-1	2	8
2	UNLV	13-2	4	7
3	Saint Louis	11-1	5	NA
4	Harvard	10-1	6	21
5	Xavier	9-3**	1	2
6	San Diego St	11-2	7	18
7	Murray St	13-0	9	NA
8	Gonzaga	9-2	8	3
9	Wichita St	9-2	10	13
10	Cleveland St	11-2*	3	NA
11	Ohio	11-1	29	NA
12	New Mexico	10-2	12	5
13	Marshall	9-2	14	10
14	Temple	7-3	15	4
15	Iona	10-2	20	NA
16	Charleston	10-2*	16	NA

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
17	Saint Mary's	11-2*	18	14
18	BYU	10-3	19	17
19	Southern Miss	10-2	30	NA
20	Denver	10-2	33	NA
21	Northern Iowa	10-2*	13	NA
22	Memphis	6-5*	17	1
23	Indiana St	9-2	22	19
24	St. Joseph's	9-3	25	NA
25	UCF	8-3*	21	25

pre. = preseason ranking

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

* = Losses in the last week

Next 5: VCU (9-3), MTSU (11-2), Wyoming (12-2*), Kent St (8-3**), Long Beach St (7-5)

Further 5: Dayton (9-4*), Belmont (8-5*), Weber St (8-3), Nevada (9-3), Georgia St (9-3)

Dropped Out of Top 25 This Week:

#11 Kent St

#23 Wyoming

#24 Tulane

Dropped Out of Top 25 Since Preseason:

#6 Butler

#9 George Mason

#11 Drexel

#15 Kent St

#16 VCU

#22 Utah St

#23 Long Beach St

#24 UAB

#25 GW

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

Monday Recap: #10 Marquette, #12 Kansas Both Upset

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:17:46 -0500

What looked to be a routine post-finals Monday in college basketball turned out to be anything but as two ranked teams fell. #10 Marquette went on the road to take on an LSU team that much isn't expected of this season and found themselves in a dog fight. Averaging 81 points per game the Golden Eagles finished the game 22 points below their average in the 67-59 loss to the Tigers, with LSU making the required plays on both ends of the floor late.

Ralston Turner led the way with 22 points while Justin Hamilton (13 points, seven rebounds) and Storm Warren (10 points, six rebounds) also reached double figures and point guard Anthony Hickey added eight points, six assists and four steals. LSU very well could have allowed things to get out of hand from the start as Marquette rushed out to a 13-0 lead, but Trent Johnson's team didn't panic and they used defense to get back into the contest. Marquette shot 36.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, and their bench was outscored 24-4 as well.

"We got hit in the face a little bit with that 13-0 run," said Johnson. "I thought those guys (senior reserves Malcolm White, Storm Warren and Chris Bass) came in and gave us a lot of energy. They competed their tails off and then we got back in the thing and found out that we can compete a little bit."

How often will Buzz Williams' team have to account for quiet nights from Vander Blue (four points, 1-4 FG), Junior Cadougan (six points, 3-10 FG) and Todd Mayo (two points, 0-5 FG)? Probably won't happen all that much, and when adding to that LSU's offensive efficiency of 103.1 despite turning the ball over on 28% of their possessions the makings for an upset are there. Jae Crowder (22 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (16 points but six turnovers) led the way offensively for Marquette, and a positive they can take out of the game was the seven points and eight rebounds supplied by Davante Gardner.

Not as much luck for #12 Kansas, who trailed for much of the night in their 80-74 loss to Davidson in Kansas City. The big question for Bill Self's team in the aftermath of the defeat: outside of Thomas Robinson (21 points, 18 rebounds) where did the Jayhawks have a clear edge on the Wiildcats? Davidson turned the ball over 12 times in the first half yet still went into the break with a 33-32 lead as the Jayhawks shot just 39.8% from the field.

Bob McKillop's team would be even better in the second half taking care of the basketball, not turning it over once. Nik Cochran led four starters in double figures with 21 points and while Davidson didn't shoot well from the field (41.0%) they shot well from the foul line (19-25) while Kansas left points on the board in shooting 18-for-31. It's one thing to shoot poorly from the field, but leaving points at the charity stripe will more times than not come back to haunt you.

The Wildcats also outscored Kansas 33-18 from beyond the arc, with Cochran being the main marksman by knocking down four of five attempts. Kansas made a few threes late to stay in the game but it was too little too late, as Davidson put more effort as the game wore on in doubling Robinson inside. The Jayhawks simply couldn't get over the hump in front of a partisan crowd, and in the final minutes Davidson landed the critical blows needed to bounce back with a win following their blowout loss at Charlotte.

"I thought we came out in the second half and scored two baskets, which at least put us in the center ring for the rest of the half," remarked McKillop. "I thought our resiliency was a great statement about our team maturing and showing poise and taking a week of practice after a tough loss and really capitalizing on it."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Marshall beats Belmont by one in a thriller in Huntington.
The game of the night did not disappoint, with Marshall needing a missed Kerron Johnson layup as time expired to hang on for the 87-86 win. Damier Pitts (19 points, 11 assists) and Dennis Tinnon (24 points, ten rebounds) each posted double-doubles while DeAndre Kane led the way with 29 points for the Thundering Herd, who are now 8-2 and have the talent to challenge Memphis in Conference USA. Johnson led six Belmont players in double figures with 18 points, but despite the margin of defeat Rick Byrd's team will be able to point at second-chance points as the difference.

Marshall grabbed 14 offensive boards and outscored Belmont 23-7 in second-chance points, a margin that did more damage to the visitors than the 16-4 spread in fast-break points. The good news for the Bruins is that they'll get another shot at the Herd in ten days in Nashville, but if they can't rectify the issues on the boards between now and then the rematch will likely net the same result. As for Marshall this is another solid win for their resume, and if they can to C-USA play with an 11-2 record Bill Herrion's team would be a a nice spot in terms of a possible at-large berth.

2. No Gutierrez or Solomon? No problem for Cal, who blew out UCSB.
With forward Richard Solomon out for at least the next two games with a stress fracture in his left foot and guard Jorge Gutierrez falling ill, the Golden Bears were without two key cogs for their game against UCSB. With the Gauchos having one of the more potent perimeter attacks in James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson a loss at home was a distinct possiblity. But Justin Cobbs would have none of that talk, scoring a career-high 25 points (10-12 FG) and Allen Crabbe adding 19 in the Golden Bears' 70-50 victory.

Nunnally and Johnson combined to score just 19 points, making nine of twenty-five shots from the field and as a team UCSB made two of thirteen from beyond the arc (Cal finished 11-for-20). Freshman David Kravish replaced Solomon in the starting lineup, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Kravish isn't needed to be a scorer as the Bears have enough weapons to take care of that department, but his ability to hit the glass and do the little things has been a factor in their 10-2 start. Next up for Cal is a tough non-conference game at UNLV this weekend before they begin Pac-12 play next week.

3. Denver does the job defensively in handing Wyoming their second loss.
There was the question of just how legit Larry Shyatt's Cowboys were as they boasted an 11-1 record going into Monday's game at Denver. But in the aftermath of the Pioneers' 57-46 win at Magness Arena the better conclusion to draw may be that Joe Scott's got a Sun Belt title contender on his hands. Denver attempted just 39 shots for the game but they outscored the Cowboys 27-3 from beyond the arc, and Chase Hallam scored 21 points in his third double-digit effort of the season.

Wyoming shot 37.2% from the field while making just one of thirteen from beyond the arc, and that difference proved costly as the Pioneers made six of nine from three in the second half. Hallam's a key figure for Denver if they're going to be right there with Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt race. After averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 46.2% from the field in 2010-11 Hallam's numbers have dropped significantly this season (7.8 ppg, 40.3% FG), and that will need to change in order to supplement the efforts of Brian Stafford and Chris Udofia. The hope for Denver is that Hallam's 21-point outing is a step in the right direction.

Quick Hitters

1. A third head coach stepped down on Monday, with Idaho State and Joe O'Brien parting ways. The Bengals are 2-8 on the season and O'Brien concludes his tenure at ISU with a record of 56-105. Assistant coach Deane Martin was named interim head coach.

2. North Carolina grabbed a staggering 72 rebounds in their 99-49 win over Nicholls State. The Colonels have to adjust to life without the graduated Anatoly Bose, and it's been a rough go as they dropped to 4-8 on the season. Three UNC players grabbed at least ten rebounds with two more grabbing at least seven, and as a team the Tar Heels finished with 31 offensive rebounds.

3. It might be time to speak of Creighton forward Doug McDermott the same way Bum Phillips used to speak of Earl Campbell when he coached the Houston Oilers. He might not be the best forward in the country but it doesn't take long to call roll, and McDermott put up 35 points (career-high) and seven rebounds in the Bluejays' 83-64 win at Tulsa.

4. Another forward moving in that direction is West Virginia forward Kevin Jones. Jones put up 25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in the Mountaineers' 72-53 win over Tennessee Tech, and he's got six double-doubles in ten games.

5. Kudos to USF for proving this writer wrong with their 70-55 win over Cleveland State. Jawanza Poland made his return and scored 13 points off the bench while Cleveland State made just seven of twenty-six shots from beyond the arc in their second loss of the season. Good win for Stan Heath's club.

6. Two teams tied for first place in the Big South dropped non-conference road games on Monday night, as Campbell lost to UNC Wilmington 67-65 and Coastal Carolina was whipped 76-51 by East Carolina. The Chanticleers made just three of twenty-one shots from three in their loss at ECU while Matt Wilson's tip-in with 1.4 seconds remaining spelled doom for the Camels.

7. Welcome back, Darnell Dodson. His three-pointer as time expired gave Southern Miss a 64-61 win at Arizona State in what turned out to be a wild affair. Well before the Golden Eagles blew a nine-point lead in the final minute USM's Torye Pelham and ASU's Ruslan Pateev were ejected for fighting, and LaShay Page scored all 14 of his points in the second half.

8. What's more surprising about USC's 83-59 beating of TCU: that they scored 83 points or that they got college basketball's "iron man" Maurice Jones four minutes of rest? Jones, who leads the nation in minutes per game, led four Trojans in double figures with 25 points and USC shot 50.9% from the field. That "extra" rest could come into play on Thursday night as USC hosts Kansas.

9. The Basketball Hall of Fame released its first list of candidates for the Cousy Award on Monday, and two names are missing from the list: Saint Mary's Matthew Dellavedova and Missouri's Phil Pressey.

Four Notable Performances

1. F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
25 points, 14 rebounds and two assists in the Mountaineers' 72-53 win over Tennessee Tech.

2. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
Career-high 35 points and seven rebounds in the Bluejays' 83-64 win over Tulsa.

3. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
21 points and 18 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 80-74 loss to Davidson.

4. C Meyers Leonard (Illinois)
19 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in the Fighting Illini's 64-60 win over Cornell.