USC

GameNight: USC vs San Francisco

Evan Dorey — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:25:07 -0500

Start: Dec 1 2008 - 10:30pm

Preview & Prediction: By Evan Dorey

-- Evan Dorey's game previews & rankings are based on Elo Ratings. Elo Ratings are fairly simple, all teams are assigned an initial number of points, which is the same for all teams, eliminating preseason bias. Then, as the season progresses, when a team wins it gains points, and when it loses it drops points. The amount of points that are gained or lost depend on the level of the opponent (beating a cupcake gets you little, beating #1 will be a big increase), the scoring margin of the game (which is capped), and the game’s location. To take a look at Evan's College Basketball Elo Ratings, visit his website or blog where he discusses the rankings along with other statistical observations about big games and interesting teams.

With the preseason holiday tournament giving way to a less crowded schedule this week, the games put up for our post-Turkey day consumption aren’t quite as compelling as they have been. One worth keeping an eye on tonight is #86 San Francisco (5-1) traveling to LA to face #74 Southern California (4-2).

The Trojans have had an up-and-down start to the season, losing two games against power conference opposition in Puerto Rico, but winning their four home games fairly comfortably. The Dons’ only loss came at Cal, but it was fairly tough, and none of their five wins to date have really impressed. They are a team that probably look a lot better by my rankings than they will in a game situation, but they are still among the better opposition to travel to USC’s building so far.

A typical Tim Floyd team builds strength from the defense first, and this year’s edition looks to be no exception. As was the case last year, the Trojans’ defense depends on their ability to prevent shots from going in, especially inside, while controlling the number of fouls they commit in the process. One of the more interesting facets of the Trojans so far this season has been their showing on the boards, both offensively and defensively, as they have recovered a much larger portion of misses than they did in the 07-08 campaign. Tim Floyd’s teams tend to play slow, and don’t press for steals much. San Francisco’s offense is their strong point, with, as is the mid-major stereotype, three-point shooting being critical. The real problem for San Fran in this game will be the glass, as they just lack the size to compete on either end with USC’s rebounding. They will need to be very efficient and limit turnovers, which have been a problem, to score enough to stay close.

Defensively, USF have been a bit of a mess so far. They are among the worst in the nation at defending threes, and tend to give up a lot of chances on the offensive glass. The one piece of good news for the Dons is that Southern Cal give up plenty of possessions themselves through turnovers, and shoot very few three-balls, and are very bad shooters when they do. However, USC should be able to press the issue inside, where they are average, if not particularly strong scorers

USC have only a single senior who has been on the floor this season, and even then only as a sixth or seventh man. This is a young but very talented team. At least on ESPN, USC seems to be attached to the name DeMar DeRozan, but the freshman has struggled so far, shooting poorly and coughing up the ball a little too often. The real guy that should be mentioned with USC is forward Taj Gibson, whose foul trouble against Missouri was a significant factor in that loss. Gibson is efficient, about a 55% shooter who knows not to take threes (not a single one in three years), and is part of the domination of the glass that the Trojans have had this year. He has hit double digits in every game, and if they can get him somewhere in the range of 15 shots or more, they can be a very effective offensive team. A couple of junior guards are also important in Dwight Lewis and Daniel Hackett. Lewis is a decent scoring option as a shooting guard, while Hackett should try and shoot less and distribute more, and also needs to control turnovers in a way he failed to in the Missouri loss.

The good news so far for the Dons is that a couple of their newer players seem to have integrated quite well, as juco transfer Blake Wallace has come in and been a good inside and outside shooter who is capable of chipping in on the glass as well, while freshman guard Kwame Vaughn has displayed a strong shooting touch from inside the arc, considering he’s only 6-3. They add these pieces to two solid returnees, guard Manny Quezada, who put up 27 against Cal and has been a decent 3-point shooter throughout his career, along with being a good ball control and passing point guard, and forward Dior Lowhorn, an honorable mention CHN Mid-Major All-American. Lowhorn is an offensive force, averaging 20 points per game last season, and doing it with some decent efficiency. He also crashes the boards well, and while he will be outmatched against USC’s interior players, any hopes the Dons’ have will surely include a big night from their main star.

Alright, I feel I’m on pretty safe ground with picking an easy USC win in this one, but the Trojans are a team I’ll be watching closely given their poor showing in Puerto Rico. USC’s four wins have been over teams with a combined 3-15 record against Division I opposition, and with a red-hot Oklahoma team being the Trojans’ next opponents, they will need to find some form, especially on offense to have a good shot in that game. It will also be another good test for the Dons, who look to face one of the toughest conference seasons they’ve ever had with three very good teams in the WCC. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the game stay close even as far as halftime, but USC will be able to pull away to a double digit win in the end.

Winner: Southern California Margin: +10

Poll: Who Has Been the Most Disappointing Freshman?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:28:43 -0500

NBA: OJ Mayo is Living the Dream

Hoopsworld — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:08:44 -0500

By: Bill Ingram

For Ovinton J'Anthony "OJ" Mayo, the pressure to perform at the highest level began in seventh grade. That's when Sports Illustrated started talking about him as one of the top high school recruits in the country.

Yes, when he was in seventh grade!

Long before the nation's sports world began to pay attention, however, Mayo was driven to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. The SI mention merely stoked the fire.

"It really did," Mayo told HOOPSWORLD recently. "It set really high expectations and you always want to meet expectations. You want to play hard and keep fighting to make your dream come true and play in the NBA."

While in high school and college Mayo has an opportunity to compete against Team USA, and was a part of the 2008 USA Basketball Men's Select Team that helped prepare the eventual gold medalists for the Beijing Olympics.

"I just think that helped get me ready. Those guys really work hard, really compete hard and at a really, really high level. It definitely makes you understand what it takes to compete at that level."

Not long ago Mayo would have jumped directly from high school to the NBA, as players like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James have done in the past. The recent rules change, however, meant that Mayo had to spend at least one year in college. For the USC Trojans he averaged 20.7 points per game and was a freshman finalist for the Naismith Trophy and the John Wooden Award.

"I think it definitely showed me discipline," Mayo says of his year in the NCAA. "Coach (Tim) Floyd really teaches discipline and the college game is a much more disciplined game and it was definitely a help to me."

His dream of playing in the NBA became basically an appointment with destiny, and this summer he was the third overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Later that night he was traded in a blockbuster that landed him in Memphis, where the Grizzlies are thrilled to have him.

"He's been fantastic," says Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. "He's been willing to learn from day one, willing to work hard and do things that guys have to do to be great in this league. He's done a great job so far of complementing our team and making us better."

"I knew he'd be good," adds a confident Marc Iavaroni, head coach of the Grizzlies. "Our scouts were really, really high on him. I had seen him on tape and I liked him a lot. You know, the intangibles on him are almost as important as his skill level. He's very competitive, very motivated every time he takes the court, and not just for games. He's a gamer, but he also works very hard in the gym. When you see him in person he really makes an impression. I can see why our scouts were so high on him."

Mayo struggled with turnover in the Las Vegas Summer League, but showed he could score the ball basically at will. Between mid-July and the start of training camp he worked relentlessly on his ball-handling and got some help with his decision-making and is now playing like a seasoned veteran in the Grizzlies' backcourt.

"It was only a matter of time," says Conley, who played with him in Vegas. "He learns quickly as a player and that's what makes him great. He adapts his game. He saw what he did in summer league; he looked at the tape repeatedly and saw the things he needed to do to be able to play at this level. He saw how he needed to adjust to be able to dribble and handle the ball and limit his turnovers. He and I talked about it quite a bit and he's become a lot better at being handle the ball in pressure situations."

"He's really been shooting the ball well," agrees Hakim Warrick, smiling. "I know how tough it is coming out, being a rookie. For him to go out there and average 20 says a lot about him. He fits in well off the court, as well. That's one thing that's a real positive for our team. We've got a whole bunch of young guys that really get along. That really is hard to find. All the different personalities, guys coming from different areas, things like that, and for us to all get along I think that's been a real positive for us."

"He's been able to come out and be effective early," adds Rudy Gay. "You don't see a lot of people who can do that. He worked really hard over the summer to be ready for us and he plays his heart out every night. He's been productive. As a rookie you don't really have a choice but to buy into what's already happening on a team, from my experience, but he's definitely one of those personalities that we can hang around with and that can be an important part of this team."

Hard work has never been an issue for Mayo, who told us his mother's work ethic rubbed off on him from an early age.

"My mother was always my role model. I saw how hard she works and I want to work as hard as she does at my job, being a basketball player. She helped me to fulfill my dream, just telling me to keep working, keep working hard and take it seriously."

And when he wasn't listening to his mother, he was watching the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson win championships. It's in honor of Magic that OJ wears #32 for the Grizzlies, and now that he has achieved his dream of playing in the NBA he's hoping to realize another one . . .to meet the retired Lakers star.

"I haven't gotten a chance to meet Magic yet, but hopefully when we're through LA I'll get a chance to finally meet him."

So far OJ Mayo has been able to achieve every goal he's set forth for himself. You can bet he'll soon get to meet Magic, as well. In fact, as well as he's playing, the Lakers star will probably seek him out. And who better to help Mayo take his game to the next level than Magic Johnson?

There are plenty of good rookies in this year's draft class, but if there's one thing Mayo has shown over the course of his young career it's that he loves a challenge. Don't be surprised if he rises to the top of the rookie ranks by season's end and adds the Rookie of the Year trophy to his ever-growing collection.

College Basketball: 20 Random Thoughts & Observations

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:42:39 -0500

20 Random Rants, Thoughts, and Observations from the Week in College Basketball by CollegeHoops.net Editor Shawn Siegel:

1 - Jonny Flynn is even better than I ever gave him credit for. He's more than just a speed guy.. he's a money point guard.

2 - Syracuse needs to do some serious work on their ole 2-3 zone. The problem right now is simply personnel. They don't have enough length & height to really cause havoc with their traps.

3 - Damion James (Texas) is up there right now for the Least-Improved Player award.

4 - What's with all the Purdue fans who think their team is the greatest thing since Double Stuffed Oreos?

5 - Blake Griffin has been a monster, but Oklahoma still seems majorly flawed. Willie Warren's putting up decent ppg totals, but needs to become a much more active rebounder, passer, and ball-handler if the Sooners expect to go far.

6 - The Old Spice Classic is loaded. Can't wait for this event.. it puts the Preseason NIT or even Maui to shame.

7 - Bob Knight is getting better as an announcer, but I could still do without him.

8 - Yes, Indiana will stink this year. But Tom Pritchard is a pleasant surprise, he's a legit Big Ten talent, which is more than I expected

9 - Arizona fans better get used to losing. Losing to UAB at home isn't a huge deal, but barely putting away Santa Clara is. The Broncos couldn't even beat FAU.

10 - Get ready to start hearing about Washington State's Klay Thompson. With the way DeRozan and others have struggled, its not even out of the question he could be the Pac-10 ROY.

11 - Back to DeRozan for a sec, he has to be considered a major disappointment so far. 9 ppg wont cut it, especially when you add in his 12 turnovers and just 3 assists. Yes, its early, but I just haven't seen any reason to think he'll be effective in the half-court offense.

12 - On the flip side, Samardo Samuels has been dominant in two blow out wins. 42 points in 50 minutes of play. Louisville plays an extremely soft early schedule so I see no reason why he won't put up big numbers for the next month. He's legit.

13 - Notre Dame needs to hit a couple damn FT's. At least no air balls fellas.

14 - I hyped up VT's Jeff Allen in the off-season as Most Improved Player candidate, and he's made me look good so far averaging 18 and 11 per game. Allen has even more room for improvement left.

15 - I dont think G'Town's Austin Freeman worked out all summer.

16 - Xavier's a very fun team to watch. They have 8 legitimate starting-quality players, and Kenny Frease has serious potential. But yet, they still seem to lack that one go-to guy that will put them over the top. Their depth and athleticism should lead them to an A-10 title, but I don't see a big March run happening this year.

17 - Outside of Drake's surprise season, last year was somewhat of a downer for the MVC. This year looks to be ho hum again, as SIU and Creighton are only okay. Illinois State's off to a nice start but they don't play a good team until January 3rd..

18 - Wright State was supposed to be a contender for the HL title along with Cleveland State and Butler, but the Raiders are 0-3, and coming off a brutal 55-37 home loss to Miami. The team is shooting a hard to imagine 34.8% from the floor.

19 - What are the odds Oregon State loses every game this season against D1 opponents? 50%? 90%?

20 - Anthony Tucker's been a nice find for Iowa. The freshman guard is averaging 16 ppg for a team that desperately needed help scoring the ball. In fact, the Hawkeyes 2nd leading scorer is also a freshman, Matt Gatens. Iowa finally faces a real test this weekend against West Virginia.

- I've been busy getting the pickem game going (why haven't you signed up yet??) and finishing CHN's preseason material, so apologies for the lack of content recently!

Pac-10 Coach Raking: Big Ben

Jeff Fox — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:33:40 -0500

Take a wild guess who is ranked as the top coach in the Pac 10? You got it, that guy.

1) Ben Howland – UCLA

Ben Howland is truly the king of the Pac 10. He has the Bruins on course for a fourth-straight Final Four.

2) Mike Montgomery – California

A great hire for Cal – Mike Montgomery has the coaching pedigree to lead the Golden Bears back to their 1990s Jason Kidd-led level.

3) Tim Floyd – USC

There’s a new player in L.A. hoops. Tim Floyd seems to have the recruiting touch and the Trojans are ready to fight back against neighborhood bully UCLA.

4) Herb Sendek – Arizona State

Herb Sendek has the Sun Devils headed towards the upper echelon of the Pac 10 and is now the top coach in the Land of McCain.

5) Tony Bennett – Washington State

There is no way that Washington State should be a player in the Pac 10 every year, yet Tony Bennett has them doing just that.

6) Lorenzo Romar – Washington

The back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in ’05 and ’06 seem ages ago. At least Lorenzo Romar has Jon Brockman around for his senior season.

7) Ernie Kent – Oregon

Ernie Kent’s Ducks appear to have peaked in 2007 with their appearance in the Elite 8. Don’t expect a repeat performance this season.

8) Johnny Dawkins – Stanford

It should be a long season for first year coach Johnny Dawkins. Couldn’t at least one of those Lopez twins have stuck around for another season?

9) Craig Robinson – Oregon State

It’s debatable who has the tougher task ahead of him – Craig Robinson or his brother-in-law Barack Obama.

10) Russ Pennell – Arizona

Its always hard to follow a legend, but being thrown into the head coaching position at the last minute (and thrown into the middle of a soap opera to boot) makes Russ Pennell’s job even harder.

College Basketball: Top Freshmen

Joey Whelan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:45:42 -0500

Ah the new kids on the block. This year’s freshman class will have some big shoes to fill after last year’s epic group. While they probably won’t be on the same level, the class of 2013 has more than enough talented players to have a serious impact at this level before shipping off to the NBA. This group has a little bit of everything: freakish athletes, bruising post players, talented wings and speedy guards. While some of them will be expected to lead from day one, and others will fill in nicely as role players, all of them will have a major impact from the moment they step on the court.

Pick Six: Top Freshmen

CHN's Pick Six series highlights the Top 6 players by position, league, and class.

1. B.J. Mullens – Ohio State

There isn’t a better combination of size and athleticism in this class, or maybe in the country. Mullens is a legitimate 7-footer with the ability to run in the open floor, shoot from the perimeter and explode to the basket. He has soft hands and is able to score with either his right or his left; throw in his nicely developing footwork and Mullens could have a post game capable of putting up big numbers in the Big Ten this season. More often than not, Mullens will probably rely on his athleticism in the early going, but should be plenty to allow him to dominate the opposition.

2. Jrue Holiday – UCLA

UCLA is absolutely spoiled with backcourt talent and Jrue Holiday is a big reason why. He already possesses a pretty solid all-around offensive game at this point in his development; owning a strong perimeter shot with range out to the NBA line. Holiday showed last season that when defenders play him tight on the outside he is more than capable of taking them to the basket with a solid first step and excellent handles, or pulling up to drain a mid-range jumper. Holiday is such a valuable commodity because he can beat teams either as a point where he shows great passing instincts, or he can put up nice scoring numbers off the ball. This combo-guard will be a headache in Pac-10 play this season.

3. Al-Farouq Aminu – Wake Forest

This inside/outside threat is going to be a major part of the Demon Deacon resurrection this season. Aminu is an explosive athlete, able to take almost any defender to the basket and elevate with them for points around the rim. He’s long enough that he’ll be able to score in the paint on a regular basis, but also shows a nicely developing mid-range game at this point. His perimeter shooting needs to improve, but as he works on his range, these numbers will get better. Aminu is built in the same kind of mold that Marvin Williams is, but unlike Williams who spent his one season in college coming off the bench, Aminu will be a go-to player for Wake this season.

4. Demar DeRozan – USC

Yes, my love affair with the high flyer from out west continues. DeRozan has off the charts athleticism, capable of elevating with and over anyone in the country. While he is really only known at this point for his gravity defying dunks and impressive range on his jumper, the USC coaching staff has been raving about his ability to score points within the flow of the offense while not dominating the basketball. Is the freshman going to put up the kinds of numbers that OJ Mayo did last season? Probably not, but the Trojans don’t need him to. The real key for DeRozan won’t be how many points he gets, but how he gets them.

5. Tyreke Evans – Memphis

Being the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game certainly comes with its share of expectations; don’t be shocked when Evans lives up to them. The freshman already has an NBA body and the offensive ability to boot. He can beat teams from the outside with his shooting range, or cut his way to the basket with ease. Evans’ ability to hang in the air and adjust in traffic around the basket is very impressive for a player at his stage. He will excel in the up tempo style that the Tigers play, he just needs to avoid becoming too trigger happy as was sometimes the case in high school.

6. Samardo Samuels – Louisville

This beast out of New Jersey is going to feel right at home in the rough and tumble Big East and Cardinals fans should be excited. His frame alone will make him tough to stop on the block, standing an imposing 6’8” 240 pounds of solid muscle, but Samuels also has a very polished post game already. Once in a while he will choose to face up when he receives the ball inside and surprises with a pretty good first step for a player of his size. His jumper isn’t great at this point and he often winds up fading away when turning to shoot. Despite that, he more than has enough bulk and polish to do some damage in the post this season.

Next in Line: Scotty Hopson, Tennessee; Greg Monroe, Georgetown; Devin Ebanks, West Virginia; Chris Singleton, Florida State; JaMycal Green, Alabama

Love it or hate it? Let’s hear it!

Big Picture: Demar DeRozan Dunk

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:57:48 -0500

Today's BIG PICTURE

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, CHN has access to thousands of great college basketball photos. Each day during the season, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless! During the off-season, we'll publish scattered favorites that were missed during the year.

DEMAR DEROZAN: JAM

A great shot of high-flying freshman Demar DeRozan throwing one down against New Mexico State last night

- Check out recent BIG Pictures!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!