USC

Wednesday Predictions: Big Sky, NEC, Patriot Finals & More

Greg Mengelt — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:16:51 -0800

Our g ame prediction guru Greg Mengelt has been on fire this year. He'll be picking (just about) every conference tournament game over the next week, including tonight's three key championship games. Games listed in order with later rounds on top and earlier rounds at the bottom. Read more about Championship Week at CollegeHoops.net.

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP: AT MONTANA

(2) Weber State (24-5, 14-2) at (1) Montana (24-6, 15-1)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 – Weber State 80-64; Feb. 28 – Montana 66-51. RPI: Montana 82, Weber State 69. Analysis: The Grizzlies are simply the better team. With the homecourt advantage, it should be a comfortable win for Montana. Pick: Montana 71, Weber State 61.

NORTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP: AT LIU

(3) Robert Morris (24-9, 13-5) at (1) Long Island (24-8, 16-2)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: ESPN2. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 26 – Robert Morris 75-66. RPI: Long Island 91, Robert Morris 109. Analysis: Velton Jones is one of the hottest players in the country and should help the Colonials punch their ticket. Line: Long Island -1. Pick: Robert Morris 69, Long Island 65.

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP: AT BUCKNELL

(2) Lehigh (25-7) at (1) Bucknell (11-3)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 18 – Bucknell 68-61*; Feb. 16 – Lehigh 56-53*. RPI: Bucknell 89, Lehigh 113. Analysis: Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum is a superstar, but beating the Bison on the road twice may be too much to ask. Line: Bucknell -5. Pick: Bucknell 66, Lehigh 59.

BIG EAST SECOND ROUND: AT NEW YORK CITY

(8) West Virginia (19-12, 9-9) vs. (9) Connecticut (19-12, 8-10)

Tipoff: Noon. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 9 – Connecticut 64-57. RPI: Connecticut 33, West Virginia 42. Analysis: Two good performances in a row may be too much to ask of this UConn team. Line: UConn -2. Pick: West Virginia 68, Connecticut 62.

(5) Georgetown (22-7, 12-6) vs. (13) Pittsburgh (17-15, 5-13)

Tipoff: 2 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Pitt 72-60. RPI: Georgetown 9, Pittsburgh 90. Analysis: Pitt may not win the game, but the Panthers should cover in a low-scoring game. Line: Georgetown -6. Pick: Georgetown 57, Pittsburgh 53.

(7) Louisville (22-9, 10-8) vs. (10) Seton Hall (20-11, 8-10)

Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 28 – Louisville 60-51*. RPI: Louisville 28, Seton Hall 60. Analysis: Great matchup for Louisville. The Cardinals defense will lead them to a big win. Pick: Louisville 59, Seton Hall 47.

(6) South Florida (19-12, 12-6) vs. (14) Villanova (13-18, 5-13)

Tipoff: 9 p.m. TV: ESPN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 5 – South Florida 74-57*; Feb. 15 – South Florida 65-51. RPI: South Florida 43, Villanova 105. Analysis: Love the Wildcats for the upset. Pick: Villanova 55, South Florida 52.

PAC-12 FIRST ROUND: AT LOS ANGELES

(8) Washington State (15-15, 7-11) vs. (9) Oregon State (17-13, 7-11)

Tipoff: 3:10 p.m. TV: FSN. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – Washington State 81-76; Feb. 9 – Washington State 83-73. RPI: Washington State 170, Oregon State 151. Analysis: Close game. The Beavers will at least cover. Line: Oregon State -3½. Pick: Oregon State 78, Washington State 76.

(5) UCLA (18-13, 11-7) vs. (12) USC (6-25, 1-17)

Tipoff: 5:40 p.m. TV: FSN. Regular-season meetings: Jan. 15 – UCLA 66-47*; Feb. 15 – UCLA 64-54. RPI: UCLA 103, USC 259. Analysis: UCLA is playing its best basketball, rallying around Coach Ben Howland. The Bruins may make a run in this tourney. Line: UCLA -12½. Pick: UCLA 73, USC 51.

(7) Stanford (20-10, 10-8) vs. (10) Arizona State (10-20, 6-12)

Tipoff: 9:10 p.m. TV: FSN. Regular-season meetings: Feb. 2 – Stanford 68-44. RPI: Stanford 96, Arizona State 248. Analysis: The Cardinal will blow out Arizona State for the second time this season. Line: Stanford -10. Pick: Stanford 71, Arizona State 54.

(6) Colorado (19-11, 11-7) vs. (11) Utah (6-24, 3-15)

Tipoff: 11:40 p.m. TV: FSN. Regular-season meetings: Dec. 31 – Colorado 73-33; Feb. 18 – Colorado 55-48. RPI: Colorado 81, Utah 265. Analysis: The Buffaloes are really pretty good, and Utah … isn’t. Line: Colorado -11½. Pick: Colorado 66, Utah 51.

*Road win

Greg Against the Spread This Season: 137-103-3

Cheerleader Of The Day: USC

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:15:06 -0800

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

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#15 San Diego State vs. New Mexico: Wednesday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:29:00 -0800

With Selection Sunday rapidly approaching the chances left for teams to improve their tournament resumes are dwindling, which makes this week vitally important to Steve Alford's New Mexico (20-4, 6-2) Lobos. While the have an impressive record there aren't a lot of marquee wins to their credit, but they've got a shot at one on the road as they visit #15 San Diego State (20-4, 6-2). What's also on the line this week: the driver's seat in the Mountain West race, as UNM has lost to both SDSU and UNLV while those two split their two meetings.

The first meeting (at The Pit) looked to be headed in the direction of the home team at the outset as New Mexico scored the first ten points of the game. But Steve Fisher's Aztecs didn't wilt in front of the hostile crowd, outscoring the Lobos by 15 points the rest of the way in a 75-70 victory. The key for the Lobos will be the play of guard Kendall Williams (12.2 ppg, 4.3 apg) and forward Drew Gordon (11.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg), two players expected to rank among the best in the Mountain West before the season began.

Both got off to slow starts to the season but have been two key reasons why the Lobos haven't lost to any other teams in league play. Gordon can be a handful in the paint, which should concern SDSU after the ease with which UNLV's Brice Massamba was able to establish position at times on Saturday afternoon. Tim Shelton is one of the better defenders in the Mountain West but neither he nor Garrett Green or DeShawn Stephens has the build to keep a player like Gordon off the glass without help.

The situation on the perimeter is a different story however, as San Diego State has one of the best backcourts on the west coast. Chase Tapley (16.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) is the leading scorer for the Aztecs and their four main guards all average at least 9.5 points per game. Jamaal Franklin (16.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is their leading rebounder, and his ability to get to the rim offensively makes Franklin a tough matchup for anyone. Xavier Thames (10.2 ppg, 4.7 apg) leads the team in assists and makes sound decisions when running the show while veteran James Rahon (9.5 ppg) has been an important glue guy who can also knock down open shots when needed.

UNM counters on the perimeter with a deep corps in addition to Williams, led by leading scorer Tony Snell. Snell (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg), who was a high school teammate of former SDSU great Kawhi Leonard, is a very good shooter who knocks down 49% of his shots from the field and 42.7% from three. In addition to those two there's the point guard tandem consisting of freshman Hugh Greenwood and sophomore Jamal Fenton, who combine to average 5.3 assists per game. The key for Fenton will be his decision-making, which can be an issue at times despite the fact that he averages just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Where will this game be won? Possibly on the glass as the Lobos manage to corral 37.3% of their missed shots on the season. That all leads back to Gordon, who's currently averaging 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. If he can control the boards on both ends and the young guard (Fenton and Greenwood) don't struggle with either SDSU's capable defenders or "The Show", New Mexico has a shot at leaving Montezuma Mesa with a much-needed win and sole possession of first place. San Diego State is 15-1 at home for a reason however, so accomplishing those tasks is far easier said than done.

The Top 25 features two other contests in which the unranked team could use a resume-building victory, beginning with Northwestern visiting #20 Indiana. Bill Carmody's Wildcats fell at Purdue on Sunday night so a win in Bloomington would definitely help them out from an NCAA tournament standpoint. Drew Crawford and John Shurna rank among the best scoring tandems in the country but the play of Reggie Hearn could prove critical down the stretch. The biggest question for Northwestern is whether or not they have an answer for Cody Zeller inside. Combining a hot Zeller with the Hoosiers' capable perimeter shooters would spell doom for many teams much less Northwestern.

Also in the Big Ten, Purdue visits Illinois in a game the Illini desperately need at this point. Bruce Weber's team has been struggling mightily of late, and part of the reason could be the health of point guard Sam Maniscalco. Without the Bradley transfer Illinois really doesn't have another credible option to get the offense going, and in turn key figures such as Brandon Paul and Meyers Leonard haven't been as good as they can be. Matt Painter's club is looking to build on their win over Northwestern, and with Kelsey Barlow and D.J. Byrd coming off of good performances maybe the Boilermakers can go on a run down the stretch.

Miami, a team that many did not think would be able to work their way into a "bubble" situation, is right there with a shot at their second win over a Top 10 team as they host #7 North Carolina. This game should be played at a pace more comfortable for the Tar Heels than Saturday's win over Virginia was, and for the Hurricanes that means veteran guards Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott need to make sound decisions alongside freshman Shane Larkin. But the battle in the paint will prove to be worth the cost of admission alone, as Miami's Reggie Johnson and Kenny Kadji have the ability to make things difficult on John Henson and Tyler Zeller.

In the Atlantic 10, Temple hits the road to take on St. Bonaventure and the Owls better be careful in Olean. The Bonnies have a first-round draft pick in the middle in senior center Andrew Nicholson, but truth be told this trip would be even more treacherous if Micheal Eric weren't back in the rotation for the Owls. The key for Bona will be how they match up with Temple's perimeter stars, with Khalif Wyatt and Ramone Moore rolling and Juan Fernandez also more than capable of making things happen.

USC looks for some revenge in the second meeting with city rival UCLA but that's going to be tough given the many injuries the Trojans have had to deal with this season. But in Maurice Jones, USC has a tough, skilled guard who should be on one of the All Pac-12 teams at the end of the season. Without the Saginaw, Michigan native who knows how many games Kevin O'Neil's team would have found a way to win. And back in the Mountain West both Wyoming and Colorado State have games they can't afford to lose if they're to have any shot of going dancing. The Pokes host Air Force, who just fired they coach last week, while CSU heads north to take on Boise State.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM Oklahoma State at (3) Missouri (ESPN3)
8:00 PM (7) North Carolina at Miami (FL) (ESPN)
8:00 PM (14) Murray State at Southeast Missouri State (ESPN3)
10:15 PM New Mexico at (15) San Diego State (CBS CN)
10:30 PM Loyola Marymount at (16) Saint Mary's
6:30 PM Northwestern at (20) Indiana (BTN)
7:00 PM Rutgers at (25) Notre Dame (ESPNU)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM DePaul at Connecticut (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Maine at Hartford (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Villanova at South Florida (ESPN3)
7:00 PM South Dakota at IUPUI
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Boston University
7:00 PM Bowling Green at Ohio
7:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Rhode Island
7:00 PM Canisius at Niagara
7:00 PM Holy Cross at Lafayette
7:00 PM Vermont at Albany
7:00 PM Miami (OH) at Akron
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Appalachian State
7:00 PM Toledo at Ball State
7:00 PM UMBC at Binghamton
7:00 PM Army at Colgate
7:00 PM Samford at Davidson
7:00 PM Charlotte at Dayton (FCS)
7:00 PM Fordham at Duquesne
7:00 PM Maryland-Eastern Shore at Hampton
7:00 PM Washington Adventist at Longwood
7:00 PM Loyola (MD) at Marist
7:00 PM Charleston at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Southern Utah at Oakland
7:00 PM Iona at Rider (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Georgia at South Carolina (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Elon at Wofford
7:00 PM Detroit at Wright State
7:00 PM Oral Roberts at IPFW
7:30 PM Navy at American
7:30 PM Georgia Tech at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
7:30 PM St. Peter's at Fairfield
7:30 PM Delaware State at Norfolk State
8:00 PM Drake at Bradley (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Richmond at Saint Louis
8:00 PM Temple at St. Bonaventure
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Texas State
8:00 PM Morehead State at Austin Peay
8:00 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Lamar
8:00 PM UTSA at McNeese State
8:00 PM Western Michigan at Northern Illinois
8:00 PM Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM UAB at SMU
8:00 PM North Dakota State at South Dakota State
8:00 PM Tulsa at Southern Miss
8:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Stephen F. Austin
8:00 PM Arkansas at Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM Memphis at Tulane
8:00 PM UMKC at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Air Force at Wyoming (The Mtn.)
8:05 PM Northern Iowa at Evansville
8:05 PM Missouri State at Wichita State (ESPN3)
8:30 PM Purdue at Illinois (BTN)
9:00 PM Weber State at Montana State
9:00 PM Providence at Cincinnati (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Colorado State at Boise State (The Mtn.)
10:00 PM UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Cal Poly at Cal State Northridge
10:05 PM Sacramento State at Portland State
10:30 PM USC at UCLA (FSN PT)

USC: Cheerleader of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:52:23 -0800

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

Cheerleaders of the Day
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Thursday Recap: Badgers Hold Off Indiana

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:28:45 -0800

The game between #17 Indiana and #25 Wisconsin proved to be every bit as competitive as expected with the largest margin either team held being seven points with two seconds remaining. In the end it was the little things that made the difference in the Badgers' 57-50 victory, as Bo Ryan's team shot 12-for-12 from the foul line in the second half and grabbed the final seven rebounds of the game. That rebound stretch was over the final 3:38 of the contest, with their offensive rebounds leading to four of their nine second-chance points. Wisconsin's offensive rebounding percentage in the second half was 33.3% after finishing the first half with a percentage of 22.2%, and that allowed them to shut the door late.

"It's our first game holding a team under 30 percent on the field, but they got a couple of really big rebounds at the end of the game at crucial times," remarked Indiana head coach Tom Crean. "We put ourselves in position to win, we just didn't finish it off."

Jordan Taylor didn't shoot particularly well, missing all five of his three-point attempts while scoring 12 points but there were other contributors to the win for Wisconsin. Ben Brust made three of his six shots from deep and scored 13 points off the bench while Mike Bruesewitz (ten points) and Ryan Evans (12 points, nine rebounds) reached double figures as well. The foul line was also critical on a night in which Wisconsin, who scores 35.4% of their points on threes, made just four or seventeen shots from distance. Wisconsin made 15 of 19 from the charity stripe, outscoring the Hoosiers by ten as Indiana made just half of their ten free throws.

"I've never tried to over-analyze free throws other than guys get their routine, they get comfortable, they get their elbow lift, they get their rotation, they get their target sights- some guys look to the front, some guys look to the back," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "And in every drill we do, you've got to be 80 percent or better. So, I think that's helped us over the years. We were close tonight."

Christian Watford and Verdell Jones III led the way for Indiana with 12 points apiece but Cody Zeller and a quiet night and Wisconsin's Jared Berggren was a big reason why. Zeller shot 2-for-7 from the field and scored seven points while grabbing just three rebounds in 19 minutes of action, and while the foul trouble was problematic having to deal with Berggren while he was on the floor didn't help matters. Berggren may not have done much offensively with just four points but he blocked five shots, helping limit the number of quality looks Indiana was able to get near the basket.

"I think he was in a help position and maybe got there a little late and tried to make sure that he didn't foul and waited until Zeller made his move, noted Ryan. "He was fairly effective with it, but Zeller's a good player- he got his offensive opportunities, he's the real deal inside and fortunately we got some fouls on him and that helped us."

With the win Wisconsin remains a game in the loss column behind the three teams atop the Big Ten, and despite their struggles earlier in league play the Badgers gave another reminder that it isn't wise to count Bo Ryan's team out of the title race.

Other Notable Happenings

1. North Carolina whips NC State in impressive fashion to move into a tie for first in the ACC.
Thursday night provided a good test for NC State in regards to how much staying power the Wolfpack could possibly have in the ACC race. Unfortunately for them North Carolina was ready to make a statement of their own, leading by as many as 29 points on their way to a 74-55 victory. Tyler Zeller (21 points, 17 rebounds) and John Henson (nine points, ten rebounds and five blocks) proved to be too much for the Wolfpack inside, and on the perimeter the Tar Heels performed well in their first game without starter Dexter Strickland.

Kendall Marshall dished out 11 assists to just three turnovers while both Harrison Barnes (15 points) and Reggie Bullock (11 points, five rebounds) reached double figures. Scott Wood led the Wolfpack with 11 points but they lost by 19 despite making nine three-pointers due to their struggles inside. NC State shot 32.4% from two as the Tar Heels outscored them 52-24 in that department, and the 46-28 rebounding discrepancy (UNC: 15 offensive rebounds) didn't help matters either. NC State is a bright future under Mark Gottfried with a talented recruiting class on the way and the current bunch is definitely capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament. But Thursday night showed that they may not be ready to think ACC title right now.

2. Robert Morris wins the guard battle and beats LIU Brooklyn to close the gap in the NEC.
LIU Brooklyn had a great opportunity to put even more distance between themselves and the pack in the Northeast Conference race, but winning at Robert Morris is a very difficult task. And in a rematch of last year's NEC Tournament title game, the Colonials went on two runs in the first half to establish a 34-26 halftime lead and led by as many as 15 in the second half of a 75-66 win. Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere did their part for the visitors as they combined for 43 points and Boyd grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 25 points. But their guards had a tough night and Robert Morris took advantage as Velton Jones scored 23 points, Coron Williams 13 and Lucky Jones ten.

Velton also dished out seven assists on the night, while LIU's perimeter trio of Jason Brickman, Michael Culpo and C.J. Garner combined to score 16 points on 5-for-24 shooting (Culpo shot 0-for-10). LIU shot 3-for-16 from three on the night and without the balance they normally enjoy offensively (24% of their points come from deep on the average) the Blackbirds were unable to beat the Colonials. RMU and surprising St. Francis (NY) are now a game back (and they play each other on Saturday) in the standings, and a race that could have been out of reach is now back on.

3. Milwaukee slows Butler to a crawl and moves to 7-3 in the Horizon League.
The matchup between the Panthers and Bulldogs was the defensive-minded slugfest that many expected going into the contest, with Butler taking a 25-24 lead into the half. But the Bulldogs went cold in the second half, shooting 5-for-25 from the field and scoring just 17 points in what would become a 53-42 loss. Milwaukee shot 48% in the second half and did a much better job of setting up good looks than they did in the first, assisting on ten of their 12 made baskets. Neither team finished with great efficiency numbers but Butler's were startling, as their offensive efficiency (67.7) and effective field goal percentage (28.9%) were season lows.

James Haarmsma (12 points) and Ryan Allen (11 points) led the way scoring-wise while Kaylon Williams made up for a rough shooting night by dishing out 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Milwaukee remains a game behind Cleveland State in the loss column while Butler falls two games back, and they're also tied with Valparaiso in second place (the Crusaders lost to Green Bay). By no means is anything decided in the Horizon League, but Milwaukee took an important step with their win.

Quick Hitters

1. It's been a rough season for USC to say the least, but their injury issues reached a new low in their 74-50 loss to Colorado. Center Dwayne Dedmon was lost early in the game with a sprained knee (MRI scheduled for Friday) and late in the second half his replacement, James Blasczyk, went down with a lower leg injury. That left USC with just five healthy scholarship players, and at 0-8 in the Pac-12 things don't look good for the Trojans.

2. One player the nation needs to become more familiar with is UC Riverside guard Phil Martin. Martin nearly led the Highlanders past first-place Long Beach State with 31 points and seven rebounds but it wasn't enough as the 49ers strengthened their grip on first place with a 77-70 overtime win. All five starters for The Beach reached double figures with Casper Ware's 18 leading the way.

3. On Saturday, Arizona made just three of twenty shots from beyond the arc in a one-point loss at Colorado. Against Washington State on Thursday night the Wildcats made 15 of 26 in their 85-61 win over the Cougars, who also lost reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Faisal Aden late in the first half with a left knee injury. Losing their most explosive scorer for an extended period time would be a terrible blow to take for the Cougars.

4. Interim head coach Wes Miller has done a good job of turning things around at UNC Greensboro, and the Spartans won their fifth straight 77-73 over Appalachian State in overtime. Derrell Armstrong scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench and Trevis Simpson added 24 for UNCG, who is now 5-4 in Southern Conference play (half-game behind Elon for first in the North Division).

5. Nevada was able to separate themselves from the pack in the WAC with a 68-60 win at New Mexico State, moving two games ahead of the Aggies in the standings. Deonte Burton scored 17 points and Dario Hunt added 15 and eight rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who also received some help in the form of Utah State's 77-72 win over Hawai'i.

6. Idaho State won a thriller at home, beating Northern Colorado 99-94 in double overtime. But even more important for the Bengals is that they're now a game ahead of both UNC and Eastern Washington in the standings at 4-4, and in the Big Sky only the top six teams qualify for the conference tournament. Chase Grabau led the way with 30 points on 11-for-15 shooting and Melvin Morgan added 22 and five assists for the Bengals.

7. Saint Mary's remained undefeated in WCC play with a 71-64 win at Loyola Marymount, remaining a game ahead of Gonzaga and two ahead of BYU with a trip to Provo next on the schedule (Saturday). Stephen Holt scored 19 points, Matthew Dellavedova 13 and Rob Jones 11 and 15 rebounds. But Brad Waldow's been a key contributor of late as well, scoring ten points following a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara.

Three Notable Performers

1. G Travis Bader (Oakland) and G Nate Wolters (South Dakota State)
Wolters posted a very good line of 21 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Bader led the Golden Grizzlies to the 92-87 win with a record-setting night. Bader shot 10-for-14 from three on his way to 37 points off the bench.

2. G J.P. Primm (UNC Asheville)
30 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds in the Bulldogs' 90-70 win over High Point.

3. G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
34 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Golden Eagles' 82-65 win at Eastern Kentucky.

Saturday Recap: Kidd-Gilchrist Leads Kentucky Past Louisville

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:37:15 -0800

The game between Top 5 teams and in-state rivals Louisville and Kentucky was expected to be a high-intensity affair played at a good pace. Well thanks to the "third team" we got the intensity but not the pace, but by the end of the afternoon at Rupp Arena it was clear that Kentucky's 69-62 victory would be long remembered for the play of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kidd-Gilchrist, who has emerged as the leader of John Calipari's talented squad, stole the show with 24 point and 19 rebounds in leading Kentucky to their 44th straight home victory.

Just over a week ago Kidd-Gilchrist's mother was in the hospital with an unspecified illness, and on Saturday he put forth an outstanding performance with her in attendance. Kentucky has needed a leader to step up within the team and the freshman from Somerdale, New Jersey has been that man in their 13-1 start. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with Kentucky making just 29.8% of their shots and Louisville not much better at 32.3%. It was a game that had to be won with heart, and that was the difference for the Wildcats despite a valiant 30-point performance from Russ Smith.

"It was a grittiness," said Calipari. "Of all the foul trouble in the first half, the foul trouble really throughout the game and playing guys, I even went with Twany, who I barely played, I thought Kyle Wiltjer was not afraid to play, went out there and did some good stuff. With bad lineups, no point guard, we figured out how to win."

A big problem for Louisville was the play of their starting backcourt, with Peyton Siva and Chris Smith combining for just 15 points on 4-for-23 shooting from the field. Louisville's had issues scoring in the half-court for much of the season, making their points off of turnovers that much more important. The Cardinals could muster just 15 points off of 21 Kentucky turnovers while the Wildcats scored 19 off of 14 Louisville miscues. And when adding to that deficits of 57-31 in rebounds and 20-6 in second-chance points it's not too difficult to see where this game was won (or lost).

The battle of the big men went to Anthony Davis, who posted a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) to go with six blocks while Gorgui Dieng finished with five points, five rebounds and six blocks. Obviously Louisville isn't going to run into many teams with the skill level of Kentucky (Syracuse and Connecticut being the exceptions right now), but the half-court offense issue is something that could short-circuit the season for Rick Pitino's team much earlier than expected once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. As for Kentucky while there's plenty to improve upon as they enter SEC play the Wildcats have a special player in Kidd-Gilchrist, one who has impressed with both his skills and leadership abilities. That could take this team a long way.

"He wasn't bothered as much as some of the other players by the physical play," remarked Calipari. "He almost relished it and just went after it, and that's why he played the way he did."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Iowa takes advantage of Wisconsin's three-point shooting to win in Madison.
Going into Saturday's game the Badgers were 78-6 at the Kohl Center under Bo Ryan, so it's understandable if few people gave Fran McCaffery's team much of a chance to win. But the guys in that locker room believed and Aaron White scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Hawkeyes to the 72-65 win. The biggest culprit for the Badgers: three-point shooting. On the season Wisconsin scores 35.8% of their points from beyond the arc, a number that ranks third in the Big Ten behind Northwestern and Michigan. Saturday, Wisconsin shot a miserable 3-for-28 from beyond the arc compared to Iowa's 2-for-6 afternoon. That's the opening that the Hawkeyes needed to pull off the upset, and thanks to reserves White and Bryce Cartwright (17 points, five assists) they were able to capitalize.

2. Creighton bounces back from their loss to Missouri State and wins at Wichita State.
After dropping their MVC opener at home earlier this week, Greg McDermott's Bluejays needed to bounce back at Wichita State to avoid an 0-2 start. Antoine Young led four starters in double figures with 19 points while guard Grant Gibbs may have had the largest impact with his 11 points, six assists and four rebounds in the 68-61 win in Wichita to move both teams to 1-1 in the MVC. The idea of plus/minus in basketball can be a tricky one as there are many variables to consider, but Gibbs finished the night with a plus/minus of +25 and he made many sound decisions throughout his 26 minutes on the floor. Carl Hall was outstanding for the Shockers with 17 points and 13 rebounds but it wasn't enough to knock off the Bluejays. A loss wouldn't have eliminated Creighton from the Missouri Valley race by any means, but it was clear that they needed this road win after dropping one at home. Mission accomplished.

3. Indiana gets it done down the stretch, beating #2 Ohio State in Bloomington.
Highly-ranked teams may want to avoid Assembly Hall, as Ohio State became the second team to go into the building and leave with a loss. All five Indiana players finished in double figures with Jordan Hulls leading the way with 17 points, and the defense of Victor Oladipo (15 points, six rebounds) on Aaron Craft also had a major impact on the Hoosiers' 74-70 victory. Craft finished the game with a season-worst six turnovers in the first game this season that's seen the sophomore finish with more turnovers than assists. The battle between Jared Sullinger (15 points, nine rebounds) and Cody Zeller (14 points, four rebounds) was largely dictated by foul trouble (Zeller would eventually foul out), meaning that other players had to step up. And with William Buford and Deshaun Thomas combining for just 13 points, it was Indiana who won that battle.

4. Gonzaga hits the road and picks up a big non-conference win at Xavier.
Even with an RPI of 17 and a strength of schedule that ranked 21st going into Saturday's action (per realtimerpi.com), Mark Few's team could have used another big non-conference victory from an NCAA Tournament seeding standpoint. And thanks in large part to Sam Dower the Bulldogs did just that, beating Xavier 72-65 at the Cintas Center. Dower scored 20 points and grabbed ten rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench while the Bulldogs' freshman backcourt was solid against one of the best backcourts in the country. Kevin Pangos made just three of his ten shots from the field but he dished out seven assists , and Gary Bell did a solid job defensively on Tu Holloway. The problem for the Musketeers: outside of Holloway, Mark Lyons and Kenny Frease (42 combined points) there wasn't a whole lot of productivity. Xavier also shot 3-for-16 from beyond the arc (24-9 Gonzaga edge in points scored) and was out-rebounded 41-27, which allowed Gonzaga to get away with turning the ball over 17 times (Pangos had five).

5. Harvard comes back from a 12-point deficit to beat Saint Joseph's.
17 seconds into the second half Saint Joseph's took a 50-38 lead on a Halil Kanacevic jumper, and with the 23rd-ranked Crimson playing arguably their worst defense of the season there was a real chance of the Hawks leaving Lavietes Pavilion with a huge win for their resume. But Tommy Amaker's team buckled down, limiting Saint Joseph's to 19 points the rest of the way to come back and win 74-69. SJU shot just 29.8% from the field in the second half while Kyle Casey scored 20 of his 26 points (ten rebounds on the day as well) to lead the charge. Carl Jones led Saint Joseph's with 22 points but that wasn't enough to hold off Harvard, who outscored SJU 22-12 in the paint in the final 20 minutes after the Hawks led that category 20-16 in the first half. With Harvard's remaining schedule consisting of the Ivy League slate and non-conference games against Fordham, Monmouth and George Washington this was a game the Crimson needed for a resume that will take some hits from a computer numbers standpoint between now and March.

Quick Hitters

1. Billy Donovan's team bounced back from their loss at Rutgers with a 90-70 win over Yale, but that wasn't the only bit of good news for Florida on Saturday. 2013 point guard Kasey Hill tweeted after attending the game that he'd verbally committed to the program, and this is a big get for the Gators given how many players will be out of eligibility by the time 2013 rolls around.

2. Seth Greenberg's Virginia Tech Hokies picked up a needed win on Saturday as they won 67-61 at Oklahoma State. But this was a game that would have more of an impact on their NCAA Tournament resume had they lost, so avoiding that fate was critical. At 11-3, Virginia Tech is in a solid spot ahead of what should be a wild ACC season.

3. Youngstown State handed Cleveland State their first conference loss of the season by the final score of 73-67. Damian Eargle led the Penguins with 20 points and ten rebounds, and while YSU may not be a serious contender in the Horizon League come March they're going to scare some folks.

4. Despite Tyler Lamb scoring a career-high 26 points UCLA fell 85-69 at California to go 0-2 in the Bay Area this weekend. Why? Lazeric Jones made just two of seven shots and he along with Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith combined to score 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field.

5. With Wisconsin losing to Iowa some the question of who the second-best team is in the Big Ten looks to be wide-open. How about Purdue? The Boilermakers moved to 2-0 in conference play with a 75-60 win over Illinois, and they have the ability to be right there with the likes of Michigan State, Indiana and Wisconsin.

6. The Mountain West picked up a good resume-building victory as New Mexico beat Saint Louis 64-60 at The Pit. Drew Gordon scored 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lobos, who have won ten straight games and look like the conference title contender many expected them to be in the preseason.

7. With Creighton's win over Wichita State there's just one team in the MVC with a 2-0 record in conference play. That would be Missouri State, who beat Drake 72-61 at JQH Arena. Kyle Weems followed up his impressive performance at Creighton with 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears past the Bulldogs.

8. Friday night had big news on the injury front as Dayton lost starting big man Josh Benson for the season with a torn ACL. The Flyers were able to overcome his loss to beat Ole Miss 62-50 on Friday but against the better teams in the Atlantic 10 not having Benson could be an issue.

9. Also on Friday Seton Hall bounced back from their blowout loss at Syracuse in a big way, beating West Virginia 67-48 at The Rock. Fuquan Edwin, who leads the nation in steals, led the way offensively with 19 points and Jordan Theodore added 18. With UConn next on the schedule Kevin Willard's team couldn't afford to lose lest they risk an 0-3 start to Big East play, and they got the job done.

Five Notable Performances

1. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
30 points (10-14 FG), 21 rebounds and four assists in the Jayhawks' 84-58 win over North Dakota.

2. F Brandon Davies (BYU)
21 points (8-13 FG), 22 rebounds and four assists in the Cougars' 88-52 win over San Diego.

3. F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky)
24 points and 19 rebounds in the Wildcats' 69-62 win over #4 Louisville.

4. F Greg Magnano (Yale)
26 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in the Bulldogs' 90-70 loss at #10 Florida.

5. F Stan Okoye (VMI)
27 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Keydets' 78-70 overtime win over Presbyterian.

Thursday's Preview: #24 Illinois vs. #8 Missouri

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:19:47 -0800

Thursday is the final "busy day" on the college basketball schedule before Christmas and there's important business to address in St. Louis: Braggin' Rights. Undefeated and eighth-ranked Missouri (11-0) looks for its third straight win over #24 Illinois (11-1) in the series, and despite the change in head coach the Tigers remain one of the most balanced teams in the country. Four players average double figures and two more average at least eight points per game, and with the team averaging 17.3 assists per game it's obvious that Missouri has no problem sharing the wealth.

Marcus Denmon (19.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) leads the way offensively for Frank Haith's squad while senior Kim English is second on the team in both minutes and scoring (16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg). English plays the four at times for the Tigers due to their lack of depth inside with the loss of Laurence Bowers and he's done a good job in the role. A player with his versatility can cause fits for opposing players at the four, and that's something that the Illini may be concerned with on Thursday. Illinois will also need to contend with the physical Ricardo Ratliffe (14.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg) inside, which should be a good measuring stick for seven-footer Meyers Leonard.

Leonard (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg) got off to a good start but according the head coach Bruce Weber the sound of folks around him talking "NBA" may have gotten to the sophomore. Baby steps, folks. Leonard has shown himself to be a much-improved product this season but he's still got plenty of work to do. Ratliffe and Steve Moore will both be stronger than Leonard, who will need to counter with his ability to step away from the basket without falling in love with the the mid-range game and neglecting the post. Tyler Griffey is averaging a shade under five rebounds per game and has filled a role similar to that of the departed Bill Cole in that he'll be called on to do many of the little things that teams require in order to be successful.

On the perimeter is where Illinois could have trouble despite the presence of Brandon Paul (10.7 ppg, 3.2 apg) and D.J. Richardson (14.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg), with the latter being one of the better defenders in the Big Ten. Sam Maniscalco (10.9 ppg, 3.0 apg) runs the show at the point and has been good for Illinois thus far, but his defensive ability will definitely be tested by the Tiger guards. In addiiton to Denmon there's Phil Pressey (8.6 ppg, 6.0 apg), who has done an outstanding job of running the show for Missouri. Matt Pressey and Michael Dixon Jr. are two other options that Missouri can call upon with Dixon averaging 12.6 points per game off the bench.

The one thing that Illinois cannot do is turn the ball over, as Missouri still takes the ball away at a decent clip despite scrapping the full-court pressure employed by Mike Anderson. Missouri's opponents have turned the ball over on 24% of their possessions, and with the Tigers turning the ball over just nine times per game they aren't exactly going to give the ball back either. Illinois turns the ball over on one-fifth of their possessions, a reason why their offensive efficiency is 22.4 points below that of Missouri. With the two teams having nearly the same rebounding margin, turnovers (and the points scored off of them) will likely tell the tale in St. Louis.

Also of note are in-season tournaments in both Las Vegas and Honolulu, with many likely to be trained in on Long Beach State playing Xavier at the Diamond Head Classic. Tu Holloway returns from his one-game suspension but Mark Lyons and Dezmine Wells are both out for the Musketeers, which presents a great opportunity to Dan Monson's 49ers despite the matchup between Holloway and Casper Ware. A key for the Musketeers will be the play of Kenny Frease, as in T.J. Robinson the 49ers bring a very active interior player who brings the effort every night.

In Las Vegas, Saint Mary's could use a marquee win for their resume and Baylor would be a great team to do that against. But do the Gaels have enough help for Rob Jones inside to deal with the Bears' frontcourt? Saint Mary's will lean heavily on Jones and point guard Matthew Dellavedova, with the latter being a good test for Scott Drew's backcourt. Memphis, who has played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, will look to apply the lessons learned from their loss to Georgetown in Maui as they visit the Hoyas in the nation's capital. But in order to do so the Tigers must eliminate the defensive lapses that have const them in other big games this season if they're to win.

Connecticut (hosting Fairfield) and Marquette (hosting Milwaukee) should be on notice in their game, with the Golden Eagles looking to rebound from their loss at LSU and the Huskies taking on a Fairfield team that will contend in the MAAC. There's also going to be a pair of Olanders on the floor in that one, as older brother Ryan (Fairfield) looks to hand Tyler's Huskies a very rare non-conference loss to an in-state opponent. Butler visits Stanford in a game the Bulldogs really need for their profile before heading into Horizon League play, Kansas visits a USC team that looked like an offensive juggernaut on Monday night, and Tulane gets a chance to show that they're as good as their record in the Carrier Dome.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Tulane at (1) Syracuse (SNY)
8:30 PM Miami (OH) at (2) Ohio State (BTN)
1:00 PM Loyola (MD) at (3) Kentucky (ESPN3)
10:30 PM Saint Mary's vs. (7) Baylor (ESPN3)
9:00 PM (24) Illinois at (8) Missouri (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Fairfield at (9) Connecticut (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Milwaukee at (10) Marquette (ESPN3)
11:00 PM (11) Kansas at USC (FSN)
7:00 PM Florida State at (12) Florida (ESPNU)
11:00 PM Long Beach State vs. (15) Xavier* (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Memphis at (16) Georgetown (ESPN2)
8:00 PM Northwestern State at (17) Mississippi State
6:00 PM UMBC at (18) Indiana (ESPN3)
6:30 PM Bradley at (19) Michigan (BTN)
9:00 PM Lehigh at (20) Michigan State (ESPNU)
8:05 PM Northwestern at (21) Creighton (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Florida Atlantic at (25) Harvard

NCAA Division I Games
2:30 PM UTEP vs. Clemson* (ESPNU)
3:00 PM Texas A&M-CC vs. Bethune-Cookman*
4:30 PM Kansas State vs. Southern Illinois* (ESPNU)
5:00 PM South Alabama vs. San Diego*
5:30 PM Tennessee Tech vs. Kennesaw State*
6:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Savannah State
7:00 PM Bryant at Arizona (FSN AZ)
7:00 PM James Madison at George Washington
7:00 PM Delaware at Howard
7:00 PM Mercer at Georgia Tech
7:00 PM Bucknell at Boston University
7:00 PM San Francisco at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Davidson at Massachusetts
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at East Carolina
7:00 PM Northeastern at NC State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM American at Villanova
7:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM VMI at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Charleston at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Sam Houston State at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Campbell at Appalachian State
7:00 PM Drexel at Binghamton
7:00 PM La Salle at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Alabama State at Detroit
7:00 PM Texas State at Fordham
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Georgia State
7:00 PM Colgate at Hofstra
7:00 PM Rider at Monmouth
7:00 PM VCU at UNC Greensboro (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Navy at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Niagara at Quinnipiac
7:00 PM Princeton at Siena (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Central Michigan at Wright State
7:05 PM Toledo at Florida Gulf Coast
7:05 PM Robert Morris at Youngstown State
7:30 PM Elon at San Diego State
7:30 PM NJIT at Rutgers (RVision)
7:30 PM Loyola (IL) at Canisius (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Bowling Green at Florida International
7:30 PM Miami (FL) at Charlotte
7:30 PM North Carolina Central vs. Prairie View A&M*
7:30 PM Texas-Arlington vs. Saint Peter's*
8:00 PM Jacksonville at UAB
8:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Arkansas
8:00 PM North Dakota State at Minnesota
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Saint Louis
8:00 PM Rice at Texas A&M
8:00 PM LSU at North Texas
8:00 PM Missouri State vs. West Virginia* (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Dallas Christian at SMU
8:00 PM USF at Southern Miss
8:00 PM Grambling State at TCU
8:00 PM UTSA at Troy
8:00 PM North Dakota at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Idaho at Green Bay
8:05 PM Texas Tech at Oral Roberts
8:30 PM Boise State at Iowa (BTN.com)
9:00 PM Butler at Stanford (FSN)
9:00 PM Texas Southern at Colorado
9:00 PM Utah Valley at Montana
9:00 PM UMKC at New Mexico
9:00 PM UCSB at BYU (BYU TV)
9:00 PM UC Davis at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Wyoming at Idaho State
9:00 PM Citadel at Denver
9:00 PM Air Force at Gonzaga (Root NW)
9:00 PM Colorado State at Northern Colorado
9:00 PM Utah at Weber State
10:00 PM San Jose State at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Washington
10:00 PM Hope International at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Portland at Nevada
10:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Oregon
10:00 PM Washington State at Pepperdine
10:00 PM Pacific at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Southeast Missouri State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Kent State at Utah State
10:05 PM Portland State at Cal State Fullerton
1:00 AM Auburn at Hawaii (ESPNU)

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

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:18:10 -0800

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.

Monday's Preview: Belmont at Marshall

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:59:01 -0800

Monday's schedule doesn't have much in the way of games that will make a dent on the national landscape, but that doesn't mean that there are some intriguing contests to keep an eye on. One of those being Belmont (7-4) heading east to take on Marshall (7-2) in a battle of teams expected to either win or contend in their respective leagues. Rick Byrd's Bruins have lost two straight road games, most recently falling at Miami (Ohio) due in large part to their 6-for-21 performance from beyond the arc. Belmont may shoot just 34.9% from deep on the season but they score 34.7% of their points on three-pointers, so defending the line will be of utmost impotance for the Thundering Herd.

Tom Herrion's team allows opponents to shoot 30.1% from three, a mark that ranks fourth in Conference USA and 62nd nationally. Marshall is a poor three-point shooting team (26.4%), meaning that the Herd looking to get into a contest of sorts with the Bruins would get them in trouble. The guards will offer quite the contrast in this regard, with Marshall having a pair of very good attack-minded guards in DeAndre Kane and Damier Pitts. Kane (15.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is a 6'4" guard who has the build required to finish with contact, and he's also averaging 3.6 assists and two steals per game. Pitts (14.1 ppg, 4.8 apg) runs the show from the point, and he can be dangerous scoring as well with a 25-point outing against Iona being a solid piece of evidence.

Belmont will counter with a three-headed attack on the perimeter with Ian Clark, Kerron Johnson and Drew Hanlen. Johnson's (14.6 ppg, 5.3 apg) the leading scorer and assist man for the Bruins while also shooting 55% from the field, but it's Hanlen who is their best perimeter shooter. Hanlen (10.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) is shooting 42.6% from beyond the arc with 54 of his 79 shot attempts coming from deep. Clark is averaging 11.6 points per game on the season and ranks behind only Johnson in possession percentage (22.1%). While the Bruins are a balanced outfit on the offensive end of the floor, one of those two are the most likely to be responsible for what happens.

The play inside should be interesting to watch due to both teams relying on solid tandems. Belmont has seniors Mick Hedgepeth and Scott Saunders, who combine to average 16.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Hedgepeth shoots 53% from the field while Saunders is right there with a 52% mark, and Hedgepeth is the better of the two with regards to both offensive rebounding and assists. Marshall will counter with juniors Robert Goff and Dennis Tinnon, who combine to average 19.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. Tinnon's making 61% of his shots in his first season in Huntington, a mark that ranks second in Conference USA.

The rebounding numbers of Goff and Tinnon underline the concern for Belmont going into Monday night: rebounding margin. The Thundering Herd have out-rebounded their opponents by 11.5 rebounds per game, and Belmont is squeaking by with a margin of plus-2.8. Part of that may be due to how much Belmont relies on the perimeter shot for their points, but they'll need Hedgepeth, Saunders and the rest of the team to hit the offensive boards when possible. Marshall grabs 17 offensive rebounds per game while averaging 67 possessions per game (2.5 fewer than Belmont). If Marshall is allowed to control the glass it could be a long night for the visitors.

In other games Monday night Davidson takes on Kansas in Kansas City, and Bob McKillop's team has a chance to win if they're able to hold their own with the Jayhawks' Thomas Robinson. After hanging with Vanderbilt throughout the Wildcats went to Charlotte and were whipped 84-61, and the nine days since have given them plenty of time to think about rebounding from that loss when not occupied with finals. De'Mon Brooks (16.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is the player up front that Davidson will look to in their dealings with Robinson.

Marquette takes on LSU in Baton Rouge, and if this game were while classes were in session the Tigers may have an even better shot of winning. But Trent Johnson's team will have their hands full with Darius Johnson-Odom, Vander Blue and Jae Crowder, with an upset depending on whether or not LSU can take advantage of the Golden Eagles being without the injured Chris Otule inside. Creighton's trip to Tulsa could be a tricky affair for the Bluejays and it would likely be a surprise if Cleveland State didn't end the night with another BCS AQ victim on their resume as they visit USF. Out west there's the opportunity to see whether or not 11-1 Wyoming is "for real" as they visit Denver, Temple visits Rice and TCU should probably be expected to win at USC.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at (5) Duke (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Nicholls State at (6) North Carolina (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Paul Quinn at (7) Baylor
9:00 PM (11) Marquette at LSU (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Davidson at (12) Kansas (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at (13) Florida (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Cornell at (19) Illinois (ESPN3)
6:30 PM Howard at (20) Indiana (BTN)
8:30 PM UMKC at (23) Michigan State (BTN)
8:00 PM (24) Creighton at Tulsa
8:00 PM Longwood at (25) Vanderbilt

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM La Salle at Delaware
7:00 PM Cleveland State at USF (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Alabama A&M at Georgia Tech
7:00 PM Ball State at IUPUI
7:00 PM Coastal Carolina at East Carolina
7:00 PM Southern University at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Alabama State at Clemson (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Lipscomb at Memphis (CSS)
7:00 PM Citadel at James Madison
7:00 PM North Florida at Virginia Tech (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Belmont at Marshall
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at West Virginia (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Utah Valley at Maine
7:00 PM Campbell at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM Youngstown State at Akron
7:00 PM Dartmouth at Colgate
7:00 PM Milligan at East Tennessee State
7:00 PM Albany at St. Francis (NY)
7:30 PM Sacred Heart at Notre Dame
7:30 PM USC Upstate at Florida Gulf Coast
7:30 PM Coppin State at Charlotte
8:00 PM Florida A&M at Auburn
8:00 PM Reinhardt at Jacksonville State
8:00 PM Wyoming at Denver (Root RM)
8:00 PM Central Arkansas at Iowa (BTN.com)
8:00 PM Rockhurst at Loyola (IL)
8:00 PM Hastings College at Nebraska Omaha
8:00 PM Loras at Northern Iowa
8:00 PM Central Methodist at Northwestern State
8:00 PM Southern Methodist at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Le Moyne-Owen at Tennessee State
8:00 PM Wayland Baptist Univ at UTSA
8:05 PM Georgia Southern at South Alabama
8:05 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Southern Illinois (ESPN3)
8:05 PM Lyon College at Arkansas State
8:05 PM Texas A&M-CC at Missouri State
8:05 PM Newman at Wichita State
8:15 PM Morehead State at Binghamton
8:30 PM Western Illinois at Illinois-Chicago
9:00 PM Texas Southern at Colorado State
9:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Colorado
9:00 PM Fresno State at Boise State (The Mtn.)
9:00 PM Temple at Rice (CSS/TCN)
9:00 PM Portland at Utah
9:00 PM McNeese State at UTEP
9:00 PM Mayville State at Weber State
10:00 PM Southern Miss at Arizona State (FSN)
10:00 PM UC Riverside at San Diego State
10:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at Stanford
10:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at UNLV
10:00 PM Kennesaw State at Saint Mary's
10:30 PM UCSB at California
10:30 PM TCU at USC
11:05 PM Eastern NM at Long Beach State

College Hoops Saturday: North Carolina at Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:15:18 -0800

The game that many college basketball fans have been anticipating for quite some time is finally here, as #5 North Carolina (6-1) visits #1 Kentucky (7-0) in Lexington. While both teams are coming off of wins in their last games, the way in which the results were achieved differ greatly. North Carolina had to deal with the challenge of play Wisconsin, given the Badgers' preference for a slow tempo, while Kentucky blew out a St. John's team that was severely overmatched from a depth standpoint. The Tar Heels will provide a far stiffer challenge for a Kentucky team that set a school record on Thursday night with an astonishing 18 blocked shots, and freshman phenom Anthony Davis (13.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 4.9 bpg) led the way with nine blocks.

The Chicago native is an extremely difficult matchup due to his wingspan and ability to run the floor, but Saturday will be the first time this season that Davis and the rest of the Kentucky thoroughbreds run into a front line that can match them in this regard. John Henson (14.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 3.3 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (13.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) are experienced big men who can match the skill level of the young Wildcats, but will North Carolina will be able to match that depth? Freshman James Michael McAdoo is averaging a shade below six points per game in fourteen minutes of action, but that only makes three players for UNC. Kentucky can answer with Terrence Jones (15.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg), the versatile Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and if his defense is up to par Kyle Wiltjer.

The Wildcats average 11.4 blocked shots per game and who knows how many other shots they change each game. Kidd-Gilchrist could very well match up with sophomore wing Harrison Barnes (17.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), who can be taken out of his offensive comfort zone if pressed into working for his looks. The good news for the Tar Heels is that they've got one of the best set-up men in the country in point guard Kendall Marshall (10.3 apg, 4.7 rpg). Marshall's got an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.8, and his assist percentage of 44.8% ranks seventh nationally according to statsheet.com.

Kentucky will have to cut off the head of the attack in order to slow down North Carolina, which means that freshman Marcus Teague (10.7 ppg, 4.1 apg) needs to play a mature brand of basketball. Teague is an impressive basketball player, but the transition to point guard in John Calipari's system has (and will) take some time (assist-to-turnover ratio: 1.3). Joining Teague in the backcourt for Kentucky are a pair of experienced hands in sophomore Doron Lamb (14.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg) and senior Darius Miller (8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg), and both have been better than the freshman at taking care of the basketball.

Teague will more than likely have to deal with junior Dexter Strickland for part of the game, as Strickland did a solid job of defending Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor on Wednesday night. Strickland is an impressive athlete who has fit well into the role of the Tar Heels' defensive stopper, which is perfectly fine given the scoring firepower at Roy Williams' disposal. Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston (upgraded to questionable with an injury to his left wrist) will both see time off the bench and they combine to average more than thirteen points and six rebounds per game on the season.

Given the expected intensity of this contest, especially in the early going, depth could become a factor if anyone gets into early foul trouble. Unless the culprit is Henson or Zeller the Tar Heels should be fine in this area, but the bigger question for them is how effective Marshall can be as a defender. The sophomore was solid against Wisconsin, but the style that Kentucky plays can put more "immediate" pressure on a defender as opposed to the slower style played by the Badgers. A lot of the stats are close when looking at these two powers, which hopefully will mean a tight game throughout.

In other action on a busy Saturday, Ohio State plays what should be a routine game against UTPA with Jared Sullinger out due to back spasms. This should be a good game for an Evan Ravenel to get acclimated to playing more minutes should Sullinger be out for an extended period of time. But the big one has to be undefeated Marquette visiting Wisconsin in one of the better rivalry games around. Vander Blue plays his first college game in his hometown, but the reception he receives won't be the only intrigue. Buzz Williams' team gets after it on the defensive end, and seniors Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder have both gotten off to good starts to the season. Jordan Taylor and the Badgers will look to get back on track in front of the Grateful Red, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all if they did.

Purdue visiting Xavier, Iowa State visiting Michigan and Gonzaga playing Illinois at the United Center are three more games involving ranked teams to keep an eye on, and West Virginia's trip to Starkville should be intriguing as well. And while Boston College is struggling their battle with Boston University in the battle for Commonwealth Ave. should be fun if only to watch the Terriers' Darryl Partin. USC plays Minnesota in a matchup of teams who have been hit hard by the injury bug, and the hope is that more warm bodies occupy the Sports Arena with UCLA hosting Texas. In the Atlantic Sun defending champion Belmont hosts Mercer, with the Bears hoping to show that they can contend for the conference title.

There are too many good games on the schedule to touch on them all, but also of note is a Big 5 battle between Penn and Villanova, which will match two of the best guards in the city in Zack Rosen (Penn) and Maalik Wayns (Villanova), and the late games include Missouri State visiting New Mexico in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley challenge. Enjoy the first really big Saturday of the season.

Top 25 Games
12:00 PM (5) North Carolina at (1) Kentucky (CBS)
12:00 PM Texas-Pan American at (2) Ohio State (BTN.com)
4:30 PM (16) Marquette at (7) Wisconsin
3:15 PM Arkansas at (10) Connecticut (ESPN)
3:00 PM Purdue at (11) Xavier (ESPNU)
5:15 PM USF at (14) Kansas (ESPN2)
12:00 PM Iowa State at (15) Michigan (BTN)
5:15 PM (17) Pittsburgh at Tennessee (ESPN)
3:15 PM (18) Gonzaga at Illinois (ESPN2)
8:30 PM Austin Peay at (21) Memphis (CSS)
9:00 PM West Virginia at (24) Mississippi State (ESPNU)
8:00 PM Portland at (25) Saint Louis

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Jacksonville at North Florida (ESPN3)
1:00 PM NJIT at Georgetown (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Old Dominion at Northeastern
1:00 PM Richmond at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Longwood at Virginia (ESPN3)
1:00 PM Kennesaw State at Lipscomb
1:00 PM High Point at Campbell
1:00 PM Massachusetts at Miami (FL) (ESPNU)
2:00 PM Vermont at Yale
2:00 PM Boston University at Boston College (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Morgan State at Ohio
2:00 PM Illinois-Chicago at Milwaukee
2:00 PM Liberty at Coastal Carolina
2:00 PM Valparaiso at Butler
2:00 PM Cleveland State at Detroit
2:00 PM Navy at Elon
2:00 PM William & Mary at Georgia State
2:00 PM Georgia Tech at Tulane (CBSSN)
2:15 PM USC at Minnesota (BTN)
2:30 PM Colorado State at Northern Iowa
3:00 PM St. Thomas (TX) at Rice
3:00 PM Stony Brook at Eastern Illinois
3:00 PM Brown at Iowa
3:00 PM Bryant University at Quinnipiac
3:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at SIU-Edwardsville
3:00 PM Ball State at Tennessee-Martin
3:00 PM Youngstown State at Wright State
3:05 PM Toledo at Chicago State
3:30 PM Sacred Heart at Central Connecticut State
4:00 PM Drexel at Delaware (TCN)
4:00 PM Arizona State at Tulsa (CBSSN)
4:00 PM Central Michigan at Temple
4:00 PM Chattanooga at Charleston (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Utah at Fresno State
4:00 PM Florida A&M at Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM W. Virginia Tech at Coppin State
4:00 PM James Madison at Hofstra
4:00 PM Bucknell at La Salle
4:00 PM Delaware State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central
4:00 PM Nebraska-Omaha at Northern Illinois
4:30 PM Texas at UCLA (FSN)
4:30 PM UNC Greensboro at Western Carolina
5:00 PM Charlotte at East Carolina
5:00 PM Oregon vs. Brigham Young* (ESPNU)
5:00 PM Idaho at UC Davis
5:00 PM Houston Baptist at Texas State
5:00 PM Hartford at UCF
5:15 PM East Tennessee State at Florida Gulf Coast
5:15 PM Mercer at Belmont
5:30 PM VMI at Charleston Southern
6:00 PM Texas Southern at Denver
6:00 PM Savannah State at Norfolk State
6:00 PM UMKC at Oakland
6:30 PM Northern Arizona at Arizona (FSN AZ)
6:35 PM Eastern Washington at Washington State (Root NW)
7:00 PM North Dakota State at IUPUI
7:00 PM New Hampshire at Holy Cross
7:00 PM Long Island at Mount St. Mary's
7:00 PM LSU at Rutgers (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Lehigh at Cornell
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Villanova (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Army at Binghamton
7:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Buffalo (TWC SportsNet)
7:00 PM Furman at Davidson
7:00 PM Tennessee Tech at Duquesne
7:00 PM Brescia at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Winthrop at Gardner-Webb (MASN)
7:00 PM UAB at Kent State
7:00 PM Radford at Presbyterian
7:00 PM Monmouth at Robert Morris
7:00 PM Loyola (MD) at Siena (Time Warner)
7:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Wagner
7:00 PM Citadel at Wofford
7:30 PM George Mason at Towson
7:30 PM Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM Alabama State at FIU
7:30 PM South Dakota at IPFW
8:00 PM Southern Utah at Oral Roberts
8:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Houston
8:00 PM Columbia vs. North Texas*
8:00 PM Air Force at Drake
8:00 PM Miami (OH) at Troy
8:00 PM South Dakota State at Western Illinois
8:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Green Bay (HLN)
8:05 PM Alabama A&M at South Alabama
8:05 PM TCU at Evansville
8:05 PM UNC Wilmington at Illinois State
8:05 PM Walla Walla University at Portland State
8:30 PM Louisiana Tech at Louisiana-Monroe
8:30 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Southeast Missouri State
9:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Montana State
9:05 PM North Dakota at Idaho State
9:05 PM Johnson and Wales (Den) at Northern Colorado
9:30 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Lamar
9:30 PM San Jose State at Weber State
10:00 PM Saint Mary's at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Indiana State at Boise State
10:00 PM Missouri State at New Mexico (The Mtn.)
10:00 PM San Diego at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Hawaii at Pepperdine
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Santa Clara
10:00 PM Bradley at Wyoming
10:05 PM Utah State at Pacific
10:30 PM La Sierra University at Loyola Marymount