Washington

Gonzaga vs. #16 Saint Mary's: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:42:05 -0500

Could there be a changing of the guard in the West Coast Conference? While that may be a tough question to ask given the sustained run of success that Gonzaga (18-4, 8-2) has enjoyed over the years, winning the last eleven WCC regular season titles, Saint Mary's (22-2, 11-0) would establish a three-game lead with four conference games remaining with a win in Spokane. Led by seniors Matthew Dellavedova (15.5 ppg, 6.4 apg) and Rob Jones (14.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg), the Gaels have already swept BYU and handed Gonzaga an 83-62 loss back on January 12th. While Jones accounted for 11 rebounds and eight assists in that game he only scored two points, and the Gaels benefitted from other players stepping up their play.

One of those was redshirt freshman Brad Waldow (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), who scored 17 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the first meeting. Waldow's reached double figures in points in each of the last four games, with a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Santa Clara to begin the streak. Mitchell Young was also instrumental in the win over Gonzaga as he scored 12 points off the bench, and that production proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome due in part to the quiet night that Robert Sacre (1-for-7, four points) had. Both Sacre (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Elias Harris (13.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) need to be productive if Gonzaga is to control the flow of the contest tonight.

Another issue for Gonzaga in the first meeting was the overall play of the backcourt, as Kevin Pangos was their most productive guard with 12 points and four assists. But the other members of the rotation, from David Stockton to Marquise Carter to Gary Bell Jr., were all relatively quiet as Dellavedova took over the game with 26 points and six assists. Stephen Holt was also a factor for the Gaels as he scored 17 points, and while Jorden Page and Clint Steindl were quiet on that night they both have the ability to step up as well. Steindl scored 16 points in 21 minutes off the bench in Saint Mary's win at BYU, knocking down four of six from beyond the arc.

While equal in three-point percentage (36.6%), Saint Mary's has been the better offensive team this season as they boast a higher efficiency (117.4 to 109.4) and a better assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4 to 1.04 for Gonzaga) on the season. Gonzaga is essentially breaking even on assists and turnovers to date, and they can't afford to do so if they're to beat Saint Mary's. If a guard other than Pangos can play well that will be just as much of a boost for the Zags as the raucous crowd. To become the champion sometimes it takes going into the house of the reigning champ and winning to take full possession of the throne, and that's the mission in front of Randy Bennett's team.

Illinois visits Indiana on the heels of a disappointing home loss to Norhtwestern, and it's a key game for both teams with regards to possible NCAA seeding down the line. The Hoosiers are coming off of a much-needed win at Purdue, and with the likes of Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls there isn't much reason to question the effort of Tom Crean's team. But for whatever reason that hasn't always been the case with the Fighting Illini, who really need to figure out their "identity" and how to get the most out of their talent. Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul lead the way for Bruce Weber, but consistent play from the likes of Joseph Bertrand and D.J. Richardson is a must down the stretch.

There are a pair of important contests in the Pac-12 as Arizona hosts Colorado and Washington visits Oregon, with the Huskies currently alone in first place. The Wildcats, fresh off of their sweep of the Bay Area road trip, likely have the second-best at-large profile in the conference (Cal having the best) but falling too far out of first place could get them in trouble. Tad Boyle's Buffaloes have been a pleasant surprise within the league, and in Andre Roberson they've got the league's best rebounder. His battle with Solomon Hill will be worth the price of admission by itself, and the young talent on the floor for both teams should be a good sign for the future.

In Eugene Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross lead the way for a Washington team that allowed some important non-conference opportunities to slip away, making it even more important that they find a way to win the regular season crown. Oregon's perimeter trio of Devoe Joseph, Garrett Sim and E.J. Singler are skilled enough to be a handful themselves, and this game is usually one that gets the fans into Matthew Knight Arena.

Ole Miss could really use a win at Mississippi State to help their fleeting at-large hopes and the same goes for Minnesota, who hosts Wisconsin. NC State (at Georgia Tech) and Miami (hosting Virginia Tech) are both playing games they can't afford to lose for the sake of their respective resumes, and undefeated Murray State is also in action. Lastly the Horizon League features an important contest as Valparaiso visits Cleveland State with the Vikings (10-2) up a game in the loss column.

Top 25 Games
8:00 PM Tennessee State at (7) Murray State (ESPN3)
11:00 PM (13) Saint Mary's at Gonzaga (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Ole Miss at (18) Mississippi State (ESPN2)
7:00 PM (22) Wisconsin at Minnesota (ESPN)
8:00 PM Illinois at (23) Indiana (BTN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Lehigh at American (CBS SN)
7:00 PM NC State at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Maine at Boston University
7:00 PM Albany at New Hampshire (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Furman
7:00 PM Elon at Chattanooga (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Wofford at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Siena at Niagara
7:00 PM High Point at Coastal Carolina
7:00 PM Valparaiso at Cleveland State
7:00 PM Winthrop at Campbell
7:00 PM Rider at Canisius
7:00 PM Denver at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM North Texas at Florida International (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Radford at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM VMI at Presbyterian
7:00 PM UMBC at Stony Brook
7:00 PM Davidson at Citadel
7:00 PM Butler at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Utah Valley at N.J.I.T.
7:30 PM Liberty at Charleston Southern
7:30 PM Manhattan at Fairfield
8:00 PM Arkansas State at South Alabama
8:00 PM North Dakota State at UMKC
8:00 PM Western Carolina at Charleston (ESPN3)
8:00 PM South Dakota State at South Dakota
8:00 PM Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (FCS)
8:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Samford
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech
8:05 PM IUPUI at Oral Roberts (FCS)
8:05 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM North Dakota at Chicago State
8:30 PM Utah at Arizona State
8:30 PM Marist at St. Peter's (ESPN3)
8:35 PM Weber State at Northern Arizona (FCS)
9:00 PM Colorado at Arizona (ESPN)
9:00 PM Iowa at Northwestern (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Western Illinois at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) (ESPN2)
9:05 PM Louisiana Tech at Utah State (ESPN3)
9:05 PM Montana at Northern Colorado
10:00 PM UC Riverside at Cal Poly
10:00 PM Fresno State at San Jose State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Washington State at Oregon State
10:00 PM San Diego at Pepperdine
10:05 PM Montana State at Sacramento State
10:05 PM Portland State at Idaho State
10:05 PM UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton
10:30 PM California at USC
10:30 PM Long Beach State at Pacific
11:00 PM Stanford at UCLA
11:00 PM New Mexico State at Idaho
11:00 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Davis
11:00 PM Washington at Oregon (FSN)
11:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Portland
11:00 PM Santa Clara at San Francisco (ESPNU)
12:00 AM Nevada at Hawaii

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Notable Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hitters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Notable Performances

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alabama vs. Vanderbilt: Thursday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:24:07 -0500

With the SEC making the move away from two divisions, games such as the one between Vanderbilt (13-4, 3-0) and Alabama (13-4, 2-1) take on added importance in the race for one of those four first-round byes in the SEC Tournament. And while both teams presently have the look of NCAA Tournament clubs, there's nothing wrong with picking up another resume-building result. Kevin Stallings' Commodores have played well of late as they've won six straight games, but the three league wins have all come at the expense of teams expected to slug it out in the lower reaches of the SEC standings. They'll definitely be tested by the Crimson Tide, who have a pair of big men capable of testing Vanderbilt from a toughness standpoint.

JaMychal Green (14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Tony Mitchell (14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) form one of the better interior tandems in the country, with Green being a physical big man who will likely have the job of banging with Vandy's Festus Ezeli in the paint. Mitchell on the other hand is arguably the best dunker in the country, and if he's allowed to get out and fill lanes on the break it's going to be a long night at Coleman Coliseum for the Commodores. Freshman Nick Jacobs is the third member of the rotation for Anthony Grant, playing 18 minutes per game, but there's a signficant drop in production when either Green or Mitchell happens to get in foul trouble.

In addition to Ezeli the Commodores have a versatile high-flyer of their own in Jeffery Taylor (16.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), who is also one of the better defensive players in the SEC. Taylor's shooting 54% from the field and while he isn't the marksman that John Jenkins is, Taylor has made 45% of his three-pointers this season. Lance Goulbourne (10.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has stepped up his production, which was key with Ezeli looking to shake off the rust brought on by an NCAA suspension and a knee injury. Rod Odom and Steve Tchiengang are also a part of the frontcourt rotation, and with the two teams being similar from a rebounding standpoint this matchup should be fun to watch.

The perimeter play, especially how well Vanderbilt takes care of the basketball, will go a long way in determining the outcome. The Commodores average 14.4 turnovers per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.92, and with Alabama limiting opponents to a ratio of 0.70 it's imperative that Brad Tinsley (10.3 ppg, 4.3 apg) and company don't get careless with the basketball. Actually it's been Taylor who has been the worst with the ball, averaging 2.7 turnovers/game and Goulbourne (2.1) ranks second on the team so they're likely the ones to watch. In Jenkins (19.8 ppg) Vanderbilt has one of the SEC's best scorers, and Alabama will need to do their best to make him work for his looks.

And the Crimson Tide have the perimeter athletes to do so but they're young with the backcourt rotation being made up of one sophomore and four freshmen. That sophomore, Trevor Releford (12.5 ppg, 3.2 apg), runs the show and gets the job done for Alabama offensively while also leading the team with 1.6 steals per game. Freshmen Levi Randolph and Trevor Lacey are averaging a combined 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and both are athletic enough to give Jenkins trouble defensively. Alabama forces 13.8 turnovers per game but the bigger sign of their defensive work is that opponents average 9.6 assists per game and shoot 36.8% from the field. Turning Jenkins into an offensive player that has to create his own shots as opposed to benefitting from off-ball screens should be a goal for Alabama.

Also of note on Thursday night is #6 North Carolina looking to rebound from an embarrassing performance on Saturday as they take on Virginia Tech, who is in desperate need of a win as they sit 0-4 in ACC play. The Hokies were without Erick Green due to injury on Saturday against Boston College and the impact was evident. They also need consistent play from Dorenzo Hudson if Seth Greenberg's team is to not only have a shot at an NCAA bid but simply work their way back into the discussion. North Carolina didn't respond well when Florida State hit them in the mouth, so they should be motivated to not only bounce back but do so in impressive fashion.

Charleston visits Davidson in a South Division battle in the SoCon, and the Wildcats could increase their lead to over the Cougars to three games with a win at home. De'Mon Brooks leads five Davidson players in double figures with an average of 15.6 points per game while Charleston will counter with Antwaine Wiggins. Wagner and St. Francis (NY) meet in an NEC showdown (both teams are 5-1 in league play, a game behind LIU Brooklyn), and in the Pac-12 California visits Washington. The Golden Bears no longer have the services of forward Richard Solomon, who was declared academically ineligible on Wednesday. Without him players such as David Kravish become even more important, and there may not be body parts more vital to the Pac-12 race than Harper Kamp's knees.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Wake Forest at (4) Duke (ESPN)
9:00 PM (8) North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN)
8:00 PM (17) Virginia at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Pepperdine at (23) Saint Mary's
9:00 PM (25) Illinois at Penn State (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Lafayette at Holy Cross (CBS SN)
7:00 PM Boston University at New Hampshire
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Furman
7:00 PM Albany at Vermont
7:00 PM Hartford at Maine
7:00 PM Vanderbilt at Alabama (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Bryant at Central Connecticut State
7:00 PM Charleston at Davidson (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Samford at Elon
7:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at LIU Brooklyn
7:00 PM Binghamton at UMBC
7:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Monmouth
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at UNC-Asheville
7:00 PM Chattanooga at UNC Greensboro
7:00 PM Campbell at Radford
7:00 PM Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart
7:00 PM Fairfield at Saint Peter's
7:00 PM High Point at VMI
7:00 PM Wagner at St. Francis (NY)
7:00 PM Gardner-Webb at Winthrop
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Wofford
7:00 PM Houston Baptist at NJIT
7:30 PM Siena at Loyola (MD)
8:00 PM Boston College at NC State (ESPN3)
8:00 PM IUPUI at South Dakota
8:00 PM Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM Niagara at Canisius (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois
8:00 PM Valparaiso at Loyola (IL)(ESPN3)
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Austin Peay at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM William & Mary at VCU (ESPNU)
8:05 PM Florida International at South Alabama
8:05 PM Western Illinois at UMKC
8:05 PM IPFW at Oral Roberts
8:05 PM Texas-Pan American at Chicago State
8:15 PM Florida Atlantic at Troy
8:30 PM Arizona State at Colorado
8:30 PM Butler at UIC (ESPN3)
8:30 PM Loyola Marymount at BYU (BYU TV)
8:30 PM Arizona at Utah
8:30 PM California at Washington
8:30 PM Denver at Louisiana-Monroe
8:30 PM USC at Oregon (CSN NW)
9:00 PM Northern Colorado at Montana
9:00 PM Oakland at Southern Utah
9:00 PM Northern Arizona at Weber State
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Montana State
10:00 PM Long Beach State at Cal Poly
10:00 PM San Francisco at Gonzaga (ESPNU)
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Santa Barbara
10:05 PM Stanford at Washington State
10:05 PM Utah State at Seattle
10:30 PM New Mexico State at San Jose State
10:30 PM UCLA at Oregon State (FSN)
11:00 PM San Diego at Portland (CSN NW)
12:00 AM Louisiana Tech at Hawaii

Tuesday Recap: Paul Leads Illinois Past Ohio State

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:41:32 -0500

The matchup between Ohio State and Illinois was anticipated by many for the individual matchup between the Buckeyes' Jared Sullinger and Illinois' Meyers Leonard. Then there was the ceremony honoring Lou Henson, the all-time winningest coach in Illinois history. But few people expected Brandon Paul to end up being the center of attention, which is exactly what happened in the Fighting Illini's 79-74 win at Assembly Hall.

Palu scored a career-high 43 points, making 11 of his 15 shots from the field (8-10 3PT) and 13 of 15 from the charity stripe to lead Bruce Weber's squad to the win. But it wasn't all about the points for Paul, as he contributed in other areas as well. Paul also led the team in rebounds (eight) and blocked shots (four), more than making up for his game-high seven turnovers. Wehn you've got it rolling like Paul did on this night, the mistakes tend to fade into the background.

"I was laughing a couple times. After the first couple threes, I just said I was going to keep shooting," remarked Paul. "That's the mindset that I've got to have."

Paul's offensive explosion was essentially the difference in the game as both teams finished with four starters reaching double figures and zero points from their respective benches. Deshaun Thomas (23 points, six rebounds) and Sullinger (21 points, five rebounds and three steals) led Ohio State offensively, but Sullinger was also their best three-point shooter as he made both of his attempts.

The rest of the team made just three of thirteen from beyond the arc and with Paul shooting the way he was, Thad Matta's team found itself in trouble throughout much of the second half. Shooting 60% from the field and 61% from three can cure a lot of ills, as it did for the Illini as they turned the ball over 18 times. It also didn't hurt Illinois to have a plus-7 advantage in points from the foul line (14-7), with Sullinger not attempting his lone free throws of the night until late in the game.

All things considered Leonard did a good job in his individual matchup with Sullinger, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds in 38 minutes of action. But Tuesday night was all about the guard who got hot early and stayed so throughout. Even switching Aaron Craft, one of the best defenders in the country, onto Paul did the visitors from Columbus any good. Sometimes guys just have one of those nights, and that was exactly the case for Brandon Paul.

Other Notable Happenings

1. If you haven't given Baylor their due by now, this would be a good time to do so.
For whatever reason, Scott Drew's Baylor Bears haven't been discussed in the same realm as teams such as Syracuse, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State despite owning some impressive wins to date. But after the Bears made the winning plays they needed to make late in their 75-73 win at #18 Kansas State, it's time for the nation to put the Bears in that company when discussing teams that can not only get to the Final Four but win the national title. Perry Jones III led four players in double figures with 17 points and eight rebounds while two other players (A.J. Walton and Quincy Miller) scored eight and nine points, respectively.

By the four minute mark of the second half five Baylor players had four fouls, but none fouled out and it was one of those players who stepped up big in crunch time. Quincy Acy, who played just 24 minutes due to foul trouble, scored a basket and then stole a pass on Kansas State's ensuing possession to give the Bears a 73-71 lead with 3:14 remaining. The Bears wouldn't trail again, and it was Acy's deflection of a pass in the final seconds that preserved the victory. Rodney McGruder led K-State with 30 points but their mistakes late opened the door for the Bears, and the visitors took advantage.

2. Providence honors the '87 Final Four team and blows out Louisville for their first league win.
It seems as if every time Rick Pitino brings a team to Providence his 1987 squad that reached the Final Four is being honored. After Tuesday night however, he may look to no longer be involved in such ceremonies at The Dunk. Louisville didn't look ready for a street fight from the start, and that's a bad way to enter a game when playing a team desperate for its first league win. Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts scored 27 points apiece as the Friars more than made up for the absence of Gerard Coleman (back injury), beating the Cardinals 90-59 to give Ed Cooley his first Big East victory.

Louisville couldn't turn over the Friars as point guard Vincent Council was the consummate floor general with 15 points, 14 assists and just two turnovers, and from there things really got out of hand for the visitors. It's been known that Peyton Siva and the rest of the Cardinals have a hard time scoring when they're unable to get out and run off of turnovers. And until that changes results like this remain a possibility as they encounter league opponents who can take care of the basketball. Hindsight is 20/20, but it looks as if those who felt that the Cardinals were overrated when they reached the Top 5 were ahead of the curve.

3. Northern Iowa forced Antoine Young to make plays, and he did as Creighton kept pace atop the MVC.
UNI needed a win in Omaha to remain within striking distance of the top of the Missouri Valley thanks to their losses to Illinois State and Evansville, with the latter coming at home. But due to two defensive moves the Panthers left town with a 2-3 record as they fell to the Bluejays 63-60. Ben Jacobson's squad essentially dared Creighton guard Antoine Young to make them pay offensively, and he did just that with a game-high 21 points. On the other hand Greg McDermott and his staff made the defensive move that may have won the game, placing more emphasis on limiting Marc Sonnen's perimeter looks.

Sonnen scored 15 points in the first half as he made all five of his three-point attempts. Sonnen finished the game with 15 points, and without his shooting the Panthers sputtered offensively. UNI shot 33.3% from the field and 28.6% from three in the second half, a far cry from their first half numbers of 42.3% and 66.7%. In addition to Young, Creighton received some big plays from Grant Gibbs (ten points) and Doug McDermott (14 points, eight rebounds) in addition to 11 rebounds from Gregory Echenique.

Quick Hitters

1. Playing their first game as a ranked team in 11 years, Seton Hall used a 17-1 second half run to put away DePaul 94-73. Fuquan Edwin scored a career-high 28 points to go along with nine rebounds, and point guard Jordan Theodore finished with 26 and 11 assists. Theodore's play this season has been outstanding, so much so that he has to be considered for Big East Player of the Year. Makes you wonder what the Cousy Award committee was thinking when they left Theodore off the list of 20 finalists for the award.

2. After winning consecutive conference road games at Wisconsin and Minnesota, Iowa has found out the hard way that they've still got some distance to travel before becoming a factor in the Big Ten. Michigan State whipped the Hawkeyes 95-61 in East Lansing, and in their last two games Iowa has lost by a combined 63 points.

3. Bernard James put forth an impressive performance for Florida State, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the Seminoles' 63-59 win at Virginia Tech. James also blocked three shots and Ian Miller scored 15 off the bench as FSU picked up a much-needed win on the heels of their embarassing effort at Clemson.

4. An Atlantic 10 team to keep an eye on over the next two months: La Salle. The Explorers have won 11 of their last 12 games, beating Big 5 rival Penn 68-57 at The Palestra on Tuesday night. Point guard Tyreek Duren scored 21 points and dished out six assists while Earl Pettis added 18. The key for Dr. John Giannini's team, whose guards can play with anyone in the A-10, will be how they deal with bigger teams in league play.

5. Washington made things far more difficult than they needed to be in beating Seattle 91-83, but then again is anything expected to be "easy" for the Pac-12 this season? C.J. Wilcox scored a team-high 25 points off the bench while Tony Wroten scored 24 for the Huskies, who are off until Sunday's matchup with in-state rival Washington State.

6. Missouri State and Wichita State both took care of business at home to remain tied with Creighton atop the MVC standings, with the Bears beating Southern Illinois and Wichita State holding off Illinois State. And in Kyle Weems (MSU) and Joe Ragland (WSU), these two teams have players who can go off on a moment's notice if teams don't limit their looks.

7. Harvard avoided what would have been a catastrophic loss with regards to a possible at-large berth (should they need it) as they beat Monmouth 70-61. Keith Wright led the way with 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Crimson, who play George Washington before heading back into Ivy League play.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Brandon Paul (Illinois)
43 points (11-15 FG, 8-10 3PT), eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals in the Fighting Illini's 79-74 win over #5 Ohio State.

2. F Fuquan Edwin and G Jordan Theodore (Seton Hall)
The old Paterson Catholic teammates led the way for the Pirates in their 94-73 win over DePaul. Edwin scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Theodore added 26 and 11 assists.

3. F Kadeem Batts (Providence)
Batts, who was suspended for the fall semester, was one of the key figures in the Friars' 90-59 win over #15 Louisville. Batts scored 27 points, grabbed ten rebounds and blocked three shots in helping lead the Friars to their first Big East win under head coach Ed Cooley.

Thursday Recap: Rutgers Beats #10 Florida

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:50:22 -0500

The matchup between #10 Florida and Rutgers on Thursday night was hyped up due to the return of Mike Rosario, who transferred from the New Jersey school following two seasons in New Brunswick. But his return was a subplot in what turned out to be one of the best games of the calendar year, with the focus by the end being Mike Rice's young guards. Eli Carter led the way with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Myles Mack knocked down some big shots late in regulation and during the overtime periods to lead Rutgers to the 85-83 double overtime victory.

Jerome Seagears added 13 points and junior forward Dane Miller was his usual versatile self with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kenny Boynton led four Florida players in double figures with 26 points, but the Gators seemed to bog down offensively down the stretch, once again not getting the ball inside enough to Patric Young. Young finished with 11 points but took just eight shots in 41 minutes of play, and there was even a possession where Florida failed to get him the ball despite being guarded by the 6'3" Carter. Florida's guards had the experience advantage, but it was Rutgers that made that one extra big play to win the game.

"Would I have liked them to get into our sets a little quicker? Sure," said Rice after the game. "But there was such a poise, such a confidence. They responded at the end. I always take it back because they practice like that ...hopefully this is [what's] to come."

For all their youth Rutgers turned the ball over just 11 times compared to 18 Florida turnovers, and their assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 was nearly double their season average (0.86). Also critical for the Scarlet Knights was their play on the boards, as they were out-rebounded by just one (37-36) on the night with Derrick Randall supplying eight rebounds in 17 minutes of play. The Rutgers reserves, led by Mack (14 points), outscored Florida's bench 22-8 with Rosario scoring five points for the Gators. The Scarlet Knights are young and there will be bumps in the road in Big East play, but as Coach Rice said after the game the future is bright.

"This is what happens when you don't think impossible is impossible," said Rice. "This is what happens when young men are determined to follow the formula and play for one another."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Vanderbilt jumps Marquette from the start and picks up a much-needed resume builder.
Much of the country didn't get to see the beginning of Vanderbilt/Marquette due to the length of Rutgers' win over Florida, and by the time ESPN2 switched over the game was essentially finished. Kevin Stallings' Commodores jumped out to a 19-4 lead and didn't look back, leading by as many as 25 points in the first half (31-6) on their way to a 74-57 victory. Marquette couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half as they shot 21.2% from the field and finished the game making 32.2% of their shots.

Jeffery Taylor led four Commodores in double figures with 19 points while Lance Goulbourne added 13 to go along with 16 rebounds, and Marquette's inability to make shots allowed the visitors to get away with 17 turnovers. Jae Crowder (16 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (12 points) reached double figures but with fellow starters Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue combining to make two of ten shots from the field the Golden Eagles weren't able to get back into the game. Vanderbilt needed a win like this to re-establish some national credibility after an 8-4 start, and this will help as they go into SEC play.

2. Saint Mary's welcomes BYU to the WCC with 98 points in Moraga.
BYU and Saint Mary's went into Thursday's game familiar with each other since they met last season, even with some of the key figures in that meeting no longer in school. But confernce play can be an entirely different animal, as the Cougars found out in the second half of the Gaels' 98-82 victory. Randy Bennett's team made 55.4% of their shots and assisted on 23 of 31 made baskets, and individually both Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones posted double-doubles. Dellavedova ran the show for Saint Mary's, finishing with 18 points and 12 assists, while Jones was a matchup nightmare for BYU with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Brandon Davies was outstanding for BYU in scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but there wasn't enough offensive help for Davies when considering the fact that four SMC starters finished in double figures. Stephen Holt made eight of his ten shots in scoring 21 points and Jorden Page added 13 and five assists. On a night filled with offense, BYU simply could not get stops when they needed them the most. Of the three contenders for the WCC title (Gonzaga) the Gaels have the weakest non-conference resume, so that regular season crown may be most important for them when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Thursday night was a good first step in that direction.

3. Cashmere Wright takes matters into his own hands late to lead Cincinnati past Oklahoma.
One question regarding Cincinnati's smaller lineup in light of the suspensions of Yancy Gates and Cheikh Mbodj was how the Bearcats would deal with bigger teams, something that wasn't an issue in wins over lesser competition. Oklahoma provided that challenge, and while it wasn't pretty Cincinnati found a way to win 56-55. That way: give Cashmere Wright the chance to make plays late. The junior point guard scored just eight points on the night (3-14 FG), but he made two huge baskets in the final minute including the game-winner with 8.8 seconds to go. Cincinnati turned the ball over just eight times on the night compared to 17 for the Sooners (UC: 16 points off turnovers), and while they were a minus-9 in rebounding margin the Bearcats grabbed 13 offensive boards and scored ten second-chance points (OU finished with 11). Cincinnati's taken full advantage of what could have been a crippling turn of events, becoming a better basketball team as a result.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a bad night for ACC bottom-feeders on Thursday, with Boston College losing to #24 Harvard for the fourth consecutive time (67-46) and Georgia Tech losing at Fordham (72-66). To say the least these results don't do much to maintain the league's computer numbers, and it could be a long conference season for both the Eagles and Yellow Jackets. And it should also be noted that Wake Forest nearly lost to Yale after leading by 19, ultimately hanging on to beat the Bulldogs 72-71.

2. Freshman guard Jamal Branch has left the Texas A&M program and will transfer according to multiple media outlets. Branch averaged just 4.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, but his departure leaves the Aggies one option short on a perimeter that hasn't played at a championship level this season.

3. Two teams that took hits to their chances of an at-large bid on Thursday are Marshall and Iona, with both falling on the road. Iona couldn't recover from 19 first half turnovers in an 83-75 loss at Hofstra while the Thundering Herd lost 79-74 to a Belmont team they beat just ten days ago. The Herd may have a better shot at earning an at-large given their conference affiliation (Conference USA), but the climb for both teams became a lot tougher.

4. Shaka Smart's VCU Rams won their seventh straight game on Thursday, winning 76-75 in overtime at Akron. Bradford Burgess led four Rams in double figures with 19 points (and seven rebounds) and VCU forced 20 Akron turnovers on the night.

5. Getting to conference play wasn't the catalyst for Austin Peay that some thought it would be as the Governors lost 67-65 at Eastern Kentucky. Dave Loos' team dropped to 3-11 on the season (0-1 OVC) while the Colonels are now 2-0 in league play.

6. In the "inexplicable loss" category are the defeats suffered by American and James Madison, who in losing to Mount St. Mary's and Rhode Island respectively lost to teams that entered Thursday with a combined 2-21 record.

7. Even though they were the home team it's likely that few people expected Illinois State to beat Northern Illinois in the MVC opener for both teams. But that's exactly what happened as the Redbirds, led by Jackie Carmichael (19 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks), beat the Panthers 65-61.

8. The opening night of Pac-12 play didn't lack excitement either, with Stanford hanging on to beat UCLA 60-59. UCLA took 13 shots in the second half that would have given them the lead if converted...and missed them all. And in Seattle, Tony Wroten led Washington to a 95-80 win over Oregon State with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists. If the freshman continues to learn how to use his talents to make his teammates better, look out.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Eli Carter (Rutgers)
31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Scarlet Knights' 85-83 double overtime win over #10 Florida.

2. F Will Barton (Memphis)
27 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in the Tigers' 64-47 win over Robert Morris.

3. F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Rams' 72-66 win over Georgia Tech.

Thursday Preview: BYU at Saint Mary's

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:31:23 -0500

It can be argued that Vanderbilt's trip to #13 Marquette is the big game of the day on Thursday, especially when considering a Commodore resume that could use some added bulk. But there's also the first-ever conference game as a member of the West Coast Conference for BYU (11-3), and they're jumping directly into the fire thanks to the league schedule-makers. Dave Rose's Cougars visit Saint Mary's (11-2) in the league opener for both teams, and there are some very good individual battles to keep track of in Moraga. The Gaels are 9-0 at home on the season thanks to both a tough environment for visitors at McKeon Pavilion and the talented players at Randy Bennett's disposal. The one who "stirs the drink": junior point guard Matthew Dellavedova.

Dellavedova (13.9 ppg, 6.3 apg), who was inexplicably left off of the first Cousy Award candidate list, is called upon to score as well as set up the Gaels' other options. The Australian shoots at a good clip from both the floor (44.3%) and from three (36.5%), with Steven Holt (8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) and Jorden Page (7.7 ppg) also factoring into things on the perimeter. Senior forward Clint Steindl (9.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) is shooting 44.9% from beyond the arc, and he can be a matchup problem for teams given his comfort on the perimeter. Thanks in large part to this perimeter rotation the Gaels average 17.0 assists and 11.5 turnovers per game, and their efficiency (114.1) is tops in the WCC.

BYU ranks third in the conference in offensive efficiency (111.3), and the addition of UCLA transfer Matt Carlino at the end of the fall semester has paid dividend for the Cougars. Carlino (17.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who some have envisioned as possibly become a southpaw guard in the mold of Jimmer Fredette, has hit the ground running in shooting 54.5% from both the field and from three. Wings Charles Abouo (11.9 ppg, 7.0 ppg) and Brock Zylstra (9.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) were BYU's best perimeter scorers before Carlino became eligible, and they're both clearly going to remain key options offensively. But what Carlino's arrival has done is make opponents account for the point guard spot supplying credible scoring, something that wasn't happening when he wasn't available.

The play inside will be where BYU may have to take control of the game, and they're more than capable of doing so with one of the top frontcourts on the west coast. Obviously Abouo's going to help on the glass given the fact that he's the Cougars' second-leading rebounder, but BYU can call on the experienced Noah Hartsock (17.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Brandon Davies (11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg) for scoring and muscle inside. Hartsock is shooting 59.1% from the field on the season, which is quite the achievement when considering that he's taken the most shots on the team (159). Davies is a very good athlete who does the majority of his work in the paint, and while his field goal percentage is down from his first two seasons in Provo that's got more to do with Davies' larger role.

As for Saint Mary's their best frontcourt player is senior Rob Jones (14.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg), who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding while also ranking third on the team in assists. If Saint Mary's isn't calling upon Dellavedova to make something happen more likely than not it's Jones who shoulders that responsibility. The other interior players are called upon more for defense and rebounding than scoring, with the experienced Kenton Walker and Mitchell Young combining with freshman Brad Waldow and sophomore Beau Levesque in a four-man platoon (seven-footer Kyle Rowley also plays 6.2 mpg). This group has to help out Jones on the boards against a BYU team that's the better rebounding squad of the two.

The Cougars out-rebound their opponents by an average of 5.1 rebounds per game while the Gaels are almost breaking even (plus-0.3) in rebounding margin. With these being the top two defensive teams in the WCC from an efficiency (and field goal percentage) standpoint, rebounding and second-chance points could make the difference. If Davies, Hartsock and the rest of the Cougars can attack the offensive glass successfully they've got a shot at leaving Moraga with the win. But they're also going to need either Anson Winder or Craig Cusick to step up and take advantage of whatever opportunities come their way on the perimeter. With Gonzaga also factoring into the WCC race, one of these two teams will get a much-appreciated jump on the competition with a win.

Vanderbilt, to their credit, has played a tough schedule to this point in the season but at 8-4 there's no doubt that the Commodores could use another quality win before the start of SEC play. Thursday night's game at #13 Marquette offers the perfect opportunity to pick one up, but John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor are going to have their hands full on the perimeter. In addition to Darius Johnson-Odom there's also point guard Junior Cadougan, Vander Blue and reserve Todd Mayo to account for. And in an inside/out role Jae Crowder is one of the top forwards in the Big East. Whether or not Vanderbilt can leave Milwaukee with the win could depend on what they get from Brad Tinsley and Festus Ezeli.

Pac-12 plays also gets underway, and while the much-maligned conference doesn't have a single ranked team that doesn't mean that the action will lack suspense. Oregon State visits Washington with a chance to prove that they're ready to be an actual factor in the title race as opposed to a spolier, and with Jared Cunningham leading the way it's definitely possible. Washington needs to find a way to mesh the talents of Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten on the perimeter while also getting the ball to C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross on the wings. If one were to combine the raw talent of Wroten with the savvy of Gaddy the end result would be the perfect point guard for Lorenzo Romar's system, but obviously that isn't possible.

UCLA's trip to Stanford is another matchup of interest as the Bruins have won five straight games. One big reason why is that they're defending better, and the improved execution on the offensive end hasn't hurt either. Stanford counters with forward Josh Owens and freshman guard Chaisson Allen, who is going to be a star in the Pac-12 and possibly sooner rather than later. Harvard will likely be expected to win at Boston College and Mike Rosario returns to Rutgers in a pair of games in the northeast that the visitors are expected to win, and Memphis had better be careful to not underestimate Andy Toole's Robert Morris Colonials.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Elon at (6) North Carolina (ESPNU)
7:00 PM (10) Florida at Rutgers (ESPN2)
9:00 PM Vanderbilt at (13) Marquette (ESPN2)
7:30 PM Penn State at (16) Michigan (BTN)
8:00 PM Howard at (18) Kansas (ESPN3)
7:00 PM (23) Harvard at Boston College (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
2:00 PM Brown at St. Francis (NY)
4:00 PM American University at Mount St. Mary's
4:30 PM Utah Valley vs. Hampton*
6:00 PM Spring Hill at Louisiana Tech
7:00 PM Grambling State at LSU (CST)
7:00 PM North Carolina Central at East Carolina
7:00 PM Campbell at NC State
7:00 PM Yale at Wake Forest
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at New Hampshire
7:00 PM William & Mary at Miami (OH)
7:00 PM Robert Morris at Memphis
7:00 PM Longwood at Chattanooga
7:00 PM VCU at Akron
7:00 PM Green Bay at Butler (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Stetson at UCF
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Davidson
7:00 PM Austin Peay at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Iona at Hofstra (FiOS 1)
7:00 PM Boston University at La Salle
7:00 PM Citadel at Tennessee (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at UTEP
7:05 PM Maine at Florida Gulf Coast
8:00 PM Detroit at Illinois-Chicago (HLN)
8:00 PM Arkansas Tech at Texas A&M
8:00 PM Arkansas-Little Rock at North Texas
8:00 PM Texas-Arlington at Texas-Pan American
8:00 PM Southern Illinois at Evansville (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Marshall at Belmont
8:00 PM Georgia Tech at Fordham (CBSSN)
8:00 PM Wright State at Loyola (IL) (HLN)
8:00 PM FIU at Middle Tennessee
8:00 PM Tennessee Tech at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Alcorn State at Southern Miss
8:00 PM Milwaukee at Valparaiso
8:05 PM Northern Iowa at Illinois State
8:30 PM Western Kentucky at Louisiana-Monroe
8:30 PM Tennessee-Martin at Tennessee State
8:35 PM Kent State at Arkansas State
8:35 PM Sacramento State at Northern Arizona
9:00 PM Coppin State vs. San Jose State*
9:00 PM USC at California (CSN CA)
9:00 PM Jacksonville State vs. Colorado State*
9:00 PM Oregon State at Washington (ROOT)
9:00 PM Oregon at Washington State (CSN NW)
9:00 PM Jacksonville at Alabama (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Wagner vs. Air Force*
9:00 PM Oklahoma at Cincinnati (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Troy at Denver
9:00 PM Idaho State at Weber State
9:30 PM James Madison vs. Rhode Island*
10:00 PM Hope International at Cal Poly
10:00 PM UC Irvine at Cal State Northridge
10:00 PM San Francisco at Pepperdine
10:05 PM UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton
10:30 PM Fresno State at Pacific
11:00 PM UCLA at Stanford (FSN)
11:00 PM Brigham Young at Saint Mary's (ESPN2)
11:15 PM Eastern Michigan at Santa Clara
11:15 PM Nebraska-Omaha at Seattle
1:00 AM South Carolina State at Hawaii

Tuesday Recap: Middle Tennessee Evens the Score

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:24:56 -0500

With the first matchup between Belmont and Middle Tennessee going to double overtime the rematch on Tuesday was expected to be just as tight. Sure enough the game didn't disappoint, with the Blue Raiders locking up the 65-62 win with a pair of blocked shots in the final 22 seconds. LaRon Dendy led the way for Middle Tennessee with 20 points, and the Blue Raiders haven't reached the ten-win mark in a season this fast since 1990-91. Belmont outscored Middle Tennessee 33-9 in points from beyond the arc but they couldn't get that 12th three-pointer they needed to take the lead or tie late, which is a testament to Kermit Davis' team.

"We are an athletic team, we're long around the rim," said Davis. "But the last two plays, to block perimeter shots, those were unbelievable competitive athletic plays because the way Belmont shot it tonight you just felt if they got a good clean look they were going to make it."

The Bruins really couldn't get much of anything going in the first half, shooting just 33.3% and turning the ball over eight times to go into the locker room down 34-25. On the other side Middle Tennessee executed efficiently on offense, assisting on 11 of their 13 made baskets and shooting 52.0% from the field. But as expected, Rick Byrd's team made a run thanks to their ability to knock down perimeter shots. Belmont made seven of twelve three-pointers and took their first lead since 2-0 with 10:01 remaining on a Kerron Johnson layup. But despite the Belmont run and poor foul shooting Middle Tennessee didn't fold, earning them the win to even the season at one victory apiece.

"We are 32-60 against them at the line," said Davis. "Marcos Knight, one of the toughest players I have ever coached, he missed three even though he felt good about them. LaRon had his struggles, but he steps up and makes some timely free throws."

While the focus of many has been Belmont's chances of earning an at-large bid should they not win the Atlantic Sun, there could be something special brewing in Murfreesboro. Middle Tennessee's now 10-2 on the season, and next Wednesday's game at Ole Miss is more than winnable for the Blue Raiders. But the free throw shooting has to improve if they're to be a championship team in the Sun Belt. But they rank second nationally in field goal percentage (53.2%) and the Blue Raiders have been solid defensively as well. With a three-pronged scoring attack leading the way, Middle Tennessee can have a special 2011-12.

"We understand what's ahead of us," remarked Davis. "Ten wins in the non-conference is a great feat, we are off to a great start, and gives us a chance to have a terrific year."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Florida Atlantic only has themselves to blame for their loss at Mississippi State.
Speaking of Sun Belt teams struggling to make free throws, there's the case of Mike Jarvis' FAU Owls, who made just seven of eighteen from the charity stripe in their 75-68 loss at Mississippi State. Raymond Taylor scored 20 points off the bench for the Owls but the fact that FAU made just two of eight from the foul line in the second half proved costly. By comparison Mississippi State made 17 of 22 from the line, taking advantage of the points many expect to be "free" the way winning teams should. Rodney Hood, who has to be considered one of the top freshmen in the SEC, scored 19 points and grabbed ten rebounds for the Bulldogs and Dee Bost led all scorers with 22 points, but the shot that can't be defended was the difference.

2. Could a dagger be the catalyst Jordan Taylor needs to get back on track?
After a Milwaukee basked with 1:10 remaining cut the Wisconsin lead to 55-52 there was little doubt who would take the big shot for the Badgers. Senior point guard Jordan Taylor, who was coming off of an 0-for-10 outing against UNLV and made just three of eleven two-pointers on Tuesday night, was going to be the guy no matter what. And as All-Americans do, Taylor came up big by knocking down a three from the top of the key to make the score 58-52 with 41 seconds to go. Jared Berggren led the way in the 60-54 win with 17 points and nine rebounds, but that shot may be just what the doctor ordered for Taylor with regards to getting back on track. He's shooting just 36% on the season, more than seven points below last season's mark (43.3%), but the road back begins with that first step.

3. A strong second half propels Villanova to a win over Boston University.
The first half of Villanova's game against Boston University and former VU assistant Joe Jones wasn't a pretty one, with the Wildcats shooting just 18.2% and trailing 26-23 at the half. The Wildcats missed their final 16 shots of the half, and frankly guys didn't look confident in what they were doing on that end of the floor. But whatever Jay Wright, or even the players themselves, said in the locker room at the break had a major effect as the Wildcats rolled to a 68-43 win. Villanova made 14 of 19 two-points shots in the second half and Dominic Cheek got things rolling with 11 points while the Terriers could never get going offensively (17 second-half points). Cheek may ultimately be the key for the Wildcats if they're to reach the NCAA Tournament, meaning that his percentages (38.8% FG, 28.8% 3PT) have to improve. Villanova's relying on a number of young players, be it in terms of games played or the importance of roles, so it's going to take some time. But the second half was a good sign of what Jay Wright's team could be capable of.

Quick Hitters

1. Washington will be without the services of center Aziz N'Diaye for the next 2-3 weeks due to a sprained knee. N'Diaye isn't much of an offensive presence but the Huskies will need to account for his team-best 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Desmond Simmons figures to be the player most likely to see a jump in minutes, but Martin Bruenig and Shawn Kemp Jr. will likely be called upon as well.

2. Marquette has been hit hard by the injury bug of late, with Chris Otule (knee), Juan Anderson (shoulder) and Jamil Wilson (ankle) all suffering injuries over the last week or so. Wilson will be the first to return but Anderson will be down for a while and the severity of Otule's injury (suffered against Washington last week) still isn't known. That means more opportunties for Davante Gardner, who scored 14 points in Saturday's win over Green Bay.

3. After struggling in his first two games back from injury, the Chris Fouch many expected to see for Drexel may be back. Fouch followed up a 23-point performance against Princeton with 24 in the Dragons' 71-58 win over Niagara on Tuesday night.

4. After winning ten games all of last season, Wyoming's already reached that mark in their first season under Larry Shyatt. While a SOS that currently ranks 301st in the country has to be noted, it's also fair to point out that the Cowboys have improved their field goal percentage defense by nine percentage points from a season ago. Wyoming beat UC Irvine 58-48 Tuesday night.

5. Despite out-rebounding Point University 48-29 Alcorn State needed two overtimes to beat the new NAIA member 106-101, which had been competing at the NCCAA level prior to this season. Alcorn State is 2-7 on the season but have yet to defeat a Division I opponent. It could be a long year in Lorman.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jaylen Bond (Texas)
The freshman put up 18 points (9-12 FG), 12 rebounds and two assists in the Longhorns' 93-40 pasting of Nicholls State.

2. G Rodney Hood (Mississippi State)
One of the top freshmen in the SEC thus far, Hood scored 19 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the Bulldogs' 75-68 win over Florida Atlantic.

3. G Marcus Jordan (UCF)
28 points and three assists in the Knights' 77-65 win over North Carolina A&T.

Saturday Recap: Watford's Shot Lifts Indiana Past Kentucky

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:42:13 -0500

In the days leading up to Indiana's game against#1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall there weren't too many people who thought that the Hoosiers could knock off the Wildcats. There were a few outside of the Indiana fan base who picked Tom Crean's team to win, but the majority of the predictions ranged anywhere from a close loss to a Kentucky blowout with IU's schedule to date being the main reason why. But what didn't seem realistic in the days leading up to the game became reality thanks to Christian Watford, who knocked down a three from the left elbow as time expired to give Indiana the 73-72 win.

Watford led five Hoosiers in double figures with 20 points in his best performance of the season, with Victor Oladipo (13 points, seven rebounds) and Cody Zeller (11 points, seven rebounds) chipping in as well. Zeller was also the focal point of what plagued Indiana as they watched a ten-point lead slip away, as the Hoosiers threw up wild shots instead of getting their freshman the ball.

Kentucky's Anthony Davis was either out of the game or playing with four fouls for a good portion of that stretch, which should have lent itself to getting Zeller the ball. But the Hoosiers survived and won a game that in recent years they'd either lose late or not be in to begin with, so this is a big step in the return to national prominence.

"It's a great moment for us.," said Crean. "It's a great victory because it's just such an outstanding team and a team, you can see it, the explosiveness, the athleticism, the skill level, the coaching, it's top notch and to get a win like that is huge and to have it be at home where our fans had so much to do with it is the biggest part of the day."

Doron Lamb (19 points) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (18 points, nine rebounds) led the way for the Wildcats while Marquis Teague scored the majority of his 15 points in a solid second half, but they needed more from sophomore forward Terrence Jones. Jones didn't look to be himself from an activity standpoint, finishing with four points and one rebound in 28 minutes of action.

But in spite of his struggles and Davis' foul trouble Kentucky still had a chance to get out of Bloomington with the win. Lamb made one of two free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining to give UK a 72-70 lead, setting the stage for Kentucky to give a foul since they had two to give. But whether it was a matter of the Kentucky defender (Teague) not being convincing enough in his attempt to foul or the official failing to make the call, that didn't happen. And as a result, Kentucky likely won't be ranked number one on Monday.

"We were going to foul them," said Calipari. "We had two fouls to use. So, the whole timeout was about fouling. Marquis tried to foul and they didn't call it. No one fouled."

Kentucky made 55.6% of their shots on the afternoon, but Indiana outscored the Wildcats 27-6 in points from beyond the arc. That discrepancy made up for Indiana shooting just 43.1% overall and 37.2% on two-point baskets, the latter number partially reflecting the effects of the wingspan of Kentucky's front line. But Indiana hung in there and ultimately won, and it has to be considered the watershed moment of the Crean era. But there's still plenty of work to be done and games to be won, so it may be wise to hold off on declaring Indiana to be all the way "back".

Other Notable Happenings

1. Key figures step up in Kansas' win over a Jared Sullinger-less Ohio State.
Unfortunately for Thad Matta the All-American power forward was unable to go due to back spasms, and this development opened the door for Kansas to knock off the #2 team in the country. The Jayhawks took full advantage, with Thomas Robinson scoring 21 points and Tyshawn Taylor (playing with a torn meniscus, which will sideline him for the next three weeks) dishing out 13 assists in Kansas' 78-67 win in Lawrence. Ohio State fell behind by double figures in the first half and couldn't get over the hump despite nunerous attempts to take the lead.

William Buford scored 21 points to lead the Buckeyes and Deshaun Thomas added 19, but shooting 39% from the field led to their first loss of the season. The question for Ohio State with Sullinger out is a simple one: who steps up to create offense for this team. Aaron Craft scored 11 points and dished out six assists, but Ohio State will need to do more in 1-on-1 situations while the big man is out. But the Buckeyes will be fine due to the remaining talent and experience.

2. Xavier's emphatic win over Cincinnati sullied by both teams embarrassing their institutions.
It would be nice to be able to focus on the Musketeers' 76-53 win over city rival Cincinnati for the play on the floor, as Chris Mack's team pulled away late in the first half and added to their lead throughout the final 20 minutes. However thanks to a bench-clearing brawl that resulted in the game being ended with 9.3 seconds remaining the actual game takes a back seat to one of the ugliest sights in recent memory. Whether citing the statement made by Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick earlier in the week or the chirping going on before the national anthem, it was pretty clear that the Bearcats and Musketeers were going to have some issues throughout the course of the game.

But a brawl? There were so many things to point out during the fracas that have no place in sports, from Tu Holloway talking to the Cincinnati bench to the standoff between he and Ge'Lawn Guyn (with Dezmine Wells entering himself with a shove) to Yancy Gates decking Kenny Frease and Cheikh Mbodj following up with an Ndamukong Suh-esque stomp to Frease's head. There was also the bright idea to allow Holloway and Mark Lyons to speak to the media in the aftermath of the fight, and that clearly didn't go well. Per NCAA rules the three players ejected for fighting (Gates and Mbodj for Cincinnati, Wells for Xavier) will sit out their team's next game but it's clear that one game won't be enough for many of the players involved. It will be interesting to see how the schools and their respective conferences hand out discipline for this disgraceful showing.

3. UNLV can't get their tempo going in a loss at Wisconsin.
Few people expected Dave Rice's Runnin' Rebels to be able to go into the Kohl Center and play the fast tempo that they prefer. Wisconsin's just that good at controlling the flow of the game thanks to Bo Ryan's system, and that ultimately resulted in a 62-51 Badger victory. Jordan Taylor scored just four points and missed all ten of his shots from the field, but the Rebels couldn't take advantage due to their own poor shooting. Removing Chace Stanback (5-9 FG, 16 points), UNLV's starters made just seven of twenty-four shots from the field and as a team the Rebels were outscored by 15 points (30-15) from beyond the arc.

On the season Wisconsin scores 41% of their points from deep but on Saturday that number was up to 48%, and that's a number that can be tough to overcome when a team makes just 38% of their two-point shots as UNLV did. Ben Brust was outstanding off the bench as he made all seven of his three-point attempts in scoring a game-high 25 points. Brust gives the Badgers a scoring punch off the bench that they haven't had especially in the backcourt, and if he can continue to provide that Wisconsin has a weapon that teams will find difficult to match. But even with Brust's play UNLV has to assign more blame to their own offensive performance for the defeat.

4. Draymond Green leads Michigan State to a good road win at Gonxaga.
One thing that's been quite apparent over the last year plus is just how good of a leader Michigan State senior forward Draymond Green is. And with the young team that Tom Izzo has this season it's imperative that Green continue to carry the load in that area, which he's done all season long. The Spartans' leader in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals was outstanding in their 74-67 win at Gonzaga, scoring 34 points while providing great on-court leadership. As a team Michigan State shot 54.2% from the field and assisted on 18 of their 26 made baskets while Gonzaga's assist/turnover split (nine assists, 20 turnovers) played a big role in their demise. Also of import was the defense that Michigan State played in slowing down Elias Harris and Kevin Pangos, who shot a combined 5-for-19 from the field. But all that together and you end up with one of the more impressive road victories of the season to date.

5. Saint Joseph's hands #17 Creighton their first loss of the season.
There was no doubting the fact that Phil Martelli's improved Hawks had a shot to knock off undefeated Creighton going into Saturday's matinee. And thanks to Carl Jones, who scored a game-high 29 points, the Hawks got the job done by the final score of 80-71. Doug McDermott led Creighton with yet another double-double as he finished with 26 points and ten rebounds, but the Bluejay reserves were outscored 20-6 by the Saint Joseph's tandem of Ronald Roberts Jr. (12 points) and Chris Wilson (eight). Add in the fact that the Hawks attempted 23 more free throws (making 19 to Creighton's six) and it's pretty easy to see why the home team won. The Hawks' offensive numbers were significantly better than what the Bluejays allow on the average this season, and they've played much improved basketball when compared to 2010-11. Just another good non-conference win for the Atlantic 10, one of the leagues likely to profit from a down Pac-12 come March.

Quick Hitters

1. Duke had the look of a marathoner who got off to a fast start only to hold on for dear life towards the end as cramping set in with their 86-80 win over Washington. Austin Rivers scored 18 points and Andre Dawkins added 17 off the bench, but Washington's Tony Wroten was a major player in the Huskies' comeback with 23 points.

2. Don't look now but Columbia has now won seven straight thanks to their 63-53 win over NEC favorite LIU. Mark Cisco and John Daniels scored 12 points apiece and defensively the Lions limited LIU to 36.4% shooting from the field. And this has happened with Norwua Agho missing the last nine games with a torn patellar tendon.

3. Nick Johnson scored 14 points and Solomon Hill 13 in Arizona's 63-47 win over Clemson in a game that also featured the return of point guard Josiah Turner. Turner finished with six points and five turnovers in 17 minutes of action, but if Sean Miller can get him to buy in the Wildcats will be one of the favorites in the Pac-12.

4. Ramone Moore scored 32 points and grabbed six rebounds in Temple's 78-67 win over Villanova. Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek and Mouphtaou Yarou scored 47 of the Wildcats' 67 points on the afternoon, and to be frank if they don't get contributions from the supporting cast it could be tough for Jay Wright's team to grab an 8th straight NCAA Tournament bid.

5. Lazeric Jones led four UCLA players in double figures with 21 points as the Bruins beat Penn 77-73 in their first game post-Reeves Nelson. Penn's field goal (44.8%) and effective field goal (55.2%) percentages were actually improvements for UCLA defensively when looking at their season averages. The chemistry may be better without Nelson but talent-wise there's still a long way to go for Ben Howland's team.

6. While Tennessee won't be a national contender, Austin Peay picked up an important 74-70 win in Knoxville. Josh Terry scored 20 points and TyShawn Edmondson added 19 off the bench as the Governors picked up their second win of the season. Dave Loos' team can still be a factor in the OVC despite the slow start.

7. Jarrod Jones scored 21 points and his jumper with 48 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in Ball State's 58-55 home win over Butler. As for the Bulldogs, outside of Khyle Marshall (9-15 FG, 21 points) the team shot 11-for-40 from the field. Brad Stevens needs guys to step up as consistent offensive options if Butler is to be a contender in the Horizon League.

Five Notable Performances

1. G/F Alex Young (IUPUI)
43 points (14-20 FG), nine rebounds and three steals in the Jaguars' 84-76 win over Western Kentucky.

2. F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)
29 points (14-17 FG), 13 rebounds and three steals in the Bulls' 80-72 win over Youngstown State.

3. F Draymond Green (Michigan State)
34 points (11-13 FG), three assists and three steals in Michigan State's 74-67 win over Gonzaga.

4. G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
Lillard bounced back from an off night at BYU with 31 points (9-15 FG), nine assists and three rebounds in the Wildcats' 84-66 win over Southern Utah.

5. G Bryce Cotton (Providence)
34 points (11-16 FG) and three rebounds inthe Friars' 72-61 win over Brown.

Saturday's Preview: #2 Ohio State at #13 Kansas

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:45:54 -0500

The lone matchup between ranked teams on Saturday has a rather prominent question that needs to be answered: will Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger (back spasms) be able to play? The sophomore sat out the Buckeyes' win over Texas-Pan American due to the issue, which flared up in #2 Ohio State's (8-0) win over Duke, and it hasn't been decided whether or not he'll go at #13 Kansas (6-2) on Saturday afternoon. If he can't go Boston College transfer Evan Ravenel (5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) moves into the starting lineup, and he accounted for 11 points and seven rebounds against UTPA.

But Thomas Robinson (17.4 ppg, 12.0 rpg) is better than any big man the Buckeyes have faced to this point in the season, and while there are still strides to be taken offensively there's no mistaking the fact that the junior is one of the Big 12's best. Robinson's made 51% of his shots on the season, and his athleticism make him an issue for teams in pick and roll situations. Alongside Robinson is Jeff Withey, who played the best game of his career in the Jayhawks' win over Long Beach State (13 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks). Was that an aberration or can the San Diego native continue on that path and be a consistent factor for Bill Self? He'll need to be if Kansas is to both win Saturday and be a title contender in the Big 12.

Ohio State will have the services of sophomore Deshaun Thomas (12.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who has raised his scoring average by five points a game and scored in double figure in each of the last seven games. Depending on which Kansas frontcourt player guards him Thomas has the chance to be an issue for the Jayhawks, but he'll need to improve defensively as well. While Ohio State will have some adjustments to make up front, there's little doubt that they're well taken care of on the perimeter thanks to shooting guard William Buford (16.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.4 apg) and point guard Aaron Craft (9.8 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.1 rpg).

Craft is widely regarded as the best defensive point guard in the country, and this could be an issue for Kansas given the recent play of senior point guard Tyshawn Taylor (16.8 ppg, 3.6 apg). Taylor's averaging four turnovers per game on the season, and he's turned the ball over at least four times in each of the last five games (11 in the Maui Invitational final loss to Duke). As a team Kansas averages 15 turnovers a game (21.5% of their possessions have ended in a turnover), and Elijah Johnson and Connor Teahan are the lone rotation players averaging more assists than turnovers per game.

Ohio State has forced a turnover on 27.8% of their defensive possessions, with their season-high (36.8%) coming in their last game. Kansas can ill-afford to be loose with the basketball Saturday if they want to entertain any thoughts of beating the Buckeyes, with or without Sullinger playing. Outside of Kansas' three-pont percentage defense (37.1%) and issues with turnovers, there isn't much separating these teams statistically. If Self's charges can keep the fans at Allen Fieldhouse in the game with good execution there's a good chance that things aren't decided until late.

Indiana, who has had their undefeated record challenged in some circles due to their strength of schedule, hosts top-ranked Kentucky in what should be a frenzied atmosphere at Assembly Hall. For all of the young talents at John Calipari's disposal this is their first true road game of the season, and that should offer a challeng onto itself. The key for Indiana: force the Wildcats to have to execute in the half-court; allowing the likes of Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis to run freely on odd-man situations would be akin to playing with fire.

Cody Zeller's played very well for Tom Crean but just as important today may be sophomore Victor Oladipo. If he can influence the game with his defense and energy a task that more than a few have determined to be near impossible becomes a bit more manageable for the Hoosiers. Also of import in the Big Ten today is Wisconsin hosting UNLV, and the battle to establish tempo will be key. The Runnin' Rebels want to run while the Badgers will look for Jordan Taylor to control things at the point, so while things will likely be slow UNLV needs to be smart with the basketball.

The league "on the clock" today: that would be the Pac-12, which has had a horrific start to the season both results and personnel-wise. Washington (vs. Duke at MSG) and Arizona (hosting Clemson) take on ACC teams in games the conference needs to add something of substance to a currently meager profile. UCLA plays its first game without the now-dimissed Reeves Nelson and they'd better be alert against Penn at the Honda Center in Anaheim. While the distraction that was Nelson is now gone, does this team have enough talent to get to the NCAA Tournament? That's debatable right now.

The "Crosstown Shootout" is always one of the top rivalry games on the schedule, and this year's battle is no different with Cincinnati much in need of a high-profile non-conference win. Sean Kilpatrick spiced things up by stating earlier this week that Xavier's Tu Holloway wouldn't crack the Cincy starting five, bringing back visions of former Bearcat Terry Nelson within the city. In Holloway and Mark Lyons the Bearcats have one of the top backcourts in the country, a fearless duo that's front and center in crunch time. Cincinnati needs to make sure they consistently get the ball to Yancy Gates inside if they're to win, and whether or not Xavier can stp him depends on which Kenny Frease shows up.

Michigan State visiting Gonzaga is a late game that fans must keep an eye on, as it will be a good test for the young Spartan backcourt. Travis Trice has emerged as the option at the point, freeing up Keith Appling to play his more natural position off the ball the majority of the time. And speaking of city rivalries Villanova visits Temple in a Big 5 battle, with these two programs winning every Big 5 crown since the 2003-04 season (Saint Joseph's). Villanova, who fought hard in a loss to Missouri at the Jimmy V Classic, will lean heavily on Maalik Wayns at the point but need Mouphtaou Yarou and Dominic Cheek to play well in order to win.

Top 25 Games
5:15 PM (1) Kentucky at Indiana (ESPN)
3:15 PM (2) Ohio State at (13) Kansas (ESPN)
7:00 PM George Washington at (3) Syracuse
4:00 PM Fairleigh Dickinson at (4) Louisville (ESPN3)
12:00 PM Washington vs. (5) Duke* (CBS)
7:00 PM Long Beach State at (6) North Carolina (ESPN3)
12:30 PM Cincinnati at (8) Xavier (ESPN2)
5:00 PM Navy at (10) Missouri (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Green Bay at (11) Marquette (ESPN3)
2:30 PM Oklahoma State vs. (14) Pittsburgh* (ESPN2)
2:00 PM UNLV at (16) Wisconsin (BTN)
12:00 PM (17) Creighton at Saint Joseph's (TCN)
4:00 PM Troy at (18) Mississippi State (ESPN3)
4:00 PM (19) Michigan vs. Oakland* (FSN Detroit)
12:00 PM Howard at (21) Georgetown (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Michigan State at (22) Gonzaga (ESPN2)
4:00 PM (24) Harvard at Boston University (NESN)
8:00 PM Louisiana-Monroe at (25) Texas A&M

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Bryant at Providence (Cox RI)
12:00 PM Austin Peay at Tennessee (ESPN3)
1:00 PM St. Peter's at Minnesota
1:00 PM Methodist at Campbell
1:00 PM Delaware at Delaware State
1:00 PM Milligan at Virginia Military
1:05 PM Maryville (MO) at Indiana State
2:00 PM Loyola (MD) at Mount St. Mary's (MASN)
2:00 PM Illinois-Springfield at Saint Louis
2:00 PM Long Island at Columbia
2:00 PM Central Connecticut State at Brown
2:00 PM BYU at Utah (FSN)
2:00 PM Chicago State at DePaul (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Akron at Cleveland State
2:00 PM East Tennessee State at Appalachian State
2:00 PM Butler at Ball State
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Colgate
2:00 PM Rhode Island at Georgia State
2:00 PM Army at La Salle
2:00 PM Mercy at Maryland-Eastern Shore
2:00 PM Milwaukee at Northern Iowa (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Kent State at Western Carolina
3:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Ole Miss
3:00 PM Arkansas at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
3:00 PM Central Michigan at Tennessee State
3:00 PM Florida International vs. Texas Wesleyan*
3:00 PM Loyola (IL) at Toledo
3:30 PM Wright State at Miami (OH)
4:00 PM North Dakota State at Arizona State
4:00 PM Clemson at Arizona (FSN)
4:00 PM Northern Illinois at UIC
4:00 PM Princeton at Drexel
4:00 PM Manhattan at Hofstra
4:00 PM Eastern Michigan at Purdue (BTN)
4:00 PM George Mason at Radford
4:00 PM Lehigh at Wagner
5:00 PM Villanova at Temple (ESPN2)
5:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at UCF
5:00 PM Lindsey Wilson at Samford
5:05 PM California Maritime at Sacramento State
5:15 PM Alabama State at Stephen F. Austin
5:30 PM Southern University vs. Jacksonville State*
5:30 PM Missouri State at Arkansas-Little Rock
6:00 PM Niagara at Hartford
6:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at Middle Tennessee
6:00 PM Georgia Tech at Savannah State
7:00 PM Pennsylvania vs. UCLA* (FSN West)
7:00 PM New Mexico at USC (FSN West)
7:00 PM Western Kentucky at IUPUI
7:00 PM UMBC at Towson
7:00 PM Canisius at St. Bonaventure
7:00 PM Miami (FL) at West Virginia (ESPN2)
7:00 PM Youngstown State at Buffalo
7:00 PM Penn State at Duquesne
7:00 PM Georgia Southern at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM Warner Southern at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM South Carolina State at Gardner-Webb
7:00 PM Averett at High Point
7:00 PM VA Intermont at Liberty
7:00 PM Chattanooga at Mercer
7:00 PM Fordham at Monmouth
7:00 PM South Dakota at Morehead State
7:00 PM Davidson at Charlotte
7:00 PM American University at Saint Francis (PA)
7:00 PM Virginia-Wise at Wofford
7:30 PM Dartmouth at Notre Dame (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Boise State at LSU (CST)
8:00 PM Sam Houston State at North Texas
8:00 PM Texas State at Texas (LHN)
8:00 PM Texas A&M-Int at Texas-Pan American
8:00 PM Bacone at McNeese State
8:00 PM IPFW at Nebraska-Omaha
8:00 PM UMKC at Southeast Missouri State
8:00 PM Wake Forest at Seton Hall (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Hannibal-LaGrange at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss
8:00 PM Nebraska at TCU (The Mtn.)
8:00 PM Lipscomb at Tennessee Tech
8:00 PM MacMurray College at Tulane
8:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Western Illinois
8:05 PM North Carolina A&T at Evansville
8:05 PM Central Arkansas at Arkansas State
8:05 PM Dallas Christian at Houston Baptist
8:05 PM Bowling Green at Valparaiso
8:05 PM Utah State at Wichita State
8:30 PM North Dakota at South Dakota State
8:35 PM Cal State Bakersfield at Northern Arizona
9:00 PM Nevada at Montana
9:00 PM Maine at San Diego
9:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Air Force
9:00 PM Southern Utah at Weber State
9:05 PM Portland State at Utah Valley
10:00 PM Cal Poly at San Jose State
10:00 PM Vanguard at UC Irvine
10:00 PM Idaho State at Loyola Marymount
10:00 PM Fresno State at Oregon (CSN NW)
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Pepperdine
10:00 PM Ohio at Portland
10:00 PM Pacific at San Francisco

Tuesday Recap: Crowder's Shot Lifts Marquette Past Washington

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:42:00 -0500

The Jimmy V Classic doubleheader at Madison Square Garden annually provides soe outstanding basketball, with all of it being for a good cause. Tuesday night was no exception, and in the second half of the doubleheader Marquette and Washington put forth a thrilling display of basketball. Ultimately a Jae Crowder three pointer with seven seconds remaining gave the Golden Eagles the 79-77 win, but while the Huskies did fall there are more reasons for optimism than doubt for a team that let one slip away at Nevada on Friday night.

Terrence Ross led four Washington players in double figures with 19 points, and the Huskies controlled the boards to the tune of a 46-32 edge with 18 offensive rebounds. But they need to get point guard Abdul Gaddy going in order to possibly win the Pac-12. Gaddy made just two of his eleven shots from the field and scored four points, breaking even on his assist-to-turnover ratio with two apiece. Washington is very talented on the perimeter with Gaddy, Ross, C.J. Wilcox and Tony Wroten (13 points) but they can ill-afford Gaddy having too many off nights.

As for Marquette, Buzz Williams' program always has and always will be regarded as tough. It's a basic requirement for being a part of the program, but this is also a group that's very talented. In addition to Crowder there are guards Vander Blue (11 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (23 points), and reserve Todd Mayo is a key contributor as well. But the rebounding numbers are a concern; removing Tuesday night Marquette grabbed just over three rebounds per game more than their opponents and with Chris Otule going down with a sprained knee that was one less big body inside.

As a positive the Golden Eagles, just like Missouri in the first game, played an unselfish brand of basketball that resulted in 20 assists to ten turnovers and four players in double figures. Mayo and Junior Cadougan combined for ten assists and two turnovers on the night, and of the seven players to see double-digit minutes only Blue (two assists, three turnovers) had more turnovers than assists. Does Marquette have enough to crack the top three in the Big East? They don't have the true big men like Syracuse or Connecticut (or even Pittsburgh for that matter), but it would be wise to not rule that out. The nation saw first-hand that the Golden Eagles are talented, but most importantly Buzz Williams' team remains tough.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Missouri holds off Villanova, and their unselfish nature could lead the Tigers to big things.
While Missouri/Villanova was a good matchup in regards to style of play, it became rather apparent as the game went on the different ceilings for the two teams. Villanova is a middle of the pack team in the Big East while Missouri is capable of doing some serious damage...or even getting to New Orleans. Yes, New Orleans, because even though they're lacking depth up front Frank Haith's team is tough defensively and unselfish offensively (and in general). In the 81-71 win the Tigers assisted on 23 of their 28 field goals with just eight turnovers, and Marcus Denmon led the way offensively with 28 points. Ricardo Ratliffe put up another double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and as a team Missouri was just a minus-1 (38-37) in rebounding margin.

Missouri outscored Villanova 31-20 in the paint and forced 15 Wildcat turnovers, and those numbers spelled doom for a team that's counting on young players at a number of key positions. Missouri may have changed their style with the arrival of Haith, eschewing the full-court pressure of the Mike Anderson era, but they've retained their unselfishness. That's one big reason why this team is still capable of great achievements despite a rotation that's essentially seven players deep.

2. Two more Pac-12 suspensions: UCLA's Reeves Nelson and Arizona's Josiah Turner.
Someone could make some good money doing a soap opera on the Pac-12 this season. Not only has the league continued to have issues in non-conference play, but some key talents can't seem to avoid trouble. Following on the heels of Utah suspending leading scorer Josh Watkins was the news on Tuesday that UCLA (Reeves Nelson) and Arizona (Josiah Turner) had to suspend key players...once again. Both Nelson nor Turner have been down this road before this season, and Nelson's situation has been bad enough that in some circles people hoped that the initial report that he'd been dismissed from the team was accurate. As for Turner, according to the Arizona website PointGuardU he missed practice on Monday and was left in Tucson ahead of their game Wednesday at Florida. Suspensions, transfers and on-court mediocrity has overshadowed the play of Oregon State and Stanford, two early-season surprises who could be capable of even more as the season wears on, which is bad news for the Pac-12 from a perception standpoint.

3. In a bizarre game Iowa goes from 10-0 up to losing by 20 at UNI.
Things were looking very good for Fran McCaffery's team in the early going at Northern Iowa as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead. But the Panthers would methodically work their way back into the game as the first half went on, eventually taking a 32-27 lead into the locker room. The wheels would eventually fall off for the Hawkeyes in the second half of what would finish as an 80-60 loss, complete with five technical fouls and McCaffery being ejected. Why were emotions so high for the visitors? A 33-9 difference in free throws attempted had a lot to do with it, and four of Iowa's technical fouls helped spark a 20-2 UNI run that put the game away. Another issue for Iowa in the loss was their three-point shooting, as they made just one of twelve shots and were outscored by 30 in that area by the Panthers. That split (along with the 29-3 UNI edge in points from the foul line) proved to be too much to overcome for the Hawkeyes.

Quick Hitters

1. If TCU is the 7th-best team in the Mountain West as the coaches predicted in October that league's going to be a beast come conference play. The Horned Frogs moved to 7-2 on the season with a 75-69 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night, and the triumvirate of point guard Hank Thorns and guards Garlon Green and J.R. Cadot can give opponents fits.

2. Congrats to first-year Monmouth head coach King Rice, whose team picked up their first win of the season at Navy (69-67). While there are some holdovers from last year's team the Hawks are starting from scratch, and the adjustment on both ends of the floor has been a tough one. Jesse Steele led the way for MU with 20 points.

3. While he's been over 20 points in four of the last five games, Will Barton's performance on Tuesday night could be the one that Memphis followers look back to as a catalyst a month from now. The sophomore went for 27 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two in the Tigers' 71-54 win at Miami (FL). Barton was all over the floor, and the best part (in addition to those numbers and the win): just one turnover.

4. One of the more stunning player progressions has been that of Kansas center Jeff Withey, who has taken advantage of the increased minutes due to Kansas' lack of interior depth. With finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks in the Jayhawks' 88-80 win over Long Beach State. One thing about KU however: they're not going very far if they rack up 22 turnovers on a consistent basis.

5. Brad Loesing scored 24 points to lead the way in Wofford's 61-50 win over Tulane, handing the Green Wave their first loss of the season. Ed Conroy's club made just two of sixteen shots from beyond the arc, and while they have definitely improved from last season a suspect early slate helped push them out of the gates to a 9-0 start.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Will Barton (Memphis)
27 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks in the Tigers' 71-54 win at Miami.

2. G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
29 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two blocks in the Seahawks' 77-68 win at Liberty.

3. C Jeff Withey and F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
Withey finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks while Robinson put up 26 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the Jayhawks' 88-80 win over Long Beach State.