North Florida

Quincy Acy Leads Baylor Past Texas

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:12:07 -0800

Both Baylor and Texas needed a win on Monday night albeit for different reasons. Scott Drew's Bears arrived in Austin two days after losing to Kansas State at home, and despite their status as a likely high seed losing three of their last four games wasn't the best way to bolster their resume. Texas on the other hand found themselves part of the race for one of those final at-large berths, arguably making the contest more important for them than it was Baylor. Baylor didn't play well in the first half, turning the ball over nine times, and those mistakes resulted in 14 Longhorn points as Texas took a 36-26 lead into the half.

With Quincy Miller under the weather and Perry Jones III once again underwhelming it was Quincy Acy who kept Baylor within rearch, as he scored eight points and grabbed eight boards in the first half. Acy would continue his work in the second half, finishing with 22 points and 16 rebounds to help lead the Bears back from 12 down to win 77-72. Pierre Jackson, who scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half while playing a far more efficient style of basketball, was critical to the rally and Brady Heslip scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc but there was no debate who stood above the rest.

"He really just outplayed us," remarked Texas center Clint Chapman when asked about Acy's performance. "There were two big plays, one where I came across and fouled him. He was able to get the ball up over the rim, and he put up three points instead of two. So, plays like that, all the credit goes to him for being able to finish that."

Jones III would score ten points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field, and despite his struggles this still proved to be too much for the Texas big men to handle. J'Covan Brown scored 18 points to lead the Longhorns but Baylor did a good enough job of keeping him on the perimeter and out of the lane. All six of Brown's made baskets were three-pointers, a far cry from his 32-point outburst in the first meeting, and guards A.J. Walton and Deuce Bello deserve some credit for this given their work on the defensive end. Baylor got better defensively in the second half while Texas got worse, and when combined with Acy that's all it took for the Bears to head home with a win.

"In the second half, we obviously went with three guards and man-to-man (defense) and that worked out for us," said Drew. "We took good care of the basketball and got good shots. We played a lot more aggressive on both ends of the court."

With home games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech next on the schedule, Baylor has the ability to go on a quick win streak before their regular season finale at Iowa State and if they take advantage their seeding should be helped. As for Texas, their games against Texas Tech (road) and Oklahoma (home) have become even more important. Would either jump off of their resume? Wins no, but should they lose either one the regular season finale at Kansas becomes a game the Longhorns may feel they absolutely need to have. A win over Baylor would have done wonders for Texas, but Quincy Acy's dominance prevented that from happening.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Parker Smith (North Florida)
Led the Ospreys to a 75-66 win over Mercer with 46 points, knocking down 11 of 17 shots from beyond the arc.

2. F Quincy Acy (Baylor)
22 points and 16 rebounds in the Bears' 77-72 win at Texas.

3. G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
32 points, five rebounds and two assists in the Huskies' 73-70 overtime win at Villanova.

Monday's Key Happenings and Quick Hitters

Monday Preview: Cincinnati at #11 Georgetown

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:49:24 -0800

While most of the country will be captivated by the BCS Championship Game, there are suitable alternatives on the college basketball schedule for those not interested in watching the rematch. The game that stands out has to be Cincinnati (12-4, 2-1) visiting #11 Georgetown (13-2, 3-1) with both teams looking to bounce back from losses suffered on Saturday afternoon. The situation may be even more important for the Bearcats, who despite their seven-game win streak ahead of their last-second loss to St. John's, still has to account for losses to Presbyterian and Marshall on their resume.

The problem for Cincinnati on Saturday was that for the first time in their stretch of games post-Xavier the four guard lineup couldn't shoot, making just 20 of 76 shots from the field and seven of thirty-two from beyond the arc. That allowed St. John's to get away with 19 turnovers, and the outcome could be even worse against a Georgetown team that does a better job of taking care of the basketball than the Red Storm. The Hoyas average 12.3 turnovers per game on the season, but they've turned the ball over 15 times or more in three of their four Big East games.

Mick Cronin's team is forcing 15 turnovers per game, and their four-guard attack has done a solid job of ramping up the tempo and forcing bad decisions. Leading the way is point guard Cashmere Wright (10.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.7 spg), whose game has taken off with Cronin handing him the keys offense. Wright was the chief decision-maker before the suspensions, but in the aftermath he's been given more freedom to look to score. Add in sophomore shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick (15.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and senior Dion Dixon (13.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and the Bearcats have a solid three-headed attack that can score points at a solid clip.

Georgetown counters on the perimeter with a good mixture of experience and youth, and their system can be tough to guard if defenders aren't alert with regards to backdoor cuts and the like. Senior Jason Clark (15.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and junior Hollis Thompson (14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) provide the experience and the consistent scoring while sophomore Markel Starks (9.1 ppg, 50.0% FG) has moved into the point guard job left open by the graduation of Chris Wright. The Hoyas are averaging 1.11 points/possession this season, and a big reason for their efficiency is the play of one of the most improved players in the Big East.

Senior center Henry Sims (11.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) leads the Hoyas in assists, and his ability to initiate the offense from the high post allows the perimeter players to work off the ball to get their shots. Nate Lubick can serve in a similar role on occasion while freshman Otto Porter has become more comfortable in the system by the game. His versatility will be something to keep an eye on for the Bearcats, who could be at a disadvantage in matching up with Porter due to his ability to go either inside or out. Jaquon Parker (10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg), who has played the four in Cincinnati's new setup, will need to be at his best if the Bearcats are to win.

That also goes for senior forward Yancy Gates (12.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg), who has come off the bench since returning to the lineup. Justin Jackson starts but he's far more valuable on the defensive end of the floor, allowing Gates to provide an offensive spark when he enters the game. Gates has done his best to fit into things on the floor, at times maybe even being a bit too deferential in attempt to not step on any toes. How Gates performs in the matchup with Sims on both ends of the floor could ultimately decide the outcome. If he's scoring and rebounding in addition to limiting Sims' role as a distributor Cincinnati can win.

Also in the Big East a Connecticut team that went 0-for-New Jersey last week looks to rebound, but it's going to be difficult against West Virginia despite the fact that the Huskies are back home. One big reason why is WVU's Kevin Jones, who as of right now would have to be considered the frontrunner for Big East Player of the Year. Jones went for 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Mountaineers' win over Georgetown, and overall the effort of Bob Huggins' team on the offensive glass could be a problem if UConn isn't ready to meet that challenge from a toughness standpoint. With the likes of Jones and Deniz Kilicli, this is a game where the Huskies need Alex Oriakhi to step up and be accounted for.

There's also the first of two installments of "Bedlam" as Oklahoma visits Stillwater to take on the Cowboys. Oklahoma State has incurred some big losses on the perimeter, most recently losing J.P. Olukemi for the season with a torn ACL. The Sooners have one of the best scorers in the Big 12 in Steven Pledger, and under first-year head coach Lon Kruger they've definitely stepped up their play. Neither would be considered a contender for the Big 12 title, but the winner would take an important step towards being a part of the bubble conversation in the middle of the league.

Other games to keep an eye on include Saint Mary's hosting San Francisco, with this being the kind of game that can trip up an expected title contender like the Gaels. Rex Walters' Dons don't lack for talent but they've been a bit inconsistent, which could be a problem when dealing with SMC's Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones. The A-Sun, which looks to be more wide-open than anyone anticipated before the season began, has a pair of key matchups on the docket as North Florida visits and Stetson and Mercer visits USC Upstate. Belmont may very well win the conference again, but the race to the title will be a lot tougher this season than last.

And in the MEAC, Morgan State takes on Savannah State without head coach Todd Bozeman, who was suspended with pay by the school following an incident in the Bears' last game. Along with Hampton the Bears are expected to contend for the league's automatic bid, and a loss in a game like this one could come back to haunt Morgan State in regards to seeding for the conference tournament. Don't worry about not having anything to do if you don't want to watch Alabama and LSU, there's some good basketball to watch as well.

Top 25 Games
9:00 PM Cincinnati at (11) Georgetown (ESPNU)
7:00 PM West Virginia at (16) Connecticut (ESPN2)

NCAA Division I Games
4:15 PM North Florida at Stetson
5:00 PM Jackson State at Southern
6:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M
6:00 PM Kennesaw State at East Tennessee State
7:00 PM Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Hampton at James Madison
7:00 PM Bethune-Cookman at North Carolina Central
7:30 PM Jacksonville at Florida Gulf Coast
7:30 PM Coppin State at South Carolina State
7:30 PM Mercer at USC Upstate
8:00 PM Grambling State at Alcorn State
8:00 PM Florida A&M at North Carolina A&T
8:00 PM Howard at Norfolk State
8:00 PM Morgan State at Savannah State
8:05 PM Florida Atlantic at Arkansas State
8:30 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alabama State
9:00 PM Texas-Pan American at Air Force
9:00 PM Idaho State at Wyoming
10:00 PM San Francisco at Saint Mary's

College Hoops Saturday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:33:13 -0800

With three NCAA Tournament tickets assured of being punched (that number becomes four if Princeton wins at Harvard in a crucial Ivy League tilt), it makes sense to touch on each of those games as opposed to the usual daily preview. The title game in the Atlantic Sun provides a matchup of the prohibitive favorite taking on the underdog, a storyline that usually doesn't come into play for another two weeks.

Belmont, who wasn't picked to win the conference in the preseason, won 19 of its 20 league games by a margin of nearly 21 points per game and Rick Byrd's team has taken care of business in wins over Kennesaw State and host Mercer thus far. Standing in their way is six-seed North Florida, a program that before this season had never won a single A-Sun Tournament game (they just recently earned full Division I status) before this week. All the Ospreys have done is send home both the three (Jacksonville) and two (East Tennessee State) seeds. Can they do the same to the Bruins?

It will be tough to say the least, as the balanced regular season champions have just two players averaging double figures in scoring (Ian Clark- 12.5, Mick Hedgepeth- 10.3) but five others score at least six points per game. The Bruins have failed to score more than 65 points just twice all season long and both were losses (the second Tennessee loss and at Lipscomb), and UNF did lose by just two points in their meeting on February 5th. But if the Belmont that whipped North Florida 91-59 on January 8th shows up the test becomes that much tougher for the Ospreys. North Florida got the job done defensively in both of their tournament wins, limiting ETSU to 13% from beyond the arc and when Belmont struggles from deep they can be had.

In the Big South regular season champion Coastal Carolina has survived heavy personnel losses, most recently losing leading scorer and rebounder Desmond Holloway, to get back to the championship game. Last year the Chanticleers had their NCAA Tournament hopes ended on their court by Radford, and Saturday presents a challenge in the form of a UNC Asheville team more than a few people liked to win this tournament before it began. Eddie Biedenbach's Bulldogs have won five straight games, with the streak beginning with a 61-58 win at CCU on February 22nd, and they shut down High Point in the semifinals on Thursday night. Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm have led the way for Asheville, and having your stars could make the difference in Myrtle Beach. Chad Gray and Anthony Raffa have been the players Cliff Ellis has needed to step up for the Chanticleers, and they combined for 50 points in the win over VMI on Thursday. But whether or not they can do the same against UNC Asheville is up for debate and will likely determine which team goes dancing.

And in the Ohio Valley there's the contrast of a Morehead State team that's made a habit of contending for conference titles of late and Tennessee Tech, which makes its' first-ever appearance in the conference final. But if Tennessee Tech lacks title experience they've got the college basketball answer to "Mr. Big Shot" (Chauncey Billups) and that would be Zach Swansey, who has made five game-winning baskets this season and dropped an absolute dagger on regular season champ Murray State in the final minute of the Golden Eagles' win on Friday night. TTU has won seven straight games to date but they were swept in the regular season by Donnie Tyndall's Eagles, who have an outstanding tandem in Demonte Harper and Kenneth Faried. Faried grabbed 21 rebounds in their win over Austin Peay in the semifinals while Harper provided 25 points and a few thrilling drives to the rim. Those two will be a handful to say the least, but it was Terrance Hill and Drew Kelly who combined for 38 points in Morehead State's 76-60 win in the last meeting between these two.

Plenty of other conference tournaments will be in session on Saturday, with the Missouri Valley moving on to the semifinals after a quarterfinal Friday that provided three outstanding finishes. Missouri State takes on Creighton in the first semi, and if forwards Kenny Lawson Jr. and Doug McDermott can play as they did in the win over Northern Iowa the Blue Jays definitely have a chance to advance. And Wichita State, the lone team to avoid the craziness, takes on Indiana State in the second game. Jake Odum made the big shot in the final second for Greg Lansing's Sycamores, who have won six of their last seven games but were swept by the Shockers in the regular season. The issues for ISU: turnovers and offensive efficiency, which go hand in hand. If the Sycamores can perform well in those two areas they have a chance. The America East, Big Sky, CAA, MAAC, Southern and WCC all move into the quarters while the Sun Belt tips off its first day of action. And the semifinals in the Horizon League should also be interesting as Butler and Milwaukee take the floor for the first time.

In regular season action there's the matter of Princeton and Harvard, with the Tigers looking to complete the season sweep that would also net them a return to the NCAA Tournament. Missouri hosts Kansas in a big game for both, as the Jayhawks look to lock up the outright Big 12 title and the Tigers look to remain undefeated at home. Duke at North Carolina is always huge and Saturday night's matchup will also be for the outright ACC title. Xavier (Atlantic 10), Pittsburgh (Big East), Arizona (Pac-10) and Florida (SEC) will all look to join the party in locking up outright conference titles, with the Gators having the stiffest test as they visit Vanderbilt. Pitt hosts a reeling Villanova squad that's running out of time to find answers.

San Diego State and BYU will wrap up their seasons in hopes of clinching at least a share of the Mountain West title, but the Aztecs will have to contend with a Colorado State team that could most certainly use a big win for their NCAA Tournament resume. The same goes for Baylor, who's done more to hurt their chances of dancing this season but they have a shot to pick off Texas and the Longhorns haven't played as well as they're capable of the last two weeks. And Michigan State visiting Michigan and Virginia Tech at Clemson are both immensely important games when it comes to the field of 68. Saturday may still be the regular season for a number of teams, but it certainly doesn't feel like it.

Top 25
12:00 PM (2) Kansas at (24) Missouri (CBS)
3:30 PM Wyoming at (3) BYU (The Mtn.)
8:00 PM (4) Duke at (13) North Carolina (CBS)
4:00 PM (19) Villanova at (5) Pittsburgh (CBS)
4:00 PM (6) Purdue at Iowa (ESPN)
2:00 PM (7) Notre Dame at (16) Connecticut (ESPN)
9:00 PM (8) Texas at Baylor (ESPN)
10:00 PM Colorado State at (9) San Diego State (The Mtn.)
12:00 PM (11) Louisville at West Virginia (ESPN)
4:00 PM DePaul at (12) Syracuse (ESPN3)
6:00 PM (14) Florida at (20) Vanderbilt (ESPN)
8:00 PM South Florida at (15) St. John's (ESPN3)
2:00 PM (17) Georgetown at Cincinnati (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Oregon at (18) Arizona (CBS)
7:00 PM (21) Utah State at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
1:30 PM Texas Tech at (22) Texas A&M (ESPN3)

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Virginia Tech at Clemson (ESPN2)
12:00 PM Duquesne at Richmond
12:00 PM Indiana at Illinois (BTN)
1:00 PM Buffalo at Bowling Green
1:00 PM Massachusetts at Fordham
1:00 PM Nicholls State at Southeastern Louisiana
1:30 PM Georgia at Alabama (ESPN3)
1:30 PM Iowa State at Kansas State (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Dayton at George Washington
2:00 PM Virginia at Maryland (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Michigan State at Michigan (CBS)
2:00 PM Xavier at Saint Louis (CBS College)
2:00 PM Rhode Island at St. Bonaventure
2:00 PM South Carolina at Mississippi State (ESPN2)
2:00 PM Northern Illinois at Ball State
2:00 PM Western Michigan at Central Michigan
2:00 PM Toledo at Eastern Michigan
2:00 PM Saint Joseph's at Charlotte
3:00 PM La Salle at Temple
3:00 PM Stephen F. Austin at Northwestern State
3:00 PM UTEP at SMU
4:00 PM Oregon State at Arizona State
4:00 PM Arkansas at Mississippi (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Tulane at Memphis
4:00 PM UNLV at Utah (The Mtn.)
4:00 PM Chicago State at N.J.I.T.
4:30 PM Lamar at McNeese State
5:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Central Arkansas
5:30 PM UCLA at Washington State
5:30 PM Alcorn State at Texas Southern
6:00 PM Air Force at New Mexico (The Mtn.)
6:00 PM Rice at Houston
6:00 PM Marquette at Seton Hall (ESPN3)
6:30 PM Alabama A&M at Jackson State
7:00 PM Stanford at California
7:00 PM Auburn at LSU (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Princeton at Harvard (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Dartmouth
7:00 PM Brown at Columbia
7:00 PM Yale at Cornell
7:00 PM UCF at Marshall
7:00 PM Rutgers at Providence (ESPN3)
7:30 PM Alabama State at Grambling State
8:00 PM East Carolina at UAB
8:00 PM Southern Miss at Tulsa
8:00 PM Texas-San Antonio at Texas-Arlington
8:00 PM Texas State at Sam Houston State
8:45 PM South Dakota at Houston Baptist
9:00 PM Nebraska at Colorado
9:00 PM San Jose State at Boise State
9:00 PM Nevada at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM North Dakota at Texas-Pan American
9:00 PM Southern University at Prairie View A&M
10:00 PM UC Irvine at UC Riverside
10:00 PM Seattle at Idaho
10:00 PM Cal State Northridge at Pacific
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
10:05 PM Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara
10:30 PM USC at Washington
11:30 PM Hawaii at Fresno State

Conference Tournaments

America East Quarterfinals (at Hartford)
12:05 PM Stony Brook vs. Albany (America East TV)
2:15 PM Binghamton vs. Vermont (America East TV)
6:05 PM New Hampshire vs. Boston University (America East TV)
8:15 PM Hartford vs. Maine (America East TV)

Atlantic Sun Final (at Mercer)
6:00 PM North Florida vs. Belmont (ESPN2)

Big Sky Quarterfinals (at higher seeded team)
8:35 PM Montana State at Northern Arizona (FCS)
9:30 PM Eastern Washington at Weber State

Big South Final (at Coastal Carolina)
4:00 PM UNC Asheville at Coastal Carolina (ESPN2)

CAA Quarterfinals
12:00 PM Georgia State vs. (25) George Mason (ESPN3)
2:30 PM Drexel vs. VCU (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Delaware vs. Old Dominion (ESPN Full Court)
8:30 PM William & Mary vs. Hofstra (ESPN Full Court)

Horizon Semifinals (at Milwaukee)
6:00 PM Cleveland State vs. Butler (HLN)
8:30 PM Valparaiso vs. Milwaukee (HLN)

MAAC Quarterfinals (at Fairfield)
2:30 PM Saint Peter's vs. Loyola (MD) (MSG/ESPN3)
4:30 PM Fairfield vs. Marist (MSG2/ESPN3)
7:30 PM Iona vs. Siena (MSG+/ESPN3)
10:00 PM Rider vs. Canisius (MSG/MASN/ESPN3)

Missouri Valley Semifinals (in St. Louis)
2:35 PM Missouri State vs. Creighton (FSN Midwest)
5:05 PM Wichita State vs. Indiana State (FSN MIdwest)

OVC Final (in Nashville)
8:00 PM Morehead State vs. Tennessee Tech (ESPN2)

SoCon Quarterfinals (at Chattanooga)
2:00 PM Western Carolina vs. UNC Greensboro (SoConTV)
4:30 PM Wofford vs. Appalachian State (SoConTV)
7:00 PM Chattanooga vs. Furman (SoConTV)
9:30 PM Elon vs. College of Charleston (SoConTV)

Summit Quarterfinals (in Sioux Falls, SD)
7:00 PM Oakland vs. Southern Utah (Midco Sports Net)
9:30 PM Oral Roberts vs. North Dakota State (Midco Sports Net)

Sun Belt First Round (in Hot Springs, AR)
7:30 PM North Texas vs. Troy (Summit Arena)
7:45 PM Western Kentucky vs. ULM (Conv. Center Court)
9:45 PM Denver vs. FIU (Summit Arena)
10:00 PM South Alabama vs. Arkansas-Little Rock (Conv. Center Court)

WCC Quarterfinals (in Las Vegas)
9:00 PM Santa Clara vs. Loyola Marymount (BYU TV)
11:30 PM San Francisco vs. Pepperdine (BYU TV)

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College Hoops Thursday Recap: Wilcox Saves Washington

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:37:13 -0800

Trailing by just one point (25-24) at the half but mostly stifled offensively (21.2% FG) the Washington Huskies needed someone to step up and change the flow of the game. Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning struggled to find clean looks, which is to be expected given how prominently they figure in the Husky attack. Enter freshman CJ Wilcox, overlooked by some who chose to focus on the loss of Terrence Jones and the anticipated impact of Terrence Ross. Wilcox scored all of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the Huskies to a 70-63 win that may put a halt to the talk of them possibly slipping onto the bubble with an 0-2 weekend.

"I don't think I've ever been a part of a freshman coming in and playing like CJ Wilcox did in the second half," said Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar. "I've been a part of a team that won a National Championship and I've never seen a freshman do what he did tonight in the second half.

"You rarely see a freshman, unless he comes in and is one of these heralded All-American guys that's one-and-done, you rarely see a freshman take a team and put them on his back like he did in the second half." (quote courtesy of Washington Athletics)

Wilcox was outstanding as he made seven of ten shots from the field in addition to all six of his free throw attempts. Add in 10 points off the bench from Venoy Overton, who played much better than he did in Sunday's loss to Washington State, and an excellent defensive effort from Justin Holiday and the end result is a big win for the Huskies and a share of the Pac-10 title (at least) for Arizona. Holiday made just one of his eight shots from the field but his true impact is seen in the stat line for UCLA wing Tyler Honeycutt. Honeycutt finished 0-for-6 from the field, scoring all six of his points from the foul line. Bryan-Amaning contributed in other ways as well, grabbing a team-high 13 rebounds in 26 minutes of action in addition to helping limit Reeves Nelson to 10 points and eight rebounds.

The good news for the Bruins in defeat was the play of reserves Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith. Anderson knocked down some critical shots in the second half, finishing with 16 points to lead the team in scoring. Smith, who comes off the bench in a move to avoid early foul trouble, finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. If these two reserves can build on on their performances last night look for UCLA to be a serious threat to win the Pac-10 Tournament; Honeycutt and Nelson will have better nights than Thursday. But maybe it's time to include the Huskies in that discussion with regards to next week, as they went on a similar run to finish last season by winning the conference tournament. At the very least an unheralded freshman did his part in ensuring a return to the NCAA Tournament.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Have fun trying to slow down Jordan Taylor this month.
When you're struggling on the road in a game you're expected to win, it's always good to be able to call on one of the best point guards in America. Jordan Taylor added another chapter to an outstanding season on Thursday night, scoring a career-high 39 points as the Badgers hung on to beat Indiana 77-67. Taylor went off for a portion of the second half, scoring all 14 points in a 14-4 Badger run that turned a one-point game into a 60-49 lead. With players either struggling offensively or benched with foul trouble the junior stepped up as he has all season long. According to Ken Pomeroy's numbers, Taylor has the best offensive rating in the Big Ten (24% of possessions used) with a rating of 130.4 and it's not even close (Jared Sullinger is second at 122.8). That number also places him second nationally (Wofford's Noah Dahlman), and with how important guard play is this time of the year Taylor's an incredible asset to have on your side.

2. Seton Hall gets hot from three and beats St. John's.
Seton Hall certainly isn't bashful about putting up three-pointers, attempting 318 in conference games this season. But they also aren't the best at knocking them down, making just 27% of their shots from beyond the arc. That's what made their performance in an 84-70 win over St. John's all the more impressive. The Pirates knocked down 12 of 18 shots from distance, outscoring the Red Storm 36-9 from three. Jeremy Hazell led the way with 31 points, combining with freshman Fuquan Edwin to make nine of twelve from three and Jordan Theodore made both of his attempts as well. As a result of their marksmanship Seton Hall was able to navigate 18 turnovers in addition to some first half foul trouble.

Dwight Hardy led the Red Storm with 23 points but they were unable to assume control of a game that became heated late. Steve Lavin was ejected for arguing with an official, and Justin Burrell would join him shortly thereafter due to a hard foul on Anali Okoloji (it would be fair to argue that in the final seconds of a game that's essentially over there's no need to attempt a dunk). St. John's now needs DePaul to beat Syracuse on Saturday (in addition to taking care of USF at home) to grab that final double-bye, but more than likely they're looking at the five-seed in the Big East Tournament. And with Seton Hall locked into the 12/13 game against Rutgers, these two could meet again on Wednesday afternoon.

3. Both lower seeds win in the second day of the Atlantic Sun quarterfinals.
With Mercer beating Lipscomb on Sunday there wasn't much surprise that they were able to repeat said accomplishment last night, beating the Bisons 73-63 thanks in large part to 27 points and six rebounds from Brian Mills. The Bears, who have the fortune of playing the tournament on their home floor, did a good job of neutralizing All-Atlantic Sun forward Adnan Hodzic, who finished with nine points on 3-for-7 shooting. Josh Slater led Lipscomb with 18 points but it's tough to win when shooting 33.9% from the field and 27.6% from three, especially when 29 of the 56 field goal attempts come from three.

North Florida's win wasn't a huge shock either, considering that despite sweeping the season series Jacksonville won those two contests by a combined three points. Jerron Granberry paced UNF with a game-high 23 points and the Ospreys outscored the Dolphins by 14 over the final 11-plus minutes of the game. Andres Diaz added 19 points and seven rebounds, and their assist-to-turnover ratio (8-to-15) wasn't as bad as Jacksonville's, who finished with six assists to 19 turnovers while shooting just 40% from the field. The task gets even tougher for North Florida and Mercer today as the top two seeds in the A-Sun await (ETSU for North Florida, Belmont for Mercer), but anything is possible.

Washington State guard Klay Thompson arrested and charged with possession of marijuana following Thursday's win over USC Thompson will not play in Saturday's regular season finale against UCLA per release from the school.

Top Three Games

1. Bethune-Cookman 73, Florida A&M 71 (OT)
The Wildcats knocked off the Rattlers at home thanks to an Alexander Starling steal and shot (off glass) in the final seconds. C.J. Reed led the MEAC regular season champions with 23 points and five assists, and Avery Moore paced FAMU with 16. The win also secures Bethune-Cookman's first 20-win season since 1980-81.

2. Texas-Pan American 75, South Dakota 74
A Brandon Provost layup in the final seconds gave the Broncs a one-point home win in Edinburg. Provost's basket answered a Louis Krogman three that put the Coyotes ahead by one with 12 seconds remaining. Provost finished with 22 points and Kendall Cutler posted the same to lead South Dakota.

3. Washington 70, UCLA 63

Three Notable Performances

1. G Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
39 points (11-19 FG, 7-8 3PT) in the Badgers' 77-67 win at Indiana.

2. G/F Troy Huff (North Dakota)
31 points and 12 rebounds in the Fighting Sioux's 74-70 win at Houston Baptist.

3. F Justin Rutty (Quinnipiac)
22 points (11-15 FG) and 16 rebounds in the Bobcats' 78-59 win over Mount St. Mary's in an NEC quarterfinal.

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Atlantic Sun Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:11:48 -0800

Conference Rank: 28th

10 year average: 25th

Conference Page

All-ATLANTIC SUN Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	James Florence	Mercer	Jr
G	Courntey Pigram	ETSU	Sr
G/F	Shane Dansby	Belmont	Sr
F	Marcus Allen	Jacksonville	Sr
F	Jonathan Rodriguez	Campbell	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Courtney Pigram Jonathan Rodriguez		Points: Jonathan Rodriguez 20.9 Rebounds: Jonathan Rodriguez 10.1 Assists: Rob Quaintaince (FGCU) 5.3

ATLANTIC SUN Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

109	Belmont* **	Asun	1	NCAA
156	Stetson	Asun	2
176	Jacksonville	Asun	3
227	East Tennessee	Asun	4
248	Lipscomb	Asun	5
275	Mercer	Asun	6
296	Kennesaw St	Asun	7
302	Campbell	Asun	8
313	Florida Gulf Coast	Asun	9
320	USC Upstate	Asun	10
344	North Florida	Asun	11

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Rise & Fall: A-Sun

State of '08: Florida

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:48:10 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Florida For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

FLORIDA

FLORIDA - Obvious choice at the top of the Sunshine state. Before last year, Billy Donovan's Gators had made 9 NCAA Tournaments in a row.. including back to back national titles. Hart to top that.

MIAMI - Since Frank Haith took over four years ago, Miami has made two NIT trips and one NCAA Tournament. But in the five years before last, Miami hadn't reached the Top 60 in RPI, and they've still never finished above .500 in the ACC. Fans are certainly expecting a big ACC finish this time around.

FLORIDA STATE - The 'Noles perpetually seem to be on the verge of something big, but they can't seem to get over the hump. This is basically the story of Leonard Hamilton's career. In the last six years, FSU has hovered between 41 and 81 in the RPI five times.. but have yet to reach the Big Dance.

CENTRAL FLORIDA - Despite lacking the profile of a Miami or FSU, UCF is a consistently solid team that deserves more attention. Long time coach Kirk Speraw has led the Knights to four NCAA Tournaments, and helped them make the transition to the more competitive Conference USA. Since joining the CUSA before 2006, the Knights have finished .500 or better in league play each season.

SOUTH FLORIDA - The Bulls haven't had much success since joining the Big East, but the program does seem to be gaining momentum. Last year, USF beat three Top 60 teams including FSU, UAB, and Syracuse.

6. FLORIDA A&M - The Rattlers are always one of the better teams in the MEAC. In fact, 2001 was the last time FAMU finished below .500 in league play. Although the MEAC is the 2nd worst league in the country, the Rattlers have taken advantage of the weak competition by making the Tournament in 2004 & 2007.

7. FLORIDA ATLANTIC - After a shocking Tourney run in 2002, the Owls haven't sniffed postseason play. In fact, FAU has only won two SB tournament games in the past six seasons, though they've been competitive in the last three seasons. It will be interesting to see if new head coach Mike Jarvis can regain some his former glory, after his tenure at St. John's came to an embarrassing end.

8. JACKSONVILLE - The Dolphins are coming off one of their best campaigns in recent memory, finishing 2nd in the A-Sun, making it to the conference title game, and finishin with an RPI of 164. That's pretty heady stuff for a program that was 1-26 in 2006 (only managing to knock of UNF). This is the 2nd season in a row that JU led its Florida rivals (Stetson, FGCU, and UNF) in the A-Sun.

9. STETSON - The Mad Hatters have hovered around 250 in the RPI for the past couple years, but are coming off a decent campaign that included an 11-5 Atlantic Sun record. This is the second time Stetson has won 11 league games in the past three seasons.

10. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL - FIU is consistently overmatched by its Sun Belt competition. The Panthers haven't finished above .500 in league play since 2000.. and really haven't come close since. At least things have improved since 03 & 04 when FIU was one of the worst teams in the country, winning just 10 D1 games those years.

11. BETHUNE-COOKMAN - The Wildcats continue to struggle, finishing 3rd to last in the lowly MEAC in back to back seasons. 2000 was probably the last time there was any legitimate hope of making a run in the conference tournament.

12. FLORIDA GULF COAST - In their first full D1 season, FGCU had decent success, winning 10 games, including 6 in the Atlantic Sun. At the very least, this already puts them ahead of North Florida.

13. NORTH FLORIDA - Despite a decent nickname (the Ospreys), UNF hasn't had even the slightest success since joining D1 in 05-06. UNF has won an amazingly small 7 D1 games in the past three seasons, and only beat winless NJIT in the RPI last year.

Last: D.C. - Next: Georgia

State of '08: The Introduction

Daily Dribble: Wild Saturday Recap

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:33:37 -0800

Wow.. simply wow. College basketball is fun. You can take your Super Bowls and endless weeks of repetitive buildup.. I'll take college basketball any day of the week. Just so happens Saturday is the best day of the week though.. and yesterday was about as wild as it gets. Lets begin our journey..

Florida is crazy good. The Gators have been blowing away the SEC, East or West, home or away, with ease. The Gators are 8-0 in league play, 2 full games ahead of 2nd place Kentucky. These two teams meet next week in Lexington.. but I just don't see the Wildcats winning.

The Gators are one of four teams around the country that are still perfect in conference play. Holy Cross is 9-0 in the Patriot, Winthrop is 9-0 in the Big South, and Memphis is 9-0 in the CUSA.

Wisconsin has just 1 conference loss.. and is now tied with Ohio State for the Big Ten lead. The Buckeyes picked up a big road win at Michigan State today.. and because they host the Badgers later in the season, have to be considered the conference favorite at this point.

UNC is now a 2-conference loss team.. after losing to.. NC State? If you were to have told me Tyler Hansbrough would have 24 and 8, and that Ty Lawson would have a money 21 point, 7 assist, 1 turnover game (his best game ever).. I would have said UNC would have won by 20 points.. But the Wolfpack got solid production from their dependable starting five and won a well-fought game. State is probably the thinnest team in the country, with 5 guys who basically play all their minutes (think Arizona but worse).. yet depth wasn't a factor. The Heels got nothing out of Thompson or Stepheson, and Reyshawn Terry had a miserable game (fouling out in 15 minutes). What's really odd about this game is that NC State won despite turning it over 21 times to just 12 for UNC.

Still, as big a deal as the #3 team losing is.. its not nearly as big a deal as Texas A&M's huge win at Kansas. The #8 team beating the #6 might not seem so special.. but this is monstrous. Not only has A&M never beaten Kansas in the decade-long history of the Big 12.. but no Big 12 South team had ever won a game in Allen Fieldhouse. 0 for 31 heading into today. That's nuts.

After a back and forth first half, Kansas actually led most of the 2nd half, up by as many as 62-52 with 6 minutes to go. Acie Law capped a big 23 point, 7 assist game by leading the Aggies back to the win, including hitting the go-ahead three.

Though A&M was 8th in the Coaches Poll, they were just 10th in the AP. They could however jump to as high as 4th this Monday.. maybe 3rd. Florida's obviously still #1. But after Wisconsin lost earlier in the week and then UNC fell today, 2 and 3 are up for grabs. UCLA will almost certainly jump up to #2.. but then 3rd will be between Ohio State, Wisconsin, or A&M. Of course its conceivable both of those teams will go 3-4 and then UNC will be 5th.. but I think the new Big 12 overall leader deserves better than the spot Kansas held before today.

Besides UNC and Kansas, #9 Oregon is the other Top 10 team that lost on Saturday. The Ducks are in a slump, having lost two-straight and 3 of 4, and could fall all the way to the 18-20 range. The Ducks fell at USC, who is now 18-6 overall and seriously deserving of a look in the Top 25. The Trojans were 31st by votes last week, but there's not many new opening this week.

The upset bug also hit the 11-25 range as well.. as #14 Oklahoma State, #18 Virginia Tech, #19 Notre Dame, #21 Clemson, #23 Texas, and #25 Indiana all lost. The most surprising of these games was Notre Dame losing to South Florida. Before Saturday, the Bulls were just 3-21 in Big East games since joining the league last season. But they do have McHugh Mattis.. and that was enough to knock off a Top-25 team yesterday. Mattis had 23 points and 16 rebounds, though oddly the small forward known for his defensive presence (4 bpg) had only 1 block. The Irish were just 21st in the AP Poll.. and are obviously in serious danger of falling out now. If that happens, and the team that replaces them isnt Georgetown, it would leave the Big East with just two teams in the Top 25.

Like Georgetown, Southern Illinois deserves a serious look by the voters. The Salukis were 29th in the AP last and won another impressive MVC game.. at Wichita State. As usual, the Salukis won behind a suffocating defense, holding the shockers to 28% shooting.. and this game was in Wichita.

None of these games though, teams in the Top 25 or fighting for the Big Dance, really mattered. What did matter yesterday was Iona finally getting their first win of the season. The 1-22 Gaels picked up a 12-point victory over Rider. With Siena coming to town next Friday, its possible Iona could be looking at a two-game winning streak. The Gaels lost by just a point (61-60) at Siena on Thursday.. and with their new found confidence, could be in line line for another win.

Iona's win now puts the onus on North Florida. The Ospreys have avoided the bad press of Iona (if there's really such a thing as bad press) by beating 2 non-D1 teams earlier in the year. But UNF still hasn't beaten a Division 1 team yet! As far as I'm concerned, UNF was tied with Iona going into today, but is now alone as college basketball's lone winless team.

- Dribble me softly -