Belmont

#25 Louisville vs. Connecticut: Monday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:52:29 -0500

On the heels of their decisive win over Seton Hall, Connecticut (15-7, 5-5) will look to keep things going as they visit #25 Louisville (18-5, 6-4) in a critical Big East matchup. For all the issues that UConn's dealt with recently they're just a game out of fourth, and with that being the final double-bye slot in the Big East Championship this is a game both teams need.

The Huskies are being coached by George Blaney due to Jim Calhoun's indefinite leave of absence, but the biggest development from their win on Saturday was the fact that the guys on the floor finally took the reins and showed leadership. If they can build on that aspect of their win, UConn could be in line to go on a run despite a tough week that also features a trip to Syracuse.

Wing Jeremy Lamb (17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the primary offensive option for UConn, with his smooth game invoking memories of Richard Hamilton among many involved with the program. But part of the problem during the Huskies' skid was the fact that neither Lamb, Shabazz Napier (13.3 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.0 rpg) nor Alex Oriakhi (6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) seemed capable of leading the way.

Napier and Oriakhi were moved to the bench in hopes of providing a spark to an offense that's been stagnant, especially against zone defenses, and freshman Ryan Boatright has been that guy. Boatright (9.8 ppg, 3.5 apg) scored 19 points and dished out five assists against Seton Hall and the offense looked a bit crisper with him running the show.

Louisville is going to come at UConn with their full-court pressure, which could be an issue for a team that's averaging 13.4 turnovers per game. But it would have been an even bigger problem without Boatright, and if anything the Huskies may be more concerned about Louisville's 2-3 zone than anything.

The Cardinals allow opponents to shoot just 37% from the field and 33.3% from three, and it isn't as if all 16 of the turnovers that Rick Pitino's team forces comes by way of the press. The Cardinals need to be careful with the basketball themselves as they average 15 turnovers per game, and the run-out opportunities that could result may give UConn the boost they need.

Peyton Siva (8.5 ppg, 5.6 apg) is a highly athletic guard who runs the show for the Cardinals, but he's also averaging 3.5 turnovers per game. Both he and sixth man Russ Smith (12.4 ppg, 2.2 apg) need to make smart decisions while not losing their aggressive nature, a task that's proven easier said than done at times.

Louisville is the deeper team on the perimeter, with the likes of Chris Smith and the versatile Kyle Kuric also playing integral roles in the Cardinal attack. What happens on the perimeter will be key to the outcome but the play inside will be just as important for both, especially for a UConn team that needs its big men to be productive offensively.

Freshman Andre Drummond (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.7 bpg) can at times look to be a man among boys on the court, and that's what happened on Saturday as the Pirates were without Herb Pope. But he's going to run into some resistance in the form of the much-improved Gorgui Dieng (10.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.5 bpg), the Big East's leader in blocked shots.

Dieng (sprained his right ankle in Saturday's win ) has become more confident offensively, and even with him the Cardinals can also call on a Chane Behanan as well. This is where Oriakhi, Tyler Olander and Roscoe Smith come into play; they need to be productive if the Huskies are to win on the road. The Huskies have been a slightly better rebounding team but both can hit the offensive glass, and with the shooting being what it can be second-chance points should be right up there in regards to importance.

Also of note on Monday is the first of two meetings this season between Texas and Texas A&M, made even more important by the fact that both teams are in desperate need of wins from an NCAA tournament resume standpoint. The Aggies have been without both Khris Middleton and Dash Harris of late due to injury, meaning that Elston Turner will need to be even more effective as a scorer. If he can get some help from Naji Hibbert A&M will have an even better chance of defending their home floor.

Mercer has the opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Sun as they host East Tennessee State in what's also a key game for the Bucs as they jostle for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament. Belmont, who's tied with the Bears atop the A-Sun, takes on Austin Peay in a non-conference matchup (this will be a league game next year as the Bruins will join the OVC) and Wofford visits Davidson in a SoCon battle in hopes of moving one step closer to locking down that other conference tournament bye out of the South Division.

Davidson's three games up with four to go, and a win would clinch at least a tie for the division crown. Lastly, Missouri looks to build on their win over Kansas as they visit an Oklahoma team that's hanging on to hopes of earning an at-large bid. Steven Pledger has been one of the most improved players in the Big 12, and he's going to need to play extremely well if the Sooners are to pull off the upset.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (4) Missouri at Oklahoma (ESPNU)
9:00 PM (15) Marquette at DePaul (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Connecticut at (25) Louisville (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Stony Brook at New Hampshire (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Stetson at Jacksonville
7:00 PM Vermont at Maine
7:00 PM USC Upstate at Kennesaw State (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Boston University at Albany
7:00 PM Wofford at Davidson
7:00 PM Appalachian State at Elon
7:00 PM East Tennessee State at Mercer
7:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at North Florida
7:30 PM North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M
7:30 PM Furman at Georgia Southern
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at Bethune-Cookman
7:30 PM Hampton at Delaware State
7:30 PM Norfolk State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:30 PM Howard at Morgan State
7:30 PM Longwood at South Carolina State
8:00 PM Austin Peay at Belmont
8:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Savannah State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8:30 PM Southern University at Jackson State
8:30 PM Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State
9:00 PM Idaho State at Montana
9:00 PM Texas at Texas A&M (ESPN)
9:00 PM Alcorn State at Grambling State

Monday Recap: Woodall Leads Pitt Past West Virginia

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:15:48 -0500

It wasn't that long ago that many left the Pittsburgh Panthers for dead, as they were in the midst of what would eventually become an eight-game losing streak. A key factor in the struggles that Jamie Dixon's team experienced was the absence of point guard Tray Woodall, who was out with abdominal and groin injuries. Woodall's back now and he looks to be healthy as well, as he led Pittsburgh to a 72-66 win over rival West Virginia in Morgantown with 24 points, four rebounds and three assists on the night. Woodall scored 16 of his 24 in the first half, proving too difficult for the Mountaineers to stop regardless of who they put on him.

Ashton Gibbs added 15 points for Pittsburgh, who didn't shoot well from three (3-for-10) but did make 21 of their 26 free throws. Also of importance in the win was the fact that Pitt outscored West Virginia 36-26 in the paint, a surprising stat given how much the Mountaineers call on forwards Kevin Jones (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Deniz Kilicli (12 points, nine rebounds). Neither team shot well from the perimeter, making the hustle plays even more of a factor in the outcome. And more times than not it was a Panther who came up with the big play.

"They out-toughed us. We blocked three shots in the first half, and they pick it up and get three-point plays out of it," remarked WVU head coach Bob Huggins when asked what the difference was. "We just don't get to the ball. Four balls went out of bounds and they save it back inbounds and we have a guy here and a guy here and they have a guy behind our two guys and he runs in and catches it and shoots a lay-up and our two guys still have yet to move. We just didn't get to the ball."

Pitt got off to a good start to the second half and they received the added boost of a technical foul assessed to Huggins despite the fact that he was yelling at Truck Bryant for missing a defensive rotation. Given what happened at Syracuse on Saturday another missed call could have been used as an excuse for the Mountaineers to self-destruct but they didn't, eventually cutting the Pitt lead to two points with 8:14 remaining.

This would be as close as the Mountaineers would get as a Panther team that's playing with a great deal of confidence hung on down the stretch. It's been known that this team has a great deal of pride, and players such as Gibbs, Woodall and Nasir Robinson won't allow them to lie down. Can Pittsburgh do enough to work their way back into the NCAA Tournament conversation? Don't rule that out, especially with Woodall back and playing the way he has of late.

"Obviously, I'm very happy for our guys and what they have done and how they have battled and what they have become," said Dixon following the game. "As you coach, you want to talk about what you can become and what you want to be and this is an example of a team that continued to battle and do the work."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Sears BracketBusters pairings announced, and quite a few fan bases aren't pleased with the results.
Monday was a big day in college basketball as the pairings for the upcoming Sears BracketBusters event were announced, and in the end it was tough to find many please fan bases outside of Saint Mary's and Murray State, who will play each other in Murray on February 18th. The Gaels are currently undefeated in the WCC and with a 21-2 record Randy Bennett's team will provide a major test for a Murray State team that's the nation's lone undefeated squad.

Long Beach State, who has taken on all comers in their non-conference schedule, will visit a Creighton team that leads the Missouri Valley and boasts an 8-2 record against RPI Top 100 teams. The 49ers are 2-5 against such teams and their two wins (Xavier and Pittsburgh) lost some luster due to the struggles of those teams, which sparked anger on the part of the Bluejay fan base.

Another fan base that was none too thrilled with their draw was that of Wichita State (3-4 vs. RPI Top 100), who will visit a Davidson (1-3 vs. RPI Top 100) team that owns a win over Kansas (in Kansas City) but has also played nine games (8-1 record) against teams ranked 201st or worse in the NCAA's RPI rankings. George Mason, currently first in the CAA, didn't even merit a televised game (non-televised match ups) in the eyes of the schedule-makers. But a slate that features 19 games against teams ranked 101 or worse in the RPI (17-2 record) may have had something to do with that.

Oral Roberts is another team that has a beef with the process as they drew an Akron team whose profile won't do a whole lot to boost that of the Golden Eagles. Clearly not everyone's going to be thrilled with the match ups, but at this point teams have a couple of weeks to improve their own resumes beforehand. How useful is BracketBusters? You'll likely get different answers based on who you ask, but the formula for getting to the NCAA Tournament hasn't changed with or without the event: win.

2. Michael Dixon Jr's driving bucket pushes Missouri past Texas in Austin.
Following a Kim English three-pointer with 4:44 remaining Frank Haith's Tigers led 63-53 and looked to be a safe bet to close out Texas despite being on the road and getting out-rebounded by a 38-26 margin at game's end. But the Tigers would go nearly three minutes without a made field goal, leaving the door open for a Longhorn team that at times couldn't stay out of its own way on the offensive end.

Texas took advantage and eventually took the lead on a four-point possession triggered by a flagrant 1 foul on Michael Dixon Jr. Dixon Jr. made up for his foul 25 seconds after, scoring on a left-handed shot off glass to give Missouri the 67-66 win. Texas had 27 seconds to find a shot, and while Myck Kabongo did get a look the Longhorns looked too confused to be allowed to play the possession out as they had a timeout remaining.

"We had two things ready: one for man and one for zone," said Texas head coach Rick Barnes. "And the one for the zone, we didn't move or cut the way we needed to. But we knew. During the timeout, we said, 'You've got to be ready for a zone.' And what we wanted to do, we didn't do as hard and effective as we had to do it."

Dixon Jr. scored 21 points off the bench while Phil Pressey and Ricardo Ratliffe scored 13 apiece for the Tigers, who remained tied for first place in the Big 12 ahead of a huge battle with rival Kansas this coming weekend. Even with the rebounding and free throw (16-8 Texas edge in points) numbers working against them Missouri found a way to win, and that's what good teams do.

3. While Mississippi Valley State has a sold grip on first place in the SWAC, the race for the two-seed became much more intriguing.
The Delta Devils are now 9-0 in conference play following their 77-59 win over Grambling, and while Southern is 7-2 the Jaguars are ineligible for postseason play so they can't wrestle away the top seed for the conference tournament. Texas Southern is eligible, but their 66-59 overtime loss at Alabama State despite leading by as many as 18 points dropped them to 6-3 in SWAC play and they're now just a game ahead of the Hornets and Prairie View A&M at the halfway point.

Neither team shot well from the field but it was Alabama State who took better advantage of their own misses, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds (OR%: 47.7%) and out-rebounding the Tigers 47-36 on the night. Ivory White led the way for the victors with 21 points and nine rebounds, Phillip Crawford added 17 and Ryan Watts scored 15 points off the bench. Texas Southern's reserves outscored Alabama State's 40-19 (Fred Sturdivant scored 16 of the 40) but that didn't matter much due to the extra opportunities they gave up on the glass and the fact that the starters combined to shoot 8-for-25 from the field.

Next up for Texas Southern is a trip to Prairie View, which means that the race for the two-seed could become even more entertaining should the Tigers lose. Up 48-30 with 9:04 remaining the odds of Tony Harvey's team closing the game out looked to be good, but when you make just one field goal and turn the ball over seven times down the stretch that can come back to burn you. That's exactly what happened to Texas Southern, and as a result they now find themselves in a situation they could have easily avoided.

Quick Hitters

1. Clemson will be without the services of junior forward Milton Jennings at Virginia on Tuesday night as he's suspended due to a failure to comply with the team's academic standards. Jennings is averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Tigers, who are currently 11-9 overall and 3-3 in the ACC.

2. The strangest game of the night took place in Norfolk as Coppin State handed Norfolk State their first MEAC loss by the final score of 87-82. Fang Mitchell's team led 35-13 at the half, only to survive a staggering 69-point second half from the Spartans to move to 6-3 in the MEAC. Kyle O'Quinn, who can make a serious claim for being the nation's most underrated player, led NSU with 27 points and 18 rebounds.

3. Belmont and Mercer both took care of business, with the Bruins beating North Florida 83-69 in Nashville while Mercer won 75-66 at Florida Gulf Coast. Kerron Johnson led four Belmont players in double figures with 16 points and Blake Jenkins added 15 and seven rebounds, while Langston Hall's 20 points and six assists led Mercer to their win. USC Upstate is a game back in the loss column but after them the rest of the A-Sun is three games back.

4. Southeast Missouri State moved to 7-2 in the OVC with a 74-53 win at Eastern Illinois, and they remain in second place (two games behind Murray State) as a result. Marland Smith scored 19 points and Tyler Stone added 18 and ten boards for the Redhawks, who have won eight of their last ten games.

5. With head coach Bobby Cremins taking a leave of absence from the team due to an undisclosed health issue, it was good to see Charleston pick up a win. The Cougars won 68-52 at Samford as Antwaine Wiggins scored 25 points to lead the way.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
Murphy went off in the Golden Eagles' 98-80 win over SIU-Edwardsville, scoring 50 points (16-21 FG) and dishing out seven assists.

2. F/C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State)
27 points and 18 rebounds in the Spartans' 87-82 loss to Coppin State.

3. G Tray Woodall (Pittsburgh)
24 points (8-12 FG), four rebounds and three assists in the Panthers' 72-66 win at West Virginia.

Syracuse Bounces Back on the Road: Monday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:45:16 -0500

For Syracuse fans watching Monday's game between the Orange and Cincinnati, the fact that the Bearcats made four of their first five three-pointers may have been a cause for concern. But the Bearcats made just four the rest of the game (with 20 more attempts), making it important to note that those deep threes that fall early more times than not are "fool's gold" against the Syracuse zone. Kris Joseph rebounded from a quiet game on Saturday to score 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and as a team the Orange outscored Cincinnati 36-24 in the paint on their way to the 60-53 win.

"In the game against Notre Dame, we got off to a bad start. We just never fought back. Tonight, they hit the four threes," said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. "Sometimes, it's a good thing when they start a game like that. Not always, but sometimes. I wasn't as concerned as I was the other night because we were getting good things on offense."

Syracuse's bench, which allowed them to hang around at Notre Dame while the starters struggled, was quiet with Dion Waiters and James Southerland combining to score nine points on 4-for-15 shooting. But starting guards Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine improved their play as they combined to score 24 points and dish out nine assists. Rakeem Christmas, who looked overwhelmed in the middle at Notre Dame, played much better defense and did things that couldn't be measured simply by looking at his four-point, four-rebound stat line.

"[Rakeem] was huge. Inside on Gates, he did a very good job for a freshman," noted Boeheim. "I thought he was really good in the middle."

Cashmere Wright led the Bearcats with 17 points and four assists and Yancy Gates added 16 and ten rebounds, but the shooting struggles of Dion Dixon and Rakeem Christmas (5-for-18 FG, 3-for-11 3PT) combined with Cincinnati's 3-for-9 night from the foul line did them in. And that's with Syracuse making just five of their fifteen shots from the line. Cincinnati got off to a hot start against the Melo-less Orange, but unlike Saturday the Orange were better equipped mentally to deal with such an opening blow.

"I told the players this was as good a regular-season bounce-back win that I can remember at Syracuse," said Boeheim. "We were just so woeful Saturday night. But, coming here in that atmosphere, the way they started the game to play the way we did - I thought was tremendous."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Iona once again relaxes after getting a big lead and they pay dearly for it.
Just eleven days ago Tim Cluess' Gaels lost at the buzzer to Manhattan in a game they led 67-49 at the under-8 media timeout, and their second meeting with Siena came just 20 days after blowing out the Saints at Madison Square Garden. So jumping out to a 20-2 lead means "game over", right? That's what the Gaels seemed to think, and as a result of that complacency the Saints were able to fight their way to a stunning 65-62 win at the Times Union Center. O.D. Anosike led the Saints with 17 points and 15 rebounds, Kyle Downey added 16 and Rob Poole scored 14 off the bench as a team that can only go seven deep picked up the best win of its season to date. On the flip side is the shocking tumble of the Gaels, and the foul trouble of Scott Machado is one reason why.

The senior finished with 16 points, 12 of which came during that opening run, but played just 25 minues due to three first-half fouls (the third coming on a technical for arguing a call from the bench). Mike Glover accounted for 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots but Sean Armand, who knocked down ten three-pointers in the first meeting, attempted just one shot and Momo Jones shot 7-for-20 from the field. Kyle Smyth finished 1-for-5 from deep and as a team the Gaels shot 3-for-16, but the biggest issue has been the on/off switch they use far too often. Now tied with Manhattan and Loyola (MD) atop the MAAC standings, the Gaels likely now find themselves in a position where they have to win the conference tournament to get to the Big Dance.

2. Kansas remains undefeated in Big 12 play despite a spirited fight from Texas A&M.
Many like myself expected Bill Self's team to roll over a Texas A&M squad that was without the services of the injured Khris Middleton. But due to both the Aggies' refusal to lie down and the Jayhawks being a bit too fond of the perimeter shot in the first half Texas A&M took a two-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Kansas would rebound thanks in large part to Tyshawn Taylor, who scored 17 points, and 11 points off turnovers as they won 64-54 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Thomas Robinson led Kansas with 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds while Elston Turner led all scorers with 24 points, but the absence of Middleton and the balky ankle of Dash Harris proved to be too much to overcome for the visitors. And the play of Jeff Withey can't be ignored either, as he finished the night with ten points, eight blocked shots and four rebounds. Kansas learned a good lesson in victory, as they'll likely have it drilled into their heads that they're too good to settle for 20 three-point attempts (making just four).

3. Mississippi Valley State increases their lead to two games with an OT win at Texas Southern.
The matchup of the top two teams in the SWAC was nowhere to be found on television but that shouldn't diminish the importance of the Delta Devils' 77-69 overtime win at Texas Southern. Neither team shot particularly well as both hovered around the 38% mark, but the Delta Devils' work on the glass proved to be the difference. MVSU out-rebounded the Tigers 47-36, grabbing 18 offensive boards and outscoring Texas Southern 29-20 in the paint.

Terrence Joyner led four players in double figures with 18 points and Paul Crosby put up a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds. Texas Southern was done in by three starters combining for just nine points, which proved costly despite the fact that the game reached overtime. Texas Southern would be the two-seed in the conference tournament at this point since Southern (Grambling as well) is ineligible for postseason play due to APR issues, but they allowed a great opportunity to at least gain separation on the rest of the conference to slip through their fingers.

Quick Hitters

1. Belmont bounced back from their tough loss to USC Upstate with an 82-70 win at East Tennessee State to remain tied atop the Atlantic Sun with Mercer. Mick Hedgepeth led five Bruins in double figures with 17 points as Belmont won despite shooting 5-for-19 from three and turning the ball over 19 times.

2. The struggles continue for Towson, who hung with Delaware for nearly 30 minutes or so before falling 62-43. The Blue Hens outscored the Tigers, now 0-21 on the season, 20-4 over the final 10:30 and made 18 of 20 from the charity stripe (Towson finished 7-for-14).

3. Loyola Marymount moved to 5-0 in road WCC games as they beat Santa Clara 74-62. Anthony Ireland led the way with 25 points and five assists, and Max Good's team has the talent needed to remain in the race with Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and BYU if not win it.

4. North Carolina A&T nearly blew a 20-points second half lead at Coppin State, but thanks to an Adrian Powell three with 39 seconds remaining in overtime the Aggies left Baltimore with a 93-92 win. In fact, A&T needed a Nic Simpson (22 points) layup as time expired to simply get the game into overtime.

5. Playing in their road uniforms due to having some of their home jerseys swiped over the weekend, Old Dominion beat Northeastern 69-57 to remain a game behind George Mason in the CAA. Trian Iliadis scored 18 points and Chris Cooper posted a double-double (15 points, ten rebounds) as the Monarchs rebounded from their loss at VCU.

Three Notable Performances

1. F O.D. Anosike (Siena)
The nation's leading rebounder scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the Saints' 65-62 win over Iona.

2. C Matt Groselle (Citadel)
20 points and 14 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 78-72 double-overtime loss at Georgia Southern. Groselle played 49 of the 50 minutes.

3. G D.J. Brown (San Jose State)
33 points (9-11 FG, 9-10 FT) and four rebounds in the Spartans' 78-70 win over Cal State Bakersfield.

Cncinnati vs. #4 Syracuse: Monday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:51:35 -0500

While tonight's game between #4 Syracuse (20-1, 7-1) and Cincinnati (15-5, 5-2) may have lost a little luster from a national standpoint with both teams falling on the road Saturday, that shouldn't take away from the importance of Monday to Mick Cronin's Bearcats. The computer numbers are still a bit low although the Bearcats would most likely be a tournament team if the season ended today, so a win over a Top 5 opponent would be a nice line to add to the resume. While the absence of Syracuse center Fab Melo won't make things easier for Cincinnati it does change the dynamic in the paint.

Without Melo on Saturday at Notre Dame the Orange were out-rebounded by 13 (38-25), and the extra possessions that came as a result of the Fighting Irish's work on the offensive glass put Syracuse in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Yancy Gates (12.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg) leads the way for the Bearcats with an average of 3.1 offensive rebounds per game and they've got some guards who have also been good in this area, meaning that Cincinnati has the tools to take advantage of Syracuse allowing opponents to corral 38% of their missed shots.

C.J. Fair (8.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg), who moved into the starting lineup as a result of Melo's absence, is one of Syracuse's best reserves but he didn't have his best game on Saturday. But the same can be said of senior wing Kris Joseph (13.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg), and these two have to chip in on the glass with the Orange relying on the slender Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita in the middle for the time being. As mentioned earlier the Bearcats have guards who do a good job on the offensive boards, including one in Jaquon Parker (9.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) who was thrust into the power forward position due to the loss of two key bigs (Gates and Cheikh Mbodj) following the Xavier game.

Those guards can also score, with Sean Kilpatrick (16.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Dion Dixon (13.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) leading the way while Cashmere Wright (10.8 ppg, 4.8 apg) runs the show. Add in Parker and freshman Jeremiah Davis and there's a good reason why the Bearcats now score 34% of their points from beyond the arc, as the suspensions resulted in Cronin and his staff giving the perimeter guys more freedom to make things happen. Gates has fit in well since his return despite the drop in post touches, and defensive stalwart Justin Jackson has also been valuable in his role.

Syracuse's guards have played well for much of the season but starters Scoop Jardine (8.3 ppg, 4.9 apg) and Brandon Triche (9.8 ppg, 2.9 apg) can still have those moments where they struggle with decision-making (Jardine) or drift out of the action (Triche). That happened on Saturday in South Bend and was one reason why Notre Dame was able to lead by as many as 18 points in the first half. Dion Waiters (13.0 ppg, 2.7 apg) has been one of the Big East's best players this season, and he's a tough matchup due to both his athleticism and improved skill set. How Syracuse controls their defensive glass will go a long way in determining the outcome, but the guard play won't be far behind.

Also of note tonight is Texas A&M making what is likely their final trip to Phog Allen Fieldhouse for a long time to take on #5 Kansas, and with Khris Middleton banged up this could get out of hand. Thomas Robinson is one of the best players in the country and Tyshawn Taylor has played well of late at the point, giving the Jayhawks a decided advantage in that area as well. Keep an eye on Belmont's trip to East Tennessee State as the Bruins are now tied for first in the A-Sun with Belmont and the Bucs are one of three teams just a game back (the other two teams, Lipscomb and USC Upstate, meet tonight). And in the SWAC the top two teams meet as Mississippi Valley State visits Texas Southern in a game that features MVSU center Paul Crosby and Texas Southern guard Omar Strong.

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM (4) Syracuse at Cincinnati (ESPN)
9:00 PM Texas A&M at (5) Kansas (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
7:00 PM Towson at Delaware (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Citadel at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Northeastern at Old Dominion (ESPN3)
7:00 PM North Florida at Kennesaw State
7:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Coppin State (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Belmont at East Tennessee State
7:00 PM James Madison at Georgia State
7:00 PM Jacksonville at Mercer
7:00 PM Stetson at Savannah State
7:00 PM Iona at Siena (TWC)
7:00 PM Hofstra at VCU (TCN)
7:00 PM Drexel at William & Mary
7:00 PM Brown at Bryant
7:00 PM Lipscomb at USC Upstate
7:30 PM Florida A&M at Delaware State
7:30 PM Bethune-Cookman at Maryland-Eastern Shore
7:30 PM North Carolina Central at Morgan State
8:00 PM Alabama A&M at Alcorn State
8:30 PM Alabama State at Southern
9:00 PM UNC Wilmington at George Mason (MASN)
9:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Prairie View A&M (ESPNU)
9:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern
10:00 PM Cal State Bakersfield at San Jose State
10:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Santa Clara

Wednesday's Preview: Texas at #6 North Carolina

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:37:59 -0500

Rick Barnes' Texas (9-2) Longhorns have gotten off to a solid start despite heavy personnel losses from last year's NCAA Tournament team, but outside of a neutral-court win over NC State there aren't any decisions that jump off the page. Can't credit Santa with this pre-Christmas "gift" but they've got a great opportunity to pick up a quality win as they visit #6 North Carolina (10-2). One key for Texas' prospects this season is the play of freshman point guard Myck Kabongo (10.8 ppg, 6.0 apg), and the Canadian has shown signs by the game that he'll be alright.

But in sophomore Kendall Marshall (10.2 apg, 4.1 A/T ratio) he'll take on one of the elite distributors in the game. Marshall has more than a few weapons at his disposal, but the fact that he's so good at finding teammates in the best position for them to be successful is a big reason why he's so highly regarded. But he can be had on the defensive end of the floor, and with J'Covan Brown (19.3 ppg, 4.3 apg) likely to draw the attention of North Carolina's best perimeter defender in Dexter Strickland maybe Kabongo can take advantage of this.

The key for Brown in his development is that he's become more of a team guy for Texas, most notably eliminating the immaturity that took away from his game during his early days in the program. They've needed him to become more of a leader and the junior has taken steps in that direction. Also of importance for Texas on the perimeter is Sheldon McClellan (11.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg), who could get the call in defending UNC wing Harrison Barnes (16.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg). McClellan will need to make Barnes dribble for his shots as opposed to working off the catch or one dribble. It's been well-documented that his efficiency drops a great deal when required to work more for his own shot.

The interior play is where Texas will need to step up in order to knock off the Tar Heels, who grabbed 72 rebounds in their win over Nicholls State on Monday (Texas is far superior to Nicholls State, however). John Henson (14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.4 bpg) and Tyler Zeller (14.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) lead the way for a deep UNC front line, and the Heels' rebounding margin of plus-8.7 is better than the Longhorns' plus-5.6. However both teams have been good at hitting the offensive glass, with Texas corralling 41.9% of their misses while North Carolina has an offensive rebounding percentage of 39.6%.

Alexis Wangmene, Jonathan Holmes and Clint Chapman average a combined 16.3 rebounds per game, and with the scoring options that Texas has Chapman and Wangmene are needed more for defensive and rebounding purposes (Holmes ranks fourth on the team in scoring). Freshman Jaylen Bond (5.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) has improved his play of late and that will need to continue if Texas is to win. North Carolina will also throw a few perimeter weapons at Texas off the bench, with P.J. Hairston and Reggie Bullock being two of the better shooters in the ACC while James Michael McAdoo is another interior presence off the bench. Whether or not Texas can hang around could depend on what the likes of Bond and Sterling Gibbs do, and they've got the talent needed to do so.

Another big game on the schedule for Wednesday is Seton Hall visiting Dayton, a team that's put together two drastically different products on the floor this season. At times Archie Miller's Flyers have the look of a team that can beat almost anyone, and they're just as capable of looking like they can lose to anyone as well. Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope have been more than capable leaders for Kevin Willard's Pirates, and a road win here would be quite the boost for their NCAA Tournament profile.

Duquesne visits George Mason in what could be a wild affair, with Ron Everhart's team enjoying a fast pace and being adept at forcing turnovers and Paul Hewitt's Patriots play interesting games as well. The matchup between T.J. McConnell and Bryon Allen could determine the outcome, especially if Allen gets out of control running the show for George Mason. Iona visits William & Mary and Belmont visits Austin Peay in games where the home teams may give more of a fight than their records would indicate, and Oklahoma State takes on Alabama in Birmingham. If the Cowboys are reckless with the basketball as they were on Saturday against New Mexico, look out for another episode of the "Tony Mitchell Show".

Top 25 Games
7:00 PM Texas at (6) North Carolina (ESPN)
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at (22) Murray State

NCAA Division I Games
12:00 PM Hiwassee College at Chattanooga
6:00 PM Fresno State at Arizona State
7:00 PM North Florida at Florida A&M
7:00 PM Charleston Southern at Stetson
7:00 PM Sacred Heart at Boston College
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Vermont at Fairleigh Dickinson
7:00 PM West Virginia Tech at Marshall
7:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Maine
7:00 PM Dartmouth at Army
7:00 PM North Carolina A&T at Akron
7:00 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Cincinnati
7:00 PM Seton Hall at Dayton
7:00 PM Duquesne at George Mason
7:00 PM Wofford at High Point
7:00 PM Hartford at Marist
7:00 PM Loyola Marymount at Morgan State
7:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at South Carolina (ESPN3)
7:00 PM UTPA at St. John's (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Coppin State at Saint Joseph's
7:00 PM Iona at William & Mary
7:05 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Indiana State
7:30 PM Cornell at Penn State (BTN)
7:30 PM Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington*
7:30 PM North Carolina Central vs. Stephen F. Austin*
8:00 PM Lipscomb at Iowa State
8:00 PM South Carolina State at Oklahoma (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Peru State at South Dakota
8:00 PM Lafayette at Vanderbilt (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Rogers State at Houston
8:00 PM Alabama A&M at Tennessee State
8:05 PM UCF at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:05 PM Oregon State at Chicago State
8:05 PM Central Arkansas at Drake
8:05 PM Santa Clara at Houston Baptist
8:30 PM Cal Poly at DePaul
8:30 PM Belmont at Austin Peay
9:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
9:00 PM McNeese State at New Mexico State
9:00 PM Oklahoma State vs. Alabama (ESPN)*
10:00 PM Prairie View A&M at Oregon
10:05 PM Saint Peter's at Utah State
10:10 PM Virginia at Seattle (Root NW)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Notable Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hitters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Four Notable Performances

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

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

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

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

Monday's Preview: Belmont at Marshall

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:58:37 -0500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

College Basketball Top 50: Vandy & Belmont Out

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:18:48 -0500

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

December 18th Top 50 Ranking

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last	Pre.
1	Syracuse	11-0	1	4
2	Ohio State	10-1	2	3
3	North Carolina	9-2	3	1
4	Kentucky	9-1	4	2
5	Duke	9-1	5	5
6	Louisville	10-0	6	6
7	Baylor	9-0	8	25
8	UCONN	9-1	9	8
9	Marquette	10-0	10	23
10	Missouri	11-0	11	30
11	Kansas	7-2	12	13
12	Xavier	8-1*	7	12
13	Florida	8-2	13	7
14	Pittsburgh	10-1	14	9
15	Wisconsin	10-2	15	16
16	Indiana	10-0	20	NA
17	Mississippi St	11-1	17	35
18	Michigan	9-2	19	19
19	Michigan State	9-2	22	28
20	Creighton	8-1	23	39
21	Georgetown	9-1	26	NA
22	Cleveland St	10-1	24	NA
23	UNLV	11-2	25	34
24	St Louis	10-1	28	NA
25	Harvard	9-1	29	NA
26	Illinois	10-1*	18	46
27	Texas A&M	8-2*	16	14
28	San Diego St	9-2	31	NA
29	Gonzaga	7-2	30	21
30	Murray St	12-0	33	NA
31	Stanford	9-1	32	NA
32	Texas	9-2	34	33
33	California	9-2	35	29
34	Alabama	8-3*	21	24
35	Wichita St	8-2	36	45
36	Purdue	9-3*	27	32
37	Florida State	8-3	42	18
38	West Virginia	7-2	44	41
39	New Mexico	8-2	45	27
40	Kent St	7-1	43	48
41	Kansas St	7-1	46	49
42	Virginia	9-1	47	NA
43	Northern Iowa	9-1	49	NA
44	Northwestern	10-1	48	NA
45	Arizona	7-4*	37	20
46	Marshall	7-2	50	42
47	Temple	6-3*	38	22
48	Charleston	9-1	51	NA
49	Minnesota	11-1	53	NA
50	Memphis	5-4*	39	11

* = losses this week

last = last week's ranking

pre. = preseason ranking

Next Five: St. Mary's (8-1), Seton Hall (8-1), BYU (8-3*), Iona (9-2), Virginia Tech (8-3)

Top 50 Drop Outs

		Week	Pre
Vanderbilt	6-4*	6	10
Belmont	7-4**	6	44
Washington	5-5*	5	26
Miami	6-4	5	36
Villanova	6-5*	5	37
Notre Dame	7-5*	4	38
Weber St	6-3*	4	NA
Virginia Tech	8-3	4	NA
Cincinnati	7-3	3	17
Butler	4-6	3	31
Saint Mary's	8-1	3	47
UCLA	5-5	2	15
George Mason	7-3	2	40
Drexel	5-4	2	43
VCU	7-3	2	50

week = week dropped out of Top 50

During the season, don't forget to check out the CHN Top 50 Power Ranking every Sunday night! Check out past week's rankings and this week's AP Top 25.

Saturday Recap: Balanced Louisville Too Much for Memphis

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:59:08 -0500

The first meeting between Memphis and Louisville since the 2005 Conference USA title game certainly did not disappoint from a drama standpoint, with both teams landing major blows throughout the contest. But despite a combined 74 first-half points the play was ragged for much of the contest, with the Cardinals taking a 42-32 lead into the break thanks to the Tigers shooting 29% from the field and turning the ball over ten times. But led by Will Barton (28 points, 16 rebounds) Josh Pastner's team refused to fold, fighting back to take a 57-55 lead with 11 minutes remaining.

But Memphis' many defensive breakdowns proved costly in the long run, as Louisville scored 53 second-half points on their way to the 95-87 win. Russ Smith made the most of his 25 minutes of action with 24 points and seven steals, and all seven Louisville players to see double-digit minutes reached double figures in the scoring column. Louisville didn't shoot well from the field (40%) or from three (30.4%) but they did attempt 40 free throws, making 32 of those. The Cardinals were also good at setting each other up, assisting on 60.7% of their made baskets while Memphis assisted on just 42.3% of theirs.

"I thought most of the time we were playing great defense," said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. "They were trying to penetrate and we were forced to help, and then the guy who had to help then circled for a 3. They had a good strategy and they are a very tough team to play against."

Another player whose contributions cannot be ignored is center Gorgui Dieng, who was outstanding with 14 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in 40 minutes of action. Dieng's game has grown a great deal since his arrival on campus, and at this rate he may end up being one of the top centers in the Big East if he isn't in that class already. To get this kind of play from guys such as Dieng and Smith right now is a huge boost for Louisville, which welcomed Kevin Ware (only six minutes due in large part to Memphis going to a zone defense) and will hopefully regain the services of the injured Wayne Blackshear at some point in Big East play.

"Memphis surprised me by going zone because they haven't shown it. He's going to be fine," said Pitino of Ware. "He is a terrific athlete, good off the bounce, and much more a point guard than I anticipated. We are very excited to have him. Next game, he will be able to play a little bit more."

Memphis drops to 5-4 on the season but with the schedule they've played to date the Tigers are likely the most-tested team in the country. Barton in recent games has looked like a player who has figured things out and with his talent the sky's the limit, and Joe Jackson added 22 points. But Memphis has to tighten things up on the defensive end of the floor, as there were far too many breakdowns that led to either baskets or fouls. And turning the ball over on 20% of their possessions didn't help matters either. Louisville is still figuring things out as well, and as they welcome back key contributors and fine-tune things the Cardinals will begin to look even more like a national title contender than they do now.

Other Notable Happenings

1.Baylor survives two scares in beating BYU in Provo.
There was no doubt among those who follow college basketball that Scott Drew's team would have a hard time at the Marriott Center, one of the toughest environments in America for visiting teams. #6 Baylor was playing their first true road game of the season, and despite their talent there was an adjustment to be made. But thanks in large part to sophomore forward Perry Jones III and guard Pierre Jackson the Bears hung on for the 86-83 win. Jones put together an impressive stat line, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while also scaring both himself and the team with a knee injury in the second half. Luckily for both "PJ3" and the Bears it was simply a matter of banging knees with a BYU player and he was able to return.

Where did Jackson come into play? The JUCO transfer scored 13 points and dished out seven assists (five turnovers), and his block of Brandon Davies' (18 points, 13 rebounds) attempt to tie the game preserved the victory. Brady Heslip's marksmanship from beyond the arc was another key factor for Baylor, allowing them to withstand a very good effort from the Cougars. Matt Carlino scored 18 points off the bench in his first action in a BYU uniform, and it's difficult to see the UCLA transfer not starting when the Cougars take the court again. Baylor's win on the road is one more step in the right direction for a team that's looking more and more like a national title contender by the game.

2. Ohio State wins despite losing Jared Sullinger to a foot injury.
Sophomore forward Jared Sullinger moved back into the starting lineup for Saturday's game at South Carolina after coming off the bench in their win over USC Upstate earlier in the week. But the All-American wasn't on the floor for long in the Buckeyes' 74-66 win over the Gamecocks as his left foot was stepped on after just six minutes of action. X-rays came up negative for Sullinger, with the diagnosis being a bone bruise. To say the least Ohio State dodged a bullet with his injury, but they also had some key figures step up just a week after their loss at Kansas without the big man.

Deshaun Thomas was outstanding, scoring 30 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Thomas has made his last 17 two-point field goal attempts, and his emergence as a consistent scoring option will benefit Ohio State with or without Sullinger on the floor. William Buford added 17 points and Aaron Craft was his usual self on the defensive end of the floor. Ohio State basically left Columbia with two blocks on which to build: Sullinger will be fine, and players stepping up in his absence displayed growth from last weekend's loss in Lawrence.

3. Philly guards lead Syracuse to a win at NC State.
With NC State jumping out to a 12-4 lead the usual opinion about #1 Syracuse's non-conference schedule was conveniently brought up by many. Their first true road game, never leaving the state of New York until Big East play...and so it went. But in the midst of some patting themselves on the back they may have forgotten about the amount of talent at Jim Boeheim's disposal. What ensued was a stunning 20-0 Syracuse run, with the Orange playing their best basketball of the season during that stretch. The Wolfpack, much to their credit, would fight back and tie the game in the second half but that would be short-lived.

Guards Dion Waiters (22 points) and Scoop Jardine (16 points, four assists) led the way as the Orange pulled away for an 88-72 victory, and Kris Joseph added 21 points and five rebounds. In addition to Waiters, C.J. Fair and James Southerland scored 11 points apiece as the Orange reserves outscored NC State's bench 46-4 on the night. Feel free to use the convenient reasons to question Syracuse if you wish, but do so at your own peril.

4. Speaking of Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's makes their first home game against Villanova a memorable one.
In the history of the Big 5 Saint Joseph's had never hosted Villanova at Hagan Arena before Saturday night, usually playing their home games at The Palestra. Thanks to the trio of Carl Jones, C.J. Aiken and Langston Galloway the Hawks made the first meeting a memorable one, outclassing the Wildcats 74-58 in a game they led by as many as 20 in the second half. Saint Joseph's shot 50.8% from the field while limiting the visitors to 33.3% shooting, and the second half turned into a dunk contest of sort at one point. Galloway finished with 20 points and six assists while Jones (15 points, four assists) and Aiken (11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks) also played well, and Ronald Roberts added 12 off the bench.

Outside of Maalik Wayns (19 points) Villanova received little of consequence offensively from anyone, and with Mouphtaou Yarou less than 100% they needed a Dominic Cheek (or anyone else) to step up. But the Wildcats looked startled by the environment, and instead of becoming more comfortable with the surroundings the opposite seemed to happen as the game wore on. There are some definite questions for Villanova to answer, especially their lack of three-point shooting, but there's no doubt that Saint Joseph's can be a factor in the Atlantic 10.

5. Florida jumps Texas A&M from the start in what turned out to be a comfortable win.
There were concerns about what Billy Kennedy's team would be able to do in the second game of the Orange Bowl Classic against Florida given their strength of schedule, especially in the backcourt. Well, things got out of hand quickly as Florida jumped out to a 20-5 lead on their way to 50 first-half points and an 84-64 win. Kenny Boynton led four starters in double figures with 22 points (Erik Murphy's validated his return to the starting lineup with 13 points) and the Gators made 23 of 30 free throws to outscore the Aggies by 16 from the charity stripe. This all happened with Florida big man Patric Young taking just two shots on the afternoon.

Foul trouble didn't help the big man but this was a prime opportunity for an opponent to punish Florida for this, but Texas A&M was incapable of doing so. Shooting guard Elston Turner finished with 20 points and forwards Ray Turner (20 points) and Khris Middleton (12 points) were solid as well, but A&M can't entertain realistic thoughts of contending in the Big 12 if they don't get more out the guards not named Turner. Dash Harris, Jamal Branch and Jordan Green combined to shoot just 3-for-9 from the field, and that simply will not get it done.

6. It may be too much to say that Butler saved their season, but that wouldn't be far off.
At the half of Butler's game against Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse the Bulldogs trailed 46-35, but that margin didn't tell the whole story for Brad Stevens' team. Purdue shot 66.7% on two-point shots and turned the ball over just three times to Butler's nine, underlining the fact that the Bulldogs weren't defending at the level they need to in order to be successful. The choice was simple from an observer's standpoint: either Butler gets better defensively and has a shot at avoiding a seventh loss on the season, or they continue on that path and end up getting run out of the gym.

Butler chose the former, limiting Purdue to 19 points and 6-for-29 from the field in the second half to get back into the game. Andrew Smith's putback with a second remaining proved to be the difference in Butler's 67-65 win, an outcome the Bulldogs desperately needed. Smith and Kameron Woods scored 12 points apiece to lead the way offensively while Chase Stigall knocked down some big shots on his way to 11 points. Save their season? That may be a bit too dramatic but if Butler makes a run their win over Purdue will likely be seen as the catalyst.

Quick Hitters

1. The Elias Harris that many expect to see every game for Gonzaga showed up in Seattle, scoring 25 points (11-15 FG) and grabbing eight rebounds in the Bulldogs' 71-60 win over Arizona. Gonzaga scored the first 15 points of the game, establishing enough distance to hold off multiple Wildcat rallies.

2. If losing at Middle Tennessee earlier in the week wasn't hard enough, Belmont fell 66-61 at Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. The reason: Belmont shot 6-for-28 from beyond the arc, and Julian Mavunga led the home team with 17 points and ten rebounds.

3. Miami big man Reggie Johnson returned to the lineup in his first action of the season, and the difference in the Hurricanes was noticeable in their wild 93-90 double overtime win over FAU. Johnson accounted for 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks in 36 minutes of action and Kenny Kadji led the way with 21 points. FAU may have one of the most entertaining backcourts that receives a limited amount of publicity, with Raymond Taylor (20 points, nine assists) and Omari Grier (27 points) giving the Canes fits all afternoon.

4. Vanderbilt was handed their fourth loss of the season, this time losing at home 61-55 to Indiana State. Jake Odum controlled the flow of the action for the Sycamores, who received a nice boost off the bench from R.J. Mahurin (14 points). John Jenkins scored 11 points, making just three of ten shots for the Commodores. While Vandy may be in some trouble right now, it's safe to say that the race Indiana State will be a part of in the Missouri Valley will be fun to watch unfold.

5. Kansas State moved to 7-1 thanks to a 71-58 win over #21 Alabama in Kansas City. One of the big reasons for the victory was the play of seven-footer Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, who put forth arguably the best game of his career with 17 points and eight rebounds. K-State out-rebounded the Crimson Tide 32-28 and took advantage of Alabama's inability to knock down perimeter shots (2-14 3PT) in the second half.

6. Remember when New Mexico had the look of an early season disappointment? Steve Alford's team won its sixth straight on Saturday night, beating Oklahoma State 66-56 in Oklahoma City. Drew Gordon grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 13 points while Kendall Williams led the Lobos with 16 points.

7. Stallon Saldivar's three-pointer with less than a second remaining gave Northern Arizona a much-needed 69-68 win over Arizona State in Tempe. The Lumberjacks are just one week removed from having Mike Adras step down as head coach due to their 2-7 start, and they've won two straight since. Saturday's win is also their second straight over Arizona State.

8. They didn't get to welcome Marquette transfer Reggie Smith to the rotation (that will come on Monday) but that made little difference for UNLV, who got it done defensively in their 64-48 win over Illinois at the United Center. The Fighting Illini shot a frigid 25.4% from the field and Mike Moser led the Runnin' Rebels with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Six Notable Performances

1. G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
Hamilton was outstanding in the Golden Grizzlies' 82-80 win over Valparaiso, scoring 41 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Hamilton's jumper at the buzzer proved to be the difference.

2. G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
31 points (10-13 FG), 10 rebounds and two steals in the Sooners' 79-74 win over Houston.

3. F Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
31 points (11-15 FG) and 10 rebounds in the Tar Heels' 97-82 win over Appalachian State.

4. G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
32 points (7-11 3PT), seven rebounds and two steals in the Pride's 82-62 win over Manhattan, tying a school record for three-pointers made in a game.

5. F Julian Boyd (Long Island) and F Will Barton (Memphis)
Boyd finished with 29 points and 17 rebounds in the Blackbirds' 82-80 win over Saint Peter's while Barton put up 28 and 16 in Memphis' 95-87 loss at Louisville.

6. F Anthony Davis (Kentucky) and F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
Davis tallied 14 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in Kentucky's 87-62 win over Chattanooga while Gordon led New Mexico to their 66-56 win over Oklahoma State with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

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.