The Daily Gus: November 19th

For all those who figured it was a forgone conclusion for North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough to waltz away with the national player of the year you better watch some other games. Last night an absolute show was put on by Davidson's Stephen Curry and Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. Griffin went for 25 and 21 (did have six turnovers!) and completely dominated the glass and paint all game long. Curry struggled from the field for him going 12-29 but managed to drain six treys and mustered a heck of a comeback after the Wildcats were down 16 at one point in the second half. Last night was Griffin's third straight 20+ point and 15+ rebound output game since the season began. If both of these guys continue to play like this, they will be forces all season long. Without question the best game of the year so far.

UAB came out ready to rock and roll after a shaky performance against Santa Clara Monday night when they snatched a 64-61 victory in Tucson. Last night Robert Vaden went for 20 and UAB built up a ten point halftime lead before holding on to a one point victory down the stretch over Arizona. 'Zona has some problems right now; Chase Budinger seems to be the only scoring option; he went for 27 on 9-17 from the floor, and they are certainly struggling without Lute Olsen at the helm. A big boost for Mike Davis' athletic team though, and they will now have an opportunity in NYC to get some national recognition in the NIT semis when they face Oklahoma on Nov. 26.

Arizona State got a true road test Tuesday night when they headed to San Diego State, and narrowly escaped with a 59-52 win where they trailed much of the second half. James Harden went for 18 on 7-11 shooting and the Sun Devils shot an astounding 57%. Herb Sendek wants to really slow the game down and maximize possessions, so they will certainly let opponents stick around. Arizona State will not do it pretty this season, but with Harden and their defense, they are a force. Tremendous early win.

Shoot-Around
-Hats off to A-10 cellar-dweller Richmond; the Spiders led Syracuse at the break by seven before letting Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf go off for 27 and 22. Things are looking brighter by the day for UR, and maybe 'Cuse ain't as smooth as we thought with Flynn a year older and Devendorf back.

-Maybe BYU can get back to prominence in the Mountain West after all. Or Pepperdine should drop their basketball program. The Cougars smashed the Waves by 29 in Malibu Monday night. Things are not so fine at the 'Dine; they lost 21 games a year ago and now have lost their first two games to D-I opponents. BYU's Lee Cummard on the other hand looks to be continuing his success. He's the defending MWest co-player of the year and he is averaging 24.5 in his first two.

-America East favorites Boston U. overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to snag a victory over perennial Patriot contender Bucknell. The Terriers are depending heavily on Corey Lowe to shoulder the scoring and minute load. He played all 40 minutes and dropped 19 points. The Terriers dropped their opener to GW, so this win should help them get on track.

-Boston College will go as far as senior guard Tyrese Rice will carry them. Rice went for 28 last night against St. John's and BC pulled away late for an 82-70 win. Rice played all 40 minutes, had nine assists and went 8 of 12 from the floor. Sounds like first-team all-ACC numbers to me.