The Jimmy V Classic took place last night at Madison Square Garden, an annual event featuring four of the nation's top teams and celebrating one of the most recognized personalities of college basketball history. Jim Valvano created the Jimmy V Foundation, an organization dedicated to cancer research after a historic speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards in New York. Valvano coached at Iona, Johns Hopkins, Bucknell and most famously at NC State where he won a 1983 national title with the "Cardiac Kids." Valvano is famous for his reaction after the Derek Whittenburg buzzer beater where he was sprinting around Albuquerque's The Pit arena, just looking for someone to hug. Valvano later became an analyst for ESPN while it was growing as a national television power, and gave a historically inspirational speech after being diagnosed with cancer. "Don't give up, don't ever give up" is the foundation's mantra, and epitomizes Jim Valvano's life. He died two months after the speech, but his presence remains in the foundation and college basketball even 15 years later.
In the Jimmy V first game, Davidson played West Virginia. Stephen Curry goes 4-16 from three and has eight turnovers, quick what happens to Davidson? Assumed answer would be the Wildcats get killed against some real competition like West Va, but Curry got his points at the most crucial times and finished with 27 and 10 assists. Curry played all 40 minutes and only six Davidson players scored, and Curry looked frustrated for much of the game even though Bob McKillop's squad led nearly the whole way. Not often will Curry have an off night, and this was a precious opportunity for someone to beat the 'Cats, but West Va couldn't take advantage of their 58-32 rebounding edge which included 29 offensive boards. Da'Sean Butler was mighty impressive for the Mountaineers as he went for 24 and 14, but the spotlight belonged to Curry, who kept shooting and playing through his cold slump and managed to connect in the end, scoring 13 of Davidson's last 15 points. This game just proved to show Curry is the elite scoring guard in the nation, regardless of what conference he plays in. And until further notice, Davidson has a shot to beat anyone until they can solve a way to stop Curry.
The second Jimmy V contest featured an untested Villanova team close to home playing an already tested, experienced Texas team. This was Texas' third game against a top-15 opponent (losses to Notre Dame in Maui and a victory over UCLA at home last Thursday) and it showed as Texas grabbed a 67-58 win that they led throughout. Texas held Scottie Reynolds to 2-7 shooting and made big man Dante Cunningham beat them. Although Cunningham went for 23 and 12, the Cats could not slow down A.J. Abrams. Abrams shoots early and often and last night was no different. An 8-18 night where he hit four three pointers, helped Abrams with yet another 20+ output game, his fourth of the season. Abrams also had four assists combined with an impressive zero turnovers, as the Longhorns used their swarming defense to slow down 'Nova. Seven Texas blocks and eight team rebounds to Villanova's one was the determining factor in the game. Texas continues to not receive respect when all they do is contend in every game they play. As the season goes on and the supporting cast improves, Texas looks to become more and more dangerous.
Shoot-Around
- Wisconsin almost blows yet another game at home to a middling mid-major. Idaho State went into the Kohl Center 2-5 and the only optimistic thing on their resume represents a win over Utah. They escaped with a 60-58 win in a game Travon Hughes had eight points on 1-4 shooting and five free throws. The Badgers shot fourteen more free throws than Idaho State, a major reason they could overcome shooting 37% to the Bengals' 52%. It was Wisconsin's third home game (out of 4) which have been decided by less than 10 points. The badgers have yet to play a team with a projected under 200 RPI.
- There was a time when Ames, Iowa was hell for everyone in the nation to come through. Nobody could win there during the Jamaal Tinsley and Marcus Fizer era, but those days are long gone. Drake went into Hilton Coliseum and captured their second victory in as many trips and third overall in the series after a 66-63 win. Drake moved to a transparent 7-2 where they have looked anything but impressive, and Iowa State dropped to 6-2, forgoing a 24 point output by guard Lucca Staiger. Staiger hit all 24 points on eight three balls, but allowed Drake to snag its first lead with under two minutes to play at 64-62. The Bulldogs held on for another win,and another home Iowa State loss.
- Georgia moved to 6-3 after beating Virginia Tech 67-66 and recovered from a lambasting in Champagne over the weekend when they got beat 76-42 at the hands of Illinois. Really an absolute pathetic display of basketball was on display in Athens last night; A.D. Vassallo looked to be the only player from both teams that deserved to have a jersey on. Vassallo went for 23 in 37 minutes, but the rest of the Hokie squad went 16 of 41 from the field, including 2 of 14 from three. Georgia wasn't much better, shooting 5 of 14 from three and 10-21 from the charity stripe. This contest proved neither team will be much of a factor in either of their major conferences.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Daily Gus: December 7th
A mini-upset Saturday was brewed across the national landscape, and two Big Ten rivals led the way to do so. Ohio State and Michigan both faced top 10 squads who the nation loves, Notre Dame and Duke respectively. Ohio State got Notre Dame on a neutral court and Michigan got the Blue Devils in the friendly confines of Ann Arbor. As called right here on MTM, the Buckeyes would prevail in Luke Harangody's first game back from sickness. Ohio State got the win, 67-62 led strongly by a career day from OSU forward Evan Turner. Turner had 28 on 11-16 from the field to go along with ten rebounds and five assists. He did it all and Ohio State capped off an incredible week, beating Miami and then ND, to certainly garner some national respect. Surprising to this columnist, Harangody played fantastic in his comeback, he had 25 and 16, but it was the Buckeye press and smothering defense that was their benchmark. Ohio State got up by as many as ten, forcing the Irish guards to really struggle with the pressure and as a result their jumpers fell short. Irish guards Kyle McAlarney and Tory Jackson combined for just a 7-22 performance and only 19 of the 62 Dame points. Ohio State now does not leave Columbus until the Big Ten season kicks off on January 3rd, so it is a distinct possibility we could be seeing a 12-0, highly ranked Buckeye team taking on Michigan State in early 2009. Michigan got beat at Maryland by five on Wednesday after defeating lowly Savannah State by two last weekend. The Wolverines got up for Duke just as they did for UCLA and shocked the blue Devils led by DeShawn Sims' 28 points and 12 rebounds. John Beilein captures another giant killer win to his resume that just keeps on growing, and all of a sudden Michigan could be a Big Ten contender. Duke shot 48%, placed four players in double figures and equally rebounded and turned over with Michigan. Why the loss? 33 three point attempts. Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer went 2-14 from three, and the entire team did not even try to get the ball inside to post Singler, as Michigan was able to exercise its identity and slow down the game, getting easy buckets in transition and open looks from three. The telling statistic is at the free throw line, where *gasp* Michigan shot SIXTEEN more free throws than Duke. Last time that will ever happen, I promise. This however had nothing to do with the zebras, and everything to do with Duke's lack of desire to go inside. They could not utilize their size advantage and as a result take a real tough road loss to Michigan.
Shoot-Around
- Illinois moved to 7-1 after a 76-42 rout of Georgia on Saturday. Dennis Felton's UGA club has bounced right back to mediocrity after that miraculous run in the SEC tournament in March. They are 5-3, but have yet to get a 300+ RPI win, and have looked anything but stellar.
- Battle of Boston went to Boston College as Tyrese Rice had 21 for the Eagles as they dropped UMass to 1-6. The Minutemen led by three at the break, but down the stretch and in overtime no one could score except for Ricky Harris. Harris had 35 in the loss.
- UNLV is starting to get on track, they moved to 7-2 after a 64-57 win at in-state rival Nevada-Reno. Not only getting on track, but the Rebs seem to be a bit deeper than at first glance. Rene Rougeau had 19 and 13 for UNLV and TreVon Willis had 11 to go along with the regular contribution of Wink Adams' 11. UNLV leads the rivalry series 51-19!
- Dwight O'Neill hits a fadeaway jumper as time expires to give Fresno State a 66-64 victory over Pacific. The Spanos Center at UOP is one of the toughest venues on the west coast, so a great victory for Fresno. Paul George had 23 for Fresno who has been incredibly disappointing checking in at 3-4 with losses in all of their opportunity games; St. Mary, San Diego State, UNLV and Nevada. Maybe this can springboard them; the next eight are a piece of cake with a date at Creighton sandwiched in.
- Forget figuring out Charlotte. The Niners can't buy a home win, and then go into one of the toughest venues in the nation in Carbondale and squeak out a victory 66-64. Ian Andersen hit six treys for Charlotte as they moved to 2-6. Southern Illinois is certainly not as strong as past years, but a win in the doghouse is tough to come by.
- Curtis Jerrells struggled from the field (3/10) but Baylor got a win at Washington State 58-52. Wazzu is in a rebuilding mode, and is an overrated 6-2, but they only lost one game last season in Pullman to UCLA. Baylor moved to 7-1 and has looked mighty professional, just finding ways to win. If Jerrells continues to struggle though, those wins could become harder to come by.
Shoot-Around
- Illinois moved to 7-1 after a 76-42 rout of Georgia on Saturday. Dennis Felton's UGA club has bounced right back to mediocrity after that miraculous run in the SEC tournament in March. They are 5-3, but have yet to get a 300+ RPI win, and have looked anything but stellar.
- Battle of Boston went to Boston College as Tyrese Rice had 21 for the Eagles as they dropped UMass to 1-6. The Minutemen led by three at the break, but down the stretch and in overtime no one could score except for Ricky Harris. Harris had 35 in the loss.
- UNLV is starting to get on track, they moved to 7-2 after a 64-57 win at in-state rival Nevada-Reno. Not only getting on track, but the Rebs seem to be a bit deeper than at first glance. Rene Rougeau had 19 and 13 for UNLV and TreVon Willis had 11 to go along with the regular contribution of Wink Adams' 11. UNLV leads the rivalry series 51-19!
- Dwight O'Neill hits a fadeaway jumper as time expires to give Fresno State a 66-64 victory over Pacific. The Spanos Center at UOP is one of the toughest venues on the west coast, so a great victory for Fresno. Paul George had 23 for Fresno who has been incredibly disappointing checking in at 3-4 with losses in all of their opportunity games; St. Mary, San Diego State, UNLV and Nevada. Maybe this can springboard them; the next eight are a piece of cake with a date at Creighton sandwiched in.
- Forget figuring out Charlotte. The Niners can't buy a home win, and then go into one of the toughest venues in the nation in Carbondale and squeak out a victory 66-64. Ian Andersen hit six treys for Charlotte as they moved to 2-6. Southern Illinois is certainly not as strong as past years, but a win in the doghouse is tough to come by.
- Curtis Jerrells struggled from the field (3/10) but Baylor got a win at Washington State 58-52. Wazzu is in a rebuilding mode, and is an overrated 6-2, but they only lost one game last season in Pullman to UCLA. Baylor moved to 7-1 and has looked mighty professional, just finding ways to win. If Jerrells continues to struggle though, those wins could become harder to come by.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Weekend Look-Ahead: December 5th-7th
Friday:
Arizona (5-1) @ Texas A&M (5-1)
Arizona has transitioned nicely since the UAB loss, winning four home games against mid-majors, the only close one being a three point win over Santa Clara. Chase Budinger is averaging 21 on the season, and is the only scoring option for the 'Cats. Tonight starts a crucial five game stretch where they face UNLV, San Diego State, A&M, Kansas and Gonzaga. They could possibly be 5-6 at the end of 2008. A&M is slowly gliding itself into the season; reverting back to the slow pace that brought them out of the depths of the Big 12. It is Josh Carter's team for his senior season after living behind Dominique Kirk, Joseph Jones and Acie Law for three years. Carter is averaging 14 a game and shooting 40% from the land of plenty. The Aggies played their first four games at home against low majors who they trampled then lost at Tulsa. In their last game they won at Kent State, so a decent road win should set them up nicely for tonight.
The Play: A&M has a little more depth than Arizona, plus the game is at College Station; I'll take the Aggies 66-62.
Saturday
Vanderbilt (5-2) @ Georgia Tech (4-1)
Georgia Tech got beat at home to Penn State on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge proving a failed logic to Paul Hewitt's easy scheduling. Vanderbilt is coming off of a 16 point shocking home loss to Illinois-Chicago after winning the Cancun Challenge. A.J. Ogilvy will need to be huge in this game, but something has to give; both teams are looking to rebound from a poor performance earlier in the week.
The Play: AJ Ogilvy versus Tech's Ganai Lawal will be a real intriguing inside matchup. Ogilvy much more complete, should lead the Commodores to a great road win. Vandy 71-65.
Rhode Island (6-2) @ Providence (5-3)
The battle of the small state has bigtime impact on recruiting and bragging rights within the Ocean state. Jimmy Baron will look to get his threes off for URI, and I think Providence's athleticism will give him some trouble scoring. Providence still seems to be reeling after an opening home loss to Northeastern, and will need every ounce of their talent to beat a fast improving Rhode Island squad.
The Play: Providence has got to come out ready and prepared to guard and run for 40 minutes, which I cannot believe they will do until I see it. URI pressures all 40 minutes, 82-73 and Baron gets 25.
(4) Duke (8-0) @ Michigan (5-2)
Don't get your hopes up Ann Arbor.
The Play: They won't be able to combat Kyle Singler; Duke wins by 15.
Ohio State (4-0) @ (7) Notre Dame (6-1)
UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEKEND
Interesting play here; Luke Harangody is out indefinitely, so it will be Kyle McAlarney's game to win. With Ohio State's smothering defense, they could give the Irish shooters some trouble getting open looks, and if so with the lack of an interior presence, the Bucks have an incredible shot if they can rebound and shoot just 40%.
The Play: I like Ohio State here; they are certainly not better than Notre Dame, but the Irish are due for a cool down from the field, and without Harangody in their mixing up, they have problems. Ohio State just got a great road win at Miami, they can get an upset here. 68-63 Ohio State.
(21) Miami (FL) (4-2) @ Kentucky (5-2)
Quick. Name the last time Miami would be favored at Kentucky. Youre a liar if you thought it was inside Rupp Arena and not on the Lexington gridiron. The Canes will be without first-team all-ACCer James McClinton, suspended after his punch during the Ohio State game Tuesday. They imploded after his ejection, and there could be a hangover tomorrow. If theres ever a chance for Billy Gillespie to right the ship and get a good win this is it.
The Play: UK realllly needs a good win, and this is one that just screams off the page. Wildcats 72-60.
VCU (4-3) at William & Mary (3-5)
VCU is 0-2 on the road as they revisit the team that dashed their NCAA hopes last season in the CAA semifinals. Both teams are a little different this season, but Eric Maynor is in the top ten in the nation in scoring; he's averaging 25 a game for the Rams. VCU could use a conference opening win, but if William and Mary can utilize the zone that slowed down the Rams in the CAA last season, they will always have a shot.
The Play: Look for the 1-3-1 W&M put on VCU last year, and if it's as effective, things will be turned upside down again in the Colonial. VCU is a little bigger this season, and the Tribe can't hold Maynor down all night; VCU 71-64.
Colorado State (3-4) @ Boise State (5-1)
Boise is 5-0 at home this season and just escaped with an 86-85 win over Wyoming Wednesday night; they now welcome another Mountain West foe to the Taco Bell Arena. Boise relies on 6'7 forward Mark Sanchez on both sides of the floor; hes averaging 17 a game and has been named WAC player of the week in November and has scored 20+ twice. Boise got crushed by 30 in their one loss, at Siena in a BracketBuster return, but the Broncos are a tough out at home.
The Play: Colorado State has four losses by a combined 16 points; although a loss to D-II St. Martin's was not encouraging. A helter-skelter team going into hostile Boise will struggle for sure. Boise 72-59.
Wisconsin (6-1) @ (25) Marquette (6-1)
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
The battle of for the cheese. The annual Wisconsin rivalry rekindles its magic Saturday as Dominic James versus Travon Hughes should provide boatloads of entertainment. Marquette lost on a neutral court to Dayton last Saturday, but is unbeaten at home as they face their certainly toughest test to date. Wisconsin comes off of a huge win at Virginia Tech where they needed some last minute Badger magic to escape with a victory.
The Play: Wisconsin cannot score with Marquette, but Marquette has not faced defense nearly this tough all season. The Badger D will keep them in it, but will not give them the victory. James will get his and the Golden Eagles win at home, 68-62.
Sunday
(23) Florida (6-1) @ Florida State (7-1)
The Noles got beat at Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and really showed some weakness in their first true test all year. Still they hold a gaudy 7-1 record which must be valued, and Florida has looked anything but impressive in their last three wins since their loss to Syracuse in the CBE Classic. The first true road test for a young Florida team could spell some trouble in Tallahassee as the Noles are real tough at home.
The Play: Will be alot closer than the Noles/Gators football version, and the Noles have to be given a puncher's chance. Nick Calathes will be able to score whenever he wants because the Noles have no desire to play defense. FSU has enough athleticism, but not enough raw talent, Gators 82-72.
Arizona (5-1) @ Texas A&M (5-1)
Arizona has transitioned nicely since the UAB loss, winning four home games against mid-majors, the only close one being a three point win over Santa Clara. Chase Budinger is averaging 21 on the season, and is the only scoring option for the 'Cats. Tonight starts a crucial five game stretch where they face UNLV, San Diego State, A&M, Kansas and Gonzaga. They could possibly be 5-6 at the end of 2008. A&M is slowly gliding itself into the season; reverting back to the slow pace that brought them out of the depths of the Big 12. It is Josh Carter's team for his senior season after living behind Dominique Kirk, Joseph Jones and Acie Law for three years. Carter is averaging 14 a game and shooting 40% from the land of plenty. The Aggies played their first four games at home against low majors who they trampled then lost at Tulsa. In their last game they won at Kent State, so a decent road win should set them up nicely for tonight.
The Play: A&M has a little more depth than Arizona, plus the game is at College Station; I'll take the Aggies 66-62.
Saturday
Vanderbilt (5-2) @ Georgia Tech (4-1)
Georgia Tech got beat at home to Penn State on Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge proving a failed logic to Paul Hewitt's easy scheduling. Vanderbilt is coming off of a 16 point shocking home loss to Illinois-Chicago after winning the Cancun Challenge. A.J. Ogilvy will need to be huge in this game, but something has to give; both teams are looking to rebound from a poor performance earlier in the week.
The Play: AJ Ogilvy versus Tech's Ganai Lawal will be a real intriguing inside matchup. Ogilvy much more complete, should lead the Commodores to a great road win. Vandy 71-65.
Rhode Island (6-2) @ Providence (5-3)
The battle of the small state has bigtime impact on recruiting and bragging rights within the Ocean state. Jimmy Baron will look to get his threes off for URI, and I think Providence's athleticism will give him some trouble scoring. Providence still seems to be reeling after an opening home loss to Northeastern, and will need every ounce of their talent to beat a fast improving Rhode Island squad.
The Play: Providence has got to come out ready and prepared to guard and run for 40 minutes, which I cannot believe they will do until I see it. URI pressures all 40 minutes, 82-73 and Baron gets 25.
(4) Duke (8-0) @ Michigan (5-2)
Don't get your hopes up Ann Arbor.
The Play: They won't be able to combat Kyle Singler; Duke wins by 15.
Ohio State (4-0) @ (7) Notre Dame (6-1)
UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEKEND
Interesting play here; Luke Harangody is out indefinitely, so it will be Kyle McAlarney's game to win. With Ohio State's smothering defense, they could give the Irish shooters some trouble getting open looks, and if so with the lack of an interior presence, the Bucks have an incredible shot if they can rebound and shoot just 40%.
The Play: I like Ohio State here; they are certainly not better than Notre Dame, but the Irish are due for a cool down from the field, and without Harangody in their mixing up, they have problems. Ohio State just got a great road win at Miami, they can get an upset here. 68-63 Ohio State.
(21) Miami (FL) (4-2) @ Kentucky (5-2)
Quick. Name the last time Miami would be favored at Kentucky. Youre a liar if you thought it was inside Rupp Arena and not on the Lexington gridiron. The Canes will be without first-team all-ACCer James McClinton, suspended after his punch during the Ohio State game Tuesday. They imploded after his ejection, and there could be a hangover tomorrow. If theres ever a chance for Billy Gillespie to right the ship and get a good win this is it.
The Play: UK realllly needs a good win, and this is one that just screams off the page. Wildcats 72-60.
VCU (4-3) at William & Mary (3-5)
VCU is 0-2 on the road as they revisit the team that dashed their NCAA hopes last season in the CAA semifinals. Both teams are a little different this season, but Eric Maynor is in the top ten in the nation in scoring; he's averaging 25 a game for the Rams. VCU could use a conference opening win, but if William and Mary can utilize the zone that slowed down the Rams in the CAA last season, they will always have a shot.
The Play: Look for the 1-3-1 W&M put on VCU last year, and if it's as effective, things will be turned upside down again in the Colonial. VCU is a little bigger this season, and the Tribe can't hold Maynor down all night; VCU 71-64.
Colorado State (3-4) @ Boise State (5-1)
Boise is 5-0 at home this season and just escaped with an 86-85 win over Wyoming Wednesday night; they now welcome another Mountain West foe to the Taco Bell Arena. Boise relies on 6'7 forward Mark Sanchez on both sides of the floor; hes averaging 17 a game and has been named WAC player of the week in November and has scored 20+ twice. Boise got crushed by 30 in their one loss, at Siena in a BracketBuster return, but the Broncos are a tough out at home.
The Play: Colorado State has four losses by a combined 16 points; although a loss to D-II St. Martin's was not encouraging. A helter-skelter team going into hostile Boise will struggle for sure. Boise 72-59.
Wisconsin (6-1) @ (25) Marquette (6-1)
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
The battle of for the cheese. The annual Wisconsin rivalry rekindles its magic Saturday as Dominic James versus Travon Hughes should provide boatloads of entertainment. Marquette lost on a neutral court to Dayton last Saturday, but is unbeaten at home as they face their certainly toughest test to date. Wisconsin comes off of a huge win at Virginia Tech where they needed some last minute Badger magic to escape with a victory.
The Play: Wisconsin cannot score with Marquette, but Marquette has not faced defense nearly this tough all season. The Badger D will keep them in it, but will not give them the victory. James will get his and the Golden Eagles win at home, 68-62.
Sunday
(23) Florida (6-1) @ Florida State (7-1)
The Noles got beat at Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and really showed some weakness in their first true test all year. Still they hold a gaudy 7-1 record which must be valued, and Florida has looked anything but impressive in their last three wins since their loss to Syracuse in the CBE Classic. The first true road test for a young Florida team could spell some trouble in Tallahassee as the Noles are real tough at home.
The Play: Will be alot closer than the Noles/Gators football version, and the Noles have to be given a puncher's chance. Nick Calathes will be able to score whenever he wants because the Noles have no desire to play defense. FSU has enough athleticism, but not enough raw talent, Gators 82-72.
The Daily Gus: December 5th
D.J. Augustin was arguably the best point guard in the nation last season being the all-everything for Texas as he took them to the Elite 8. He then declared for the NBA Draft, and a rebuilding year was expected for Rick Barnes' squad down in Austin. Seems everyone forgot the Longhorns still had one of the premiere guards in the Big 12. A.J. Abrams showed last night why Texas will still be a force and is one of the favorites to win the league once again, lifting the Horns to a 6-1 start. Abrams hit five three pointers and went 9 of 18 shooting and played 38 minutes to score 31 points, spurring Texas over UCLA in Austin. Texas jumped out to a nine point halftime lead, but the game was close the whole way, a contest that wreaked of March foreshadowing. Darren Collison had 22 for UCLA, but six turnovers really hurt the UCLA backcourt. Texas went out to Maui and got beat by Notre Dame in an amazing early season game and now comes back for a win in the Big 12-Pac 10 Hardwood Challenge Matchup Feast of two over powerful BCS leagues. The Horns seem to have gone under the radar, being overshadowed by Oklahoma in its own league and other powers nationally. The thing you have to respect about Texas is their willingness to never back down from an out of conference challenge, going anywhere to play anyone. Next week they will play Villanova in the Jimmy V Challenge and will later play at Wisconsin and at Arkansas. Rick Barnes, opposite of many of his fellow BCS schools (cough ACC) always believes tests in the non con make his team better in the league schedule, and it has certainly worked in the past.
Shoot-Around
- Let the BracketBuster return games begin; St. Mary's got beat last season in their only home defeat to Kent State, as Kent used that game to springboard into the NCAA discussion and the top 25. Thursday night, St. Mary's got some sweet revenge, going into the MAC favorite's home den and taking over in the second half for a 75-69 win. Patty Mills had 26, 19 in the second half and the Gaels keep rolling along, moving to 6-1 and picking up another good road win. Thursday night marked the beginning of a four game road swing for the Gaels, they will play at San Diego State, Oregon and Southern Illinois in the next week and a half. This could answer the question how good Patty Mills can make this team.
- Predictions are overrated. Butler moved to 6-0 and has showed no signs of slowing down after graduating five seniors last season. The Bulldogs kicked off their conference season last night, getting the toughest win in the league out of the way, nailing a buzzer beating three to win at Cleveland State. Cleveland St has been massively underacheiving, they are now 5-3 and are behind the proverbial 8-ball if Butler keeps playing like they know how. Butler shot 32% in the victory, as they slowed down the pace to a crawl, but forced the Vikings to play ugly, shooting 26% and 1-11 from three point range. If Cleveland State wants to even think about claiming the top spot from Butler in the Horizon things need to change before conference play gets going full force.
- Connecticut had looked real impressive in their seven victories to start the season; average margin of victory by 24 points per contest. The provocative thing was that the Huskies had not played a true road game until Thursday night, and boy did they get a rude awakening. Buffalo is a tough damn place to play, especially in the middle of December where there ain't much else to do except U Buffalo hoops and Bills football. Rodney Pierce got his game off for the Bulls, going for 28 and 10-19 from the field. Hasheem Thabeet was the player of the game though; Thabeet had 21 and 18 and combined with Jeff Adrien for eight blocks. The Bulls had a shot to tie the ballgame on the last possession but Pierce turned it over.
- Two years ago Wright State beat top 10 Butler twice and went to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Horizon league. This season Brad Brownell's squad has lost all leadership and to be honest talent. The Raiders are 0-5 after a 57-46 loss at home to Wisconsin Green Bay. Wright State gave up a 20-2 run late in the first half and mustered only three made threes on twenty attempts.
- Looks like we could have a title race in the Summit League this season rather than a simple Oral Roberts coronation. ORU traveled to Fargo last night and got beat by North Dakota State, as NDSU defended its homecourt to start the conference season. The Bison were picked second behind Oral in the Summit preseason poll, but ORU has struggled, going 1-5 in the non conference. North Dakota hasn't been much better, just 2-3, but last night was a huge home win that may indicate a time of change within the league. Guards Ben Woodside and Brent Winkelman combined for 44 points to lead NDSU.
- Blake Griffin was elbowed in the onions, but still managed to play his game and get 25 points and escape with a 73-72 victory over USC. The boys of Troy dropped to 5-3, and after two losses in Puerto Rico, Tim Floyd's squad is really struggling. The way they came out on the road and competed with a really good Oklahoma team. Daniel Hackett had 13 assists had showed Willie Warren a true point guard, as he helped Dwight Lewis get 25 points. The Sooners continue to move up the ranks, and show no signs of slowing down- although a true road test at Tulsa on Sunday should spark a little tenuous atmosphere.
Shoot-Around
- Let the BracketBuster return games begin; St. Mary's got beat last season in their only home defeat to Kent State, as Kent used that game to springboard into the NCAA discussion and the top 25. Thursday night, St. Mary's got some sweet revenge, going into the MAC favorite's home den and taking over in the second half for a 75-69 win. Patty Mills had 26, 19 in the second half and the Gaels keep rolling along, moving to 6-1 and picking up another good road win. Thursday night marked the beginning of a four game road swing for the Gaels, they will play at San Diego State, Oregon and Southern Illinois in the next week and a half. This could answer the question how good Patty Mills can make this team.
- Predictions are overrated. Butler moved to 6-0 and has showed no signs of slowing down after graduating five seniors last season. The Bulldogs kicked off their conference season last night, getting the toughest win in the league out of the way, nailing a buzzer beating three to win at Cleveland State. Cleveland St has been massively underacheiving, they are now 5-3 and are behind the proverbial 8-ball if Butler keeps playing like they know how. Butler shot 32% in the victory, as they slowed down the pace to a crawl, but forced the Vikings to play ugly, shooting 26% and 1-11 from three point range. If Cleveland State wants to even think about claiming the top spot from Butler in the Horizon things need to change before conference play gets going full force.
- Connecticut had looked real impressive in their seven victories to start the season; average margin of victory by 24 points per contest. The provocative thing was that the Huskies had not played a true road game until Thursday night, and boy did they get a rude awakening. Buffalo is a tough damn place to play, especially in the middle of December where there ain't much else to do except U Buffalo hoops and Bills football. Rodney Pierce got his game off for the Bulls, going for 28 and 10-19 from the field. Hasheem Thabeet was the player of the game though; Thabeet had 21 and 18 and combined with Jeff Adrien for eight blocks. The Bulls had a shot to tie the ballgame on the last possession but Pierce turned it over.
- Two years ago Wright State beat top 10 Butler twice and went to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Horizon league. This season Brad Brownell's squad has lost all leadership and to be honest talent. The Raiders are 0-5 after a 57-46 loss at home to Wisconsin Green Bay. Wright State gave up a 20-2 run late in the first half and mustered only three made threes on twenty attempts.
- Looks like we could have a title race in the Summit League this season rather than a simple Oral Roberts coronation. ORU traveled to Fargo last night and got beat by North Dakota State, as NDSU defended its homecourt to start the conference season. The Bison were picked second behind Oral in the Summit preseason poll, but ORU has struggled, going 1-5 in the non conference. North Dakota hasn't been much better, just 2-3, but last night was a huge home win that may indicate a time of change within the league. Guards Ben Woodside and Brent Winkelman combined for 44 points to lead NDSU.
- Blake Griffin was elbowed in the onions, but still managed to play his game and get 25 points and escape with a 73-72 victory over USC. The boys of Troy dropped to 5-3, and after two losses in Puerto Rico, Tim Floyd's squad is really struggling. The way they came out on the road and competed with a really good Oklahoma team. Daniel Hackett had 13 assists had showed Willie Warren a true point guard, as he helped Dwight Lewis get 25 points. The Sooners continue to move up the ranks, and show no signs of slowing down- although a true road test at Tulsa on Sunday should spark a little tenuous atmosphere.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Daily Gus: December 2nd
November 18th could not be further away in Lynchburg. The Liberty Flames were featured on ESPN's 24 hour college basketball tip off bonanza fananza wahoo commercial for itself on that day when they traveled to UNC-Asheville. Its conference opener, Liberty got thumped by 28 in a humiliating display of basketball which made the highly touted recruiting class of Ritchie McKay extremely uneasy. Since then the Flames are burning the candle at both ends, scoring and locking up high mid majors and majors alike, going 4-0 with victories over William & Mary, Virginia and an excellent win at home Monday night over George Mason. Liberty hit 11 threes and went to overtime with Mason before Seth Curry, the younger bro of Davidson's Stephen Curry, hit a jumper with 40 seconds left to give LU the lead for good. Curry had 22 and held Mason shooter Dre Smith scoreless and big Darryl Monroe to 8 points for LU. Since winning four in a row, maybe the baby Flames are growing up a little early, and are starting to regain a home court swagger which will certainly help come Big South conference play. Things dont get any easier for Liberty, they match up against Depaul, Saint Louis and Clemson within the next two weeks, but if they can snag some victories there expectations are already exceeded in McKay's second season. On the other hand, Mason suffers its second loss to a low major after Hampton several weeks ago. They are now 5-2, but their glaring weaknesses in their non conference schedule is not helping their case for respect.
Shoot-Around
- Travon Hughes' game winning jumper with 0.9 seconds left lifted Wisconsin over Virginia Tech in the massively outdated ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Marcus Landry missed one shot for the badgers and had 18, but the show belonged to Va Tech guard A.D. Vassallo. Vassallo had 24 second half points and 30 overall as he completely led the way for Tech; big Jeff Allen looked miserable, two points and a foul out appearance. It was lucky for the Hokies to even be in the game due to Allen's play.
- San Francisco jumps out to a 12 point first half lead over a really underachieving USC team before allowing the Trojans to go on a run in the second half to seize the victory 74-69. The Trojans had 18 turnovers but relied on 26 from guard Dwight Lewis for the victory helping them rebound after losses to Seton Hall and Missouri in Puerto Rico. It could be a long night for Southern Cal on Thursday when they go into Norman.
- Ball State got a last second victory at IPFW Monday night, 54-52 to move to 4-2 on the season as Anthony Newell hit a game winner in Fort Wayne. Ball State has seven newcomers, and all of which have started out with fervor. After going 6-24 last season, Newell has given the team a swingman to rely on along with their inside presence. Purdue goes into Muncie next Tuesday for what could be a big time trap game.
- Mount St Mary's wins at city rival American for the first time in 43 years as Mountie Jeremy Goode went off for 29. Mount had two points with 8:30 left in the first half and all of a sudden the flood gates opened. Shooting just 38% the Mount managed to take care of the ball only turning it over seven times en route to the 57-52 victory. 14-18 from the line certainly did not hurt either. It was American's second home game and they hit the road for a five game road trip starting Saturday at cross town rival Georgetown. The Eagles are 4-3, and could be in a tenuous position if they keep squandering away late game leads. THe road trip does not look promising.
- Colgate is by no means a New England basketball force, but Syracuse may be finally back in a big way. The Orange jumped out to a 43-14 halftime lead and rested its starters for much of the second half, but they are now 7-0 and have yet to be tested including a great win over Kansas last week in the CBE. Paul Harris had 22 points in 21 minutes to drop the Raiders to 2-3. Now with victories over two ranked teams that are the last two national champions (Florida/Kansas) the Cuse look ahead to a December 20th date with Memphis in which they should be 11-0 and possibly in the top 15.
Shoot-Around
- Travon Hughes' game winning jumper with 0.9 seconds left lifted Wisconsin over Virginia Tech in the massively outdated ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Marcus Landry missed one shot for the badgers and had 18, but the show belonged to Va Tech guard A.D. Vassallo. Vassallo had 24 second half points and 30 overall as he completely led the way for Tech; big Jeff Allen looked miserable, two points and a foul out appearance. It was lucky for the Hokies to even be in the game due to Allen's play.
- San Francisco jumps out to a 12 point first half lead over a really underachieving USC team before allowing the Trojans to go on a run in the second half to seize the victory 74-69. The Trojans had 18 turnovers but relied on 26 from guard Dwight Lewis for the victory helping them rebound after losses to Seton Hall and Missouri in Puerto Rico. It could be a long night for Southern Cal on Thursday when they go into Norman.
- Ball State got a last second victory at IPFW Monday night, 54-52 to move to 4-2 on the season as Anthony Newell hit a game winner in Fort Wayne. Ball State has seven newcomers, and all of which have started out with fervor. After going 6-24 last season, Newell has given the team a swingman to rely on along with their inside presence. Purdue goes into Muncie next Tuesday for what could be a big time trap game.
- Mount St Mary's wins at city rival American for the first time in 43 years as Mountie Jeremy Goode went off for 29. Mount had two points with 8:30 left in the first half and all of a sudden the flood gates opened. Shooting just 38% the Mount managed to take care of the ball only turning it over seven times en route to the 57-52 victory. 14-18 from the line certainly did not hurt either. It was American's second home game and they hit the road for a five game road trip starting Saturday at cross town rival Georgetown. The Eagles are 4-3, and could be in a tenuous position if they keep squandering away late game leads. THe road trip does not look promising.
- Colgate is by no means a New England basketball force, but Syracuse may be finally back in a big way. The Orange jumped out to a 43-14 halftime lead and rested its starters for much of the second half, but they are now 7-0 and have yet to be tested including a great win over Kansas last week in the CBE. Paul Harris had 22 points in 21 minutes to drop the Raiders to 2-3. Now with victories over two ranked teams that are the last two national champions (Florida/Kansas) the Cuse look ahead to a December 20th date with Memphis in which they should be 11-0 and possibly in the top 15.
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